Chapter 128

In the end, it was Ji Wujiang who heard the sudden rumbling of the princess’s stomach and realized that he had delayed her meal.

He quickly ordered the kitchen to prepare food.

Jiang Xiurun thought Ji Wujiang was truly a considerate and understanding minister.

Once the food was served and she had taken a couple of bites, she felt much more composed and calm.

She smiled and said, “Right now, the Crown Prince of Qi has just returned to the capital after his campaign. He still needs to hold his grand wedding with the Yang family’s daughter and deal with the power struggle over military authority after the war. For now, he won’t have time to concern himself with us. It would be better to focus on Bo’s internal affairs.”

Ji Wujiang had never truly understood the love and hate between Jiang Xiurun and Feng Liwu, but now, seeing that she was carrying the child of Qi’s Crown Prince yet still chose to leave, he couldn’t help but feel some sympathy for Feng Liwu.

The world was full of beautiful women, but those like Jiang Xiurun—both stunning and wise—were rare indeed.

Ji Wujiang didn’t know what the Crown Prince was thinking at this moment, but if he put himself in his place, he felt that any man who lost a woman like Jiang Xiurun would surely feel a sting in his heart.

Even if he took a new bride, he would likely never forget the old one.

Ji Wujiang didn’t allow himself to dwell on it.

Just as Jiang Xiurun had said, Bo’s internal affairs were already in chaos.

He thought for a moment and said, “I have already discussed with the senior ministers about bringing Prince Jiang Zhi into court to assist in governance. Has the eldest prince prepared himself for this responsibility?”

In truth, Ji Wujiang had always hoped Jiang Xiurun would enter the court and take charge of state affairs herself.

However, this couldn’t happen overnight.

The era of saintly empress ruling Bo was long past, and besides, the old ministers still remembered Jiang Xiurun as the little princess who used to cry all the time—hardly someone who could command their respect.

Furthermore, now that she was with child, she wouldn’t have the energy to deal with the complexities of governance.

Thus, having Jiang Zhi maintain a semblance of stability was the next best option.

But Jiang Xiurun disagreed.

She knew all too well how deep a pit Bo was—always on the verge of being annihilated by Liang. Her brother, Jiang Zhi, may have grown wiser from his time in Luo’an City, but deep down, there were things about him that would never change.

She didn’t want him to get involved in politics, lest he be dragged into Bo’s mess and ultimately sacrifice himself for the nation.

So, when Ji Wujiang proposed that Jiang Zhi take on a governing role, she rejected it outright.

Instead, she suggested that the court establish schools and academies, accepting students regardless of social status, and selecting officials based on talent.

Jiang Zhi could take charge of these institutions, guiding the next generation.

Bo was a lost cause.

Jiang Xiurun had no illusions about making it her home or securing a future here—it was merely a stepping stone for her and her brother to escape their status as hostages.

Once the time was right, and if Feng Liwu was willing to let her go, she would take her brother and sister-in-law far away.

So, she didn’t pay much attention to Ji Wujiang’s next words.

Ji Wujiang, however, seemed to notice her absent-mindedness.

After a brief silence, he invited her to visit the farmlands the next day.

Although Bo was small, its fertile lands had made it prosperous.

Frequent trade with foreign merchants had brought wealth to its cities.

At least in Jiang Xiurun’s eyes, the people of Bo never seemed to lack food and drink.

But when they left Yang City and entered the countryside, the reality was far grimmer.

Despite the chilling winter, many commoners were clad in nothing but thin garments, and some even went bare-chested, wrapped only in straw cloaks.

The stench of poverty was so strong that even from inside the carriage, Jiang Xiurun could smell it.

She saw wooden basins placed along the roadside, each containing an infant—children abandoned because their families could not afford to raise them.

Most of these children would never be adopted.

In the end, they would be thrown into the river, leaving their fate to the will of the heavens.

Jiang Xiurun recalled following her mother on visits to the countryside in her youth.

Back then, Bo’s villages had been prosperous, and the people had lived in peace and contentment.

Perhaps noticing her change in expression, Ji Wujiang said, “Emperor Jiang has been overly focused on diplomacy, imposing heavy tributes that have left the people burdened. The wealth accumulated by the late Emperor of Bo has nearly been squandered over the years. Though Bo is small, it holds a geographically crucial position. It has survived despite being surrounded by powerful enemies because of its past strength. But if the people continue to suffer like this, it will not be long before the state collapses.

“That is why I have eagerly awaited your return, Jiang Xiurun. You have the makings of a wise ruler. During your time in Qi, your governance far outshone that of the princes. I hope you will not let down the expectations of the court’s elder ministers. Only you can pull Bo out of this abyss.”

Jiang Xiurun listened to his words and looked once more at the suffering of the people before her.

After a moment of silence, she replied, “But the rise and fall of a nation is determined by fate. How can one person change the course of destiny?”

Upon hearing this, Ji Wujiang knelt on the dirt embankment of the field, clasped his hands together, and declared, “You are not alone, Jiang Xiurun! We are all willing to support you, to dedicate our lives to Bo, and to serve you with unwavering loyalty!”

That day, Jiang Xiurun said nothing further to Ji Wujiang.

Instead, she ordered Qian’er to distribute all the silver she had with her to help the families selling their children.

But she knew that no amount of gold or silver would be enough.

Those infants, still wailing in their wooden basins, would ultimately face an uncertain fate.

Perhaps because of her pregnancy, the image of those abandoned babies haunted her dreams that night.

The world she lived in now was vastly different from her past life.

She had long accepted that being reborn meant she had the power to change fate.

But all she had ever wanted was to save herself and her brother—could she really afford to save Bo as well?

Ji Wujiang was cunning.

