Chapter 123

After leaving the court, Jiang Xiurun found some time to tell Qian’er about Dou Siwu’s heroic act.

Qian’er rolled her eyes as she listened, but a smile crept onto her face.

It seemed she wasn’t entirely indifferent to him.

Taking advantage of the moment, Jiang Xiurun teased Qian’er, asking if she was worried about him.

Qian’er shook her head and self-deprecatingly said, “I don’t want someone who’s so casual about showing off. But I have to admit, it’s impressive that he stood up to his parents. You know how it is—noble families’ marriages are never up to the individuals. Even the Crown Prince can’t follow his own heart, filling his residence with all sorts of women and making you suffer for no reason…”

At the end, Qian’er realized she had spoken out of turn and quickly shut her mouth.

Jiang Xiurun didn’t need to pretend in front of Qian’er.

She stopped smiling for a moment before chuckling again, “The one who married into the Crown Prince’s residence is Jiang Xiuyao, not Jiang Xiurun. Besides, we never made any promises under the moon and stars. It’s not like we broke any vows. And he’s the Crown Prince, the future ruler of Great Qi. How could he possibly live like a common couple, devoted to one person for life?”

Qian’er was open-minded and could see things clearly.

Her young mistress was fair-skinned and beautiful, a princess of Bo.

If she could return to Bo, she would have no trouble finding a good match.

Marrying the Crown Prince of Great Qi might sound glamorous, but what use was all that wealth when one could only eat one bowl of rice at a time?

Wouldn’t it be better to marry a man who could make his own decisions and be devoted to her?

Dou Siwu was actually a good man, but his noble background made him unreliable.

He wasn’t as steady as someone from a humble family, and he was simply not on the same path as someone as lowly as her.

The swaying carriage carried the two of them, each lost in their own thoughts…

The next day, Jiang Xiurun returned to the residence to deal with the mountain of official business.

The success of the Hanyang canal project had completely won over the Agricultural Department.

Meng Xian from the Ministry of Waterworks had originally wanted to see Jiang Xiurun fail, but she had quietly taken on the challenging task and succeeded.

Now that the court was preparing for war and funds were tight, the Ministry of Waterworks couldn’t scrape together any more money.

They wanted to push their remaining projects onto the Agricultural Department.

Unfortunately, Jiang Xiurun wasn’t one to tolerate such nonsense.

She didn’t even bother taking the matter to the emperor.

Instead, she ordered her subordinates to post the Ministry of Waterworks’ account books at the entrance of the Agricultural Department.

Whenever officials from the Ministry of Waterworks came to deliver documents, a few strong men would block the entrance and hand out abacuses.

Only those who could make sense of the Ministry of Waterworks’ messy accounts would be allowed in.

The poor clerks, who had no way of covering up Meng Xian’s embezzlement, were left shivering in the autumn wind, their fingers freezing as they struggled with the abacuses.

The three ministries and five offices in the area were all nearby, and officials from various departments constantly passed by.

The scandal of the Ministry of Waterworks embezzling funds and dumping their mess on the Agricultural Department quickly became a joke known throughout the court.

Even the nobles would lift their curtains to see how many unlucky souls were struggling with the accounts in front of the Agricultural Department.

Within a few days, even the emperor had heard about it.

He thought Meng Xian was utterly foolish for losing face like this and reprimanded the Meng family patriarch.

The patriarch, after leaving the palace, immediately summoned Meng Xian and scolded him, telling him not to shamelessly cling to the Agricultural Department.

That Jiang Herun wasn’t like the previous head of the department.

The kid had come from the Crown Prince’s residence and was full of tricks.

Even if things got ugly, the Crown Prince would back him up.

Going head-to-head with him would only lead to trouble.

Meng Xian was thoroughly chastised by the family patriarch, but he was still seething with anger.

It was said that several of his concubines suffered his wrath as a result.

The entrance to the Agricultural Department finally quieted down, but the Ministry of War’s gates became bustling with activity.

The decision to support the northern tribes had been made.

The debate in the court had quickly concluded that the three counties had always been part of the central plains.

If they weren’t reclaimed, future generations would condemn them in the history books.

Someone as ambitious as Emperor Duanqing would never pass up the chance to leave his mark on history.

However, unlike in her past life, the emperor no longer strongly urged Feng Liwu to go.

Instead, he wanted Feng Wu to lead the campaign and make a name for himself.

Jiang Xiurun heard that the two princes had nearly come to blows in the court and was shocked.

But after thinking about it, she quickly understood why things were different this time.

In her past life, Great Qi had been engaged in continuous warfare, and the outcome of the northern campaign was uncertain.

Moreover, Feng Liwu had been in poor health at the time, and even if he had achieved military success, he might not have been able to handle the glory.

It was better to squeeze the last bit of value out of the sickly Crown Prince.

But this time was different.

Although Great Qi’s treasury was tight, its strength was intact.

If Feng Wu achieved military success, it would weaken Feng Liwu’s control over the military.

While Feng Liwu was busy, Jiang Xiurun took the opportunity to ask if Jiang Xiuyao could be sent back to Bo.

Feng Liwu knew they were half-sisters and not particularly close.

He was surprised and gave her a deep look, asking what she meant.

Jiang Xiurun then honestly presented a letter she had just received from Bo.

The letter was from Empress Shen to Jiang Xiurun, bluntly demanding that Jiang Xiurun send her daughter, Jiang Xiuyao, back.

