Chapter 398 – Relocation to Chenzhou (5)
In just one hour, the news that Jiang Pengji was about to lead a group to Xiangyang County spread throughout the entire wounded camp.
Considering that some common people were severely injured and unable to travel normally, Jiang Pengji took the time to delay their departure for a few days, allowing them to recuperate so that they could travel with peace of mind. Meanwhile, the troops and Imperial Guards that were idling around were reassigned to continue their efforts elsewhere.
Such a considerate action brought tears to many common people and earned Jiang Pengji widespread acclaim.
Some of the common folks who were wavering in their resolve decided firmly to follow Jiang Pengji away from the capital.
“Luo Yue? What brings you here?” Jiang Pengji was sitting inside the tent, pulling away the dead skin hanging from the sole of her left foot. Having helped the common people earlier, her hands and feet were badly injured, but fortunately, her recovery ability was strong, and now her soles were as fair as ever.
The wounds had healed, but the newly grown skin rubbing against the dead skin made her feel incredibly itchy.
Since it was boredom hour and there was no one else in the tent, she casually chatted with the audience while picking at the dead skin.
Hmm, the audience all said that today’s livestream had a special flavor.
Just a second ago, the audience was teasing her about her lack of image, warning her to be careful as someone might walk in. To their surprise, the next second, someone really came in.
Thanks to Jiang Pengji’s keen senses, she knew Luo Yue was coming before he actually arrived, so she didn’t look flustered at being caught in this awkward situation.
With a natural expression, she pointed to a mat not far away, and as she lowered her left foot, she gestured for Luo Yue to take a seat.
“Luo instructor, please, speak directly. No need to beat around the bush.”
Luo Yue was a big, tough guy who had seen everything living in the Imperial Guard camp. Jiang Pengji was merely picking at the skin on her foot, which he found quite refined compared to what he had seen before—like the head instructor of the Imperial Guards picking his nose or rubbing mud off his skin. So, he was quite calm.
“I heard that Young Master Liu is preparing to head to Xiangyang County for duty?” Luo Yue asked straightforwardly.
Jiang Pengji frowned, realizing Luo Yue’s intentions.
A thousand Imperial Guards were still a military force; even the smallest mosquito is meat! Not to mention these one thousand Imperial Guards were all carefully selected young men. Jiang Pengji never intended to let them go; if Luo Yue wanted to leave, she wouldn’t agree.
She sighed and replied, “Indeed, it’s true. The capital is in utter chaos, and rebuilding will be difficult. I’ve heard there are threats from the Green Garment Army and the Red Lotus Sect lurking outside. If we abandon these common folks, they might struggle to survive. However, the quake has caused significant disturbances not just in the capital, but also severely affected Fengyi County and Chengde County; there are also rioters on the road…”
Luo Yue looked directly at Jiang Pengji, listening intently.
As a little commander of the Imperial Guards, Luo Yue had a proud disposition, but he was also a reasonable person who respected those worthy of respect.
Without a doubt, Jiang Pengji’s actions these past few days left no room for criticism.
“Young Master Liu is worried about the common people and plans to protect them to Fengyi County and Xiangyang County?”
“If I don’t do this, should I just let fate decide their lives and deaths?” Jiang Pengji naturally retorted.
“Young Master Liu has a benevolent heart; I admire that. However, there’s a saying I’m not sure if I should speak.”
“Please, feel free to speak, Luo instructor,” Jiang Pengji encouraged.
“Young Master Liu only has over a thousand troops, while the rest are in Fengyi County for disaster relief. With so few people, how can you protect over ten thousand common folks?” Luo Yue asked anxiously. “Why not consult the Emperor and let the Official Master decide?”
Jiang Pengji laughed sarcastically, “Luo instructor, are you really clueless, or just pretending? Not to mention anything else, even the thousand Imperial Guards you brought were something I had to shamelessly request. Otherwise, you’d already be on your way to guard the Official Master and relocate to Chenzhou by now!”
