The whisper of “husband” was so soft and delicate. Ming Tan realized her mistake immediately after uttering it. Momentarily stunned, she blushed, embarrassedly pinched her earlobe, and hurriedly lowered her head.
Given Jiang Xu’s martial prowess, he normally wouldn’t need weapons to keep these bandits at bay. However, upon hearing that whispered “husband,” he paused for half a breath. In that instant, a bandit thrust forward with a sword snatched from a guard. The blade gleamed blindingly in the fierce midday sun.
Jiang Xu remained motionless, not even raising his eyes. Yet when the sword tip was mere inches from him, it suddenly stopped—
He had pinched the thin blade between two fingers. Though he appeared to exert no effort, the bandit wielding the sword seemed to be pushing forward with all his might. The blade quivered slightly, then abruptly snapped. Jiang Xu pushed his palm forward, and before the bandit could get close, he was sent flying backward over ten feet, landing on his back in a cloud of dust!
Jiang Xu’s accompanying shadow guards were also top-tier martial artists.
They dispatched the bandits in less than half the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, as effortlessly as autumn winds sweeping away fallen leaves.
Jiang Xu glanced at the surviving captives and ordered, “Take them away.”
Two shadow guards bowed in acknowledgment, dragged off the prisoners, and swiftly disappeared. Several other guards, without needing instruction, began clearing away the bodies.
The situation had changed so rapidly that everyone seemed still shocked. Madam Pei was also quite shaken, her face pale as she was helped down from the carriage by her maid, still clutching her chest.
However, when she descended and saw Ming Tan still in Jiang Xu’s embrace, her vision blurred momentarily, and she nearly lost her balance.
Heavens above! What was happening?
Ming Tan was a betrothed young lady!
“Th-thank you, sir, for coming to our rescue. My daughter—”
Hearing Madam Pei’s voice, Ming Tan returned to reality and hastily retreated from Jiang Xu’s arms.
However, though half-loosened, the sash still encircled her waist. Her face flushed so deeply that even her fingertips burned. She fumbled with it, unable to untangle it, only making it worse. Jiang Xu lowered his gaze, glancing at her long, trembling eyelashes, and directly pulled the end of the sash from his sleeve.
The long sash fell entirely onto Ming Tan. She lightly grasped it, took half a step back, bowed slightly, and said softly, “Thank you, Your Highness, for saving my life.”
Your Highness?
Madam Pei suddenly collected herself.
Earlier at the Grand Xiangguo Temple, while she was accompanying the ladies from the Fengchun Marquis’s mansion and Scholar Li’s household to offer incense and interpret fortune slips, she had heard her maid report that the Fourth Young Miss’s party had encountered His Highness the Prince of Ding Bei on the rear mountain… Could this man before her be the renowned war god of their Great Xian Dynasty, His Highness the Prince of Ding Bei?
She looked towards Ming Tan.
Ming Tan understood and nodded slightly.
Madam Pei hurriedly performed a deep curtsy: “This humble one, Madam Pei, greets Your Highness. May Your Highness enjoy boundless fortune and health. Thank you for saving our lives.”
“Madam, you’re too kind,” Jiang Xu said, bowing slightly.
It truly was the Prince of Ding Bei.
This was indeed a blessing amidst misfortune!
Madam Pei’s initial anxiety subsided, but then, thinking of something, she smiled and carefully probed, “The appearance of these bandits today was quite peculiar and they were rather vicious. If not for Your Highness’s intervention, my daughter might have met a dire fate. A young lady’s reputation is of utmost importance. We are truly indebted to Your Highness—”
Jiang Xu understood her implication. He looked directly at Madam Pei and said calmly, “Rest assured, Madam. This matter will not reach the magistrate’s office. I will personally hand over the captured survivors to the Marquis of Jing’an.”
Madam Pei smiled again: “Thank you for your consideration, Your Highness.”
