Chapter 50 You've been spying on me for Shen Jizhao...
The sun was high in the sky, and the midday sun slanted across the face of the person in the quilt. Jiang Shuifu had returned late last night and had gone through so much—the temple fire, Shen Jizhao's sudden appearance—all of which had left her exhausted.
On the way back to the manor last night, Shen Jizhao collapsed unconscious on top of her, pressing her down and leaving her covered in blood. Only then did she notice that his back was festering. Not only his back, but also his abdomen and arms were bleeding to varying degrees, making him look as if he were soaking in blood.
She pushed him away in disgust, covered her nose, and ran off immediately, not caring at all whether his injuries would endanger his life. The only glance she gave him was one of reproach for soiling her.
She left him lying alone by the roadside, in a pool of blood. He looked so bad that any passerby would think he was dead.
However, none of this concerned her, and Jiang Shuifu naturally wouldn't meddle in other people's business.
"Miss, Peach is back! She brought you lots of Qingzhou specialty pastries. Did you miss me, Miss?"
Pan Tao's voice came from outside the courtyard, excited and joyful. Her antics naturally dispelled Jiang Shuifu's drowsiness.
Pan Tao's hometown is in Qingzhou. Jiang Shuifu's second uncle, Jiang Junyu, happened to be going to Qingzhou on business a few days ago, so Pan Tao begged Jiang Shuifu to let Jiang Junyu take her back with him. As a result, he was gone for ten days and only returned today.
Jiang Shuifu was pestered by her, and she chattered on and on about many things in Qingzhou.
They said her sister got married, her brother went to school, and that a wealthy and influential merchant had come to Qingzhou, bringing benefits to everyone in Qingzhou. Many officials in Qingzhou were vying to get on his good side.
Jiang Junyu went to Qingzhou not only to handle official business, but also for his own selfish reasons. He knew that the prefects of various prefectures were not on good terms, and that Prefect Su Yang was not clean either. So he wanted to take the opportunity to sneak in and try to win over the prefect of Qingzhou.
If the prefect of Qingzhou agrees, the prefect of Suyang might have to be replaced.
However, on his way, he encountered an old man who suddenly fell ill. No one around him was willing to help. He remembered that he also had elderly parents at home, so he couldn't bear it and stepped forward to help him. He took the old man to the hospital, and fortunately, the old man was fine and recovered. However, he missed his chance because of this, and the prefect refused to see him.
During those days, he was so worried that his hair turned several shades white.
But no one could have predicted that when he visited again, he would unexpectedly run into a wealthy merchant from Qingzhou who rarely saw officials, and the merchant would take him inside without saying a word.
It was only later that he learned that the wealthy merchant was actually a family member of the old man, and that his actions were to repay a debt of gratitude.
Jiang Junyu seized the opportunity and, with her sincerity and quick wit, went to meet the wealthy and influential people.
The wealthy merchants were perhaps moved by his scheme, or perhaps out of gratitude for saving his life, and because he was a rather honest person, they agreed to introduce him to even more powerful figures, so that he could make money and get promoted together. Jiang Junyu was overjoyed.
Jiang Junyu is still only a minor official, mostly because of the Jiang family, his wife and children.
He didn't want to leave his hometown and Suyang. In fact, if he put in his best effort to make a career for himself, he could probably climb up to the capital.
But Old Man Jiang, who was also her grandfather, had always wanted to bring glory to the family and restore the Jiang family's former honor. This opportunity was truly a godsend, making it irresistible.
Therefore, as soon as Jiang Junyu returned, he set out a table of dishes that very evening to celebrate.
The grandfather inquired extensively about the wealthy merchant's identity, as well as details of his conduct and the nature of the collaboration. After pondering for a long time, he finally relaxed and said that there should be no problem.
Jiang Shuifu, like her grandfather, initially harbored some doubts. What a coincidence that her second uncle had encountered? And he was even going to help him get a promotion? The more she thought about it, the more suspicious she became. Could he be a fraud?
But since her grandfather had said that, and her second uncle wasn't stupid, maybe it really was his good fortune. So she just flattered him with nice things:
"Congratulations, Second Uncle! You'll be a high-ranking official soon, and Fu'er will cling to your leg tightly!"
