19
A gentle breeze drifted through the garden, causing the peonies on the branches to sway lightly, while butterflies lingered among the blossoms, fluttering their wings. Yet all around was silent; no human voices could be heard, only the clear, tinkling sound of a spring flowing through the floral ravine.
After a long pause, the eunuch closed the imperial edict, bowed deeply, and stepped forward to present it, breaking the silence: “Congratulations, Fourth Miss.”
Ming Tan’s mind went blank. The impeccable etiquette she had always mastered completely escaped her; she simply stared at the edict. It was only when Zhou Jingwan, who had regained her composure before her, tugged at her skirt again that Ming Tan snapped out of her momentary stupor. She performed the kowtow of gratitude somewhat awkwardly, her hands trembling slightly as she reached up to receive the decree.
The eunuch secretly breathed a sigh of relief, his voice soft and respectful: “Then this humble servant shall take his leave to report back to the palace.”
He nodded apologetically toward the Duke and Duchess of Pingguo. After all, delivering an edict intended for the Marquis of Jing’an’s household at the residence of the Duke of Pingguo was indeed rather presumptuous.
Although this matter did not conform to protocol, the inner attendant offered no further explanation; thus, the Duke of Pingguo and his wife deemed it improper to speculate on the imperial will. Instead, they seized the opportunity to inquire after the health of His Majesty and Her Majesty the Empress.
If even the household of the Duke of Pingguo refrained from voicing speculation, naturally others dared not speak plainly either. Moreover, what struck everyone as far more shocking than the mere delivery of an imperial decree to another noble house was the content of the decree itself.
Lady Ming Tan had been bestowed the title of Principal Consort to the Prince of Dingbei!
Marrying upward was hardly uncommon; it was not that the legitimate daughter of the Marquis of Jing’an and the Prince of Dingbei were mismatched in status. Rather, Lady Ming Tan had only recently broken off her engagement. Regardless of the reasons, most families would typically wait at least half a year before openly discussing new betrothals. His Majesty’s sudden decision was therefore utterly unexpected, especially since the designated groom was none other than the legendary God of War of Da Xian, whose name was widely known yet who remained seldom seen—His Highness, the Prince of Dingbei.
Everyone still vividly remembers the incident at the Shangyuan Palace banquet, where His Highness, the Prince of Dingbei, openly shamed the Marquis of Cheng’en.
“A-Tan, A-Tan!” Seeing Ming Tan remain motionless for so long, Bai Minmin and Zhou Jingwan could not help but softly call her name.
After all, the future Princess of Dingbei, who had just been bestowed with this imperial marriage, was still kneeling there in a daze, holding the imperial edict. Apart from the Duke and Duchess of Pingguo, no one else dared to rise; yet surely everyone could not remain kneeling forever.
Ming Tan finally came to her senses. Supported by the two women, she rose to her feet, then slowly unfurled the imperial edict. For a long while, she stared fixedly at the phrases “the fourth daughter of the Jing’an Marquis’s household” and “Princess of Dingbei.”
No mistake was made in the announcement.
It truly is her.
She has been bestowed a marriage by imperial decree.
Since it was not a matter befalling themselves, no matter how stunned others initially were, they soon accepted it after a moment’s adjustment. Leaning in to see the imperial edict written so clearly and sealed with the gleaming jade seal, what was there left to reject? It was nothing short of a tremendous blessing!
The Prince of Dingbei had been elevated beyond conventional ranks to become a super-grade prince; naturally, his wife held the title of super-grade princess consort. Moreover, the status and actual power wielded by the Prince of Dingbei were incomparable to any other princes. Otherwise, so many noble young ladies would not have eagerly sought to display themselves at the Shangyuan Palace banquet.
Speaking of princes, what exactly did Princess Fengzhao say just now?
Her father, the Prince of Yi, was not born of the same mother as His Majesty. Even during the late Emperor’s reign, he received little attention and was sent far away to his fiefdom in Yuncheng upon reaching the age to establish his own household. Although technically a fief, he held no real authority whatsoever. Only in recent years, to demonstrate fraternal harmony and respect, has His Majesty permitted him to return to the capital and establish his residence.
