Chapter 34 Suspicion Yes, how could she worry about Jiang Xu? ...
These words sounded somewhat mystical, and their references were also very strong. Jing Yin was surprised, but remained calm on the surface and nodded in agreement, "It is my duty to fulfill the lady's request."
Now that Shi Wan had calmed down, the sorrow in her heart had lessened considerably. To be honest, she wasn't too surprised that Jiang Xu had set off ahead of schedule. Going to war was never a game, and if the letter was delivered a little slower, so be it.
She nodded, "Thank you for your trouble, Guard Yin." After exchanging a few pleasantries, she hurried into the tent.
Only after the person in front of him had completely disappeared did Jing Yin raise his eyes and stare thoughtfully in Shi Wan's direction.
*
Jiang Xu went to the front line, leaving Shi Wan alone, and she suddenly felt much more at ease.
"Young lady, would you like to continue reading those travelogues?" Hua Hui suggested, seeing that she was looking downcast.
Shi Wan felt a lump in her throat. Upon hearing this, she lost interest and said, "Let's put it aside for now. I'll look at it later. Thank you."
Hua Lan had just returned from collecting sea buckthorn berries when she saw this. She smiled and walked up to Shi Wan, teasingly asking, "Miss, are you missing the King?" Shi Wan treated the two of them with great courtesy. If possible, they would naturally like to serve him for a long time, so that they wouldn't have to figure out the temperament of another person if one of them suddenly appeared.
Furthermore, the king had given prior instructions, so the two of them had been putting in a lot of effort these past few days, making sure Jiang Xu was always present.
After this happened several times, Shi Wan began to realize that something was amiss. But since Jiang Xu was treating her very well and wasn't by her side, she naturally had to be careful about her words and actions if she wanted to keep this meal ticket.
She changed the subject, "Speaking of this, the books that His Majesty sent people to find should have been dried out by now, right?"
"We followed the young lady's instructions and found a dry, shady spot under a tree. After drying in the sun for a couple of days, it was fine."
Hua Lan asked with a smile, "Would you like to read for a while, young lady?"
"No, I don't think so." Jiang Xu left many people to keep an eye on her whereabouts. Shi Wan was aware of this and gradually got used to it. Besides, these people always kept a respectful distance, which must have been specially instructed. She was now more open-minded and knew that everything had to be done slowly and not be rushed. "I'll study every day until I really have to take the imperial examination."
"If you were a boy, it wouldn't be difficult for you to pass the imperial examination!" Hua Hui flattered from the side. "I heard that the autumn imperial examination will be held again next autumn. It will definitely be very lively in the capital then."
"However... although women are not allowed to take the imperial examinations, your daily hard work will surely pay off."
"It's not a matter of whether it's useful or not, it's just that I didn't have the chance to be so willful before, and the novelty has worn off, so I have to slow down."
Hua Hui set out the ice chest for her and suggested, "How about we play a game of leaf cards?"
“Even leaf cards have to have a stake,” Shi Wan said with a smile, “Besides, you two definitely don’t want to beat me.”
"Never mind."
She took the sea buckthorn fruit from Hua Lan, examined it carefully in her hand. The orange-yellow skin was slightly wrinkled. Shi Wan then followed the recipe in the book, processed it simply, and started cooking it.
These sea buckthorn berries were dried in the scorching sun for more than two hours. After being mixed with tea powder and brewed with water, and then slightly mixed with some pear peel pieces and finely ground, they have a unique flavor.
The tea has an amber color and a sweet and sour taste. Drinking a cup of it is refreshing and thirst-quenching.
“Miss, this tea tastes completely different from the one made with mint before, but... I think it’s just as delicious.”
Hua Lan seized the opportunity to suggest, "Young lady, you are so skillful, why not make a big pot of it so that the soldiers can also cool off in the heat?"
Such behavior is undoubtedly presumptuous. Normally, when Jiang Xu is not around, only his legal wife should be allowed to handle things in this way.
