Chapter 139

When she was asleep, she looked fresh and lovely, but the moment those large eyes opened, everything changed.

Jiang Xiurun couldn’t shake off his hand, so she bit down hard on his palm.

The sharp pain made Feng Liwu furrow his brows, and he lowered his voice, saying, “A year apart, and you’ve turned into a little beast? Why do you bite the moment you open your mouth?”

As the faint musk of the man’s scent reached her nose, Jiang Xiurun instantly understood—his audacity knew no bounds.

He had already inherited the Qi throne, yet he had recklessly ventured here, sneaking into Mei city without anyone knowing.

If nothing else, just the fact that Liu Pei found out he was in Mei city would be enough to send Liang’s elite soldiers after him without a second thought.

That alone would spell disaster for this so-called new emperor.

With that in mind, Jiang Xiurun felt there was nothing to fear even though he was pressing down on her.

She shoved him hard and snapped, “You’re the beast! Smelling your way over like a hound! Which dog hole did you crawl through to get in?”

As soon as she finished speaking, she felt a sticky sensation on her face and wiped it with her hand—only to find a smear of pale yellow grease.

The moonlight seeped through the curtains, and she finally noticed that Feng Liwu’s appearance was off.

The lingering sensation of being kissed by a stranger sent a wave of discomfort through her.

She kicked at him and shouted, “Get off!”

Caught off guard, Feng Liwu nearly toppled over but managed to steady himself by grabbing her slender ankle.

If not for the familiar, intoxicating scent filling his nostrils and the warm, soft body in his embrace, Feng Liwu might have truly believed this was just another shadow girl in disguise.

This woman!

The gentle affection and obedient charm she once had were completely gone.

Now, she was all claws and fangs—utterly intolerable!

“Jiang Xiurun, you must have nerves of steel! Do you really think you had the right to leave on your own? That divorce document of yours doesn’t have my personal seal!”

Jiang Xiurun had been startled earlier by the unfamiliar face coated with disguise balm, but now that he was threatening her so fiercely, her mind became clearer.

She wanted to call for the guards to seize him, but with her ankle still in his grip, she wasn’t even sure if her guards could handle him.

If things got out of hand and the foreign princes lingering in the city found out Feng Liwu was here, it would complicate matters beyond control.

Should the new emperor of Qi truly meet his end on Bo’s soil, whoever ascended the throne next would have no choice but to act as if they were ready to raze Bo to the ground.

Bo was a small state—it could not afford such a disaster.

Calming her initial panic, Jiang Xiurun grabbed a nearby handkerchief and wiped her face before trying to reason with him.

“The divorce decree bore the late Emperor of Qi’s imperial seal. He was both ruler and father, so of course, it stands. Besides, Your Highness should remember, I was merely sent to the palace to fill a role. Leaving after a year was always part of the arrangement—there was nothing improper about it. And honestly, who among the hostages in Luo’an doesn’t dream of returning home as soon as possible?”

Even though Feng Liwu had only been in Mei city for a single day, it was already enough to make him feel like he might die of sheer frustration in this foreign land.

Now that he had seen her, held her, and kissed her, his fury oddly began to subside.

He let out a mirthless laugh and sneered, “Nonsense! Since when were you so devoted to Bo? You ran away simply because I was about to take a wife, and you got jealous, didn’t you?”

Jiang Xiurun felt there was no point in bickering over matters of jealousy at this stage.

She only wanted this man gone before the child woke up and started crying, causing an even bigger mess.

So she forced herself to remain patient and played along with his words. “Your Highness, you already know my restless nature. I’ve always preferred being the head of a small pond over the tail of a grand one. Even if you offered me the position of Empress, I would still find being Bo’s princess far more comfortable. Your Highness’s kindness is as deep as a mountain, and I remember it well. The northern is full of small warring states, and I will dedicate myself to spreading Qi’s influence, serving Your Highness with unwavering loyalty…”

But before she could even finish her well-crafted flattery, Feng Liwu had already lost his patience.

He had disguised himself as a guard, smeared his face with that godawful disguise balm, and snuck through the night like a thief—all for what?

To listen to this ungrateful, fickle woman spout nonsense?

He immediately pulled her into his embrace.

Jiang Xiurun stumbled forward, colliding straight into his chest.

He gripped her hand tightly and said harshly, “I don’t blame you for leaving out of jealousy, but how could you move on so quickly, giving yourself to another? And… and even giving birth to another man’s bastard child!”

Was it just because she was a hostage princess from a weak state that her son had to call his legitimate wife ‘Mother Empress’?

In her past life, she had been forced into the position of a concubine and refused to bear a child for security.

Now, even though she had risen a step higher to become Feng Liwu’s concubine, she still had no desire to compete with other women for a man’s affection.

Truthfully, if Jiang Xiurun hadn’t caught the look in Feng Liwu’s eyes, she might have already blurted out something even sharper and crueler.

But she saw it.

Even though his face looked somewhat unfamiliar due to the disguise, those eyes—those eyes were tinged red at the corners.

Perhaps in the next moment, the new emperor of Qi would shed tears, scorching her knees as they fell.

The memories of their past sweetness surged back into her heart, mixed with the pity she had once felt when he had lain on her lap, silently weeping.

She took a deep breath, suppressing her emotions, and swallowed back the words that had nearly left her lips.

It was true that she was at fault for hiding her child’s true parentage.

