Chapter 136 of

Although the beauty of the fair maiden was breathtaking, leaving the gathered rulers in awe, their admiration quickly turned to discomfort once they regained their senses.

The Emperor of Wugan furrowed his brows and spoke up, “As the host nation, why has the Emperor of Bo yet to make an appearance?”

Jiang Zhi interjected from the side, “I am the Eldest Prince of Bo. My father, the emperor, has fallen ill due to an adverse reaction to the local climate—suffering from severe diarrhea and extreme fatigue, rendering him bedridden. To ensure that his condition does not dampen the spirits of the assembled rulers, he has entrusted my sister and me with hosting this gathering in his stead.”

Truthfully, few among the rulers present cared much about the Emperor of Bo; his presence or absence made little difference.

However, for such a small state to display even a hint of negligence was something they could not easily forgive.

The Emperor of Wugan glared, about to press the issue further, when Jiang Xiurun spoke up, “This year’s alliance meeting has seen a notable number of crown princes and heirs in attendance, offering us all a great opportunity for learning. My father, upon hearing that the esteemed Prince Liu Pei and other royal heirs would be present, felt reassured entrusting my brother to host this gathering. Firstly, it allows him to study the art of governance from the distinguished rulers here; secondly, it enables him to form new connections with fellow heirs he has yet to meet. Would you not agree, Emperor of Wugan?”

Indeed, Liang had sent Prince Liu Pei to represent them at this alliance meeting.

As a great power, Liang would typically disdain attending a gathering dominated by small states, and sending a prince at all was already a gesture of goodwill.

Now that Jiang Xiurun had invoked Liu Pei’s presence as precedent, the Emperor of Wugan found it difficult to argue that a prince’s attendance was disrespectful.

To do so would be to indirectly slight the prince of Liang.

Moreover, the meeting’s protocols were flawless, and even the seating arrangements had been adjusted—round tables replacing hierarchical placements—to symbolize the equality of all participating nations, great and small.

There was no ground to accuse the hosts of negligence.

And if, as Jiang Zhi claimed, the emperor of Bo truly suffered from severe diarrhea, it would be unreasonable to force him to attend.

With that, the topic was dropped.

However, in the eyes of the gathered rulers, the one presiding over the event was clearly the Eldest Prince Jiang Zhi.

As for the princess—why was she here? Could it be that she had reached marriageable age and was using this opportunity, with so many rulers present, to find a husband?

For a moment, the Emperors and crown princes exchanged knowing glances, their eyes carrying a hint of intrigue as they looked at Jiang Xiurun.

Liu Pei, however, merely smiled and took a seat beside her, remarking, “It seems my presence has saved you from trouble, Princess Jiang. It has been some time since we last met—you have grown even more radiant.”

Jiang Xiurun responded with a subtle smile, saying nothing more.

If her calculations were correct, Liu Pei should soon be ascending the throne of Liang.

In her past life, after inheriting the throne, he expanded Liang’s territories like a rising phoenix, revealing his true nature as a war-hungry conqueror.

She would need to be particularly cautious in preventing this predator from devouring Bo.

Though Jiang Xiurun preferred not to speak, Liu Pei was in a conversational mood.

As the rulers engaged in polite exchanges, he leaned in slightly and said in a low voice, “Ever since I heard you left Luo’an, I have been concerned about your fate. My feelings are sincere, Princess Jiang—you must not always assume the worst of me.”

His words left Jiang Xiurun with no choice but to respond.

She turned slightly to face him and said with measured politeness, “What do you mean, Prince Liu? If anything, I must apologize for offending you back in Luo’an—I had no choice but to serve my liege faithfully.”

At this, Liu Pei’s smile deepened, though his eyes remained cold.

“Some things are best left unspoken. If we were to revisit the past, I might have to hold you accountable for single-handedly dismantling my strategy to suppress agriculture in favor of sericulture.”

Liang had always harbored wariness toward Qi and had deliberately sought to undermine its foundations—disrupting its economy by inflating the price of silk, encouraging farmers to abandon rice fields in favor of silk production.

However, Jiang Xiurun had effortlessly neutralized this scheme by implementing a simple sericulture tax.

Later, she even adopted Liang’s own methods, constructing irrigation canals to strengthen agricultural output.

Though she had since left Qi, the primary irrigation system was already in place, doubling local grain production.

Liang’s strategy to weaken Qi had failed, and the substantial financial investment they had poured into it had gone to waste.

Jiang Xiurun had originally intended to be courteous, but since Liu Pei had chosen to dredge up old disputes, she saw no need to hold back.

“Promoting silk production while suppressing agriculture is nothing new—it was a strategy first used by Chancellor Guan Zhong in the Spring and Autumn period. Qi’s Crown Prince saw through it on his own; you can hardly place the blame on me. Besides, I am merely a woman. How could I possibly harbor such cunning? I only carried out the Crown Prince’s orders. If you must blame someone, blame the historians who recorded Chancellor Guan’s strategies in such detail, leaving little room for later generations to use them.”

A beautiful woman, whether pouting or smiling, was always a sight to behold.

Even though Liu Pei knew she was feigning ignorance and playing dumb, the way she shot him a sidelong glance was enough to make one’s heart waver.

So even as she mocked him for recycling ancient tactics, Liu Pei did not take offense.

After all, he was hardly the first man to be utterly infuriated by her charm.

Rumors swirled regarding the reason the hostage prince of Bo had been allowed to return home.

