Old friends reappear
"How did you know?" Qu Langjun looked at Jiang Jin in disbelief.
"Because it was me who was hit." Jiang Jin tapped the ground repeatedly with her toes, her skirt swaying from side to side as she did so. "This confirms that those of us who were in the Zichen Palace at the time can be ruled out as suspects." Jiang Jin quickly distanced herself from Lou Xuan.
"Then what do you two think we should do?" Qu Langjun was at his wit's end. He had thought he was following fate, but it turned out he had been deceived. Now he only hoped to find the person behind it all and prevent them from profiting from his misfortune.
"But there are very few people in the whole world who can obtain His Majesty's calligraphy and then copy it." Jiang Jin thought of several princes, but dared not say a word.
"Alright, we'll discuss this later. You can go back now." Wei Shu said, urging him to leave. Qu Langjun, seeing Wei Shu's face as black as the bottom of a pot, hurriedly led his family out of the courtyard.
"Zhou Liao, have someone keep an eye on them to make sure nothing happens to them, and more importantly, don't let them die too." Wei Shu personally assigned people to watch over them to prevent them from having any other intentions or for someone else to try to kill them to silence them.
"Jiang Jin, will you stay here or come with me to the government office for the trial?" Wei Shu noticed that Jiang Jin's face was somewhat pale. In truth, he was reluctant to take her with him; the days of running around had pushed her to her physical limits.
"It's alright, I'll go with you." Jiang Jin took a sip of strong tea and then bit into a small ice cube, putting it in her mouth. Wei Shu no longer stopped her and led Jiang Jin back to the government office, where they happened to run into the Imperial Guards bringing the boatman back.
As soon as they arrived, Qi Sima quickly bowed and gestured for Wei Shu to sit at the head of the table, while Jiang Jin sat to the side. Although his eyelids were trembling, he still managed to stay awake and listen to the boatman's testimony.
"When did Beizhou start collecting river taxes and city entry/exit taxes?" Wei Shu's face was cold, with a hint of murderous intent in his eyes, completely unlike his gentle and considerate demeanor just moments before.
"It's been several years." The boatman scratched his head somewhat awkwardly and said, "I don't really remember. We're used to these things."
"Sima, don't you know either?" Wei Shu's gaze fell on Sima, startling him so much that he hurriedly rose from his seat and knelt before the hall.
"All of this was done by Governor Qu. I could only agree with my superior. After all, he is the governor of a prefecture, and I cannot go to the capital to appeal to the emperor!" Sima lowered his head, not daring to look Wei Shu in the eye, afraid that if their eyes met, he would be thrown into prison the next second.
"When exactly?" Jiang Jin interrupted Sima's pleas for mercy. Since the entire Beizhou and all its officials were implicated, the most important thing now was to find the person behind it all.
"In the year since Prefect Qu took office, I advised him that this was not good for the people, but Prefect Qu insisted on doing so. We, as his subordinates, couldn't very well force him to do so." Jiang Jin mentally calculated how much money Prefect Qu had given to those behind the scenes over the years.
"General Wei, I suggest we interrogate these boatmen separately, and then bring back a few more boatmen who just docked from the pier for further interrogation, to prevent them from colluding." Jiang Jin stood up and said to Wei Shu, "General Wei, I suddenly thought of a clue and may need to leave first."
Wei Shu nodded and didn't try to stop him. Jiang Jin bowed and took his leave of the government office, heading straight for the clothing shop. As if anticipating Jiang Jin's arrival, the shopkeeper had already prepared a private room and led Jiang Jin inside.
"Paper and pen." Jiang Jin picked up the pen and wrote quickly, then blew hard on the still-wet ink. "Send it to His Highness as quickly as possible. The amount of money involved is enormous, and I'm afraid that if the person behind it finds out, it will be detrimental to the capital."
"Don't worry, my lady, this letter will reach His Highness by tomorrow." Seeing Jiang Jin's anxious expression, the shopkeeper knew the matter was of great importance and dared not delay.
"Madam, why don't you rest for a bit? You look terrible." The shopkeeper, seeing Jiang Jin's pale face, was afraid she might faint. It wouldn't be worth ruining her health for the sake of Beizhou.
"It's alright, I'll just go back to the governor's mansion to rest. You absolutely cannot stay here any longer, or you might be exposed."
Jiang Jin opened the door, took a deep breath, grabbed a piece of cloth, and left the clothing shop. Fighting off her intense sleepiness, she returned to the governor's mansion courtyard. As soon as she stepped into the room and breathed a sigh of relief, she felt a wave of dizziness. In her haste, she nearly knocked over a chair and fell to the ground.
"Are you alright?" Song Zhimin appeared in the room without anyone noticing. Seeing Jiang Jin's condition, he quickly helped her up. Song Zhimin's expression showed a hint of heartache when he saw Jiang Jin's pale face.
"What are you doing in Beizhou?" Jiang Jin frowned, pulled her arm away, and took a few steps back. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that there was no one else in the courtyard. "Could it be that His Highness transferred you to Beizhou? And why are you at Governor Qu's residence? Could it be that you have some connection with Governor Qu's death?"
Seeing that Jiang Jin's words were becoming increasingly outrageous, Song Zhimin could only interrupt her thoughts, "I came to Beizhou on private business, but I just happened to run into you. However, if I really killed Governor Qu, would you hand me over?" Sensing Jiang Jin's attempt to avoid suspicion, Song Zhimin smiled and stepped back to an arm's length away from her.
