Wife is hell

Chapter 102 The Princess's Pocket (7000 words)

Jiang Mu was unaware of the woman's thoughts at that moment.

I just felt that the heat coming from my shoulder seemed a little hotter than before.

"How about... we discuss the case?"

Jiang Mu tried to change the subject from the awkward topic.

"Don't talk!"

Without a second thought, Tang Jinxian shook her head sullenly.

At this moment, she didn't want to talk about those irritating business matters anymore.

The woman paused, then said softly:
"Could you... tell me about your childhood?"

"When you were a kid?"

Jiang Mu was taken aback, and subconsciously asked, "Which childhood?"

Tang Jinxian raised her eyes and glanced at him questioningly: "Do you have many more childhood memories?"

Jiang Mu thought to himself: There really is.

He recalled "Mujiang's" memories and slowly said:
"Nothing special. My parents passed away when I was young, and my older brother raised me single-handedly. But a few years later, my brother also died. Then I was adopted by Uncle An, and I've been living with him ever since..."

Tang Jinxian listened quietly.

In fact, she already knew all this information.

Everyone knows which small village Lianjiang Muyuan was originally from.

But hearing this man speak slowly and directly stirred a strange feeling within me. A bittersweet feeling, tinged with a sense of intimacy.

After all, she herself had already lost her family and was adrift in this world alone.

A sense of shared fate and mutual understanding quietly emerged.

She suddenly felt that the seemingly distant distance between them had been shortened considerably.

They are actually quite a good match.

Bah! They're not a perfect match, they're just kindred spirits.

She quickly corrected her word choice in her mind, her cheeks slightly flushed.

Jiang Mu was unaware of her fluctuating thoughts and continued to recount many amusing anecdotes from Mu Jiang's childhood.

How did you climb a tree with Shi Baolu to raid a bird's nest, only to be chased all over the street by wasps? How did you steal Aunt An's freshly pickled vegetables to go fishing by the river, only to almost fall into the water?

Tang Jinxian was overjoyed to hear this.

Especially when she did something particularly funny or silly, she couldn't help but bury her face in Jiang Mu's shoulder, desperately trying to hold back her laughter, afraid that she would burst out laughing.

And when they heard that Jiang Mu had almost been hit and killed by a speeding carriage while trying to save Shi Xueying...

The woman's smile froze; she stopped giggling.

My heart is starting to feel heavy again.

She bit her lip and asked tentatively, "So... do you still like that Shi Xueying now?"

Jiang Mu smiled, quite frankly:
“I’ve long since let it go. Besides, she later made it clear that she didn’t want to get married in order to cultivate the Great Dao. So, it doesn’t matter anymore.”

Tang Jinxian was speechless and indignant.

That girl's ambitions are way too high!

She doesn't even like such an outstanding man?

You're blind!
For a moment, she felt sorry for Jiang Mu.

If it were her, having such a good husband, she'd be secretly overjoyed.

But she forcibly suppressed the thought as soon as it popped into her head.

At the same time, a deeper sense of sadness washed over me.

She and Jiang Mu were ultimately from two different worlds.

Whether it's the awkward age gap or the vast difference in their social status, it's like an invisible chasm standing between them.

I really don't know what I was so happy about just now?
Tang Jinxian sighed inwardly.

The sense of closeness that had just arisen from being fellow sufferers seemed to have been greatly diminished by this cold reality.

Jiang Mu keenly sensed the woman's low spirits.

He changed the subject: "Okay, let's not talk about this anymore. How about I tell you a story from a novel?"

"novel?"

Tang Jinxian became interested. "You can also write storybooks?"

She suddenly remembered her best friend, Su Meixin, who loved writing all sorts of erotic novels.

"It's just something I think about randomly on a daily basis."

Jiang Mu said, "Let me tell you a story about the Legend of the White Snake."

"The Legend of White Snake?"

Tang Jinxian disagreed.

What stories can you tell about a snake?

