Chapter 100 Chapter 100 Jiang Wan leaves...
Jiang Wan left the Palace of Heavenly Purity and was walking on the palace road when she met Empress Wen coming out of the Empress Dowager's Palace.
She subconsciously retreated to the corner, only revealing half of her head and secretly looking at Queen Wen.
In her eyes, Empress Wen was gentle, kind, and always helpful. She had no older sister, so she had long considered Empress Wen her sister.
She knew very well that Empress Wen helped her not only out of admiration but also out of love for Wen Shen. But now that she had given up on Wen Shen, she felt sorry for Empress Wen's unwavering support.
Jiang Wan was so ashamed that he didn't dare to face Queen Wen until the corner of the concubine's red clothes disappeared.
When we reached the side gate, the groom waiting there asked, "Where are you going, girl?"
"Go to West Lake."
Groom: "Okay."
Watching the groom raise his whip, she suddenly said, "Wait a minute."
"Let's go to Yingyue Restaurant. I want to drink."
The moonlight is like a silver thread, sprinkling on the cold brick and stone road and also on the waves of West Lake.
The floating light is golden, the still shadow is like a jade, and the waves crashing on the shore are accompanied by the murmurs of lovers on the shore.
On the south bank, an exquisite sandalwood pleasure boat drifted by. Its lanterns were reflected in the water, illuminating the lotus blossoms. Clusters of lotus blossoms formed a romantic heart shape at the bow. The evening breeze blew, and the fragrance of the flowers was intoxicating.
Wen Shen stood at the bow, gazing periodically toward Lin'an City, awaiting his beloved's arrival. In his hands, he held a jade pot—a token of the Wen family's legacy passed down to their daughter-in-law, which he had received from his sister the day before.
Tonight, he will give the jade pot to the girl he has been thinking about.
But the moon gradually climbed above his head, the hour of midnight had passed, and the people by the lake gradually dispersed, leaving only him standing alone at the bow of the boat.
Wen Shen seemed to realize something, his face slowly turned pale, but he still waited stubbornly until dawn.
A boat full of lotus flowers faces the empty moon, the person is lonely and the boat is drifting.
Jiang Wan was captured by her brother the next morning. When Jiang An caught her, she was still drunk and lying on the table, talking nonsense. He picked her up, stuffed her into a carriage, and took her back to the Marquis' Mansion.
She drank two bowls of sobering soup and slept until noon before she woke up.
As soon as I opened my eyes, I saw my brother's angry face.
"Okay, you've grown up and learned to stay out all night drunk." Jiang An was angry but also a little distressed. "Tell me, what happened? Don't be afraid, I'll help you with anything."
Looking at his brother's face, Jiang Wan felt a warm feeling in his heart.
He also learned about He Wanrong's situation yesterday. He stayed up all night, asking around for ways to help his lover out of her predicament.
After staying up all night and becoming as exhausted as a panda, he still had to worry about his younger sister. He went to Yingyue Restaurant early in the morning to arrest someone and was concerned about what happened to her.
Jiang Wan held his brother's hand tightly and said softly, "It's okay, brother. Wanrong won't go to marry."
Jiang An stared at his sister, his brows not relaxing at all because of the good news.
He felt like his whole body was about to break when his sister spoke.
"You...how did you do it?" Jiang An thought about it and decided to ask her what she did first.
Jiang Wan briefly recounted the events of the Qing Palace incident. But after hearing her words, Jiang An suddenly stood up and yelled, "Who told you to do this?!"
Seeing his sister was stunned by his yelling, Jiang An realized that he was emotionally agitated and hurriedly apologized: "I'm sorry, sister, brother was too excited just now."
"What I mean is, I want to save Wanrong, but I definitely don't want you to sacrifice yourself for her. If you do this...if you do this, how can I live with myself in the future and how can I face my mother?"
Jiang Wan looked at him and said, "Brother, although being an envoy is hard, at least I have freedom and can go wherever I want. If Wanrong were to marry, she would be trapped in a foreign harem for the rest of her life. Can you bear it, brother?"
Jiang An was silenced for a moment by her words. He couldn't bear to see either his lover or his sister go to the Western Regions to suffer. He would rather suffer the hardship himself.
"Brother," she said softly, "I just love this line of work. I'm very happy to be able to personally sell Central Plains porcelain to the Western Regions. I don't feel it's hard at all. Qingzhi is an unmarried noblewoman after all, and it's inconvenient for her to show up at Qingjiangju for many things. After I leave, I'll have to trouble you to help me out more. And I'll also entrust Mother to you."
Jiang An lowered his head and remained silent for a long time.
He blamed himself. He had vowed to protect his sister and make Wanrong happy. But in the end, he was powerless to stop Wanrong's marriage, nor could he keep his sister.
At first, he was very upset when he knew that Wen Shen was interested in getting close to his sister. Later, when he arrived in the capital, he found that Wen Shen could do many things for his sister that he could not do for her, so he gradually accepted this future brother-in-law.
He had thought that everything was settled these days and that his sister would have a good home. But he never expected it to end like this.
"Just do what you want to do." Jiang An raised his head with difficulty and looked at his sister. Since he couldn't protect her, he would be her strongest backing and give her the greatest support so that she could move forward without worries.
"I will take care of the household affairs, you don't have to worry. When you go to the Western Regions, remember to send letters home often. Mother will be happy when she reads them." The sadness in Jiang An's eyes disappeared, replaced by determination.
