The Hostage Girl - Chapter 69-Part 1
Chapter 69—Part 1
Because they were camping in the wild, as night fell, insects could be heard outside the tent.
Even through the gauze covering the entrance, tiny fireflies could still be seen flickering like stars.
Because they were lodging in the wilderness, with the guards’ tents not far away, though the two of them had dallied for half the night, the act itself ultimately remained incomplete, like a ship moored at the dock but unable to set sail.
The little aide in his arms, when provoked too much, would let out soft, trembling moans.
Though the sound was enticing, he didn’t want anyone else to hear it.
In the stillness of the open wild at night, he couldn’t let himself indulge fully, only to find himself the next morning needing to kill off all the loyal guards who might have overheard.
So he stopped at a mere taste, swallowing her faint gasps and soft cries with his own lips.
Camping in the wild was different from being in the Crown Prince’s residence.
By dawn, as the first rays of light emerged, people in the campsite began lighting fires and preparing meals to ready themselves for embarking on the ship again.
When Feng Liwu awoke, the little concubine with disheveled hair in his arms was still asleep.
By then, however, a messenger had already arrived on horseback and by fast boat from the capital, delivering secret intelligence.
Feng Liwu draped a robe over his shoulders and stepped out of the tent to read the silk letter.
The letter detailed the life of Mao Yunsheng, the eunuch by his mother’s side.
This man had originally been a farmhand for a gentry family in Jichun. At the age of sixteen, he had caused such chaos in the household that his master intended to drown him.
Somehow, he escaped and eventually made his way to Luo’an City, where a series of fortuitous events led him to be introduced into the palace by none other than Feng Liwu’s illegitimate uncle—the youngest son of the Wei family patriarch.
There, Mao Yunsheng began serving by the Empress’s side.
The letter also included a special note: this man was said to have extraordinary abilities in charming women. Rumor had it that in his time at the gentry household, he had slept with not just one but all three women—the legitimate wife and two concubines—completely captivating them, leaving the entire household in chaos.
By the time the Crown Prince finished reading, his expression had grown cold and stern as frost.
His illegitimate uncle, who had managed to carve out a better reputation in court than many of the Wei family’s legitimate heirs, had always been skilled at currying favor.
Having been raised under the Empress’s biological mother after losing his own mother at birth, he’d learned to live under the watchful eyes of the legitimate wife.
As a result, he had become an expert at ingratiating himself with both her and her daughters.
Now, this uncle had further honed his skills, and since he could not regularly enter the palace to curry favor, he had arranged to place someone at his sister’s side instead.
…But what remained unclear was whether that village-born eunuch still possessed all of his manhood or how he had managed to win over the Empress’s affections.
The messenger, seeing that the Crown Prince had finished reading, spoke in a low voice:
“Your Highness instructed this subordinate to arrange for someone to pose as a secret envoy from the State of Bo and deliver a large sum of gold to Chief Eunuch Mao. He accepted it all and promised to intercede on Concubine Yao’s behalf with the Empress.”
Feng Liwu’s brow furrowed even deeper.
His mother, fond of flattery and sweet words, had surrounded herself with such greedy and immoral individuals.
For a mere chest of gold as a test, the eunuch she trusted so much was willing to steer the direction of the royal court as if controlling the wind and rain!
How many hostages and noblewomen from other countries had similarly influenced the tides of the Great Qi through such methods?
Meanwhile, the Great Qi left by his ancestors was stagnating under old ministers who clung to their outdated ways, complacent in their self-proclaimed dominance over other states, while slowly decaying under its long-standing illnesses.
Feng Liwu fought to suppress his rage.
His thoughts spiraled far and wide, a mixture of bitterness and anger directed toward the Wei family and his mother.
This cloud of gloom was hard to shake, and even after dismissing the messenger and returning to the tent for breakfast, traces of his thunderous mood lingered on his face.
After Jiang Xiurun rose and had her long hair combed by Taohua, she was just about to put on her hairpin when she saw Feng Liwu enter with a dark expression.
The young man who had been catching crabs with her in the fields the previous day was now nowhere to be found.
Jiang Xiurun understood that the man entering the main tent now was the Crown Prince of Qi, whose authority inspired awe without the need for anger.
Realizing this, she set aside any thought of adorning her brows with makeup, quietly instructed Taohua to take the basin outside, and knelt by the table to serve congee and dishes to the Prince herself.
She didn’t know what had angered him so early in the morning, but it had clearly enraged him enough that he barely touched his food before smashing the bowl to the ground with a cold remark:
“I’m not some toothless old man. How am I supposed to swallow congee so sticky and mushy?”
The guards outside quickly received the order to seize the cook who had prepared the congee, awaiting the Prince’s judgment.
The cook, trembling with fear, knelt on the ground drenched in cold sweat, bound tightly, and awaited punishment.
Jiang Xiurun immediately set down her own bowl and chopsticks, kneeling respectfully to the side with her forehead touching the ground.
In truth, Feng Liwu was simply venting his pent-up anger.
The secret letter confirming his mother’s indiscretions felt like a dung bucket dumped over his head first thing in the morning—an unbearable stench that suffocated him.
And yet, he had no choice but to cover it up for her, as she always reminded him: their fates were intertwined; her disgrace would inevitably tarnish his legitimacy. If her affair with a palace servant were ever discovered, his status as the legitimate heir would become a target of nationwide scorn.
At that point, if his father decided to depose him, he would have a perfectly justified excuse.
From a young age, Feng Liwu had been more thoughtful than his peers.
He clearly understood the stakes and the necessary course of action.
But understanding didn’t mean he could easily let go of his frustrations.
The smashed bowl earlier was a momentary release of that pent-up fury.
When he looked up to see Jiang Xiurun’s humble, submissive posture, he realized his loss of composure had frightened her.
Softening his tone slightly, he said:
“I wasn’t angry at you. Why are you kneeling like that? Get up.”
Jiang Xiurun raised her head, her lips moving as though she had something to say but didn’t dare.
Feng Liwu frowned.
“What is it?”
Jiang Xiurun hesitated but finally said cautiously:
“I do have something to say, but I’m unsure if I should speak as Concubine Yao or as your Highness’s aide, which makes me hesitant.”
Feng Liwu, amused despite himself, said, “Does a difference in identity mean there are two versions of what you’d say?”
Jiang Xiurun replied, “If I were pretending to be your concubine, I would wait for you to deal with the cook, then prepare less sticky congee and serve you with a fresh set of bowls and chopsticks…”
Feng Liwu raised an eyebrow.
“And if you were my aide?”
Jiang Xiurun gathered her courage and said:
“As your aide, I would naturally do my utmost to remind your Highness to uphold virtue and safeguard your reputation. Also… just a few days ago, your Highness explained the story of Jin Linggong’s tyranny, where he killed a cook out of anger over improperly prepared bear paws…”
She paused, watching Feng Liwu’s expression carefully, before continuing:
“To my knowledge, those allowed to serve in the Crown Prince’s residence must come from families of good standing. Moreover, your Highness has always been lenient toward your subordinates. Those who perform well in the residence are often reluctant to leave, wishing instead to serve your Highness long-term. Under your Highness’s influence, the entire residence is virtuous and radiant, without any vulgar or base individuals. … It’s like a group of stars surrounding the moon, and the whole residence is shining…”
“Your Highness has never been like those tyrannical rulers who punish servants over the temperature of soup or the seasoning of dishes. If you start such a precedent today, it may instill fear among the servants, leaving them unsure of how to season or prepare your meals in the future. Over time… wouldn’t that jeopardize your health and well-being?”
