Chapter 114

Although Jiang Xiurun had previously considered the possibility that her brother might have changed in this lifetime, she never expected him to display such decisiveness and courage.

Not only had he not fallen for the trap, but he had also handed the envoy over to the authorities!

When she heard her sister-in-law’s explanation, she was so shocked that her mouth hung open for a moment.

Wenniang, seeing Jiang Xiurun’s silence, grew anxious and quickly explained on behalf of her husband, “That envoy came sneaking around and didn’t go through the proper channels with the Ministry of Rites. He arrived privately. At first, your brother was actually quite happy when he saw the letter the envoy brought… It was all my fault. I reminded him not to forget how the Second Prince had deliberately approached us before. I was afraid this envoy might be another trap, and I didn’t want us to be used as pawns and end up implicating you. After all, you’re now an official. If you were accused of colluding with a foreign state, it would be a capital offense… So, regardless of whether the envoy was genuine or not, we decided to hand him over to the authorities to clear our names… Ah, it was my lack of foresight. I should have waited for you to return and handle it.”

Wenniang misunderstood Jiang Xiurun’s reaction, thinking that her actions might have been inappropriate.

She quickly took responsibility for turning in the envoy to spare her brother-in-law from blaming her husband.

Jiang Xiurun now truly understood the saying, “A virtuous wife brings prosperity to the family.”

With Wenniang by her brother’s side, his actions were completely different from those in her past life.

Seeing Wenniang’s self-reproach, Jiang Xiurun quickly reassured her, “Sister-in-law, why blame yourself? You handled this very well. If the recall of the hostage was legitimate, why would they need to sneak around? It’s clear that this envoy might not have been sent by our father at all! Handing him over to the authorities is the right move. If he’s a legitimate envoy, the authorities will notify the Ministry of Rites. If he’s a fraud, they’ll get to the bottom of it.”

Wenniang, relieved that their actions hadn’t been inappropriate, finally relaxed and said, “That’s good. Your brother initially went to the Crown Prince’s residence to look for you, but he was told you had gone on an inspection tour and wouldn’t be back for some time. He was at a loss, so I discussed this plan with him… But if it’s true, and your father wants you to return… is it safe?”

Wenniang, after all, came from a merchant family.

Although she had married the hostage prince of Bo, she never truly believed that her husband would one day return to his homeland and regain his status as a prince.

She referred to the emperor of Bo as “father-in-law,” following the customs of the common people….

Seeing the worry on her sister-in-law’s face, Jiang Xiurun quickly reassured her, “Sister-in-law, don’t worry. My brother won’t abandon you and leave. Besides, even if we wanted to return, your stepmother-in-law back in Bo wouldn’t allow it! So, I think this envoy is most likely a fraud!”

Wenniang finally let go of her concerns and smiled.

She brought out four pairs of tiger-head shoes, along with various small clothes and bellybands, saying she had made two sets—one for her own unborn child and one for Jiang Xiurun.

Jiang Xiurun looked at the tiny shoes and clothes, both amused and touched.

She said, “Sister-in-law, why go to all this trouble? I… I don’t need these.”

Wenniang disagreed, her expression serious.

“How could you not need them? I originally found a matchmaker to look for suitable matches for you. But then you took on the role at the Agricultural Department and suddenly became an official. The girls I had initially considered are no longer a good match for you. I’ll have to start over. Arranging a marriage might sound complicated, but it can actually be done in just over a month. By the time I give birth, you might already have a little nephew or niece. Since I won’t be able to sew during my confinement, I thought I’d prepare these for you in advance.”

Jiang Xiurun hadn’t expected the conversation to take this turn.

She opened her mouth in surprise and said, “I… I’m still young. Why would I need to get married?”

Wenniang was almost amused by her brother-in-law’s naivety.

“You’re already an official. How can you still think of yourself as a child? You’re not that young anymore. You should have someone in your life who cares for you. As a woman, my knowledge is limited. But you must have met many colleagues in your position. If there’s a suitable young lady, and you’re too shy to approach her, just let me and your brother know. We’ll handle it for you. Don’t let… official duties ruin your chance at a good marriage!”

What Wenniang really wanted to say was, “Don’t let the Crown Prince’s attentions cloud your judgment. That kind of relationship is just a game.”

The Crown Prince had a harem full of beauties and concubines.

She didn’t want her brother-in-law to be so naive as to let the Crown Prince ruin his future.

But these words were hard to say directly, so Wenniang could only hint at them, urging Jiang Xiurun to take her future seriously.

Jiang Xiurun had always heard the saying, “A sister-in-law is like a mother.”

Today, she experienced the truth of this proverb firsthand.

But this maternal love was overwhelming, and Jiang Xiurun felt like she had nowhere to hide.

She finally found an excuse to leave the hostage residence in a hurry.

However, her sister-in-law’s little clothes reminded Jiang Xiurun of something crucial—she had forgotten to take her contraceptive medicine.

Because of the rain, they had been delayed for so long that even if she took the medicine now, it would be too late.

Jiang Xiurun felt a pang of anxiety but comforted herself, thinking that such coincidences were unlikely.

She decided to return to the Agricultural Department to handle some official business.

While she was there, Ji Binglin, who was working at the Ministry of Justice, sent a servant to inform her that a criminal had been sent to the ministry from a local government.

