Chapter 051 Make Her Suspicious
The magistrate of Lucheng County has been in office for so many years, and the highest-ranking officials he has ever met are the officials from the Ministry of Revenue who have come here to provide disaster relief in recent years. A county magistrate like him, unless something terrible happens, is afraid that he will never have the opportunity to go to Beijing in his lifetime, let alone meet a first-rank official.
At most, he would have to deal with the prefect of Yuzhou, which was under the jurisdiction of Luchengguan.
Now he is the prime minister, an official in the Ministry of Revenue, and now there is also the daughter of a duke... He is under a lot of pressure. If he fails to take good care of her and offends one of them, he will be in big trouble.
There are detailed records about the construction of the dike in the county government, which clearly record that it was made of elm wood. However, what Ji Lingchuan saw from the breach in the dike was poplar wood, which shows that there was cat poop in it.
After instructing Jiang Ming to take the backup, He An was about to leave.
When Baoxian Ling saw this, he said anxiously, "My Lord and Madam have traveled a long way, so you should have dinner at my humble abode before returning."
"No need. Mr. Bao, please sort out the number of workers in the city who can participate in the construction of the dam and hand it over to me tomorrow."
“Yes, yes, yes…”
As soon as the Prime Minister left, Bao County Magistrate slumped down on his chair as if he had lost a layer of skin. At this time, the inspector came to report: "Sir, Master Wu is here."
Upon hearing the name, County Magistrate Bao frowned, but still invited the person in.
As soon as Wu Quan entered the room, he asked, "How is it, has the Prime Minister found any clues?"
"No, I just looked at the records of the dike construction in recent years. It was done perfectly. Mr. Wu, don't worry."
Wu Quan nodded and thought to himself that this was true. These accounts were done by capable people he hired, so there must be no mistakes. He was just asking casually, as he was concerned about something else.
He sat down next to Bao County Magistrate and lowered his voice: "Did the Prime Minister feel anything was wrong along the way?"
County Magistrate Bao thought for a moment and shook his head, then frowned: "If there is any reason, it was that we were attacked by bandits at the post station."
"By the way, when you entered the city, you also brought seven or eight bandits with you and locked them up in the county jail."
Wu Quan frowned when he heard this: "Then, the Prime Minister didn't order you to investigate those people?"
"No, he asked about the dike as soon as he arrived, and asked me to count the number of workers. He seemed very anxious, and I guess he was in a hurry to return to Beijing."
It's no wonder. Which high-ranking official would be willing to suffer in Lucheng, a place where no one even shits?
**
In an ordinary courtyard of a mansion, Ruan Qinghuan and Chu Li were sitting on a stone pier. Chu Li had an angry look on his face, pouted and said nothing.
Seeing her like this, Ruan Qinghuan couldn't help but laugh out loud.
Chu Li frowned when he saw this: "Young Madam, are you going to make fun of me too?"
"I'm not joking with you, I just think you're kind of cute." She came here this time with the intention of taking Ji Mingchuan back after finishing her business. It's a shame she thought of that.
Chu Li was a little disappointed: "I went to his camp, but he just hid and refused to come out. I was so mad at him."
"Chu Li, if you keep chasing him like this, it will only make General Ji want to escape even more."
"What should I do?"
Ruan Qinghuan was thoughtful: "As I told you before in the teahouse, instead of you rushing to let him know that you like him, why not let him know whether he likes you or not."
"If he really doesn't care about you, why do you have to be so persistent? But if he does care about you, then the situation will be completely different."
This makes sense, but how can we try it out?
Now, she can't even see Ji Lingchuan.
Chu Li looked at Ruan Qinghuan: "What about you, do you like the Prime Minister?"
He An outside the yard paused, and Jiang Ming behind him also stopped.
Ruan Qinghuan had never thought about this question: Does she like He An?
When she traveled through time, she just wanted them to live in peace and wait to go their separate ways after two years. Later, He An changed and forced himself on her, and they inexplicably became a real couple.
But then again, it seems that no woman would dislike a man like He'an who is both talented in literature and martial arts and has a bright and handsome appearance.
"I'm not sure yet."
"What?" Chu Li was surprised: "You are already married, and you are still not sure?"
"I think it's not just me. I'm afraid you yourself don't know."
He An's expression outside the door darkened. Even though Jiang Ming was behind him, he still felt a strong sense of oppression.
I couldn't help but sigh. I wondered when adults became so easily emotional.
As soon as He'an came back, Chu Li left. No matter how Ruan Qinghuan tried to persuade him to stay, he refused to stay. After careful questioning, he found out that all the food transported from Jiangnan to Lucheng was escorted by Chu Li's mother's family.
Only then did Ruan Qinghuan know that Chu Li's grandfather was named Feng Yuanshan, and his ancestral home was also in Jiangnan. He was a family friend of Ruan Qinghuan's grandfather.
The person who came to escort the grain and fodder this time was her cousin Feng Yi.
Even though he was going to visit relatives, Ruan Qinghuan couldn't hold back any longer, so he personally escorted Chu Li out the door. Before Chu Li left, he glanced into the courtyard and said, "Your master doesn't look right, as if he's angry."
"Is there?" Ruan Qinghuan turned around and saw He An had already entered the room.
Back in the room, Ruan Qinghuan poured him a cup of tea and asked, "Did you find anything at the county government office?"
"No, the accounts and records are impeccable. Unless the dam is breached, it would be difficult to convict Bao Xianling for disaster relief."
"Why are you in such a hurry? I'm afraid that County Magistrate Bao is not the only one involved in this matter. He has colluded with the Wu brothers and has done countless bad things."
The Wu family has always acted without scruples, relying on the support of the Second Prince's mother. They may not be too afraid when He'an comes here this time. This is stupid.
People who have a backer always have the illusion that the backer will never fall.
"What about tomorrow, sir? What plans do you have for tomorrow?"
"Madam, is there something wrong?"
Ruan Qinghuan sat opposite him and met He'an's eyes. Only then did she realize that there seemed to be something wrong with his expression.
Thinking that he might be angry about the embezzlement of disaster relief funds, he didn't take it seriously. "As we walked along the way, many people downstream have already started to move to avoid the disaster. Should we build some temporary shelters on the hillside to the east?"
"Young people are easy to deal with, but the elderly, the weak, women and children need to be accommodated." Ruan Qinghuan thought for a moment and said, "Yuzhou is the closest. Tents are essential for military equipment, and it is fastest to dispatch them from there. If there are not enough, we may have to let General Ji think of a solution..."
As he was talking, Ruan Qinghuan felt that He'an's expression seemed to be uglier than before. Ruan Qinghuan wondered, "Your Excellency is so solemn, but has something happened?"
"I'm tired and want to rest. Madam, please help me change my clothes."
"Ah?" Ruan Qinghuan glanced at the sky and said, "It's still early. My Lord, you haven't had dinner yet, right? I'll ask Xia Lian to prepare some midnight snacks."
As soon as he finished speaking, he had already pulled her into He'an's arms. His deep, dark eyes made Ruan Qinghuan's heart beat faster. Every time He'an looked at him like this, it meant that he was thinking about it.
He An just looked at her, thinking about what she had just said. What did he do wrong to make her doubt his feelings for her?