Chapter 132

Jiang Xiurun felt that the little one in her belly had inherited her temperament.

Ever since she realized she was pregnant, she hadn’t experienced any nausea or loss of appetite—only an increased ability to eat and sleep.

And ever since the baby started kicking, it would occasionally nudge her stomach with its tiny feet.

Jiang Xiurun would pick up the Book of Songs and read aloud.

Perhaps hearing its mother’s gentle voice, the little one would calm down for a while and stop moving about so much.

She had never expected to become a mother so soon, but having lived a second life, she had grown more composed about many things.

In her previous life, because she had been a mistress, she didn’t want her child to suffer, so she had never given birth.

This life wasn’t particularly smooth either, but at least now, she could make her own decisions.

She had accumulated wealth, freed herself from the status of a hostage princess, and was in Bo State, where the customs were more open.

People there were more accepting of a woman having a child out of wedlock.

Even if the child had no father, she could still raise them well.

Her sister-in-law, Wenniang, was skilled with her hands.

After giving birth to a daughter and finishing her confinement period, she quickly sewed many small garments for Jiang Xiurun’s baby.

She had also arranged for wet nurses and attendants well in advance, making sure Jiang Xiurun didn’t have to worry about a thing.

However, Wenniang was still a woman from the Central Plains and found it difficult to accept that a young lady would bear a child without being married.

She tentatively asked Jiang Xiurun if she wanted to find a suitable man to marry.

After all, Jiang Xiurun was a princess.

Even if it was a second marriage, she wouldn’t suffer any mistreatment.

Finding a husband would at least give her a legitimate title.

Besides, Wenniang found Ji Wujiang to be a good match.

It was said that he had been married once before, but his wife had been frail and had passed away from tuberculosis within a year of their marriage.

Since then, he had never remarried, proving himself to be a man of integrity.

He was eight years older than Jiang Xiurun—old enough to know how to cherish someone.

Ji Wujiang was also quite good-looking.

While he didn’t possess the dazzling, aristocratic beauty of the Crown Prince of Great Qi, he had a refined and scholarly appearance that was pleasant enough.

Jiang Xiurun found her sister-in-law’s matchmaking attempts both amusing and exasperating.

As she nibbled on a jujube pastry, she said, “Sister-in-law, do you really think a woman carrying another man’s child is that desirable? Lord Ji is of noble standing. He never remarried, not because he lacked the means, like some poor countryside man whose wife died and left him alone. His first marriage was an arranged childhood betrothal—an obligation rather than a choice. He knew his wife was fated for a short life, yet he still married her. If he were to remarry, it would surely be for love. Lord Ji is a man of both talent and looks, with a proud heart. Not just any woman would suit him.”

Wenniang, however, was unconvinced.

She handed a warm bowl of goat’s milk to her little sister-in-law and said, “You’re sharp when it comes to politics, but you’re completely clueless about matters of the heart. Have you not noticed? Ji Wujiang visits our residence almost daily, and whenever he sees you, he can’t take his eyes off you. Last time, you casually mentioned wanting to eat peeled Nanyang pears from Great Qi. Where in this remote land could anyone possibly find such a thing?  Yet, within a month, he delivered an entire basket of them…”

Jiang Xiurun suddenly lost her appetite.

She thought her sister-in-law was reading too much into things.

Ji Wujiang knew she was carrying Feng Liwu’s child—how could he possibly have romantic feelings for her?

Even the poorest men in the countryside, unable to afford a wife, would be unwilling to become a father like this, wouldn’t they?

So, she treated her sister-in-law’s words as idle chatter, not taking them to heart.

With nothing better to do, she picked out names from the Book of Songs, transcribing five or six at once until she became dizzy from reading them.

In the end, she simply gave up, deciding to settle on a nickname after the child was born.

Though she remained secluded in her residence, she still received timely reports from Ji Wujiang regarding affairs in the royal court.

It was uncharacteristic of Empress Shen to remain so inactive, but while the spies planted around her could confirm her frequent private meetings with her younger half-brother, Shen Hua, they had no knowledge of their discussions.

Jiang Xiurun, unable to take action for the time being, could only adopt a wait-and-see approach.

As for the situation in the Qi Dynasty, she had assumed that once the ice melted and spring arrived, Feng Liwu would make his move.

After all, he had stationed a few guards around her residence, loitering about.

She had anticipated various possibilities and made thorough preparations, yet no action was taken for a long time.

In the end, she grew anxious from waiting and decided to summon two of Feng Liwu’s guards for questioning.

To be fair, these guards had been with her in Luo’an City for quite some time—she knew their names and faces well.

Now, seeing them hiding in Yang City, leading irregular lives and enduring hardships outdoors, she couldn’t help but feel pity.

So, she treated them to fine food and drink, casually probing to understand what exactly the Crown Prince intended.

The two guards, seeing Jiang Xiurun’s openness and having nothing to hide, spoke candidly: the Crown Prince had ordered them to ensure the safety of his concubine, but he had been too preoccupied with state affairs to recall them.

Hearing this, Jiang Xiurun felt a great weight lift from her heart.

Of course, the Crown Prince was busy.

After half a year apart, even the most intense feelings would fade.

She had never expected Feng Liwu to hold onto memories of her for long—she only hoped he wouldn’t bear a grudge against her.

If he could simply let go, then all those sleepless nights she had spent drafting waterway construction plans wouldn’t have been in vain.

Forced by circumstances, she had used the Crown Prince’s reputation as a shield.

Now, rumors linked her unborn child to him.

She didn’t care what others thought, but she did worry that if these guards ever reported this to Feng Liwu, it could create complications.

