The female shadow guard had been punished for failing to protect Concubine Jiang properly, whereas he himself had likely shown far too much concern.
She was Concubine Jiang, the Master’s woman—someone he had no right to harbour thoughts about.
Gu Jianshen spoke again, “Get up.”
Zhang Tao had once saved his life, so he was, after all, different from the others; Gu Jianshen could not be overly harsh with him.
Zhang Tao said, “This subordinate will strictly exercise self-restraint and observe propriety from now on. I will never make the same mistake again.”
After declaring his stance, Zhang Tao slowly stood up.
Gu Jianshen offered no comment, merely saying, “You are newly wed. Spend more time with your new bride so you can expand your family lineage.”
At night.
Jiang Ning was dressed in capable, tight-fitting attire with her hair tied in a high ponytail. Holding a fire basin in one hand and carrying a burlap sack over her shoulder, she returned to the road where Handong had died earlier that day.
Chuntao followed far behind Jiang Ning, curious as to why Concubine Jiang had slipped out quietly only after she had fallen asleep.
Jiang Ning squatted by the roadside, set up the fire basin, and began burning joss paper, muttering under her breath, “Handong, oh Handong, this world is full of sorrow and ruthlessness. Do not cling to the things of this mortal realm any longer. Let go of your obsessions, and above all, do not come back to haunt me. In your next life, may you be reborn into a peaceful society and a prosperous nation with a good family.”
In the flickering firelight, Jiang Ning’s eyes were swollen, tears still glistening within them.
Once she finished muttering, she began chanting the Rebirth Mantra.
Jiang Ning could not recite the Rebirth Mantra from memory, so she held a book and read directly from it, managing to sound surprisingly proper and convincing.
Standing in the distance, Chuntao began to understand Concubine Jiang’s actions. Even though Handong was heinous and unforgivable, having a life end at her own hands brought an immense burden of stress. The panic after taking a life and the deep guilt from her soft-hearted nature drove her to seek a moment of peace of mind.
Further away under the eaves, Gu Jianshen gazed at the glow of the fire from afar, looking at Jiang Ning’s haggard little face.
The guard beside Gu Jianshen asked, “Master, should we stop Concubine Jiang?”
Gu Jianshen said softly, “No need. Let her be. Just make sure there are no remaining embers afterward to prevent a fire.”
Gu Jianshen then turned and walked away, returning to his study in the East Courtyard to review official reports.
He did not return to his bedroom until about two hours later.
As he approached the bed, he noticed a bulge beneath the quilt. Surprised, Gu Jianshen wondered to himself: Could there be a delay?
When he woke up this morning, he had checked under the covers, but there had been no movement.
And now…
Gu Jianshen pulled back the quilt, and sure enough, there lay a gleaming bar of gold.
The fairy in his dream had mentioned burning paper—could it be that she had to burn it before the items could be transmitted over?
The image of Jiang Ning in the firelight flashed through Gu Jianshen’s mind. Could she be the fairy he had dreamed of and longed for?
No.
It was merely a coincidence.
He had personally inspected her before. Although Jiang Ning’s height and figure were similar, she did not have the cinnabar mole on her shoulder.
“Yingyue.”
Yingyue tapped on the window from outside and said, “Master, I am here. What are your orders?”
Gu Jianshen paused in silence for a moment before saying, “Go see what Concubine Jiang is doing.”
“Yes, Master.”
Concubine Jiang was currently running laps at the martial arts training ground.
Having burned the paper to achieve peace of mind, Jiang Ning had come to the training ground to exercise her body.
Although she knew the young and old of the Jiang family might not have escaped disaster, alive she needed to see them in person, and dead she needed to see their corpses. As long as she had not seen their remains, there was still a ray of hope.
With her current situation, charging off recklessly to find Prince Jing would be no different from walking into the lion’s den to throw her life away.
However, her situation was not entirely devoid of trumps. Gu Jianshen had not thrown her out; she was still Concubine Jiang here.
Furthermore, Gu Jianshen was a man with a heart of stone; honey traps simply would not work on him. Even if she stripped naked and pressed herself against him, he would probably whip her with a lash, lacking any romantic or carnal thoughts whatsoever.
Therefore, she could only develop her useful value in other areas.
