Tanzhou
"You seem a little skeptical of what he said." Wei Shu opened the food box, revealing a cluster of white, tender jade dew-like dumplings that seemed to beckon to Jiang Jin.
"He was half-true, wasn't he? He spoke so sincerely, yet he still let Liang Erlang and San Niang get engaged." Jiang Jin put the jade dew ball into her mouth.
"It's just a matter of weighing the pros and cons. Right now, his feelings for Third Sister are winning, but who knows what will happen later?" Jiang Jin looked at Wei Shu and smiled, "You weren't moved by him, were you?"
"Are all members of the Jiang family this cold-hearted? Your sister's marriage is so close yet she keeps making excuses and testing the waters. Is this the inherent caution in the Jiang family?" Wei Shu grabbed Jiang Jin's chin, forcing her to look at him.
"Now that Wei Shu is back in the capital, does he think everything is under your control? How dare you treat me like this!" Jiang Jin slapped Wei Shu's hand away while chewing on a jade dew ball.
"I just feel so bad for myself. Since we got back to the capital, you haven't even given me a second glance. You're either at the government office, at the Jiang family's house, or you're going to bed early. Ah Jin, we're husband and wife!" Wei Shu slowly moved to Jiang Jin's side and pulled her into his arms.
"Madam, let's hurry back to the manor." Jiang Jin rolled her eyes at Wei Shu and pushed him away. "I have something to do. I'll go straight to the clothing store."
"Jiang Jin!" Wei Shu was pushed against the carriage wall before he could even react. "What urgent matter is more important than me!"
"Are you sure you want me to tell the truth?" Jiang Jin hesitated for a moment but still pecked Wei Shu on the cheek. "It'll be fine once this busy period is over."
Upon seeing the clothing store's signboard, Jiang Jin immediately stopped the carriage and jumped down. Her soft sleeves brushed against Wei Shu's palm, leaving only the scent of jasmine.
"Go to the army camp!" Wei Shu said grimly, while the servant driving the horse silently worried for the Imperial Guards.
"Ah Jin!" Zi Yuan looked towards the stairwell several times before finally sitting back down on the stool, watching Jiang Jin's figure.
"If you hadn't come soon, she would have gone to Yangchunlou to find you." Zhai Wan placed the brewed tea in front of Jiang Jin.
"Extend your arm, let me see the wound on your arm." Jiang Jin obediently extended her arm, and Zhai Wan carefully examined the fading scar.
"The medicine prescribed by Wei Shu is not bad, but it can't compare to the scar removal cream I specially made for you."
Zhai Wan proudly took out a small porcelain bottle from her waist and applied the ointment to Jiang Jin's arm.
"How could anyone else's medicine compare to the meticulously prepared medicine by our Divine Physician Zhai!" Zhai Wan's lips curled slightly upon hearing this, and her movements became gentler.
"It seems your involvement has been quite fruitful. Everyone in the capital knows that Wei Shu dotes on you and spoils you rotten. Rumor has it that if you wanted the moon, Wei Shu would do everything in his power to pluck it down for you." Zhai Wan teased Jiang Jin, occasionally winking at Zi Yuan.
"Exactly, even that ruthless Imperial Guard general fell for you." Zi Yuan looked at Jiang Jin with a mocking expression.
"Who was it that said he was incredibly cunning and ruthless, and could never fall in love with you? But you still managed to win him over." Zi Yuan poked Jiang Jin's arm. "What do you think he'd give up for you?"
"I'm not a mind reader, how would I know?" Jiang Jin looked at the two people in front of her with some panic. "Do you two have to ask me alone?"
“Because you’re the only one who got married!” Zi Yuan dragged a stool over and sat down next to Jiang Jin. “Tell me, was what Xiao Niang taught us useful?”
"Sit back down, you're blocking my way." Jiang Jin silently moved closer to Zhai Wan.
"Stop changing the subject. You were the best at it back then, and now that you're married, of course we want to know if those methods will work." Zi Yuan pressed down on Jiang Jin's chair, preventing her from moving an inch.
"How should I know? Back then, His Highness made us learn these things to tell us not to be afraid, to prevent us from being deceived by bad people. You were all either sleeping or reading, while I was the only one diligently attending classes and tutoring you after class!" Jiang Jin was furious when she thought of this.
"Oh dear, let's not dwell on the past. The most important thing now is to find out if Xiao Niang's methods will work—what about 'itching but not getting' and 'taking things slowly'?" Zi Yuan couldn't recall anything from class, only managing to name a few that stuck with her.
"These things mainly depend on talent. Just follow your heart and be yourself." Jiang Jin looked at Zi Yuan with regret and patted her shoulder.
"Why does it feel like you're insulting me?" Ziyuan picked up a pastry from the table and stuffed it into her mouth.
"You're right, she's insulting you." Zhai Wan silently added insult to injury as she refilled Jiang Jin's tea.
"What about you? Didn't your senior brother come to the capital with you?" Jiang Jin asked, pulling Zhai Wan aside to share the burden.
“Exactly, I knew something was missing.” Zi Yuan immediately shifted her attention from Jiang Jin to Zhai Wan.
“My senior brother said he was waiting for me to return safely at home.” Zhai Wan’s eyes were filled with tenderness. “He originally wanted to come with me, but I was afraid of implicating him, so I came out alone.”
