I Transmigrated and Already Had a Wife - Chapter 65

For two days in a row, Jiang Zhou held her hand on her lower back and supported herself on the wooden bars of the prison cell. She couldn’t help but complain, “The accommodation in your Ministry of Justice’s prison is too poor.”

She had only been here for three days, and her old back was aching. If the assassin didn’t come soon, she felt she might collapse here first.

She glanced at Xiao Qi, who was sitting there calmly. “Meng Yu has already secretly investigated based on the portrait drawn from Sun Pei’s description. How are things on your end?”

“Hmm?” Xiao Qi paused for a moment, then uncertainly asked, “What do you mean?”

What do you mean?

Of course, she meant to tell her the truth, detailing the Crown Prince’s recent movements one by one.

Jiang Zhou frowned, looking at Xiao Qi with a confused expression.

What was going on with this person?

Perhaps feeling uncomfortable under her gaze, Xiao Qi cleared her throat, her face slightly flushed, and said somewhat awkwardly, “I told Miss Xu my identity.”

“???” Jiang Zhou was utterly bewildered.

Seeing her remain silent for a long time, Xiao Qi suddenly leaned in, lowering her voice, and continued, “She didn’t seem surprised at all.”

Jiang Zhou twitched her lips. She finally understood that for all this time, the two of them hadn’t been talking about the same thing at all.

She chuckled inwardly.

She was suffering here, but this person was busy getting close to her future wife, and it seemed the progress was quite good.

Does he have no sense of shame? Can he not spare a thought for her suffering in this prison?

Jiang Zhou looked at him with a resentful expression.

What was there to be surprised about?

With the way he was throwing himself at her, it would be difficult for her not to figure it out, wouldn’t it?

Of course, she said nothing, nor did she want to. No wonder she hadn’t heard anything in his inner voice.

It turned out he had been busy chasing his wife these past two days, and she was the only one who was suffering.

She closed her eyes and said faintly, “Shouldn’t His Highness send someone to fan the flames on the Crown Prince’s side?”

Upon hearing this, Xiao Qi sighed dejectedly. He felt he truly wasn’t cut out to be an emperor. Even as a reborn person, he couldn’t handle these matters naturally.

Take, for example, the matter of sowing discord between the Crown Prince and the Fourth Prince. If Jiang Zhou hadn’t subtly prompted him, he wouldn’t have had a clue.

In his previous life, he had only cared about self-preservation, staying holed up in his manor all day, and avoiding contact with court officials. Now, he didn’t even know whom he could trust and use.

But fortunately, he had Jiang Zhou.

If Jiang Zhou…

A terrifying thought suddenly flashed in his mind. If Jiang Zhou betrayed him, he glanced at Jiang Zhou, somewhat afraid to continue the thought.

At the same time, Jiang Zhou shivered, her eyes looking at Xiao Qi with a hidden, unreadable expression.

She had just felt a murderous intent emanating from him.

A chill rose from the soles of her feet, spreading throughout her body.

Sure enough, accompanying a ruler was like accompanying a tiger. Jiang Zhou had only one thought in mind: rescue her father-in-law and immediately resign. She had to resign. This capital city, seemingly prosperous, was actually full of hidden dangers.

The person in front of her seemed to be her ally, but she knew he would kill her if he had to. Moreover, she held this person’s secret. She feared that in the end…

She shuddered.

Therefore, the capital was absolutely not a place to stay!

It seemed she needed to discuss this with her wife as soon as she got home.

She quickly reported a few names to Xiao Qi.

Hearing these names, Xiao Qi was first stunned. He had an impression of these people—no, a deep impression.

In his previous life, weren’t these the very people surrounding him just before his death?

He looked at Jiang Zhou with suspicion. The person in front of him always gave him a sense of knowing the future, just like when she urged him to marry Xu Yuning, which indirectly crippled the Fourth Prince’s influence.

He was the one who was reborn.

Could she also be reborn?

Xiao Qi’s heart was filled with apprehension. He couldn’t help but feel grateful once more that she was on his side. Otherwise, he feared he would once again repeat the mistakes of his previous life.

