Jeune Premier ministre, un ermite

Chapitre 54

As if knowing her feelings, Li Tianqi gently patted her back and took out two silver ingots, placing them in the old woman's hand.

The old man raised his old eyes and stared for a long time before coming to his senses. He then bent his knees and knelt down heavily.

"Grandpa, please get up quickly." Li Tianqi reached out and helped the old man up. "Grandpa, have you encountered any difficulties?"

"Young master, thank you very much. My wife and daughters are all dead, I have nowhere to go, and I am barely surviving. I have no hope or hope. Why do you have to help this useless person?" The old man's clear-headed answer surprised everyone. From his words, it was clear that this old man must have some status.

Wei Zijun stepped forward and asked softly, "Old man, judging from your accent, you should be from the Central Plains. Why have you ended up here?"

“Young master, you must know about that war. Our small village was trampled by iron hooves. My wife and daughters all died in the war, and our home was destroyed. I did not want to live, but Qi Lang repeatedly persuaded me to stay, so I fled here with the villagers and have survived until now.”

"Are all the villagers here?" If they are, it wouldn't be difficult for her to provide relief.

"More than that, there were at least a thousand people." The old man sighed and continued, "After the war, bandits roamed freely, and officials extorted money from the people to protect the city walls. Agriculture was impossible, the wilderness was desolate, the people were impoverished, and the granaries were empty. Fortunately, Qilang led everyone to build a fortified village. While farming, we fought against the bandits. A thousand people lived together, ate and slept together, and managed to find a peaceful corner of the land. But then disaster struck. A great fire set by the bandits destroyed the fortified village. The villagers fled overnight, penniless and with winter approaching, they had no way to keep warm, so they had no choice but to flee to Jiangnan to escape the cold."

A thousand people! How is the imperial court handling disaster relief? Wei Zijun raised her handsome eyes to Li Tianqi, silently questioning him.

Looking at her questioning gaze, Li Tianqi smiled bitterly to himself. He hadn't done this job; he had only just learned about it. However, her sharp gaze was extremely impressive and had a regal air about it. He thought that if he were to become emperor, he would be a good one.

"Old folks, with so many of you, how do you make a living?" Li Tianqi asked worriedly.

The old man sighed softly, "It's all because of that Qilang. He leads some young and strong men to the docks to find some manual labor, earn a meager amount of money, buy some rice, and feed these nearly a thousand people. But there are too many people and not enough rice, and sometimes they don't even have a meal a day. We old bones also want to share the burden. While that child is away, we come out to beg for some food and drink. Even if we only fill our own stomachs, we can save food for a few people."

"Old folks, you've suffered so much." Li Tianqi sighed, reached into his sleeve, took out several gold ingots, and was about to place them in the old man's hands.

Wei Zijun reached out to stop Li Tianqi, "Second brother, don't wrong your sister-in-law, keep these for later use."

Just as he was about to reach into his robes, he was startled by an angry shout.

"Sixth Uncle, don't embarrass the Zhang family."

A young man in blue robes walked up to the group. He had a dark, ruddy face, thick eyebrows, and large eyes that gleamed with anger as he stared at the old man. "I told you not to come out begging! Why didn't you listen?"

"Seventh Brother, why are you back at this time?" the old man asked, sounding somewhat downcast.

The man's tone softened slightly: "I went to buy rice today, and when I came back I couldn't find you. I knew you were here, so I came out."

After a moment's hesitation, he turned to Li Tianqi, clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Zhang Zhisheng thanks you for your kindness, young master. I appreciate it, and I will take my leave now."

After saying this, he reached out to help the villagers, without glancing at Wei Zijun once.

Wei Zijun chuckled inwardly. Perhaps he had seen her trying to stop Li Tianqi, and might now see her as an unrighteous person and ignore her.

Just as the man was about to leave with the group, Wei Zijun parted her lips and said, "Young Master Zhang, please wait."

The man stopped at the sound of the voice, turned around, and saw that it was Wei Zijun who spoke. He then turned back and asked with his back to Wei Zijun, "What is it, young master?"

Seeing his awkward expression, Wei Zijun couldn't help but chuckle.

Hearing the laughter, the man turned around and looked at her, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.

"I would like to present you with a small gift, young master. May I ask if you may speak further?"

