Chapter 2 Alliance
Ling Wei lay on the ground with her eyes closed, as if she was still unconscious.
The manager's voice came from outside, and Liu Yiyi rushed downstairs to greet him. She wanted to speak before anyone else and solidify Ling Wei's reputation!
Inside the library, only Ling Wei and Gu Qingyan remained.
Ling Wei opened her eyes, scrambled to her feet, and met Gu Qingyan's knowing gaze.
Did he know she was faking fainting?
This realization put Ling Wei at ease. Good, now she had some control over what was to come.
She slid to her knees and hugged Gu Qingyan's thigh.
"Cousin, save me!"
Gu Qingyan frowned subconsciously, but fortunately Ling Wei had a good sense of propriety. She hugged him for a moment and then immediately let go, as if she had just realized that it was inappropriate. She smiled at him apologetically and said, "Sorry, cousin, I acted impulsively again."
Before Gu Qingyan could respond, Ling Wei blurted out the rest of her words: "I know my previous behavior annoyed my cousin, but I really know I was wrong. Now I've even alarmed the old lady... I promise, I will never bother my cousin again! Please, cousin, have mercy and save me this time!"
Despite the extremely tense atmosphere, Ling Wei didn't cry. Instead, she put her hands together in a "bye-bye" gesture and looked at the other person pitifully: "Please, please, cousin, save me, help me out."
She had a pair of beautiful peach blossom eyes, the corners of which were still red from crying, but her eyes were now crystal clear, innocent, ingratiating, and full of trust.
If Gu Qingyan lived in modern times, he would know that this girl is trying to charm him like crazy.
But Gu Qingyan, who was only twenty-one years old but had the air of an old scholar, obviously didn't understand. He felt that his cousin was still a child at heart. She had just been coldly rejected by him, but in the blink of an eye, she could shamelessly hug his leg and bargain.
This shamelessness, coupled with a touch of recklessness and naivety, is just like the raccoon dog he keeps in his yard.
When scolded for not knowing how hard it was to paw, it would droop its head, but in the blink of an eye, it would come over and rub against him again.
Gu Qingyan was not a heartless person. He sighed almost imperceptibly and raised his chin to indicate, "Take the book and stand over there."
When Old Madam Gu was provoked by Liu Yiyi's few words and stormed in, this was the scene she saw.
Gu Qingyan and Ling Wei stood on either side of the large rosewood desk, each holding a book in their hands. They were tilting their heads slightly, seemingly discussing something in hushed tones.
Hearing the noise at the door, the two stopped talking and turned to look at each other in unison.
Even the furious Old Madam Gu was stunned for a moment, and her desire to lash out immediately dissipated.
She glanced around before asking in a low voice, "Yan-ge'er, what... are you doing here?"
Ling Wei looked up and saw that the newcomers were quite a group: the leader was the old lady Gu, whose face was ashen, followed by Gu Qingyan's birth mother, Lin, the second wife of the Gu family, Liu, and Gu Qingyan's younger sister, Gu Qingyu.
Apart from Lin, who looked worried, and Gu Qingyu, who rolled her eyes at Ling Wei, everyone else looked like they were there to arrest a woman.
When asked, Gu Qingyan remained calm and composed, saying in a flat tone, "I've encountered some difficulties and would like to discuss them with my cousin."
Old Madam Gu expressed her doubt: "The Ling family girl can answer your questions?"
She found it a bit far-fetched, and coupled with what Liu Yiyi had just said, her eyes gradually sharpened.
Could it be that Yan-ge is covering for this little girl...?
Gu Qingyan frowned slightly, his tone carrying a hint of displeasure at being questioned: "Grandmother, as the sage said, 'Among three people walking together, there must be one who can teach me.' My cousin's family is in Jiangnan. When I was ordered to go to Jiangnan to deal with the floods, I heard..."
He smoothly posed a detailed question about water conservancy in Jiangnan, then looked at Ling Wei and said, "What my cousin just said provides a local perspective that I hadn't thought of."
He spoke in a calm tone, citing classical texts and drawing on his own experiences to craft his argument about "exploring knowledge" in a flawless and logically consistent manner.