In the days that followed, Jiang Wan was busy handling the affairs of Qingjiang Residence. During this time, Wen Shen came to see her several times, but she avoided him. In fact, she missed him very much, but she didn't know how to face him.
Later, her mother advised her to make everything clear before leaving Beijing, so as to put a perfect end to this relationship.
Jiang Wan agreed, but was even more afraid of that day.
The official imperial edict arrived on July 12th. Unsurprisingly, she was appointed a fourth-rank envoy, receiving the official seal of authority. The edict explicitly stated that the envoy would reside permanently in the Western Regions, needing only to submit monthly reports on their duties and not return to the capital without imperial decree.
On the same day, He Wanrong and the Fifth Princess moved out of Xihua Palace and returned to their original residence. The imperial edict granted He Wanrong and Jiang An their marriage, granted Princess Anding an additional fief of 1,000 households, and bestowed upon Jiang An the title of Imperial Consort.
In the craft system, Jiang Wan received 500 points for the important role of the seal in promoting porcelain. In addition, she was awarded an additional 100 points to reward her for "sacrificing small love for a great cause."
Her score reached 2750, just 250 points away from 3000. According to the system's bonus point mechanism, as long as she did well in the Western Regions, it wouldn't take long to add over 200 points.
Jiang Wan thought about whether she should buy some things from the mall and use up her points. She would make a decision after she figured out what would happen when she reached 3,000 points.
But now she didn't want to do that. The fastest way to know the answer was of course to get 250 points. After all, her family members had someone to rely on, and her disciples had the ability to survive on their own. As for Wen Shen...
After a long time, he will let it go.
After she went to the Western Regions, she was alone. She could be carefree like in her previous life, and she could also be desperate and fearless like in her previous life.
The sunlight was dazzling. Jiang Wan lowered his eyes and gently stroked the petals of the lotus in the vase.
This lotus has been placed in the vase for ten days and has become a little wilted, with its petals drooping limply.
A white, tender arm reached out, took the wilted flower, and replaced it with a freshly picked lotus. Jiang Wan turned around and saw Chen Xi looking up at her with a sweet smile.
On the evening of the day he received the imperial edict, Jiang Wan left the city with the accompanying officials.
The setting sun was brilliant, and she met the man who had been hiding for several days outside the Ten-Li Pavilion.
"Master Jiang," Wen Shen's voice came through the carriage curtain, "Would you like a drink? Lin'an City's most famous daughter's red wine is no longer available in the Western Regions."
Inside the carriage, Jiang Wan's fingers curled up. The silhouette of the man outside, holding the wine jug, was reflected on the curtain. She stretched out her fingers, tracing the shadow's outline, her fingertips trembling slightly, but she still didn't have the strength to lift the curtain.
It turned out that in the end, she didn't even have the courage to meet that person.
The curtain of the carriage trembled slightly with Jiang Wan's movements. Wen Shen did not urge her, but just stood quietly beside the carriage.
In the eerie silence, the accompanying officials began to whisper. The interpreter in the back car laughed and said, "Uncle of the Emperor, our leader may be asleep. How about I drink this glass of wine for her?"
Wen Shen stared at the curtain in front of him, motionless.
Jiang Wan sighed softly and opened the curtain.
The Ten-Li Long Pavilion was covered with lush grass and the sky was full of rosy clouds. He was rarely seen wearing silver armor, just like the day she saved him by the Duolun Lake.
"Why?" He stared at her.
She turned her head to avoid his gaze and looked at the vast green grass: "Is there a better way?"
"Of course not!" Wen Shen held her right hand, which was holding the carriage curtain, with both hands. "I can help Miss He escape her marriage, and I can rob the marriage team..."
"Don't you think His Majesty can't guess? If Wanrong can't reach Wusun, the He family's reputation and my brother's life will be in jeopardy." Jiang Wan interrupted him. "You've been away from the capital for two years, and Lin'an is full of Zhu Yongding's remnants. How can you hide this from His Majesty?"
"But there are many capable officials in Lin'an. Why do you have to go? The imperial edict also says that you can't return to the capital. What about Madam Jiang? What about your Qingjiang Residence?" Wen Shen clenched her fingers. "And... what about me?"
Jiang Wan's gaze slowly shifted to his face, and her tone was stiff. "This envoy, besides being capable, must also be a helpless and isolated official, in order to allay His Majesty's suspicions. Only I can do this, and only I want to do this."
"I'm relieved that my mother is taken care of by my brother. As for Qingjiangju, I've already made all the arrangements. As for us," Jiang Wan took a breath and looked him in the eye without avoiding him, "forgetting is the best choice for both you and me."
Wen Shen stared at her blankly, his eyes gradually dimming. The strength of his hands gripping her gradually weakened, and finally slid powerlessly to his sides.
The brilliant sunset gave his entire figure a golden edge, making his complexion appear very dull, like a little wolf licking its wounds alone.
Jiang Wan looked at him, and it was as if something in her heart had disconnected, and the emotions that had been suppressed for several days poured out.
She reached out and grabbed the back of his neck, pulled him into the carriage, and kissed him on the lips.
The moment their lips touched, Wen Shen froze. He then suddenly grasped her face, pressed her against the car wall, and bit her soft lips fiercely.
After a while, her cold tears slid through her fingers.
The wind blew up the car curtains, covering his upper body and the people inside the car.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
