Chapter 35-Part 2

Once they left the execution ground, Jiang Xiurun recovered.

She quickly informed the Crown Prince that there was a calligraphy and painting class in the academy that afternoon, and the teacher was strict, not allowing any absences.

In reality, she didn’t really want to attend class.

It’s just that she had heard that the one who ordered the execution of the Wei state envoy was none other than this Crown Prince, who had been showing concern for her.

(T/N: I often change the word envoy from hostage and sometimes vice versa because the envoy is only in name, but in reality all of them are sent as hostage to the great qi. So it depends on the sentences and situation, and I will use either envoy or hostage..)

With the smell of blood still lingering in her nostrils, she wanted to avoid the Crown Prince and calmly consider her next steps.

But Feng Liwu actually thought that the young man was afraid of the teacher.

He raised an eyebrow slightly, then casually took out a piece of silk used for writing documents from the partition of the carriage and spread it on the small desk specially made for the carriage.

He picked up a brush and wrote a letter asking for the teacher’s leave in a flowing script. Once finished, he took the Crown Prince’s seal, dipped it in red ink, and stamped it on the silk. He then handed the silk to Jiang Xiurun.

Jiang Xiurun was a bit bewildered, not understanding what the Crown Prince was doing. Opening the silk, she saw it read: “The Crown Prince’s tutor is feeling unwell and cannot attend class today. Please forgive him, and he will come to seek guidance from the teacher on another day.”

Below was the bright red seal of the Crown Prince.

Feng Liwu said, “Come with me back to the mansion. I’ll have someone deliver the silk to the academy.”

Jiang Xiurun was speechless for a moment after reading it.

She hadn’t expected the Crown Prince to personally write a letter requesting leave for the teacher, even stamped with the Crown Prince’s seal, and not worry about frightening the teacher.

But the Crown Prince was considering her well-being after all, so she couldn’t say anything absurd like “slaughtering a chicken with a dragon’s saber.”

So she returned to the Crown Prince’s residence like this.

Unexpectedly, the physician who came to treat her wasn’t afraid of making a big deal. He insisted that the Crown Prince’s tutor might have been frightened and insisted on using hot stones to detoxify her…

The treatment involved removing her clothes and exposing her back, then using hot stones to pat and scrape her back.

It was warm and comfortable, indeed.

In the past, when she was a child and caught a cold, her mother would personally use hot stones on her.

But now, the physician wanted her to undress immediately, and the Crown Prince showed no sign of leaving. If she complied, she might as well find a big stone and bash her head in!

On the other hand, Qian’er, who was clever, spoke up, “My young master has delicate skin. Using hot stones might cause rashes all over his body. May I ask if the physician has any other methods?”

Jiang Xiurun secretly gave a thumbs up, worthy of being the future intimidating female general who will shock all of the countries, calm in times of crisis, and eloquent; indeed, she had the demeanor of a great general! It seemed that she would need to mention Qian’er’s bonus pay next month.

So the physician prepared a calming tonic and instructed Jiang Xiurun to drink it while it was still hot.

Qian’er followed the physician to prepare the medicine. Feng Liwu, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up in a faint tone, “You are not a coward. Why did you behave like that today? Could it be that you have thoughts similar to those of that Wei state prince?”

Jiang Xiurun’s heart pounded like thunder, but she remained composed and replied, “Your Highness has treated me well. Why would I have such thoughts?”

Feng Liwu stared at her eyes intently and slowly said, “That’s good… You should know that if one is loyal to the sovereign, the sovereign will not betray their loyal subjects. But if one has ulterior motives, the sovereign will not hesitate to act firmly!”

Jiang Xiurun naturally had to bow and express gratitude at the table, feeling grateful that she had followed the right master, until the Crown Prince’s expression softened again and he helped her up, holding her hand warmly and kindly asking if she wanted to instruct the chef to cook something soft and easy to digest for the evening?

After Jiang Xiurun chatted with the Crown Prince for a while as if nothing had happened, even played a game of chess with him, and drank the well-prepared bitter medicine, Feng Liwu finally left her courtyard.

After the Crown Prince left, Jiang Xiurun felt her tongue had gone numb from the bitterness.

Qian’er washed some dried plums and put them in her mouth one by one, the sweet and sour taste helping to alleviate the bitterness of the medicine.

She lay on the couch, pondering why the Crown Prince had made such remarks to her in the end. Could it be that he sensed her intention to escape? If so, it would be troublesome. It seemed necessary for her to rethink her plans.

In the following days, Jiang Xiurun attended classes at the academy during the day and pondered how to leave the capital of the great qi unnoticed in her spare time.

But plans changed faster than expected.

On the day approaching the arrival of the envoy from Bo State, Jiang Xiurun’s heart grew more anxious.

And on this day, just as she had entered the academy, she saw Dou Siwu and a few other close classmates walking towards her. They pulled her into an empty corridor of the academy.

“Jiang Herun, have you heard the news?”

Jiang Xiurun blinked and cautiously asked, “What do you mean?”

“What else could it be? It’s about the Bo state envoy!”

Jiang Xiurun held her breath, waiting for the bad news.

Dou Siwu looked at her sympathetically and said, “Don’t be afraid. This has nothing to do with you. The Crown Prince is reasonable and shouldn’t involve you!”

Not only did Dou Siwu have no order in his speech, but he also failed to prioritize information. It wasn’t until Jiang Xiurun’s heart was in disarray from his scattered words that he finally got to the point.

It turned out that his father, the governor of the outer city of Luo’an, heard this morning from his subordinates that the princess from Bo State, after arriving at the outpost outside the city, complained of abdominal pain, and then the physician came to examine her and gave birth to a full-term baby…

This pregnant envoy from the Bo state, with her extravagant generosity, was unheard of. Their Bo state was pressing the face of the powerful Great Qi under their shoe, setting a precedent for sending female envoys to various countries!

The blood of the envoy from the Wei state had not yet cooled, so it was no wonder Dou Siwu was worried about the safety of his classmate from the Bo state…