Chapter 34 Chapter 34 She must like my face very much.
Xie Tingyu had his own way of soothing people. A sprig of dew-soaked hibiscus, accompanied by the phrase, "No matter how big a problem is, it's not as big as your stomach," eased Ji Lian's brow, and she coaxed her into finishing a whole bowl of snow frog soup.
After the servants cleared away the tableware, Ji Lian took a deep breath, holding the celadon teacup. Amidst the curling tea smoke, he spoke slowly, "Last night, I dreamt of Jiankang City. Many people, armed with sharp weapons, broke into the homes of ordinary people. They were brutally murderous, inhumane, hacking anyone they saw. Even the gates of aristocratic families were split in two..."
Xie Tingyu did not interrupt him, but stared at him with his chin supported by one hand. Seeing that the teacup in his hand was almost empty, he filled it for him.
Ji Lianyi was recounting the tragic scene in his dream, and felt uneasy because of Xie Tingyu's gaze. He thought: "Do she like my current appearance? I cried so miserably just now, my eyelids must be swollen. It should be better after I wash my face. I was in a hurry today and didn't put on powder. I didn't sleep well last night. I must look pale and haggard. She always praises my beauty. She must like my face very much. If it is not beautiful, will she be willing to look at me again?" He subconsciously stroked his cheek.
Xie Tingyu listened carefully and asked, "Did Your Highness see clearly in your dream what the people who broke into people's homes looked like?"
Ji Lian shook her head.
"Can you clearly see the sharp weapons in those people's hands?"
Ji Lian recalled: "The weapons they held were a hodgepodge, ranging from farmers' sickles, axes for chopping wood, to ring-handled swords."
Xie Tingyu also focused on some individual details, such as where the group of people came from and what their actions were.
Ji Lian concentrated and thought carefully, describing in detail what he remembered, and shook his head if he had no recollection of it.
"Well, Your Highness is absolutely right. I'll take you back." Xie Tingyu stood up and pointed his finger at his eye. "It's turning blue here. I think Your Highness didn't sleep well last night. You should get some rest later."
Upon hearing this, Ji Lian suddenly covered her cheeks with both hands, her voice muffled in her palms: "Do you think I am not more beautiful today than before?"
Xie Tingyu couldn't help laughing, deliberately keeping a straight face, cupping his cheeks, and said solemnly, "No way. The most beautiful young man in Jiankang is none other than Your Highness. In my mind, Your Highness is like a fairy on earth."
Ji Lian was coaxed into laughing again. As if remembering something, he grabbed Xie Tingyu's wrist and said, "Why don't you ask those who besieged you? How can you... just trust me like that?" His voice tightened. "Don't you think this is absurd?"
"How can it be absurd?" Xie Tingyu looked up at the incessant rain outside the eaves. "This rain has been going on for quite some time now." She clasped her chin with her fingertips and muttered to herself, "When the celestial phenomena are unusual, human affairs will be disturbed. It's hard to say what will happen."
Ji Lian pinched Xie Tingyu's fingers until they hurt. "In the future, you must bring more elite guards with you, and you are not allowed to go out alone after dark... No, just don't leave the house after sunset."
"Okay, I'll listen to your Highness."
The next day, the rain that had been falling for several days finally stopped.
Xie Tingyu planned to send Ji Lian back to Ci'en Temple today.
"Your Highness is concerned about my safety, but why don't you take your own life seriously?" Xie Tingyu pressed the same golden knife into Ji Lian's hands. "The eyes are the most vulnerable part of a person. If you encounter a villain, Your Highness, stab them in the face with this blade. Don't be soft-hearted." He added, "If you're too late, grab a handful of incense ash and sprinkle it over to blind the thief before he can escape."
"What do you mean by running away? I'm not such a coward."
"I misspoke. What I meant was to blind him with incense ash to buy time, so I could bring my sword and fight alongside His Highness."
The carriage wheels rolled, and the two carriages slowly set off, heading up the winding mountain road.
Ji Lian lifted the curtain and stared at it for a long time until the carriage turned a few corners and Xie Tingyu's figure gradually became blurred in the drizzle, and finally turned into a black dot, only then did she let it go.
Inside the Zhuangzi, Xie Tingyu leaned against the beauty's backrest, looking at the mountains in the distance, and asked, "How is it?"
"Thanks to your foresight, Madam, for having us carefully investigate five days ago." Cen Xiu leaned forward. "This incident didn't just start yesterday. There were strangers hanging around the farm a few days ago. Fortunately, the young master has trained the palace soldiers well, so they haven't been able to cause trouble in our fields."
