Chapter 100

However, her concerns were not something she could directly express to her brother-in-law. She could only watch as the two interacted.

After the meal, the Crown Prince finally satisfied his desire to accompany his beloved concubine back to her family home and then took Jiang Xiurun back to the Crown Prince’s residence.

Feng Liwu didn’t mention a single word about the second prince coming to the residence for a meal, so Jiang Zhi’s anxious heart finally settled somewhat.

But that night, as the couple lay in bed, Wenniang brought up her concerns to her husband.

Jiang Zhi knew the truth but couldn’t explain it to his wife.

He only vaguely said, “The Crown Prince is just being gracious to his subordinates. Don’t overthink it.”

Wenniang didn’t say anything more, but in her heart, she resolved to find a suitable match for her brother-in-law as soon as possible.

After all, he was still a young man, and the Crown Prince held immense power. If the Crown Prince used his wealth and status to seduce her brother-in-law, what if he lost his way and couldn’t turn back? She needed to find a wife for him who was both beautiful and virtuous, someone who could anchor his heart.

No matter how domineering the Crown Prince was, he still had to follow reason. Her brother-in-law was his aide, not a concubine. There was no reason for the Crown Prince to forbid him from marrying…

Wenniang spent the night pondering this and became increasingly determined to arrange a marriage for her brother-in-law.

As for the Crown Prince, when he left the hostage prince’s residence, he had Jiang Xiurun bring back two pieces of cured meat made by her sister-in-law. He planned to have the chefs at the residence use it to stew fish.

This act of taking food from her family home made Feng Liwu feel much more at ease.

Looking at Jiang Xiurun’s brother and sister-in-law, he felt a sense of familiarity. After all, they were now his in-laws, as Jiang Xiurun had said—they were family.

Hearing that Wenniang was pregnant, Feng Liwu even considered sending some appropriate gifts to the hostage prince’s residence to congratulate them.

When the two rolled around on Jiang Herun’s bed in the Crown Prince’s residence, feeling exhilarated and not yet satisfied, Feng Liwu stroked Jiang Xiurun’s back and brought up the topic.

Jiang Xiurun’s legs were sore, and she lay limply in his arms.

“Why does Your Highness need to show such favor? Today, when you took care of me and served me more food, I noticed my sister-in-law’s expression was a bit puzzled. If you send gifts over, I wonder what she’ll think?”

Feng Liwu didn’t care about any of that. He pressed down on her and pecked her red lips again.

“Did I satisfy you just now? Do you still feel hungry?”

Jiang Xiurun initially thought he was asking if she had eaten enough at the hostage prince’s residence, but seeing the mischievous look in his eyes, she immediately understood.

Blushing, she pushed his chest.

“How can you ask such an improper question?”

But Feng Liwu wouldn’t let it go. If she didn’t say anything, it meant she was still hungry, so he had to keep feeding her.

Amidst their laughter, another round of passion ensued.

Today, hearing that Wenniang was pregnant, Feng Liwu felt a twinge of emotion.

After all, Jiang Zhi’s marriage and Jiang Xiurun’s entry into the Crown Prince’s residence as a concubine had happened around the same time.

Jiang Zhi, despite being a frail scholar, had already gotten his wife pregnant.

In contrast, his little concubine showed no signs of pregnancy.

Feng Liwu felt it was because he hadn’t been diligent enough in sowing his seeds.

He needed to make up for it.

Although his concubine claimed to be average-looking, Feng Liwu knew that once she dressed as a woman, she would attract a swarm of admirers.

If she had a loving father and were a princess of Bo, suitors would be lining up to marry her.

Now, stranded in Luo’an and always dressed as a man, she remained unnoticed. But Feng Wu clearly had feelings for her, eagerly visiting the hostage prince’s residence to flirt with her.

Thinking of Feng Wu’s past tricks with palace maids, which seemed to charm women effortlessly, Feng Liwu felt uneasy.

He had always despised such flashy tactics, but considering how Feng Wu had spent days with Jiang Xiurun, even if he hadn’t forced her, he must have subtly flirted with her.

Jiang Xiurun was still young and impressionable. What if she fell for sweet words? Feng Liwu, while hating Feng Wu, also felt a sense of insecurity. He thought it would be safer to get his little concubine pregnant soon, so she could stay in the residence and focus on raising their child.

Once they had a child, she would naturally be less inclined to go out and cause trouble, and he would have peace of mind.

While the son was indulging in romance, the father was shrouded in gloom.

Emperor Duanqing had been in a foul mood these past few days, barely eating.

To be fair, Emperor Duanqing’s actions were not impulsive.

Back when the old ministers supported the Crown Prince and restricted imperial power, it was largely due to Emperor Duanqing’s excessive military campaigns, which had drained the nation’s resources.

To put it bluntly, the true rulers of the Qi dynasty were not Emperor Duanqing or his ungrateful son Feng Liwu, but the powerful families who had been the pillars of the state since its founding.

If all was well, everyone would live in harmony, and the relationship between the emperor and his ministers would remain peaceful.

But if the interests of these powerful families were threatened, the court would become a stormy sea, with undercurrents full of whirlpools.

Back then, Emperor Duanqing hadn’t fully grasped this and had suffered in silence, allowing Feng Liwu to seize the opportunity by currying favor with the old ministers and becoming the Crown Prince.