The daughter of an ordinary prince dared to point her finger at the nose of the powerful prince’s consort and declare, “I am worthy of the peony, but you are not!” It was simply the most absurd spectacle under heaven! These noble ladies, having lived for over a decade, had never witnessed such a swift and fierce public humiliation.
Bai Minmin had just been so enraged by Feng Zhao that she nearly rushed forward to confront her; now, with this imperial decree descending from the heavens, how could she possibly let Feng Zhao off so easily? Stepping forward, she raised her voice: “Princess, may I ask, do you now believe that A-Tan is worthy of the peony or not?”
“…”
Princess Feng Zhao’s face had never looked so grim.
Bai Minmin was about to step forward and pluck a peony to adorn Ming Tan’s hair, but Ming Tan grasped her wrist: “Plants and trees have their own nature; flowers bloom beautifully simply for their own joy.”
Although Ming Tan had not yet fully understood the situation and wished to avoid rash actions, these words immediately revealed the stark contrast between them. Princess Feng Zhao’s earlier behavior now appeared all the more barbaric and vulgar, utterly unworthy of her status.
Though no one around spoke aloud, countless gazes pierced Princess Feng Zhao like needles—some filled with contempt, others with mockery—weaving together into an unprecedented humiliation.
Feng Zhao could not bear to stay in the garden for even a moment longer; she shot Ming Tan a vicious glare before storming off, covering her face as she made straight for Prince Yi’s residence.
After returning to the residence, Feng Zhao spent half a day throwing tantrums, shouting and striking others, yet still felt her anger unvented. By dusk, the Empress unexpectedly sent an envoy to the Prince of Yi’s mansion with an imperial edict rebuking her, stating outright that her conduct was improper and ordering her to remain confined within the residence for reflection.
Feng Zhao was stunned.
In truth, composing poems about peonies and plucking a few blooms was no great matter; the crux lay in the fact that her target was the future Princess of Dingbei, the location was the Pingguo Duke’s mansion—the Empress’s natal family—and the peony she had plucked and then trampled was a precious variety bestowed by the Empress upon her own sisters for enjoyment, one she had personally tended with care within the palace. Whose face did Feng Zhao intend to slap!
Upon learning of this incident, the Prince and Princess of Yi were so enraged that they ordered Feng Zhao confined to her quarters to reflect on her misdeeds, directly resulting in her disappearance from the capital’s social scene for the following half-year.
Of course, this was yet to come. For now, with the sudden arrival of the imperial edict arranging the marriage and Feng Zhao’s angry departure from the gathering, there was simply no way the poetry assembly could possibly continue.
Fortunately, Zhang Hanmiao was a lively soul who delighted in both making and watching a spectacle; today’s dramatic unfoldings had thoroughly entertained her, so she bore no resentment despite having her spotlight stolen and the poetry gathering forced to an abrupt end.
As everyone returned to their respective homes, news of Ming Atan’s imperial betrothal to His Highness, the Prince of Dingbei, spread far and wide following the poetry gathering’s premature dispersal.
By the time Ming Tan and her entourage arrived back at the residence, Lady Pei was just seeing several unfamiliar palace eunuchs out of the gate.
Upon spotting Ming Tan, those eunuchs managed only a strained and awkward smile before hastily completing their formalities and departing in haste.
“Mother, what is this?” Ming Tan’s heart skipped a beat; her mind, still reeling from the earlier shock, buzzed with anxiety as she wondered if yet another terrifying imperial decree had arrived.
Pei Shi suppressed her joy and replied calmly, “Let us discuss this inside first; let us go back to the room before we speak.”
The news of the imperial marriage decree had just reached the Jing’an Marquis’s residence. Pei Shi, who had been pacing anxiously with a troubled heart, suddenly understood everything upon hearing of the decree. Surely, His Majesty, aware that the Empress Dowager had already sent envoys to the mansion to forcibly arrange the betrothal, had acted preemptively with an unconventional move. It was a brilliant strategy; even more brilliant was the choice of betrothed. How could any prince or heir apparent compare to Prince Dingbei?
