secretly returned to the capital
Cold fingers touched Jiang Jin's wrist. In such a tense situation, Jiang Jin unconsciously slowed her breathing, but quickly regained it. Fortunately, no one noticed anything amiss.
"No abnormalities found in the body despite the presence of poison." The cold fingers left Jiang Jin's bedside. Just as she was about to breathe a sigh of relief, she felt someone sit down beside her.
"Jiang Jin has a lot of ulterior motives, but she's not bad looking. It's a pity she's with Lou Xuan. I heard Lou Xuan went to the battlefield. I wonder if the unforgiving swords will hurt her?" These ambiguous words kept creeping into Jiang Jin's ears, but she still forced herself not to breathe too loudly.
Fortunately, the masked man didn't linger. The door creaked open, and the footsteps slowly faded away. But Jiang Jin still didn't dare to relax. After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the sound of departing footsteps came again from outside.
Taking advantage of the opportunity to turn over, Jiang Jin quietly opened her eyes. Seeing that no one was in the room, she breathed a sigh of relief, but still dared not sleep, only managing to doze off for a short while at dawn.
"Clerk, you didn't get enough rest last night?" Seeing Jiang Jin's dazed look, San Yu was afraid she had been poisoned again.
“Someone came to take my pulse last night. Luckily, I didn’t take the antidote pill, otherwise you would have to come to the water dungeon to see me today.” Jiang Jin slumped wearily on the table. “I was afraid he would come back, so I stayed up all night. Can you keep an eye on things for me while I catch up on some sleep?”
It was supposed to be a nap, but it was just a light sleep. The slightest sound or disturbance could wake Jiang Jin from her slumber.
"The clerk." Sanyu sighed. In this garden, Jiang Jin was the one who was walking on thin ice the most, and being forced to be on guard naturally amplified her anxiety.
"I'm fine." Jiang Jin subconsciously reached for the dagger Wei Shu had given her, but then suddenly remembered that she had kept it in a box in her bedroom.
"What is General Wei doing now?" Jiang Jin suddenly missed Wei Shu. Sangzhou was full of intrigues and schemes, but with Wei Shu by her side, she felt more confident.
"The general has been working with those hiding in the city to see if it's possible to launch a coordinated attack from within and without to destroy Sangzhou." Although Sanyu didn't know the outcome, she could tell that Sangzhou was already showing signs of weakness.
"Then I need to speed things up here too." Jiang Jin took a sip of tea and carefully inserted the sharpened hairpin into her hair.
On the tenth day, Jiang Jin was helped up from the bed, her eyebrows and eyes were painted, and she was dressed in her wedding gown. The round fan in her hand concealed the smile that did not reach her eyes.
Once inside the bridal sedan chair, Jiang Jin caught a glimpse of Er Yu through the fluttering curtain. Song Zhimin owned a residence in Sangzhou, and today's banquet was being held there.
Jiang Jin was helped down from the sedan chair by Song Zhimin. Through the crowd, she immediately saw the masked man sitting next to her. She gripped the hairpin in her hand tighter, her fingers trembling slightly. Song Zhimin, thinking she was a little nervous, comforted her, "Don't be afraid. After today, you will be my wife."
Jiang Jin smiled shyly, and everyone burst into laughter. Suddenly, something unexpected happened: Jiang Jin abruptly shook off Song Zhimin's hand, grabbed the hairpin, and attacked the masked man.
"A mere trick!" The masked man drew his sword to meet the attack. Jiang Jin dodged the deadly blow with nimble movements, while San Yu and the others began fighting with the people in the courtyard.
"Jiang Jin, it seems you're doing a good job of pretending!" The masked man laughed, looking at the seemingly insane Jiang Jin.
"Jiang Jin, since you're about to die anyway, I'll spare your life. You can deal with that traitor yourself!" The next second, the candles in the room went out. Jiang Jin heard the voice and chased after the masked man, but he had already disappeared.
"Ah Jin, are you alright?" Wei Shu saw Jiang Jin chasing after them with a hairpin in her hand and quickly went to protect her.
"Did that person escape?" Wei Shu shook his head. Jiang Jin's face paled slightly. When she returned to the room, Song Zhimin had already lit the candles, but the masked man was gone, leaving only a little bloodstain.
"Ah Jin, isn't it painful to set up such a grand scheme and then pretend to be friendly with me every day?" Jiang Jin ignored Song Zhimin's rambling and directly tied him up with her belt, then took the bow and arrows Wei Shu handed her to fight the enemy.
The sounds of fighting and shouting filled the entire city, only ending when dawn slowly broke on the horizon. The Chen family had been defeated and subdued by Chang Yi and his men. Seeing Jiang Jin unharmed, Chang Yi breathed a sigh of relief.
"Recorder Jiang, you've done a great job!" Chang Yi flattered Jiang Jin. If it weren't for her sending the message about the masked man's true appearance, they wouldn't know where their hatred came from, let alone how to exploit his weakness.
"You flatter me! Commander Chang's bravery and skill in suppressing the Sangzhou rebellion in one fell swoop are truly the guardian deity of our Great Yan!" Jiang Jin caught sight of Song Zhimin, who was still in a daze, and kicked him.
"Where is Ziyuan's body buried!" Jiang Jin viciously grabbed Song Zhimin. "Song Zhimin, do you never dream of Ziyuan and those innocent people coming to claim your life? How can you face the Song family's reputation for integrity!"
Jiang Jin was trembling with anger, but the moment she saw Zi Yuan's corpse, she was unable to move.
Ziyuan lay quietly in the ice coffin, neither buried nor filled with the stench of incense.
