The Hostage Girl - Chapter 80

Chapter 80

Qin Zhao listened and then cupped his hands in respect, saying, “Who hasn’t heard of Master Mufeng’s great name? Your influence is far-reaching and truly admirable. Now that you’re passing through Yanzhou, it’s only right that we offer you proper hospitality.”

The two exchanged pleasantries outside the carriage, and Jiang Xiurun overheard everything clearly.

Actually, according to the original plan, the convoy wasn’t supposed to go to Yanzhou. It seemed that one of the fellow students traveling with them had mentioned to Master Mufeng that Yanzhou was famous for its sugarcane and beautiful scenery, and it would be a pity to pass by without stopping.

So, Master Mufeng decided to take a slight detour to Yanzhou.

Since the local governor had come to greet them, Master Mufeng couldn’t rudely refuse the hospitality and lodging offered. That night, they rested at the posthouse arranged by Qin Zhao.

When everyone got off the carriage, Qin Zhao didn’t glance at Jiang Xiurun, which suited her just fine.

It seemed that the sudden downturn in his career had finally made Qin Zhao wake up, and he was no longer blindly chasing after unattainable fantasies.

Since there weren’t many travelers at the posthouse, the teachers and students from the academy took up the entire backyard.

At night, Jiang Xiurun looked at the maids guarding the inside and outside, then at Qian’er sleeping by her bedside, and felt a sense of security.

Although she was now in Qin Zhao’s territory, she didn’t have to worry about him suddenly appearing in her room as he had in her past life. After all, she was no longer the weak and vulnerable laundry maid from the washing bureau. If Qin Zhao really intended to do anything improper, he would have to think twice.

Even so, she didn’t sleep well that night.

The next morning, everyone got up and washed.

After asking Qin Zhao about the local attractions the previous day, Master Mufeng learned that the scenery of Mount Fengtai was particularly beautiful. He decided to take his students on a tour before continuing their journey.

However, not all the students liked hiking, and Jiang Xiurun was one of them.

No matter how beautiful the mountain scenery was, it wasn’t worth the exhaustion and sweat. With limited opportunities to bathe on the road, Jiang Xiurun preferred to stay still to keep herself fresh.

So, while most of the group followed Master Mufeng up the mountain, Jiang Xiurun stayed behind at a temporary pavilion at the foot, enjoying tea and fruits and listening to the birdsong around her.

Not long after, Qin Zhao arrived with a cart full of sugarcane.

It seemed he had heard that Master Mufeng loved sugarcane and had specially brought a cart as a gift.

Jiang Xiurun glanced at him but had no intention of greeting him.

Qin Zhao, however, walked over and raised his hand in a polite gesture, saying, “I haven’t had the chance until now, but today I finally have the opportunity to apologize properly to Young Tutor Jiang. In the past, I was arrogant and ignorant of the world. If I have offended you in any way, I hope you can forgive me.”

Jiang Xiurun hadn’t expected Qin Zhao to apologize to her one day. After all, in her past life, even after he had broken her brother’s leg, he never said a word of apology.

A privileged young man who had always had things easy would often believe that whatever he wanted was destined to be his. And her refusal to comply, even to the point of wanting to die, had been seen as a crime, giving him the audacity to threaten her with her brother’s safety.

So, this apology, coming two lifetimes late, meant nothing to Jiang Xiurun. She gave a half-hearted smile and said, “Governor Qin, you’re too kind. I’ve already forgotten about the past. Please don’t dwell on it either.”

Qin Zhao didn’t say anything more but found a chair in the pavilion and sat down quietly.

Jiang Xiurun noticed a young man standing beside him, about seventeen or eighteen years old, with a handsome face but an unusually pale complexion. She wondered who he was to Qin Zhao.

However, she had no intention of making small talk, nor did she want to risk angering Qin Zhao by asking him to leave. So, she simply focused on the scroll in her hands.

Qin Zhao also remained silent, only occasionally glancing at the woman dressed as a man whom he hadn’t seen in a long time.

The young man, however, didn’t hide his curiosity and stared openly at Jiang Xiurun.

After a while, Master Mufeng returned from the mountain with his students, using a wooden stick he had picked up along the way.

It seemed the group had had a fruitful trip.

Dou Siwu had even hunted two rabbits, claiming that he would prepare a delicious rabbit meat dinner for his fellow students that night.

When Master Mufeng saw Qin Zhao, he naturally greeted him with a polite gesture.

Qin Zhao quickly introduced the young man to Master Mufeng, explaining that he was a distant relative of his wife, intelligent and eager to learn, and had long admired Master Mufeng’s reputation. He hoped the young man could study under Master Mufeng.

As the saying goes, you don’t hit a smiling face. If Qin Zhao had brought a cart of gold and jewels to recommend his brother-in-law, Master Mufeng might have thought he was using his wealth to push a spoiled brat and would have refused outright.

But this time, Qin Zhao had been courteous throughout, and the gift of sugarcane was something Master Mufeng loved. The sincerity of the gesture was hard to ignore, and it would have been rude to refuse without even asking.

So, Master Mufeng tested the young man, named Xu Ying, with a few questions.

To his surprise, Xu Ying turned out to be a diligent and well-read student, knowledgeable in both astronomy and geography, and not just a bookworm.

This suited Master Mufeng’s taste perfectly.

As a teacher, when you encounter a bright and eager student, how could you refuse? Master Mufeng immediately agreed to accept Xu Ying into the academy.

