Chapter 11 Chapter 11 "If the Governor doesn't mind, why not...
The chess game had just begun when all four seats were already silent.
After Jiang Ci sat down, he only glanced at the chessboard on the table. He didn't rush to start playing. Instead, he looked up at the crowd and asked, "Does anyone have a solution to this game?"
Someone scoffed, "This game was set up by Dongyang's top scholar. Who dares to talk about breaking it?"
"Six of them have already made their moves, and all of them have been annihilated."
After hearing this, Jiang Ci's expression did not change. He just stretched out his hand and swept across the chessboard. More than ten remaining pieces were scattered on it, and the black and white pieces overlapped like clouds and water.
She tapped the chessboard lightly with her fingertips and spoke slowly, "This game may seem like a trapped beast still fighting, but in reality, it's hiding its strength when it's weak... If these three pieces weren't intentionally leaving space, how could there be such a glimmer of hope?"
After she finished speaking, she placed her first piece, which sealed the victory and connected the white pieces that were originally trapped in the corner.
Everyone looked at each other, and the situation began to change.
Her second and third moves were like peeling silk from an onion. She placed the pieces neither hurriedly nor slowly, but each move was precise. The chessboard that was originally considered a dead end slowly gave birth to a clear river under her hands, and the flow was amazing.
Behind the curtain, a slender figure stood up.
The man was wearing a dark blue straight-skirted gown and wearing a silent jade pendant, and he walked out slowly.
He had clear features and a calm demeanor. He held a white paper folding fan in his hand and stood behind the crowd. His gaze fell quietly on the chessboard, then back on Jiang Ci's face, with a hint of ambiguous scrutiny in his eyes.
"This game was set up by me."
"Ma'am, you have a wonderful hand."
Hearing the voice, Jiang Ci slowly raised his eyes and faced the man.
He held a folding fan in his hand, his face was handsome and gentle, and his temperament was calm and polite. He was the one who said "beauty is the ruin of a country" when she entered the Fengdu city gate that day. His words almost determined her life or death.
She lowered her eyes, nodded slightly, and said in a tone that was neither light nor heavy:
"So it's Sima Lu. I was just tempted by something, but I've disturbed your peace and quiet."
Lu Linchuan's expression remained unchanged, he only smiled: "I dare not say anything about the disturbance, Madam, your move is very clever, you have helped me out of this predicament, it is my great honor."
Jiang Ci pursed his lips slightly, his eyes slightly cold:
"Since Lord Sima knew this was a difficult situation, why did he set it up in the market?"
Lu Linchuan gently waved his folding fan and smiled faintly: "Dilemma is meant to be broken. If there is no superior to fall, the dilemma will always be a dilemma."
"What's more, some games are designed for people who understand chess."
After hearing this, Jiang Ci simply replied calmly, "It's a pity that I don't understand military strategy, I only know some old books about cold situations. It's a pity that Master Sima lost a piece in vain."
These words were spoken with a touch of sarcasm, responding to his casual remark "Beauty is the downfall of a country" when he first met him that day.
The scholars around him could not hear anything, but Lu Linchuan heard it clearly.
His eyes flickered slightly, and he suddenly remembered that day when Chu Qing put the sword across her neck, looking ready to die.
Today, the moves are as fast as the wind, every word is spoken firmly, and the lips are as sharp as a blade.
He put away his fan and whispered, "Madam, there is indeed more than just chess in your mind."
Jiang Ci did not respond, but just lowered his head slightly, flicked his sleeves and turned away.
Jiang Ci said to Yin Shuang calmly:
"let's go."
She walked slowly and was out of the door in two steps.
At this moment, Lu Linchuan's voice suddenly came from behind, still gentle but measured:
"Madam, your pen."
Jiang Ci paused slightly, tilted his head slightly, turned around and walked back.
She walked closer, without saying thank you, but just reached out to take the jade pen. Her gesture was neat, more like snatching than taking.
The moment their fingertips touched, her eyes turned slightly cold, a line of frost appeared between her brows, and she didn't even look at Lu Linchuan for a second.
Turning around, a ray of cold wind blew against her clothes. She did not say a word and did not look back.
Lu Linchuan stood there, his folding fan hanging at his side, looking at her leaving back, smiled softly, and murmured:
"He's quite... hot-tempered."
It was already dusk at the Fengdu Military Governor's Office.
