Chapter 17
Although Mu Helian was there to intimidate these people, Qingyun found it increasingly absurd. The old man had gone too far this time, and she couldn't possibly keep an eye on them every second. Qingyun threw down the gourd ladle and asked, "Where is Liu Ruo's residence?"
Mu Helian felt slightly uneasy upon hearing this, as if she had sensed her thoughts. Judging from Qingyun's current posture, it was obvious that she wanted to confront Liu Ruo. "Don't be so impulsive."
Qingyun: "I can't stay calm and I'm not angry at all! Shouldn't we find him and get to the bottom of this instead of letting him keep tripping us up? He calls himself highly respected, but I think he's just utter nonsense!"
Qingyun noticed that Mu Helian didn't want to talk, so she decided to go find Song Chaoyun herself to ask her clearly. Seeing this, Mu Helian had no choice but to pull her aside and analyze the pros and cons for her. However, this time the girl in front of her was fearless and seemed determined to find Liu Ruo.
The two argued back and forth, but in the end Mu Helian couldn't persuade Qingyun otherwise, so she drove the donkey cart to take her there. Liu Ruo wasn't surprised by Qingyun's arrival, but she only let her in.
Mu Helian looked at Qingyun, suppressing her unease, and earnestly instructed him, "Be careful in everything. If I see anything amiss, I will ask His Highness and Lord Song to come over."
Qingyun said no, she was certain Liu Ruo wouldn't dare do anything to her.
The old man was sitting in a grand chair reading a book. Even when people came, he continued to do as he pleased. Qingyun bowed and sat down directly opposite Liu Ruo, getting straight to the point, "If one plan fails, you come up with another. You're not careful when you order people to administer the medicine, and you're even finding someone to oppose me."
Qingyun raised his eyes and slowly asked, "Do you really want to kill me?"
Upon hearing this, Liu Ruo merely smiled, stroked his already gray beard, put down the book in his hand, and wrote: "With white hair I lie in the marshland, relying only on heaven and earth to witness my solitary loyalty." (First of two poems in "Written in Anger")
Qingyun chuckled, "So, Lord Liu is denying it?"
She looked at the old man, her tone sarcastic, "A real man! How could he lie and act strangely? Or are you, Lord Liu, so shameless that you dare to call upon heaven and earth to judge your so-called loyalty and courage?!"
Qingyun immediately unleashed a powerful attack, but Liu Ruo, seeing this, displayed a resolute and righteous demeanor, appearing much calmer than her.
"You are a treacherous minister who, with a moment's words, bewitched the emperor, coveting wealth and power, and disregarding the decades of hard work of the elders who have guarded the frontier."
He snorted coldly and continued, "Why should my loyalty be judged by your words? Do you expect me to see you alone defying the natural order?" He clasped his hands and raised them to the sky, "Then you truly betray the promise I, Liu Ruo, made before the Golden Hall!"
Qingyun found this absurd. "Lord Liu, regarding the well water strategy, could I possibly ask you for an official position, a title, a house, or a slave? In my opinion, are you truly acting for the country and its people, or are you harboring selfish motives?"
Liu Ruo looked utterly bewildered. "Self-interest? What self-interest?"
The clouds were hidden in the shadows, and a ray of sunlight shone on the stone tablet placed in the center of the hall, where one could still vaguely see dust particles swirling in the air.
Qingyun simply stared at him, smiling broadly, and said, word by word:
"The hearts of the people are as clear as a mirror, and trust is the foundation of everything. A fine horse needs a discerning eye to recognize its worth, and a strategist just emerging into the world also needs a discerning eye. Since you gentlemen trust me, I must have my strengths."
Qingyun: "Now, Lord Liu, are you questioning the royal family's poor choice of officials? If there are no long-term worries, there will surely be immediate troubles. Why judge my temperament with such petty thoughts!"
