Chapter 302 – Three Years in Langya (Part Two)
Liu Zhi didn’t let Jiang Pengji explain in detail, raising his hand to stop her next words.
He slightly closed his eyelids, the candlelight casting small shadows on his eyelashes, hiding the blue undertone beneath his eyes.
“No need for excessive explanations; the Feng Mansion might not be entirely safe either.” Liu Zhi was unsure of Jiang Pengji’s perceptiveness and, fearing eavesdroppers, his expression softened a bit. “Whatever you wish to do, your father has no objections. Chongzhou is actually quite a nice place.”
Jiang Pengji opened her mouth, seemingly struggling to find the words stuck in her throat, unable to voice them.
Given Liu Zhi’s years of experience in the officialdom, how could he not notice the dangers of Chongzhou?
Seeing her expression, Liu Zhi chuckled silently, reaching out to ruffle her hair gently, speaking softly, “Don’t worry about Father. Although Hujun was a mess back then, didn’t we make it to now? The northern frontier’s wolves have long harbored ambitions for Chongzhou, but since there’s a royal marriage, they’ll at least pretend to play nice. Until that northern princess turns the royal family upside down, they’re likely to keep their troops at bay.”
In other words, for a few years, Chongzhou would still be relatively safe, allowing for some fruitful governance.
However, after this period, the foremost challenge facing Chongzhou would be the three families of the northern frontier eyeing it hungrily, welcoming the trampling of their iron cavalry.
Jiang Pengji clenched her fists, pressed her lips together, and solemnly promised, “Father, toil for another two years, and I will ensure you can live a hundred years without worries.”
Liu Zhi couldn’t help but smile, his demeanor brightening.
“You don’t understand yet; although the northern frontier poses a threat to Chongzhou, it truly is quite safe for the next two years.” He shook his head, carefully analyzing for Jiang Pengji, “Even if Nansheng manages to escape destruction this time, they’ll have to cede land and pay reparations, seeking peace and tribute, which means the southern region will remain unstable. Conversely, the north is relatively peaceful. Even if the northern frontier has their ambitions, that will likely be a situation for a few years later.”
Liu Zhi, having only served as the governor of Chongzhou for two years, would leave the chaos of the world to Jiang Pengji.
The risks weren’t great; they were just quite intimidating.
Liu Zhi understood this principle.
After a moment, he took out a neatly folded piece of paper from his sleeve, stained with ink, some of the characters already illegible.
“What’s this?”
Jiang Pengji took it and looked.
Liu Zhi said, “This was written by Mr. Yuanjing’s prized student, the one who left in anger after being provoked today.”
Jiang Pengji looked at it from a distance, naturally aware of who Liu Zhi was referring to.
“Father, why did you bring out his paper?”
As she spoke, she carefully unfolded the paper, and from the writing alone, she would have thought it belonged to a gentle and delicate noble young lady; it was quite elegant.
“If others see this paper, there might be trouble. Mr. Yuanjing truly is remarkable; he clearly knows how to choose his disciples.”
Liu Zhi shook his head, remarking that many people lament the difficulty of studying. Though there are great scholars advocating for education and urging everyone to be literate, it’s merely talk. When such matters arise, those people tend to be the most resistant.
Even if this essay was exquisite, based solely on its content, Wei Ci would be considered “of little use.”
Jiang Pengji felt a bit intrigued, reading through the essay carefully.
Despite some characters being obscured by ink splatters, she managed to infer the overall meaning.
“Can’t believe it; aside from his face, that person actually has brains.”
Jiang Pengji smiled, refolding the essay and tucking it into her sleeve.
Liu Zhi was taken aback by her comment.
What did Wei Ci do to make his daughter have such a distaste for him?
“Just having brains isn’t enough; anyone can talk big on paper,” Jiang Pengji smirked, “So he needs a thorough observation.”
Her attention would probably be something Wei Ci would want to avoid.
Tsk, she really wanted to see his horrified expression when he found out the truth.
Liu Zhi caught on.
“That Wei Ci hails from the Langya Wei family; although he has fallen on hard times, his pride remains, and he might not submit easily.”
Upon hearing Liu Zhi’s words, Jiang Pengji raised an eyebrow.
“I heard from Huaiyu that the Wei family has relocated back to Zhong Zhao, yet Wei Ci is still in Dongqing…”
After discussing Wei family matters with Feng Jin, she initially thought he was a kid from a humble lineage or a common farmer’s family, but now it seemed he came from a distinguished background.
Liu Zhi replied uncertainly, “Perhaps he’s unable to leave due to the evaluations?”
“If it was for the evaluations, he wouldn’t write such a heretical essay; it’s clear he had no intention of being selected.” Jiang Pengji chuckled, saying, “I’m not sure about others, but I’m confident I can win over Wei Ci.”
He was clearly coming for her, so where could he run?
The father-daughter duo chatted for a quarter of an hour, and Jiang Pengji donned Liu Zhi’s cloak, heading straight back to her room.
After deep autumn, the temperature dropped noticeably day by day.
Jiang Pengji tightened her cloak against the cold outside, as Ta Xue led the way with an orange lamp in front.
As the master and servant passed through the courtyard, Jiang Pengji suddenly felt a cool droplet of water on her eyelashes, instinctively raising her hand to touch it.
“Is it raining?”
She looked up at the sky, where the full moon hung high like a jade plate.
Hearing the movement, Ta Xue listened closely, then said, “Young Master, it’s snowing.”
Snowing?
Jiang Pengji blinked and reached out to catch the delicate white flakes drifting down from the sky.
The snow was fine, like tiny white pearls that melted into liquid upon touching her palm, leaving only a slight chill.
“It’s quite light.”
Jiang Pengji blinked and murmured; in all her years, this was the first time she saw such gentle and harmless snow. In her memory, snow should come down in flurries or fall like white pearls, crashing down from the sky.
Ta Xue chuckled, her eyes crescent-shaped.
“I guess this is the first snow of the year. The month is still early, so even if it snows, it’s not much. Give it another month or two, and then we’ll see real heavy snow, vast and beautiful.”
With memories of Liu Xi, Jiang Pengji naturally knew when snow usually fell; this year’s snow did indeed seem early.
Since the snow wasn’t heavy, Jiang Pengji returned inside to sip a bowl of ginger soup for warmth before shedding her clothes and going to sleep.
The next day, as she opened the door, a rush of icy air hit her face, revealing a white blanket covering the courtyard.
“Just yesterday it was fine; how come overnight the snow has gotten so much heavier?”
Jiang Pengji stared at the sky, where flurries danced down.
Feng Jin, clearly accustomed to this, ordered his servants to prepare the tea stove, and he and Jiang Pengji sat together in the courtyard porch brewing tea.
He frowned at the yard; after just one night, the snow had already thickened to a finger’s width. The weather was indeed unusual.
However, since the founding of Dongqing, it had always faced natural disasters; whether droughts or floods, it never left them alone.
What’s concerning is those nobles indulging in their pleasures, enjoying the snow, and hosting endless banquets, poetry meets, and elegant gatherings, oblivious to the life and death of the common folk outside.
“Good snow heralds a bountiful year,” as a saying goes, but if the snow is too heavy, it becomes a disaster.
