Chapter 126

After the physician spoke, he immediately regretted it, feeling that he had misspoken and would inevitably suffer a beating.

However, after a brief silence, the master and servant simply dismissed him from the room.

The elegant nobleman who had called for him handed him some silver and instructed him not to spread the news before letting him go.

The physician quickly realized the situation—this patient was likely a noblewoman disguised as a man.

Given that she was staying at the governor’s residence, as a mere country physician, he dared not speak carelessly and risk ruining her reputation.

Otherwise, wouldn’t he end up being thrown into prison by the local governor?

So, when he returned to his clinic and was confronted by two burly men with foreign accents, who tried to bribe him with gold bars in exchange for information about the patient’s identity and condition, he remained tight-lipped.

He lied, saying it was merely a distinguished guest suffering from a headache after catching a chill.

—

Meanwhile, no matter how much Jiang Xiurun had calculated and planned, she had never expected to be pregnant.

Even Qian’er, who was usually quick-witted, was momentarily speechless.

Ji Wujiang paced back and forth, unable to stay still.

He knew that Jiang Xiurun would never return to Luo’an City.

This child… could not be kept! But as a man, how could he possibly persuade a royal woman to terminate the pregnancy?

And so, he continued pacing, searching for a better solution.

Surprisingly, Jiang Xiurun was the first to regain her composure.

Based on the physician’s words, she was already two months along—almost three.

At this stage, even if she took an abortifacient, it wouldn’t be entirely effective.

Thinking carefully, the timing matched.

This child must have been conceived during that one reckless moment of passion.

Yet when the physician first spoke, her first reaction had been to worry whether the medicine she had previously taken had harmed the child in her womb.

This instinctive concern was almost laughable to her.

But just as Jiang Xiuyao had once taunted her, she was not the first royal woman to become pregnant out of wedlock.

Others before her had either secretly terminated the pregnancy or given birth in secrecy and sent the child away.

However, Jiang Xiurun wanted neither of those options.

Now that the child existed, it was fate.

This was ‘her’ child—she could raise them herself.

Jiang Xiurun was not the type to waver once she had made up her mind.

Since she had decided, she would no longer be troubled by it.

She parted her lips slightly and spoke to Ji Wujiang, who was still pacing in circles, “Lord Ji, if you have nothing else to do, why don’t you sit down and talk?”

Ji Wujiang, reminded of his own improper behavior, quickly stopped and thanked her before sitting down.

He hesitated, then tentatively said, “Your Highness, now that you are with child, I fear returning to the royal court will be inconvenient. If you have any thoughts on how to handle the situation, perhaps it would be best to resolve it here in this small town, to avoid any rumors spreading.”

Jiang Xiurun smiled faintly and asked, “Lord Ji, you know my father best. Given his nature, what do you think he would do if a divorced and childless princess were to return to the royal court?”

Ji Wujiang pondered for a moment before answering, “If Your Highness were someone who simply accepted your fate, he would likely arrange another political marriage for you with a foreign nation…”

Jiang Xiurun let out a bitter smile.

“As expected, Lord Ji understands my father well. That is precisely why I don’t need to hide this pregnancy from him. However, there is no need to tell him who the child’s father is. If he assumes I had an affair and bore a child of unknown parentage, it will kill his thoughts of marrying me off for political gain. In the end, he will likely choose to ignore me and let me live in exile outside the palace, left to fend for myself. That way, I will have more freedom to act as I please.”

Ji Wujiang had long since come to trust Jiang Xiurun’s judgment without question.

When a brilliant mind submits to another of equal brilliance, such loyalty can sometimes be frightening.

Moreover, Jiang Xiurun’s calm demeanor regarding this unexpected pregnancy—as if she had merely gained a bit of weight—made Ji Wujiang feel that his earlier panic had been excessive.

At present, the more pressing matter was not how to handle the child in Jiang Xiurun’s womb, but how to ensure that Prince Jiang Zhi could return to the royal court and solidify his power, preventing Empress Shen from oppressing him any further.

Thus, the two quickly moved on from discussing the unborn child and focused on their strategic plans.