So, with a gentle smile, she reassured them, explaining that she had left the Crown Prince’s estate because she couldn’t conceive, and that the child she now carried wasn’t his.

For their sake, she insisted there was no need to inform the Crown Prince about something as trivial as a dismissed concubine’s pregnancy.

She spoke skillfully, and since she was not yet visibly pregnant, it was impossible to determine the exact timing.

The guards exchanged glances, thinking: This concubine is no simple woman!

Had she really taken another man so soon after leaving the Crown Prince?

To be honest, after all this time, the Crown Prince hadn’t inquired about her, and they weren’t eager to bring it up either.

They only hoped their master still remembered them and wouldn’t let them waste away in this foreign land.

And so, since Feng Liwu made no moves, Jiang Xiurun gradually let go of her worries and focused solely on awaiting the birth of her child.

Summer ended early in Bo.

As the weather turned cooler, Jiang Xiurun finally went into labor.

The child was remarkably easy to deliver—so much so that the midwives she had hired in advance weren’t even needed.

She had been taking a stroll in the garden when her water suddenly broke.

The maids hurriedly supported her to a nearby pavilion, and by the time the midwife arrived, the baby had already crowned.

With one final push, the child was born.

Jiang Xiurun was bewildered.

Hadn’t she always heard that childbirth was like passing through the gates of hell, requiring hours of labor?

How had her baby simply slipped out with only a few brief pangs of pain?

The midwife’s job turned out to be effortless—she quickly sterilized a pair of scissors in boiling water and cut the umbilical cord.

The child, a boy, weighed exactly seven jin, making for an easy birth.

(T/N: 1 Jin=500 grams)

His healthy lungs filled the air as he coughed up amniotic fluid and let out his first cries.

When Jiang Xiurun was finally moved to the birthing room, she cradled the swaddled infant in her arms and gazed at his tiny, pursed lips.

His features were unmistakable—he looked exactly like his father.

There was something indescribable about the experience of nursing a child for the first time.

In the end, Jiang Xiurun dismissed the wet nurse she had prepared in advance and chose to breastfeed him herself.

Wealthy women typically avoided nursing their own children—some found it too exhausting, while others wished to recover their figures quickly, fearing they would lose favor in their polygamous households.

But Jiang Xiurun had no need to vie for a man’s affections, so she had no such concerns.

Besides, the child’s father had lost his own mother at a young age, growing up into an eccentric and difficult man.

She had no intention of letting her son walk the same lonely path.

As long as she could, she would raise him herself.

Besides nursing and playing with the baby, there was little else for her to do during her postpartum confinement.

Her sister-in-law, Wenniang, handled the household affairs outside, while her father refused to relinquish power in court.

Ji Wujiang kept things under control, ensuring there were no immediate troubles.

Thus, she devoted herself to choosing a suitable name for her son.

In the end, she gave him the humble nickname Baoli—”Precious Carp.”

A simple, modest name, like that of a fish, ensuring he would grow up healthy and free.

Newborns did little but eat and sleep, growing plumper by the day.

Looking at her baby’s round cheeks, Jiang Xiurun felt reassured—keeping him had been the right choice.

Though her brother and sister-in-law were family, she had always felt lonely.

Now, with this little life bound to her by blood, her second chance at life suddenly felt more meaningful.

Just as she was about to complete her postpartum confinement, shocking news arrived from the Qi Dynasty.

The Emperor, Duanqing, had been assassinated—his life was hanging by a thread!

Bo was located in a remote area with limited access to information.

By the time news from Great Qi arrived, it was unclear how long ago it had happened, let alone whether Emperor Duanqing was alive or dead.

However, no one was more shocked by this news than Jiang Xiurun.

After all, in her past life, even at the time of her death, Emperor Duanqing had been alive and well—he had never been seriously injured in an assassination attempt!

But upon further reflection, she suddenly understood.

It wasn’t that Emperor Duanqing had never been assassinated in her past life.

Rather, he had been saved by Dou Siwu, who had taken an arrow for him.

At that time, Dou Siwu had been expelled from the academy, but thanks to his family’s connections, he had managed to slip into the Imperial Guards.

His heroic act of shielding the emperor had earned him great merit, paving the way for his meteoric rise in status.

In this life, however, things had changed.

Dou Siwu had never been expelled by Master Mufeng and had instead gained the favor of Feng Liwu.

With his own abilities, he had joined the elite Jingwu Camp of Great Qi’s military early on.

Naturally, this meant he hadn’t been standing beside Emperor Duanqing when the assassination occurred—there was no one to take the fatal blow for him this time!

But if Emperor Duanqing was now gravely ill, did that not mean Feng Liwu would ascend the throne even sooner?

After all, the second prince, Feng Wu, had been lured into besieging three counties and was now trapped in the perilous city.

Even with the support of the Meng family, it was highly unlikely he would be able to return to Luo’an to fight for the throne.

As for Feng Liwu, despite being out of favor with Emperor Duanqing, he had been quietly building his power in the shadows.

He had always been discreet and patient, and even though she had once been both his close aide and concubine, she had never been able to fully grasp the extent of his hidden resources.

In her previous life, even when Feng Liwu was at a great disadvantage, Emperor Duanqing had never dared to depose him as the crown prince.

Now, with the emperor gravely wounded, it was only natural that Feng Liwu would take the throne.

Years of patience and endurance had finally led to an inevitable outcome.

Knowing Feng Liwu’s nature, she doubted Emperor Duanqing would recover from this wound.

For some reason, Jiang Xiurun felt a sudden tightness in her chest.

Would the new emperor of Great Qi honor his promises?

Would the alliance that Emperor Duanqing had sworn between Great Qi and Bo—a century-long pact of peace—still hold?