clue
When Jiang Jin woke up again, the sky outside was completely dark. Only one candle was lit in the room, barely enough to make out that Wei Shu was sitting at the table turning the pages of a book. The bed curtains blocked Jiang Jin's view.
"Awake?" Wei Shu keenly noticed the change in Jiang Jin's breathing, and looked up to meet Jiang Jin's gaze as she sat up.
"Hmm, how long did I sleep? Did anything else happen in between?" Jiang Jin's first question was about Beizhou.
"You've only slept for two hours. If something earth-shattering happens in two hours, then you're just incredibly unlucky." Wei Shu got up and lifted the bed curtains. "Would you like some dinner?"
Before Jiang Jin could respond, Wei Shu heard a rumbling sound coming from her stomach. "Looks like your stomach answered for you."
Jiang Jin showed no embarrassment, but her eyes kept glancing at the closet in the room, wondering if she should crawl inside and close the door.
"I've reviewed the boatmen's testimonies and there are no flaws. You can review them again if you're unsure. Sima hasn't taken any action against him yet; the officials of Beizhou will settle accounts after this matter is resolved." Wei Shu's focus on business somewhat dispelled Jiang Jin's embarrassment.
“Alright, but you’d better have someone investigate those who have suddenly become rich in recent years, especially those princes.” Jiang Jin made his point very clear: “It is definitely not an easy thing to obtain His Majesty’s calligraphy so easily and copy it like this.”
"Actually, I have a suspicion, but I don't know if we can find anything out," Wei Shu said, handing the confession on the table to Jiang Jin.
"You don't suspect Gao Yunge from Pingkang Ward, do you?" Jiang Jin asked, looking down at the confession but stating her own guess.
"Actually, I had people investigate Gaoyun Pavilion at the time, but unfortunately the person behind it was very well hidden and we couldn't find anything. However, every item inside was priceless, something that ordinary merchants couldn't afford."
Jiang Jin pointed to one of the confessions and said to Wei Shu, "I want to see this boatman."
"Did you discover something wrong?" Wei Shu tilted his head, looking at the confession in Jiang Jin's hand.
"This boatman is a very experienced fisherman at sea. I think we might be able to find clues about that kind of deep-sea fish from him. What we saw at Gaoyun Pavilion was the priceless mermaid gauze."
Wei Shu nodded in agreement with Jiang Jin's idea, "I will have someone invite him to the government office tomorrow, and you can ask him about it."
"General, dinner has been brought over." Zhou Cong stood outside the door, his shadow clearly visible in the moonlight reflected on the doorway.
"Come in," Wei Shu said to the door, which then opened, and Zhou Cong entered carrying a food box.
"There must be people protecting them at the government office, right?" Jiang Jin asked, suddenly remembering the account books as she saw Zhou Cong.
"Don't worry, Madam, we've arranged for guards to be on guard; nothing will happen." Zhou Cong personally selected several Imperial Guards to take turns guarding the area, fearing that Jiang Jin's matter might be delayed.
"That's good." Jiang Jin propped his head up and looked at the dishes on the table. "These dishes look pretty good. It seems the chef at the governor's mansion has put a lot of thought into them."
"These were ordered by the general to be purchased from outside. It's not because we're worried that the cooks at the governor's mansion might have something to do with them, but we've tested all the dishes for poison. The general and his wife can eat with peace of mind."
Wei Shu waved his hand, and Zhou Cong, quite perceptively, left the room. Jiang Jin looked at the dishes on the table; they did indeed have a hint of the flavors of the capital.
"You didn't specifically hire a chef who knows how to cook Beijing cuisine, did you?" Jiang Jin placed the shrimp in a bowl. "This chef's skills are quite good; at least he's got some flavor." Jiang Jin put a shrimp in her mouth, and the unique freshness of shrimp filled her mouth.
"It's really good, this chef's skills are really good." Jiang Jin picked up a piece of shrimp and put it in Wei Shu's bowl. "You should try it too, it's really good. I didn't expect there to be such a chef in Beizhou."
"By the way, why did you suddenly decide to investigate Gaoyun Pavilion?" Wei Shu noticed that Jiang Jin didn't seem to be acting on a whim.
"When we returned from Pingkang Ward, I felt something was off. How could a music hall that had risen to prominence in just a few years be so extravagant? Even in the mansions of imperial merchants, you rarely see anything like this." Jiang Jin then secretly sent someone to investigate whether Gaoyun Pavilion had any frequent contact with anyone behind the scenes.
"Unfortunately, there weren't any useful clues." Jiang Jin had wanted to investigate further, but he had to postpone it because he had to come to Beizhou at the last minute.
"Should we start with the Fourth Prince?" Wei Shu asked, observing that although Jiang Jin and the other person didn't speak, they both understood each other's plans.
“Anyway, we’ll have to investigate. Everyone in the royal family is extraordinary.” Jiang Jin turned and glanced at Wei Shu. “However, you’re the most extraordinary one, navigating between His Majesty and the princes.”
"You flatter me. How can I compare to Consort Jiang, a woman who is just as capable as any man? You and Princess Zhaoyang have completely outmaneuvered us." Wei Shu tapped Jiang Jin's forehead.
