Chapter 146

However, with Feng Liwu present, Jiang Xiurun no longer had the mind to dine on the bed as usual.

Instead, she ordered the small table that had already been placed on the bed to be set on the floor.

Then, she turned to Feng Liwu and said, “Your Majesty, once you’ve finished breakfast, please take your leave. A nation cannot go a day without its ruler, and you’ve already been delayed here for quite some time.”

Feng Liwu paused mid-motion, chopsticks in hand, and lifted his gaze to look at her.

“Of course, I must return, but only if I take you and Baoli with me.”

Jiang Xiurun met his gaze head-on.

“You know that’s impossible. I am now the ruler of Bo, how could I simply leave with you?”

Feng Liwu had always thought of this tiny state’s throne as a mere joke.

If it had been before today, he would have scoffed outright.

But now, he found himself somewhat subdued before Jiang Xiurun.

After a brief pause, he suppressed his irritation and said, “The lands of Great Qi are vast, many times larger than Bo. If you return with me, wouldn’t that be far better than remaining here in this small corner of the world?”

Jiang Xiurun, without even looking up, lazily combed her hair and replied, “Bo may be small, but at least I can live freely here, without having to bow and scrape before anyone. I feel at ease here, so Your Majesty need not trouble yourself any further.”

Feng Liwu suddenly lost his appetite, but he also knew he couldn’t take the hard approach with her anymore.

So instead, he said, “That’s not true. Who would make you bow and scrape in the future?”

As he spoke, he reached out, pulling her toward him so they could eat together.

Breakfast was pan-fried rolled pancakes stuffed with Bo’s signature smoked meat.

Back in Luo’an, Jiang Xiurun had once taught the chefs at the Crown Prince’s residence how to make these pancakes, and she had often prepared them for him.

Back then, she had personally served him—cutting the pancakes with a bamboo knife, drizzling them with a special chili sauce, and feeding him bite by bite.

At the time, he had only thought of her as being perceptive, a servant who catered to his needs with great attentiveness, making him feel utterly at ease.

Now, the tables had turned.

It was Feng Liwu who was diligently slicing the pancakes.

But just as he was about to drizzle chili sauce over them, Jiang Xiurun lazily remarked, “I shouted too much last night and lost my voice—I don’t feel like eating spicy food.”

Feng Liwu’s hand hesitated for a moment before he put the chili sauce aside and instead dipped the pancake in a bit of sweet bean paste before offering it to her.

Jiang Xiurun took a couple of bites but frowned.

“Too salty.”

Feng Liwu swallowed his irritation and poured her a cup of tea, holding it up to her lips.

But after one sip, she complained that it was too hot.

Seeing her act so petty and difficult, Feng Liwu’s patience wore thin, and he coldly remarked, “Enough of this—was I ever this hard to please?”

Jiang Xiurun dabbed her lips with a handkerchief and said leisurely, “You weren’t. But that was because I was always meticulous in serving you—removing fish bones in advance so you wouldn’t have to spit them out, cooling hot soup so you wouldn’t burn your tongue, always making sure there was another bowl ready so Your Majesty wouldn’t have to wait between sips…”

Feng Liwu listened patiently before frowning.

“So you want me to serve you the same way?”

Jiang Xiurun knew he had misunderstood and shook her head with a smile.

“No, I only want Your Majesty to understand that the comfort you once felt in my presence was not natural—it was because I deliberately humbled myself at every turn. But that’s not my true nature, and I have no intention of spending my life suppressing myself.”

She paused briefly, then added,”Your Majesty, have you ever considered that what you liked was never the real Jiang Xiurun, but rather the agreeable, obsequious ‘Jiang Herun’? If that’s the case, then one day, you and I will surely grow to loathe each other. And besides… You may look down on Bo, but I feel comfortable here. If I were to return to Great Qi, even something as simple as eating breakfast in bed would be enough for the court officials to accuse me of being an indulged and spoiled consort, wouldn’t it?”

Though she repeatedly emphasized that the former tutor was not her true self, it was clear that both Xiurun and Herun were equally sharp-tongued.

But Feng Liwu could no longer bear to listen.

His brief attempt at humility had been stretched to its limit.

With a cold glare, he snapped, “And I suppose this is my fault too? Did I ever deliberately lure you in? You played the obedient, demure woman, drawing me in step by step, and now you simply dismiss it all as a mere act? If I disgust you so much, then why don’t you find someone else, like Ji Wujiang or Liu Pei? Are they any more attractive than I am?”

Jiang Xiurun exhaled slowly, reminding herself not to get angry.

Pressing her lips together, she said, “Your Majesty, please don’t twist my words. All I ask is that, as the ruler of a great nation, you show me the proper respect due to a sovereign.”

Feng Liwu glanced at her and saw that she had eaten her fill.

As a magnanimous ruler, he supposed it was only right to bring some ‘tribute’ back to the esteemed Saintess Yaren.

He had little to offer—except for his unwavering passion.

Without another word, he scooped Jiang Xiurun into his arms, carrying her straight to the bedchamber, determined to make her see just how well-matched they truly were.

The female attendants nearby were utterly stunned.

By now, they had figured out that this imposing man was none other than the Emperor of Great Qi—the father of their little prince.

But judging by his temper, it seemed that their sovereign was in real danger of being taken away to Qi.

Truly, this was the stuff of legends.

All they could do was quietly pick up the wide-eyed little prince and carry him away to another room.