Previously, although Emperor Jiang had written to the Crown Prince of Great Qi, promising to keep Jiang Xiurun’s secret of impersonating Jiang Herun, the royal court of Bo had always recognized only two people being sent away initially—Prince Jiang Zhi and Princess Jiang Xiurun.

The name “Jiang Herun” no longer had any purpose in Bo.

As they approached Yang City, the capital of Bo, Jiang Xiurun changed back into women’s attire.

Previously, she had told Empress Shen that when her younger sister, Jiang Xiuyao, returned, she did not need to conceal her identity.

She could simply use her real surname and marry directly into the Shen family.

When Bo’s historians recorded these events, they would write that Princess Jiang Xiuyao had been sent to Great Qi as a political hostage, returned the following year, and became the widow of the late Shen Siwen.

This way, while Jiang Xiuyao remained a widow, she could rightfully maintain the status and dignity of a princess.

When the eldest prince, Jiang Zhi, and Princess Jiang Xiurun, who had been away from their homeland for a long time, entered the capital of the Bo, there were no carriages or horses clearing the way.

Despite being the wealthiest city of a small frontier nation, the capital had recently become somewhat desolate.

However, Bo was not entirely devoid of those who understood proper etiquette.

Several senior ministers had been waiting at the city gates early in anticipation of welcoming the prince and princess.

Jiang Xiurun sent word to her brother before personally stepping out of the carriage to meet these old ministers.

These ministers would be the foundation for her and her brother to establish their position in the royal court, so they had to be treated with utmost sincerity.

If she had learned anything from serving by Feng Liwu’s side for so long, where neither her father nor mother favored her, it was that children who were born without favor had no right to complain about fate.

Every ounce of respect had to be earned through their own efforts.

If ten times the effort wasn’t enough, then a hundred times would be needed.

She would never allow herself to be trampled underfoot.

Now that she and her brother had returned to their homeland, the situation wasn’t entirely in their favor, but it wasn’t hopeless either.

The connections left behind by General Sheng Ye, their mother’s admirer, had been tidied up by Ji Wujiang and were now even more useful.

Furthermore, Jiang Xiurun had a significant amount of gold in her possession, giving her the means to maneuver.

As for her elder brother, his studies in Luo’an City had broadened his knowledge and perspective.

His wife, Wenniang, had invested in properties in Luo’an City, but she also owned numerous estates in other countries, including shops in the capital of Bo.

In their father’s palace, the most favored concubine was someone Ji Wujiang had arranged.

Meanwhile, Empress Shen, the woman who had tormented their mother to death, had lost most of her backing.

Compared to when she and her brother had first left Bo, utterly helpless and at the mercy of others, their current situation was far from something to complain about.

By the time the Emperor of Bo summoned the two siblings, it was already nightfall.

Having just climbed out of the embrace of his newly acquired concubines, King Jiang’s legs were still weak.

If not for the beauties urging him to meet his long-lost son and daughter, he truly wouldn’t have wanted to get up.

However, the moment he saw Jiang Xiurun, he couldn’t help but recall the humiliation he suffered at the Mochi Literary Gathering, where he had been disgraced by her and that ugly maid of hers.

His anger flared instantly.

Now that he was back in his own court, as the ruler of a nation, he could deal with this unfilial daughter however he pleased!

With this thought, before even sitting down properly, Emperor Jiang’s expression turned severe as he bellowed at Jiang Xiurun, “Unfilial daughter, kneel!”

Jiang Zhi’s heart tightened at these words.

To be honest, after leaving their homeland and spending time in Luo’an City, he had come to realize that if it weren’t for his sister’s strength, he wouldn’t have had such a comfortable life.

Didn’t he see how many young hostages from weaker states in Luo’an City were neglected, left to suffer from hunger, their faces gaunt and sickly?

Yet the very sister who was supposed to rely on him had instead taken care of him meticulously, ensuring he had a wife and child while she endured all the hardship.

A few days ago, when he was stunned to learn that his sister was pregnant, he was completely numb with shock.

He even thought that if not for his sake, his sister might never have left the crown prince.