Feng Liwu read the letter.

He had initially detained the pregnant Jiang Xiuyao as an excuse to lure Jiang Xiurun into his residence.

Now that Jiang Xiurun was his, keeping Jiang Xiuyao confined in the countryside served no purpose.

Moreover, the emperor of Bo was aware of the situation and would handle it appropriately, allowing the real Jiang Xiuyao to change her identity.

Since that was the case, it was better to let her go.

He nodded in agreement and ordered the residence’s steward to arrange transportation and ensure Jiang Xiuyao and her child were well taken care of on their journey back.

Before leaving, Jiang Xiuyao insisted on seeing her sister, Jiang Xiurun.

As sisters, it was only right to see her off.

Jiang Xiurun not only went herself but also brought her brother, Jiang Zhi, to bid farewell to their half-sister.

Since Jiang Xiurun had taken her place in the marriage, she had done a lot to help her half-sister.

Knowing that Jiang Xiuyao was alone and had given birth in a foreign land, Jiang Xiurun had prepared clothes and jewelry for her according to the seasons and had the steward deliver them.

Jiang Zhi had thought Jiang Xiuyao wanted to meet them to express her gratitude for Jiang Xiurun’s care, which had allowed her to give birth safely and return home.

But when they arrived at the pavilion to see her off, Jiang Xiuyao was furious.

She rushed over and tried to slap Jiang Xiurun.

If it hadn’t been for the quick reflexes of the guards, she would have succeeded.

Jiang Zhi, angered by his half-sister’s rudeness, glared at her and asked, “Have you gone mad? Why would you hit someone without even saying a word?”

Jiang Xiuyao, whose chubby cheeks had long since disappeared, had changed drastically after being confined for so long.

Her pent-up anger finally erupted: “I’m hitting her! She took my name and married the Crown Prince of Great Qi, enjoying the wealth and status that should have been mine, while I was trapped in that wretched place!”

Having been pampered in the Bo royal court, she couldn’t bear the hardships of confinement.

When Feng Liwu had sent her away, she had known that Jiang Xiurun had taken her place, and it had left a deep resentment in her heart.

But since she hadn’t been able to see anyone, she had concocted a story in her mind where she was the victim of great injustice.

Jiang Zhi, hearing this absurd claim, was so shocked that he almost cursed.

The usually polite young man couldn’t help but want to swear: “Is the Crown Prince of Great Qi some country bumpkin who can’t find a wife? Do you think he would marry you knowing you had an affair and gave birth in secret? If it weren’t for Xiurun covering up your scandal, you would have shamed Bo and been executed in the royal court!”

His words were clear, but he didn’t realize that some people simply refused to listen to reason.

Jiang Xiuyao was one of them.

She lived in her own world, where her suffering was the greatest injustice, and others’ suffering was deserved.

She angrily blamed others for their misfortunes, but if anyone dared to refute her, they were being unreasonable and disrespectful.

So, when Jiang Zhi brought up her scandal, she glared at him with red eyes and said, “As my older brother and sister, instead of covering up my troubles, you took advantage of my misfortune to scheme for your own benefit. I’m not the only unmarried woman in the royal court to have a child in secret! When rumors of my pregnancy spread, didn’t the Crown Prince still accept the name ‘Jiang Xiuyao’ and marry her? Clearly, he didn’t care…”

At this point, she pointed at Jiang Xiurun and said, “It’s you, you fox, who secretly used some trick to make the Crown Prince take your place!”

Hearing this, Jiang Zhi was so angry that he trembled.

He stepped forward and slapped her, saying, “If we’re talking about foxes, none can compare to you and your mother! Your mother seduced our father and ruined our mother’s life! And you, with your lack of virtue, nearly caused a disaster and now you dare to blame others? Take your bastard child and get out of Bo! Let’s see which man, greedy for wealth, would marry a woman like you!”

Jiang Xiurun listened quietly.

In her past life, her brother had never spoken harshly of Empress Shen, adhering to the rigid Confucian values of filial piety and treating his stepmother with respect.

But today, Jiang Zhi had openly called Empress Shen a fox in front of his half-sister, tearing away the facade of familial warmth.

Her brother needed to toughen up in Luo’an City before returning to Bo.

If he remained as pedantic as he had been in her past life, wouldn’t he just become a pawn of Empress Shen?

As for Jiang Xiuyao, she had sown the seeds of her own misfortune and would have to reap the consequences.

Jiang Xiurun thought of the secret letter Ji Wujiang had sent her.

The reason Empress Shen had asked Jiang Xiurun to help send Jiang Xiuyao back to Bo wasn’t out of maternal love.

She was in a hurry to have Jiang Xiuyao return with her child to establish him as the heir of the Shen family!

Because Shen Yong and his only son, Shen Siwen, had been inspecting the border of Bo when they got into an argument with Liu Pei, a prince of Liang who was traveling incognito.

Their guards had clashed, and Shen Yong and his son had been stabbed to death by Liu Pei’s men!

To ensure the Shen family had an heir, Empress Shen decided to sacrifice her daughter.

She would have Jiang Xiuyao take on the identity of a distant cousin of the Shen family and marry Shen Siwen’s coffin, becoming a widow who would carry his spirit tablet.

This way, her child could be recognized as a member of the Shen family and uphold the family’s honor.