Murmurs in Illness
Around noon, a commotion outside woke Jiang Jin. She got out of bed and carefully opened the door, only to find Fu Yuan protecting Zhong Wu, arguing with someone.
"Are you being unreasonable? We were the ones who ordered the grilled fish first, and the staff put it on our table. What right do you have to take it away?"
Zhong Wu had probably never seen such a shameless person before; he racked his brains and managed to utter a few meaningless words.
"My surname is Dou. Have you heard of the Dou family of Fufeng?" The man shoved Fu Yuan aside.
"How dare a powerless and insignificant member of the Fu family from the North act so arrogantly in front of me? Don't even mention me taking your fish; even if I kick you out, what can your Fu family say?"
Jiang Jin ignored it and closed the door, but the next second, Zhong Wu screamed. Jiang Jin frowned but opened the door anyway. Fu Yuan was kicked to the ground by the man and couldn't move, while Zhong Wu trembled and shielded him.
"Get lost, don't dirty my eyes!" The man was about to kick Zhong Wu when he was startled by an arrow that whizzed past him. Jiang Jin was standing on the second floor, holding a bow and arrow, watching him.
"Anyone who's not afraid to die, come at me! My bow and arrows don't discriminate." Seeing Jiang Jin's arrogant demeanor, the man couldn't contain his anger.
"Which family are you from, the Wang or the Du? Let me tell you, I'm from the Dou family! The current emperor's empress is the daughter of Duke Dou, and the crown prince has half Dou family blood. The Dou family will surely be incredibly powerful in the future. If anything happens to me, the Dou family won't let you off the hook!" Jiang Jin sneered upon hearing this.
"Bloodline is truly a wondrous thing." Jiang Jin drew his bow and pointed it at the man.
"Please send someone to invite the county magistrate and tell him that there is trouble here." The man said confidently, "Even if it's the prefect, so what? They're just a collateral branch of the Wang family."
"Governor Wang will surely be heartbroken to hear this."
Jiang Jin put away his bow and arrows and quietly looked at the man. "Officials elsewhere might let you off the hook because you're from the Dou family, but not in Zhuxi County. Doesn't anyone in the Dou family tell you who the magistrate is here?"
The man, seeing Jiang Jin's confident expression, immediately sensed something was wrong. "Who, who is it?"
"Master Tan Bo, the tutor of the princes, and His Majesty's junior brother—you can't be unaware of this common knowledge, can you?" Fu Yuan spoke after being pulled aside by Zhong Wu to catch his breath.
"What's there to fear from a retired old man!" The county constable's voice came from the doorway as soon as the man finished speaking.
"How dare you! How dare you question Elder Qin!" The county constable trembled with anger upon hearing the man's arrogant words as soon as he entered the room.
"This man, relying on the Dou family's status, bullies men and women, harasses the weak, and even claims that His Highness the Crown Prince has half Dou family blood, attempting to discuss court affairs and the position of heir apparent. Surely the Minister of the Imperial Household Department won't ignore this?" Jiang Jin spoke slowly, but the county magistrate's face gradually paled.
"Of course, such wicked people will never be tolerated in Zhuxi County." The county constable waved his hand, intending to take the man away.
"Lock him directly in the county jail. Even the emperor is subject to the same laws as commoners, let alone a mere commoner. I wonder if the county magistrate agrees with what I'm saying?" Jiang Jin's casual remark extinguished the magistrate's hopes of appeasement.
"Of course, that's exactly what I'm planning too. I doubt the Dou family would be so petty as to bother a mere county constable like me." The county constable smiled and said so. Jiang Jin didn't press him any further, just smiled and looked at him.
“Young Master Dou, whether you agree in your heart or not, you should at least try to restrain yourself on the surface. Although Lord Dou is indeed His Highness the Crown Prince's maternal grandfather, you can't openly say that the Dou family has sided with His Highness the Crown Prince. Where does that leave His Majesty? Shouldn't the most important thing for court officials be loyalty to His Majesty?” Jiang Jin only put away his bow and arrows and went downstairs after seeing the yamen runners restrain the Dou family member.
"Look at you, you don't even understand the principle of not showing your emotions. How pathetic!" Jiang Jin patted Dou Langjun's face with an arrow.
"Don't worry, even if the Dou family finds out, they won't come to your aid. It's truly foolish of you to announce the matter of choosing an heir so openly in public!" Jiang Jin's laughter echoed in the inn, making the Dou family's young master, who was being held down, somewhat uneasy.
"Who exactly are you? And who here can testify for you that I spoke recklessly about state affairs!" Seeing that Dou Langjun was still not giving up, Jiang Jin could only sigh slightly and look at him with some pity.
"Before you offend someone next time, remember to check your brain to see if it's full of water and bubbling."
Jiang Jin couldn't help but sigh, wondering why such foolish people always appeared before him in aristocratic families, or whether there was truly a problem with the education system within these families.
"Suppress them." Jiang Jin didn't want to communicate with fools, so she waved her hand, ordering the young master to suppress the person.
"Thank you for your help, Madam Jiang. May I ask your identity?" Fu Yuan, supported by Zhong Wu, walked to Jiang Jin's side and asked cautiously.
"Just ordinary people, nothing to mention." Jiang Jin nodded slightly and turned to go back to her room, but Fu Yuan stopped her in a low voice.
"Actually, regardless of whether there were witnesses to what just happened, as long as this matter is brought before His Majesty, even if there are no witnesses, there will be, right?" Fu Yuan spoke very softly, but Jiang Jin heard him clearly.