Jiang Junyu waved her hands repeatedly, "No, no! My brother-in-law is the high-ranking official!"
Uncle Jiang Junyan also offered his congratulations, and the children at the table, including Meibao, echoed his aunt's words of praise.
Over the years, Jiang Junyu had received a lot of help from Jiang Sheng. Although he was grateful, he was also disappointed and wanted to be promoted. Now that he had this opportunity, he would not let it go easily.
Everyone enjoyed the meal, and the gloom hanging over the Jiang family was finally swept away.
In the past few days, things have been delivered to the Jiang residence, or more accurately, to Jiang Shuifu.
Jiang Shuifu looked at the silks, satins, jade ornaments and beads and sneered repeatedly.
Who else could send such a thing? He still has that same bad habit of throwing inanimate objects at her, which she has all had thrown away.
She'd had enough of staying home, so she decided to go out and have some fun.
"Peaches, let's go!"
But when they went outside, they were surprised to find a large crowd gathered in front of the Jiang residence. There were commoners, beggars, and many small business owners. In particular, the owner of the steamed bun shop that Jiang Shuifu liked was no longer selling steamed buns.
"The person is out, let's go!"
When these people saw her come out, they dispersed and pretended to be busy as if nothing had happened.
The peach sighed:
"Miss, no one has come to collect the things you threw away. These people have picked them all up. Seeing how easily they can make money, they've started guarding the door, waiting for more things to be thrown out..."
Jiang Shuifu's feelings were hard to describe. People are never satisfied. Once they become greedy, they can't extricate themselves and lose their original life.
Unexpectedly, as soon as the crowd dispersed, she bumped into the shameless man not far away after only a few steps. She walked past him expressionlessly, without even glancing at him.
Shen Jizhao thought she hadn't seen him, so he took heavy steps and dragged his badly injured body closer to her. She quickened her pace and turned in several directions, but she refused to look at him.
He followed her closely, but that was all. She didn't want to interact with him, so he slowed down and was content just watching her shop.
He watched as she bought many items for young women, and she happily wore and tried them on...
His eyes darkened slightly. He had given her so many things, and she didn't like any of them?
He knew that she didn't think much of him.
Before he knew it, she was gone. Shen Jizhao dragged his tired body to look for her again. Fortunately, he found her in a few breaths, but the direction she was in made him shudder.
He ran over very quickly, his wound reopening from the exertion, but he didn't notice and rushed forward without a care, bumping right into Jiang Shuifu who was holding the medicine.
He anxiously asked her:
"What happened to you? Are you hurt somewhere? Can I take a look?"
Jiang Shuifu ignored him completely, avoiding him at all costs. She turned and walked away without showing any of the dislike or disgust she had shown him a few days ago, not even a glance.
Just as she said, she and he had never met.
She treated him as if he were dead.
Shen Jizhao still secretly followed her, observing her every move as she walked, trying to find out if she was injured.
As he walked, he suddenly stopped.
The person she went to see was He Beiqing.
Jiang Shuifu also stopped.
He Beiqing, carrying her flower basket and the lantern, walked slowly towards her, his hands moving sluggishly and slightly trembling. He then stopped and, as always, gave a nonchalant smile.
“Miss Fu, I’ve had your lantern here for a long time, so I’ve come to return it to you.”
Jiang Shuifu was stunned. Her lantern hadn't been burned; he had saved her lantern!
So his entire arm was injured. Although his sleeves covered his arm completely, she could still see the extent of his injury.
Because his entire arm remained motionless, and he didn't move at all when he walked.
Suddenly and unexpectedly, she grabbed his arm and pulled him toward a rock to the side.
He Beiqing didn't react at first, letting her pull him for a while. His eyes were fixed on her, and seeing her worried look with her head down, he felt a few breaths of unease.
Just as she pulled him to the edge of the rock and pressed down with both hands to make him sit down, he suddenly took a step back, staggered a few steps, and blood seeped from his arm, staining his sleeve red, and gradually dripped down, one drop landing at her feet.
