Chapter 44 With her background, how could she possibly be worthy of being anyone's wife? ...
Her features were unremarkable, yet they were perfectly combined. Standing a few steps beside Wan Houyi, she resembled an unfinished traditional Chinese painting of a lady, serene and beautiful.
His light gray eyes gleamed with a cold light like an autumn pool under the candlelight. As Jiang Xu gazed at them, he felt a sudden sense of familiarity.
Like pearls falling onto a jade plate, her voice was soft and clear, "This humble girl, Lin Feiran, thanks Your Majesty for saving my life."
Jiang Xu said calmly, "No need for formalities. My father spent his life on the battlefield, always loyal and devoted. My actions are merely a small contribution."
Upon hearing this, Lin Feiran smiled and still slowly bowed. The world outside was in chaos, and even with the protection of her father's former troops, it was far from enough for her, making life quite difficult. Now that she had been taken to the Jingbei Army's territory, she felt much more at ease.
Although Liang'an is a place where the army is rising, it would naturally be better to be where the Prince of Jingbei is.
"What are your plans now?" Jiang Xu asked as usual, unaware of her thoughts.
Lin Feiran lowered his head and said, "I am all alone, with only a few trustworthy servants by my side. As for my plans... I can't say for sure in the short term." As he spoke, there was a hint of loneliness in his expression.
Seeing this, Jiang Xu said, "It's getting late. You must be tired from your journey. Go and settle down first."
"Thank you for your consideration, Your Majesty." Lin Feiran stared at him for a moment before turning around and walking out with the soldier who was leading the way.
After everyone had completely left, Wan Houyi finally spoke, "Your Majesty, Liang'an is all well and there are now trustworthy brothers guarding this place."
Although the Southern Yuan army is of mixed quality, it still has a force of several hundred thousand imperial guards defending the city. Thinking of this, Jiang Xu couldn't help but say, "Right now, in the capital, the Imperial Uncle and Minister Pei are fighting amongst themselves, and the nobles are naturally holding onto their own little territories. Liang'an is also quite far from the capital, so I don't think anything will go wrong."
He paused for a moment before asking, "How is His Majesty now?"
Yuan Xu is the biological son of Empress Dowager Ning Feifei. Although he is the posthumous son of the late emperor, there has always been much criticism of his birth in the court and among the people. However, now that the emperor's brother-in-law Ning Hong acknowledges that this child is the late emperor's biological son, those people in the court will inevitably have no choice but to accept it.
Upon hearing this, Wan Houyi pondered for a moment and then said, "His Majesty continues to attend school as usual, but... it seems that there has been some discord between the Empress Dowager and the Imperial Uncle."
The Southern Yuan Dynasty valued civil affairs over military matters. Although the young emperor had not yet taken personal control of the government, he had already shown characteristics similar to his predecessor, namely, extreme stubbornness.
Once you trust someone, you'll stick to that path to the bitter end.
"Those pedantic scholars are always jumping around His Majesty, and the Imperial Uncle doesn't even do anything about it?" When the country is truly in turmoil, military generals are obviously more useful than these civil officials. They talk nonsense all day long, but in reality, they are helpless in the face of such a fragmented situation.
Later, seeing his growing power, Mao Maochong defected from his father's command and became the Grand Marshal of Youzhou. The Southern Yuan began to manipulate things, placing him between the foreign tribes and Youzhou. Their initial plan was to put Jiang Xu in a precarious position, facing attacks from both sides, and now it seems... progress is going quite smoothly.
How come they've ended up fighting amongst themselves?
Jiang Xu scoffed and said, "The news is being blocked and won't get through for a while. If I were the emperor's brother-in-law, I should be conserving my strength now and seizing any weakness among the three of us to devour it completely and strengthen myself."
Seeing that Wan Houyi also looked puzzled, Jiang Xu casually waved his hand and said, "Let Jingyan go, take his things, and make some good connections in the capital."
"Although His Majesty is only seven years old, children have their own perspectives, and we must not underestimate him."
There is considerable resistance from the court, and even blood relatives cannot escape the dilemma of choosing between two options. However, on his side... he must act quickly.
Wan Houyi listened silently, and seeing that Jiang Xu looked somewhat tired, he withdrew.
That night, the courtyard grew even colder. The house must have been repaired early in the morning. The withered trees were gnarled and twisted, and a thin layer of frost covered the stone bricks. As Wan Houyi walked forward, he saw that the gravel on the path was deeply buried, leaving only some footprints of varying depths. When he stepped on them, he could almost feel his soles sinking into the mud.
