Difficulties
"Let's go!" The sound of horses' hooves faded into the darkness as dawn broke and the four of them finally arrived at Bocheng. "We'll rest here for today and continue our journey tonight."
The days of travel had left Jiang Jin somewhat tired, and her hand holding the reins was a little loose.
"Zhou Cong." Wei Shu noticed that Jiang Jin's face was somewhat pale.
"Madam, I'll take the reins from Jiang Jin." Zhou Cong took the reins from Jiang Jin. "What are the identities of those assassins?"
"Let's talk at the inn." Wei Shu shook his head at Jiang Jin. Just as everyone had booked two superior rooms, Wei Shu kept a close eye on the three people who appeared at the door.
Jiang Jin glanced at the three people and noticed that the fabric of their clothes was the same as the fabric in her sleeves.
"Let's go back to our room!" Jiang Jin, following behind Wei Shu, suddenly felt a prying gaze on her. At that moment, Wei Shu stopped and put his arm around Jiang Jin, shielding her from the uncomfortable gaze.
As soon as the four entered the bedroom, Wei Shu's face immediately darkened. "Another batch of assassins."
"Could they have left people in Bianzhou as well? If we travel by land, we can't avoid Bianzhou no matter what." Jiang Jin took out a map from his pocket.
"Today, after taking the official road, we switched to a wild road and arrived at Bocheng. We were still being watched. They must have planted people on our only route."
Wei Shu noticed several bloodstains on the inside of Jiang Jin's fingers, and he figured they must have been from when he drew the bow in the heat of the moment.
"General, should we change our route now, bypassing Bianzhou and entering Yuezhou?" Zhou Cong stared intently at the map, looking at the towns scattered around the area, somewhat troubled.
“We can travel by land and water, detouring to Songzhou or Beizhou to enter Yuezhou,” Jiang Jin suggested, pointing to the canal on the map.
"Should we use an official ship or a merchant ship?" Zhou Liao couldn't make up his mind for a moment.
"None of them will work!"
"None of them will work!"
Two opposing voices arose simultaneously.
“Neither official ships nor merchant ships will work.” Wei Shu frowned. “If the assassins come again, we can escape, but the people on board may not be able to escape.”
Jiang Jin was stunned. She hadn't expected that Wei Shu, who was always cold-blooded and ruthless, would actually think about the lives of ordinary people.
“We can charter the boat.” Jiang Jin placed a gold ingot on the table. “It’s enough to get from Bocheng to Beizhou, but we can’t have all four of us on the boat together. Zhou Cong and Zhou Liao will be separated from us. After we charter the boat, we’ll pretend to pray for the unborn child and let the two of you on board.”
Jiang Jin took out a brand-new dress from her bundle. "The assassins probably never expected us to change our route so quickly. What do you think, General?"
“It’s worth a try. Zhou Cong, you two go to the ferry first, we’ll be there shortly.” Wei Shu glanced thoughtfully at Jiang Jin. “You should keep this gold ingot for yourself.”
"Yes." The two were about to open the door when Jiang Jin stopped them. "After you go back to your room, remember to change your clothes, and then jump out of the window!"
The two looked at Wei Shu with some hesitation, "Let's listen to her."
After the two left, Wei Shu glanced at Jiang Jin, took out a bottle of medicine from his pocket and handed it to Jiang Jin, saying, "Your fingertip is injured."
"Thank you." Jiang Jin picked up the medicine and went behind the screen to change her clothes. "General, should we leave a letter for the shopkeeper?"
"Yes, I will have them send the horses back to the capital in three days." Wei Shu took off his cloak and put on a white robe.
"General, I'm all better." Jiang Jin, dressed in a blue dress, with a slightly protruding belly and a veil on her head, said.
"Let's go!" Wei Shu stood up and hugged Jiang Jin. "Hold on tight, or I won't call a doctor for you if you fall."
"Don't worry, I'll definitely drag the general down with me." Jiang Jin held Wei Shu's neck tightly, their breaths mingling and intertwining through the veil.
As her body plummeted downwards, Jiang Jin bit her lip, afraid she would cry out. She only breathed a sigh of relief when Wei Shu landed. "Let's go, Madam."
Wei Shu put his arm around Jiang Jin's waist, and the two walked down the street as if inseparable. "Little lady, are there any silver locks for children here? I want to take a look."
The surrounding shopkeepers enthusiastically called out, "Wife, would you like to take a look?" Wei Shu asked, seemingly affectionately, leaning close to Jiang Jin's ear, but in reality, he was constantly and warily observing their surroundings.
"I like this!" Jiang Jin picked up a mask and put it on Wei Shu's face. "Husband, shall we buy it?"
"Alright, now that you're pregnant, I'll pluck the moon from the sky for you, even if you wanted it." Wei Shu pulled a string of copper coins from his pocket. "Keep the change!"
"My husband is so good." The two successfully evaded the assassins' surveillance and arrived at the dock. "I want to charter a boat to Songzhou!" Wei Shu, magnanimous as ever, placed a gold ingot on the counter.
"This..." The shopkeeper was in a dilemma, reluctant to part with the gold ingots but unsure if there were any spare boats.
"Yes, yes!" A man dressed in coarse linen clothes slipped through the crowd like an eel and came to Wei Shu.
“Young master, you wish to charter a boat? I have a fine one here, purchased directly from an official's family. It is absolutely befitting of your status.” Though the man’s eyes were lowered, his gaze carefully examined the two men’s attire.
"Judging from your appearance, I'm afraid this gold ingot isn't enough?" A cold glint flashed in Wei Shu's eyes, and Jiang Jin grasped his hand at the opportune moment.
