The Slender Waist-Chapter 548 - 390: Really Dares to Think

Jin Ge’s heart clenched, and his eyelids twitched rapidly.

For a moment, he almost dared not meet Ren Rude’s eyes.

A surge of blood rushed to his head.

He had even thought through how to escape once Ren Rude learned of his betrayal of Xiao Cheng.

Then he heard Ren Rude laugh teasingly.

"Don’t think I don’t know about your little schemes. Haven’t you been flirting quite a bit with Kong Yun’e from the clothing workshop?"

Jin Ge’s heart skipped a beat and then returned to normal.

He wasn’t sure whether Ren Rude was intentionally probing or had mentioned it inadvertently, but even with the greatest of care, his interactions with Kong Yun’e couldn’t completely hide their mutual understanding from someone as cunning as Ren Rude.

It was impossible to deceive Ren Rude.

He simply admitted it.

"As a humble bachelor, even if I have thoughts, I dare not act recklessly. I wouldn’t dare betray the trust His Majesty has placed in me."

"What’s wrong with that?" Ren Rude stood up and patted his shoulder, "Love between a man and a woman is the natural way of the world. If you truly had no desires, not coveting women, I would have to be wary of you."

With that, he burst into laughter again.

"In the future, when you seek out Kong Yun’e, don’t sneak around. Be open about it. If you’re truly interested, go to Changmen and ask the Village Chief’s wife to speak on your behalf. I’ll explain everything to His Majesty for you."

Jin Ge was startled and dared not agree, muttering:

"How could that be proper?"

"What’s not proper about it?" Ren Rude turned and asked in response, "Although Kong Yun’e has a son, she is already a widow. In both the north and the south, there are no prohibitions against a widow remarrying. You’re an unmarried man, why act so coy and bashful?"

Jin Ge was thoroughly lectured by Ren Rude. He felt a touch dizzy and found the heat even more oppressing as he came out of the house, soaked as if he had just been pulled out of water.

-

That afternoon, Pei Jue returned from Andu on horseback.

Zuo Zhong and Jiu You were still the only ones following him. After returning to his residence, Feng Yun was still flipping through books inside.

Pondering over something, a pile of books lay on the ground around her; her forehead was sweaty, her brow furrowed in worry, and the pen in her hand was moist with perspiration.

The heat hit him as he walked in, and Pei Jue, opening his outer garment, sat next to her in his inner clothes, "Why are you reading these trivial books?"

The reason Pei Jue considered these books trivial was simply because they were trivial.

Feng Yun was attempting to find a solution to the drought from the books her mother had left behind. Unfortunately, so far, no useful scheme had surfaced.

Some related to water conservancy and irrigation required a large amount of labor and resources, particularly difficult to employ at the present moment...

She put down the books, then turned to Pei Jue to discuss important matters.

"I’ve found someone on Yecheng’s side, Zheng Shoushan’s brother-in-law, quite suitable."

Pei Jue saw her determined gaze, confident in her plan, and without asking further, said, "The Imperial Court forbids trade with Yecheng merchants. Are you intending to break the law deliberately to lure out the fish?"

Feng Yun smiled, "Don’t worry, not a single coal ball will end up in Li Zongxun’s hands."

Pei Jue nodded, casually picking up one of her books to browse through.

It was then that Feng Yun remembered she hadn’t answered Pei Jue’s initial question about why she was reading those trivial books.

"Have you noticed how long it’s been since it last rained?"

Pei Jue replied, "It’s harvest season, good for drying the rice grain. Isn’t it fortuitous that it hasn’t rained?"

Feng Yun shook her head, "It should be the thunderstorm season, yet there’s not a drop of rain. Huaxi is drying up, the water level in Changhe is dropping, and even the village wells are yielding less water."

She stared into Pei Jue’s eyes.

"If this continues, disaster will strike."

Pei Jue knew all too well.

Although he claimed to be choosing a location for construction, he had actually been listening to He Qia drone on about this matter every day.

He looked at Feng Yun’s slightly furrowed brow, sighed, and wrapped his arms around her waist, motioning her to come closer.

"You worry too much," he said.

Feng Yun looked up at him, "Do you find me meddlesome?"

Pei Jue shook his head.

The charming, graceful young woman, so tender and alluring, was supposed to enjoy the serenity of the inner palace, but she was busy from dawn to dusk. Domestic affairs, state affairs, the affairs of the whole world – she pondered everything.

This version of her was very different from who she had been in her previous life.

He couldn’t figure her out, often feeling she was not quite real.

And he didn’t know what she ultimately wanted...

Pei Jue was silent for a moment, then said indifferently, "You should also worry about me."

Feng Yun curved her lips into a smile, gazing at the obscure light in his eyes and laughed softly.

"Haven’t you been busy selecting a location for the summer palace recently?"

Pei Jue’s expression was disdainful, "Just for show."

Oh?

Feng Yun was quite surprised, "You won’t build it?"

Pei Jue hummed softly, "It would drain resources and labor."

Feng Yun paused before realizing, praising his astuteness.

If the summer palace wasn’t built, it would seem inappropriate for the Young Emperor to stay in Andu indefinitely.

Yet constructing it, given the current national situation, would indeed be a major undertaking, a wasteful diversion of effort.

She elegantly poured a cup of iced tea, slowly placing it in front of Pei Jue.

"If the officials at court ask about it, how will you respond? The matter is there; it can be delayed for a day or two, but surely not indefinitely, right?"

