Chapter 854 – Side Story: The Overbearing Lord and His Sweet Wife
Liu Zhi accidentally caught a glimpse of Gu Min’s beauty and was struck by her charm, thinking she was too naive to understand, and seized an opportunity to dishonor her, resulting in her pregnancy.
By the time everyone noticed something unusual, she was already six months along!
Gu Zhen had known about this long before and had been secretly helping to cover it up, enduring in silence.
When the truth finally came to light, she stepped forward, willing to bear the stigma of being an unwed mother to protect Gu Min’s reputation, agreeing to marry Liu Zhi and take the child with her.
She shouldered all the consequences, but poor Gu Min ended up dying from complications.
Hearing Jiang Pengji mention this long-ago incident, Gu Zhen trembled uncontrollably.
Jiang Pengji asked, “What’s wrong? Are you anxious now that others have brought this up?”
Gu Zhen shook even more fiercely.
Jiang Pengji continued, “Today, I’m not here for anything else, just to have you admit one thing.”
Gu Zhen looked up, seeming to see a glimmer of hope.
“Admit that you had an illicit relationship with another man, secretly conceived, and left the child’s father to deal with Liu Zhi.”
Gu Zhen’s expression grew tangled and strange.
Jiang Pengji stated, “I’d rather bear the title of having a bastard than be associated with someone disgusting like Liu Zhi!”
As for the real mother, Gu Min, Jiang Pengji didn’t want her to be tainted with a bad name; this way seemed better.
Gu Zhen bit her lip, trembling as she replied, “Others…won’t believe it…”
“Whether they believe it or not is irrelevant; what’s important is that this narrative exists,” Jiang Pengji smiled, “If you do your part well, I guarantee you a comfortable life in your old age. If you prove ungrateful, I can find other witnesses. If I can kill Liu Zhi, what about you?”
Even after all these years, she still remembered how Widow Zhao from Hejian Zhao Family met her demise.
Gu Zhen’s face drained of color as she quivered and nodded.
With this turn of events, both official and unofficial histories gained a wealth of gossip material.
Official history claimed the Empress’s father was Liu Zhi from Hejian, while unofficial narratives implied others, as Gu Zhen admitted her affair with another man but staunchly refused to name him, leading to rampant speculation. Thus, the mystery of the Empress’s parentage became a hot topic among scholars in later generations.
The royal family turned a blind eye, allowing them to chatter about their ancestors.
As long as these scholars didn’t go too far, it was fine.
Thus, the controversy surrounding “patricide in battle” reluctantly calmed down.
However, Jiang Pengji was troubled by more than just that.
The most competitive Huang Song had committed suicide, and the Nie Clan was left with nothing but remnants; now there were only three lords left, with Jiang Pengji single-handedly taking on the other two. If nothing unexpected happened, within five years, the world would surely be unified—a consensus among all.
This was good news, but Jiang Pengji’s subordinates weren’t feeling any joy.
Their leader, now twenty-nine years old, still had no heirs; how could they not worry?
Without heirs, even if the empire unified, decades later the legacy would risk breaking, leading to chaos once again.
Having no successor made everyone uneasy.
In short, Jiang Pengji was being pressured to marry.
The pressure to marry was intense; not just the strategists were sighing; many trusted generals seemed hesitant to speak.
The Emperor wasn’t anxious, but the eunuchs were!
If the leader were male, they would only need to send in beauties; if one woman didn’t bear children, they could just swap for another. But since the leader was female, she had to act personally, making things awkward. They couldn’t even suggest she indulge in the harem or anything like that.
Because the leader didn’t have a harem at all!
“This isn’t urgent!” Jiang Pengji laughed, leisurely drinking wine, sitting beside her drinking buddy Feng Zhen, the two often getting into mischief, flitting between taverns and brothels, “I’m only twenty-nine, why rush?”
Feng Zhen almost choked on the rich wine.
Twenty-nine isn’t urgent?
Was she planning to wait until thirty-nine to worry?
Their leader became a bandit at twelve, raised an army at sixteen, bustling back and forth until she had built this foundation at twenty-nine.
Who has so much time to waste?
With various hints from her subordinates urging her to marry, Jiang Pengji, no matter how unconcerned she was, had to seriously think about this matter.
Qi Guanrang said, “With the power you hold, why not secretly choose a suitable man to borrow some seeds from and then leave the child with the father—problem solved?”
Jiang Pengji shot Qi Guanrang a glance, questioning with her eyes—such a rotten idea could come from you?
Qi Guanrang met her gaze with indifference—so, you figure out a better plan by yourself?
Jiang Pengji sighed again, “I’d rather have nothing than settle for anything less; only the best and most suitable will do.”
Qi Guanrang remained expressionless; his children would be getting married soon, and their leader was still a single dog.
As the grand cause of unifying the realm approached its finale, Jiang Pengji remained static.
The winds of marriage pressure even reached Wei Ci’s side; even he, a small fry, was aware of this, showing how anxious everyone was.
Wei Ci had been low-key these past two years, but his performance in the Songzhou campaign had been quite the eye-catcher.
Unless unexpected circumstances arose, he’d undoubtedly be promoted.
Even though the unification of the empire was imminent, there were still quite a few battles left to fight, and if Wei Ci could seize the opportunity, wealth and fame wouldn’t elude him.
One day while dealing with paperwork, he was drawn into a conversation with Jiang Pengji, discussing practical matters and exchanging small talk.
