Chapter 2

Fortunately, the queue at the city gate was very long, giving her the opportunity to seize the moment.

However, tampering with the imperial edict was just the first step. The key was how to make Shen Yong, who was escorting her, also change his stance.

Jiang Xiurun took a deep breath and formed a plan in her mind.

When Jiang Xiurun, dressed in men’s clothing, got off the carriage, her brother Jiang Zhi was also stunned by the handsome “younger brother.”

Shen Yong, who had dismounted and was sitting on a bamboo chair with a cushion, impatiently waited while eating dried meat and drinking water—the last skin of water was saved for himself.

His task was simply to escort two fallen princes and a princess into Great Qi as hostages. This hot-tempered uncle had no qualms about showing excessive respect to these two little phoenixes, who had lost their feathers.

Looking at Jiang Xiurun’s unique attire, he spat out the meat residue from his teeth, smiling awkwardly. “Jiang Xiurun, why are you wearing men’s clothing out of the blue?”

Jiang Xiurun, holding the modified imperial edict, said seriously, “I am originally a man, so what’s inappropriate about wearing men’s clothing?”

This time, Shen Yong almost burst into laughter, slapping his fat belly. “Jiang Xiurun, did you go crazy sleeping in the carriage, talking nonsense?”

In Shen Yong’s view, although Jiang Xiurun was a princess, she has fallen out of favor one after another, and now, without her birth mother, she has become a hostage in a foreign country. It was inevitable that this lonely soul would meet her end sooner or later.

Moreover, this Jiang Xiurun had always been delicate and had been crying all the way from the Kingdom of Bo, which was annoying.

As the brother of the current empress, talking to such a weak and easily bullied younger generation lacked any sense of respect.

Jiang Xiurun glanced at the approaching inspection of carriages and horses, and without beating around the bush, she reached out and handed the unsealed imperial edict to Shen Yong.

Shen Yong widened his eyes. Just as he was about to rebuke her for daring to open the sealed wax, he saw her calmly unfold the imperial edict and point to a line for him to read.

At a glance, Shen Yong felt his blood boiling—a mix of shock and anger. He wished he could lash out at Jiang Xiurun with a whip.

“How dare you…”

Before Shen Yong could unleash a torrent of curses, Jiang Xiurun seized his hand. The untrimmed, long nails dug deep into his flesh, and she lowered her voice. “General Shen, if you shout right now that the imperial edict is a forgery and we’ve lost it, we will be tied up as spies by the guards of Luo’an City. Even if the monarch of Great Qi doesn’t kill you, can my father spare you when the news of the unsuccessful delivery of the imperial edict reaches the Kingdom of Bo?”

This statement hit Shen Yong hard. The emperor he served was eager to curry favor with Great Qi. The alliance between Bo and Great Qi was a matter of great importance and could not afford any mistakes.

If such a farce as the tampering of the imperial edict occurs at the foot of the Great Qi imperial city, this mission is sure to end badly…

Seeing Shen Yong hesitating, Jiang Xiurun continued, “Now, thousands of miles away from the Kingdom of Bo, General Shen, if you keep silent and control your subordinates, who would suspect any trouble? It would only enhance General Shen’s merit in escorting the hostages. I do not wish to serve the old men of Great Qi, so I dress as a man without delaying the alliance between the Kingdom of Bo and Great Qi. As for you, just pretend not to know; there’s no need to inform my father. You should know that he always seeks stability. If he sees that he can’t place his daughter by the side of the Emperor of Great Qi, he will surely send another beautiful daughter over… At that time, it will only be my sister—empress’s own daughter, Jiang Xiuyao—who can be sent, and perhaps… the Queen will blame you for not understanding how to cherish her niece…”

This speech from Jiang Xiurun relieved Shen Yong of the idea of complaining to his father.

Shen Yong had just broken out in a cold sweat due to the sudden turn of events. Even if this anomaly was caused by Jiang Xiurun, he couldn’t escape the blame for failing to protect the imperial edict and allowing it to be tampered with.

Now, in the chilly wind, Shen Yong’s head emitted white breaths.

He looked at the calm and composed young woman in front of him with suspicion and thought, “This little girl had a plan early on. No wonder she deceived me earlier, saying that the weather in Great Qi is unpredictable and it might snow with rain. It’s not suitable to hang the box containing the imperial edict on his horse’s back. It’s better to put it in a waterproof carriage.”

And in just half a day, she managed to create so many twists and turns inside the carriage!

Moreover… the usually weepy girl, perhaps due to wearing men’s clothing, had completely changed. She was now calm and composed, her tone unhurried. It made people involuntarily want to accept her bold words…

Shen Yong had mediocre academic achievements, and his mind was not particularly bright. He was only able to rise in status because of his association with Empress Shen. Now, faced with sudden events and confused by Jiang Xiurun’s words, when the guards at the city gate came to inquire about their diplomatic mission, Jiang Xiurun took the lead and said, “It’s General Shen Yong from the Kingdom of Bo, escorting two princes to Great Qi for an alliance!”

The other guards were surprised, but seeing that Shen Yong remained silent, they also kept quiet. Jiang Zhi stared wide-eyed at his sister and Shen Yong, not understanding what they were up to.

It wasn’t until the Great Qi guards took their tokens and recorded the names of the two hostages that Shen Yong began to feel some regret. But at this point, there was no other way to handle the situation.

Jiang Xiurun coldly watched Shen Yong’s regretful expression and naturally knew what he was thinking. The skill of observing and understanding people’s minds, developed in her past life, was top-notch.

