The rain grew heavier and heavier.
The people who lived close to the hillside were affected, and a large amount of mud poured down. The Bochang Reservoir was the largest reservoir in the capital. The irrigation of the farmland in the capital relied on this reservoir. However, the storm was fierce and the water in the reservoir overflowed, so there was a risk of conflict. Xuan Li led his men to control the flood and temporarily suppressed the rising tide.
In the Zhuangyuan's Mansion, the young zhuangyuan was standing in front of the window, looking at the rain with a frown.
Liu Furen walked in with a bowl of brown sugar and ginger soup. She placed the bowl on the table. Seeing Liu Min like this, she sighed and said, "What kind of sin did you commit? You harmed so many people for no reason." They were originally commoners, so they could empathize with the sufferings of the common people. If Liu Min had not entered the court as an official, they would probably be destitute like the common people, suffering from hunger and cold.
Liu Min patted Madam Liu's shoulder and comforted her, "Mother, don't worry. Everything will pass."
"If it wasn't for General Zhao distributing food for the disaster relief, who knows how many more people would have starved to death." Liu Furen sighed. "General Zhao is a good official. In the imperial court, you should get closer to him."
Liu Min nodded. However, if the rain continued to pour, there would come a day when Zhao Guang would run out of money. This matter could only solve the problem at hand, but was not a long-term solution. He remembered that a few days ago, the Eighth Prince had enthusiastically asked him about his views on the flood. It seemed that the Eighth Prince wanted to help contain the flood. But how could a person who truly cared about the world consider everything like him?
Liu Min sighed almost imperceptibly. The waters of the Imperial Court were not shallow. Only those who were involved in it would understand how difficult it was to act in a proper manner.
For more than ten days, the distribution of porridge never stopped. The capital gradually calmed down. If there was any new news, it would be that the city guards had caught a group of bandits disguised as refugees in Chongxin Village in the east of the city. That day, the city guards did not have enough men, so the Garrison Commander borrowed a group of men from the Capital Magistrate. When they arrived at Chong Xin Village, a fierce battle ensued. With great difficulty, they subdued the bandits and threw them into prison. But in one night, all the bandits committed suicide to escape punishment.
The citizens of the capital clapped their hands in joy, but at the same time, they were worried. The city was not peaceful, and their lives in the future would be even more difficult. On the other hand, the capital's garrison troops felt proud and elated because of this matter.
In the middle of the Ruan Ju, Jiang Ruan was leaning against the couch and embroidering. In the past, because of Zhang Lan's family's coercion, she had embroidered day and night, and her hands had developed dead calluses. Now that she had been reborn, she hated the fact that her previous life and death had left her with mutilated limbs riddled with scars. In this life, she was unwilling to leave even a single scar on her body. Thus, when she returned to the Jiang fu, she tossed aside her embroidery. These days, the dead calluses on her hands had all fallen off, and they became white and tender again. They looked like the hands of a noble family's young lady. Only then did she start to tidy up these things again.
Lu Zhu walked in from outside, and after looking around to make sure that there was no one around, she approached Jiang Ruan and quietly said, "Miss, someone from the General fu has arrived and wants to see the person who gave the congee."
Jiang Ruan smiled slightly, "Is it someone from the General fu?"
"There is a seal, it doesn't look fake." Dewdrop said, "Miss, how do we reply to them?"
Jiang Ruan put down the embroidery in her hands and picked up the celadon teacup on the side. Gently stroking the rim of the teacup, she said, "Just say that I will personally pay a visit tomorrow morning."
"Young lady?" Dewdrop was startled.
Jiang Ruan said, "Go."
The Zhao family, since they had made such a request, they had already made up their mind to meet the person. It was just as well. The day of Jiang Xin Zhi's return to the fu was getting closer, and it would be too difficult for her to do it alone. The bargaining chip was laid out in the open, and it would depend on whether the Zhao family was willing to do this favor.
When the Zhao family in the capital received this news, Zhao Guang's expression was solemn. A few days ago, Zhao Yi had detained a group of refugees at Chong Xin Village. According to Zhao Yi, those people were imperial guards who were skilled in martial arts, and were definitely not ordinary refugees. Moreover, in one night, all of them had committed suicide to escape punishment. Presumably, it was not a simple matter. As for who had done this, Zhao Guang could also guess a little. He had heard that the gates of the Eighth Prince's fu in the capital had been tightly shut, and that a large number of imperial guards had been executed.
As for the young lady that Zhao Yi said he had met, Zhao Guang and his sons all believed that the person behind the scenes and the person who gave the congee were definitely the same person. Based on Xuan Li's actions, that person should be opposing Xuan Li. To the Zhao family, this person had also helped the Zhao family several times. But now, they could not be too sure. The identity of the other party was still uncertain. What if it was Xuan Li's doing? They had sent someone to the place where the congee was given and requested to meet the person behind the scenes to test the waters, but the other party said that they would visit the next day. This kind of action was really unfathomable.