However, as Jiang Mu slowly recounted the story, from their enchanting first encounter at West Lake when they borrowed an umbrella, to their blissful marriage as doctors, and then to the heartbreaking tragedy that struck on Dragon Boat Festival...

The woman's mind gradually became engrossed, and her soft hands unconsciously grasped Jiang Mu's arm.

My fingertips, too, followed the ups and downs of the story, sometimes gripping tightly, sometimes loosening, completely absorbed.

When Jiang Mu finished telling the story, and Bai Suzhen was imprisoned under Leifeng Pagoda by Fahai, separated from her husband and young son forever, Tang Jinxian could no longer hold back her tears.

"That's unreasonable!"

Tang Jinxian was so angry that she cursed loudly, her beautiful phoenix eyes burning with rage.

"That Fahai is clearly a stubborn old bald monk! What business is it of his if the couple is loving and affectionate? He's really... he's utterly hateful!"

The woman's eyes were red.

His indignant expression was quite endearing.

Seeing the other person's reaction, Jiang Mu smiled inwardly and said, "Don't worry, there's more to this story. It's about their children saving their mother."

"Is there more to the story?"

Tang Jinxian immediately perked up and urged, "Tell me quickly, tell me quickly."

Jiang Mu shook his head: "I can't talk about it anymore."

Tang Jinxian puffed out her cheeks and asked angrily, "Why?!"

Jiang Mu gestured with his chin towards the window.

Tang Jinxian followed his gaze and saw that the paper outside the window was no longer black, but had a faint bluish-white light shining through it.

It will be dawn soon.

"Oops!"

Tang Jinxian's expression changed.

She had to leave before dawn.

If others were to discover that she, the head of the patrol office, had left a male subordinate's room in disheveled state...

Then everything is over!

Suddenly, a wave of frustration and immense regret washed over me.

I hate that time is passing too quickly, and I wish I could stretch out this long night a little longer.

She wanted to hear the rest of the story.

"I have to go."

She reluctantly sat up, her tone filled with reluctance, and said to Jiang Mu, "When you have time, you must finish telling the rest of the story. You can't renege on your promise."

"must."

Jiang Mu nodded with a smile.

Tang Jinxian rolled out of bed, her gaze falling on her bare feet, and she was at a loss again.

I can't go back barefoot, can I?

Jiang Mu understood and immediately found a pair of relatively clean cloth shoes of his: "Let's make do for now."

Tang Jinxian didn't hesitate. She took the shoes, which were obviously much bigger than her feet, and quickly slipped them onto her delicate feet, feeling as if she were riding on two small boats.

Before leaving, she turned back and gave Jiang Mu a fierce warning:
"Keep everything that happened last night a secret, don't utter a single word! Otherwise..."

The woman waved her delicate pink fist as a threat.

"I understand."

Jiang Mu made a gesture as if he were sewing his mouth shut.

Tang Jinxian glared at him, then climbed out of the window. With a light touch of her toes, she used her lightness skill to leap onto the roof ridge, disappearing into the pale blue morning mist in a few leaps.

After the woman left, Jiang Mu lay back down on the bed.

Smelling the lingering fragrance of orchids beside me, I felt a strange emptiness, a mix of emotions I couldn't quite describe.

"Sigh...maybe I really should find a wife."

At that moment, he suddenly noticed the dress that he had taken off was still lying on the corner of the bed.

After a moment of silence, he got up, found a wooden basin, and placed it inside.

-

Tang Jinxian sneaked back to her small courtyard like a thief.

Perhaps it was the cool breeze of dawn that cleared her mind, but as she recalled the absurd night before, feelings of regret once again overwhelmed her.

He should have left immediately upon regaining consciousness.

And yet, I ended up lying on his bed for so long, listening to him tell stories?

Tang Jinxian, oh Tang Jinxian, you're really sick!

"Well……"

The woman let out a frustrated sob, threw herself onto her bed, pulled the quilt over her head, and buried herself completely under it like an ostrich.

It's as if this can shut out those embarrassing memories.

She secretly vowed that she would never do it again.

Regardless of how much they are affected by that damned female taming circle, they must keep their distance.

