Chapter 12 Chapter 12 "Sister, you have a good plan."...
The lights in the house were slightly warm, the night breeze was blowing gently, and the pages of the book on the desk finally stopped turning.
When Ji Yang sat down, his expression was still cold, as if he was forced to stay for a while, but the moment he sat down, the sharpness in the corners of his eyes finally subsided a little.
Jiang Ci didn't say much, but just stood up silently, picked up the cloak that fell on the ground, and shook off the dust. Yin Shuang had already come back and added another bowl for him.
Not long after, Wanniang came back with a lunch box. When she pushed the door open, she saw Ji Yang sitting at the table and was stunned.
Yin Shuang subconsciously looked at Wan Niang, wanting to say something but stopping herself.
Jiang Ci said calmly, "The governor came back late, so I invited him to have some midnight snack with me so he wouldn't starve."
Ji Yang glanced at him coldly and said, "Do I look like someone who would starve after just a few meals?"
Jiang Ci, however, was not annoyed, and spoke in a gentle tone: "The troops have not yet moved, but the food and fodder have gone first. If the governor collapses, who will defend Dongyang?"
After she finished speaking, she sat down, picked up her chopsticks and started picking up food without saying a word.
Ji Yang stared at her calm and composed appearance, feeling even more uncomfortable.
"You've always been good with words."
He whispered.
Jiang Ci said calmly: "The governor is also very good at speaking when he hurts people."
After these words were spoken, there was silence in the room for a moment, and even Yin Shuang didn't dare to breathe.
After a moment, Ji Yang finally lowered his head, picked up the chopsticks, and took a bite of vegetables.
It was unexpectedly refreshing, with a hint of ginger and tangerine peel, exactly the taste he had eaten in the Fengdu military camp when he was a teenager.
His brows twitched imperceptibly, but he still said nothing.
Jiang Ci whispered, "This dish was made by Wanniang. She said Fengdu is very humid, and this kind of light food is most suitable for soothing the stomach."
Ji Yang said "hmm" lightly and lowered his head to continue eating.
Outside the house, the wind blew through the shadows of the trees, and the candlelight reflected on his cold profile. His facial features were deep and elegant, but there was still a lingering coldness in his eyes.
Midway through the meal, Jiang Ci suddenly whispered, "The governor just looked at my map. I wonder if it's accurate?"
Upon hearing this, Ji Yang raised his eyes and his gaze fell on the picture on her desk, with a hint of ridicule between his brows.
He stood up, walked to the table, glanced down at the map, stretched out his hand, rolled it up casually, and said in a cold tone:
"It's a serious painting, but it's awfully ugly."
Jiang Ci was startled. Before he could speak, he had already hidden the map behind him, his expression still cold. "You are from Liangzhou. This kind of thing should not fall into the hands of outsiders." After saying this, he took her notes away. "This one won't do either. I'm going to burn it to prevent you from sending it to Liangzhou and plotting against me together with your father."
After he finished speaking, he turned around and pushed the door open, leaving behind a pool of warmth.
Jiang Ci looked at his departing back, was stunned for a moment, and finally did not say anything, but just laughed out loud.
Yin Shuang asked, "Miss, the governor is going to burn the notes you've been writing for a long time, why are you still smiling?"
Jiang Ci shook his head, looked up and said, "It's okay, he won't."
The night is as deep as ink, and cold dew condenses on the branches outside the window.
The lights were still on in the west courtyard of the Dongyang Marquis' Mansion. In front of the desk, Ji Yang, still wearing his coat, was writing with the map drawn by Jiang Ci spread out in front of him.
He originally just wanted to take a quick look, but as he looked at it, he unconsciously spread out the picture and flattened it, then took out a paperweight and carefully marked the key points.
He flipped through page after page of the notes at hand. The handwriting was clear and elegant. The drainage channels, sediment diversion, and troop deployment on the embankments were well-organized and well-deduced. They were several times more detailed than the hasty discussion he and Lu Linchuan had yesterday.
He read and pondered silently until the sky turned pale and then he closed the book.
Looking at the dim sky outside the window, Ji Yang gently rubbed his eyebrows.
He didn't sleep that night.
At Mao hour the next day, the door of the mansion was opened.
Shen Ru'an, dressed in a bright yellow skirt and with delicate features, was bringing Ji Qiu to the front hall to pay her respects. As they entered the corridor, they saw Ji Yang trot out of the main hall door, still dressed in black, his belt untied, clearly having been up all night.
Shen Ru'an's eyes lit up, and he quickly walked over: "Cousin..."
Ji Yang didn't stop, didn't even glance at me, just said: "I'm going to the Governor's Office." He turned around and walked out the door without leaving a sound.
