The Hostage Girl - Chapter 162
Chapter 162
By the time Jiang Xiurun came to her senses and realized she had ruined Young General Dou’s marriage prospects, it was already too late.
But what she had said earlier truly came from the heart.
What did a secret engagement even mean?
Bai Qian might not care for the wealth and prestige of the Dou family, but Dou Siwu couldn’t possibly disown his parents.
In the end, Bai Qian would be labeled as having seduced a respectable man into eloping—what was the point of that suffering?
Dou Siwu was seething with frustration.
He wanted to ask what exactly was so terrible about his mother, but the moment he recalled the words she had hurled at Bai Qian in their household, he fell silent.
Swallowing his resentment, he dejectedly took his leave and walked out of the palace.
Not long after Dou Siwu left, Feng Liwu arrived.
After completing his morning ancestral and heaven-worshipping rites, he returned to the palace only to discover that Jiang Xiurun had left with Baoli.
On such a grand holiday, this was an obvious sign that she was angry.
Feng Liwu thought back to what he had said the previous day.
It was likely that his remark about Bo being small had offended her.
But he didn’t think he was wrong.
That word—small—was significant.
If used to describe a man’s stature and strength, it would certainly incite a fight, a battle of blood and honor.
But Bo’s ‘smallness’ was a blatant fact.
It wasn’t something tucked away in a man’s trousers—why shouldn’t he be allowed to say it?
Besides, if he had remained silent, was he supposed to just let her make their son the ruler of Bo?
Feng Liwu was convinced he was in the right, but he also didn’t want to spend the new year alone.
After much consideration, he decided to give Jiang Xiurun a way to step down from her anger—he would take the initiative to seek her out.
After all, nearly a day had passed; even if she had been angry, surely she had calmed down by now.
Upon arriving at the palace and inquiring about her whereabouts, he learned that Jiang Xiurun had been holed up in the study all day.
So, he casually made his way there.
Before even stepping inside, he saw her silhouette through the sheer curtains—sitting at her desk, absorbed in a book.
Jiang Xiurun was a stunningly beautiful woman.
If one judged by appearances alone, it would be easy to mistake her for nothing more than a gorgeous but brainless vase.
But once she spoke and carried herself, it became clear that she possessed a sharpness that rivaled any man.
Feng Liwu often felt that Jiang Xiurun’s maturity far exceeded her years.
She carried a certain detachment, as if she had already seen through the ways of the world.
This made her exceptionally capable in handling state affairs—decisive and efficient.
But when it came to personal relationships, she was sometimes too aloof, too resolute.
It left Feng Liwu with a perpetual sense of unease.
Like now—though she held a book in her hands, her gaze had not moved.
It was as if she were looking past the pages, into some far-off place.
Feng Liwu’s heart clenched at the sight, and he instinctively walked forward, wrapping his arms around her.
Jiang Xiurun had been lost in thought, so when a pair of strong arms suddenly embraced her from behind, she jumped in surprise.
When she turned and saw that it was Feng Liwu, her lips pressed into a thin line.
By now, Feng Liwu was quite used to bowing his head before Jiang Xiurun.
Besides, he considered their spat from the previous day nothing more than a routine quarrel—hardly a matter that shook heaven and earth.
A bit of coaxing should be enough to smooth things over.
So, he didn’t bother discussing who was right or wrong, nor did he question why she had left the palace.
Instead, as if nothing had happened, he casually asked if she had eaten yet, adding that he hadn’t and was feeling terribly hungry.
Jiang Xiurun remained silent for a moment before calling out to the kitchen to prepare a meal for the emperor.
It was the New Year, and the kitchens were already stocked with prepared poultry and simmering broths.
With a pot of rich, meaty stock, they simply added a few slices of tofu, creating an incredibly fresh and savory white jade soup.
Other meats were sliced and plated as well.
In no time, a full meal was set before them.
Feng Liwu insisted that Jiang Xiurun accompany him while he ate, so she quietly sat down and ate alongside him.
When it came to apologizing, Feng Liwu was utterly inept.
Ever since becoming emperor, he had even fewer chances to practice such things.
Now, even though he knew she was upset, all he could do was wait for her to get over it on her own—he had no better strategy.
So after they finished their meal in silence, he finally said, “If you have no pressing matters, why don’t you return to the palace with me? I won’t have court for the next few days, so I can spend some time with you and Baoli.”
Jiang Xiurun had no desire to go back.
Setting down her chopsticks, she accepted the bamboo salt water from a maid to rinse her mouth and replied, “The palace is crowded and noisy. The retreat here is much more peaceful.”
Feng Liwu immediately conceded, “Then…I’ll just stay here with you.”
Jiang Xiurun gestured toward the stack of official documents on her desk and said, “The reports from Bo have just arrived. I need time to go through them. If you stay here, there will be no one to keep you company. You’d be better off returning to the palace, where you’ll be well attended to.”
Feng Liwu knew she was still holding onto her anger.
Unwilling to let go of her hand, he suggested, “You always helped me with state affairs—why don’t I grind ink and trim the lamps for you today?”
Saying this, he truly set to work, rolling up his sleeves and grinding ink for her, then gesturing for her to continue with her reading.
Jiang Xiurun knew Feng Liwu’s temperament well.
This was his way of making amends.
She was not someone who held grudges unnecessarily, so after writing for a while, she finally nudged his head and said, “When I helped you, was I ever like this? Sneaking glances while pretending to serve?”
Feng Liwu glanced at the account records and immediately noticed something was off.
He frowned and said, “Why are the accounts so tight?”
Jiang Xiurun pressed her lips together and replied, “The Bo is small, naturally it doesn’t have the vast resources of Great Qi. A little spending, and we’re already stretched thin.”
