I Transmigrated and Already Had a Wife - Chapter 42.2

Jiang Zhou’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Miss Ruyi? Wasn’t that the Fourth Prince’s person? She would not believe it if someone said she approached Zhao Shigao without a motive.

She couldn’t figure out the details, but the most important thing right now was to leave this place. Once they got to the capital, she didn’t care about the Fourth Prince or Ruyi; after rescuing her father-in-law, the rest had nothing to do with her.

“Do you know archery, Cousin-in-Law? Come play a round with me.” Zhao Shigao looked at her.

With that, he released his hand from the taut bowstring. The arrow flew out and firmly hit the bullseye.

“It’s your turn, Cousin-in-Law.” Zhao Shigao raised his hand and tossed the bow over.

Jiang Zhou only felt a blur before her eyes and subconsciously caught it. She weighed it in her hand. The bow was heavy, and compared to the bows she used for hunting in Jiangjia Village, there was not only a difference in feel but also in the drawing strength. However, the feel was more like the type she had trained with in modern times. She modestly said, “Cousin’s archery is superb. I’m not good.”

Zhao Shigao waved his hand. “Zhou Huo always lets me win when we compete, so just shoot normally. It’s just for fun; winning or losing doesn’t matter.”

As he said this, he suddenly realized that he had just shot too well. He should have given his cousin-in-law a chance to show off in front of his cousin. Alas, it was all his fault. A moment of regret instantly filled his heart.

Maybe he should shoot poorly later.

Lin Muwan’s brow furrowed even tighter. “You still have an injury on your hand.” The implication was that she disagreed with her competing against Zhao Shigao. Her gaze coldly swept over Zhao Shigao.

Zhao Shigao:

He also realized at this moment that his cousin was scolding him for competing against Jiang Zhou. He quickly stepped forward to dissuade them. “Cousin-in-Law has an injury on his hand. It was my fault for forgetting just now. Why don’t we play something else?”

Jiang Zhou smiled casually, uncaringly. “This small injury is almost healed after one night, and archery doesn’t involve the wound.”

With that, she smiled back at Lin Muwan, pulled the long bow slightly, and with a swoosh, the arrow left the string, flying straight toward the arrow on the target center. The hard iron arrowhead, driven by the force, pa-ed as it pierced the entire fletching of the other arrow, finally embedding itself in the bullseye.

Zhao Shigao: “…”

Who said they weren’t good at archery?

Her archery was clearly better than his. He stared at the arrow with wide eyes, stunned for a long time, then mechanically clapped his hands and said, “Excellent shot, excellent shot.”

This cousin-in-law of his turned out to be a hidden talent, with archery skills that even surpassed Zhou Huo’s.

It was truly impressive.

Lin Muwan was also visibly stunned for a moment, her eyes deep. She knew Jiang Zhou could shoot, but she hadn’t expected her archery skills to be so excellent. Zhao Shigao was active in the military all year round, so his archery was naturally good. Yet, Jiang Zhou had easily surpassed him.

Could she have been a general before? With her archery skills just now, she certainly wasn’t an ordinary soldier. Baisheng had always valued literary over military achievements. There were only a few generals in the court, and they were mostly seventy or eighty years old. There were a few young generals outside, but they all seemed to be doing well, and she hadn’t heard of anything happening to them.

Then, who was she…?

Lin Muwan furrowed her brow, her gaze slightly scrutinizing as she watched Jiang Zhou, trying to discern some clue from those clear eyes.

Unfortunately, there was nothing.

She regained her composure and curved her lips at Jiang Zhou.

“My wife.” Jiang Zhou put down the bow, her eyes sparkling, looking back at her without blinking. If she had a tail, it would probably be wagging into a blur right now.

Her expression was slightly boastful, but she modestly said, “I just shot casually.”

Zhao Shigao:

“Shot casually,” Zhao Shigao twitched his lips.

Jiang Zhou, do you have no manners?

Lin Muwan curved her eyes and walked up to her. She took a handkerchief from her sleeve and wiped her forehead, her expression tender, praising her: “Mhm, my husband is truly amazing.”

Zhao Shigao: “???”

The two of them talked as if no one else was present. He felt violated. He glanced at Zhou Huo, who was silently standing on the side, and sighed. Were people really this rude nowadays?

They didn’t pay him any mind at all.

Zhou Huo was better.

He covered his mouth and coughed, unconvinced. “Cousin-in-Law’s archery is excellent, and I gladly admit defeat. How about we compete in some martial arts?”

Lin Muwan frowned, casting a cold look at him. “Cousin should compete with Zhou Huo. It’s inconvenient for my husband’s hand.”

Huh?

Why was it inconvenient?

Jiang Zhou disagreed, unable to stop herself from protesting in her heart. Her hand was perfectly fine, but as soon as she met Lin Muwan’s gaze, she immediately backed down.

