Chapter 155

It was not easy for Prime Minister Ji to arrange a private discussion with an old confidant these days.

Queen Yaren’s schedule was packed; she had barely stopped moving for the past month.

Jiang Xiurun’s first task upon arriving was to visit her former mentor, Master Mufeng, and present her teacher’s wife with special products from the State of Bo.

Master Mufeng was shocked to learn that his prized student was actually a woman.

It was said that the old scholar locked himself in his study for a long time, silently contemplating.

Eventually, he still opened the courtyard gate and formally welcomed this uniquely positioned student.

Jiang Xiurun, however, did not let the change in her identity alter her deep respect for her mentor.

Just as she had when she first joined the academy, she knelt down with both knees and reverently offered tea to Master Mufeng and his wife.

A ceremonial official, who had been accompanying the foreign empress in Luo’an City, frowned when he saw Master Mufeng remain motionless in the seat of honor, waiting to be served tea.

Just as he was about to voice his disapproval, Jiang Xiurun spoke first.

“Teacher, if you are willing to accept this cup of tea, then I am truly overjoyed. I had been uneasy, fearing that my past deception would anger you.”

Master Mufeng, a wise man who had seen much of the world, quickly understood how difficult it must have been for a hostage princess from a weak state to survive under such circumstances.

Deception, at times, was nothing more than a means of self-preservation.

For a woman as beautiful as her, it was rare enough that she had not relied on men, had not used her looks to serve others.

That alone set her above many men who had readily sold their dignity for wealth and power.

And so, he merely replied mildly, “How could emperors and kings be without teachers? Though the State of Bo is far away, I have heard of how Your Majesty defended Xie City against the invading forces. To have a student become a ruler both wise and martial is something most teachers wouldn’t even dare to dream of. How could I, an old man, act self-important and nitpick over trivial details?”

After that, master and disciple set up the chessboard as they always had and began another match.

Chess required focus.

All idle attendants were dismissed, leaving only the two of them.

Master Mufeng spoke freely with Jiang Xiurun as they played.

He had never been just an old pedant buried in books.

In the past, he had noticed how the then-crown prince treated the foreign hostage prince with extraordinary regard.

Now, he understood everything.

The emperor had delayed his grand wedding for so long—perhaps because he had been waiting for his intelligent and lovely disciple all along.

But in the old scholar’s eyes, such true feelings from an emperor would inevitably lead to a difficult road ahead.

The entrenched aristocratic families in Great Qi were not a problem that had arisen overnight.

Feng Liwu had grand ambitions to unify the world and, at the same time, sought to centralize power by eliminating the aristocrats’ influence.

Yet he also wished to keep the woman he loved by his side.

Such a wish—was it not too extravagant?

To Master Mufeng, this was a chess game destined for checkmate.

Only someone with unparalleled wisdom could break free from it.

As they played, Master Mufeng suddenly spoke about the changes in Luo’an City over the past two years during her absence.

He also mentioned how Feng Liwu had abruptly halted his campaign against the Three Counties, allowing them to grow stronger and causing widespread dissatisfaction among the court officials.

With a sigh, he said, “His Majesty is extraordinarily intelligent, with great aspirations and unmatched talent, which is why he does not value his ministers as much as the late emperor did. But the saying goes: ‘Those who follow the Way will have many allies, while those who stray will have few.’ It is ultimately about winning hearts. If His Majesty continues to disregard his ministers’ opinions, it will not be a fortunate thing.”

Jiang Xiurun knew that Master Mufeng was speaking from the heart and was deeply grateful.

However, she still felt the need to defend Feng Liwu.

“Teacher, you are right. But His Majesty has lofty ambitions. If a great swan is forced to lower itself to take off alongside a flock of sparrows, how could it possibly do so?”

Master Mufeng replied, “Aristocratic families hold power over the government. This is not unique to Great Qi; all nations are the same. When used well, they are the pillars of governance; when used poorly, they become corrupting forces. His Majesty should be broad-minded, treating all with fairness, not dividing people by birth into noble or common, but recognizing talent wherever it may be found. If he can win the support of the noble families through marriage and alliances, that would be a blessing for both him and Great Qi.”

Jiang Xiurun did not continue arguing.

What Master Mufeng said was less about critiquing Feng Liwu and more about indirectly advising her.

If she were to become empress one day, she would need the grace and tolerance to accommodate the aristocracy of Great Qi, for this was a matter of national importance.

But she remained silent—not because she had been convinced by the argument of prioritizing the greater good, but because she had not yet married Feng Liwu.

As an empress, she could bear the weight of the heavens and the ancestors, but she would not tolerate the humiliation of sharing her husband with other women.

If Feng Liwu truly needed to sacrifice for the sake of the greater good, then she would simply leave, without protest or grievance.

Why should she wrong herself and share a man with others?

Seeing her silence, Master Mufeng set down his chess piece, then suddenly said, “Forget everything I just said—it was all nonsense! If you sniff around, you might even catch a whiff of the stench and forget about it altogether.”

Jiang Xiurun looked up in surprise, only to see Master Mufeng’s face filled with guilt.

“That Ji Binglin, at some point, figured out that I have a fondness for sugarcane,” he explained.

“So he went and bought an entire cart of the finest purple-skinned ones and sent them over. And I, being greedy, ended up eating more than a dozen of them over the past few days. Only after that did Ji Binglin come to me, teary-eyed and sniffling, and beg me—citing the greater good of the nation—to persuade you to be more magnanimous.

“Well, after taking his food, I had no choice but to learn his nonsense and let you smell it.”