But now, because Feng Liwu was stubbornly pushing forward with the canal project, which required massive resources and labor, there was widespread criticism and public discontent.

This situation was eerily similar to Emperor Duanqing’s past mistakes.

Emperor Duanqing felt the time was ripe and used the Empress’s misconduct as an excuse to strike while Feng Liwu was away from the capital.

But to his surprise, the secret, which had been tightly guarded, had somehow leaked, allowing the other side to prepare and counterattack beautifully.

The scandal now clung to him like a foul stench.

As he sat alone in his study, brooding, a tall young man walked in—none other than the second prince, Feng Wu.

He approached and respectfully greeted his father.

Seeing his beloved son return, Emperor Duanqing’s mood lightened somewhat. He waved Feng Wu over, took his hand, and said, “You’ve just returned to the capital. Even though you have palace guards with you, you must still be careful. Your brother is ruthless and would use any excuse to make a big deal out of capturing you.”

Feng Wu smiled.

“He has his limits. He wouldn’t dare commit fratricide in Luo’an, especially since he’s been putting on a show of humility and filial piety to reassure the powerful families supporting him.”

Emperor Duanqing sighed in frustration. “It’s a shame that the evidence you provided against that vile woman couldn’t be used to depose her!”

In fact, it was Feng Wu who had informed Emperor Duanqing about the Empress’s misconduct.

Although Feng Wu had been away from the capital for years, he had been diligently building his network, even planting spies within the Wei family.

The new concubine of Wei Xun was one of his shadow women. After getting drunk, Wei Xun had boastfully revealed to her that although he and the Empress were not full siblings, they were closer than blood relatives because he had sent her a precious gift that pleased her.

The shadow woman quietly gathered this information and reported it to Feng Wu.

Thus, Feng Wu had rushed to Wei, set up a scheme, and planned to assassinate Feng Liwu.

This way, Emperor Duanqing could depose the Empress, tarnish Feng Liwu’s reputation, and Feng Liwu would conveniently die in an accident.

At that point, Feng Wu, who had been missing for years, could rightfully reappear.

Unfortunately, Feng Liwu had outmaneuvered him, and the plan fell through. Feng Wu had no choice but to capture Wei Xun and return to the capital ahead of time, hoping to help his father depose the Empress.

If Feng Liwu’s reputation was ruined, even if he refused to step down, his position would be precarious.

But to his surprise, Feng Liwu was so cunning that he turned a clear-cut case of palace scandal into a farce about the Emperor being a drunken fool.

Now that his secret efforts to build power among the people had been exposed, if Feng Liwu wanted to eliminate him, it would be all too easy.

So Feng Wu decided to return to his father’s side.

While Feng Liwu was weakened, Feng Wu could legitimately restore his status as the second prince.

He was no longer a child. With years of preparation and his father’s support, even if he returned to Luo’an, he could stand toe-to-toe with Feng Liwu.

Feng Wu looked out at the darkening sky outside the study and sneered inwardly.

Everything that was his, Feng Liwu would have to return. One day, he would send his brother back to the cold palace and see if that cunning, opportunistic woman would willingly suffer with him there!

Meanwhile, Emperor Duanqing began laying the groundwork for Feng Wu.

The next day, he summoned several loyal old ministers to the palace and declared that he would definitely depose the Empress. These ministers, being the Emperor’s confidants, pleaded with him to reconsider.

They pointed out that while the Crown Prince had been outside Luo’an, messengers had been constantly shuttling back and forth, and important ministers had been visiting him outside the city. This showed that despite the criticism over the canal project, the Crown Prince still had a solid foundation.

This was not the right time to depose the Empress. They urged the Emperor to calm his anger and think long-term.

After listening to the ministers’ advice, Emperor Duanqing slammed his hand on the desk, took a deep breath, and said through gritted teeth, “Fine, I’ll follow your advice. But there’s one more thing you must help me with. My second son, Feng Wu, was so heartbroken after his mother’s death that he insisted on entering a Taoist temple to meditate and pray for her soul. He was young and wouldn’t listen to reason, so I let him go, telling the outside world he had died of a sudden illness. But now he’s grown up, and it’s not right for him to remain an outsider. Not long ago, I ordered him to return to the capital. I will hold a ancestral worship ceremony for my son Feng Wu and restore him to the Feng family registry.”

The ministers, who had just breathed a sigh of relief at the first part of the Emperor’s words, were now on edge again.

Feng Wu had been declared dead to the outside world. But they, like Feng Liwu, knew the truth about Feng Wu’s survival. However, since he was a prince, the ministers who had forced the palace coup back then couldn’t go too far and had allowed the second prince to fake his death and leave the palace.

Who would have thought that Emperor Duanqing would bring this up now and want to bring the second prince back?

One minister cautiously said, “The second prince’s survival is indeed a great joy, but since the family registry already records his death, adding him back would be a significant matter. What does the Crown Prince think…”

Emperor Duanqing gritted his teeth. “If I can tolerate that vile woman remaining as Empress, he can tolerate having a blood-related brother! After all, his mother is about to give him another illegitimate brother. What’s one more?”

The ministers exchanged uneasy glances, feeling that the imperial family was in complete disarray.

For them, as ministers, it was just a matter of going to the ancestral temple, bearing witness, and going through the formalities. But they couldn’t help but wonder how the Crown Prince would feel about suddenly gaining two blood relatives.