Qin Zhao was overjoyed and suggested that Xu Ying stay by Master Mufeng’s side to serve him and gain some experience at the Mochi Literary Gathering.

Since they were already close to the state of Wei, taking on one more young student wasn’t a problem, so Master Mufeng readily agreed.

Thus, Jiang Xiurun and the others suddenly gained a new classmate, and they bid farewell to Governor Qin and continued on their journey.

This young man, Xu Ying, had an air of elegance about him, as if he came from a prominent family. But considering the Xu family was a major clan, it wasn’t surprising that they could produce such a refined young man.

Although he seemed to come from a good background, his clothes were simple—clean robes with wide sleeves—and he didn’t flaunt any extravagance. He was also very perceptive, showing more respect for his teachers and elders than some of the noble-born students. He was attentive to Master Mufeng’s needs and spoke respectfully to his seniors.

If it weren’t for his connection to Qin Zhao and his wife, even Jiang Xiurun might have been charmed by such a humble and clever junior.

However, she couldn’t shake a faint sense of doubt—if Qin Zhao had gone to such lengths to please Master Mufeng for this distant relative, then their relationship must be quite close.

But… why had she never met this young man named Xu Ying in her past life?

The next few days passed without incident, and Master Mufeng’s convoy finally arrived safely in Qicheng, in the state of Wei.

Qicheng was an ancient city with a long history, said to be a place where many sages had cultivated themselves. The city was filled with academies, and the air was thick with scholarly atmosphere.

Jiang Xiurun discovered that the local bookstores had many rare volumes that couldn’t be found elsewhere. Overjoyed, she took Qian’er and her guards to the streets and went on a shopping spree.

Books were expensive, and some of the rare editions were worth a fortune.

This naturally made her fellow students envious, and they quickly made arrangements to borrow the books from her.

Xu Ying also wanted to borrow some books but was too shy to ask. He kept hovering around Jiang Xiurun while they were resting at the inn.

Although Jiang Xiurun didn’t want to get too close to him, she felt a bit sorry for the young man, who seemed desperate. So, she told him that once the other students were done, he could borrow the books for a while.

Xu Ying was overjoyed and gave Jiang Xiurun a shy smile, bowing deeply to thank his senior.

Every time Jiang Xiurun saw the young man smile, she felt a sense of familiarity, though she couldn’t place where she had seen him before. It was a strange feeling, hard to describe.

By now, more and more students from various states had gathered in Qicheng.

The teahouses were filled with scholars discussing philosophy and literature.

Having so many like-minded individuals gathered in one city was a rare opportunity, and every student who could attend felt the unique atmosphere. It was a reminder that there were always greater talents out there.

Everyone was looking forward to the upcoming Mochi literary gathering.

Such grand events always followed a certain protocol.

The Mochi literary gathering began with martial arts before moving on to literary discussions. After the excitement of swordplay and archery, the scholars would engage in deep conversations about literature and philosophy.

Jiang Xiurun knew that she and Dou Siwu were there to save their teacher the trouble of hiring guards. Since they weren’t going to war, Jiang Xiurun felt that her archery skills would be enough to get by, so she wasn’t too nervous. Once she and Dou Siwu warmed up the crowd, the other students would take the stage to bring glory to the Luo’an Academy.

And because the reputation of the gathering had grown in recent years, it was said that the crown prince of Wei would also be attending to observe and select talented individuals to serve as pillars of the state.

In fact, it wasn’t just the crown prince of Wei—other states had also sent officials to scout for talent. If they could recruit talented individuals for their own states, it would be a great achievement.

At the very least, the state of Bo had sent its royal uncle, Shen Yong, to attend.

When Shen Yong personally came to the inn to visit Jiang Xiurun, she directly told the guard who came to report, “Tell General Shen that I’m unwell and not fit to receive guests.”

If it hadn’t been for Feng Liwu’s timely intervention, she and her brother would have died at Shen Yong’s hands.

How could such a deceitful person have the nerve to come see her?

Jiang Xiurun felt disgusted and didn’t want to waste any time, so she refused outright.

But Shen Yong was persistent and tried to see her again.

Jiang Xiurun was furious and decided that if he was so eager to be scolded, she would oblige. After all, she had her guards with her and wasn’t afraid of Shen Yong trying anything. If it came to a fight, she would gladly stab him a few times to vent her anger!

So, she waved her hand and told the guards to let Shen Yong in.

But before he arrived, a loud voice rang out: “It’s only been a year, and you’ve already become so arrogant! You won’t even see General Shen? What a high and mighty attitude!”

Jiang Xiurun was startled by the voice. When the person pushed the door open and entered, she immediately smiled. How could she have forgotten how much her father loved fame? Of course, he wouldn’t miss such a gathering of renowned scholars!

The man who entered was her long-lost father. It seemed he intended to follow in the footsteps of the ancient sages, traveling incognito to seek out talented individuals, reenacting the legendary meeting between King Wen and Jiang Ziya.

For Jiang Xiurun, this was the first time she had seen her father since leaving the state of Bo in her past life. Until her death, she had never seen him again.

After so many years, his face had become blurry in her memory.

She hadn’t expected to see him again in this life. But instead of feeling joy at their reunion, she was filled with an indescribable bitterness.

However, for Emperor Jiang of Bo, this was just his daughter, whom he hadn’t seen in a year. In his eyes, she was still the same obedient and respectful girl.

So, as soon as he entered, he began scolding her without hesitation.