Chapter 8

The guards were cautious and dared not open the door immediately. After all, the world was not peaceful, and international relations were constantly changing. Today, they might be allies, but tomorrow they could turn into enemies, ready to kill the pledged hostage and declare war. Who knew if the people outside the door were sent by Emperor Qi to kill the hostage?

Seeing the hesitant behavior of the guards, who were poking their heads out cautiously, Qián’ér became impatient. She used one hand to support herself and peeked over the wall to see a dozen scholars crowded near the door, shouting and cursing.

She widened her eyes and said, “What are you doing? Disturbing people’s dreams! If you don’t leave, I’ll throw a bucket of manure on you!”

Her sudden outburst startled the scholars, who were looking up to see what was happening. They thought they had encountered a ghost at dawn and fell silent.

After a brief pause, they resumed their shouting: “It’s this woman! She looks like a demon and splashed water on our teacher!”

“Her appearance matches her character! Unsightly! It’s an insult to civilization!”

“Splashing our teacher is like splashing my parents! This is intolerable!”

Jiang Xiurun, wearing a thick cloak, stood in the front hall and heard everything clearly. Seeing Qian’er about to climb down the wall with a bucket, she said, “Qian’er, don’t. You go up there again; ask them what they want.”

Qian’er climbed onto the wall and shouted, “What do you want? If you want to fight me, bring stretchers, medicine, and bandages!”

Looking at Qian’er’s robust figure, the scholars, with heads resembling tambourines, hesitated. One of them said, “Who wants to fight! Young Master Jiang said that the words of Wei Zi are nonsensical. We came to explain and have a scholarly debate with her, to clarify the meaning and vindicate our teacher!”

Debates were prevalent at the time, with opposing opinions presented on a high platform and engaging in oral battles.

It seemed that after Fan Sheng left yesterday, he was still dissatisfied and incited his disciples to cause trouble.

Upon hearing that they were useless scholars, the guards were eager to drive them away. Jiang Xiurun intervened and instructed them to relay a message: “The young master of the Bo State is frail and cannot sit for long. He needs top-grade ginseng to nourish his throat and strengthen his vitality. To prevent some vulgar and talentless people from wasting the young master’s vitality, those who genuinely come to debate must pay five gold coins as a sign of sincerity before they can proceed.”

When this message spread outside, the scholars wrinkled their noses in annoyance. No wonder he was a hostage from a wealthy merchant country, reeking of money!

However, what was hard to swallow for Fan Sheng was that, despite being of noble birth with a wealthy family background and no financial constraints, he felt that Jiang Herun deliberately made things difficult. This led to him acting as a scatterer of wealth, providing money to support his disciples, and establishing a debating platform at the largest academy in the city. Fan Sheng was determined to give Young Master Jiang no room to refuse and insisted on making this young man embarrass himself in public!

For Jiang Xiurun, the opportunity to earn gold by simply moving his lips was a lucrative offer that he couldn’t resist. He readily agreed, and the next day, he began a clever verbal battle against a group of scholars!

However, Jiang Xiurun was aware of his limited knowledge, so he only allowed debates within the scope of that book by Wei Zi. All other debate topics were ignored.

On the day of the debate, Jiang Xiurun, wearing a jade crown on his head, a moon-white silk robe, a black sable cloak, and a silver fox scarf around his neck, presented an even more dignified appearance.

This outfit was specially ordered at a high price from a well-known clothing store in Luo’an City. Originally tailored, it was fortunate that someone with similar measurements had ordered it but hadn’t picked it up yet. She paid twice the price and bought it in advance.

Since she had asked for gold, her appearance couldn’t reveal any signs of austerity; otherwise, people might think she was only opening her mouth wide because she lacked gold.

Now, she wanted to exude an air of elegance and aristocracy, making people feel that she intended to scare off these commoners with her wealth.

Although dressed as a young man, Jiang Xiurun’s appearance was naturally stunning. With such careful grooming, even without makeup, people couldn’t help but feel that this young man was exceptionally handsome. If he were a girl, he would be considered incredibly beautiful!

After she gracefully took her seat at the academy, she glanced around.

Fan Sheng had spared no expense, and the audience included not only his senior disciples but also several prominent figures from Luo’an City.

If he were truly a sixteen-year-old boy from a foreign land, speaking eloquently in front of these people would undoubtedly require a lot of courage.

However, Jiang Xiurun had experienced a previous life and was known for her eloquence. How could she be afraid of a courtyard full of scholars?

So, everyone witnessed a refined young master, with a face framed in the soft fur of a silver fox, confidently stride onto the elevated debate platform.

Once on the platform, the young man lifted his robe, settled on a cushioned seat on the side, and then scanned the surroundings, saying, ‘Who’s going first?’

In fact, it didn’t matter who went first; these individuals were all arranged by Fan Sheng. Even their eloquent arguments were written down by Fan Sheng after studying ancient texts for the past few days.

However, his talent was comparable to that of his past life, and his thoughts were mostly the same. How could he match the diligence of Jiang Xiurun, who was even more dedicated to finding faults than him?”

So, this morning, three scholars took the challenge on behalf of their teacher. Despite being well-prepared with arguments supported by the words of sages, they were effortlessly exposed and refuted by this young man with a slight rustic accent.

