Empress Dowager
"Wei Shu, I'm back!" Jiang Jin had just stepped into the courtyard when she saw Wei Shu writing with her calligraphy brush.
"You're practicing calligraphy too?" Jiang Jin reached out and picked up the Xuan paper on the table. "We've been married since childhood, and our love is unwavering. I didn't realize General Wei could read such love poems."
“I’m practicing calligraphy from Madam’s copybook. The poems in it are naturally for Madam to practice. But does Madam know what the last two lines of this poem are?” Wei Shu gently squeezed Jiang Jin’s hand, pulling her into his embrace.
“I’m not well-educated, so of course I don’t know. If Lord Wei wants to compose love poems, he’s picked the wrong person.” Jiang Jin pulled Wei Shu’s hand away. “If you have nothing better to do, you can think more about the Sangzhou affair and see what kind of person could scheme against you.”
"Is Madam worried about me?" Wei Shu's hand brushed past Jiang Jin's earlobe and landed on her shoulder.
"I'm just worried about becoming a widow. Don't get handsy in broad daylight." Jiang Jin slapped Wei Shu's hand away and had only taken a few steps when he picked her up.
"Wei Shu, what are you doing?" Jiang Jin grabbed Wei Shu by the back of the neck, but hesitated to use force for fear of hurting him.
"Don't worry, I'm not a beast, I won't do anything to you. I had someone send some scar-removing cream from the capital, I'll apply it for you." Wei Shu placed Jiang Jin on the soft couch and took out a small porcelain box from his waist.
"I've already seen whether you're a beast or not. You've done things in broad daylight before." Jiang Jin turned her face away from Wei Shu and reached out to pull open her thin outer garment. "Let's apply the medicine."
Warm fingers picked up a tiny bit of ointment, and after it melted slightly, carefully applied it to Jiang Jin's scar.
"This ointment was made by the imperial physicians at my request. It won't harm your body; if you apply it daily for a while, you'll recover completely." Wei Shu carefully blew on it for Jiang Jin.
"It's already scabbed over and doesn't hurt anymore, why are you blowing on it like that?" Jiang Jin straightened her outer shirt and then rolled up her sleeves. "I need to put medicine on my arm too."
"You're really tough on yourself. It's fortunate that such a deep wound hasn't festered, otherwise you wouldn't be sitting here talking to me like this." This time, Wei Shu showed no mercy, applying ointment harshly to the whitish wound.
"If you hadn't been keeping an eye on me, how could I have resorted to such a desperate measure? Do you think I don't feel pain?" Jiang Jin pulled her arm back. "It's all your fault. You made my arm all red just from applying the medicine!"
Jiang Jin held up her arm in front of Wei Shu. Her fair arm bore several scars of varying depths and faint red marks.
"It's good that you know it hurts. Let's see if you dare to do it again next time." Wei Shu helped Jiang Jin lower her sleeves. "I'll send someone to keep an eye on Sangzhou. What will Princess Zhaoyang do?"
"What, you want to find out His Highness's every move from me? Let me tell you, I've sealed all the doors and windows shut!" Jiang Jin grabbed Wei Shu's sleeve and shooed him out the door.
"Enjoy your pleasures tonight, go and enjoy yourself, I'm going to rest!" As the heavy door slammed shut, Jiang Jin raised her hand and smelled the ointment on her arm; it had a faint jasmine scent. "Not bad, you put some thought into it."
Jiang Jin lowered the bed curtains. The recent exertion had left her extremely tired, and she fell asleep almost immediately after her head hit the pillow.
"Ah Jin, wake up, it's time for dinner." Jiang Jin felt like there were bugs buzzing in her ear, so she swatted them away.
"Jiang Jin, Princess Zhaoyang has arrived and is waiting for you outside."
"What?! Your Highness is here!" Jiang Jin suddenly opened her eyes and sat bolt upright.
"Didn't you wake up quickly? Or was Madam deliberately hitting me while she was asleep?" Jiang Jin saw Wei Shu cover her face, smile sheepishly, and then straighten up again. "Didn't I close the door? How did you get in?"
“Since my wife hasn’t sealed the windows, I’ll naturally go through the window.” Wei Shu lifted the bed curtains and pointed to the window beside him.
"A dignified General of the Imperial Guard actually climbing through a window? If word gets out, people will laugh their heads off." Jiang Jin was once again struck by Wei Shu's shamelessness.
"Visiting the lady's boudoir is naturally a husband's duty," Wei Shu said shamelessly, moving closer to Jiang Jin.
"If you keep going like this, I'm really going to sleep in His Highness's courtyard!" Jiang Jin covered Wei Shu's mouth and pushed him back.
"Jiang Jin, you're murdering your husband!" Wei Shu was still savoring the lingering scent of Jiang Jin's fingers on his lips.
"Wei Shu, can you please stop acting like that?" Jiang Jin looked at Wei Shu with disdain.
"If I'm not mistaken, the imperial edict will be issued tomorrow, and we can return to the capital," Wei Shu said seriously, his playful demeanor gone.
"Three clans?" Jiang Jin sat down in front of the dressing table, looked at herself in the mirror, and twitched the corners of her mouth.
“It should be.” Wei Shu got off the bed and walked behind Jiang Jin, holding her shoulders. “I have already sent people to Sangzhou to protect your sister, but there are rumors in the capital that tin mines have been discovered in Sangzhou. Could this be the work of you and Princess Zhaoyang?”
“I don’t understand what the general is saying.” Jiang Jin turned around and leaned against Wei Shu’s chest, her arms tightly around Wei Shu’s waist. “I only know that if the Sun family wants to scheme against you, then the situation is more complicated now and you will be a little safer.”
