Chapter 122

After drinking a stomachful of freshly squeezed orange juice at the Yang residence, which was both sweet and sour and whetted her appetite, Jiang Xiurun felt ravenous by the time she finished her bath.

Perhaps it was due to the mental exhaustion from her official duties, but ever since returning from Hanyang, Jiang Xiurun had developed a voracious appetite.

Feng Liwu usually brought Jiang Xiurun to the villa whenever he visited, so the chefs here were well aware of Yao’s preferences.

When the Crown Prince had informed them earlier that he would be coming, the kitchen had already prepared Yao’s favorite ingredients.

The roasted lamb leg was prepared in the Hu-style, marinated with pepper and spices, and slow-cooked in a special clay oven before being thinly sliced and served with salt.

Large prawns were butterflied, coated in a garlic-infused batter, and deep-fried until crispy, so much so that even the tails were edible.

Seeing that Jiang Xiurun had lost weight after her time in Hanyang, Feng Liwu also ordered the chefs to prepare a nourishing pig trotter and red date soup.

Although Jiang Xiurun found it too greasy and didn’t want to drink it, Feng Liwu persuaded her to finish half a bowl.

However, Feng Liwu had originally intended to spend two quiet and leisurely days with her at the villa.

But after Jiang Xiurun had eaten her fill, she immediately began discussing official business with him.

Once the reservoir in Hanyang was completed, the surrounding areas would also need to start construction.

However… the Agricultural Department was out of funds.

Jiang Xiurun had no choice but to ask Feng Liwu for money.

But she knew that Feng Liwu’s finances were also tight.

Although the canal connecting to Han would be fully operational by spring, bringing in some revenue, it would take time.

However, Feng Liwu seemed confident and told Jiang Xiumei to wait.

Curious, Jiang Xiurun asked him about it.

Feng Liwu didn’t hide anything and explained the reason he had been so busy at the Ministry of War—the Rong tribes in the north had split into several factions, and the Yaha League, which was friendly with Great Qi, had requested Qi’s assistance in quelling their internal strife.

However, Great Qi’s military support wasn’t based solely on friendship.

Once the rebellion was suppressed, the Yaha League would return three counties near the southwestern border of the northern tribes to Great Qi.

These three counties had been ceded to the northern tribes during the previous dynasty.

If they were truly returned, the taxes from these regions would naturally go to Qi.

The Ministry of War would take control of these taxes first, and Feng Liwu had long planned to keep them in his hands for three to five years, ensuring that he would never be short of funds for any project.

Jiang Xiurun stuffed a large piece of lamb into her mouth, chewing vigorously to hide her inner excitement.

The northern tribes’ internal strife had also occurred in her past life.

At that time, the Crown Prince’s faction had been sent to support the northern tribes, but it hadn’t been voluntary.

The emperor’s faction had forced them to go, intending to weaken the Crown Prince’s control over the military.

That support campaign had been protracted, lasting nearly half a year.

Despite his illness, Feng Liwu had withstood both internal and external pressures and, against all odds, returned victorious.

Of course, that campaign had also greatly strengthened the Crown Prince’s power, allowing him to cultivate and promote many brave generals—among them, the female general Bai Qian…

Half a year was more than enough time for Jiang Xiurun!

As long as the Crown Prince was away for half a year, she could maneuver freely.

Of course, she also felt a twinge of regret.

The female general who was supposed to shine in this campaign was currently in the corridor, using a small hammer to extract marrow from lamb bones for her!

So, after some thought, Jiang Xiurun said, “Since Your Highness is going to war, you must be in urgent need of talented generals. What do you think of Bai Qian?”

Feng Liwu was aware that Jiang Xiurun had high hopes for her maid.

Perhaps it was the maid’s sheer physical strength that made Jiang Xiurun so proud, but she was convinced that this maid was a future general.

Most of the military books in her room had been borrowed by Jiang Xiurun to train this “female general.”

Seeing how seriously Jiang Xiurun was cultivating Bai Qian, Feng Liwu had wanted to humor her.

He had even privately tested Bai Qian’s knowledge.

However, the results proved that all those military books had gone to waste.

Bai Qian’s answers were completely off the mark, and she even asked in frustration if she had done something wrong to deserve being tortured with military books by both her mistress and the Crown Prince.

From then on, Feng Liwu concluded that while Jiang Xiurun had stumbled upon a talent like Ji Binglin by chance, she was no judge of character.

Her belief in Bai Qian’s potential was clearly misguided.

Now, hearing her mistress recommend her to join the northern campaign, Bai Qian peeked out from the doorway with half her face flushed purple, her eyes filled with the sorrow of a puppy about to be abandoned by its owner.

Feng Liwu didn’t like seeing Bai Qian’s face peeking out from the doorway, so he said indifferently, “Bai Qian is highly skilled in martial arts. Having her by your side puts my mind at ease. Let her stay with you for now.”

Hearing the Crown Prince’s words, Bai Qian finally relaxed and happily withdrew her face, returning to her task of extracting marrow with a small hammer.

Jiang Xiurun also gave up on the idea, silently eating her meal with a sense of guilt.

After feeding Jiang Xiurun, Feng Liwu felt no qualms about feeding himself.

Freshly bathed, Jiang Xiurun smelled clean and sweet, making it hard for Feng Liwu to control himself.

Unfortunately, after more than a month apart, she had become even more delicate.

Before Feng Liwu could do anything, Jiang Xiurun started crying from a leg cramp.

Feeling her tight calf, Feng Liwu realized she really was cramping.

He quickly massaged her leg, but couldn’t help scolding her, “I sent you on an official trip to relax, but you ended up overworking yourself. Why did you have to go to such a remote place and exhaust yourself like this…”

Before he could finish his reprimand, Jiang Xiurun silenced him with a kiss.

