I Transmigrated and Already Had a Wife - Chapter 42.1

Of course, she didn’t care about anything else. She only wanted to rescue her father-in-law, take Lin Muwan back to Jiangjia Village, and live a life with a wife, a child, and a warm kang (heated brick bed).

The Xiao Qi before her clearly had greater ambitions. Although currently rummaging through ledgers just like herself, her heartfelt aspirations for the country and its people constantly echoed in her ears like a spell.

Could there truly be such a person, someone who genuinely cared only for the common folk?

She couldn’t help but look up to Xiao Qi.

Now, she was completely certain that Xiao Qi was absolutely a good official who cared about the common people and the welfare of the country.

Second to none.

To have such a good official was the good fortune of Baisheng (the fictional country).

However, the most important thing right now was to find the ledger. Without it, everything was empty talk. Time was ticking by, and if they didn’t quickly find the ledger and leave, she truly feared they would be caught in a trap.

Just then, Xiao Qi’s searching hand suddenly paused. Pushing aside a stack of books, a blue-covered ledger was revealed. She joyfully exclaimed, “Brother Jiang, I found it!”

Found it?

Jiang Zhou’s heart also leaped with joy. She quickly leaned closer, and the two rapidly flipped through a few pages. Jiang Zhou was absolutely sure this was the evidence Lin Muwan finally obtained in her dream, and it even had the list of names clipped inside.

She hadn’t expected to get her hands on it so easily. If things continued to develop like this, the next step would be to head to the capital. Jiang Zhou felt a little excited, as if the peaceful life she dreamed of was right before her eyes.

“Hurry up and leave, it’s not safe to stay here for long,” Xiao Qi said.

The next day, after Jiang Zhou finished her morning meal, she saw a team of soldiers led by Zhao Mao’s subordinate hurrying into the General’s residence. The servants of the mansion filled the courtyard. The soldiers were going to search every room, and the servants were to be questioned individually.

“Hey!” Jiang Zhou stopped a passing maid who had her head lowered. “What happened? Why are these people here?”

The maid did not dare to deceive and truthfully replied, “The mansion was broken into last night. The General deployed some men from the military camp, saying it was to strengthen security within the residence.”

“Oh,” Jiang Zhou nodded, turning to look at Lin Muwan, who was frowning and appeared to be deep in thought.

Jiang Zhou asked, “Do you know what the thief stole?”

The maid shook her head.

Jiang Zhou naturally knew what was missing. She was only worried that the person feeling guilty right now wasn’t her.

Jiang Zhou’s expression was slightly worried. “I hope the thief is caught soon.”

The maid said, “Don’t worry, Cousin-in-Law. Our General has already sent men to blockade the city gates. We believe the thief will be apprehended quickly.”

Jiang Zhou: “?!”

She scratched her eyebrows. Fortunately, the evidence had been taken out of the city by Xiao Qi last night; otherwise, something could really have gone wrong.

As for why she asked Xiao Qi to take the evidence back to the capital to present to the Emperor: first, their goals were the same—as long as the Fourth Prince wasn’t involved, it didn’t matter who presented the evidence to the Emperor. Minister Lin (Lin Muwan’s father) would be acquitted and reinstated to his post because of this evidence.

Second, based on the voices in Xiao Qi’s head, she could tell Xiao Qi was absolutely trustworthy. Moreover, she was alone and relatively powerless. If the evidence wasn’t taken out of the General’s residence, something would go wrong sooner or later. It was better to let Xiao Qi take it, which would also clear her own suspicion and prevent Zhao Mao from suspecting her.

Besides, Xiao Qi had also promised to leave a few people to protect them on their journey to the capital. Why not?

She took Lin Muwan’s hand. “My dear wife, since the mansion is being searched for a thief, why don’t we go out for a stroll? Yesterday, there were many things I liked and wanted to buy. I didn’t…”

She then sneaked a glance. What’s so embarrassing about one’s wife managing the money? She puffed out her chest and immediately felt more confident. “The money is all with my wife.”

Lin Muwan chuckled softly. This person didn’t shy away from this at all, even with a maid present. She was quite comfortable saying whatever she pleased.

“Does husband want money?” Lin Muwan asked.

Huh?

When did she ask for money?

Jiang Zhou quickly explained, “I don’t want money; I want to accompany my wife to go shopping.”

Shopping?

Lin Muwan gently furrowed her brow. What did that mean?

She pursed her lips and pondered in her heart. She roughly guessed the meaning—this “shopping” probably meant buying things.

Who exactly was she? She would occasionally say such strange things. What an odd person.

Furthermore, what she said last night…

The thief last night… Lin Muwan suddenly felt a sense of unease.

Could the thief last night be related to Jiang Zhou?

She secretly glanced at her. The person was composed and natural, showing no sign of guilt. She slightly exhaled in relief.

Perhaps she was overthinking things.

Lin Muwan curved her lips. They had been in Qingzhou for two days, and she hadn’t properly accompanied her. It wouldn’t hurt to take this opportunity to go out. So, she nodded.

The two had just reached the main gate when they were stopped by soldiers. “The General has ordered that no one is allowed to leave the residence.”

Jiang Zhou asked, “Why are we not allowed to leave?”

The soldier replied, “We are only following orders. We know nothing else.”

Jiang Zhou: “…”

It seemed this Zhao Mao was quite anxious. He wouldn’t even allow people to leave the residence, showing how important that ledger was. Since the ledger was stolen from the General’s residence without a sound, he was probably suspecting someone inside the mansion.

Jiang Zhou wasn’t worried about him suspecting her at the moment. After all, the evidence wasn’t in her hands, and she hadn’t left the mansion.

However, to prevent further complications, she still planned to leave this place as soon as possible.

She had originally planned to go out today and secretly meet the people Xiao Qi left behind for her, but it seemed impossible now. As things stood, even if she did go out, she wouldn’t dare to meet those people, as Zhao Mao might secretly send people to follow her.

“My wife, why don’t we wait until Uncle (Zhao Mao) catches the thief before we go out? We still have to stay here for a few days, so it won’t be too late to go shopping later,” Jiang Zhou said.

Lin Muwan glanced around at the soldiers, nodded, lowered her eyes, and obediently said, “I will listen to my husband.”

“Then why don’t we go ask Cousin (Zhao Shigao) what fun things there are in this residence? How about it?” Jiang Zhou affectionately took Lin Muwan’s hand.

Lin Muwan’s face flushed. She withdrew her hand. There were others present, and this rogue… she shot her a resentful look, turned, and walked back.

Jiang Zhou: “…”

She quickly followed.

After many twists and turns, they quickly arrived at Zhao Shigao’s courtyard. He was currently sitting in the courtyard sunbathing with a folding fan covering his face. As soon as he heard they had arrived, he jumped up from his chair, and the folding fan on his face fell to the ground with a pa da sound.

“Why are you here? Father just ordered that no one is allowed to leave the residence. I was just worrying about it. I made plans with Miss Ruyi to admire the snow today, but now I can’t go.” Zhao Shigao looked annoyed. As he spoke, he picked up the bow and arrow next to him, drew an arrow, and easily pulled the bowstring.