Youthful Glory

Ming Tan had just taken it out when she immediately thought to put it back, but before she could act, her wrist suddenly went numb, and the luminous pearl rolled onto the ground with a clatter.

The crowd gasped softly, instinctively lowering their heads to search for it. However, everyone was gathered closely together, their winter skirts heavy and elaborate. Before anyone could spot the pearl, another commotion erupted, accompanied by two sharp cries of alarm—the voices of the maids filled with panic and fear—

"Your Highness!"

"Guiren!"

Ming Tan herself was jostled and nearly lost her balance, but fortunately, Princess Consort Yu steadied her from the side.

Once she regained her footing, she saw two simultaneous cries of pain not far away. After the cries came another agonized wail: "It hurts! My child!"

Ming Tan’s mind went blank for a moment—what had happened? Shufei and Jia Guiren had both fallen to the ground!

At that very moment, Emperor Chengkang and his entourage, who had been strolling nearby, heard the commotion and quickly rushed over.

Seeing that the two fallen women were his pregnant consorts, Emperor Chengkang’s expression darkened instantly. "Why are you all standing around? Summon the imperial physicians at once!"

"They’ve already been summoned. Someone, help Shufei and Jia Guiren to Ruyan Pavilion immediately!"

Faced with the sudden accident, Empress Zhang remained relatively composed, handling the situation methodically, though her voice was tense and hurried.

Shufei and Jia Guiren’s personal maids hurried forward, assisting the palace eunuchs in supporting their mistresses to the nearest Ruyan Pavilion.

Jia Guiren had initially only felt a dull ache, but as she tried to stand, the pain became overwhelming, dizzying her vision and draining all color from her face. "It… it hurts so much!"

Shufei’s condition was even more dire. Her maid cried out in horror, "B-blood! Your Highness is bleeding!"

The maid’s hands were stained red, and Shufei’s skirt was soaked dark with blood.

Ming Tan’s heart sank.

Emperor Chengkang’s face was livid as he demanded, "What in heaven’s name happened here?!"

Roubin hastily knelt and confessed, "This concubine is at fault. I insisted on asking Princess Consort Dingbei to solve the puzzle lantern. She did solve it, but perhaps in her excitement, she failed to hold the luminous pearl steady, and it fell to the ground. Sister Jia stepped on it, slipped, and fell. Sister Shufei was standing right beside Sister Jia and was knocked down as well."

Empress Zhang and Lanfei wanted to defend Ming Tan, but the situation had been too chaotic, and they hadn’t clearly seen what had transpired. However, several lower-ranking concubines corroborated Roubin’s account.

Upon hearing this, Emperor Chengkang turned his sharp gaze directly to Ming Tan.

Instinctively, Ming Tan moved to kneel, but Jiang Xu suddenly stepped in front of her, shielding her with an outstretched arm. His eyes met the emperor’s steadily, unflinching.

Emperor Chengkang locked eyes with him for a long moment, his expression complex.

The surroundings fell silent, the atmosphere freezing into a tense, breathless stillness under the weight of their silent confrontation.

In the end, it was Emperor Chengkang who looked away first. Without a word, he turned on his heel and strode toward Ruyan Pavilion.

Soon, everyone else followed, leaving only Ming Tan and Jiang Xu beneath the lantern light.

Jiang Xu took her ice-cold hand in his. After a long pause, her fingers twitched slightly, and she whispered, "I’m sorry, Husband. A Tan seems to have dragged you into trouble."

"It’s not your fault."

"No, I was careless and fell into a trap."

"It’s fine. I’ll handle it."

His voice was like cold jade, low and steady, inexplicably soothing.Ming Tan tightly gripped his hand in return, only then remembering to explain: "That luminous pearl just now—it was burning hot to the touch. I sensed something was wrong but didn’t dare throw it away, only thinking to put it back. But for some reason, my wrist suddenly went numb. By the time I realized, the pearl had already fallen to the ground. What happened afterward, I don’t know either."

