gossip
"My lady, it's almost Chen Shi (7-9 AM)." Abei called softly to Jiang Jin.
"What time is it? Hurry up and help me get ready, we're going to the ancestral hall today!" Jiang Jin hurriedly got up but found that Abei's face showed no sign of anxiety.
"My lady, the general instructed that the Wei family has no ancestral hall or mother-in-law, so I will wake you up at the usual time when you pay your respects."
Abei helped Jiang Jin up and helped her wash her face, do her makeup, and change her clothes. "My lady, shall we let the servants in to recognize your face today?"
Abei picked out a pink glass hairpin and inserted it into Jiang Jin's hair. "Let them in. I am the Lady of the Wei family, so I must see these servants."
Abei helped Jiang Jin to the front of the hall. "Abei."
Ah Bei handed the silver coins in his hand to the servants one by one, saying, "You just need to behave yourselves and do your jobs well. I'm not picky, but if I find out you have any bad intentions, I won't be lenient."
Jiang Jin, observing the expressions of everyone below, said, "Alright, everyone disperse." She then led Abei back to their room.
"My lady, breakfast has been brought from the kitchen. You can have some first." Abei served Jiang Jin some food. "My lady, how were you last night?"
"Fortunately, Wei Shu didn't intend to kill me; he was just using me as a shield." Jiang Jin drank a few mouthfuls of porridge and practiced calligraphy for a while. "Abei, you don't need to grind the ink anymore. I'm going to the clothing store later."
"Wife, should we prepare a carriage?" Abei asked Jiang Jin. "No need, the Wei residence is not far from the clothing workshop, we can walk there."
As soon as Jiang Jin stepped out of the mansion gate, pairs of curious eyes turned to her. "Wife, would you like to put on a veil?"
"No need, I haven't done anything wrong." Jiang Jin arrived at the clothing store and saw the shopkeeper busy at work.
"I'll go to the third floor now, please continue your business."
"Please take your time." The shopkeeper nodded slightly to Jiang Jin, who then felt relieved.
"Your Highness, this subordinate greets you." Jiang Jin bowed to the woman wearing a bamboo hat.
"How was your wedding night? Did Wei Shu mistreat you?" The woman's gentle voice made it impossible to believe that she was the one who orchestrated the arranged marriage.
"No, but Wei Shu is a man of deep thoughts and not easy to win over. Gaining his trust might require some effort. Time was a bit tight that day, so I didn't ask Your Highness what your plans were." Jiang Jin looked at the woman in front of her.
"You just need to ensure his eternal loyalty to His Majesty. As long as he doesn't side with anyone else, he'll be of great use," the woman explained softly to Jiang Jin.
"Yes, I understand." Jiang Jin stood still, looking at the woman in front of him.
"Something has happened in Yuezhou. I estimate the news has already reached the capital. If Wei Shu goes there, you must go with him."
The woman put down her teacup and smiled at Jiang Jin, "Jin, don't forget our great cause!"
"Your Highness, I will never forget the ideals we shared." Jiang Jin knelt on the ground.
"Get up. Don't kneel all the time. If you don't want to be with Wei Shu in the future, I can grant you a divorce."
"Your Highness, thank you for your concern!" Jiang Jin finally showed a slight smile.
"However, Wei Shu has a good appearance. Although he's somewhat aloof, he doesn't reject my approach. I like this kind of person who's difficult to please. Besides, it's not my style to just hand over my husband to someone else." Jiang Jin couldn't help but laugh as he recalled Wei Shu's cold demeanor last night.
"If you like it, that's good. But I guess you can't talk about people behind their backs. Look, Wei Shu has come looking for you."
"My subordinate told him yesterday that he would be coming to the clothing store today. Knowing Wei Shu's personality, he certainly wouldn't miss an opportunity to spread rumors." Jiang Jin wasn't surprised to see Wei Shu.
Wei Shu stood at the entrance of the clothing store with his Imperial Guards. The shopkeeper stood in front of him, seemingly talking to Wei Shu.
"Your Highness, the ten men from South Alley have been exposed, and Wei Shu already knows." Jiang Jin relayed the information revealed by Wei Shu.