Pei Jue said, "Andu is the auxiliary capital, as established in the charter. But the summer palace doesn’t need to be built immediately."

Delay would grant room to maneuver.

Feng Yun approved of his idea, her smile indicating agreement before changing the subject to discuss some trivial household matters.

Pei Jue just listened, seldom speaking.

After a good moment, he finally asked, "How has Hou Zhun been these past few days?"

Only then did Feng Yun remember that she hadn’t reported this to him, and she laughed again:

"Your Highness, you’ve truly helped me out this time. These well-trained soldiers get the work done much more efficiently than the refugees we recruit along the way—they follow orders and are twice as effective."

Pei Jue asked, "You had them mining coal?"

Feng Yun countered, "Is that not okay?"

Pei Jue: ...

He had thought Feng Yun would use them for military training and hadn’t expected her to actually employ them as laborers.

Seeing him lost in thought and silent, perhaps thinking she was wasting resources, Feng Yun reassured him with a smile, "Don’t worry, Your Highness, let them stay in the mines for a while. If a better job comes up, I’ll reassign them."

Pei Jue showed no particular expression. "Since I’ve given them to you, you can manage them as you wish."

Listening to this, Feng Yun felt that something about his words wasn’t quite right.

Why did it sound as though he had given his own people to her?

But Hou Zhun was clearly from Qi— a bandit, an enemy of the Northern Yong Army with whom they had fought real battles. He had even led an assault down the mountain in an attempt to assassinate Pei Jue...

She gazed at Pei Jue intently.

"So, was Hou Zhun originally planning to defect to the Northern Yong Army?"

Pei Jue thought for a moment, then shook his head.

Possibly aware of the contradiction in his statement and not wanting to arouse Feng Yun’s suspicions, he fell silent for a while before adding, "Hou Zhun is trustworthy. Lady Yun can make good use of him."

Feng Yun stared into his eyes for a long time before slowly responding.

"I guess there must be some unspeakable connection between you and Hou Zhun..."

Pei Jue froze, seeing himself reflected in her eyes.

"Lady Yun..."

Feng Yun let out a slight smile.

Just then, the thought had suddenly crossed her mind, and even she found it absurd.

What kind of relationship could there be between Pei Jue and Hou Zhun?

She shook her head and laughed at herself first.

"I’ve been wondering how Your Highness convinced Hou Zhun and why you were so certain he could be trusted wholeheartedly. You even seemed reluctant to let me use them as laborers, but now I am not puzzled anymore."

Pei Jue grunted, asking calmly, "Why not?"

Feng Yun said, "If Boya and Ziqi could find immediate kinship and become confidants, can’t you and Hou Zhun do the same? Boya had his Ziqi, you have your Hou Zhun—there’s nothing unusual about that."

Pei Jue: ...

He had initially been contemplating an excuse to prevent Feng Yun’s wild speculations, but now it seemed unnecessary to offer any further explanation.

-

The night meal that day consisted of broomcorn millet rice accompanied by some roasted lamb and a jug of Ling Wine.

Incongruous with the wars and turmoil, there were numerous ways to brew wine, and all kinds of alcoholic drinks were plentiful, never missing from the tables of nobles and great families.

Ling Wine was one of the famous ones.

Pei Jue glanced at it, "Where did this come from?"

Feng Yun said, "Mr. Ren brought it."

Pei Jue knew she associated with Ren Rude but did not inquire further. It was as if he was deliberately avoiding the topic, and with a grunt, he sat down to eat.

The two of them each lost in their own thoughts, the meal passed in relative silence.

The candlelight was bright, flickering shadows against the walls, casting a warm yellow halo.

In the air, the aroma of wine, food, and the scent of a woman...

Pei Jue drank a few more cups unnoticed, feeling slightly tipsy, and when he saw Feng Yun put down her chopsticks and head for the study, he suddenly reached out to hold her back.

"Lady Yun..."

Feng Yun looked at his slightly reddened eyes and chuckled softly, winking at him.

"Later."

Pei Jue said, "I have a plan for the agricultural irrigation. Would you like to hear it?"

Only then did Feng Yun realize she had misunderstood, and with a soft chuckle, she said.

"I would love to hear the details."

Pei Jue quietly said, "Building a canal to lead the Huaishui to the Changhe."

Feng Yun was taken aback by his serious expression.

"That’s a huge project. Your Highness isn’t just talking because of the wine, are you?"

Pei Jue gave her a glance and remained silent.

Feng Yun calmed the surge of excitement within her and took a deep breath.

"That’s quite an ambitious thought."

The Changhe and Huaishui are parallel river systems with weak regulation capacity—especially where they intersect, which currently falls under the jurisdiction of the Yecheng Imperial Court. Moreover, the nearest tributary of Changhe from Huaishui is more than a hundred li away...

To dig a man-made canal would be an incredibly difficult task.

Indeed, Feng Yun had come across such a notion in some ’idle reading’ before.

But upon further thought, it still seemed a bit mad.

She said, "Your Highness need not go to such lengths..."

Pei Jue said, "It’s not for your sake."

He slowly stood up, "If Andu is to become a true auxiliary capital, this canal is necessary."

A glint of joyful laughter passed fleetingly through Feng Yun’s eyes before it faded.

"Building a palace already strains the people and drains the wealth—how could the ministers and the Empress Dowager allow you to dig canals and carve out a man-made river?"