Fu Yuan
When Jiang Jin was forced to stand in front of the masked man, she looked at Song Zhimin in a flustered manner and asked, "My lord, what have I done wrong?"
"Hmph, so-called first female official, nothing special!" The masked man beckoned, and Jiang Jin was forced to his feet.
"I heard you're Lou Xuan's confidant. I can't mistreat her now, but I can leave some wounds on you. You have a pretty face, bright and sparkling, and your eyes are like a clear spring. Do you think Lou Xuan would be so angry that he'd vomit blood if I ruined your face and gouged out your eyes?"
Jiang Jin was pinned down and unable to move. "My lord, save me! I haven't done anything! I've been reading the Instructions for Women!"
Song Zhimin kicked away the person pinning Jiang Jin down, his eyes cold. "Jin is your trump card to threaten Lou Xuan. If she dies, do you think Wei Shu and Lou Xuan will go crazy? Then there will be no way out!" Song Zhimin helped Jiang Jin up, carefully examining the marks on her wrists.
"Fine, I won't touch her, but I have a pill here that she absolutely must take." The masked man gripped Jiang Jin's chin and shoved the red pill into her mouth.
"The antidote is only given once a month. If I die, you won't have the antidote either." Song Zhimin didn't stop them; they could give Jiang Jin the antidote after they succeeded.
"My lord, I'm scared." Jiang Jin timidly hid behind Song Zhimin, looking at the masked man.
"Take her downstairs to bathe, and throw away everything outside." The masked man, having learned from Zi Yuan's mistake, ordered everyone to discard all of Jiang Jin's belongings to prevent future trouble.
When Jiang Jin returned to her room, it was already evening. The setting sun shone on her. Jiang Jin touched the antidote hidden in her hair and breathed a sigh of relief.
"I'm sorry you had to go through this today." Song Zhimin felt a pang of guilt as he entered the room and saw Jiang Jin lost in thought.
"As long as I can stay by my lord's side, I'll do anything." Jiang Jin's obedient demeanor successfully charmed Song Zhimin.
"Alright, don't wander around tonight, someone will bring you food." Jiang Jin nodded, looking quite well-behaved for several days. Seven days later, she successfully moved into a normal house, but the two people guarding the door remained the same.
Days passed, and Jiang Jin was no longer in a hurry. The outside world was already in chaos. Wei Shu had exposed the matter in Sangzhou and reported it to the Emperor, and as expected, Sangzhou rebelled.
While bathing in the greenhouse, Jiang Jin pretended to accidentally fall, successfully getting her maid to fetch some liniment while she quickly changed into dirty clothes and ran towards the masked man's room.
Over the past few days, under the pretext of strolling around the courtyard, she had figured out the masked man's yard and daily routine. In the study, the maskless man was writing something. Surrounded by guards, she had no choice but to throw a stone in the opposite direction.
Two guards were successfully transferred. One of them went in to report, while Jiang Jin quickly threw a hairpin that hit both of them in the throat. She then quickly pulled out the hairpin and entered the courtyard. She went around to the study and saw a familiar face under the lamplight—Fu Yuan!
"Help! There's an assassin!" Upon hearing the approaching footsteps, Jiang Jin immediately climbed up the tree trunk, gritted her teeth, and jumped down from the wall beside her. Instead of experiencing intense pain, she landed in a warm embrace.
Wei Shu didn't explain, but simply carried Jiang Jin back to the greenhouse. Jiang Jin breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the maid hadn't returned.
"Ah Jin, time is running out." Wei Shu's voice came. Jiang Jin wiped her hairpin clean and placed it on the table. After taking off her dirty clothes, she slid down, and a large bump swelled up on her ankle.
"It's Fu Yuan. Have someone check where Fu Yuan is; he might be his twin brother." Jiang Jin leaned against the tub and closed her eyes. The maid rushed back in a panic, only to breathe a sigh of relief when she saw Jiang Jin asleep in the tub.
"My lady, are you alright?" Jiang Jin pretended to be woken up and was helped by a maid to change her clothes. The redness and swelling on her ankles were clearly visible.
"I've heard that your husband is ruthless. If he finds out you abandoned me, he'll definitely punish you." Jiang Jin didn't want to harm innocent people unless absolutely necessary.
"Don't worry, my lady, I haven't gone out." Only then did Jiang Jin realize that she didn't have any liniment for bruises or sprains.
"You...?" Jiang Jin subconsciously gripped the hairpin, and the maidservant knelt down with a smile.
"This servant, Sanyu, greets Registrar Jiang." Sanyu helped Jiang Jin sit down on a stool. "Registrar, Sangzhou has rebelled. Princess Zhaoyang has already arrived in Beizhou, and the Liu and Dou families have also sent people to the battlefield."
"Okay." Jiang Jin breathed a sigh of relief, when Song Zhimin's urgent knocking came from outside, "Jin, are you alright?"
When Sanyu rushed to open the door and saw Jiang Jin sitting safely on the stool, Song Zhimin visibly relaxed. "There was an assassination attempt outside. They killed many people, even the maids and servants. Luckily, you're alright." Song Zhimin reached out to shake Jiang Jin's hand, but he dodged it.
"My lord, how can you enter my warm and sheltered place? We are not yet married, this is truly inappropriate!" Jiang Jin frowned, her beautiful eyes showing a hint of affection even in her anger.
"How about we get married on the fifth day of the fourth month?" Song Zhimin looked at Jiang Jin expectantly, only to see her blush and nod slightly, her eyes full of shyness.