Zhao Yuan Jia said, "Father, since that person dared to visit, he must have made sufficient preparations. Should we also make some arrangements?"
"There is no need," Zhao Yuan Ping's shrewd eyes flashed with a hint of contemplation. "I think that the other party is doing this to show that he has no ill intentions. At least, he will not start a conflict with us in the General's fu."
"Who cares if he has a conflict or not," Zhao Yuan Feng said unconcernedly. "What is there to be afraid of when we raise people in the General's fu? Whether he is a god or a ghost, won't he be well-behaved if we beat him up first?"
"Shut up," Zhao Guang was angered by Zhao Yuan Feng's words and glared at him. "Can't you f * cking grow some brains? Second Brother is right, but to prevent that person from playing any tricks, we should first settle down your mother, Madam, Yulong and the others. "
"Second Brother," Zhao Yuan Feng nudged the smartest Zhao Yuan Ping, "Who do you think that person is?"
"I don't know," Zhao Yuan Ping shook his head. "We have seen all of Father's colleagues, it cannot be one of them. In any case, we will know who it is tomorrow. "
That night, the Zhao family did not sleep well. Early the next morning, Jiang Ruan left in a horse carriage. Lin Zi Xiang would send her an invitation every few days. Xia Yan wanted to maintain the appearance of a gentle, considerate, and loving mother, so she had no reason to stop her. Moreover, she had been busy with Jiang Su Su's affairs these past few days. Jiang Quan's attitude had softened, so Jiang Su Su did not have to go to the family temple. However, Jiang Su Su had not been able to sleep well for more than half a month. She kept saying that there was a ghost knocking on the door in the middle of the night. She had invited many doctors, but none of them had any effect. Xia Yan was extremely worried.
Ever since the General's fu had won the Emperor's praise by giving out porridge, his colleagues in the officialdom had taken advantage of the situation. For a time, the entrance of the General's fu had been crowded with visitors. Today, they had specially replied to all the invitations, specifically waiting for that one person.
A green-grey horse carriage rumbled as it came to a stop in front of the General's fu.
From inside, a tall young girl dressed as a maidservant jumped down and said a few words to the manservant who was guarding the door. The manservant hurriedly left. After a moment, Zhao Yi strode out from the door, followed by a few sturdy bodyguards. When he saw the maidservant, he was slightly startled. Then, he stared at the horse carriage that had stopped at the door.
The maidservant walked to the side of the horse carriage, stood on tiptoe, and said a few words. The curtain of the horse carriage was lifted, and another person dressed as a maidservant jumped down from inside.
Zhao Yi frowned. Why did this person bring along two maidservants? Why did they look like women?
Immediately after, the tall maidservant supported the person in the horse carriage and walked out. It was an old woman with a stooped figure. Her eyes were blindfolded with a black cloth. She looked like a blind person, and was supported by the tall maidservant to one side.
Zhao Yi's eyes widened, and it was difficult for him to conceal the shock in his heart. Could it be that it was this blind old woman? This was really too shocking. He carefully sized up the old woman, but did not find anything special about her. He became even more suspicious.
"Gongzi?" A gentle voice came from the front. Only then did Zhao Yi discover that while he was staring at the blind old woman, another person had unknowingly alighted from the horse carriage. She was wearing a bamboo hat, and her face could not be seen. However, that voice belonged to a woman, and it sounded somewhat familiar.
He did not expect that the person who had come to the General fu would actually be a woman. Zhao Yi stared blankly for a moment, and then said, "Miss, please follow me."
The four people followed Zhao Yi into the fu. Zhao Yi was naturally astonished. Since it was a woman, two maidservants were enough, but why had she also brought along a blind woman? Why?
Just as he was thinking, that person suddenly reached out and took off the bamboo hat, revealing a familiar face.
Zhao Yi was tongue-tied, "It's you!"
"It's me." Jiang Ruan smiled faintly, "Zhao daren, I trust you have been well since we last met."
For a moment, Zhao Yi blushed. Looking at the young girl's bright and beautiful face, he stuttered and felt ashamed in his heart. After all, the other party was only a young girl of about ten years of age. In any case, he was almost twenty. How could he blush at the sight of a young girl? He suddenly thought of something and asked in surprise, "The person who gave out the porridge was you?"
"It wasn't me." Jiang Ruan said. Seeing Zhao Yi's relieved expression, she added, "It was someone I hired."
"You you you you you …." Zhao Yi stuttered, "Who are you?"