Ji Qiu stood in the corridor, his face pale, lowered his eyes and whispered: "He... doesn't like me?"
Shen Ru'an raised the corners of his lips and smiled confidently: "What are you afraid of? The opportunity has just begun. He doesn't need to go to work now. I will host a banquet tonight and invite my cousin to join us."
The morning sun is rising over the Fengdu Military Governor's Office.
Lu Linchuan entered the hall holding yesterday's files and saw Ji Yang sitting at the desk looking through official documents, with two new volumes of maps spread out beside him.
"What is this?" he asked suspiciously.
Ji Yang said nothing. He just raised his hand and pushed the map and notes to his desk and said calmly, "Do as the above says."
Lu Linchuan raised his eyebrows, unfolded the map and took a look, his eyes lit up.
"This diagram... is incredibly well drawn." He lowered his head to flip through his notes, then sighed. "The dike layout is meticulously detailed, and the allocation of rations and troops is carefully considered... Tsk tsk, how can this be casually sketched?"
He suddenly laughed, tapped his notes with his fingers, raised his eyebrows and looked at Ji Yang: "I wonder when did the lord write in such beautiful handwriting?"
Ji Yang raised his eyes and said coldly: "Nosy."
Lu Linchuan lowered his head and smiled, but a meaningful light flashed in his eyes, "Who said that this beauty is a traitor to the country? This beauty is wonderful."
Ji Yang was too lazy to pay attention to him and went to the side to arrange other matters with others.
-
The night is dark and the stars are bright.
Ji Yang came back after a busy day. The east corridor of Dongyang Marquis Mansion was quiet and silent. Only the breeze blew through the shadows of the trees, bringing up the moonlight on the ground.
Ji Qiu, holding a warm porcelain soup bowl in his hand, followed Shen Ru'an to the front hall. Shen Ru'an smiled and said, "He should still be up tonight. Just tell him I sent you to bring him the soup. He won't refuse. Be gentler in your gestures and softer in your tone. Men can't stand soft words."
Ji Qiu lowered his head and smiled, with a hint of shame in his eyes, but also a bit of determination: “Chen Ruan… I’m a little scared.”
Shen Ru'an gently pushed her: "What are you afraid of? The opportunity is right in front of you. How can someone as cold and aloof as Jiang Ci please a man? If you don't hurry up, he will really be led away by that woman."
After he finished speaking, Ji Qiu bit his lip and walked towards the main courtyard.
Ji Yang, who had just finished bathing and changed into plain pajamas, was leaning against his desk, flipping through a military newspaper. Hearing footsteps outside the door, he frowned slightly. "Who?"
Ji Qiu whispered, "Yes, Ji Qiu. We met during the day. I am Shen Ru'an's good friend. She asked someone to make soup for you, but she was stuck with something, so she asked me to bring you a bowl of soup because she was worried that the governor would be overworked..."
Before she could finish her words, she had already lifted the curtain and walked in. She stumbled and fell forward.
Ji Yang frowned and dodged. There was another waiter in the room, Yue Bai. He subconsciously raised his hand to support Ji Qiu's shoulders and arms.
At that moment, the soup bowl fell to the ground, the soup splashed out, and the aroma and warmth spread all around.
Ji Qiu quickly stood firm: "I'm sorry... I didn't mean it."
Ji Yang's face was extremely gloomy. Just as he was about to push the door open, he heard a voice:
"Commander-in-Chief."
There was a man standing at the door, dressed in moon-white, with a calm and composed expression.
Jiang Ci looked at the scene in front of him quietly, with no sarcasm, no anger, and not even a hint of surprise in his eyes.
She just said in a calm voice: "I thought the governor would be back late today and hadn't eaten yet, so I asked Wan Niang to bring some food over. Since you have guests, I won't disturb you." After that, she left with the food box.
Ji Yang paused, glared at Ji Qiu, and said in a cold tone, "Get out! If you step into this room again, get out of Dongyang Marquis Mansion. I don't care who your friend is."
Ji Qiu was stunned, his face flushed with fear, and he could only retreat obediently. When he reached the door, a white handkerchief in his palm accidentally fell onto the blue bricks.
Ji Yang took one look at it and said coldly, "Don't use such despicable means on me."
Yue Bai stepped forward, picked it up and threw it away.
The next afternoon, the drizzle had just stopped, the bamboo branches in the mansion were dripping with green, and the wind brought a cool breeze.
Shen Ru'an leaned on the couch, holding a heater in his arms, and smiled faintly: "I heard from the servants that she is a good painter? I really want to see it."
Ji Qiu held a cup of tea and smiled softly, covering her lips with her hands: "I heard that she painted maps."
Shen Ru'an raised his eyebrows: "Map?"
