The Slender Waist-Chapter 559 - 399: Do Something Else_2

Last time, that group of clerks came again, following He Qia to learn from the experience, and Wanning County, who had obtained the blueprints, was even more direct—they sent people to find underground water sources to prepare for digging and construction as soon as they went back.

The others were extremely regretful that they hadn’t acted earlier to get the blueprints before Wanning and start work...

Feng Yun didn’t say much but had someone prepare chilled tea in the manor for the clerks when they returned from their visit, inviting them into the hall for a short respite.

When it was time to leave, she had Alou give each person a modest gift—

Sugar produced by the Mingquan Sugar Workshop.

After several months, her family’s sugar had begun to be produced in large quantities, and it was time to open up sales. These clerks were the best broadcasters...

Feng Yun was thorough, leaving no room for criticism.

When Pei Jue came back at night and learned of this, he couldn’t help but feel moved.

"Lady Yun’s intelligence is wasted,"

Feng Yun gave him a glance, "Speak human."

Her rare show of coquettish anger caught Pei Jue’s eye, tugging at his heartstrings. Stirred by feelings he couldn’t pinpoint, he touched her chin with his fingers, caressed it twice, and then leaned down to plant a kiss.

"A woman of such wisdom should indeed be of use to me, solving troubles is..."

Feng Yun curved her lips slightly, giving him a glance.

"What troubles has the Prince encountered? Are those old-fashioned fellows at court still unwilling to let you build water conservancy projects?"

Pei Jue snorted disdainfully.

Feng Yun asked softly, "Or has some beautiful lady entangled you, and you can’t extricate yourself, needing me to step in and clean up the mess?"

Pei Jue looked at her, "Would you?"

"Of course," Feng Yun smiled faintly, opening her hand toward him, "as long as the price is right, there’s nothing I can’t do. To say nothing of cleaning up after you, selling you off is also on the table."

Pei Jue slapped his hand into her palm, and seeing her furrow her brows, he gripped it tightly and pulled her close.

"Does Lady Yun’s library have any records on digging canals?"

Feng Yun had a sudden realization.

He had come to seek wisdom.

"That’s easy," she said with a laugh, her voice coy yet meaningful: "But I also have a request for the General..."

Pei Jue gazed at her, "Let’s hear it?"

Feng Yun said with interest: "As a Village Chief who has made so many contributions to the Great Jin, shouldn’t I also be promoted?"

Pei Jue: "Aren’t titles like Lady of the First Rank and Princess of Yonghuai enough for you?"

Feng Yun hooked her lips, "Those are all empty titles."

They were accessories she had incidentally received due to men, not truly hers.

Pei Jue furrowed his brows, "Our Dynasty has no female officials."

Feng Yun said, "Could the Prince perhaps make an exception?"

Pei Jue was silent, his eyes fixed firmly on her.

Feng Yun looked back at him with a faint smile.

She had brought this up in past, and he had verbally promised her, allowing her to be an official under his command, thus giving her the position of Village Chief, the only female Village Chief in the Great Jin Dynasty.

But a Village Chief was not an official.

She had never truly become one of his officials.

Feng Yun was not in a hurry, nor did she press, nor did she show any hint of disappointment.

She knew what she had touched upon...

It was society’s underlying rules, certain powers that women have been unable to vie for since ancient times...

Pei Jue’s brows knitted slightly, "Is it not good following me?"

As their eyes met, Feng Yun finally said with a smile after a moment: "It’s good following the Prince, but I can’t spend my whole life just doing that one thing."

Pei Jue did not speak, his gaze deep, unmoving for a long time. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

He could never truly enter her heart, never guess what she was thinking.

Feng Yun felt the same.

Guessing someone’s thoughts was the most exhausting task, she had long since stopped trying.

She only spoke of gains and losses.

"I know this request puts the General in a difficult position. The matter is not easy to manage. Just the ministers in court, not to mention the Grand Princess, none of them would agree..."

A heavy atmosphere filled the air.

Pei Jue’s stern face was utterly serious, "You don’t need any of this."

Feng Yun hummed in acknowledgment, gently nodding, "I might not need it, but I want it."

Her eyes were calm, with hardly a ripple in sight.

Not a spoiled plea for favor, nor an arrogance that knew no bounds; she simply desired change. To challenge the rigid norms and to alter the tragic fate that had been predestined for her...

She did not wish for beauty to be her curse.

She smiled again, her eyes curving in delight.

"If there can be a female Village Chief, why not a female county governor, a female General, a female Prime Minister?"

A muscle twitched by Pei Jue’s eye.

"So Lady Yun harbors such ambition?"

It was not ambition.

It was merely the instinct to survive that came with being human.

Feng Yun thought to herself.

But she knew Pei Jue, as a man, would neither understand her nor comprehend her feelings.

A woman should be content with supporting her husband and raising her children; why yearn for more? He must be thinking this at the moment.

He might also wonder, she has been given so much already, why isn’t she satisfied? Glory and wealth belonged to the realm of men; how could a woman covet such things?

Thinking of how Pei Jue probably saw a grotesque and hideous version of herself in his mind, Feng Yun smiled faintly, softly snuggled up, and wrapped her arms around Pei Jue’s waist.

"Your Grace doesn’t need to answer me right away; I’m in no rush. Wait until the day you think my talent is indeed fit for the role, then we can talk."

The half-open window let in a breeze carrying the warmth of the season.

September was still so hot.

Pei Jue looked down at the delicate woman in his arms, his palm resting on her back, patting gently twice, wordlessly offering comfort.

Feng Yun leaned against him, equally silent.

This was the peculiar pair they made... husband and wife.

In moments of intimacy, their passion could destroy worlds, yet during cold spells, they harbored numerous misunderstandings and apprehensions.

Feng Yun’s heart stirred unexpectedly, she raised her arm and with force wrapped it around Pei Jue’s neck—like an eagle, like a wolf, like a predatory she-beast—suddenly biting down on the smooth skin of his Adam’s apple...

Incredibly swift, yet painfully slow, as if to drive a person mad.

Pei Jue gasped and bowed his head.

The curtains of light gauze, the lamplight dim.

The lady’s fair skin was like porcelain, her dark eyes deep and luminous, her thick eyelashes like the wings of a butterfly. Every frown and smile was captivatingly beautiful.

"Lady Yun..."

Pei Jue gripped her waist, lifting her into his chest, pressing down tightly...

It was then that Feng Yun found her opportunity to fiercely bite his lips.

Pei Jue’s eyes were dark, fixed on her, displaying a moment of icy detachment.

"I just wanted to kiss you, irrespective of promotions." Feng Yun’s gaze was seductive, looking at him while she withdrew her tenderness, "Your Grace, don’t misunderstand; this is not a seduction."

"There’s no misunderstanding." Pei Jue’s eyes were piercing, as if to cut through her, "I’d rather it was a seduction."

"Alright then." Feng Yun lifted her eyebrows, pulled his neck to bring him closer, and kissed him, her voice soft by his lips, seemingly unmeltable,

"Your Grace... kill Li Sangruo for me, avenge me?"