The accounting books are falsified
Jiang Jin stood in the courtyard, staring intently at the entrance, afraid that Song Zhimin might be out of his mind and show up there again.
"My lady, why don't we move to the government office? That way, we can avoid Song Langjun and it will be easier for him to check the account books." Yi Yi looked at Jiang Jin's anxious expression with some helplessness.
"Why should I avoid him and tell him not to appear in front of me? I don't want to clean up his messes again and again." Jiang Jin's words were utterly merciless.
"Yes, my lady." Yi Yi darted away. Jiang Jin took a few deep breaths to bring herself back to her senses, lamenting that her composure was waning; even Song Zhimin could throw her into a panic.
"Ah Jin, you're back?" Wei Shu had just entered the courtyard when he saw Jiang Jin staring blankly at the sky. "Did something happen?"
"I was just thinking about the case." Jiang Jin looked away. "Is there any news from the government office?"
“The officials throughout Beizhou are not entirely clean. I have already submitted a memorial requesting His Majesty to send someone else to take over. It would be bad if it stirred up public resentment.” Jiang Jin nodded upon hearing this. “Who do you think His Majesty will send to take over? Chang Yi?”
"Probably not. His Majesty granted Bianzhou to Princess Zhaoyang as her fief, so Chang Yi should rightfully become an official of Bianzhou. If he were to take over Beizhou, wouldn't both prefectures be under Princess Zhaoyang's control? Even if His Majesty wanted to, the officials in the court wouldn't allow it." Wei Shu analyzed the court situation for Jiang Jin without any hesitation.
"Who will be sent to take over? A civil official, or someone from one of the Six Ministries? It can't be someone from the Three Departments or the Censorate, can it?" Jiang Jin looked at the face of every official in the court and found that no one seemed quite right.
"I suspect it might be someone from the Fifth Prince's faction." Wei Shu grasped Jiang Jin's hand, examining closely the nail polish on her fingertips.
"However, the situation in the court is unclear right now, and I don't know exactly who His Majesty will send." Jiang Jin looked at her hand, which was being held firmly by Wei Shu; the warm touch felt somewhat stifling.
"The Fifth Prince's man?" Jiang Jin recalled the information from the investigation. "The Minister of Agriculture seems to be his man, but he probably won't be sent to manage Beizhou."
"You know all this?" Wei Shu looked at Jiang Jin with some surprise, only to see her with a mocking expression. "Please, my father is the Censor-in-Chief. He must know some inside information from his surroundings. Besides, it seems that he wouldn't be hiding anything, given his position as Minister of Agriculture."
"Then do you know who's around the Fourth Prince?" Wei Shu asked Jiang Jin another question.
"I don't know about that, but if General Wei wants to know, he can look it up himself. With your abilities, you shouldn't be afraid to find out. It's just a matter of taking some effort." Jiang Jin looked into Wei Shu's eyes and couldn't help but recall their first meeting.
"I just wanted to know just how capable Madam really is, but it seems she's still hiding something from me." Wei Shu didn't press further, but simply pulled Jiang Jin into his arms.
"I used to be unafraid of the bloodshed in the imperial court, but now I am. I'm afraid you might disappear from my sight in the blink of an eye." Jiang Jin patted Wei Shu's back gently, trying to comfort him.
"A-Shu, I have the ability to protect myself and I also have the ability to protect you, don't be afraid."
Jiang Jin's gentle voice soothed Wei Shu's anxiety. Jiang Jin knew that Wei Shu had been uneasy ever since she entered the court, and even His Highness wanted to send more people to protect him. But one cannot live under the wings of others forever.
"A-Shu, you just need to understand that His Majesty is on our side. As long as His Majesty's heart remains steadfast, we have nothing to worry about." Jiang Jin sighed, feeling Wei Shu's breath on her shoulder.
"A-Shu, the most important thing now is to resolve the Beizhou matter. The longer we drag it out, the cleaner the traces will be."
Jiang Jin slowly pushed Wei Shu away, looked into his eyes and said, "You are the Grand General of the Imperial Guards, and I am the Registrar of the Secretariat. It is only right for us to die for the country and the court."
Jiang Jin grasped Wei Shu's trembling hand. "I am now entitled to give my all, having received the emperor's bounty."
“Ah Jin…” Wei Shu felt a pang of sadness. He looked at Jiang Jin, who was still beautiful, but with a different kind of brilliance in her eyes. He knew that Jiang Jin was never a bird trapped in a cage, nor was she just his Jiang Jin.
"Alright, we should focus on the investigation now." Jiang Jin walked past Wei Shu into the house to sort out his doubts and prepare to arrange for someone to investigate. Wei Shu stood in the courtyard, looking at the sky to compose himself before going into the house.
"Tonight might be a bit unsettling. Would you like to come with me to the government office?" Wei Shu handed the letter he had just received to Jiang Jin.
"Yesterday, Gaoyun Pavilion was suddenly placed under martial law. My men couldn't get in, but they still managed to find out some information." Wei Shu poured himself a cup of tea, cleared his throat, and said, "I heard it's because they're short of money."
"That's truly strange. The most beautiful peony in Pingkang Ward is actually troubled by money. However, Gaoyun Pavilion couldn't hold on any longer after just yesterday's tax cutoff." Jiang Jin glanced at the letter and then placed it in the incense burner.
