Chapter 33 The Believer is Willing to Abandon the Journey Home
Compared to the torrential rain in Changzhou, Jin'an was a bit hotter than usual.
Furthermore, reports have emerged from other areas that the river water has decreased, the fields are not irrigated enough, and there are concerns about drought.
Almost every day or two, I heard that the rain in Changzhou had not stopped, that some villages had been flooded, and that Lord Jiang had led his men to evacuate many people.
Then one day, an urgent message arrived: within Changzhou, Yuanqing Mountain had been eroded by days of torrential rain, causing trees and rocks to slide down the mountain and mix into the Zhanlin River. The mudslide destroyed villages and collapsed houses along the way. The flood, a mixture of mud, rocks, wood, and corpses, headed straight for Fuyang City, which was instantly half submerged.
Zhao Xian was restless at that moment, regretting that she hadn't taken a firmer stance and forcibly tied the person up and kept them there.
Unexpectedly, that afternoon, Jiang Wei returned home to pack his things and bid farewell to Zhao Xian: "Mother, your son has requested permission to go to Changzhou on business and has come to say goodbye."
Zhao Xian frowned subconsciously. Did he go in the book? How come the plot has changed so much?
Li Lianniang had already helped pack the luggage, her eyes were a little red, as if she had been crying.
Zhao Xian was regretting Jiang Liangxu's actions, and her words were somewhat harsh: "You are a deputy vice minister of the Court of Judicial Review, and you are only responsible for recording cases, reviewing and adjudicating them. Do you really need someone like you for disaster relief?"
Two members of the Jiang family have already gone; are we going to go again?
Jiang Wei knelt on the ground, his posture upright: "Where there is natural disaster, there is also man-made disaster. Mother, rest assured, the Ministry of Justice has also dispatched people. We are not going there to provide disaster relief, but to investigate criminal cases."
The Changzhou dike was only reinforced with funds last year. Even though there was torrential rain and flooding, it failed to do any flood prevention work and should be thoroughly investigated.
Zhao Xian opened and closed her lips, wanting to say something to stop him, but after a while she compromised and said, "Granny He, select ten or twenty guards to go with the young master."
Even though Jiang Wei is the male lead, she doesn't know if his protagonist aura can protect him in this situation that happens outside the main plot.
And then there's Jiang Liangxu; I wonder if he has enough people with him.
Jiang Wei shook his head: "No need, I will just take a few attendants with me. This time, I will accompany the imperial physician, as well as the disaster relief funds, grain, and medicines to Changzhou and other places. There will be enough soldiers to escort us."
“The soldiers will make other arrangements for you when you go to Changzhou. Your own guards will protect your safety, so take them with you.” Zhao Xian added, “Your father and your brother are there, and I still don’t think twenty people are enough.”
After thinking it over, Jiang Wei did not refuse again.
When are you leaving?
"By the time of Wei Shi (1-3 PM), His Majesty had already decided everything during his court session today."
Zhao Xian didn't say anything more. The Emperor had already agreed, so how could she stop him? Both father and son were stubborn, one a gentle stubborn one, and the other a silent stubborn one.
Oh, and there's this stubborn guy who never said a word and ran off without even sending a message home.
Zhao Xian endured it again and again, forcibly suppressing the word "get lost".
He got up and went into the inner room.
Jiang Wei thought his mother was angry that he had made the decision to go to Changzhou without his consent, but he was unwilling to miss out on this opportunity to achieve political success.
He stood up and looked at Li Lianniang: "While I'm away, take good care of Mother and Xiu'er."
Li Lianniang turned her back to him, wiped away her tears, and said in a choked voice, "The journey to Changzhou is long, my husband, please be careful."
Cui Tingyue hesitated for a moment before speaking: "Brother, don't flaunt your wealth. If you're going to a dangerous place, remember to be careful and always have guards with you. When you're out and about, you can't be too careful and don't easily believe what others say."
When she was a child, she went out with her father and saw the disaster-stricken people. When they went crazy, they were out of control. Her father once told her that if they didn't have enough manpower to intimidate the other party, their wealth and status would be a disaster.
"good."
Jiang Wei had only come to inform Zhao Xian, and after greeting her, he took his luggage and set off with his guards.
-Interior-
Zhao Xian, biting her pen and scratching her head, said, "You stubborn fool, think quickly! What other precautions should I take?"
