Drug testing
"You're still as confident as ever!" Zhai Wan placed another bowl of herbal medicine on the table. "Want some more?"
"Of course!" Jiang Jin smiled and drank the bitter soup in one gulp, instantly feeling as if thousands of ants were crawling all over her body.
"Do you want to spit it out?" Zhai Wan's hand, holding the needle, was always ready.
"No need!" Jiang Jin was already soaked through, and the wound on her shoulder had reopened and was bleeding.
"Lend me your knife!" Seeing that she couldn't persuade Jiang Jin, Zhai Wan had no choice but to hand over the burnt knife to her.
Jiang Jin picked up the knife and deftly slashed it across her fair arm. "Alright, let's have another bowl!"
After drinking five bowls of ginger, Jiang Jin made five cuts on her arm until Zhai Wan couldn't bear to brew the antidote prematurely. "Your mission is complete!"
Jiang Jin lay on the ground as if pulled from the water. The area outside the room was already crowded with people. Jiang Jin's piercing screams lingered until the door opened and Zhai Wan placed the antidote in Zhou Cong's hand.
"This woman has a strong will and is a promising talent. Why don't you come back with me to test the medicine?" Zhou Cong roared, looking at the overturned bowl in the room and the bloodstains on Jiang Jin's arm, "What did you do to Madam!"
"Of course it's for drug trials. Some of the drugs were too unbearable for her, so she cut off a piece of flesh to wake up. I advised her that the rest could be tried tomorrow, but she said that the sooner she tried them, the less risk there would be."
"Quickly take Madam Wei to rest!" Seeing the pitying expressions on the faces of those around her, Jiang Jin knew her plan had succeeded, and she peacefully fainted.
“Madam, she…” Zhai Wan lowered her eyes and stopped looking at Jiang Jin, “She won’t die. I still need to go to the capital to treat the Imperial Concubine, so I won’t stay any longer!”
Zhai Wan bypassed Jiang Jin and began packing her things, carefully taking the knife from Jiang Jin's hand and wiping it meticulously.
"Aren't you going to treat Madam?" Zhou Cong carefully handed the medicine bowl to Zhou Liao, while he stayed behind to watch over Zhai Wan.
"This is a trivial matter, and I don't need to get involved. Besides, drug trials are inherently risky, so even if she loses her life, it has nothing to do with me."
Zhai Wan, carrying her bundle, walked to the door, and everyone made way for her. "By the way, the consultation fee should be sent directly to Zhao Sun's residence; one thousand taels of gold, no cheating!"
When Jiang Jin woke up again, she saw Wei Shu leaning against the bed. Sensing her movement, Wei Shu opened his eyes and looked at her. "You're awake. The doctor said that the medicine in your body is too mixed, so you will be unconscious for a while."
Wei Shu carefully helped Jiang Jin up, gently blew on the hot porridge on the stove, and placed it to Jiang Jin's lips. "Eat some porridge first."
Seeing Wei Shu change so drastically, Jiang Jin suddenly felt a strange unease. It was the result she wanted, so why did she feel a pang of guilt when she actually saw it?
"Have you found out anything about the assassin?" Jiang Jin lowered his eyes, waiting for Wei Shu's reprimand, but he simply scooped up a spoonful of porridge and patiently spoke.
"Not yet. The arrows belonged to the Crown Prince's residence, but the poison came from the Third Prince's. However, this matter has been reported to His Majesty, and I believe there will be a result soon." Wei Shu carefully wiped Jiang Jin's mouth with a handkerchief.
"I thought you wouldn't tell me these things." Jiang Jin felt that her wounds had been carefully bandaged. "I wonder if that female doctor is still here. I'd like to thank her in person."
"She was ordered to go to the capital to treat the Imperial Concubine and has already left. Don't worry, the medical fee has already been sent to your residence."
Wei Shu helped Jiang Jin lie down and tucked her in. "You hurt yourself trying the medicine. The doctor said you shouldn't move around too much these days. If you need anything, just tell the maid."