"I understand. Those who have been exposed also have their uses. You can go back now."
"Yes." Jiang Jin bowed and took his leave. Just as he reached the second floor, he caught a glimpse of Wei Shu's robe.
"General, I'm here." Jiang Jin pretended to be in a great hurry as she descended the stairs, almost twisting her ankle in the process.
"Careful!" Wei Shu reached out and hugged her. When their eyes met, Wei Shu noticed the pink mark on her neck.
"Thank you, General, but isn't it inappropriate for us to do this in public?" Jiang Jin smiled and poked Wei Shu's chest.
"The lady doesn't seem shy at all; on the contrary, she looks quite pleased," Wei Shu said as he walked up the stairs.
Jiang Jin wrapped her arms around Wei Shu's neck, deliberately breathing heavily against his ear, causing Wei Shu to tremble.
Wei Shu suppressed the strange feeling in his heart, and carried Jiang Jin downstairs step by step. A crowd had gathered at the entrance of the clothing store, waiting to see what would happen, but they never expected to see Wei Shu carrying Jiang Jin downstairs.
"Did the sun rise in the west today? That person is so tender!"
"This woman looks familiar. Isn't she the woman who was kidnapped on the long street that day?"
"It's her. I heard that someone impeached her because of him, and later His Majesty bestowed her in marriage to that person."
"But this woman has turned misfortune into blessing. I heard that man fell in love with her at first sight and directly asked the imperial decree to grant them marriage. Look at them now, they're inseparable!"
"Madam, please get into the carriage!" Wei Shu carefully set Jiang Jin down, took her hand, and helped her into the carriage.
"General Wei is truly considerate. It seems the rumors are true; he really fell for Lady Wei at first sight. I heard even her hair ornament was made over several months." A horse was parked beside Jiang Jin's carriage, and these words came from the man on horseback.
"General Zhao is too kind. My wife is exceptionally beautiful and talented, and I naturally have deep feelings for her. I, Wei Shu, hereby swear that I will only have Jiang Jin for the rest of my life and will never marry another!"
Upon hearing this, Jiang Jin nearly dropped her teacup, inwardly cursing, but outwardly she still had to play along with Wei Shu's lie.
"General Wei, you are truly a man of deep affection and loyalty. I wonder if Lady Wei is moved?"
"Of course I'm touched." Jiang Jin smiled, lifted the carriage curtain, and stepped down to stand beside Wei Shu.
"General Zhao," Jiang Jin curtsied to the man on horseback before speaking, "A woman follows her husband after marriage. Since my husband is like this, I will naturally agree and serve him even more diligently in the future. Are you satisfied with my answer, General Zhao?"
"Madam Jiang, aren't you afraid people will say that the women of the Jiang family are jealous if you agree to this?"
"General Zhao is joking. My husband loves me and is willing to never take another concubine, so how can you say that I am jealous?"
Jiang Jin looked up at the man on horseback with a distant smile on her face. "His Majesty's decree praised me as a lady of noble birth, possessing both talent and virtue. Does General Zhao think His Majesty's decree is wrong?"
"Very well, as expected of a lady from a noble family, you are indeed quick-witted. You immediately seized upon the unintentional loophole in my words. If you're determined to find fault, you can always find a pretext. I won't stoop to a woman's level. Let's go!" The man on horseback, his face ashen, pulled on the reins and rode off in a grand procession.
"Madam Wei, would you like these fabrics you just selected delivered to the Wei residence?" The shopkeeper, holding a tray, bowed respectfully to Wei Shu and Jiang Jin.
"Send them all to the Wei residence. Send everything that Madam has looked at and chosen." Wei Shu helped Jiang Jin into the carriage. As soon as the curtain fell, the affectionate scene from just moments before vanished.
"General Wei, could you please tell me before you use me as a scapegoat?" Jiang Jin's expression was not good. Being used as a shield and becoming the target of everyone's criticism was not a pleasant feeling.
"I'm sorry, but it's the truth. You're the only woman in the entire Wei family."