In the aftermath of a disaster, the carcasses of people and livestock in the water become diseased, and mosquitoes proliferate, all of which can lead to cholera and dysentery, and precautions must be taken.
The book didn't describe the natural disaster in detail, and she didn't know exactly how serious it was; she hadn't thought about these things beforehand.
Hearing that even the imperial physicians have been dispatched, I fear the situation is even more dangerous than the rumors suggest.
Zhao Xian thought of these things on a whim, so there were many things she hadn't considered.
They could only write down as many preventative measures as they could think of; as for how to implement them, that was up to the people who went to the site.
By the time Zhao Xian came out of the inner room, Jiang Wei had already been gone for quite some time.
After a moment's thought, she arranged for five guards to take the letter and chase after them.
These twenty-five guards can be divided among the father and his two sons in Changzhou.
I just hope it can help them in some way.
Zhao Xian was very annoyed at this moment. As a time traveler, she knew nothing, not even the most common things like gunpowder, glass, and cement.
As for soap, the scented soap here is just as good as regular soap.
She wasn't a doctor, had no medical knowledge, and didn't have any skills to support her family.
They're utterly useless.
After much thought, Zhao Xian realized something: she could make winter clothes. The Emperor would send people to deal with the floods, and she didn't know how to do it and couldn't help.
After the disaster, the destroyed houses will definitely need to be rebuilt, which will take time.
Even though it's still the height of summer, so many places have been destroyed, and it's unknown when they will all be rebuilt.
After the height of summer, the weather begins to cool down. Many families have lost their houses, and how much of their property can they keep?
There will probably be a lot of winter clothes needed, and it will be too late to prepare them when the time comes.
"Granny He, send someone to inform all the shopkeepers of the Jiang family to bring their account books to the mansion."
We need to make arrangements regarding how much silver can be transferred from the Jiang family's shop and which managers can spare the time to handle these matters.
Zhao Xian herself lacked ability, but there were many capable people and scholars in ancient times. As long as there was money and people to use, she could give orders and someone would take care of them.
At this moment, Zhao Xian was also grateful that she had transmigrated into the body of the matriarch, and had the right to make her own decisions.
The Jiang family instructed their steward to make preparations. Cotton-padded clothes were still valuable items in this era. Many ordinary families probably only had one or two cotton-padded clothes, and some probably didn't have any at all.
Two days later, the shopkeeper replied that the price of cotton-padded clothes had increased.
Businessmen are indeed shrewd.
If we continue to buy cotton-padded clothes, more than half of the money we originally planned to spend will be wasted on paying high prices.
Zhao Xian thought of feathers and wool, things that predecessors in time-travel novels had all done, so she simply copied them.
By mid-to-late July, news of the floods continued to reach Jin'an, bringing both good and bad news.
When Zhao Xian learned of Jiang Liangxu's disappearance, although she was mentally prepared, she still couldn't help but feel heartbroken.
"Mother." Li Lianniang and Cui Tingyue quickly reached out to support her.
Zhao Xian's face turned pale instantly, and it took her a while to recover. "It's okay, it's okay, don't worry, I'm fine."
He was already mentally prepared, wasn't he? She told him something would happen to him, but he didn't listen, did he?
Zhao Xian wanted to smile, not wanting them to worry, but the corners of her mouth that were pulled up couldn't hold back the tears that were about to fall.
Breaking free from their grasp, Zhao Xian turned her back and walked into the inner room. "I'm fine. The winter clothes are not to be taken lightly. Keep a close eye on them."
"Young Madam and Miss, please go about your business. This old servant will stay here." Granny He hurriedly urged the two to leave, as the Madam clearly wanted to be alone.
Zhao Xian reached out and clutched her chest. This time, the pain was worse than when she first transmigrated. It hurt terribly.
Granny He hurriedly took out the medicine for treating palpitations prescribed by the family physician, even though Mingming hadn't taken it in a long time. "Madam, take some medicine. The master is a lucky man and will surely be alright."
Zhao Xian cursed Jiang Liangxu to death in her heart, but it did not relieve her discomfort much. When she saw the medicine in He Mama's hand, she knew that it was the medicine that the original owner used to take often.
After taking the medicine, Zhao Xian lay down to rest for a while. Her vision was blurry with murky water. She couldn't swim and was afraid of even calm water, let alone such turbulent water.
She seemed to hear many cries for help, but she couldn't see anyone. In a daze, she felt that the water was full of human heads.