Jiang Xu naturally believed every word Ming Tan said. He reassured her, "No need to worry. I’m here."

Holding her hand, he led her to the spot where Shufei had fallen. Fresh bloodstains still marked the floor. He extended his hand. "Give me your handkerchief."

Ming Tan obediently handed it over.

He used the handkerchief to dab at the blood on the ground, examining it closely.

Suddenly, a possibility occurred to Ming Tan. "Is it human blood?" she asked nervously.

"Yes."

Before Ming Tan could feel disheartened, Jiang Xu added, "She’s meticulous. She wouldn’t leave such an obvious flaw."

Ming Tan froze for a moment. "Husband, you mean... Shufei...?"

Did he have some evidence? To so directly conclude that Shufei was involved.

Jiang Xu didn’t answer. His gaze swept the area, and in a corner, he found the luminous pearl that had rolled away.

The pearl was no longer as scorching as before, but it still felt warm in his palm.

After studying it for a while, Jiang Xu stated plainly, "It’s moonlit powder."

"Moonlit powder?" Ming Tan was puzzled.

"A powder made from a mineral ground in the northern regions. It’s silver in color and faintly luminescent. When sealed, it rapidly heats up upon contact with air."

Ming Tan lowered her eyes to the luminous pearl. "So this pearl was coated with moonlit powder?"

Jiang Xu neither confirmed nor denied it. "Let’s go."

Meanwhile, inside Ruyan Pavilion, chaos reigned in both chambers.

Jia Guiren’s agonized screams indicated she was going into premature labor. Empress Zhang hastily ordered midwives to be summoned and preparations made for the delivery.

In Shufei’s chamber, only muffled sobs could be heard. The imperial physician whispered a report to Emperor Chengkang before shaking his head slowly and withdrawing.

Shufei leaned against the headboard in a daze, tears silently streaming down her face.

Emperor Chengkang sat by the bed, holding her hand, feeling deeply sorrowful.

Shufei had lost her child. Moreover, the physician had said her constitution made conception difficult to begin with. This pregnancy had been a rare occurrence, and now that it was lost, it was unlikely she would ever conceive again.

Outside, Jia Guiren’s cries came one after another, heart-wrenching as she repeatedly called out, "Your Majesty! Your Majesty!"

Shufei seemed distressed by the noise. Though her vision blurred with tears, she half-raised herself and choked out, "My presence here is inauspicious for Sister Jia. I... beg Your Majesty’s permission to return to my palace first."

Emperor Chengkang didn’t know what to say. He only gripped her hand tightly, patting it, and solemnly promised, "I will get to the bottom of today’s events. I’ll have someone escort you back to your palace. With Jia Guiren making such a commotion here, you won’t be able to rest properly."

Shufei nodded tearfully.

Just as the palanquin arrived outside Ruyan Pavilion and the maids were about to help Shufei rise from her bed, Jiang Xu entered with Ming Tan in tow.

Seeing Jiang Xu shielding Ming Tan protectively behind him, Emperor Chengkang’s suppressed displeasure grew heavier, and the atmosphere in the pavilion instantly turned oppressive.

Ignoring the emperor’s mood, Jiang Xu cut straight to the point. "Your Majesty, the luminous pearl was coated with moonlit powder."

Emperor Chengkang frowned at this.

Ming Tan stepped out from behind Jiang Xu, curtsied, and calmly recounted the strange sensations she had experienced when handling the luminous pearl.After hearing the account, Emperor Chengkang's frown deepened. "So you're saying someone tampered with the night pearl and deliberately made you drop it?"

"Your Majesty, that is correct."

The eunuch presented the night pearl. Emperor Chengkang examined it carefully—its surface faintly shimmered with silver light, unmistakably moon dust powder.

This substance was rare in the capital, and its preservation required special methods. There was no way Jiang Qizhi would carry it around just to exonerate his little princess consort.

