Old illness

"Madam!" Abei carefully helped Jiang Jin down from her horse, looked around, and said, "The Third Prince's wedding is the day after tomorrow, and the congratulatory gifts from the manor have already been sent over, but..."

Seeing Ah Bei's hesitant expression, Jiang Jin smiled and said, "Why are you like this? Did you not give enough?"

“No, it’s the Third Prince who just received a formal invitation and invited the General to his residence for a chat tomorrow.” Jiang Jin said to Wei Shu, who was following behind him, “Return it. Just say that the General is tired from his journey and should not go out.”

"Madam?" This was the first time Abei had seen Jiang Jin so assertive, while Wei Shu showed no sign of objection.

"The Third Prince knows I won't go; he's just looking for trouble to upset the Crown Prince and me. You can leave now; Ah Jin and I have something to discuss." Ah Bei left the bedroom after seeing Jiang Jin nod.

"Your maid is quite loyal." Wei Shu couldn't help but feel a little jealous as he watched the exchange between the two.

"A maid should naturally be loyal to her duties; it would be unacceptable for her to have any disloyalty." Jiang Jin nudged Wei Shu and helped her sit down on the soft couch.

"Speak, what important matter is it that warrants sending my maid away to tell me?" Jiang Jin took off her shoes, rested her head on a soft pillow, and looked at Wei Shu.

"Who exactly is this Young Master Zheng?" Jiang Jin slowly stood up and looked at Wei Shu.

"Why ask that question? His identity poses no threat to the Great Yan." Seeing that Jiang Jin had become more wary, Wei Shu had no choice but to soften his tone.

"I just think he has an extraordinary air about him. His calligraphy is something that ordinary people can't learn." Jiang Jin was secretly considering whether Wei Shu should find out that Song Zhimin was from the Song family. It wouldn't be good if any slip-up involved Lou Xuan.

“Perhaps he has talent.” Jiang Jin wanted to avoid the topic, but Wei Shu persisted, asking, “Then why does he always wear a mask? Is he afraid I’ll recognize him?”

"He's ugly and a bit insecure, so he often wears a mask," Jiang Jin told Wei Shu, making up a lie.

"Are you not telling me his true identity because you don't believe me enough to convince you?" Wei Shu looked at Jiang Jin with some disappointment.

"Wei Shu, let me ask you this: how many spies do you have in the Crown Prince's and Third Prince's residences? What are the names of the spies in the residences of various officials?" Seeing Wei Shu's questioning look, Jiang Jin tossed a soft pillow next to her to him.

"If you don't tell me, it means you don't believe me." Jiang Jin used Wei Shu's words to shut him up.

"Of course I can tell you, but I don't know if the person who listens will survive." Wei Shu smiled as he took the soft pillow, deliberately trying to scare Jiang Jin.

“Then I can say it too, but I don’t know if General Wei will survive after hearing it.” Jiang Jin turned over and faced away from Wei Shu. “I’m hungry, General, please go and serve me a meal.”

Seeing Jiang Jin, who was completely different from before, Wei Shu left the room helplessly. After all, it was all because he had spoiled her.

Hearing Wei Shu leave, Jiang Jin's smile faded, and she stared at the doorway in deep thought. Wei Shu wasn't the type to be jealous; he wouldn't pry into her past with Song Zhimin.

"Abei." Jiang Jin called softly towards the outside, and Abei came in carrying a copper basin.

"Does Madam wish to cleanse her face?" Abei placed the copper basin on the shelf. Jiang Jin shook her head. "You... never mind." Jiang Jin suppressed her doubts. "Go and send a message to the clothing shop, inviting His Highness to meet tomorrow."

“Yes, Madam.” Seeing Jiang Jin’s tired appearance, Abei picked up a cloak from the clothes rack and draped it over her shoulders. “Madam likes a soft couch, so why don’t you rest here for a while?”

"I'm not sleepy yet. Bring the clothing store's ledgers over so I can check the accounts." Jiang Jin got up, put on her shoes, and sat down at the table. Ah Bei couldn't refuse her, so he lit a candle for her.

"Madam, do you intend to get involved in the household accounts?" Abei asked, unable to resist as he helped Jiang Jin grind the ink and watched her intently studying the accounts.

"The mansion is managed by designated personnel, but they are only in their positions to fulfill their duties. I'll talk to Wei Shu tonight, and if he's willing, I'll investigate together." Jiang Jin's hands were busy manipulating the abacus, while his other hand was constantly taking notes.

"The clothing shops in Songzhou haven't been doing well for the past few months. Although they haven't reached the point of loss, it's still quite unusual. Have someone go and check whether it's the shops' fault or the people's fault. Beizhou is slightly worse, but it can be forgiven because of Governor Qu. Sangzhou is not worth mentioning, Bianzhou is doing well, and Yuezhou is as usual..." Jiang Jin analyzed the key clothing shops one by one, and finally sent a letter to each of them.

“Madam, there are rumors circulating in the capital that the Fourth Mistress and the Second Prince are having a very close relationship.” Abei saw Jiang Jin stop what she was doing and quickly stood aside. “Although it’s just a rumor, I think we should go back to the manor to see for ourselves. If the manor is involved in the struggle for the throne, it will also implicate Madam.”

Jiang Jin glanced at Abei and sighed, "I already knew about this, but I didn't expect it to become such a hot topic in the capital. I'm afraid Father will be angry."

"Madam, why don't you intervene and nip this in the bud?" Abei didn't understand why Jiang Jin allowed the Second Prince and Fourth Madam to develop their relationship so freely.