A wave crashed over her, and she saw the pale and disheveled face of the person in the water.
"Jiang Liangxu—"
Zhao Xian suddenly woke up.
“Madam had a nightmare. Dreams are always the opposite of reality. Master will be alright.” Granny He hurriedly stepped forward to comfort her, patted Zhao Xian’s back for a while, and after she calmed down a bit, she got up, poured some warm water, and handed it to her. “Madam, have some water.”
Since hearing the news of Jiang Liangxu's accident, Zhao Xian has been unable to find peace of mind.
After the nightmare, I felt restless and uneasy.
Li Lianniang brought Xiujie to keep Zhao Xian company. Xiujie can now roll over. Her small body is both agile and clumsy, which always makes people happy when they see her.
'Grandma, look, didn't I translate it well?'
After Xiujie finished turning over, she stared at Zhao Xian with wide eyes.
The wet nurse and maidservants assumed she didn't know, so they didn't hold back in their conversation. She knew about her grandfather's disappearance, and she turned over in bed with extra effort.
She didn't like seeing her grandmother unhappy, as if she were overflowing with sorrow.
"Our Xiu'er is really amazing, holding her head so high, so strong." Zhao Xian stared at Xiu'er, and the original owner's uncomfortable emotions were slightly relieved. In order not to be affected by those emotions, she did not want to take her eyes off her for a moment.
Yingchun entered the room and reported, "Madam, Princess Rongyang is making a scene at the door, demanding to see you."
Just as Xiujie was about to turn over again, she lost her strength upon hearing this and failed.
Zhao Xian slightly raised her eyes and gestured for the wet nurse to take Xiu'er away: "Let her in."
“Zhao, Zang Ming has disappeared and his fate is unknown, yet you still have the leisure to go all over the city collecting those filthy chicken and duck feathers. You don’t care about him at all. Do you deserve to be his wife?”
"Is the princess so worried about my husband? Why didn't you hurry to Changzhou to find him?"
Princess Rongyang opened her mouth, a look of helplessness flashing in her eyes. She hadn't expected Zhao Xian to say such a thing. "You, as his wife, don't care about him and instead send other women to look for him. You're crazy."
"Princess, don't you know perfectly well what's going on? You know you have nothing to do with him, so why did you storm into the Jiang family and point your finger at me to yell at me? Why don't we go to the palace and ask the Empress Dowager to judge? My husband's whereabouts are unknown, and I haven't even recovered from the shock yet. And now the princess is here to reprimand me. Does the princess want to see me feel guilty or heartbroken so much that I'll smash my head against a wall to vent my anger?"
"I really don't understand. Even if I were to kill myself right now, I would be the one buried with him. The princess wouldn't even get a share of the tomb. What are you after?"
Zhao Xian blinked, her gaze calm yet filled with curiosity as she looked at Princess Rongyang.
This is the first time I've seen someone come to my door like this, acting like a complete jerk. There should be a limit to being obsessed with love.
"You, you dare to disrespect this princess."
"Granny He, go and fetch the imperial robes. I'm going to the palace to bang my head against a pillar."
Princess Rongyang looked at Zhao Xian, whose gaze was calm yet subtly revealed a sense of madness, and took two steps back.
In the end, he ran away without saying a word.
"Pfft..." Coward.
After laughing, Zhao Xian exhaled a breath of stale air as she turned around. "Call the eldest young mistress and Tingyue. Let's go to Huguo Temple to pray for the men of the Jiang family."
It's so annoying to feel like I'm being stared at. I need to show my sadness so they can see it.
Does her sadness not exist?
Huguo Temple and Gulu Temple are located in opposite directions. As the royal temple, Huguo Temple is more magnificent.
When she knelt before the Bodhisattva, Zhao Xian's mind went blank. She didn't know what to ask for, or whether her prayers would be of any use.
She didn't go to Changzhou to look for him; it seemed that she had no other choice but to pray to the gods.
Zhao Xian raised her eyes and stared at the majestic statue, seeing only ferocity and no mercy. She had heard someone say before that only a fierce statue could scare away evil spirits.
She remained silent for a long, long time before finally clasping her hands together and pleading, "May the gods protect Jiang Liangxu, protect Jiang Wei, and protect Jiang Heng. Please don't let my interference and disrupt the plot harm them. Please bless them with safety."
