The Hostage Girl - Chapter 67-Part 1
Chapter 67—Part 1
Feng Liwu was casually eating snail meat when he looked up and saw Jiang Xiurun walking over, wearing one of his long robes.
His tall stature made the robe look oversized on her, like a child dressing up in an adult’s clothes.
The long sleeves were rolled up, and the hem hung loose and baggy.
From a distance, the loose fit could hide her curvaceous figure, but for those nearby, the light fabric swayed in the breeze, revealing the undulations of her body’s contours.
Unexpectedly, this ordinary wide-sleeved robe, coupled with her graceful movements, gave off a unique charm…
For a moment, the prince found himself utterly entranced.
His deep black eyes lingered on her, his gaze growing increasingly profound.
After Jiang Xiurun sat down, she carefully adjusted her attire, ensuring that nothing inappropriate was visible.
Feeling reassured, she picked up a skewer of roasted pheasant meat and brought it to Feng Liwu’s lips, saying, “This needs to be eaten while it’s hot. Once it cools, the meat will turn dry and lose its flavor.”
Feng Liwu took a bite, then scooped up a spoonful of honeyed iced plums—freshly peeled and pitted by the maid—and offered it to her.
Having the crown prince personally feed her felt like breaching decorum, but the sight of the chilled dessert was too tempting.
Jiang Xiurun couldn’t resist and opened her mouth to accept the bite.
The plum was mixed with crushed ice from the ice cellar and thick honey, a combination so delicious that it felt like pure bliss.
After the first bite, her eyes lit up.
She quickly took the bowl from the prince’s hands and began eating the icy treat on her own.
This dessert had been specially prepared by Feng Liwu for Jiang Xiurun.
However, seeing her eating greedily and neglecting her meal, he frowned and ordered the dishes removed.
His tone stern, he said, “There are three large ice blocks left in the mansion’s ice cellar. Even if you eat some every day, it’s more than enough. Why are you so greedy for cold food, eating endlessly whenever you get the chance? Finish your bowl of rice, and you can have this again tomorrow.”
Reluctantly, Jiang Xiurun put down the ice bowl and began eating her rice in small, slow bites.
Feng Liwu then instructed the maid to serve her a bowl of hot winter melon and shrimp soup to warm her stomach.
He added, “Since you can’t tolerate the heat, staying in Luo’an City is torture for you. In a few days, I’ll inspect the newly built canals and travel toward Shunde. That area is near the water and much cooler than the capital. You should come to the summer residence there for a few days to escape the heat.”
Jiang Xiurun’s mind perked up at the suggestion, seeing it as an excellent opportunity.
As a hostage prince, she couldn’t purchase property or land in Luo’an City, but Shunde bordered Han. If given the chance, she hoped to buy some land there as an investment.
Without a stable foundation as a hostage, Jiang Xiurun valued money above all, aside from her elder brother and sister-in-law.
Unfortunately, as an aide in the crown prince’s retinue, her master was stingy, leaving her with few avenues for accumulating wealth.
Her elder brother, Jiang Zhi, was also a refined and aloof gentleman, uninterested in worldly matters.
Jiang Xiurun didn’t want to trouble him with financial concerns, only ensuring the expenses of his hostage residence were covered each month.
When her brother later married Wen Niang, nothing changed in this regard.
However, during a recent visit to her brother, Jiang Xiurun noticed that her sister-in-law had frugally altered old skirts into undergarments.
Most affluent families discarded clothes after a couple of washes due to fading or wrinkling, commissioning new ones every lunar month.
Although Jiang Xiurun sent a large portion of her monthly stipend to the hostage residence, it seemed Wen Niang hadn’t added a single new outfit to her wardrobe, and household expenses were meticulously calculated.
Suspecting she hadn’t sent enough money, Jiang Xiurun showed her savings to Wen Niang and entrusted her with managing it.
This act startled Wen Niang, who was shocked that her brother-in-law would trust her with such a sum so soon after her marriage.
Unbeknownst to Wen Niang, Jiang Xiurun had only handed over half her savings.
She believed her sister-in-law had a natural talent for managing finances and could make better use of the money than her own clandestine loans.
Furthermore, since Wen Niang had married into the family, there was no need to treat her with suspicion.
As rootless exiles in the capital, Jiang Zhi and Jiang Xiurun valued Wen Niang’s willingness to marry into such a precarious situation.
With no elders in the residence, Wen Niang had to manage everything.
Showing her the family’s financial state would give her peace of mind, freeing her from the burden of worrying excessively about daily expenses.
At the very least, she could raise children without needing to scrimp and save constantly.
This revelation, however, overwhelmed Wen Niang, who refused to accept the money.
She insisted it was inappropriate to use her brother-in-law’s funds for household expenses, promising instead to safeguard the money for his future marriage.
Jiang Xiurun could only smile wryly.
Due to the immense risk of her masquerading as a man to play the role of a hostage prince, she dared not reveal her secret.
The misunderstanding persisted, with Wen Niang imagining she was saving for her brother-in-law’s future bride.
Finally, Jiang Xiurun candidly asked if the household was struggling financially.
If so, Wen Niang shouldn’t hesitate to let her know.
Only then did Wen Niang realize the purpose of the money.
Laughing, she assured Jiang Xiurun that the monthly allowance was sufficient.
She simply wanted to live frugally and save for some business capital.