"Zhao daren, no matter what, I saved your life once." Jiang Ruan smiled, "I will not harm you."
Zhao Yi did not speak. Now that the situation in the capital was so chaotic, there were many people who were eyeing the Zhao family covetously. Who knew whether this was another trap? However, Zhao Yi had inherited his father Zhao Yuanjia's temperament, gentle and upright. He understood the principle of repaying kindness, so he cupped his hands in greeting, "Miss's life-saving grace, I will definitely repay it in the future." Strangely, he felt a special sense of closeness towards Jiang Ruan. His intuition told him that this young girl in front of him would not harm the Zhao family. He had many questions, but when he saw Jiang Ruan's smiling profile, he swallowed them back down. These questions, when they reached the hall, would naturally be asked by Zhao Guang and his uncles.
Zhao Yi led the four of them towards the main hall of the General fu. Compared to the exquisite Jiang fu, the General fu appeared to be more imposing and magnificent. The guards in the fu also looked very powerful. When Jiang Ruan and the others walked past, they could not help but secretly cast their gazes over.
Lian Qiao and Bai Zhi were somewhat nervous, but Zhou momo's body was slightly trembling. Jiang Ruan could not help but laugh in her heart. Zhao Guang had indeed put in a lot of effort for her to come here. The guards here treated her as if they were facing a great enemy, so they must have some ability.
When they reached the hall, Zhao Yi took the lead and walked in. Zhao Guang sat on the main seat, his entire person naturally exuding the aura of a general. It was an oppressive aura that came from the baptism of countless battles, and it caused people to feel an inexplicable chill. Zhao Yuanjia, Zhao Yuanping, and Zhao Yuan Feng sat on either side. Zhao Yuanjia was upright and steady, Zhao Yuan Ping was shrewd and farsighted, and Zhao Yuan Feng was unrestrained and unrestrained. The three sons of the Zhao family, on the other hand, did not seem to be ordinary people.
Zhao Yi walked in with large strides and gestured to the people in the hall. That was their secret signal, meaning that there was no danger.
Zhao Yi rushed outside and said, "Miss, please come in."
Jiang Ruan lifted her feet and walked inside.
Zhao Guang and his three sons frowned and looked towards the entrance of the hall. They saw a young girl dressed in red walking in slowly. She was dressed in a maroon red robe embroidered with the Four Happiness Ruyi pattern, a light red silk skirt embroidered with gold, and a colorful embroidered cicada wing muslin embroidered with the Four Happiness Ruyi pattern. Her long hair was coiled into an elegant and unique bun, and she wore an amber lapis bracelet on her wrist. A soft silk sash was tied around her waist, and an embroidered incense pouch hung from it. On her feet, she wore embroidered shoes scattered with butterflies. This young girl looked to be at most eleven or twelve years old, but she was astonishingly beautiful. Her facial features were bright and beautiful, but she did not appear frivolous. Instead, she had a calm beauty.
However, this was not the most surprising thing.
She smiled as she walked step by step towards them.
Zhao Guang looked at her in shock, and his three sons also sat up abruptly and stared at her.
As she walked closer and closer, Zhao Guang stood up abruptly. His eyes widened and his lips trembled uncontrollably as he called out in a low voice, "Mei-er."
Zhao Yuan Jia and the other two had long been dumbfounded.
Similar, too similar. An appearance too similar to Zhao Mei's.
Even if Jiang Ruan only inherited sixty to seventy percent of Zhao Mei's looks, in the General's fu, where there were more men, Jiang Ruan looked too similar to Zhao Mei. Zhao Yuan Jia and the other two had not seen Zhao Mei for many years, but in their memories, Zhao Mei was at this age. She loved to wear red, and she was as passionate as fire. She would laugh, run, and pester her brothers to ride with her.
She had already passed away, and her face was forever sealed in their memories. Now that they saw Jiang Ruan, they felt as if they were reuniting with an old friend.
And the one who suffered the greatest impact was Zhao Guang.
His lips moved, but he could not say a word.
Jiang Ruan's gaze swept over them, and she took in all their expressions. Regarding the Zhao family, in fact, in both her past and present life, she had never really come into contact with them. However, when she was young, Zhao Mei often told her about the General's fu, about her coarse and stubborn maternal grandfather, her uncles with different personalities, and about the happy times Zhao Mei had lived with these brothers and their parents. Even if it was just a description, Jiang Ruan could imagine how beautiful that scene was.
At that time, Jiang Ruan would always ask Zhao Mei, "Why did grandfather and the others not come to see us?"
Zhao Mei's brows were shrouded in a layer of melancholy, "It's mother's fault. Mother made a mistake and is not worthy of their forgiveness."
