Youthful Glory Episode 5 Recap, Plot

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When they saw Jiang Xu and Zhang Huaiyu, both Ming Tan and Bai Minmin’s faces dropped. The emperor urgently summoned Ming Tingyuan into the palace, saying he had chosen a husband for Ming Tan. The one chosen by the Empress Dowager could not compare with the one chosen by the emperor. But when Ming Tingyuan saw Jiang Xu's name, it was as if he had received a hot potato and wanted to throw it away immediately.

However, the emperor said that the Empress Dowager had already issued an edict to force the marriage, and the decree had already arrived at the Marquis Jing'an’s residence. Since the edict had yet to be announced and Ming Tan was not home, Ming Tingyuan knew a knife was at his throat and had no choice but to accept Jiang Xu as his son-in-law.

After Shu Jingran finished his horseback parade through the streets, he did not leave but returned to the restaurant. Seeing this, Feng Zhao became excited. Shu Jingran met Ming Tan and Bai Minmin, and Feng Zhao couldn’t resist stepping out to make snide remarks. Zhang Huaiyu quickly tried to smooth things over. Not to be outdone, Ming Tan deliberately brought up the Empress Dowager’s plan to bestow a marriage between Feng Zhao and the General of Dingbei.

Bai Minmin added fuel to the fire by speaking of the General’s bloodshed on the battlefield. Jiang Xu, who was behind the screen, couldn’t help but laugh when he overheard. Just as Ming Tan was about to leave, the matchmaker arrived and bestowed Ming Tan’s marriage to the General of Dingbei, Jiang Xu. Ming Tan stood stunned for a long time before fainting on the spot. Back at home, Ming Tingyuan told Ming Tan what had happened.

He knew the Empress Dowager valued tradition, so when Ming Tan was not at home that day, he informed the emperor that she had been at Wentao Pavilion, which publicly locked in the marriage. Ming Tan and Bai Minmin were utterly dismayed—this marriage was even more troubling than the one with the Liang family. The General of Dingbei was a brute, and his appearance surely unsightly. This marriage must be called off!

The next morning, Ming Tan and Bai Minmin pestered Ming Tingyuan about breaking off the engagement and subtly inquired about Jiang Xu’s character. Ming Tingyuan spoke of his great military accomplishments on the battlefield, saying that to receive such a fine son-in-law was the fortune of the Marquis Jing’an’s household. Furthermore, although a general, this suitor was handsome and not inferior to the ranking scholar parading the streets the previous day.

After thinking it over, Ming Tan decided she had to meet Jiang Xu. If he really was as rumored, she would insist on rejecting the marriage—even if it was imperial. To meet Jiang Xu without being recognized, Ming Tan and Bai Minmin dressed as maids and used the excuse of delivering food to Bai Yu to sneak into the General’s camp.

When Jiang Xu saw Ming Tan in a maid’s outfit, he understood immediately and deliberately turned his back so she could get a good look at his figure. But when Ming Tan saw Jiang Xu’s face clearly, she was shocked—him again? Ming Tan hadn’t expected that the man she kept running into was actually the General of Dingbei. She couldn’t understand why Jiang Xu wanted to marry her.

Jiang Xu listed all the wishes she made before Buddha, saying that he was the only one in the world who could meet her standards. Ming Tan replied that even so, it didn’t mean she had to marry him. They had no emotional bond, and if they wed, their home would not be peaceful. But Jiang Xu told her that only by becoming the General of Dingbei’s consort could she have the best possible outcome in the current political climate.

Ming Tan, however, misunderstood his words, thinking he meant it was a contractual marriage. Bai Minmin anxiously waited for Ming Tan to come out. When she did, she felt overwhelmed by the unexpected developments and needed time to think. The officials around the General of Dingbei, upon hearing that Ming Tan was the one chosen for the marriage, praised it highly. Among the capital’s noblewomen, Ming Tan was exceptional—virtuous, gentle, and kind.

Jiang Xu couldn’t help but react when he heard this. Fushu added that a few years ago, when there was a shortfall in military funds, Ming Tan frequently came by with reasons to donate, and that this was a match made in heaven. Ming Tan was restless over the marriage. Ming Tingyuan reassured her that Jiang Xu was a good man.

Back during the late emperor’s reign, it was Jiang Xu who fought through enemy lines to save the current emperor. Everything Jiang Xu did had its reasons. Ming Tan worried that Su Wenchun would be hard to explain things to, but Ming Tingyuan wasn’t concerned. The Ming family had his support, and both she and Ming Chu only needed to choose the one they truly liked.

In the entire Da Xian, aside from the emperor, if even Jiang Xu couldn’t protect her, then no one could. Shu Jingran thought Jiang Xu wasn’t sincerely pursuing the marriage and was concerned the emperor might have misgivings, but Jiang Xu had already made up his mind to protect Ming Tan for life. Ming Tan went to the ancestral hall to speak to her mother.

She said Jiang Xu matched her well in family background, looks, and talent, and seemed worthy of trust. However, she knew very little about him and wasn’t sure if he was truly as Ming Tingyuan described. She asked her mother if she approved of the marriage. Ming Tan also brought up how she and Ming Tingyuan had grown distant after years apart. Hearing this outside the door, Ming Tingyuan felt deeply guilty.

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