I Transmigrated and Already Had a Wife - Chapter 41

Were these things Jiang Zhou had fabricated, or were they truly real?

Subconsciously, she didn’t believe her uncle was the mastermind behind framing her father.

But the person saying this was Jiang Zhou…

Lin Muwan clenched her hands, tightening the ten fingers hidden in her sleeves into her palms, clenching them tighter and tighter. The tiny crescent moons seemed about to pierce her flesh.

She felt no pain at this moment.

How could the evidence be in her uncle’s hands? How could her uncle frame her father?

Was the person in front of her credible?

Jiang Zhou had just said her uncle was the Crown Prince’s man. Combining this with her uncle’s previous hints that she should persuade her father to align with the Crown Prince, there were traces to follow.

But what if it was true?

Her mother was staying at her uncle’s house…

She truly didn’t want to suspect the uncle who had cherished her since childhood. She looked up at Jiang Zhou; that person’s gaze was burning, with a clear, clean light in her eyes.

Who exactly was she?

How did she know these things? She absolutely could not believe the dreams she claimed to have. What was this person hiding from her?

Also, if that Miss Ruyi was truly the Fourth Prince’s person, and her father had said the Fourth Prince was wise and virtuous, could she perhaps use this Ruyi to contact the Fourth Prince…

No, what was she thinking? How could she suspect her uncle without any evidence?

Lin Muwan’s conviction fell into a cycle of constant destruction and rebuilding.

After a long while, she forced herself to calm down and said, “Let’s return to the manor.”

Jiang Zhou was incredulous, furrowed her brow, and scrutinized Lin Muwan’s eyes, trying to find some clue.

But there was none.

She was so composed.

Jiang Zhou hesitated and said, “Oh, alright.”

That’s it?

How could she be so calm? Had Lin Muwan believed her or not?

A moment later, a slight feeling of disappointment welled up in her heart. Of course, Lin Muwan wouldn’t believe her. If she were in Lin Muwan’s shoes, she wouldn’t suspect her own uncle based on a dream alone, especially since Lin Muwan trusted her uncle deeply.

She didn’t say anything more.

Upon returning to the General’s Manor, Jiang Zhou went back to her room alone, while Lin Muwan went to see Old Madam Zhao. Coincidentally, Lin Mu (Lin Muwan’s mother) was there, as well as her aunt, Li Yan, whom she hadn’t seen yesterday. She was here too.

Upon seeing Lin Muwan, Li Yan enthusiastically waved to her, “Wanwan, come quickly. We were just mentioning you, and here you are! Your uncle said today that there’s a merchant caravan going to the capital in a few days. He’s worried about your safety and wants you to stay a few extra days so you can travel with the caravan. He’s already spoken to the caravan manager. Your aunt thinks your uncle’s suggestion makes sense. You’re a young lady; even with A Zhou accompanying you, it’s still worrying.”

Lin Muwan frowned and looked at her mother. Her mother was smiling, looking at her affectionately, seemingly agreeing with what her aunt said.

On the other side, Old Madam Zhao’s slightly stern voice slammed the table, “Your aunt is right. Qingzhou is a thousand miles from the capital, and recently, things haven’t been peaceful. Listen to your uncle; travel with the caravan in a few days.”

The tone carried the non-negotiable authority of an elder.

Lin Muwan lowered her head, her gaze sinking. Clenching her fingertips, Jiang Zhou’s words echoed in her ears. She nodded slightly in agreement.

Old Madam Zhao: “That’s right. Your uncle has also sent people to the capital, so don’t worry.”

Lin Muwan pursed her lips and thanked her grandmother and aunt. She sat silently beside her mother, listening to them talk. She was not a talkative person by nature. Since she had agreed, she let the rest follow its course.

Occasionally, she would speak a few words with them.

At the Xū hour (7 PM to 9 PM), Old Madam Zhao had a habit of going to bed early, so the group dispersed.

Lin Mu wanted to keep Lin Muwan in the courtyard so mother and daughter could have a heartfelt talk. She sent a maid to the front courtyard to say they wouldn’t be returning tonight.

