After Ming Tan left, the treasure hall returned to silence. In the quiet room, the fragrance of tea lingered, but the game of Go could no longer continue.
Master Huiyuan still wore a faint smile, speaking mildly, “If you can’t focus, Your Highness need not force yourself.”
Jiang Xu ignored him, about to place a stone, but as it hovered in mid-air, the young Miss Ming’s extraordinarily complex and lengthy requirements for a husband echoed in his ears. The board before him seemed to scatter into chaos, losing all sense of strategy and pattern.
He gave up, returning the black stone to its container. Standing up with his hands behind his back, he said coolly, “I’ll seek your guidance another day, Master.”
Master Huiyuan watched his decisive departure, stroking his white beard, smiling without a word.
—
After leaving the treasure hall where she had made her wish, Ming Tan wandered for a while before finally finding herself in familiar surroundings.
Suxin and Lüe had been searching for her for quite some time. Upon suddenly spotting her, they hurried over.
“Young Miss, where have you been? You scared us to death!” Lüe exclaimed anxiously.
Suxin, also nervous, said, “We asked the young monk at the dining hall earlier. He said Young Miss had left food and went to the small Buddha hall for reflection, but we couldn’t find you there.”
“It’s nothing, I just got lost,” Ming Tan said nonchalantly. “I found another hall. Self-reflection isn’t bound by location; sincerity is what matters.”
With such sincerity, she thought, Buddha surely wouldn’t blame her. He might even bless her in finding an ideal husband.
Yes, that must be it.
Ming Tan: “By the way, while looking for me, did you two eat?”
“No need, I’m not hungry.”
“I didn’t eat, I’m hungry.”
Suxin and Lüe answered simultaneously.
“…”
These two had always been opposites in personality, and after all these years, they still hadn’t learned much from each other.
“There’s still time. Go eat quickly. I’ll admire the flowers nearby.”
To prevent Suxin from bringing up rules like “How can a servant make the master wait,” Ming Tan added, “I want some quiet time. Don’t bother me.”
Suxin dared not refuse any further.
Seeing Lüe pull Suxin into the dining hall, Ming Tan sighed in relief. With nothing else to do, she strolled to the edge of the release pond, leaning forward with her hands behind her back to peer down.
The gentle, warm breeze of early spring in the second month rippled across the water’s surface, creating shallow waves. The reflection of her beautiful face swayed with the ripples.
Ming Tan admired her reflection from various angles, truly feeling sorry for Liang Zixun. A face so captivating even without makeup or ornaments – he had truly missed out.
And it wasn’t just this face he had missed out on. He had lost the chance to have a perfect wife he could proudly boast about to his colleagues over drinks for decades to come!
Speaking of which, she wondered who would be fortunate enough to marry such a fine woman as herself. Ah, if only she could marry herself! If she were a man, she would overcome all obstacles to present herself with a grand wedding procession of ten li to seek her hand in marriage.
As Ming Tan was indulging in self-admiration by the pond, she failed to notice two dark figures passing through the plum forest on the opposite side.
“Your Highness, General Shen will enter the city late tonight and will come to your residence tomorrow to report on the handover matters between Dongzhou and Suibei Road,” the secret guard reported in a low voice, following behind Jiang Xu.
Jiang Xu continued walking without pause, his voice indifferent: “Didn’t he reach Hezhou yesterday? Why is he entering the city only tonight?”
Hezhou was adjacent to the capital, with convenient official roads. Moreover, Shen Yu was traveling alone on horseback this time. Under normal circumstances, he should have arrived by noon today at the latest.
“This subordinate doesn’t know.”
The secret guard felt ashamed. Considering the distance, entering the city tonight was indeed somewhat slow, but the information he received was indeed so.
Jiang Xu didn’t inquire further.
However, before they could leave the plum forest, a familiar male voice came from across the release pond: “Cousin Tan!”
Jiang Xu stopped and turned to look.
The secret guard instinctively glanced over as well.
The secret guard: “…”
Now he knew why General Shen could only enter the city late at night and see the Prince tomorrow.
“Cousin… why are you here?” Ming Tan turned around, genuinely surprised to see Shen Yu.
Shen Yu was still in his armor, clearly having rushed here after a long journey. His handsome face was slightly reddened from the sun, with a thin layer of sweat on his forehead.
“I was returning to the capital today and stopped at a teahouse to rest. I heard that you and the heir of Duke Lingguo had broken off the engagement. When I returned home, Hua told me you had come to Lingmiao Temple to lay low, so I hurried over.”
…?
Lay low.
There was no need to put it so bluntly.
Realizing his misstep, Shen Yu quickly added, “This matter is not Cousin’s fault. You needn’t be too upset.”
Ming Tan avoided answering directly, asking distantly but politely, “Is there some urgent matter that brings Cousin here?”
Uh… no.
Shen Yu had long admired Ming Tan. When he initially sent Shen Hua to stay at the Marquis’s mansion, he had fallen for Ming Tan at first sight. However, with the beauty already betrothed, he never had the chance to express his feelings.
Upon his return to the capital, before even entering the city, he heard talk in a teahouse outside the walls about the Ming and Liang families breaking off their engagement. His once-calm heart suddenly leaped with excitement.
Eager to see Ming Dan as soon as possible, he sent a message to the secret guards of the prince’s mansion, stating he would return to the capital late at night and report on the Eastern Province handover to the prince the next day.
