Chapter 911 – Two Years in Hibernation, The Great Trend of the World (Part 2)
“Feng Zishi, that’s your Lord, not your daughter. Don’t let her sweet-talk you into forgetting everything so easily, got it?”
Qi Guanrang returned from an inspection, only to find that the Lord had vanished without a trace. Talk about infuriating!
Feng Zhen felt wronged too, how was he to know the Lord was so cunning?
She just left like that, making his heart weary.
Qi Guanrang sighed deeply, “Fortunately, the aristocracy in Chongzhou is busy counterbalancing each other, so they can’t regain their strength for the time being. With the Lord gone, we don’t need to worry just yet.”
If Chongzhou really needed Jiang Pengji, given her temperament, she wouldn’t have just walked away from a messy situation.
So now—
“Never mind, never mind—let her be.”
Compromise was all Qi Guanrang could think of as an alternative.
Feng Zhen mocked him, “You criticized Wen Zheng, but aren’t you the same?”
After saying that, Feng Zhen could only sigh inwardly, thinking—
It wasn’t that they were being played by the Lord; it was clearly that they spoiled her too much, letting her have her way.
Both of them were unaware that while the Lord was saying she wanted to return to Wanzhou, she had taken a small detour on her way back to another place.
It was high summer, with the sun blazing.
Under Wei Ci and the others’ instructions, several main roads to the capital had been completed, and the city’s buildings were also well planned.
“Zixiao, have some watermelon. This was soaked in a well, it’s really cool. Eat some to beat the heat, or you might faint from the heat.”
Zhang Ping dutifully played the role of a caretaker, practically wanting to put Wei Ci on a pedestal.
Wei Ci looked up and took a plate of watermelon that Zhang Ping offered.
The rind was peeled, the flesh cut into uniformly sized cubes, beautifully arranged on the plate.
It looked red and enticing.
Wei Ci chuckled, “I’m not that fragile! It’s you who’s becoming less and less attentive to your appearance.”
Just look at Zhang Ping’s current attire!
Dressed in coarse hemp clothes, his long hair wrapped in a cloth, with a wet towel on his head for shade.
“That’s why people say Zixiao is a celestial being descended from the heavens while we are mere mud-made mortals!” Shao Guang panted, his clothes drenched in sweat, and his exposed skin was tanned to a dark brown, grinning as he teased Wei Ci, “Look at Zixiao, then look at me—one’s pale as snow while the other’s burned to a crisp. I can’t help but be jealous!”
Shao Guang had joined Wanzhou later, but after spending a year working and living together with Wei Ci and Zhang Ping at the capital, their bond naturally deepened.
Wei Ci smiled, his skin glowing faintly under the sun’s rays, seeming as ethereal as a celestial being.
“What’s there to be jealous of? I feel like I’m losing out,” Wei Ci joked, “Even though I spend a lot of time under the scorching sun, I never seem to tan. People who don’t know might think I’m slacking off and taking it easy!”
As Wei Ci and Shao Guang laughed, the Messenger rushed in.
Wei Ci frowned, “What happened?”
The Messenger replied, “Reporting to the three gentlemen, the Lord is currently at the camp outside.”
What!!!
The three widened their eyes in shock. Despite not sweating before, Wei Ci’s forehead suddenly broke out in a fine sheen of sweat.
“Quick! Go greet the Lord!”
Jiang Pengji’s arrival was too sudden; the three had received no prior notice at all.
In a flurry, Wei Ci and the others finally met Jiang Pengji.
They bowed and said, “We greet our Lord.”
“No need for excessive courtesy, I was just on my way back from Chongzhou to Wanzhou and stopped by to check on you all,” Jiang Pengji dismounted, took off her sun hat, and sighed, “Zixiao, you’ve tanned, and Xiheng and Chongming have both lost weight.”
Zhang Ping and Shao Guang: “”
“It’s not hard work, just fulfilling my duty to share the burdens for my Lord.”
The three bowed again, but they couldn’t help but complain inwardly.
Did the Lord really think Zixiao was tanned? Are those eyes working properly?
Jiang Pengji was returning to Wanzhou for important matters and had only taken a slight detour to the capital, so her stay wouldn’t be long.
When the night air cooled, Jiang Pengji lightly knocked on Wei Ci’s door.
“My Lord?” Wei Ci, dressed in nightclothes with a light outer cloak draped over his shoulder, asked, “What brings you here at this late hour?”
Jiang Pengji slipped inside, smiling, “Zixiao, did you receive the letter I sent you?”
Wei Ci’s hand trembled, and he felt a jolt of panic, a strong urge to run out of the room.
“I—I’ve received it.”
His heart raced, thoughts jumbled, face flushing red.
“That’s good to hear.” Jiang Pengji nonchalantly sat down and asked, “Do you have anything to say to me?”
The room was dimly lit, and Wei Ci could barely see her outline; he fell silent, about to light a lamp.
“Zixiao, come here, no need to light it.”
Wei Ci could only retract his foot, turning to sit closer to her.
As soon as he sat down, a warm, long hand grasped his right hand, and the warmth seemed to surge straight to his heart.
“Zixiao, I miss you,”
Jiang Pengji repeated what she had written in the letter, asking once more.
“Don’t you have anything to say to me?”
In the dim light, Wei Ci struggled to see her expression clearly.
After a moment, he parted his lips, mumbling a few words out, “My Lord, why bother?”
He abandoned the idea of pulling his hand back; competing in strength against the person before him was pure folly.
Jiang Pengji smiled, “Zixiao, what’s the need for that? Being honest won’t hurt.”
As Wei Ci was about to speak, a figure suddenly dove into his embrace.
Before he could register, he was pushed onto the couch.
In that split second, his heartbeat felt like it was about to explode.
“Don’t move, let me lean on you.”
Her voice held a hint of weakness that he rarely heard.
Even in the most perilous times of his previous life, she would stubbornly refuse to show any sign of weakness.
Those who offended her were killed; those who blocked her would be executed.
Wei Ci was caught off guard as her arms wrapped around his neck, leaving him too frightened to move.
This was nothing like being weak!
Suddenly, a thought popped into his mind—
Feigning weakness!
After a while, he heard the person on top talking.
“I have a favorite frog, I like it a lot, but unfortunately— I can’t bear to put the lid on the pot, so I’ll just keep it for now.”
Wei Ci was dumbfounded.
After a long pause, Jiang Pengji still hadn’t gotten up.
“My Lord, this is quite improper.”
Jiang Pengji said, “Zixiao, what exactly are you worried about?”
Wei Ci fell silent, saying, “You are a smart person, how could you not understand?”
In the end, it all boiled down to him not wanting to become her weakness and liability.
Experiences from his previous life were best treated as a mere dream.
Jiang Pengji felt a flash of irritation, “When it comes down to it, Zixiao, you don’t trust me.”
She simply stood up, causing Wei Ci to feel empty inside.
“My Lord—”
“What do you call me?”
Wei Ci choked.
Jiang Pengji chuckled softly, wanting to alleviate his fears.
“If I had a daughter’s name, what do you think I should call her?”
Wei Ci: “”
He wasn’t scared but rather stupefied.
He was certain his cover was completely blown.
“Zixiao, trust me just this once.”
Wei Ci panicked.
“That ‘Jiang Pengji’ can’t protect you, but I absolutely will not repeat the same mistakes.”
She thought for a moment, deciding it was better to cover that lid and suffocate this frog.
Let it jump!
