Chapter 153

Bai Qian felt that his words were utterly baseless, so she rolled her eyes and asked, “Did I say I wanted to marry you?”

Dou Siwu felt that Bai Qian had truly become mischievous and glared at her.

“Are you going to be like your master—turning your back on me after sharing a bed?”

At that moment, the two were washing their hands by a clear spring at the foot of the mountain.

Seeing that Dou Siwu was about to shout loud enough for the whole mountain to hear, Bai Qian angrily covered his mouth with her wet hands.

This all stemmed from an incident when they had returned to xie City after pursuing the remnants of the Rong army.

As they had to count casualties and reorganize the troops, they stayed in the cold city for several nights.

On the first night, in the middle of the night, Dou Siwu, claiming that the room was too cold to sleep, secretly climbed over the wall to find Bai Qian to discuss military strategy.

Did Bai Qian not know what kind of scheming he was up to?

However, after days of fighting side by side, their silent understanding on the battlefield, exchanging glances amid hacking and slashing, had caused emotions to grow between them.

So, when Dou Siwu leaned over, all clingy and affectionate, looking to “warm up,” Bai Qian, in a moment of weakness, did not kick him out.

As a result, a pair of passionate young warriors, pressed together in the cold of the night, found that even the thickest clothing could not keep them apart.

Dou Siwu had harbored feelings for Bai Qian for years.

Now that he finally had the chance to hold her, he was trembling with excitement.

Bai Qian was just as he had imagined—tender on the outside, soft on the inside, brimming with warmth, making it impossible to get enough of her.

Unfortunately, after those few nights of intimacy in Xie City, they had no further opportunities to be together.

Now that they were finally back in Great Qi, once he completed this military assignment, he planned to arrange their marriage and enjoy his “big dumpling” every night.

But Bai Qian, despite taking Dou Siwu’s virginity, had never actually considered marrying him.

She had once been just a servant under Jiang Xiurun.

How could she have the qualifications to marry into the prestigious military aristocracy of Great Qi?

Now, she had earned some recognition in the army through her own efforts, and her salary was enough to support herself and her sister.

However, a female general from a small frontier state was still not as honored as a noblewoman from a prominent family in the capital.

She had no backing to rely on.

Back then, Dou Siwu had repeatedly defied marriage arrangements, refusing all proposals despite being beaten severely by his father.

How could his family’s attitude have changed now?

So, it wasn’t that Bai Qian was heartless—she had always been aware of reality.

In the past, she simply lacked the status to entertain romantic notions with Dou Siwu.

Now, she no longer cared.

Like her mistress, she had no obligation to marry.

If she had a child, she could raise it on her own.

When Dou Siwu finally realized Bai Qian’s thoughts, the proud general of Great Qi trembled with rage.

Without a word, he mounted his horse and rode off in a cloud of dust.

Earlier, Jiang Xiurun had seen Dou Siwu bustling about enthusiastically while she was fishing in the frozen creek.

But now that the grilled fish was ready, the young general was nowhere to be found, so she naturally asked about it.

Bai Qian recounted their argument to Jiang Xiurun.

Jiang Xiurun, being as perceptive as she was, immediately sensed something off in Bai Qian’s vague explanation.

After just a few questions, she pieced together the truth—the two had already taken things to the next level.

Though Jiang Xiurun herself had defied traditional propriety, she did not want Bai Qian to follow the same difficult path.

While sipping the sweet, refreshing fruit wine, she advised, “How are you unworthy of Dou Siwu now? If the Dou family won’t agree, then have him request an imperial decree for the marriage.”

Bai Qian firmly shook her head.

“I’m not desperate to marry. Why should I force myself into a family that would only treat me with disdain?”

Jiang Xiurun had to admit that made sense.

She sighed slightly, feeling a little sorry for Dou Siwu’s unfortunate love life.

But Bai Qian had made her decision, and there was no point in arguing.

So, Jiang Xiurun continued her leisurely sightseeing around Luo’an City, eating and drinking as she pleased.

