Youthful Glory

The autumn hunt was an annual event, but before her marriage, Ming Tan, not being a royal woman nor holding any official title, had never been able to participate. Last year, she had traveled south with Jiang Xu and narrowly missed the event upon their return. Thus, she was extremely eager to witness the excitement this time.

"That’s fine. You’ve been cooped up in the residence these days—it’s good for you to get some fresh air. Didn’t you make a riding outfit before? You can wear that." In the study, Jiang Xu casually remarked while reviewing secret reports from the northwest.

Ming Tan rolled her eyes inwardly, set down the inkstick, and emphasized, "That riding outfit was made in early summer last year!"

"Then make a new one."

"Using the outdated snow satin you gifted me over a year ago?"

Jiang Xu fell silent. After a long pause, he muttered, "Didn’t the Princess Consort advocate frugality?"

"But this time is different!"

"How so?" Jiang Xu resealed the report and looked up at her, appearing genuinely curious.

Ming Tan shuffled over in small steps, settled into his lap, wrapped her arms around his neck, and gazed into his eyes. "Isn’t the fifth prince and sixth princess of Nanlü coming this time?"

"What does that have to do with you?" Jiang Xu met her gaze unflinchingly.

Ming Tan stared at him for a while, but seeing no trace of guilt in his expression, her eyes wandered downward and lingered on his chest. She poked him lightly with her index finger, her tone slow and threatening. "You tell me—what does it have to do with me?"

Jiang Xu was always slow to react in such matters. It took him a while, amidst Ming Tan’s repeated mentions of the "Nanlü princess," to finally understand—

"Absurd nonsense."

"Where there’s smoke, there’s fire." Ming Tan tightened her embrace, pressing further.

Jiang Xu hesitated, momentarily at a loss for a rebuttal.

The rumor had originally spread to the capital through merchants traveling between the north and south. It was said that after Princess Yongle, Zhai Nianci, went to Nanlü for a political marriage, the Nanlü court, out of respect for Daxian, treated her with courtesy. But later, for some reason, she ended up in a heated argument with the sixth princess—the beloved daughter of the Nanlü queen—during a banquet.

And the cause of this argument? None other than Prince Dingbei of Daxian.

The rumor claimed that in his youth, Prince Dingbei had once accompanied a diplomatic mission to Nanlü. At the time, the sixth princess of Nanlü was barely ten years old, and her father had not yet ascended the throne. During a banquet, she had fallen head over heels for Prince Dingbei at first sight.

When the new king of Nanlü took the throne and sought to strengthen ties with Daxian through marriage, the sixth princess went to her father, coquettishly pleading for him to arrange the match. Little did she know that the Prince Dingbei she yearned for had already taken a wife.

Upon learning this, the sixth princess threw a tantrum, unreasonably demanding her father send a state letter to the Daxian emperor, ordering Prince Dingbei to divorce his wife. The king of Nanlü nearly fainted from rage.

Leaving aside whether the Daxian emperor could even command Prince Dingbei, the princess consort came from an illustrious family—her father held significant military power in Daxian. Would the emperor be so foolish as to do something so idiotic? Sending such a letter would be tantamount to inviting trouble for Nanlü, wouldn’t it?

After finally calming her down for a few days, the sixth princess declared that she wouldn’t mind being a concubine if it meant marrying Prince Dingbei.

She might not have minded, but the king of Nanlü still had his dignity!

As the queen’s daughter and Nanlü’s most noble princess, how could she shamelessly offer herself as a concubine to a Daxian prince?To prevent his beloved daughter from coming up with any more whimsical ideas, the King of Nanlu hastily dispatched envoys to Daxian to seek a royal marriage, finally putting an end to her fantasies.

However, the Sixth Princess of Nanlu was unwilling to accept this. She blamed Princess Yongle, who had gone to Nanlu for the marriage alliance, believing that if not for Princess Yongle marrying into Nanlu first, she could have become Prince Dingbei’s secondary consort. As a result, she often caused trouble for Princess Yongle in the Nanlu palace.

But Princess Yongle was no pushover either. After enduring it a few times, she finally drank some wine at a banquet and publicly confronted the Sixth Princess, telling her to face reality and stop daydreaming!