"Is there any progress on the matter of Governor Wu? The assassination attempt that day might have been related to this matter as well."
Jiang Jin suppressed the urge to cough, reached out and grabbed Wei Shu's silver wristband. The cold wristband startled her, and she asked, "Has the person behind this come to light?"
"A letter arrived from the court saying that the man was just a newly appointed minor official, not belonging to any faction, and that the servant of the Prefect of Yuezhou also committed suicide by biting his tongue an hour before you woke up." Wei Shu tried hard to ignore the warmth on his wrist.
"Suicide? What about the Prefect of Yuezhou? Shouldn't we bring him here and question him?" Jiang Jin didn't think Wei Shu would have the heart to let the Prefect of Yuezhou go.
"We've questioned them and there's no suspicion. The servant who committed suicide wasn't from the Sima household." Wei Shu took Jiang Jin's hand and placed it under the quilt.
"In other words, Sima's servant was intercepted and killed on the way, and then someone impersonated the servant to go to the capital, ostensibly to accuse Governor Wu of corruption, but in reality, to form a clique for personal gain." Jiang Jin's fingers slowly touched the fine gauze wrapped around his arm.
"That's possible. We'll return to the capital once you're feeling better." The room was filled with the smell of medicine. Jiang Jin frowned slightly. Seeing this, Wei Shu got up and opened the window a crack.
"You get some rest, I'll head out now." Wei Shu glanced deeply at Jiang Jin lying on the couch before closing the door.
As Wei Shuyuan's footsteps faded into the distance, Jiang Jin raised her arm. The fine gauze wrapped around it had clearly been changed recently, and a thick layer of medicinal powder was applied inside. Jiang Jin touched the gauze, a smile playing on her lips.
Looking up at the room's furnishings, though simple, they showed care in every detail. Jiang Jin got up, took off the ring on her finger, pressed the small protrusion inside, and a red pill coated in wax popped out.
"I hope I never need your help." Jiang Jin knew that if anything went wrong, she would face Wei Shu's wrath, and then she would have to rely on the elixirs developed by Zhai Wan.
Jiang Jin pressed the pill back into place, put the ring back on, and checked her pulse. Although it was a little erratic, it wasn't as serious as Wei Shu had described, and she immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
For the past three days, Wei Shu has come to Jiang Jin's bedside every day to personally feed her medicine, and at night he sleeps on the floor in front of the bed. Seeing this, Jiang Jin can only pray that Wei Shu will not discover any wrongdoing in this plan.
"Your hands are shaking badly, is your wound still hurting?" Wei Shu noticed Jiang Jin's shoulders were shaking violently and wanted to reach out to check.
"No, it's just that the wound is a little itchy." Jiang Jin avoided Wei Shu's movements. "You come to take care of me every day, how is your injury?"
"It's alright, the female doctor's medicine was very effective." Wei Shu managed a rare smile. "Jiang Jin, why did you save me?"
Upon hearing this, Jiang Jin pinched the ring on her index finger and replied cautiously, "You are His Majesty's confidant. If you die, the court will surely be in chaos. I do not want an official who is dedicated to serving the people to be implicated and imprisoned because of factional strife."
Seeing that Wei Shu didn't speak, Jiang Jin quickly added, "Of course, I'm doing this for myself too. If you die, I might not have a way out either."
"Five days later, we will return to the capital via the official road." Wei Shu hesitated for a moment, seemingly considering something.
"Why are you in such a hurry? Has something happened in the capital?" Jiang Jin asked Wei Shu anxiously.
"It's alright. You're not feeling well. Even if the carriage travels slowly, it will only be August when we reach the capital. It's the height of summer, so you won't catch a cold." Wei Shu patted Jiang Jin's hand reassuringly. "Don't worry about it. Everything in the capital is as usual."
"Thank you, General." Jiang Jin knew that Wei Shu's thoughtfulness stemmed from his "life-saving grace and the kindness of testing medicine."
"No need to thank me, please get some rest. I have something to discuss with Governor Wu, so I'll be leaving now." Wei Shu considerately placed the snacks on the stool.
