Chapter 134 Lu Zhinian comes to the door, Tang Ning is his medicine!
The land that Xiao Yan had reserved for the academy was in a not-so-prosperous area in the south of the city, far away from the market town. It took two cups of tea to get to Jiyun Lane by carriage.
It was originally the "slums" of the capital, where beggars and poor people lived. Xiao Yan spent a large sum of money to enclose it, and also included the area all the way to the edge of the city into the scope of the academy. He also built orphanages and charity halls elsewhere to accommodate those who had no place to live.
Even though the academy occupied a vast area, no one in the capital complained against the people who enclosed the land. Instead, they were delighted when the academy moved.
Now, the few houses in that circle have begun to be demolished, and the people from the Jingzao Division have surrounded the area. When the carriage stopped nearby, the shouts of people working hard inside could be heard from afar. As soon as Song Tangning and the others arrived, Song Ru, who had already walked around inside, hurried over to greet them.
"Sister!"
Song Ru's face had become rosy, her hair was no longer so dull and yellow, and she looked like a blooming flower as she ran in her pink dress.
When she got close, Song Ru noticed that there was someone behind Song Tangning, and the smile on her face instantly disappeared.
Song Tangning pulled her aside and said, "This is the wife of the Qian family. You can just call her Sister Ayue."
Song Ru's eyes lit up a little. She knew that Miss Qian was a good friend of her elder sister. When her elder sister broke up with the Song family, Miss Qian had spoken up for her. Song Ru smiled slightly, and her expression became more intimate. "Hello, Sister Ayue."
Qian Qiyue pulled her up in a familiar manner and pinched Song Ru's little face.
Seeing her covering her face with her hands like a little animal, her eyes wide open, she immediately turned to Song Tangning and said, "Your sister is really as funny as you said."
Song Tangning glared at her lightly: "Don't bully A'ru."
Qian Qiyue suddenly laughed: "This is not bullying, this is love. Our little A'ru is so beautiful, it makes people happy to see her, and they can't wait to hold her in the palm of their hands, right, little A'ru?"
It was the first time that Song Ru was praised for her good looks, and she couldn't help blushing. She quietly hid behind Song Tangning, gently holding the corner of her clothes, lowering her head embarrassedly, and her white earlobes were all red, but she couldn't help but secretly look at the bright and beautiful Qian sister.
As soon as she raised her eyes, she met Qian Qiyue's smiling gaze. Her bright eyes flashed and she blinked at her.
Song Ru was startled and hurriedly looked away. When she looked up again, Qian Qiyue had already turned around and started chattering with Song Tangning. Song Ru pursed her lips, revealing two tiny dimples, and her eyes curved.
"Aru, come here!"
Song Tangning turned around and greeted.
Song Ru responded quickly and trotted over, holding up the hem of her skirt.
…
The academy's territory was very large. After the houses inside were demolished, people came in and out carrying the waste soil and bricks and stones.
When the people from Jingzaosi saw Song Tangning coming, they hurried forward to salute. After taking the three little girls around the entire area, they pointed in one direction and spoke.
"This place is close to the city, and there's a large open space in front. Governor Xiao wants to use this as the mountain gate. It can block out the noise from outside, but it won't appear too wild. When the academy is completed, the Wende Monument will be erected there, facing the mountain gate, so people can see it at a glance."
"The terrain around here is flat, making it very easy to build prison cells. Our staff at the yamen have also drawn up architectural blueprints. You can review them first. If you feel there are any adjustments that need to be made, or if you have any special requests, please feel free to ask."
Song Tangning took the drawings handed to him and looked at them together with Qian Qiyue and Song Ru.
The blueprint was densely packed with various houses and some words that they could not understand, but the general layout and the future appearance of the academy were already presented.
Qian Qiyue was surprised: "How big is this academy?"
At first glance, the buildings in front and back are countless, including the main gate, the second gate, the lecture hall, the study, and the Confucian Temple at the back for worship, as well as the bamboo forest and flower garden. Outside the prison, there are also separate waterside pavilions and lakes, and even something that looks like a small hill, which almost extends all the way to the city gate. Such a large academy is several times larger than the largest school in Beijing.
The man from the Beijing Construction Office laughed and said, "Madam Qian, after the academy is completed, it will cover nearly thirty acres."
Qian Qiyue opened her mouth wide, and before she could exclaim in amazement, she heard the man continue:
"This is just the entire interior of the academy. If you include the surrounding land planted with trees, flowers, and plants, as well as the cultivated farmland and teaching land, it's estimated to be around 40 acres."
