Chapter 25 Xiao An's Office "What do you want to know?"...
Ning Lu was ambushed and fell into a coma, catching up on all her sleep. Apart from a persistent, vague soreness in the muscles at the back of her neck, she felt refreshed and invigorated.
Ji Mingze fell ill suddenly and was bedridden for several days.
Taking advantage of these few days, Ning Lu thoroughly explored the entire courtyard.
The courtyard is small, with white walls and gray tiles, simple and comfortable.
Entering through the bamboo gate in the front yard, a set of bamboo table and chairs is placed under a banyan tree on one side of the bluestone slab. Further inside, you will see the main hall facing south. Half of the main hall has been converted into a study for receiving guests, and the other half is a bedroom.
Ji Ming slept most of the time. Sometimes she would stay in the study, thinking that reading more ancient books would help her better understand the local customs and culture of the country. So she would take down local county records and water conservancy maps from the bookshelf one by one.
After patiently flipping through two pages before putting the book back, Ning Lu either felt dizzy or drowsy. She could only push open the bamboo window of the study again, hands behind her back, to admire the vegetable patches and flowerbeds in the backyard. Though she didn't gain much knowledge, she truly indulged in the life of a refined scholar.
Because the courtyard was simple, few people came and went. The day after she woke up, all the servants who had been surrounding the courtyard quietly left, leaving only a servant named Yu Lun to help Ning Lu with cleaning and tidying up.
The boy was mature beyond his years, around fourteen or fifteen years old, steady in his actions, and a man of few words. No matter how Ning Lu threatened or bribed him, he remained silent about what happened the night they encountered danger. When asked about Ji Ming's relationship with the owner of the house, he only said they were old acquaintances.
However, even the gloomy and terrifying Ji Ming could be pried open by Ning Lu, so a teenager would be no problem at all.
After a few days, Ning Lu managed to find out some things. For example, the house belonged to the local magistrate, Cen Wei, and the child was Cen Wei's servant. He and the other servants from that day were only temporarily assigned to guard the place.
As for how they arrived that day, Yu Lun didn't know. When pressed, he only said that Ji Ming carried her, who was unconscious, down from the carriage and hurriedly called for a doctor.
Whenever Ning Lu thought of Yu Lun's words, she couldn't help but run back to her room to secretly examine Ji Ming.
If she could, she really wanted to see what the delicate and composed Ji Amin would be like when he got flustered and anxious.
The child knew little, but possessed immense strength. His eyes were filled with the endless work, and even with Ning Lu's threats and inducements, he refused to divulge any more information.
If asked, he would patiently tell Ning Lu that Magistrate Cen of Ying County was a rare and upright official who served the people well. Years ago, due to disagreements with Xie Qinghe, he was ousted from the center of power and thus came to the frontier to serve as a fifth-rank county magistrate.
Ning Lu squatted by the vegetable garden in the backyard, holding a radish that Yu Lun had washed for her, munching on it while feeling regretful.
"I don't know about the others, but judging from the current situation, he was demoted because of his political differences with Xie Qinghe, so he must be a good person."
"Why do you say that?" The child stopped watering the plants and turned to look at Ning Lu, seemingly not understanding why she was hostile towards Xie Qinghe.
“I’ve heard a lot of rumors about him along the way. Killing the wise king, killing the teacher, and increasing taxes on the people. At first, I thought they might just be rumors, but Ji A’ming said that there’s no smoke without fire. If there are rumors, there must be some truth to them.”
She stood on tiptoe, threw the radish peel she had gnawed off into the tree pit, and continued, "Besides, didn't you say that Lord Cen is a good official? Then aren't those who oppose good officials bad people?"
Besides, Ji Amin's friends are friends, and her friends' enemies are enemies. She understands this distinction clearly.
“That’s not what Lord Cen said.” Xiao Yulun straightened up and thought for a while: “The Lord said that Xie Qinghe is very capable. Whether it is writing memorials or military strategies, no one in the world can surpass him. He said that in the court, it is difficult to distinguish between good and bad officials. Everyone just serves their own master.”
“If someone as capable as him doesn’t do good deeds, that would truly be a national disaster.”
Ning Lu crunched the radish, the juice of the fresh radish splashing in her mouth, and mumbled something indistinctly.
Seeing that the child hadn't heard her clearly, and still had that wickedly righteous look on his face, she couldn't help but tease him: "Little Yu Lun, but there's only one emperor in this Great Jiang Kingdom. Xie Qinghe is clearly on the emperor's side, so who is your Lord Cen on his side?"
