Chapter 46 Kidnapping "I've heard that she has a past relationship with the King, a very close one..."
The next day, when Shi Wan woke up, Jiang Xu was no longer by her side. Although she had tried to restrain herself during their confrontation the day before, her emotions had still fluctuated greatly, and she was still feeling somewhat tired.
She had a very satisfying sleep, and perhaps because her body was warm, her energy and spirit were surprisingly much better than in the past few days. When Hua Lan and Hua Hui entered the room, Shi Wan had already gotten up by herself.
The two hurried closer and silently lifted the curtain. Instantly, the cold winter morning air desperately pierced through the cracks in the window frames and doors.
Shi Wan was sobered up by the cold wind and sat upright in front of the dressing table.
She really shouldn't stay in bed all day. Getting up and moving around a bit, putting on some makeup, and improving her mood would probably help her recover more quickly.
The dressing table surface was as smooth as a mirror, and the diamond-shaped bronze mirror reflected Shi Wan's beautiful face. Although she was sickly, her beauty was still undeniable.
On the left, Hua Hui placed the copper basin, wrung out the soaked handkerchief, and handed it to Shi Wan. "Miss, you've been sick for so many days, but you look much better today." After Shi Wan applied the handkerchief, Hua Hui took a dry silk handkerchief and gently wiped her temples.
"Only when your body is fully recovered will you have time later." You'll have time to take your time and let things unfold, instead of lying on the couch unable to do anything, not even avoid touching things you don't like.
Hua Hui was taken aback. Hearing Shi Wan's words, she thought that Shi Wan had finally come to her senses, and then smiled and said, "Yes, once you are healthy, life will be easier."
Inside the dressing table sat a crystal-clear glass bottle, its rich floral fragrance instantly filling the air. Shi Wan dipped a little into the bottle and applied it to her cheeks and forehead, moisturizing her skin and making her feel much more refreshed.
Her long hair cascaded down to her waist like a waterfall, her pearly teeth slowly disappearing into the strands of hair, all the way down to the ends. After applying hair cream, Hua Lan skillfully gathered her hair, her ten fingers moving nimbly. In no time, she had tied her hair into a bun, securing it with a delicate white jade hairpin.
Seeing that Shi Wan seemed to be in a good mood, Hua Hui opened her mouth to try to persuade her again, but before she could speak, Hua Lan tugged at her sleeve. Seeing that Hua Lan was winking at her, she gave up.
Shi Wan vaguely sensed the subtle movements of the two maids behind her, so she simply sighed and said, "These past two days... I had a quarrel with the King. You were waiting outside the door, so you must have heard some of it."
Behind Shi Wan, the two men looked at each other and responded respectfully. Seeing that Shi Wan's face in the mirror was pale, as if she was in a bad mood, they tried to comfort her with words of advice.
"The young lady and the king have a long future ahead of them. If there are any quarrels, they can be resolved slowly."
"Yes, couples often quarrel, but they make up before they get out of bed."
Husband and wife? Her and Jiang Xu?
Shi Wan smiled and said, "Now that a new person has come to the manor, I am quite curious... I have vaguely heard that during the days I was ill, the king often summoned that person."
She learned these words from the women of Willow Terrace. In the past, every few days, women like these would come to her door, and sometimes they would even cause a scene.
Shi Wan felt a pang of sorrow in her heart, but the sourness in her words was quite obvious: "I heard that the King and she have a past relationship and are very close. They play chess and enjoy the scenery every day, having a great time."
Hearing this, the two maids assumed she was jealous and immediately launched into a long lecture of persuasion. Shi Wan patiently dealt with them, and once the groundwork was laid, she pretended to wipe away tears, choking back sobs as she said, "I've been thinking about this every day these past few days, worrying morning and night, wondering when I'll be able to meet this young lady... alas..."
"I heard that the King wants to marry her as his principal wife." Last night, when she argued with Jiang Xu, he did not deny it. Shi Wan was surprised that she remembered it so clearly, and at the same time, she couldn't help but spare some attention to listen to the two maids' answers.
Seeing that the two either looked embarrassed or talked about other things, he sighed inwardly.
It seems... this matter is most likely true.
......
*
By the end of December, the plum blossoms were in full bloom, with buds opening one after another. The bright red blossoms were covered with silver frost and adorned with glistening snowflakes, resembling jade branches and trees, with snow weighing down the branches, creating a picturesque scene.