"You did this for me?" Wei Shu was momentarily stunned. He had considered that Lou Xuan might be after the tin mine, or that Jiang Jin might be adding fuel to the fire, but he never dared to imagine that Jiang Jin was afraid he would fall into a trap and was willing to drag everyone down with him.
"I'm afraid you'll fall into their trap, but I have no one else I can use right now. I can only beg Your Highness to drag everyone down with you, at least you won't be the only one who drowns." Wei Shu slowly squatted down and looked directly at Jiang Jin. This was one of the few times he had felt genuine sincerity.
"Are you sincere, or just genuinely worried about me?" Wei Shu gripped Jiang Jin's hand tightly, afraid of hearing a negative answer from her.
"It's true that I'm genuinely worried about you, but this plan is the result of careful consideration and isn't just driven by concern." Jiang Jin understood Wei Shu's hesitation and patiently explained to him.
"It's alright, as long as there's a sliver of sincerity, that's enough." At this moment, Wei Shu seemed to have returned to the flood that claimed many lives many years ago, when he could only eat tree bark among the refugees.
When Wei Shu happened to encounter people trying to steal his food, he fiercely attacked them. By chance, the Emperor, taking pity on him, came to investigate and took him back to his residence. From then on, Wei Shu lived a life of comfort and rose rapidly in rank.
"Wei Shu, rest assured, it's from the bottom of my heart, and I promise I'm absolutely sincere." Jiang Jin gently kissed Wei Shu's cheek.
"I've said we're one, husband and wife, and that will never change." Jiang Jin withdrew her hand and placed it on Wei Shu's.
"Alright!" Wei Shu's eyes reddened slightly. He had never known what love was, but he had seen His Majesty's love for the Crown Prince and the Third Prince mixed with calculation; those were not true love. He had thought he would never be fortunate enough to receive love in this life, but he never expected to meet Jiang Jin.
"Alright, what kind of pathetic sight is this, a dignified General of the Imperial Guard looking like this?" Jiang Jin covered Wei Shu's eyes, hot tears streaming from Jiang Jin's palms.
"Jiang Jin, I'm sorry." Wei Shu rested his head on Jiang Jin's neck and apologized to her again and again in her ear, "I hurt you before."
"It's okay, I lied to you before too." Jiang Jin gently patted Wei Shu's back. "We're even now."
As Jiang Jin was comforting Jiang Jin, Xue Ya's voice rang out from outside the door, "Madam Wei, Her Highness the Princess requests your presence for a talk."
"Wei Shu, I'll go see His Highness first, don't cry." Wei Shu held Jiang Jin's hand tightly, not letting her leave, acting exactly like an abandoned child.
"I promise I'll be back soon." Jiang Jin pecked Wei Shu on the lips, and Wei Shu reluctantly let go.
Xueya breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Jiang Jin leave. "It was a bit presumptuous of me to bother you so late at night, my lady."
"What happened? If it wasn't something extremely urgent, His Highness wouldn't have sent you to wake me so late." Jiang Jin hurriedly ran towards Lou Xuan's courtyard.
"His Highness had a fight with Commandant Chang and is now drunk. I think only you, my wife, can relieve His Highness's worries."
Xueya followed Jiang Jin all the way to Lou Xuan's courtyard, where she saw Chang Yi sitting upright. The harsh sounds of Lou Xuan smashing things could be heard coming from the house.
"What are you all doing at the door? Why aren't you going in? If anything happens to Her Highness the Princess, do you think you can bear the Emperor's wrath?" Jiang Jin launched into a veiled attack before finally entering the house, amidst the sound of shattering porcelain.
"Madam Jiang, I'll accompany you inside." Xueya glanced at the people around her with exasperation, then followed Jiang Jin into the house and closed the door. Just as she stepped inside, a teacup shattered at her feet.
"Who let you in? Get out of here!" Lou Xuan, head bowed, immediately assumed a defensive posture upon hearing someone enter.
"It's me, A-Xuan." Jiang Jin's gentle voice soothed Lou Xuan's anxiety.
"You haven't called me by my name in so long." Lou Xuan felt a pang of regret as she saw the shards at Jiang Jin's feet.
"Xueya, who told you to call Ajin here? Get out here and kneel down!" Lou Xuan stumbled to his feet and looked at Jiang Jin. "Are you alright?"
"Xueya, please prepare some hangover soup for His Highness." Xueya nodded, feeling somewhat relieved.
"It's rare to see Your Highness like this. Is something bothering you?" Jiang Jin helped Lou Xuan sit on the soft couch and considerately kicked the broken pieces away.
"Father wants to make Consort Gui Empress, and A-Jin wants to make Consort Gui Empress!" Lou Xuan's smile was ferocious as she gripped the small wooden table on the couch tightly.
"Who does she think she is, daring to steal my mother's position as empress? All she knows are underhanded schemes and petty tricks!" Lou Xuan picked up a teacup and threw it fiercely towards the door. "I want her dead!"
"His Majesty has already issued the decree?" Jiang Jin pried Lou Xuan's hand open, revealing numerous cuts and scratches from shards of porcelain.
"I've already had the Secretariat draft an edict; I want her to be my posthumous wife!" Lou Xuan's eyes were filled with hatred.
“Your Highness, at least it was only a decree drafted by your subordinates, not an imperial edict issued by His Majesty himself.” Jiang Jin was more composed than Lou Xuan.
"Your Highness, your marriage was personally decreed by His Majesty, and the congratulatory message alone is a lengthy and elaborate piece. If His Majesty truly loves the Consort, he would surely do the same." Jiang Jin applied medicine to Lou Xuan's palm, and the pain in her palm brought Lou Xuan back to her senses somewhat.
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