Song Ru had just started learning mathematics and had never learned anything about managing a household before. She thought the number should be quite large, but Qian Qiyue was almost stunned.
This is forty acres in the capital, not the wilderness outside the city. Moreover, the entire area is connected, not scattered plots of land. For such a large area, even the cheapest south city would spend an astronomical amount of money to enclose it.
Qian Qiyue turned her head and looked at Song Tangning: "Does your brother still need a sister?"
Song Tangning's dimples were sweet: "Not lacking."
Qian Qiyue: Oh, oh, oh…
"Aru, your sister is so annoying."
She also wants such a generous brother!!
Song Ru was embraced by Qian Qiyue, with her cheek almost touching Qian's elder sister's chest. Her face immediately flushed red, but she did not push away Qian Qiyue who was acting like a spoiled child. Instead, she patted her back comfortingly: "Sister Yue, don't cry. You have a brother at home too."
Qian Qiyue suddenly felt even sadder. Her brother only knew how to tease her and was so stingy that he didn't even want to spend the two taels of silver on her.
Listening to Qian Qiyue's envy, Song Tangning's smile grew wider. She was actually a little surprised. Even though she had known that the academy would not be too small, she had never expected it to be so large. As she held the blueprint, her heart was filled with warmth. She looked up and said,
"The academy can be built according to this plan, but two separate courtyards should be left here to separate them from the houses outside. It will be quieter. There should also be a small path in the back so that you can enter the courtyard without going through the main gate."
The man quickly wrote down what he had said: "Does the county lady have any other instructions?"
Song Tangning shook his head. "I don't know much about construction. Just follow the instructions of the Imperial Construction Department. There's one thing: the academy must use the best wood, rot-proof and insect-proof. Especially the library, it must not be exposed to moisture and must be able to withstand constant use."
Although this academy was built in the name of the Rong family, it was actually built to establish a reputation for my brother and to educate students all over the world, so that it could become a "pilgrimage site" for future scholars of the Wei Dynasty. Song Tangning was ambitious and had given up such huge interests to invest in the academy, so naturally he would not want this academy to suddenly collapse one day.
By then, let alone being a holy place, it would probably become a joke.
The man quickly said, "Don't worry, County Lady. Governor Xiao has already instructed that every blade of grass, every flower, and every stone in this courtyard be of the finest quality."
With the Black Armored Guards watching, and Xiao Yan's fierce reputation intimidating, anyone who dares to cut corners would be courting death.
After hearing that it was Xiao Yan who gave the order, Song Tangning felt relieved.
…
After Song Tangning and the other two had seen the unfinished "academy", they planned to leave. As they walked out, they kept talking about what they had seen and heard in the academy.
Hang Li went outside to drive the carriage first, while Qian Qiyue took Song Tangning and Song Ru's arms and chatted with them laughingly. After they left the area designated by the Jingzao Division, the three of them stood in front of the mountain gate where they planned to erect the Wende Monument, and were discussing that when they returned home later, they would pass by Xijue Tower to try their newly-made snacks.
Qian Qiyue raised her eyes and glanced outside inadvertently, and saw the man standing in the distance. Her face instantly darkened.
"What's wrong?"
Seeing that Qian Qiyue's face looked wrong, Song Tangning, who had his back to the other side, was about to turn around to look, but was grabbed by Qian Qiyue.
"Tang Ning, I remembered there are some things I didn't see just now. Let's go take a look."
As she spoke, she winked at Song Ru, who was standing beside her. The usually well-behaved Song Ru quickly agreed, "Sister, I also want to see the flower garden in the back. I can plant some crabapples for you later. Let's go take a look."
Song Tangning was puzzled: "The academy hasn't even been built yet, what's there to see?"
If you want to plant flowers, don’t you have to wait until other places inside are built?
“It looks great!”
Qian Qiyue didn't even give Song Tangning a chance to ask questions. She simply pulled her away and said, "Go take a look first. Think about the flowers you want to plant. You can transplant them directly when you come back. Some flower seeds are precious. I can also ask my mother to help you find them..."
She turned Song Tangning around, pushed her shoulders and led her away. Song Ru also followed and held Song Tangning's arm, blocking her side view.
Lu Zhinian had been waiting outside early, his eyes fixed on the academy. When he saw the figure he had been thinking about day and night coming out from the distance, his head, which had not hurt for several days, began to hurt again, but his eyes were filled with guilt and joy.
