A gentle breeze blows across the river, and the blue waves ripple.
As the cruise ship sped forward, white waves rolled in the river, resembling clusters of blooming flowers, dynamically depicting a beautiful picture.
It was early May, a time of transition between harvests, and the crops on both sides of the river looked sluggish and lifeless.
Hua Qingyan, standing beside the wheelchair, gazed at the drooping rice paddies, narrowing her eyes in confusion, and thought to herself:
Why are the rice leaves turning yellow?
She stayed here for seven years and learned from the girl Yu Yuanyuan that the problem stemmed from inconvenient water conservancy and barren land.
Only one season of rice can be grown here, and it is harvested around July each year.
But it's only May now, and there are still nearly two months until July. Why does it look like it's about to wither?
Although she didn't know anything about farming, she knew that food was life itself, no matter what.
Yang, the adjutant pushing the wheelchair, had obviously noticed the problem long ago, but he only frowned and did not say anything.
Seeing that the area was full of soldiers and there was no one else besides Hua Qingyan, he stopped pushing his wheelchair.
He stopped in his tracks, released the wheelchair handles, took out the telegram hidden in his breast pocket, and respectfully presented it to his young master with both hands.
"Young Master, this is an urgent telegram from Commander Ye."
Upon hearing this, Ye Minghan shifted his gaze from the little boy to the folded piece of paper in Yang's palm.
He pondered for two seconds before raising his left hand and casually unfolding it in front of his eyes to examine it.
There was only one simple sentence on the paper:
Han'er, Ling Tianze, carrying the secret blueprints, fled to the Northwest. We must quickly return to Jiangdong to discuss this.
After reading it, Young Master Ye remained expressionless, his eyes calm and indifferent, showing no interest in it.
He gazed at the fish leaping in the river, pondered for a few seconds, and then coldly spoke: "Feng Jun's location."
Yang, who had served him for five years, immediately reported Feng Jun's exact location upon hearing the cold, deep voice.
"At midnight last night, Lieutenant Feng disguised himself and entered the Northwest. He has learned of Young Master Ling's whereabouts... Ling Tianze, and is now looking for an opportunity to approach him, capture him, and transport him back to Jiangdong."
When Deputy Yang mentioned Ling Tianze, the adopted son who had lived in the Ye family for twelve years, he habitually called him Young Master Ling, but realizing it was inappropriate, he immediately corrected himself.
This guy really doesn't know what's good for him!
The Ye family provided him with good food and drink, nurturing him into a capable man and making him Ye Shao's right-hand man. Yet, he turned out to be ungrateful and wanted to annex the entire Dark Night Legion.
They even drugged Ye Shao's food!
Fortunately, their young master had an extraordinary sense of smell and detected the trickery involved.
Three days ago, Ling Tianze even sneaked into the governor's study and stole the military deployment map stored in the safe.
They were trying to use this to blackmail and attack the Night Legion.
They even attempted to use this as a bargaining chip to join the Northwest Eagle King Legion.
He grew up eating family meals, yet he's now smashing his own bowl!
To turn their attention to outsiders and attempt to take down the behemoth that is the Night Legion is simply wishful thinking.
Ling Tianze probably still doesn't know that the marching map he took was fake!
The real blueprints had already been replaced by their shrewd young master.
Ling Tianze is like a grasshopper in autumn; he won't be able to hop around for more than a few days.
While inwardly complaining, Lieutenant Yang followed his young master's gaze to the grain on both banks of the river and blurted out without thinking:
“Young Master, this is the border between Yuncheng and Tongxiang. The crops in this area have been withering for the past month, and we haven’t been able to find the problem.”
Before joining the Dark Night Legion, he was a farm boy who had experienced hunger.
When he was five years old, he was beaten up for stealing a potato from someone else.
His parents and sister did not survive the famine that year and all passed away.
He knew how important food was to farmers at the grassroots level.
If this season's rice crop is wiped out, they will be left with only one path: death.
Upon thinking of this, the adjutant's young face showed a troubled expression.
He wanted to help those poor people and find out the cause, but he knew his own limitations; knowing how to eat didn't mean he knew how to grow crops.
Even Hua Qingyan, who was standing to the side, looked on with pity. She looked at Ye Minghan with hopeful eyes, hoping that he would lend a helping hand.
After all, in this era, only he had the strength, ability, and influence to help the farmers struggling at the bottom of society.
Perhaps her gaze was too intense, for Ye Minghan quickly sensed it and looked up at the girl who was only a meter away from him.
He saw her compassion in her clear, flowing eyes.
And then there's the most undesirable sympathy. He slightly furrowed his delicate brows and slowly began to speak:
"Yan Yan wants to help those people find out the reason?"
The subject he used was "Yan Yan," which startled Deputy Yang. When had his young master ever cared about what others thought?
She was just a six or seven-year-old girl who didn't understand anything yet.
Whether he found it dreamlike or unbelievable, today was destined to be an eye-opener for him, refreshing his impression of Ye Shao.
The girl, who seemed to know nothing, nodded slightly and frowned gently, saying:
"Yes, I hope Hanhan... uh, Young Master Ye can lend a hand."
A hint of nervousness crept onto Hua Qingyan's delicate face. She wasn't sure if her words would displease him, because she knew he utterly detested getting involved in other people's business.
The next second, she saw his unfathomable black eyes, which were frighteningly deep.
His face was tense, his gaze was cold, and he exuded a chilling aura.
The intense sense of oppression caused Yang, the adjutant standing on the left, to involuntarily take a step back.
He silently lit a candle in his heart for the maid who he suspected was Ye Shao's newest hire.
He was quite certain that his unpredictable young master's expression changed only after hearing those words from her.
Time seemed to stand still at that moment, and even the whistling wind seemed to freeze.
The quiet atmosphere inexplicably created a sense of tension, as if a storm was brewing.
Hua Qingyan hadn't felt this chilling gaze for a very long time, and her small hands involuntarily clenched the already frayed hem of her clothes.
Those eyes, as clear as glass, flickered with a hint of tension.
She feared he would get too angry and kick her off the ship.
Ye Minghan pursed his lips slightly, his eyes were dark, and his slender knuckles bent slightly as he lightly tapped the wooden armrest of his wheelchair, producing a crisp sound.
He slightly raised his chin, gazing at the anxious little figure in his eyes, and parted his lips slightly:
What did Yan Yan call me?
"Um?"
Hua Qingyan was already prepared to act cute and charming to try and appease him, but when she heard the question that was completely different from what she had imagined, she was instantly stunned.
Are we discussing the issue of address now?
Under his intensely intimidating gaze, she forced herself to repeat, "Young Master Ye?"
As soon as she finished speaking, ambiguous words followed:
"What should Yan Yan call me?"
Ye Minghan raised his eyebrows slightly, quietly waiting for her answer.
...
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