She's neither a concubine nor a servant... why is she getting involved?
Shi Wan shook her head. "That's not appropriate."
Seeing that she denied it on both sides, the two maids were a little confused. Hua Lan said, "What does the young lady want to do? We'll accompany her."
“The people guarding the border have many skills. If you’re feeling bored, young lady, we can go and see them.”
Thinking back to the previous Qixi Festival, Shi Wan unconsciously said, "The cultural landscape of the border is something I have never seen before. I did see many novel things during the previous Qixi Festival."
Hua Hui and Shi Wan were both from Huzhou, and Hua Hui immediately said, "Miss, why don't we go to the city to see? I've heard there are many entertainers and acrobats there!"
The city is nearly twenty miles from this camp. For the mistress and her servants to go there alone, not only would it be incredibly expensive, but just the attention it would attract would be... well, you know.
"This is inappropriate."
Shi Wan sighed softly, "Alright, I'm also feeling unsettled and can't muster the energy to do anything. You two can go down now."
"I'll be alone for a while."
Upon hearing this, the two maids had no choice but to obey and retreat. Once everything had quieted down, Shi Wan finally relaxed a bit and sat down at the table. The sun was shining brightly, and even without lamps lit, a few rays of sunlight still swept into the tent through the gaps, dappling her cheeks and making her subconsciously close her eyes.
The unease lingered in her heart, causing her to become somewhat confused.
Jiang Xu has been gone for more than three days, and even Jing Yin left yesterday. Presumably, the war will begin soon. It is now mid-July, and even a small battle would probably take more than a month. If the scale is larger, who knows how long it will take.
When Jiang Xu returns, some things will certainly be beyond delay.
Can......
This time, when she thought about it, about sharing a bed with him, she felt... not so resistant anymore.
Shi Wan was startled, her breathing quickened, and her pale hand unconsciously pressed lightly against her chest, where her heart was beating regularly with a "thump-thump" sound, seemingly very healthy. However, just two inches from her heart, there was still a small, whitish scar.
The scar was covered by pinkish-white skin, and it even itched a little when gently touched, but in fact, the wound had already healed after more than three months.
Has it healed completely? Otherwise, why would I be so anxious and worried?
For what reason, Shi Wan could not deceive herself.
Now, she... seems somewhat worried about Jiang Xu.
Even though this worry contained fear, hatred, and countless impulses to kill him, and even after countless waverings and hesitations about wanting to stay by his side.
Even though the negative aspects of this complex emotion far outweigh the occasional, subtle sense of security.
However, she was indeed worried about Jiang Xu, worried that she would really be injured, her life hanging by a thread, as if in a dream, almost dying under that assassin's blade.
Shi Wan's face twitched slightly, her soft lips were tightly bitten by a row of pearly teeth, and her lower lip was slightly bleeding. Her knuckles trembled slightly unconsciously, as if she was trying to draw something from the air or trying to grasp something.
yes.
Why would she worry about Jiang Xu?
she......
How could you worry about Jiang Xu?
......
*
At the border, the ground was steaming with iron-gray heat, and the dark clouds hung low in the air.
Dark clouds loomed over the city, threatening to crush it. Several miles away, the silhouettes of Turkic scouts could be vaguely seen, their short swords reflecting a blinding silver light under the blazing sun.
In the middle of the two armies, the border river had long since dried up. The riverbed was filled with abandoned armor, weapons, and even things that looked like corpses, curled up in a ball, emitting a foul smell under the cover of dry branches and grass.
It looked as if he had just died. Even now, mosquitoes and flies are still buzzing around his body.
The two armies faced off, both eyeing each other menacingly.
Before the map, Jiang Xu stood with his hands behind his back. Several advisors sat in two rows below him, with his trusted confidants Xiao Chijie and Jing Yan at the head, sitting on the left and right sides respectively.
After everyone took their seats, the two men in the head seat looked at each other in bewilderment.
"Ayan, what kind of look is that?"
