Chapter 102

The reason Empress Wei summoned the crown prince’s concubines to the palace was simple: Feng Liwu had been doting on Concubine Tian and Concubine Yao, so she decided to have his two concubines serve her closely, venting her resentment.

As for Cao Xi, she was called along as an afterthought. The empress, filled with bitterness, needed someone close to confide in.

Feng Liwu knew his mother was seething with anger and had no outlet, so he used Cao Xi’s words to cleverly excuse Jiang Xiurun from the tedious task of serving during the empress’s postpartum confinement, citing concubine Yao’s restlessness as the reason.

Cao Xi and Tian Ying packed their belongings and left that same day.

Both concubines were filled with sorrow and resentment: they had finally waited for the crown prince’s return, only to be summoned to the palace by the empress. With such an empty existence, when would they ever conceive a royal heir and be promoted to principal wives?

As they sat in the carriage, Tian Ying couldn’t help but complain to Cao Xi: “Sister Cao, didn’t you know how domineering Yao is? Why did you rush to tattle on her, letting her off the hook? Could it be that you two are secretly close? Are you trying to secure her exclusive favor?”

Cao Xi, already frustrated, couldn’t hold back when faced with Tian Ying’s sarcasm: “How was I to know someone from the palace would come? And what do you mean by your words? Are you unwilling to show filial piety to the empress?”

Tian Ying quickly fell silent, but Cao Xi’s resentment only grew.

She thought to herself that once they entered the palace, she would make sure to lodge a serious complaint against Tian Ying in front of the empress.

The two concubines entered the palace together, leaving the crown prince’s residence much quieter.

Although the three remaining beauties dressed up beautifully every day, the crown prince never summoned them, and they dared not approach him uninvited.

That night, Feng Liwu stayed in concubine Yao’s courtyard, where she was suffering from her restlessness.

Jiang Xiurun truly had no intention of monopolizing the crown prince’s favor.

The recent events in the palace had deeply affected her.

Throughout history, how could there be genuine love in the gloomy confines of the palace?

Feng Liwu did care for her deeply, and she wasn’t made of wood—she could feel it.

She also harbored some inexplicable affection for him.

But this kind of youthful love was fragile in the face of imperial power.

If she were to pursue a harmonious marital relationship like an ordinary woman, it would be as futile as trying to catch fish by climbing a tree.

Jiang Xiurun thought deeply about this, though she felt somewhat lost.

She didn’t know if, one day, when she could legitimately leave Luo’an and Feng Liwu, she would be able to leave without any attachment, free and unburdened.

Feng Liwu noticed Jiang Xiurun’s dazed expression in front of the mirror.

He put down the bamboo scroll he was holding and walked over to her, wrapping his arms around her from behind.

“What are you thinking about?” he asked.

Jiang Xiurun quickly snapped out of her reverie.

Feng Liwu had been in a bad mood these past few days.

She had prepared herself for his potential outbursts and had been extra cautious.

However, after initially losing his temper upon hearing about his mother’s scandal, Feng Liwu had regained his composure.

Even during the day, when he went to the ancestral temple and witnessed the return of the scheming Feng Wu to the royal family, he remained calm and collected.

To be honest, although Feng Liwu seemed reserved, Jiang Xiurun found him much easier to get along with.

In her past life, she had been treated as a possession by Qin Zhao.

Although he allowed her to go out, she could only socialize with noblewomen.

If she dared to exchange even a few words or smiles with a man, Qin Zhao would interrogate her relentlessly upon her return.

Sometimes, after drinking too much, he would even shout and scold her.

Every moment of that life had made her feel like she was living under someone else’s roof, and just thinking about it now made her feel miserable.

But because Feng Liwu didn’t vent his frustrations, Jiang Xiurun felt even more sympathy for him.

She turned around and hugged his waist, her cheek rubbing against the exposed muscles of his chest through his loose robe.

“I was thinking about you, Your Highness,” she whispered.

Feng Liwu found her gentle and affectionate demeanor utterly endearing.

He smiled and held her tightly.

“You’re right here with me, and yet you’re still thinking about me? How vexing,” he said, before lowering his head to kiss her, his fingers tangling in her silky hair…

Although Feng Wu’s return to the royal court had indeed upset Feng Liwu, he had more important matters to attend to.

It was better to comply with his father’s wishes and play along with the father-son reunion.

However, Feng Liwu reflected on his previous lack of filial piety toward his father, which had left the emperor’s side rather empty for a long time.

He had already instructed the palace maids to select two beautiful palace maid who resembled Feng Wu’s mother to serve the emperor, bringing him tea and attending to his needs at night.

Since he already had one more brother, he might as well have another, to divert his father’s attention and keep him from focusing on causing trouble for Feng Liwu.

This would also give Feng Liwu some time to focus on his own affairs.

As for the method of distracting the emperor with beautiful women, it had always been effective.

After the emperor became enamored with the two new concubines, he indeed seemed much more at ease and rarely summoned Feng Liwu to the palace for lectures.

It happened to be the Mid-Autumn Festival, and the noblewomen of Luo’an were to enter the palace to accompany the emperor and empress in moon-viewing.

The three concubines from the crown prince’s residence were also to accompany the crown prince.

Cao Xi and Tian Ying had only returned to the crown prince’s residence two days prior.

Cao Xi was fine, having only been delayed in the palace, missing the crown prince and feeling a bit lovesick.

But Tian Ying looked haggard, her once fresh and vibrant appearance now sunken and pale.