Feng Liwu, hearing the veiled sarcasm in her words, simply pulled her into an embrace.
“Not only is the Bo small, but its ruler has an even smaller heart. It was just an offhand comment—why take it so seriously? If you don’t like hearing it, shall I call you Empress Yaren of the Great Bo instead?”
Jiang Xiurun couldn’t help but chuckle at his ridiculous words.
Taking advantage of the moment, Feng Liwu stole a deep kiss, his arms tightening around her as he explored the “size” of his empress.
After some playful teasing, things became serious again.
Feng Liwu took another look at the Bo’s financial records and quickly realized that most of its expenses were spent on tributes to Great Qi and Liang.
After thinking for a moment, he adjusted the amount allocated for Great Qi and asked, “Will this do?”
Jiang Xiurun saw that he had reduced the tribute by half, leaving only a token sum.
She hesitated.
“Will this really work?”
Feng Liwu replied, “The Bo has just repelled the Rong. Use the excuse of a poor harvest and cut the tribute in half. The officials in court won’t be able to argue. After all, their lives were saved by the saintess of the Bo state. If they insist on demanding money, I’ll simply accuse them of being ungrateful and betraying their benefactors.”
Jiang Xiurun was still uneasy.
“But you’ve been waging wars for years. If the annual tribute is cut, will the accounts still balance? I fear the officials might start complaining.”
Feng Liwu’s gaze darkened, a hint of ruthless ambition flashing in his eyes.
“My appetite is far bigger than they think. The missing funds will be made up elsewhere.”
Since this now touched upon Great Qi’s internal affairs, Jiang Xiurun refrained from questioning further.
Since Feng Liwu was being so “generous” by no longer demanding protection money from the Bo, she certainly had no reason to refuse.
As for the tribute to Liang, it was an equally heavy burden.
Back when the Bo was locked in battle with the Rong, Liang had opportunistically demanded tribute.
There was no reason to keep paying them now.
With the Anxi right on Liang’s doorstep, swords drawn, Liang wouldn’t dare send troops against the Bo so easily.
So, Jiang Xiurun decisively slashed that portion of the budget as well.
With that, the financial strain was immediately eased, and she felt a weight lift from her shoulders.
Seeing Jiang Xiurun finally smile, Feng Liwu also relaxed.
Now, the new year could continue peacefully.
He picked up their sleepy child, Baoli, who had just wobbled into the room, and spun him around in circles.
Bao Li, still groggy, clung to his father’s neck and mumbled, “Fire spin! Fire spin!”
Feng Liwu understood that his son was asking for spinning firework tops.
Laughing, he hoisted the child up and took him outside to set off fireworks in the courtyard.
—
Meanwhile, the atmosphere in the Pingchuan Prince’s manor in the Three Counties was far more ominous.
Feng Wu held a newly delivered intelligence report, his gaze growing colder as he skimmed through it.
Finally, he threw the report harshly at Qin Zhao, who was kneeling before him.
“Useless fool! Even such a simple task, and you still managed to fail! How did Feng Liwu get his hands on a cure for the epidemic? Don’t tell me you… leaked it to him?”
His sharp gaze bore into Qin Zhao.
Qin Zhao immediately kowtowed in a panic.
“Your Highness, please believe me! My grudge against Feng Liwu is irreconcilable—why would I ever help him? It’s just that this so-called remedy involved something known as ‘garlic fruit,’ which is actually a specialty of the Bo called garlic pears.
“When Empress Jiang Xiurun visited Luo’an before, she brought a large supply of them. It seems she discovered they could prevent the epidemic and used them to make soup for the poor who couldn’t afford medicine. By sheer coincidence, she ended up foiling Your Highness’s plan.”
Feng Wu fell silent for a moment.
His meticulously planned scheme had been flawless.
It would have plunged Luo’an into chaos, shaken the people’s faith, and, if executed perfectly, could have even cost Feng Liwu his life.
Yet, all of it had been effortlessly unraveled by Jiang Xiurun, as if she had merely waved a hand.
What could he even say?
Other than admitting that this woman was simply… too lucky for her own good.
The thing Feng Wu regretted most now was letting her escape when he had captured her before.
If he had kept her imprisoned by his side, perhaps by now, her heart would have belonged to him entirely.
Perhaps they would already have children together.
Unlike that useless Feng Liwu, who, after all these years, had managed to father only one child.
The thought stirred an ache in his chest.
He rose to his feet, fingers brushing over the strings of a phoenix-tail zither—an instrument she used to play for him back when she was forced to remain by his side.
Every string had once been caressed by her delicate fingers.
No one else was ever allowed to touch it.
Only he would occasionally pluck its strings, letting its notes carry his unspoken longing.
Qin Zhao, watching coldly from the side, suddenly spoke up.
“By the way, Your Highness, Lady Yang Ruxu has been rejected by Feng Liwu. She entrusted me with a letter for you.”
He took out the letter and handed it over.
Feng Wu skimmed through it absentmindedly, noting how the tone had become noticeably warmer—no longer the half-hearted, indifferent words of the past.
With a smirk, he tossed the letter back to Qin Zhao.
“She certainly knows how to read the tides. Seeing that marrying Feng Liwu is impossible, she’s suddenly eager to cozy up to me. A woman like that… no wonder Feng Liwu wasn’t interested.”
Saying this, his thoughts once again drifted to Jiang Xiurun.
He sighed.
Though he was surrounded by beauty, none could compare to her.
And that, perhaps, was the greatest regret of his life.
H
Poor Xiurun she keeps getting targeted. Thank you for the updates!