With a "bang", Pei Wenfeng pushed the door open with his shoulder.
He was drunk, sweating from the heat of the wine, his handsome face flushed, and he staggered as he walked slowly into the inner room. He fell dizzy on the bed, gasped for a while, and quickly fell asleep.
The door was wide open.
The smell of alcohol and his breath left behind when he passed by lingered around Du Feiyan, making her feel itchy. Her head was in a trance after a sleepless night, and her legs seemed to be out of control as she spontaneously walked into the room.
Following the smell of alcohol, she woke up from her dream when she saw Pei Wenfeng sleeping with half of his body lying across the bed.
"oops!"
"It's snowing cold, aren't you afraid of catching a cold?" Du Feiyan hurried to the bedside, at a loss as to what to do. She squatted down, staring at his sleeping face, and tentatively called out, "Master? Master Pei?"
"Benefactor?"
"Brother Pei?"
Pei Wenfeng lay on his stomach, his breath reeking of alcohol, motionless and unresponsive.
"Oh, he's so drunk!" Du Feiyan sighed, looked around nervously, squatted closer, and carefully lowered her head to take off his boots.
Pei Wenfeng was completely oblivious and began to snore. Today, Jiang Shisen took a break from his busy schedule to visit his beloved nephew. They chatted over a glass of wine, and inevitably, they talked about the past, family matters, and so on.
The elder was depressed and drank to drown his sorrows. Pei Wenfeng kept trying to comfort him, but as he did so, he himself became sad and sighed with melancholy.
So, the two depressed people confided their troubles to each other and drank more and more. If the servants had not racked their brains to dissuade them, they would have been drunk on the spot.
After a while, a pair of boots was taken off.
Du Feiyan's heart was beating like a drum, and she was afraid of waking the other person up, so she gently placed her boots in front of the pedal.
Then she stood up, bent over, gestured a few times with her hand, her fingertips trembling, and grabbed the drunk man's shoulder, tentatively pulling it.
"Cough cough." His body was suddenly pulled, his breathing was interrupted, Pei Wenfeng frowned, and coughed twice uncomfortably.
Oops, I woke him up!
It’s over!
Du Feiyan was terrified and hurriedly ducked down to hide behind the curtain. She was so scared that her heart was pounding and she wished she could spread her wings and run away.
For a long while, there was no movement on the bed.
Du Feiyan patted her chest and looked around:
Pei Wenfeng was still lying down, snoring slightly, breathing steadily, and looked like he was fast asleep.
"It's windy and snowy, and you don't cover yourself with a blanket. Don't you feel cold?" Du Feiyan murmured, frowning. "No wonder I heard from my fourth brother that there was an escort who passed out drunk and froze to death, unable to get up and go home."
"Alas, I came all the way here to say goodbye, but I didn't expect you to be so drunk."
Du Feiyan was still worried, so she tiptoed back to the bedside. She didn't dare to pull his shoulders again, let alone take off his outer robe, and just let him lie there. She held her breath and reached out to grab the quilt and blanket, but the bed was too wide to reach. She simply knelt on one knee at the edge of the bed, leaned over and stretched her arm, finally reaching the corner of the quilt, pulled it closer, unfolded it, and silently covered him.
In her busyness, she did not notice that her braids were hanging down and falling on Pei Wenfeng's face, sweeping back and forth.
The hair pricked the nose, it was so itchy that it made people sneeze.
"A-choo—" Pei Wenfeng was drowsy, half-opening his eyes, which looked even narrower and hazy from drunkenness. He was stunned, unable to tell whether he was dreaming or awake. He grabbed the braid in front of him and said in a hoarse voice:
"Sister Shu?"
Instantly, Du Feiyan froze, hanging in mid-air above the prone man. Filled with bitterness, she couldn't help but ask, "Who are you calling?"
"Shu, sister Shu..." Pei Wenfeng had just spent a long while drinking and chatting with Jiang Shisen, recalling countless past events. Confused, he mistook it for a dream, a dream of his youth. He grabbed her braid and tugged, mumbling, "Little girl, why did you come into my room again? Hurry, hand over the things you used to play tricks on me."
Du Feiyan bit her lip, feeling unspeakable. "Mrs. Guo, she—who is that? I didn't mean to play a trick on you. I came all the way here to say goodbye to you."
