Chapter 23

Jiang Xiurun was caught off guard, pulled into his embrace, and, coupled with her slender figure, she suddenly sat on Feng Liwu’s thighs like a child.

Young Master Jiang’s face tightened even more, but she didn’t expect His Royal Highness to still show a face of disdain.

She really wanted to say, Where did the fragrance on me come from? I haven’t even criticized the soft and mushy scent of His Highness yet!

But what made her even more anxious was that the two of them were too close now. She hoped the Crown Prince wouldn’t discover her true identity!

So, she leaned against Feng Liwu as much as possible, suppressing her voice: “Reporting to Your Highness, I really never use fragrances. It’s just the smell of soap when bathing!”

Feng Liwu was somewhat incredulous. He brought his high nose to the side of Young Master Jiang’s neck and took another sniff. The scent was clearly different from the soap he used, with a hint of sweetness. After inhaling it into his nostrils, it lingered in his chest for a long time.

Sniffing so intimately close to a handsome young man, Jiang Xiurun had had enough. She struggled to get up but accidentally pulled on the wound on Feng Liwu’s waist, causing him to grunt in pain.

Feng Liwu was a bit annoyed too. He felt that Jiang Xiurun, biting her lip and struggling, resembled an unsettled girl. So, he simply used one arm to hold her neck and said, “What are you hiding from? I’m not interested in men. It’s just for warmth. Do you want me to freeze to death?”

Seeing Feng Liwu annoyed, Jiang Xiurun dared not move again, allowing Feng Liwu’s breath to hover around her neck.

At this moment, the cave was unusually quiet. Feng Liwu, exhausted from the intense struggle, was now focused, only feeling the fragrance filling the air.

After holding her for a while, not only did he feel warmth spreading through his limbs, but he couldn’t help but start to daydream: This young master, Jiang, is too pampered. Not only is he tender and delicate, but he also lacks the masculine scent… Do those who fancy men like this? How is it different from liking women?

On the other hand, does a man really have more charm than a woman? Pressing down on this delicate young man, flipping and turning, what would it feel like? If you look closely, wouldn’t it be stomach-churning?

Feng Liwu didn’t expect that, after narrowly escaping death, he was originally holding a strategist for warmth and thinking about how to escape the danger.

However, for some reason, amidst the fragrant breath, his mind was filled with some bizarre scenes.

Especially those images that would usually disgust him, but when he thought about the protagonist being this fragrant and soft youth in his arms, they didn’t seem so unbearable.

After a moment of silence, Jiang Xiurun suddenly felt something unusual beneath her…

In her past life, she had experienced intimacy with men, so she naturally knew what was happening. For a moment, the hair on her neck stood on end, and she looked back at the Crown Prince in astonishment. How could someone who had lost so much blood suddenly become so vigorous?

As it turned out, men were naturally shameless. Feng Liwu was fantasizing about this young man in his mind, but on his face, he casually said, “You’re pressing on me…”

Jiang Xiurun took the opportunity to quickly distance herself from the Crown Prince. Finally sitting on a rock, she apologized to the Crown Prince and quickly changed the subject, asking, “Does Your Highness know who the assassin is?”

At the mention of this, Feng Liwu’s expression suddenly turned cold, silent without saying a word.

Jiang Xiurun understood that the Crown Prince might have a bit of tenderness for his close ones, but he wasn’t foolish. Even if he hadn’t noticed Emperor Duan Qing’s abnormality before, he should have realized it now… But who was responsible for cutting the bridge and causing the collapse?

Jiang Xiurun fell into contemplation.

The awkwardness between the two didn’t last long. Bai Qian caught up with the two of them and returned on horseback.

Upon returning, those two captives were still alive. Bai Qian had torn their clothes into strips, bound them into makeshift bundles, and tossed them in front of Feng Liwu.

Feng Liwu glanced at Bai Qian and then said, “Your skills are not bad.”

As for Qian’er, seeing her mistress being half-embraced by Feng Liwu with a forced expression on her face, she felt anxious for her. Absentmindedly, she hummed in agreement and then took off her thick cotton-padded jacket, handing it to Feng Liwu, saying, “Your Highness, this servant has a large frame, and the clothes are loose. Please don’t mind, and wear it to keep warm.”

Next was the time for questioning the captives.

Without waiting for Feng Liwu’s order, Qian’er found a large stone and held it in her hand. Seeing that the two people refused to talk, she ruthlessly smashed one person’s finger. When they still didn’t speak, she proceeded to smash each finger one by one.

Ten fingers connected to the heart, and the person howled in pain like a wolf. However, Qian’er immediately stuffed a cloth into the person’s mouth.

Jiang Xiurun was almost scared by Qian’er—how could a maid from a poor country, not particularly old, have so many tricks? Were they running a restaurant or selling human-filled buns?

Qian’er, however, explained to the two masters, saying that she had seen soldiers capturing bandits in this manner while escaping from famine.

Moreover, there were many interrogation methods, and if they still refused to talk, she would go find hot oil, open the skin seams on their heads, and pour oil inside…

Qian’er was robust, with a rough appearance and a bluish-purple birthmark on her face. When she became fierce, her expression was ferocious.

