Feng Shui
"My lady, there's news from the capital." Yi Yi knocked gently on the door, careful not to disturb the two inside.
"Come in." Jiang Jin stood up, her brows furrowing slightly as she stared at the letter in Yi Yi's hand. "Why is it a letter like this?"
"I've checked it and confirmed it's a letter from the capital." Yi Yi carefully examined the coded message and the special gelatin before handing it to Jiang Jin.
"My lady, perhaps I should open it?" Just as Yi Yi finished speaking, Jiang Jin snatched the letter from his hand.
"What, you think you can be so disrespectful?" Jiang Jin smiled as she moved away from the bed to a corner and opened the letter. Yi Yi had been standing behind Jiang Jin the whole time, watching her expression closely.
“Ziyuan wrote to say she would come to Beizhou to help us.” Jiang Jin’s expression relaxed instantly. “She said she was in a hurry to write the letter and didn’t have her original envelope, so she just used a random one.”
"Lady Ziyuan is coming; this matter is unlikely to be so simple." Yi Yi, as an observer, was somewhat more clear-headed.
"Wei Shu, did you have Zhou Cong report the assassination attempt to His Majesty?" Jiang Jin asked, looking at Wei Shu, who was deep in thought on the couch.
“Zhou Cong has already written to His Majesty, but I’m wondering what to do with the two men in prison.” Jiang Jin’s eyes darted around, and a smile played on her lips.
"When Ziyuan arrives, she'll definitely have a way." Jiang Jin shuddered at the thought of Ziyuan's methods of torturing people.
"Then I'll go and arrange for someone to clean the house." Seeing Jiang Jin's happy expression, Yi Yi couldn't help but feel a little relieved.
"Is Ziyuan your friend?" Wei Shu's hesitant voice came from behind Jiang Jin.
“Yes, we grew up together and are as close as sisters. Although we sometimes bicker and argue, it’s just minor squabbles.” Jiang Jin sat down and looked at Wei Shu.
"Don't worry, my friend is your friend. Ziyuan is fine." Jiang Jin saw Wei Shu's worry and quickly comforted him. "The doctor said you can't overwork or think too much. The most important thing now is to get some rest."
Jiang Jin covered Wei Shu's mouth and pulled the blanket up for him. "If you can sleep peacefully, I'll embroider a sachet for you to wear. Are you satisfied with this exchange?"
Jiang Jin only let go of Wei Shu's hand after seeing him nod. "You can embroider?"
"Of course, although I don't know how to do double-sided embroidery, I do know how to embroider flowers and plants. Besides, I can make this little sachet very quickly."
Jiang Jin gently patted Wei Shu's head, "Alright, I'll sit next to you and embroider. You can rest easy."
"You're really bold, daring to touch my head." Wei Shu's words were full of affection. Jiang Jin, with a handkerchief and needle and thread, sat down beside Wei Shu. In the candlelight, there was a touch of warmth between an ordinary couple.
After a long while, Wei Shu slowly fell asleep. A soft knock sounded at the door. Jiang Jin put down her handkerchief and gently opened the door. Yi Yi was standing outside, holding a bowl of chicken soup and a small bowl of millet rice.
"If you're worried about disturbing General Wei, you can eat in the courtyard." Yi placed the soup bowl on the stone table in the courtyard.
"Thank you, Yi Yi," Jiang Jin said, sitting on the stone bench and looking at Yi Yi, who had been standing behind her.
“My lady, it is my duty as a bodyguard to protect you. And if I may presume to say something, we’ve known each other for many years, and for both professional and personal reasons, I don’t want you to suffer any harm.” Yi Yi’s face flushed slightly as he looked at Jiang Jin’s back, and for a moment he recalled their first meeting.
Jiang Jin was only eleven years old at the time, still just a child. Everyone around her was worried about her as it was her first time leaving the city alone. So Lou Xuan sent himself and Yi Er to silently follow Jiang Jin.
"Once this is over, I'll have His Highness set you free, and you and Asui will be able to have a stable life." Jiang Jin took a bite of millet rice and smiled at Yi Yi.
"Wife..." Yi Yi scratched his head somewhat embarrassedly, "How did you know?"
"Anyone who isn't a wooden fish can tell that there's something fishy about your eyes." Jiang Jin looked at Yi Yi; everything had changed in the past six years, but Yi Yi's unwavering commitment to protecting her remained the same.
"Six years have passed. Time really flies." Jiang Jin finished her chicken soup and looked at Yi Yi with some emotion. "When we first met, she was so cold. I never expected that she would prepare rice for me now."
"My lady also had a tense face back then, not saying a word. Anyone who didn't know better would have thought you were mute." Yi Yi laughed, recalling Jiang Jin's guarded demeanor back then, exactly the same as when she first met Wei Shu.
"My lady, what are your true feelings for General Wei?" Yi Yi asked softly from behind Jiang Jin.
"I'm just a little surprised that he would actually risk his life to save me. Can love really change a person?" Jiang Jin looked at Yi Yi with some confusion.
“Actually, my wife has changed a lot too. If it were before, you would have waited for me to come back or gone back to the government office with Yi San, but today you rushed in alone. That moment was love.” Yi Yi rarely saw Jiang Jin with a confused look on her face; she seemed to have gained a bit of a youthful air.
“My lady, you really don’t need to be afraid.” Yi Yi knew Jiang Jin’s worries and gently comforted her.