"Would Fourth Sister listen to me? She'll only think I've thwarted her dream of becoming a prince's consort," Jiang Jin didn't want to cause any trouble. "Besides, the Second Prince isn't stupid. The daughter of an official from one of the Six Ministries is far more precious than the daughter of the Censor-in-Chief. Unless he's trying to curry favor with Wei Shu through a roundabout way, he'd be incredibly stupid."

Ah Bei thought about Jiang Jin's words and realized what they meant. "Could it be that the Second Prince really has feelings for Fourth Lady?"

"I don't know yet whether it's Xin Yue or not, but the person spreading the rumors is definitely targeting the Jiang family." Jiang Jin raised her hand, and A Bei placed the teacup in her palm.

"Should we investigate who's behind this?" Abei noticed that Jiang Jin didn't seem anxious at all.

"Why would we need to target our people when Wei Shu is here? Isn't it perfectly normal for the young master to investigate those who harbor ill intentions towards the madam's family?" Jiang Jin wouldn't let Wei Shu, a readily available person, go to waste by targeting his own secret agents.

"Besides, with Wei Shu involved, everyone will be more restrained. This also serves as a way of proving that Wei Shu loves me very much, and it also puts the Crown Prince and the Third Prince's plans to rest." Jiang Jin looked at the ink on the Xuan paper. "Go and get the calligraphy copybook so I can practice my calligraphy some more."

"Madam, you've just returned and you're already reviewing account books and practicing calligraphy. Anyone who didn't know better would think you were a deity." Ah Bei looked at Jiang Jin, who was constantly tense, with great concern.

“Sanfeng is gone, and Ziyuan has been missing without a trace. I’m afraid I’ll go crazy if I don’t practice calligraphy soon.” Jiang Jin rubbed his temples. “There’s been no news of Ziyuan. It’s as if she disappeared from the Great Yan. I’ve sent people to search in the border regions, but to no avail.”

"Don't worry, my lady. With your abilities, Ziyuan, we'll surely turn this into a good thing. Besides, if there really were bad news, the person behind it all would find a way to let you know, instead of remaining silent like this." Although Abei wasn't as insightful as Jiang Jin, she had the advantage of being outside the situation and could see things more clearly.

"That's all I can tell myself." Jiang Jin still hadn't given up searching for Zi Yuan, but the person behind it all was indeed hiding very well, which was truly infuriating.

"Madam, if you're tired, perhaps you should take a calming pill or rest a bit." Seeing Jiang Jin's uncomfortable expression, Abei knew her old ailment had relapsed.

"It's alright, I'll just have to tough it out." Jiang Jin leaned against the table, feeling a bit more at ease as she inhaled the scent of ink. The intense pain in her head seemed to lessen somewhat as well.

The door creaked open, and Jiang Jin looked up to see Wei Shu walking in carrying a food box.

"I asked the kitchen to make you some roasted mutton." Wei Shu opened the food box, and an enticing aroma wafted out.

"Madam, this is your favorite roasted mutton." Abei had just turned his head when he saw Jiang Jin's forehead beaded with sweat.

"My lady, my lady, what's wrong?" Abei asked anxiously as he helped Jiang Jin up. Wei Shu stepped forward and carried Jiang Jin to the couch. Just as he was about to send someone to fetch a doctor, Jiang Jin reached out and grabbed his sleeve.

"It's an old problem, no need to make a fuss." Jiang Jin lay on the couch, feeling as if needles were gently pricking her head.

"Even the imperial physicians can't do anything?" Wei Shu actually wanted to ask Lou Xuan if he couldn't do anything either, but the Wei family wasn't an impenetrable fortress, so he simply swallowed his words.

"We've tried everything we could. The only thing we can give her is some calming pills, but my wife thinks all medicine has some toxicity and prefers to brew them herself." Abei brought a cold compress and placed it on Jiang Jin's forehead. Jiang Jin's outer robe was already soaked with cold sweat, so Wei Shu had no choice but to knock her unconscious.

"Does your wife always get through this like this?" Wei Shu looked at Jiang Jin's furrowed brows due to pain, wanting to reach out and smooth them out, but it was no use.

"It used to be less frequent, but I don't know why it's become more common in recent years. We've consulted doctors, and they all say it's something I was born with and it's not life-threatening, just more unbearable. Later, we had some calming pills, but my wife is unwilling to use them much." Abei knew Jiang Jin was stubborn, so he didn't try to persuade her further.

"Even Old Man Zhaosun couldn't cure it completely?" Wei Shu took a handkerchief and wiped Jiang Jin's sweat.

"Zhao Sun stopped taking action a long time ago. Besides, my wife said it wasn't anything life-threatening, so she didn't pay much attention. It was just that the process was a bit difficult, but he was healthy when I checked his pulse daily."

Although Abei didn't know why Jiang Jin had such a splitting headache, each time the doctor took her pulse, he said it was stable and she was in good health. Gradually, Jiang Jin just let it go.

"Would Ah Jin's older sister be like this too?" Wei Shu asked Ah Bei as she tucked Jiang Jin in.

"Madam is perfectly healthy and doesn't have these symptoms. The doctor said it might be because of a problem during Madam's pregnancy, which is why Madam has this old ailment." Ah Bei had been by Jiang Jin's side for a long time and could recite the doctors' words by heart.

"Why is your wife so afraid of that calming pill?" Wei Shu knew that Lou Xuan had probably ordered the calming pill to be made, but Lou Xuan's attitude towards Jiang Jin didn't seem like she was intentionally trying to harm her.

"This servant doesn't know either. It's just that Madam thinks it's best to avoid taking medicine if possible. The effect of the calming pill is about the same as the general knocking Madam unconscious, so Madam chooses to just let it go since it doesn't happen often anyway."