The places he took her that day were the very same ones her mother had shown her and her brother on their childhood tours.

Her mother, a princess of the late Emperor of Bo, had once spoken with a gentle and proud voice, recounting the struggles of their ancestors as they journeyed through mountains and rivers to establish this land.

Half-asleep, Jiang Xiurun could almost hear her mother’s voice again, holding her close and whispering,

“My little Xiurun, in the language of our ancestors, your name—Xiurun—means miracle. You are the miracle that heaven has bestowed upon Bo…”

When Jiang Xiurun woke up, she lay in bed for a long time.

She knew the meaning behind the name her mother had given her—when her mother was six months pregnant with her, she had nearly suffered a miscarriage due to the schemes of Concubine Shen, who was merely a concubine at the time. It had taken great effort to stabilize the pregnancy and successfully give birth to her.

And thinking carefully about both of her lifetimes, wasn’t her entire existence filled with unexpected twists and miraculous turns?

The academy she arranged for her brother was not in Yang City but in Fan County, a location with convenient transportation.

This not only made it easier for her sister-in-law Wenniang to conduct business but also ensured that, should the political situation change, her arrangements would allow her to swiftly move her brother and his family to safety.

Since she had nothing better to do, now that she had returned to her homeland, she might as well see if she could live up to her name and bring some measure of fortune to Bo.

Her father, the emperor, was lost in indulgence, neglecting court affairs for a long time.

Previously, the Shen family had held control over political matters.

Now, with Shen Yong and Shen Siwen both dead, the Shen family’s power had passed to Shen Yong’s younger brother, Shen Hua.

Shen Hua bore a striking resemblance to Shen Yong in temperament—both were insatiably greedy.

Years ago, Shen Hua had already coveted the beauty of Jiang Xiurun, the eldest princess of Bo.

However, his legitimate sister, Empress Shen, had insisted on sending Jiang Xiurun and her brother to Qi as hostages, thus making him lose his chance at possessing her.

Now that Jiang Xiurun had returned to Bo, Shen Hua’s desires were rekindled.

He schemed to take her into his household, thereby strengthening his ties with the emperor.

After all, his own young and beautiful daughter had already been sent to the palace by his sister to secure favor, so taking a royal princess as his wife would be a fitting exchange.

When he brought up this idea to Empress Shen, his niece, Yao—who had come to visit her mother—immediately sneered, “You actually want that used-up plaything discarded by the Crown Prince of Qi? You’re not even ashamed?”

Even Empress Shen found her illegitimate brother’s lustful expression distasteful.

If it weren’t for the fact that there was no other suitable candidate in the Shen family at the moment, she would never have allowed such a man to temporarily hold the position of general.

But Shen Hua was unbothered.

He smirked and said with hidden meaning, “Yao, you’re mistaken. You know I’ve never cared about a woman’s purity. It wouldn’t be the first time I’ve enjoyed someone else’s leftovers.”

Yao, who had taken on the title of the main wife in the Shen family, intended for her son to inherit the Shen family’s legacy.

Shen Hua, though temporarily in charge, resented this.

Moreover, his widowed niece-in-law was a restless one—still young, she had been confined in Qi for so long, and the two of them had been exchanging flirtatious glances for some time.

Now, Yao’s words were clearly laced with jealousy, and Shen Hua wasted no time in throwing veiled jabs back at her.

Empress Shen had no interest in meddling with the messy affairs of the Shen family’s inner chambers.

She turned a blind eye to her daughter’s complaints.

She didn’t particularly care about Jiang Xiurun, still seeing her as the same tearful little girl she had once been.

But the current political climate was precarious—Rong had been eyeing Bo like a predator for some time.

Jiang Xiurun’s beauty was not something that should go to waste.

Rather than allowing her to become Shen Hua’s plaything, it would be far better to send her to Rong as part of a marriage alliance.

Thus, when Shen Hua once again brought up marrying Jiang Xiurun, Empress Shen outright rejected him.

The Shen family’s prosperity was tied to Bo’s fate.

It was said that Jiang Xiurun had once captivated the cold and indifferent Crown Prince of Qi, a man known for his lack of interest in women.

If she could manage that, then she was clearly an enchantress with exceptional skills in the bedroom.

If that was the case, why not send her to Rong? Perhaps she could win Bo some breathing room.

When Empress Shen proposed this idea to King Jiang, he was in the bath with his newly favored concubine—Shen Wa’er, the youthful and beautiful niece that Consort Shen had personally sent to him.

Empress Shen had abandoned her former jealousy, deliberately offering up a lovely young relative to please the emperor.

Delighted by this gesture, Empress Jiang waved a hand and said, “The princess’s marriage is naturally something for you, her mother, to arrange. If the King of Rong is willing to form an alliance through marriage, all the better. Go ahead and take care of it… Ah, my dear little Wa’er, such a clever mouth you have—again, just like that…”

Behind the heavy steam and veils, the sounds of debauchery filled the chamber.

Emperor Shen suppressed her jealousy and left the king’s quarters.

For now, she could not afford to be jealous.

It was better for the emperor to be obsessed with Shen Wa’er than to be enamored with the seductress that Ji Wujiang had sent into the palace.

As long as she successfully handled the matter of Rong and secured the support of the court’s senior officials, the Shen family would remain standing.

When the time came, she would find a way to retrieve her youngest son and secure his claim to the throne.

Once she became the Empress Dowager, neither Ji Wujiang nor Jiang Zhi would escape her wrath!

Just as the royal edict summoning Princess Jiang Xiurun to the palace was issued, she also received a letter from a distant land.

Unfolding the letter, she found a single line of bold, forceful calligraphy:

I will not marry Yang. Let bygones be bygones. Will you return?