Choosing a son-in-law
"Madam Wei, His Highness requests your presence for a talk." The maidservant stood respectfully outside the courtyard gate, her head bowed.
Jiang Jin was practicing calligraphy under the crabapple tree, and ink dripped onto the rice paper, leaving a black stain.
"I'll help you tidy up. You go and write quickly, don't keep His Highness waiting." Wei Shu took the brush from Jiang Jin and pushed her towards the courtyard gate.
"Alright." Jiang Jin lifted her skirt and followed behind the maid. In the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, they arrived at Lou Xuan's courtyard.
Seeing Chang Yi sitting on a stone bench, while Lou Xuan was drinking the mutton soup that Chang Yi had brought,
"This humble servant greets Your Highness." Jiang Jin gave a proper bow, and Lou Xuan nodded slightly. "Is there anything else, Commander Chang?"
"Your subject takes his leave." Chang Yi naturally understood Lou Xuan's implication that he should leave, so he tactfully took the mutton soup and departed.
"Your Highness, it's hot outside. Let's go inside." Xueya helped Lou Xuan in, and Jiang Jin followed them into the house. Lou Xuan nodded, and Xueya closed the door, standing like a pine tree outside.
"Did Wei Shu say anything?" Lou Xuan asked, his expression grim as he flipped through Sang Zhou's letters.
"No, I just agreed to protect my sister." Jiang Jin became even more nervous after seeing Lou Xuan's expression.
“Our people in Sangzhou haven’t sent any news about the tin mines.” Lou Xuan handed the letter to Jiang Jin. “They just said some ordinary things. If they really wanted to mine tin, there’s no way to keep it a secret.”
"Could this really be a setup?" A host of questions instantly flashed through Jiang Jin's mind.
"But that's not necessarily true. However, this matter is of great importance and cannot be taken lightly. With our limited resources, we cannot get an accurate answer in Sangzhou."
Lou Xuan also felt a headache coming on when he thought about this. The Sun family of Sangzhou was too stubborn, making it very difficult to infiltrate them. Even those who entered Sangzhou to do business were thoroughly investigated.
"Then let Wei Shu send someone to investigate?" Jiang Jin hesitated for a moment before finally stating her idea.
"If this is false, then he's already in the game, and his presence in Sangzhou might have been completely exposed." Lou Xuan's expression darkened at this thought.
"If it really is just a setup, then what is the Sun family's intention? Is it the tin mine or a frame-up, just to bring down Wei Shu?" Jiang Jin felt that this matter was very strange.
"Could the governor of Sangzhou know the inside story? But we have no way of confirming whether he's friend or foe." Jiang Jin felt caught in a dilemma.
"No rush. Fishing always requires casting a line. The fish has seen the hook but hasn't taken the bait yet. The people on the shore will be the ones who are anxious and will increase the amount of bait on the hook. We just need to wait and see."
Although Lou Xuan was unaware of the Sun family's intentions, her years of experience in the palace had taught her the benefits of remaining calm and observing.
"What if something unexpected happens?" Jiang Jin's eyes flickered, and a sense of unease washed over her.
"Don't worry, if Lord Wei, who has been navigating the court for so many years, couldn't even see through this little trick, he would have died a hundred times over." Lou Xuan smiled and touched the stray hairs on Jiang Jin's forehead.
"That's good too; at least Wei Shu still has a heart." Jiang Jin felt that Lou Xuan's words had a hidden meaning, but seeing her forlorn face, she couldn't bear to delve into it.
"I always felt that Commandant Chang and Wei Shu were the same kind of people. He could wait for His Highness to wake up in the sweltering summer with mutton soup, which shows he can be both flexible and resilient." Jiang Jin swallowed the rest of her words. Wei Shu might have some conscience and a soft heart, but she didn't understand Chang Yi.
"It's alright. Everyone in the world is driven by profit. Chang Yi is not like Wei Shu. He doesn't have the ability to enter the capital region yet, and Father will not support a second Wei Shu. Although Father is willing to promote him to the position of governor, he also needs to know his place. He doesn't have the same friendship as Wei Shu and Father."
Lou Xuan placed a grape in Jiang Jin's palm. "It was just picked. If you like it, I'll have someone deliver it to your yard."
"What I mean is that we must always keep Chang Yi firmly in our grasp. It would be terrible if we let him slip away."
Lou Xuan understood Jiang Jin's meaning. If one day Chang Yi dared to disregard her and rise through the ranks using her power, she would let him know that the Princess of Da Yan was not a weak and incompetent person.
"Don't worry, a smart person will understand that we are indispensable to each other. If he wants to break up the partnership, I will make him know what the word 'regret' means."
"I will send someone to keep an eye on the Governor of Sangzhou. If he is loyal, the Sun family may have kept it from him. If he is colluding with them, then I will accept this great gift." Lou Xuan's fair and slender fingers slowly peeled open the grapes and placed the translucent flesh inside into a bowl.
"Eat up. I know you don't want to get your hands dirty, so I'll have to peel it for you."
"Thank you, Your Highness!" Jiang Jin picked up a grape and put it in his mouth. It was sweet, had few seeds, and melted in his mouth. "Your Highness's grapes are different from those in the capital. Bianzhou is really something else. The jasmine fragrance is also much stronger than that in the capital."
"Therefore, I am determined to get this place. The Crown Prince and the Third Prince both have their own fiefdoms, but they are not very wealthy. If I can get Bianzhou, it will be like adding wings to a tiger."
"Your Highness, what will the Crown Prince and the Third Prince do if they find out there are tin mines in Sangzhou?" Jiang Jin suddenly had a flash of inspiration and exchanged a glance with Lou Xuan. Both of them saw the calculation in each other's eyes.
