Chapter 1414 – Live Room Earthquake (7)
The lack of practical experience didn’t stop the seasoned driver from growing; Jiang Pengji understood instantly.
Considering Wei Ci’s paper-thin skin, she had to painfully give up her teasing thoughts, lest she scare him into a tizzy.
So, Jiang Pengji pretended not to understand and naturally said, “Hmm, I’ll just go call the steward over.”
Wei Ci, blushing, nodded but secretly let out a sigh of relief.
If the Lord dug deeper, he wouldn’t know how to respond.
Jiang Pengji sat in the courtyard waiting for a while when three golden system notifications popped up.
【Your friend, your Dad, is online.】
【Your package has arrived.】
【Your friend, your Dad, is offline.】
Jiang Pengji: “…”
The Old Commander logged in just to send her a package?
Thinking of this made Jiang Pengji’s heart warm; it felt nice to have someone familiar caring for her in a foreign land…
She smiled and looked at the items stored inside the cabinet, but upon seeing them, the expression on her face faltered, and her smile froze.
Look at what her dear Old Commander sent her!
One embarrassing name after another, all indicating their clear uses.
“Zixiao is in good health; he doesn’t need to take these medicines!”
Jiang Pengji shot him an offline message, and it wasn’t long before she got a reply.
【Your Dad】: No matter how healthy he is, he’s just an ordinary person. I’m just worried you lack self-restraint and don’t understand moderation, you get it?
Jiang Pengji: “…”
(╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻
She wasn’t as much of a beast as the Old Commander imagined!
Jiang Pengji felt incredibly wronged; her high-cold persona built over many years crumbled completely in front of the Old Commander.
With the help of the Old Steward, Wei Ci resolved his personal issues and had to tidy the bedding, burn incense, and open the windows to disperse the lingering odors…
By the time Jiang Pengji came in, he had returned to his normal color.
“Lord, are you displeased? Did you encounter a dilemma?”
Seeing Jiang Pengji’s slightly gloomy expression, Wei Ci became worried again.
Jiang Pengji shrugged her sleeves and said, full of grievance, “Zixiao, I may not be a paragon of virtue, but I won’t sink to the level of a beast! Yet someone out there is convinced I’m a beast; no matter how I explain, they won’t listen, it makes me furious, so I’ve decided—”
Wei Ci asked, “Decided what? To state facts and reason?”
Jiang Pengji shot him a sideways glance, coldly stating, “Might as well solidify the name of beast; otherwise, I’m too wronged!”
Wei Ci: “… As long as you’re happy, my Lord.”
Her brain circuitry was always a bit different from ordinary folk.
Jiang Pengji sighed softly, leaving Wei Ci perplexed.
News of Wei Ci waking up quickly spread, and before dinner, several people visited the manor, all saying that Wei Ci was very fortunate.
“Last night, looking at your state, I thought you were slated for the underworld—thankfully, you pulled through; perhaps it’s a case of extreme misfortune leading to good luck.” Feng Zhen sighed, “You live alone in the manor, with no relatives to care for you. If there’s anything you want to eat, just send someone to let me know.”
Wei Ci acknowledged Feng Zhen’s kindness; despite being a bit of a rogue, Feng Zhen was reliable in critical moments.
Feng Zhen continued, “Thank goodness you’re fine, or else—tch, you didn’t see Jiang Pengji’s expression; just recalling it sends shivers down my spine. About your matter, after last night, I’m afraid those who didn’t know before are now suspicious—”
Wei Ci asked, “What’s the public opinion outside?”
It was one thing to feud with him, but he wouldn’t allow anyone to drag the Lord into the mess.
“There’s some speculation about you and the Lord, but since they didn’t witness it firsthand, it’s just suspicion at most. Without evidence, what can they say?” Feng Zhen said, “Even if they want to stir up trouble, they’d better consider their own necks’ safety. The incident of you being assassinated and left in the alley hasn’t been resolved, and the culprit hasn’t been found. If they dare to cause trouble, can the Lord let them off?”
Everyone was puzzled, not knowing that Wei Ci’s body was manipulated; they thought it was some force assassinating him to provoke Jiang Pengji.
As long as the culprit wasn’t caught, Jiang Pengji would remain a powder keg, ready to explode at any moment.
Who would dare to commit crimes brazenly?
Wei Ci didn’t reveal how he got his injuries; he couldn’t just say he hurt himself, right?
He had to keep his mouth shut and let outsiders guess.
Apart from Feng Zhen, Feng Jin, Qi Guanrang, Xu Ke, and others also consecutively visited.
None of them disturbed the patient; they chatted briefly before taking their leave.
Jiang Pengji couldn’t stay by Wei Ci’s side all the time, and once he felt a bit better, she had to attend to her other matters.
Before leaving, Jiang Pengji smiled, “Once Zixiao is fully recovered, I have a gift for you.”
Wei Ci, not understanding, thought it was a precious gift, so he quickly declined. After much persuasion, Jiang Pengji finally got him to agree.
In the blink of an eye, another year of autumn harvest came; Jiang Pengji, the hands-off manager, had a pile of things to do.
“The harvest this year is considerably lower than last year; what’s going on?”
Jiang Pengji entrusted Wei Ci to someone she trusted and temporarily left Xiangyang County to check the autumn grain harvest in several other farming trial counties. She expected a bountiful year given the favorable weather, but to her surprise, the grain yield per acre was even lower than last year’s average. She immediately suspected “corruption,” and a frown formed as she pondered, scaring the official who was reporting to her.
Having glanced at the accounts, she noted the records were meticulous and contained no errors.
“The soil’s fertility is insufficient; continuous planting over the years has caused a decrease in yield…” The official’s voice grew softer as he continued.
Jiang Pengji raised an eyebrow, roughly understanding his point.
In ancient times, relying on the most primitive human labor, even with improved farming tools later on, productivity remained low.
Besides that, fertility of the fields was another issue.
Naturally, fertile fields produced more crops than barren ones.
Years ago, Jiang Pengji had sent people to reclaim wasteland; most of these fields couldn’t be termed fertile, barely escaping the label of “barren.” Even with a year of favorable weather and diligent farming, besides the first few years’ yields being decent, the subsequent years would see declining harvests.
She rubbed her brow and asked, “Is there no way to improve the soil’s fertility?”
Jiang Pengji didn’t have much experience in this area; she hadn’t realized the limitations of ancient farmland fertility; it was truly careless of her.
“Well, there are some methods, but the effects are limited. The best way is still to cultivate for a few years and let the fields rest for a year to naturally recover—”
Jiang Pengji interrupted, “That won’t do; if the fields rest for a year, won’t the grain supply for the common folk and soldiers become tight?”
As soon as her words fell, the officials below also showed worried expressions.
“Reporting to you, my Lord, although the harvest has dropped, it hasn’t fallen drastically. After a few more years of cultivation, we should be fine—”
Jiang Pengji said, “The problem won’t disappear just because you ignore it. If we don’t find a solution now, we’ll have to sort it out later. I’ll think about this some more; you all go find some experienced farmers who know how to cultivate and brainstorm… perhaps we can find a solution.”