Pei Wenfeng's head and ears were buzzing, lost in dreams of his childhood sweetheart. He muttered to himself, "Humph, you're still denying it? The butterfly in my drawer, the pebble in my shoe, weren't you there?"
"That's not me!" Du Feiyan smiled bitterly and sighed, "Brother Pei, you're drunk."
"It's you!"
Pei Wenfeng's lips curled up, his eyes curved in a smile, and he lisped instructing his little cousin, "Little girl, you're getting older every year. It's not appropriate for you to come to my room anymore. If you want to see me, send the maid to tell me that I will come to you. Do you understand? I'll save you from being scolded. Alas, your stepmother loves to scold people the most."
It turns out that my benefactor has such a gentle and considerate side?
Du Feiyan felt as if she had fallen into an icy cave when she heard the other party's caring tone. She straightened up suddenly and reminded him stiffly: "My benefactor, wake up, you've got the wrong person. I am Du Feiyan, not some 'Sister Shu'!"
"Hiss—Ouch, let go, let go, it hurts!" Du Feiyan's thin braid was pulled, and the pain made her fall sideways and fall on his back.
Pei Wenfeng was pressed down hard, his breathing was cut off, he coughed violently, and his head felt dizzy. "Wha, what? You are not Sister Shu?"
"I'm Du Feiyan!"
Pei Wenfeng was stunned for a moment, then slowly loosened her braids. "Du, Du Feiyan?"
"right!"
Du Feiyan jumped out of bed, blushing and indignant. "Open your eyes and take a closer look. Who am I?"
Pei Wenfeng tried his best to open his eyes, and with both hands he pushed himself up, barely sitting up. He leaned against the pile of quilts and blankets, focused his eyes for a moment, and his expression gradually turned cold. "Du Feiyan?"
"Um."
"You, why are you in my room?" Pei Wenfeng pounded his head, unable to think.
Du Feiyan suddenly felt embarrassed and stammered, "Don't be angry, actually, I came here specially to say goodbye. The day before yesterday, I received a letter from my hometown, saying that my parents have arranged a marriage for me and that I will be returning to Qinzhou soon, so -"
Pei Wenfeng, his face flushed with drunkenness, interrupted and asked, "Who allowed you to come in?"
"I, myself—"
Pei Wenfeng was feeling upset and dizzy, so he didn't bother to pay attention and shouted, "Someone come!"
"Xiao Cai? Wu Liang? Lao Cheng? Who, who let her in? Did you ignore my orders?" Pei Wenfeng gritted his teeth and panted, then angrily ordered, "Come quickly, kick her out immediately!"
"You—" Du Feiyan's eyes turned red, fearing that she would be seen by others, she pleaded, "No, please don't say anything. Let me say a few words, and then I'll leave immediately."
The drunk man cast aside his polite airs, not disguising his disgust. Pei Wenfeng was extremely impatient and waved his hand, "There's nothing more to talk about between you and me. Go, leave now."
"Why do you hate me so much?" Du Feiyan burst into tears.
Pei Wenfeng was restless and irritable, groping around with his hands, flipping the bedding, lifting the soft pillows... The bed was covered with nothing but blankets and curtains. His face darkened as he suddenly felt something hard around his waist. In his drunken state, he pulled it out without thinking and threw it at the man, "Get out!"
"What are you doing?" Du Feiyan knew a little bit about fighting and took the purse hastily. She weighed it and found it was quite heavy.
"How dare you break into a man's bedroom? How could there be such a shameless girl like you in this world? I've really opened my eyes." Pei Wenfeng was furious, but he was too drunk to drive her away. "Get out!"
"Just get out of here, what's the big deal?"
"Hmph, I never want to see you again in this life!" Du Feiyan clutched her purse, furious. She stomped her feet in embarrassment, twisted her waist and ran out of the room, but accidentally bumped into the old servant.
"Ding bang~" a harsh sound, and the copper basin and hot water splashed on the ground.
The old servant was dumbfounded and asked in shock, "Miss Du? Why are you here?"
"Old Cheng!" Pei Wenfeng was furious and shouted in the room, "Who, who allowed you to let her in?"
