Naturally, Su Hele didn't attend to the sick. She fainted on her way to Yurong Courtyard and couldn't even crawl.
She was thin and frail, her face as white as paper. Even when she fainted, there were tears in the corners of her eyes, which made people can't help but feel sorry for her.
"You still need to stay in bed for the next few days. You can get out of bed only after the blood clots dissolve," the doctor of the Liu family, who was summoned again, said rather helplessly.
The second branch of the family hadn't had a moment's peace these days. First, they had to rescue Concubine Li, and then they had to treat Su Hele. He really had no time to spare.
The doctor of the Liu family glanced at Su Hele inside the bed curtain and sighed silently. He really missed the time before she got married.
At that time, he just took the pulse of the masters regularly to check their health and occasionally prescribed some tonics. He couldn't have been more idle.
Although it was idle, that was the normal state. Which master in a mansion got sick every day?
Thinking of this, the doctor of the Liu family shook his head silently, picked up his medicine box and turned to leave. He didn't want to stay in this room for a moment longer.
Hearing him leave, Su Hele, who had been keeping her eyes closed, quietly opened them.
Listening to the whispering between Nanny Wang and the doctor of the Liu family outside the door, a mocking smile appeared on her face.
Even if they asked her again, she was still sick. The wound on the back of her head was real.
Thinking of this, the smile on Su Hele's face suddenly froze.
What was He Jin crazy about last night? It was the first time she had seen such a ferocious look on his face.
Su Hele couldn't help shivering and wrapped the brocade quilt on her body tightly.
She couldn't let He Jin go crazy like this. She had to make him calm down quickly.
Thinking of this, Su Hele looked at the door again. Nanny Wang was no longer there.
Su Hele snorted softly. Did Li think she would attend to the sick just because she ordered her to? How wishful she was.
She could attend to the sick, but it had to be her who offered to do it.
If she condescended to serve Li like that, He Jin would surely be very touched when he knew about it, and his anger would naturally disappear.
Then she could talk to He Jin about what happened last night.
...
While there was another commotion in Yurong Courtyard because Su Hele didn't come to attend to the sick, it was quiet and peaceful in Tingfeng Courtyard.
Su Nansheng and He Xun were sitting opposite each other, each busy with their own business.
As the weather was getting colder, the windows in the room were closed. The dim yellow candlelight stretched their shadows and cast them on the window, twining and lingering.
"Although it's already autumn, it has been raining continuously in Xichuan recently. There may be a flood. The prefect of Xichuan has asked the court for help in flood control. His Majesty has ordered Shao Tan to be in charge of this matter," He Xun told Su Nansheng the latest movement of Shao Tan.
Since she cared so much about this Shao Tan, he would pay more attention.
Su Nansheng paused for a moment in her action. Was this the reason?
In a flash, her memory about this matter gradually became clear.
In her previous life, Chen Xuan was demoted because of his improper handling of the disaster. It turned out to be a flood.
But she didn't understand why Chen Xuan was involved when it was Shao Tan who was in charge of this matter.
So she said calmly, "Shouldn't this matter be the responsibility of the Ministry of Works?"
Flood control was nothing more than building dams and dredging rivers. These things belonged to the Ministry of Works. Why was a vice minister in charge of it?
He Xun sneered, "Xichuan has asked for help every year, saying that there may be a flood every year, but every time it has been safe and sound. Naturally, people won't say that the prefect of Xichuan is making a mountain out of a molehill. Instead, they will praise the person in charge of flood control for his success in flood control."
Su Nansheng immediately understood. This flood control in Xichuan was clearly a meritorious deed, so naturally everyone was vying for it.
When it came to competing for credit, Shao Tan, a close official of the emperor, was a vice minister. Who could compete with him?
But this still couldn't explain why Chen Xuan was involved. He wasn't the kind of person who was greedy for credit.
"What do you think of this flood? Is it difficult to solve?" Su Nansheng asked tentatively.
Since Chen Xuan was finally convicted because of flood control, there was only one reason, that was, the flood was difficult to solve and Shao Tan asked him for help.
Hearing this, He Xun thought seriously for a moment and said, "Xichuan has been able to get through safely every time, so no one knows the actual situation there. But according to the situation in previous years, adding a few more flood control procedures should probably be safe."
Su Nansheng buried her head in the account books and didn't say a word. Only a glint of light flashed in her half - lowered eyes.
Even a vigilant person like He Xun thought there was no problem. No wonder everyone had relaxed their vigilance against the flood in Xichuan.
But this flood really came true. The continuous heavy rain caused the dam to be washed away, hundreds of acres of fertile land to be flooded, and the common people to be displaced.
His Majesty was so angry that Shao Tan was imprisoned and Chen Xuan was demoted and exiled from the capital. No one benefited, and it was a lose - lose situation.
But later...
"What, don't you agree with my view?" Seeing Su Nansheng lowering her head and not saying a word, He Xun knew that she had other ideas.
Su Nansheng shook her head. "I don't know anything about flood control. But nothing is absolute. Just because there has been no problem every year doesn't mean there will be no problem this year. Since it concerns the safety of the people in Xichuan, I always feel that we should be more careful."
"You really know how to plan for a rainy day," He Xun raised his eyebrows and looked at Su Nansheng. He didn't understand why a boudoir girl like her would care about such things.
Su Nansheng smiled slightly and still said the same thing, "It's just that I don't like his behavior of competing for credit. It would be best if there is no problem. Otherwise, I'm really worried that he will implicate my uncle."
Hearing the word "competing for credit", He Xun's eyes also darkened a bit. They really should be careful of such a person who was eager for quick success and instant benefits.
...
The next day, Su Nansheng had planned to go to find Chen Mingzhu to inquire about Shao Tan, but unexpectedly, the latter came first.
"Sister - in - law, that Shao Tan has been talking with my father until late at night every day in the past few days. I hate him so much," Chen Mingzhu said with a look of disgust on her face.
Su Nansheng's heart skipped a beat. Sure enough.
"Do you know what they talked about?"
Chen Mingzhu shook her head. "I don't like to eavesdrop."
Actually, it wasn't that she didn't like to. She just failed to eavesdrop. She was caught the first time, and after that, she was no longer allowed to get close to the study when Shao Tan came.
That's why she disliked Shao Tan even more.
Su Nansheng couldn't help but feel disappointed, but then she saw Chen Mingzhu furtively taking out a few pieces of rice paper from her bosom.
"But I found this on my father's desk," she said.
Some of the papers were crumpled. She had fished them out of the wastepaper basket, and the smooth ones were her copies.
Su Nansheng quickly reached out to take them. She saw the words "River Dredging Project" written neatly on the top of the first piece of rice paper, and below were several long - winded flood control strategies. Each one sounded familiar.
Su Nansheng stood up abruptly, her face as gloomy as water.
In her previous life, not long after Shao Tan was imprisoned for his crime, he was temporarily exempted from prison because he presented the "Ten Strategies for River Dredging". Later, he took this opportunity to atone for his crime. Although he didn't regain his original position, at least he remained an official in the capital.
But now it seemed that the "Ten Strategies for River Dredging" actually came from Chen Xuan. It was his painstaking effort.
It turned out that this Shao Tan not only implicated Chen Xuan but also took his painstaking effort for himself and used it to claim credit.
What a proud disciple! What an ungrateful wretch!