Not coming back!

Jiang Zhou’s heart sank with a jolt, and a bad feeling instantly arose.

Could it be that her words had caused Lin Muwan to harbor a suspicion…

If so, hadn’t she intended well but caused harm instead?

She shook her head. Should she go and explain to Lin Muwan?

She truly didn’t know how to explain now. Habitually scratching her head, her neat hairdo became a little messy.

Time flew by, and it was already the Hài hour (9 PM to 11 PM). The people in the General’s Manor had mostly retired for the night, leaving only the night watchmen outside.

Jiang Zhou had no intention of sleeping. Modern people have a rich nightlife and are not used to going to bed so early. Not only could Jiang Zhou not sleep, but her mood was also irritable.

The thought of Lin Muwan not trusting her made her feel very uncomfortable.

Extremely uncomfortable.

Since Lin Muwan didn’t trust her, why not seize the opportunity while she was still in the General’s Manor to search for the evidence?

She remembered the evidence was an account book and a list of corrupt officials. The account book contained the figures of the embezzlement, and the list recorded the names of the corrupt officials.

These two items were not only crucial to Minister Lin’s case but also the ultimate weapon to take down the Crown Prince. The Fourth Prince relied on this list to make the Emperor lose trust in the Crown Prince.

He then had the opportunity to overthrow the Crown Prince and ascend the throne.

Jiang Zhou pouted. If she found the evidence, she definitely wouldn’t give it to the Fourth Prince; she genuinely disliked this unknown Fourth Prince.

But where could such important things be? Unfortunately, the dream didn’t explicitly say where Zhao Mao hid them, otherwise, her search would be much easier.

After much deliberation, she finally set her sights on the study. In novels and TV shows, don’t they always hide such important things in the study?

She didn’t worry too much and decided to scout it out first.

Worrying that someone might still be awake, she waited another hour in her room until the servants on night duty were at their most relaxed and sleepiest. Then, she secretly slipped into Zhao Mao’s study.

Zhao Mao’s study was nothing like those seen on TV: wide bookshelves filled with books, emanating a strong scholarly aura. On the contrary, the entire study had only one desk, a weapon rack behind it, and a screen on the other side.

The weapon rack displayed various weapons, which glowed with a chilling light in the moonlight. Jiang Zhou shivered, secretly musing that these were clearly not ordinary items.

She went up and examined them one by one: sabers, spears, swords, and halberds. Some had sharp blades, and a few were even rusty.

She couldn’t understand why Zhao Mao would keep them even in such a rusted state, and even display them in such an important place as the study.

She didn’t dwell on it. If she couldn’t figure it out, she wouldn’t bother. She redirected her attention to the desk behind her. On the surface, a few military books were neatly placed, along with brushes, ink, paper, inkstones, and a candle holder.

Strange, why was the study so simple? From her observation over the two days since her arrival, Zhao Mao indeed went to the study whenever he was free.

Did he have another study?

Jiang Zhou bit her lip, secretly contemplating this possibility.

Just then, a slight “click, click” sound of picking a lock came from the study door. Jiang Zhou’s heart tightened suddenly. When she entered, she had bolted the door from the inside for fear of being discovered by the manor servants.

Who was it?

She was now certain that this person was definitely not someone from the General’s Manor.

Who, then?

She quickly closed the desk drawers, turned back, grabbed a short dagger from the weapon rack, and quietly approached the door. She hid to one side, careful not to make a sound, ready to subdue the person in one move as soon as they entered.

Then, the door “clack”ed open, and a figure tiptoed in. This person was thin, masked, and quickly closed the door upon entering. Jiang Zhou seized the opportunity while he was closing the door, covered his mouth, and pressed the dagger against his neck.

She lowered her voice, “Don’t make a sound.”

She slowly dragged the person back to the desk. Once the person calmed down, Jiang Zhou released the hand covering his mouth and pulled down his mask with her other hand.