"Or rather, there is no need for witnesses at all."
Jiang Jin smiled and turned around to reply, "Young Master Fu, this is not something an ordinary commoner like me can comment on. I only know that the magistrate of Zhuxi County is Elder Qin, so I was a bit bold. But you want me to guess His Majesty's intentions? I don't have that kind of ability."
Jiang Jin returned to the inn and wrote a letter: "Yi Yi, send a message to the capital."
"Yes." Yi Yi disappeared from the room instantly with the letter in hand. Jiang Jin sat down on a stool, feeling somewhat tired. She didn't know why she had been feeling so exhausted lately. Jiang Jin touched her forehead and found it was a little hot. She relaxed, thinking it was just a fever and some kind of serious illness.
Jiang Jin put on a cloak and left the inn. After asking several people, she finally found the only clinic in the county.
"Is there anything wrong with Madam's health?" The doctor took her pulse and looked at Jiang Jin's somewhat tired appearance, saying, "It's just ordinary wind-heat, but Madam has some internal stagnation and a deficiency of qi and blood. If it is not regulated early, it may affect her lifespan."
"It's nothing, just please look at some medicinal herbs for treating wind-heat."
Jiang Jin ignored the doctor's subsequent words, gave him the copper coins, and took the medicine back to the inn. Only after asking the waiter to brew the medicine did he feel relieved.
Jiang Jin returned to her room and sat at the table, propping her head up with her hand. The lingering effects of the heat were only now beginning to show. Feeling weak, she slumped onto the table, her body aching, her forehead burning even hotter than before. She thought she vaguely saw Wei Shu, but upon closer inspection, it was just a wooden frame.
Jiang Jin touched her head, too weak even to laugh, and whispered, "Yi Er, help me to bed." With her last ounce of strength, Jiang Jin summoned Yi Er.
"My lady, perhaps we should call a doctor to give you some acupuncture? You don't look well at all," Yi Er said worriedly, looking at Jiang Jin.
"No need, I'll feel better after taking the medicine." Jiang Jin lay down on the couch, half-asleep, covered by the blanket.
"Madam, your medicine is ready." The waiter knocked on the door several times but received no response. Fearing something had happened to the person inside, he was about to break down the door when Jiang Jin opened it, her face flushed.
"Thank you, could you please put the medicine on the table for me?" Jiang Jin was still a little dizzy, but she forced herself to sit down on the stool.
"Madam, should we send someone to find your husband? If something happens to you while you're alone in your room, at least someone will be there to take care of you." The waiter looked at Jiang Jin with some fear.
"It's alright, I'll feel better after taking the medicine, no need to trouble my husband." Jiang Jin forcefully picked up the bowl and drank the bitter medicine in one gulp.
"Then I won't disturb Madam's rest any longer." The waiter closed the door, and Jiang Jin got up and bolted it. With her last bit of strength, she moved to the edge of the bed. Perhaps it was the effect of the medicine, but Jiang Jin covered herself with the blanket and fell into a deep sleep.
When Wei Shu returned to the inn in the evening, he found that he couldn't open the door. He didn't know whether Jiang Jin had done it intentionally or unintentionally, so he went downstairs.
"Young master, you're finally back. Your wife doesn't seem to be feeling well today. She got some medicine and is probably sleeping right now. I told her I'd send someone to find you, but she said not to bother." The shop assistant looked at Wei Shu with a strange expression.
"Are you sick?" Wei Shu frowned. "Could you please prepare some light dishes? I'll see if I can come in from the outside."
The waiter responded, and Wei Shu went around to the window, looked at the tightly closed window, jumped up, and landed on a nearby tree. He reached out and pushed open the window. Inside, it was very quiet; Jiang Jin was sleeping on the couch.
Ignoring everything else, Wei Shu jumped in, touched Jiang Jin's forehead and found it was a little hot. He then changed her face with a damp cloth, opened the door and quietly asked the waiter to stew a bowl of lily and pear soup.
"Jiang Jin, even if we're not lovers who understand each other perfectly, we're still partners who have shared life and death. I never expected you to be so distant with me, even afraid to bother me when you're sick." Wei Shu sighed and changed Jiang Jin's handkerchief.
"Your Highness, Your Highness, it's alright, it's alright," Jiang Jin mumbled, still somewhat delirious from the fever.
"Your Highness, I'm so sorry, Your Highness, Your Highness..." Jiang Jin's forehead and neck were covered in sweat, which Wei Shu carefully wiped away with a handkerchief.
"Your Highness, Your Highness, I'm scared!" Jiang Jin kept repeating the word "Your Highness" as if she were having a nightmare. Wei Shu, being a martial artist, naturally recognized what Jiang Jin was saying from the first time, but subconsciously ignored it.
Unexpectedly, Jiang Jin kept muttering about that prince in her dreams, making it impossible for Wei Shu to ignore that grating voice.
"Jiang Jin, is His Highness so important to you that you think of him even when you have a fever and are unconscious?" Wei Shu lowered his head to look at Jiang Jin. The blush on her face hadn't faded, and her lips were a little dry.
"I really want to wake you up and see who's taking care of you at this hour." Wei Shu changed Jiang Jin's handkerchief again and then held her hand.
"Your hands are so hot, and you still dare to be alone in the room? You really don't value your life." Wei Shu sat in front of the couch. In the dimly lit room, only Jiang Jin's occasional soft voice could be heard.
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