Originally, she did not understand what Zhao Mei meant, but now that she thought about it, it was just a woman's most sorrowful pain. In this world, was there anything more miserable than abandoning one's loved ones, only to find out that they were jackals and wolves?
She was born in a civil family and was used to a life of scheming and scheming. She yearned for what Zhao Mei had said about being straightforward in the General's fu, and if she had any dissatisfaction, she would come out and fight it out. Unfortunately, until the end of her life in her past life, she did not have the opportunity to see the General's fu with her own eyes. She only received the news that their entire family had been executed.
Now, in this life, she was stepping on the real land of the General's fu.
She smiled and spoke softly, "General Zhao."
The words "General Zhao" pulled Zhao Guang back from his thoughts. The young girl in front of him looked too similar to Zhao Mei, but upon closer inspection, it was not entirely so. On the surface, Zhao Mei appeared to be passionate, but in reality, her temperament was gentle and soft, with a kind of naivety that was ignorant of worldly affairs. And this young girl was clearly also dressed in red, a fiery red color, but it gave off a cold feeling. In her eyes, there was a depth and vicissitudes of life that did not match her age. Although her smile was gentle, her temperament was too cold, too cold.
She was not Zhao Mei.
"Who are you?" Zhao Yuan Feng, who had the most irritable temperament, stood up, "Why do you look so similar to my sister?!"
Among the sons of the Zhao family, Zhao Yuan Feng and Zhao Mei had the best relationship. Zhao Yuan Jia was more than ten years older than Zhao Mei and had always been a caring elder brother. Zhao Yuan Ping was intelligent and farsighted. Although he usually doted on Zhao Mei, he did not know how to make her happy. Only Zhao Yuan Feng and his brother had a passionate and uninhibited temperament. Their age difference was not too big, and they climbed trees and rode horses together. Zhao Yuan Feng and Zhao Mei had such a good relationship. Now that he saw Jiang Ruan, he was naturally very excited.
Jiang Ruan smiled and glanced at him, "Little Maternal Uncle?"
As if struck by lightning, Zhao Yuan Feng retreated two steps and pointed at Jiang Ruan, "You called me Uncle?"
Zhao Yuan Jia and Zhao Yuan Ping's expressions changed as they looked at Jiang Ruan in disbelief. Zhao Guang's body also trembled violently.
Jiang Ruan ignored the astonished gazes of the crowd, "I am the one who gives out porridge under the Zhao family's banner. I am also the eldest di daughter of the Jiang family, Jiang family's Ruan niang."
She smiled and said, "According to our relationship, I should greet you." She lightly bowed and said, "Ruan niang greets maternal grandfather, Eldest Maternal Uncle, Second Maternal Uncle, Little Maternal Uncle."
Zhao Yi, who had been watching from the sidelines, finally called out, "You are Gu Gu's daughter?"
He had always known that his father had a younger sister and he had an Gu Gu. However, this Gu Gu was a taboo in the Zhao family. When he was born, Gu Gu was no longer in the fu, so he had never seen this Gu Gu. He had only heard bits and pieces from the mouths of the wet nurses and Mama. Now, this little girl who had saved him once was actually Gu Gu's daughter?
Jiang Ruan looked at him, "You have worked hard, Eldest Biao Ge."
The father and son of the Zhao family looked at her, shocked and speechless.
Lian Qiao gently pressed on Zhou momo's hand. Zhou momo understood and rushed forward to kneel down, crying, "Master, Master, do you still remember this servant? At that time, it was you and Furen who instructed this servant to follow Miss to the Jiang family! "
"Zhou momo?" Zhao Guang was stunned for a moment. At that time, Zhao Mei had insisted on marrying into the Jiang family, even at the cost of severing all ties with the Zhao family. On that day, when they had packed their luggage and left the fu, he and Furen had called for Zhou Ying to stay by Zhao Mei's side.
In the blink of an eye, more than ten years had passed.
"How did you end up like this?" Zhao Guang frowned. At that time, Zhou momo had been a complete person, but now, it seemed that she had become blind. Her body also did not look well, as if she had just recovered from a serious illness.
"It was the vicious Jiang family who did this," Zhou momo said, "The Jiang family harmed Miss, but it was Little Miss who saved this old servant's life. Not only did the Jiang family harm Little Miss, they also harmed Little Miss's son and daughter. Master, please save Little Miss!" As she finished speaking, she fiercely kowtowed to Zhao Guang.
Jiang Ruan ordered Baizhi to help Zhou momo up and looked at Zhao Guang. Zhao Guang's expression was one of shock. In an instant, his face turned ashen. He gritted his teeth and said, "Jiang Quan!"
"It is my biological father," Jiang Ruan said indifferently, "General, please help Ruan niang."
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