In the moonlight, Jiang Zhou was stunned. This person was none other than Xiao Qi, whom she had met outside the city gate that night.

Xiao Qi was also surprised to see her.

“Why is it you?”

“Brother Jiang.”

The two exclaimed simultaneously, watching each other vigilantly.

The atmosphere was very subtle.

After a moment, Xiao Qi raised his hand to gently push the dagger away from his neck, “Brother Jiang, could you please remove that? It wouldn’t be good to accidentally get hurt.”

Jiang Zhou: “How come you’re here?”

Xiao Qi smiled, “Take this away, and you can see that I can’t run away now. Maybe we have the same goal?”

Jiang Zhou frowned. She couldn’t hear Xiao Qi’s thoughts now. After careful consideration, she hesitated for a moment and put the dagger away.

Jiang Zhou: “You can speak now.”

Xiao Qi: “To be honest, I am an imperial commissioner sent by the Emperor to investigate Zhao Mao. Because his prestige in the area is so great, it’s really difficult to inquire about things. I was forced to investigate the General’s Manor by night. I didn’t expect to run into you, Brother Jiang, by such a coincidence.”

She spoke half-truths and half-lies. Jiang Zhou looked at her, certain that she was not sent by the Emperor. Jiang Zhou secretly muttered, This liar.

As for the rest, she indeed shared the same goal as Jiang Zhou—to find the evidence. She weighed the situation in her mind and decided to ally with her first. If they delayed any longer, being discovered wouldn’t be good.

Moreover, she was isolated and powerless, without even a helper. If she could join forces with the other party, perhaps they could rescue Lin Muwan’s father sooner.

So, she offered her sincerity, saying, “The account book and the list are indeed in Zhao Mao’s hands, but I’ve searched the study for a long time and haven’t found anything.”

“Haven’t found anything?” Xiao Qi didn’t doubt her, scanning the surroundings. It was indeed very simple here, so simple that it didn’t look like a study, but rather a simple armory, with the whole space visible at a glance.

Could there be a mechanism?

Both of them thought of it simultaneously. With just a look, they began to search tacitly.

They checked almost every corner of the study. Just when they thought they might have guessed wrong, the candle holder on the desk caught Jiang Zhou’s attention.

“This… could it be…” she hesitated.

Xiao Qi looked at her, and she looked at Xiao Qi. They exchanged glances, and both reached out to touch the candle holder simultaneously.

It was fixed to the surface!

Xiao Qi nodded to her. They both exerted force and twisted it to one side at the same time. The wall behind the screen immediately rotated, slowly opening to reveal a stone door the height of a person, standing half-open.

It truly was a hidden sanctuary.

Jiang Zhou was overjoyed. Just as she was about to step forward, Xiao Qi stopped her, “Light this first; it’s too dark inside.”

Saying this, she took out a tinder stick from her bosom, removed the cover, and blew it alight. The dark passageway instantly lit up. After walking for a while, the view suddenly opened up.

This was a secret chamber. Two large luminous pearls were embedded in the walls, making the hidden room as bright as day.

Jiang Zhou was momentarily stunned.

This place…

She was overwhelmed by the sight before her. Exotic treasures were placed everywhere, along with boxes upon boxes of gold and silver—at least ten of them—and gold and silver jewelry. She couldn’t help but cover her mouth.

She knew he wasn’t a good official, but she hadn’t expected him to be so…

The word “wealthy” could no longer describe him; he was extremely wealthy.

Unusually wealthy.

The source of such immense wealth for a military official was obvious.

Xiao Qi, on the other hand, frowned tighter and tighter, her voice filled with indignation, “To think that while our soldiers on the front lines in Baisheng are struggling, this Zhao Mao is embezzling military provisions and exploiting the common people. He truly deserves to die.”

Jiang Zhou glanced at her, “Stop looking. Let’s find the account book and the list first.”

Why would she have the time to lament these things now? Shouldn’t they find the account book quickly, leave here, return to the capital, report to the Emperor, and condemn Zhao Mao?