Chapter 107

This autumn hunt didn’t yield a single rabbit, but it felt like a fruitful outing nonetheless.

On the way back, as they passed through Cheng County, the crown prince went to inspect the newly built irrigation channels.

It was said that the person who designed these channels was a man of great talent.

He had originally drafted the blueprint for Liang’s irrigation system but had been pushed out by his junior and left Liang early.

While the crown prince was summoning the talented engineer Zheng, Ji Binglin finally found an opportunity to speak with his mentor, Jiang Xiurun.

Perhaps because the autumn air had lifted the stifling heat of summer, the acne scars on Ji Binglin’s face had faded considerably, revealing a handsome young man.

When he smiled lightly, a faint dimple appeared, which was no wonder he would later become one of the most sought-after bachelors among the noblewomen of Luo’an.

“Master Jiang, I heard that many of the students from the academy have already entered official service. With your talents, you were always among the best. Why haven’t you sought a position from the crown prince? Being an aide is fine, but historically, such roles are often filled by petty schemers and tricksters. You are a person of great talent. Wouldn’t it be a waste to remain in such a role for long?”

Jiang Xiurun was sitting under a melon trellis in a rural courtyard, eating wild berries picked by the guards on the roadside.

Hearing Ji Binglin’s words, she found them quite pleasing to the ear.

Although in her past life, countless people had praised her beauty, comparing her to the moon itself, no one in either of her lives had ever flattered her as sweetly as Ji Binglin, hitting right at the core of her heart.

Jiang Xiurun, who usually didn’t think much of flattering the crown prince, now realized how pleasant it felt to be on the receiving end.

No wonder His Highness enjoyed it so much!

Delighted by the praise, Jiang Xiurun couldn’t help but smile and offered Ji Binglin the largest berry from her hand.

Seeing Master Jiang smile at him, Ji Binglin’s face suddenly flushed slightly.

He quickly took the berry and took a big bite, the deep red juice splattering onto the front of his robe.

This scene in the courtyard happened to catch the eye of the crown prince, who was sitting by the wooden window.

He pursed his lips, then looked away, patiently examining the blueprint presented to him by Engineer Zheng.

The blueprint showed the irrigation system designed by Zheng for the arid northwestern regions of Great Qi, based on the distribution of rivers across the country.

The rural roads were rough, and many places were inaccessible by carriage, requiring them to walk most of the way.

By the time they returned from the county, Jiang Xiurun was thoroughly exhausted.

She went back to her room to rest for a while.

However, Feng Liwu wasn’t in a hurry to rest.

He summoned the guards who had accompanied Jiang Xiurun that day and asked what Ji Binglin had said to her while they were eating berries, making her so happy.

The guards, being Feng Liwu’s trusted men and fully aware of Jiang Xiurun’s dual identity, naturally didn’t dare to omit any details about her conversation with a man.

They truthfully reported that Ji Binglin had praised her for her exceptional talent and lamented that it would be a waste for her to remain unrecognized.

Feng Liwu’s brow furrowed slightly.

He had thought Ji Binglin was an honest man, but it seemed he had a glib tongue after all.

Although the conversation had been harmless flattery, Feng Liwu felt deeply uncomfortable, though he couldn’t quite put his finger on why.

After finishing his official duties, it was already late at night.

Walking along the garden path, accompanied by the chirping of autumn insects, he arrived at concubine Yao’s courtyard.

Through the green-tinted window screen, he saw that Jiang Xiurun, having woken from her nap and finished dinner, was still awake.

She had let her hair down and was wearing loose clothing, sitting at her desk and copying a landscape painting of Qi that hung on the wall—a gift from her mentor, Master Mufeng.

The painting clearly depicted all the major and minor rivers of Great Qi.

Jiang Xiurun was using a thin piece of silk to copy a section of the landscape.

She had already copied three pieces and seemed to be preparing to paste them together into a larger piece.

The silhouette of the beauty, illuminated by the autumn moonlight and the lamp, was endlessly captivating.

Feng Liwu stood and watched for a while before stepping inside.

He waved for the maid Taohua, who was lighting incense, to leave, then walked over to Jiang Xiurun and asked, “What are you doing?”

Jiang Xiurun pointed to the two pieces she had already copied.

“While inspecting the irrigation channels with Your Highness today, I suddenly remembered the gift Master Mufeng gave me. Since I can’t mark or alter the original painting, I decided to copy it. If Your Highness can use it when building the irrigation system, then my efforts won’t be in vain.”

Feng Liwu wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, inhaling the fresh, fragrant scent of her hair.

“Who said I was planning to build an irrigation system?”

Jiang Xiurun half-turned her head.

“Your Highness isn’t testing the talents of your advisors again, are you? You visited Engineer Zheng today, so it’s clear you have plans to improve the people’s livelihood. Even the attendants could guess that.”

Feng Liwu rested his chin on her shoulder.

“It’s been a while since I tested Master Jiang. I should indeed verify whether you’re worth keeping in the residence. Tell me, should this project go ahead or not?”

Jiang Xiurun picked up a jade abacus used for decoration and lightly flicked the translucent beads.

“This brings to mind something my sister-in-law once said: ‘The scale of your ambitions should match the size of your purse.’ Your Highness, the construction of the canal has already strained the treasury. The irrigation project should be postponed…”

She stopped mid-sentence.

She felt she had become too presumptuous.

Although Feng Liwu had never scolded her for discussing state affairs, she was now officially his concubine.

If she became too arrogant and meddled in politics, wouldn’t she be living up to the title of “seductive enchantress who brings ruin to the country” that Feng Liwu had bestowed upon her in her past life?

So Jiang Xiurun cut herself off, realizing she had been too full of herself tonight.

