The governor made an agreement
After traveling for ten days, the group finally arrived in Bianzhou, which was very different from Yuezhou.
"Bianzhou truly lives up to its reputation as a superior prefecture; even its remote towns are far superior to those in Yuezhou."
Jiang Jin stroked the cat she had picked up on the road and looked out the window. Perhaps out of guilt, or perhaps out of ulterior motives, her attitude towards Wei Shu improved considerably.
"Madam, Zhugui Town is just ahead. I've heard it's famous for its ceramics!" Zhou Conghu said, standing beside the supply wagon while observing the people around him.
"Let's go to the inn first." The supply wagon was stopped by a group of people as soon as it entered the main street.
"Who dares to stop my carriage?" Zhou Cong rode his horse up to the man, who replied neither humbly nor arrogantly, "General, I am the steward of the governor's mansion in Bianzhou. I heard that you are passing through Bianzhou and have come to invite you. My master wishes to enjoy a song and dance with you."
Wei Shu slowly opened his eyes, glanced at Jiang Jin who was petting the cat, then lifted the curtain and peeked out.
"Since it's Governor Wang who invited me, how could I refuse?" Wei Shu said with a smile, standing on the carriage and looking at the arrogant steward.
"I suppose General Wei returned in a hurry, so my master specially ordered someone to send a carriage to pick up the General and his wife. Would you two be willing to go there instead?"
As soon as the steward finished speaking, a magnificent carriage made of rosewood slowly drove up. Two horses galloped forward, the pure gold and glass bells hanging from it jingling crisply.
"Then I, Wei, will humbly accept your offer." Wei Shu smiled and turned away, but his face instantly darkened.
"That carriage outside is probably no less impressive than yours in the capital, is it?" Jiang Jin didn't look up, but she could tell from Wei Shu's displeasure.
"It's only slightly inferior, but that carriage is clearly not new." Wei Shu took the cat from Jiang Jin's arms.
"From now on, you'd better remember our identities." The cat seemed uneasy as soon as it left Jiang Jin's embrace, kicking Wei Shu every now and then.
"Of course, you are my husband, the husband who loves me to the bone." Jiang Jin tenderly took the cat and gently coaxed it.
"Good to know." Wei Shu put his arm around Jiang Jin's shoulder, wrapped his arms around her waist, and lifted her down from the carriage. Jiang Jin carefully protected the cat in her arms.
"Wei Shu, you always manage to embarrass me in ways I never expect," Jiang Jin whispered in Wei Shu's ear, suppressing her embarrassment.
"If you don't want me to leave you here right now, shut your mouth." Wei Shu smiled gently, but his words were utterly cold.
"My lord loves me so much, how could he bear to leave me?" Wei Shu quickly walked to the carriage, carefully stepped onto it, and put Jiang Jin down.
The raccoon was frightened and kept meowing, so Jiang Jin could only gently coax and pet it.
"Once we arrive in Bianzhou, if things don't go well, I'll have Zhou Cong escort you out. You can go wherever you want in Da Yan then." Wei Shu rarely spoke so softly, looking at Jiang Jin's gentle demeanor.
Jiang Jin paused while stroking the cat, then shook her head indifferently, "It's all the same wherever you go. Life is never easy for a woman, so it's better to go back to the capital. At least His Majesty will protect me because of you."
“But I think you’re not the kind of person who wants to be confined in a cage. The Northern Frontier is vast and perfect for horseback riding. The general stationed there is a good man; I think you’ll like it there.” Wei Shu handed the prepared items to Jiang Jin.
"This contains your household registration and transit documents, as well as the gold I prepared for you. In the Northern Frontier, you can be as carefree as Jiang Jin." Jiang Jin's heart skipped a beat, a surge of emotion welling up within her as she gripped the package tighter.
"Wei Shu, once a person has a way out, they can't give it their all." Jiang Jin knew in his heart that Wei Shu absolutely could not be harmed. If the entire Great Yan was a game of chess, then Wei Shu was a very important piece on the board.
“You don’t need to go all out. Jiang Jin, you are not qualified to go all out for me.” Wei Shu looked at Jiang Jin with a cold face. “We eat the emperor’s food and bear the emperor’s worries, but you are just a commoner and there is no need for you to lose your life because of court affairs.”
“Wei Shu, I have my own ideas. I won’t go to the Northern Frontier. Besides, things might still turn around at the last minute.” Jiang Jin looked at the exquisite interior of the car.
"Do you think this is a trap or a welcome feast?" The curtains of the carriage were made of fine silk, soft to the touch, and the sunflower-shaped plate on the table was a rare piece of white porcelain.
"Perhaps neither is true. If Governor Wang is executed directly, wouldn't that save us a lot of trouble?" Wei Shu reached out and stroked the head of the cat in Jiang Jin's arms.
"Wei Shu, are you already dreaming in the middle of the day?" Jiang Jin slapped Wei Shu's hand away. "The cat is wary of strangers, be careful it doesn't bite you."
"There's news from the capital that Lady Wang Wu has been betrothed to the Third Prince by His Majesty." Upon hearing this, Jiang Jin continued stroking the cat without changing her expression. "So, you're implying that the Wang family is suspected of siding with the Third Prince."
“No, I meant to say we should try to avoid involving the main branch of the Wang family. His Majesty's bestowal of this marriage is probably to balance the court. The Crown Prince and Consort are pregnant, and the imperial physicians say it's a boy. I suppose they don't want the Crown Prince to have the upper hand.” Wei Shu handed the square wrapped in oiled paper to Jiang Jin.