She could have stayed in Great Qi as a concubine, living a stable life—wouldn’t that be better than returning to Bo to suffer?

Now that his sister was pregnant yet had no husband by her side to care for her, what was he supposed to do?

It wasn’t until his wife, Wenniang, asked him in astonishment, “How did your younger brother suddenly turn into a girl?” that he broke down in her arms, sobbing uncontrollably.

To be honest, his guilt toward his sister far outweighed any filial respect he had for their father.

So when he saw that their father’s first reaction upon seeing them was not to offer words of concern but to demand that his sister kneel, he was filled with rage.

Just as he was about to speak up, Jiang Xiurun tugged at his sleeve, signaling him to stay calm.

She then turned to their father and said, “Since I carry the imperial edict from the Son of Heaven of Great Qi, I must ask for your forgiveness, Father, as I cannot kneel for greetings at this time.”

Upon hearing this, Emperor Jiang’s eyes lit up.

Forgetting his anger toward his daughter, he quickly said, “Why didn’t you say so earlier? Hurry up and read the imperial edict!”

Jiang Xiurun then signaled a servant to present the edict, which she unfolded and read aloud.

When Emperor Duanqing of Great Qi wrote this edict, he had three counties firmly in his grasp and was in an excellent mood.

Thus, his words were unusually cordial, emphasizing the eternal friendship between Great Qi and Bo.

Listening to this, Emperor Jiang was overjoyed, feeling as if he had secured an alliance with an unshakable pillar.

His heart was instantly at ease.

As soon as Jiang Xiurun finished reading the edict, Emperor Jiang completely forgot about punishing his rebellious daughter and hurriedly asked, “Did the emperor of Great Qi say when he will send troops to help me defeat the Rong?”

Jiang Xiurun silently suppressed the urge to roll her eyes and respectfully said to her father, “Great Qi has only just ceased military operations and likely cannot launch a distant expedition. It seems that the trouble with Rong will have to be resolved by us alone.”

Back then, Emperor Jiang had overestimated his own strength, attempting to annex Rong, only to end up being utterly humiliated in defeat.

Now, with Rong frequently harassing the borders, the people of Bo lived in constant fear.

On top of that, they had carelessly fallen into a conflict with Liu Pei of Liang, putting them in a precarious situation.

Even Yang City, once bustling with commerce, had become noticeably desolate.

Upon hearing that Great Qi’s support was nothing more than flowery words and that no actual troops would be sent to crush Rong, Emperor Jiang immediately felt deflated.

However, the fact that he had the imperial edict from Great Qi was still useful—it could at least serve to intimidate both Rong and Liang.

While Emperor Jiang was still lost in his calculations, Jiang Zhi and Jiang Xiurun quietly and safely withdrew from the royal court.

Just as they stepped out, Empress Shen’s attendants arrived with a message: their former living quarters had already been given to the emperor’s new favorite concubine. For the night, they would have to make do with the lower quarters where palace servants resided.

As for when their proper chambers would be vacated again—well, that was uncertain.

Jiang Xiurun listened to Empress Shen’s blatant power play with a bright, smiling expression.

Then, she told the palace maid delivering the message, “Go back and tell Empress Shen that there’s no need for her esteemed self to trouble over this matter. My brother and I have already secured a residence outside the palace. We have just informed Father as well, so there’s no need for us to stay in the palace.”

Empress Shen had been holding in her frustrations for quite some time.

Her fall from favor, the tragic deaths of her brother and nephew, and her daughter being forced to establish a separate household for the Shen family had all left her seething.

Now that the Jiang siblings had returned, they were the perfect targets for her to vent her anger on—after all, they had always been easy to bully.

But to her surprise, the two of them didn’t even care about being assigned to the servant quarters and simply chose to move out instead.

Empress Shen grew suspicious and sent people to investigate which foolish old minister had dared to lend them a residence.

The report she received, however, left her stunned—Jiang Zhi and Jiang Xiurun had moved into a luxurious mansion built on land purchased by Ji Wujiang, complete with extravagant carvings and opulent decorations.