*
"Tomorrow is the final day that Chi Xiuzhuan mentioned. If it doesn't rain, do you know what kind of punishment you will face?"
After the court session, Minister Gong stopped Chi Yan and warned him meaningfully, "If you admit defeat now, I can still put in a good word for you before His Majesty!"
Chi Yan slowly raised her lips, stared at him with regret, and shook her head: "Minister, you should worry about yourself first. Have you thought about how to explain the water seepage to His Majesty?"
He clicked his tongue twice, his tone tinged with admiration, "Even if you were to use your own head as collateral, I would still think your courage is commendable!"
Minister Gong's face turned pale, and he felt a pang of guilt. He coldly snorted, "I am upright and have nothing to fear, unlike some people who are used to resorting to underhanded tricks!"
These days, the Ministry of Works has been having people reinforce the dikes day and night, so it seems there won't be any more problems.
Moreover, there's not even a hint of the torrential rain that Chi Yan mentioned. He dares to fool His Majesty; he'll be punished for it!
He has already secretly contacted several ministers in the court, and once tomorrow is over, His Majesty will not be able to favor him!
...
Shen Tangning sat by the window, her gaze towards the sky distant and profound.
It was nearly dusk, but the sky remained bright and clear. The air was thick with a restless, sultry heat, like being inside a giant steamer, with no sign of rain.
As the date drew nearer, the entire mansion grew increasingly quiet, and even the often bickering Ba Liang and Xue Qing became much more composed.
Eight ounces of footsteps darted into the courtyard, a joyful expression on his face:
"Young Madam, good news! Good news!"
Xueqing came to the window: "Why are you so startled?"
Ba Liang ignored her and came to Shen Tangning's side with a smile.
She looked up and saw him with a mysterious expression. She smiled and asked, "What good news?"
Ba Liang's lowered voice couldn't hide his excitement: "This servant has spotted signs that it's going to rain!"
Xueqing perked up at this moment: "Is this really true?"
Ba Liang led the two to a corner of the mansion and pointed to the ants lined up on the ground: "Look!"
Shen Tangning looked down and heard Xue Qing's disappointed voice beside her: "Is this what you mean?"
Ba Liang argued forcefully: "Haven't you heard the proverb, 'When ants move house and snakes cross the road, heavy rain is coming soon'? I've been watching this nest of ants for several days, and today I finally noticed them making a move!"
He searched every corner of the mansion before finding the ant nest, and then relentlessly kept an eye on it for several days. Needless to say, he endured a great deal of hardship!
Xueqing put her hands on her hips and smiled: "You said you've been watching them for several days. What if your spying alerted them and forced them to move?"
Ba Liang glared at her and said, "Go away, don't cause trouble! What do you think, young mistress?"
He looked at Shen Tangning with longing eyes.
The latter suddenly smiled and said in a praising tone, "That's quite a discovery."
As they were talking, Yuan Zhao rushed over, his face grave: "Master, something terrible has happened! The young master has been surrounded by a group of people on Zhuque Street, demanding an explanation! It seems they came prepared!"
The smile on Shen Tangning's lips suddenly froze.
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