"Song Zhimin, I'll make your aunt and cousin taste the pain Ziyuan suffered." Upon hearing this, Song Zhimin grabbed Jiang Jin's skirt.
"Ah Jin, Ah Jin, please let them go! They are truly innocent. They were divorced from the Song family and implicated by me. Ah Jin, I am unforgivable, but please, please let them go!"
Song Zhimin was kicked against the wall by Jiang Jin and then roughly pulled down. She whispered in his ear, "I will make them remember that they could have lived a peaceful life, but it was all ruined because of your one wrong decision. You are the one who is unforgivable."
Jiang Jin laughed so hard she almost fell over, enjoying the fear in Song Zhimin's eyes. "Song Zhimin isn't enough!"
Jiang Jin glanced at Wei Shu, smiled, and then said in a low voice, "Do you think that person will really let me go after it's done? Do you think there's really an antidote for that poison?"
Song Zhimin looked at Jiang Jin with surprise and guilt. The next second, a gleaming dagger sliced through his neck, and the brilliant scholar of the capital died in the dilapidated cave.
"Have someone put Ziyuan in the coffin, then we'll go home." Ignoring the biting cold, Jiang Jin slowly touched Ziyuan's cheek through the ice.
"I've come to take you home, Ziyuan. Don't worry, Song Zhimin is dead, and I won't let that person behind it get away with it." Jiang Jin's tears fell onto the ice, one or two drops sliding down to the ground.
"Ah Jin, let's go." Wei Shu held Jiang Jin's cold hand and looked at Song Zhimin, still ordering him to be buried under the tree.
"This isn't over yet." Jiang Jin wiped away her tears and smiled at Wei Shu's worried expression.
"The person behind it all escaped, but he certainly won't let this go. We must get back as soon as possible." Jiang Jin took the antidote San Yu handed her and swallowed it. Her pulse improved somewhat, but Jiang Jin knew that this medicine wasn't effective and was only a drop in the ocean.
"Leave Chang Yi, Zhou Cong, Er Yu, and San Yu here to deal with that alchemist and keep a close watch on him. You and I will secretly return to the capital." Seeing Jiang Jin's hesitant expression, Wei Shu didn't want to delve deeper.
"We'll leave right away." Jiang Jin changed into Hu clothing and rode off beside Wei Shu. The two traveled day after day until they reached the capital, where they noticed that the soldiers guarding the city were acting strangely.
"We haven't received any news from the capital since the great victory at Sangzhou." Jiang Jin's heart sank slightly, and Wei Shu's expression was also not good.
"The current martial law at the gate might just be a precaution against us." Jiang Jin felt a bit uneasy seeing the soldiers thoroughly checking every passerby.
"These soldiers should be under the command of the Valiant Guard, but I don't see any members of the Imperial Guard here." Although Jiang Jin didn't recognize all the Valiant Guard generals, he recognized their armor.
“They’re not the Valiant Guards; everyone here is from the Imperial Guard.” Wei Shu avoided looking directly at the guards standing at the city gate.
“But normally, if it were just martial law, there would be no need to replace the gate guards. So it’s more likely that someone inside the capital is holding everyone captive.” Jiang Jin and Wei Shu watched the people coming and going from the foot of the city wall.
"I'll go deliver a message to Awan; she's with training pigeons by her side." Jiang Jin swiftly pulled out the whistle hidden in her arm.
Wei Shu quickly covered the bleeding wound with a handkerchief, "Let's stay away."
Wei Shu led Jiang Jin to a stream, where they sat on a rock. Jiang Jin summoned a pigeon and wrote her question on it.
"We'll make do here tonight." Wei Shu untied his cloak and placed it under Jiang Jin, while Jiang Jin used her own cloak to cover the two of them.
"I never thought that going out once would mean I wouldn't be able to come home again." Jiang Jin felt Wei Shu hug her tightly and comfort her. "We'll have a plan when A-Wan replies."
The two leaned against a rock, watching the birds fly by in the sky. "It's funny, but it's nice to just sit here and watch the sky doing nothing."
Jiang Jin leaned wearily against Wei Shu's shoulder, her breathing steady but her pulse pounding abnormally.
"Wei Shu, is there anywhere you'd like to go?" Jiang Jin asked Wei Shu, suppressing the urge to go.
"No, I just want to stay by your side." Wei Shu held Jiang Jin's hand, savoring the warmth emanating from her.
"I've heard there's a herb from Nanshan in the north that has miraculous effects. Could you pick it for me after this is over?" This was the first time Jiang Jin had made a request of Wei Shu, and Wei Shu naturally wouldn't refuse.
"Okay, I'll pick a piece for you then, and we'll plant Nanshan grass all over the manor." Jiang Jin smiled contentedly, the sound of pigeons filling the air. Jiang Jin took down the small bamboo tube hanging from the bird.
"The three forces colluded with foreign enemies to trap His Majesty in the capital. Your Highness is protecting His Majesty in the Zichen Palace, and he is temporarily safe." While Wei Shu was reading the note, Jiang Jin swallowed the antidote pill inside, and the itching in her throat instantly subsided.
"So the one who joined forces with the masked man is the Third Prince, and he even colluded with foreign powers!" Wei Shu gripped the note tightly, his eyes filled with murderous intent.
"The fourth prince was merely a scapegoat. So, after Sangzhou fell out of control, the third prince led the barbarian forces into the capital to force His Majesty to abdicate. Fortunately, Your Highness returned to the capital in time; otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable." Jiang Jin hadn't expected the princes to resort to such tactics to force the emperor to abdicate under these circumstances.
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