Ji Yang was leaning against the desk, his right hand supporting his cheek, his left hand holding a pen and tapping lightly on the map, his eyes fixed on the northwest border, the wrinkles between his brows not relaxed.
Lu Linchuan walked in under a gloomy atmosphere, still twirling the white bone-broken fan in his hand. As soon as he entered the room, he said with a smile:
"My Lord, guess who I met at the chess club today?"
Ji Yang replied lazily, without even raising his eyelids: "You are always picky. The person who can make you talk about him in person must be an extraordinary person."
Lu Linchuan waved his folding fan lightly, his smile half genuine and half fake: "He is indeed not an ordinary person. He is a wonderful person."
Ji Yang paused for a moment, his eyes remained still, and he asked calmly:
"You've never been talkative, but now you've even said the word 'wonderful'... Tell me, who is it?"
Lu Linchuan tapped the fan against his palm. "But I remember you said she was dull and boring. Now, I think she's quite interesting."
Ji Yang's brows moved slightly, and he finally looked up at him with a cold tone: "When did I say that others were dull and boring?" As soon as he finished speaking, Ji Yang was stunned for a moment, opened his mouth, but still couldn't pronounce the name.
Lu Linchuan raised his eyebrows, his smile still lingering: "It seems you guessed it?"
"Yes, I met your new wife."
Ji Yang's eyes paused, his fingertips stagnated on the map, his tone remained steady, but he could not hide the sharpness in his brows:
"Why, you're praising her after a game of chess? If she's willing to drink a couple of glasses with you, are you going to invite her to the Governor's Office and make her a virtuous official?"
Lu Linchuan chuckled softly, saying nothing, and just waved his folding fan gently: "Even if I wanted to use it, would my lord dare to use it?"
Before he finished speaking, Ji Yang snorted coldly, his tone sharp:
"I see that each of you has been deceived by her face."
As soon as he finished speaking, he seemed to feel that he had said too much, so he stood up and stretched his shoulders, then changed his tone:
"Don't talk about her anymore."
"What's really important now is the recent flood in Ningling."
He pointed to the waterway opening on the south side of Fengdu on the map:
"This year, there have been frequent rains since spring, and even before the Grain in Ear Festival, the water level is already half a foot higher than the same period last year. If this trend continues, a sudden surge in midsummer could very well breach the southern dike, submerging Dongji and the two military granaries."
Upon hearing this, Lu Linchuan put away his fan and walked to his side. He glanced at the river systems marked on the map, pondered for a moment, and said:
"Ningling is located south of the Luoqu Canal, backed by dense forests and hills. When it rains heavily, the water rushes rapidly. Even if we forcibly build a high embankment, it may not be able to prevent sudden flooding."
"Why not follow the old Xiling plan? Divide the water into two channels to release the floodwaters. Then, open a water inlet on the south bank and the southeast corner to bring the water into the old channel and then into the abandoned fields on the west bank, so that the water has a place to go."
He paused and added:
"As for the military warehouses, we can build a double layer of dikes, with sand and pebbles in the middle, and build drainage urns. Although it will take manpower, if it can last a season and be fully repaired during the autumn harvest, there will be no major problems."
Ji Yang nodded when he heard this, tapping the table with his thumb, his eyes darkening slightly:
"You're right. A clever trick is worse than a strong blockade. All mobilizations of troops and civilians must be deployed in advance. Tomorrow, you'll draft a plan. I'll approve it and hand it over to the Minister of Agriculture and the Minister of Works."
Lu Linchuan bowed and said, "Yes."
The night was dark and the Dongyang Marquis Mansion in Fengdu was silent.
Ji Yang returned home a little late. It was already dark when he stepped into the courtyard. His stomach growled twice. He did not go back to his room directly, but walked slowly in the corridor. His robe sleeves fluttered slightly, and the moonlight made his figure look slender.
Just as he turned the corner, he accidentally glanced to his right and saw that the lights in Jiang Ci's yard were still on.
A palace lantern swayed at the door in the courtyard. A breeze blew by, and the light and shadow fell obliquely on the stone slabs in the courtyard, reflecting a slender human figure.
She actually fell asleep in front of the desk in the yard.
There were paper and pen spread out on the desk, with a few pages of letter paper blown up by the wind. His cloak fell to the ground, his cuffs were slightly curled, and his hair was disheveled.
