The person behind the rumors
As the sun set, Jiang Jin returned home to find the steward already waiting at the door. "Madam, should these account books be delivered to your bedroom?"
"Take it to the general's study; I'll look at it there." Jiang Jin walked forward, recalling her first visit to the study, and suddenly felt a pang of emotion. Back then, she had memorized the map of the Wei residence to escape; now, it was for repairs.
"Madam." The Imperial Guard standing at the door took the account book from the steward and placed it on the desk in the study.
"If Madam needs anything, just give us your orders." The Imperial Guardsman withdrew without looking back. Jiang Jin sat comfortably in her chair, reviewing the account books from previous years. The figures were clear and without errors, but she was still somewhat surprised when she saw the land and property records.
"There are a thousand acres of fertile land in the suburbs, and dozens of mansions in the capital, including two hectares of mansions in the outskirts of the capital. The other mansions in various prefectures are also owned by Wei Shu." Jiang Jin knew this mansion; she and Lou Xuan had once wondered if such a large mansion would be frightening at night. She never expected it to appear before her eyes today.
The warehouse ledgers were even more alarming; antiques and treasures were piled up like dirt, gold and pearls were gathering dust, and even century-old ginseng was destined to be buried in the earth.
"He truly lives up to his reputation as His Majesty's confidant; it turns out the betrothal gifts he gave me were the least valuable of all these things." Jiang Jin recalled that Wei Shu's betrothal gift list contained many rare items, but compared to the treasures in the treasury, they were nothing.
"What are you looking at?" Wei Shu walked in carrying a food box and happened to meet Jiang Jin's reproachful gaze.
"Could there be something wrong with this ledger?" Wei Shu walked behind Jiang Jin and massaged her shoulders.
"I didn't realize General Wei was such a thrifty and hardworking man. With so many rare treasures in the storeroom, he still managed to pick out the most ordinary ones for me." Jiang Jin slapped Wei Shu's hand away, angrily sitting on the soft couch and eating the jade dew dumplings Wei Shu had brought.
"Ah Jin, I've given you everything. It was my fault that day. How about you give me a chance to make it up to you?" Jiang Jin's heart softened a little as she looked at Wei Shu, who was squatting at her feet and hugging her waist.
"So, how will General Wei compensate me?" Jiang Jin asked, propping her head up with her hand and looking at Wei Shu with great interest.
"Who's behind the rumors? Does A-Jin like this compensation?" Wei Shu saw the slight change in Jiang Jin's expression and knew he had gained the upper hand.
"Who is it?" Jiang Jin grabbed Wei Shu's arm. "I want to know who wants to kill us!"
"I'm suddenly feeling a bit tired. If only I could have some tea to soothe my throat," Wei Shu said, leaning against the other side of the soft couch as he looked at Jiang Jin.
"What kind of tea would you like, my lord? I'll go and brew it for you right away!" Jiang Jin poured the tea into Wei Shu's outer robe from the teacup.
"Oh dear, my hand slipped. I hope the General won't blame me?" Seeing Jiang Jin's innocent expression, how could Wei Shu bear to speak harshly?
"You're just taking advantage of my love for you." Wei Shu loosened his outer robe, revealing a white undergarment underneath.
"Isn't that because you took advantage of my desire to know who's behind this, you used this opportunity to tease me!" Jiang Jin sat on the stool watching Wei Shu change into a clean outer garment.
"Tell me, who exactly harbors such a deep-seated hatred towards our Jiang family?" Jiang Jin stared intently at Wei Shu, not wanting to miss a single word he uttered.
"It was the Fifth Prince who did it." Wei Shu fastened his belt and handed the letter from his sleeve to Jiang Jin.
"He started making moves as soon as he entered the court. I really don't know if he's arrogant or stupid." Jiang Jin tossed the letter aside.
"Aren't you going to take a look?" Jiang Jin reached out and straightened Wei Shu's outer robe. "You've already told me, why do you need to look again? You can't be lying to me on purpose, can you?"
"Now that you trust me so much, aren't you afraid I'm just lying to keep you by my side?" Wei Shu stroked Jiang Jin's earlobe, a wave of heat washing over him.
"That depends on whether General Wei can keep me here." Jiang Jin slowly moved forward and touched the tip of Wei Shu's nose with the tip of her own, the two feeling the warmth of each other's breath.
"I'm the kind of person who'd rather die a glorious death than live a shameful life. If you really lie to me and betray me, I'll rip your heart out and feed it to the pigs." Jiang Jin curled her lips and glanced at the letter on the table.
"I have placed my trust in you, and I hope you will not disappoint me, Lord Wei." Jiang Jin patted Wei Shu on the shoulder and left the study.
Jiang Jin walked to the lakeside and suddenly noticed a faint light on the shore, but it quickly disappeared. Jiang Jin slowly crouched down in the grass, guarding the spot where the light was. After a while, she heard footsteps.
"Is the matter settled?" A deep voice came from inside the man's house, but Jiang Jin could tell it wasn't someone from the manor.
"Wei Shu is too vigilant; there's no way to deal with him." The woman's voice sounded somewhat familiar, but Jiang Jin couldn't quite place it.
"Aren't you supposed to be serving in the main courtyard? Why can't you even handle this simple matter!" A hint of anger flickered in the man's voice.
"Only the lady's personal maids can enter the main house. We can only enter when delivering meals; we can't get close at all." The woman's voice was filled with fear, and her tone had lowered considerably.
"That only proves you're a useless piece of trash." The man's voice was icy, leaving no room for negotiation.