Jiang Xiurun’s mouth hung half-open in disbelief, unsure whether to laugh or cry.

But this was precisely Master Mufeng’s way.

At that moment, she felt a weight lift from her heart, realizing she had been foolish to doubt her mentor.

Smiling, she asked, “Then, Teacher, what advice do you truly have for me?”

Master Mufeng was chewing on a piece of peeled sugarcane.

After savoring its sweet juice for a few moments, he spat the fibers into a nearby bronze spittoon.

Pointing at the discarded pulp, he said, “The ways of emperors, and the ways of gentlemen navigating the world, all require making choices. Everyone takes what they love, enjoys its taste, and once it has lost its flavor, spits it out. What need is there for advice or guidance?”

He had always been an easygoing man.

His ‘sugarcane philosophy’ on life, as it turned out, was remarkably in sync with Jiang Xiurun’s own.

She could no longer hold back and burst into laughter.

“Having you as my teacher in this lifetime—truly, I have no regrets!” she declared.

With that, she picked up a peeled piece of sugarcane and took a big bite.

The master and disciple ended their game and went their separate ways.

Although the teacher told Jiang Xiurun not to take Ji Binglin’s words to heart, setting aside the notion of broad-mindedly allowing the emperor to marry a noble family’s daughter, the rest of his analysis of the current situation was quite on point.

If Feng Liwu were to travel to the state of Bo solely to rescue a woman he was close to, it would be difficult to appease public opinion.

He needed a more legitimate and honorable reason.

While Jiang Xiurun was contemplating this matter, the Yang family’s plum orchard outside Luo’an City bloomed amidst the wind and snow.

The noble Yang family organized a grand flower viewing event, inviting esteemed young ladies from the capital.

Naturally, they also extended an invitation to Queen Yaren, who was residing in Luo’an as a guest.

When Jiang Xiurun opened the invitation, she noticed that the Yang family’s garden had cultivated a rare variety of plum blossom from the Ming state called “Bielou Guochun.”

The flowers bloomed in dense layers, their petals overlapping like clustered buildings, making it a rarity.

Lady Yang, the mistress of the Yang family, took this opportunity to invite noblewomen to admire the blossoms.

Yet, it was precisely the name “Bielou Guochun” that suddenly reminded Jiang Xiurun of a critical event from her previous life.

It was in this very year that the Yang family’s “Bielou Guochun” was about to bloom.

At the time, Yang Ruxu, who had entered the palace as a concubine, was being suppressed by the Empress and had only attained the lowly rank of concubine.

Because of the rarity of the flower, the Yang family, unwilling to enjoy it alone, invited guests to a grand viewing.

As for Jiang Xiurun, who had been kept in the outer courtyard by Qin Zhao without any official status, she naturally had no opportunity to attend.

But shortly after that flower viewing event, for some unknown reason, an epidemic broke out in the capital.

It first affected women and children with weaker constitutions, then spread rapidly, infecting countless people.

Carriages continuously transported the sick out of Luo’an City for quarantine, and even Emperor Duanqing, in his fear, nearly fled the capital to escape the plague.

Later, it was Yang Ruxu who, undeterred by the epidemic, personally left the palace and ventured deep into the mountains in search of a renowned monk.

She returned with a remedy and used her accumulated stipend to purchase large quantities of medicinal herbs, instructing people to brew medicine at the crossroads outside the capital for those who could not afford treatment.

Perhaps her kindness moved the heavens, for the remedy proved highly effective.

After consuming three doses, the afflicted showed signs of recovery, and within a few more days, they were fully cured.

Soon, people began calling the remedy the “Concubine’s Elixir,” and Yang Ruxu was revered as a living Bodhisattva who had saved countless lives.

Because of this, she regained the emperor’s favor and was swiftly promoted to Noble Consort, standing in opposition to Empress Wei.

From then on, the empress struggled to suppress her and could only watch as Noble Consort Yang rose to dominance in the palace…

Taking a slow breath, Jiang Xiurun exhaled.

In her past life, she had been confined to the outer courtyard and never went out, thus avoiding that year’s epidemic.

So when the etiquette officer came to ask if she would attend, Jiang Xiurun simply said, “The weather is cold today, and I am feeling fatigued. I thank Lady Yang for her kindness, but I shall decline the invitation.”

Upon hearing that Queen Yaren had politely refused the invitation, the Yang family expressed their regret but did not press further.

On the day of the flower viewing event, Jiang Xiurun, accompanied by Bai Qian, ascended the tallest pavilion in her temporary residence and looked southward toward the city gate.

She saw a procession of lavish carriages with embroidered canopies rolling over the dust-covered roads, forming a continuous line as they headed out of the city to admire the rare blossoms.

She took a deep breath and turned to Bai Qian, asking, “Are the food stores in the guest palace fully stocked?”

Bai Qian nodded and replied, “Following your orders, the cellars are packed. The back entrance used for provisions has been sealed with official seals, and guards have been stationed at the wells and water storage areas. No one is allowed to enter or leave the palace residence—not even through the small eastern gate that His Majesty Shengwu usually takes.”

Jiang Xiurun nodded at these words and let out a slow breath.

The world had changed between her past life and this one.

For instance, the fate of the Yang family’s young lady was already vastly different from before.

Because of this, Jiang Xiurun could not be certain whether the epidemic that once swept across a hundred-mile radius would occur again in this life.

But Baoli was still young and could not withstand even the slightest mishap.

So she had to prepare in advance and take precautions before disaster could strike.