"Since Wei Shu and I are already involved, let's stir things up a bit more. It'll be more interesting if everyone can't tell friend from foe." Jiang Jin's mind raced again. "Your Highness, why don't you bring those aristocratic families who are just watching the show in as well?"
"You're so naughty, you've almost filled this pool with people." Lou Xuan tapped Jiang Jin's nose and then called out, "Xueya, wash your hands."
Xueya entered shortly afterward, carrying a copper basin. "Your Highness, news has just come from the capital that the Dou family is still determined to sabotage your marriage with Commandant Chang."
"A bunch of idiots. Go and tell the Crown Prince and the Third Prince about the discovery of tin mines in Sangzhou. It seems that the dereliction of duty is only a distraction." Lou Xuan narrowed his eyes; his patience with the Dou family had reached its limit.
"And those aristocratic families who are watching from the sidelines—remember, just let the rumors run their course, don't make them convincing. That way, those with ulterior motives will investigate. No matter who the Sun family wants to scheme against, they can't possibly swallow so many people whole." Jiang Jin secretly rejoiced; as long as the Sun family was unhappy, she was happy.
"Alright, you're not even in the capital, yet you're still trying to stir up trouble. If those old fogies find out you're manipulating them, they'll be furious."
Lou Xuan also laughed out loud. Those old fogies from the aristocratic families always looked down on others and were always so arrogant. Today, this was just a small counterattack.
"Alright, let's leave the matter of Sangzhou as it is for now. You don't need to worry too much. Although the Sun family won't take care of your brother-in-law, you've married Wei Shu. Wei Shu's reputation might be able to intimidate Sun Cherun. Wei Shu is not like your father. When he gets ruthless, even Sun Chehuai has to think twice."
Lou Xuan knew how much the aristocratic families secretly looked down on Wei Shu, but he did a good job of maintaining appearances. After all, you can't reason with a madman.
“Wei Shu said he would send someone to protect my elder sister, and I believe him. Your Highness, the Sun family has already touched His Majesty’s sore spot. Whether it’s pointing a sword at Wei Shu or anyone else, they are all provoking His Majesty’s authority.”
Jiang Jin knew he couldn't easily bring down the Sun family, so he decided to sow the seeds of His Majesty's wrath.
“Father is extremely protective of his own. Wei Shu is indeed a sword, but he is a sword that Father has carefully cultivated. He is not someone that just any Tom, Dick, or Harry can scheme against.” Lou Xuan put his hands into the copper basin, and Xue Ya brought a silk cloth to gently wipe his hands.
"This way, the Sun family has offended so many people at once. It's truly killing two birds with one stone!" Jiang Jin happily picked up a grape and popped it into her mouth, skin and all!
"My lady, it wasn't peeled!" Xueya quickly picked up an empty plate and placed it near Jiang Jin's lips, waiting for her to spit out the skin.
"Xueya, no need. You can tell from her expression that she swallowed it." Lou Xuan helplessly pinched Jiang Jin's chin. "Open your mouth!"
Jiang Jin smiled shyly and opened her mouth under their gazes. It was empty; one could even see her throat.
"My lady, that skin must have been so astringent, it's amazing that you could swallow it!" Xueya put down the plate, picked up the copper basin, and stood up.
"I swallowed it in my haste. I remembered I hadn't finished practicing my calligraphy, so I'll be leaving now. If Your Highness needs anything, please have someone call me from the courtyard!" Jiang Jin didn't want to listen to Lou Xuan and Xue Ya's nagging any longer and pushed open the door to leave.
"Your Highness, Lady Jiang seems to have reverted to her childhood self," Xueya murmured softly, watching Jiang Jin's departing figure.
“Ah Jin has always been this way. It’s just a pity that the world only needs gentle, generous, virtuous and kind women, so she changed herself. Liu Weirui is indeed a gentleman, but he is too gentlemanly to the point of being pedantic. Yun Fan has a noble status, but he is trapped in a golden cage and cannot give up everything. Wei Shu is deep in thought but soft-hearted. If he falls into loneliness one day, he can leave Ah Jin with a chance to survive.”
Lou Xuan investigated all the men surrounding Jiang Jin back then, but unfortunately, he couldn't find a suitable match. In the end, he chose Wei Shu, the best of the worst.
"Actually, Young Master Liu was a very good man back then, but unfortunately, Madam Jiang didn't want to implicate the Liu family." Xueya knew that Jiang Jin had managed to get help from Lou Xuan, so she had someone use the excuse of incompatible horoscopes to stop the marriage.
"Liu Weirui is a good person, but he only respects his wife's position. He doesn't care who is in that position. If the truth comes out one day, he can't protect Ajin. Such a person is okay as a friend, but not as a husband."
Lou Xuan focused his investigation on Liu Weirui back then. His home was clean, his character upright, and although he had concubines in the backyard, he had no children. Unfortunately, in his heart, family was everything, and he couldn't protect his wife.
"So His Highness devised the marriage decree, so that even if Wei Shu was unwilling, he would protect Lady Jiang because of the imperial edict, and sending Lady Jiang to Yuezhou was just to let the two of them develop their relationship?"
“Ah Jin is very good. If Wei Shu is not happy, then it is Wei Shu’s problem. Going to Yuezhou is just because I don’t want to be separated from him right after getting married. However, I was surprised that Wei Shu fell for her so quickly.”
Lou Xuan placed a bunch of grapes in Xueya's palm. "Go and take it to Ajin. Have Wei Shu peel them for her."
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