In her previous life, when she became a female general of Great Qi, just the strange cries on the battlefield were enough to intimidate the enemy’s courage. Although it hadn’t fully developed yet, her killing power remained undiminished.

As the story unfolded, one of the two people couldn’t hold back and let out a terrified cry, almost vomiting. In the end, they confessed that they were sent by the State of Liang…

In a short while, the Crown Prince’s personal guards arrived, and Feng Liwu’s group quietly left the valley under their protection.

Their presence didn’t alert the patrolling guards on the mountain.

It was strange that those guards only searched around the cliffs. Upon hearing the imperial decree to narrow the search range, they became more concentrated.

By the time the Crown Prince appeared, the entire scene had been bustling with search activities throughout the night.

The cliff was so high, and there were so many stray arrows below, yet Feng Liwu miraculously survived, surprising everyone.

Empress Wei, seeing her son alive, breathed a sigh of relief. Rarely showing motherly compassion, she asked if the Crown Prince was injured.

Emperor Duan Qing’s expression was subtle. When he heard that the assassin was captured and learned that it was Liang intending to assassinate the heir, his face relaxed somewhat, revealing several ups and downs in his emotions.

Jiang Xiurun watched Feng Liwu from the side, looking at his father’s face from beginning to end. The chill in his eyes deepened…

This winter hunt ended hastily. Early the next morning, Feng Liwu left the hunting ground with his entourage ahead of time.

After all, the Crown Prince was injured and needed to return to the capital for treatment. With such a dignified reason, no ceremonial official could find fault.

Speaking of which, the biggest gainer of this winter hunt was Jiang Xiurun.

Although the Crown Prince valued her before, he still had some suspicions and occasionally tested her. But this time, when the Crown Prince was in danger, it was this young master Jiang who first reacted, skillfully assessed the situation, and found him without alerting anyone. If it weren’t for the assistance of this young master Jiang and his ugly maid, Feng Liwu couldn’t guarantee his own survival.

Therefore, after this incident, Feng Liwu regarded young master Jiang even more highly. His rank and salary were both elevated to the top rank. Everyone knew that the current favorite in the Crown Prince’s eyes was this young master Jiang.

This winter hunt also allowed Feng Liwu to see more clearly the ways of the world.

Initially, those old ministers who helped him solidify the position of the heir explicitly stated that they were restoring the legitimacy of Great Qi but would never allow the son to force the father to abdicate, leaving behind an eternal infamy.

These old ministers pursued a virtuous reputation, but his father scoffed at these tedious formalities.

In comparison, it seems he has become more lenient…

After returning to the capital, Feng Liwu used the excuse of his injuries to stay behind closed doors.

Liu Pei planned to assassinate Feng Liwu and frame it on the Southern Yi. He had already arranged the details of framing them, but little did he expect Feng Liwu to be so lucky—surviving the fall from the high bridge and even encountering another group attempting to assassinate him. In the chaos, he managed to escape unscathed!

However, the oppressive atmosphere in Luo’an City did not diminish. People from the State of Liang were arrested throughout the city.

As for the hostage, Liu Pei, he was quite clever. Early in the winter hunt, he had already bribed the military officer monitoring him, disguised himself, and escaped back to the State of Liang.

Since the large sum of fines demanded by Great Qi was something the Emperor of Liang was determined not to pay, launching a full-scale attack on the State of Liang would be a significant undertaking. Even if the two nations severed diplomatic ties, there would still be a period of standoff.

Staying in Great Qi, he could only wait for his doom. Returning to his father’s side would secure his position as the heir.

However, Liu Pei’s move adversely affected the other hostages in Luo’an City.

Due to the previous plotting by the State of Liang’s hostages, the supervision of hostages from various countries became even stricter. Even going out for a drink required reporting to the officials stationed in the hostage residence.

Moreover, three to five times a day, they were summoned to the Luo’an City tribunal to receive lectures from the execution officers.

This made the other hostages miserable.

However, Jiang Xiurun, who was in the Crown Prince’s residence, was naturally unaware and never summoned for any lectures.

But her days were not particularly pleasant either.

For some reason, the Crown Prince always complained that the imperial physician in the residence applied too much force when changing his bandages, unlike Young Master Jiang, who applied a gentler touch when administering medicine.

As a result, the task of changing the Crown Prince’s bandages fell entirely on her, the Crown Prince’s tutor.

Jiang Xiurun spent her days surrounded by medicinal herbs, eagerly anticipating the arrival of Princess Cao Xi from the State of Yan.

Princess Cao Xi, your husband is here, lying down with his body fully exposed, the waistline exposed, and long and strong thighs – why haven’t you come to attend to his illness? Are you regretting your marriage?

It’s hateful that she, a maiden throughout her life, is forced to examine this man’s body every day. It’s truly unbearable!

However, the Crown Prince did not seem to notice that he had become unpleasant to others. He lay comfortably, half-reclined, staring at Jiang Xiurun as she applied medicine to his waist, saying, “The imperial physician has just acquired the formula for a medicinal bath. It not only heals wounds and reduces scars but also strengthens the body. Tomorrow, I can bathe in water. Since it’s not easy to prepare a bath of medicinal herbs, would you like to join me in the bath?”