Youthful Glory

Seeing the Sixth Princess react this way, Ming Tan couldn't help but feel curious—just how much of the rumors about this treasured daughter of the Nanlü King were true, and how much were false?

The Sixth Princess had an unguarded nature. With just a slight show of goodwill from Ming Tan, she seemed to completely forget that the woman before her was her romantic rival. Without waiting for anyone to subtly fish for information, she blurted out everything one might want or not want to hear.

It turned out that among those rumors, the part about her admiration for Prince Dingbei was true. But the stories about her and Zhai Nianci were truly outrageous!

"...I don't even want to see her. Who would want to pick fights with her? It was after she came to Nanlü and heard about my admiration for Prince Dingbei that she kept finding excuses to talk to me about His Highness and his consort—that's you!" The Sixth Princess glared at Ming Tan indignantly. "She wouldn't stop talking about how loving you two were! I told her I didn't want to hear it, but I don't know how I offended her. Since she couldn't have what she desired, she insisted on making me share her misery. It was so annoying!"

"Oh right, once when she came to pay respects to Mother Empress, we happened to meet, and she started again! I couldn't help it and argued with her. Just then, my father arrived and heard us quarreling. He scolded me harshly. Not only that, he even said Mother Empress failed in teaching me properly. It made me so angry!"

"So usually, your father favors her more?"

"How could that be? I'm Father's most beloved little princess!" She proudly puffed out her small chest. "Father only reprimanded me to save her face. Later, he sent me many wonderful things, including my favorite little bow."

Then, as if remembering something, she straightened her bun-like face and said seriously, "But Father treats her quite well too, because he highly values your Daxian Kingdom. Don't misunderstand—no one in our Nanlü palace gives her a hard time."

Hearing this, Ming Tan nodded slowly. "What a pity." ???

"What did you say?"

"Nothing. I meant that since she's come to Nanlü for marriage alliance and become your father's consort, her words and deeds should conform to Nanlü palace rules. You're a princess—there's no need for you to always yield."

As Ming Tan spoke, she watched the princess's fair, bun-like face bob before her. Unable to resist, she suddenly reached out and poked it.

"What are you doing?" The Sixth Princess was baffled.

"You had something on your face."

Ming Tan maintained a perfectly straight face, pretending she'd merely helped remove a speck of dirt, while internally marveling: The Sixth Princess's little bun face is so satisfying to poke! Who knew cheeks this soft would feel so good—how I want to poke them again!

Completely unaware, the silly princess continued Ming Tan's earlier thread: "I don't yield to her at all. That's why I argued with her during Mother Empress's birthday banquet. Don't worry—with me around, she can't cause any trouble. Besides, hasn't your Daxian's Empress Dowager claimed illness and stopped appearing? I heard she was Zhai Nianci's greatest backer. Perhaps hearing this news has made her behave better recently."

That made sense.

She was Empress Dowager Su's granddaughter. With the Su family fallen, how could the Zhai family escape reckoning?Now that Empress Dowager Su had confined herself to the Shoukang Palace, claiming illness and unlikely to emerge again in this lifetime, her father had been demoted, and her mother, Princess Wenhui, though not explicitly implicated, had clearly fallen out of favor with the capital's nobility and officials.

Under such circumstances, how could Zhai Nianci still act so arrogantly in Nanlü?

The Sixth Princess was quite the chatterbox—once she started talking, she couldn’t stop. She rambled on about many things Zhai Nianci had told her.

Naturally, much of it was slander against Ming Tan, but before Ming Tan could even defend herself, the Sixth Princess dismissed all the malicious words as Zhai Nianci’s fabrications.

Ming Tan hadn’t expected that simply exchanging a roasted chicken would make the Sixth Princess so readily align herself with her, even displaying a sense of shared indignation.

……

Meanwhile, as soon as Jiang Xu entered the imperial tent, Emperor Chengkang rose from his desk and handed him a secret letter: "Take a look."

The letter, spanning several hundred words, conveyed one crucial piece of information: Guo Bingmao had been exchanging secret communications with Beihe, raising suspicions of betrayal.

Jiang Xu skimmed through it swiftly, his expression unreadable.

Emperor Chengkang said gravely, "Since the new leader of Beihe ascended, they’ve been eyeing Yangxi Road covetously. If not for their internal strife leaving them no room to act, they would have taken advantage of Lingzhou’s chaos long ago. Now, seeing our court just recovering from turmoil and still weakened, they must be plotting to ally with Qiangyu."

Jiang Xu placed the letter back on the imperial desk. "One wants to seize the three prefectures of Yangxi Road, the other to protect Rongzhou—hardly surprising."

"Earlier, when Ming Tingyuan was in Yangxi Road, there was no trouble. But now, with Guo Bingmao in charge—Guo Bingmao, who was Ming Tingyuan’s trusted subordinate and personally recommended by him to succeed as military commissioner—"

Jiang Xu abruptly interrupted, "This matter likely has nothing to do with Marquis Jing'an."

