persuasion

"You look quite well." Zhai Wan consciously lay down on the soft couch and drank her tea.

"Anyone who didn't know better would think this was your bedroom." Ah Bei silently wiped Jiang Jin's slightly damp hair with a clean cotton cloth from behind.

"Did you scold her?" Zhai Wan knew what had happened just by looking at the two of them.

"Why does Dr. Zhai have to lecture me about something like this?" The two argued back and forth, neither giving an inch. Jiang Jin rubbed her temples in exasperation.

"Besides a splitting headache, what other symptoms are you experiencing?" Zhai Wan, without getting angry, put down her teacup and grabbed Jiang Jin's wrist.

"It's the same as before, just in more pain. Ah Bei was frightened, so he asked you to come." Seeing that Jiang Jin was completely unaffected, Zhai Wan snorted coldly.

"Judging from your pulse, if you continue to overwork yourself, you probably won't live past thirty!" Zhai Wan switched hands and checked again; the pulse was the same.

"What have you been doing these past few days? You were perfectly fine before, and you've been recuperating quite well. Although your old ailment is hard to cure, at least your life isn't in danger!" Zhai Wan immediately went to the table and wrote down a prescription.

"Stop lying. It's not as serious as you make it out to be. My pulse is a bit weak, but it's not life-threatening." Jiang Jin sighed, watching Zhai Wan's pretentious act.

“If you want me to rest more, just say so. Why beat around the bush?” Zhai Wan glared at Jiang Jin. “Thirty is a worry-free age, but forty is a different story. If you don’t take care of yourself, you’ll be in trouble by thirty.”

"There are still twenty-odd years left, and besides, at our pace, we might not even live to thirty." Jiang Jin nonchalantly lowered her sleeves and quietly watched Zhai Wan write the prescription.

“It’s not your fault that Sanfeng and Ziyuan are involved, so why blame yourself every day?” Zhai Wan paused for a moment and then continued, “Even without you, the person behind the scenes would have tried to kidnap Ziyuan. Keeping Yi Er and Yi San around is actually enough.”

"Actually, I think if I hadn't taken her to Nanyi, would none of this have happened?" Jiang Jin waved her hand, and Abei stood guard outside the door with the prescription.

"Ziyuan probably wanted to meet with the person behind the scenes privately, so she sent Yi'er and Yi'san away, but I still feel something is strange." Zhai Wan walked to Jiang Jin's side and looked at the furnishings in the room.

"This means they've been monitoring you all along. They knew you weren't here, so they targeted Ziyuan. But why didn't they kidnap you and instead kidnapped Ziyuan? Aren't you more useful?" Zhai Wan's words immediately cleared away the confusion in Jiang Jin's mind.

"If you received a note asking you to go to a meeting alone or specifying who would accompany you to the lakeside, what would you do?" Jiang Jin posed the question to Zhai Wan.

"Of course, we should tell His Highness to ask for help directly. We can't just kidnap me..." Zhai Wan's eyes flashed with a deeper meaning; she seemed to understand Jiang Jin's meaning.

“And I will definitely have Yi Er follow me secretly or take advantage of the situation to lure the tiger away from the mountain and lure the enemy into the trap.” Jiang Jin tapped the table with his finger. “But Zi Yuan is reckless and I’m not by her side to discuss things with. In her panic, she will definitely be led by the nose.”

"You mean the person behind this has investigated us thoroughly?" A chill ran through Zhai Wan. If that were true, the current situation wouldn't be favorable for them.

"What I meant was that person really understands us, or rather, really understands Ziyuan's personality." Jiang Jin rubbed her temples and pressed her aching head.

"Are you alright?" Zhai Wan quickly pressed the needle against Jiang Jin's sore spot. "Don't worry anymore. His Highness is here to take care of things, so you should rest. His Highness won't fall even without you!"

"I'm fine, it's just that my old ailment is acting up a bit more often." Looking at herself in the mirror with her head covered in silver needles, Jiang Jin could easily be mistaken for someone trying to kill her by Zhai Wan.

"I'm really fed up with you! When are you going to take your health seriously?!" Zhai Wan deliberately hit harder to make Jiang Jin feel a little pain.

"The more I ponder, the less Your Highness will have to worry. Your Highness should focus your time on more important matters." Jiang Jin blew on the tea leaves in her teacup and took a sip of cold tea.

"I heard from His Highness that His Majesty is preparing to reward those who have rendered meritorious service. Your position may be in danger of being reassigned." Zhai Wan laughed as she looked at Jiang Jin's head covered in silver needles. "My medical skills are still quite good; at least your head doesn't hurt anymore!"

"Take it out on me!" Jiang Jin didn't dare to move and could only sit upright on the stool, watching Zhai Wan sway back and forth with laughter. "It's an honor for me to make a disciple of the dignified Zhaosun laugh like this!"

"Then I thank our Registrar Jiang for sacrificing himself to amuse me." Jiang Jin raised an eyebrow. "When will His Highness allow you to enter the Imperial Medical Bureau?"

"It'll be soon. After the Empress's investiture ceremony, she'll recommend me for a position in the Imperial Medical Academy." Zhai Wan's eyes flashed with thoughtfulness as she looked at Jiang Jin's somewhat worried expression and comforted her.

"Don't worry, Consort Gui is much easier to fool than Wei Shu. Besides, the Imperial Medical Bureau is respected by the people, unlike the corrupt officialdom." Jiang Jin held Zhai Wan's hand. "If some wicked people try to harm you, you must be alert and never be arrogant."

