vigil
"Ah Shu, I can manage on my own." Jiang Jin opened the door helplessly, only to find Song Zhimin standing outside.
"What are you doing here?" Jiang Jin peeked out, hesitated for a moment, and finally let Song Zhimin into the hall.
The dim candlelight inside made the lonely coffin appear even more eerie and solemn. Song Zhimin knelt on the prayer mat and lit incense for Sanfeng.
"I heard Ziyuan was missing, so I rushed to Beizhou. Is there any news now?" Song Zhimin stood up and looked at Jiang Jin's exhausted face.
"Not yet." Jiang Jin knelt down on the prayer mat again. The remaining candlelight fell around her but couldn't illuminate Song Zhimin's figure.
"I'll have my men keep an eye on things. If there's any news about Ziyuan, inform you and His Highness immediately." Song Zhimin glanced at Jiang Jin's back and stood silently behind her.
"Okay." Silence fell over the hall. "Ziyuan, she'll be alright. She's always been clever and mischievous; she wouldn't put herself in danger." Song Zhimin's hand rested on Jiang Jin's shoulder for a fleeting moment, so fast it was almost an illusion. He then picked up a few sheets of paper money and placed them in the brazier.
"What Sanfeng wants most right now is for you to be well. How can she rest in peace while you're pushing yourself to the limit keeping vigil for her?" Song Zhimin looked at Jiang Jin kneeling on the prayer mat with her eyes closed, as if she were a jade sculpture, unable to hear anything he said.
"Only by finding the person behind this and bringing their head to Sanfeng's grave can we find peace and solace. Don't you want the lives of the Dou family?" Jiang Jin felt Song Zhimin's breath catch in his throat, followed only by the sound of flames engulfing the paper.
"Why do you have to provoke me with those words?" Song Zhimin looked at the candle placed to the side and then at the somewhat dim hall, and finally replaced the candle for Jiang Jin with a new one.
"It's just the truth, like how I always want those people to pay for their crimes in blood." Jiang Jin still had her eyes closed. Song Zhimin knelt beside Jiang Jin, carefully looking at her brows and eyes. She seemed a little tired again, lacking the radiant spirit she had when they first met.
"You're not like yourself anymore." Song Zhimin mimicked Jiang Jin, closing his eyes to feel the flickering candlelight.
“People can’t stay the same forever. Isn’t Song Langjun the same?” Jiang Jin slowly opened his eyes and looked at Song Zhimin beside him. His imposing manner hadn’t faded, but he had gained a touch more shrewdness.
"Don't you resent it?" Jiang Jin looked at the coffin and seemed to see Wei Shu lying inside again. She had to force herself to come back to her senses.
"What is there to complain about?" Song Zhimin knelt before the altar with his back as straight as a pine tree, the years having etched a calm and composed mark on his face.
"Don't you hate the destruction of the Song family?" Jiang Jin closed her eyes again. Song Zhimin slowly opened his eyes and looked at Jiang Jin, whose expression remained unchanged.
"My resentment is only for giving you up." Song Zhimin stood up and walked to the window, watching Jiang Jin's figure, gentle yet resolute in the candlelight.
"It's not about giving up, it's just that we had no other choice." Jiang Jin had long since let go of the past; it was just that Song Zhimin couldn't let go of it.
"If Awan or someone else had been by your side back then, you would have just seen her as a savior, like a drowning person instinctively clinging to a piece of driftwood." Song Zhimin forced a bitter smile, his heart growing colder as he looked at Jiang Jin's indifferent expression.
"Actually, I've seen you riding a horse before. You were so carefree and dashing, completely different from how I was back then. Ah Jin, I should go now. Take care." Song Zhimin, with her hand on the door latch, couldn't help but turn back to glance at Jiang Jin.
She kept her eyes closed, showing no reaction to her own words. Song Zhimin lowered his gaze and left the main hall. Jiang Jin opened her eyes and continued burning paper under the umbrella. The flames consumed the yellow paper, sometimes transferring their intense heat to Jiang Jin's fingertips.
"Take care." Jiang Jin's words were drowned out by the sound of the flames. She turned around and saw only the empty main hall.
As dawn broke, Jiang Jin staggered to her feet, her knees already numb. Just as she opened the door, the guard's worried expression came into view.
"I've come to pick you up." Without another word, Wei Shu picked up Jiang Jin and, feeling his strong heartbeat, Jiang Jin didn't resist anymore. The two returned to the house in silence.
Wei Shu picked up a cotton cloth and gently wiped Jiang Jin's already bruised knees, carefully applying ointment to her. "If I had known you would ruin your body like this, I should have knocked you out and carried you back."
Wei Shufu bent down and blew on the wound on his knee, hoping to alleviate some of Jiang Jin's pain.
"It's alright, it just looks serious. I've applied some medicine, and it'll be fully recovered after a few days of rest." Jiang Jin smiled and pulled Wei Shu over. "Has Ziyuan found out anything?"
"Not yet, but given the current trend, we shouldn't be completely without any clues. So I think the person behind this must have come prepared or be very familiar with our movements, knowing everything we do." Wei Shu quickly reassured Jiang Jin, noticing a flash of murderous intent in her eyes.
