After Lady Jia’s sedan chair departed, the path before Hongyong Gate suddenly became spacious.
The newcomer approached, waving a folding fan, his jade pendant swaying gently with each step.
Bai Minmin, upon seeing him, visibly startled for a moment. “That lady is with child. How could you speak to her like that—”
“What’s there to fear? She’s not the only pregnant one in the palace. Even Noble Consort Shu doesn’t put on such airs,” Zhuo Huaiyu dismissed her concern. “Aren’t you usually quite capable? Why so timid now?”
“You—!”
Forget it! He’s the Empress’s brother, of course, he fears nothing.
Bai Minmin asked irritably, “Why have you entered the palace at this hour?”
Zhuo Huaiyu glanced at her. “What? Does the Empress inviting me for dinner require Miss Bai’s approval?”
He then closed his fan and bowed to Ming Tan beside her. “Princess.”
Ming Tan nodded in return. “Young Master Zhuo.”
After the greeting, she fell silent, pondering Zhuo Huaiyu’s earlier words—
There’s more than one pregnant lady in the palace, and even Noble Consort Shu doesn’t put on such airs… Could it be that Noble Consort Shu is also with a child?
Though aware this wasn’t the place for such talk, Bai Minmin couldn’t help but retort, “The Empress clearly said she had indigestion at noon and wouldn’t be having dinner today. Can’t you lie more convincingly?”
Zhuo Huaiyu raised an eyebrow. “That’s precisely it. The Empress doesn’t want to dine with you, so she’s giving you an excuse to leave. Did you believe it?”
“Zhuo Huaiyu, you—!”
Bai Minmin was on the verge of exploding, even within the palace walls.
Finally, Zhuo Huaiyu looked her up and down, casually remarking, “Your attire today isn’t bad. Well, you’d better leave now before the palace gates close. The Princess naturally has a place to rest, but as for you…”
Bai Minmin rolled her eyes dramatically at him and stormed off, pulling Ming Tan along. “I truly don’t understand how Young Master Shu could befriend someone like you!”
Zhuo Huaiyu called after them, “There’s a lot you don’t know.”
Bai Minmin resisted the urge to kick him, deliberately bumping his arm as she passed.
Zhuo Huaiyu turned, watching their rapidly disappearing figures with amusement, then leisurely made his way to Changchun Palace.
Inside Changchun Palace, Empress Zhuo was reviewing the inner palace accounts. Hearing that the Young Master had arrived, she closed the ledger and summoned him in, ordering someone to prepare his favorite Jin Junmei tea.
“Paying respects to the Empress.”
“Sit,” Empress Zhuo responded casually.
Zhuo Huaiyu made himself comfortable on the other side of the soft couch.
A maid quickly served him tea. Though still hot, the familiar aroma rising from the cup made Zhuo Huaiyu smile. “Sister, you always know how to take care of me.”
“If you know I care for you, why rush into the palace? Afraid I’d swallow your sweetheart whole?” Empress Zhuo glanced at him sideways.
“Sister, how could you say that? I was merely worried she might not understand the rules and offend you,” Zhuo Huaiyu explained.
Empress Zhuo scoffed lightly. “A young lady from a good family? She’s bound to have better manners than you.”
“A good family? Sister, you must be mistaken. How could she be considered from a good family? She—” Zhuo Huaiyu stopped mid-sentence, realizing it might be inappropriate to discuss his marriage prospects in front of his sister. He swallowed his words.
“She what?”
Zhuo Huaiyu took a sip of tea and praised her insincerely, “She does have better manners than me.”
Empress Zhuo couldn’t help but snort softly.
Zhuo Huaiyu sat there, feigning ignorance of his sister’s mockery, and attempted to explain further, “Of course, I know you wouldn’t do anything to her. But there are many noble ladies in the palace, and with her personality, she might accidentally offend someone. Sister, perhaps it’s best not to let her enter the palace in the future.”
“She may be able to avoid it now, but if she becomes the Young Master’s wife, she’ll have to enter the palace for festivals and such. How can she keep avoiding it? Enough, I know what I’m doing. You needn’t keep running to the palace every other day. With me here, how could anyone take advantage of her? Now that you’re here, go to Qinzheng Hall and pay your respects to your brother-in-law.”
Qinzheng Hall was far, and Zhuo Huaiyu rose reluctantly, answering, “Yes.”
Meanwhile, Ming Tan and Bai Minmin managed to leave the palace just before the gates closed.