For several days in a row, Jiang Xu did not come. Instead, as Shi Wan said, he went sightseeing with Lin Feiran. When they first came here, the mansion was almost entirely staffed by soldiers. Now, a whole month has passed, and the servants who make purchases have changed several times, but most of them have become fixed. Rumors have started to circulate.
Compared to when Shi Wan first came to Jiang Xu's side, this time the rumors are much more detailed and convincing.
Some people laughed it off after hearing it, while others pondered it secretly, hoping for a better future. Still others... tended to think that Wan'er had lost favor.
Marquis Fulin was the third type of person. He had seen the king go to the front lines and order several people, including himself, to keep an eye on the affairs of the residence so that Wan'er could move in as soon as possible. Seeing her current state of disrepair, he naturally had some reservations.
After patiently waiting for some time and conducting several investigations, confirming that the King had indeed completely ignored this person and was only focused on accompanying the newly arrived Miss Lin, he finally made up his mind.
As the sun set, he waited for his friend's signal before muttering to himself as he headed towards the west courtyard. He hadn't gone far when a servant quietly approached him, his face filled with fear. "Are you sure this will work? If something happens, I'll be..."
"Stop, stop, stop." Seeing that it was an acquaintance, Wanhou Fulin didn't want to explain too much to him, but patted his chest and assured him, "Don't worry, I'm a relative of General Wanhou. General Wanhou is the number one man under the King. What are you afraid of?"
"Hey, you can't just say things like that." The servant interrupted him, making an X next to his lips. Seeing his confidence, he felt much more at ease. After chatting casually for a couple more minutes, he made an excuse to leave.
*
On the west side of the courtyard, the night was as dark as ink, but the interior was warm and cozy.
Shi Wan removed the hairpins and jewels she wore during the day and quietly selected ornaments. There were many kinds, and she made them out of nothing. She did this for many days in a row.
With a variety of hairstyles available, her mood improved, and she even tried on the hair ornaments she had bought earlier.
The lacquered and mother-of-pearl inlaid jewelry box, made of the finest sandalwood, complemented most of the furnishings in the room. Shi Wan noticed it quickly after only a few days of living there.
When she first arrived here, there weren't many items in her jewelry box. But as time went by, many hairpins, hair ornaments, and hair ornaments would mysteriously appear two or three times a time, all with eye-catching designs and exquisite craftsmanship. These items, worn day after day, might one day be able to be exchanged for money to pay off debts. Shi Wan never refused any of them, pretending not to know anything about them.
As her thoughts returned, she gazed at a hairpin that had appeared yesterday. It was made of pale green jade and carved with several hibiscus flowers, delicate and lifelike.
Shi Wan knew perfectly well what was going on.
This carved hibiscus jade hairpin... was actually given to her by Jiang Xu.
I only handed her the gift, and I haven't come to see her for the past few days. She's actually quite comfortable here, without anyone she dislikes, and in a good mood. Her illness has also gradually improved.
Upon closer inspection, the jade hairpin appeared smooth and lustrous, its luster enhanced by the dim candlelight, making it exceptionally unique and eye-catching. In an instant, as if possessed, she picked up the hairpin and quickly tucked it into her hair.
As night fell, upon hearing that Jiang Xu had apparently gone out and had not yet returned, Shi Wan, as usual, asked Hua Lan to help her turn off the light. However, this time, she called several times but still did not see anyone come. Just as she was wondering, a tall maidservant suddenly came to apologize with her head bowed, "Miss Shi, please calm down. Sister Hua Lan has an upset stomach and has asked me to stay with you tonight."
The servants' duty roster was extremely strict. Although there were instances of servants switching duties privately, this was her courtyard.
The candles in the room had been mostly extinguished by Shi Wan earlier. The maid stood a few steps in front of the screen, kowtowing repeatedly. Under the cover of the bedding, Shi Wan simply turned halfway to hide the thing under the soft pillow inside her inner garment. Then she turned her head and said with a normal expression, "Hua Lan is unwell. What about Hua Hui?"
These two are most likely spies sent by Jiang Xu. Even if the incident was just a coincidence, and they had food poisoning, it would be strange to send someone to replace them so hastily.
She turned and picked up the lantern, the light casting a huge, swaying shadow on the curtain. The shadow was so strange that Shi Wan was startled.
Does she have such a tall maid in her courtyard?
Just as I was about to ask for more details, a sudden impact came from behind the bed.
Shi Wan felt a sharp pain in the back of her neck and immediately lost consciousness.