Moreover, although this youth appeared graceful and ethereal, his eloquent tongue seemed to be covered in sharp thorns and hooks. During the debate, his words flowed persuasively, backed by reason, laced with sharp wit, and full of sarcasm. This occasionally prompted the onlookers to burst into laughter. However, amid the laughter, they felt that the youth’s words, though seemingly absurd, carried a considerable amount of truth. Several renowned figures from Luo’an City couldn’t help nodding in agreement.

Fan Sheng, who was listening below the stage, became anxious. If it weren’t for someone restraining him, he would have gone up to argue personally.

However, the person surnamed Jiang seemed to enjoy provoking and causing trouble. Just as he was about to step onto the stage, she arrogantly stretched, saying, “After listening to such tedious words for half a day, it’s quite exhausting. I’m already tired and want to go back for a nap, so I won’t accompany you.”

Fan Sheng was infuriated and stomped his foot, saying, “Since you’ve accepted gold, how dare you leave everyone to take a nap?”

Unfortunately, before the youth named Jiang ascended the platform, his ugly servant girl had already collected the silver, and he had no qualms. After speaking, he left as casually as he had arrived.

The stunning young man, his robe and sleeves fluttering, left, leaving everyone staring at his departing figure in a trance.

On the teahouse beside the academy, several young nobles sat by the window, attentively listening to Jiang Xiurun’s eloquent words just now.

These were the same individuals who had visited the Bo state hostage mansion the other day.

Fan Sheng, having put in so much effort to regain face, wouldn’t let the protagonists miss out. He had invited them early in the morning to listen.

However, due to the cold weather outside, they opted for a nearby high-rise teahouse. They sipped tea and watched the youth engage in verbal battles with scholars.

When Jiang Herun left, no one spoke until they saw the young man board the carriage outside the academy. Only then did they shift their gaze.

“It’s fortunate that such a charming figure has appeared in Luo’an City! We are truly fortunate!” said Yang Jian, the eldest grandson of the Yang family in Luo’an.

He was a well-known, talented individual among the younger generation of noble families in Luo’an City. He enjoyed making literary friends, and his liking for handsome young men led him to have a favorable impression of Jiang Herun when they met last time. Seeing his grace again this time, he couldn’t help but wish to establish a profound friendship immediately.

Although Liu Pei didn’t appreciate a masculine demeanor, he couldn’t help but admit that he was truly captivated by the youth’s spirited charm just now. He felt that this Young Master Jiang was becoming more and more intriguing, and despite his peculiar temperament, he always managed to captivate onlookers.

Little did they expect that the son of the usurping traitor in Bo State would have such an outstanding offspring!

If, in the future, he could return to the country and inherit the throne, it wouldn’t be a pleasant matter for Liang State.

Liu Pei stopped thinking further. After all, it was never an easy task for a hostage from a weaker country to return home, and the young master had an elder brother above him, making it unlikely for him to take precedence.

Thinking of this, Liu Pei looked around in surprise and asked, “Where is the Crown Prince?”

Earlier, Feng Liwu had been sitting next to him, but at some point, the chair was empty, and he was nowhere to be seen.

As for Jiang Xiurun, after getting on the carriage, he couldn’t wait to open the package that Qian’Er had handed to her earlier.

Upon opening the hefty bundle, it revealed perfectly pure gold. This morning, she debated with four people and earned twenty pieces of gold, a substantial achievement. Moreover, the gold from Great Qi was more substantial than that of the Bo State, with a texture resembling undulating sand dunes—incredibly alluring!

For the first time in her life, Jiang Xiurun had earned gold through her own abilities. Waves of emotions surged within her, and she couldn’t help but smile while holding the gold.

Before this smile could fade, someone suddenly lifted the curtain of the carriage, and Feng Liwu’s cold face appeared unexpectedly.

Although the Crown Prince of Great Qi was indifferent to worldly matters, it had to be admitted that the color of gold truly complemented his complexion.

Inside the carriage, the young man’s scarf was partially undone, his long sleeves falling to his elbows, and his slender arms tightly holding a pile of gold. Under the brilliant noon sunlight, the gold was dazzling, and the snowy white figure looked enchanting. He, who usually pays little attention to people’s appearances, was momentarily caught off guard by the genuine smile on the youth’s face.

Jiang Xiurun had no idea from where the Crown Prince had suddenly appeared. Startled, she quickly put away her smile and respectfully bowed inside the carriage. “I wonder what advice the Crown Prince has?”

After speaking, she noticed she was still holding the gold, which was rather untidy. Hastily placing it aside, she bowed respectfully once again.

Feng Liwu glanced at her, who had lost all her smiles, and said, “Coincidentally, we’re heading the same way. Young Master, accompany me for a conversation in the mansion.”

Jiang Xiurun quickly declined, saying, “Unfortunately, there are matters in the mansion that require my attention, and I must return.”

Feng Liwu remained silent, but the imposing Qin Zhao behind him spoke sternly: “The Crown Prince is not extending an invitation; he is instructing you to enter the mansion. Do you dare to refuse?”

Jiang Xiurun lifted her eyes to sneak a peek at the Crown Prince’s expression, and indeed, it seemed there was no room for negotiation.

Internally, she cursed Qin Zhao: “Indeed, a leopard cannot change its spots! After two lifetimes, he’s still a complete lackey!”