"Are you just wandering around the Xie family's farm?"
"No. Every family's farm has them. Three days ago, someone saw several bodies being carried out of the Yuan family's farm. They said it was refugees who destroyed the farm, so they simply beheaded them."
"Wasn't Yuan Wangshu responsible for relocating these refugees? Why are some people braving the pouring rain?" Xie Tingyu frowned. "The Yuan family's ruthless actions will only incite a riot among the refugees."
Xie Tingyu stood up and said, "Let's go back to Jiankang City. I have to tell my mother about this."
When Cui Yuanying learned that Xie Tingyu was leaving to return to the city, he didn't want to move because the rain outside was like a curtain. However, Xie Tingyu said that he had something to do and would not return to the manor for the time being, so he had to leave with him.
Before leaving, Xie Tingyu sent over thirty men to guard the Ci'en Temple. She didn't dare send too many, fearing rumors that Xie had sent troops to guard Ci'en Temple, and if that were to reach the emperor, it would be a false pretense. Why would you, Xie, send troops? How did the suburbs of Jiankang become your private military base?
Xie Tingyu wore a straw raincoat and brought two hundred more soldiers from the Xie family's residence. He and Cui Yuanying rode into the city on horseback.
"Why are you in such a hurry to return to the city?"
"Cui Yuanying." Xie Tingyu galloped on, raindrops dripping down her chin onto the saddle. "I don't know yet, so I can't tell you anything. I'll tell you when I'm sure."
"What? What big deal could it be?" Cui Yuanying said dissatisfiedly.
The guards guarding the city gate came on horseback in the rain from a distance. When they were about to stop them for questioning, Cui Yuanying showed her face, waved the jade token in her hand, and let them pass immediately.
Afterwards, the two men split up into two groups, and Xie Tingyu rode back to Wuyi Lane without stopping.
He dismounted, untied his straw raincoat, and walked along the corridor.
"Where's Mother?"
"My lady, you have returned at an unfortunate time. When the head of the family went to court to meet the emperor this morning, His Majesty kept him in Fengge to discuss matters. Someone from the palace just now came and said that he would stay in the palace for the next few days and would not return to Xie Garden for the time being." Wei Fenghua, who was following behind him, bowed and replied.
"I see." Xie Tingyu turned around and loosened the wet collar of his shirt that was sticking to his collarbone. "Then send a letter in my name to the Wang family next door in Langya, saying that I will come to visit you at twilight hour."
Several servants immediately carried glass lamps and led Xie Tingyu to the hot spring room.
After bathing and changing clothes, Xie Tingyu changed into a skirt with dark pine flower and ginger patterns, a blue and gold gradient palace belt tied around her waist, a mutton-fat jade gourd hanging on her left, a yin-yang jade pendant given by the Grand Tutor hanging on her right, and a seven-treasure necklace around her neck.
The person who came to greet Xie Tingyu was Wang Qiwu.
Wang Qiwu walked with Xie Tingyu, holding a revolving lantern. The night wind blew through the corridor, causing the lantern hanging under the eaves to sway violently, casting their shadows on the red pillars, sometimes long and sometimes short.
"Sister Tingyu is really decisive. She just posted the message and people showed up."
"I'm afraid you'll think I'm being abrupt."
"How could that be?" Wang Qiwu laughed playfully. "You've come at the perfect time. My sister just happened to be back from the outskirts of the city, and she's getting dressed in her room right now."
"Then it seems I've arrived at the perfect time."
Xie Tingyu glanced around and caught a glimpse of an old archery target in the yard with several arrows stuck on it. He paused.
Wang Qiwu also paused and looked over. "This is me practicing archery a few days ago. Look, am I really good? I hit the bull's eye all the time."
“Very impressive.”
Wang Qiwu led Xie Tingyu to the tea room, a place reserved for guests to relax and enjoy tea. They sat down on the soft couch together. Wang Qiwu rolled up his sleeves, revealing his slender wrists. He slid the tea leaves through the teapot into the purple clay teapot. Then, he picked up the teapot and poured boiling hot water into the pot. Soon, a cup of tea was brewed.
Wang Lanzhi's body was still steaming from his shower, his slightly damp hair draped over his shoulders. He wore a sapphire blue robe with wide sleeves and a round collar, which was fastened with a belt around his waist. The front of his robe was torn open, giving him a rather unruly look.
She walked around the screen, sat down on the soft couch, and took the teacup handed to her by Wang Qiwu. "Today is your first visit to my home." She grabbed the teacup and drank it all in one gulp. "Is there anything I can help you with?"
