Youthful Glory

The fifteenth day of the first month, the Lantern Festival.

This year's Lantern Festival was different from previous ones. A palace consort had proposed hosting a banquet by the Golden Ming Pond, inviting the imperial clan to admire the lanterns and enjoy the night. Emperor Chengkang found the idea quite delightful and had discussed it early on with Empress Zhang, making preparations for the event.

Jiang Xu had previously declined the New Year's Eve palace banquet, but for the Lantern Festival, Emperor Chengkang absolutely refused to let him decline again.

Ming Tan had originally hoped to stroll the streets of South Yuhe with her husband that night, but now those plans were completely ruined.

The thought of entering the palace and having to deal with those restless consorts again gave her a headache.

This year's Golden Ming Pond night outing was organized by Consorts Lan and Shu, along with Consort Rou, who had recently regained favor. With so many affairs during the New Year celebrations, Empress Zhang couldn't manage everything in the palace alone.

Ming Tan was already quite familiar with Consorts Lan and Shu, but she had no impression of Consort Rou despite having entered the palace several times.

During the banquet, Ming Tan quietly asked Jiang Xu, "Husband, what's the background of this Consort Rou?"

"..."

"I am not a palace eunuch."

"..."

Fair enough. Her husband was busy strategizing the recapture of Rongzhou—how would he have time to pay attention to whether some consort had regained favor or not?

Seated nearby were Prince Yu and his consort, a well-known childhood sweetheart couple in the capital. Ming Tan often entered the palace with Princess Consort Yu, and the two frequently had things to chat about.

At that moment, Consort Rou was toasting the Emperor and Empress across the hall. Princess Consort Yu leaned slightly closer and whispered to Ming Tan, "Sister Tan, do you know the background of this Consort Rou?"

Ming Tan shook her head slightly.

Princess Consort Yu continued mysteriously, "Consort Rou used to be under Consort Yu's faction. After Consort Yu was confined to the cold palace, she also fell out of favor. You know how things are in the palace—consorts without favor or family backing don't have an easy time. So for the past two years, Consort Rou hasn't even had the chance to appear in public, and the Emperor had long forgotten about her."

Ming Tan gave her a questioning look.

Princess Consort Yu was about to say more when Prince Yu tugged at her sleeve, signaling her to behave.

She pulled her sleeve back indignantly and continued gossiping with Ming Tan, "I heard she regained favor this time thanks to Consort Shu's help. Consort Shu is pregnant now, so it's only natural she'd want to find allies. Consort Rou holds a decent rank, and back when she served under Consort Yu, she was forced to take medicine that left her unable to bear children..."

Princess Consort Yu kept chattering away with Ming Tan without pause. Prince Yu had a headache but could do nothing about it, only giving Jiang Xu an apologetic look.

Jiang Xu didn't seem to mind. He picked up the wine a maid had just poured for Ming Tan and drank it in one gulp.

Today was a family banquet, attended only by imperial relatives, so the rules were more relaxed than usual. During the meal, many low-ranking consorts who rarely had the chance to see the Emperor went all out to showcase their talents and seek favor.

It had to be admitted—women who could enter the palace did have some skills. Their dancing and musical performances were quite impressive.

Ming Tan watched attentively and even whispered to Jiang Xu, "That beauty just now played the qin quite beautifully. Though not quite as good as me, the melody was somewhat novel."

"..."

That "not quite as good as me" was quite something.

Jiang Xu glanced at her but didn't comment. "If you want to learn new songs, I can have someone find you some scores."

"No need, I can compose my own." She casually emphasized her own creative talents.

Jiang Xu: "..."The bright moon had just risen, and the music and dance were in full swing. Everyone was drinking, chatting, and laughing, creating a harmonious and joyful atmosphere.

Empress Zhang smiled gently from the head seat and said, "Today's banquet has been well arranged. Thank you, Shufei, Lanfei, and Roupin, for your efforts."

The three quickly rose and curtsied in acknowledgment.