Feng Liwu wasn’t sure if he was being placated or rewarded, but he wrapped his arms around her and let their lips and tongues intertwine…

Two days later, during the grand court assembly, the two of them attended the morning court together.

The major topic of discussion was the northern campaign. The return of the three counties was a encouraging event for the entire court, though some officials were concerned that supporting the Yaha League might take too long and drain Qi’s resources.

Thus, the ministers were engaged in heated debate.

However, only the high-ranking officials at the front of the court could participate in such discussions.

Lower-ranking officials, like Ji Binglin, who were concerned about state affairs, listened intently to the debates among the Crown Prince and the nobles.

Meanwhile, officials like Jiang Xiurun, who were in charge of waterworks and agriculture, were constantly being pushed to the back by the military officials.

Soon, they found themselves at the very end of the line, where they could afford to slack off a bit.

Dou Siwu, who had recently been promoted by the Crown Prince, had managed to secure a position in the Ministry of War and was now standing at the very back, right next to Jiang Xiurun.

Jiang Xiurun, who was far from the main court, quietly asked Dou Siwu why he wasn’t standing closer to the front.

Dou Siwu shook his head and said, “I don’t understand what they’re talking about. All I know is that there’s going to be a war, and I’ll just follow along. When the time comes, I’ll make a name for myself, establish my own household, and finally be free from my parents’ control!”

Jiang Xiurun, remembering the marriage proposals the Dou family had been arranging for Dou Siwu, casually brought it up.

Dou Siwu glared at his classmate and whispered, “You know who I have my heart set on. Those delicate young ladies my mother keeps suggesting are like paper dolls. I don’t want any of them!”

Jiang Xiurun found his words childish. Men from prestigious families like Qin Zhao always ended up following their parents’ wishes.

Why would Dou Siwu be any different?

Seeing that Jiang Xiurun didn’t believe him, Dou Siwu leaned closer to her shoulder and whispered, “The other day, when my father was about to finalize a marriage for me, I grabbed a kitchen cleaver, pulled down my pants, and threatened to castrate myself in front of my parents. My mother fainted from shock, and they haven’t brought up marriage since!”

Not only his parents, but Jiang Xiurun was also shocked.

No wonder Qian’er had mentioned to her yesterday that she had heard the Dou family secretly consulting a physician to examine Dou Siwu’s mental state.

It turned out he had done something so extreme! (T/N: Dou Siwu is better than that bast*rd surname Feng…huhu..)

However, for Qian’er’s sake, she couldn’t help but ask, “So… did you actually do it?”

Dou Siwu shuddered at the memory, “My father has a heart of stone. He didn’t stop me even when I brought the knife down. It wasn’t until I actually cut myself and started bleeding that he rushed over to grab the cleaver… It hurt so much… You’re a man, you understand!”

Jiang Xiurun, lacking the relevant anatomy, didn’t understand.

However, she couldn’t help but glance down to check if Dou Siwu was still intact.

Dou Siwu, seemingly worried that his classmate might misinform Qian’er, boldly declared, “It’s still there! If you don’t believe me, we can go to the restroom together later, and I’ll show you!”

Jiang Xiurun quickly turned her face away.

Even Feng Liwu, who had shared her bed for so long, had never said anything so shameless.

Yet here she was, having her ears polluted by this reckless young man.

After the court session, the Crown Prince didn’t even stop for the customary porridge.

Instead, he took several generals into the emperor’s study to continue discussing the northern campaign.

Ji Binglin, meanwhile, invited Jiang Xiurun and Dou Siwu to join him and two officials from the Ministry of Revenue for porridge.

The prospect of reclaiming the three counties was truly exhilarating, and Ji Binglin couldn’t help but excitedly discuss the feasibility of the plan with the others.

However, one of the Ministry of Revenue officials waved his hand dismissively, “Minister Ji, you young people are too hot-blooded and often fail to consider the bigger picture. Do you know why so many senior officials opposed this in court? War drains our treasury. With the national coffers empty, where will we get the funds to cover the costs?”

Ji Binglin fell silent.

Although he worked in the Ministry of Personnel, he was well aware of Qi’s financial constraints.

While the nobles of Qi were all wealthy, when it came to actual contributions, they were notoriously stingy.

While the others were talking, Jiang Xiurun picked at her salted egg and casually remarked, “The tribute from the vassal states is due soon. If we increase the tribute, wouldn’t that cover the costs?”

One of the Ministry of Revenue officials looked at Jiang Xiurun in surprise.

He knew that Jiang Xiurun was a hostage from Bo.

Although she had no hope of returning to her homeland, Bo was one of the vassal states required to pay tribute.

If her father, the emperor of Bo, found out about her suggestion, wouldn’t he be furious?

However, Master Jiang’s proposal was indeed feasible.

The two Ministry of Revenue officials pondered this and decided to bring it up with their superiors.

Jiang Xiurun didn’t say anything more and quietly sipped her porridge.

In truth, even if she hadn’t suggested it to these two officials, the tribute from the vassal states would likely have been increased anyway.

In her past life, Great Qi’s situation had been even more dire.

After Feng Liwu was assassinated, Qi first launched a campaign against the southern barbarians, followed by continuous military operations to support the northern tribes.

The tribute from the vassal states had been increased long ago.

However, the increased tribute had driven many small states to ally with Liang to avoid paying, thereby strengthening Liang’s influence.

This had led to a prolonged rivalry between Qi and Liang, with both sides vying for dominance.

But in this life, many things had changed.

Jiang Xiurun wasn’t sure what the future held, but she knew she had to adapt to the circumstances and make the most of them.