Wan Hou Fulin darted out from the edge of the bed. Upon seeing this, the maid immediately said, "I was so suffocated..." Her low, hoarse voice belonged to a man.
"Stop complaining, hurry up and don't disturb others."
Wan Hou Fulin had previously heard Wang Shiwei say that the King seemed to value this person highly? But this thought only flashed through his mind for a moment. Without stopping, he tied Shi Wan up and took her out under the cover of night.
As he walked to the back gate, the guards saw him carrying something and asked with some confusion, "Fulin, what's in this cart? Why are you pulling and carrying it on your back?"
The soldiers were already familiar with him, and because of the kinship between Wan Hou Fulin and Wan Hou Yi, they were happy to fawn over him, exchanging a few pleasantries before letting him leave.
At night, all was quiet. The group disappeared into the darkness and vanished in a moment.
Just as the group was traveling with Shi Wan under the cover of night, Jiang Xu had just finished sparring with Wan Houyi and Jing Yan at the martial arts arena not far from the mansion.
After a thoroughly enjoyable competition, everyone had smiles on their faces. Jiang Xu looked at the dark sky and chuckled, "We've been inside the training ground for so long without realizing it."
After speaking, he patted the shoulders of the two men beside him, "Today's sparring has greatly surprised me. In particular, with Wan Houyi's return, those Turkic bastards are sure to suffer a great loss next spring!"
Wan Houyi was slightly taken aback, then quickly cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty flatters me."
The journey of a hundred miles is only half complete at ninety. Just by looking at what he has done today, we can see that even in Liang'an, Wan Houyi has never slacked off in his martial arts skills.
Jiang Xu snapped out of his reverie, in a good mood, and waved his hand. "It's getting late, let's go back together." Just then, a flurry of footsteps suddenly came from outside. A soldier staggered in, knelt down abruptly, and seeing that there were others present, gritted his teeth and got up. He whispered something to Jiang Xu, mentioning that Wan'er had vanished from the room as if into thin air.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Xu's smiling gaze instantly turned extremely cold. He managed to restrain himself, but in a flash, he returned to his usual forced smile, though a hint of sharpness lingered in his eyes.
Everything else was completely unrecognizable.
The guard waited anxiously for orders, only to see his king suddenly move and stride out.
Behind him, after Jiang Xu had walked quite a distance, Jing Yan followed for half the distance before realizing that Wan Houyi was still standing in the same spot. Jing Yan looked back for a while and saw that the other party had just woken up from a dream and followed. He teased, "What are you daydreaming about? Did the King make you confused?"
The two entered the Jingbei Army almost one after the other, and had followed Jiang Xu since his decline. They were considered veterans in the Jingbei Army and naturally had a deep friendship. In the past, Jing Yan rarely relaxed like this, but having just stretched his muscles and being with a colleague he hadn't seen in a long time and with whom he had a good relationship, he couldn't help but talk a little too freely.
Upon hearing this, Wan Houyi responded indifferently.
Seeing that he was not in a good mood, Jing Yan thought for a moment and assumed it was because of what had happened earlier. Since no one was around, he lowered his voice and advised, "Jing Yin and I are still holding back our rewards. Most of the rewards will come down next spring after the war is over."
After saying that, he felt that his colleague didn't seem like the type to get upset over something like this, and asked in confusion, "Why have you looked so gloomy since you came back?"
Bringing back the King's mentor's only daughter is a great achievement!
Jing Yan's excited thoughts subsided a bit, and he silently looked at him. Wan Houyi then seemed to come back to his senses, clutching his outer robe and shivering twice. "Don't interrupt. It looks like something big is happening. We should catch up quickly."
After saying that, she smiled at him and said, "Let's go quickly."
“…Okay.” Reminded of this, Jing Yan quickly sped up.
......
The night wind howled, relentlessly drilling into one's bones.
He rode swiftly to the residence, reined in his horse, and headed quickly towards the West Garden. Jiang Xu's heavy cloak billowed with each movement, creating a gust of cold wind. His expression was unreadable, but he paused for a moment before finally pushing open the door.
However, what he saw was not the scene he had expected.
The room was cluttered, the bed curtains hanging above the bed were mostly torn down, the mattresses were mottled, and even the two maids he had specially placed beside Wan'er were already unconscious, their fate unknown.
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Author's Note: Let me let out a shout in the author's notes too~
This article will be updated regularly between 9:00 PM and 11:30 PM daily. Any missed updates will be made up later, so I won't miss any! [hugs]
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