As a result of his antics, Jiang Xiurun’s waist grew weak again, and she angrily kicked him away before getting up and ordering the palace maids to prepare a decoction.

Feng Liwu wrapped his arms around her waist from behind and asked, “Where are you feeling unwell? Why do you need medicine?”

Jiang Xiurun no longer had to avoid being direct with him and replied bluntly, “I’m not unwell. I just told them to prepare a contraceptive decoction.”

Feng Liwu’s pupils suddenly contracted.

He grabbed her arm tightly and said in a sinister tone, “…Don’t tell me you drank this back when you were in the Crown Prince’s residence as well?”

Jiang Xiurun nodded honestly.

“I did. It was only those few times when you were away and I forgot to take the medicine that I accidentally conceived Baoli.”

Feng Liwu felt a surge of pent-up frustration stuck in his throat.

His Adam’s apple trembled slightly as he stared fixedly at Jiang Xiurun.

However, she remained calm, sitting on the bed and waiting for the palace maids to bring the decoction.

Back in the palace of Bo, there had always been contraceptive decoctions prepared for concubines who had fallen out of favor.

It wasn’t long before the medicine was brought over.

But before Jiang Xiurun could take it, Feng Liwu reached out his long arm and slapped the bowl to the ground with a loud clack.

Jiang Xiurun became furious and ordered more to be brought.

Yet every bowl that the palace maids delivered was knocked over by Feng Liwu.

Enraged, she didn’t wait for the maids to bring another one.

Instead, she strode to the outer chamber, grabbed the entire medicine pot, and prepared to take a large gulp straight from it.

However, Feng Liwu was even quicker.

He intercepted her, snatched the pot away, and downed it all in one go.

Not only was Jiang Xiurun stunned, but the surrounding palace maids were also left in shock.

No one knew what effect such a cold-natured medicine would have on a man.

Jiang Xiurun snatched the pot back and, seeing the leftover dregs inside, couldn’t help but pound on his chest in frustration.

“Do you even know what this is? And you just drank it recklessly?”

Feng Liwu was already beside himself with anger.

He sneered coldly, “Your heart must be made of stone to be this cruel to me. You know how much I long for you to bear my child, yet you still insist on secretly drinking this poison. Since that’s the case, I might as well drink it myself! From now on, if I end up with no heirs, then that will settle the matter for you as well!”

Jiang Xiurun was too exasperated to argue with him.

She immediately summoned the palace physician to examine Feng Liwu and determine the potential effects of the medicine on him.

Dou Siwu, upon hearing what had happened, felt a chill run down his spine.

He secretly asked Qian’er, who was always by Jiang Xiurun’s side, “Did your empress force him to drink it? Good heavens, back when we studied at the academy together, she was such a rational scholar. How did she turn into such a headstrong and willful woman after resuming her female identity?”

Qian’er couldn’t be bothered to respond and simply stomped on his foot.

Dou Siwu yelped in pain and immediately shut up.

As for the effects of the medicine, no man had ever taken it before, so even the palace physician was unsure.

He could only say that it was an extremely cold-natured substance and that it could severely upset a man’s digestion.

Sure enough, within half an hour, Feng Liwu began vomiting and suffering from diarrhea.

His body grew weak, making it impossible for him to travel long distances.

As a result, his grand plan to bring Jiang Xiurun back with him was completely ruined.

Jiang Xiurun couldn’t help but feel that he resembled those unruly men in the countryside who, when arguing over family inheritance, would drink poison and refuse to leave their father’s house.

The dignified emperor of Qi was now throwing a tantrum in the palace of Bo, refusing to leave!

And thanks to his disruption, she had missed the proper timing to take the medicine.

Feng Liwu was drenched in sweat from the pain, stubbornly clutching her hand and refusing to let go.

He insisted that she personally feed him medicine and water before he would drink anything, which was utterly infuriating.

In the end, it was only when Ji Wujiang led a group of senior ministers to the doors of the bedchamber, solemnly requesting the empress to attend court and not let palace affairs delay state matters, that Jiang Xiurun was finally able to free herself.

To the ministers, the fact that the emperor of Qi had fallen ill in Bo’s palace after consuming an unknown substance was an issue of grave importance.

They anxiously asked their empress whether the emperor of Qi might die in Bo, and if that happened, how Bo would withstand the wrath of Qi’s mighty forces.

Jiang Xiurun waved a hand to reassure the ministers, telling them not to worry.

Only then did General Jin Kui take the opportunity to report another pressing matter—the Rong was showing signs of unrest and appeared to be gathering troops to attack Bo once more.

After taking command of Bo’s army, Jin Kui had reorganized its affairs and sent out countless scouts to monitor the Rong’s movements.

As a result, they had received intelligence even before the enemy troops arrived.

Jiang Xiurun furrowed her brows and asked, “Why is Rong sending troops again?”

Though the Rong had taken advantage of Bo in the past, they had ultimately stopped their hostilities and settled the conflict.

There was no apparent reason for them to suddenly mobilize their army again.

Jin Kui hesitated before replying, “It is said that the Rong King holds women in low regard. Hearing that Your Majesty has recently ascended the throne, he assumed that he could exploit the situation and take advantage of our instability.”

Of course, there was something Jin Kui left unsaid—the Rong King had long coveted the beauty of Bo’s former princess, Jiang Xiurun.

Having failed to obtain her before, he now sought not only to take advantage of the young empress’s position but also to capture her and make her part of his harem.