Chapter 87 Infiltration

With a splitting sound, countless golden rays scattered across the sky, falling like flower petals, creating a breathtaking tapestry of color.

Attracted by the bustling scene before me, I couldn't help but slow my breathing.

Baozhu: "It's even prettier than what I saw during the Lunar New Year. Who put it up here...?"

Yu An paused, recalling the scene last year when Ji Jinghe took her to the attic to watch fireworks on her birthday.

It felt familiar, yet also like a lifetime ago.

A tingling, numbing sensation spread through Yu'an's heart; she couldn't quite explain her own feelings.

Once the Yan family's affairs are completely resolved, then everything will be over.

Jiuwan Mountain.

During the cold winter, the mountain is covered with withered leaves, and the sound of horses' hooves crunching on them is constant.

Ji Jinghe looked out the window at the child leading the horse. The wine he tasted melted on his tongue with a bitter taste, without any hint of fragrance.

Cui Hu, leaning against the side, looked at the red clay stove in front of him and broke the silence.

"Have you decided whether you want to go?"

Ji Jinghe looked at him but didn't speak, which was taken as tacit agreement.

"I may leave at any time, but I have no idea when I will return. Please take care of my family out of consideration for my sake."

Cui Hu raised his glass, took a sip, and said, "You're too kind."

The torment of the poison had robbed him of most of his former glory; within a little over a month, the damage was visibly visible.

"Leaving the capital right now is definitely not the best option, but you are also poisoned. If you don't adapt, you can only accept your fate and wait to die... Go in peace. I will send people to protect you if there is any movement in the capital."

"That one from the Chu family is one of them too."

Cui Hu: "The weather is cold over there at the border, so you should take good care of yourself."

If the antidote cannot be found, Ji Jinghe's trip will have been in vain, and he may even die on the way. Cui Hu felt reluctant, but he could not show it.

All I can do is try my best to fulfill his requests and put his mind at ease.

"Let's have a few drinks today as a farewell to you. Your health can't handle alcohol, so please drink less."

Ji Jinghe smiled and said, "Who knows, we might not be able to drink such good wine again in the future, so we should drink more today."

The fellow disciples knew each other inside and out, and were even more familiar with each other's actions.

Once Ji Jinghe has made up his mind, he won't easily change it, especially when it comes to love.

Previously, she was focused on exonerating Xu Yun and seeking revenge; now, she is focused on winning back those whom he wronged.

Go down a path to the bitter end, and never regret it.

...

It was a fine day, so after waking up from her afternoon nap, Yu'an went to the Ji residence.

Ji Shu had been taking care of her mother and rarely had time to visit her after the New Year. She was overjoyed to see Yu An.

"Sister-in-law, what brings you here?" Ji Shu smiled and led her inside.

When Ji's mother saw that it was her, she waved and told people to greet her properly.

"Grandmother, how are you?" Yu'an asked, leaning forward as she sat on the edge of the bed.

Mother Ji managed a weak smile. "I'm fine, I'm fine."

"I heard from Shu'er that you were poisoned. Has the poison been cured yet?"

Yu An nodded and softly replied, "It's done."

Illness strikes like a landslide, and the old lady's spirits were completely different from what they were six months ago. Yu'an saw this and felt a mix of emotions.

No wonder Ji Shu always cries when she talks about it...

"Grandma, please take good care of yourself. By spring, your illness should be gone," she comforted her.

Mrs. Ji smiled and said, "I know my own body; it'll be in the next couple of days..."

She spoke her last sentence softly, which left Yu'an with mixed feelings.

“You’re overthinking it. It’s just a minor illness. Take your medicine properly and you’ll get better,” Yu’an said, and asked Baozhu to bring out the headband she had made for the old lady.

The old lady accepted it with a smile, leaning against the headboard and glancing at her.

"Is Jinghe still pursuing you fiercely?"

Yu An pursed her lips and remained silent.

Ji Shu walked over and sat down by the bed. "Grandmother, please don't worry about my brother's affairs. Let him worry about it himself."

It would be a lie to say she wasn't worried. The Ji family relied on Ji Jinghe alone, and now that he had been dismissed from his post, there was no sign of him being reinstated, so the old lady was uncertain about the future.

Similarly, she had a bad feeling. Speaking of this, Ji Shu casually added, "My brother has disappeared again. I was just about to go talk to him about it yesterday..."

"Has he gone out again?" asked Mrs. Ji.

Ji Shu: "Qing Que said she's going away for a few days, but I don't know where she's going."

He didn't even bring Qingque, his personal attendant.

Ji's mother looked worried, "Where can someone who's been dismissed from their post go..."

Ji Shu remained silent, intending to let the matter drop and prevent the old lady from constantly nagging about it, which could cause her distress.

Yu'an still had some questions to ask, but it was inconvenient with the old lady in front of her, so she saved them for when she left.

"The court is currently unstable, why would your brother go out at this time?"

The Yan family, eyeing him covetously, couldn't resist using this as an excuse to smear him with a label.

Ji Shu shook her head: "I don't know. Although my brother has been at home all this time, we rarely see each other. He has been locking himself in his study and doesn't go out all day. He doesn't even see the sun. I peeked at him from the door the other day, and it really broke my heart."

“He’s not in good health and has been coughing lately, but he hasn’t been taking any medicine. The other day he came to see his grandmother and coughed up blood in front of her, which really frightened her and even scared me.”

Upon hearing this, Yu An was taken aback.

Ji Jinghe didn't even tell his family about his poisoning.