……

In truth, these rumors had been circulating since last year, with vivid details that made them seem quite credible. Ming Tan found them somewhat believable, but Nanlu was thousands of miles away from the capital, and she couldn’t possibly meddle in affairs so far off. Besides, her husband’s popularity reflected well on her—a small vanity of a young woman…

But while it was one thing when this was happening in distant Nanlu, it was another matter entirely now that the Nanlu delegation had arrived in the capital to pay tribute and participate in the autumn hunt.

Seeing that his little princess consort clearly had no intention of letting this go, Jiang Xu remained silent for a long moment before finally asking, “What do you want?”

Ming Tan had been waiting for this very question. “I want matching riding outfits with my husband—the kind that makes it obvious at a glance that I’m Prince Dingbei’s princess consort.”

“When you’re with me, who wouldn’t know you’re my princess consort?”

“I don’t care, I want them. If you refuse, it means you don’t love me.” Ming Tan clung to him, whispering coquettishly.

“……”

Wearing matching riding outfits in public—and given her taste in clothing, they would undoubtedly be extravagantly ornate—was something Jiang Xu found entirely unnecessary.

But under the cover of night, with his little princess consort tempting him with her charms, the battle ended, as always, with Prince Dingbei’s defeat.

Several days later, at the imperial hunting grounds outside the capital, the autumn hunt commenced. As the first grand event held in the capital in nearly half a year, it naturally drew all the officials, creating a lively and bustling atmosphere.

By the time Jiang Xu and Ming Tan arrived at the hunting grounds, most of the attendees were already present. The sight of the striking couple entering in matching black and white riding outfits, embroidered with identical patterns, drew everyone’s attention.

Ming Tan was always the epitome of grace and elegance in such grand settings. Poised and radiant, her every movement was neither stiff nor frivolous, embodying the most refined standards of a noble lady of Daxian.

Only after paying respects to Emperor Chengkang and Empress Zhang and taking her seat did Ming Tan casually glance toward the Nanlu delegation.

Perfect. Though she couldn’t pinpoint exactly which one was the Sixth Princess of Nanlu in that brief look, she could already feel the intense gazes coming from that direction.

As she had expected, the Sixth Princess of Nanlu was staring at her in a daze.

In truth, most of the rumors circulating in the capital about Nanlu were true. The Sixth Princess had indeed fallen in love with Jiang Xu at first sight years ago when he had visited Nanlu as an envoy.

For this tribute mission, she had begged and pleaded, promising her father that she would obediently return and marry her betrothed once she saw Prince Dingbei in Daxian. Only then did the King of Nanlu relent and allow her to accompany the delegation.

She and her royal brother had been in Daxian for four or five days now, but her brother had kept her under strict supervision, forbidding her from wandering around. Prince Dingbei hadn’t attended the welcoming banquet either, so it was only today that she finally laid eyes on the man she had longed for—Prince Dingbei.After several years apart, Prince Dingbei remained as tall and handsome as ever, exuding an air of extraordinary charm, yet he seemed to have shed the youthful aura she had once been so infatuated with.

He was no longer the cold, battle-hardened young god of war with a fierce glint in his eyes from his diplomatic mission to Nanlü years ago. Now, he had matured considerably, carrying an unfathomable calmness about him, and by his side stood a consort so captivating it was impossible to look away.

His consort was truly beautiful, like a figure stepped out of a painting—even the curve of her smile was a delight to behold. In Nanlü, she had never seen such an exquisite woman...

No, wait—this was her rival!

She was just a little pretty, that was all!

At this thought, the Sixth Princess hurriedly adjusted her posture, straightening her back almost imperceptibly.

Before long, everyone had arrived. Emperor Chengkang, as usual, recounted the hardships the court had endured since the disaster in Lingzhou, followed by uplifting words about the dawn of a new era. He also briefly mentioned Nanlü, the friendly state that had come to the capital to pay tribute this time, before announcing the start of the autumn hunt.

Jiang Xu, dressed in hunting attire, had come for serious sport. Ming Tan, however, had donned hers purely to flaunt affection, with no intention of mounting a horse. After watching Jiang Xu disappear into the dense forest, she went to find Bai Minmin and Zhou Jingwan.

Zhou Jingwan was now the wife of Lu Ting, the Deputy Commander of the Imperial Guards. Though their wedding—originally planned to be a grand affair—had been scaled down due to the Lingzhou disaster, Commander Lu adored his wife so much that he used his merit in saving the Emperor to secure her the title of First-Rank Noble Lady, much to the envy of noblewomen in the capital.

