The Hostage Girl - Chapter 161
Chapter 161
Empress Dowager Wei was about to continue speaking when Feng Liwu’s tone turned displeased as he said, “Mother, if you enjoy talking so much, perhaps you should do it in the Buddhist hall instead.”
She knew this was her son warning her, so she let out a cold snort in her heart.
Her son might be disobedient and far from being a filial child, but she was not afraid.
As long as the powerful Wei family stood behind her, he would have no choice but to maintain a show of utmost filial piety in public!
Thinking of this, she could not be bothered to exchange more words with that domineering Empress of Bo.
Instead, she raised her voice just as the court musicians finished their performance and said, “Since the late emperor passed away, I have been grieving deeply and spending my days in the Buddhist hall, chanting scriptures and praying for his spirit. But now that the new emperor has ascended the throne, the harem remains empty, and there is no devoted consort to care for his well-being. As his mother, I cannot neglect my duty. My health has improved recently, and I wish to stay closer to His Majesty. Why not, after the New Year, I move into Luanming Palace and resume the morning greeting rituals in the palace?”
Truth be told, even if she had not brought it up, Feng Liwu had already considered this.
However, his mother’s sharp and unrestrained tone just now made him hesitate.
Beside the Empress Dowager, Madam Zhao discreetly nudged her, reminding her not to forget the advice she had received earlier.
The emperor was no longer the same crown prince he once was—he was now a ruler whose words carried absolute authority.
It was necessary for Empress Dowager Wei to temper her former arrogance and learn to wield a mother’s gentle influence instead.
Feng Liwu was not truly heartless.
As long as Empress Dowager Wei acted like a proper mother, the emperor would always remember her kindness.
As a dignified Empress Dowager, she ought to present herself with magnanimity.
Why reduce herself to a petty concubine in the harem, engaging in sharp-tongued bickering just to gain the upper hand in conversation?
She should understand that the reason the emperor allowed her to appear in public today was not only because of Duke Wei’s intercession but also because she had followed his advice—letting her hair down, appearing haggard, and tearfully expressing her longing for her son before Feng Liwu.
That had played a crucial role in softening his heart.
This proved that Feng Liwu was still somewhat sentimental when it came to his mother.
Empress Dowager Wei, recalling the previous advice, let her eyes redden and softened her voice, saying, “Spring will arrive in a few days. His Majesty always suffers from stomach ailments during this season, so I have already prepared medicinal herbs and personally dried them. When the time comes, I shall brew the balloon flower tea you love to soothe your stomach. Back when you were in the Cold Palace, you used to love drinking that tea…”
In reality, she had originally brewed the tea for herself due to her own stomach issues, and the leftover was simply given to Feng Liwu.
Yet, even so, the fact that his mother had once cared for him, feeding him tea, remained one of the few warm memories of his childhood—despite its bitter taste.
Now, seeing the Empress Dowager’s tear-streaked face, she truly resembled the sorrowful figure she had once been in the Cold Palace.
On this festive occasion, Feng Liwu felt uneasy.
He did not want her crying in front of the watching ministers, so he said, “If Mother’s health has indeed improved, then after the New Year, you may move out of the Buddhist hall.”
Only then did Empress Dowager Wei stop her sobbing.
Jiang Xiurun had been silently observing from the side, listening to everything clearly.
She did not speak, for she was not even officially recognized as a daughter-in-law of the Feng family.
She was merely a foreign monarch, and naturally, she had no place questioning the internal affairs of the Feng household.
However… Feng Liwu had once spoken of marrying her after the New Year, yet she had never agreed to it.
As a guest now, she could afford to remain carefree.
Though Bo was a small state, it was still a sovereign state—why should she lower herself to become a concubine in Qi’s palace?
Thinking of this, Jiang Xiurun became even more resolute.
She might love Feng Liwu, but she had no intention of becoming his family’s daughter-in-law.
But at this moment, Feng Liwu was quite satisfied.
On this same day last year, he had stood alone, watching the court officials offer their congratulations, feeling nothing but numbness as he believed Jiang Xiurun had betrayed him and eloped with another man.
