Chapter 145 In the blink of an eye, she became someone else's wife.
After washing up, Jiang Zhi came out from behind the screen, already dressed in men's clothes. Only her black hair was still wet. She lowered her head and used a half-dry towel to wipe it.
In the past, Qingxing did all these chores, and if things got really bad, Ruying and Anyue would help on the boat.
Her thick, black hair was wet and draped over her shoulders; it took her half a day to dry it all by herself.
Lu Yuan didn't say anything, but gestured for Jiang Zhi to sit down opposite him. He got up, took a clean cloth, and gently wiped her face.
“We will leave Hong County for Sizhou tomorrow,” Lu Yuan’s deep voice reassured people. “During the day, go to the street to buy some things to take with you. If you need anything, write it down for me.”
Ginger and gardenia dotted.
Lu Yuan then asked, "What are your plans for your two maids? They are injured and probably cannot set off immediately."
Jiang Zhi is also considering this matter. "I want them to stay here to recover first, and then come to Sizhou to meet up with us when they are feeling better."
"Yes, I will have Gao Xi take good care of them." Lu Yuan's fingertips inadvertently brushed against the skin behind Jiang Zhi's ear, and the delicate, slightly cool touch of his fingertips made him pause slightly.
It was late at night, and after making a ruckus for most of the night, Jiang Zhi's face showed deep fatigue.
Lu Yuan quickened his pace, and only after he had completely dried her hair did he whisper, "All done."
However, the person in front did not respond at all.
Lu Yuan looked down and found that Jiang Zhi had already leaned against the table and fallen into a deep sleep.
Lu Yuan chuckled, bent down, and gently picked her up and carried her to the bedside.
Jiang Zhi opened her eyes in a daze and saw Lu Yuan's sharp jawline, his pupils as dark and deep as ink, looking down at her with complex emotions that she couldn't understand.
Jiang Zhi smiled at him, then succumbed to sleepiness and drifted off to sleep again.
The next morning, they purchased some necessities in Hong County, and Jiang Zhi also asked Lu Yuan to help buy a lot of medicinal herbs.
Ruying and Anyue stayed in Hong County to recuperate, while Jiang Zhi and Lu Yuan still rented a boat and set off for Sizhou.
In just one day, they arrived in Sizhou.
Before even entering the city, Jiang Zhi was stunned by the sight before her.
Outside the city, everywhere was covered in silt left by the receding floodwaters. Swelling, starving corpses floated half-submerged in the muddy water, their stiff limbs exposed. The stench of decay was so strong that Jiang Zhi almost vomited.
After finally entering the city, they found the streets filled with refugees, their eyes vacant and faces gaunt. The houses destroyed by the flood had been half-repaired but abandoned, leaving only ruins.
“This…” Jiang Zhi’s face turned pale, her expression one of disbelief.
"Don't feel any pity, or you'll get entangled with the refugees and won't be able to get away from them yourself," Lu Yuan warned when he saw her gaze fall on a woman holding a child.
"What we need to do now is to find out the truth about Lord Shen's death and restart the court's disaster relief efforts. This is the most practical and beneficial help for them."
Jiang Zhi withdrew her gaze, nodded, and followed Lu Yuan into the main urban area without looking to the side.
The main urban area is so much better than the outside. There are no refugees, most of the destroyed houses have been repaired, and there is no sense of death.
The two arrived at a clinic and found several Imperial Guards receiving treatment inside.
“Boss…” Yu Jun, who was lying on the bed, was about to get up when Lu Yuan shook his head at him secretly.
Yu Jun immediately understood, told the young apprentice who had finished changing the dressing to leave, and closed the door.
"Boss, what brings you here? How's it going in Kyoto? Why didn't you send me a message so I could have sent someone to pick you up?" Yu Jun asked in quick succession.
Lu Yuan said in a deep voice, "This time, we will first travel incognito to gather some information in the surrounding area, and then contact the local prefect."
Some information, once it reveals an identity, makes it harder to investigate.
"Tell me the specific details of what happened at the scene. How exactly did Lord Shen die?"
Yu Jun's expression turned cold, and what she said was exactly the same as what Xiao Xuanyou had told Jiang Zhi: "At that time, the scene was very chaotic. Everyone was scrambling for food. Soldiers maintained order at the scene, and I and the other Jinyiwei guards stayed by Lord Shen's side and never left his side."
"But soon bandits rushed into the crowd. Their goal didn't seem to be to steal the grain, but to assassinate Lord Shen."
"They had bows and arrows, and they were mixed in with the looting refugees. We were afraid to go all out, so we were scattered by them. Lord Shen was also hit by an arrow and fell into the Bian River behind him. There was no news of him. The prefect also sent people to search for him, but the Bian River was too deep and the water was too strong. There has been no news since."
Furthermore, Lord Shen was already injured and powerless, so his chances of survival were extremely slim.
Lu Yuan asked a few more questions about the details of what happened, then turned to look at Jiang Zhi, "What are your thoughts?"
Yu Jun then noticed Jiang Zhi behind Lu Yuan. She was dressed in men's clothing, and Yu Jun didn't recognize her at first, but she felt inexplicably familiar with her.
Jiang Zhi smiled at him and said, "Lord Yu, it's been a long time."
Yu Jun realized what was happening and exclaimed, "Miss Jiang? What brings you to Sizhou? Is it for the boss?"
Lu Yuan's previously calm expression was now so dark that it was difficult to look directly at him. "Don't make wild guesses. Miss Jiang's trip to Sizhou is solely for Lord Shen."
Yu Jun suddenly remembered that Jiang Zhi was already engaged to Lord Shen. If he hadn't had that accident, the two might already be married.
He felt a little sorry for his eldest son.
It's not easy to find a woman that the eldest brother cares about so much, but in the blink of an eye, she becomes someone else's wife.
Jiang Zhi then answered Lu Yuan's question, "I want to go to the place where Lord Shen had the accident. Maybe I'll find something."
Yu Jun glanced at her boss and immediately nodded, "Alright, I'll send someone to take you there right away."
The banks of the Bian River remain desolate, with only minor reinforcements applied to the breached embankments.
The sheds that had been built to distribute porridge and relief food were now dilapidated and lying there.
Lu Yuan obtained the arrows that had killed Shen Ci'an and his men, but unfortunately, there were no obvious markings on them.
Jiang Zhi walked along the river for a while without finding anything, and her mood inevitably became a little down.
Did Shen Ci'an really perish in the Bian River and his remains never return?
"What's down this river?" Jiang Zhi asked the local who had brought them there.
"There is only one small fishing village a dozen miles further down, but that village was also flooded before, and there are not many people left in the village."
Although the chances were slim, Jiang Zhi still planned to go and take a look.
Lu Yuan naturally had no objection.
We hailed a small boat and sailed downstream. When we reached a bend in the river, we found a dilapidated little fishing village nestled along the current.
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