Jiang Suizhou woke up the next day feeling absolutely refreshed. Whether it was the comfort of finally sleeping in a proper bed or the effects of the pill Huo Wujiu had given him, he slept better that night than he ever had before. Even his breathing came easier.
He couldn’t enjoy the feeling for too long, though. There was still a mountain of work at the Ministry of Rites that needed to be done.
Jiang Suizhou had studied the rituals of Southern Jing. He knew they were complicated, but he hadn’t expected them to be so troublesome in practice.
It was all because of the emperor’s extravagance.
In fact, while comparing details and reviewing documents these past few days, Jiang Suizhou had obtained records of the emperor’s birthday banquets over the previous two years.
The first year of his reign was a time of turmoil and empty coffers. The previous emperor had died less than a year prior, and the palace in Lin’an was only half built. Yet even then, the current emperor made his own birthday banquet a priority. It had been ostentatious beyond measure and twice as lavish as the previous emperor’s.
In the following two years, as Southern Jing settled in Lin’an, the scale of the banquets grew even larger. By this point, the Ministry of Rites was overwhelmed just trying to organize them.
In such a situation, there was only so much leeway Ji You could grant Jiang Suizhou. He was grateful that he could at least return to the residence on time and not labor into the wee hours, but he was still exhausted. Every night he came home feeling lightheaded and dizzy, as though he might collapse at any moment.
However, he slept well every night.
It seemed as if Huo Wujiu had forgotten that the bed was his territory. Each night, as Jiang Suizhou prepared to rest, Huo Wujiu would claim the daybed, leaving Jiang Suizhou with no choice but to sleep in the full-sized bed.
Every day, Jiang Suizhou considered reminding Huo Wujiu to switch back, but the exhaustion always got the better of him, and the bed was so comfortable that he kept putting it off.
Because of this, no matter how badly the day wore him down, Jiang Suizhou slept soundly every night and woke up feeling at least somewhat rejuvenated, instead of being entirely drained.
Huo Wujiu deserved a good amount of credit for this, and as a result, Jiang Suizhou found that his view of Huo Wujiu was improving with each passing day.
In this way, a delicate equilibrium had formed between the two.
They still communicated very little, but sharing the same courtyard meant they had two meals together each day. After dining, if the evening was still young, they would retreat to opposite corners of the bedroom and go about their separate business.
Things were rather peaceful.
And then the fifteenth of the month rolled around.
Despite his busy schedule, Jiang Suizhou had not forgotten the account book he’d found in the study.
Early in the morning on the fifteenth, after finishing his breakfast, he called Meng Qianshan aside.
“Have you brought back this month’s account book?”
It was a vague but leading question, and sure enough, Meng Qianshan didn’t suspect anything at all. At the inquiry, he quickly pulled out a thin piece of paper from his lapels.
“It was delivered last night. I’d planned to give it to Your Highness after you finished your work today,” he said with a smile.
Jiang Suizhou opened it to find a meticulously kept record of the last month’s daily living expenses for a family of two. Since the two people in question rarely left their home, their expenditures were minimal, amounting to only a modest sum by the month’s end.
“The expenses seem a little lower this month,” Jiang Suizhou probed cautiously, casting a glance at Meng Qianshan.
“Indeed!” Meng Qianshan affirmed quickly. “The young lady spends little, and the old lady’s cold has improved, so there’s no need to purchase medicine anymore.”
Jiang Suizhou paused briefly, then continued to dig for a bit more information.
“That’s good. If expenses do come up, don’t skimp. Those two are important. We must take good care of them.”
Meng Qianshan took the bait. He gave a foolish smile and nodded hard.
“Rest assured, Your Highness! Your servant understands! I will ensure that Madam Gu’s family is well cared for without the slightest mishap!”
Jiang Suizhou froze.
…Madam Gu?
So the original prince was holding Gu Changyun’s family hostage in that residence? Jiang Suizhou knew something was up, but he never expected that the prince would resort to this to ensure his concubine’s loyalty.
No wonder those expenses lacked any travel costs, yet there was a large sum being spent on hiring guards.
It also explained Gu Changyun’s behavior the other night. Despite Jiang Suizhou failing his little test, Gu Changyun showed no aversion toward him, as though he shared no master-servant bond with the original Prince of Jing at all.
Jiang Suizhou put away the bill.
“As long as you understand,” he said with a faint nod.
He had more or less pieced together Gu Changyun’s background. Now the next question was how the original prince brought Xu Du into his fold.
Perhaps the other recurring financial transaction on the fifteenth had something to do with that as well. Regardless, that payment was one he would have to make in person, and that visit might enable him to glean some clues about Xu Du’s background.
He would need to visit Xu Du’s courtyard this evening, but first he had to go do his job at the Ministry of Rites.
Jiang Suizhou walked out of the courtyard and boarded the palanquin waiting outside, still pondering and planning.
The Ministry of Rites had an endless supply of miscellaneous tasks waiting for him, and he now possessed crucial information about his advisors. With his mind so preoccupied, he completely forgot to inform Meng Qianshan that he wouldn’t be returning to the courtyard for dinner that evening.