"How can you be so sure?" Emperor Chengkang immediately countered.

The emperor had always harbored reservations about Ming Tingyuan.

After completing his term, Ming Tingyuan had returned to the capital and was smoothly transferred to the Bureau of Military Affairs as a deputy commissioner. The Bureau of Military Affairs was the dynasty’s highest military authority, and upon his promotion, Ming Tingyuan took charge of the Northern and Hexi Offices under its twelve divisions.

Yangxi Road fell under the jurisdiction of the Hexi Office, and Ming Tingyuan had long been entrenched there. Though the position of military commissioner had changed hands, the authority to command troops remained in his grasp, and his successor was none other than his former right-hand man. His power was undeniably immense.

However, due to Jiang Xu’s interference, Emperor Chengkang had missed the best opportunity to eliminate him during the purge of noble families. Over the past two years in the capital, Ming Tingyuan had kept a low profile. Moreover, being stationed in the capital added an extra layer of restraint, making it impossible for him to act freely. Thus, the emperor had no immediate plans to move against him.

But this secret letter tonight—

"Marquis Jing'an never wished to be entangled in court disputes. Even after two years in the Bureau of Military Affairs, he has never overstepped. Given his current status, he has no reason to betray the dynasty. If he did, it would only be to assist me in some grand scheme," Jiang Xu suddenly remarked.

Emperor Chengkang was taken aback, then quickly realized. "What nonsense are you saying? That’s not what I meant—I’ve never doubted you!"

Jiang Xu’s expression remained indifferent. "If Your Majesty does not doubt me, then there is no need to doubt Marquis Jing'an either. Though he strongly recommended Guo Bingmao, Guo has held Yangxi Road for two years without substantial military authority. It’s only natural he might entertain other ideas. As for why Guo Bingmao is communicating with Beihe and what their next move might be—that still requires concrete investigation."This reasoning made sense. After a brief moment of consideration, Emperor Chengkang nodded and said, "Then this matter shall be entrusted to you. If he truly has ulterior motives... we might as well turn his scheme against him."

Jiang Xu had precisely this intention and gave a slight nod in agreement.

After a long silence, Emperor Chengkang sighed and patted his shoulder. "It seems you've grown quite attached to that little Consort of yours. You've changed quite a bit since the marriage."

Jiang Xu had never been fond of discussing personal matters with him and did not respond to this remark. Instead, he said calmly, "If there is nothing else, I shall take my leave."

As Jiang Xu lifted the tent flap to leave, Emperor Chengkang suddenly called out to him, "A-Xu!"

Jiang Xu stopped in his tracks.

"I will always trust you."

Jiang Xu paused for a fleeting moment but left the imperial tent without looking back.

Nearby, a newly appointed palace concubine who had come to deliver roasted venison hid in the shadows and overheard these words, her curiosity piqued.

After Jiang Xu departed, the concubine entered the imperial tent to serve Emperor Chengkang the venison and deer blood wine. Noticing the emperor's slight intoxication, she carefully adjusted her touch as she massaged his shoulders and neck, casually remarking, "By the way, this humble concubine happened to encounter Prince Dingbei outside earlier."

Emperor Chengkang remained silent with his eyes closed.

Feigning innocent curiosity, she cautiously ventured, "This concubine has long heard of Your Majesty's unwavering trust in Prince Dingbei. Yet the prince commands formidable military power, and his father-in-law, Marquis Jing'an, serves as Deputy Commissioner of the Privy Council. How can Your Majesty be so at ease? Even between brothers, such trust is rare."

Having said this, she softened her massage slightly and hastily added, "This concubine speaks bluntly and dares to ask. If my words offend, may Your Majesty forgive me."

This new concubine bore some resemblance to the late Jia Guiren in her boldness of speech, yet she was more adept at reading moods and adapting to circumstances—a temperament Emperor Chengkang had come to favor, frequently summoning her to attend him in recent times.

Still with his eyes closed, the emperor remained silent for a long while before finally responding, "You wouldn't understand, nor do you need to."

He offered no explanation but showed no displeasure at her political inquiry.

Indeed, it wasn't just this new concubine who harbored such doubts. Many in the court shared her confusion, with numerous officials convinced that Emperor Chengkang's trust and indulgence toward Jiang Xu were nothing but a calculated strategy of "killing with kindness"—an unavoidable measure for the time being.

At present, the Great Xian still relied heavily on this God of War, forced to tolerate his towering achievements that overshadowed the throne. But once the empire no longer needed him, or if he ever showed signs of rebellion, his days would be numbered.

Yet Emperor Chengkang knew such a day would never come. The Great Xian would always need Prince Dingbei, just as the prince would never harbor treasonous thoughts.

—Once, the throne had been within his grasp, yet he had chosen to relinquish it willingly.