36
In truth, Ming Tan hadn’t expected her husband to approach and embrace her so directly.
Upon leaving Shoukang Palace, Zhai Nici followed persistently, hurling mocking remarks that grew increasingly tiresome. Just as Ming Tan’s patience wore thin, she spotted her husband walking toward them from afar and suddenly conceived a plan.
She interrupted Zhai Nici, saying softly, “It seems the County Princess knows little about men. In that case, why not observe closely what kind of woman His Highness truly favors?” Then, feigning a sprained ankle, she halted abruptly, furrowed her brow, and let out a soft hiss of pain.
As Ming Tan had anticipated, her husband would first pay respects to the Empress before approaching her to ask, “What’s wrong?”
She could then follow the cue, her eyes brimming with pitiful tears, and endureingly murmur, “It is nothing,” before biting her lip to emphasize, “I simply twisted my own ankle by carelessness.”
Once this tactic was deployed, even if it did not win her husband’s deep compassion, it would certainly ensure he would intimately support her as they departed.
Yet now, her husband’s actions had far exceeded her expectations; Ming Tan was so stunned that she momentarily forgot to offer Zhai Nianci a gentle, tender smile.
This is within the imperial palace!
Recalling last year’s Lantern Festival banquet at the palace, she had summoned every ounce of her courage, daring not to make a single misstep. Yet now, her husband was carrying her boldly through the inner courts—far too conspicuous.
“Hus… husband, shouldn’t you go inside to pay your respects to Her Majesty the Empress Dowager? And also to Her Majesty the Empress… It seems you haven’t performed the proper rites; isn’t this improper?” Ming Tan asked cautiously, her arms wrapped around Jiang Xu’s neck.
“It matters not,” Jiang Xu replied dismissively.
After walking for a while, Ming Tan asked again, “By the way, are you acquainted with the Princess of Yongle County? She is remarkably valiant and spirited; she even accompanied her father on northern campaigns. From what she said, it seems there might be some connection between her and you.”
“Not really,” Jiang Xu replied, lowering his gaze to glance at her briefly with an indifferent expression.
As if her thoughts had been laid bare, Ming Tan let out a soft “Oh” and obediently refrained from pressing further.
In truth, Jiang Xu’s remark of “not really” was not merely a perfunctory dismissal; his entire impression of the Princess of Yongle County stemmed solely from the Empress Dowager and her father, who was considered quite brave and skilled in battle.
As for the fact that the Lady of Yongle County had fallen for him, once disguised herself to enter the camp to accompany his father on a northern expedition, and even privately wept and demanded to become the Princess of Dingbei, he knew nothing of it. His princess could be anyone, but never a close relative of Empress Dowager Su.
Upon reaching Yeyang Gate, Jiang Xu suddenly asked, “How is your injured foot?”
Ming Tan shook her head. “I only twisted it slightly; it’s nothing serious.”
Jiang Xu halted his steps.
Ming Tan realized what was happening and immediately tightened her arms around his neck, cooing softly, “But it still hurts a little; I can’t walk on my own.”
“…”
So troublesome.
He continued walking outward.
Ming Tan couldn’t help but curl her lips upward. Since she had already been so bold, wouldn’t it be a great injustice if she didn’t see it through to the end and ended up with several impeachment memorials filed against her by the censors?
–
Ming Tan was quite self-aware; she knew that such ostentatious behavior would inevitably earn her a mark against her name in the records of the censorial officials.
The following morning, after the important matters of court had been discussed, an imperial censor stepped forward to accuse His Highness, the Prince of Dingbei, of improper conduct within the palace. Since returning to the capital with his patrol troops, he had never attended court to deliberate on affairs, raising suspicions of laziness and incompetence.
Such accusations were merely a formality, a routine monthly duty, with no real expectation of any punishment resulting from them. After all, as long as the Prince of Dingbei remained in the capital, there were few days when his conduct was proper or when he showed respect for others.
However, his newly appointed father-in-law would not stand for it.
Ming Tingyuan stepped forth and retorted, “This minister believes that since His Highness has just wed, his urgency to protect his princess consort upon her injury is only human; how can this be called improper conduct?”
“Moreover, the accusation of laziness and incompetence raised by the Imperial Censor is utterly absurd. Civil officials and military generals each have their own duties to fulfill. When His Highness took to the battlefield to slay enemies, we never saw Imperial Censor Yang contributing to the nation; he only ever sat in the imperial court, incessantly prying into others’ family affairs with his endless chatter, thereby earning himself the suspicion of laziness and incompetence!”
