Jiang Xu’s expression was serious as he asked, not seeming to be merely going through the motions.
Ming Tan was momentarily speechless, then instinctively explained, “The eyebrow pencil… just needs to be moistened with water to use. As for water-curved brows and distant mountain brows, I wore water-curved brows that day at Daxiangguo Temple. The night before last at the Marquis’s mansion, I wore distant mountain brows.”
After explaining, she observed Jiang Xu’s expression.
It was clear from her husband’s handsome face, which showed little expression but a hint of confusion, that he hadn’t noticed any difference between her eyebrows at the Marquis’s mansion and Daxiangguo Temple.
Ming Tan had thought that her husband’s cold demeanor might mean he was unwilling to draw her eyebrows, but she never imagined that he genuinely didn’t know how.
These days, young gentlemen in the capital were known for their dalliances with courtesans, and poems about drawing eyebrows and adorning with kingfisher feathers were frequently recited. Even her father had some skill in this area.
Ming Tan pondered for a moment, her small face serious, unwilling to give up. She was about to offer some guidance when Jiang Xu suddenly adopted an “I can master this without instruction” air. He calmly picked up the eyebrow pencil, moistened it, and then—
Drew a thick, bold line across her eyebrow.
That thick line was drawn with quite a forceful stroke.
Ming Tan stared at herself in the bronze mirror, stunned.
What did he think he was drawing? A majestic pine or bamboo? Or a map of the capital’s defenses? It was just an eyebrow; there was no need for such imposing strokes!
Seeing that he intended to wreak havoc on the other eyebrow, Ming Tan snapped back to reality. She quickly covered her forehead with one hand and used the other to block him: “Hu-husband, perhaps A-Tan should do it herself. My husband is a talented military commander; how could I trouble you with such trivial matters? A-Tan can draw her eyebrows!”
“…”
Jiang Xu stopped his movements.
She had wanted him to draw, and now she didn’t want him to draw.
Marrying a noble lady was indeed complicated in many ways.
He put down the eyebrow pencil, not pursuing the matter further: “I’m going to the military camp.”
Watching Jiang Xu stand and walk out, Ming Tan, covering her half-ravaged eyebrow, couldn’t help but mutter under her breath: “Brute!”
–
This was Ming Tan’s first day as part of the Prince of Dingbei’s household. Originally, they were supposed to go to the palace to express gratitude and pay respects, but due to Jiang Xu’s message postponing it, her first day in the household unexpectedly became quite leisurely.
Having suddenly left the Jingan Marquis’s mansion where she had lived for over a decade, Ming Tan naturally felt somewhat out of place. The furnishings in the rooms and the trees and flowers in the courtyard all bore traces of wedding joy, but they were also unfamiliar to her.
After breakfast, she wandered around the courtyard, feeling as if it wasn’t quite real as if she were just a temporary guest in this household rather than belonging there.
However, before she could sort out the indescribable emptiness and melancholy in her heart, the mansion’s chief steward, Uncle Fu, came to see her, leading the managers from various parts of the household.
“This old servant Song Laifu pays respects to the Princess Consort.”
Ming Tan had heard about this chief steward Song from Suxin and Lü’e. He had been part of the Eastern Palace and had loyally cared for the young master—now their prince—after Crown Prince Min Cong’s death. Everyone in the household respected him and called him “Uncle Fu.”
Ming Tan quickly stepped forward to help him up: “Uncle Fu, please rise. You mustn’t perform such a grand gesture.”
Uncle Fu allowed her to help him up without insisting on kneeling, his eyes crinkling into smiles as he exclaimed, “This old servant has been waiting for so long, and finally, the Princess Consort has arrived!
“This Prince of Dingbei’s mansion occupies the entire Changyu Street, frightfully large. But His Highness is frugal and rarely in the capital, so it’s been quite lifeless. You see, I’ve been watching over it for over a decade, always hoping our prince would marry a princess consort. Now we truly have a mistress of the house!”
