Chapter 87
Yue Heng was momentarily dazed by Jiang Lin's question. He shook his head and said, "How strange...I don’t even seem to have a clear reason for saving her?"
Yet the truth was, not only had he saved her, but he had also kept her alive. Yue Heng countered, "Perhaps it’s because this prince still finds her useful?"
"Useful for what? To use against the Crown Prince? Or to have someone imitate her and create the illusion that Jiang Jinyue is still alive?"
The former was impossible, the Crown Prince had long since lost interest in Jiang Jinyue. As for the latter, the woman Yue Heng had sent to Emperor Changde’s side was not Jiang Jinyue. Aside from the initial resemblance, no one had ever mistaken her for Jiang Jinyue.
So, no matter how Jiang Lin looked at it, the Sixth Prince had no compelling reason to save Jiang Jinyue and keep her alive.
After some thought, Jiang Lin asked, "At the time, did you feel an inexplicable urge to save her? Or was it more of a subconscious action, only realizing what you’d done after the fact?"
"I don’t remember," Yue Heng replied with a frown. "But one thing is certain: though I despise this woman, I’ve never felt the urge to kill her.
Yue Heng waved his hand dismissively. "No matter. If she causes trouble for you, just eliminate her. I won’t save her a second time."
Yue Heng disliked this strange feeling of acting without understanding why, as if someone were controlling him. He wondered if Jiang Jinyue knew some dark sorcery.
"Oh, and let me warn you, she’s a shameless woman. Even in her current state, she still dreams of climbing into my bed. Be careful, especially you, Lord Wei."
With a light chuckle, Yue Heng turned and strode away, hands clasped behind his back.
After he left, Jiang Lin nudged Wei Yunzhao. "Did you hear that, Lord Wei? Be careful of her climbing into your bed."
Wei Yunzhao replied calmly, "No fear. With my wife here, she won’t succeed."
"That’s hard to say. After all, she’s the female protagonist," Jiang Lin mused. He suspected Yue Heng had saved Jiang Jinyue due to the plot’s influence, just as all members of the protagonist’s faction were destined to oppose him and Wei Yunzhao.
But since the plot had diverged completely from the original novel after their survival, its hold on Yue Heng was weak, limited only to making him save Jiang Jinyue.
Regardless of whether she was the female protagonist, if Jiang Jinyue dared harm them again, she would have to die.
Jiang Lin pushed Wei Yunzhao’s wheelchair back to the Wei mansion. The bodies of the assassins had already been cleared away, and the mansion was bustling as usual. If not for the servants’ emotional reactions upon their return, Jiang Lin might have thought nothing had happened.
Zhou Chengwang and Du Yuling had brought people to help and stayed behind to wait for them.
Zhou Chengwang circled Jiang Lin before sighing in relief. "It’s good you’re back safely."
Emperor Changde’s sudden move had caught everyone off guard. Such reckless behavior was unlike the emperor of the past, it seemed more like a cornered beast lashing out.
"Be extra cautious from now on. Don’t give him another chance to strike," Du Yuling advised, unsure of how else to comfort them.
Jiang Lin shook his head. "The mask is off. No amount of caution will help now. We can’t wait, we must strike first."
Zhou Chengwang tugged at Jiang Lin’s sleeve nervously. "Lin’er… you’re not thinking of… that, are you?"
Jiang Lin raised a brow. "Rebellion? Or regicide?"
Zhou Chengwang muttered, "You look like you’re considering both."
"We can’t stop you, and we probably can’t help much either. But whatever you do, I hope you succeed. Lin’er, I don’t want you to die."
Zhou Chengwang’s face was full of concern. It should have been a touching moment of brotherly affection, but Jiang Lin couldn’t shake the feeling of a worried mother sending her son off on a long journey.
His emotions were… complicated.
"Alright, I’ll remember. We’ll succeed," Jiang Lin accepted this maternal affection.
After some more conversation, Zhou Chengwang and Du Yuling left with their men. Jiang Lin and Wei Yunzhao watched them go.
"Wife, I—"
"Wei Yunzhao—"
They turned at the same time, spoke at the same time, and then fell silent at the same time.
Jiang Lin motioned for Wei Yunzhao to go first.
Wei Yunzhao straightened. "Wife, I want to go to the border, to retrieve that letter."
Today’s events had been unexpected. Taking Emperor Changde hostage had been a last resort. At that moment, Wei Yunzhao had thought - if only they had solid evidence, with so many court officials present, they could have laid everything bare and exposed the truth.
But without it, they couldn’t topple the emperor.
"How long will it take?" Jiang Lin asked.
"Even with a fast horse, round trip will take half a month."
"Do you have to go yourself?"
"Yes," Wei Yunzhao nodded firmly. "According to Su Qiao, only I know where the letter is hidden. I’m not entirely sure yet, I’ll have to follow the clues General Su left behind once I reach the border."
"Then go. Leave the rest to me. I’ll wait for you to return."
Wei Yunzhao gripped Jiang Lin’s hand tightly. "What did you want to say earlier?"
Jiang Lin replied, "I was thinking of sneaking into the palace again. We can’t give him a legitimate reason to kill us."
After exhausting underhanded tricks, the emperor would soon resort to open methods. It wouldn’t be long before he realized that framing them for a crime punishable by extermination would be faster than sending assassins.
Assuming he no longer cared about his reputation.
Given recent trends, Emperor Changde seemed far less concerned with his image than before.
"But if we act against him now, suspicion will fall on us," Wei Yunzhao pointed out. After all, the emperor had just tried to kill them. If he were to fall ill or die immediately after, everyone would assume they were behind it, suspected of attempted regicide.
"It doesn’t matter. As long as we hold out until you return with the evidence, everything will be resolved."
"Take Xun Qi with you to the border. Leave Chu Ba with me, I’ll have him prepare some medicine."
After a long pause, Wei Yunzhao agreed.
They had come too far to turn back. A little suspicion was nothing. As long as they lived, they could turn the tide.
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