It was only when Feng Liwu finally lost patience and sent people to urge her to enter the city that her entourage finally proceeded to Luo’an’s royal capital on the scheduled day.

As she was a visiting monarch, she was to be received with full state honors.

Per the emperor’s orders, the ceremonial officials had prepared accordingly: the streets were sprinkled with scented water, luxurious silk banners adorned the roads, and magnificent lanterns were hung at the city gates.

Since it was winter and the peach trees lining the streets were barren, the officials had meticulously wrapped them in pink silk blossoms, creating an illusion of full bloom—turning the frigid winter into an emperor’s spring overnight.

Emperor Shengwu was known for his frugality.

Even when he was still the crown prince, he had wed three concubines at once in a single ceremony, scrimping on the banquet.

When he ascended the throne, he had immediately launched a campaign to conquer Wei, further enforcing austerity measures, cutting down on many ceremonial extravagances.

Yet now, for the arrival of an obscure monarch from a minor state, he had spared no expense—scattering perfumed flower petals on the streets and displaying grand luxurious banners.

Not only were the common folk baffled, but even the officials were utterly confused.

Some quick-witted ones even recalled how the new emperor had once tricked a foreign ruler into coming before eliminating his state.

Could it be that the emperor had developed a taste for deception and was about to do it again?

But surely, eliminating Bo state was like killing a chicken—one did not need an ox cleaver for such a small task.

If the emperor intended to lure the empress into the city just to destroy her state, was it really necessary to go to such excessive lengths?

As soon as the Empress entered the city, the entire populace of Luo’an flocked to the streets to witness the spectacle.

The air was filled with the scent of floral water, and the bustling crowd was even livelier than the Lantern Festival during the New Year.

Jiang Xiurun, witnessing this grand occasion, couldn’t help but feel a wave of emotion.

She recalled her own experiences entering Luo’an City in two lifetimes—both times, she had to wait in long lines for questioning and searches.

Now, however, the scene was vastly different.

There was no point in blaming Feng Liwu for his extravagance at this stage; she had to brace herself to maintain the dignity of the Bo.

Thus, outside the city gates, when the Empress of Bo disembarked from her carriage and transferred to the elevated ceremonial carriage prepared by the Qi’s Ministry of Rites, the gathered crowd was finally able to get a clear look at her.

Dressed in a black, gold-embroidered ceremonial gown with a long train, her slender waist was cinched with a golden woven belt.

A white fox fur cloak draped over her shoulders, its long, fine hairs accentuating her delicate, porcelain complexion.

Her high-piled hair was crowned with a gold diadem inlaid with a large piece of jade, exuding an indescribable regality.

As for her face—by heavens! Graceful eyebrows, deep and luminous eyes, a straight nose, and rosy cheeks—each feature seemed meticulously sculpted.

She was like an immortal descended from the heavens, a spirit from a secluded valley’s blossoms.

Otherwise, how could such a breathtaking beauty exist?

Among the onlookers were high-ranking officials who had once seen Yao, the concubine of the Crown Prince.

The more they looked, the more alarmed they became.

Could it be that the women of Bo state all shared the same features? How else could this empress resemble Yao so much?

At first, these thoughts remained unspoken, but soon, murmurs of speculation spread through the crowd.

When Empress yaren finally entered the palace to meet Emperor Shengwu, the noblewomen of various households were abuzz with discussion.

The most anxious and uneasy of them all was the Yang family.

Since the new emperor’s ascension, he had yet to hold a grand wedding.

If an ordinary household’s marriage arrangements had been so persistently delayed, the Yang family would never have let the matter rest.

However, in this case, it was the emperor himself who seemed to be reneging on the engagement.

They had no choice but to endure, leveraging their family’s influence to pressure the emperor, subtly reminding him that this marriage agreement could not be so easily dismissed.

Even court officials had taken notice, repeatedly petitioning the emperor to formalize the marriage and welcome the new empress into the palace.