Jiang Shuifu didn't care at all that the drop of blood at her feet had stained her dress. She took a step forward and chased after him, her eyes crinkling with a playful smile.
"He Beiqing, it's just applying medicine, what are you afraid of?"
Perhaps it was the few steps he took that made his breathing a little rapid. He glanced at her with a hint of panic, and seeing the bright light in her eyes, the surprise in his eyes gradually subsided. He was about to speak.
Jiang Shuifu could tell he was about to refuse and leave, so before he could speak, she shoved the medicine into his hand. "Apply it here. Aren't you afraid of pain? This medicine has a pain-relieving effect!"
He Beiqing held the medicine in her hand, and she could still remember the nonsense he had casually uttered.
His eyelashes fluttered incessantly, opening and closing slightly, and his red lips became even more rosy and glossy.
He struggled with his thoughts for a while, the tangled thread twisting and turning, but in the end, he still looked up at her.
He saw Jiang Shuifu sitting on a rock, playing with her sparrows. Her childlike innocence made him feel relieved. He then walked over to her and squatted down next to her.
He placed the medicine on the stone, without even lifting his sleeve, and applied a little ointment to the back of his hand.
She suddenly asked, "By the way, have you seen my pomegranate-shaped gemstone hairpin? I can't find it anywhere!"
He Beiqing paused applying the medicine, thinking carefully, "It probably fell into the fire. If it gets burned, the hairpin will be ruined."
Jiang Shuifu thought it was quite possible, and she pouted, feeling a little sad.
He Beiqing stared at her sad expression for a few moments without offering any words of comfort. However, as he was about to continue applying the medicine, he felt a chill on the back of his injured hand.
It turned out that Jiang Shuifu had taken advantage of his momentary lapse in attention to personally apply medicine to the back of his hand with a bamboo stick, and she thanked him solemnly:
"Although we often disagree, you saved my lantern twice! You bought me candied hawthorns! And you even gave me unique spices. To be honest, I'm quite touched. I... want to thank you!"
He Beiqing's eyes flickered as he listened, unsure how to respond. He dared not listen any longer, nor did he dare let her continue applying the medicine for him. He was about to withdraw his hand when she suddenly changed the subject:
"But now, a dignified general is actually on guard against me? Or rather, not on guard, but out of fear!"
He Beiqing's eyes widened, and he immediately denied it: "No, it's just..."
Jiang Shuifu suddenly smiled, raising her eyes with a hint of mockery: "But you've been helping him spy on me, haven't you?"
He Beiqing was stunned. He was speechless and could not utter a single word in his defense.
She observed his expression intently, then casually looked away, continuing to apply the medicine with the bamboo strip, her questions never ceasing:
"Perhaps I should say that you're not afraid of me, but of him, right?"
Because he was afraid of him, He Beiqing referred to himself as "someone" instead of "I" when talking to her, just like at the beginning.
Although she asked the question in a questioning tone, he knew that she was not. She was very smart, so smart that on the day Shen Jizhao saved her, she knew at a glance what role she was playing by his side.
Jiang Shuifu shook her head:
"I'm just a lowly woman; how could I possibly compare to you in terms of intelligence and cunning? You are the ones who are truly remarkable. I was initially just suspicious, until I received this fragrant and delicious pastry..."
She stopped applying the medicine, took out a box of spices from her sleeve, and inhaled. A pleasant aroma wafted into her nostrils, and she exclaimed in admiration:
"As expected of the fragrant and yellow Qiongsu, its aroma is delicate and intoxicating. It only stayed in my sleeve for a short while, but butterflies kept flying over and landing on my dress. It's truly a rare sight. So this is what a 'famous flower' is! So I am the real 'famous flower'!"
Her tone was light and quick from beginning to end, but He Beiqing listened and his voice grew lower and lower, and his head drooped down again and again.
But she wouldn't stop; she insisted on asking all the questions at once.
"So, the brothel was shut down because of him? So, your question about whether I like Qiongsu Xianghuang is also because of him? Even your question about what I would do if he came back to me is also because of him? Because you've already figured out everything for him, haven't you?"
If Jiang Shuifu was wondering why Shen Jizhao came to Suyang a few days ago, now she understands perfectly.
