He spoke with a very serious expression, his deep, dark eyes shimmering with a watery light. His tall figure stood in the twilight, his shadow almost invisible behind him.
Qingchen was stunned for a moment, then looked at him quietly, unable to tell whether his words were sincere or not, and felt a bit complicated.
At a time like this, if he knew she had lost her pen, it would be truly excessive for him to pretend to say these things to tease her.
But if he was sincere... how could he be sincere? It's so cold, the river is almost frozen, how could he possibly jump into the river for my sake?
A gentle evening breeze blew, brushing against the hem of their robes.
Seeing that Qingchen didn't speak, Xu Silin took another step towards the river, looked down at the water, and then looked up at her again, "Isn't that right?"
Qingchen took a slight breath, and whether he was sincere or not, he finally said, "...Don't be silly, the pen was washed away a long time ago, jumping down won't help."
He blinked and said in a low voice, "Are you angry?" Then he began to take off his coat and quickly threw his belt to the ground.
Qingchen looked at him quietly, and after a moment she stepped forward and grabbed his wrist. "What are you doing? Stop playing around and stop fooling around."
If he's acting like this just to get her to stop him, and then suddenly blurts out, "Don't flatter yourself, you've been tricked," to make fun of her, then she'll just let him have his way. It's not the first time he's played her for a fool.
His gaze swept over her hand that was gripping his, Xu Silin remained silent for a moment, and then calmly said, "I'm not making a scene."
Before this, he had asked himself why he had felt the urge to jump into the river for the sake of a classmate. In that instant, he felt he no longer needed to ask.
"Why are you holding me so tightly? Do you like me?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
Qingchen frowned slightly, sighed, and released his hand. "Then let's go..."
Before the words were even finished, a "plop" sound rang out.
He... jumped!
The splashing water landed on her face, feeling extremely cold.
Watching Xu Silin quickly disappear into the river, Qingchen was completely stunned, her lips parted slightly but she couldn't utter a word.
What is he doing?
"Xu Silin..." Qingchen called out, feeling her throat trembling uncontrollably, her voice shaking so much that she could barely hear herself.
Why did he jump? Can he swim? Will he be okay underwater? What if he... can't get back up...?
A series of questions flashed through her mind. Qingchen's lips trembled slightly, and she finally shouted, "Xu Silin—come up here!"
In the vast emptiness, the sounds quickly became distant and ethereal. The river was still, with only the slightest ripples on its surface.
The light in the distance is about to fade away.
"Xu Silin—"
Xu Silin's mother was from Jiangnan. Xu Yan had lived in Jiangnan for a long time when he was serving there, so he was a very good swimmer. However, the river was still too cold, and as he swam in it, he felt so cold that he didn't even recognize his own mother.
When he jumped in, he thought that since he had already jumped, he should stay in the river as long as possible to show off his ability and gain more sympathy. He didn't expect the river in Huairou to be so unforgiving; every drop of water felt like an ice blade, piercing his skin painfully.
He didn't know how much time had passed, but he felt he couldn't hold on any longer, so he quietly surfaced and swam back to shore.
Qingchen arrived at the riverbank where he had come ashore, watching him swim slowly toward her. She felt as if her heart had just recovered from a tumultuous ordeal.
Once ashore, Xu Silin was shivering from the cold, his face pale and his lips purple. Qingchen immediately stepped forward, raised his hand, and used his sleeve to wipe the face of the drenched giant.
He trembled as he tried to stop her, "Don't...don't get it wet..."
She glared at him, slapped away his hand that was trying to stop her, continued to dry his face and neck, and then wrung out the water from his body.
Xu Silin, holding up his two wet sleeves, said, "Don't wring them out, the water is too cold..." Before he could finish speaking, he suddenly sneezed.
She didn't speak, but continued what she was doing, wringing out one sleeve before switching to the other. Her fingers were already red from the cold, and river water slid down her wrists into her sleeves, chilling her to the bone. Qingchen couldn't quite imagine what it would feel like to be completely submerged in an icy river.
This person was born into a life of luxury, which fostered an eccentric, unruly, frivolous, and dismissive nature. He treated everything with such frivolity, even his life!
A cold wind blew by, and Xu Silin instantly got goosebumps. But he still stood there stiffly, pretending not to be cold at all, even though he was practically grinding his teeth. "Can you... say something? If you don't speak, I have no idea what you're thinking."
What was she thinking? She herself didn't know.
Qingchen remained silent, but suddenly squatted down and helped him wring out the water from the hem of his robe.
Xu Silin was stunned for a moment, then immediately bent down, grabbed her slender wrist, pulled her up, and shook his head, "I don't want you to squat in front of me."