I must never get close to that man again!

After tossing and turning in bed in frustration for a long time, Tang Jinxian finally managed to calm herself down a little. She got up and changed out of Jiang Mu's outer robe and the ill-fitting shoes.

After a quick wash, the cool water droplets slightly reduced the heat on my face.

She looked at the man's clothes, hesitated for a moment, then found a basin of water and began to wash them.

She had never washed clothes for anyone else.

This is the first time.

After washing the clothes, she intended to hang them out to dry in the yard, but as soon as she opened the door, she discovered that a light drizzle had started to fall outside.

She was also afraid that if she left these men's clothes hanging outside openly, her servants or other colleagues would see them and it would cause a lot of gossip.

With a sigh, she had no choice but to take the wet clothes back inside and quietly hang them to dry in a well-ventilated corner, alongside her own few undergarments.

Looking at the clothes of the two people hanging side by side, the woman felt a strange flutter in her heart again and quickly looked away.

After a while, it became bright daylight.

Just as Tang Jinxian was about to have breakfast, the female official Xiuxiu rushed over with a solemn expression.

"Master, urgent message from Prince Cheng's residence."

Prince Cheng's Mansion?
Tang Jinxian took the letter, glanced at it, and her expression changed drastically.

-

Jiang Mu's side.

After washing the woman's clothes, they were hung inside to dry.

During breakfast, An Chenghu hadn't even had a couple of sips of rice porridge when he was hurriedly called away by a yamen runner. He didn't know what was going on, but the runner looked very serious.

Jiang Mu didn't think much of it. After finishing his daily Five Animal Fist practice and warming up his muscles, he went to the county government office with Shi Baolu to report for duty.

The official appointment from the patrol office hasn't come through yet, so he has to work in the county government for now.

The two had just strolled to the main gate of the yamen when they saw a group of yamen runners hurrying out.

"Brother Jiang, where are you going?"

Jiang Mu called out to Jiang Xiaoyuan.

Jiang Xiaoyuan was taken aback when he saw it was the two of them, then waved and greeted them:

"You've come at the right time. You two come along too, to the patrol office. There's a case there that needs our assistance."

Where is Uncle An?

"I don't know, I've never seen him before."

Before the two could react, Jiang Xiaoyuan had already pushed and pulled them along.

Jiang Mu inexplicably felt like he had been conscripted.

Before long, the group arrived at the patrol office.

The place was already teeming with people, a dense, dark mass.

At a glance, there were no fewer than two hundred people gathered there.

Besides the yamen runners from this county, it seems that some of them were transferred from other county yamens in the surrounding areas.

Several officials stood in front of the yamen gate.

Jiang Mu didn't see Tang Jinxian, only Zhang Huan, Huang Kezi, and a few others.

The surrounding officials were buzzing with discussion.

"What kind of big case requires so many people to be mobilized?"

"Yes, in the past, even when assisting in investigations, there were at most thirty or forty people involved."

"Has there been any major murders in Yancheng recently? Could it be that we're conducting a city-wide search again, like last time?"

"I don't know. Maybe some troublesome spirit has appeared, or... maybe they want us to go and catch a ghost?"

"Catching ghosts? We're utterly useless..."

"..."

Everyone was whispering and discussing.

After an incense stick had burned, Jiang Xiaoyuan returned with a tense expression.

His expression was solemn as he surveyed the crowd and said coldly:
"Fellow colleagues, today we are ordered to ascend Wolf Head Peak to assist the magistrates of the Patrol Office in carrying out an important task: searching the mountain for a crucial item. This matter concerns the reputation of the office, so all of you must be on your guard!"

As he spoke, Jiang Xiaoyuan took out a scroll of paintings.

Everyone held their breath, a mixture of tension and excitement rising within them.

After all, with such a large-scale operation, it's clear they're about to do something big, and many people are starting to get excited.

Jiang Xiaoyuan opened the painting, pointed at it, and said loudly: "Look carefully, this is the most beloved undergarment of Prince Cheng's concubine. It was accidentally blown away by the wind last night, and its general location has been determined. It is in Wolf Head Mountain."