Ji Yang paused, not wanting to pay any attention to it, and turned to leave, but as he was about to take a step, he suddenly remembered that his mother was not in the mansion, and she was the only one who could take charge of the housework.
If he really caught a cold and fell ill, not only would the rear quarters be out of control, but it would also be embarrassing if the news got out.
He turned and walked into the courtyard, his footsteps silent. He stood beside her for a moment, wanting to ask her to get up, but he caught a glimpse of a map on the table.
He frowned slightly and looked down.
That is the Dongyang Waterway Map.
Before the ink has dried, the direction of the mountains and the distribution of the water veins are all painted in great detail, not inferior to those created by Gong Cao.
There are also several read ancient geography books on the side, with clear handwriting on the cover: "Luoqu Old Water Records" and "Ningling Disaster Records".
At the very top, there was a stack of unfolded notes, with the handwriting in a calm and beautiful manner, which was exactly about the idea of flood diversion in Ningling.
He turned a page and scanned the pages line by line.
She wrote in great detail: how to divide the water pressure at the dike into sections, how to set up sluice gates to drain abandoned fields in the southwest, how to mobilize the people and share their efforts, where to add granaries to store grain, and even thought of emergency plans for deploying troops to defend against bandit attacks during the rain.
Ji Yang's expression gradually darkened, and his fingers tightened unconsciously.
This woman...how could she know so much?
After a moment, he seemed to remember something, a gloomy look flashed in his eyes, and he sneered: "Ha."
She did think it over carefully, but unfortunately, it might not be for him.
He threw the notes back on the table with a bang, thinking that maybe all this was done for him to see.
Maybe she wanted to send these back to Liangzhou so that people from there could come and disrupt his flood control efforts.
Bang--
The sound woke up Jiang Ci who was sleeping soundly.
She raised her head suddenly, and through her sleepy eyes, she met a pair of eyes as cold as ice.
She was stunned for a moment, and before she could come back to her senses, Ji Yang had already withdrawn his gaze and spoke coldly:
"You are so calculating. Even my undecided plan for the main camp may not be so well planned."
"Tell me, what are you trying to do?"
Jiang Ci was awakened by the loud noise. Before he could fully come to his senses, he met a gaze that was so cold that it was almost sinister.
She was stunned for a moment, subconsciously put away the pen on the desk, straightened her cuffs, and then slowly spoke in a calm tone:
"I've noticed that the rain has been increasing recently. I think Dongyang might get too much rain this year, and there's a possibility of flooding."
"If floods become devastating, flooding the fields and depleting the granaries, the people will be forced to flee their homes... Once they become refugees, where will they find food? With the current war, food and fodder are already in short supply, so where will they find shelter?"
She looked at Ji Yang, her tone was not fierce, but every word carried weight:
“That’s why I came up with these ideas.”
"As for your suspicion of me... I know you've never believed me, and you don't have to believe me."
She paused, smiled softly, and her eyes showed a clearness after some exhaustion:
"But if you really want to ask me what I want, it's that those people no longer become homeless due to flooding."
The night wind blew gently and the lights swayed. At that moment, there was no pleading or flattery in her eyes, only an almost stubborn determination.
Ji Yang stood in front of her, looking down at her bare face, his expression slightly stunned, and he was speechless for a moment.
He wanted to sneer, but the corners of his mouth did not rise for a long time. He held it in for a long time before finally uttering:
"That sounds nice."
"Why didn't Liangzhou build a temple for you? Asking the people to burn incense and offer sacrifices every day, worshipping you as a living Bodhisattva who pleads for the people?"
Just as he finished speaking, the air was still thick with stasis, his stomach made two very loud "gurgling" sounds, which was particularly embarrassing in the quiet night.
Jiang Ci looked up at him, his eyes devoid of sarcasm, and he simply said, "It just so happens that Wan Niang and Yin Shuang just went to the kitchen to prepare supper for me."
"If the Governor doesn't mind, why don't we...eat something together?"
Ji Yang's face changed slightly. He was about to leave, but after taking a step, he finally retracted his foot.
He usually came back home at irregular times and usually ate at the Governor's Office. Now that he came back late, most of the servants in the mansion had gone to bed, and there was not even hot water in his room, let alone food.
After hesitating for a moment, he snorted coldly, his face reluctant, but his voice fell low:
"……Um."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