Being ambushed while out offering incense was certainly not a good thing for three young ladies. If rumors spread about the Prince of Ding Bei coming to their rescue, with salacious gossip about the Fourth Young Miss of the Jing’an Marquis’s household embracing and tugging at the Prince before her wedding, it would inevitably lead to backbiting and pointing fingers at Ming Tan.
Moreover, she already had an inkling about this incident. If the investigation revealed it to be a scandal originating from their household, bringing it to the magistrate’s attention would make the Jing’an Marquis’s mansion no different from the former Ling Guo Duke’s mansion—a laughingstock.
When Ming Tan returned to her side, Madam Pei took her hand affectionately and said, “Ah Tan, you’ve had quite a fright. Don’t worry, Mother will thoroughly investigate today’s events and get to the bottom of this for you.”
These words were meant for Jiang Xu’s ears.
Ming Tan was the Prince of Ding Bei’s betrothed, not yet married. Such a major incident occurring in front of His Highness today—Madam Pei was making it clear that even if the investigation revealed it to be a scandal from within their household, they would not go easy on the culprits for the sake of saving face.
Jiang Xu didn’t care how the Jing’an Marquis’s household handled their internal affairs. He simply nodded to indicate that he had urgent matters to attend to and needed to leave first, but would have his shadow guards escort their carriages back to the mansion.
Ming Chu, still in the carriage, glared with hatred and frustration, a flash of unease and panic crossing her face that even she hadn’t noticed.
Upon returning to the mansion, Madam Pei calmly instructed, “Everyone has had quite a shock. Return to your quarters to rest. Zhang Mama, go to the kitchen and have them send calming tonic to the young ladies.”
Zhang Mama bowed and acknowledged the order.
Ming Tan and the others were escorted back to their respective quarters by their maids.
After such a tumultuous half-day, Ming Tan was indeed exhausted. She washed up again, drank the calming tonic, and reclined on the chaise lounge, clutching the sash. Before she knew it, she had fallen asleep.
While Ming Tan slept peacefully, others dared not close their eyes, fearing they might never open them again.
“…Why did you switch carriages? Isn’t that just asking for trouble?” Concubine Liu, usually soft-spoken, was now agitated after hearing Ming Chu and her maid’s account. Her voice rose involuntarily, filled with panic and urgency.
Ming Chu, not fully grasping the gravity of the situation, remained stubbornly silent.
Concubine Liu closed her eyes briefly, then sat down, holding her forehead. For a moment, she couldn’t fathom how she had given birth to such a fool!
She had entered the household as a concubine during Madam Bai’s time. After Madam Bai’s passing, when Madam Pei arrived as the new wife, Concubine Liu discreetly placed her people in Lan Xin Court while Madam Pei was still establishing herself.
She hadn’t intended to do much with these placements, merely preparing for unforeseen circumstances. Later, seeing that Madam Pei had no intention of targeting the concubines, she remained respectful, maintaining a non-confrontational relationship. It wasn’t until this recent scheme for Ming Chu’s marriage that she was forced to use her resources.
She had been prepared for Madam Pei to discover her actions. However, she had calculated that this matter wouldn’t harm Madam Pei’s interests, and Madam Pei likely wouldn’t jeopardize their years of balance over someone like Shen Hua.
It was for this reason that she dared to take the risk, sending people disguised as bandits to intercept Shen Hua and damage her reputation.
According to her plan, Ming Chu should have had a smooth meeting with the second young master of Scholar Li’s family. Ming Chu was not unattractive, and when she chose to speak properly, she was more lively and pleasant than most girls. Even if they later discovered the mistaken identity, the young master would have retained some impression of Ming Chu.
With this impression, coupled with Shen Hua’s tarnished reputation from being abducted for half a day, advancing the marriage between the young master and Ming Chu would have been much smoother.
But who could have imagined that Ming Chu would be so foolish as to fall for Shen Hua’s trap at the first step, and then compound her stupidity by changing carriages on her initiative, dragging Ming Tan into the mess?