Liu Ruo's beard trembled with rage upon hearing this. He had been so falsely accused. He stood up abruptly and pointed at Qingyun, "Are you saying I'm a villain?" He gritted his teeth, "You're insulting me! You're humiliating me! Insulting my character!"
Qingyun retorted without hesitation, "Lord Liu is also insulting me! You still say you have no selfish motives! In previous years, who could have presented a well plan? You are just prejudiced against me alone. Am I wrong?"
Before Liu Ruo could answer, Qingyun shouted again, her eyes fixed on the old, wrinkled face. "You don't believe me, it's just because I'm new here. But you should know that there are always people more capable than you, and there's always something beyond your understanding."
Upon hearing this, Liu Ruo calmed down. He rubbed the jade ring in his hand. At this moment, he really looked at Qingyun differently. After a long while, he finally spoke, "So what if I don't believe you?"
Qingyun stood up and looked down at the other party without any fear. "Don't worry, I will make sure you remember me very well in the future." He paused for a moment, then added, "I just hope you won't try to trip me up in secret. The truth will be revealed when the time comes."
Sitting upright in the armchair, Liu Ru remained silent, her expression solemn, seemingly still pondering Qingyun's words. Qingyun didn't linger after speaking, and Liu Ru didn't stop her either. But as she reached the door, she couldn't help but add another sentence:
"Sitting in a high position for too long will narrow one's mind. If one only has a limited perspective, it is the people on the frontier who will truly suffer! I have said all I have to say, and I apologize if I have offended you today, Lord Liu."
Upon leaving the Liu residence, the system exclaimed in its divine sense, "Host, you're a Zhuge Liang of our time! Which great master's famous quote did you cite at the end?"
Qingyun rolled her eyes. [That person's name is Qingyun! I said it myself just now.]
System: [I didn't know you were so talented, knowing all this. But don't be too impulsive in the future. In this era, the host could really kill you a hundred times over!]
Qingyun: [I'm not going to play those games of infighting and backstabbing!] Besides, she knew that Liu Ruo, this stubborn old man, wasn't the type to resort to violence.
Then, thinking for a moment, he said to the system, "But I'm so good with words, why can't they just be charmed by my personality?"
The system then asked what to do if Liu Ruo didn't cooperate. Qingyun chuckled, "Nothing to do. If he dares to cause trouble behind the scenes again, beat his father! Just do it!"
Without wasting any more words with the system, Qingyun still needed to return to the sand dunes to continue treating the insect plague. Mu Helian was overjoyed to see Qingyun emerge unharmed. "How did the talks go?" she asked, hiding the prepared bedding as she spoke.
Qingyun clutched her clothes. Although she had come with a lot of anger at first, after talking to the system, she was actually a little scared. Mu Helian looked at her and made a judgment. She said it to the point, "You are still too impulsive."
Whether it was running away back then or finding someone with a higher official position to scold, Qingyun was indeed impulsive. However, this impulsiveness was partly due to her personality and partly because she had a modern mindset and couldn't stand such underhanded tactics.
Qingyun rubbed her palms, knowing she had this problem. She grinned and said, "That old man is old. I just gave him a good beating and left." She waved and got on the donkey cart. "If he ever realizes what's going on and comes after me, I'll have those two big shots take his place."
She can't be the only one charging into battle.
After Mu Helian's reprimand, there were few who dared to be troublemakers anymore. The few people within sight were all behaving themselves. Although there were definitely still some who were trying to take advantage of the situation, Qingyun didn't care about the others. He just wanted to gather most of them together.
The afternoon sun was particularly scorching, and with the tight construction schedule, many people were short of water. Mu Helian had people fetch water from the well three or four times, filling two large donkey carts with more than a dozen buckets.
When she checked the electronic panel that evening, it showed that the infestation had only progressed by 10%. Indeed, the insect infestation couldn't be eradicated overnight; it was a protracted battle. However, the fact that she couldn't take a bath was really troubling her. She had to fetch water from the well every few days, and people were starting to complain about her.
