It'll kill you!
"I misunderstood you that day." Wei Shu was the first to back down, and Jiang Jin breathed a sigh of relief.
"How did the general find me?" Jiang Jin wiped her hair with a cotton towel, the water droplets falling on the towel creating different colors.
"Horses? If your destination is far, you'll definitely need to buy horses. We followed the trail to the teahouse." Wei Shu quietly observed Jiang Jin.
"A girl reaches the age of fifteen when she comes of age; the general must know this, right?" Jiang Jin didn't state her reasoning first, but instead guided Wei Shu's thoughts.
"So?" Wei Shu squinted at Jiang Jin, analyzing the expression on her face.
"So, General, you don't think I didn't have a suitable match before we married, do you?" Jiang Jin placed a cotton towel on the couch and draped a cloak over herself. The summer night wasn't too cold, but Wei Shu's eyesight wasn't very comfortable.
"So what are you trying to say? Do you mean you're interested in him and want to use this opportunity to elope?" Wei Shu's tone turned noticeably harsh as she said the last two words.
"Wei Shu, I'm not that stupid. Our marriage is ordained by the Emperor. What if you die and I have to mourn for you? How could I possibly elope?" Jiang Jin looked at Wei Shu as if he were a fool.
"What I mean is, back when I found out who my betrothed was, I used my own savings to open a teahouse, just to plan for the future." Jiang Jin fidgeted with her sash, pretending to wipe her slightly damp dress.
"So that's why you left without saying goodbye?" Wei Shu knew there were some loopholes in Jiang Jin's words, but he didn't want to delve any further.
"Are you coming back to the governor's mansion with me?" Seeing that Wei Shu didn't ask any further questions, Jiang Jin's words of explanation caught in her throat. She couldn't understand how a person could change so much overnight.
“I thought you’d be very inquisitive, given your personality.” Jiang Jin stood up and walked to Wei Shu’s side. “Have you changed your ways, or is the person in front of me not General Wei?”
“Jiang Jin, I admit I’ve tested you a lot, but you’re just too suspicious. However, I haven’t found anything wrong with you. You seem to have revealed your hand, but you’ve actually prepared everything. I won’t get anything out of you by asking further, so I might as well not ask.” Wei Shu rarely laid everything bare before Jiang Jin.
"I don't care what you want to do, as long as you don't harm His Majesty or the Great Yan."
"Don't worry, with my abilities, I can't harm His Majesty or the Great Yan. But why didn't you tell me not to harm you, General?" Jiang Jin was happy that Wei Shu didn't press the issue.
"I don't care. The ending was already predetermined; it was only a matter of time." Wei Shu didn't elaborate, and Jiang Jin didn't ask any further questions.
“Now that you’re in the open while I’m in the shadows, we can monitor Wang Juesong more comprehensively.” Jiang Jin had no intention of going back to that disgusting governor’s mansion with Wei Shu.
"Why stay at the Moon Viewing Pavilion? Can't we stay at your teahouse?" Wei Shu was still very bothered by the chaotic environment of the Moon Viewing Pavilion.
"I'm worried that Wang Jiulang is targeting me and it will implicate the teahouse. Besides, the Moon Appreciation Pavilion has its advantages; sometimes, a mixed bag isn't such a bad thing." Jiang Jin walked to the table, picked up a pen, and wrote a letter.
“I know you, Lord Wei, are incredibly powerful, but as a commoner, I still want to do my part to get rid of Wang Juesong. Have someone deliver this letter to Fen Yue at the Fulong Tea House; she will give you the evidence he has.” Jiang Jin blew on the still-wet ink, then folded it and placed it in front of Wei Shu.
"By the way, Wang Juesong is lending money at exorbitant interest rates. If you want to find more incriminating evidence, you can investigate along this line." Jiang Jin, however, seemed unusually unfamiliar with the situation, even under the candlelight.
"Don't you have anything else to say to me?" Wei Shu placed the letter at his waist and then put the dagger on the table.
"I can say whatever the general wants to hear." Jiang Jin rarely gave Wei Shu a smile.
“I understand your probing, which is why I returned to Bianzhou. Wei Shu, I don’t blame you, but I will not allow my husband to test me every day.”
Jiang Jin looked at the dagger on the table and sneered, "Later I thought about it carefully. Even if the general despises me, he wouldn't just stand by and watch me be humiliated. But Wei Shu, you shouldn't have tested me with a woman's reputation. That day, I was prepared to die together with him." Jiang Jin's words, though partly true and partly false, still resonated with Wei Shu.
“Jiang Jin, I am suspicious, but I have no choice. In the struggle of the court, the slightest difference can lead to a huge difference in outcome. If we are even slightly lax, we will die without a burial place. His Majesty is greatly constrained by the powerful families, and the Crown Prince and the Third Prince are also scheming against each other. I must ensure that there is no gaps in my defense.”
Wei Shu stood up and placed the dagger in Jiang Jin's hand. "I can swear that as long as you don't harm Da Yan and His Majesty, I will give you a way out."
"What if I wanted you dead, General Wei?" Jiang Jin drew a dagger and held it to Wei Shu's neck. With just a little force, Jiang Jin could take Wei Shu's life.
"Not now. The court is not yet settled, and the powerful families have not been eliminated. If you want to kill me to vent your anger after the situation stabilizes, Jiang Jinruo, I can oblige."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Jin was taken aback, then turned around and said softly, "General, you are joking. I would not risk your life for such a thing. It's getting late, you should go. Wei Shu, don't take your life for granted."
"I'm leaving you a whistle; if anything happens, someone will come to protect you," Wei Shu said, staring at Jiang Jin's retreating figure. This was the first time he had realized how frail Jiang Jin was.
