Chapter 52

It is said that even a powerful dragon cannot suppress a local snake. Liu Ruo acting as guarantor is much better than Qingyun seeking help from Song Chaoyun. Besides, even if we don't care about the monk, we should at least consider the Buddha. It's just dividing up a plot of land to plant cotton, and there's no need to offend the famous desert control official.

Qingyun hadn't noticed for a long time that Liu Ruo hadn't been involved in desertification control for some time. Right now, she was worried that since she and the other party had a past conflict, the old man might not be willing to show any leniency.

But I'm best at verbal sparring; if all else fails, I'll just kneel down and beg.

System: [Perhaps your knees aren't so precious after all; people might not be so forgiving.]

Qingyun dismissed the system's nonsense.

However, she didn't even have a chance to go in. She was stopped at the door of the house. "Miss, the master has gone out on business. You may come another day."

"really?"

When questioned, the other party simply nodded in agreement, seemingly not lying.

Not in the mood to argue, Qingyun figured he could just come back another time since the person wasn't there. He had only walked a few steps when a four-horse carriage came to a steady stop at the gate of the Liu residence. Although Qingyun was thinking that it couldn't be such a coincidence, he still slowed down and peeked out to see if the person getting off was Liu Ruo.

However, this time she actually guessed right. A brightly dressed old man straightened his clothes and stepped down from the carriage. Before the servants at the door could speak, he heard someone call his name. Liu Ruo turned around and saw that it was Qingyun. The other man waved his hand and smiled obsequiously. The old man was puzzled and raised his eyebrows to look at the people beside him. The servant also had an expression of not understanding either.

Having seen his share of grand occasions, Liu Ruo stroked his snow-white beard and smiled at Qingyun.

"Lord Liu, may I speak with you in private?" Qingyun stepped forward.

The old man glanced at her, then let out a hearty laugh. "Miss Qingyun, how have you been?" he said, opening his hand towards the door to indicate that she could come in and talk.

Qingyun responded and quickly followed Liu Ruo, thinking that although the old man looked old, he was quite agile. She seemed impatient as she spoke her thoughts as she walked. Upon hearing this, Liu Ruo paused, a look of surprise on her face, and repeated Qingyun's words, "Really?"

Although the person in front of me looked haggard, with dark circles under his eyes and wearing an old coat patched with pudding, his eyes shone brightly, and his firm tone made people unconsciously believe in the credibility of his words.

“My words carry little weight, unlike yours which command respect here. I only ask that you do me this favor on behalf of the people.” The two stood in the small courtyard leading to the main hall. Qingyun spoke earnestly, “I apologize for my past disrespect towards you. If you wish to vent your anger, I will do as you please.” With that, she knelt down, startling everyone present.

System: [Host, isn't it said that one's knees are worth gold? How come you knelt down so easily?]

Qingyun chuckled, thinking this artificial intelligence was clueless. "That's right, you have money to burn, now's the time to cash in. Don't you understand that you have to show sincerity when asking for favors?"

System: [You really are quite adaptable.]

Liu Ruo was speechless for a long time before he remembered to help the person up. At this moment, he truly felt ashamed. "That happened so long ago. I'm not as petty as you think." He looked at Qingyun and continued, "If you really have that ability, what's wrong with me using my old face?"

Hearing this, Qingyun assumed that the other party had agreed, and he was immediately overjoyed.

Thinking about it, the young girl in front of him had only been here for a short time, yet she had already accomplished something he could never have done in his entire life. Perhaps it was time to hand over such matters to the younger generation. Thinking of this, Liu Ruo couldn't help but feel his eyes well up with tears.

Although Liu Ruo and Qingyun's meeting was unpleasant, it was all about arguing about the people. The old man was indeed stubborn, but his heart was truly for the country and the people.

Qingyun was naturally surprised that things would go so smoothly this time. She had thought there would be another round of verbal sparring. It seemed that kneeling hadn't been in vain. Hearing the system's comment in her mind, she seriously replied to it for the first time: "That's because this old man has good manners. You can win a verbal battle, but if you encounter a rogue, it's really hard to deal with."

Back home, she first took the seeds out of the system, because Liu Ruo would be sending someone to move them later. To convince the other party, she had specially shown them a small handful.

The servants moved quickly. Qingyun had just finished heating the water for her bath when she heard a knock at the door. She directed the servants to move her things out, and before leaving, they handed her a heavy bag, saying it was something her master had instructed her to deliver to her.

Upon opening it, I found silver and a few strings of cash, silver notes, and in short, all the money that was convenient to use and that I didn't use very often. Why do I say that? Because people here mostly use coins to buy things, and ordinary people don't come into much contact with loose silver, let alone take it out to use.

[This is really clever.] Qingyun was overjoyed and immediately thought of Yinglian. Without even taking a bath, he locked the door and headed to the Commander's Mansion.

