The scandal came to light
"Could it be that you and Wei Shu have come here to investigate whether the Prefect is honest and upright?" Zheng Xi knew that Jiang Jin had been investigating the Prefect of Yuezhou recently, but he hadn't expected it to be about his integrity.
"The matter is somewhat complicated, but if not handled properly, it could lead to disaster. What has the Prefect's wife been up to these past few days? I wonder if I could speak with her?" Jiang Jin frowned as he looked at Zheng Xi.
"Tomorrow, the governor and his wife will be offering incense at Putong Temple. The temple will be under martial law at that time. We can enter the dining room from the back kitchen. The specifics depend on my wife."
"Thank you very much, Madam Zheng!" Jiang Jin curtsied. "The situation is urgent, and we must not allow any mistakes!"
“My lady, you’re too kind. We’re colleagues, how could I not help you?” Zheng Xi avoided Jiang Jin’s formalities and handed her the porcelain bottle in his arms. “This is the antidote to the sleeping potion that His Highness sent.”
"Thank you." Jiang Jin accepted the antidote. "Your Highness, is there anything else you require?"
"No, His Highness is telling you to take good care of yourself and be extremely careful." Zheng Xi patted Jiang Jin's hand. "Wei Shu is cunning and suspicious, so be very careful."
"Don't worry, as long as he can't find anything wrong with me, he won't dare to do anything to me. After all, our marriage was arranged by His Majesty, and he wouldn't dare to disrupt this superficial peace. By the way, Zhai Wan will be passing through here on her way to the capital. Ask her to wait for me; I might need her help with something."
“Alright, take this whistle arrow. If you pull it in an emergency, we can get there in time.” Zheng Xi put the small whistle arrow into Jiang Jin’s hand. “Okay, I should go now. If you need anything, just come to Wanxiang Pavilion to find me.”
"Alright, you all need to be careful too!" After watching Zheng Xi leave, Jiang Jin touched her clothes, remaining motionless for a long while. After a quick meal, she returned to the inn. At midday, Wei Shu was not there, so Jiang Jin burned the booklet in her hand to ashes.
"You're back early today." Wei Shu pushed open the door and saw Jiang Jin sitting at the table drinking tea.
"General, you jest." Jiang Jin's attitude was somewhat lukewarm, but Wei Shu didn't take it to heart.
"I'll leave Zhou Cong to take care of you tomorrow." Wei Shu also poured himself a cup of tea and drank it all in one gulp.
"Whatever you say." Jiang Jin had something on her mind and didn't want to get entangled with Wei Shu any longer. "I'm tired these past few days. If the general has nothing else to do, then I'll take a rest."
Jiang Jin had just stood up when Wei Shu grabbed her wrist. "Jiang Jin, are you hiding something from me?"
Jiang Jin stiffened and tried to pull her wrist back, but Wei Shu held it firmly. "General, what makes you say that?"
"Aren't you hiding something from me?" Wei Shu refused to let go of Jiang Jin's wrist.
"Then please produce the evidence, General!" Jiang Jin kept twisting her wrist, and only when her fair wrist turned bright red did Wei Shu release her hand.
"Wei Shu, I am not a criminal in the inner prison. If you have any doubts, feel free to investigate. If you find anything, then arrest me and throw me in the inner prison!"
Jiang Jin glared coldly at Wei Shu, "Wei Shu, if you have the guts, then throw me into the inner prison!"
"Jiang Jin, do you really have to interfere in the affairs of Yuezhou?" A gleaming dagger was pressed against Jiang Jin's neck.
"Wei Shu, do you dare kill me? If the position of principal wife becomes vacant, do you two think you'll let me go?" Jiang Jin smiled and pushed the dagger away with her fingertips. "Wei Shu, you can't scare me!"
"Jiang Jin, you really are stubborn and cunning!" Wei Shu sneered as he sheathed his dagger.
"Likewise, when it comes to scheming and deep cunning, who in the entire Great Yan can compare to General Wei? No wonder you're His Majesty's most loyal sword!" Jiang Jin walked around behind Wei Shu and poked his shoulder.
"Wei Shu, I hate being threatened the most. I have never been your vassal, so please give me the respect I deserve. Otherwise, produce evidence and arrest me!"
"Jiang Jin, do you really have to interfere in the affairs of Yuezhou?" Wei Shu asked in an unfriendly tone without turning around.
"General, you can guess, or you can just send Zhou Cong to follow me." Jiang Jin pulled down the curtain to block Wei Shu's view.
"Wei Shu, you have your bright path, and I have my narrow one. Just like you said, I'll play the loving couple with you in public, but you don't care about me at home." Wei Shu glanced at Jiang Jin's figure behind the curtain and said nothing more.
As dawn broke, Jiang Jin dressed and just as she lifted the curtain, she saw Wei Shu sitting and drinking tea.
"Awake?" Wei Shu flipped through the letters in his hand.
"General, are you here so early because you're afraid I might do something to ruin your plans?" Jiang Jin asked, her long hair styled in a bun, as she looked at Wei Shu.
"No, Zhou Cong has something to attend to today, so I'm here to protect you personally." Wei Shu's words were devoid of any emotion.
"Whatever you like." Jiang Jin put on her veil and opened the door. Wei Shu followed her out of the room.
"Where are you going today?" Wei Shu asked, looking at Jiang Jin who had closed her eyes to rest as soon as she got into the carriage.
"Putong Temple, does the general have any other questions? If not, I'd like to rest."
"Then Madam, you've thought of the same thing as me." Wei Shu looked at Jiang Jin's surprised expression with satisfaction. "I'm going to see the governor; would you like to come with me?"
"The imperial decree has been issued. Otherwise, you couldn't have investigated so quickly. Or did you simply report it?" Jiang Jin looked at Wei Shu with a stern expression.