“My hand is indeed a little injured, but…” She glanced at Lin Muwan.

It wasn’t that serious, though. She hadn’t competed with anyone for a long time, and she felt a little eager to try, her hands itching for action.

Zhao Shigao stared at her wrist and said with some regret, “Competing with Zhou Huo is meaningless. He always lets me win, and I get no sense of achievement. I don’t know how good Cousin-in-Law’s martial arts are. I would be content if I could learn a thing or two. What a pity…”

Jiang Zhou awkwardly rubbed her nose, and before Lin Muwan could speak, she quickly said, “It’s not that we can’t compete. We’ll stop before anyone gets hurt.”

Zhao Shigao quickly responded with a smile. “Naturally, naturally. When sparring with Cousin-in-Law, we will definitely stop before anyone gets hurt.”

“She hasn’t yet…” Lin Muwan was annoyed. She glared at Jiang Zhou for a moment, then turned and sat down in an armchair, not giving her another look.

The maid was sharp and quickly served her tea.

Zhao Shigao was wearing the close-fitting uniform of a military officer, which was convenient for a competition. Jiang Zhou was wearing a long gown. She tucked her skirt up and secured it at her waist.

The two traded blows. In terms of strength, Zhao Shigao had a slight advantage. In terms of agility, despite Jiang Zhou’s tall stature, her dodging and attacking were as fast as lightning. Several times, Zhao Shigao was a beat too slow in his moves. As time went on, Zhao Shigao’s stamina was clearly inferior to Jiang Zhou’s. Fortunately, Jiang Zhou intentionally let him win this time, and the match ultimately ended in a draw.

Zhao Shigao was breathing heavily and was immensely impressed with his seemingly weak cousin-in-law.

“Cousin-in-Law, with your skills, you would definitely have no problem becoming the top martial scholar (Wu Zhuangyuan),” he said with a smile.

“Wu Zhuangyuan?” Jiang Zhou asked in confusion.

“The county-level Wu Zhuangyuan competition is in a few days.”

Jiang Zhou pursed her lips, letting him continue.

“If you want to participate, I’ll ask Father to add your name. We can then go to the capital together to take the imperial examination.”

Go to the capital?

Jiang Zhou’s heart trembled.

That meant she would have a legitimate reason to leave the General’s residence.

It was truly a case of “speak of the devil and he shall appear.”

She tried hard to suppress the rising corners of her mouth and thanked Zhao Shigao.

The General’s residence was searched with great fanfare all day, yet not a single thing was found. When Jiang Zhou returned to her room, she noticed her travel bag had been searched, but she didn’t mind. There was nothing in it besides a few changes of clothes.

All her valuables and money were with Lin Muwan.

Now, she just needed to occasionally make her presence known to Zhao Shigao, hoping he would help her leave Qingzhou sooner.

A few more days passed. Not only was the General’s residence heavily guarded, but the citizens within the city were also living in fear, with rumors spreading those valuable items had been stolen from the General’s residence and the thief was nowhere to be found.

Zhao Mao had been dealing with this matter for several days and wasn’t even seen at meal times. Even Zhao Shigao realized the severity of the situation and stayed quietly in the residence, no longer mentioning going out.

That day, two distinguished guests suddenly arrived at the mansion. Jiang Zhou looked from afar and couldn’t help but be shocked. Those two people were none other than the current Crown Prince and the Fourth Prince—the two deadly rivals.

Why would they appear together in the General’s residence?

This was strange.

If the Crown Prince had appeared alone, she wouldn’t have many questions, as Zhao Mao was on the Crown Prince’s side. But what was the situation now, with both of them appearing together?

Jiang Zhou was confused.

“Cousin, who are they?” Jiang Zhou asked Zhao Shigao, who was standing nearby. The two had become quite close over the past few days. Zhao Shigao, who admired strength, naturally shared everything with Jiang Zhou.

“They? One is His Royal Highness, the Crown Prince, and the one wearing the dark purple is the Fourth Prince. I don’t know why they suddenly came to Qingzhou. When they heard the General’s residence lost something, they came right away. I heard the idea of searching every household was theirs.” Zhao Shigao pouted. “I don’t know what Father lost that requires such a large commotion.”

He disapproved of his father’s actions from the bottom of his heart but didn’t dare to contradict him.

Jiang Zhou blinked, surprised. “It’s the Crown Prince and the Fourth Prince!”

Zhao Shigao waved his hand indifferently and lifted the fishing rod in his hand. The fish in this pond had been frightened by his fishing for the past few days, and they didn’t even dare to eat.

As a result, half a day passed, and the fish still hadn’t taken the bait.

“What’s so surprising? I saw them a few times when I was in the capital. The Crown Prince and the Fourth Prince each have supporters and have always been at odds. I don’t know why they came to Qingzhou together this time.”