So she calmly said to Shen Yong, “General Shen, you don’t need to worry too much. There are over a hundred hostages in the Great Qi imperial city, and has the monarch of Great Qi ever attended to each one personally? In the future, my brother and I will just live quietly in Luo’an City. We won’t cause any trouble.”

At this moment, wicked thoughts had already crossed Shen Yong’s mind several times, and his heart gradually calmed down: Hmph, if the two countries form an alliance smoothly and he returns with the imperial edict, he can secretly send someone to kill this cunning girl to prevent her identity from being exposed, causing trouble for himself!

A fallen princess who died in a foreign land and his own emperor probably wouldn’t bother to inquire. This way, his career path would be worry-free, and the cover on both sides would be seamless.

Thinking this way, he glared fiercely at Jiang Xiurun, said no more, and settled into the city first.

After entering the city, diplomats usually stayed in inns specifically designated for them.

Although they were all here as hostages, the treatment in the inns varied depending on the size of the country and the closeness of their relationship with Great Qi.

For example, Cao Xi, the hostage from Yan, said that because her mother was the younger sister of the Great Qi empress and she was a genuine cousin to the crown prince, this visit was ostensibly for an alliance as a hostage, but in reality, it was an attempt to strengthen the relationship and match her with the Crown Prince.

Because of this, the best courtyard in the inn was prepared early for Cao Xi, and the hot bath was sent to her courtyard in an unending stream.

This scene brought back memories for Jiang Xiurun.

Her eyes drifted to her brother standing beside her. Seeing him with pale lips and a slightly trembling appearance, she felt a twinge of heartache, knowing that he had caught a cold again.

In her previous life, Jiang Xiurun was too young, and with her mother’s protection in the Kingdom of Bo, she was still pampered as a princess. She couldn’t quite understand the nuances of social hierarchy.

Upon arriving at the inn and being ignored and cold-shouldered when urgently requesting hot water for her sick brother, she scolded the inn’s servants for not knowing how to treat guests. This led to a confrontation with the arrogant Cao Xi from Yan, creating enmity between them.

Despite Jiang Xiurun’s usual gentle demeanor, she could be harsh when angered, and her words were sharp without being vulgar. At the time, her frustrated retorts left Cao Xi rolling her eyes and made the other princes and princesses, deprived of hot water, burst into laughter, cheering for her.

However, at that time, Jiang Xiurun was unaware that there were spies of the Crown Prince in the inn. Although it was just a minor dispute over hot water between two princesses, the details reached the ears of Feng Liwu.

So, three days later in court, the Crown Prince accused her of having improper morals, a face too charming, and having the appearance of a seductive demon that would bring calamity to the country.

It was only later, when Qin Zhao casually mentioned it as a joke to Jiang Xiurun, that she understood why the Crown Prince disliked her so much and troubled her in court.

Now, back in a similar situation, Jiang Xiurun’s perspective and tolerance have changed significantly.

The princess from the Kingdom of Bo, perhaps once prestigious, found herself less distinguished than a mountain chicken in the imperial city of Great Qi. Among the princes and princesses in this courtyard, what status did a lesser-known prince and princess from a small country hold?

Rather than waiting for servants to bring water, it was better to find a solution quickly. This would prevent her brother from falling seriously ill and developing the root cause of coughing in winter, as happened in her previous life.

After settling in a remote room, Shen Yong, weary of the hardships along the way, ordered his subordinates to take care of the two princes and keep their mouths shut, refraining from saying anything they shouldn’t.

After giving the orders, he took his attendants to explore the city’s lively streets, purchasing some delicacies and warm wine.

The remaining guards were tired, and although there was no hot water, they bought hot wine from outside the inn and paid little attention to the sickly prince, Jiang Zhi.

When they first came from the Kingdom of Bo, the empress had not even arranged attendants or maids for the two stepchildren.

Jiang Xiurun, taking a bottle of alcohol from one of the guards, first used it to warm her brother’s neck and chest, dispelling the cold from his lungs.

Jiang Zhi was now languid and lay on the bed, letting his sister take care of him. His hoarse voice murmured, “Xiurun, how could you dare to tamper with the imperial edict…”

As she used to do in their childhood, Jiang Xiurun patted her brother’s head gently and reassured him, “Brother, don’t worry. General Shen has promised to keep it a secret. I won’t need to enter the palace. Staying in the city with you will be just fine.”

After saying this, she let her brother rest and went out to find a friendly guard. She directed him to the backyard and instructed him to fetch a bucket of cold water from the well.

“Miss Jiang… no, it’s Young Master Jiang… It’s useless for me to fetch water. I’ve asked around, and all the big pots on the four stoves in the inn are filled with hot water, reserved for the Yan Country diplomats. After they finish, it will be the turn for the diplomats from Zhao and Wei… we won’t get a chance!”

Jiang Xiurun rubbed her hands by the well, speaking gently, “Aren’t there some green bricks in this courtyard? Please help me build a simple stove. Isn’t there also bamboo charcoal in the carriage for a hand warmer? Ignite the bamboo charcoal and heat a copper pot of water; that should be enough for my brother’s medicine and to warm his stomach. With hot water, you guards don’t have to drink cold wine to avoid harming your stomachs.”

The guard initially hesitated, thinking that General Shen didn’t value this pair of princes and princesses, so why bother doing extra work?

But seeing Jiang Xiurun’s pale face in the cold wind, feeling pity for her being sent a thousand miles away by her own father, pretending to be a man to take care of her brother, he softened.

Moreover, Jiang Xiurun spoke with a gentle tone, even more amiable than with General Shen, completely devoid of the air of a princess. It made them sympathize with her.