37
Ming Tan couldn’t shake the feeling that after today’s return visit to her natal home, her husband had been looking at her rather strangely. She couldn’t quite pinpoint what was odd about it; only that when their eyes met, his gaze seemed to linger a moment or two longer than usual.
She didn’t pay it much mind.
After the family banquet concluded, both Bai Minmin and Shen Hua prepared to return to their own homes.
In recent days, Bai Minmin’s mother and her elder sister-in-law have kept a tight rein on her; after all, she is a young lady of marriageable age, and it does no good to her reputation for people to know she runs about wildly outside every day.
Shen Hua, on the other hand, needed to return home to meet with several stewards. Since entering the Li household, her mother-in-law had entrusted her with managing the domestic affairs. Although she has always loved composing poetry and couplets, she is by no means ignorant of practical matters; she manages the entire household in an orderly fashion and has now gained considerable prestige within the Li family.
After they departed, Ming Tan went again to Lanxin Courtyard to chat for a while with Lady Pei.
Lady Pei even cited Shen Hua as an example: “…She is a blessed woman. Now in the household of Supervisor Li, she thrives like a fish in water. Her husband is ambitious, the couple lives in harmony, and her sisters-in-law are easy to get along with. Isn’t that elder sister-in-law of hers the very sister of the Miss Zhou you are close friends with? Her temperament and appearance are beyond reproach. Most importantly, her parents-in-law are enlightened and do not manipulate others; that is why she was able to assist in managing the household affairs immediately upon entering the family. You should learn from her more.”
Ming Tan nodded, paused in thought, and then said, “Mother, I understand the reasoning, but I have no sisters-in-law or parents-in-law to deal with. On the very first day of my marriage, the steward of the prince’s household delivered all the account books and keys to me.”
“…”
“Has no one in the household given you any trouble?”
Ming Tan thought for a moment, then shook her head.
“Since I have entrusted it to you, it means I trust you; you should manage the prince’s estate even more diligently.”
Ming Tan responded with a soft “mm.”
Seeing that no one was around, Lady Pei lowered her voice further and asked, “Are there any concubines or bedmaids in the household?”
Unlike other families, the Dingbei Prince’s Manor did not allow for inquiries before marriage, nor could one back out of the engagement if scandalous matters surfaced beforehand; regarding this matter, Lady Pei had always been deeply worried.
Ming Tan denied it without a second thought: “No.” But then she paused, her tone becoming hesitant, “Or perhaps not? I have been in the residence for three days and have heard no mention of any other women.”
“His Highness has spent all three nights in your quarters?”
Ming Tan’s face flushed as she murmured an “Mm,” maintaining her composure: “It seems the courtyard I occupy is the one my husband has always lived in; his clothes are all inside the room.”
They were actually sharing the same quarters? Lady Pei was slightly taken aback.
Nevertheless, this makes the Marquis’s claim today of being “deeply devoted to his beloved wife” seem somewhat credible.
Lady Pei felt greatly reassured; she took Ming Tan’s hand again and spoke with earnest gravity: “That His Highness currently favors you above all others is indeed most fortunate. Yet, let your mother speak a harsh truth: His Highness is young, accomplished, and holds immense power and authority. The fact that you are his only one now does not guarantee you will remain so in the future.”
“Within the household, producing heirs is paramount. While your marital affection is strong and there are no outsiders to disturb you, bearing children early is the surest way to secure your position as Princess Consort. As long as you manage the household affairs and bear legitimate children, no one in the princely mansion will ever surpass you.”
Lady Pei’s words were entirely reasonable, reflecting what most women of the time believed. Yet, when Ming Tan thought about other women someday sharing intimate moments with her husband and bearing his children, an inexplicable heaviness settled in her heart.
“Your mother knows that you do not wish to hear such things now, but one must always look to the long term, so that when the time comes, you will not be left grieving alone.”
“Daughter understands.”
–
“Still not getting out?”
At dusk, the carriage halted before the Prince Dingbei’s residence. Jiang Xu stood outside, glancing at Ming Tan, who remained seated inside, lost in a peculiar daze.
When they departed that morning, his little princess had clung to him, asking endless questions with boundless energy. Yet on the entire journey back, she hadn’t uttered a single word, her mind clearly elsewhere. He wondered if she was pondering what her friend had said about the phrase “requiring water” in that storybook.