Listening to Xiao Qi’s inner monologue, Jiang Zhou was also unsettled. The more she listened, the colder her heart became. Hesitation was not in her nature, so she immediately interrupted Xiao Qi’s musings. “Your Highness, don’t forget the promise you made to me.”

“Hmm?” Xiao Qi snapped back to attention, staring at her thoughtfully.

After a moment, she thought, It’s good that she has something she desires. People without desires are the most feared. She composed herself. “Naturally. When the matter is concluded, I will personally request that Father officially pardon Minister Lin. Not only will I pardon his crimes, but I will also help him be reinstated to his original position.”

Jiang Zhou glanced at him. Reinstated to his original position? That wasn’t necessary.

However, she knew clearly that even without Xiao Qi’s help, the Emperor would release Minister Lin once everything was over. But for now, she needed to appear to have something to gain so that Xiao Qi would feel reassured.

It was difficult to be a person, and even more difficult to be a discerning person!

Sure enough, after the two reached a new agreement, Jiang Zhou no longer heard the messy, murderous thoughts targeting her.

She rubbed the bridge of her nose, sent Xiao Qi away, and returned to her private cell. Through the narrow window, she could see a few scattered stars in the sky. It seemed to be night already. The prison lamp hadn’t been lit yet, and the cell was dim.

Before long, a minor official came in carrying a food box. He didn’t light the lamp but placed the food directly on the table.

“Sir, it’s time for dinner,” the official said.

Having adjusted to the darkness, Jiang Zhou could make out fish, meat, and even wine on the table!

She frowned, and her vigilance immediately spiked.

Didn’t they say no wine was allowed?

She hesitated for a moment, then looked up at the official delivering the meal.

The light was insufficient, and she could only tell that the person was short. The official’s uniform was a little too large for him, clearly not a good fit.

Looking further down, she saw he was wearing a pair of pure black boots. The style was clearly not the official boots worn by a minor official.

Jiang Zhou’s heart jumped. She swallowed, averted her gaze, and slowly backed up two steps, concealing herself in the darkness.

After a moment, she feigned indifference and asked in a deep voice, “Where are the others? With this much food and wine, let everyone come and eat together.”

The official replied, “It’s shift change time now. If we wait for them, the food will probably get cold. Sir, please eat first.”

Was this meal something she could just casually eat?

She wasn’t stupid. The person in front of her was not a minor official at all.

Jiang Zhou felt a sense of dread. Where were Xiao Qi’s people, as promised? Where were the people from the Ministry of Justice?

With security measures like this, it was no wonder the Ministry of Justice was constantly having problems.

She moved back a little further, her eyes darting towards the place where her short dagger was hidden, then at the iron chains locking the prison door.

The official was approaching step by step. “Sir, I’ll open the door for you.”

No need! Absolutely no need!

With every approaching footstep, Jiang Zhou’s heart rate sped up. Her hands, hanging at her sides, instinctively clenched.

She was ready to rush to the dagger’s hiding spot.

Clank.

The chains fell into the official’s hands. Jiang Zhou’s gaze was fixed on his hands, her blood rushing, and her heart rate was reaching its limit with the official’s actions.

She knew she wasn’t facing an ordinary opponent. The person was a martial arts master who entered the Ministry of Justice as if it were an empty land.

Jiang Zhou lowered her eyes, shifted her stance outward, and looked again at the place where the short dagger was concealed.

She planned that the moment the person entered, she would leap up, draw the dagger, and stab the opponent. Even if she couldn’t kill him, she would inflict a serious injury to buy herself a chance at survival.

In the empty single cell, the sound of the lock opening was exceptionally clear.

‘Click.’

Jiang Zhou’s spirit sharpened. Just as she moved her foot, the prison door was suddenly pushed open from the outside, and a sound of complaint came from next to her: “I don’t know which scoundrel stole my clothes. If I find out, I’ll teach him a good lesson.”

Jiang Zhou and the assassin both froze.