"I will kill you and hand your body over to Wei Shu, buying enough time to clean up the mess and safely remove His Highness from the situation. If you really kill Governor Qu, I can only say you are utterly foolish!"
Jiang Jin felt a headache coming on just thinking about Wei Shu's suspicious look. If Song Zhimin really was related to Governor Qu, she would write a letter to His Highness and let him decide.
"Okay, I'm not joking anymore. If there's anything you want to know, you can ask me. I'll answer everything I know." Hearing Jiang Jin's reply warmed Song Zhimin's heart.
"Who were those people who surrounded the Qu residence on the day Governor Qu committed suicide?" Jiang Jin asked bluntly, voicing his doubts. He then stared intently at Song Zhimin. "Isn't Young Master Song supposed to be forthcoming with his knowledge, or is Young Master Song being arrogant?"
“I’m sorry, I really don’t know that.” Song Zhimin shook his head with some guilt, then looked at Jiang Jin as if he had thought of something. “I only know that they could enter and leave the city without any hindrance and left that night. Later, Governor Qu was found dead in his study.”
Jiang Jin nodded. Although Song Zhimin's clues were few, they were still somewhat useful, so she offered a reminder.
"Young Master Song, I advise you to leave quickly. If Wei Shu returns, you won't be able to leave even if you want to." Jiang Jin looked at the refined gentleman standing at the door. Even his coarse linen clothes couldn't conceal the inherent elegance in his bones. Indeed, some things stay with a person for a lifetime.
"Okay, I'll leave right away. I won't cause you any trouble. Remember to take care of yourself." Song Zhimin could tell that Jiang Jin was thinking of him. After bowing, he hurriedly left. Only after watching Song Zhimin's figure disappear from sight did Jiang Jin breathe a sigh of relief. His back was soaked with sweat, and he could only sit down by the bedside.
She was filled with doubts about Song Zhimin's arrival, but since she couldn't visit the clothing store often right now, she had to suppress her suspicions.
However, Song Zhimin remained a potential threat in the governor's mansion. If Wei Shu were to spot him one day, with his keen intuition, he would surely relentlessly pursue the matter, potentially implicating His Highness.
"Yi-yi." Jiang Jin finally called out to Yi-yi.
"My lady." Yi Yi stood behind Jiang Jin, awaiting her orders, but his eyes were still observing the surrounding movements.
"Go and investigate why Song Zhimin is in Beizhou. Keep an eye on him and don't let him ruin my plans." Jiang Jin naturally didn't want to run into Song Zhimin, but no one could stop him from achieving great things. Wei Shu was out of the question, and Song Zhimin was even less of a possibility.
"Yes." Yi Yi looked at Jiang Jin, whose back was thin but still straight, as she gave orders, and couldn't help but feel a sense of pride, like watching a daughter grow up. Jiang Jin was much more cautious and cold-hearted now.
After finishing her business, Jiang Jin finally had time to rest, leaning against the bedside. With Yi Yi and Yi Er there, Jiang Jin felt more at ease and lay down on the bed, falling into a deep sleep. The stress and stress of the past few days helped her drift off to sleep quickly.
Song Zhimin returned to his small house, still worried about Jiang Jin's pale face, so he secretly went back. Just as he reached the front of the yard, Yi Yi suddenly blocked his way.
"Young Master Song, Wei Shu has returned. Your presence here will only cause trouble for my wife." Song Zhimin withdrew his foot, forcing a smile as he looked at the courtyard not far away.
"Wei Shu, you're back so soon." Song Zhimin felt a mix of emotions as she watched Wei Shu open the door and come out. The two of them quickly hid behind a tree.
"Young Master Song, focus on your own business and don't interfere in your wife and Wei Shu's affairs. Otherwise, if things get complicated, it will be your wife who has to clean up the mess."
Yi Yi patted Song Zhimin on the shoulder and looked at him helplessly, advising, "You can see who your wife's heart is with. Their marriage is bestowed by His Majesty, and no one can separate them."
“I’ve also heard the rumors that Wei Shu loves his wife very much, but Wei Shu has made many enemies. What if someone hurts A Jin? Or is this just for His Majesty’s sake? That’s why I asked Your Highness to let me enter the capital. Originally, I just wanted to see her from afar, but people are greedy.”
Song Zhimin's back hunched over inch by inch. "Actually, Your Highness gave me two choices, but I was too eager for quick success back then." Song Zhimin looked at Wei Shu in the courtyard, who was placing several jasmine plants into a white porcelain vase, then carefully carrying the vase into the house.
"My wife really likes jasmine flowers," Yi Yisheng explained, afraid that Song Zhimin wouldn't know.
"I know, her likes and dislikes haven't changed, but no one can go back to the past." Song Zhimin was completely different from his previous gentlemanly demeanor, now appearing somewhat dejected.
"Alright, Young Master Song, hurry back so Wei Shu doesn't find out." Yi Yi, seeing her goal achieved, said nothing more and continued to protect Jiang Jin as before.
Wei Shu, who was inside the room, looked at Jiang Jin sleeping obediently on the couch and couldn't help but chuckle, "I told you not to be so stubborn, you must be exhausted."
Wei Shu placed the white porcelain bottle on the table. Jiang Jin groaned in her sleep and then moved closer to the jasmine flowers.
"I didn't expect my nose to be so sensitive even in my dreams." Wei Shu sat on the couch and reached out to touch Jiang Jin's face. "Get some rest, my A Jin."
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