Rescue
"My lord, my wife is in distress on the river!" Jiang Jin and Wei Shu exchanged a glance before pushing open the door and going out.
"Who goes there?" Jiang Jin looked at the small boat on the river. "Pull them up. It's still chilly in spring, and they might catch a cold!"
"Yes!" The man and Zhou Congzhou Liao pulled the people from the small boat aboard.
"Who are you?" Jiang Jin looked at the woman in the middle and found her somewhat familiar. "Are you Chen Wu Niangzi from the family of the Prefect of Songzhou?" Jiang Jin quickly took out a cloak from the room and draped it over Chen Niangzi's shoulders.
“When Governor Chen went to the capital for the ceremony, I saw you among the bride’s family.” Jiang Jin helped Madam Chen sit down.
"I am Jiang Jin, daughter of Jiang Luo, the Imperial Censor." Jiang Jin patted Madam Chen's hand to comfort her.
"Madam Jiang, I accompanied my mother to the capital to visit my sister, but unexpectedly we encountered river bandits and had to flee in all directions. I headed east, while my mother took my younger sister and headed west." Madam Chen took a few deep breaths before recounting what had happened.
“That’s not right, there are no river bandits on the river!” The man next to him shook his head upon hearing this. “In all the years I’ve been on the river, I’ve never encountered any river bandits hijacking my boat!”
"Zhou Cong, go and check on him!" Wei Shu immediately ordered Zhou Cong, realizing something was wrong.
"Yes!" Zhou Cong boarded the small boat and hurried along the route they had come from.
"Madam Jiang, what about my mother and sister!" Madam Chen wasn't stupid; she immediately realized the strangeness of the situation.
"Don't be afraid, the general is here and will protect you." Jiang Jin hugged Chen Niangzi and gently patted her back.
"Are any of you injured?" Jiang Jin asked the maid who had escorted Madam Chen all the way.
"Reporting to Madam, none of us were injured," Chen Niangzi's personal maidservant replied, rising to her feet.
"Who else knows about your trip to the capital?" Jiang Jin asked carefully, seeing that Chen Niangzi in his arms had calmed down a bit.
"You probably all know, my sister is pregnant. His Majesty, in his benevolence, has summoned my mother's family to the capital," Madam Chen said softly.
"Chen Liangyuan is pregnant?" Jiang Jin asked, somewhat surprised.
"What's wrong? Has something happened to my sister?" Madam Chen asked Jiang Jin anxiously.
"No, but I understand why Consort Liang didn't come to the ceremony with the Crown Princess that day."
"General, the man has been found!" Zhou was followed by several small boats.
"Mother!" Madam Chen threw herself against the railing, desperately calling out to the people on the boat.
"Thank you all very much. I wonder how I should address you so I can send a token of my gratitude to your household?" Although Madam Chen was somewhat frightened, she still maintained her composure.
"Mother, this is Jiang Jin, daughter of Censor Jiang, the Vice Censor-in-Chief. The man beside her is her husband," Madam Chen said cautiously.
"Greetings, General Wei! I was so sorry for my daughter's rudeness earlier!" Madam Chen's expression paled upon hearing Jiang Jin's name.
"Get up." Wei Shu sat in the main seat and looked at everyone on the ship. "I will have the ship dock at Songzhou, then you can disembark."
"Thank you so much, General Wei, for saving my life!" Madam Chen still didn't dare to look up.
“General!” Jiang Jin looked at Wei Shu holding her hand with some surprise. “It’s still chilly in spring, yet you generously gave your cloak to someone else, without remembering to take one for yourself.”
"Let's go." Wei Shu gently put his arm around Jiang Jin's shoulder and said in a low voice, "Her sister is the Crown Prince's Consort. It's more convincing to hear her say that you and I have a good relationship than to hear from others."
"Understood." As soon as the two returned to their room, Wei Shu released Jiang Jin. "Let's pack up and then go from Songzhou to Beizhou and enter Yuezhou."
"Okay." Jiang Jin didn't ask why, but simply packed her clothes. The boat soon docked at Songzhou Wharf. After everyone had disembarked, Wei Shu gave instructions to the man.
"If you sail to Beizhou and someone attacks, abandon ship and flee. Any losses can be reported directly to the Capital Garrison."
"Young master, what about the matter in Beizhou?" The man knew that the young master before him was the renowned Wei Shu, but he still mustered his courage to seek justice for the people of Beizhou.
"I understand, there will be a result." Wei Shu nodded to Jiang Jin, looking at the horses Zhou Cong had found.
"Giddy up!" The four traveled day and night along the official road of Songzhou for five days and finally arrived in Beizhou. As expected, upon entering the city, they saw officials charging extra silver.
"You four are passing through!" The official stopped Wei Shu, his face full of greed as he looked at him.
"Here you go!" Wei Shu handed the four men's passbooks to the official. "Where's your city entrance fee?"
"Here you go." Wei Shu took out a string of copper coins from his pocket and looked at the official. "Can we go in now?" Jiang Jin looked at Wei Shu curiously through the veil.
"You guys wander around the city, I'll go check the docks, we'll meet at the exit of the city." Wei Shu handed the reins to Zhou Liao, and Jiang Jin followed suit, handing the reins to Zhou Cong.
The dock was bustling with people, and there were quite a few officials there. "Where's your river tax?" one official nudged a man dressed in coarse cloth next to him.
"My lord, I truly have no extra money today!" The man knelt on the ground and kowtowed repeatedly.
"If you don't have any extra money, don't go back. Stay here and work for free!" The official pointed at the workers carrying things back and forth. "You can go back when you've paid the river tax!"