"General, you don't need to worry about me." Jiang Jin picked up a piece of jade dew and put it in her mouth. "I can get out of bed and walk now, and besides, there are maids with me, so I won't get hurt."
"Alright." Wei Shu poured another cup of tea and placed it on the stool. "If there is any urgent matter, just send someone to my study to find me."
"Okay." Jiang Jin smiled as she watched Wei Shu close the door. After a long while, a figure flashed past the window, and then Zheng Xi quickly slipped in.
"You're really brave. The governor's mansion is guarded by the Imperial Guards now. One wrong move and you could lose your life here." Jiang Jin scolded, but still got out of bed and bolted the door.
"I didn't come to check on your injuries, but also because a letter came from the capital saying that His Majesty originally intended to thoroughly investigate the person behind this, but... since it involves the Crown Prince and the Third Prince, he has stopped." Zheng Xi handed the letter to Jiang Jin.
"The arrows belong to the Crown Prince, but the poison belongs to the Third Prince. You've really stirred up the waters of the court."
Jiang Jin quickly glanced at the contents of the letter, then handed it back to Zheng Xi, saying, "It's inconvenient for me to find a plan to burn this while I'm at the governor's mansion. Also, burn this."
Jiang Jin pulled out the hairpin from her hair and took out a silver needle with black bloodstains on it. "Be careful not to get poisoned."
"I thought you'd thrown it away back then, I never imagined it'd been hidden inside the hairpin all this time." Zheng Xi took the handkerchief, carefully wrapped the silver needle up, and placed it in her bosom.
"If Wei Shu discovers the silver needle, our plan will be ruined." Jiang Jin reached up and touched the wound on his shoulder.
"By the way, Hou Shu is going to return to the capital with me in five days. Although he says it's for my health, I have a feeling things aren't that simple. Have there been any other letters from the capital?" Jiang Jin asked Zheng Xi, putting her hairpin back on.
"No, or perhaps the letter is on its way. However, I did hear something about the capital from elsewhere." Zheng Xi frowned, bit her lip, hesitated for a moment, and then revealed what she knew.
"His Majesty has bestowed a marriage upon the Third Prince." Jiang Jin could tell from Zheng Xi's expression that the marriage decree was no ordinary matter.
"Which family's lady is she?" Jiang Jin gripped the hem of her skirt and stared at Zheng Xi.
"The daughter of Wang Bi, the Grand Master of the Imperial Secretariat, was a civil official without any official duties, but she was a member of the Wang family."
Although Zheng Xi was unfamiliar with the affairs of the capital, she knew from the momentary stiffness in Jiang Jin's expression that this matter was of no benefit to them.
"Wang Wu Niangzi?" Jiang Jin thought for a moment and realized that the only woman of suitable status and age to be betrothed by His Majesty was Wang Wu Niangzi.
"Yes, it's Fifth Sister." Zheng Xi didn't understand why Jiang Jin's expression suddenly changed.
"Is there a problem?" Seeing that Zheng Xi didn't understand the matter, Jiang Jin slowly revealed the truth.
"The Fifth Daughter of the Wang family was originally chosen by Lord Dou to be the Crown Prince's consort." Jiang Jin's words stunned Zheng Xi.
"Then why was it bestowed upon His Highness the Third Prince? Isn't that a blatant insult to him?" Zheng Xi suddenly understood Jiang Jin's expression earlier.
"Not only that, back then, Fifth Sister was also quite fond of the Crown Prince, and the Crown Prince was very fond of her as well. At that time, they were just short of issuing an imperial decree to grant them marriage. However, although the decree was issued, it was given to Second Sister Du instead." Jiang Jin sighed slightly. Later, Fifth Sister left the capital under the pretext of returning home to pay respects to her ancestors.
"Wouldn't that make them a pair of estranged lovers?" Zheng Xi felt sorry for Wang Wu Niangzi.
"How could I dare disobey His Majesty's decree of marriage?" Jiang Jin felt a pang of sadness at the thought of the beautiful and bright-eyed Fifth Sister.
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