"I haven't submitted my report yet, but I only want to investigate whether the governor is corrupt." This time, Wei Shu remained silent, and the two continued in silence until they reached the foot of the temple.
"Let's go, Madam." Wei Shu stepped down from the carriage and took Jiang Jin's hand. "Act well, and I can forgive and forget."
"My lord is too kind. I have nothing to be ashamed of," Jiang Jin said with a gentle smile.
The two arrived at the temple, where a large crowd of commoners and officials had gathered. The governor and his wife were offering incense inside. A simply dressed man walked up to Wei Shu and nodded.
"My lady, I've heard the vegetarian food at the temple is delicious. Why don't you accompany me to try it?" Wei Shu gently patted Jiang Jin's hand.
"I will obey my husband's will." The two went to the back room together. After the young monk served them vegetarian food, he withdrew. Jiang Jin picked up her chopsticks and ate the food.
"Don't you have anything you want to ask me?" Wei Shu pressed down on the vegetarian dishes and looked at Jiang Jin with a calm expression.
“If you want to talk, you will. If you don’t want to talk, all you’ll get are excuses and lies.” Jiang Jin put down her chopsticks and looked at Wei Shu. “I’m hungry. I want to eat.”
"They've arrived." Wei Shu listened coldly to the footsteps of two people approaching the room. A soft knock sounded at the door. Wei Shu got up and opened it. The visitors were the governor and his wife.
"General Wei!" The governor bowed respectfully, and Jiang Jin bowed slightly in return.
"Governor Wu, there's no need for such formalities. I've only asked you to come out today because I want to confirm some things."
"General Wei, you flatter me. Please speak freely if you have any instructions." Wei Shu smiled and looked at Jiang Jin. "I suppose Madam came to Putong Temple today to see the Governor's wife, right? Why don't you speak first, Madam?"
Wei Shu sat in the seat of honor, quietly watching Jiang Jin. "Wei Shu, General Wei, you truly have a flawless strategy!"
Jiang Jin hesitated for only a moment before bowing to the governor's wife, saying, "Governor's wife, I apologize for my abruptness."
Jiang Jin walked to the governor's wife's side and sniffed carefully. "Madam, do you know that the perfume you use comes from the capital?"
"This bottle of perfume was a birthday gift for my wife. Is there something wrong with it?" The governor interrupted Jiang Jin anxiously.
"Did you, Governor, personally send someone to buy it?" Jiang Jin frowned slightly as he looked at the governor's somewhat worn official robes.
"No, someone gave it to me as a gift." The governor shook his head. Most of his salary was used to support his household; he couldn't afford such expensive perfume.
"This item comes from Xiangning Workshop. For the first five days, it was generally supplied to the imperial family and nobles, and the rest were bought by the Dou family. So, can Your Excellency state who gave it to you?" Jiang Jin looked at Wei Shu's unchanging expression and couldn't guess what his plan was at all.
"Jiang Jin, that's not the point of your trip. Get to the point. I don't have the patience to listen to your nonsense. If you won't speak, I will." Wei Shu tapped the table, looking at Jiang Jin.
"General, are you so eager to find fault with me so you can rightfully imprison me?" Jiang Jin's breath hitched, but his expression remained unchanged.
"I'll count to three, and if you don't say it, I'll say it myself." Wei Shu's cold expression suited his madman-like demeanor perfectly.
"Governor Wu, if you have truly sided with the court faction, you must quickly erase all traces. If it's not a ruse, then you're already in the game, so be prepared, as someone may try to bring you down." Jiang Jin finally spoke his mind.
"Wei Shu, are you satisfied?" Jiang Jin silently gripped the dagger in her hand.
"Madam, I truly admire your courage and wisdom. How could I bear to imprison you in the inner prison?" Wei Shu said, unusually sipping his tea.
"You started by investigating the common people, the elderly, and even young children, step by step determining whether Governor Wu was suspected of corruption and whether he was a good official. After confirming your findings, you even planned to pass the information on to the governor and his wife. Jiang Jin, I never knew you had this ability." Wei Shu put down his teacup and looked at Jiang Jin standing in front of him.
"Therefore, I have a clear conscience. I simply don't want Wei Shu to follow in Zhou Lu's footsteps, and I don't want the people to lose a good official." Having come this far, Jiang Jin looked at Wei Shu without fear.
"So, you want to put me in danger?" Wei Shu laughed, but his eyes were filled with coldness.
"If you made a mistake, it can only be said that you were less skilled than others." Jiang Jin laughed. "Wei Shu, didn't you choose this dangerous situation yourself?"
"Good, as expected of you. If I only report that Governor Wu did not embezzle, it will take time for the person behind the scenes to be exposed. In the process, Governor Wu can easily cover up the truth. If I want to investigate embezzlement and forming cliques, it will take a lot of time. If I do not have evidence, I will report to His Majesty. If the governor covers up the truth during the investigation, I will suffer the consequences."
Wei Shu's expression remained unchanged, as if he were only making an uncertain guess, "Jiang Jin, you're quite clever, you even managed to outsmart me."
"You flatter me, it didn't work out, did it?" Jiang Jin sat back down at the table and looked at Wei Shu. "Tell me, after all this trouble, it wasn't just to find something to use against me, was it?"
“Governor Wu, if you truly have formed a clique for personal gain, you can submit a memorial to plead guilty before it is exposed. His Majesty, considering your dedication to the people and your integrity, might spare your life. If not, then please join me in staging a play.” Jiang Jin looked at Wei Shu with some surprise upon hearing this.
"Jiang Jin, remember this: I'm not a lamb to the slaughter. I'll settle accounts with you for what you did to me." Wei Shu gripped Jiang Jin's arm tightly, glaring at her fiercely.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com