Chapter 140 Dry Wood and Raging Fire
No one spoke. Dai Li looked at the wood scattered on the ground, exchanged a glance with Qin Shaozong who was standing in the pile of wood, and then turned and walked away without saying a word.
This afternoon, while strolling in the garden, she saw that the mansion had many pavilions and courtyards; the main courtyard was too small, but there were plenty of places to stay. She decided to stay outside first.
However, before Dai Li could take more than a few steps, or even leave the outer room, her arm was grabbed by a large, dark hand.
"Where are you going, madam?" He led her back.
Dai Li wasn't as strong as him and was pulled back two steps, forced to turn and look at Qin Shaozong. Her expression was blank. "We disagreed on something and had a huge argument in the room, ending in a bad mood. I stayed alone in the manor's villa, and the Lord was furious, taking his anger out on the bed. The conflict raged for several days before finally..."
“No.” He interrupted coldly.
As he said this, Qin Shaozong was holding a piece of wood inlaid with mortise and tenon joints, but which had not yet been assembled.
He tossed the wooden plank aside with a cold face. "What kind of behavior is it to sleep in separate rooms so soon after getting married? Besides, the big fight that my wife mentioned is completely fabricated. If the bed is broken, it's broken. Why try to cover your ears?"
This culprit actually dared to accuse her of burying her head in the sand; Dai Li choked on her words.
Before Dai Li could say anything else, he embraced her and walked out, speaking without a hint of pretense, "Let's stay at the other courtyard tonight, and come back tomorrow morning when the bed is repaired."
"You'll fix it?" Dai Li's tone was full of doubt.
Qin Shaozong was silent for a moment, then said, “I am busy with military affairs and I am afraid I will not have the time. Send two craftsmen to repair it.”
Dai Li: "..."
Qin Shaozong added, "Don't worry, Madam. I'll issue a gag order so they won't make a sound. I doubt even a lowly carpenter would dare disobey."
This person was uncooperative and refused to sleep in a separate room, leaving Dai Li with no other option. At this point, they had no choice but to make do for the night in the other courtyard. As for Nianxia and Bipo, Dai Li took them with her as well.
However, whether it was because she was not used to sleeping in the same bed or because of that ominous premonition that wouldn't go away, Dai Li still couldn't sleep soundly that night, even though Qin Shaozong repeatedly assured her that everything was in order.
A dark cloud hung over her heart; she had a feeling something was about to happen.
...
Sunset and sunrise, and another day has passed in the blink of an eye.
The guards at the Marquis's residence operate on a shift system, with both personal guards and core military officers taking turns. The former are more closely guarded, while the latter are more loosely guarded.
The shift change every day takes place at noon.
Mo Yanyun arrived for his shift at noon yesterday and happened to see the carpenter being summoned into the mansion. It was rare for such unauthorized individuals to visit the mansion, so Mo Yanyun immediately asked the man why he had come.
The carpenter shook his head and said he didn't know, only that he had been summoned by the lord, but the lord hadn't said what the matter was.
Mo Yanyun checked the other party's luggage and then let them pass.
As luck would have it, after he finished his inspection of the area, the carpenter was leaving with his box on his back. Mo Yanyun did a quick calculation and realized that the man had only been in the mansion for a quarter of an hour.
Something's not right!
So he stopped the man and questioned him again.
However, the carpenter, who had been so cooperative before, now seemed to have been poisoned and rendered mute, only shaking his head and saying that the lord had issued a gag order, refusing to say another word.
Mo Yanyun became suspicious, but then thought that the other party had only been in the mansion for a quarter of an hour and the items he brought were quite proper, so he figured that the other party wouldn't cause any trouble.
Let's go then.
The next morning, Mo Yanyun ran into the carpenter again. This time, the carpenter was not alone; he had a companion with him.
Mo Yanyun's suspicions resurfaced once again, and he was about to ask more questions when Hu Bao, who had led them there, shut him down with the words, "The Lord has given orders."
Watching their departing figures, Mo Yanyun subconsciously followed. When he came to his senses, he saw them enter the main courtyard from afar, while Hu Bao, who was guarding the entrance, did not follow.
Mo Yanyun was shocked and was about to rush in when Hu Bao stopped him with lightning speed.