Qingchen blinked slightly, gently freeing herself from his hand. She didn't insist, since it was already twisted anyway.
She took his cloak off her body, shook it, and wrapped it around him.
Because the cloak had been draped over Qingchen and still carried her body heat, he couldn't help but let out a soft sigh of relief the moment he felt warmed.
"Are you feeling better?" Looking at the rather pitiful-looking big guy in front of her, she finally couldn't help but ask.
He looked down at her, nodded, then shook his head. "I'm sorry, I couldn't find your pen..." he said, turning his face away and coughing twice. The lines from his brow bone to the bridge of his nose were still perfect, and the last rays of sunlight fell on his eyelashes.
Seeing him like this, she suddenly felt a little guilty. After a moment of silence, she lowered her head and whispered, "It's okay, I'm just glad you're alright."
When faced with life and death, what else matters?
"You're not angry with me for losing the pen?" he asked, covering his mouth as he tried to cough again.
The moment she saw him fall into the river, her anger had already dissipated. If she was angry, it was because he treated life like a game, because he didn't understand that even ants try to survive, and because he almost lost his life before she could repair the dike and save him.
"I'm not angry," she said slowly, avoiding his gaze.
"You're still angry. You can yell at me, hit me, but don't ignore me after a while." His voice sounded a little mournful, and water dripped from his hair.
"No need." She paused, then softened her voice. "It won't happen."
“No.” He said, suddenly grabbing her wrist and placing it against his chest.
"Why are you touching me again..."
Qingchen tried to struggle, but he held her even tighter, and then something cool was shoved into her hand.
"Your pen." He quickly released her hand, a flattering smile playing on his lips.
Qingchen was stunned. Looking at the familiar jade pen and his wrinkled fingers, her heart swelled. Her hand holding the pen trembled slightly.
No wonder he kept hiding one arm behind his back.
"I gave you a chance to get angry just now, but you didn't take it." He said, calculating his own gains. "Then you owe me one. Next time you want to get angry, you can't. You have to pay me back."
Qingchen didn't speak. He turned his back, tilted his head back, took a breath towards the sky, and then slowly exhaled.
On the way back to Beijing, he was still the coachman.
Qingchen clutched his soaking wet robes, the wind blowing and his fingertips aching from the cold. The person in front of him was completely drenched and must be freezing.
"Are you cold?" she asked, moving closer to him.
The person in front turned around, grinning, "It's not cold, my clothes are almost dry, it's much better than in the river."
He couldn't say he was cold, even if he was.
Qingchen knew perfectly well that he was putting on a brave face. Looking at his ears, red from the cold, as the wind blew past, she felt increasingly sorry for him.
After hesitating for a while, she finally placed the bundle in front of her, then pressed her body against his back and gently hugged his waist.
A soft warmth washed over him, and Xu Silin stiffened. Looking down, he saw that the person's slender arms were wrapped around him—the very image he had been hoping for since mounting the horse.
This feeling...makes your heart race and makes you feel hot.
"you……"
"Don't talk." Qingchen's face was pressed against his soaking wet back. "Ride well. Get home soon."
The next day, Shen Qingchen returned to the Ministry of Works, and everything was as usual.
It seemed that no one knew she had forced her way through the city gates, and she breathed a sigh of relief.
In the Ministry of Works' courtyard, the pine and cypress trees trembled in the wind, and the moss between the stone slabs had turned pale. The temperature suddenly dropped in the middle of the night yesterday, and the water in the large water vat in the courtyard, meant to prevent flooding, was almost frozen.
When Qingchen saw this water, she thought of the river in Huairou. Long after it was time to go on duty, Xu Silin still hadn't arrived.
Back in her cell, looking at his empty desk, she felt a pang of guilt. Gu Shaoheng noticed something was wrong and asked her what was wrong, but she shook her head and didn't answer.
On the pen rack lay her jade pen, which she had lost and then found again. But she didn't know where to begin recounting what had happened yesterday.
Xu Silin still hadn't arrived by noon.
Qingchen sighed slightly, then took the dike repair plan he had prepared overnight and went to find Han Yuanshu.
There was another person in Han Yuanshu's room. The owner of the desk opposite him, another official from the Ministry of Works, had returned from his post outside the capital.
The cell was spotless. The floor was clean and tidy, and the books and belongings were arranged in an orderly fashion. With another person in the room, it actually felt much more spacious.
Even Han Yuanshu looks completely refreshed today.
Shen Qingchen bowed to both of the officials in charge.
