Chapter 30-Part 1

With this thought in mind, the gaze toward the young man became somewhat eerie.

Jiang Xiurun was already anxious. Seeing Feng Liwu silently looking at her, she became even more certain of her thoughts. She took a deep breath and spoke, “I only have one older brother; he is pure-hearted, inexperienced in worldly matters, and lacks any ability to help others. He’s currently a hostage in Great Qi, and I don’t think the emperor will take him back. If the Crown Prince is willing to show him some mercy… then I will have no regrets. I ask for the Crown Prince’s compassion…”

Feng Liwu didn’t initially understand the meaning behind her words, but upon careful consideration, he immediately understood that Jiang Xiurun suspected him of intending to kill her, hence her last words.

Feng Liwu squinted his eyes and suddenly reached out, pulling out a corner of Jiang Xiurun’s hairpin, revealing a piece of white underneath.

It was the corner of the silk cloth, exposed and pulled out by Feng Liwu with one tug.

Jiang Xiurun exclaimed as she managed to only grab onto her hairpin in time to prevent it from falling apart completely.

Meanwhile, the Crown Prince unfolded the silk cloth and said lightly, “You thought you were cleverly arranging to hide the money with your body to smuggle it out in order to save your brother from being trapped, didn’t you? There was no need for such a pretense, was there?”

Previously, Jiang Xiurun, while using the bronze mirror to hide the money, hadn’t noticed it being exposed. She never expected to be caught by the Crown Prince, which made her heart tighten and her face even paler.

Feng Liwu counted the money back and forth and looked at Jiang Xiurun with a slight tilt of his eyes. “With such a large sum of money, you could be considered a wealthy person in Luo’an. Comparatively, the monthly allowance I give you is too little…”

As for the origin of this large sum of money, Jiang Xiurun couldn’t possibly explain it. At this point, even though she was usually quick-witted, she didn’t know how to argue.

However, Feng Liwu seemed uninterested in investigating the embezzlement of his subordinates. He appreciated the young and innocent face of Jiang Xiurun and thought it might be good to scare her a little so that she wouldn’t become too bold in the future, relying solely on his favor.

So, he spoke, “When did I ever say I would kill you? These past few days, I just didn’t allow you to go out because I was worried about the incident at the Taoist temple having repercussions. If you don’t go out, naturally no one can find you, and they can’t use the people around you against you.”

Jiang Xiurun knew that Feng Liwu had no need to deceive her about this matter. If he said he wouldn’t kill her, then he wouldn’t.

Understanding this point, the tension that had been hanging over her for days finally eased. She quickly straightened up and kneeled down to thank the Crown Prince.

Feng Liwu looked at the pleasantly surprised face of the young man, reached out, and held his wrist, which was soft and tender. Then suddenly, he pulled her closer and said lightly, “However, in the future, Tian Ying will still enter the mansion. At that time, will you develop improper thoughts towards her because of that moment of intimacy?”

Jiang Xiurun was pulled tightly by him, feeling tense all over. For some reason, she remembered the day she kissed Feng Liwu forcibly.

It was really embarrassing. She quickly shook her head and said, “I was drugged at that time; everything was black before my eyes, and I don’t remember the process at all. Besides, Your Highness arrived just in time, and you saw that I hadn’t even taken off my pants… I’m really innocent with Tian Ying… If Your Highness minds, you might as well let me leave the mansion, become an aide outside, and let Your Highness command as you wish, so as to avoid the embarrassment of being in the same mansion…”

She didn’t remember any of this, nor did she remember kissing the Crown Prince, so she hoped the Crown Prince would forgive her for her frivolous behavior.

Feng Liwu’s gaze flickered slightly, his thoughts unclear. Seeing that Jiang Xiurun didn’t seem to be lying, and even if the young man had previously shown some affection towards Tian Ying and had voluntarily approached her, he probably wouldn’t dare say a word to her now to avoid suspicion.

Thinking of this, Feng Liwu felt a little relieved in his heart, but he didn’t delve into whether he minded Tian Ying being taken advantage of or if the young man harbored feelings for the woman.

So he spoke, “There’s no need to leave the mansion. Since you’re innocent, why bother so deliberately?”

He was accustomed to having young master Jiang take care of things for him. If he were to leave the mansion for a while, it would be quite inconvenient. He wouldn’t let the young man go.

Since this was the case, Jiang Xiurun dared not say much more. Since the Crown Prince had such a broad mind and could tolerate the presence of his fiancée’s frivolous admirer in front of him, she could only obey respectfully.

With the looming threat of imminent death dispelled, Jiang Xiurun’s cold symptoms also improved quite rapidly. After drinking several bowls of bitter medicine and sweating profusely, she felt much better.

Following the Crown Prince’s orders, the kitchen specially prepared light meals for young master Jiang. After drinking several bowls of nutritious porridge, she gradually regained her strength.

Another month passed, and Jiang Xiurun finally obtained the Crown Prince’s permission to leave the mansion.

However, this time, in addition to Qian’er by her side, the Crown Prince allocated five more guards to her to prevent another ambush like the last time.

As a result, with the luxurious carriage and the servants calling out, unknowing bystanders would think it was a noble procession passing through the city.

There was a custom among the embassy members in the capital city to gather for tea and drinks after reporting to the Ministry of Rites for monthly training.

After all, not every foreign embassy member could be as influential as Liu Pei from the Liang state, seamlessly integrating into the life of Luo’an City. Many of them were not good at making friends and couldn’t blend into the circle of power and nobility in Luo’an City.

Thus, this monthly gathering became a rare opportunity for embassy members of equal status to socialize.

However, in the last two gatherings, Jiang Zhi was pointed out every time he appeared.

No one knew when it started, but there was a rumor circulating in the capital city that his younger brother, young master Jiang, was having a secret affair with Tian Ying from Han state. When the Crown Prince found out, he was furious and immediately executed young master Jiang on the spot.

This rumor was spreading with vivid details, and most importantly, Tian Ying, who used to love attending social events, suddenly became reclusive and rarely seen. And since then, his younger brother has never appeared in public again.

Because of this, the rumor seemed even more credible.