When they were at Mount Pang, a fleeting thought crossed Ming Tan’s mind, but it quickly disappeared. After all, she hadn’t realized that the small jade tablet from her jinbu had been lost long ago.
But now—
She lowered her gaze, carefully putting the jinbu back in its box while recalling the events at Hanyan Temple.
The blood in the side room, the fire that burned down Hanyan Temple, and the series of unusual events that followed in the capital…
She calmed her mind and reviewed everything again.
…
By the time she returned to the Marquis of Dingbei’s mansion, Ming Tan had pieced together a plausible scenario that explained everything. Little did she know, her guess was very close to the truth.
That day, Jiang Xu had sent word that he had military matters to attend to and wouldn’t be back for dinner.
Ming Tan had planned to ask him during dinner, but now a table full of dishes had been prepared for nothing.
Preoccupied with her thoughts, she had little appetite. She drank a bowl of soup and had the rest of the food distributed among the staff.
After her evening bath, Ming Tan paced back and forth in her room.
She had already searched the hidden pocket Jiang Xu had left at home, but the item wasn’t there. She assumed he was carrying it with him.
Lost in thought, she circled the room, absently biting her finger as if pondering something serious.
Finally, she heard movement outside.
Ming Tan turned, hurrying to greet him. But as she reached the outer room, she hesitated, then returned to sit on the couch in the inner chamber. She hastily picked up a book, propping her head up and pretending to read.
Soon after, Jiang Xu entered.
“Husband, you’re back,” Ming Tan said, feigning surprise as she put down the book.
Fresh from her bath, her black hair fell over her shoulders. Her crimson jacket made her skin look snow-white. Being indoors, she wore only wooden clogs, her bare feet curled up on the couch, her pale toes fidgeting nervously.
Jiang Xu glanced at her while undoing his cuffs.
She strived to remain calm, slipping on her clogs and approaching him with her usual gentle demeanor. “You must be tired, husband. I’ll have water prepared for your bath. After that, a late supper will be ready. The food in the military camp isn’t good, and the nights are getting cold. I’ve made some ginger chicken porridge to warm you up and ward off the chill. Please eat plenty.”
As she spoke, she discreetly helped him change.
Jiang Xu seemed unaware, giving a soft “Mm” and gazing at her quietly. “The Princess is thoughtful.”
Ming Tan felt inexplicably guilty at his words. Her hands faltered, but she forced herself to continue undressing him.
The maids soon brought hot water, and misty vapor rose in the bathroom.
Seeing Jiang Xu enter the bath, Ming Tan finally relaxed. She quietly left the bathroom, surreptitiously taking his hidden pocket with her.
She searched it as she returned to the inner room, quickly finding the small dark jade tablet. She hurried to her dressing table to retrieve the jinbu she had brought back earlier.
The jinbu was heavy, making the jade tablet feel light in comparison.
Her heart raced, and her hands trembled slightly.
Slowly, she aligned the dark jade tablet with the gap in the jinbu. Her pupils contracted suddenly—
It fits perfectly!
The small hole in the jade tablet matched the gap in the jinbu exactly. This meant her husband’s jade was indeed hers. She hadn’t been mistaken!
Ming Tan turned quickly, but before she could take a step, she collided with a warm, firm chest.
Unnoticed, Jiang Xu had donned a robe and was standing silently behind her, his body still damp from the bath.
She froze for a moment, instinctively hiding the small jade tablet behind her back, her heart nearly stopping from shock.
However, Jiang Xu merely glanced at the hidden pocket on the table.
Ming Tan followed his gaze and felt a pang of regret. Dejected, she loosened her grip and offered the jade tablet back to him.
Jiang Xu reached out to take it, but suddenly Ming Tan had a realization—
Wait, why should she feel regretful? Why should she feel guilty, like a thief? This jade was rightfully hers. Shouldn’t he be the one explaining why he had kept it?
With this thought, Ming Tan suddenly felt righteous. She raised her hand, causing Jiang Xu’s outstretched hand to grasp at air, pausing briefly.
She then lifted her chin, poking his chest with the small jade tablet, and demanded, “Husband, isn’t it time you properly explained the origin of this jade? It’s mine. You’ve known all along, haven’t you?”
“…”
“You’ve been sneaking around because of this?”
“Who’s been sneaking around?” she retorted.
“Hmm, I wonder who it was that pretended not to know I had returned, despite clearly being aware,” Jiang Xu said, giving her a faint look.
Before entering the room, he had seen Ming Tan’s silhouette darting back and forth in the candlelight, clearly intending to greet him but then inexplicably curling up on the couch instead.
When he entered and saw her curled up, he had thought the little Princess might have a favor to ask or perhaps was trying to seduce him. He had been prepared to reluctantly accept, but now it seemed he had overthought things.
Ming Tan, exposed by his words, felt a mix of shame and annoyance.
