Goodbye, Ah-Zuo
On her day off, Jiang Jin slept in late for the first time ever. When she opened her eyes, she found herself being held tightly in Wei Shu's arms.
"You're back?" Wei Shu stroked Jiang Jin's hair and hummed in agreement. "His Majesty said we should go to Beizhou together the day after tomorrow."
"Really!" Jiang Jin suddenly stood up and looked at Wei Shu in disbelief. "Is it really us?"
"Indeed, His Majesty said that since the Secretariat has the responsibility of review, then supervising Beizhou is also within your jurisdiction. His Majesty has granted you the supervisory duties, but you must investigate the truth thoroughly and cannot be careless." Wei Shu rarely looked at Jiang Jin with a serious expression.
"I have a feeling that this trip to Beizhou is not simple." Jiang Jin thought to himself, recalling what had happened on the ship, and secretly became more vigilant.
“Beizhou is even more unscrupulous than Bianzhou, but it is neither a prestigious family nor a prominent clan. So what is the source of its confidence?” Jiang Jin stared intently at Wei Shu.
Wei Shu grabbed Jiang Jin's arm and pulled her into his embrace. "Didn't you already guess? Do you really need to hear a definite answer from me?"
"Alright, then I won't make things difficult for you. I need to get up and have breakfast." Jiang Jin broke free from Wei Shu's embrace and got off the bed.
"Abei, go to the kitchen and call for breakfast." Jiang Jin, having finished dressing, looked at Wei Shu, who was still lying on the couch, and asked, "Aren't you getting up to eat?"
"I'm not eating, I'm too sleepy," Wei Shu mumbled, then fell silent. Jiang Jin quietly closed the door and went to the side hall to eat.
"My lady, I've already placed that wooden box at the very bottom of the chests in the storeroom," Abei whispered in Jiang Jin's ear.
"Hmm, keep this porridge warm on the stove, in case Wei Shu gets sick, we can eat it right away." Jiang Jin took a few bites of side dishes and asked A Bei in a low voice, "Go to the clothing store and ask if Song Zhimin has left. If not, tell him to hurry up."
"Yes, my lady." Jiang Jin had a feeling that something was slowly slipping out of her control. Did Song Zhimin's sudden return to the capital indicate that her control over Sangzhou was weakening?
"Go and fetch all the letters from the Sangzhou Clothing Shop. Why haven't I heard a single word about such a big event as Song Zhimin's return to the capital?" Jiang Jin put down her chopsticks.
"My lady, won't this displease His Highness?" Jiang Jin naturally knew what Abei could see. "I know, it's alright, I'm just looking at the letter."
Jiang Jin glanced at the somewhat frightened Abei and said helplessly, "Your Highness won't be angry with me because of these things."
"Madam..." Although Abei hesitated for a moment, he still agreed. When they arrived at the clothing store, the shopkeeper seemed to have been waiting for him all along.
"Madam Abei, this is the fabric from Sangzhou that Madam Wei requested; it's very fashionable." Abei returned to the manor as if carrying a thousand-pound weight of fabric.
"My lady, it seems the shopkeeper already knew my purpose." Abei pulled out the thick stack of letters and handed them to Jiang Jin.
"I understand, Abei, you can go now." Jiang Jin opened the letters; they were all normal exchanges, occasionally mentioning news of Song Zhimin. The last letter, sent half a month ago, clearly stated that Song Zhimin had left Sangzhou for the capital.
Jiang Jin put down the letter and slumped onto the table. Lou Xuan had indeed known for a long time that Song Zhimin was coming to the capital, but why didn't he stop him and instead allowed him to enter the estate?
"Your Highness." The shopkeeper looked behind Abei and then went up to the third floor. Lou Xuan, who was reading a book, asked without hesitation, "She came to pick up the correspondence from Sangzhou, right?"
"Yes, it's already been given to Lady Abei." The shopkeeper stood behind Lou Xuan, looking at her back. Unbeknownst to her, the former little princess had become someone who could manipulate the court. "Your Highness, shouldn't you explain this to Lady Jiang?"
"No need. Song Zhimin will show up sooner or later. Rather than letting things get out of control, it's better to expose him directly within a controllable range. Didn't Ajin also ruthlessly drive him out of the capital?" Lou Xuan smiled at the shopkeeper.
"I thought Song Zhimin could stir up even a shred of emotion in Ajin, but it turns out he's completely useless." Lou Xuan tapped her fingers lightly on the table.
"Is Your Highness afraid that Lady Jiang will fall into Wei Shu's trap?" The shopkeeper wondered why Lou Xuan wanted to stir up ripples in the calm pond.
"I just want Ah Jin to be more cautious. Giving yourself away completely isn't a good thing. Ah Jin will understand what I mean." Lou Xuan put down her book. "Alright, I should go back to the palace now. I'm a bit tired from preparing for the wedding lately."
Lou Zuo knew the marriage was a done deal and stopped interfering with the Dou family; he just wasn't as keen on it. Lou Xuan, however, didn't care, as the Ministry of Rites was handling everything, and it wouldn't embarrass the imperial family.
"Your Highness, the plot of land the Ministry of Rites selected for you is quite a distance from the palace," the shopkeeper said with some dissatisfaction.
"We have to show it to Father Emperor eventually. As long as Father Emperor approves, even if the land has a thousand or a hundred flaws, it will become excellent." Lou Xuan put the book back in its original place. "Don't come to me unless it's something important these days. If there is something really important, just give it to Zhai Wan and have her come to the palace to see me."
Lou Xuan left the clothing shop and walked alone towards the palace. The capital was vast, and she hadn't had a proper chance to explore it in recent years due to her busy schedule. However, now that Da Yan was under her control, she could easily visit whenever she wanted.