In that split second, Jiang Zhou rushed over, grabbed the short dagger, and slashed at the assassin. However, the assassin reacted extremely quickly, stepping back rapidly to dodge the strike.

At this point, the two minor officials who had just entered the door also saw the assassin. They exchanged a look, drew their blades, and joined the fight.

During the struggle, the assassin finally got a clear look at Jiang Zhou’s face, realized he had been tricked, and turned to run towards the door. However, the doorway had already been blocked.

In fact, from the moment he entered the Ministry of Justice, he had been discovered by the experts lurking in the shadows. The reason they didn’t act immediately was that they knew his Qinggong (light-body skill) was excellent and were worried he might escape again.

It was better to let him enter the cell and then ‘catch the turtle in the jar.’

Xiao Qi stood behind the crowd and waved his hand, “Take him alive.”

As soon as he spoke, several people leaped up and fought with the assassin. They had initially thought the opponent was formidable, but he was subdued on the ground after just a few moves. Only then did everyone realize that, apart from his great Qinggong, he was generally mediocre.

The guards lifted the assassin, preventing him from biting his tongue to commit suicide, and stuffed his mouth with a cloth strip. Then, his limbs were bound with iron chains.

The assassin was chained in a ‘spread-eagle’ posture, fixed to the torture rack.

Once the candles were lit, Jiang Zhou and Xiao Qi exchanged a look. Jiang Zhou stepped forward and, regardless of whether the assassin could speak, she directly asked a few questions. After asking, Jiang Zhou already knew the answers in her heart. Although the assassin couldn’t speak, he couldn’t help but repeat the answers in his mind every time she asked a question.

Jiang Zhou left the Ministry of Justice with light steps. The thought of seeing Lin Muwan soon made the smile on her lips impossible to suppress.

Even though they had only been apart for half a day.

Half a day?

Jiang Zhou came back to herself and twitched her lips, laughing. She was truly becoming more and more clingy.

Thinking this, she couldn’t help but quicken her pace.

So what if she was clingy? Wasn’t a wife, child, and a warm kang bed cozy?

She didn’t care; she just wanted to go home first.

In the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Jiang Zhou arrived at her own doorstep. Her family was already waiting outside the manor. Lin Muwan’s eyes were smiling, her beautiful eyes like autumn water, and her elegant posture was breathtakingly beautiful.

Jiang Zhou’s eyes turned red. She stepped forward to embrace her.

Before she could take a step, she was blocked by Mother Jiang, who looked at her with a grim expression.

What was going on?

Jiang Zhou was startled, her eyes filled with vigilance, and her hand subconsciously wanted to cover her ears.

Mother Jiang said with a dark face, “You brat, your wings have grown hard now, haven’t they?”

Jiang Zhou: “…”

She looked at Lin Muwan. “Don’t look at her. No one can plead for you today.”

Jiang Zhou: “…”

What was this cheap mother doing?

Jiang Zhou felt bitter. She had just come out of prison and hadn’t even had a sip of water. Was this cheap mother going to discipline her again?

Forget it. She didn’t care. If she wanted to discipline her, she had to catch her first.

She seized the opportunity and bolted into the manor.

“Aiy, wait, you can’t go in like that. You need to drive away the bad luck before you can enter the room!” Mother Lin’s shouting came from behind.

Jiang Zhou had no time to worry about that and ran toward her own room.

The result of not listening was being dragged out by Mother Jiang twisting her ear. She was forcefully made to step over the fire pit before the matter was settled.

“Wife,” Jiang Zhou pouted, rubbing her ear, acting as if she had suffered a great grievance. If her cheap mother wouldn’t sympathize with her, surely someone else would.

Lin Muwan smiled gently, pulled down the hand covering her ear, and gently massaged it. “Mother is also worried about you.”

“She is not worried about me. She has Aunt Miao now.”

Lin Muwan shook her head helplessly.

This person truly had the nature of a child. He was about to become a father, yet he still spoke carelessly all day long.

“Alright, let’s go inside. Mother had the kitchen prepare a meal. You go take a bath and change your clothes first, then you can eat.”