Upon interrogation, the criminal claimed to be a spy from Bo.

The spy had apparently been instructed on what to say if caught.

Without even being tortured, he insisted that Jiang Zhi, the hostage prince of Bo, had secretly written letters asking for help from old officials in Bo to assist him in escaping back to his homeland.

If this were true, the situation would be dire for Jiang Zhi and Jiang Xiurun.

In the past, any hostage who attempted to escape had been executed for attempting to break the alliance, their heads sent back to their homeland in a box of lime.

Early that morning, the Ministry of Justice had been bustling with activity, with several groups of people coming and going.

It was said that some of them were sent by the Meng family.

The head of the Ministry of Justice was a fair man and didn’t want to reveal too much before the case was settled.

But the visitors had already gathered some information and left satisfied.

Ji Binglin, worried that Jiang Xiurun might be implicated, quickly sent his servant to inform her.

Jiang Xiurun replied to Ji Binglin, telling him not to worry and to focus on his duties.

The sudden appearance of a spy from Bo, plotting to help the eldest prince return home, had clearly excited those with ulterior motives.

Unfortunately, they were so eager to find evidence that they might not have realized who had personally turned the spy over to the authorities.

But to be safe, Jiang Xiurun decided to return to the Crown Prince’s residence and inform Feng Liwu, to prevent those with ill intentions from getting too carried away.

When she returned to the Crown Prince’s residence, she ran into someone from the Ministry of Justice.

Jiang Xiurun waited for a while, and after the person from the Ministry of Justice left, she went to the study to see Feng Liwu.

Feng Liwu had the case file from the Ministry of Justice in front of him.

From the moment Jiang Xiurun entered, his expression was dark, his eyes cold and piercing.

Jiang Xiurun sat down obediently, poured tea for the Crown Prince, and cautiously asked, “Your Highness, why are you looking at me like that?”

Feng Liwu handed her the case file.

Jiang Xiurun quickly scanned it and saw that it was indeed about the spy from Bo.

She breathed a sigh of relief and said, “So it’s about this. When I returned to the hostage residence today, my sister-in-law mentioned it. Actually, it was my brother who turned the spy over to the authorities… Your Highness, you don’t suspect my brother’s integrity because of this, do you?”

Feng Liwu’s expression remained stormy.

After a moment of silence, he said, “I don’t doubt him… But you seem to have foreseen this. Why were you so restless on Mingshan? If this spy has nothing to do with your brother, then… what about you?”

Jiang Xiurun’s heart sank at his words.

Feng Liwu had always been suspicious and calculating.

She had been so caught up in his affection recently that she had forgotten this about him.

On Mingshan, she had lied about having a dream because she was worried about her brother.

But now, her brother hadn’t fallen for the trap, and she had inadvertently aroused Feng Liwu’s suspicions.

Of course, Jiang Xiurun couldn’t reveal that she had been reborn.

That would sound too absurd, like a story meant to fool a child.

But she couldn’t think of a better excuse at the moment.

She could only look back at Feng Liwu with wide eyes and ask, “Then what does Your Highness think?”

What could Feng Liwu think? Naturally, he suspected that Jiang Xiurun had planned to secretly return to Bo, contacting old officials in her homeland.

But something had gone wrong, and she had changed her mind at the last moment.

Since she wasn’t in the capital at the time, she had been anxious and asked him to keep an eye on her brother.

But he couldn’t say these things out loud.

After all, she wasn’t just his aide anymore—she was his beloved concubine.

If he confronted her and she admitted it, what could he do? He couldn’t execute her like a disloyal aide.

But if he pretended not to know, wouldn’t that encourage her audacity?

If she ever became dissatisfied with him, she might think she had a way out and secretly return to Bo with her brother.

Would he then have to send troops to conquer Bo again?

For a moment, Feng Liwu found himself in a rare dilemma.

But he was a man of decisive action, and his hesitation lasted only a moment.

In the next instant, he decided to nip this small evil in the bud.

If he didn’t punish her slightly to make his stance clear, this woman might really push her luck.

“The Ministry of Justice wants to interrogate your brother. They came to ask for permission, and I agreed.”

Hearing this, Jiang Xiurun could no longer maintain her composure.

She stood up abruptly, her eyes wide, and exclaimed, “Your Highness! How could you do this?”

Feng Liwu had never seen Jiang Xiurun dare to raise her voice at him like this.

His expression darkened further as he said, “It’s just an interrogation, not a conviction. Is there anything unreasonable about it? If you’re truly innocent and your brother wasn’t involved in any plot, he’ll be released… Or do you know something else? If so, you’d better tell me everything now, so your brother doesn’t have to go through this.”

Jiang Xiurun knew she should be more tactful.

The best course of action would be to admit that she had secretly contacted old officials in Bo, appeasing Feng Liwu’s suspicions and showing him that she was like a monkey who couldn’t escape his grasp.

This way, Feng Liwu might calm down, scold her, and spare her brother the ordeal of being interrogated by the Ministry of Justice.

Jiang Xiurun understood the pros and cons of the situation in an instant.

But for some reason, she felt an indescribable sense of injustice.

No matter how hard she tried to suppress it, the feeling wouldn’t go away.

She was being forced to admit to something she hadn’t done… Jiang Xiurun couldn’t hold back any longer.

Her eyes reddened, and she began to cry.