But if she were to reveal the truth now, knowing Feng Liwu’s nature, he wouldn’t remain this pitiful, wounded dog for long.

He would harden his heart and take her child away by force.

But the Qi imperial court was no place to raise a child.

In the future, Feng Liwu’s harem would be filled with concubines, and his children would be many.

Whether her son, Baoli, could even survive the palace’s treacherous schemes was a real concern.

With that in mind, she forcefully swallowed her words and hardened her heart, saying, “Your Highness is not one to be caught up in mere romantic entanglements. Since our fated bond has come to an end, I hope Your Highness will cherish yourself. It would be improper to keep sneaking into a woman’s chambers in the dead of night. I am to be married soon, and it would be best not to cause any misunderstandings…”

Feng Liwu had initially thought that Liu Pei’s proposal earlier that day was merely a one-sided pursuit.

But hearing her bring up marriage now, it seemed she was genuinely considering marrying Liu Pei.

Just as he was about to seize her and take her away, a loud wail of a baby crying echoed from the adjacent room—Baoli had awakened, hungry for milk.

Immediately, the voices of the nursemaids could be heard faintly.

Seizing the opportunity, Jiang Xiurun shouted for help.

Bai Qian, who had been keeping watch outside, sensed something was wrong with Jiang Xiurun’s voice and rushed in without hesitation.

But by the time she reached the room, the window was swaying, as if someone had just leaped out.

Seeing the lingering fear on Jiang Xiurun’s face, Shallow quickly asked, “Princess, were you having a nightmare?”

Jiang Xiurun steadied herself before recounting Feng Liwu’s sudden intrusion.

Upon hearing this, Bai Qian turned without hesitation and started heading out.

Jiang Xiurun hurriedly called after her, “Qian’er, where are you going?”

Bai Qian replied, “If Feng Liwu has infiltrated Bo in disguise, he must be hiding near Ji Binglin. I will go to the Qi envoy’s residence and capture Feng Liwu to vent your anger.”

Jiang Xiurun couldn’t help but let out a wry smile.

“Qian’er, Feng Liwu’s guards are all elite soldiers of Qi. Even though we have numbers, capturing Feng Liwu is no easy task. Besides, the newly crowned Emperor of Qi is no ordinary person. Do you think a small state like ours can just seize him?”

Bai Qian took a deep breath before asking, “Princess, if we can’t capture him, what should we do? If he came once, he can come twice, even three times.”

Jiang Xiurun sighed.

“He took a great risk coming here and won’t dare to stay long. We must return to Yang City immediately to avoid him. If he cannot find me, he will naturally leave.”

Without delay, Jiang Xiurun ordered her people to pack up and set off for Yang City that very night.

Since they had to transport the late Emperor Jiang’s remains, the convoy was split into separate groups.

Jiang Xiurun took Baoli and left first, while Jiang Zhi and the elder ministers remained behind to handle affairs.

The next morning, Ji Binglin, acting under the new emperor’s orders, sought an audience with Jiang Xiurun to warn her of the dangers of marrying a prince of Liang.

However, when he arrived at the palace gates, he was met with the news that the Princess of Bo had already departed for Yang City overnight and was no longer available to receive the imperial envoy’s message.

Jiang Zhi stood at the entrance of the temporary palace to formally greet Ji Binglin.

Since speaking to Jiang Xiurun was no longer an option, Minister Ji decided that, as the eldest brother, Jiang Zhi should still be informed of the situation.

After all, an elder brother was like a father.

But halfway through his explanation, Jiang Zhi’s expression grew cold, and he interrupted stiffly, “My younger sister, Jiang Xiurun, is an unmarried woman of spotless reputation. When His Highness was still the Crown Prince, the one he welcomed into his residence was Jiang Xiuyao. Since that was the case, why should my sister’s marriage concern His Highness so much?

“Minister Ji, you’ve seen it for yourself—my sister is not short of suitors. Just yesterday, Liu Pei, the Prince of Liang, came with utmost sincerity to propose marriage. He even presented a whole basket of pearls, each one as large as a longan fruit.

“Tell me, when His Highness took Jiang Xiuyao into his residence, did he even offer a single thread or needle as a betrothal gift?”

Minister Ji had long been accustomed to flattery in the imperial court of Qi, where his career had been smooth sailing.

Yet, here in this remote northern border town, he found himself so bluntly rebuffed that he could hardly keep his composure.

Though he said nothing in response, inwardly, he was vexed at how frugal his lord had been in his affairs.

Thinking back, the wedding arrangements for the three concubines had indeed been rather simple—even the banquet had not been grandly held.

It was only thanks to the concubines themselves wanting to save face that Tian Ying and Cao Xi had entered the residence with substantial dowries.

As for  Concubine Yao, she had entered quietly and left just as quietly.

If he were a woman, even he would find Liu Pei far more adept at winning a lady’s favor.

Thus, upon his return, he truthfully relayed Jiang Zhi’s words to the new Emperor of Qi.

Then, carefully choosing his words, he advised, “That Liu Pei has made it clear that he does not mind Princess Jiang having borne another man’s child. That statement alone is probably worth more to her than all the pearls and jade in the world… It seems likely that this marriage will go through.

“Your Majesty, perhaps it would be best to return to Luo’an City sooner rather than later. After all, Miss Yang Ruxu has been waiting for Your Majesty’s decree to proceed with the wedding.”