The Hostage Girl - Chapter 165
Chapter 165
Although the wooden clogs made her appear taller, their high wooden soles made walking for long periods exhausting.
By the time she climbed the high steps, her feet were so sore she could barely lift them.
Feng Liwu knew she had gone out disguised as a man, but he hadn’t realized she was wearing such uncomfortable shoes.
Seeing her condition, he immediately walked over, picked her up, placed her on the couch, and removed her socks to massage her feet.
Jiang Xiurun’s feet were fair and delicate, but the wooden clogs had left red marks on her toes.
Feng Liwu frowned and said, “You’re always so restless. Even if you wanted to see the lanterns, you didn’t have to wear such troublesome shoes. What if you sprained your ankle? Tomorrow, I’ll issue an edict: anyone who dares to wear these shoes again will be sent to the western region to dig canals!”
Jiang Xiurun couldn’t help but laugh, thinking Feng Liwu’s threat was quite impressive.
With that, the canal repairs wouldn’t lack laborers.
However, Feng Liwu’s mind wasn’t on the canals.
The palace play earlier had been specially arranged by him, performed for the entire city and, more importantly, for Jiang Xiurun.
Their son was already so big, yet his parents still hadn’t married.
How could that be?
After the New Year, there were many auspicious dates for weddings.
All that was left was to choose one for the grand ceremony.
Jiang Xiurun had left under difficult circumstances before, so now she deserved a grand wedding.
But Jiang Xiurun refused to bring it up.
It wasn’t that she was deliberately teasing Feng Liwu; as the Empress of Bo, she was reluctant to be bound by the title of Empress of Qi.
Feng Liwu had brought it up several times, but seeing her avoid the topic, his expression darkened.
He tugged at her belt and pulled her closer, saying, “Where has your cleverness gone? Before, you could tell what I wanted with just a gesture. Why are you playing dumb now, always dodging the issue? Let me tell you, the wedding date has already been chosen, and the phoenix crown and wedding dress are being made. I’m just informing you, so don’t act coy.”
Jiang Xiurun wasn’t intimidated by his bluster.
She glanced at him sideways and said, “If you’re so capable, why are you telling me? Just go ahead and marry yourself. I’m not a subject of Qi, so I don’t understand the Emperor’s decrees.”
Feng Liwu, holding back his frustration, said, “Which part don’t you understand? I’ll explain it to you slowly.”
Jiang Xiurun knew he was like a stubborn donkey.
After teasing him a bit, she softened her tone and said, “Is Your Majesty lacking an Empress to manage the harem? I’m not virtuous enough for that. Your Majesty should find another worthy candidate.”
Her pouting expression, so different from her usual cunning, delighted Feng Liwu.
He gently brushed the stray hair from her temple and said, “How could I dare to ask the Empress to manage the harem? It’s more like I’m filling the empty harem of Bo. If you keep delaying the wedding, won’t your ministers start submitting petitions urging you to marry?”
For a moment, the Emperor of Qi was quite insistent about securing his rightful place.
Jiang Xiurun, unable to resist his persistence, finally whispered, “Can we not have a grand wedding? Isn’t what we have now good enough?”
Feng Liwu didn’t think it was good at all.
Every night, one side of the imperial bed was cold, and if he wanted warmth, he had to cross the bridge and leave the palace.
He wanted her to become Empress as soon as possible.
He wouldn’t even let her stay in the Empress’s palace; she would sleep with him every night.
Moreover, Feng Liwu had always regretted not being by her side when she was pregnant with Baoli.
He hadn’t been able to care for her or hold their child right after birth.
That regret was something he could never make up for.
Thinking of this, Feng Liwu softened his tone and asked, “Tell me, when was your last menstrual cycle?”
Caught off guard by the question, Jiang Xiurun was momentarily stunned.
Since arriving in Luo’an, she had been preoccupied with many matters and couldn’t recall when her last cycle had been.
She would have to ask her maids to be sure.
Feng Liwu had only been testing her, but her reaction confirmed his suspicions.
He immediately called for the imperial physician to examine her, forgetting about the sweet dumplings.
The physician arrived promptly, placed a wrist pillow, and carefully felt her pulse through the curtain.
Before long, he confirmed that she was pregnant.
Feng Liwu, who had only been guessing, was overjoyed at the news.
After the physician left, he placed his hand on Jiang Xiurun’s belly and even pressed his ear against it.
Jiang Xiurun pushed him away, saying, “The baby is still too small to feel any movement.”
Feng Liwu replied, “I’ll keep listening. Who knows when there might be movement? I can’t miss out like I did with Baoli.”
His words struck a chord with Jiang Xiurun.
When she was pregnant with her first child, she had put on a brave face for her brother, but deep down, she had been anxious.
She hadn’t known if she could raise the child well or how to explain the absence of a father.
Now, unexpectedly pregnant again, seeing Feng Liwu’s excitement made her realize how much he had regretted missing Baoli’s birth.
So when Feng Liwu excitedly suggested moving the wedding date forward to ensure their child would be officially recorded in the Feng family registry, Jiang Xiurun’s lips moved, and she silently acquiesced.
Although Feng Liwu hadn’t officially announced his marriage to the empress of Bo in court, the palace play had made his intentions clear to both the palace and the court.