Yet now, Emperor Shengwu had gone to such extravagant lengths to welcome the empress of a small state into Luo’an City.

Rumors swirled that she bore an uncanny resemblance to Yao, the concubine whom the late emperor had exiled from the Crown Prince’s residence.

How could the Yang family’s matriarch remain calm in such a situation?

She anxiously awaited her husband’s return from the royal court.

Growing impatient, she decided to visit her daughter’s quarters, only to hear soft sobbing before even stepping through the doorway.

Sitting beside her weeping daughter, she asked, “It’s just a visiting empress—what are you crying for?”

Yang Ruxu, biting her lip, handed over a crumpled piece of brocade cloth.

“This is a letter smuggled to me by Concubine Cao from the palace,” she said.

“She wrote… she wrote that the empress seems to have brought a child with her. A few days ago, palace attendants were ordered to prepare the guest palace for Empress Yaren’s stay. Among the items sent from the royal treasury were children’s toys, and even the little golden-furred Paba dog that was a tribute gift from a vassal state was sent over, complete with its golden cage and feeding bowls.”

Ever since the late emperor’s passing, Empress Dowager Wei had secluded herself in the Buddhist hall.

By the new emperor’s decree, no one was allowed to disturb her.

This meant that neither court officials nor noblewomen had seen the dowager empress in a long time.

With no backing from her aunt, Concubine Cao had been left adrift in the palace’s shifting power struggles.

In time, she aligned herself with Yang Ruxu.

After all, the Yang family’s daughter was set to become the empress.

Even though Concubine Cao was not particularly clever, she understood the importance of securing alliances within the palace.

If she could get close to the future empress, she could ensure her own stability, even if she lacked the emperor’s favor.

So the moment she caught wind of rumors about Yao’s return, she wasted no time in sending a warning to Yang Ruxu.

However, upon hearing the news, the Yang family’s matriarch only frowned deeply and lowered her voice to reassure her daughter:

“A discarded concubine from the Crown Prince’s residence has somehow returned as a foreign empress? What utter nonsense! For all we know, this might not even be Yao. And what child? Your marriage was personally approved by the late emperor. No matter how much the current emperor dotes on another woman, the position of empress belongs to our Yang family.

“Qi’s empire does not rest solely on the Feng family’s shoulders. If he dares disregard the great aristocratic families, his rule will not be stable!”

Hearing this, Yang Ruxu gradually calmed down.

She murmured, “I was being too hasty. Thinking carefully… even if it is truly Yao, what of it? She left without a child. If she has brought one back now, thinking to claim a place in the Feng family’s lineage, she must be dreaming!”

The private conversation between the mother and daughter reflected the unspoken consensus among the great aristocratic families.

If this empress of Bo was merely passing through, no one would trouble themselves over her.

However, if she harbored any ambitions of seizing power within the imperial harem, then no matter how vast Luo’an City was, it would never be able to accommodate both her and that illegitimate child of unclear origins!

Leaving aside the self-reassurances of the Yang mother and daughter outside the palace, the imperial court itself was in an uproar.

When Feng Liwu ascended the throne, he did not follow the tradition of previous emperors by selecting numerous noblewomen to fill the harem.

To avoid criticism over an empty inner palace, he had merely transferred a few of his concubines from the Crown Prince’s residence into the imperial palace.

Yet ever since Yao’s departure, Feng Liwu had become increasingly volatile—ill-tempered, cold, and distant.

His gaze, when fixed on someone, felt like a dull blade slicing through flesh, making it impossible for anyone to draw close to him.

Moreover, the new emperor had spent most of his reign away from the palace, waging wars on distant fronts.

He had rarely returned to court.

Now, with the visit of the Bo’s empress, he was finally hosting a grand banquet in her honor.

The concubines in the harem were eager at this rare opportunity.

Each of them took great care to dress elaborately, hoping to gain the emperor’s favor at the banquet.

Yet before they could even finish applying their rouge, an imperial edict was issued—not a single concubine from the harem was permitted to attend the state banquet.