Chapter 172

Madam Dou, troubled by Bai Qian’s perceived disloyalty to her son, felt increasingly justified in her previous opposition.

However, she couldn’t bring herself to say anything at the moment and instead went into the camp to find her husband and son.

Meanwhile, after finishing her socializing with the other ladies, Jiang Xiurun was guided by the military officer assigned to welcome the empress to Feng Liwu’s temporary quarters in the camp.

The room faced the military training ground, and through the window, she could see the soldiers drilling.

Feng Liwu, dressed in full military attire, stood at the front of the military training ground.

Tall and imposing, he usually appeared too cold and aloof in scholarly robes, but in military uniform, his sharp, blade-like demeanor was perfectly suited.

The vast training ground was filled with new recruits, as well as the newly appointed military officers.

Qian Sheng was clearly one of the best among them.

Not only was he skilled in martial arts, but he was also an excellent horseman.

At that moment, he was demonstrating mounted archery, hitting the bullseye with every shot as he galloped past.

Jiang Xiurun watched, thinking that Feng Liwu would likely entrust Qian Sheng with important responsibilities, just as he had in her past life.

However, she wondered if he would repeat the same mistake of allowing Qian Sheng to embezzle funds.

For a moment, she considered warning Feng Liwu to be cautious with Qian Sheng, but after some thought, she decided against it.

The Qi military was in desperate need of talent.

As a leader, one had to make compromises.

While flawless gentlemen were admirable, they were useless if they couldn’t defend the country.

Qian Sheng might be greedy, but he was brave and skilled in battle.

Given that, why rush to expose a mistake he hadn’t yet made, causing Feng Liwu to lose a capable general?

With this in mind, Jiang Xiurun decided to find an opportunity to caution Qian Sheng.

If he loved money, she could promise him rewards for his military achievements, steering him away from a misguided path.

As she pondered this, the training ground drills ended, and the soldiers returned to their barracks to rest.

The generals went to meet their families, who had come to deliver food and clothing.

When Feng Liwu returned to his quarters, he was drenched in sweat and tried to hug Jiang Xiurun.

She quickly pushed him away and directed him behind a screen to change.

A wooden tub of warm water had been prepared for him to cool off.

Jiang Xiurun had also brought a pot of mung bean soup to help with the heat.

After Feng Liwu drank a large bowl, he stepped into the tub to wash away the sweat.

Although Jiang Xiurun was visibly pregnant, she was still agile.

As she had done before, she sat behind the tub and used a loofah to scrub his back.

After a few strokes, she noticed patches of sunburn and peeling skin.

Concerned, she switched to a softer cotton cloth to clean him.

Strictly speaking, the current crisis in Qi was a mess left behind by the previous emperor.

He had disliked his eldest son so much that he had deliberately left him with a tangled web of problems.

Although Feng Liwu had been unloved by his parents, he was now her closest family, and she couldn’t help but feel protective of him.

As she washed him, she reminded him not to expose himself to the sun so carelessly next time.

She had brought him several lightweight gauze robes made from Bo’s specialty three-ply gauze. These robes were cool to wear and provided protection from the sun, preventing further sunburn.

Feng Liwu, feeling pampered by his wife, relaxed and thought to himself that he had finally married the right woman.

Even his once cold-hearted wife now knew how to care for her husband.

Although Empress Yaren hadn’t immediately returned to the flattering demeanor she had shown as an aide in the crown prince’s residence, Feng Liwu felt that those comfortable days were within reach.

After his refreshing bath, Jiang Xiurun had the maid set out the meal, and the two of them chatted about their daily lives as they ate.

Jiang Xiurun’s belly was now noticeably round, but her limbs remained slender, giving her the appearance of a small pot resting on her stomach.

Feng Liwu was struck by how radiant and beautiful a pregnant woman could be.

Because of her pregnancy, Feng Liwu, who had been abstinent for a long time, felt as if he had regained his virginal purity.

With her soft, fragrant presence beside him, he couldn’t help but feel restless.

After only a few bites of food, he leaned over to hug Jiang Xiurun and playfully demanded a kiss.

The maid, seeing this, discreetly left the room and stood guard outside.

Jiang Xiurun, unable to push him away, gently tapped his forehead with her finger and said, “Don’t you know I’m pregnant? Why are you still acting like this?”

Feng Liwu, however, confidently replied, “I already asked the imperial physician who examined you. He said that at this stage of pregnancy, it’s perfectly fine for us to be intimate…”

Jiang Xiurun was taken aback by his boldness and blushed deeply.

She allowed him to carry her to the bed but couldn’t help feeling self-conscious about her changing body and the roundness of her belly.

…

As they lay quietly together, Jiang Xiurun’s belly suddenly twitched against Feng Liwu’s stomach.

Feng Liwu’s eyes snapped open, and he looked at Jiang Xiurun in disbelief.

Having been pregnant before, Jiang Xiurun knew this was the baby moving.