Shufei smiled modestly and replied, "Your Highness oversees the six palaces and bears the greatest burden. It is our honor to share your responsibilities. Moreover, as I am with child, my movements are not as convenient, so I have merely lent my name to the effort. The real work was done by Lanfei and Roupin."

As usual, Lanfei spoke in a calm tone, "I did not do much—"

Before she could finish, Roupin interjected cheerfully, "Sister Lanfei is too modest. I know nothing of such matters. With Sister Shufei pregnant and not to be disturbed, I relied entirely on Sister Lanfei for guidance. You must not decline the credit, sister."

Ming Tan wasn’t paying much attention to their conversation, but she did glance discreetly at Shufei’s belly.

Shufei seemed to be about three months along. The thick winter robes concealed any visible signs, unlike Jia Guiren below, whose rounded belly was unmistakable. Combined with her frequent complaints and demands, she already exuded an air of "a mother’s status elevated by her child" even before giving birth.

Curious, Ming Tan took advantage of the moment and quietly asked Princess Consort Yu, "I heard Shufei has been with His Majesty since his days in the Eastern Palace?"

"Yes, indeed," Princess Consort Yu, though young, was well-informed. Given an opening, she could chatter endlessly. "Shufei was a Liangyuan in the Eastern Palace, not a high-ranking position. However, she has accompanied His Majesty for over a decade. Though she bore no children, His Majesty still granted her the rank of one of the Four Consorts and even entrusted her with raising the Fourth Princess, whose mother, Consort Wang, died in childbirth. Such favor is rare. Now that she is pregnant... it seems she is but a step away from becoming the Noble Consort."

In this dynasty, aside from the Crown Princess, the Crown Prince could have two Liangyi, two Liangyuan, and four Xuanshi. Shufei had only been a Liangyuan in the Eastern Palace, a relatively low rank.

Yet, rising to the rank of one of the Four Consorts as a former attendant from the Eastern Palace wasn’t necessarily extraordinary—Lanfei, who also had no children, had achieved the same. Ultimately, it all came down to the Emperor’s favor.

What intrigued Ming Tan more was how Shufei, now nearly thirty, had suddenly conceived after over a decade without children.

As the banquet concluded, the moon hung high in the sky. Everyone followed Emperor Chengkang and Empress Zhang outside for a lantern-lit stroll along the Golden Bright Pond.

Earlier, Roupin had suggested making the night stroll more interesting by having the Emperor and Empress lead separate groups—men and women of the imperial clan—along opposite sides of the pond. Every ten steps, a lantern riddle would be placed, and when the groups reunited, they would compare how many riddles each side had solved.

The idea was novel, and Emperor Chengkang agreed without much thought.

Thus, upon leaving the banquet hall, the men and women parted ways.

It must be said that great effort had been put into this night stroll. Every ten steps, an exquisitely crafted lantern adorned the path, each more breathtaking than the last. Floating lanterns dotted the Golden Bright Pond like golden lotuses blooming atop shimmering ripples. At regular intervals, hot tea and snacks were provided, and there were even resting spots for the weary. The riddles themselves were ingeniously designed—some required guessing characters or poems, others objects, and a few even involved solving mechanical puzzles.Among the palace consorts, there were many with outstanding poetic talents. Even the more challenging word and poetry riddles would eventually be solved after some contemplation. However, the mechanical puzzle proved far more difficult.

The mechanical lantern was exquisitely crafted. Unlike other lanterns that held candles inside, this one contained a luminous pearl, casting a soft, radiant glow through its delicate panels. The puzzle's solution lay in retrieving that very pearl from within.

Several consorts stepped forward to attempt it, but none succeeded. A young princess, curious, also approached and fiddled with it for a while before pouting and retreating in defeat.

Ming Tan was walking alongside Princess Consort Yu and had no intention of drawing attention in such a setting. Yet, some seemed determined not to let her fade into the background.