He raised his head, his gaze sweeping over Lanfei and Roupin with silent authority. "What exactly is going on here?"

Lanfei and Roupin immediately knelt.

Before Lanfei could speak, Roupin cried out in protest, "Your Majesty, this concubine knows nothing! I've never even heard of moon dust powder! The lantern riddles and palace lanterns were all prepared by Sister Lanfei. This concubine is innocent!"

Lanfei couldn't help but glance at her. "What do you mean by that, Sister Roupin? Wasn't the mechanical lantern your suggestion?"

"I only proposed it after hearing Your Majesty mention mechanical devices once. But that was merely a suggestion—wasn't everything else handled by Sister Lanfei?"

As Lanfei was about to retort, Shufei suddenly spoke up in disbelief. "Sister Lanfei... you? Why would you do this?"

"It wasn't me."

"Whether it was or wasn't, Sister can't just say so outright. After all, tonight's lanterns and riddles were all prepared by you," Roupin added from her kneeling position. "Your Majesty, please order a thorough search of Lanwu Palace. If Sister Lanfei is responsible, evidence will surely be found. If not, it will clear her name!"

Hearing this, Ming Tan subtly hooked Jiang Xu's little finger. Though their eyes didn't meet, they both understood each other's thoughts.

So this was the real trap waiting tonight. Four birds with one stone—Shufei's scheme was truly cunning.

No doubt, a vial of moon dust powder was already hidden somewhere in Lanfei's Lanwu Palace, waiting to be discovered.

As expected, within half a quarter-hour, the eunuch returned with a sealed vial of moon dust powder.

Emperor Chengkang glanced at it, then turned to Lanfei, his tone unreadable. "Lanfei, what do you have to say for yourself?"

Before Lanfei could respond, Shufei suddenly threw herself forward, tears streaming down her face like rain. "Sister Lanfei, why would you harm me like this? Because you admire Prince Dingbei and resent the princess consort, you'd use her hand to destroy my child?!"

At these words, Lanfei's head snapped up.

Shufei stared straight at her. "Can you deny that you admire Prince Dingbei?!"

Silence fell over the hall. Emperor Chengkang's expression was inscrutable.

Ming Tan's heart sank slowly. She had been wrong—this wasn't four birds with one stone, but five:

Harming Jia Guiren's pregnancy; concealing the truth of her own false pregnancy; framing Ming Tan for accidentally causing a miscarriage; shifting blame onto Lanfei; and most dangerously, sowing distrust between the emperor and her husband.

The most troublesome part was that while her husband could expose Shufei's true nature, he couldn't control Lanfei's choices. Yet Lanfei's choice was the most crucial of all.

Though only moments had passed, to Ming Tan, it felt like an eternity.

Finally, after what seemed like ages, Lanfei moved.She suddenly let down her hair and solemnly kowtowed three times, her eyes reddening: "When I was young, I served as the princess's study companion and studied alongside Your Majesty. Back then, Your Majesty would slack off by sitting behind me. During the tutor's lessons, Your Majesty mischievously cut off a lock of my hair, making me cry. To comfort me, Your Majesty promised to send betrothal gifts to my home when I came of age.

"Perhaps Your Majesty treated it as childish nonsense and never took the promise seriously, but I always believed it wholeheartedly. Though I knew well the hardships of the inner palace, when I learned I could enter it, I came without hesitation. All these years in the palace, I've never sought to compete for anything, nor dared to disturb Your Majesty excessively. I simply waited quietly in my chambers for Your Majesty to visit during leisure hours.

"If all the slanders and accusations must be pinned on me, so be it. But if anyone doubts my loyalty to Your Majesty, I'm willing to shave my head and become a nun, devoting the rest of my life to prayer, never again involving myself in palace affairs—using my remaining years to prove my innocence."

Emperor Chengkang was deeply shaken: "Lan'er, what are you doing? Get up at once!"

Consort Lan stubbornly remained kneeling, as if prepared to stay there indefinitely until her name was cleared.