Some claimed that Feng Liwu had grown tired of her and dismissed his concubine, Yao, as well.

But Liu Pei refused to believe that.

A woman as brilliant and shrewd as Jiang Xiurun could never have relied solely on her beauty.

Even if she had won favor through intimate companionship, no man—not unless he was blind or a fool—would be willing to let go of her.

In his view, Feng Liwu must have been outmaneuvered.

Ever since the Crown Prince of Qi ascended the throne, he had ruled with the ruthless cunning of a tiger or a wolf.

Clearly, he had been suppressing his ambitions all along.

Men in power, at their core, were no different from three-year-old children squabbling over toys.

Authority only magnified human greed.

Liu Pei had long been captivated by Jiang Xiurun.

Now that she had left Feng Liwu and returned to Bo, once again an unwed maiden, his desire for her grew stronger.

He was not one for unnecessary pleasantries.

With a woman as astute as Jiang Xiurun, there was no need for excessive flattery or pretense.

So after a few casual exchanges, Liu Pei got straight to the point.

“Staying in the Bo royal court indefinitely is no solution. I have long admired you, and my feelings have never wavered. After this alliance meeting, I intend to formally propose to Emperor Jiang—to take you as my wife and bring you back to Liang. What do you say?”

Jiang Xiurun had not expected Liu Pei to express such intentions, and she looked at him with surprise before offering a tactful reminder.

“Perhaps you are unaware, but I recently gave birth to a son. As a fallen woman, I am unworthy of your noble status.”

Bo and Liang were neighboring states, and Liu Pei had always kept a close watch on Jiang Xiurun.

There was no way he did not know about her child.

Yet looking at her now, with her delicate waist that seemed as if it could be encircled by a single hand, it was hard to believe she had ever borne a child.

Among noblewomen, remarriage with children was not unheard of.

For a beauty like Jiang Xiurun, Liu Pei was more than willing to accept it.

Thus, without hesitation, he replied, “You need not concern yourself with that. Even the former Empress of Liang remarried with a child. My grandfather treated her son as his own, and he is now a prince of Liang, enjoying noble status. If you marry me, I will treat your son well.”

Jiang Xiurun was indeed aware of this particular piece of Liang’s royal history, but she hadn’t expected such a family tradition to persist so well.

Liu Pei was utterly unfazed by the idea of marrying a woman who had given birth out of wedlock.

If her father were still alive and learned that Feng Liwu’s letter was a forgery—meaning they had lost Qi’s protection—he would likely have been tempted by Liu Pei’s proposal.

However, now that her father had already passed into the Yellow Springs, Jiang Xiurun had no concerns about anyone selling her off for political gain.

By this time, the rulers attending the alliance meeting had mostly arrived.

With the formal proceedings about to begin, it was no longer appropriate to dwell on matters of romance.

The central topic of this year’s alliance was the drastic shift in power among the states after the new emperor of Qi took over Wei.

A sense of unease loomed over every country, as no one knew who Qi’s next target would be.

Jiang Xiurun remained silent—she had seen the map carved into Feng Liwu’s desk in his study.

No matter how vast and splendid the land, it could never fill the bottomless void of ambition in that man’s heart.

However, for now, these small northwestern states were unlikely to catch the new Qi Emperor’s eye.

The real danger lay with Han and the other former allies of Qi, who now found themselves in precarious positions.

Especially Han—Feng Liwu had long planted hidden agents there, particularly along the Grand Canal.

By now, even if the Han emperor ordered the canal to be filled in, it was already too late.

The only question was whether Feng Liwu would spare his father-in-law for the sake of his concubine, Tian Ying.

Still, Qi’s sudden display of military ambition did have one potential benefit—Jiang Xiurun observed the pensive look in Liu Pei’s eyes as he studied the map.

If Qi kept Liang occupied, it would be much harder for them to run rampant and annex states at will, as they had in her past life.

And since Liu Pei had just hinted at an alliance through marriage, she saw no need to outright embarrass him.

A diplomatic delay was a viable strategy—she could even agree in principle for the time being.

With the period of mourning for her father soon to begin, she could later use her heavy mourning attire as a reason to postpone the matter indefinitely.

If Liang could be persuaded to grant Bo some breathing room, then even in this chaotic and unpredictable era, Bo might still find a way to push forward.

Amidst the heated discussions among the rulers, a guard arrived to report to the eldest Prince Jiang Zhi, “The special envoy from the Qi Dynasty has arrived and is currently dismounting from his carriage.”

As the host, Bo was naturally expected to extend a proper welcome.

Jiang Zhi immediately set down his wine cup and, accompanied by his attendants, went forth to receive the envoy.

As the envoy approached, Jiang Xiurun lifted her gaze for a glance—and saw that Qi’s emperor truly seemed to have set his sights on the northwestern states.

The envoy was none other than Ji Binglin, the man she had personally recommended to Feng Liwu.

When Ji Binglin’s eyes naturally swept over the banquet and landed on Jiang Xiurun, a storm of emotions churned within him.

All this time, he had believed that his mentor and benefactor was a virtuous and noble young master—a fallen dragon of great talent, merely born in the wrong era.

But before his departure, the new emperor had informed him that Jiang Herun was, in fact, a woman!

Ji Binglin had refused to believe it at first, but now, as he saw Jiang Xiurun smiling at him as calmly as ever, something in his heart seemed to shatter.