"Wan Houyi isn't here, so I can still be number one." Xiao Chijie didn't seem to care much, and even joked to himself, "However, if your brother were here, he would definitely want to sit next to you."
Jingyan neither confirmed nor denied it, saying, "My younger brother is still young, and he's always been quite attached to me."
As the two were talking, a clear voice suddenly came from outside, growing louder as it approached. Soon, footsteps approached, and it was Jing Yin. He had been chasing after them along the side paths, and even with the army stationed there for half a day, he hadn't fallen behind and had successfully reunited with them.
The tent was now filled with his own people. Jing Yin found a spot next to Jing Yan and stood there. Then he bowed respectfully and said, "Your Majesty, I have been entrusted by Miss Wan'er. She said... she has something important to tell you."
Just as the plan was finalized, only the four of them remained in the tent. Upon hearing this, Jiang Xu glanced at him indifferently.
Beside him, Jingyan subconsciously stood up and said, "Please forgive me, Your Majesty. My younger brother has been traveling a long way and has become confused and foolish. I hope Your Majesty will not blame him." As he spoke, he went to check on his foolish younger brother.
Has he lost his mind? Even when reporting on matters, shouldn't there be a distinction between primary and secondary issues?
Jing Yin, oblivious to his brother's burning gaze, continued in a measured tone, "I suspect this matter concerns the Turks, which is why I dared to report it ahead of time."
Wan'er has something important to discuss with him?
She has always been quite sensible in front of outsiders, but now she seems to have lost her senses?
Coming to his senses, Jiang Xu became interested and took the letter. "Tell me," he said. He quickly skimmed through it, and after a moment, his gaze fell on the last few words, remaining silent for a long time.
Seeing that Jiang Xu's expression was normal, Jing Yin took two small steps back and continued, "Miss Wan'er's implication was too detailed, and from what I observed at the time, she seemed flustered, as if she had been tossing and turning all night and had not been able to fall asleep for a long time. It is clear that this matter must be extremely troubling for her."
"Miss Wan'er went out of her way to catch up with me and ask me to tell you, and she was so detailed. I'm suspicious, is it...?"
“She doesn’t have that ability yet.” Jiang Xu closed the paper and casually lit it on a candlestick. Instantly, the flames leaped up and engulfed the entire paper. The many emotions in the man’s eyes were reflected by the flickering candlelight, some bright and some dim, making them hard to fathom.
His tone remained calm, but this time, a hint of disdain slipped out, bluntly reaching the ears of the other three present: "She's nothing but a girl vying for favor, with little knowledge and short-sightedness. How could she possibly be connected to the Turks?"
In a daze, as if trying to convince someone, he said, "I have already checked before, and she is still confused about the Wu family's situation."
"Isn't it a bit too far-fetched to use a woman who is merely somewhat attractive as a spy for a foreign country?"
Jing Yin lowered his head alertly, "It was my rudeness."
After a moment, Jiang Xu's voice came from the head of the table. His calm voice inexplicably made the others tense. "Get up. This is not abrupt. It's always good to be cautious."
"The rebel army's victory report just arrived today has already firmly overwhelmed the tens of thousands of troops under the command of the Grand Marshal of Youzhou. Such a golden opportunity is one we cannot afford to miss."
"We'll know for sure tonight."
His eyes narrowed slightly, like thin blades cutting into the person's body, each word clear, "Distinguish between truth and falsehood, so that I may know."
"How many times have I been deceived?"
-----------------------
The author's note: 1. "Dark clouds press down on the city, threatening to crush it; armor gleams in the sun, like golden scales opening." This is from "The Ballad of the Governor of Yanmen," written by Li He of the Tang Dynasty.
2. The tea mentioned in this chapter contains sea buckthorn fruit. This fruit is commonly found in Northwest and Southwest China. As early as the 8th century, Tibetan medical classics such as "The Moon King's Medical Clinic" and "The Four Medical Classics" recorded sea buckthorn fruit, which is used in tea, medicine, and many other ways, and has many effects.
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