The air was dry and cold; even a deep breath made my nasal cavity ache slightly.
After walking a short distance, he couldn't help but turn back and look. The red plum blossoms surrounded the stone lanterns, which stood quietly in the darkness. Although the details of this place were a bit rushed, it was still truly luxurious and well-arranged.
Wan Houyi's gaze went unfocused for a moment, and then, as if torturing himself, he took several deep breaths of cold air before finally stopping.
......
It suddenly started snowing in the middle of the night. Tiny snowflakes fell from the sky with a crackling sound. For several days in a row, they gradually accumulated on the trees, and the sycamore trees planted in Shiwan's courtyard were already covered with silver frost.
She was not fully recovered from her illness and could only lean against the rosewood chaise longue, desperately looking out the window from a distance that was neither too close nor too far. Seeing a vast expanse of snow, the heat in her body seemed to subside a little.
Hua Hui had just picked a few branches of red plum blossoms from the courtyard. Being thoughtful, she brought them in to show Shi Wan. The sparse plum blossoms, with their bright red color, were extremely pleasing. They were covered in snow, and holding them in one's hand gave one a bone-chilling coolness. She placed them diagonally in a porcelain vase and put them on the dressing table. Instantly, they released a delicate and refreshing fragrance that soothed the soul.
Shi Wan sniffed the air for a moment, and her spirits finally improved. She finished her medicine as instructed and was just spacing out when she suddenly heard a voice outside announcing something.
Looking up, she saw Jiang Xu stride in. Today he was wearing a crimson narrow-sleeved robe, which amplified the heroic spirit in his features. With his wheat-colored skin, he was extremely handsome at first glance. Shi Wan leaned listlessly against the soft pillow, pursing her lips and remaining silent.
Perhaps it was because she had been putting on this bad look lately, or perhaps it was out of concern for her health, but Jiang Xu remained calm and found a soft stool to sit down.
The military doctor emphasized several times yesterday that Wan'er's heart meridian had been damaged and she needed to rest. If her emotions fluctuated like this a few more times, even a miracle worker would be powerless to save her.
Jiang Xu didn't think much of these words at first, but now, facing the person in person, he felt a dull ache similar to that night a few days ago.
Fortunately, after thinking it over for a few days, he made up his mind and said, "Once you are feeling better, I will put this matter on the agenda."
These words caught Shi Wan off guard, and she immediately asked, "...What happened?"
What happened? She didn't believe that Jiang Xu, with his temperament, would be so obediently backed down after being humiliated by a young woman like her several times. She was sure he was up to something bad and wanted to annoy her again.
Seeing that she was finally willing to speak, Jiang Xu continued, "You once said that you could only feel at ease being a concubine if a principal wife entered the household." As he spoke, he glanced at her and saw that she seemed to be in much better spirits, and continued, "When the war ends next spring, we can give you a proper title." In truth, Wan'er's repeated anxiety must have stemmed from the fact that she had been living in this state of being neither servant nor mistress, without ever having a legitimate status.
If that's the case, he'll just give her an identity later, so she won't be depressed all the time and give him attitude all the time.
Thinking of this, Jiang Xu couldn't help but recall the army doctor's words, saying that Wan'er was overthinking and her emotions were hard to calm down. He then patiently said, "You should take good care of yourself these days and get well soon so that the people below can make preparations."
Upon hearing this, Shi Wan felt as if the person in front of her had been replaced and was an imposter.
Otherwise... why would she not understand something?
Jiang Xu meant that he would marry his principal wife next spring and then give her the position of concubine? Was he doing this to put her at ease and prevent her from overthinking?
She blinked unconsciously. She had lost some weight in the past few days. Even with daily tonics, drinking so much herbal soup made her feel tired, not to mention that her stomach was churning all day long and she had vomited repeatedly.
The nausea surged up in her throat again, and Shi Wan swallowed hard to suppress it. She then lowered her eyes, refusing to look at the culprit who had made her feel so nauseous.
Jiang Xu had rarely seen Wan'er show weakness these days. Seeing her looking sickly, thin as a plum blossom, cold and beautiful as silver, he was momentarily moved. "I'm saying all this today just to put your mind at ease." Put your mind at ease to recover and to stay with him.
"Furthermore, don't run around aimlessly in the future. The world will probably be even more chaotic in the next two or three years. If you run around again, it will not do you any good."
As Shi Wan listened to her words, the energy she had just managed to muster almost dissipated again. Fortunately, after resting for a few days, she had indeed improved a lot. She tried to sit up straight, her soft hand emerging from the quilt to gently cover her chest. Jiang Xu was stunned for a moment by this glimpse of snow-white skin. After a while, he heard Wan'er calling him softly.