【No, we have to solve the hygiene problem of bathing!】Qingyun decided to dig a well near her home. She asked the system to find a water source. Unexpectedly, she stumbled upon a good spot just a few meters away from her house.
Qingyun wasn't in a hurry. After all, if she couldn't dig a well herself, she would have to ask someone for help. However, she would have to put that matter of asking for help on hold again.
She had just arrived at the sand dunes when Song Chaoyun called her back. She was wondering if that old man Liu Ruo had filed a complaint with the emperor, but when she arrived at the command post, she saw a completely unfamiliar face.
It was a man, but strangely enough, he was wearing a fur coat even in the sweltering heat, standing with his hands behind his back, holding an ivory fan with openwork carvings, dressed simply, looking like a refined gentleman. When he saw Qingyun, he smiled and said, "This is the capable man who controls desertification."
Qingyun glanced at Song Chaoyun and saw that she was still calmly drinking tea and not introducing herself. Not knowing what to call her, she simply called her "Sir" and gave a deep bow. The man seemed to be quite interested in her and asked her many questions.
Qingyun was looking at Song Chaoyun with disbelief, and was on the verge of a breakdown. "What is this princess up to now?" she thought, tapping the system to ask who the person in front of her was.
System: [This person is not recorded in the biographical catalog and has no connection to the original owner.]
Qingyun: ...
In other words, this person's appearance is because of himself?
The surroundings were eerily silent, and she realized she had been daydreaming. The two men stared at Qingyun, and she immediately felt a cold sweat break out on her back. She quickly smiled and answered the man's question again. Only then did Song Chaoyun take pity on her and introduce the man in front of her.
"Ye Linping, the eldest son of the Ye family from the Cheng'an Earl's Mansion, just took office as a secretary in the Ministry of Revenue last year. He heard about your achievements and came all the way from the capital to find you." Song Chaoyun glanced at the man beside her and chuckled.
Qingyun muttered to herself, "I don't understand any of this stuff anyway." She could only force a smile. Just as Song Chaoyun asked her to sit down, she heard Ye Linping say, "How can the Princess treat such capable people like this? She doesn't even give them time to bathe and change."
Upon hearing this, Qingyun saw the man cover his nose with his fan and glance at her sideways. The two of them made eye contact. Qingyun felt a mix of emotions. Who would be happy to be called smelly?
Haha, you smell so good and you're so aloof, but you complain about my smell.
Song Chaoyun put down her teacup and gave her a meaningful look. “This is a poor, remote place. There’s not even enough water to drink, let alone enough to bathe in. Besides, you’re a higher official than me. I haven’t even complained, and you’re barking like a dog.”
Song Chaoyun pulled out a handkerchief, smiled slightly, and said, "I think Lord Ye is wearing a white fox fur coat. Since you have so much money that you don't know what to do with it, why not take some out to benefit the people of the city?"
Ye Linping nodded in agreement and laughed, "You've only just arrived and you're already taking advantage of me. It has to be you, Song Chaoyun."
Judging from their conversation, these two seem to have a good relationship? Song Junwu and Song Chaoyun's interactions usually suggest a close relationship, and now there's another one.
However, Ye Linping wasn't just talking; he took out a bracelet from his cloth bag. It was a coral bracelet inlaid with pearls, its entire surface a deep red, each pearl thick and round. The bracelet was also engraved with the character for "fortune," clearly not an ordinary item. He handed it to the maid beside him.
As the bracelet appeared before Qingyun's eyes, Ye Linping's voice rang out, "Consider it a gift from me. I find you endearing, so I'm giving it to you."
Before Qingyun could say anything, the maid standing in front of her forcefully pulled her hand out and put the bracelet on. The luxurious coral bracelet was completely unsuitable for her muddy hands.
In Qingyun's words, it's like a pig sticking a scallion in its nose, trying to look like an elephant.
Seeing this, Qingyun had no choice but to express her gratitude, secretly pulling down her sleeve to block the light from the bracelet.
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