Yet this year, not only was his family by his side, but he also had a son in his arms.
Though the political affairs of the court remained troublesome, and his grand ambition of unifying the land was yet unfulfilled, this year’s New Year’s Eve still felt exceptionally comforting.
By the afternoon, the New Year’s banquet came to an end.
The Empress Dowager and Jiang Xiurun didn’t get along, so she excused herself early, claiming fatigue, and went to rest.
Feng Liwu finally had a moment of peace to celebrate the New Year with Jiang Xiurun and their son.
The eunuchs had prepared some fireworks for Baoli, and Jiang Xiurun sat with Feng Liwu in the sheltered corridor of the palace, watching as Baoli played in the courtyard.
The palace maids lit the fireworks and held onto Baoli, showing him the bursts of sparks.
Since it was meant for children, the fireworks contained only half the usual amount of gunpowder, merely for decoration and spectacle.
Baoli had inherited his father’s boldness.
Watching the fireworks crackle and fly, he grew excited and eventually broke free from the maid’s grasp, rushing forward.
Jiang Xiurun had been watching with a smile, but seeing her son charging ahead without care, she immediately got up to pull him back.
However, before she could reach him, Feng Liwu strode over and lifted the boy up, handing him a lit incense stick and guiding him to set off firecrackers himself.
Jiang Xiurun watched nervously from the side, only relaxing when the father and son burst into gleeful laughter, having set off over a dozen “ground spinners.”
When Baoli finally ran inside asking for water, she pulled him into the inner chamber.
The child was exhausted from playing and soon became fussy, demanding to sleep.
Jiang Xiurun, feeling sorry for his young age, naturally wouldn’t force him to stay up for the night watch.
She had the maids carry him to an inner chamber to rest.
With a moment to spare, she turned to Feng Liwu and said, “He’s still so young. Why did you teach him to set off firecrackers? If he got hurt, it would be terrible.”
Feng Liwu dismissed her concerns lightly.
“He is my son. One day, he will inherit my vast empire. Naturally, he must be trained to be brave.”
Jiang Xiurun was silent for a moment before speaking again.
“I was released from the crown prince’s residence by an imperial edict from the late emperor, and Baoli was born outside the Crown Prince’s residence. By protocol, even if he is your son, it will be difficult for him to be included in the Feng family’s ancestral records. Moreover, he is the crown prince of Bo and will inherit its throne in the future. As for the empire of Great Qi, I fear it will not be his to inherit.”
Feng Liwu, who had been in a good mood, furrowed his brows upon hearing this.
“What is there to inherit from that tiny speck of land? He is my son—his future is for me to decide.”
Though he had given in to Jiang Xiurun’s wishes many times, he was still an emperor.
And when it came to his son, he would not yield.
Jiang Xiurun instantly caught the contempt in Feng Liwu’s words toward Bo.
In the past, when she served as an aide in the Crown Prince’s residence, she would smile and endure such remarks, letting them slide.
But now, she was the Empress of Bo, and she had not come to Great Qi as a political hostage.
With Feng Liwu belittling her homeland so openly, how could she possibly give him a pleasant expression?
Without another word, she got up and walked out.
Feng Liwu felt he had spoiled this woman too much lately—she wouldn’t even let him speak his mind anymore! He grabbed her arm, pulling her into his embrace, and snapped, “This is the imperial palace of Great Qi, not one of your temple-like palaces in Bo. Set aside that queenly arrogance of yours!”
Jiang Xiurun was so angry she actually laughed, her captivating eyes narrowing as she glared at him.
“A man like you wouldn’t even be allowed past the gates of our so-called temple-palace in Bo!”
Feng Liwu thought back to the verbal sparring between her and his mother during the palace banquet and let out a cold snort.
“If you hadn’t mentioned it today, I wouldn’t have even known that your palace has male concubines. Tell me, how many have you summoned? Who is your current favorite?”
Jiang Xiurun deliberately glanced him up and down before replying, “Why ask? If I could truly choose as I pleased, I’d naturally avoid the ones with bad tempers and pick someone refined and gentle.”
Had she chosen any other words, Feng Liwu might have let it go.
