A man slowly walked out of the private room next door at Wangyue Tower.
At this moment, Jiang Wan had already reached the first floor.
The man silently watched her retreating figure, his eyes filled with a mixture of light and shadow.
After a while, he called over a guard who was standing nearby and whispered a few words of instruction to him.
Meanwhile, Jiang Wan returned to the General's Mansion in an inconspicuous sedan chair, and by evening, Shi Xu's message finally arrived.
Their men waited outside the mansion for half a day, but they never saw Mr. Yun Que.
How could this be?
She was puzzled.
Mr. Yun Que is also a renowned figure. Song Ziyu broke his promise, so he will definitely come to the General's Mansion to demand an explanation. Why has there been no movement for so long?
"Perhaps he was just delayed by something," Biluo said. "Madam, don't worry. I will continue to send people to keep an eye on him these next two days."
Jiang Wan nodded, picked up the sheep-hair brush again, and wrote a beautiful line of small regular script on the post.
There were already more than a dozen invitations on the table, with hibiscus-colored covers and light-colored stationery, elegant and refined.
Tomorrow is the final martial arts test, and with Song Yu's abilities, he will definitely be among the top three.
Traditionally, families would hold celebratory banquets for those who achieved good results in the martial arts examinations.
Jiang Wan also needs to start preparing in advance.
At this time last year, she had advised Song Yu to keep a low profile. Now that he has risen to fame and has a good reputation among the young gentlemen in the capital, she wants to use the martial arts competition to promote him.
After checking the invitations several times, Jiang Wan's gaze fell on the one with Pei Xuan's name on it.
Pei Xuan found General Song's notes for Song Yu. Personally, she should send an invitation to the Eastern Palace.
But her expectation was that Song Yu would gradually take over the Song family's military power.
Throughout history, monarchs have always desired absolute loyalty from those who hold military power, wanting them to be their confidants rather than any particular prince.
It was indeed inappropriate for Song Yu, who had just begun to show his talent, to associate so closely with the Crown Prince.
If it arouses the emperor's suspicion, it will not only hinder Pei Xuan, but also cause Song Yu to be suppressed by Emperor Jingyuan in the future when he is promoted in the army.
This is not a good thing for either of them.
After a moment's hesitation, she made up her mind, picked up her pen, blacked out Pei Xuan's name, threw the discarded letter aside, and ordered, "Go to the storeroom."
When Steward Zhao heard that Jiang Wan had arrived, he personally carried a lantern and stood guard at the door for her.
"You've worked hard, Steward Zhao."
After Jiang Wan picked out the items, she nodded slightly to him.
"Did the general say anything to you after he looked at the account books last time?"
Steward Zhao said respectfully, "The general was in a hurry to use the money, so how could he calm down and carefully check the accounts? Besides, he has never paid attention to the affairs of the inner quarters. When he saw that there was not much cash in the mansion, he threw a tantrum and left."
Jiang Wan nodded.
First there was the fake itinerant doctor, then Gu Yurong's unusual act of taking a concubine for Song Ziyu; she realized that Song Lin had already begun to make his move in secret.
He dared not touch the foundation of the general's mansion, so he could only seize its wealth first.
So she instructed Biluo to create a false account book.
That day, Song Ziyu found that he did not have enough cash, so he had no choice but to take a risk and use the tiger tally.
"I am very pleased with Butler Zhao for his thorough work."
Jiang Wan smiled and winked at Biluo.
Biluo stepped forward and slipped a purse into Steward Zhao's hand. Steward Zhao thought it was loose silver, but when he weighed it, he found it was quite heavy. He opened a corner and found it was full of gold leaves.
He was slightly surprised; this Madam Jiang was much wealthier than he had imagined.
"Madam, you flatter me. I am old, hard of hearing and blind, and all I know is to obey orders."
Jiang Wan smiled and said, "In that case, I have something to ask you."
"The other day the general bought two baskets of rose fragrance, but were they both sent to Zhuqing and Lanyou's rooms?"
Steward Zhao had trusted confidants and spies in every courtyard of the mansion, so nothing, big or small, could escape his notice.
Sure enough, he tilted his head and thought for a moment before answering, "That's right. This rose fragrance is very rare. The general deliberately bought it from the ship merchant just to please Zhu Qing and Lan You. Except for the few that he took when he passed by Young Master Lin's room, the rest were all sent to those two's rooms."
Finally, he added, "If Madam likes it, this old servant will send someone to purchase it tomorrow."
"No need, I was just asking casually."
Jiang Wan shook her head, but her eyes flickered secretly.
Zhu Qing and Lan You were just two maids; at best, they couldn't reach the princes.
The rose scent on Pei Xi's desk likely came from Song Lin.
Pei Xi was confined to his quarters and was rather carefree, but Consort Yun was different; she would definitely remember Song Lin's name.
She has two princes, who are currently under house arrest, but they will be released one day.
I wonder who Song Lin has taken a liking to?
The following day, spring was in full bloom and the weather was beautiful.
The final round of the martial arts test was held as scheduled.
The Song family gathered at Luhe Hall.
Ever since the old lady and Song Ziyu made a fool of themselves last time, she has no face to show up at the competition venue. She is also worried about the final result and can only sit at home and wait.
To their surprise, Jiang Wan did not go with them, but came to pay her respects to Madam Yuan early in the morning.
"The competition is Yu'er's own doing. I don't know any martial arts, so there's no point in me going. I might as well stay home and wait for the result."
That is true.
The matriarch glanced at her and said, "Then sit down. Just send a servant to inquire about the information."
"Grandmother, there's no need for that."
Jiang Wan's eyes were filled with a smile.
"I heard that in previous years, when the top three in the martial arts examination were announced, the imperial court would send a special eunuch to deliver the good news at their door. The eunuch would come on horseback with gongs and drums, much faster than a servant's legs."
The elder's wife's face darkened.
What top three?
She only hoped that Song Yu would fail the exam and come back looking dejected!
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