Jiang Xu had originally intended to verify this with her that very night—to discover what it truly felt like to “require water seven times.” Alas, urgent matters at the palace summoned him even after the palace gates had been locked for the night.
Four days into her marriage, suddenly left alone in an empty chamber, Ming Tan found herself strangely unaccustomed to it.
In the dead of night, a sudden storm broke with lightning and thunder; wrapped tightly in her brocade quilt, she tossed and turned restlessly. The thought that new beauties, fresh as blooming flowers, would soon enter the household—that her husband would share his affections equally among them and spend his nights entwined in passion with them—filled her heart with an inexplicable sorrow.
Early the next morning, the rain ceased and the clouds parted; pushing open the window, a refreshing breeze laden with the fragrant scents of flowers, grasses, and trees greeted her face.
Ming Tan sat before her dressing table with dark circles shadowing her eyes, utterly devoid of spirit.
Just as she was comforting herself that future matters could be dealt with later and there was no need to borrow trouble, a young maid suddenly entered from outside, her head bowed low, speaking with evident reluctance: “Your Highness, Concubine Yun and Concubine Fang have come to pay their respects.”
Ming Tan froze, her mind seeming to explode with shock, leaving her unable to regain her composure for a long while.
Lü’e was equally stunned; the jade comb halted midway through Ming Tan’s hair, forgotten in her surprise.
“You… what did you say? What concubines?” Lü’e asked in disbelief.
The young maid replied cautiously, “Concubine Yun and Concubine Fang. With all the繁杂 matters attending Your Highness’s arrival at the residence, the two concubines have only today come to pay their respects.”
Lü’e asked, “Why have we never heard before that there were concubines in this household?”
The young maid shook her head, stammering, “This humble servant does not know.”
Suxin, maintaining somewhat more composure, dismissed the young maid and promptly offered reassurance: “Most likely, these are merely bedmaids His Highness previously kept in the residence. It is quite common, even among ordinary families, for a formal wife to be welcomed while existing bedmaids are elevated to concubine status. His Highness never mentioned them before, which probably signifies they never held any particular place in his heart. There is no need for you, Miss, to worry excessively.”
“Yes, yes.” Seeing Ming Tan’s utterly devastated expression, Lü’e quickly realized her mistake and hurriedly agreed, “If they were anyone of consequence, His Highness would have mentioned them, or at least Uncle Fu would have. The other servants in the household would surely be talking about it.
“Since no one has mentioned them all these days, they must be utterly insignificant. They’ve likely come now to pay their respects, perhaps expecting Miss to drink the concubine’s tea. But since His Highness hasn’t returned, and Miss has no desire to drink that tea, she can simply find an excuse not to.”
Ming Tan remained silent, lost in her own thoughts. After a long pause, she finally allowed Lü’e to continue arranging her hair and makeup.
After more than an hour, Ming Tan was fully ready. She gracefully entered the flower hall of Qi’an Hall, took her seat at the head, slightly raised her eyes, and slowly surveyed the two new concubines who had appeared out of nowhere like a bolt from the blue.
Although these two concubines did not surpass her in beauty, they were by no means plain. One possessed a delicate elegance, the other a vibrant charm; both appeared two or three years older than she, exuding considerable feminine grace.
Before she could fully process the tumult of emotions swirling within her, the delicately featured concubine swiftly clasped her hands, dropped to one knee, and bowed: “Your servant, Yun Yi, pays respects to the Princess.”?
Something seemed amiss.
Ming Tan, unable to immediately grasp what was wrong, instinctively asked, “You are… Concubine Yun?”
“Yes.”
The other one was Concubine Fang.
As Ming Tan’s gaze shifted toward her, Concubine Fang gracefully bowed and said in a coquettish tone, “This humble servant, Fang Ruomei, pays her respects to Your Highness the Princess.”
Compared to Concubine Yun, whose bows were always oddly performed, this one truly carried the air of a concubine. Yet, referring to herself as “Nujia”—which household in the entire capital had a concubine who called herself that? Ming Tan found it awkward, and inexplicably, it reminded her of Shuiying from Bieyu Tower.
“Everyone rise, and be seated.”
Ming Tan suppressed the emotions churning in her heart, yet she could not bring herself to look at the two again. She busied herself with fiddling with the lid of her teacup, finding it truly impossible to go against her feelings and utter words such as, “From now on, we are sisters; we must unite in heart and mind to serve His Highness well and soon bear him heirs.”