She smiled and said, “That’s your child saying hello!”

Feng Liwu sat up abruptly and pressed his ear to her belly.

After a while, he felt another gentle kick, like a hiccup.

Gently stroking her belly, Feng Liwu was moved to say, “For Baoli and the child in your womb, I must quickly resolve the crisis in the three counties and create a peaceful world for our children.”

Jiang Xiurun softly asked, “How is the situation in the three counties?”

Feng Liwu frowned slightly and said, “With the support of the Hu people, the three counties have rapidly expanded their forces. After annexing the surrounding counties, they have temporarily stabilized. I sent troops to secure Dong Island early on, but it seems the three counties are preparing to gather their forces and take Dong Island by force.”

As he spoke, he picked up a map from the bedside and showed it to Jiang Xiurun.

Jiang Xiurun studied the routes Feng Liwu had marked and began to frown.

In her past life, Qin Zhao had loved boasting about his military achievements in front of her, often recounting how he had helped the crown prince capture Dong Island and pressured the emperor into not deposing the crown prince.

Looking at the map, which was eerily similar to the one from her past life, many forgotten details flooded back into her mind.

Back then, the crown prince hadn’t rushed to advance but had first occupied a place called Huiwang Village.

It was said that the crown prince had consulted a wise man and learned that Huiwang Village was home to a group of retired shipowners.

These shipowners had once been involved in smuggling and owned five large ships used for transporting goods.

Although they had stopped their operations in recent years due to increased scrutiny, the ships were still there.

Feng Liwu had ordered his men to occupy the village, capture the shipbuilders, and force them to hand over the ships.

The ships were then modified, with iron reinforcements added to the bows, turning them into warships.

Despite Dong Island’s strong defenses, it couldn’t withstand Feng Liwu’s forces attacking from both land and sea.

The island fell in a short time.

In this life, many things had changed.

Feng Liwu hadn’t cultivated influence in the three counties, so he didn’t know about the large ships in Huiwang Village.

When scouts reported that the three counties’ forces were changing their route to attack Dong Island, they didn’t understand the strategy and could only report the movements to the court.

Realizing this, Jiang Xiurun inwardly exclaimed, This is bad!

But how could she explain this to Feng Liwu without revealing too much?

After some thought, she said, “My sister-in-law has traveled extensively and knows many trade routes. She once mentioned that there’s a place called Huiwang Village near Dong Island, known for rampant smuggling. The shipowners there have large ships capable of sailing long distances. These ships can carry not only goods but also people. The three counties’ forces seem to be taking a detour in that direction. Could it be that…”

Feng Liwu, being highly intelligent, immediately understood her implication.

If large ships could transport goods, they could also transport people.

The three counties didn’t have a navy, so they lacked suitable warships.

But by occupying Huiwang Village, they could easily seize the large ships and modify them into powerful tools for attacking the island.

If Dong Island fell, there would be no barrier to stop the three counties’ forces from sailing directly to Luo’an.

The capital would then be in a precarious position.

Realizing this, Feng Liwu jumped up, not even bothering to put on clothes, and rushed out to send urgent orders to the front lines.

Jiang Xiurun, both annoyed and anxious, watched his retreating figure.

But this was no time for modesty.

She shouted after him, “The villagers of Huiwang Village are fierce! Even if you can’t send reinforcements in time, just sending them a warning to prepare might buy us some time!”

The villagers of Huiwang Village were indeed fierce.

In her past life, Feng Liwu’s small detachment had nearly been defeated there.

If Feng Liwu’s orders could reach the villagers before the three counties’ forces arrived, the villagers might have time to evacuate their families and hide the ships, preventing them from falling into Feng Wu’s hands.

Meanwhile, the three counties’ forces, led by Qin Zhao, were advancing rapidly toward Huiwang Village.

However, the weather was against them.

As they approached the village, they encountered several days of continuous rain, turning the roads into muddy, impassable swamps.

They were delayed for three days before they could continue.

Qin Zhao wasn’t worried.

The men of Huiwang Village were mostly out fishing, leaving only the elderly, women, and children behind.

By occupying the village and capturing the shipowners’ families, he could easily force them to hand over the ships.

In his past life, he had led the troops to seize the ships and had earned great merit in front of the crown prince.

He knew the route to the village by heart and was confident of success.

The contrast between his two lives was unbearable.

Although he couldn’t pinpoint where things had gone wrong in this life, it was clear that someone had altered his fate.

Qin Zhao now only wanted to quickly restore his past glory, reclaim the woman who was rightfully his, and helping Feng Wu was the fastest way to achieve that.

After all, it was the same as in his past life—a merit of supporting the throne.

Since Feng Liwu had been unkind and taken his woman, Qin Zhao saw no reason to remain loyal.

He would help the second prince seize the vast empire.

But when the troops reached Huiwang Village and sent scouts to assess the situation, the scouts didn’t return for a long time.