"So they might make a move today." Although Wei Shu was worried, he still gave Jiang Jin a choice.
“Alright, I’ll go to the government office with you. We are both His Majesty’s subjects, so I can’t be a coward. Besides, you’ll feel more at ease with me under your nose.”
Jiang Jin chose to face the situation together with Wei Shu. Wei Shu had clearly anticipated Jiang Jin's choice and only hesitated for a moment before agreeing.
"Then have your bodyguards protect you." Jiang Jin nodded. The two ate a few pastries to fill their stomachs before heading out to the government office.
"Ah Jin, do you...?" Wei Shu had a hundred questions in his heart but dared not ask them aloud, "Do you really like blue dresses?"
"A blue dress?" Jiang Jin looked down and tugged at the hem of her lake-blue dress, then smiled and said, "My mother said I look good in blue, but I don't really care what color dress I wear."
"Don't you have any hairpins or dresses you like?" Wei Shu seemed to have never seen Jiang Jin wear any fancy jewelry or dresses. The most elaborate one was on her wedding day; the rest of the time, her attire was very simple.
"I like it, but money always runs out eventually, so it's better to use it wisely." Jiang Jin had seen Lou Xuan's clothes and jewelry since she was a child, so she didn't care much about the allowances in the manor.
"Then when we get back to Beijing, we'll take you to browse some jewelry stores. I remember you own a few jewelry shops."
Wei Shu always felt indebted to Jiang Jin. While others lived in luxury with their families and servants, Jiang Jin had to bear the dangers of court intrigue alongside him.
"No need. If I like something, His Highness will give it to me. No matter how many pieces of jewelry there are, no matter how gorgeous they are, they can't compare to one piece from the palace."
Jiang Jin was oblivious to Wei Shu's thoughts, preoccupied with the connection between the capital and Beizhou. She wondered if His Majesty would act directly or hesitate if Gao Yunge was backed by a powerful figure.
"Actually, I am your husband, you can..." Wei Shu watched as Jiang Jin's eyes lit up when she saw the government office, and she quickly walked inside. Wei Shu watched Jiang Jin disappear from sight, and he could almost still smell the lingering fragrance of her clothes.
"General, aren't you coming in?" Zhou Cong asked, standing at the doorway and looking at Wei Shu, who seemed somewhat dazed.
Wei Shu nodded and slowly stepped over the threshold. Looking at the setting sun in the distance, he suddenly felt a pang of regret.
"Wei Shu, what are you doing standing at the door?" Jiang Jin opened the door but didn't hear the familiar footsteps behind her. Turning around, she saw Wei Shu standing blankly at the door, staring at the sky.
"They're here." Wei Shu withdrew her gaze and watched as Jiang Jin entered the house before her.
“General, the lady asked me to go back first today, saying she has other things to do.” Wei Shu’s breathing remained relatively calm upon hearing this. “She has her own thoughts, and as long as her life is not involved, there is no need to restrict her too much.”
"Okay." Zhou Cong watched Wei Shu enter the house, then stood guard by the door, constantly watching out for any passing government officials.
"Wei Shu, take a look at this ledger." Jiang Jin placed a thick ledger in front of Wei Shu. "Don't you think these two entries are a bit strange?"
Jiang Jin pointed to the two seemingly ordinary items above with her slender fingers. "I remember that year, the silk production in Jiangnan was extremely low, which caused the price of fabrics in the entire Da Yan to rise sharply. But look at these two pieces of fabric, they are very cheap."
"You mean these ledgers might all be fake?" Wei Shu flipped through the ledgers and noticed that the ink on them didn't look freshly written.
"Not really. At least I've only seen a few entries with some problems so far, but there's still a portion I haven't looked at, so I suspect it's seven parts true and three parts false." Jiang Jin placed the problematic ledgers in front of Wei Shu.
“They all have the same thing: fabric and glass. Everything else is fine.” Jiang Jin coughed lightly. “I think if someone can hold Gaoyun Pavilion, things might be alright today. However, the person behind the scenes should soon find out that all the officials in Beizhou have been dismissed.”
Wei Shu sighed, "Right now, everyone in the capital is focused on Beizhou. They either want to find something on us or they want to know who will win Beizhou."
"Actually, I always felt it was strange that the Fourth Prince appeared at Gaoyun Pavilion. I had someone inquire about him before, and he never had the habit of going to brothels. His sudden appearance at Gaoyun Pavilion would be hard not to arouse suspicion."
Jiang Jin told Lou Xuan everything that had happened at Gaoyun Pavilion that very day. After all, members of the royal family were not to be trifled with, and this would at least make Lou Xuan wary.
The fourth prince argued that he had heard the place was very interesting and couldn't resist his curiosity, so he went in to take a look. However, His Majesty still punished him by making him copy books.
Wei Shu, who was present that day, naturally knew that the Fourth Prince was lying, but since His Majesty believed him, he couldn't say anything more.
"Do you think this Gaoyun Pavilion might be related to the Fourth Prince? Or is the matter in Beizhou actually related to the Fourth Prince as well?" Jiang Jin carefully let her thoughts wander.
"Royal affairs are certainly not as simple as they seem on the surface; perhaps someone is trying to frame the Fourth Prince." Wei Shu felt completely confused.
"Don't worry, my people are investigating the Fourth Prince and Gao Yunge. I will let you know as soon as there is any progress."
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