Why had she gone to the trouble of copying her mentor’s painting?

But Feng Liwu, intrigued, urged her to continue when she fell silent.

“Why did you stop?”

Jiang Xiurun smiled awkwardly.

“I spoke out of turn. My copying is so poor, how could I dare present it to Your Highness?”

Feng Liwu looked at Jiang Xiurun’s forced smile and finally understood what had been bothering him all day.

It was just a few words of praise from Ji Binglin, yet she had smiled so brightly!

He hadn’t even tasted one of those berries!

But in front of him, she was all modesty and fake smiles, which only annoyed him further.

Feng Liwu calmly turned her around to face him and, under the lamplight, carefully studied her face.

Then he said, “If you’re bored in the inner courtyard, how about returning to the academy?”

Jiang Xiurun didn’t even want to fake a smile anymore.

Her former classmates had already entered official service, so what was the point of going back? Was she supposed to befriend the new thirteen- or fourteen-year-old students and build camaraderie with them?

When she softly said, “I don’t want to,” Feng Liwu’s lips tightened.

He wanted her to smile at him the way she had under the melon trellis, with her eyes sparkling…

The next day, Jiang Xiurun slept in as usual.

Perhaps because she had been exhausted from the inspection the previous day, the crown prince had mercifully not disturbed her.

She had a rare, peaceful sleep and woke up to find that the crown prince had already left for the morning court.

She rolled around on the soft couch, thinking about what to eat when she got up.

But as she rolled over, she accidentally noticed a wooden tray placed on the small table beside the couch.

On the tray was a stack of dark-colored clothes, and on top of it was a tall jade crown with a black veil—dark colors were the standard for official robes in Great Qi, and judging by the height of the jade crown, it had to be for a high-ranking official, likely a chief minister!

This was clearly not the crown prince’s official robe.

Jiang Xiurun quickly sat up and called for Taohua to come in, asking about the stack of clothes.

Taohua brought in a basin of warm water, set it on the stand, and said, “His Highness ordered these to be delivered. He said you should change into them when you return to the outer courtyard. Under the crown is a handwritten note from His Highness. He said you’d understand once you read it.”

Jiang Xiurun didn’t even bother to wash her face.

She quickly took the silk note and unfolded it.

The note was essentially an appointment letter, ordering the crown prince’s aide to report to the Ministry of Agriculture immediately and take up the position of chief minister, overseeing the construction of irrigation channels.

The words were clear and straightforward, but Jiang Xiurun read them three times.

The Ministry of Agriculture was a minor, low-profile department, but it was still an official position in the Great Qi court.

Feng Liwu knew she was a woman, yet he had entrusted her with such a responsibility.

What was his intention? Surely he wasn’t using state affairs as a way to amuse himself?

When she returned to Jiang Herun’s outer courtyard with the bundle of official robes, she pondered the matter repeatedly.

Eventually, her curiosity got the better of her, and she had Qian’er help her put on the dark official robes and the jade crown.

Qian’er thought her mistress looked good in anything, but the dark official robes made her look especially striking.

With her hair tied up high and the jade crown on her head, she stood tall and straight, exuding the air of a pillar of the state, full of vigor.

Jiang Xiurun hadn’t expected the official robes to suit her so well.

She had Qian’er hold up a bronze mirror and adjusted her posture, admiring herself from every angle.

When Feng Liwu returned from court, he had expected the wild one he kept in his residence to rush to the Ministry of Agriculture as soon as she read his letter.

To his surprise, by noon, she hadn’t even left her room.

Instead, she had Qian’er bring her a long wooden box filled with various belt hooks and accessories, and she was busy picking out the perfect one to match her official robes.

Feng Liwu felt a headache coming on and wondered if he had been blinded by infatuation and made a foolish decision.

Since ancient times, had there ever been a woman who served as an official alongside men?

If more women were appointed to official positions, they would probably all be late to morning court.

Jiang Xiurun turned and saw Feng Liwu returning.

She quickly held up a white jade belt hook and asked, “Does this match the official robes?”

Feng Liwu silently removed the gold-inlaid jade belt hook from his own waist and fastened it around hers.

Then he said, “Before I change my mind, hurry to the Ministry of Agriculture and take up your post. Otherwise, you’ll only be able to wear this in the bedroom, with a bellyband, for my eyes only…”

Jiang Xiurun could tell Feng Liwu wasn’t joking.

She immediately grabbed the appointment letter, called for Qian’er, and rushed out of the residence.

In her haste, she nearly bumped into Princess Jing, one of the beauties.

The young man, full of confidence, dressed in dark robes and wearing a jade crown, was so striking that Princess Jing’s face flushed slightly.

She bowed and said, “It seems Master Jiang is about to take up an official position. Congratulations! May your career flourish, and I hope you’ll look out for me in the future.”

Jiang Xiurun quickly returned the courtesy with a smile, then boarded the carriage and left.

When she arrived at the Ministry of Agriculture, she inwardly cursed herself.

It turned out that the crown prince had sent two copies of the appointment letter that morning, one of which had already been delivered to the Ministry of Agriculture.

Although the Ministry of Agriculture was a minor department, it still had over twenty officials.

The minor officials, who didn’t attend court, had cleaned the stone steps and hung lanterns, lining up on both sides to welcome the new chief minister.

But they had waited until noon, their stomachs growling, and were about to ask the kitchen to send some baked flatbreads when they finally saw a carriage arriving.

This made the minor officials whisper among themselves: Was this new chief minister reliable?

The Ministry of Agriculture was already struggling to survive, constantly being squeezed out by the Ministry of Waterworks.

If the new chief minister was a spoiled noble, wouldn’t the department fall apart in no time?