Death
"Mother, it's osmanthus medicinal cake!" The young lady, who had been sitting properly in her chair, brightened up when she saw the cake, and her whole demeanor became lively.
"Fourth Sister, you can't be so rude!" Mo Niang first glanced at Jiang Jin's expression and, seeing that she wasn't angry, then reprimanded Fourth Sister.
"It's nothing, they're just kids." Jiang Jin waved his hand, and Cangzhou specialty pastries were served on the table next to the three children.
"I've found private schools for the two young gentlemen. If you don't mind, the young lady can come with me, and I'll have someone teach her music, chess, calligraphy, and painting." Jiang Jin smiled, observing the expressions of the group. Adults might lie, but children are rarely so consistent and flawless.
"Mother, I don't want to go to private school!" The young man sitting next to Fourth Sister's face fell instantly upon hearing the news of going to private school.
"Sanlang, don't be rude!" Mo Niang was so angry that she glared at the young man. "Mother, I want to go!"
Fourth Sister, sitting in a chair eating medicinal cake, raised her hand high, "Second Brother wants to go too, right!"
The older young man standing to the side smiled and nodded to the young lady, "It is natural for a sensible person to study. Third brother, you can come with me then."
"Mo Niang, why didn't your eldest son come to the capital with you?" Jiang Jin asked, her tone becoming more relaxed as she saw that the others seemed alright.
"My eldest son is preparing for next year's provincial examination at the academy in the prefecture, so it's inconvenient for him to come," Mo Niang explained to Jiang Jin, bowing slightly.
"It's alright. Just prepare well for the imperial examination. His Majesty is generous and vigorously promotes those from humble backgrounds. Princess Zhaoyang's benevolence in establishing private schools is all for the sake of enabling students from poor families to rise above their circumstances." Jiang Jin looked at Erlang, who was sitting upright in his chair listening attentively, and asked, "Erlang, do you want to become an official?"
“I want to become a good official. Li Zheng said that only by becoming an official can I bring benefits to the people and reduce the taxes of people like my father and mother.”
Gu Erlang looked at Jiang Jin sitting above him. He knew that the person in front of him was not just boasting. The fact that she could enter the court as a woman proved her ability. With Fourth Sister by her side, she might also be able to make a name for herself.
"That's ambitious! Gu Sanlang, what do you want to do if you don't want to study?" Jiang Jin didn't force the child, but asked in a gentle tone.
"I want lots and lots of money, so I can sleep on gold every day and my father and mother won't have to worry about my older brother's tuition anymore!" Gu Sanlang shook his head, displaying the innocent naiveté of a child.
“You need to be literate.” Jiang Jin brought out an account book with densely written characters and made Sanlangjun close his eyes. “If someone else secretly takes your money and you don’t know it, wouldn’t you be doing all the work for someone else?”
"Mo Niang, your children are all very good. Fourth Miss, why don't you stay at the Wei residence? You can stay in your room." Jiang Jin found Fourth Miss's round face adorable.
"Poetry, books, etiquette, music, zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting are naturally to be learned, but the Six Arts of a Gentleman are also indispensable. There will be no shortage of hardship here, young lady. Are you willing?" Jiang Jin didn't want to discover halfway through that she couldn't endure the hardship; if her horizons broadened but her abilities couldn't keep up, she would suffer greatly.
"Can I study and play the zither like the magistrate's wife?" Fourth Sister looked at Jiang Jin expectantly.
"Of course you can. You can also learn horseback riding and archery. There are quite a few horses on the estate outside. I'll take you to pick out a foal to grow up with." Jiang Jin beckoned to Gu Si Niangzi. Si Niangzi glanced cautiously at Mo Niang, and only after Mo Niang nodded did she walk to Jiang Jin's side.
"Fourth Sister, tell your sister, what's your name?" Jiang Jin gently pinched her cheek.
"Gu Cao." Gu Cao was a little afraid of seeing the look of disgust on Jiang Jin's face, but unexpectedly Jiang Jin liked the name very much. "Grass is a resilient thing, and I hope that you will grow in the capital like grass."
"Madam, I'm just afraid that my clumsiness will hold you back," Gu Cao said, looking at her second brother's encouraging gaze. "But I'm willing to try!"
"What does Xiaocao think is the purpose of learning music, chess, calligraphy, and painting?" Jiang Jin touched Gu Cao's hands, which were covered in calluses, indicating that she had indeed done farm work since childhood.
"For...I don't know..." Gu Cao scratched her head and looked at Jiang Jin. She just thought the magistrate's mother played the zither beautifully, and she wanted to be like her.
"It's alright, you're still young, so naturally you can't explain it clearly. You'll understand when you read more books." Jiang Jin gently stroked Gu Cao's head, as if seeing herself as a child.
"Madam, won't this interfere with your shift?" Mo Niang knew how mischievous her children were, and she didn't want to cause Jiang Jin any trouble.
"It's nothing, just having someone teach music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. It won't take up much time." Jiang Jin looked at the high sun outside and instructed Abei, "Have the kitchen prepare the meal; the children must be hungry."
"It's Madam." Jiang Jin led Fourth Sister ahead, while Father Gu tugged at Mo Niang's hand and whispered, "This Madam isn't going to sell Fourth Sister, is she?"
"Are you trying to kill me? Asking such a stupid question! I told you not to speak, why are you still talking now? Madam values Fourth Sister, it seems Fourth Sister's desire to study with Second Brother moved Madam." Mo Niang had been by Jiang Jin's side for some time and naturally understood a bit about the situation.