The newly returned official, Fang Xun, was slightly plump and looked very kind. Upon seeing her, he said, "So you're the Junior Attendant here to observe the administration. Grand Secretary Song has gone to such lengths to cultivate you, which shows he has high hopes for you all. This is also a good thing for the Six Ministries. The Grand Secretary has great foresight, sending you here to learn and, incidentally, to see what long-standing problems can be cleaned up. Just like this room, too much filth and grime can't accommodate anyone. Look, now that I'm back, isn't this room much cleaner?" As he spoke, he glanced at Han Yuanshu.
Han Yuanshu was writing and drawing on paper with a wooden ruler, his face expressionless, as if he had put a shield around himself, automatically isolating himself from the sarcastic remarks.
Qingchen didn't know how to respond, so he simply said, "Thank you for your guidance, Lord Fang. I will definitely study diligently and live up to my teacher's expectations and the teachings of both of you."
Fang Xun smiled and nodded. "What business do you have with Lord Han? Can I listen? If not, I'll leave now." Fang Xun had been an official for many years and was quite experienced in dealing with people. People from the Hanlin Academy were different from others; after all, they were potential prime ministers and sometimes enjoyed special privileges.
"No need." Han Yuanshu, who had been keeping her head down, finally spoke. "What is it now?"
Qingchen knew he was asking about her, so she respectfully presented the prepared proposal for repairing the dike.
"What is this?" Han Yuanshu finally looked at her, his raised eyebrows and eyes somewhat cold and handsome.
"Reporting to Your Excellency, this is a summary of the current state of the Huairou dike, along with suggestions for its repair."
"You went to see the embankment?" A hint of surprise flashed in his eyes.
"Yes, sir. The grass along the embankment is already over a foot tall."
He glanced at her proposal, then coldly lowered his head and continued writing and drawing. "I don't have time to look at it. Take it."
Han Yuanshu is a somewhat stubborn person; once he has made up his mind, it is very difficult for him to change it.
After several conversations with Shen Qingchen, he felt that she was a clever person with skillful speech and a delicate mind. When she saw that he didn't have a stove, she had someone send one over, subtly flattering him.
Such people are adept at scheming and rarely have a down-to-earth attitude, especially since she is a scholar. Therefore, he concluded that Qingchen did not really want to repair the dike, but was only doing it superficially because he had her performance evaluation in mind.
Even if she had read many records, it only showed that she was quite serious about scheming; he had seen this kind of thing many times before. The court had no shortage of people like her.
“…If you don’t have time to read this, sir, I’ll tell you about it,” Qingchen said.
Han Yuanshu raised his head slightly, squinting at her. "Chen Shuchang, as you can see, I'm very busy right now. I have no time to look or listen. Get out of here."
As he spoke, he swept the proposal booklet she had placed on his desk onto the floor.
Qingchen blinked slightly, bent down her exhausted body from staying up all night, and picked up the things she had painstakingly made.
The instant her face turned toward the ground, she felt a surge of heat welling up in her eyes.
Not for myself, but for Xu Silin, whose condition is still unknown.
He forced his way through the city gates, jumped into the river, and rode a long distance on horseback while still in wet clothes... All he did was to fulfill his wish of repairing a dike.
The proposal was eventually submitted, but Han Yuanshu dismissed it dismissively.
The fire in the stove flickered slightly.
Seeing Qingchen's hunched, thin body, Fang Xun quickly smoothed things over, saying, "Hey, Lord Han, I know that repairing the dike is an urgent matter, and the burden has fallen entirely on your shoulders. But since others have suggestions, why not take a look?"
"Since Lord Fang knows that my time is precious, please don't try to persuade me. I don't want to waste it on these things. How can someone who only studies the Four Books and Five Classics talk about repairing dikes? The Ministry of Works' affairs cannot be solved by those classic texts."
"I know you're busy, but just listening won't take up much of your time..."
"Since Lord Fang wants to see and hear it, then you can go and see and hear it yourself. There's no need to try to persuade me anymore." Before Fang Xun could finish speaking, Han Yuanshu interrupted him.
As expected, he showed no respect to anyone, even confronting the eunuchs of the Directorate of Ceremonial.
"Sigh, your fiery temper." Fang Xun shook his head helplessly. "I'm afraid I'm the only one who can share a room with you."
Qingchen raised her head, took a deep breath, and forcefully suppressed the urge to cry.
For Xu Silin's sake, Han Yuanshu must also be informed of this proposal.
She ignored Han Yuanshu and turned to Fang Xun opposite him. "Lord Fang, may I trouble you for a moment so that I may share my thoughts with you?"
Everyone was in the same room; she didn't believe Han Yuanshu could plug his ears!
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