"Sir, calm down. I am innocent." The old servant immediately cried out, "I swear to heaven, I was not the one who let Miss Du in!"
Du Feiyan cried and shouted, "Don't accuse the innocent. I sneaked in by myself. When you sober up, put me in jail." After she finished speaking, she ran away without looking back.
evening
Pei Wenfeng was completely sober. He held his head with his left hand and pounded the table with his right fist in regret. His face was ashen. He gritted his teeth and said, "In that purse, there is a private seal of mine."
"Is it important?" The two servants blamed themselves. "Oh, if I had known earlier, I would have rushed back to stop it!"
"Forget it. Du Feiyan sneaked in because she saw you guys were seeing the guests off." Pei Wenfeng ordered solemnly, "That private seal is very important. We must get it back."
"Don't worry, sir. I'll go to Longshun Escort Agency right away and get the seal back as soon as possible!"
Soon after
Pei Wenfeng asked in astonishment: "What? Du Feiyan is missing?"
The two servants exchanged a glance and reported, "I've been quietly asking around, and according to the shopkeepers and shop assistants in the surrounding shops, Miss Du had a big fight with her brother and ran away in anger."
"She is skilled in martial arts and very brave. She ran away on horseback. The escort leader has already led the escorts to chase her."
"Alas, I don't know when she will come back."
Pei Wenfeng's face was as gloomy as water. "I understand. Keep watching. The seal is in her hands, and I'm very worried."
"yes!"
At this moment, Tuning County
The days are short in winter, and it gets dark at 2:15 PM. The maidservant quickly lights the lamp and adds hot tea.
Jiang Yushu never expected that the meeting would last two hours!
For two full hours, the two sides chatted and discussed official business. County Magistrate Sun Jie talked incessantly, repeatedly mentioning sad things, with tears and snot, wetting not only his own handkerchief but also his wife's. He was using the handkerchief presented by the maid, and said sadly:
"Sun is ashamed, so ashamed!"
"Since I took office, as a county official, although I have tried my best, I have not been able to reverse the poverty of Tuning. I feel ashamed of the court, the people, and the books of sages that I have read! I have a heart that wants to do things, but I lack the ability. I am ashamed!" As he spoke, Sun Jie beat his chest and burst into tears. His tears wet his face and beard.
Jiang Yushu took a deep breath, patiently speaking, and politely advised, "The county magistrate loves his people like his own children, which is truly a blessing for the people of Tuning. Speaking of 'poverty', Yongzhou was just recovered not long ago, and there's a lot of work to be done. Other local officials are also having headaches, and you're not the only one. Be patient. I believe that in time, Tuning will become prosperous."
"Thank you for the comfort, Special Envoy, but, but——"
Sun Jie sobbed and blew his nose, his eyes and nose red as he complained bitterly, "In the first half of the year, everything was devastated. Everyone was busy repairing houses and bridges, but in the second half, the government only allocated 100,000 kilograms of potatoes to our county, which was the minimum."
"I didn't dare to comment on my superiors' decisions. I hurriedly shipped the grain back to my county. Honestly, the government was diligent in supervising the crops, and the people were diligent in farming. Yet, by the autumn harvest, we only managed 150,000 kilograms! Upon inquiry, I discovered that harvests elsewhere were several times higher than ours!" Sun Jie wiped away his tears, feeling anxious and frustrated. "As a result, I was severely reprimanded by my superiors. I'm completely baffled."
Sun's wife's eyes were red and her face was gloomy. She revealed, "Alas, I'm not afraid of being laughed at by Special Envoy Jiang. During the autumn harvest, my master was almost driven crazy. He lost his appetite and watched the grain with his own eyes. He weighed it three times in a row, and in the end, there was still only 150,000 catties."
"One hundred thousand catties of seeds, and one hundred and fifty thousand catties of potatoes? With this calculation, the yield per mu is less than five hundred catties." Jiang Yushu frowned in confusion.
The output is too low, shockingly low.
Jiang Yushu sat upright and said seriously, "Since you two have spoken frankly, I am not afraid to tell you the truth: the yield is really too low. There must be a reason for it. Either the farming method is wrong or the soil is not suitable."
