The Hostage Girl - Chapter 81
Chapter 81
For Jiang Xiurun, it felt as if she had not seen her father for years. When they met again, she noticed he seemed much more prosperous, his once tightly-knit brows and eyes now carrying a hint of unfamiliarity.
Of course, Emperor Jiang had been chosen as the imperial son-in-law in his youth, naturally indicating he had been of fine appearance. As a result, Jiang Xiurun had inherited the best features from both her parents.
However, despite their resemblance, her relationship with her father was exceedingly distant.
Emperor Jiang was not a good husband. Once he had used up her mother’s value, he discarded her for someone new, indulging his favored concubine to act arrogantly and domineeringly within the palace.
Before leaving the State of Bo, even when Jiang Xiurun caught a slight cold and needed a bowl of ginseng soup to clear her airways, she had to report it to the new empress. Yet the kitchen only sent her a bowl of hot water with a single ginseng root thrown in, treating it perfunctorily.
At the time, her eldest brother, still naive, angrily went to complain to their father. The next day, during the morning greetings, the new empress used the excuse that the eldest princess lacked proper discipline due to her mother’s absence and that her greeting posture was incorrect. She forced Jiang Xiurun to kneel in front of the palace gates as punishment. Two hours later, when she was finally allowed to return, she was already burning with fever and delirious.
The old palace maid who took care of her later told her brother in tears that no matter what happened in the future, they must never complain about the new empress again.
Their mother was gone. The new empress was now their mother. What kind of child reports their own mother’s misdeeds?
Jiang Xiurun had cried back then, curling up under her blanket, wiping her tears with the back of her hand, and insisting that the new empress was not her mother.
The old palace maid had cried as well, bending down to whisper by her pillow, “Remember, child, now that your mother is gone, your father is no longer truly your father either. From now on, you must see him as only your emperor and never act willfully again…”
Not long after, the old palace maid fell ill and passed away. It was only after a long time that Jiang Xiurun gradually came to understand the meaning behind her words.
So now, after a long separation, she silently reminded herself that the man before her was the Emperor of Bo, not the loving father she once had.
Her delicate eyebrows did not even twitch as she simply swept her sleeve and greeted him with a formal bow, saying, “Greetings, Father Emperor,” before standing aside with her hands clasped.
Emperor Jiang frowned as he scrutinized his daughter, who was dressed in men’s clothing.
If Ji Wujiang had not informed him earlier of Jiang Xiurun’s bold actions, he would never have believed that the youth before him—poised, with a noble air and arrogant brows—was actually his daughter!
Thinking back to when he had first uncovered the truth, how he had been so shaken that he lost an entire night’s sleep, the emperor felt a stifling rage in his chest.
Now that he had finally found her, he glared and reached out, intending to slap her and vent his frustration.
But to his surprise, Jiang Xiurun stepped aside just slightly, causing his slap to miss entirely. Losing his balance, he nearly fell onto the seat behind him.
Fortunately, Shen Yong, who was beside him, reacted swiftly, catching him in time and exclaiming anxiously, “Your Majesty, please calm yourself! Do not let anger harm your health!”
Emperor Jiang steadied himself and glared at Jiang Xiurun.
“You unfilial wretch! You dare to dodge?!”
From the side, Qian’er had noticed the tension brewing from the start. She was well aware of how little her young mistress cared for her father.
Seeing that her mistress was about to suffer, how could she stand idly by? She lifted her skirt and spread her legs apart, ready to let that old Bo emperor experience what it felt like to have a foot slammed into his face the moment he reached out again.
Shen Yong also noticed the menacing posture of Jiang Xiurun’s ugly servant girl, but as a seasoned warrior, he did not take a mere woman seriously. He took the initiative, attempting to grab Jiang Xiurun’s arm and land the slap on behalf of Emperor Jiang.
Shen Yong resented this girl deeply for constantly opposing him. After all, when the emperor discovered that he had concealed her forged credentials and disguised identity, he had been severely reprimanded. If not for the empress’s intervention, he might have even been flogged.
But before Shen Yong could get close, Qian’er had already launched a flying kick, loosening half of his teeth. He stumbled back several steps before crashing to the ground, spitting out teeth mixed with blood as he clutched his face in agony.
Emperor Jiang was so stunned that he momentarily froze, his gaze fixed on Qian’er’s foot.
Meanwhile, Jiang Xiurun remained upright, looking down at her father with a slightly raised chin as she said, “I am now a tutor to the Crown Prince of Qi. Whenever I travel abroad and interact with royal families, all my movements must be recorded for future review by the prince… The official responsible for recording just stepped away to the tribute hall. If Father emperor wishes to strike me, please wait until he returns so he can document it properly. Oh, and speak slowly when you scold me—he is from Luo’an and struggles with the Bo dialect…”
She deliberately spoke in the elegant Luo’an accent, making her self-proclaimed refined father seem like an uncouth country bumpkin in comparison.
Emperor Jiang felt that his daughter had turned her back on him the moment she gained a powerful patron. Such defiance! If they were in the Bo court, he would have had his guards flog this audacious girl mercilessly!
Yet, her words gave him pause. From what Ji Wujiang had told him, this rebellious daughter was now deeply favored by the Crown Prince of Qi. Since she had finally managed to establish a connection with Qi, how could he not make good use of it?
