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墨書 Inktalez
Unknowingly, it was late September, and the air had turned noticeably colder. In the early morning, a thin layer of frost could already be seen on the leaves of the grass and trees. It looked beautiful, but the ancient heating facilities were truly inadequate!
Let’s not even mention air conditioning or heating; there weren’t even any windows. When autumn and winter arrived, we could only stick paper onto the windows to keep out the cold. Inside, we burned charcoal, but to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning, we dared not close the windows tightly. In short: it was freezing!
During the Chongyang Night Banquet, among the gifts sent by the nobles, there were actually quite a few good materials—both in style and quality. Some were said to have been transported directly from Chang'an City; how could we find such things here in Yichuan County? Han Meilan and I were quite taken with these materials, but the stingy Luo Dachun refused to let us take them for free. Left with no choice, we had to dig into our own pockets to supplement the “embezzled” funds as relief money for the disaster victims.
“These materials are really great! Let’s use them to make winter clothes!” Han Meilan exclaimed excitedly. “Liuying, you’d look good in pink; I like white; my cousin prefers blue; and this black one… Brother Nie almost only wears black…”
Mentioning Brother Nie made Han Meilan’s face flush slightly, which stirred up my anger. Moreover, she actually thought I suited such a garish color—this was simply intolerable!
“Melan, there’s really no need to make so many women’s clothes. Think about it; we rarely have opportunities to wear women’s clothing, right? And besides, you shouldn’t do it all by yourself.”
“Why not?” Han Meilan was very surprised because her sewing skills were quite good; we had all worn clothes she had made. This woman was practically a battle-ready model of a virtuous wife.
I wished I could personally sew clothes for my beloved man, but I simply couldn’t do it. So how could I let my crush wear something she made?
“You need to focus on providing relief for the disaster victims and managing funds and supplies; don’t waste your thoughts on these matters. And think about it: if everyone were like you and insisted on doing everything themselves, what would happen to the tailors? We should send everything to the shop so they can earn a living too.” I smiled.
Han Meilan nodded repeatedly. “You really think of everything! How could I be so foolish not to realize this? Alright then, I’ll sort out the materials and send them over!”
Soon enough, we were both dressed in carefully tailored autumn and winter garments from an old tailor shop. Although our clothes were thicker now, they did little to fend off the penetrating chill that seeped into our bones.
Before I knew it, night had fallen deeply. I wore a padded light pink long robe with autumn clothes underneath that I had designed for someone else to make. Sigh, my mother never forced me to wear long underwear, but how could one survive without it?
The lights in the room were bright as I focused intently on my drawing. As I sketched away, I forgot about the cold and lost track of time until a voice suddenly jolted me awake.
“What are you drawing?”
I jerked my head up abruptly, causing my brush to fall onto the paper and create a blot of ink on the white sheet. Annoyed, I shot a sideways glance at the Elegant Robed Masked Man standing silently behind me.
"Could you not appear like a ghost every time?"
"I've been standing here for a while and even coughed. What are you so focused on?"
"I don't remember calling for you today."
"If you don't look for me, can I not come?" Night Phantom couldn't help but laugh. "It's already midnight. I walked by and noticed your light was still on."
"I was thinking about building an irrigation canal. Didn't Nie Qiuyuan appoint me as the Dragon King? I'm pondering how to fulfill that role."
Night leaned in curiously. "I think he was just talking nonsense. Do you really have that capability?"
"Although it's dry here, there is a river passing through. If we use the right methods to build an irrigation canal and direct the water to the fields, it would be convenient, right? But I remember that building an irrigation canal isn't something you can do haphazardly. The location of the water intake is crucial; otherwise, the biggest problem will be silt buildup. If we can't effectively manage the silt, all our efforts in building the canal will be in vain, as it will just get filled up with sand."
My knowledge about irrigation was only at the level of having "seen pigs run."
"It's rare to see you so dedicated," Night said, somewhat moved. "Every time I see you, I discover parts of you I didn't understand before. You are truly interesting!"
I pouted. I'm not your toy.
"Don't worry, I'll discuss this with Qiu when I return. There is a Water Department in the court; we can submit a proposal to the Luozhou Governor regarding the irrigation canal project. If they find it feasible, they will naturally send knowledgeable people to assist us. When that time comes, you'll be able to communicate with them and surely succeed," Night smiled.
"You didn't come just to spy on me, did you?" I felt quite frustrated. If I had called him over, even if I planned to sleep early, I would have waited dressed perfectly without any flaws. But then I realized he sometimes took it upon himself to silently appear by my bedside, which made it difficult for me since I was used to sleeping naked!
Of course, ever since arriving in ancient times, I hadn't dared to sleep naked.
Night Phantom's playful gaze turned serious as he said, "If you hadn't mentioned it, I would have only focused on how interesting you are. I'm here tonight because there's a case I want to discuss with you. I've noticed Liao Jue has been quite hesitant about this case, so I came to ask for your thoughts."
"Oh? What case?" I was instantly fired up by this exciting news and grabbed his sleeve.
Night smiled helplessly. "Only you would dare to treat me like this. There's really no way to deal with you. Sit down. Aren't you going to offer something good to eat and drink?"
I flattered him by brewing some tea and presenting a plate of my secret stash of Candied Fruit. Honestly, I wasn't sure why I felt so excited; my first reaction wasn't because I was happy to help the person I cared about.
It was quite strange.
"Hmm? This Candied Fruit is delicious. I only got to eat one when someone sent it over, and then it disappeared. Turns out you stole it! You're better at stealing than I am!"
"Alright, you've eaten enough. Hurry up and tell me about the case!" I didn't have time to think about how I had secretly taken the Candied Fruit right after it was served; I wondered when Night Phantom had managed to eat one.
"Last night, a woman went to the Yichuan County Office to beat the drum, crying out for her brother's injustice. Her brother, Liu Danqing, was just twenty last year, exceptionally talented, and had already passed the provincial examination. Yagyu committed a capital crime and has been in prison since early spring, awaiting execution in the fall. But after the county magistrate changed, the case was put on hold. You know that recently, Qiu Yuan has been focused on reviewing cases of prisoners."
I nodded. "But shouldn't death row inmates be prioritized for trial? Why has it taken so long for Liu Danqing's case to be heard? The number of prisoners in the jail seems to be decreasing; haven't they investigated enough?"
"When we received the petition this autumn, we realized there was indeed something amiss." Night looked into my eyes. "You're quite right; death row inmates are indeed supposed to be tried first. Liu Danqing killed someone; there were witnesses, evidence, and he himself confessed without hesitation. However, after reviewing that Old Case File, Qiu felt something was off, so he decided to put this case on hold."
I looked at him curiously as he continued, "Since someone has beaten the drum, it's better to resolve this case quickly. So today I'm here to discuss the details with you and see what your thoughts are."
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