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Jiang Jin pulled down the curtain to block Wei Shu's view. "It's three-quarters past noon. I'm tired even if the general isn't. If you have something to discuss, you can go to Zhou Cong's room."
"You're quite self-aware!" Wei Shu blew out the candle and closed the door. In the darkness, Jiang Jin carefully opened the window and, by the moonlight, opened the letter.
"Everything is fine in the capital, but there are people monitoring the Jiang residence. They were only recently removed, and it is suspected that Wei Shu was behind it. There are also people investigating your past. I'm afraid Wei Shu will become suspicious. I hope you will take care of yourself and act cautiously."
After reading the letter, Jiang Jin picked up a tinderbox and burned it completely, scattering the ashes outside the window.
"Wei Shu, you really are suspicious. This is quite a challenge." Jiang Jin stood by the window, peering at the moon through a crack. "When will I be able to see the whole moon?"
At the second quarter of the hour of Xu (7:45 PM), the door creaked open, and footsteps slowly approached the bedside until they stopped beside it.
"Still not asleep?" Wei Shu poured himself a cup of tea and looked at Jiang Jin, who was pretending to be asleep on the bed. "Your breathing isn't like this when you're asleep."
"As expected of General Wei." Jiang Jin lifted the curtain and looked at Wei Shu. "How confident are you about the situation in Yuezhou?"
"No matter how much there is, we still need to investigate." Wei Shu placed her teacup on the table. "Why are you so worried about becoming a widow?"
"I just feel that the court is unpredictable and treacherous; perhaps this is—a case of Xiang Zhuang's sword dance, aimed at Liu Bang?" Jiang Jin sat opposite Wei Shu, and in the moonlight, they could only vaguely see each other.
"What do you mean?" Wei Shu was intrigued by Jiang Jin's words.
"Today I smelled a familiar fragrance on the governor's wife, but I couldn't find it anywhere in Yuezhou. Just now, I suddenly remembered where I had smelled this fragrance before." Jiang Jin gently tapped the bed.
"On the day I returned to my parents' home, Fourth Sister showed off her coming-of-age ceremony. The fragrance at that time left a deep impression on me. Just now, I realized that the fragrance on the Governor's wife was exactly the same as Fourth Sister's perfume."
"What is it?" Wei Shu knew this matter was not simple.
"The new perfumes produced by Xiangningfang in April are quite expensive and very popular in the capital. Generally, only officials and the royal family can afford to buy them. Only one bottle of the new perfumes will be sold each day from the first to the fifth day of the month, and only two bottles will be sold each day thereafter."
Jiang Jin knew that Wei Shu didn't understand matters concerning women, so she explained it to him in detail.
"So you mean that the governor's wife, who dressed simply, spent a considerable amount of money to buy herself perfume, which proves that the governor is not as honest as he seems."
“No, the fragrant dew comes from Xiangningfang. For the first five days, it's usually supplied to royalty and nobility; only the rest is sold to the public. Everyone in the capital knows this. Moreover, of the fragrant dew from April, aside from the two bottles sold on the sixth, the Dou family bought the rest, and the other bottle was bought by the daughter of the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat.” A different light gleamed in Jiang Jin's eyes.
"You mean, the governor's collusion with the magistrate to report him for corruption and bribery was a pretense, and the real intention was to expose his factionalism?" Wei Shu quickly understood the meaning behind Jiang Jin's words.
"So, should this matter be reported truthfully?" Jiang Jin suddenly thought of Vice Minister Zhou's fate.
“Of course, do you want to hide it?” Wei Shu glanced at Jiang Jin. “Right now, the Crown Prince and the Third Prince are fighting fiercely, and His Majesty is already supporting the Fifth Prince. During this period, the Governor of Yuezhou will absolutely not be allowed to favor either of them.”
“But he’s a good official. Doesn’t General Wei understand the plight of having no one in the court and being left with no way out?” Jiang Jin looked at Wei Shu pleadingly. “Wouldn’t it be enough to just report that he didn’t embezzle?”
“Jiang Jin, do you think I’ll let the governor off the hook if I don’t reveal who’s behind this? In any case, the moment the Yuezhou Sima reported it, the matter was irreversible. Besides, even if we hadn’t discovered the fragrant dew, there would have been other evidence.”
Wei Shu sighed helplessly, "His Majesty hates forming cliques and engaging in favoritism the most. The Crown Prince and the Third Prince are both in His Majesty's control, and His Majesty will absolutely not allow Yuezhou to get out of control."
"So loyalty to His Majesty is more important than anything else?" Jiang Jin was somewhat stunned. "So the reason why Beizhou has been peaceful all this time is because he is loyal to His Majesty?"
"Be careful what you say!" Wei Shu frowned and looked at Jiang Jin with displeasure. "His Majesty may have other plans regarding Beizhou. You must not speculate about His Majesty."
"And what about the Prefect of Yuezhou? His smooth reporting wasn't due to the machinations of someone behind the scenes; wasn't he someone's henchman?" Jiang Jin thought of that Prefect who always put the Governor first.
"How do you know that it was written by Sima himself, and that the servant wasn't bribed? Is it a scheme devised by the mastermind to kill two birds with one stone?" Wei Shu looked at Jiang Jin by the moonlight. "You should rest first. We can talk about other things tomorrow."
Wei Shu took off his outer robe and hung it on the hanger. "How is Minister Zhou?" Jiang Jin's slightly trembling voice came from behind.
"You're in the inner prison, so your life isn't in immediate danger," Wei Shu sighed. "Get some rest and don't think about these things anymore."