"Eat quickly." Jiang Jin didn't respond, but kept putting food into Wei Shu's bowl, trying to shut him up.
"You should eat something too. With your personality, you might not have time to eat tomorrow. Eat more tonight so you'll have the strength to find out the truth tomorrow."
Wei Shu wasn't actually in a hurry, since the governor of Beizhou was dead and the person behind it all couldn't be found out in a short time. However, he couldn't bear to keep Jiang Jin worried and unable to sleep every night, so he had to speed up his investigation.
"Understood." Jiang Jin and Wei Shu ate some food together, then began to review the collected account books and confessions. At midnight, the candles in the room were still lit. Jiang Jin's vision was blurry, and just as she reached for a teacup, a slender hand placed it in her palm.
"Go to sleep first, we'll see tomorrow." Wei Shu looked at Jiang Jin's dazed eyes, his heart felt like it was being clenched.
"I can hold on a little longer." Jiang Jin took the teacup, and the cold tea down her throat dispelled some of her drowsiness. Wei Shu couldn't persuade Jiang Jin otherwise, and the two of them stayed up a little longer, until finally Jiang Jin couldn't take it anymore and fell into a deep sleep on the table.
When she woke up again, it was already bright. Wei Shu held Jiang Jin's waist tightly and hugged her tightly, refusing to let go. Jiang Jin raised her hand to rub her eyes and pushed Wei Shu beside her, "Get up, we are going to the government office today."
When Wei Shu opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was Jiang Jin's anxious expression. He reached out and pinched Jiang Jin's cheek. "Don't be afraid, it's not too late."
"These things are better done sooner rather than later." Jiang Jin pried Wei Shu's hands off her waist, got up, stepped over him, and quickly put on her shoes.
"So rushed?" Wei Shu, his hair disheveled, looked at Jiang Jin, who was bustling around on the floor. "Of course! Others might not dare to criticize you, but they can criticize me!" Jiang Jin quickly dressed, leaving Wei Shu alone in the room to slowly tidy up.
“General.” Zhou Liao, who was waiting outside the door, handed over a letter while looking at Wei Shu. “The results of the investigation in the capital. However, the person behind the scenes is hiding too well, and it is indeed difficult to find any clues.”
"It's alright, keep investigating. As long as we do it, there will definitely be traces. Also, investigate which of the princes likes His Majesty's calligraphy the most and who has acquired the most pieces." Wei Shu rubbed his temples and fastened his sash. "Did Madam go to the government office?"
"Yes, Zhou Cong has already gone with Madam, and she will be protected from harm." Zhou Liao followed Wei Shu to the governor's study, which was already completely surrounded by the Imperial Guards; not even a fly could get in.
"Open the door." Zhou Liao walked ahead and pushed open the door to the study. Unlike the governor's mansion, this place was very simple. It seemed that this was the true nature of Governor Qu. The books on the bookshelf were wrinkled and looked like they had been read many times. The writing brush and inkstone on the table were the most ordinary kind.
Wei Shu and Zhou Liao searched the study carefully, hoping to find a secret room or something similar, but ultimately found nothing. Wei Shu sighed slightly and then turned his gaze to Governor Qu's desk, where there were many memorials, some sent and some to be torn up.
When writing this memorial, Governor Qu must have been filled with immense inner turmoil. Had he already realized he had fallen into a trap and thus sought to atone with his death, or was someone behind the scenes impersonating His Majesty to force Governor Qu to commit suicide?
Wei Shu carefully read the memorial and found that it contained only ordinary, trivial matters. There were no traces of repentance that Wei Shu had expected. The characters were rounded and robust, not like those written under duress.
Wei Shu ordered the Imperial Guards to continue the search, while he and Zhou Liao went to the government office. Zhou Congzheng was standing behind Jiang, and sitting next to him was the boatman who had provided the testimony.
The man was initially very nervous when he met Jiang Jin, but after a brief exchange, he relaxed. "I have caught those fish you mentioned, but they were bought for a high price. I really don't know who that person is!"
Seeing Jiang Jin's pensive expression, the man mistakenly thought she was being coy and quickly knelt down to beg for mercy, "I've told you everything I know, without hiding anything. Please, have mercy and let us go!"
Jiang Jin was startled. Seeing Jiang Jin's expression, Zhou Cong strode forward and helped the boatman up. "Don't worry, Registrar Jiang and my general are the kindest people. They would never randomly arrest good people."
The man looked at Jiang Jin timidly, and only after seeing no murderous intent on her face did he slowly relax. He cautiously kowtowed to Jiang Jin and asked:
"May I leave now? It's not that I'm afraid of you, it's just that I'm worried about my family." Zhou Cong glanced at Jiang Jin, and seeing her nod, he hurriedly left the government office.
"I'll have someone keep an eye on him and protect him," Wei Shu added as he stepped in, seeing Jiang Jin about to speak.
"It seems General Wei truly understands me. Since General Wei has thought things through so thoroughly, I can rest assured." Jiang Jin put away the writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone on the table and looked at Wei Shu, asking, "Will Zhou Cong continue to follow me?"
"Yes, I'll have him protect you at all times. But if you have anything else to say, you can talk to him and have him wait for you at the government office. Jiang Jin, you must remember that this is just protection, not surveillance or spying."
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