Once outside, Bai Minmin finally felt free to speak her mind. She chattered on, criticizing Zhuo Huaiyu non-stop without pausing for breath, until Jiang Xu emerged from the Marquis of Dingbei’s carriage. Only then did she fall silent.
Jiang Xu glanced at her before addressing Ming Tan, “Let’s go home.”
Ming Tan, slightly startled, quickly bid farewell to Bai Minmin and boarded the carriage.
“Husband, why did you come?” she asked, surprised, as she sat down.
“I went to the Court of Imperial Stables today. After finishing my business, I saw it was about time and came over.”
Ming Tan nodded slowly, then remembered something and hurriedly told him about the task Empress Zhuo had assigned her in the palace.
This was within Jiang Xu’s expectations, and he wasn’t surprised.
They continued talking on the way home, had dinner, and then Jiang Xu allowed her to join him in the study. He placed an extra huanghuali chair opposite his desk. They shared an inkstone, one writing official documents, the other writing regulations, occasionally exchanging a few words in the warm candlelight of the quiet study.
Earlier in the palace, to allow Bai Minmin to perform well, Ming Tan had held back many suggestions.
She remembered that when they passed through Hezhou on their way south, the women there greatly admired those elaborate clothes. However, the clothes and accessories they wore were mostly styles that had been popular in the capital during the previous season.
In even more distant and smaller places, the daughters of wealthy families were still wearing fabrics and patterns that had been fashionable in the capital two years ago.
From her observations, it wasn’t that these families couldn’t afford these items, but rather that it took time for trends to reach their areas. Occasionally, someone would go to great lengths to acquire a fashionable piece, and even a single item would be a source of great pride when displayed.
So she thought, there was no need to discard or exchange the various collected clothes. If they could be taken to places where such items were desired, they would surely fetch a good price.
She shared this idea with Jiang Xu, who pondered briefly before responding, “It’s a good thought, but we must consider the time and costs involved in transportation. If the expenses match the price difference between regions, it won’t be feasible.”
Ming Tan, still inexperienced, only realized this when Jiang Xu pointed it out.
She nodded, adding this point to her notes while saying earnestly, “Then we must first calculate the costs against the potential profit from reselling…”
As she wrote in her neat, elegant small script, her cheeks puffed slightly while she muttered to herself.
Jiang Xu watched her, momentarily distracted. A drop of thick ink fell from his brush tip, quickly spreading on the paper. He snapped back to attention, discreetly crumpled the paper into a ball and set it aside, then spread a new sheet to continue his official document.
Three days later, the Empress invited several renowned noble ladies of the capital to the palace. While enjoying flowers and tea, she discussed the fundraising matter with them.
They all naturally agreed, praising the Empress for her kindness. They wisely spread the news after leaving the palace.
Donating unused items for a good cause and gaining recognition was appealing, and the officials’ wives were quite enthusiastic.
In less than two days, they had collected over 80 boxes of gold, silver, and fine goods. By the third day, it exceeded 200 boxes.
In the following days, some compared their donations to others, feeling they had given too little and hurrying to donate more. Others found additional items to clear out… The donations continued to increase.
Ming Tan had people register and catalog everything, while Bai Minmin’s staff sorted items by category and quality.
Ming Tan also enlisted Zhou Jingwan’s help. With her literary talent and fine handwriting, Ming Tan asked her to write thank-you notes, to be sent to each household once the project was complete.
Since it was Empress Zhuo’s initiative, few dared to offer shoddy items. Each young lady donated at least four or five hairpins, with some giving entire sets of accessories. Though no longer the latest fashion in the capital, many items were still new and unused.
Notably, Shen Hua sent a full box of jewelry. She was expecting, and many of her newly made clothes no longer fit, so she sent those as well.
During Ming Tan’s months away from the capital, the former Director of the Imperial Academy retired, and Li Siye was promoted to the position. Li’s second son had also earned the Emperor’s praise for his excellent essays, and the Li family’s fortunes were on the rise.
After returning to the capital, Ming Tan sent gifts to the Li family but hadn’t yet found time to visit Shen Hua. However, judging by the items she sent, it was clear she was living quite comfortably in the Li household.
Ming Tan remembered she still had some old belongings from her maiden days at the Marquis’s mansion. She decided to return to inventory them and deliver the gifts she had brought back from her southern journey.