With this thought, the fury in his chest dissipated considerably. He sat back down, taking a moment to catch his breath before saying, “Alright, alright. Let’s not fuss over these formalities. Do you really think your affairs are so significant that they need to be formally recorded? You’ll only drag your brother and Xiuyao down with you!”
His tone softened as he finally managed a smile.
“But now that your father is here, I can at least guide you so you don’t act recklessly… Tell me, instead of properly attending to the crown prince, why are you here at some literary gathering? Before that guard of yours comes back with his records, tell me—have you persuaded the prince to send troops to help us annex Rong?”
Before Jiang Xiurun departed, Emperor Jiang had emphasized this matter repeatedly, urging her to bring it up if she gained Emperor Duanqing’s favor.
Territorial expansion was a common pursuit among nations. The State of Rong, a small neighboring country, had long been on Emperor Jiang’s mind. He had always felt it was ripe for annexation.
However, after measuring their strength, Bo discovered that even this tiny state was enough to beat them into disarray.
Humiliated, Emperor Jiang desperately sought a strong ally to fight on his behalf.
Jiang Xiurun had no desire to entertain her father’s delusions. She replied coldly, “This is a grave matter. If Father Emperor wishes to discuss it, you should send a formal letter to Qi. The literary gathering is about to begin, and I must go listen to my mentor’s teachings. Otherwise, my senior brother will come looking for me. Let us speak another time.”
With that, she turned and left, not bothering to look at her father’s darkening expression.
Emperor Jiang, unaccustomed to such defiance, snorted and pointed a finger at her retreating figure, about to order her capture.
Just then, the door curtain was abruptly lifted, and a lean young scholar entered, holding a bamboo slip and a brush. With a cold expression, he announced, “By order of the Crown Prince of Qi, I am here to record the actions and words of the Tutor Jiang for his review. May I ask, Emperor Jiang, which hand did you just raise to strike the Tutor Jiang?”
Emperor Jiang, hesitated for a moment. Just as he was about to speak, the young noble continued,
“Earlier, outside the door, I vaguely heard Emperor Jiang scoffing at the tutor’s record-keeping and questioning his participation in the book gathering. These were all approved by the Crown Prince of Great Qi. Does the Emperor Jiang still have any objections?”
Emperor Jiang’s face turned pale. He let out two dry laughs before saying,
“It has been a long time since I last saw my beloved son. I was merely joking, but it seems I have made a fool of myself before you, young lord.”
The young noble cast a cold glance at Emperor Jiang and said,
“Emperor Jiang should be aware that the Tutor Jiang serves the Crown Prince of Great Qi first and is only a prince of Bo state second. In the future, Emperor Jiang must be more cautious and refrain from making careless jokes.”
With that, he turned and walked out.
As he stepped into the corridor, he saw a young man, Young master Jiang, standing nearby. He quickly walked over, bowed, and said,
“Senior, how did I do just now? Was I of any help?”
Jiang Xiurun looked at Xu Ying and said coolly,
“Who asked for your help?”
Xu Ying blinked. He looked like a sixteen-year-old boy, still carrying a hint of childishness as he said,
“Master instructed me to find the Tutor Jiang to discuss the literary gathering. When I happened to overhear Senior speaking with the Emperor of Bo, I noticed Tutor Jiang was eager to leave, so I simply pretended to be a scribe recording court affairs. I hope Tutor Jiang won’t hold it against me.”
To be honest, he had indeed helped Jiang Xiurun out of a difficult situation. Though this young noble was a distant relative of Qin Zhao’s wife, Madam Xu, fairness was fairness—Jiang Xiurun had to at least express her gratitude.
Xu Ying grinned, and two shallow dimples appeared on his cheeks as he said,
“Since we are fellow students, there’s no need for thanks. Whenever my mother goes to my cousin’s house to demand money for gambling, my cousin always helps me out in the same way.”
Jiang Xiurun had heard people mention before that this young man had lost his father early, and his mother was a compulsive gambler. She had sent him to be fostered in a branch of the Xu family at a young age. His background was rather pitiful. Despite his noble appearance, it was said that when the soles of his cloth shoes wore out, he would carefully patch them up rather than replace them.
Since he was a child of a poor family and not a direct descendant of the Xu clan, Jiang Xiurun decided not to be overly cold toward him. She simply cupped her hands in acknowledgment before turning to leave.
But Xu Ying, like a little shadow, quickly followed behind, clutching his bamboo scroll.
Licking his lips, he said,
“Master said that Senior will participate in the archery competition three days from now. I have also been assigned to join. My archery skills are nowhere near yours—when would you be willing to give me some pointers?”
Qian’er, who was walking beside them, glanced at the young boy, finding him rather endearing.
She interjected,
“With those thin arms and legs of yours, can you even draw a bow and shoot an arrow?”
Hearing this, Xu Ying silently rolled up his sleeves and showed her his arm. It was unexpectedly well-defined, with a solid, masculine contour.
Unfortunately, this moment was interrupted as Dou Siwu approached from the other direction and caught sight of the scene.
For some reason, his teeth felt sore, and he couldn’t help but think: That ugly girl is quite flirtatious—seeing a young noble, and she’s already teasing him into half undressing.
H
Yay!!! Thank you! I wonder what will happen next!