"Don't worry, I know my limits. Besides, they respect my master and won't be too rude to me openly. As for what happens behind my back, as long as I don't hear it, I'll let them be." Zhai Wan had always understood the path Lou Xuan and Jiang Jin had chosen. She wasn't good at intrigue or political maneuvering, so she chose the path she was good at.

Originally, Zhao Sun was no longer willing to accept disciples. It was only after His Highness led him to kneel outside for three days and three nights that Zhao Sun, seeing his potential and observing his character for two years, finally relented and accepted him as a disciple.

“I was originally an orphan, and being able to become a disciple of a famous doctor and enter the Imperial Medical Academy was something I never dared to dream of before.” Zhai Wan looked at the exquisite teacup on the table and said, “Although Wei Shu is His Majesty’s sword, this scabbard is truly magnificent.”

"A treacherous official always has to act like one; his downfall is all just a passing cloud," Jiang Jin said with a smile, looking around the room where there were porcelain vases every three steps and gold artifacts every five.

"It would be strange and alarming if a Grand General of the Imperial Guard were from a poor family. But how much private wealth does Wei Shu have? He could make a comeback if something happens in the future." As Zhai Wan spoke, she suddenly remembered something and pulled out a porcelain bottle from her bosom.

"These are birth control pills. It seems a bit unreasonable to ask you and Wei Shu to abstain from sexual intercourse, so these birth control pills will solve your immediate problem. There are no harmful herbs in them, so you can take them without worry." Zhai Wan placed the porcelain bottle on the table, then her gaze swept over the vase behind Jiang Jin.

"I didn't expect you to have such antiques." Zhai Wan's eyes lit up, and she no longer cared about Wei Shu's private treasury.

“If you like it, I can give it to you, but you should come back to pick it up after things have settled down.” Jiang Jin tapped Zhai Wan’s hand. “Can I remove all these silver needles from my head now?”

"Don't rush! What if Wei Shu's house gets raided halfway through everything?" Zhai Wan looked at the vase with reluctance.

"Then it just means you and it are not meant to be." Jiang Jin pinched Zhai Wan's chin and pulled her gaze back.

"Alright, what are the Crown Prince's plans for the Third Prince's wedding?" Zhai Wan stood behind Jiang Jin and slowly removed the silver needles from her hair.

"No, surely the Crown Prince wouldn't be so stupid as to try and steal a bride!" Zhai Wan clicked her tongue and sighed. "If it weren't for the Dou family and His Highness, and if someone had instigated him a bit, he might actually have gone."

"You should probably tone down your tendency to rummage through the fun." Jiang Jin felt a lightness in her head and immediately felt more refreshed.

"What's wrong with watching the excitement? If I hadn't missed it, I would have loved to see you and Wei Shu get married." Zhai Wan carefully put away her precious silver needles and lay back down on the soft couch.

"Sorry, everything went very smoothly, there weren't any unexpected problems!" Jiang Jin kicked Zhai Wan and then lay down beside her.

"I heard that Wei Shu was smiling very brightly at the time. Rumor has it that Wei Shu sends you rare treasures every day; if you wanted the moon, he would pluck it down from the sky and bring it to you." Zhai Wan stood on tiptoe, looking at Jiang Jin beside her.

"It was all an act. Even after I tested the medicine for him, he still tested me. This man's suspicion is as vast and countless as the stars in the sky." Jiang Jin put her leg on Zhai Wan's stomach.

"You've really gotten heavier!" Zhai Wan complained, but she didn't move, letting Jiang Jin use her as a cushion.

"You too, you make this couch look much smaller." Jiang Jin didn't let Zhai Wan stop their bickering; it was like they were back in their childhood.

"Wei Shu is quite suspicious, so how did you fall for him?" Zhai Wan couldn't understand Wei Shu, but she could see through Jiang Jin.

"Perhaps he saw that he was not in control of his own destiny, or perhaps he felt that we were the same kind of people. Putting aside his suspicions, he is actually a gentle person." Zhai Wan was so shocked by this that her jaw almost dropped.

"He tried to kidnap and kill you the moment he saw you, but you said he was gentle. Love really is blinding!" Jiang Jin tickled Zhai Wan's waist and scolded, "What do you mean by blinding? In my heart, His Highness is still the most important person."

"Alright, I just find it a bit hard to believe. One is a ruthless knife, the other an arrow with a deep mind. It seems the matchmaker's red thread is truly powerful that you two can fall in love." Zhai Wan turned to look at Jiang Jin's face.

"But are you sure Wei Shu isn't in love with your face?" Jiang Jin said nonchalantly, "It's okay, he's good-looking too. We love each other, so it's not a loss for us."

"What a character! But Wei Shu's affection is undeniable; he even acted as a scapegoat for you. Later, His Highness secretly investigated and it didn't seem like a setup. I used to think he was just cold-blooded and ruthless, but I never expected him to be such a romantic." Looking at Jiang Jin's gentle expression, Zhai Wan actually felt a sense of happiness herself.

"That's great, congratulations, A-Jin." Jiang Jin met Zhai Wan's smiling eyes and asked, "Why the sudden change in your demeanor?"

"I rarely say anything nice, so why don't you take advantage of it? This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity." Zhai Wan lay back down beside Jiang Jin, pulling the cloak over herself.

"Tsk, this is what I covered myself with before I showered, don't you find it dirty?" Jiang Jin looked at Zhai Wan with disgust.

"It's alright, I haven't taken a bath either, don't mind!" The next second, the cloak fell directly onto Jiang Jin, and a laugh came from beside her, "But we should share the good times and the bad, it's late at night, Jin, don't catch a cold!"

"Zhai Wan!" Jiang Jin pulled down her cloak and met Zhai Wan's smiling eyes. The two of them suddenly laughed at the same time, just like before.