Chapter 86 Tossing and turning, terrified in dreams

Pei Ji tossed and turned and finally fell asleep in the second half of the night.

The dream is bizarre.

Only Jiaojiao was standing in front of him in a real way.

She was still the same as before, a little unfamiliar and timid when facing him.

She clutched the handkerchief tightly and leaned over to look at him.

He slept with his knife in his arms, leaning against a pillar, and didn't even know she was coming.

But she couldn't help herself and called his name softly: "Pei Ji, Pei Ji..."

He opened his eyes and didn't move for a moment.

She asked, "Why are you sleeping here? You're still wet. Aren't you afraid of catching a cold?"

She saw that he was still staring at her blankly, without saying a word or moving.

She was the first to get anxious and stretched out her hand to him: "Get up, I'll take you to the room to sleep."

The hand that was extended was slender and white.

Her nails were round, and although they had not been painted in the red that was popular among women, they were covered with powder and had small crescent-shaped patterns on them.

Very slim and cute.

He almost subconsciously held the hand.

He stood up and let her take him to that unknown and bizarre place.

Inside that bizarre light was the guillotine that could take his life, and he was willing to accept it.

The only thing she was afraid of was that she pulled her hand back and didn't let him get close to her.

"Fu'er..."

He held her hand tightly and stared at her without blinking, fearing that this was a dream.

She turned around and said, "What's wrong? Do you want to eat something first? I heard that you haven't eaten anything yet. That won't do. I have prepared food a long time ago, but you have to take a shower first. You are so dirty."

He was startled when he heard this and quickly lowered his head.

I saw that I was indeed covered in mud.

His hands were covered in mud and looked extremely dirty.

And stained her delicate and clean hands with filth.

He quickly let go.

I wanted to find a clean cloth to wipe her clean.

But his whole body was filthy, not a single spot was clean.

Where can I find clean towels?

A layer of sweat appeared on his forehead and he quickly raised his face to look at her.

She was looking at him too.

Those beautiful peach blossom eyes were full of clarity and aloofness.

Exactly the same as the night she wanted to break up with him.

He was filled with fear and said hurriedly, "Don't worry, Fu'er. I'll take you to clean up."

He reached out to hold her hand again.

He really held her tightly, not daring to let go.

She didn't try to pull her hand back.

Before he could be happy, the hand began to become transparent, and then in just a breath, the transparency spread to her whole body.

"Fuer!"

He was terrified and tried his best to hug her.

But it turned out to be empty.

She disappeared completely.

Pei Ji suddenly opened his eyes.

The sound of drizzling rain reached my ears.

In front of me is a green tent roof.

There was a faint sound of someone talking.

It turns out that everything just now was a dream.

But the fear of that lovely girl disappearing before his eyes still lingered in his heart.

He sat up slowly.

He took out a sword tassel from his arms and stroked it gently.

After a long time, the fear gradually subsided.

"Brother Pei, are you awake?" Wen Xiangjun's voice came from outside.

Pei Ji put the sword tassel back into his arms, responded, stood up, put on his coat, walked over and opened the door.

Wen Xiangjun stood outside in high spirits.

There was also a minor official beside him holding a wooden basin and a towel.

She smiled and said, "Brother Pei, it's getting late. Hurry up and wash up and have dinner. We should hurry up."

Pei Ji responded, took the wooden basin from the clerk, went back to his room to wash up, packed his sword, put on his straw raincoat, took his straw hat and went to the outer courtyard.

In the outer courtyard, the houses were washed away and the residents temporarily living in the county government office were having their meals.

Wen Xiangjun had already arrived and was helping to serve the food. When she saw him coming, she filled a bowl and asked the clerk to take it over.

It was a bowl of porridge and two pancakes.

Pei Ji, however, had no appetite: "Give it to someone else."

Wen Xiangjun had been waiting for him to wash and eat, so she came over to help him. Seeing that he wasn't eating, she asked, "Isn't this to your taste?"

Pei Ji said, "I have a poor appetite."

Seeing that he looked unwell, Wen Xiangjun sighed, "I told you, Brother Pei, running around like this is something that even a strong body can't handle. Now that this mission is complete, you'd better see a doctor."

As she spoke, she muttered to herself, "I think being a Jinyiwei is quite difficult. I'll have to ask His Majesty to increase my salary when I get back."

Pei Ji: ...

After the two men had rested, they led their horses out of the county government office.

The county magistrate, Wang Zhi, was standing by to see him off, looking as if he wanted to say something but hesitated.

Wen Xiangjun asked, "Does the County Master have anything to say?"

Wang Zhi nodded and said mournfully, "Your Majesty's decree has just been issued, and such a serious incident has occurred under my rule. I know I cannot escape the blame, and even if I am tortured, I dare not complain. I only hope that Lord Wen will consider that I am still trying hard to make amends and put in a few good words for me and forgive my wife and children..."