Bai Jingyuan, the Duke of Changguo, also stepped forward to agree: “Your servant believes Marquis Jing’an speaks most rightly. If Prince Dingbei can be labeled lazy and incompetent, then I fear there are hardly any diligent and loyal subjects left in this imperial court. Even if there were, they would certainly not be the likes of Imperial Censor Yang, who merely haggles over trivial matters!”
Censor Yang: “…”
Emperor Chengkang: “…”
The imperial court fell silent for a moment, yet no one stepped forward to smooth things over.
For the truth was that Prince Dingbei’s conduct within the palace had indeed been rather arrogant and dismissive of all others.
Prince Dingbei has always been this way; if he could disrupt a palace banquet, why would he fear this? Moreover, the Duke of Changguo and the Marquis of Jing’an are not wrong: the newlyweds have just married, and since His Majesty himself does not mind, it is entirely unnecessary for you to submit a memorial seeking to bring them misfortune.
As for attending court sessions, Prince Dingbei did attend in the past, but whenever he appeared, he either stood silently without uttering a word or directly mocked the Empress Dowager. Thus, it is better that he does not attend.
For a long while, no one responded; the throne hall fell silent. Finally, Emperor Chengkang had to clear his throat lightly and smooth things over himself: “My lords, there is no need to argue. Prince Dingbei is young and has just started a family; it is only natural that he cherishes his wife deeply.”
He paused, feeling that his words sounded somewhat strange, yet having already spoken them, he continued: “Furthermore, Prince Dingbei is wholly devoted to the nation; his remarkable military achievements for Da Xian are evident to all. His exemption from attending court sessions was granted by my special permission and requires no criticism.”
After speaking, he glanced at the Right Prime Minister.
The Right Prime Minister understood the hint and promptly stepped forward to report on a different matter, skillfully diverting the conversation and allowing this incident to pass quietly.
Emperor Chengkang spoke of the matter without much forethought, unaware that his golden words, “deeply devoted to my beloved wife,” would begin spreading beyond the court the moment he dismissed the morning audience.
Recently, there have been no pressing matters in the imperial court, so the ministers were quite content to indulge in gossip. Upon returning to their own residences, they did not forget to share these tidbits with their wives. Thus, within merely half a day, the rumor that His Highness, the Prince of Dingbei, was “deeply devoted to his wife,” spread throughout the entire nobility of the capital.
–
On the third day after her marriage, when a daughter returns to her natal home, Ming Tan was far away in the imperial court, fiercely refuting Imperial Censor Yang, while Jiang Xu had just finished his martial training and returned to Qian’an Hall, preparing to accompany Ming Tan back to the Jing’an Marquis’s residence.
Jiang Xu customarily wore black, yet as Ming Tan arranged her hair and makeup, she kept glancing at him through the bronze mirror, her words implying that the loose cyan casual attire he had worn last year at the Great Xiangguo Temple had looked exceptionally handsome on him.
Jiang Xu replied, “That outfit is torn.”
“Then does my husband possess no garments other than black ones?” Ming Tan refused to believe it; she rose personally to rummage through the chests, pulling out a moon-white long robe to hold against Jiang Xu. “How about this one? It seems quite becoming to me.”
Jiang Xu did not care for pale moonlight white.
But before he could speak, Mingtan looked at him expectantly and said, “Atan also has a brocade skirt in pale moonlight white. Since today is our return visit to my parental home, wouldn’t it be nice if husband and Atan wore matching colors?”
“…” Jiang Xu awkwardly averted his gaze. “As you wish.”
And so, the couple, dressed in matching robes of pale moonlight white, set off for the Jing’an Marquis’s residence, accompanied by several cartloads of homecoming gifts prepared by Uncle Fu.
When the two returned to the residence, Ming Tingyuan had already concluded his morning court audience. He had expansively interpreted Emperor Chengkang’s remark about being “deeply devoted to his wife,” recounting it with such radiant pride and shared glory that his face glowed. Lady Pei listened with a mixture of belief and doubt, feeling that her husband’s description of this “deep devotion” bore little resemblance to the Prince of Dingbei she had witnessed on the wedding day.
A princess’s return visit to her natal home was no small matter. Although not celebrated with grand extravagance, the Marquis of Jing’an’s household invited all their clan relatives residing in the capital and hosted a family banquet.