The soft question seemed undeniable, yet possessed a certain magic, drawing the man closer involuntarily. Upon reaching the smiling face, he suddenly realized his mistake, quickly creating some distance, and said, "Please speak freely, sir; there's no need for formalities."

Wei Zijun reached into his robes and took out two coins. "This is two thousand taels. Please use it to settle the villagers and do some business."

The man stared in surprise at the two flying coins. "This...this is too much. I cannot accept it. Thank you for your kindness, sir. Farewell." The man turned to leave.

"Wait a minute," Wei Zijun interrupted. "I know you are a man of strong character, unwilling to bow down for a pittance, but have you no intention of seeking revenge? You are capable of building fortified villages and commanding people, which shows your talent as a general. But a general's primary concern should be the livelihood and safety of his people, not his own pride. Don't let your own obsession plunge the people into misery. Take it, don't let them suffer because of you. Consider it a loan. You can repay me when you achieve great things. If you achieve nothing... then you'll have to keep it."

The man stared intently at the person before him, hesitating for a long time before finally accepting the flying money. He clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Young master, your kindness is beyond my ability to repay. I will certainly repay you in the future. May I ask where your residence is?"

"Oh, I am from Lucheng. I hope we will meet again someday. Please go back, sir." He hadn't intended to ask for a refund, nor did he want to go into too much detail.

"Please provide the address in detail, sir, otherwise I cannot accept this money!" How can he repay his benefactor if he doesn't give an address?

"This... I am the manager of Juyunlou in Lucheng." The man was quite persistent; he had no choice but to answer.

The man stared intently at Wei Zijun for a long time, scrutinizing her face from head to toe, as if trying to imprint her fair complexion into his heart. This made Wei Zijun uneasy, and she had no choice but to look away.

After a long while, the man clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Then, benefactor, I'll take my leave." He then bowed to Li Tianqi and left.

After the group left, Lianwu sincerely praised, "Fourth Brother, you care about the common people, are generous and righteous, what a magnanimous heart! What a spirit!"

"Second Sister-in-law, you flatter me. I was just passing on what I had borrowed. That money was originally intended to repay Second Brother, but I was too late and it ended up going to someone else." Turning to Li Tianqi, she continued, "Second Brother, consider it me doing a good deed on your behalf! Haha----"

"You brat, you think my few pieces of gold are too stingy, huh?" Li Tianqi squeezed Wei Zijun's shoulder hard. His thin and frail shoulder was so delicate that it seemed like it could be easily grasped, and he felt a surge of pity for him.

What kind of emotion is this? The series of events that have occurred over the past few days have left him puzzled and confused.

Just now, when that man stared at her intently before leaving, he was suddenly overcome with jealousy. What was going on? If it weren't for the man's upright character, which gave him a moment's restraint, he would have already slapped him. It seems he really needs to sort out these emotions.

“Second brother, I know you only brought these few ingots of gold and silver with you. That’s all you have. How can you call me stingy for giving up everything you have? How can your magnanimity be measured by mere money? Besides, it’s rare for sister-in-law to come out. We should let her enjoy herself. You wouldn’t be happy using my money. It’s better for me to use yours.”

Li Tianqi really wanted to kiss his fourth brother. He was so considerate of others. Indeed, all he had left were a few ingots of gold. His fourth brother, so young, possessed such insight and magnanimity; he was more than just a general—he had the bearing of a king! If he were to become an official… well, never mind, he knew the fourth brother wouldn't want to.

[Volume 1, Deer City Chapter: Chapter 49, Sleeping Together]

The back garden of the general's mansion was shrouded in a thin mist. Flowers in the mist, covered with dewdrops, unfolded their sleeping faces in the morning light, marking another beautiful morning.

The man in the embroidered gold robe sat on the edge of the couch, exuding a clear and refreshing aura, like a gentle breeze. His elegant and noble figure shone brightly, and a faint smile on his lips seemed to express all his tenderness. His deep eyes were fixed on the person lying on the couch.

The person was fast asleep, breathing evenly. A blush rose on their fair cheeks as they slept, and their long eyelashes were gently closed, making one want to kiss their tightly closed eyes. The touch of those eyelashes must be lovely. Beneath their warm, straight nose, their red lips were slightly upturned, as if tempting one to kiss them.

As if possessed, his fingers touched the person's face, and the soft, smooth touch made him linger on it again and again.