Jia Guiren, her belly prominently rounded, took the opportunity to mock the previous attempts by the consorts, not forgetting to stir trouble for Lanfei: "When it comes to talent, our palace still looks up to Sister Lanfei. Pity she’s the one who set this puzzle and can’t solve it herself. Some of you younger sisters, having read a few miscellaneous books outside the palace, might think yourselves clever, but you’ve yet to realize how far you still fall short here. You ought to learn more from Sister Lanfei."

Lanfei had long grown accustomed to ignoring her. Among the consorts Jia Guiren taunted, some held the same rank as her, but none wished to argue with a heavily pregnant woman, so they endured her sarcasm in silence.

Had Jia Guiren stopped there, the lantern riddle would have been passed over, and everyone could have moved on to the next. But then Roubin interjected with a gentle smile, "Though none in the palace could solve it, the princess consorts and noble ladies… have yet to try."

She turned to Ming Tan, offering a respectful curtsy, her voice sweet and deferential: "His Majesty once mentioned that Princess Consort Dingbei is exceptionally clever and skilled with mechanical puzzles—even able to solve those crafted by Master Yun Yan. Might the Princess care to attempt this lantern?"

Ming Tan: "..."

Upon returning to the capital, she had prepared gifts for familiar households, including the palace. Knowing the palace lacked nothing, aside from local specialties, she had also included a mechanical "bird in a cage" puzzle she had serendipitously acquired in Lixian.

Emperor Chengkang greatly admired Master Yun Yan’s works. After receiving the puzzle, he had even questioned Jiang Xu about it. Jiang Xu, without concealment, stated that the puzzle had been won by the Princess Consort. Thus, Roubin’s knowledge of this came as no surprise to Ming Tan.

Ming Tan was about to decline when Jia Guiren let out a soft, mocking laugh: "Princess Consort Dingbei? I’ve only heard she’s fond of lychees. Since when has she been skilled with mechanical puzzles?"

Ming Tan: "..."

She might have endured it had the lychees not been mentioned. But to be so openly insolent in her presence—Jia Guiren clearly hadn’t learned her lesson from her demotion.

Ming Tan cast her a glance and retorted coolly, "Jia Guiren’s prolonged confinement has left her rather out of touch with recent news."

At the mention of confinement, Jia Guiren’s expression darkened, and she opened her mouth to retort. But Empress Zhang frowned slightly and interjected, "If Jia Guiren is tired, she may retire early."

Jia Guiren fell silent.

With peace restored, Ming Tan stepped forward to examine the mechanical lantern.

The lantern had some weight to it. She held it carefully, rotating the base while listening intently to the internal mechanisms.

Click, click… The sound followed a distinct rhythm—three clicks, then a pause.

After two full rotations, she deduced that there must be a groove structure inside. At each groove, the lantern could be pushed upward slightly. Gradually discerning the pattern, she proceeded methodically, testing as she listened.Before half a moment had passed in silence, Jia Guiren, convinced she was merely putting on an act, couldn't help but whisper, "I see the princess consort seems quite troubled. Rather than wasting time here, we'd be better off solving other lantern riddles. The Emperor and the rest will likely arrive soon, and we've solved so few. Let's not lose too embarrassingly later."

No one responded.

Empress Zhang was intently watching Ming Tan manipulate the mechanism and paid her no heed.

Feeling both bored by the lack of attention and eager to see Ming Tan fail, Jia Guiren muttered to herself, "Who knows how much longer this will take? The imperial heir in my womb cannot stand for too long. In that case, this concubine shall rest over there—"

Before she could finish her sentence, a "click" sounded—the mechanism lantern had opened.

A small door automatically protruded from the side of the lantern, revealing a massive luminous pearl secured at its center by a six-clawed stand, its luster soft yet radiant.

Ming Tan exhaled in relief, her lips curving slightly as she reached for it.

But the moment her fingers touched the pearl, she suddenly sensed something amiss—

The luminous pearl was scalding hot.