After this reasoned and well-founded explanation, the doubt on Old Madam Gu's face faded considerably, and her eyes softened a lot.
Liu Yiyi, standing to the side, got anxious. "No, you're backing out after starting the team fight? Keep going, you old hag!"
She immediately stepped forward, her expression a perfect blend of worry and naivety, and said, "But when I came here just now, I clearly saw Sister Lingwei crying so hard that she fainted. And these past few days, Sister has been going to the library every day. Could it be... that she's been discussing scholarship with Cousin?"
The second Madam Gu covered her mouth and laughed in agreement: "Yiyi, Ling'er is so shy, how could she say that in public? You're still young, how would you know the saying, 'The drunkard's intention is not in the wine'..."
As soon as Liu Yiyi finished speaking, she regretted it because Gu Qingyan looked over with a cold gaze.
Ling Wei quickly lowered her head, trying to stop herself from laughing.
As expected, he's young; despite planning for so long, he still slipped up.
I used to be so close to her, we were practically inseparable, but now she's stirring things up and kicking me when I'm down.
Gu Qingyan gained experience in the imperial court at a young age; this was practically rubbing his intelligence into the ground.
As expected, Gu Qingyan only glanced at her and asked in return, "Have you not known that she is diligent and studious these past few days?"
Liu Yiyi was speechless; she had indeed been following along during this period.
Taking advantage of the moment Gu Qingyan was speaking, Ling Wei quickly glanced at him, her eyes shining brightly, as if to say, "Well done!"
A smile appeared in Gu Qingyan's eyes.
As they talked, the two of them developed a tacit understanding, as if they were fighting against an enemy together, and no one else could get in.
But the second wife of the Gu family was no pushover like Liu Yiyi. She snorted coldly, stepped forward, and snatched the book from Ling Wei's hand.
He glanced at Ling Wei after reading the book title.
Pointing to one of the most difficult and obscure passages:
"Discussing knowledge? Very well, since Ling is so 'studious,' you must have read this book by heart, right? Come on, recite this passage—just this passage! Let us see just how far your 'knowledge' has gone!"
Gu Qingyan frowned, about to speak up to help Ling Wei out of the predicament.
Ling Wei took the copy of *Shui Jing Zhu* from his desk. This book was profound and archaic; understanding its essence was already difficult enough, so why force him to memorize it? He was about to say, "This book emphasizes understanding...", but before he could finish—
"The sea dike is located about a mile east of the county seat. It was proposed by Cao Huaxin, a prefectural councilor, to build this dike to prevent seawater intrusion. Initially, a reward was offered to anyone who could bring one bushel of soil, with a reward of one thousand coins. Within ten days, people flocked to the site..."
The girl's clear voice flowed through the study. To Gu Qingyan's astonishment, Ling Wei recited the obscure ancient text word for word.
After reciting, Ling Wei ignored the Second Madam, who was still checking the text word by word, and continued, "This section of the Commentary on the Waterways Classic focuses on recording the ingenuity of engineering projects and the origins of place names. However, the way of water conservancy is not limited to building a pond or a dam."
My father served as an official in Jiangnan during his lifetime, and he devoted himself wholeheartedly to flood control. When managing the floods of the lower reaches of the Wusong River, every summer and autumn flood season, he followed the ancient method of "reservoir and pond storage," organizing villagers to dig deep ponds at key points along the river to store floodwaters during floods and irrigate during droughts. Although this method did not have the widespread fame of Huaxin's "Qiantang" (a famous waterway), it effectively protected the local land and water, sparing the people along the river from the suffering of floods for many years.
She paused, glanced at Gu Qingyan who was listening intently, and continued, "My father often said, 'Governing water is like governing the people; it is better to dredge than to block. Dredging leads to smooth flow, and smooth flow leads to longevity.'"
We must guard against both the fierce tides and the threat of flooding. Adapting to local conditions and assessing the situation are fundamental. Otherwise, even the strongest dikes will eventually breach if we only focus on raising and blocking them.
As the last word faded, the study fell into an eerie silence.
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