Chapter 180

Holding onto such thoughts, Wei Shan felt much more at ease and patiently waited.

However, the temperature of the hot spring was a bit too high, making it unsuitable for prolonged soaking.

Unfortunately, Wei Shan’s smooth and delicate skin had already started to wrinkle from the water.

Just as the steam was becoming overwhelming and she was about to stand up, she finally heard approaching footsteps.

Yet, before she could see who it was, a guard’s harsh voice rang out:

“Who is in the water? Get out immediately!”

The young maid standing by the hot spring trembled as she quickly responded,

“My lady is bathing here! Please, sir, do not be offended!”

As she spoke, the anxious Wei Shan, still sitting in the pool, finally caught sight of the man surrounded by a group of guards.

At such an age, with guards escorting him—who else could it be but Emperor Shengwu?

Wei Shan’s heart surged with joy as she focused her gaze.

Emperor Shengwu had strikingly refined features, his jade crown neatly tied, and his attire loose and flowing, appropriate for the summer heat.

He wore wooden clogs, and as a gentle breeze passed, his wide sleeves billowed, and the stray strands at his temples danced in the air.

His elegance was truly mesmerizing, exuding an effortless charm in every movement.

With the mist of the hot spring swirling around him, he was an exceptionally handsome and graceful figure, a sight rarely seen.

Wei Shan’s heart wavered at the sight, and she thought—if she could offer herself to such a man, even if she were never made a concubine, she would still willingly surrender herself.

With that thought, she trembled slightly as she used a long towel to cover herself and slowly stood up from the water.

Her damp hair draped over her delicate figure, partially concealing her form, as she quivered and spoke,

“There are so many people here… Could it be that my modesty will be ruined? Please, sir, send them away so I may step out and dress…”

Emperor Shengwu’s eyes narrowed slightly as her fair, glistening skin caught his gaze, as if he were momentarily entranced by a vision of smooth, white jade.

He then spoke, “You men, watching a young lady bathe is indeed improper. Turn around and let her step out to dress.”

With that, Wei Shan stepped out of the hot spring, hastily draping her clothing over herself.

She seemed to be in such a rush that she barely secured her belt before attempting to walk past the emperor.

Yet, as she dressed, the young and handsome emperor showed no intention of averting his gaze.

Instead, he watched her intently.

Wei Shan’s heart leaped with joy—was Emperor Shengwu captivated by her beauty? Was he already stirred by desire? If so, why not stoke the flames further, deepening the allure?

As she passed by him, her waist suddenly weakened, and the robe draped over her shoulders slipped off, causing her to fall directly into his embrace.

As she blinked up at him, her eyes wide with feigned fright, her lips, painted a soft cherry red, trembled just beneath his nose—like delicate flower petals kissed by the morning dew, waiting for someone to sip from them.

Emperor Shengwu, now so close, gazed at her with slightly dazed peach blossom eyes.

He teasingly hooked a finger under her chin and leaned close to her ear, whispering,

“With a figure like yours, how could anyone bear to let go? Would you care to accompany me to my tent for a little chat—perhaps you can tell me how you maintain such smooth, tender skin?”

Wei Shan’s heart soared with delight, though she kept her expression coy and bashful.

“I am still unbetrothed, my lord… I fear…”

Yet, even as she spoke of fear, her body pressed even closer to him.

The emperor, who had long been distant from women, let out a deep sigh, as if savoring her lingering fragrance.

His smile deepened at her words,”I quite like young ladies who have yet to be promised to another. They are always so fresh and tender…”

Wei Shan, thoroughly enraptured by his teasing, wrapped her arms around his waist, her voice trembling as she whispered,

“My legs feel weak… I cannot walk… Would you, my lord, carry me?”

Unfortunately, before she could finish speaking, a sudden force yanked her up.

In an instant, she was like a leaf caught in the wind, flipped headfirst, and with a loud plop, she was thrown back into the water.

Wei Shan was caught completely off guard, swallowing several mouthfuls of hot water.

She choked so badly that tears and snot ran down her face as she struggled to resurface.

Standing beside the “Emperor” was a tall and imposing man, his expression filled with rage.

His entire being exuded an overwhelming masculine presence, a natural air of authority that made people instinctively bow their heads.

But at this moment, this powerful and handsome man seemed quite displeased, roaring at the guards:

“You lot are utterly useless! Seeing someone openly seducing the Empress, yet none of you thought to stop this shameless woman?”

The guards, who had been keeping their faces turned away, finally turned to face the commotion.

Though they felt utterly wronged, they dared not show it on their faces.

They could only curse inwardly—after all, it was the Empress herself who had spotted the woman in the hot spring from afar.

Yet instead of having them chase her away, she chose to personally play a prank.

Since Her Majesty was enjoying teasing a common girl, who were they to interfere?

Of course, such thoughts could only be kept to themselves.

The leading guard immediately cupped his fists and bowed.

“Your Majesty, this was our failure. We did not properly clear the hot spring beforehand, causing a delay in Her Majesty’s bath…”

At that moment, Wei Shan, soaked and disheveled, sat in the water looking utterly devastated.

She turned a horrified gaze toward the man she had assumed to be the Emperor—That… that dignified, elegant man in jade robes… How… how could he be the Empress?!

If this were true, didn’t that mean she had tried to seduce another woman’s husband—only to end up in the arms of his rightful wife instead?

But before she could process any further, she was seized by the guards, bound, and held for interrogation.

For a moment, the hot spring was filled with the sounds of women weeping and begging for mercy, their cries rising and falling like waves.

With all this chaos, Jiang Xiurun’s peaceful soak was completely ruined.