"Yo yo yo, waiting for you to come back." Zi Yuan kept repeating Zhai Wan's words.
"If you keep talking nonsense, we'll kick you downstairs." Zhai Wan picked up a pastry from the table and stuffed it into Zi Yuan's mouth.
"Alright, I won't tease you two anymore. I reaped quite a harvest in Tanzhou, Jiangnan Province this time. I originally wanted to take this opportunity to ask for a favor, but Ah Jin is too audacious, so His Highness had to put that aside." Zi Yuan said seriously, her expression composed.
"I remember Tanzhou was very prosperous. The Prefect of Tanzhou was my father's classmate, and the Ministry of Personnel spoke highly of him." Jiang Jin didn't understand what major event had occurred in Tanzhou.
“It has nothing to do with Sima. This time it’s the governor of Tanzhou.” Ziyuan took a bite of a sesame flatbread. “You know, being a governor is really risky. The governor of Yuezhou was framed, the governor of Bianzhou died, and now it’s the governor of Tanzhou’s turn.”
"Tell me quickly what happened!" Jiang Jin snatched the sesame seed cake from Zi Yuan's hand.
"His Highness discovered something strange about the silk sent from Tanzhou. The fabric turned into garments with a dull color, so he sent someone to investigate what the problem was. In the end, they found that there was something wrong with the silk sent from Tanzhou."
Ziyuan took a sip of tea and said, "At first we thought it was due to shoddy workmanship or poor skills, so we switched to another company, but the same problem persisted. Your Highness finds this strange. Could it be that all the silk from Tanzhou is defective?"
“Tanzhou is rich in silk. The silk for the four layers of the Great Yan Dynasty is all supplied by Tanzhou, which is why Tanzhou is so wealthy.” Jiang Jin got up and closed the window. “There’s no reason for the governor of Tanzhou to destroy the foundation.”
"I was puzzled too. How could someone be so stupid as to ruin their own strength, and not just any ordinary strength?" Zi Yuan echoed Jiang Jin.
"So?" Zhai Wan noticed that the medicine on Jiang Jin's arm had faded a bit, so she picked up the porcelain bottle and applied it to her again.
"Later, I took a few people with me to Tanzhou. Unexpectedly, something seemed off as soon as we arrived at the city gate. There were many people there with different expressions, and their clothes reflected the characteristics of different prefectures. That's why I suspected they were merchants like me, here to demand an explanation." Ziyuan took out a handkerchief from her bosom; several people were vaguely drawn on it.
“But guess what? We couldn’t even get through the city gate.” Zi Yuan pointed to the man near the gate. “He tried to pay to get in, but he was arrested by the soldiers.”
Zi Yuan then pointed to the person behind him, "This guy tried to be clever and blend into the caravan, but he was still found by the city guards."
Zi Yuan shook her head as she thought of this. "Later, no one dared to enter the city. They could only stay in the woods outside the city for one night. In the morning, I took advantage of the shift change of the city guards to observe the city tower. There were at least 20% more guards inside than in ordinary places."
"There must be something strange about Tanzhou. How did you get in?" Jiang Jin looked at Zi Yuan; she didn't seem to have won a fight.
"Originally, I wanted to fight, but then I thought that the main purpose of this trip was not to alert the enemy, so I had someone quickly send several music registers to be disguised as music girls and brought into the city. However, because they were registered in the capital, they were questioned a few times."
Jiang Jin's eyes lit up upon hearing this, "I feel like I've experienced what you've gone through. I was just like that when I entered Jiufang City."
"Right? I also think my idea is brilliant." Zi Yuan looked at Jiang Jin with smug satisfaction.
"Could we talk about business first, gentlemen?" Zhai Wan looked at the two of them, somewhat speechless.
“Yes, yes, it’s all Jin’s fault for insisting that I look at my perfect plan again.” Zi Yuan cleared her throat. “Fortunately, we do have a music hall in Tanzhou, and ever since we entered the city, I can feel that someone is watching us. As a last resort, we can only go to the music hall first.”
"The governor of Tanzhou is being so cautious; this is even stricter than in the capital." Zhai Wan also sensed something unusual.
"Moreover, martial law is usually only imposed on one's own residence. The fact that he can do this in Tanzhou shows that he has a strong control over Tanzhou. And perhaps someone has already caused trouble in the city before."
“Yes, several merchants had already caused trouble in the city before we arrived, which is why the city gates are so strictly guarded.” Zi Yuan looked at Jiang Jin, who was standing silently beside her, with some curiosity.
"Are you daydreaming?" Jiang Jin moved her head to look at Zi Yuan. "I just find it a little strange. I feel like these things are happening by a strange coincidence. Of the three prefectures of Yuezhou, Bianzhou, and Tanzhou, the remote Yuezhou is His Majesty's confidant, while the other two are not. But coincidentally, the Sima of those two prefectures are His Majesty's men."
Based on Jiang Jin's understanding of Emperor Wende, these things wouldn't have erupted without reason; it's more likely that someone was stirring things up behind the scenes.
"You mean His Majesty wants to get rid of these governors and put his own people in positions of power? But transferring officials only requires His Majesty's word, right?" Zi Yuan didn't understand why Emperor Wende was going through such a roundabout way.
"Of course, it's for a win-win situation." Jiang Jin and Zhai Wan exchanged a glance, both noticing the unease in each other's eyes.
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