'If they all return safely, I am willing to forgo my own journey home (if there is one). I implore you to give Jiang Liangxu the chance, and pray that the gods will bless him with a safe return.'
The abbot of Guluo Temple did not see through her transmigrated soul. Zhao Xian did not know if there were such capable people in this era, nor did she know if there were gods.
But the fact that she could travel through time means that some things exist, but she just didn't see them appear.
After worshipping Buddha, they came out of the hall.
Li Lianniang and Cui Tingyue went to ask for amulets of peace. Zhao Xian stood outside the palace and looked up at the sky. It was raining again.
"Amitabha Buddha, please forgive the trouble caused to your family by the matter of the birth date and time, Madam Jiang."
A handsome monk dressed in white robes appeared beside Zhao Xian at some point, his palm raised with a string of Buddhist prayer beads hanging from the base of his thumb.
He had a striking red mole between his eyebrows, yet his eyes were full of kindness and compassion.
“Master Lingkong.” Zhao Xian had thought he would be an old man with a face full of wrinkles, like the abbot of Guluo Temple, but he was so young. She put her hands together and returned the greeting: “This matter is not the master’s fault. If someone is determined to change, they will always find a way.”
Master Lingkong looked at Zhao Xian with a compassionate expression and said, "You are a kind-hearted person, and your wishes will surely come true."
Zhao Xian smiled and didn't pay attention at first, but in the blink of an eye, she suddenly realized something was wrong. How did he know what she had asked for?
He looked up excitedly, but Master Lingkong was nowhere to be seen.
"Granny He, where did Master Lingkong go?"
Granny He paused for a moment, then pointed and said, "It seems to be over there."
Zhao Xian hurriedly chased after him, but the person seemed to have vanished in an instant. There was nowhere to hide in the corridor, and beyond that was an empty space.
The rain was getting heavier and heavier. Through the rain curtain, I could see a person holding an umbrella walking further and further away until I could no longer make out their back in the blink of an eye.
“Madam, the rain is too heavy, you can’t go.” Granny He grabbed Zhao Xian, who was about to chase after them.
She could only watch helplessly as the figure disappeared into the rain.
Zhao Xian sought out the monks at Huguo Temple to inquire about Master Lingkong, but was told that he was in seclusion and not receiving visitors.
Zhao Xian: Seclusion? Then she must have seen a ghost?
But Granny He and the others saw it too.
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Author's Note: Recommending a friend's book: *The Imprisoned Golden Branch* by Xian Yuan Qi Ling
Synopsis: [Forced Acquisition]
When Liu Xiyao learned that she was to be given to a man in his fifties as a concubine by the Marquis's mansion, she, who had always been well-behaved, began to focus her attention on Song Zhuo, the second young master of the Marquis's mansion.
Although Song Zhuo was willing to help, he always kept himself in check and remained respectful, just like the clouds in the sky, seemingly close at hand, yet impossible to grasp.
Well, since she couldn't rely on anyone, she decided to find another way out.
Just then, the eldest son returned home with his two children from an overseas assignment. Since his first wife had died early, he did not care about his background when choosing a new wife, only his character. Liu Xiyao immediately withdrew and turned her attention to the eldest son.
*
Song Zhuo was the second son of the Marquis of Zhongyi and the third-ranked scholar appointed by the emperor. He was handsome, gentle and refined, and had never been interested in women. Until one day, a pitiful figure entered his field of vision.
He knew why she had come, and he also knew why she had sought someone else.
She's just a woman; he won't let her sway his emotions.
But later, when he saw her holding her brother's hand tightly, saw her cheeks flushed, and heard that familiar, faint fragrance wafting from her brother's clothes into his nose, Song Zhuo crushed the jade cup in his hand.
————
As night fell, Liu Xiyao was startled awake from her deep sleep. Thinking it was her fiancé, she smiled and hooked her arms around his neck, whispering her longing in soft, sweet words. But she heard a soft chuckle in her ear, "After all this time, Yao'er's sweet talk hasn't changed at all..."
Much later, when Liu Xiyao asked Song Zhuo if he would really let her leave alive.
Song Zhuo played with her fingertips and said slowly with a smile, "Yao'er is so capable and knows how to manipulate people. Why don't you see just how far you can drive me crazy?"
After saying that, he kissed the tear stain: "Regret it? Then why did you come to seduce me in the first place?"
#Scheming Cousin VS Crazy Cousin
She said she loved me, but then wanted to marry my brother.
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