"I really need your help in this matter, but it's not for me, it's for yourself."
"Oh?" Wang Lanzhi smiled, leaned over, and made a gesture of listening attentively. Wang Qiwu smiled and pushed her back.
Xie Tingyu immediately pointed out the phenomenon of refugees gathering and causing trouble near Xie's manor, and also pointed out what was happening inside Yuan's manor.
"I've heard about the resettlement of refugees," Wang Lanzhi said seriously. "It's said that a large number of refugees have gathered in the suburbs of Jiankang. It was originally under the charge of Yuan Da Si Nong, but has been handed over to Yuan Wangshu for supervision. In theory, while it can't completely eradicate the problem, it should be able to accommodate 3,000 refugees."
Wang Lanzhi recalled the report she'd received yesterday, her expression grave. "But recently, there's been a lot of deaths in the market where the refugees are being resettled. They say it's because of the dietary differences between the north and south. These refugees haven't adapted to the climate and are dying from illness." She looked out the window at the drizzling rain. "There's been a lot of heavy rain lately, and several houses have collapsed, burying a number of people."
"These refugees who unfortunately died had no money for medical treatment or burial." Xie Tingyu tapped the table with his fingertips. "What did the Yuan family do?"
As soon as he stopped drinking his tea, Wang Lanzhi noticed something was wrong. "That's not mentioned in the report. Tingyu, what do you think?"
"It all depends on whether the person in charge has a conscience." Xie Tingyu's expression suddenly turned cold. "First, seal off the refugees' homes and let the sick fend for themselves. Second, send doctors to diagnose and treat them and give them medicine."
She stood up suddenly. "If we leave it to die on its own, with nowhere to bury its body, it will be abandoned carelessly. In this hot and humid summer, it will rot and cause pestilence within three days."
Wang Lanzhi gasped. "If the refugees harbor resentment, there's no guarantee some won't flee the market. And among these desperate people, there might be some who've contracted the plague and don't even know it."
The two exchanged glances, and Xie Tingyu added, "Furthermore, people without a fixed place to stay will wander around and cause trouble in various farms."
"Who knows, maybe they'll gather and cause trouble inside Jiankang City!" Wang Lanzhi stood up, rubbing his hands, "I'm going to beat up Yuan Wangshu."
Wang Qiwu, who was sitting down, hurriedly pulled Wang Lanzhi's sleeve and said, "Sister, this is just speculation. If you really go and beat someone up, and then the incident comes before the emperor, I'll have to ask my grandmother to settle the matter for you."
Xie Tingyu nodded. "I think we should first report this matter to General Huan and Commander Huan Zheying to prevent any disaster from happening."
Wang Lanzhi thought about it for a moment and nodded in agreement. The two of them immediately agreed to go to the outskirts of the city together the next day to investigate the movements of the refugees.
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The author has something to say: Lian Lian: TT
Lian Lian: ^ ^ Lian Lian: oO
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The next novel is "Three Treasures in One Birth, But Long Ao Tiansheng"
The text is as follows:
【Female Master and Male Apprentice】
Bking type max level boss heroine/complaining heroine/heroine talks nonsense/whether it is love or fighting, the heroine takes the lead/BG
My name is Chu Zhijiao, and I am the best swordsman in the world.
One day, I found a man. He was a fair-skinned, handsome young man with long legs, a nice butt, broad shoulders and a narrow waist.
He was seriously injured. He just tilted his head back, looked at me with clear eyes, and said in a very low, bubbly voice, "Did you save me?"
Who could resist this? So I slept with him.
After we slept together, we became master and apprentice, I was the master and he was the apprentice.
Later, I accidentally made a big mistake and was wanted by the entire cultivation world. My disciple died to protect me.
The day after he died, time went back to the first day I picked him up.
He just tilted his head back, looking at me with a pair of clear eyes, still speaking in that ultra-low bubbling voice, "Did you save me?"
I:?
Such a familiar plot.
So I put him to sleep again.
To confirm my guess, I stabbed him to death myself.
Time goes back to the first day I picked him up.
Oh my God, a human-shaped time-reversal artifact!
The fifth time I had to kill him to rewind my game because I kept getting into trouble, he grabbed my sword and said, "Don't kill me. Every time you kill me, you have to sleep with me. Are you still human?"
Me: "No, you do have memories! Then you always pretend to be meeting me for the first time. Sorry, I have to kill you again this time."
He: "I'm pregnant with your child, how could you have the heart to do this to me?"
I:?
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