"No need, General, withdraw your men. Otherwise, I'll think you're spying on me." Jiang Jin touched the strands of hair hanging over her shoulder and hardened her heart.
"General, aren't you leaving yet?" The cold and distant tone left one feeling dissatisfied and disappointed.
"Alright, if you need anything, go to Governor Wang's residence. Jiang Jin, take care of yourself." Wei Shu left quietly, just as he had arrived.
Jiang Jin breathed a long sigh of relief. Wei Shu's actions were too unusual for her to be careless. Jiang Jin removed the fine thread from her clothes and hung up the small bell hanging from the hairpin. She then used the wooden table to wrap the thread around the edge of the bed.
The unfamiliar gauze curtains draped over Jiang Jin's eyes as she lay on the couch made her feel somewhat sleepy, but she remained somewhat awake, not falling into a deep sleep.
"General, are we really going to bring back everyone who's staying at the Moon Viewing Tower?" Zhou Cong asked, standing behind Wei Shu, puzzled.
"Let's pull back. She has her own ideas, and besides, she's not an arrogant person." Wei Shu stood beside the Moon Viewing Pavilion, looking at Jiang Jin's bedroom with lit candles.
"Should we continue our investigation of the Jiang family?" Zhou Cong knew that the general had never truly trusted Jiang Jin and the Jiang family; the investigations were simply being conducted covertly.
"Just keep them under normal surveillance. Have someone check if Jiang Jin had previously been engaged to a family in Bianzhou but the engagement fell through," Wei Shu said to Zhou Liao, who had led the horse over.
"Yes, General." Wei Shu nimbly mounted his horse, finally relieved of the weight on his heart regarding Jiang Jin.
"Zhou Cong, go to Fulong Tea House tomorrow and give the letter to Fen Yue. She will know what to do after reading the letter."
"Yes, General." Zhou Cong took the letter from Wei Shu. "Governor Wang has been unusually active these past few days. I heard that the heir of the Marquis of Anling County has also come to Bianzhou. I wonder if we will run into him?"
"The son of Marquis Yunwu of Anling?" Wei Shu rode ahead on horseback. The city of Jiufang was quiet at night, and the sound of hooves drowned out their voices.
"Yes, I heard he came to Bianzhou to see the mountains." Zhou Cong didn't take this person seriously; he only investigated him briefly out of caution.
"Don't worry about him. Get me a reply as soon as you hear from the capital." Wei Shu dismounted and handed the reins to his servant.
"Lord Wei, please wait! Our Prefect invites you to the main hall for a chat!" The steward hurriedly approached Wei Shu upon seeing him.
"Does Governor Wang have something important to discuss?" Wei Shu asked, walking towards his courtyard without stopping.
"It must be something important. Why don't you go yourself, General Wei?" The steward followed Wei Shu to the outer garden.
"I'm going to change my clothes. Please ask the steward to tell Governor Wang to wait for me for a little while." Wei Shu's expression was hidden in the darkness, making his thoughts impossible to discern.
"No, no, please go ahead." The butler glanced at Wei Shu's retreating figure and resumed his usual demeanor.
After a stick of incense had burned, Wei Shu arrived at the flower hall as promised. There were many candles inside, so even though it was late at night, it wasn't dark.
"I wonder what urgent matter Governor Wang has summoned me here so late at night?" Wei Shu sat down in a spot neither too close nor too far from Wang Juesong.
"General Wei, you jest. We are both officials in the court. Does that mean I can't invite you for a drink unless there's something important to discuss?" On the table in front of Wang Juesong sat an exquisite wine cup.
"This is newly brewed wine. Why don't you invite General Wei to taste it?" Wang Juesong casually picked up a glass and drank it all in one gulp.
"It has a mellow and fragrant taste. General Wei, why don't you try it?" Wei Shu looked at Wang Juesong with a half-smile.
"Prefect Wang, you wouldn't be thinking of using the same trick again, would you? Your daughter offended me and my wife. I'm only sparing her life because of Prefect Wang. If it happens again today, I can't guarantee she'll be alive."
"General Wei, you are mistaken. My rebellious daughter is in love with you and has gone astray. I have already sent someone to a remote mountain temple to practice Buddhism. It is my good fortune that you can forgive her!"
Wang Juesong stood up and clapped his hands. A servant came in carrying a box and placed it in front of Wei Shu.
"My rebellious daughter has disturbed Lord Wei and his wife; this is a small apology." Wang Juesong spoke sincerely, and the servant lowered his head, not daring to listen any longer, and immediately withdrew.
Wei Shu opened the box, and the gleaming gold bars inside surprised him.
"I don't know what Lord Wei and his wife like, so I'll just give them these gifts that won't go wrong. There's also a land deed underneath. If General Wei doesn't mind, you and your wife can go there to relax in the future."
Wei Shu raised an eyebrow, picked up the gold bars placed on top, and sure enough, the land deed was revealed.
"Governor Wang's gift is truly precious. I wonder how Your Excellency would like me to reciprocate?" Wei Shu slammed the box shut, looking at Wang Juesong with great interest.
"General, you've misunderstood. I already said it was an apology, so how could I dare accept a return gift from you?" Wang Juesong drank another cup of wine.
"I've heard that the capital is prosperous, but I'm currently on duty and cannot leave. I wonder if you could take my Seventh Sister with you when you return to the capital? I think with you looking after her, the journey back will be incredibly safe." Wei Shu tapped the box in front of him.
"Of course, sir, we've been colleagues, how could I not grant this small request?" Wei Shu glanced at Wang Juesong indifferently, having already sentenced him to death in his heart.
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