"Alas!" Sun Jie wiped his nose, slapped his thigh, and spoke quickly, "Something must have gone wrong, but I don't know if it's because of the wrong farming method or because Tuning is too dry."
Jiang Yushu shook her head. "I'm new to your place, so I'm not familiar with Tuning's situation. But since the harvests are so good around here, why don't you learn from your colleagues?"
"Oh, I'm not trying to flatter you. Even if all the so-called 'expert farmers' in Yongzhou were combined, they probably wouldn't be as good as Special Envoy Jiang!" Sun Jie sniffed and offered a flattering smile. "It's common knowledge that the current potato farming techniques are the product of your hard work."
"The master has come to our county, why should I go out to seek the master's teachings?"
Jiang Yushu said modestly, "I don't dare, I don't deserve it. Lord Sun, you are too kind."
"What? Special Envoy Jiang is clearly being too modest!" Sun Jie lowered his head and took a sip of tea, his eyes sparkling. He instantly raised his head, a pitiful expression on his face, and said worriedly, "I'm incompetent, and I deserve to be stripped of my official position. I just feel sorry for the hungry people."
Jiang Yushu had been through so much, how could she not understand? She said calmly and gently, "I roughly understand what Lord Sun meant. I happened to have a booklet with me on the essentials of farming. If you don't mind, I'll take it back and take a look at it later."
"Thank you very much, thank you very much!" Sun Jie stood up, bowed gratefully, and thought: We won the first battle, let's keep up the good work, strike while the iron is hot, and come back to ask for something else tomorrow!
Jiang Yushu stood up and returned the greeting. "It's just a small favor. I'm not very knowledgeable, so most of my words and sentences are original. Please don't laugh at me."
"No way!" Sun's wife also stood up and said flatteringly, "My master was amazed after reading the book written by the special envoy, 'Journey to the Northwest'. It's obvious that he has outstanding literary talent."
"ah?"
Jiang Yushu was startled and asked in surprise, "'Journey to the Northwest'? I wrote that to relieve my boredom during my exile. How did you get it?"
"I bought it at a bookstore in the capital." Sun Jie took the opportunity to flatter someone, as he had something to ask for. "I heard from the shopkeeper that it came from Xi Cang and it sells well."
Jiang Yushu wondered, "Did the bookseller reprint it without telling the author?"
"This is a poorly written work, not worthy of being published in a prestigious publication. My husband had a few copies printed as a keepsake, but he never expected it to become so popular."
In order to keep their positions, Sun Jie and his wife worked together and flattered the emperor.
Jiang Yushu was at a loss for words. It was the first time she had seen the county magistrate crying and snotting. She was secretly surprised. As it was getting dark, she was wondering if the other party wanted to stay for dinner when suddenly a horse neighing was heard outside the courtyard gate, followed by someone knocking on the door.
who?
Because it was a small courtyard, Jiang Yushu had just glanced outside when she saw the cook, Mrs. Li, holding a lantern, trotting to open the door. She bowed and said respectfully, "Master, are you back? Come in and sit down. The mistress is here too."
Guo Honglei threw the reins to his personal guard, incredulous, "Who's here?"
"Madam! She's been here for four or five days, but you haven't been home, so you don't know."
Guo Honglei looked up and saw a familiar figure standing at the door of the opposite hall. He was immediately delighted, strode with his head held high, and asked loudly, "Why are you here?"
Jiang Yushu stepped out of the door and just opened her mouth when she saw Tu Ning County Magistrate rushing over to greet her. He rushed over, patted Guo Honglei's arm, and said enthusiastically and happily:
"Captain Guo, hahaha, it's been a while. How have you been?"
Guo Honglei stopped in surprise, deeply surprised. He looked at the other person in the dim light of the lantern, and suddenly remembered the past:
Isn’t this the county magistrate who really wanted to give his daughter to me as a concubine?
Strange, what was he doing here? After several attempts at nagging and being rejected, could he still not give up? Was he... trying to persuade Yushu in a roundabout way or exaggerating things?
I haven't mentioned it yet. If she suddenly hears it, will she be angry?
Guo Honglei frowned and subconsciously looked at his wife. He then took the county magistrate's arm and led him away, deciding to ask him a few questions first.
"Why?"
It was dark, and Jiang Yushu couldn't see clearly, so she just walked over.
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