Her words were quite blunt, and Luo Yue’s expression changed slightly.
Before he could speak, Jiang Pengji continued, “You’re mistaken about one thing, there aren’t just a thousand troops; there’s also the thousand Imperial Guards you brought, right? Do you really think the Official Master allocated them just for show?”
Luo Yue’s face became troubled, “But…”
“The quake has not yet ended, the common folks are not truly stabilized, and Fengyi County is even experiencing an outbreak of plague, leaving the people homeless and the rioters rampant… All of these issues were caused by the quake. Does Luo instructor think the quake is simply over?”
After a long silence, Luo Yue, feeling ashamed, clasped his hands and stated he had other matters to attend to before leaving the tent.
Jiang Pengji curled her lips, feeling quite pleased.
Luo Yue had jumped onto her pirate ship; there was no way he could take anyone down with him now.
After a while, the front flaps of the tent opened again, and someone entered.
The newcomer held a feather fan, wore wide sleeves and a silk scarf, and walked in an elegant manner, radiating the charm of a scholar.
Upon entering, he remarked, “According to Lan Ting, it seems Luo instructor won’t be going back.”
“Going back? We need people here!”
Jiang Pengji rolled her eyes irritably.
Qi Guanrang sighed, “Only Lan Ting could speak such robbers’ words with such righteous indignation.”
Jiang Pengji shot him a glance and asked, “What brings you here? Don’t tell me you came to mock me?”
“Of course not,” Qi Guanrang replied. “I’m just here to borrow a few books from Young Master Liu to pass the time.”
Having a reliable teammate was so comforting; Qi Guanrang wasn’t one to steal the spotlight. Most of the work fell to Xu Ke and Feng Jin, while he… simply stole a moment of leisure whenever possible.
Jiang Pengji swept her eyes over him and suddenly said, “I remember you had a daughter last year.”
Qi Guanrang’s wife was Wei Yuan’s illegitimate daughter—Qi Guan Wei Shi; she was young, and they were a typical age-gap couple.
After Qi Guan Wei Shi married him, it took her two years to conceive, and she gave birth to a girl just like Feng Jin.
Though she was a daughter, Qi Guanrang was quite fond of her, and he had mentioned her several times in correspondence with Jiang Pengji.
Qi Guanrang frowned, unsure why Jiang Pengji brought it up, and responded verbally.
“Yeah.”
Suddenly, Jiang Pengji revealed a malicious smile, “Here, take a look at something good; you can study it when you get back.”
Qi Guanrang’s heart skipped a beat as he watched Jiang Pengji pull out four booklets from seemingly nowhere.
“These are enlightenment books for daughters. They should keep you occupied.”
He took a glance at the first one and saw it was “Women’s Analects.”
Qi Guanrang fell into an awkward silence.
Jiang Pengji added, “Make sure you show them to Huaiyu after you’re done reading them.”
He gathered the books into his sleeve, but his expression remained conflicted.
“A man, in this lifetime, cannot only be a father-in-law; he might also have to be a father-in-law someday.” Jiang Pengji grinned, revealing her teeth, no longer displaying the demeanor of a noble scion, “Just like you, just like Huaiyu, having a daughter means you’ll have another son in the future. It’s good to check these out so you’re psychologically prepared.”
Qi Guanrang knew Jiang Pengji wasn’t sincere, yet he still read them when he got back and felt deeply deceived, nearly tearing the four booklets apart.
Turning around, he lent the four booklets to Feng Jin under the pretense of reading them to his child.
Feng Jin suddenly recalled a previous conversation with his wife when he saw it was a women’s four books.
“Thanks for the reminder; I was just thinking of finding a couple of books for Changsheng for her enlightenment reading!”
Qi Guanrang gave him a look like he was an idiot and silently left.
Feng Jin was bewildered and tidied up to head back to the carriage.
Wei Jingxian was still in her confinement period, looking good. Changsheng was robust, having been born full-term, and now looked healthy and fair.