"This contains a sleeping potion. If we get into danger, we can just throw it at the enemy." Jiang Jin rarely looked away from the cat.
"Thank you." As the carriage slowly moved along the gravel road, Jiang Jin could only grip the piece of wood beneath her to protect the cat. Suddenly, a pair of strong hands grabbed her arms.
"If you feel unwell, put the cat down first." Wei Shu's gaze fell on the beads of sweat on Jiang Jin's forehead.
"It's alright, thank you, General." Jiang Jin steadied herself and then carefully protected the cat in her arms.
At this moment, the carriage slowly came to a stop, and Jiang Jin lifted the curtain, revealing a magnificent courtyard before them.
"General, this is a separate courtyard prepared for you by my master. It is quite far from Bianzhou Jiucheng, so we can only ask that you and your wife stay here for the night."
Wei Shu got out of the carriage first, followed by Jiang Jin, who carefully took Wei Shu's hand and stepped out. Looking at the villa before them, Jiang Jin's heart sank; this villa was even better than the Jiang family mansion.
"General, your and your wife's quarters are in the main courtyard, while the other adults' quarters are in the side rooms of the outer courtyard."
The butler straightened his back and looked at Jiang Jin as if trying to see surprise or helplessness on her face, but Jiang Jin only smiled slightly without any other expression.
"General, Madam, watch your step." The butler's words were respectful, but his expression lacked any real reverence. He only stopped when they reached the inner courtyard.
"General, this is the main house. We've already placed ice inside to help you stay cool." The butler stood in front of the central courtyard, refusing to take another step closer.
As soon as the words were spoken, several maids filed out. The maid on the left carried fruit and teacups, while the maid on the right carried toiletries.
"Young master and madam, would you like to bathe and change first, or have some food?" The head maid bowed respectfully, her eyes fixed on the shoes on her toes.
"I will obey the general." Jiang Jin stood beside Wei Shu, appearing virtuous and gentle.
"Then let's have our meal first." The maid took the cat from Jiang Jin's hands.
"Young master and madam, please follow me." The maid led the maid on the left into the main hall, where the table was already laden with all sorts of dishes.
"Steward, not knowing your preferences, I prepared a variety of dishes, as well as melons and grapes freshly picked today." The maid waved her hand, and sliced melons and peeled grapes were brought in.
"Then we servants will not disturb the young master and his wife's meal any longer. Chunyu and Xialu, you two stay here to serve the two distinguished guests."
"No need, you may all leave. No one needs to stand beside us while my wife and I dine," Wei Shu said, glancing at the maids standing before him.
"Yes." The maid obediently led everyone away, and Jiang Jin only breathed a sigh of relief after the last maid closed the door.
"Prefect Wang's show of force came at just the right time," Jiang Jin remarked, picking up a piece of dried meat and putting it in her mouth.
"Aren't you really afraid he'll poison your food?" Wei Shu deliberately spoke in a frightening tone.
"Don't be afraid. If I die, you'll have an excuse to investigate thoroughly. Why would he lift a rock only to drop it on his own foot?" Jiang Jin took another sip of the soup from the duck meat soup dumplings.
"General, you can try it too; this stuff is really good." Jiang Jin rarely ate some red millet rice.
"I'm not like you; I have no appetite." Still not entirely sure, Wei Shu used silver needles to test each dumpling for poison, and only after confirming there were no problems did she reluctantly eat a few bites of the soup dumplings.
Only after Jiang Jin let out a satisfied burp did she use a silver fork to put the grapes into her mouth from the table.
"General, you don't even dare to eat some fruit?" Jiang Jin picked up a piece of melon and held it to Wei Shu's lips. "This melon is the most refreshing thing to eat in summer. Don't you really want to eat some?"
Wei Shu grabbed Jiang Jin's wrist and took a bite of the melon in Jiang Jin's hand. "Thank you, it's very sweet."
"Is someone outside?" Jiang Jin looked at Wei Shu's strange behavior and couldn't help but suspect that someone might be spying on him from outside.
"No," Wei Shu said with a smile, stirring the soup noodles in her bowl with a spoon.
"Then why are you acting so strangely?" Jiang Jin placed the melon on the table. "I thought someone was watching us outside."
"If you put the melon to my mouth, then naturally I'll take a bite." Wei Shu got up, washed his hands with water from the golden basin beside him, and then picked up a silk cloth to wipe the water off his hands.
"Let's go. Don't you want to see what our bedroom looks like?" Jiang Jin sat firmly in her seat, looking up at Wei Shu.
"I don't want to, and I'm not interested. Anyway, I'll have to go back to sleep tonight." Seeing Jiang Jin's "what can you do about it?" attitude, Wei Shu didn't say anything and simply picked her up and carried her out of the main hall.
"I haven't washed my hands yet!" Jiang Jin exclaimed in surprise as the door was pushed open. The maids all lowered their heads upon seeing the two of them. Wei Shutong carried Jiang Jin back to the bedroom without any hindrance.
"Wei Shu, you are truly audacious!" Jiang Jin sat angrily on the stool, while Wei Shu leaned against the bedside.
"Anyway, our reputation for being deeply in love has spread. This can only be considered the honeymoon phase, all we're really like." Wei Shu tossed a folding fan from his bundle to Jiang Jin.
"I'm going to take a shower. Be careful and don't wander off." Jiang Jin's eyes darted around, and she reached out to stop Wei Shu.
"I'll go with you."
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