It was too painful; her heart ached unbearably.
She took a sip of tea, the rising steam stinging her eyes until a mist blurred her vision.
Yun Yi, unaware of her own fixation, stared unblinkingly at Ming Tan’s slender, jade-like fingers as she toyed with the lid of her teacup.
Fang Ruomei leaned over and gently nudged her. “What are you looking at?”
Yun Yi answered instinctively, “The way the Princess lifts the tea lid is so graceful, and her hands are exquisite. I’ve never seen such beautiful hands before.”
As soon as the words left her mouth, she picked up her own teacup from the table and attempted to mimic the motion. Her movement was stiff and awkward; instead of gracefully lifting the lid, she sent the still-unfurled tea leaves, which had not yet settled to the bottom, flying out of the cup.
“…”
Where did this fool come from?
Concubine Fang’s eye-roll was so extreme it nearly reached the heavens.
Just as the flower hall sank into an eerie silence, a maid arrived to announce: “His Highness has returned.”
Ming Tan lifted her eyelids slightly, but at that moment she felt so unwell that she couldn’t bear to see that man again. Only when the hem of a brocade robe entered her vision did she lower her gaze, rise, and offer a perfunctory bow.
Jiang Xu was not a meticulous man, yet his little princess consort radiated displeasure from the tips of her hair down to the tassels on her embroidered shoes; he could hardly fail to notice.
Taking his seat beside Ming Tan, he glanced at Yun Yi and Fang Ruomei before introducing them in a calm tone: “These are the guards I have found for you. Yun Yi excels with the sword, while Fang Ruomei is skilled in both poisons and medicine. Henceforth, whenever I am not within the residence, they shall be responsible for your protection.”
“…?”
Ming Tan suddenly lifted her gaze.
Yun Yi: “Subordinate Yun Yi of the Jinyun Guard, ordered to protect the Princess Consort’s safety.”
Fang Ruomei: “Subordinate Fang Ruomei of the Bieyu Tower, ordered to protect the Princess Consort’s safety.”
Both formally bowed in salute.
Ming Tan was even more bewildered.
This Lady Fang indeed came from the Bieyu Pavilion.
After the introduction, Jiang Xu glanced at the two women; understanding the hint, they lowered their heads, bowed, and retreated.
Soon, only Ming Tan and Jiang Xu remained in the flower hall.
Ming Tan was still immersed in the whirlwind of emotions, somewhat dazed: “Lady Yun and Lady Fang, are they… guards? Or are they merely guards, or something more?”
“They are merely guards.”
“Then why make them concubines?” In the storybooks, female guards always serve as personal maids.
“This prince does not like having too many people in his residence.”
Having said this, Jiang Xu rose and ordered the meal to be served. He had returned early in the morning, expecting a bowl of hot porridge, yet he never anticipated that his princess consort would halt her display of virtue and grace on the very fourth day after their wedding, all because of two female guards.
Ming Tan could not fathom his thoughts. Still pondering his remark about disliking a crowded household, she spent the better part of the day weighing every possibility, finally arriving at a rather plausible conclusion: her husband had no immediate intention of taking a concubine.
A prince’s residence could never have just one princess consort. Even if her husband had no intention of taking concubines, others would inevitably find various pretexts to send all sorts of beauties into the household. Rather than waiting for others to force them upon him, it was better to proactively select two herself; this way, she would have a legitimate reason to refuse any further additions.
That night, as they settled into bed, Mingtan brought up this idea to Jiang Xu between the sheets and received his affirmative response. Overjoyed, she became unusually enthusiastic; despite her exhaustion, she willingly accompanied him until midnight.
It was about to happen again.

The second time water spilled, Mingtan, expecting to sleep peacefully as she had on previous nights, calmly closed her eyes.
But who could have expected that, after holding her in his arms for only a short while, Jiang Xu would once again stir with renewed vigor. Soon, Ming Tan found herself helplessly turned over. Her delicate brows knitted slightly, fragrant sweat pouring down like rain. Sobbing, tears welling up and spilling forth, she tapped at him weakly while intermittently voicing her grievances.
In her dazed state, she suddenly heard Jiang Xu’s calm voice whispering near her ear: “Didn’t the storybooks say it should be seven rounds?”
“…?”
“But that… that wasn’t what I said, mmph!”