Since she didn't know, she didn't want to bring it up, and simply comforted him, "He knows his own business, so don't worry about it."

"If you were sensible, you wouldn't have worried your grandmother."

Ji Shu sighed, her face full of dejection.

Yu An chuckled and nudged her with her elbow. "How's the wedding going? Is there anything I can help you with? I've already drawn two designs for the wedding dress, but I forgot to bring them today. I'll have someone bring them to you tomorrow, and you can choose one and I'll make it for you."

Ji Shu leaned closer, "Really?"

His eyes sparkled with undisguised joy.

Yu An nodded, "You're getting married, so we should do something for you."

Ji Shu chuckled twice. "Things aren't settled yet, it's hard to say, there's no need to rush."

"A 20-year-old fifth-rank official in the Ministry of War is quite impressive. Moreover, I have seen him; his appearance is exceptionally good, which is rare."

Before the New Year, Ji's mother arranged a marriage for Ji Shu with the youngest son of the Marquis of Dingyuan from the Luo family.

Ji Shu pouted: "No matter how good they are, they're not as good as my brother. No matter how capable they are, they're still far inferior to my brother."

Yuan:......

She couldn't refute that.

To be fair, in terms of talent and ability alone, there are very few people in this world who can compare to Ji Jinghe.

After chatting for a few minutes, Yu An left.

Two or three days later, news came that Zhang Yanche had returned from investigating the case in Lizhou, followed by the news of Shen Yi's beheading and the confiscation of the property and exile of the rest of the Shen family.

The Yan family was almost completely unharmed; they only lost a few officials under their command.

It wasn't that Zhang Yanche's investigation was ineffective, but rather that the Yan family had pulled too many strings, managing to shirk responsibility and find a scapegoat.

Previously, we might have been able to rely on Ji Jinghe to stir up trouble and continue the investigation, but now that Ji Jinghe is not here, it all depends on the Emperor's will.

"With such solid evidence, the Yan family still managed to find someone to take the blame for them. It's truly an eye-opener for me."

Yu An found it hard to believe, and after deep thought, she felt a deep hatred for Yan Jun's factionalism and corruption.

Xu Jingshu: "Yan Jun has been biding his time in the court for decades, so it's not surprising that he has developed his current abilities. If the emperor no longer keeps him in check, he will become even more difficult to manage in the future."

Yu An looked up at her. The once renowned noblewoman of the capital had more than just poetry and songs in her mind.

Xu Jingshu didn't take it seriously: "When my father was alive, he often said that there were only two people in this world who were best at hiding their talents and biding their time: Yan Jun and His Highness Prince Qi, who is our current emperor."

"If His Majesty is to be a benevolent and wise ruler, he will not allow the Yan family to run rampant. Perhaps, he is just one opportunity away from achieving his goal."

Therefore, it's not necessarily a bad thing that Zhang Yanche submitted this result to the emperor, and the emperor approved it.

Of course, it's not a good thing either.

Xu Jingshu took an envelope from her sleeve and placed it on the table. Yu An naturally opened it to read it.

"The Yan faction knows that Ji Jinghe has left the capital and wants to use this to impeach him in court. What do you think we should do?"

It was another letter from Lu Yunshu.

Yu An read it carefully, but still had no clue. After all, no matter how capable she was, no one in the court could speak for her. Besides, Ji Jinghe's matter had nothing to do with her.

"Leave it to Wang Jie. He should have a solution. Right now, he won't harm Ji Jinghe."

Xu Jingshu thought about it and felt it was reliable, "Giving it to him is fine."

"But do you know where he went? Why would he run off like that?"

Yu An gently shook her head.

Xu Jingshu lowered her head, "If you don't know, you'll have to go to Jiuwan Mountain to ask..."

"If even Jiuwan Mountain doesn't know, then it truly doesn't know."

Yu An didn't care. She had thought about Ji Jinghe for a while, but only for a short time, and then she forgot about him after a while.

With him gone, things seemed to be quiet in the capital. Apart from Xu Jingshu occasionally offering her a few words about court affairs, Yu'an knew nothing about them.

In addition, the intermittent pain in her chest tormented her to the point that she had no energy left to care about anything else.

Qi visited her twice, and the two chatted about everyday things, so there was nothing strange about it.

Yu'an had a chest pain all night and felt weak when she woke up the next morning. But seeing that the sun was shining brightly, she put on thick clothes and went to the garden.

With only three months left until the mourning period ended and the martial arts examination imminent, Chu Zhuo'an practiced martial arts even more diligently.

Yu'an stood aside watching him, and for some reason, the events from before came to mind.

She slept fitfully last night, having several dreams with all sorts of characters in them, which kept her on edge and prevented her from sleeping soundly.

Lost in thought for a moment, I felt another sharp, throbbing pain in my chest.

She felt sweat instantly break out on her forehead. Leaning against the railing, her vision blurred in waves. She only heard Chu Zhuo'an calling her from the side. Just as she was about to reply, she lost consciousness.

...

After returning from the border, Pei Chengyu continued his usual duties of patrolling the city gates and guarding the city, or, at worst, training soldiers in the barracks.

After the court session ended and it was time for the shift change, they would ride their horses to patrol the various city gates.

While sitting on his horse listening to the report, Gu Guang inadvertently noticed a figure. He squinted at it, but couldn't be sure for a moment.

He rode his horse to block the center of the city gate, and it was clear that the person on horseback was mostly unconscious, letting the horse go as it pleased.

The soldiers guarding the city saw this and quickly stepped forward, brandishing their spears to stop them.

The horse's hooves had barely stopped when the man fell to the ground.