Ji Qiu smiled but said nothing, but then added, "Yes, she was painting again today, but the security in her courtyard was not strict, so I... accidentally took a peek."
Shen Ru'an's eyes lit up: "Oh?"
Shen Ru'an glanced at him and suddenly smiled, but there was a hint of coldness in his smile: "You said that she, a woman from Liangzhou, has been in Dongyang for just over a month and has already drawn a map of our city dikes and canal defenses. Do you think she is prophetic, or has she made preparations in advance?"
Ji Qiu narrowed his eyes and said, "Sister, what I mean is..."
Shen Ru'an didn't answer, but only said softly: "You and I grew up in Dongyang and have never seen this water conservancy map, but she drew it very realistically. Isn't that amazing?"
Ji Qiu whispered, "But how can we get it?"
Shen Ruan smiled: “I have my own way of doing this.”
The corners of her lips curled up slightly, but a cold smile flashed in her eyes: "I tell you, what my cousin hates most are those who pretend to be loyal and righteous but secretly plot against us."
"If you and I use a trick to get this map out of the house and into Xiliang's hands, guess what my cousin will think of her?"
Ji Qiu's expression changed slightly, but he still responded softly: "Sister, you have a good plan."
The next day, the sun was setting and the evening breeze was cool.
Shen Ru'an sent a letter to Jiang Ci's courtyard. The servant said politely, "I heard that the second lady is good at drawing. My daughter wants to design a few hairpin styles. I would like to borrow the second lady's talented hands to sketch a few drafts."
Jiang Ci accepted the invitation and nodded slightly: "I'm not good at needlework, but it's not difficult to help people draw a few sketches."
Wanniang was worried and said, "I'll go with you."
Jiang Ci nodded, called Yin Shuang to stay, asked her to look after the courtyard, and then took Wan Niang to Shen Ru'an's residence.
Outside Jiang Ci's courtyard, a slender figure slowly emerged from a side door, her skirt hidden in the shadows.
Ji Qiu was holding a bottle of kerosene in his hand, with a hint of nervousness in his eyes.
She quietly walked around to Jiang Ci's courtyard and made sure that no one was around before pouring kerosene on the haystack, wooden eaves and dry branches and lighting the tinder.
The fire started to burn and then faded into the dusk.
She retreated into the shadows, half-crouched in the corner, and stared at the rising wisp of smoke.
Not long after,
"The fire's coming—the fire's coming!"
"Hurry! Someone come quickly! There's a fire in the Second Madam's courtyard!"
There was a sudden chaos in the mansion, with servants running around and buckets of water being passed around, making for a chaotic mess.
Yin Shuang was originally in the room. Upon hearing the noise, she rushed out of the door and started to put out the fire without thinking too much.
The courtyard was empty in an instant, and the gatekeeper was called away to fetch water. The entire Jiang Ci courtyard was poorly defended.
Behind the yard, a dark shadow climbed over the wall like a ghost.
Ji Qiu walked through the corridor familiarly and entered Jiang Ci's room.
The room was filled with the scent of ink and light flowers.
She walked quickly to the desk and began to rummage through it. She flipped through a few sheets of paper and found that they were all drawn by Jiang Ci.
She glanced around and suddenly saw the words "Ningling East Dike Waterway Distribution" marked on one of the paper scrolls. The writing was rigorous and the details were dense. Although it was still a rough draft, it was enough.
She was delighted and quickly put the scroll away. Listening to the sound of water and people shouting outside, she did not hesitate to follow the chaos behind the fire and slipped out.
News of the fire spread quickly throughout the Dongyang Marquis's residence. The direction was clearly the courtyard where the Second Madam lived, and servants rushed about, shouting in alarm.
Jiang Ci's brush was still wet, the ink still lingering, when she heard panicked shouts on the wind. Her face changed, and she practically dropped her brush. She ignored Shen Ru'an's socializing and turned around, quickly running back with Wan Niang.
As soon as she stepped into the courtyard, she saw flames curling up to the pillars of the corridor, thick smoke billowing, and Yinshuang and several servants scrambling to get water to put out the fire.
Jiang Ci's expression remained unchanged, but he only had one thing in mind -
The pictures and notes are still in the house.
Without saying anything, she rushed into the fireworks. Wanniang exclaimed and followed closely behind, but was almost forced back by the waves of fire.
On the other side, Ji Xu heard the noise in the study, and without caring about his coughing and gasping, he put on his clothes and rushed to the scene.
Zhu Niang stopped him: "Young Master! You must not enter the fire scene. The smoke will enter your lungs and..."
Ji Xu didn't care about anything else, pushed her hand away and insisted on stepping into the yard.
The courtyard was in chaos. He glanced around but didn't see Jiang Ci. He grabbed Yin Shuang and asked anxiously, "Where's your young lady?"
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