The imperial decree was issued swiftly.
Jiang Wan was personally escorted away from the capital by eunuchs, and without an imperial decree, she was never to set foot in the capital again.
Jiang Wan's life is ruined.
Gu Yurong came to see them off, her eyes and brows full of smiles.
"Sister, rest in peace. I will serve the general well."
Because of the courtesan incident, Song Ziyu has been unwilling to see her for many days.
But she believed that without Jiang Wan interfering, she would soon be able to repair her marital relationship.
Jiang Wan gave a light, sarcastic smile, but remained silent.
Before leaving, a slender and upright figure broke free from the guards and ran out of the mansion gate.
"Mother!"
Ignoring everything else, Song Yu chased after the carriage with all his might.
"I want to go with you! Please don't leave me!"
"Yu'er, take good care of yourself."
Jiang Wan squeezed his hand through the carriage curtain and whispered.
"Your mother is waiting for the day she can see you again."
Song Yu was stunned for a moment, then suddenly stopped and watched the carriage leave with red eyes.
He looked down and opened his palm, revealing a packet of pills inside.
Jiang Wan just secretly gave it to him.
He then realized that his mother must have something in mind.
Then he would stay in the general's mansion and wait for her to return.
At this moment, Jiang Wan's carriage had already turned into the alley.
Biluo glanced outside and suddenly said, "Madam, someone else has come to see you off."
The carriage stopped briefly, and a woman outside spoke. It was none other than Aru, the most beautiful courtesan of Piaoxiang Pavilion.
"Thank you for reminding me that day, Madam. My daughter escaped a disaster. I have come here to express my gratitude."
"It was nothing," Jiang Wan shook her head. Seeing her strange expression, she asked, "Is there anything else?"
"To be honest, Madam, the owner of Piaoxianglou blamed me for offending a powerful figure and drove me out. Now I have nowhere to go."
Aru took a deep breath, her eyes filled with a hint of hatred.
"If it weren't for the Gu family, I wouldn't have ended up in such a miserable state."
"You want to enter the General's Mansion?" Jiang Wan understood her meaning and said calmly, "You need to think it through. Being a concubine in a high-ranking family may not be a good choice for your children."
“Madam and I share a common enemy.” Aru knelt down. “If you are willing to help me, I will obey your orders from now on!”
Jiang Wan glanced at her indifferently.
It seems she has made up her mind.
“Song Ziyu has a beloved horse named Zhuifeng. Recently, Zhuifeng has fallen ill, and he often takes it to the veterinary clinic in the west of the city.”
Jiang Wan said just a few words, and Aru's eyes lit up.
"Thank you, Madam!"
…
As spring transitions into summer, the weather gradually warms up.
In the blink of an eye, a month has passed since Jiang Wan left the capital.
Although Song Shuling was furious that she hadn't been able to kill her, she was still able to vent her anger by driving her out of the capital.
Moreover, Jiang Wan is currently alone abroad. Once Emperor Jingyuan's men withdraw from Hanshan Temple, she will have plenty of opportunities to silently end things with him.
She no longer cared about Jiang Wan.
A few days ago, Gu Yurong brought up the matter of the imperial merchant again, and promised to give her five percent of the profits every year, holding up a number with her hand.
Song Shuling was stunned by this number.
She brought up the matter with some excuse, and Emperor Jingyuan said he would consider it.
Everything went very smoothly.
Song Shuling was in high spirits. She selected some of the rare treasures bestowed upon her by the palace and sent them to her eldest sister, Song Muyan, who had married far away, and her younger sister, Song Tingyue, who was practicing seclusion.
That day, she received a reply from Song Muyan.
After reading it, Song Shuling laughed and tossed it aside dismissively.
"My elder sister told me not to underestimate Jiang Wan and to eliminate her as soon as possible."
Gu Yurong was also somewhat wary of Jiang Wan, feeling that she had changed since returning to the manor.
"Why don't we listen to our eldest sister?"
"What's the rush? I've already paid the monks in the temple to keep her from leaving and torment her for a few days! She's so hateful, how can I quell my anger if she dies so easily?"
Gu Yurong fell silent; she also hoped that Jiang Wan could suffer some torment.
"Mrs. Gu."
A soldier came to report.
"The general said he won't be returning to his residence tonight, so you don't need to save him any food."
Gu Yurong couldn't sit still any longer. She stood up angrily and said, "Isn't it just that broken horse that's sick? It's been treated for half a month and it's still not getting better. Now it won't even come home! Today I'm going to go and see it for myself!"
The soldier was startled.
If Gu were to discover what General Song was doing, wouldn't it cause an uproar?
He quickly made up an excuse.
"The general is at the military camp! It's been hot lately, so Linglong Pavilion has been sending free fruits, light military boots, and armor to the soldiers. The general has been busy checking and counting them, which is why he hasn't had time to go back to his residence!"
Gu Yurong: "Really?"
The servant nodded hurriedly: "Absolutely true."
Linglong Pavilion did indeed send these things, and he wasn't afraid that Gu Yurong would investigate.
Gu Yurong then gave up and snorted coldly.
"That Mr. Qingwu is truly cunning. What's a few tattered boots compared to that? Does he think he can win people's hearts with such a small favor? Once His Majesty restores my Gu family to its status as imperial merchants, let's see how smug he can be then!"
The soldier secretly curled his lip.
The military boots delivered by Linglong Pavilion are lightweight, breathable, and very comfortable. They are clearly made of high-quality materials and are well-crafted.
Unlike the Gu family's previous offerings, which were all pretty-looking but actually cheap and poorly made, these are no longer the same products.
The soldiers could tolerate it before, but now, with the contrast, they felt even more indignant.
Recently, news has circulated that His Majesty may replace the Gu family as imperial merchants, which has already caused many complaints within the army.
Unfortunately, they were all suppressed by General Song.
Gu Yurong naturally paid no attention to the servants' thoughts. With Song Shuling's help, she was eagerly awaiting an imperial decree.
Unexpectedly, before the imperial decree arrived, a plague suddenly swept through the capital.
Hundreds of people died in the capital, and the plague worsened, threatening to spread to the palace.
The Imperial Medical Academy worked tirelessly for days, but still couldn't come up with a cure for the plague.
Emperor Jingyuan was so focused on this that he had no time to deal with the affairs of the imperial merchants.
Just as the plague was raging in the sweltering summer and the people were suffering terribly, news suddenly came out.
A woman named Lady Jiang began distributing free soup to relieve summer heat and reduce internal fire outside the city gates.
Although it is named for relieving summer heat and cooling down, it still attracts many people.
After all, even the palace couldn't come up with a cure for the plague. With no hope of getting treatment, it was good if the people could at least feel a little better.
Gradually, the queue for soup grew longer and longer, and even officials and nobles heard about it.
I heard that the person who gave away the soup for free was a young lady.
She was dressed in plain clothes, with a light veil covering her face, revealing only a pair of clear and aloof eyes.
Oh, and she also carries a rabbit with her every day; it has red eyes and white fur, and it's very cute.
These details gradually spread among the people.
At the same time, Emperor Jingyuan began to have frequent nightmares.
Every night, he was chased by a fiery red nightmare, waking up in a cold sweat.
A plague broke out among the people, and the emperor could not sleep at night.
The Empress was also extremely anxious.
On this day, she decided to personally go to Hanshan Temple to burn incense and pray for peace and harmony in the world.
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