Empress Wei, unable to protect her lover’s child and having heard that Mao had died tragically and been thrown into a mass grave with only a mat to cover him, had vented all her anger on Tian Ying.

According to the maids who had accompanied them into the palace, Tian Ying was forced to kneel during meals, had her face slapped by the empress’s maids at random intervals, and once, when the empress found the soup Tian Ying had brought too hot, she had poured the entire bowl of medicinal soup over Tian Ying’s head.

Tian Ying, who had been pampered all her life in Han, had never endured such humiliation.

Moreover, she had noticed that the empress had recently miscarried, as her bedding was always stained with blood.

Combined with the rumors that the empress had been pregnant with an illegitimate child, Tian Ying felt nothing but contempt for her.

Seeing Cao Xi always adding fuel to the fire and making things worse for her, Tian Ying grew to hate both the old and young women deeply.

That night, she spent a fortune to have a maid deliver a message to her uncle, Marquis Jing, asking him to send her some red hemp oil.

She smeared it all over her face, causing a rash to break out.

Using the excuse of having a contagious rash and fearing she might infect the empress, she finally managed to leave the palace.

With Tian Ying gone, the empress naturally sent Cao Xi back as well.

Just in time for the Mid-Autumn Festival, Tian Ying, terrified at the thought of having to face the empress again, used the excuse that her rash hadn’t healed to avoid attending the palace duties.

Thus, Jiang Xiurun and Cao Xi went together.

Cao Xi had been delighted to see her aunt tormenting Tian Ying over the past few days, feeling a sense of vindication.

However, she regretted that her timing in reporting concubine Yao had been off, allowing the cunning concubine Yao to avoid entering the palace.

When she saw concubine Yao again, she couldn’t help but notice that the woman seemed even more radiant than before.

Rumor had it that during the time she and Tian Ying were away, the crown prince had spent every night in concubine Yao’s quarters, clearly showing her exclusive favor.

This only added to Cao Xi’s frustration, as she had yet to consummate her relationship with the crown prince.

Cao Xi, who had never been particularly clever, had become even more irritable under the influence of Empress Wei during her time in the palace.

As she sat in the carriage, all she could think about was how to ruin concubine Yao’s fox-like face.

But once they stepped out of the carriage and walked alongside concubine Yao, no matter how much she hated her, she didn’t dare to provoke the woman.

concubine Yao was a wild one, and if provoked, she wouldn’t hesitate to resort to physical violence! How could the crown prince possibly like such a temperamental woman?

Did she act just as arrogantly when serving him?

When the two of them entered the palace hall with the crown prince, the room was already filled with elegantly dressed nobles, and the wine was flowing freely.

Jiang Xiurun’s sharp eyes noticed that among the officials present, there were many new faces, including some of her former classmates from Tiangan Academy.

Although their positions weren’t high, they were all in roles that offered valuable experience.

Of course, aside from these familiar faces, there were also some new rising stars.

It was said that they were the best from several prominent families, and their promotions were the work of the newly appointed Minister of Personnel, Feng Wu.

This year’s Mid-Autumn Festival flower display featured many chrysanthemums from various regions.

Before the banquet began, the nobles strolled through the gardens to admire them.

Jiang Xiurun chose a quiet, secluded corner, planning to stand there for a while before returning to the banquet.

However, Feng Wu suddenly appeared behind her, pointing at a pot of chrysanthemums with a smile.

“This flower is called ‘Half-Made-Up.’ When I first saw it, I couldn’t help but think of you.”

Jiang Xiurun looked at the chrysanthemum, which had red patterns on one half and was plain white on the other.

It indeed looked like a half-finished makeup.

However, Jiang Xiurun understood the underlying meaning of his words—she was like this flower, half in female attire, half in male disguise.

Seeing Jiang Xiurun’s wary expression, Feng Wu chuckled softly.

“Don’t worry, Concubine Yao. I’ve made a promise to my elder brother to keep your secret.”

In truth, Feng Wu knew that even if he revealed her secret, it wouldn’t matter.

If Feng Liwu wanted to cover for her, he would find a way.

There was no need for Feng Wu to play the villain and earn Jiang Xiurun’s disdain.

After offering his reassurance, Feng Wu continued, “Now that we’re family, I naturally respect you as my sister-in-law. There’s no need for you to avoid me like the plague… You must understand, my previous offense against you was out of necessity. Had we met under different circumstances, perhaps our story… would have been quite different.”

Jiang Xiurun had no interest in engaging with his attempts to flirt with her and turned to leave.

Feng Wu lazily added, “The customs of our great Qi are quite bold, and it’s not just about trial marriages. You’re a smart woman, so you should consider this: you’ve been in my brother’s household for so long without bearing a child. Your future is uncertain. It might be better for us to leave some room for mutual understanding. Who knows… how our relationship might develop in the future?”

The customs of Qi were indeed bold, and one of them was the practice of a younger brother inheriting his elder brother’s estate—including his wives and concubines—if the elder brother died without an heir.

Although Qi had been settled for many years and its nomadic traditions had been somewhat Sinicized, in remote rural areas, this practice still persisted.

If an elder brother died, the younger brother didn’t even need to hold a ceremony; after the seventh day of mourning, he could take his brother’s place in the marital bed.

Feng Wu’s words were a veiled hint to Jiang Xiurun that now that he had returned to the royal family, Feng Liwu’s position as crown prince was not necessarily secure.

The rivalry between the two brothers would inevitably lead to a life-and-death struggle.

If Feng Liwu were to lose, then according to Qi’s customs, Jiang Xiurun would become Feng Wu’s rightful inheritance, to be used as he saw fit.