But “refined and gentle” was a direct reference to Bo’s Prime Minister, the very man he had long been jealous of!
At once, the metaphorical vat of aged vinegar tipped over, filling the air with sour jealousy.
The conversation escalated, both of them growing angrier over nothing substantial.
By the end, the mighty Emperor of Great Qi decided to settle the matter in a far more personal way—by forcing the Bo empress to “turn his nameplate” first for the new year, ensuring he alone would receive her favor for the entire year.
And in the end, he proved to her with actions that a man with a temper also had great skill, making sure that the night was filled with waves of passion, leaving no room for argument.
Since giving birth, Jiang Xiurun had come to enjoy the intimacy of the bedchamber more and more.
Though she had been furious earlier, by the time things reached their peak, her voice was trembling, her cries unrestrained.
But when the storm finally passed, and Feng Liwu fell into a deep sleep, Jiang Xiurun remained restless, unwilling to even look at him.
Thus, on the morning of the first day of the new year, while Emperor Shengwu led the court officials to the ancestral temple for prayers, Jiang Xiurun took her son and returned to her own palace.
Although she was in Great Qi, there were still many important matters in Bo that required her attention.
Thanks to Great Qi’s newly repaired canal system, the journey that once took months had been cut in half.
Urgent matters that her brother, Jiang Zhi, could not decide on were now written in letters and sent swiftly by special ships to Luo’an City for Jiang Xiurun’s review.
The war against the Rong had been a deeply impactful experience for Jiang Xiurun.
As a ruler, she had never truly understood the terror of impending national destruction until she had faced the threat herself.
Bo was too small, with a limited population, making it impossible to follow the path of powerful military states like Liang or Great Qi.
However, by improving siege weaponry, enhancing soldier equipment, and fortifying city defenses, they could turn their disadvantages into strengths.
With careful planning, a single soldier could become as effective as ten, ensuring that Bo would never again be looked down upon by its neighbors.
Because of the previous victory in repelling the Rong, Bo had reclaimed a significant amount of lost territory and even built several new cities.
As a result, the financial reports sent by Jiang Zhi for the year were covered in red annotations, all converging into two glaring characters: “Lack of funds.”
Jiang Xiurun meticulously reviewed the accounts one by one, her abacus clattering noisily as she calculated.
In the end, she realized that if she could forgo Bo’s annual tribute to Qi, she might just barely be able to balance the accounts.
However, Qi’s finances were scrutinized by all its officials.
Even if she were to humble herself and plead for an imperial decree from Feng Liwu, he would surely face criticism from his ministers.
With that thought, she let out a long sigh and spread out a map, mimicking the way Feng Liwu had once plotted his conquests, marking and sketching around Bo’s borders.
The more she drew, the more engrossed she became.
If she annexed this city, she would gain fertile lands; if she took that settlement, she would suddenly have access to a copper mine…
By the time she finished, Jiang Xiurun found herself reluctant to stop.
Tossing her brush aside, she couldn’t help but acknowledge a simple truth—holding power made it easy to develop an insatiable appetite.
No matter how much was taken, it never felt like enough.
Yet, indulging in conquest on a map was one thing; reality was another.
Bo was, in truth, nothing more than a tiny speck—too small for Feng Liwu to even consider worthy of his attention.
No wonder he looked down on her, thinking she had slighted their son.
So when Dou Siwu came to offer his New Year’s greetings and, in passing, mentioned his desire to privately marry Bai Qian before handling the formalities, Jiang Xiurun was momentarily reminded of her own situation.
With a sigh, she remarked, “If the families aren’t a good match, marrying in will only mean enduring grievances and swallowing humiliation. And if the mother-in-law is too cruel, then it’s better to stay out of that high-walled household altogether.”
Hearing this, Bai Qian fell silent for a long moment before nodding firmly in agreement.
Dou Siwu was utterly dumbfounded.
He suddenly felt that all his efforts—the attentiveness he had shown during the empress’s journey to the capital, the fragrant grilled fish he had personally prepared—had all been in vain, as if they had been fed to a dog!
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Every time they take a step forward Liwu sabotages himself. Thank you for the updates!!!