Bai Minmin’s marriage to Zhang Huaiyu had also been settled. Empress Zhang had initially intended for Emperor Chengkang to bestow the marriage to add prestige, but due to the Lingzhou calamity, imperial relatives were advised against extravagant weddings. Thus, Duke Pingguo’s Mansion and Duke Changguo’s Mansion arranged the marriage privately.

Empress Zhang had only one younger brother, and though the imperial decree was omitted, the wedding itself could not be too modest. The date was set for this winter—just a month or two away.

Bai Minmin, neither a royal relative nor a titled noblewoman, would normally have been ineligible to attend. She was only here for the autumn hunt because Empress Zhang had granted special permission.

"Zhang Huaiyu said he’d shoot a fox and make me a fur rug from its pelt," Bai Minmin grumbled. "But judging by his archery skills, he’d be lucky to bag a rabbit for a scarf. I don’t know why he’s so delusional about himself!"

"You!" Zhou Jingwan tapped her forehead. "The Heir Zhang isn’t as hopeless as you make him out to be."

Bai Minmin sighed, cupping her face. "Well, Prince Dingbei and Commander Lu are excellent hunters—they’ll bag plenty of game. I can just take some of theirs."

Having rarely heard her say a kind word about Zhang Huaiyu, Ming Tan couldn’t help but defend him. "You underestimate your future husband too much. The Heir Zhang may seem frivolous—"

"Actually is frivolous," Bai Minmin cut in.

Ming Tan fell silent.

Zhou Jingwan added, "The Heir Zhang is quite skilled, actually. Last year’s polo tournament—though he lost to Prince Yu—he still placed second."

"What’s the use of second place? With first place shining so brightly, who remembers second?" She gave an example. "Take the imperial exams two years ago—everyone knows the top scholar was Su Jing, Lord Su, but who remembers who came second?"

Without hesitation, Ming Tan replied, "The second-place candidate was Liu Minzhi, Lord Liu."

Bai Minmin: "...""Doesn't everyone still remember that the Tanhua Lang is Second Young Master Shu? Or has someone forgotten? Weren't you the one who admired him so much?"

Bai Minmin was momentarily left speechless.

As the three were talking, the just-mentioned Princess Consort Yu from Prince Yu's household joined them.

Princess Consort Yu was naturally cheerful and lively. Though she wasn't skilled with blades or swords, she had some knowledge of horseback riding and archery. Seeing the three dressed in riding attire, she invited them to go hunting in the woods.

For once, the three were in agreement, shaking their heads like rattle-drums while saying, "No, no."

But Princess Consort Yu was very enthusiastic: "I'm not very good either. Let's just wander around the nearby woods, have the guards lead the ponies, and see if we can catch a rabbit or pheasant. It'll be fine."

Indeed, a small area had been cordoned off for the ladies' amusement, where the rabbits were plump beyond compare. There was no need to wait by a tree stump—the rabbits would practically lie on the stumps waiting to be hunted.

With nothing else to do and Princess Consort Yu reluctant to go alone, the three agreed.

The Sixth Princess of Nanlü had trained in martial arts since childhood and was skilled in horseback riding and archery. As she returned from the woods with a dozen or so catches to store them temporarily, she spotted a group of young ladies ahead in the sparse woods, laughing and chatting as guards led their ponies.

Reining in her horse, she watched for a while and couldn't help but be impressed. One who seemed slightly competent shot arrows into tree stumps, another's arrows flopped weakly to the ground the moment they were released, and the remaining two were even more remarkable—they couldn't even lift their bows.

And that exquisitely beautiful Princess Consort Dingbei was one of those two who couldn't lift their bows.

The Sixth Princess couldn't bear to watch any longer. Suddenly, she raised her bow, took aim, and let an arrow fly—piercing straight through a leisurely hopping rabbit and pinning it to the ground. Then, puffing out her chest, she rode forward leisurely, chin raised, pride mixed with a hint of disdain as she said, "Are all the young ladies of Daxian this terrible at riding and archery? Would you like me to teach you?"

The group looked at her with wary eyes.

"That little rabbit was so adorable! The Sixth Princess is far too cruel!"

"Exactly."

"There's even blood!"

"How pitiful. Let's give it a proper burial."

The Sixth Princess, who had been expecting admiration and pleas for instruction: "...?"