He clenched his palms nervously, originally thinking about what to say when he saw Tang Ning again and how to ask for her forgiveness, but who knew that the people who were originally walking out suddenly turned around and went back.
Lu Zhinian suddenly became anxious and rushed over quickly: "Tang Ning!"
Qian Qiyue reached out and clasped Song Tangning's body, half-covering Song Tangning's ears as if jokingly, and her voice drowned out Lu Zhinian's: "I think crabapples are too monotonous. Let's plant something else later. How about peonies and hibiscus? Magnolias are also OK..."
"Tang Ning!!"
Lu Zhinian spoke louder, and his originally hoarse throat felt sore.
Song Tangning stopped and asked, "Someone called me?"
"No, you heard it wrong..."
"Tang Ning!!!"
This time Tang Ning heard it clearly. Seeing Song Tangning frown and stop, it was obvious that he could not be fooled.
Qian Qiyue turned around and cursed at Lu Zhinian, who was running towards her and calling out "Tang Ning": "You unlucky thing, why are you still haunting me?"
Song Ru's face also turned stern. Seeing Lu Zhinian rushing towards her, she subconsciously stretched out her hands to block Song Tangning. She wanted to use her small body to cover her sister tightly. Like a puppy protecting its master, she bared her teeth at Lu Zhinian: "What are you doing?!"
Lu Zhinian stopped abruptly in front of Song Tangning, ignoring the little Song Ru, and looked at the person who had appeared in his "dream" countless times with his pale and thin face full of nostalgia.
The cries that lingered in my ears suddenly disappeared, and my violently churning mind suddenly calmed down as if it had received a sweet rain.
His mind cleared, and for the first time in days, he didn't have a headache.
Lu Zhinian was stunned for a moment, and looked at Song Tangning more and more eagerly.
"Tang Ning..."
His voice was hoarse, and he instinctively wanted to reach out and touch the fair little face that was completely different from the one in his dream.
But before he could get close, he was slapped away with a "pop".
Qian Qiyue pulled Song Tangning behind her, her beautiful eyes cold: "What do you want to do?!"
Song Ru also glared at Lu Zhinian with wide eyes: "You want to hit my sister?"
Seeing the two of them on guard and Song Tangning looking at him coldly, Lu Zhinian quickly withdrew his hand and whispered, "I'm not...why would I hit Tangning? I just..." He lowered his eyes and looked at Tangning and murmured softly, "I just miss you so much, Tangning..."
Qian Qiyue rolled her eyes upon hearing this: "Lu Zhinian, are you still dreaming, or have you lost your dignity after being in prison? Who is my Tang Ning to you? Do you need to think about me?!"
I'm not afraid of tarnishing Tang Ning's reputation.
Lu Zhinian's face turned pale after being scolded, and he just looked at Song Tangning stubbornly.
"Tang Ning..."
He looked at the crying little girl in his nightmares with greed, his eyes filled with pleading: "Tang Ning, can we stop making trouble?"
Qian Qiyue almost vomited her overnight meal when she saw his affectionate expression. She opened her mouth to curse, but Song Tangning suddenly grabbed her hand.
"Sister Ayue, I'm here."
"What are you doing here? You shouldn't pay any attention to this shameless person!"
"Sister Ayue..."
Song Tangning didn't say much, but Qian Qiyue understood what she meant.
Qian Qiyue stomped her feet in annoyance. She had seen too many times how Song Tangning suffered injustices for Lu Zhinian, and she had also seen how she had been chasing after the third son of the Lu family over the years. She was afraid that Lu Zhinian would plead for mercy with a few words and make Song Tangning soften her heart, and pick up the scumbag she had just gotten rid of with great difficulty.
But seeing Song Tangning looking at her with clear eyes, even though he didn't say anything but his eyes were firm, she could only glare at Lu Zhinian fiercely, then step aside and let Song Tangning go forward.
Song Ru always listened to her sister. She quietly stepped aside, but stared at Lu Zhinian.
Song Tangning stood in front of Lu Zhinian, slightly tilting his head to look at the disheveled man in front of him. His former glory had faded, and his face was pale, with grayish-green under his eyes. Although he had changed into a robe and his hair was combed very neatly, even after trying his best to tidy himself up, his whole body exuded a sense of decay from the inside out.
Lu Zhinian noticed her gaze and looked at her nervously: "Tang Ning..."
"Riku Sanlang-kun."
Song Tangning interrupted him coldly, "Secretary Lu and the Queen have already agreed to break off our engagement. We have nothing to do with each other. Calling me by my maiden name is not the manners of a child from an aristocratic family."
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