Old Stories

"Your Highness, should this ledger be given to His Majesty?" Lou Xuan carefully examined each page of the ledger in her hand. Sometimes she really wanted to marvel at Wang Juesong's audacity.

"Look, the Crown Prince and the Third Prince gave about the same amount. Where did they spend all that money? If Father Emperor saw these accounts, he would be furious."

Lou Xuan took a sip of tea, pointed at a conspicuous entry in the account book on the table, and mocked it.

"Look at this sum, it's almost equal to Bianzhou's entire year's tax revenue, and the sum above is more than five years' worth of my salary." Lou Xuan was increasingly shocked as he read on.

"Bianzhou is indeed a prosperous place, so we can't let it go. It would be terrible if it fell into the hands of the Crown Prince and the Third Prince."

"Your Highness, Lady Jiang is still searching. Should we send a message over?" Xueya fanned Lou Xuan, the room filled with freshly delivered ice to keep him cool. Outside, a squad of guards stood protecting Lou Xuan, ensuring no opportunity for the thieves to take advantage.

“No need. The more Ah Jin knows, the more difficult it will be for her. Now that they are in love, our presence in the middle will only put Ah Jin in a difficult position. No matter which side she takes, the other person will always be heartbroken.” Lou Xuan handed the account book to Xue Ya.

"But not telling Ajin doesn't mean I don't value her. If I find out that anyone is belittling her, I will definitely not let them off easily."

Lou Xuan knew, of course, that some people would fawn over her and look down on others, but she didn't want to see A Jin suffer because of her change in attitude. As long as she remained in power, she would not let A Jin suffer.

"Your Highness, I will give the order to have all the fools under my command cleaned up. No one will dare to disrespect Lady Jiang."

After carefully putting away the account book, Xueya hesitated for a moment before telling Lou Xuan the results of her investigation into Chang Yi's interaction with the maid, which she and Jiang Jin had witnessed that day.

"This servant arranged for people to investigate the relationship between Commandant Chang and the maid, but everything was too perfect and this servant couldn't find anything. It's this servant's fault, please punish me, Your Highness!"

Xueya knelt on the ground, filled with remorse for not properly managing her maids. If anyone had infiltrated and threatened His Highness's safety, she would be guilty beyond redemption.

"It's fine not to keep her around. Even if we remove this person, another one will come in. It's better to keep a close eye on her." Lou Xuan raised his hand to signal Xueya to get up. "Human hearts are unpredictable. You can't read their minds, so why blame everything on yourself?"

"Thank you, Your Highness." Xueya stood up and stood behind Lou Xuan, looking at her slender figure. "Your Highness, please take good care of yourself. It's already broad daylight outside, and you've been up all night."

"Where's A-Jin? Did she go back with Wei Shu?" Lou Xuan rubbed his temples. "Have any reports come from the people watching Wei Shu?"

"Lady Jiang is still searching for account books in the governor's mansion. General Wei initially disagreed with Your Highness's plan, but Lady Jiang said it might also be beneficial to His Majesty, so he put his mind at ease." Xueya walked to the door and glanced at the distant sun. "Would Your Highness like to order a meal?"

"Has the Crown Prince released information about his dereliction of duty?" Lou Xuan knew that once the news from Bianzhou reached the capital, it would cause another stir.

“Some members of the Dou family have already begun impeaching him, but His Majesty has not yet made a statement.” Xueya helped Lou Xuan to his feet. “Your Highness, would you like to rest for a while? This servant will keep watch outside and wake you if there is any emergency.”

"No need. I've been up all night and I'm wide awake now. Go and serve the meal. If Chang Yi isn't asleep, have him eat with me." Lou Xuan's eyelashes trembled slightly as she touched a pure white ring on her finger and sighed.

"This servant will go right away!" Xueya bowed and hurriedly left, just in time to see Jiang Jin approaching.

"Greetings, Lady Jiang. His Highness is inside, please go in." Xueya bowed and then walked towards Chang Yi.

As soon as Jiang Jin entered the room, she saw Lou Xuan propping his head up with his eyes closed. "If Your Highness is tired, why don't you go and rest on the couch for a while?"

Jiang Jin reached out and grasped Lou Xuan's arm, her slender fingers resting on her wrist. "Your Highness, if this continues, the matter may collapse before it is even accomplished."

"You dare to talk back to me like this? You also rushed here without sleeping all night. I really don't know how Wei Shu could be so carefree." Lou Xuan grabbed Jiang Jin's hand in return. "Jin, do you think I'm cruel?"

Jiang Jin was stunned for a moment, his mind racing. "Your Highness, I would like to ask you to stop this matter within the five clans. If it continues, I fear it will cause turmoil in the court."

"Ah Jin, it's all fate. The Wang family had no intention of rebelling, but His Majesty can be ruthless as long as there is solid evidence. Ah Jin, I think you understand these principles, but you and Wei Shu still chose a roundabout way. You may have a soft heart, but I cannot. I may have the blood of innocent people on my hands, but I want you to live a clean life." Lou Xuan smiled and touched Jiang Jin's face.

"Even standing at the pinnacle of what a woman can achieve, I'm still dissatisfied. Fighting with the concubines in the palace every day is so boring and exhausting." Jiang Jin rubbed against Lou Xuan's hand.

