Chapter 38 Using Oneself as Bait
After Shuangjiang fed Jiang Shiyao the medicine, he then allowed Fu'er to come forward.
Fu'er rushed forward, but was stopped in mid-air. She kicked her legs in frustration!
Zhou Congxian said, "Mother is not feeling well, please be careful."
Fu'er looked up at her father above her head, feeling a little aggrieved. She hadn't seen her mother for a very, very long time!
Zhou Congxian placed her face down on the edge of the bed, saying, "You can only stay here."
Fu'er dared not move; she stretched out her chubby little hand and grabbed her mother's finger.
"Mother, Fu'er misses you so much!"
Jiang Shiyao reached out and hugged her daughter, then touched her little face.
"It's alright, no one has mistreated you."
During those difficult days, she would often feel disoriented, sometimes feeling like she was still a child in Chuzhou, and other times feeling like she hadn't been reborn and that Fu'er was still suffering in Song Jiyun's hands.
Now that her daughter is nestled softly beside her, she can truly feel that it's not too late, it's not too late.
Fu'er had never been separated from her mother for such a long time before. Now that she had finally seen her mother, she wished she could stay by her mother's side forever.
"No, no!" When her mother tried to pick her up, the little girl clung tightly to the blanket with both hands.
Jiang Shiyao was reluctant to part with her daughter, but she was also unwilling to put her in danger.
She cupped her daughter's little face and kissed her, "Fu'er, be good, Mother will bring you back in a couple of days, okay!"
"Oh no!" Fu'er cried, her eyes brimming with tears.
Zhou Congxian patted his daughter's head and picked her up. "Fu'er, do you want to protect your mother?"
"Yes!" Fu'er nodded like a chick pecking at rice.
Zhou Congxian tapped her little nose, "Then Fu'er, be a good girl and listen to your mother. Go back and eat your meals properly, study hard with your teacher, and you will be able to protect your mother."
Fu'er pouted, looking a little aggrieved. "But I want to be with my mother."
Zhou Congxian handed his daughter, who was no longer resisting, to Mother He, saying, "Fu'er, come see your mother again."
Jiang Shiyao watched her daughter's departing figure, her eyes stinging with tears.
She's not dead yet; she can struggle to get out!
Zhou Congxian glanced back at her, then turned and walked towards the outer hall.
Wei Xun has returned.
He leaned closer to the crown prince and whispered a few words to him.
Zhou Congxian's expression clearly changed.
Wei Xun: "Your Highness, should we deal with this?"
Zhou Congxian shook his head. "No, you can't move."
“Now that he’s dead, Song Yitang should be suspicious. The eighteen prefectures are now under the Empress Dowager’s control. Without solid evidence to overthrow the maternal relatives, His Majesty can never rule in his own right.”
Wei Xun hesitated for a moment, "Then what about Lady Jiang? We're in the open, he's in the shadows. What if he..."
Zhou Congxian's fingers twitched, and after a moment his voice turned slightly cold, "Even if she dies now, we can't ruin the overall situation."
Jiang Shiyao stood behind the screen.
Even though it was something she had expected, she felt a chill run through her body.
If she doesn't participate in this performance, will she never tell her?
No one is as important as him in terms of the bigger picture.
Wasn't it the same in my previous life?
His daughter was poisoned to such an extent, and he didn't even care.
National affairs.
All living beings under heaven.
Should she be understanding towards him?
But who will understand her and Fu'er?
She just wanted to live; she just wanted to watch her daughter grow up.
What does the world have to do with her?
She could not influence the common people while she was alive, and she could not shake the common people even after she died.
Why can't we let her live!
Jiang Shiyao slowly walked back to the bed, and only when she sat down did she realize that her hands were trembling.
In the evening, the person next to me had already fallen into a deep, steady breathing.
Jiang Shiyao stared blankly at the canopy above the bed.
My mind is filled with countless thoughts.
Zhou Congxian is unreliable, but Song Jiyun won't die.
She didn't know who the mole was.
Instead of passively hiding, she should take the initiative!
Fortunately, Fu'er is with Zhao Shi now, so at least she doesn't have to worry about her daughter's safety.
She had just secretly checked and found that Zhao Shi must have treated her well; she had indeed invited Zhang Shichong to be her tutor as she had previously mentioned.
Early the next morning.
Jiang Shiyao woke up earlier than Zhou Congxian. Zhou Congxian only woke up after she had finished washing and dressing.
Why are you up so early today?
Jiang Shiyao smiled and said, "Your Highness said yesterday that the thief has been caught and my innocence has been cleared, so naturally I should go out for a stroll today."
"I heard it's very lively in the streets on the Empress Dowager's birthday. I've been confined to the mansion and haven't had a chance to go and see it yet."
A strange feeling flashed through Zhou Congxian's mind. "I have a day off tomorrow. I'll go shopping with you again tomorrow."
“No need.” Jiang Shiyao turned around and changed her hairpin again. “In the past, I didn’t feel lonely when Fu’er was with me. Now that Fu’er is studying, I feel as lonely and bored as an old woman living alone.”
“I won’t go far, I’ll just go to Yubaolou.”
As she spoke, she turned around and smiled, "The manager's wife of Yubaolou wants to learn my skills, but I didn't have the time or the desire to teach her in the past."
"But now that I have some free time, I'd like to go and take a look."
Zhou Congxian opened his mouth, but couldn't bring himself to refuse.
Jiang Shiyao didn't even look at him. After tidying her hair in front of the bronze mirror, she got up and told Shuangjiang to go out.
Zhou Congxian came out, "Wan Quan, you go with Madam Jiang..."
Wan Quan, who was originally waiting for the young master to go to the yamen together, immediately grabbed his sword and walked out. "Young master, I promised the brothers at the training ground that I would go to the competition today."
