Chapter 66: Even if you jump into the Imperial River, you can’t wash away the

Ruan Qinghuan helped him up and sat him on the stone bench next to him.

I thought she would be extremely shocked or scared, and then eagerly ask him for details, but there was no sign of anxiety on his face.

Thinking that Ruan Qinghuan didn't believe him, Xie Zitang emphasized: "What I said is true. The people who chased me that day were not bandits, but soldiers on Xifeng Cliff."

"I know."

Xie Zitang: "..."

She knows?

Xie Zitang was stunned. If he knew that, why did he risk his life to save him?

Knowing that he had doubts, Ruan Qinghuan explained: "I can't go into details right now. You just need to know that as long as you don't leave this yard and reveal your whereabouts, you will be safe."

"But if the Wu family comes looking for you, I'm afraid you will be implicated by me."

"Right now, the Wu family is too busy to take care of themselves and cannot take care of you for the time being. You just need to take good care of yourself. The adults will send you out soon. But before you leave, I would like to trouble the master to help draw a topographic map of Xifeng Cliff."

I had intended to talk about this a few days later, but since he brought it up, I'll just talk about it all at once.

Xie Zitang was originally a blacksmith in Zhenjiang Prefecture. Because of his excellent craftsmanship and ingenuity, he was secretly captured by the Wu brothers and taken to Xifeng Mountain. They asked him to design and build weapons that were both handy and lethal for the soldiers.

In the original book, Xie Zitang was a righteous man. He knew that the Wu brothers had ulterior motives and were not truly willing to submit. In order to save his life, he only forged some flawed weapons. Although he saved his life, he also suffered a lot.

In the original book, he was killed while escaping, but this time he was saved by them.

Xie Zitang nodded. Seeing that the nobleman was confident, he felt relieved for some reason. "I have been staying near the armory in the southwest of the mountain. I don't know much about other places, but when I went down the mountain, I found a lot of hidden traps. Maybe they can be useful."

He could tell that this noble family must have come here just for Xifeng Cliff.

"Then draw what you know, in as much detail as possible. Thanks."

Jiang Ming and his men escorted them out of the city and after walking for most of the day, they finally arrived at the site where the dike was being built.

Busy figures were coming and going, and it was no longer possible to tell which were soldiers and which were civilians. Everyone's body and face were covered in mud, and they looked tired but full of energy.

He'an was not in the tent, so Ruan Qinghuan went to look for him near the dam and saw him holding a blueprint and discussing something with several craftsmen. The foundation wooden piles had been laid and cartloads of stones had been delivered. All they had to do was remove the silt at the bottom, fill it with stones, and then compact the gaps with clay, and a solid dam would be built.

This time the width is twice that of the previous ones, with double-layer wooden piles. Once completed, it will have no problem bearing more than ten years of load. If it is repaired every year, it can be used for even longer periods of time.

He'an rolled up his trouser legs and sleeves, with some mud stuck on his face and head. After communicating with the craftsmen, he walked down from the height.

Just as Ruan Qinghuan was about to go forward, he saw a plain white figure approaching, handing over a water bag, and then taking out a handkerchief to wipe the stain for He'an, but was stopped by him.

Qian Yunxi looked at He'an with tenderness and affection in her eyes, but she remained rational in her heart. She knew very well that it was impossible for her to be with He'an in this life.

Jiang Ming wiped his sweat secretly and said, "I'll go call the adults now."

"No need, let's go back to the tent and wait."

Jiang Ming: “…”

The lady didn't cry, make a fuss or lose her temper, which made people feel uneasy. The master told him to listen to the lady's orders. Jiang Ming had no choice but to follow her back, but secretly winked at the craftsman next to him. The man was also smart and turned around to look for He An.

"Thank you for your hard work, sir. Lunch will be served a little late today. Let's eat first."

"Well, go and arrange it."

"Yes." Qian Yunxi recently brought some women here to take charge of the food for the craftsmen. He didn't have any hidden thoughts, he just wanted to do his part.

Earlier, she always felt that Ruan Qinghuan was not worthy of the Prime Minister, and that as the daughter of a merchant with a bad reputation, she would only lower the status of the Prime Minister.

After what happened with the Wu brothers, she completely changed her mind. She admired Ruan Qinghuan from the bottom of her heart because he was not only smart but also strategic.

He An wiped the sweat off his face with his dirty sleeves. He saw a craftsman running over and thought there was a mistake, so he went to meet him. However, he heard the craftsman pointing in the direction of the tent and saying, "Sir, the lady came and left again."

He'an's eyes narrowed, and he followed the direction of his finger. He just saw the curtain of the tent was lowered, and someone had already gone in. Jiang Ming at the door was desperately gesturing at him.

He'an understood what was going on and felt a little guilty.

He and Qian Yunxi are innocent, but will the lady believe it?

As he walked back, he recalled the situation when Qian Yunxi came over just now. He first gave him a water bag, and then wanted to wipe his sweat, but he blocked his way...

Alas, I was lucky to have blocked it. If I hadn’t blocked it, I would have been unable to wash myself clean even if I jumped into the Imperial River.

When he arrived at the door of the tent, he found that Jiang Ming was looking at him strangely, as if he wanted to say something but hesitated, and wished for the best. He An glared at him, and Jiang Ming immediately looked away: "Sir, I will go to feed the horses now."

He had seen the master coaxing his mistress before, so he didn't dare to eavesdrop. As he walked, he complained in his heart: The master is unfaithful, but he takes his anger out on him. How unfair!

In the tent, Ruan Qinghuan had just poured himself a cup of tea when He An came in and asked calmly, "Sir, aren't you busy? Why are you back?"

He An looked at her carefully and saw that she didn't look angry, so he felt relieved: "I knew that the lady was coming, so I came to see her."

"My Lord, you are out on business. Please don't let me delay your work. I am relieved to see that you are fine today. I will go back to Lucheng with Jiang Ming in a while."

She was clearly angry, and He An quickly took the initiative to explain: "Miss Qian just came over to invite everyone to dinner, there was nothing going on between us."

Ruan Qinghuan looked confused: "What did I say?"

He An: “…”

He himself felt guilty, but there was indeed no relationship between him and Qian Yunxi.

The busy sounds outside stopped, thinking that everyone was preparing to eat, Ruan Qinghuan stood up and said, "It's already past noon, you must be hungry, I won't disturb you from eating."

After saying that, she stood up to leave. He An didn't care about the dirt on his body and stepped forward to hold her back: "Since Madam is here, please stay a few more days."

Ruan Qinghuan rolled her eyes at him. Although she didn't seem angry, her eyes were cold and indifferent: "I still have to go back and take care of Zimo."

"I don't care. I can't afford to lose that little fellow in the city. Now that the lady is here, she can't leave."

After pushing him twice to no avail, Ruan Qinghuan stared at him.

This time, she had intended to stay for a few days, at least to do his laundry and tidy up the tent. The reason she said that was because she was unhappy.

He knew that He'an was not the kind of person who would switch sides, but for some reason, seeing him standing with another woman made him feel like a huge rock was pressing on his heart, making him feel depressed and want to lose his temper.

"I swear as my husband, if what I just said is even a lie, God... um..."

Ruan Qinghuan covered his mouth in displeasure and said in disgust: "How can a prime minister speak without thinking? It's so embarrassing."

Seeing that her attitude had softened, He An struck while the iron was hot: "Madam, I will feel at ease if you stay."