"Brothers, we must find it today, no matter what!"

Everyone: "???"

-

The gloomy sky hung low, as if pressing down on the treetops on the mountain peaks.

Perhaps because it rained here last night, even the fog was thick and clinging to the mountainside and forest, turning into omnipresent moisture that permeated the air.

Jiang Mu and his group, who had been divided into a team, walked along the mountain path.

The mountain path was quite slippery and muddy.

Each time your feet sink in, it makes a "squeaking" sound and oozes out a sticky, frosty substance.

Several people slipped and fell during the incident.

"Damn it, they went to all that trouble to bring us here just to find a bellyband? They're insane!"

A constable struggled to pull his foot out of the mud, and couldn't help but complain under his breath.

The other companions echoed this sentiment:
"I thought it was some big case, but it turned out to be just this."

"If I had known, I would have said I was sick and not come today."

"Actually, it's not bad. I was worried that they were going to search for some kind of spiritual object, which made me feel uneasy, but I felt more at ease looking for the bellyband."

There were also some whispers.

“Prince Cheng’s concubines are all great beauties. If you’re lucky enough to find one, even just touching her would be a bonus.”

"Hehe, I want to touch it too."

"Pah, you're spineless. What's so great about touching a bellyband? I despise you—at least you should lick it."

"You're really something else."

The group gradually shifted from complaining to joking and making crude remarks, which somewhat alleviated their dissatisfaction.

The constable who had initially complained laughed for a while, then suddenly pulled out a talisman and asked in confusion:
"It's strange, though. Why did they give each of us one of these things before we went up the mountain? It's all so mysterious."

The talisman paper is yellow with vermilion patterns, the strokes are curly and snake-like, and it bears the seal of Chongtian Temple.

"This is a 'beast-repelling talisman' made by Chongtian Temple."

A knowledgeable, older constable explained with a smile,
"Although Wolf Head Mountain is not far from the city, there are black bears, wild boars and wolves in the depths. The people up there are afraid that we are in danger, so they use this talisman to drive away those beasts."

"So that's it."

“The talismans from Chongtian Temple are not cheap.”

"The officials above are actually quite nice people; they're very thoughtful."

The others suddenly understood.

Only Jiang Mu, who was walking in the group, stared blankly at the "Beast-Repelling Talisman" in his hand.

"What's wrong, Wood?"

Seeing that Jiang Mu's expression was off, Shi Baolu asked with concern, "Are you feeling unwell?"

Jiang Mu shook his head and said in a low voice:

“I feel something is off. It’s just a bellyband, why make such a big fuss? Besides, I think this talisman is ostensibly for warding off beasts, but it’s actually just for marking.”

mark?

Shi Baolu didn't understand: "Could there be a monster in these mountains?"

Jiang Mu looked up into the misty depths of the mountain forest without speaking, but felt inexplicably uneasy.

There are still no leads in the recent missing apple case, so let's hope there are no more complications or even more difficult cases arising.

-

At this moment, on a cleared area halfway up the mountain.

The atmosphere was completely different.

Several high-ranking officials from the patrol office were gathered around a bronze compass, their expressions solemn.

Ke Linyue was among them.

The compass was about the size of a regular millstone, with a silver needle trembling slightly in the center of the celestial pool. Its outer circumference was engraved with dense runes and star directions, gleaming with a faint blue light.

It was the compass used to track spirits.

"Lord Ke."

A guard hurried over, clasped his hands in a fist and reported, "The main roads at the foot of the mountain have been marked with flags to suppress evil spirits, and guards have been assigned to stand guard."

Ke Linyue nodded.

That delicate and handsome face was now covered with frost.

He glanced at everyone present and said calmly:
"Princess Yang mysteriously disappeared from the palace last night, suspected of being kidnapped by remnants of the Spirit Cult. Prince Cheng was furious."

I recently eliminated several of the Spirit Cult's spies in Yancheng and arrested many people. Their actions at this time are most likely for revenge.

