Before Jiang Rou could finish, Zhao Danping nodded eagerly. She desperately wanted to leave this place. She couldn’t stand the solitary and ascetic life of the nunnery, with its green lamp and ancient Buddha.
[青灯古佛 (qīng dēng gǔ fó): lit. Green lamp and ancient Buddha; fig. A life of solitude and asceticism, often in a monastery or nunnery.]
"What do I need to do?" Zhao Danping asked expectantly.
Jiang Rou smiled, inwardly calling her a fool, and began explaining her plan. "Recently, many refugees have come to Shengjing. I’ve received news that these refugees are homeless and have no food. They might do something drastic. Especially since everyone knows General Wei Su was a good man, they’ll think Wei Yunzhao, as his son, won’t turn them away. They’ll go to the Wei family to beg for food and money."
"What does this have to do with the Wei family? If the people are in trouble, the court should provide disaster relief. Young Master Wei is already struggling. How could he have the resources to help so many people?" Zhao Danping was unhappy after hearing Jiang Rou’s words.
Jiang Rou said, "Wei Yunzhao doesn’t have the resources, but Jiang Lin does. Everyone knows how wealthy the Yun family of Jiangnan is. Yun Wanyan’s dowry and the annual gifts from the Yun family, these funds could support many people."
Mentioning Jiang Lin made Zhao Danping’s face darken with hatred. If it weren’t for Jiang Lin, she wouldn’t be in this situation. Zhao Danping cursed, "He’s truly a scourge."
Seeing her reaction, Jiang Rou smiled and joined in the cursing. "Exactly. But after this, that scourge will be gone for good. Danping, it all depends on whether you can be ruthless."
When it came to dealing with Jiang Lin, Zhao Danping had no qualms about being ruthless. She sat up straight. "Sister Jiang, just tell me what to do. I won’t let Young Master Wei suffer any harm because of that scourge Jiang Lin."
"Good. Come closer, and I’ll tell you what to do…"
After whispering her plan into Zhao Danping’s ear, Jiang Rou added, "As long as you trust me, I guarantee you’ll become Wei Yunzhao’s legitimate wife, and no one will be able to take your place."
Zhao Danping hesitated slightly, and Jiang Rou immediately frowned. "What? Are you already having second thoughts before we’ve even started?"
Zhao Danping quickly waved her hands in denial. "No, it’s not that. It’s just that I feel a bit reluctant. So much jewelry and money, do we really have to give it all to those refugees?"
Reminded by Zhao Danping, Jiang Rou also felt it was a pity. How could a bunch of lowly commoners be allowed to take so many valuable things? Her eyes darkened as a new idea formed in her mind. "Don’t worry. With me here, I’ll make sure we get those things back from the refugees. I’ll give them to you later, and they’ll become your dowry."
"Thank you, sister. I’ll do my best and won’t let you down," Zhao Danping said, overjoyed at the thought of gaining both a husband and wealth.
"Then prepare yourself. In a couple of days, go down the mountain and enter the city. I’ll be waiting here for your good news."
Zhao Danping stood up to see Jiang Rou off. Once Jiang Rou was gone, Zhao Danping closed the door and giggled to herself, murmuring, "Young Master Wei, you’ll soon be mine. And I’ll soon be your wife."
____
"Young Master, there are suddenly a lot of refugees on the streets today."
Chang’an, who had gone out to buy food for Jiang Lin, noticed something unusual and hurried back to report.
Jiang Lin frowned upon hearing this. "Tell me more. What’s the situation, and how many are there?"
Chang’an had a lot to say. "Young Master, you wouldn’t believe how clever these people are. Afraid that the guards at the city gates wouldn’t let them in if they looked too ragged, they all dressed in nice clothes to enter. Some even pushed carts filled with vegetables and grain, pretending to be sellers. But once inside, they changed into tattered clothes in an alley and began wandering the streets, begging."
"I only noticed something was wrong when I saw so many unfamiliar beggars on the streets. When I asked around, I found out that hundreds of people had snuck into the city this way."
News of the drought had already reached Shengjing, and reports of locust plagues had come in the past few days. It was inevitable that refugees would appear in Shengjing, but Jiang Lin hadn’t expected it to happen so quickly. It was as if the disaster had just begun, and these people had already abandoned their homes to come to Shengjing.
But this was unlikely. Common people were usually reluctant to leave their ancestral lands. Once they left, their homes and fields would be lost. Things that had been passed down through generations and were of great importance to them, they wouldn’t easily abandon them.
Even if they were forced to leave their homes in search of survival, they would be exhausted and disheveled by the time they arrived. They wouldn’t have nice clothes to wear or carts of vegetables to sell. This method of entering the city was too suspicious.
Something was very wrong.
As Jiang Lin pondered this, Chang’an added, "If I hadn’t investigated and confirmed that these people were truly refugees, I would have thought they were organized to rebel."
Organized? Rebellion? Jiang Lin immediately seized on these keywords. He solemnly instructed Chang’an, "Go to the accounts office, withdraw some silver, and go back to the streets. Ask these refugees who sent them to Shengjing and what promises were made to them."
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