"Lord Cen said he was acting for the people."
The child didn't think it was teasing; he stood up and spoke righteously. After speaking, he put down the bucket and ran to the flower bed on the other side to concentrate on weeding, leaving Ninglu standing there in silence.
She hadn't heard such a politically correct and expert-level speech in many years.
She hadn't seen such an honest and straightforward person in many years.
The child was working diligently and ignored her. Ning Lu squatted for a while, then got bored again. She moved her bamboo stool behind him, propped her chin on her hand, and asked, "Do you have any other interesting things to tell me? Like where to eat, where to have fun, or you can tell me about Lord Cen and Xie Qinghe."
"I don't know much either, but I've told you everything I know these past two days."
Seeing that she was about to ask again, Yu Lun had a headache and frowned, saying with difficulty, "Sister Ning, if you feel bored, you can read more books or go out for a walk and find something to do."
The Book of Rites states, “Great men do not encourage idle talk.”
"What's the meaning?"
Ning Lu was not ashamed to ask questions of those less knowledgeable than herself.
"That is to say, virtuous people do not speak empty words, boastful words, or unfounded words."
Ning Lu chewed the radish a beat slower, staring blankly at it for a long time, and dared not agree.
"I'm asking some very practical questions right now, like what's the best place to visit in Yingxian, and how far is Yingxian from Changzhou..."
She tried to argue a couple of times, squeezing her chin into a ball with the hand that was supporting her face, and let out a soft hum.
If she hadn't sworn to the man inside that she would stay here, she would have gone out for a stroll long ago instead of staying here idly.
Hating, Ning Lu swallowed another half of the radish. She racked her brains and forced a fake smile as she retorted, "Little Yu Lun, have you ever heard another wise saying from our ancestors?"
"With just a mouth and two legs, you can travel the world without fear of ghosts." Seeing Yu Lun's bewildered expression, Ning Lu explained cheerfully, "It means that a person needs to be eloquent to make a name for themselves and travel the world."
"What my sister said isn't entirely unreasonable, is it? Don't just study books blindly; you can only gain true knowledge through practice. As Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism said, 'Knowledge and action must be united.'"
...
Yu Lun straightened up, hesitated, and picked up the bucket to go to the front yard.
Ning Lu wanted to chase after him, but then she felt a chilly wind blow into her collar.
That's Yangming's philosophy of mind.
Ji Ming's hoarse voice exploded in my ears like thunder.
She shivered, turned around abruptly, and saw a handsome and noble face magnified a hundredfold in front of her.
With a low cry, he jumped up and backed away.
Seeing her kick over the chair and stagger backward, Ji Ming raised an eyebrow, calmly reached out and grabbed her wrist, pulling her forward slightly. Ning Lu's backward body was straightened.
The man leaned forward, and just as she regained her balance and looked up blankly, the tip of her nose brushed against his lips.
Ning Lu touched her nose and then awkwardly tugged at her clothes: "When...when did you get here? Why did you walk so quietly?"
Ji Ming was amused by her panic, so he wiped his lips like her, smiled, and slowly replied, "It probably started when you said Cen Wei was a good person."
Isn't that what was there from the very beginning?
For some reason, even though he was smiling, Ning Lu felt that he was gritting his teeth when he said the words "good person".
She cleared her throat and switched the nearly finished radish to her other hand: "You're not fully recovered yet, why are you getting out of bed?"
"I didn't see you when I woke up." Ji Ming's smile faded, and he leaned back against the bamboo door.
Ning Lu originally wanted to scold him for being pretentious, but when she looked up and saw his quiet, downcast eyes staring at the ground, she felt sorry for the child and found him adorable.
Just then, a light autumn breeze swept by, and Ji Ming immediately frowned and coughed, covering his mouth.
After being sick for several days, he became increasingly thin, and his complexion worsened with each cough, making it difficult for him to stand.
Ning Lu felt inexplicably guilty, so she quickly stepped forward and took his arm, explaining gently, "Okay. I just saw Xiao Yulun working alone, and I was afraid he would be bored, so I came out to chat with him for a while."
"The yard is only so big. If you need anything, just call me. Why do you have to come out yourself?"
The slender fingers that had been covering his lips had somehow ended up on her wrist, revealing his lips, which were a shade darker than most people's. Ning Lu was even more subdued and tried even harder to soften her voice.
"Let me help you back. Your fever has just subsided, so don't catch a cold again."