"So I will always stay with Your Highness. Your Highness, I understand your thoughts. That's why I tried my best to gain Wei Shu's trust, but unfortunately I messed it all up."

“Fool, who said you messed up?” Lou Xuan pinched Jiang Jin’s cheek. “Wei Shu has you in his heart. It’s enough that he’s willing to hesitate between Father and you. It’s pointless for someone like him to seek too much.”

"Your Highness, I just don't understand why Wei Shu would so easily..." Jiang Jin blushed, somewhat embarrassed and annoyed.

"Perhaps he took a liking to you the moment he saw you. I was genuinely wary of this madman, so I had Yi Yi hide in the shadows, just in case something unexpected happened and he could save you." Lou Xuan found the scene they had put on on the long street quite amusing.

"Yi looked very carefully; he didn't miss a single thing—the look of amazement and the momentary stunned expression in his eyes when he first saw you." Lou Xuan laughed freely, then looked at Jiang Jin's flushed cheeks and pinched them again.

"At the time, I thought that even though Wei Shu was a man, he would have to admit defeat when he met our Ah Jin. Our Ah Jin is beautiful, intelligent, decisive, calm, and brave. How could Wei Shu possibly escape your grasp?"

"Your Highness, I was really scared at the time. What if he was unhappy with His Majesty's bestowal of marriage and shot me dead in the street? I would be left speechless and unable to express my suffering. However, if he really dared to kill me, it would be a challenge to His Majesty's authority. Besides, that person kept watching Wei Shu to make his next move. At the time, I wondered if it was a play they put on?"

Jiang Jin twisted her hand and shook off Lou Xuan's grasp, "If Your Highness keeps pinching me, it'll really turn red!"

"Our Ah Jin is so clever. You don't know, Wei Shu initially only did a simple investigation of you, but after that chance encounter on the long street, he found out everything about you from childhood to adulthood, even how many times you knelt in the ancestral hall as a child." Lou Xuan knew from that moment on that Wei Shu had taken it to heart, and she was no longer as resistant to the imperial concubine as before.

"What!" Jiang Jin stared at Lou Xuan, wide-eyed. "Why is he so suspicious!" Jiang Jin was somewhat annoyed. Wei Shu knew everything about her, while she knew nothing about Wei Shu's affairs.

"He was taken in by the Emperor as a child and raised as a weapon. Although he learned the same things as the Crown Prince and the others, the eunuchs' neglect of him was genuine. The first time I saw him was when he plotted to injure the eunuch who was bullying him." Lou Xuan recalled Wei Shu's sinister face in the rain at that time.

"That was the first time Father Emperor discovered that this knife seemed even sharper than he had imagined." Lou Xuan clearly remembered his father's face at that time, turning from green to white, from white to red, and then he burst into laughter.

"Later, the Emperor paid more and more attention to Wei Shu, and the eunuchs' attitude improved. He entered the court at the age of fourteen. Whether it was a treacherous official or a good official, he would investigate and deal with them as long as the Emperor gave the order. Everyone with eyes could see that he was just the Emperor's knife. Unfortunately, they dared not talk about the Emperor behind his back, so they could only put their fear and apprehension on the fifteen-year-old Wei Shu."

Jiang Jin grasped Lou Xuan's hand and hurriedly asked, "Your Highness, what happened after that? Did Wei Shu just continue like that?"

"Later, when I left the palace, I saw Wei Shu sneaking into a courtyard in the suburbs. Thinking I could get leverage over him, I had someone follow him." Lou Xuan paused, leaving Jiang Jin in suspense.

"Does Ajin know what's in that courtyard?" Jiang Jin shook her head, her eyes full of pleading. "Your Highness, you know how curious I am. Please tell me quickly, or I'll feel uncomfortable."

"Those books inside are all copied in blood, and the names of the people worshipped in each one are different. They are all names of officials he investigated. The only thing they have in common is that they were all accused of forming cliques for personal gain, but they were all acting against their will." When Lou Xuan heard this news, he suddenly felt as if he had just met Wei Shu.

"Later, I had someone clean up the mess for him and keep the matter a secret." That's why Lou Xuan knew Wei Shu's true thoughts and way of doing things, which is why she married Jiang Jin to him.

“Actually, Wei Shu understood everything.” A bitter feeling welled up in Jiang Jin’s heart. “Although he didn’t say it explicitly on the ship, he did mention it in a veiled way, but I didn’t pay much attention to it at the time.”

"So, I said you did a great job with this. The fact that he was able to navigate between Father and you, and even subtly favor you, is already a very good outcome." Lou Xuan patted Jiang Jin on the back.

"Being in the royal family, I have no freedom, no love, so I hope you can have it too. I admit I'm a little selfish, but it's nothing compared to A-Jin's happiness." A tear fell from Lou Xuan's eye onto Jiang Jin's short shirt.

“Your Highness, my happiness is that you can share in my happiness.” Jiang Jin gently patted Lou Xuan’s back. “I have always known Your Highness’s difficulties, so rest assured that even if there is only one person by Your Highness’s side, that person will definitely be me.”

"Ah Jin, your tongue is getting better and better these days; you even know how to tease me now. It seems you've learned a lot from Wei Shu." Lou Xuan wiped away Jiang Jin's tears and then wiped the fine sweat from her forehead.