Qingyun leaned against the door frame and stood on tiptoe to try and see where the person was. The kitchen was crowded and there were many people. At first, she looked in front of several stoves but didn't see anyone. Finally, she saw someone in a small corner and walked over quickly.

Yinglian squatted on the ground, seemingly tidying up something in her hands. She didn't even notice someone behind her. Qingyun gently patted her back and was about to speak when she suddenly covered her face like a startled bird. Turning around, she realized it was Qingyun, and a smile returned to her face as she asked her why she was there.

Qingyun stood there stunned, not quite reacting, when she was pulled out of the kitchen. But when she came to her senses, she noticed that everyone in the kitchen was staring in the direction the two of them had left.

"I made a little money." As she spoke, she stuffed the money bag into Yinglian's hand, bent down slightly, and stared at her. Yinglian had been keeping her head down since earlier, glancing around every now and then. "What's wrong? Didn't you get enough rest?"

When asked, Yinglian finally looked up. Her face was pale and she looked nervous, not in good shape. She shook her head and forced herself to answer, "I've been having nightmares lately."

Qingyun stared at her face, scrutinizing her carefully for a while, but the other woman didn't seem to be talking. As if sensing her thoughts, Yinglian continued, "I've been menstruating recently, and I just feel really tired. I'm really fine."

A gentle breeze blew, and the peach blossoms in the courtyard were in bloom, filling the air with their fragrance. The two stood under the tree, a truly pleasing sight. Qingyun was about to reply when he heard the other person say something, and his attention was diverted. He touched the other person's delicate face with his rough hand, "Are you not used to sleeping in a dormitory?"

She saw in TV dramas that palace maids and servants slept in large communal beds, with dozens of them sharing one bed.

"Did they argue at night? Did you have some friction? Did you have a nightmare? Should we get some calming medicine?" Qingyun couldn't stop talking once she started. She tucked Yinglian's wind-blown bangs behind her ears.

Qingyun was about to continue speaking when she was suddenly bumped backward. Yinglian hugged her tightly, burying her head in her chest. Then a muffled voice came, "Let me hug you for a while, miss."

What's wrong? Am I dreaming about the past again?

System: [That might be true.]

Yinglian seemed to have composed herself. She looked up and smiled, then remembered the money Qingyun had given her and tried to decline.

"It's okay, I'll earn money for you to spend. If you have a day off, go out and stroll around." As soon as she finished speaking, she remembered that Yinglian had psychological trauma from her difficulties, so she quickly added, "What I mean is, if you don't want to go, come and visit me during your days off."

"I know."

The two whispered a few more words to each other. Qingyun saw that it was getting late and decided to go back. Just as she was leaving, she bumped into Song Junwu, who was returning from military business. She told him about Liu Ruo.

Hearing this, the man wasn't surprised. He looked at her and said, "Why don't you stay for dinner?"

Qingyun wanted to freeload a meal, but she had been working hard these past few days and hadn't had time to shower, so she smelled slightly sour. She waved her hand and said, "No, I need to go back and shower."

She didn't notice Song Junwu's sudden blush, and continued talking to herself, "This Lord Liu, he even knows how to give me money. I say, Lord Song, when are you going to give me some benefits?" She raised an eyebrow at him.

Qingyun, a person living in the 21st century, could naturally talk about taking a bath without anyone caring. However, in this world, taking a bath is a very private matter. Perhaps even Song Junwu himself did not expect that the other party would talk about it so openly.

After a long pause, the man finally managed to say, "Washing in this weather will make you sick."

Qingyun didn't care much. "I can heal myself. Besides, it's just a shower."

Seeing that she was about to leave, Song Junwu quickly grabbed her sleeve, "Wash here, I'll have someone bring you charcoal."

Qingyun: "I didn't bring any clothes."

The veins on Song Junwu's temples throbbed uncontrollably. "We're not so poor that we can't afford to give away a set of clothes."

Hearing what the other party had said, Qingyun readily accepted. Being able to get a free meal and clothes here was a good deal.

Seeing that the person agreed, the man called a maid to take the person to take a bath.

Before even stepping over the threshold and entering the room, a wave of warm air rushed towards me. There were two or three charcoal stoves in the room, and the gauze curtains hanging on the beams and pillars had been replaced with thick, quilt-like curtains, which enveloped the heat in the bathtub and insulated it from the cold air. The candlelight illuminated the room, making it quite cozy. The steam rose slowly, and taking a deep breath felt like being immersed in this gentle paradise.

Wow! Rich people really know how to enjoy life.

She looked around and noticed that the maid was still standing to the side. Qingyun smiled and sent her away. It wasn't open enough for others to see her body yet, even women were too shy. Before leaving, she specifically instructed, "Open the windows a little. There are too many charcoal stoves in this room."

"Is it too hot?" Upon hearing this, the maid who was walking out turned back and asked.

Qingyun shook his head. "I'm afraid of carbon dioxide poisoning."

"It's a bit stuffy."

The maid agreed and then withdrew. After all the noise subsided, she took off her clothes and stepped into the bathtub.