Pei Shi, arm in arm with Ming Tan, entered the Lanxin Courtyard warmly and affectionately. Almost immediately afterward, Ming Tingyuan arrived at the marquis’s residence, his face beaming with joy, and headed straight for Pei Shi’s quarters to find them.
It turned out Emperor Chengkang had spoken truthfully; he had indeed intercepted one edict from the Empress Dowager. Yet, since the Empress Dowager could write, speak, and affix her seal, where there was one edict, there could surely be a second. After dismissing the court, he had kept Ming Tingyuan behind to converse and persuade him. Once the Empress Dowager learned of this, she immediately dispatched the second edict.
Only after successfully persuading Ming Tingyuan and learning of these developments did Emperor Chengkang think to himself: “Oh no, how am I going to explain this to Jiang Qizhi?”
Fortunately, his fondness for his ideal son-in-law sparked a sudden insight in Ming Tingyuan’s mind: he knew the Empress Dowager was a stickler for protocol, and it would be unthinkable to announce an imperial decree bestowing marriage while only Lady Pei, the second wife, was present in the household. The Empress Dowager was unaware that Ming Tan was not at home today; thus, the officials below would surely wait either for him or for Ming Tan to return before reading the decree. Therefore, he proposed going directly to the Duke of Pingguo’s residence to proclaim the edict. Since young ladies from various noble families had gathered there today for a poetry gathering, announcing the decree before all those watching would make the matter irrevocably settled.
Emperor Chengkang found this idea excellent, so he immediately dispatched someone to carry it out, and the matter was successfully accomplished.
After listening to Ming Tingyuan boast triumphantly for quite some time about the tumultuous events surrounding the rushed imperial marriage decree, Ming Tan fell silent
She, merely arranging a marriage, has gone to such extraordinary lengths.
They truly underestimated her father, that crude and reckless brute.
But why the Prince of Dingbei?
Isn’t he just another crude and reckless brute?
Moreover, if the Prince of Dingbei could be granted such favor, why not grant it to the Second Young Master of the Shu family? Is not the Grand Councilor of the Right also a steadfast and loyal supporter of His Majesty?
Ming Tan found it truly hard to digest this news. She had sincerely prayed before the Buddha for over a month; could the Buddha have missed something? Wasn’t it promised that her destined one would possess talents worthy of top honors in the imperial examinations and boast exceptional beauty and demeanor?
Indeed, the title of Princess Dingbei is exceedingly high, yet whenever she recalls that boorish man’s outrageous, disrespectful, and utterly arrogant behavior at the Shangyuan Palace banquet, she still feels suffocated! How could she possibly converse with such a husband after marrying him? Moreover, given his tendency to rest on his laurels and flaunt his achievements, wouldn’t she inevitably end up losing her head alongside him someday?! Most crucially, how could such a vulgar person’s appearance and bearing ever compare to those of Second Young Master Shu?
Ming Tingyuan completely failed to notice Ming Tan’s extremely forced expression. Seated at the place of honor, he continued elaborating enthusiastically on the heroic accomplishments of His Highness the Prince of Dingbei—
“Prince Dingbei is truly a prodigy! Among the younger generation, few can actually lead troops into battle. At the age of tying up his hair, he commanded three thousand elite soldiers to hold off thirty thousand barbarians from the Northern Regions. Unlike the weak forces of the Southern Yi, achieving victory against overwhelming odds was no small feat. I recall leading reinforcements back then; by the time we arrived, he had already penetrated deep into enemy territory and turned defeat into victory! The scene was horrifying—rivers of blood flowed, and corpses lay strewn across a thousand li!”
Ming Tan: “…”
Her face grew slightly paler.
“…That spy fell into his hands, and naturally, no human form remained. Blood and gore were nothing compared to what was done. Tsk tsk, when they sent the remains back, even their own people dared not recognize them. It silenced them for over half a year!”
Ming Tan: “…”
Her face grew even paler.
“And in the third year of Chengkang… so young, yet already so decisive and ruthless! He hung the corpse of the enemy leader’s eldest son at the city gate for three days until it was completely dried out by the sun!”
Ming Tan: “…”
You seem so delighted; do you wish for your daughter to be dried into a mummy as well?