If Ming Chu had been in the same carriage as Shen Hua, with Shen Hua abducted and Ming Chu escaping due to her martial skills, no one would have been suspicious, and they wouldn’t have offended Ming Tan and Madam Pei. Only a distant relative staying with them would have been harmed, and Madam Pei wouldn’t have investigated too deeply.
Now everything was ruined.
She had taken such a great risk to secure her daughter’s marriage, only to have it all destroyed by her daughter’s foolishness!
—
When Ming Tan awoke, it was already dusk.
Lü’e, seeing her awake, excitedly approached and said, “Young Miss, something has happened to the two in Yi Yun Court!”
Yi Yun Court was Concubine Liu’s residence.
Concubine Liu and Ming Chu were in trouble?
Ming Tan had a vague guess about what had happened. Still sounding sleepy, she lazily said, “Help me dress. Let’s go see what the commotion is about.”
Sitting at her dressing table, Ming Tan became more alert. Looking at herself in the bronze mirror, she changed her mind: “Actually, it’s better to appear pale and plain like this.”
She also chose a simple outfit and, accompanied by Lü’e and Su Xin, headed towards Lan Xin Court.
—
At that moment in Lan Xin Court’s flower hall, Ming Tingyuan and Madam Pei were seated at the head. Concubine Liu knelt on the ground, crying piteously, while Ming Chu stood defiantly, her eyes red-rimmed.
Madam Pei, having managed the inner court for years, was quite capable. She usually let some matters slide, but when she wanted to investigate, as she did today, it took only an afternoon to uncover everything.
Who had dispatched the bandits, where they came from, which spies were planted in Lan Xin Court, and what they had done—everything was laid out clearly before Ming Tingyuan. They even rooted out a mole Concubine Liu had planted by Ming Tingyuan’s side.
As for how Concubine Liu had so much private money to hire people, and whether she had been accepting bribes in the Marquis’s name on Yang Xi Road, Madam Pei merely presented the account books she had uncovered, without delving deeper.
When Ming Tingyuan first heard of this, he was furious!
However, after Concubine Liu was brought in, she didn’t try to defend herself at all. She just cried pitifully, taking all the blame upon herself. She said that everything she had done was out of love for her daughter and that the Marquis and Madam could punish her as they saw fit, but pleaded for leniency towards Ming Chu, who was, after all, of the Marquis’s bloodline and still young.
Ming Chu also admitted to everything, but she adopted a defiant attitude, refusing to shed tears. She stood and made a heartfelt accusation, saying that since their return to the capital, her father had not treated her as well as before. She reminisced about their time in Yang Xi Road when her father would take her horseback riding, pick fruits with her in the mountains, and bring her to the military camp to watch the soldiers drill… Her words carried a sense of how times had changed.
After this display from the two, Ming Tingyuan became uncertain.
After all, he had lived with them for five years and did have some affection for them. Moreover, they had only been seeking a better marriage alliance, with no intention of harming Ming Tan. As things stood, no irreparable damage had been done. After pondering for a while, he thought that sending the two to a nunnery to reflect on their actions for a period would suffice.
Just as Ming Tingyuan and Madam Pei were discussing this, Ming Tan had already stepped halfway into Lan Xin Court, and coincidentally, Shen Hua had also hurried over from Feng He Court.
As Ming Tan was about to speak to Shen Hua, she suddenly remembered something and instinctively exclaimed softly, “Oh no!”
Lü’e was confused: “Young Miss, what’s wrong?”
Shen Hua understood and gestured to her maid behind her.
The maid quickly came forward, offering a plain handkerchief.
“It seems Fourth Sister left in a hurry and forgot to bring a handkerchief,” Shen Hua said softly, covering her mouth. “The garlic scent is rather strong, the pepper water is milder.”
“…”
Ming Tan took the handkerchief and sniffed it.
Very good, indeed worthy of her former rival.