Ming Tan smiled softly.
She was extremely beautiful, not with an aggressive allure, but with bright eyes and white teeth, delicately charming, easily evoking goodwill in those who saw her.
Uncle Fu, already grateful to the big spender from Cuojin Pavilion, was even more impressed seeing her in person. He felt his judgment had been spot-on; their Princess Consort looked kind-hearted! His enthusiasm grew even more.
Before long, Uncle Fu had moved from discussing the renovations prepared for welcoming the new princess consort to envisioning the future little masters and mistresses. He even presented Ming Tan with all the keys to the storerooms—under the pretext that now that the Princess Consort had entered the household, she should take charge of domestic affairs.
In reality, for a new bride entering a household, no matter how legitimate her position, it was never easy to take over management from the previous authority figure.
It was common for new daughters-in-law with mothers-in-law to wait seven, eight, or even ten years before independently managing the household. Even without a mother-in-law, getting the original household staff to comply obediently was no simple task.
Ming Tan had expected some friction, but she hadn’t anticipated that they would hand over authority so readily, showing a genuine fondness for her as the new princess consort. This made her somewhat reluctant to take charge.
“Uncle Fu is a long-standing member of the household and has managed it so well. I’ve just arrived and am not yet familiar with the prince’s mansion. I’ll need to rely heavily on Uncle Fu’s guidance.”
Uncle Fu hurriedly replied, “The Princess Consort shouldn’t say such things! If there’s anything this old servant can do, it would be my honor. I would not refuse even at the cost of my life. However, the prince’s mansion should rightfully be managed by the Princess Consort. If there’s anything unclear, this old servant will gradually help you understand it all.”
With things put this way, Ming Tan couldn’t refuse.
She had never lacked clothing or possessions and viewed household management and accounting with some detachment. But she knew that the mistress of a household must be proficient in these matters, so she had learned diligently from Lady Pei while still unmarried.
Taking the account books and flipping through them, Ming Tan paused.
The Prince of Dingbei’s household’s wealth was evident from the betrothal gifts, but the extent of this wealth seemed even more exaggerated than she had imagined.
“… Jinxiu Workshop and Cuojin Pavilion are both properties of the prince’s household?”
Uncle Fu seemed to have been waiting for her to ask. He quickly affirmed and vividly recounted her previous connections with Jinxiu Workshop and Cuojin Pavilion.
Ming Tan remembered something: “So the set of oriental pearl headdresses that Cuojin Pavilion sent me before, was that on your instructions?”
Uncle Fu didn’t dare take credit, modestly saying, “It was mainly with His Highness’s approval.”
Ming Tan was slightly stunned. She nodded, lowering her gaze to continue looking at the accounts, but the corners of her lips couldn’t help but curl upwards.
In less than half a day, Ming Tan had become quite familiar with Uncle Fu. Jiang Xu had always been frugal, making do wherever possible, and Uncle Fu had been struggling with having large sums of money and nowhere to spend it. Now, with someone who could spend arriving, Uncle Fu felt he had finally found a kindred spirit.
“These two trees are very tall. We could set up a swing here. The trees in the Marquis’s mansion weren’t this tall, so the swings there were a bit low.”
…
“The garden in the mansion seems a bit small. We could expand it five zhang to the west. I haven’t seen all the flowers and plants yet. Let me take a look and see if we need to invite more skilled craftsmen to tend to it.”
…
“How can His Highness only have this small area for martial arts practice? The east courtyard here could be remodeled into a small training ground. It’s close to the armory too. We could build an archery range here. When His Highness’s friends visit, they could also compete together.” Ming Tan gestured on the mansion’s map. “And here, it’s all overgrown. Why not renovate it and make a cuju field? The Pingguo Duke’s mansion is much smaller than ours, yet they have a cuju field.”