What merit could he possibly gain by following Lady Jiang? He'd rather patrol the streets!
They disappeared in a flash.
Wei Xun knew that the young master was considering the bigger picture, but Lady Jiang didn't want her to lose her life in vain.
He stepped forward and said, "You may leave."
"I've delivered it a few times before, so I'm quite familiar with Miss Shuangjiang."
Zhou Congxian nodded.
Inside the mansion, they couldn't act openly, so Jiang Shiyao's life was safe.
But things are different once we go out; who knows how many assassins we might hire?
Especially someone like Song Jiyun, who is vindictive and holds grudges.
He looked outside and saw that the morning dew had clothed the grass in a garment.
It will be soon.
It's coming soon. The princes are doomed, and the empress dowager's faction and her relatives are also doomed.
At that time...
He pursed his lips, turned around, and went into the inner chamber.
The streets are no longer as bustling as they used to be.
However, there were more foreign merchants, who I heard came to do business on ships carrying envoys from neighboring countries.
Jiang Shiyao and Shuangjiang sat inside the carriage, while Wei sat outside with the driver.
Because of foreign merchants, Jade Treasure Pavilion acquired many more gemstones and took the opportunity to produce many new pieces of jewelry.
The business at Yubaolou is booming and they're too busy to keep up with demand.
Wen Niangzi spotted Jiang Shiyao at a glance.
She immediately put down what she was doing and came over, somewhat surprised, "It's only been half a month since I last saw you, how come you've lost so much weight, my lady!"
Jiang Shiyao smiled and said, "It's probably because the shopkeeper's wife hasn't seen her for so long that she's having a misconception."
Lady Wen invited her upstairs, saying, "What brings you here today, my lady?"
Jiang Shiyao said, "I refused your offer earlier because I simply didn't have the time or energy."
"Now that the child is being taught by the Duchess, I find myself quite bored when I have some free time."
Lady Wen was surprised. Many illegitimate children were taught by their legal mothers, and whether they were good or bad depended entirely on the conscience of the principal wife.
However, if the child is taught by his own grandmother, although he may not be as favored as the legitimate grandson, at least he will not have to worry about encountering a wicked mistress, and he will be able to find a suitable marriage when he grows up.
Lady Wen complimented, "The young lady is blessed, and so is you, my lady."
Jiang Shiyao immediately had Wen Niangzi bring over the embroidery frame.
They even started teaching the embroiderers how to split silk for embroidery, without holding anything back.
Wei Xun leaned against the doorway, watching the others embroider, and he started to doze off.
Lady Jiang embroiders every day in the mansion, and she even embroiders when she goes out!
Shuangjiang looked up at him covering his mouth and yawning, and snorted, "Wei Xun, you're already dozing off so early in the morning. The young master sent you to protect your wife, not to slack off."
"Frost's Descent." Jiang Shiyao looked up at the right moment. "Wei Xun, you don't need to stay here anymore. I'm not going anywhere here anyway. You can come pick me up at noon."
Wei Xun scratched his head. "That won't do. I've received orders."
His wife was unaware of the situation, but he knew it.
This place is not like the manor; if something happens here, how can he face the young master?
Jiang Shiyao acted as if she hadn't seen her struggle at all.
"What kind of order is this? There are people all over the streets right now. You definitely don't have enough manpower. Isn't it a waste for you to be here?"
"Besides, Yubaolou is the property of Prince Cheng's mansion. Anyone who wants to cause trouble should think twice before acting up."
Lady Wen laughed and said, "Young man, you have no need to worry. My building is equipped with secret weapons. Anyone who dares to hurt Lady Jiang will never leave this building!"
Wei Xun refused to leave no matter what.
It's better to be safe than sorry.
He saw it with his own eyes that day; the Song family were all madmen, even their informant was a madman.
That Song Yitang seems pretty normal...
Jiang Shiyao ignored him.
She embroidered until noon before getting up.
Lady Wen was a little reluctant to see her leave, "Lady Jiang is not only skilled, but also very ingenious!"
Jiang Shiyao said, "I'll come again tomorrow. I just looked at two hairpins. I hope you'll give me a discount then, considering how hard I've worked."
Lady Wen replied, "Of course! If it's within my means, I'll give it to you, my lady."
On the way back, Wei Xun felt sore back and aching waist. Even though he hadn't done anything all morning, he felt more tired than if he had worked all morning!
The next day, Jiang Shiyao left on time, but Wan Quan ran away again.
This time, Wei Xun didn't stay upstairs to guard the entrance; instead, he became a stone lion at the main gate.
Shuangjiang looked out the window on the second floor several times, and he faithfully guarded it each time.
Jiang Shiyao shook her head almost imperceptibly.
She frequented Yubaolou on purpose, just to show it to the other party.
The Duke's Mansion cannot take action, and Yu Bao Lou cannot make any moves.
However, an ambush could be set up along the way!
She intends to use herself as bait.
Since Song Jiyun wanted her dead so badly, and since his methods were so underhanded, it was clear that he was willing to do so.
She was about to lead him out onto the street.
The current situation is special.
Hiding behind his older brother, he could do whatever he wanted.
For the sake of the greater good, one can ignore numerous evil deeds.
Since no one spoke up for her, she started advocating for herself.
Even if she can't get Song Jiyun imprisoned, she'll make the Song family know what true fear is!
Day three.
The carriage arrived on time.
The curtains swayed in the window, making the person sitting in the car clearly visible.
In the teahouse next door, four or five people were poised to make their move.
"kill!"
A single word was coldly uttered from Rouge Red's lips.
The assassin leaped from the second floor and landed precisely on the carriage.
Several men simultaneously drew their long knives and plunged them into the car through the roof!
"Madam Jiang!"
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