In that moment, Wei Ci cautiously brought up the issue of heirs, his words more tactful than others, but the core idea remained unchanged.
Jiang Pengji paused, her gaze suddenly turning sharp.
Unfazed, she asked, “What does Zixiao think?”
Wei Ci pondered, realizing she might be concerned that having a husband would split the power, so he proposed the same suggestion as Qi Guanrang.
Borrow the seeds!
As long as the child was born from the leader, they would be considered her bloodline; as for who the father was, that didn’t matter.
Jiang Pengji laughed, her smile unsettling, “Do you think it truly doesn’t matter who the father is?”
Wei Ci couldn’t decipher her meaning, hesitating for a moment before nodding.
As long as it was the leader’s child, it would undoubtedly be the future heir; what importance did the man hold?
However, thinking of the person he admired having children with another, a hint of discomfort surfaced in his heart.
Their leader seemed better suited to be worshipped on a pedestal.
Not just him, likely others thought the same way.
A few days later, Jiang Pengji appeared to be fed up with the marriage pressure and finally seemed willing to “compromise.”
In private, she told Wei Ci, “This matter is my private affair; it wouldn’t be right to trouble others.”
Wei Ci didn’t quite understand at first.
This logic of the leader was problematic; he also counted as “others.”
However, he knew her temperament; some points were simply beyond criticism.
Jiang Pengji continued, “Anyway, they only want a Young Master to set their minds at ease, so I’ll just go along with their wishes. As for men, as long as they aren’t castrated and are healthy, they can get a woman pregnant; I don’t wish to be picky. Just follow my orders and arrange it.”
Wei Ci was taken aback; he didn’t expect their leader to be so nonchalant.
“Better sooner than later, let’s choose today,” Jiang Pengji smiled, her eyes narrowing playfully, leaning back against the table, appearing carefree, “Tonight, after the third watch, the first man who passes by the back gate of my mansion shall be the biological father of the next Young Master.”
Wei Ci was speechless in shock, but considering this kind of style, it really did seem like the leader’s temperament.
The fewer people who knew the identity of the biological father, the better.
The leader had chosen him for this task, so she must trust him.
Wei Ci could only lower his head in agreement.
That day and night dragged on agonizingly, the odd feeling increasingly gnawing at him as time passed.
When the third watch chimed, Wei Ci jumped in surprise as he glanced at Jiang Pengji’s half-smiling expression, rising to check.
Jiang Pengji’s residence was guarded by female sentinels at both the front and back gates.
He opened the door to take a look, but not only was there no trace of any man, even not a single male cat or dog was in sight.
Wei Ci turned back to report, but Jiang Pengji, the person in question, showed no signs of worry.
“Come, Zixiao, sit down and have a drink.”
Jiang Pengji pointed to the low table opposite her at the drink station.
Wei Ci had decent drinking capacity, but he didn’t want to drink in front of Jiang Pengji, always worried he might embarrass himself when drunk.
Jiang Pengji smiled and asked about Wei Ci’s family situation; she already knew everything, but hearing it from him felt different.
After almost half an hour, Wei Ci rose once more, and still, the outside remained silent with no sign of life.
What was going on today?
Had all the night owls returned home to sleep?
Wei Ci was puzzled, but when he saw the faint smile on Jiang Pengji’s face, clarity suddenly struck him.
It wasn’t that the night owls were gone; it was clear that the leader simply didn’t want anyone, having cleared the area out.
“If the leader doesn’t wish it, why tease me?”
Jiang Pengji replied, “When did I ever tease you?”
Wei Ci said, “With no one out at night, isn’t it because the leader sent people to guard all the pathways and closed off this route?”
Jiang Pengji said, “Who said there’s no one?”
Wei Ci widened his eyes in shock—wait a minute—something wasn’t right—
“The person in front of me, could it not be a person?”
Wei Ci listened, glancing around, but he didn’t see any trace of a third party.
His heart sank deeper; the person the leader referred to… surely wasn’t himself?
“L-Leader…”
“Since you, Zixiao, say it doesn’t matter who the father of the child is, why would you fuss over a single night?” Jiang Pengji approached Wei Ci, looking down at his pale face, and gracefully sat beside him, “A gentleman’s word is like a horse’s commitment. I said that the man who appears at the back gate after the third watch tonight would be the biological father of the next Young Master. Today, outside of you, there’s no other person.”
Wei Ci bowed down to plead guilty, saying, “I know I’m insignificant, and I don’t dare to defile your noble self.”
Jiang Pengji chuckled, “You don’t dare to defile? Why would it daunt you so? Just because I casually mentioned selecting any man who appears at the back gate doesn’t mean it’s a defilement. The person could be handsome or ugly, good or bad, healthy or sickly, and yet you know nothing… doesn’t this count as a defilement?”
Wei Ci lay on the ground, feeling he had a thousand words stuck in his throat, unable to utter a single syllable.
Jiang Pengji knelt slightly, lifting his chin to force them to meet gazes.
“I thought long and hard, and you, Zixiao, are the best choice. You have no familial ties and are my most esteemed aide; how could I be more at ease?”
After a long pause, Wei Ci awkwardly replied, “I’m old and weak… unable to serve the leader…”
Jiang Pengji stated, “You’re only six or seven years older than me.”
She changed the way she held his chin to gently caress his face, her palm feeling his warmth before pressing it to the floor beside the table, “Tonight, will you comply or not?”
Wei Ci: “……”