"With Wei Shu here tonight, I'm sure I can complete my mission!" Jiang Jin remained nestled in the bushes until the sound of their footsteps faded away before getting up.
"Yi Yi, go with that woman. I'm going back to find Wei Shu." Jiang Jin suddenly had the urge to watch the show; she wondered how lively the Wei residence would be tonight.
"Why are you back?" Wei Shu was sitting in a chair writing a memorial. Hearing the door open, he knew it was Jiang Jin returning.
"Let's watch the show." Jiang Jin, unusually, sat in Wei Shu's lap and looked at the half-written memorial he had written, and said with a smile, "Wei Lang's handwriting does have some style, but I don't know why the mansion is so poorly managed."
"What happened outside?" Wei Shu put down his brush and supported Jiang Jin's back, afraid that she might lose her balance and hurt herself.
"Someone is plotting against you, but we don't know if it's a beauty or a venomous scorpion." Jiang Jin lifted Wei Shu's chin with her index finger. "Even if you create a huge scandal, it won't stop outsiders from scheming against you, will it?"
"What you say, Madam, is true to my heart, as clear as the sun and moon; it's just a matter of whether you're willing to see it." Wei Shu grasped Jiang Jin's hand and placed it against his heart.
"Madam, someone came to your courtyard saying that Abei isn't doing well and they'd like you to go and check on him." Jiang Jin raised an eyebrow at Wei Shu. "This show has started so quickly, do you think I should continue playing my part?"
"I suppose Madam's fondness for watching plays stems from a desire to take advantage of the situation?" Wei Shu felt a chill in his arms, and Jiang Jin quickly walked to the door and opened it.
"Go quickly and find a healer; I'll go see Abei." Jiang Jin recognized the woman's voice as belonging to the person who had been hiding in the bushes earlier, and a sense of anticipation rose within him. He walked into the shadows and summoned Yi Yi.
"How is it, Abei? Is something wrong?" Jiang Jin watched the woman enter the study, somewhat confused about Wei Shu's intentions.
"It's nothing serious, he was just drugged and passed out." Jiang Jin snorted coldly, "I suddenly don't want to perform this act anymore."
Jiang Jin stopped the Imperial Guards from saluting before returning to the study, then abruptly pushed open the door. She saw Wei Shu calmly drinking tea, while the woman lay unconscious on the ground.
"Worried about me?" Wei Shu looked at Jiang Jin, who was gesturing with anger, and spread her hands. "I didn't ruin your performance!"
"No, she hurt Abei!" Jiang Jin shouted to the Imperial Guards outside, "Someone drag her to the woodshed and keep an eye on her, break her hands and feet and chin!" Jiang Jin stormed out, and Wei Shu, who had been so composed, hurriedly followed behind her.
"Ah Jin, Ah Jin!" Wei Shu called out several times, but Jiang Jin ignored him. Only when he returned to the courtyard and saw Ah Bei standing unharmed at the door did he feel relieved.
“Madam!” Abei flew to Jiang Jin’s side like a bird. “Madam has prepared hot water for you.”
"I understand." Jiang Jin then turned her gaze to Wei Shu. "General Wei, why don't you tell me just how many spies are in your Wei mansion, which is riddled with problems?"
"Maybe it's fifty-fifty?" Wei Shu picked up Jiang Jin and carried her into the house. "Jin, do you want to help me take care of the yard?"
Wei Shu sat in the chair, holding Jiang Jin tightly in his arms. She had gained some weight since returning to the capital, but was still rather thin.
"I don't want to live under someone else's surveillance, and besides, this is where I'm going to live for the rest of my life, so I'm going to tidy it up properly." Jiang Jin hugged Wei Shu's neck and looked into his eyes.
"Alright, then we'll have to screen the people in this courtyard." A sharp glint flashed in Wei Shu's eyes, but his gaze softened when he saw Jiang Jin's eyes.
"Have the Dou family and General Liu made any moves?" Jiang Jin leaned against Wei Shu's chest, but her mind was on Nan Yi.
"His Majesty simply wants to use the power of these two families to find out who's behind it all and to create a balance of power between them. It's just that they're fighting so fiercely right now, like a starving fish that can't resist biting at the slightest bit of bait." Wei Shu patted Jiang Jin's arm.
"Don't overthink it. You don't want to take pills, but you can't just tough it out forever. So, if anything happens in the future, you can tell me, and I'll help you come up with a solution." Wei Shu rubbed Jiang Jin's temples.
"Then I want the moon in the sky. I wonder if Lord Wei could pluck it down for me?" Jiang Jin teased Wei Shu, tilting his head back so that their eyes met.
"If Madam truly desires it, then I will remove it for you." Wei Shu's gentle and tender expression held a hint of a smile. To the world, he only saw his ruthless side; his handsome face even took on a more enigmatic air in the night. But now, Wei Shu was like a gentle gentleman, earnestly responding to Jiang Jin's playful words.
"Alright, the moon belongs to all living beings. A gentleman doesn't take what others love. Let the moon stay in the sky and bring a ray of light to those traveling in the dead of night." Jiang Jin covered Wei Shu's eyes but still found him very gentle.
“Wei Shu, your eyes are very beautiful,” Jiang Jin whispered, resting her head on Wei Shu’s shoulder. “They’re like the moon that’s hanging high in the sky right now.”
"This is the first time someone has ever said my eyes are beautiful." Wei Shu greedily felt the warmth from Jiang Jin's palm. "No one has dared to look into my eyes before. You're the first."
"So we are destined to be together." Jiang Jin released his hand, and the moonlight shone on them, making even their breathing seem lighter.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com