He saved her from the fire that day and asked for a chance, but she didn't take it to heart at all. In fact, it went in one ear and out the other, and she didn't take it seriously at all.
He was the crown prince, proud and aloof. How could he possibly turn back to a woman who had taken the initiative to divorce him, thus ruining his reputation and making him a laughingstock?
He was so bound by rules that in everyone's eyes she was nothing more than a discarded person. Even if she begged and pleaded to return to his side, he wouldn't even give her a second glance!
Otherwise, his rules would be completely shattered, and everyone would be able to trample on him from then on!
Therefore, she attributed his words that day to madness, just like a woman's menstrual period, he would also have moments of madness, it was just a whim, and he couldn't even last an incense stick's time.
But how did he know she liked that fragrance until it appeared? And why did he go to such lengths to keep the fragrance just to give it to her?
Combined with her intuition that she had always felt secretly watched, she suddenly realized what was going on.
What he said was true; he genuinely wanted to win her back, just like he was doing today, thinking that by shamelessly following her, she would turn around and look at him again.
Therefore, he had set up a plan from the moment she left Suyang, and sent He Beiqing to keep an eye on her!
She was ashamed of her own lack of such cunning.
He Beiqing was so thoroughly annoyed by these questions that his back teeth almost broke. The back of his hand, which had just been treated with medicine, was covered with a dense, itchy sensation that spread from his hand all the way to his chest.
He admitted that what she said was true, and that he was just as despicable as Shen Jizhao.
Jiang Shuifu didn't blame him: "You were just following orders. During your time in Su Yang, your presence really relieved my fatigue..."
He took her horseback riding and to see the lake, and she was very happy; this is no lie.
She suddenly smiled slyly:
"So, I'll also give you a gift..."
He Beiqing didn't know what she wanted to do or what gift she wanted to give him, so he frowned slightly.
Jiang Shuifu suddenly leaned forward, then slowly and deliberately uttered each word, as cunningly as a fish playing in the water:
"He's watching from there!"
He Beiqing didn't understand what she meant, but then he noticed a chilling aura of menace emanating from behind him.
After Jiang Shuifu finished speaking, she got up and left. He looked back and saw her!
Your Highness!
How long has he been here? What has he seen?
He Beiqing smiled self-deprecatingly. It turned out that she applied the medicine to him only to get revenge on him. With the Crown Prince's personality, he would get angry if he saw the woman he had chosen getting close to another man, even if it was just a simple matter of not touching his skin.
The Crown Prince's anger cannot be easily appeased.
She even said she didn't blame him?
However, she wanted to use someone else to punish him, and he could accept it.
.
"Your Highness, I have no ill intentions. Miss Fu was only thanking me because I happened to save her lantern. Please don't misunderstand!"
Shen Jizhao sat high on the platform, watching He Beiqing kneeling motionless on the stone bricks as he received his punishment.
These stone bricks are extremely hard, and it had just rained. If he knelt on them for the time it takes to burn an incense stick, the dampness would surely seep into his legs, causing him to suffer from the bitter cold.
Shen Jizhao accepted his explanation lightly: "Of course I know, she was deliberately retaliating against you."
He Beiqing's eyes were filled with confusion. He looked up at the imposing man seated above him. Shen Jizhao's gaze seemed to drift back to a distant past. After a long while, he finally spoke to answer his question:
"I have seen the look in her eyes when she admired me, so I know she has no feelings for you!"
He Beiqing didn't know whether to be happy or disappointed by these words, but he knelt even straighter.
Shen Jizhao was very satisfied with his reaction and slowly revealed his true purpose:
"I made you kneel not because of that, I was just reminding you, that's all."
Shen Jizhao did not allow his woman to have any physical contact with other men. On the day of the fire, He Beiqing also rushed to save her, but he was one step ahead of her.
He knew he shouldn't be blamed for this, so he didn't blame him; otherwise, the punishment wouldn't have been as simple as just kneeling.
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Author's Note: Shen Gouzi: There was not a trace of affection in her eyes when she looked at He Beiqing!
Benda: That's not necessarily true.
Daughter: He set this up?
Benda: This is nothing! [eating melon emoji]
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