She had intended to visit the mansion earlier upon her return to the capital, but Lady Pei had been away at her maiden family for a celebratory feast, so she had postponed the visit.
Learning of Ming Tan’s plan to return to the Jing’an Marquis’s mansion, Jiang Xu, having no pressing matters, offered to accompany her.
Ming Tan knew that a husband accompanying his wife back to her maiden home was a matter of great face. However, his presence would cause the entire household to bustle about nervously. She was going there on business and didn’t want to add complications, so she persuaded Jiang Xu to stay behind.
The next day, she returned to the Jing’an Marquis’s mansion alone. Lady Pei personally greeted her at the entrance, escorting her to Lanxin Chamber, where mother and daughter caught up for quite some time.
It turned out that after Ming Tan left Hezhou, the Feng family had been writing to the Marquis’s mansion monthly.
Ming Chu had become very well-behaved, regularly attending to Old Madam Feng with medicinal soups. The Feng family, following the Princess’s orders, kept her confined to the mansion to prevent her from causing trouble.
However, Ming Chu was still a young lady in the Marquis’s household, and the Feng family didn’t want to create friction. So, they would write for permission before taking any significant actions.
Ming Tan thought this arrangement was satisfactory. As long as Ming Chu wasn’t causing trouble, she had no intention of dwelling on past issues.
After discussing Ming Chu, Lady Pei unsurprisingly brought up Shen Hua: “Her pregnancy is progressing very well. Her belly is pointed, so it might be a boy. The Feng family still doesn’t have a male heir in the grandchildren’s generation. If she gives birth to a healthy boy, Madam Feng might hand over all household management to Hua.
“Of course, a girl would be fine too. Her husband has always said he prefers little girls, so a daughter would be lovely. In any case, as long as the child is born safely, it’s all good. Hua is truly blessed. While others suffer from terrible morning sickness, barely able to keep anything down, she only had a few days of nausea. Now her appetite is excellent. When I last saw her, she had grown quite plump. The child in her womb must be considerate.”
Ming Tan initially listened without much reaction, agreeing politely.
However, Lady Pei then began talking about the one-month celebration for twins she had attended at her maiden family, going on about how adorable and clever the twins were… Ming Tan slowly began to sense her underlying meaning.
Sure enough, Lady Pei changed the subject, looking at Ming Tan’s belly and tentatively asking, “Speaking of which, you and the Prince have been married for some time now. Has there been any… movement?”
Ming Tan shook her head, hesitantly replying, “My husband says I’m young and there’s no rush. He also mentioned that early childbearing isn’t beneficial for a woman’s health.”
Lady Pei sighed, saying sympathetically, “That’s the Prince being considerate of you. You are young, but at the Prince’s age, many men already have children old enough for school. How can there be no urgency?”
But that’s because he married late, Ming Tan thought silently. Even if she had conceived immediately after marriage, the child would still be too young for school.
Seeing Ming Tan’s silence, Lady Pei continued her lengthy discourse on the importance of heirs and how a woman’s position in the household depends on having children.
Ming Tan, always respectful, didn’t argue. She listened dizzily, forcing herself to sip tea and nod in agreement.
Finally, after lunch, Ming Tan caught a breather. She led Lüe back to the Zhaoshui Chamber to rest and had people organize her old belongings.
“Oh, and keep an eye out for the jinbu [ankle bells] I wore when I returned from Hanyan Temple. Let me know if you see them,” she instructed.
Lüe agreed verbally, but her eyes couldn’t keep up. Her mistress had far too many possessions. As they opened box after box of old items, everything still looked exquisite, and she couldn’t remember which outfit her mistress had worn to Hanyan Temple.
In the end, it was Ming Tan’s sharp eye that spotted it—
“Stop.”
She suddenly stood up and walked to a sandalwood box, examining the clothes inside.
“That’s right. This is what I wore to Hanyan Temple,” she confirmed. The stains from being stepped on were still visible, and underneath lay the outfit she had changed into in the side room.
She then opened a brocade box inside.
As expected, inside lay an intricate and still fashionable string of jinbu.
Ming Tan picked it up, examining it closely.
Sunlight streamed in from outside, making the heavy jinbu glitter dazzlingly. Her gaze moved inch by inch, unable to find the small dark jade tablet that should have been attached. Finally, her eyes stopped on a small gap in the lower left side—
This space suggested a missing accessory.
She suddenly recalled the jade tablet in Jiang Xu’s hidden pocket.