Setting a trap

As dusk fell, Lou Xuan held a fan inlaid with gold thread and pearls, followed by Chang Yi. The two, having just emerged from the palace, naturally bowed to heaven and earth. Chang Yi recited six poems about the fan before Lou Xuan slowly lowered it. Although Lou Zuo was displeased with Chang Yi, he wouldn't want to upset him at this moment.

"May the newlyweds rest in harmony, and grow old together!" The wedding attendant placed a wine cup on the table, and Chang Yi bowed respectfully to offer it.

"Please, Princess." No one dared to cause trouble in the bridal chamber; even Lou Zuo had no time for such commotion and simply left the table after completing the formalities.

"Princess, I will go outside to greet the guests first." Chang Yi saw that Lou Xuan had her eyes closed and did not disturb her. Xue Ya placed the bird's nest on the table. "Today, Lady Jiang came with Wei Shu, but left without eating any of the dishes. I suppose she did not want to show favoritism."

"Hmm." Lou Xuan opened her eyes and took a sip of bird's nest soup. "Are they satisfied with the courtyard?"

"Yunwu said the two ladies are overjoyed. Lady Zhai sent someone to say that she will move over tomorrow after she has packed up." Xueya then brought out a few side dishes and placed them on the table. "You ate very little today, so please have something light tonight, otherwise your stomach won't be able to handle it."

"After today, will Ajin leave?" Lou Xuan put down his bowl. "Given Ziyuan's precedent, Song Zhimin won't easily put Ajin's life in danger. On the contrary, the person behind the scenes will be extremely wary."

Lou Xuan didn't want Jiang Jin to be in danger because of this, but Sangzhou was a knot in her heart. If he didn't let her go, she would definitely find other ways. So it was better to let her father know and send secret guards to protect her.

"Lady Jiang is clever and resourceful, and with the protection of secret guards, she will surely be able to turn misfortune into good fortune and return successfully." Xueya poured a cup of hot tea and placed it next to Lou Xuan. "Your Highness, this is a pill given by Lady Zhai."

Xueya took out a porcelain bottle from her waist, poured out a pill, and handed it to Lou Xuan.

"Understood." Lou Xuan swallowed the pill with his hot tea. "You'll have to keep watch today. Tomorrow I'll take Yunwu to the palace to pay my respects to Father Emperor."

"Your Highness, rest assured, this servant will remain guarding outside the door." Xueya, hearing footsteps outside, tidied up the dishes on the table.

"Your Highness," Xueya bowed to Chang Yi. With Chang Yi's nod, Xueya left the bridal chamber.

After a night of warmth in the boudoir, Lou Xuan lay exhausted in the warm pool, Yunwu gently massaging her shoulders. The numerous bluish marks on her shoulders were frightening to behold.

"Today, upon entering the palace, I will first pay my respects to my father, then to my mother at the Fengxian Hall, and finally to the Imperial Concubine." Lou Xuan felt the warm pool water wash away her fatigue. She changed into a crimson robe and boarded a carriage, slowly making her way to the palace.

"Madam, the message has been sent out." Abei put a pearl hairpin in Jiang Jin's hair and placed a hand warmer in her palm.

"Yes, I'll have to walk this path alone from now on." Jiang Jin smiled as she looked at herself in the mirror.

"I'm going to Bianzhou tomorrow, which will be a good time to take care of some things." Jiang Jin patted Abei's hand to comfort him, "Don't worry, nothing will happen."

"Ah Jin." Wei Shu finished his court session and placed his chilly cloak outside his clothes to warm his hands before daring to grasp Jiang Jin's hand.

"I'm going to Bianzhou tomorrow. The longer we delay, the worse it will be for us." Jiang Jin wasn't wearing anything this time; she knew that with Song Zhimin's cautious nature, he wouldn't leave anything on her.

"Okay." Wei Shu was holding Jiang Jin when he suddenly felt something strange on her arm. He lifted her sleeve and saw a deep wound that went deep into the bone.

"This?" Wei Shu was so frightened that he dared not reach out to touch her, afraid of causing Jiang Jin more pain.

“There’s a small whistle inside.” Jiang Jin lowered his sleeve expressionlessly. “You always have to leave yourself a way out.”

"So I beg you, no matter what happens, please, never let death be your way out, okay?" Wei Shu couldn't imagine what life would be like without Jiang Jin.

"Don't worry, I'll live well." Jiang Jin patted Wei Shu and returned to her desk. She needed to get everything arranged before tomorrow. Jiang Jin was always focused on her work, and before she knew it, the lights in the room were on.

Jiang Jin stretched and looked at Wei Shuzheng, who was staring intently at her. "What, is it my beauty that's so stunning?"

"Yes, so Madam should rest now." The bed curtains were drawn, the moon hung high in the night sky, and the water guard, Wei Shu, embraced Jiang Jin as they drifted off to sleep.

The next day at dawn, he rode alone on horseback towards Bianzhou. Wei Shu went to court early and, unwilling to return to his lonely room, simply stayed in the Zichen Palace.

"Speak, what do you need me for?" Emperor Wende asked, looking at the extremely agitated Wei Shu sitting below him.

"Could I go..." Before Wei Shu could finish speaking, Wende burst into laughter, "I told you he wanted to bring this up!"

Lin Ben stood aside and smiled at Wei Shu, "His Majesty said that the capital city won't rebel just because you're gone. You can go wherever you want. But I don't know if Secretary Jiang will be angry."

"Your Majesty, I thank you!" Wei Shu left the Zichen Palace in a flurry of activity, like a young boy.