Shen Hua and Bai Minmin naturally attended as well.
Just as men had their own gatherings, women had their private conversations. After politely attending to the various aunts and gossipy relatives who came to offer greetings, Ming Tan seized an opportunity to slip away with Shen Hua and Bai Minmin back to the Zhaoshui Courtyard.
It had only been a few days since she last returned, and the furnishings in Zhaoshui Courtyard remained exactly as before. Yet, inexplicably, Ming Tan felt that the dozen years of her maiden life spent within these walls now seemed impossibly distant, and with each passing day, they would drift even further away.
“So, how was it? During these first few days of marriage, has His Highness treated you well? I heard from my father today that His Highness carried you in his arms within the palace yesterday, prompting Imperial Censor Yang to submit a memorial of impeachment. Consequently, my father and yours jointly rebuked Censor Yang in the court. In short, it sounds very much as though His Highness is quite taken with you,” Bai Minmin asked excitedly.
Cupping her face in her hands, Ming Tan nodded with a touch of bashful coquetry: “His Highness has treated me very well. I suppose… he does harbor some affection for me?”
She had always been a conventional young lady from a noble family. Apart from reading a few romantic tales alongside Bai Minmin, she had scarcely encountered any men outside her own household; she understood neither what it meant to love nor what it meant to be truly captivated by someone.
Yet her husband is handsome, and she wishes to spend her life with him; surely, then, her heart must belong to him. And since her husband also praises her beauty and treats her with great kindness, does that not mean his heart belongs to her as well?
Ming Tan felt quite satisfied with her own reasoning; having thought it through, she even nodded to herself in affirmation.
Shen Hua gently fanned herself, smiling as she echoed, “Seeing Fourth Sister so radiant, her eyes brimming with springtime affection, one can tell that His Highness must treat her exceedingly well.”
Bai Minmin, not yet married, failed to grasp the implication behind Shen Hua’s words “radiant” and “eyes brimming with springtime affection,” and innocently pressed on with curiosity, “If His Highness the Prince of Dingbei treats you so well, have you two yet consummated your marriage?”
Shen Hua’s teasing, laden with hidden meaning, had already made Ming Tan’s ears burn red; when Bai Minmin foolishly pressed further, her neck flushed crimson as well.
“Did you actually consummate it or not?” Bai Minmin persisted relentlessly.
“Yes, yes, yes!” Ming Tan cried, unable to bear the harassment any longer.
Bai Minmin’s eyes sparkled: “Truly consummated?”
“…”
Ming Tan had no desire to respond to her.
“And what about His Highness, the Prince of Dingbei?”
Bai Minmin twiddled her fingers, her face alight with gossip.
Now it was Ming Tan’s turn to be confused: “What do you mean, ‘what about him’?”
“Well—” Bai Minmin scratched her head, unsure how to phrase it delicately. Lately, her curiosity had been piqued by some newly acquired storybooks, which claimed that brides often discussed matters of the bedchamber with their close friends; thus, she had merely followed suit and asked.
Shen Hua, being already married, had some experience in such matters. She curved her lips into a smile and whispered, “How many times did you call for water during the night?”
Ming Tan understood immediately. Without a second thought, she swatted Bai Minmin with her fan and stared sharply at her, “You, an unmarried maiden, have you no sense of shame?”
“Well, at least I’m not as shameless as you.”
Bai Minmin was exceptionally skilled at dredging up old grievances, proceeding to recount a series of absurd incidents from before Ming Tan’s marriage, such as sneaking into the military camp to peek at erotic illustrations.
In short, the conversation circled round and round; neither Bai Minmin nor Shen Hua would let her off the hook, and ultimately, the discussion returned once again to matters of the bedchamber.
Ming Tan rested her chin in her hands, shyly pinching her earlobe as she recalled for a moment, then answered bashfully, “His Highness should be… quite formidable? He required water twice in one night, which seemed rather taxing.” Having no experience for comparison, how could she possibly know what constituted formidable or not?
Bai Minmin asked, puzzled, “Is requiring water twice considered formidable? In the romantic tales I’ve read, it’s usually seven times.”
Ming Tan: “…?”
Is that so?
Then, according to Bai Minmin’s implication, her husband isn’t quite up to the mark?
Jiang Xu, who had just reached the door of the boudoir intending to call Ming Tan out for dinner, also paused in his steps.