Looking around again, Yu Lun was nowhere to be seen, but the rhythmic sound of chopping wood could be heard coming from the front yard.
After settling Ji Ming in, Ning Lu watched as he casually picked up a book and began to read. She stole a glance; it was the same Changzhou Gazetteer she used to fall asleep.
She rubbed her hands together, wanting to speak to him, but then seemed to remember something and fell silent. After hesitating for a moment, seeing that Yu Lun was still chopping wood outside, she quietly turned her feet and moved towards the door.
Where to?
As the pages turned, Ji Ming didn't look up; his cool voice struck the back of her neck.
"I was thinking of helping Xiao Yu chop the firewood. He's just a kid, I don't want him to get tired."
"Come back and sit down."
She didn't move, but secretly glanced to the side, then stepped over the threshold, her foot dangling in the air, one hand on the door, and turned to peek.
The scroll of Changzhou local gazetteer had already been placed on the table. Ji Ming stared at her movements, his fingertips pinching the lid of the teacup, making a clicking sound.
It was like the calm before a mountain rain.
Ning Lu stopped teasing him, withdrew her feet, turned around, and sat back down next to him.
"The doctor said that you've been overworked for too long and need to recuperate slowly, so you can't overexert yourself. I don't want to bother you. The books in the study are too boring; only Xiao Yulun can play with me."
Although the child didn't like to talk to her, he would work silently and then sit under the eaves to read after finishing his work, she was really bored to death.
"What's the point of playing games with a servant?"
“Servants… are people too.” Ning Lu blurted out the phrase that every transmigrated woman would say, and sighed resentfully: “They can also teach me how to grow crops, make medicinal soups, tell me what fun things there are in the city, and keep me company to pass the time.”
This place is really boring, not even as fun as Zhujia'ao.
What do you want to know?
Ji Ming paused, frowned, focused, and asked her earnestly.
The Four Books and Five Classics, Records of the Grand Historian and Records of the States...
"Anything is fine?" Ning Lu's eyes lit up.
Her movements stirred up a gentle breeze that tickled the man's throat, causing him to tilt his head and nod slightly.
"But you..."
"Without any effort."
Seeing her hesitation, Ji Ming decisively waved his hand to dispel her concerns and nodded firmly.
Ning Lu became completely interested, hugged the round stool and moved closer to his side, asking immediately, "I want to know, when did you learn to ride a horse?"
Ji Ming's fingers, which were holding his clothes, trembled slightly, as if he hadn't expected her to ask such a question.
She had been holding it in for a long time.
That horse was stubborn and strong; she was sweating profusely just from pulling it down. But ever since Ji Ming mounted the horse, it had been very obedient and ran with great effort.
I learned it when I was a child.
Ji Ming poured her a cup of tea and pushed it in front of her.
Seeing the sadness flicker in her smiling eyes, Ning Lu realized she might have asked the wrong question and subconsciously bit her lip: "Ji A-ming."
“I wasn’t born this way.” Ji Ming looked at his hands, which were even paler and thinner than hers, and smiled weakly: “I suffered a sudden change when I was young, which is why I look like this now.”
"So you might actually have been a person with both literary and martial talents."
Ning Lu spoke faster than she thought, and then realized that what she said was inappropriate, so she gently bit her tongue: "You are now a man of both literary and martial talents."
"You want to learn to ride horses?" He seemed unconcerned about such things, and instead asked about her preferences.
After spending several months together, he could almost guess what she was thinking.
"Yes, of course I want to."
That way, she won't have to point to her two legs everywhere she goes.
Moreover, modern equestrian lessons are beyond the reach of an unemployed young woman like her. If she could learn to ride a horse here, wouldn't that be a huge financial windfall?
"I'll find someone to teach you in a few days."
"Really?" Ning Lu's eyes widened. She pointed at him and then looked around.
Only then did I realize that Ji Ming had changed since I arrived here; he seemed to have more confidence in his speech.
"Ji Amin, who exactly are you? You didn't actually make me a sugar daddy, did you?" Thinking back to the perilous situation that day, and then to the comfort of the present, Ning Lu lowered her voice: "And that day in the wilderness, I think I was knocked unconscious. Do you know who hit me? How did we escape? You still haven't told me."
A series of questions were thrown at him. Ji Ming glanced at the figure outside the window, his expression indifferent.
The outside was completely silent; no one could come to his rescue.
Turning to meet her curious yet sincere eyes, he hesitated, pushing the teacup beside him an inch closer to her, wanting to say something but stopping himself.
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