Without sparing a glance at Feng Liwu, who was still smirking over her teasing, she simply turned on her heel, her wooden clogs clacking as she strode back to the imperial tent.

Inside, the floor was covered with thick felt rugs to keep out the dampness.

The moment she entered, she kicked off her clogs and began pacing barefoot across the tent.

This whole situation had been nothing more than a whim—she had suddenly decided to visit the front camp to check on the Emperor and personally deliver some gifts collected by the noblewomen in the capital.

To avoid disrupting the military, she had even gone so far as to disguise herself as a man.

But who would have thought that such a casual visit would lead to this revelation? The supposedly dull and disciplined military camp had turned out to be a place of temptation, with beauties lingering by the streams!

That concubine-born daughter of the Wei family—Wei Shan—had been raised in a distant province and had only recently arrived in the capital.

That was why she didn’t recognize Feng Liwu, her own cousin.

But Jiang Xiurun certainly knew who she was.

After all, in her past life, this very same Wei Shan had eventually entered the palace, becoming the new favorite of Emperor Duanqing.

A proper noble lady, suddenly appearing in a hot spring, claiming that her legs were too weak to walk, and practically flinging herself into a man’s arms—what could her intentions possibly be?

It was obvious—she was walking the same path as in the previous life, hoping to enter the palace and secure her family’s fortune by becoming a favored consort.

If anything, Jiang Xiurun was the one who had shown up at the wrong time.

Had she not come, Feng Liwu would have happily embraced his soft, water-drenched cousin, frolicking in the warm spring!

Just thinking about it made her stomach churn with disgust.

The feeling of Wei Shan pressing up against her just now lingered, making her seethe with frustration.

By the time Feng Liwu entered the tent, Jiang Xiurun’s delicate, bare feet had nearly worn a hole in the rug from all her pacing.

He found his Empress busily wrapping up her clothes, looking every bit like she was about to pack up and leave.

Feng Liwu let out a helpless chuckle and stepped forward to embrace her from behind.

“What’s with all this fuss over packing? Someone will come clean up in a bit. If you don’t arrange for a maid, those clumsy men will end up damaging your fine fabrics.”

Jiang Xiurun, utterly fed up, sniffled slightly and retorted, her voice carrying the hint of a sob,

“Even if I don’t arrange maids for you, you somehow still manage to find virgins while taking a simple bath! If I stay in this camp any longer, at this rate, I’ll wake up to find a new bride every day! If that’s the case, then I’m the one who’s losing out! I might as well pack up and go home right now!”

Feng Liwu bit down hard on her soft, slender neck, his words muffled as he murmured, “You’ve only just arrived, and you won’t even let me get a proper whiff of your scent before trying to leave? Not happening!”

Jiang Xiurun didn’t struggle.

Instead, she rubbed her tears against his neck.

“It’s not like you’re starving. Why should I stay here?”

Feng Liwu pinched her nose tightly and said, “Which eye of yours saw me feasting? Even if you happened to catch something today, if you hadn’t been here, she would have ended up in the water all the same. But instead, you just had to make a fuss and cause trouble for me! Are you going to bathe or not? If not, I suppose I can make do with you just like this…”

Jiang Xiurun couldn’t help but burst into laughter at his shameless words.

She struggled free and insisted on washing away the dust from her travels.

This time, to prevent any other shameless woman from willingly throwing herself into the water, Feng Liwu had already ordered Dou Siwu to personally patrol the camp and clear the area in advance.

With no further interruptions, Jiang Xiurun enjoyed a thoroughly refreshing bath.

When she finally stepped out of the water, she decided to mimic that little minx Wei Shan’s coquettish tone.

Leaning against Feng Liwu’s firm chest, she pouted and said sweetly, “This humble one’s legs are weak, I can’t walk anymore… Would the mighty general kindly carry me?”

However, the real issue at hand was how a noblewoman from the Wei family had managed to sneak into the military camp in the first place.

This matter needed a thorough investigation.

And sure enough, after digging deeper, they discovered that Lord Wei had arranged for several women to enter the camp to personally serve the Emperor’s daily needs.

After sacrificing herself to pacify the tiger for five days, Jiang Xiurun finally allowed Feng Liwu to wrap up his military affairs.

He delegated the responsibilities of the front camp to his generals and took her back to the capital.

On the way back, Jiang Xiurun recounted what she had uncovered during her tour of the provinces—the Wei family had been secretly seizing land.

Feng Liwu listened, his brows furrowed tightly.

He let out a cold snort.

“I may be the Emperor, but my maternal grandfather acts as if  he is the one who ascended the throne. He’s truly overstepping his bounds. If he continues like this, even if I wanted to preserve our family ties, it might become impossible.”

However, before dealing with the Wei family’s land seizures, there was another matter that needed urgent attention—Lord Wei secretly arranging women for him.

That couldn’t go unpunished.

As for Wei Shan, Feng Liwu did not allow her to return home.

Instead, he had her thrown into prison under the charge of attempting to assassinate the Empress.

How could the Wei family possibly bear such a charge? If the case was pursued to the fullest extent, wouldn’t that make Lord Wei—the one who planted her in the military camp—the mastermind behind an assassination attempt on the Empress?

Realizing this, Lord Wei dared not delay.

He immediately boarded a carriage and rushed to the palace, requesting an audience with the Emperor.

Of course, he also intended to meet with the Empress, to plead on Wei Shan’s behalf and apologize.

He hoped to persuade the Empress to be lenient, so as to avoid gaining a reputation for jealousy.

However, upon arriving at the palace gates, he was made to wait.

And wait he did—for a full hour.