"This girl..." Father Gu was about to speak when Mo Niang stopped him with a look. "Madam is also a woman. She still stands firm in the court and is highly regarded by His Majesty. Don't say anything disgusting that might displease Madam!"
"I won't say anything more. These wealthy families have so many rules. I've heard General Wei is a ruthless man; I dare not linger. I'd better hurry back." The highest official Gu's father had ever seen was a county magistrate. In the capital, even county magistrates were like bricks, inspiring fear and apprehension.
"So watch your mouth. The Madam is kind-hearted and won't blame you, but the General is different. If you implicate the children, I will definitely not forgive you!" Mo Niang gently pinched Gu Fu's arm.
"I know, it hurts, it hurts!" Father Gu rubbed his arm and followed Mo Niang with his head down. The group went to a side hall where a sumptuous lunch had already been set out. On the table were not only Cangzhou specialties but also many specialties from various prefectures in the capital.
"Everyone, please don't be so formal during your meal." Jiang Jin sat in the main seat, with Fourth Sister and Mo Niang sitting to her left and right. "These fish are all freshly caught today, and the river shrimp were just delivered from the estate, so I had some prepared for you to try."
Jiang Jin noticed that Mo Niang was only eating fish and showed no interest in eating shrimp. "Fourth Miss, would you like some shrimp?"
Jiang Jin looked at Gu Si Niang, who was sitting beside him and whose eyes were full of longing but who was still well-behaved, and asked,
"I want to eat shrimp! I've never eaten shrimp before!" A hint of worry flashed across Mo Niang's face.
“Madam, when I was at the Jiang residence, you once treated me to shrimp, but unfortunately, I broke out in a rash all over my body after eating it. Later, after I lost my memory and had my eldest son, I thought I would give the child some good food, but unexpectedly, my eldest son also developed a rash, so we dared not eat it anymore.” Mo Niang shook her head at Gu Si Niang, “Si Niang, you wouldn’t want to be covered in rashes and feel uncomfortable, would you?”
"Then I won't eat it." Fourth Sister had wanted to try some, but upon hearing Mo Niang's words, she immediately looked away.
"It's alright, eating more fish is fine too." Jiang Jin breathed a sigh of relief as she watched the children unconsciously eating Cangzhou dishes. "Mo Niang, I'll have A Bei take you around the garden later."
"We won't disturb you any longer, Madam. These children are so noisy; they might damage the flowers and plants in the garden." Mo Niang felt a headache coming on just looking at Sanlang and Si Niang's eager eyes.
"It's nothing, just a child's nature." Jiang Jin didn't care. After all, the Wei family's garden didn't have any rare or expensive flowers; even if some were broken, it would only waste some seeds.
After the group finished their meal, Jiang Jin went to Wei Shu's study to look at the account books. As the sun set outside, she felt a sense of unease, as if something terrible was about to happen.
"Yi San, go and ask if A-Wan is alright?" Jiang Jin gave the order and continued looking at the account books, but the unease in her heart still lingered.
"Yi Er, go find Zhou Cong and see if he received Zi Yuan's letter." Unable to concentrate on the account books, Jiang Jin simply spread out some Xuan paper and began practicing calligraphy.
In the middle of the night, Wei Shu pushed open the door and entered. Jiang Jin had just finished writing a calligraphy piece and turned around to see his strange expression.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Jiang Jin looked at her clean, white hands, which were free of ink stains.
"Zhou Cong said he received a letter from Ziyuan." Jiang Jin subconsciously ignored Wei Shu's worried expression.
"Let me see this quickly, it must be a message to let me know you're safe." Wei Shu hesitated for a moment but still placed the pieces of clothing and the note in Jiang Jin's palm.
"This is blood?" Jiang Jin naturally wouldn't forget the smell of blood, but seeing Zi Yuan's blood-written letter amplified the unease in her heart.
"She must be injured! We have to save her quickly!" Jiang Jin panicked and clutched the shards tightly in her hand.
"Wife, something terrible has happened!" Yi San's panicked voice reached their ears.
"Did something happen to A-Wan?" Jiang Jin stared intently at Yi San, afraid of hearing bad news from him.
"Your Highness said that His Majesty's spies reported that Song Zhimin suddenly bought a fine coffin around dusk, seemingly to bury someone." Yi San's voice trailed off; he too had noticed the fragments of clothing in Jiang Jin's hand.
"Ah Jin!" Jiang Jin suddenly felt everything go dark and collapsed into Wei Shu's arms.
"Quickly, fetch the imperial physician!" Wei Shu scooped up Jiang Jin and ran back to the house. Abei, who was arranging dinner in the kitchen, panicked when he saw Jiang Jin collapse.
"Has Madam's old ailment flared up again?" Abei wanted to find some medicine, but Wei Shu stopped him.
"The scouts report that Ziyuan seems to have had an accident, which is why Ajin fainted!" Wei Shu wiped Jiang Jin's face, who was lying on the couch, with a warm handkerchief.
"How could this happen!" Ah Bei was also startled. Suddenly, the sound of a sword falling to the ground came from the doorway.
"Zhou Cong, come in!" Wei Shu sighed, hoping Zhou Cong wouldn't faint.
"General." Zhou Cong walked in like a ghost and saluted Wei Shu.
"You should rest well during this time. Zhou Liao is here for me, so you don't need to worry." Wei Shu's words shattered Zhou Cong's last glimmer of hope.
"General, Ziyuan, she really..." Before Wei Shu could answer, Jiang Jin on the bed shouted, "No, she's just injured. She'll be back safely!"
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