"This!" Jiang Jin suppressed the urge to rush forward, but her nails were already digging into her palms. "This is simply the work of animals!"
"Let's go!" Wei Shu glanced at her, then grabbed Jiang Jin's wrist and led her away from the dock.
"General, please submit a memorial! The people of Beizhou are suffering terribly. As their official, how can you stand idly by?" Jiang Jin broke free from Wei Shu's grasp for the first time.
"The people of Beizhou are suffering like this, and you don't care?" Jiang Jin gripped her veil.
"Do you really think His Majesty wouldn't know something so obvious?" Wei Shu glanced around and lowered his voice.
"I will report this to His Majesty, but the matter is far more complex than what I see!" Wei Shu carefully chose his words, hoping Jiang Jin would understand his meaning.
"Then submit it in my name. As the daughter of an imperial censor, I naturally can't stand by and watch. You were only coerced. This way, we can protect you and ensure the memorial reaches the Emperor!" Jiang Jin looked at Wei Shu coldly. "You're afraid of losing His Majesty's trust, but I'm not!"
“We are husband and wife, if something happens to you, how can I escape it!” Wei Shu didn’t look at Jiang Jin again. “I have my own plans for this matter.”
"Alright, then I'd like to see what good ideas General Wei has!" Jiang Jin ignored Wei Shu and began searching for clothing stores in the city.
"You want to buy clothes?" Wei Shu followed Jiang Jin into a clothing store. "The styles and materials of the clothes we are wearing are from the capital. They will definitely stand out in Yuezhou. Why don't we change to the style of Beizhou?"
"Shopkeeper, I want that dress!" Jiang Jin pointed to the yellow dress hanging on the rack as soon as she entered the store. "Madam has a good eye. That's a new style in our store. I'll go with you to try it on!"
The shopkeeper noticed the ring on Jiang Jin's hand and immediately understood, leading Jiang Jin to a secluded spot. "How is Beizhou?"
"Everything is normal, madam. Do you wish to send a message back to the capital?" the shopkeeper asked as he helped Jiang Jin undress.
"This fabric came from the body of a suicide soldier, the arrows from the Third Prince's residence, and the wife and daughter of the Prefect of Songzhou were ambushed and killed on the river, but no one was injured. Remember to pass this information on to His Highness without missing a single word." Jiang Jin nodded to the shopkeeper after putting on his outer garment.
"Is it true that Beizhou is imposing additional river taxes and city entry taxes?" Jiang Jin asked the shopkeeper, putting her jade pendant back on.
"That's true. I imagine people in the capital know about it." The shopkeeper helped Jiang Jin straighten her hair ornaments. "My lady, please be careful."
"Alright." Jiang Jin lifted the curtain and looked at Wei Shu standing outside, saying, "My lord, I really like this dress. Aren't you going to pay for it?"
"Bring three more round-necked robes, keep the change!" Wei Shu placed a string of copper coins on the table.
"Alright, sir, please wait a moment!" The shopkeeper soon brought over three robes. "Please take these, sir."
When Wei Shu arrived at the city gate with the three robes, Zhou Cong and the other man had already been waiting there for a long time. "Let's get out of the city first!"
Jiang Jin breathed a sigh of relief after the four of them rode out of the city. Zhou Cong then quietly told Wei Shu the information he had gathered. Jiang Jin didn't mind riding alongside Wei Shu.
On the first day of May, the four finally arrived in Yuezhou, weary from their journey. Unlike Beizhou, the officials in Yuezhou were very kind.
"After you two enter the city, you can go to the inn first. Outsiders receive a subsidy for their first night here," the official said with a smile, pointing to the inn in the distance.
"Thank you both, brothers." Wei Shu bowed and led Jiang Jin into the city. "Zhou Cong and Zhou Liao will enter the city tomorrow. Let's go to the inn to stay first, and they will come tomorrow."
"Alright." Wei Shu helped Jiang Jin into the inn. "A superior room, please!"
"You two have come at the perfect time. There's only one superior room left today." The innkeeper took the copper coins and pointed to the second floor. "Your room is at the very back. You look like you're from out of town, don't you?"
"Yes, we have come to Yuezhou seeking a son." Jiang Jin's voice came from behind her veil.
"Then I must return some of this money to you." With that, the shopkeeper took out a few copper coins from his hand and placed them in Wei Shu's hand. "Our governor ordered that we treat outsiders well. Although these copper coins are few, they can still buy one or two steamed buns to stave off hunger."
"Thank you." Wei Shu held the copper coin and led Jiang Jin upstairs.
"How is it?" Jiang Jin took off her veil and carefully examined the inn.
“The local customs are good. Our journey here at least proves that the people of Yuezhou have not been mistreated.” Wei Shu took off his cloak and placed it on the rack. “It’s like the opposite extreme of Beizhou.”
"Either this governor is extremely good at hiding his true intentions, or the Sima is making a false accusation, but the assassins sent from the capital all indicate that this matter is not simple." Jiang Jin stared intently at Wei Shu.
"According to the scouts, the governor's wife is very fond of doing good deeds. You can wander around the city for the next few days, and I will have Zhou Cong accompany you."
"Okay." Jiang Jin agreed without hesitation.
"It's getting late, you should get some rest." Wei Shu spread his cloak on the ground. "You can cover yourself with the blanket while I sleep on the floor, so you won't be lusting after me in the middle of the night."
"Then thank you very much, General, for sacrificing yourself." Jiang Jin, covered by the quilt, looked at the bed curtains and pondered the events unfolding in Yuezhou. A strange fragrance wafted over, and Jiang Jin drifted into a deep sleep. Wei Shu lifted the bed curtains and checked Jiang Jin's breathing before feeling relieved.
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