…
“Oh, and as summer approaches, how about turning this empty pavilion by the lotus pond on the west side into a cool room? We could arrange bamboo screens around it, channeling water onto the eaves… The Marquis’s mansion had such a small cool room, but the scenery wasn’t beautiful. If we could build one by the lotus pond, I imagine it would be delightful in summer!” Ming Tan’s eyes sparkled as she looked at Uncle Fu, already imagining how comfortable it would be.
Uncle Fu nodded repeatedly: “Good! Good!”
He hurriedly dipped his brush in ink, recording these items in the ledger.
–
Meanwhile, Jiang Xu, having finished training troops at the military camp, found himself with some rare free time.
In recent years, under his command, the northern barbarians had become much less troublesome. Except for winter when food was scarce and people grew restless, there were seldom any disturbances. Moreover, before his wedding, he had gone north twice to inspect the troops and deal with the aftermath of the battle in the Eastern Province. It seemed that the northern regions would be quite peaceful for the rest of the year.
He was reading an official report when Shen Yu suddenly lifted the tent flap and entered.
After reporting on official matters, Shen Yu hesitated for a moment before asking, “Your Highness was married yesterday, and there are no urgent matters in the camp today. Why aren’t you at home accompanying the Princess Consort?”
Jiang Xu replied nonchalantly, “It seems I haven’t given you enough tasks if you’re meddling in my personal affairs.”
Shen Yu stiffened his neck and said, “The… the Princess Consort is, after all, this subordinate’s cousin. It’s not too much for me to show some concern.”
Jiang Xu paused briefly in his movements: “The Princess Consort is tired and resting at home. Do you have any other questions?”
…?
Tired?
How could she be tired?
He had attended the wedding banquet yesterday. The bride had been supported and carried throughout, barely taking a few steps on her own. How could she be tired?
Jiang Xu added, “Get out.”
Shen Yu stood dumbfounded for a while before following the order and leaving the tent. Even after exiting, he remained confused for quite some time, unsure if the prince’s perfunctory response meant he was displeased with Cousin Tan.
It wasn’t until he overheard some soldiers gossiping about their recent exploits at Yihong House that he seemed to understand something.
“That little Mei’er’s voice is something, calling ‘brother’ this and ‘brother’ that. It’s enough to make a man melt! So satisfying!”
“I prefer Miss Yanzhi. That tiny waist, hehe, she told me the next morning, all coy-like, that she was exhausted!”
…
Shen Yu poured himself a cup of water in a daze, not daring to imagine the scene of Cousin Tan with the prince, calling him “brother” and coyly saying her waist was exhausted.
–
Perhaps because Shen Yu had come to mention that he hadn’t stayed at home with the Princess Consort on their first day of marriage, Jiang Xu returned to the Prince of Dingbei’s mansion just before dinner time.
As soon as he entered, he saw the household bustling with activity. Servants were moving about, carrying either flower pots or gift boxes.
He said nothing, making his way to Qian’an Hall, where the new little princess consort resided.
Compared to the outside, Qian’an Hall was even more lively. At the entrance, he encountered Uncle Fu, who was just about to leave.
Seeing him, Uncle Fu enthusiastically recounted the day’s discussions with the Princess Consort about renovating the mansion, interspersing praise like “The Princess Consort has such great ideas,” “The Princess Consort is truly wonderful,” and “Everything the Princess Consort says is right.”
“…”
Such extravagance.
Jiang Xu paused for a moment before stepping into the room.
Inside, Ming Tan was flipping through a book while extending her hand, letting a young maid apply henna to her nails.
Seeing Jiang Xu enter, Ming Tan’s eyes brightened for an instant. She quickly stood up and approached him, holding up her delicate hand to his eyes: “Husband, you’re back. Does it look nice?”
She was close, with a faint, sweet fragrance about her. Jiang Xu recalled the previous night, feeling somewhat distracted. His Adam’s apple bobbed slightly, and the words about extravagance he had intended to say transformed on his lips to—
“It looks good.”