Where do you think these people will kidnap Princess Yang?

Although Princess Yang was a concubine of Prince Cheng, she was the most favored.

More importantly, she is now pregnant.

Although Prince Cheng has many wives and concubines, he has no children to date. The child in Princess Yang's womb is the prince's only bloodline, so it's no wonder that the prince is so furious.

At present, all cases on the hands of both the patrol office and the county government must be temporarily put on hold.

Finding the princess is the most important thing that overrides everything else.

Zhang Huan stepped forward and interjected:
"The prince revealed that Princess Yang wore a protective amulet, which was that bellyband."

This product not only nourishes the princess's body and the fetus, but also has a unique positioning ability.

Using another spiritual object provided by the prince, which is connected to it by aura, as a starting point, we have captured the traces left by that bib spiritual object through this 'compass'. The last point where it disappeared is within the range of this Wolf Head Mountain.

"If we find that undergarment, we can use it as a medium to track down the princess's whereabouts."

An official standing nearby, watching the searchers moving vaguely in the dense forest, couldn't help but ask a question:

"Lord Zhang, since the bellyband is here, does it mean that the Princess herself is being hidden in these mountains by the Spirit Sect?"

Zhang Huan shook his head:

"It's too early to say for sure; this is only the only clue. All the officers who went into the mountains to search have been equipped with 'divine branding talismans'."

This talisman has already been marked and associated with the spirit mother body given by the prince.

As long as someone approaches the magical bellyband within a certain range during the search, a sensory marker will be automatically generated.

We can also detect abnormal fluctuations immediately using our compass, allowing us to pinpoint the location and proceed with the investigation.

"These remnants of the Spirit Cult have truly gone too far!"

Huang Kezi angrily said, "They even dare to kidnap the princess. I think the imperial court needs to organize another large-scale purge to completely eradicate their lineage!"

Ke Linyue's face remained expressionless; she simply said:
"Whether it was done by the Spirit Sect is not yet entirely certain. In addition, Consort Yue is still in Yancheng."

Her safety is of utmost importance.

This matter must not alarm the Emperor. The imperial court will certainly send people to guard against it.

At this point, Ke Linyue rubbed her temples wearily.

There have been so many things happening in Yancheng lately.

Although Tang Jinxian was primarily in charge of the missing apple case, if the Spirit Cult was involved, the Xuan Shi Guard under her command would also be implicated.

Previously, the forbidden area of ​​Chongtian Temple was broken into by the Ling Sect. Now, Consort Yue has arrived, and the very next day, the beloved Princess Yang mysteriously disappeared...

These cases seem to be orchestrated by an invisible hand, stirring up the seemingly peaceful city of Yancheng and attempting to muddy the waters.

"The world is about to change."

Ke Linyue sighed softly.

-

It must be said that Princess Cheng's undergarment provided these rough-looking yamen runners with a great deal of motivation.

Although these people kept complaining, when it came to actually searching, they were all incredibly quick and thorough.

With gleaming eyes, he was more enthusiastic than anyone else at rummaging through the bushes.

The results were also quite good.

Someone has unearthed a top-quality wild ginseng.

Someone casually hunted two wild rabbits, intending to take them home to eat with their drinks.

Someone found a few copper coins.

Some people got nothing, so they simply went to the top of the mountain and fired two shots into the sky as a way of saying they'd been there.

Shi Baolu was the luckiest; he found a piece of silver while defecating, which made the others quite envious.

After messing around for most of the day, the hilltop was practically plowed up by these people. They couldn't find a single woman's sock, let alone the princess's undergarment.

As the fog thickened, everyone lost interest and began to dawdle.

Just then, a scream suddenly rang out.

But then a constable who was about to go into the woods to relieve himself came tumbling out of the deep forest, his face as white as paper, without even pulling up his pants properly.

"what happened?"

Everyone was startled and rushed over.

"A corpse...a corpse!"

The constable pointed to the dense forest behind him, speaking incoherently, clearly terrified, "A...a woman in red clothes was...hung from a tree!"

