Yuwen Sheng is temporarily in charge of Shuangfei Pass, while Zheng Quchi has returned to Wubao.
Because Zheng Quchi still had unfinished business in Shengjing, and various parties were urging her to inquire, she was unable to attend to everything. So she sent Gan Xin back for her. He has now returned and brought her a box of letters.
Looking at the flood of replies, Zheng Quchi felt a headache coming on.
She held multiple positions, with a mountain of work waiting for her at Hualin Garden, the Ordnance Bureau, and Cangling County. She could leave for a while to carry out various construction projects, but not for long. They had lost their leader and were now in a panic, openly and secretly pleading with her to return and take charge.
Seeing that Zheng Quchi gave up after opening two letters, Gan Xin didn't know whether to help persuade her or let her have her way: "Master, the Ordnance Bureau has inquired with Cangling County about whether you can go back before the New Year."
Zheng Quchi waved his hand: "No."
"On March 17th, the Ye Kingdom's Craftsmen's Guild sent a call to arms, saying that they plan to hold the Zheng Clan Craftsmen's Guild this year, and a group of renowned craftsmen have jointly invited you to preside over it. Do you want to go?"
She was too lazy to open and read the letters one by one, so Gan Xin simply told her the general content of the letters.
Zheng Quchi sat up straight: "...If there's enough time, let's go."
She loves skill exchange conferences like this the most, and she feels bad if she can't go. However, she can't let go of the situation in Wubao and the matter of Yuwen Sheng being poisoned. She has her own way of weighing what is more important.
"The water conservancy project in Cangling County is progressing well, but there is a problem with the irrigation land. Some time ago, a small-scale ground fissure occurred, which is suspected to be caused by the reservoir. The reservoir is not being properly treated. I request that you provide a solution."
Zheng Quchi frowned: "This kind of thing should have been thought of in advance. Do they really think that after I have laid out the general direction, I will follow them around like a mother-in-law, watching every step of the development?"
The more I talked about it, the more I felt that these people were like a group of hungry children, "having hands and feet" but not knowing how to solve their own "hunger" problem.
“Tell them that if they can’t come up with a solution, then I’ll let the most capable person take the lead, and they can all retire and go back to their hometowns.”
Gan Xin nodded upon hearing this and silently made a note of it. He knew she wouldn't tolerate these people. Although his master had a good temper, she still had her own personality. Kindness didn't mean she had no principles, nor did it mean she was easy to bully.
"Is there anything else?"
"The Jichun Craftsmen's Guild will hold its selection process again next year, and all countries are vying for the right to host it the year after. Should our Ye Kingdom try to compete this year?"
Gan Xin's words startled Zheng Quchi.
Has it been so many years since she last participated in the Jichun Craftsmen's Guild? She remembers her winning prize, but she hasn't yet gone to the Gongshu family to claim it.
"Who told you to ask that?"
Gan Xin has never been interested in these things, so it's quite strange that he suddenly became concerned about this matter.
Gan Xin dared not hide it from her: "I went back to Shengjing to attend the biographical conference on behalf of my master. The renowned writer Nan Xiuming wanted to write a biography for my master. He believed that if my master could accomplish this, he would surely achieve great merit in Ye and become a renowned figure in the countryside."
“Biography? I’m not dead yet, why would they write a biography for me?” In Zheng Quchi’s mind, biographies are usually written for the deceased, to truthfully record a person’s life, deeds and contributions. But how long have she lived? And they’re already thinking about writing a biography for her?
Gan Xin knew that his master obviously did not know who Master Nan Xiuming was, so he first gave her a brief introduction on how amazing this person was before saying, "Master Nan is the top of biography. He only writes biographies of people who have made outstanding contributions to various countries and can be called legends of later generations. He has written biographies of many dead people, but you are the only one who is eager to write about living people."
"...It sounds like I should feel honored, but why do I feel that this honor is being bestowed too hastily?"
In response to her question, Gan Xin replied: "Nan Xiuming is sixty-two years old this year."
In other words, he didn't have long to live, but he didn't want to leave her story for others to write, so he was in a hurry to make a decision, as if he would make this compilation his own.
Zheng Quchi looked up and was lost in thought for a moment.
Gan Xin asked curiously, "Master, what's wrong? Are you unhappy?"
"No." Zheng Quchi took a deep breath, then his eyes filled with bright light as he excitedly said to him, "Gan Xin, I've actually gotten this kind of celebrity treatment! It's like a dream."
Seeing her smiling like a little girl, her eyes crinkling, her simple and contented expression, she didn't seem like the "Engineer Zheng" who stood at the pinnacle, leading craftsmen across the country to strive for and imitate her. While she was indeed mature and composed at work, she was quite "approachable" in private.
“Master, you have no idea about your current influence,” Gan Xin could only say.
——
Zheng Quchi was, after all, a responsible "foreman." She opened and read the letters, and then replied to each one. By the time she finished doing all this, it was already the middle of the night.
Exhausted, she rubbed her face twice, blew out the candlestick, took off her outer clothes, and fell asleep immediately.
She didn't know how long she had slept when she felt a slight movement beside her, and the rustling of clothes being taken off. She mumbled, "Yuwen Sheng?"
"Yes, it's me. You can go back to sleep."
"oh……"
As dawn broke, Zheng Quchi was awakened again by the sound of someone sitting up beside her. She had been preoccupied with something lately, so she was a light sleeper.
Still half-asleep, I glanced at the sky outside.
"What's wrong?"
"It's not light yet, and the frost and wind are cold outside. You should sleep a little longer before you get up. I'll be right back."
Zheng Quchi thought Yuwen Sheng was going to go out to pee, so he pulled the quilt over his face and went back to sleep.
When she finally got enough sleep and stretched to get up, the guards who had been waiting outside the tent heard the commotion and reported it to her. She then learned that Yuwen Shengzhen had returned last night and then mobilized the Xuanjia Army to go out to fight early this morning.
Zheng Quchi looked completely bewildered.
Why didn't you call me?
She quickly rummaged through the trunk and pulled out the white-feathered armor she had brought. It was a suit of armor perfectly tailored to her body, with the waist and shoulders neither too loose nor too tight, providing a perfect coverage and fitting her perfectly.
The only drawback was that she was too afraid of death at the time. When she asked the craftsmen to build her according to her design, the helmet was precisely sealed, and her whole body was assembled into a luminous metal body, with only her eyebrows and eyes showing. Even her hair was covered under the helmet.
This armor weighs about ten kilograms. The design focuses on thickening the protective plates in key areas, using multiple composite layers, while other parts are protected by armor plates. Therefore, the craftsmanship is more complex and intricate, making it unique.
When Gan Xin saw Zheng Quchi, who was "fully armed," he remained silent for a long time.
"Gan Xin, hurry up! The battle has started at Shuangfei Pass. I need to go there and check the situation."
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