As if he had already seen his own death, his voice trembled as he spoke, and tears even flowed down his face, which he hurriedly wiped away with his sleeves.

Wen Xiangjun felt sorry for him and comforted him, "Don't worry, Your Excellency. I saw everything you did when the flood broke out, and I will report it to His Majesty truthfully. Your Majesty is a benevolent and righteous ruler. If you are truly innocent, at most you will be punished for negligence. Your life will not be in jeopardy, and your wife, children, and elders will be safe."

…

After she finished speaking, there was silence.

Wang Zhi raised his sleeves in front of his eyes and forgot to wipe away his tears.

Pei Ji also had a strange look on his face.

She looked at the two of them, puzzled: "What's wrong? What did I say wrong?"

In public, no one dared to say that she had done anything wrong.

Wang Zhi hurriedly said, "Master Wen is right. I would like to thank you in advance."

Wen Xiangjun waved her hand. "Just because I'm gone, you can't slack off. If I come back and find anything wrong, even the gods won't be able to save you."

Wang Zhi hurriedly said, "Don't worry, Master Wen. I will never dare to slack off."

Wen Xiangjun nodded, jumped on the horse, and looked at Pei Ji: "Brother Pei, let's go."

Pei Ji also mounted his horse, and the two of them left Linchuan County together and parted ways at the intersection again.

Pei Ji went to Xing County.

Wen Xiangjun went straight to the capital.

They did not stop along the way, but still did not return to the inner court until the afternoon.

She is not yet a member of the Northern Pacification Division and is currently under the supervision of the Ministry of Rites.

She went directly to the Imperial Household Department.

Gao Bin happened to be on duty, and when he heard that she was back, he let her in.

Wen Xiangjun has taken off her plain clothes and bamboo hat.

But my body was still half wet.

She didn't care, and strode in, bowing and saying, "Wen Xiangjun has seen the palm print."

Gao Bin smiled and said, "Master Wen, thank you for your courtesy. Did your trip go smoothly?"

Wen Xiangjun said, "My side is going smoothly, but the Linchuan dam broke on the first day, and the residents living near the dam suffered heavy casualties. Linchuan County Magistrate Wang Zhi has recorded the casualties in a register. Please see the seal."

She took out a thin booklet wrapped in brown paper from her bosom and handed it to the desk.

Gao Bin took it and looked at it, frowning and saying, "The rain is heavy, but it shouldn't be enough to break the dam on the first day. Is there something wrong with the dam?"

Wen Xiangjun said, "Exactly. Please see the palm seal."

She took off the bag on her back, took out a stone from it, and smashed it hard on the ground.

With a "bang", the stone immediately broke into several pieces.

She said, "This is the material used for the dam. Besides that, half of the bridges and roads in Linchuan are made of this same stone. Something like this happened in my hometown, too, but no one investigated or cared about it, simply because it was approved by the county magistrate. That way, the stone suppliers got paid every year, and the county magistrate collected the benefits every year, but it just made life difficult for the people."

Gao Bin's face turned grim. "Have you investigated? Is this also the case in Linchuan County?"

Wen Xiangjun said, "It has not been fully investigated yet. If I were the only one involved in such a conflict of interest, I would not only fail to investigate it, but would also alert the enemy. Therefore, I did not dare to make it public. I only rushed back to report to the seal holder and ask for his instructions.

Also, although I haven't investigated the entire situation, I've worked with Linchuan County Magistrate Wang Zhi in the past. I've seen him diligently remediate the flooded areas, and the people have praised him highly. I don't think he's the kind of corrupt official I see in my hometown. I hope the Magistrate won't arrest him directly, but rather investigate thoroughly before punishing him."

Gao Bin looked at her kindly. "Master Wen is kindhearted, and this is what you deserve. This matter is serious. I will assign ten people from the East Factory to you. I hope Master Wen can get to the bottom of this as soon as possible."

Wen Xiangjun's eyes lit up, and she quickly clasped her fists and said, "Xiangjun will definitely fulfill your mission."

She continued, "Master, Xiangjun has something else to tell you. The rain won't stop anytime soon, and the granary in Linchuan County won't last much longer. Your Majesty needs to order grain to be transferred from elsewhere."

Gao Bin nodded: "I will speak to His Majesty."

After explaining everything, Wen Xiangjun felt relieved. When she was about to leave, she suddenly thought of Pei Ji and hesitated for a moment.

Gao Bin smiled and said, "Master Wen, if you have anything else to say, please feel free to ask."

Wen Xiangjun looked at him and said, "I met two small flags from the Northern Pacification Division this time. One of them is very tired from running back and forth. Of course, I am also very tired. Therefore, Xiangjun would like to ask the seal holder to talk to His Majesty and give us more money."

Gao Bin: ...