Jiang Jin tossed and turned in bed the next day before leaving alone. "General, shall I go with the lady?"
Wei Shu instructed Zhou Cong to secretly investigate Xiang Ning Fang in the capital, but said, "No need, Yuezhou should be safe."
"Yes, General." Zhou Cong accepted the order and left, while Jiang Jin went to Ciyou Hall. Although there were many children inside, they were all cleanly dressed, which was probably thanks to the prefectural government.
"Madam, what brings you here?" Jiang Jin bowed slightly. "I wish to see these children. Is there anything I can do to help?"
A woman carefully examined the fabric of Jiang Jin's clothes. "Madam, you're from Beizhou, aren't you? Ciyou Hall is directly under the jurisdiction of the prefecture. If you really want to, you can come and see these children. The governor's wife sometimes brings some food over."
"Okay, then I'll bring more food tomorrow." Around noon, Jiang Jin got up to take her leave. Afterwards, she visited many places where poor people often gathered. Although Yuezhou was poor, some places were even better off than Beizhou.
For several days, Jiang Jin traveled from house to house, often playing with the children of Ciyoutang. Sometimes, after becoming familiar with them, he would secretly give them extra candy.
"My lady is truly kind-hearted." After spending several days together, the woman had also lowered her guard against Jiang Jin.
"I've been married for several years but haven't gotten pregnant. I'm thinking of adopting a child, but I don't know if that's possible?"
“Well… our Ciyou Hall is under the jurisdiction of the state government. Adoption requires the approval of the governor and the prefect, and the person must be a long-term, stable resident of Yuezhou. These children are orphans and can be well protected in Ciyou Hall, but if they fall into the hands of unscrupulous people, their lives may be in danger.”
"I was being presumptuous." Jiang Jin bowed slightly and took out a gold ingot from his bosom. "Consider these as my way of doing good deeds so that these children can have some good food."
"Madam, we can't accept this!" The woman hurriedly declined, but Jiang Jin still refused to accept it. "Consider it a token of my goodwill. You can hand it over to the government first and then use it for Ciyou Hall."
Jiang Jin, her skirt trailing behind her, arrived at Yuezhou Clothing Shop under the high sun. "Madam, you've arrived! Your clothes have been ready for a long time. Would you like to change into them?" The shopkeeper presented her with a garment.
"Change into these." The two went into the inner room. "Have there been any cases of missing infants or unexplained deaths of elderly people in Yuezhou in recent years?"
"No, Yuezhou has always been very peaceful, with very few even petty thefts." The shopkeeper helped Jiang Jin change into her new clothes. "Madam, I have put in the things you requested and the letter from the capital."
"Shouldn't the Prefect of Yuezhou be considered a good official by the people?"
"Of course, the Prefect of Yuezhou and his wife truly serve the country and its people." The shopkeeper carefully wrapped up Jiang Jin's old clothes and handed them to her.
"Okay, take care of yourself too." Jiang Jin lifted her dress and went out into the restaurant.
"Waiter, a private room please, and some of our specialty dishes!"
"Alright, please come upstairs!" Jiang Jin only took out the information the manager had collected after the waiter had left.
"Yuezhou has enjoyed three years of favorable weather and no major cases. The public security is very good. Occasionally there are some petty thefts and other minor incidents, but they are not serious."
The more Jiang Jin read, the more she wanted to sigh. She genuinely felt that the Prefect of Yuezhou was a good official, but how could she protect them? While pondering this, she opened the letter from the capital.
"The fragrance is strange; it induces unconsciousness. The antidote is prepared and will arrive later." Jiang Jin looked at him with a mocking smile. "Wei Shu, as expected, is a ruthless person!"
The letter in her hand burned out, and Jiang Jin made up her mind, "Wei Shu, then let's see who can snatch the person from me!"
There was a knock on the door. "Hello."
"Come in!" Jiang Jin tucked the things under her dress. The waiter brought in several dishes and placed them on the table. "Your food is ready. Call me if you need anything."
"Thank you!" Jiang Jin had just picked up a piece of meat after the waiter left when there was another knock on the door.
"Come in." A fragrant aroma wafted out the moment the door opened. Jiang Jin looked up and saw a beautiful woman enter, then closed the door behind her.
"Greetings, my lady. I greet you." The woman's gaze remained fixed on the jade pendant at Jiang Jin's waist.
"May I ask who you are?"
"Madam Jiang, I have long admired your name. My name is Zheng Xi." The woman slightly curtsied. "I received a secret order from His Highness that when you were in Yuezhou, you would command all 150 of us."
"Madam Zheng, there's no need for such formality. We both work for His Highness, so there's no question of leadership." Jiang Jin quickly helped Zheng Xi up and pulled her to sit down.
"Our actions are already like walking a tightrope, so why be so bound by this? Of course the Prefect of Yuezhou is so incorruptible!"
"It's true. The Prefect of Yuezhou repairs roads, distributes porridge, and lives a simple life. He's a rare good official who is truly dedicated to the people. He even has only his wife in his household. If the Prefect isn't a good official, then I don't know who could possibly deserve that title." Zheng Xi handed a booklet to Jiang Jin.
"This contains the governor's mansion's food, clothing, and daily necessities; it's even more frugal than that of ordinary officials' households," Jiang Jin said, flipping through the booklet.
"It's clear he's an honest and upright official. No major incidents have occurred under his jurisdiction. The elderly are cared for, and the young are looked after. It's much better than Beizhou!"
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