“My lord, I just don’t want to be on the same boat as that commoner. Even if you don’t care about me, you should at least think about the child in my belly.”
Jiang Jin provided a good excuse, and the man also held up one finger, "Just one more gold ingot will do."
"Here you go!" The man, beaming, led the two to the dock after receiving the gold ingot. Indeed, a magnificent ship stood on the river. Jiang Jin caught a glimpse of Zhou Cong out of the corner of her eye, and immediately began to speak in a spoiled manner.
"My husband, let's hurry up and get on the boat to Songzhou. My legs are numb from standing."
"Okay." Wei Shu helped Jiang Jin onto the boat, and Zhou Cong and the other man immediately rushed to Jiang Jin's feet.
"My lord, my wife, please have mercy and give us a ride. We are on our way to Songzhou to visit relatives."
Wei Shu feigned disgust and kicked them away, saying, "Who do you think you are, daring to dirty my lady's feet!"
"My lord, let it go. They're pitiful. Why not let them board the ship? Consider it an act of merit for my unborn child." Jiang Jin gently pulled Wei Shu aside to pat his back and help him catch his breath.
"Alright, since my wife has said so, I will make an exception and let you board the ship. Remember to stay in the servants' quarters and don't come out and offend my eyes."
Wei Shu helped Jiang Jin onto the boat. Only after everything had settled down did Jiang Jin breathe a sigh of relief. "Are we going to Songzhou?"
Jiang Jin pulled out the clothes she had stuffed in her stomach. "But wouldn't it be better to go around through Beizhou?"
“Of course we’re going to Beizhou, but we couldn’t say it just now.” Wei Shu took off his mask and looked at Jiang Jin. “But we can say it now.”
Wei Shu walked into the cabin and looked at the man steering the boat, saying, "We're not going to Songzhou this time, we're going to Beizhou."
"Young master, then we'll have to add some more money." The man turned his head and happened to meet Wei Shu's cold gaze, and was slightly taken aback, not quite understanding why a person's temperament could change so drastically in an instant.
"Your boat probably has an unknown origin; it's probably not a boat sold by a respectable official family."
Wei Shu sat upright to the side, coldly observing the man. "Is he Bin Sang, the former prefect of Bocheng?" Although Wei Shu's tone was questioning, it was full of certainty.
“Bin Sang, wasn’t his entire family executed?” Jiang Jin stood behind Wei Shu. “Because of excessive embezzlement and bribery, His Majesty was furious and executed his entire family.”
"Yes, when the Ministry of Personnel seized the stolen goods, they found that a lot of things were missing, including an official boat. That boat was peculiar; the bow of the boat looked like wings. The boat we are on also has this design. Do you think it's a coincidence or something else?"
Wei Shu tapped his fingers on the table repeatedly. "If you send us to Beizhou, I'll pretend I don't know anything about this."
"Why?" The man squinted and scrutinized Wei Shu. "Shouldn't you have dragged me to see the officials? Maybe the court would reward you that way."
"Since you didn't use the boat for personal gain, and this matter doesn't fundamentally affect anything, I choose to let you go." Wei Shu stood up and glanced at Jiang Jin, who was somewhat dazed.
"Aren't you leaving yet?" As Wei Shu turned around, the man bowed to him. "Young master, you are kind-hearted. I will make sure you two are safely delivered to Beizhou."
Jiang Jin followed Wei Shu outside the cabin and laughed when she heard the word "kind-hearted." "I thought you wouldn't let him go."
“His clothes were all coarse linen, which shows that he did not use the money and goods for himself. Bin Sang died three years ago, but the calluses on his hands had not disappeared, which shows that he had been working all along.”
Wei Shu crossed his arms and looked at Jiang Jin. "If this boat isn't for a life of extravagance, then it's just for making a living. Besides, how many people in this city have seen this boat? Why hasn't anyone reported it to the authorities? It's probably because they're covering for each other. Why should I be the villain and take away the people's means of survival?"
"The decisive and ruthless General Wei actually said he didn't want to be the villain. And what about Vice Minister Zhou? You know he's an honest and upright official, right?"
Jiang Jin couldn't understand how he could be so lenient towards ordinary people but so ruthless towards good officials.
"The arrest and interrogation of Zhou Lu was ordered by His Majesty. I was merely following orders. Jiang Jin, you are so intelligent, surely you understand my identity?"
Wei Shu stood by the boat, watching the river flow by, feeling a pang of sadness. At least within the limited options available, he could choose according to his heart.
A thought flashed through Jiang Jin's mind: she remembered the rumors circulating in the capital about Wei Shu. Wei Shu was a sword His Majesty had specially trained; his entire life could only be devoted to the Great Yan. A sword cannot have its own life.
"I'm sorry, I didn't understand." Standing beside Wei Shu, Jiang Jin felt sympathy for this person second only to the emperor for the first time.
"In matters of the court, sometimes a single move can have far-reaching consequences. The less you know, the better. People often have prejudices against women, and if they knew you were skilled in horsemanship, it wouldn't be good for you. So try to use it as little as possible on the journey ahead."
Wei Shu smiled as he watched Jiang Jin and the other person stand on the deck, gazing at the surging river.
"The arrows in my hand are for protecting the people of the world. Rumors are like fleeting clouds to me, just as you have never cared about them. Does the general think I am inferior to you?" Jiang Jin's eyes shone brightly as she looked at the distant river, which resembled the colorful clouds on the horizon.
"I've never thought of it that way before." Wei Shu looked at Jiang Jin with a smile, as if he could always find something different about her.
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