"Jiang Xu." The low, husky voice, combined with his originally sweet tone, carried a strange intimacy and tenderness.
Now, he disliked Wan'er calling him that, but this time, he felt an inexplicable itch in his heart, and was momentarily stunned by the feather that was about to fall.
He instinctively leaned closer to listen, only to see Wan'er suddenly look up at him with a smile, "I...don't...want."
"I don't want to be a concubine."
These words were spoken almost directly to him, word by word, and the two were extremely close, so close that Jiang Xu could see Wan'er's lip movements very clearly.
"Don't try to be unreasonable." His attitude had become much colder, and he stepped back a little, sitting back on the soft stool.
Don't want her? Do you think someone with her background could be her legal wife?
Or perhaps... she simply doesn't want to be his concubine.
Jiang Xu's tone turned somber. "Not a concubine? Then what do you want?" A faint anger at being mocked lingered in his heart, and the previous flirtatious thoughts vanished instantly. He retorted sarcastically, "Or perhaps I'd like to be someone's principal wife?"
Which of Jiang Xu's women would dare to be so bold? Besides, even if he gets tired of her one day and doesn't want her anymore, which woman he's been with would dare to ask for her hand in marriage again?
Shi Wan glanced at him coldly, "There's no need for Your Majesty to worry about that."
He doesn't need to worry about it? Jiang Xu stood up, his tall and slender figure quite imposing, blocking most of the light source. Even the few winter plum blossoms on the dressing table seemed to have lost some of their fragrance, trapped in this shadow, stumbling and turning around.
"I have made peace with you several times because you are unwell."
“But what about you?” Jiang Xu finished speaking, seemingly not expecting her to answer, and said to himself, “Wan’er, your temperament is too eccentric. There’s no need to argue about who’s better in everything.”
and......
Where could she go without his protection?
Once Jiang Xu made up his mind, he didn't look at her again and walked straight out.
With a flick of her crimson sleeves, a few familiar medicinal scents wafted out, mingling with the bright red winter plum blossoms. The two complemented each other, creating a harmonious effect.
As Hua Hui and Hua Lan approached quietly, they saw Shi Wan panting heavily, her face contorted in pain. The moment she saw them, she seemed to lose all her strength and collapsed against the edge of the bed.
The detached courtyard was in chaos, but the main courtyard presented a completely different scene.
The icicles on the eaves tiles grew even stronger, long and thin, with a few drops of water frozen at the tip, crystal clear, and soon made a soft "plop" sound.
The black pieces were placed on the chessboard. Inside the study, Lin Feiran and Jiang Xu sat facing each other on either side.
Jiang Xu withdrew his hand and said, "Thank you for your kind offer."
On the chessboard, black and white pieces fought each other, and the life force of the white pieces was cut off by the black pieces, leaving them powerless to resist.
Lin Feiran smiled and said, "I had heard my father mention before that Your Majesty's chess skills are superb."
"Seeing is believing, and I have learned a great deal from Fei Ran."
“Our fathers were friends who went through thick and thin together, so you don’t need to be so polite.”
"To be honest, I should call you 'sworn sister'," he said gently. "How have you been these past few days? Is there anything you're not used to?"
“Your Majesty’s considerations are thorough, and naturally… there is nothing wrong with it.” Seeing Jiang Xu nod, Lin Feiran paused for a few moments before saying, “Speaking of which, Your Majesty suddenly summoned me to your study today. Is there something you wish to discuss?”
This person was just like him; he understood things instantly and was extremely intelligent, which indeed saved him a lot of trouble.
Seeing her insistence, Jiang Xu said no more. He glanced casually at the door before replying with a normal expression, "I have a sure-fire business deal that I'd like to inquire about."
Outside the door, the servant who was sweeping subconsciously lowered his breathing, seemingly focused on sweeping, but his steps were getting closer and closer to the study.
Lin Feiran was unaware of the situation outside the door and looked slightly stunned.
Immediately, she heard the person opposite her raise their voice, speaking in a subtle tone that she found difficult to describe: "Miss Lin possesses an ethereal elegance and is in the prime of her life. An ordinary woman like you should already be married. I wonder..."
Her gaze then fell on the table, where Jiang Xu pushed a document toward her side. Accompanied by his low, husky voice, he spoke slowly and seductively, "Would you be interested in speaking with me?"
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Author's Note: I'm here! [dog head with rose in hand]
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