"Then I won't bother you anymore. Take good care of Lady Jiang, or I'll make sure you die a horrible death!" Song Zhimin was so overjoyed that he almost tripped over the threshold.
"How shameless!" Jiang Jin's face turned cold. Of course, she knew what day the fifth day of the fourth month was.
"Recorder." Sanyu helped Jiang Jin back to her bedroom and applied some medicine to her. "Princess Zhaoyang sent you some antidote pills, would you like to take some?"
Although Sanyu didn't know what kind of poison Jiang Jin had been given, anything sent by Princess Zhaoyang was definitely not ordinary.
"No need for now." Jiang Jin didn't administer the antidote because she was wary of the masked man suddenly taking her pulse. "After this incident, that masked man will definitely be more cautious, and we won't be able to get close." Jiang Jin sat on the carved stool, and Sanyu rubbed Jiang Jin's swollen ankle.
"Recorder, His Majesty means there's no rush; it can be completed within a month or so. The Liu family has already sent troops to support us, and things are in turmoil in the capital." Sanyu reminded Jiang Jin not to forget His Majesty's instructions.
"I understand." Jiang Jin was secretly calculating whether it would be easier to get to Song Zhimin if she started with him.
The weather in Sangzhou changed again and again, and the cries of merchants outside gradually subsided. Jiang Jin played the role of a demure young lady in front of Song Zhimin every day, which made Song Zhimin lower his guard. Although he didn't like Jiang Jin's current appearance, he had gotten used to it somewhat.
"How's the fighting going outside?" Jiang Jin asked San Yu, rubbing her ankle which no longer hurt.
"Princess Zhaoyang's forces have entered the capital. The battle at the front is going well. Commander Chang is skilled in surprise attacks, Princess Zhaoyang is adept at frontal assaults, and the He family's army has also contributed significantly," Sanyu said in a low voice.
"What about the Dou family's academy?" Jiang Jin took a sip of tea and touched the scabbed wound on her arm.
“The books inside were taken out ahead of time. They set fire to the place under the guise of rebels, but the guards saw that there were no casualties.” Sanyu looked at Jiang Jin and suggested, “Why don’t you go out for a walk? It’s getting a bit boring staying in the room all the time.”
"If I kill the person behind this, what are my chances of getting away unscathed?" Jiang Jin asked softly, looking at the trees outside that were beginning to sprout new buds.
"Don't worry, Your Majesty has connections in Sangzhou. They'll definitely be able to protect you and ensure your safe departure," Sanyu quickly reassured Jiang Jin, thinking she was afraid.
"It's nothing, I was just asking." Jiang Jin smiled and led Sanyu and the servant at the gate to the garden.
Although winter was over, it was still a bit chilly. Jiang Jin wrapped her cloak tighter around herself and looked at the sun in the sky.
"Ah Jin, why are you out today?" The closer the wedding day got, the more nervous Song Zhimin became, as if it were all just a mirage.
"Staying indoors all the time is a bit lazy, so I brought everyone out to soak up some sun." Jiang Jin, held in Song Zhimin's arms, flashed a hint of disgust in her eyes, but she still had to try her best to act.
"Ten days from now is our wedding day, and Ajin will become my wife." Song Zhimin hugged Jiang Jin tightly, inhaling her familiar scent.
"My lord, I have been waiting for this day for a long time." Jiang Jin curled his lips into a smile, his eyes blazing with barely suppressed killing intent.
"Ah Jin, is there anything you're not satisfied with in your wedding attire? It's all my fault for choosing such a tight date; you'll have to make do with what you have." Song Zhimin felt a surge of joy at the thought of marrying Jiang Jin on the day he was to marry Wei Shu.
"It's alright, as long as I can marry my lord, I'm willing to do anything." Sanyu blocked the servant's gaze with her figure, silently praying that Jiang Jin would restrain his murderous intent and not kill him in a fit of anger.
"How about you accompany me for a stroll in the garden, my lord?" Jiang Jin looked up again, her expression now as normal.
"Okay, I'll listen to A-Jin." Song Zhimin held Jiang Jin's hand and walked in the garden. He always had to see how Sangzhou and Beizhou were getting along. Lou Xuan, standing on the city wall watching Chang Yi, naturally saw him in the distance as well.
The next second, an arrow carrying a sharp killing intent grazed his shoulder, killing the soldier behind him. Lou Xuan lowered his bow and left the city wall. He didn't know what would happen to his aunt and sister, but he knew he would never be able to go back.
"Ah Jin, here's this month's antidote. Take it first." Song Zhimin placed a pill in Jiang Jin's palm.
"My lord, I'm afraid of these pills, and I'm afraid of everyone here." Although Jiang Jin said this, she still put the pill into her mouth.
"Soon, I'll have him give you the antidote as soon as this is over." Jiang Jin didn't speak, but simply nestled close to Song Zhimin.
"I believe in my husband," Jiang Jin bit her lip and silently added in her heart, "but perhaps it's better to believe in ghosts!"
As night fell, Jiang Jin lay on the couch, wide awake, when the sound of footsteps outside the door startled her, and she quickly closed her eyes.
A short while later, the door opened, and two sets of footsteps approached his bedside.
"Go and take her pulse. See if there's anything unusual about it." Jiang Jin recognized the voice as belonging to someone who looked just like Fu Yuan.
"If there's anything unusual, should we transport it directly to the back mountain?" A herbal scent wafted into Jiang Jin's nose, and another unfamiliar male voice rang out.
"Take her to the water dungeon, keep her under strict guard, and send her to her death after this is all over." The masked man's cold gaze swept over Jiang Jin.
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