“Hu Bao, what are you doing? Didn’t you see them go in? How can outsiders be allowed to enter such an important place as the main courtyard? The mistress has so many valuable pieces of jewelry. If any of them were lost, who would be responsible? Even if we don’t talk about jewelry, there are still clothes. What if they’re dishonest…” Mo Yanyun said anxiously.
He was fond of drinking with women and was, to some extent, well-versed in the vices of men.
Mo Yanyun didn't specify how unclean it was. But as a fellow man, how could Hu Bao not know after he mentioned it?
Hu Bao hesitated, his tone less firm than before: "But this is an order personally given by the Marquis. He told me to escort the two carpenters to the main courtyard, then wait outside for them to come out, and then escort them out of the mansion. I am not allowed to enter the main house at all, I can only wait outside."
Mo Yanyun: "Is anyone else in the house?"
Hu Bao shook his head, saying he didn't know, and added that the Marquis hadn't mentioned it. He truly hadn't gone in; he had obediently stopped at the front of the courtyard, so naturally he didn't know.
Mo Yanyun had a sudden inspiration: "The Lord only asked you to wait in front of the courtyard, but did not forbid me from entering. I can call out at the door or go in for a look. If there is a reliable supervisor in the room, I will come out immediately."
Hu Bao frowned.
However, in terms of military rank, Mo Yanyun was higher than him, so after saying this, he strode inside.
"Hey, Lao Mo, wait a minute..."
As soon as he reached the door of the main house, Mo Yanyun heard several clanging sounds coming from inside.
It was common for the carpenter to make noise while repairing things, so he didn't think much of it and was certain that the mistress wasn't inside. Therefore, Mo Yanyun called out casually, "Besides the carpenter, who else is in the house?"
No one responded.
Mo Yanyun called out again, but still no one answered.
That's strange!
Is the only person inside a carpenter?
He stepped inside and, unsurprisingly, found the outer room empty. But as he passed through the doorway, Mo Yanyun saw two carpenters and Bi Po standing not far from them.
Bibo covered her ears with her hands to block out the annoying knocking sounds, her eyes fixed on the two people not far away, dutifully acting as a supervisor.
Suddenly, she caught a glimpse of a tall, dark figure out of the corner of her eye. Bibo quickly turned her head away, the words "Lord" stuck in her throat as she tried to utter them.
She stared at Mo Yanyun in astonishment, while the latter looked at the shattered bed on the floor in shock.
No one spoke, but Mo Yanyun seemed to have been pricked in the buttocks by a needle, and suddenly turned around and left.
He came and went in a hurry, without leaving a single word.
Seeing that Mo Yanyun had rushed out shortly after entering, with an extremely strange expression, Hu Bao, driven by curiosity, asked, "What's wrong?"
As if finding an outlet, Mo Yanyun first hissed and gasped, then gestured with both hands, "Hu Bao, can you imagine? Such a large couch, completely shattered! I heard that the Marquis and his wife stayed in the separate courtyard last night, so it seems this couch broke on their wedding night..."
Hu Bao's expression gradually synchronized with Mo Yanyun's.
Mo Yanyun hissed again, "Everyone knows that the Marquis keeps a close eye on the mistress, but I didn't expect it to be like this... well, he cares. He just made her a member of the Qin family, and he can't wait to set things off like dry wood."
"No, I can't hold it in any longer. I have to talk to Lao Bai and the others, give them a good talking-to, so they'll all show me the utmost respect from now on." Mo Yanyun turned and left.
Hu Bao's sluggish brain took a long time to process. He recalled the solemnity of his superiors when they assigned him the task, and suddenly he shuddered, "Oh no!"
But Mo Yanyun was tall and walked fast, and disappeared in the blink of an eye.
*
Dai Li and Qin Shaozong were in the study, each with a long desk piled with documents. Dai Li had information on fertilizer, while Qin Shaozong had secret reports from various states.
Dai Li was in charge of the fertilization project, which included not only composting but also the subsequent distribution of fertilizer.
Yuyang County comprises nine counties with a total population of over 400,000. Even though Dai Li and her men worked tirelessly last winter collecting materials for composting, producing several compost bags almost every day.
A single fertilizer bag weighs at least several tons, enough for dozens of acres of farmland. But when spread across the nine counties under Yuyang County, the fertilizer is still far from sufficient.
Therefore, how to allocate the funds is a matter that cannot be taken lightly.