When he hurriedly returned to the Jing’an Marquis’ mansion, he learned that Ming Dan had gone to Lingmiao Temple early in the morning to pray, avoiding public attention. Unable to contain himself, he rushed there without even informing Shen Hua.
Shen Yu’s hasty arrival left him without a proper excuse. Unlike Shen Hua, he was a youthful military man, unconcerned with formal etiquette. Failing to find a reason, he spoke frankly: “I’ve come to tell you, cousin, that I’ve admired you for a long time. You were previously engaged to the Lingguo Duke’s family, and our social standings differed… Now that you’ve broken off the engagement and aren’t betrothed, why not marry me? With my recent victory in the Eastern Province, the prince will surely recommend me for promotion to the Emperor. Though still beneath your status as the daughter of a Marquis, I vow to achieve more military merits and secure an imperial title for you in the future!”
Shen Yu finished in one breath, his eyes shining, and directly unfastened the jade pendant from his waist, offering it to Ming Dan.
Ming Dan was first stunned, then startled by the gesture, stepping back.
“Careful!” Shen Yu worried she might fall into the water.
Ming Dan steadied herself against the stone table by the pond and hurriedly stopped him, “Don’t move!”
After maintaining a distance of about ten feet, she collected herself and asked, “Cousin, do you realize what you’re saying and doing?”
Seeing Ming Dan neither pleased nor bashful, Shen Yu became flustered. “I… Aren’t I proposing to you, cousin?”
“Cousin, this isn’t a proposal; it’s pushing me into an abyss,” Ming Dan replied steadily. “A proper proposal requires parental consent and a matchmaker’s words. Surely you understand this basic custom. If I were to accept your words and gift, at best it would be seen as a private agreement between lovers, at worst as improper conduct.”
Shen Yu was bewildered.
Ming Dan continued, “You knew I came to the temple to pray and avoid attention. You should understand that my every word and action now treads on thin ice. If you had even a modicum of respect for me, you wouldn’t have come here rashly to express your feelings.”
Shen Yu: “Coming here alone without notice was impulsive of me, but cousin, I…”
He hastily tried to explain, but Ming Dan cut him off, “Since you acknowledge your rashness, please leave immediately. I’ll pretend I never saw you today nor heard any proposal. Moreover, I have no interest in you and will never marry you. Please don’t mention this again.”
“…”
No interest, never, don’t mention again.
The secret guard following Jiang Xu couldn’t help but feel anxious for the young general Shen.
This fourth young lady of the Ming family was truly cutting to the core.
Sure enough, from the moment Shen Yu heard the latter half of her words, his expression darkened, the light in his eyes dimming. The explanations caught in his throat, unable to be voiced.
Just then, Su Xin and Lü’e, having finished their vegetarian meal, came looking for Ming Dan. Surprised to see Shen Yu, they were about to greet him when Ming Dan brushed past Shen Yu and directly instructed, “Let’s go back to copy scriptures.”
Su Xin and Lü’e both agreed.
As they walked away with Ming Dan, Lü’e couldn’t help but curiously look back.
Shen Yu still stood there, dazed and motionless.
Lü’e: “Young Miss, why was the young master here?”
Ming Dan, too angry to speak, didn’t respond.
Back in their room, Lü’e whispered, “This servant noticed that the young master seems to have feelings for you, Miss. Even before…”
Ming Dan shot her a piercing glare.
Lü’e felt as if a knife was pressed against her throat. She wisely fell silent, not daring to say another word.
Around the same time, Ming Dan and her maids returned to their quarters, Shen Yu, standing by the pond, finally moved, walking stiffly towards the temple gate.
A young maid who had been secretly watching the entire scene from behind a tree quietly left by another small path.
This slight movement naturally didn’t escape the secret guard’s eyes. The guard alerted Jiang Xu, but he ignored it, instead suddenly ordering, “Go investigate the Ming family’s fourth young lady. Check if she visited Hanyan Temple during the Spring Outing Festival two years ago.”
In his several encounters with this fourth young lady of the Ming family, he had either only heard her voice or seen her silhouette, never clearly seeing her appearance.
This time, seeing her, though she wasn’t wearing the clothes from the carriage incident, her bright eyes and white teeth, her delicate features, confirmed she was indeed a rare beauty. Judging by her appearance, his previous wishes didn’t seem so extravagant now. However, that wasn’t important. What mattered was that he found her appearance somewhat familiar.
In the side room, Ming Dan, whose appearance Jiang Xu found familiar, grew increasingly angry as she thought about the incident. Although Shen Hua wasn’t very likable, she was at least a shrewd person with a brain. How could she have such a brainless brother? This wasn’t admiration or a proposal; it was practically an attempt on her life!
Yet she knew that Shen Yu was merely being frank and had no ill intentions. This made her even angrier, unable to blame or reprimand him, forced to stew in her frustration!
No, she decided, her future husband must not be like Shen Yu – rash, impulsive, and loose-tongued. How could such a husband protect her in the future?
With this thought, she hurriedly stood up, adjusted her appearance in the bronze mirror, and, accompanied by Su Xin, returned to the hall where she had previously made her wish.
She knelt properly on the prayer mat, bowed three times, and with hands clasped, murmured, “Buddha above, this devotee, Ah Dan, did not consider thoroughly before. There are some additions I must make regarding the selection of a suitable husband…”
In the quiet room of the side hall, a young novice monk who was sweeping was momentarily stunned, his scalp tingling. In his life, he had only seen the Northern King barely meeting the requirements this young lady had for choosing a husband.
…And there was more?