"I told you he'd fallen into Jiang Jin's hands," Emperor Wende said with some emotion, watching Wei Shu's retreating figure. "After all these years, he's finally regained some of his youthful spirit."

"His Majesty's discerning eye has blessed us with this perfect match." Lin Ben was genuinely happy for Wei Shu.

"What insightful eye could there be? Perhaps their marriage was truly ordained by heaven!" Emperor Wende's words were profound, and although Lin Ben didn't quite grasp their meaning, he could still offer a few auspicious words.

Upon arriving in Bianzhou, Jiang Jin couldn't help but marvel at how much the place had changed in just six months. The Moon Viewing Pavilion still stood there. As Jiang Jin pushed open the door, the madam, as always, took the initiative, saying, "This is not the time for us to welcome this young lady."

"Do you remember me?" Jiang Jin removed her veil, and the madam, seeing the familiar face, was stunned.

"I've come looking for Ersan. I wonder if she's here?" The madam smiled upon hearing this. "Her family's business in Bianzhou improved, so they redeemed her. She might be embroidering at home today. Her family lives in Zhuer Lane. You can go and look for her, madam."

Jiang Jin thanked them, bought a plate of roasted mutton, and also bought several snacks, all of which are children's favorites. Just as she reached Bamboo Alley, Jiang Jin heard two or three voices.

"Erwu, if you steal another pancake, I'll make your mother make you wash the dishes!" Jiang Jin followed the sound to a house and saw Ersan grabbing a little girl.

"Er San?" Jiang Jin spoke softly, unsure if Er San still wanted to see her.

"Wife?" Ersan looked at Jiang Jin with some surprise. "Wife, please come in quickly!" Ersan released her grip on her younger sister's collar and welcomed Jiang Jin in.

"I didn't know what you liked to eat, so I bought you some snacks." Jiang Jin placed the things on the wooden table. The little girl next to her was looking at Jiang Jin curiously.

"My lady, is there something you need today?" Ersan wiped the water from her hands and carefully opened the roasted mutton.

"It's nothing. I just came to see you. I had no choice but to leave without saying goodbye that day, fearing I might have implicated you." Jiang Jin still felt a bit guilty towards Ersan.

“My lady, there’s no need for that. After you left, Yun Langjun sent people to protect me. Later, another gentleman said he was entrusted by you to protect me, and he even gave me some money to keep me safe.” Ersan got up and went back into the room, taking out a wrapped box from deep inside the cabinet.

“My lady, here are a few gold beans and half a string of copper coins. They’ve been returned to you intact today.” Jiang Jin didn’t take them but just shook her head. “These are yours. Now that Bianzhou is under Princess Zhaoyang’s jurisdiction, she’s not a lavish person. Your lives will be better.”

"Is my lady leaving?" Ersan knew Jiang Jin wasn't an ordinary person, but her tone sounded far too unusual.

“Well, I have some things to do in Bianzhou and I’ll be heading back soon. If you need anything, just go to the government office. These days, the officials aren’t Wang’s lackeys, so you can rest assured.” Jiang Jin stood up, looked at Ersan, and took off a silver hairpin from her hair. “This is an early coming-of-age gift for you.”

Without waiting for a few excuses, Jiang Jin left Zhu'er Lane and arrived at Fulong Teahouse. Wearing a veil, Jiang Jin was led by Fen Yue to the innermost room on the second floor.

"There's a pill in here. Put it in the tea you bring later. No matter what happens, don't come in. I'll be fine." Fen Yue didn't ask any further questions. Jiang Jin rarely showed such an expression, so she was naturally more cautious.

Jiang Jin sat upright at the table, taking a few deep breaths to make sure she wouldn't show any murderous intent when she saw Song Zhimin.

"Ah... Lady Jiang." Song Zhimin arrived as promised. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Jiang Jin's usual expression.

"This is a wedding gift from Her Highness, along with a letter from her to you." Jiang Jin handed the items to Song Zhimin with a calm expression.

“I also know the identities of those who were assassinated in the capital. It was your aunt and niece who were abandoned by their husbands' families years ago, and it was His Highness who helped protect them. However, later, for some unknown reason, someone suddenly attacked them, and His Highness doesn't know who did it.” Fen Yue's voice sounded from outside the door.

"Come in." Fen Yue entered carrying a pot of tea. "This is a rare pre-Qingming tea; my lady, you should definitely take a good look at it." Jiang Jin smiled and responded. Fen Yue glanced at Song Zhimin subtly before leaving the room.

"I rarely drink this pre-Qingming tea, you're really lucky to have it today." Jiang Jin poured herself a cup first, then poured Song Zhimin a cup of tea.

The atmosphere lightened a bit as they sipped their tea. "Do you have any news about Ziyuan?" Jiang Jin deliberately brought up Ziyuan, watching Song Zhimin's clumsy lie with the cold eye of a cat toying with a mouse.

"Not yet. Is there any news from Your Highness?" Song Zhimin subtly probed, noticing that both men were preoccupied with their own thoughts.

"No, it's strange, Ziyuan really seems to have vanished without a trace. But since the person behind it went to the trouble of kidnapping her, they probably wouldn't harm her." Jiang Jin drank a cup of tea, calculating the time as she waited for the pill to take effect.

"Don't worry, I'll have my men search, they'll definitely find it," Song Zhimin assured Jiang Jin, trying to hide his nervousness.

"I hope so." Jiang Jin raised her hand and saw that she had accidentally knocked over the teapot, spilling a pot of hot tea on Song Zhimin.

"Are you alright?" Jiang Jin took advantage of the chaos to lift his shirt and pretended to be stunned.