However, at this moment, Dai Li's attention was not on the desk; she was looking at the two people Qin Shaozong had summoned to the study.
One was tall and the other short. The taller young man wore a jade crown and a white robe. He had handsome features, a reserved gaze, and stood as straight as a pine tree.
The boy, who was slightly shorter than the people around him, had not yet reached adulthood. His long hair was tied up with a red ribbon and half-draped over his shoulders. Paired with his black and red color-blocked outfit and slightly loose posture, his arrogance was impossible to suppress.
Qin Shaozong sat behind the desk, looking at the two people, one tall and one short. His expression was not very gentle, but rather had an unyielding authority. "My wife and I are now married and husband and wife. You two have exchanged greetings and changed your way of addressing each other. From now on, you are family."
He glanced at the two of them and said, “From now on, you will be brothers, of the same blood, and both my sons. I will treat you equally. If you make a contribution, you will be rewarded; if you make a mistake, you will be punished. No one will be an exception.”
Dai Li lowered her eyes and heard Qin Shaozong beside her change the subject, starting to inquire about the two's studies.
Let them speak first, and then he can ask questions.
Dai Li stared at the documents spread out on the table, but couldn't concentrate on a single word. After a long while, she looked up again and saw Qin Qinian saying with a distressed expression, "Father, it's not that I'm not studying hard, it's just that the words seem to dance..."
"You bastard!" Qin Shaozong slammed his fist on the table. "You can't even come up with a better excuse. Every time it's the same old excuse of dancing. Just wait and see when I whip you, you'll look like you're dancing."
The tiger-shaped pen rest on the desk jumped up and then fell to its side with a "thud".
Qin Qinian looked dejected. "Father, I really didn't lie. Those words really weren't honest."
Seeing that he was unrepentant, Qin Shaozong was furious. "How difficult it is for a poor family's child to find a good teacher! You are taking your good fortune for granted. Other young men in the county, let alone your age, even if they were ten years younger than you, would not make so many mistakes in their writing."
Qin Qinian looked even more wilted, like a small cabbage about to rot in the ground, with dark clouds looming over his head.
Seeing that he was just listless and showed no signs of excitement, Qin Shaozong's forehead veins bulged. Just as he was about to scold him again, he suddenly felt his arm being lightly patted twice.
Dai Li said gently to the man who turned to look at her, "I have a few questions for Qinian."
Qin Shaozong didn't say anything, he just leaned back with a cold face.
Dai Li looked at Qin Qinian, "Qinian, when did you start to think that words could dance?"
Qin Qinian was still dejected, but when Dai Li asked, he honestly replied, "It was a long time ago, from when I first learned to read."
"When you say 'words dance,' do you mean that some of the characters appear upside down or reversed to you? And if you don't point at them with your finger, they might even jump between lines? And when you pick up a pen to write, you always need to think for a long time before you can vaguely remember the full appearance of some characters," Dai Li asked.
With each word she spoke, the boy would perk up a little more.
Finally, Qin Qinian was shocked, "Mother, how did you know this? Do you, like me, believe that those words can dance?"
He had never told her any of this before today, and presumably her father's subordinates wouldn't speak ill of him. Unless she herself felt the same way, how could she understand so easily after he spoke of it?
He'd been saying it for over a decade, but his father and teachers still didn't understand.
Qin Shaozong turned his head to look at Dai Li, his eyes showing surprise.
But he knew that she didn't have those issues. She read very well and used to be able to finish a book in two or three days when browsing through his study.
“In my hometown, there’s a specific term for Qinian’s condition: dyslexia,” Dai Li said, looking at Qin Shaozong. “You can simply understand it as a disorder caused by a lack of coordination between certain areas of the brain that process hearing and vision.”
"If someone has a problem with their brain, then wouldn't they be an idiot?" Qin Shaozong said.
Qin Qinian choked.
Dai Li said irritably, "How can you talk like that, father? This is just a disability, it doesn't mean there's a problem with intelligence. On the contrary, many people with this condition are very smart and have special talents in other fields."
Qin Shaozong raised his long eyebrows.
Qin Qinian's eyes grew brighter and brighter; if he had a big tail, it would surely wag and fan the wind.
Dai Li gave them an analogy: "It's like a wooden bucket. At first glance, one plank seems shorter, but in places you don't know, the missing wood from that short plank has been used to fill in another plank, making the rest of the bucket a long plank."