“If you wanted to know something, you could have just asked me directly. There was no need for such elaborate schemes.”
“I was going to ask you directly, but I was afraid I might be mistaken and cause a misunderstanding… I wanted to confirm if it was my jade first,” Ming Tan mumbled softly.
She had embarrassed herself in front of her husband many times before. If she had jumped to conclusions without confirming and it turned out not to be her jade, wouldn’t that have been a huge misunderstanding?
Moreover, her husband had said this jade had saved his life. Rushing to claim credit as his savior, only to be mistaken—even if he didn’t laugh at her, she’d want to find a hole to crawl into!
Hearing this, Jiang Xu paused, then couldn’t help but ruffle her hair, smoothing it down afterward.
“It’s not a misunderstanding. The Princess is indeed my lifesaver,” he admitted directly.
Ming Tan looked up suddenly.
He looked at her directly, without evasion, and recounted the events at Hanyan Temple and his later encounter with danger in the forest.
…
Ming Tan listened, somewhat dazed. Finally, she managed to piece things together: “So, does this mean I’ve saved you twice?”
“Yes.”
“Then why didn’t you say anything when we were at Mount Pang?”
“You didn’t ask.”
“…”
Ming Tan opened her mouth but found herself at a loss for words.
A maid brought in the late supper. Ming Tan sat at the table, accompanying Jiang Xu as he ate. However, she was still processing what he had just told her, finding it hard to believe.
It was difficult for her to imagine that she and her husband had so many connections even before they had officially met.
Thinking about it now, many things she hadn’t considered before seemed to make sense.
For instance, why did he save her when she fell into the water during the Lantern Festival? And how did he know she was from the Jing’an Marquis’s household, sending her directly back there?
So, from the very beginning, he had known about all of this.
Realizing this, Ming Tan’s feelings were complicated.
After the lights were out and they were in bed, Ming Tan tossed and turned, unable to sleep.
Jiang Xu pulled her into his arms. “Sleep early. Don’t you have to see the Empress tomorrow?”
“But I can’t sleep.”
“Why not?”
Ming Tan nestled against his chest, hesitating for a while before finally asking in a small voice, “Did you know from the start that I was your savior?”
“…”
In truth, it wasn’t from the start; he had only remembered after seeing her face at Lingmiao Temple. However, Jiang Xu didn’t deny it. If he did, given her intelligence, she would quickly realize his motive for saving her during the Lantern Festival was insufficient.
For some reason, at this point, he no longer wanted to dwell on why he had married her in the first place.
But while he didn’t want to pursue it, Ming Tan desperately wanted an answer. After another moment of hesitation, she softly asked, “Did you marry me to repay the debt? Is that why you’re good to me, to repay the debt?”
She wasn’t foolish. Given his power and relationship with the Emperor, if he truly didn’t want to marry, the Emperor wouldn’t have arbitrarily decreed their marriage.
Jiang Xu was silent for a long time.
Just when Ming Tan thought he wouldn’t answer, he spoke: “Not entirely.”
These three words held many meanings.
When he married her, it wasn’t solely to repay the debt; it was more due to considerations regarding the Jing’an Marquis’s household. His treatment of her after marriage may have initially been out of gratitude, with a large dose of tolerance. But now, he knew clearly, it wasn’t just that.
Ming Tan was somewhat prepared, so hearing this answer didn’t completely disappoint her.
She forced herself to calm down and accept this fact. After a moment of silence, she asked in a tiny voice, not quite willing to give up: “Among the other reasons that it’s not entirely about, is there even a small part because you like Tan’er?”
This kind of question seemed difficult to answer with words. Jiang Xu pulled her up slightly and sealed her lips with his own, giving a deep, passionate response through actions rather than words.
Ming Tan was left breathless by the kiss, whimpering, her cheeks flushed red. When Jiang Xu finally released her, she gasped for air, pressing against his chest, her eyes moist as she met his calm, direct gaze.
“What do you think?” His voice was low and husky, the answer in his eyes all too clear.
Ming Tan’s ears burned, and she suddenly felt too shy to brazenly demand he say it out loud.
In truth, this was enough to satisfy her. Even if it was partly to repay a debt, at least there was a connection of gratitude. Moreover, her husband’s feelings for her now went beyond repaying a debt; he also liked her. They still had a long, long time ahead, and she believed he would come to love her!
Jiang Xu’s desire had been aroused, and he soon covered her soft body with his own. His warm breath trailed downwards, leaving a burning trail wherever it touched. The bed curtains occasionally let slip soft pants and sweet moans.
After a while, at the height of passion, there was a sudden moment of silence within the curtains.
“You’re menstruating?”
Ming Tan nodded honestly.
Jiang Xu’s eyes were still tinged with red, his voice suppressed: “Why didn’t you say so earlier?”
Ming Tan replied innocently, “You didn’t ask.”
“…”
So this was her payback.