She ran fast, could draw, was decent at vocal mimicry, proficient in makeup, and had modern military knowledge and skills in her head. She couldn’t build airplanes or cannons, but things like hang gliders, parachutes, fire lances, or handguns were certainly worth a try.
Gu Jianshen came from a military background and held the rank of a second-grade general. He could not possibly be content with holing up at the Dali Temple doing civilian administrative work; he was bound to be secretly deploying a path for his advancement.
If she wanted to hitch a ride on Gu Jianshen’s bandwagon, she had to let him see her worth.
First, she needed a strong physique.
“Hoo—hoo—hoo—”
The martial arts ground was pitch black, relying entirely on the faint moonlight. Immersed in the darkness, Jiang Ning adapted to her surroundings, running at a steady, unhurried fast pace while constantly adjusting her breathing to build her endurance.
She imagined herself as a leopard in the night, silent and stealthy.
Outside the gate, Chuntao was peeking in; passing patrolling guards glanced over a few times; there was even someone on the roof assigned specifically to keep an eye on her.
Jiang Ning did not care. As long as no one stopped her, she was free to move around.
“Running? Does she have nothing better to do?”
Gu Jianshen sat in the inner hall wiping his saber. Hearing this report, he was somewhat surprised.
Yingyue answered, “As for that, this subordinate does not know. However, Concubine Jiang is quite sensitive to pain. She tripped and fell, collapsed onto the ground, and started weeping softly. The more she cried, the louder she got. Now she has returned to Qingxiang Residence with Chuntao.”
Gu Jianshen remained silent for a moment.
A woman’s psychological endurance was not as high as a man’s. Today’s events were still too overwhelming for Jiang Ning. Having experienced a narrow escape from death and an accidental killing, her highly strained nerves were likely venting through the pain of the fall.
If Wenya saw her like this, she would surely feel heartbroken again.
Gu Jianshen asked, “Is there any news on Wenya?”
Yingyue replied truthfully, “Madam is still sightseeing in Quanzhou. Prince Jing is extremely cautious, so our people cannot get too close.”
Yingyue hesitated for a moment, then added, “Master, Prince Jing’s intention is very clear—he wants to pursue Madam. Do you want to go and bring Madam back?”
Gu Jianshen hung his saber back on the wall and said slowly, “Getting Wenya to return is not difficult. Once her objective is met, she will dodge Prince Jing faster than anyone else.”
“Her objective?”
Seeing Madam’s gentle, refined, and indifferent-to-the-world demeanor, it was hard to imagine her plotting anything.
Gu Jianshen offered a hint, “Qingxiang Residence.”
Yingyue suddenly understood. “For Concubine Jiang?”
Gu Jianshen said, “Ever since Situ left, Wenya has been despondent, growing weary of everything in this world. Jiang Ning’s arrival brought color and joy to her life, and she spoils Jiang Ning immensely. For Jiang Ning’s sake, she is even willing to deal with Prince Jing.”
Gu Jianshen understood Wenya’s line of thinking, but he truly could not comprehend the deep sisterly bond between them.
Especially the fact that Wenya had drugged him for Jiang Ning’s sake.
Having a title without the actual marital relationship would have been enough to secure Jiang Ning’s livelihood, yet Wenya insisted on making it a reality in both name and deed.
A sudden thought struck Yingyue, and she asked, “Master, if one day you find your beloved, what will you do?”
Gu Jianshen answered without hesitation, “I will marry her as an equal wife and spoil her for a lifetime.”
This would be in name only; in truth, his only wife was the woman from his dreams.
He had married Wenya solely out of loyalty and righteousness, sharing a marriage with her in name only.
Yingyue asked again, “If the Second Wife dislikes Concubine Jiang, but First Wife wishes to protect her, what will Master do then?”
If such a conflict arose, Jiang Ning would no longer remain Concubine Jiang…
Gu Jianshen suddenly understood Wenya’s motive for drugging him—she was planning ahead to secure Jiang Ning’s status for the future.
The little scheming Wenya possessed was entirely used for Jiang Ning’s sake.
“Dispatch more people to search for Jiang Ning’s family.”
“Yes, Master.”
For now, he could only act according to Wenya’s wishes so that she could disengage and return as soon as possible.
He had promised Situ Nan that he would take good care of Wenya, and he would never break that pledge.