"Your Highness." Xueya breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Lou Xuan wearing a veiled hat at the palace gate. "Your Highness, the Imperial Concubine has suddenly sent someone to invite Your Highness to come over for a chat."
"I'll decline it. I'll just say I'm too tired from preparing for the wedding." Lou Xuan didn't want to deal with the Imperial Concubine anymore. Every time she complained about her exhaustion, she felt like she was talking to a brick wall.
"But that maid refuses to leave. She's a palace maid serving the Imperial Concubine, after all. We can't just throw her into the inner palace, can we?" Xueya said, somewhat conflicted. Lou Xuan rubbed her temples.
"Fine, I'll go see what other tricks she has up her sleeve." Lou Xuan led Xueya to the Shujing Palace, where Consort Fang, wearing a phoenix crown, was leisurely eating lychees.
"Your Majesty, Princess Zhaoyang has arrived." Consort Fang opened her eyes and waved her hand. "Quickly, let the princess in."
As soon as Lou Xuan entered the hall, he saw a basin of lychees and a thick block of ice.
"Your subject greets Your Highness, the Noble Consort." Noble Consort Fang naturally wanted Lou Xuan to squat a little longer, but due to His Majesty's presence, she had no choice but to quickly have her rise.
"Alright, get up. The princess is about to get married, so she shouldn't keep running outside the palace like this. What if something happens?" Consort Fang, sitting at the head of the table, looked down at Lou Xuan.
"Under the Emperor's rule, the Great Yan Dynasty is thriving, and the capital must be enjoying peace and prosperity. The things Your Highness is worried about should not happen." Lou Xuan took a deep breath and then sat down.
"Although your husband comes from a humble background, he is still an official in the court, so I imagine the princess has nothing to complain about." Consort Fang's sarcastic tone only fueled Lou Xuan's annoyance.
"What important matter has Your Highness summoned me here today?" Lou Xuan didn't want to beat around the bush with Consort Fang anymore and went straight to the point.
"Actually, it's nothing serious. It's just that I haven't seen you in a long time, and I really miss the princess. Since the Imperial Palace sent over the princess's wedding crown, why don't we take it back with us?" Xueya held the light and airy phoenix crown while inwardly cursing.
"Your Highness!" Xueya placed the hair crown on the table as soon as she returned to Huiyue Palace. "This servant feels that the weight of this crown is not quite right."
"Then let's lift it up and take a look." Lou Xuan glanced indifferently at the lifted hair ornament. It looked like it was just a gold-plated carving, without any valuable pearls or gemstones on it.
"If Your Highness were to wear this crown to your wedding, wouldn't you be laughed at? More importantly, the royal family would be ridiculed." Xueya quickly covered her hair with the crown, afraid that Lou Xuan would be angry if she saw it.
"Go and send the crown to the Bureau of Ceremonial Affairs. Tell them that if they make my wedding crown like this, I wouldn't mind sending them all to the Imperial Household Department to learn proper etiquette, or perhaps the Imperial Household Department is where they really want to go!" Lou Xuan waved her hand, and Xue Ya hurriedly went to deliver the message to the Bureau of Ceremonial Affairs.
Yunwu served Lou Xuan a cup of tea, the refreshing aroma of which dispelled some of the gloom in Lou Xuan's heart. "Your Highness, who in this palace doesn't know that the Shanggong Bureau and Shujing Palace are in cahoots? Otherwise, they wouldn't dare to make Your Highness's wedding crown look like that even if they had a hundred lives."
"It's just that the Consort wants to see me make a scene. When will she stop using such petty tricks?" Lou Xuan sometimes found herself exhausted dealing with Consort Fang. She couldn't be called vicious, but she was far from kind either.
"Yunwu, go and sort through the dowry my father gave me. I'm worried someone might tamper with it." Yunwu was startled and quickly bowed and took her leave.
"Is Your Highness afraid that the Imperial Concubine will make a foolish move?" Song Luo massaged Lou Xuan's shoulders.
"I'm afraid someone might take advantage of the Consort's foolish move; after all, this harem is full of venomous snakes lurking in the shadows." Lou Xuan grew increasingly cautious as the wedding date approached.
"What if someone lays a hand on Commandant Chang?" Songluo was somewhat afraid of Chang Yi.
"If he can't even withstand this kind of scheming, then there's no need for him to be my son-in-law." Lou Xuan had no intention of helping Chang Yi now, and besides, she didn't think Chang Yi would fall for those people's tricks.
"Alright, I'm a little tired." Lou Xuan went into the inner room, lit a candle, and smiled as she looked at the cold, impersonal house. Her blood-related younger brother cared for her less than her father, the Emperor.
"Ah Zuo, I've given you chances, but unfortunately you haven't seized them once." Lou Xuan opened the drawer and looked at the wooden carving inside.
“A-Zuo, I used to protect you, but now I have to let go. I wonder if you and your Crown Princess can stand on your own. But I don’t think so, otherwise how could Consort Chen, who has lived in the Eastern Palace for so long, have lost her child?”
Lou Xuan picked up the wooden carving and placed it in the incense burner, as if he were seeing Lou Zuo as a child. Back then, Lou Zuo's face was fair and tender, and a scratch would leave a small red mark. Back then, Lou Zuo would follow behind him, calling him "sister" all the time. Back then, Lou Zuo said that when he grew up, he would protect his country and make sure his sister lived a happy life.
"Goodbye, little A-Zuo." Lou Xuan wiped away her tears and smiled brightly at the incense burner. "Your Highness, hello."
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