Qin Shaozong remained silent, reached out and straightened the tiger-shaped pen rest, his long fingers stroking the tiger's back.
If someone else had said these words, he would have thought that person was talking nonsense and making excuses for Qin San's recklessness.
But it was she who said it herself.
Qin Shaozong asked, "Madam, is there a cure for this kind of disorder you described?"
Dai Li hesitated for a moment. He asked about a "cure," and she could only say, "It's best to start intervening in this kind of disorder in childhood. The later the intervention, the less effective it will be. For someone as old as Qinian, it's a long-term battle, and there's no guarantee that it can be cured."
Qin Shaozong frowned.
Qin Qinian wasn't too disappointed; he'd gotten used to it over the years.
He can eat and drink well, run and jump a lot, and has thick skin and flesh—he's much more resilient than others. And now, there are people who understand him and don't think he's lying; he's overjoyed.
“However, it’s not impossible to alleviate the problem. Practice more often. You can read a book yourself while someone reads the contents to you slowly. Combine these two methods for training, and after a period of time, add writing as well. Use all three methods at once,” Dai Li said.
Qin Qinian's expression changed slightly, "Mother, actually I'm doing quite well now..."
Qin Shaozong's temper flared up again. "What's so good about writing characters that are missing arms and legs? Do as your mother said, and have the teacher try this method."
Qin Qinian reluctantly agreed.
Qin Shaozong couldn't stand his unambitious appearance; it hurt his eyes to look at him. So he simply waved for the two juniors to leave.
After they left, Dai Li said, "You're such a domineering father, and Qinian lost his mother at a young age. It's a miracle he didn't develop a bad personality."
Qin Shaozong didn't like hearing this. "Me, domineering?"
"You're not assertive?" Dai Li retorted. "You're a woman of your word, and your decisions are not subject to disobedience. Tell me, if this doesn't count as assertive, then what does?"
Qin Shaozong looked away. "Qin San was mostly raised by my parents, and Hongying would come back to visit from time to time. Yun Ce is gentle and kind to his younger siblings, and I also chose a teacher for him to start his education early on."
Dai Li probably understands now.
Although his birth mother died early, Qin Qinian was not lacking in love.
He had kind grandparents, a loving aunt, gentle older siblings, a teacher who accompanied and guided him, and his father, Qin Shaozong, who always watched over him.
"I'll have Mi Yifan come over tomorrow, and Madam will discuss with him methods to alleviate that disorder," Qin Shaozong said.
Dai Li agreed.
After finishing my business in the study, I didn't realize it was lunchtime.
The two left the study and headed to the main hall for their meal. On the way, Dai Li ran into Mo Yanyun.
The other party greeted him politely and withdrew, all in one smooth motion.
Whether it was Dai Li's imagination or not, she felt that the other person's gaze was slightly different from before, as if there was more admiration and respect in it than she had imagined.
Dai Li: "?"
"Madam?" Qin Shaozong asked, noticing her sudden stop.
Dai Li's thoughts raced. "It's Commandant Mo's shift today. Could he have seen those two carpenters?"
Otherwise, why would Mo Yanyun have such an attitude?
“Absolutely impossible. I’ve already sent Hu Bao to guard the entrance to the main courtyard. Besides, why would he go to the main courtyard for no reason?” Qin Shaozong saw that she was still frowning. “Didn’t Madam leave a maid in the room? If you’re still worried, you can ask her when you get back.”
Dai Li thought about it and agreed.
However, after lunch, Dai Li was unable to return to the main courtyard immediately. She and Qin Shaozong's plans for the rest of the day were disrupted by a news report.
No, it wasn't just them; the entire core leadership of the North was deeply shaken by this.
This urgent dispatch was flanked by gilded jade scrolls and lined with the finest silk brocade. It came from the south, or more precisely, from the capital city of Chang'an, and was an imperial edict personally issued by the young emperor.
First, the emperor praised Qin Shaozong's achievements in defending the border, then commended Dai Li for her advocacy of the dragon-bone waterwheel, and finally congratulated the couple on their marriage. Finally, the emperor issued a decree summoning Dai Li and Qin Yanzhou to Chang'an to receive their official titles.
Author's Note: Moving on to the next stage [Lop-eared Rabbit Head]
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