“Not everyone is destined to be heartless. General Wei may be cold and suspicious, but that's probably because no one has ever taught him how to love. However, I can see that he's not as ruthless as people say.” Yi Yi's gaze towards Jiang Jin gradually became clearer.
"It's best for my wife to keep things as they are. If General Wei loves you more, you'll be more at ease."
Yi Yi had been by Jiang Jin's side for many years, watching her grow from a child to a woman of marriageable age, then watching her struggle in the imperial court, watching her go from hardship to great success, and watching her go from scheming to falling in love.
"Otsuichi, I didn't realize you could comfort people like this." Jiang Jin had discovered another side of Otsuichi.
"I'm a few years older than you, and besides, an outsider's perspective is clearer. I've seen everything you and the general do together, so naturally I have my own opinions." Yi Yi looked at Jiang Jin, who was gazing at the moon.
"Alright, I'm tired, I'm going back now." Jiang Jin patted Yi Yi on the shoulder. "Thank you for today."
Jiang Jin carefully entered the room and saw that Wei Shu was fast asleep. Not wanting to disturb him, she sat down on a stool and began embroidering a sachet. The candle flickered and crackled occasionally.
After an unknown amount of time, a white sachet appeared beside Wei Shu's pillow. Jiang Jin yawned and returned to her small couch, drowsiness washing over her. The only sounds in the room were the two of them breathing evenly.
As dawn broke, Jiang Jin groggily woke up and sensed something was amiss with the small bed beneath her. She struggled to open her eyes and found herself sleeping on Wei Shu's bed. Wei Shu, who should have been sleeping beside her, was sitting on a wooden stool, drinking porridge, and wearing the sachet Jiang Jin had sewn the day before at his waist.
"Why did you get out of bed!" Jiang Jin lifted the blanket and walked to Wei Shu's side, looking at the wound on his back.
"It's alright. I've had much worse injuries before, and I'm still full of energy." Wei Shu pulled Jiang Jin's arm and pressed her down onto the stool.
"Since you're awake, have some breakfast with me." Wei Shu ladled a bowl of porridge and placed it in front of Jiang Jin.
"Did you carry me to the bed?" Jiang Jin looked at Wei Shu's composed demeanor and became suspicious.
"I woke up in the middle of the night and saw your legs dangling on the floor. I was worried you weren't sleeping comfortably, and I was also afraid that the feng shui of that bed was bad and you'd have nightmares, so I simply carried you back to my side." Wei Shu picked up a piece of autumn cake and placed it in Jiang Jin's bowl.
"You still believe in feng shui?" Jiang Jin touched Wei Shu's forehead to make sure he didn't have a fever before putting her hand down.
"You had nightmares while sleeping there, so you think that place is unlucky," Wei Shu said, speaking superstitious words without batting an eye.
"Cough cough!" Jiang Jin almost spat out the porridge in her mouth. "Do you really have a fever? But I can't feel it. Should I take your pulse?"
"You should worry about yourself first. You're a grown woman, how can you choke on your porridge?" Wei Shu picked up a handkerchief and wiped Jiang Jin's mouth.
"It's all your fault. You startled me with that sudden remark." Jiang Jin gently patted Wei Shu's hand before settling down to drink her porridge.
"Alright, alright, it's all my fault. Our Registrar Jiang is never wrong~" Wei Shu's soft words made Jiang Jin raise his head again.
"Back to normal? Aren't you afraid of being laughed at for saying such things as a general of the Imperial Guard?" Jiang Jin reached out and poked Wei Shu's face. Wei Shu then grabbed Jiang Jin's wrist.
"How could outsiders possibly know about the joys of our private moments?" Wei Shu's eyes were filled with love, catching Jiang Jin somewhat off guard.
"Alright, let's eat. Enough of this nonsense." Jiang Jin's ears turned slightly red as she lowered her head to drink her porridge. Wei Shu, meanwhile, propped his head up with his hand and watched Jiang Jin without moving.
"Could you tell me about your childhood?" Wei Shu realized that he seemed to know nothing about Jiang Jin's past.
"Childhood?" Jiang Jin put down her spoon, propped her head up, and looked at Wei Shu. "I spent my childhood learning music, chess, calligraphy, painting, horseback riding, and archery. My father was more lenient with us because my sister and I lost our mother. Although my mother felt that girls shouldn't show their faces in public and learn to ride horses, she couldn't go against my father's wishes and agreed." Jiang Jin felt as if she had lived through another world when she recalled her childhood.
"You and your older sister are very close?" Wei Shu noticed a different light flash in Jiang Jin's eyes when she mentioned her older sister.
“Of course, my older sister is the best person in the world.” Jiang Jin grabbed Wei Shu’s arm excitedly. “When I was naughty, my older sister always pleaded for me. When I was scared, my older sister always stayed with me to sleep. My older sister and I are the closest people in the world.”
"Naughty?" Wei Shu found it hard to associate Jiang Jin with the word "naughty."
"It's normal for kids to be a little naughty, like breaking vases and teacups, but I didn't do it on purpose."
Jiang Jin still fondly remembers the time when her mother was alive. Although her father hadn't become the Censor-in-Chief, the family was harmonious and happy. Now, that was something she could only dream of.
“I was naughty when I was little. I liked to go fishing in the river and then fall asleep by the river at night, which would get me a beating from my mother.” Wei Shu rarely talked about his childhood. “Although we were poor back then, we were still very happy.”
"It wouldn't be bad if we could go back to that kind of life someday." Jiang Jin sighed, but unfortunately, neither she nor Wei Shu had any way out.
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