"Don't worry, this also means that Ziyuan's life is not in immediate danger. However, we must be absolutely certain that the people behind this are planning something big." Wei Shu hugged Jiang Jin. "I always feel that they are targeting you with this move."
"And you too. If I hold a grudge against you or Zhou Congxin because of Ziyuan's disappearance, then we've killed two birds with one stone." Jiang Jin sighed, leaning on Wei Shu's shoulder. "Although I don't know why the people behind the scenes are going through such a roundabout way, I think they're probably after the royal family."
Jiang Jin sorted out his thoughts, "If it's just for the sake of seizing power, they shouldn't do such heinous things. Their main purpose should be to win over the court, not to concoct medicines, kill people, and create discord between us like this."
Upon hearing this, Wei Shu nodded and pressed Jiang Jin down onto the couch. "I will have people keep watch, but you really need to rest now. Your eyes are red from guarding you all night."
Wei Shu pulled up the quilt and lowered the curtains, watching Jiang Jin close her eyes. Only when she knew Jiang Jin's breathing had gradually become even did she feel relieved and leave the room.
"General," Zhou Liao handed several letters to Wei Shu, "I had people investigate the records of people leaving the village and the surrounding towns and villages, and we finally found a clue." Wei Shu opened the letter and the first thing he saw was the name Sangzhou.
"Sangzhou again?" Wei Shu thought, noticing that all these events seemed to be inextricably linked to Sangzhou.
“Yes, we can find traces of all the supply wagons that left the countryside during that period, except for those heading to Sangzhou.” Zhou Liao keenly sensed that Wei Shu’s aura had turned cold.
"Where's Zhou Cong?" Wei Shu didn't see Zhou Cong and assumed he was still searching for Zi Yuan with Yi Yi.
"I let him go and rest. He hasn't slept for days and nights, and I was afraid he wouldn't be able to hold on, so I knocked him unconscious. At least he can get some peace and quiet for one night," Zhou Liao said without batting an eye.
"Alright." Wei Shu didn't ask any more questions and led Zhou Liao to the study. "Has His Majesty sent any news?"
"The elixir probably hasn't been researched yet, but the medicinal herbs on that paper have been mostly gathered. They're all precious ingredients; without sufficient funds, it probably won't last this long." Zhou Liao looked at the account books Wei Shu had compiled. "General, should these be handed over to the new governor?"
"No need, we'll give it directly to His Majesty. As for the newly arrived governor, have someone make a new copy for him, and then send someone to explain the details. We'll return to the capital after this is all over." Wei Shu looked at Sangzhou on the map of Da Yan, understanding that that was likely his and Jiang Jin's next destination.
"Have we received any news from our people in Sangzhou?" Wei Shu asked, gripping the map as he leaned back on the stool and looked at Zhou Liao.
"Not yet. New men have infiltrated Sangzhou as ordered by the general, but there's been no news yet." This was the first time Zhou Liao had seen Wei Shu so wary of a place.
“The court is currently unstable. All the bad things that have happened are related to Sangzhou. Moreover, Sangzhou is His Majesty’s biggest concern, so we must be extremely cautious.” Wei Shu picked up his pen and wrote several letters. “Give these to Sangzhou respectively. Have the secret guards in Beizhou keep a close watch on any suspicious people coming and going.”
"Also, send people to scout the route back to the capital. I don't want to encounter any more ambushes or other pointless situations." Wei Shu didn't want Jiang Jin to be put in danger any further.
"Yes." Zhou Liao accepted the order and left. Wei Shu sat in the study, reflecting on the events of the past few days.
"Your Majesty, that person has figured it out." Emperor Wende was reviewing memorials, with a hunched-over young man following behind Lin Ben.
"Tell me," Emperor Wende said, glancing at the pills on the table and waving his hand to signal the guards to take them back.
"The medicinal ingredients are similar to those on the paper given by the secret guards, but the proportions are not very precise and require many people to improve them little by little. Those who fail will die within ten days. If they can survive for more than ten days, they will succeed. At that time, it will be a great disaster."
"You're saying things I don't know. Everything you're saying is something my secret guards found out."
"Actually, this pill should have been successful. We'll know for sure if someone takes it." The man knelt on the ground, not daring to look at Emperor Wende.
"How do you know it's a successful elixir?" Emperor Wende stopped what he was doing and squinted at the man on the ground.
"Because I once saw a similar vicious prescription in an ancient book, but that book has long been destroyed. It seems someone modified the prescription based on memory, making it extremely contagious and destructive." The man dared not conceal anything from Emperor Wende.
"You've worked hard too. Lin Mu, take him to rest." Emperor Wende's face remained expressionless as he simply instructed Lin Ben to lead the man away from the Zichen Palace.
"Have all our people been arranged?" Emperor Wende asked, looking at the empty Zichen Palace.
The next second, a dark figure flashed over and the person knelt respectfully on the ground, replying: "Everyone has been arranged, but we don't know when we can make our move."
"No rush, I think some people will eventually be unable to hold back." Emperor Wende showed no sign of anxiety, as if everything was within his expectations. "Just let them observe and see how things develop, don't be foolish enough to expose yourselves."
"Yes." The Zichen Palace returned to its usual tranquility.
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