Upon hearing this, everyone felt a pang of anxiety and mustered their courage to go and search for the source.

But when they got closer, there was no woman hanging there.

On the branches of an old locust tree, a brightly colored red woman's dress hung forlornly, swaying gently in the mountain breeze.

"Tch! I thought it was something else!"

"Hahaha, Wang Ermazi, are you fucking obsessed with women? A tattered piece of clothing scared you like this?"

"I think you were seeing things after visiting a brothel last night."

"..."

Immediately, everyone laughed at the yamen runner.

Wang Ermazi's face flushed red, and he scratched his head, muttering to himself:
"How strange! I clearly saw a woman in red hanging from a tree just now... How did it turn into clothes in the blink of an eye? Am I seeing things?"

Amidst the laughter, only Jiang Mu stared at the red dress swaying in the wind, his brows gradually furrowing.

He suddenly remembered the woman named Wenxiuniang from Yuxianglou.

She also said that a few days before the incident, she saw a body in red floating in the river one night.

She immediately reported it to the authorities.

As a result, when the yamen runners retrieved the item, they only managed to pull up a red garment.

But from that day on, Wenxiuniang felt something was wrong, as if someone was secretly watching her in the room.

Jiang Mu stepped forward and carefully examined the red dress.

The clothes were ordinary, the fabric was rough, and they had been soaked in mud, so there was nothing special about them.

They also did not detect any spiritual presence.

"Am I being paranoid?"

Jiang Mu pondered for a moment, preparing to find a long tree branch to pick down the red-clothed woman and examine her closely.

at this time!

"Found it! I found it!!"

Suddenly, a scream mixed with wild joy rang out from afar.

Everyone turned to look.

A shifty-eyed middle-aged constable was seen holding something high and waving it excitedly at the crowd.

It was a pinkish-white undergarment with a little dust on it.

"Has the princess's undergarment been found?"

"Quick! Bring it over here and let me see!"

"Damn, this is incredible wealth!"

Seeing this, everyone felt both regret and envy.

Some people even secretly wondered if they should go over and take the opportunity to touch her, to get some of the princess's ethereal aura and fragrance, so that their trip would not be in vain.

However, just as the middle-aged yamen runner was holding up the bellyband and waving it excitedly, something unexpected happened!
His smile suddenly froze, turning into pain and terror.

The next moment, he gripped his own neck tightly with both hands, as if some invisible force was strangling him, and his eyeballs bulged outwards at a visible speed.

"Pfft!"

The bailiffs knelt on the ground, their bodies convulsing violently.

The pink and white undergarment mysteriously floated up and hovered above the man's head.

The originally exquisite mandarin duck embroidery began to twist and deform, revealing a hideous ghost face!

The crowd was terrified by this bizarre scene and retreated hastily.

"Buzz!"

Suddenly, a chilling glint of light tore through the air.

It was Jiang Mu.

Almost the instant the ghost face appeared, he drew the Ghost God Spear from his waist and charged forward.

The purple-gold spear's light pierced the floating ghost-face bellyband with pinpoint accuracy, like a shooting star chasing the moon.

"puff!"

It sounded like a balloon being popped.

The hideous ghost face instantly dissipated into wisps of black smoke and vanished without a trace.

The bellyband, now free from the support of the strange power, drooped limply and hung on the tip of Jiang Mu's spear.

It looks like an ordinary piece of silk.

"Cough cough cough..."

The middle-aged constable on the ground finally regained his breath, collapsed to the ground, and greedily gasped for air, his whole body drenched in cold sweat.

With the crisis temporarily averted, everyone breathed a sigh of relief and curiously gathered around.

Jiang Mu flicked his wrist, took the bodice off the tip of the gun, and held it in his hand.

A fragrant aroma immediately wafted into my nose.

But it wasn't the natural scent of a woman, nor was it the scent of ordinary cosmetics.

Instead, it has a rich apple aroma.

Jiang Mu's pupils contracted.

Why does the princess's undergarment smell like apples?
(End of this chapter)