Wei Shu placed the teacup on the small tea table. Although he didn't know if Jiang Jin minded him taking a concubine, he figured she would be happy if the entire Wei household always treated her with the utmost respect.
“Men are often taciturn and reserved. If the general were to take another woman one day, others would only say that the general has done enough, and that I couldn’t hold onto my husband’s heart.” Jiang Jin touched the bracelet on her wrist, somewhat annoyed, and subconsciously blurted out what was on her mind.
"Besides, it's just that the general doesn't want to remarry. He used me as a pawn, does he expect me to be grateful?" Jiang Jin didn't notice Wei Shu's darkening expression at all.
"I'm sorry, it was my oversight." Jiang Jin was somewhat surprised that Wei Shu rarely lowered his head.
"General, you flatter me. I was too hasty just now." Jiang Jin understood the importance of knowing when to stop and thus gracefully stepped down.
The carriage drove down the long street and stopped in front of the Wei residence. Wei Shu jumped off the carriage first and turned around to carefully help Jiang Jin.
"Thank you, my husband."
The two snuggled together and returned to the bedroom. Jiang Jin breathed a sigh of relief after closing the door. "I'm prone to feeling cold, so I'll have someone bring another blanket today."
"Thank you for today." For the first time since their marriage, Wei Shu had time to carefully observe his new wife. Although she was beautiful and had an extraordinary temperament, it couldn't hide her calm and composure.
“We are one, I’m just helping myself.” Jiang Jin took off the hairpin from her hair and placed it heavily on the dressing table. “Does the general have anything else? I need to change my clothes.”
"That's all. You should rest. I'm going to the study." Wei Shu noticed Jiang Jin's tired expression and turned to leave for the study.
"My lady, this was sent from the clothing store." Abei placed the small jade pendant in Jiang Jin's hand.
"The messenger said that if you go to Yuezhou, there will be a good use for you." Jiang Jin stroked the jade pendant and placed it under the makeup box.
"Okay, give me a shoulder massage. I was exhausted yesterday." Abei carefully massaged Jiang Jin's shoulders. "Today, the general went straight to the clothing store after court."
"Hmm, is there anything else?" Jiang Jin closed her eyes, recalling everything that had happened that day.
"The general's men have gone to South Alley again." Jiang Jin opened her eyes wide and looked at Abei beside her. "Gone again?"
"Yes." Abei knelt respectfully on the ground. "It's a message from the people monitoring us."
"Understood. Tell them to continue monitoring. No further reports are needed unless there's something particularly noteworthy." Jiang Jin considered writing a letter at the table, but then remembered this was the Wei residence and dared not act rashly.
"Wife?"
"It's nothing, you can go now." Jiang Jin rubbed her temples. "Stand guard outside the door and don't let anyone in."
"Yes." Abei withdrew and stood by the door. Inside the room, Jiang Jin took out a silver piece from a folded compartment in a book and put it into her makeup box.
A hidden compartment popped open, and Jiang Jin took out a ring from it.
"Sister Abei, this is chicken soup that the general specially instructed the kitchen to make. He said that the lady was tired yesterday and wanted to use it to relieve her fatigue."
"Madam is resting now, let it stay warm on the stove." Ah Bei stood in front of the door, giving the maid no chance.
"Since it's the general's kind intention, we naturally can't let him down. Please come in." Jiang Jin restored everything to its original state and sat down on the stool.
"Madam, this chicken soup was ordered to be prepared by the General early this morning." The maid respectfully placed the fragrant chicken soup in front of Jiang Jin.
"You may leave." Jiang Jin took a small sip of chicken soup, and the maidservant withdrew politely.
"Abei, take the booklet and prepare the things for the homecoming." Jiang Jin handed the booklet to Abei. "Also, bring a blanket; I'm a little cold."
"Yes." Ah Bei was a little stunned when he saw the ring on Jiang Jin's hand.
"What's wrong?" Jiang Jin looked up at Abei, who hadn't moved for a long time, and asked.
"My wife, this..."
"It's nothing, you can go now." Abei glanced helplessly at Jiang Jin and then had no choice but to leave.
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