The common people, hearing the news, were overjoyed. They felt that this foreign empress was much more approachable than the aloof noblewomen.
With such a virtuous empress, how could the Emperor not bring peace and prosperity to the nation?
However, the few concubines in the harem were in an uproar.
If Yang Ruxu had become Empress, they might not have said much.
After all, her noble background was more prestigious than that of a hostage princess.
But Jiang Xiurun had originally entered the Crown Prince’s residence under the name of Yao, alongside them.
Later, she had been expelled by the previous Emperor, only to return with an illegitimate child and become the rightful Empress! How could they tolerate this?
Cao Xi, furious, ran to Empress Dowager Wei’s palace to vent her grievances.
Empress Dowager Wei, having experienced the life-and-death separation with Mao, had become much calmer.
She listened to Cao Xi’s complaints without batting an eye and said, “It’s just a wedding. Why are you acting as if the sky is falling? Life in the palace is long. How many days have you and she endured? Do you think the cold palace is for unpopular consorts? The closer you are to the Emperor’s favor, the closer you are to the cold palace gates. A grand wedding is fine. If she carries herself as a empress, what can we do? Once she becomes a daughter-in-law of the Feng family, she’ll have to follow palace rules, and we can teach her slowly…”
Cao Xi, blinking through her tears, pondered her aunt’s words and found some truth in them.
As for Tian Ying, she showed no outward reaction but stayed hidden in her palace, likely seething in silence and refusing to eat properly for days.
Meanwhile, the court officials were in an uproar over the Emperor’s unilateral decision.
The selection of an Empress was no trivial matter!
Previously, the Emperor had rejected the perfectly suitable Miss Yang, delaying the wedding for two years.
Now, he had suddenly decided to make the Empress of Bo his Empress.
How would this union between two monarchs work? Would their descendants belong to Qi or Bo?
There was no precedent for this in previous dynasties, leaving the officials in charge of rituals deeply troubled.
The ministers also subtly pointed out that the position of Empress was of utmost importance and not merely the Emperor’s personal affair.
Traditionally, considering the balance between imperial power and the noble families, the Empress had always come from one of the three great families of Qi, just as Feng Liwu’s mother had come from the Wei family, and he had initially planned to marry Yang Ruxu for the same reason.
Feng Liwu, however, remained noncommittal.
The ministers were on the verge of camping outside the palace gates to plead with the Emperor.
Unfortunately, the new Emperor was resolute.
Once he made up his mind, it was difficult to change.
So the ministers retreated and instead advised that, even if the Empress wasn’t chosen from the noble families, the Emperor should still take several noblewomen as concubines to fill the harem.
This would allow the Emperor to enjoy familial happiness while balancing the power of the noble families in court—a win-win situation.
But Feng Liwu knew Jiang Xiurun’s temperament well.
She had a heart as small as a needle’s eye.
He had finally managed to coax her into agreeing to the wedding while she was pregnant.
If the ministers pushed for more concubines, it would only cause trouble at home.
He would be the one suffering the loneliness of an empty bed at night, so he firmly refused to take any concubines.
Seeing the Emperor’s determination, the ministers had no choice but to give up, planning to advise the Emperor and Empress to take noblewomen as concubines after the wedding.
Every year, Qi held a ceremony to declare that the Emperor was chosen by heaven to rule the land, and every five years, a grand ceremony was held.
The Emperor’s wedding was naturally a top priority, but Feng Liwu, eager to have Jiang Xiurun by his side as soon as possible, chose the nearest auspicious date.
Coincidentally, this year marked Qi’s five-year grand ceremony, so the officials, especially those in the Ministry of Rites, were extremely busy.
Feng Wu had also received early news from his informants about Feng Liwu’s plans to marry Jiang Xiurun.
Thinking about how Jiang Xiurun had effortlessly thwarted his carefully planned plague and disrupted his subsequent schemes, while the two of them were now deeply in love and even using the plague as an excuse to hold a wedding, Feng Wu couldn’t help but feel resentful.
He was determined not to let Feng Liwu have it so easy.
Feng Wu had originally planned to announce the establishment of his own state in the three counties at the most opportune time, expanding his territory and legitimizing his rule.
He wanted to catch Feng Liwu off guard, confident that with the imperial edict in hand, he wouldn’t have to worry about family scandals becoming public.
Since Feng Liwu was now immersed in the pleasures of the flesh, Feng Wu assumed he wouldn’t be able to launch a military campaign after the wedding.
He knew the state of Qi’s treasury was weak, its veteran generals were aging, and its military strength was insufficient.
If Feng Liwu wanted to wage war again, he would find it difficult.
With this in mind, although Feng Wu knew it wasn’t the most critical time for Qi to face internal and external threats, he couldn’t resist the urge to make Feng Liwu uncomfortable.
Thinking of Jiang Xiurun in her wedding attire, becoming his official sister-in-law yet still occupying his thoughts, he decided to announce the establishment of his state three days before Feng Liwu’s wedding, in alliance with the states of Han and Yan.
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Delulu Liwu!! I have a feeling that Dou and Qianer are going to tag team Delulu Wu. Thank you for the updates!!