In the end, Liu Yan had no choice but to begrudgingly accept the task of copying the Classic for Women.
She could not help but curse Lin Shiya fiercely in her heart, convinced that Lin Shiya was simply jealous of her.
The concubines sitting in the main hall cast glances toward Liu Yan from time to time; some were filled with jealousy, some were watching for the drama, and others were simply curious.
Everyone knew that when the Crown Prince returned yesterday, he did not go straight to Lanyue Pavilion as he usually did, but instead went to the remote Lanxin Pavilion.
The day Consort Shen fell into the water, the Crown Prince had jumped in without regard for his own safety to save her.
When she developed a high fever that night, the Crown Prince went straight to Lanxin Pavilion; it was said he kept watch there for more than half the night, only leaving once Consort Shen’s fever had slowly subsided.
More importantly, according to the information they had gathered, the Crown Prince had even sat by the bedside and personally tended to Consort Shen.
It was evident how much the Crown Prince favored Consort Shen, lowering his status to serve an orphaned girl.
It was no wonder that Consort Liu was so anxious; the moment she heard the Crown Prince had returned, she had immediately taken people there.
It seemed that in the Eastern Palace, Consort Liu was no longer the sole power.
Shen Zhi was now confined to Lanxin Pavilion and could go nowhere.
Not having to deal with those people made Shen Zhi’s mood improve significantly.
She had Suwen bring a recliner and place it under the large tree in the courtyard. Shen Zhi lay on the chair, holding a book, and reading slowly.
Suwen stood to the side, holding a fan, fanning Shen Zhi.
“The weather is getting hotter and hotter,” Shen Zhi said, sitting up, tossing her book aside, and looking up at the sky.
The sun was exceptionally scorching; even though they were standing in the shade, they still felt the heat.
Shen Zhi looked down at her clothes; she was already wearing the thinnest attire possible, yet she was still hot.
If only she could have a cup of iced milk tea, it would be so refreshing.
“My Lady, let us go back inside; it really is hot out here,” Suwen advised.
“Alright.”
Back inside, Shen Zhi lay on the daybed and picked up her book again.
There were not many ways to pass the time in this courtyard, so she could only read storybooks.
Just then, Nanny Zhao came in with some books. She placed them on the table nearby and said, “My Lady, the books you wanted have been bought.”
“Great!” Upon hearing this, Shen Zhi was excited; she had new stories to read.
Suwen watched her mistress and let out an imperceptible sigh.
Her mistress truly had no ambition. She had been placed under house arrest in Lanxin Pavilion by the Crown Prince, yet instead of thinking about how to get the Prince to lift the restriction, she spent every day immersed in these storybooks.
For the next few days, Shen Zhi was completely absorbed in the books Nanny Zhao had brought back.
She read from morning until night. If the oil lamp in the evening hadn’t been so dim, she wouldn’t have wanted to ruin her eyes, but otherwise, she would have stayed up all night to read.
Pei Lian had not been to Lanxin Pavilion since that day, nor had he stepped foot in the inner courtyard.
At this time, he was likely worried sick about the floods in the Jiangnan region.
However, Pei Lian had been reborn many times with her; a mere flood should be something he could handle easily.
“I heard that floods are occurring frequently in Jiangnan, and many houses and fields have been submerged. The number of people left homeless is growing.”
“Here in the capital, we see more and more wealthy young masters and ladies, as well as refugees fleeing the disaster.”
“Ah, are they not returning home?”
“Their homes have all been flooded by the water, and the fields planted this year are the same—where is there a home to return to?”
Shen Zhi, who was sitting in the courtyard basking in the sun, listened to the maidservants in the distance discussing the matter. She sat up slowly, her brows knitting together slightly.
Only seven days had passed; why had things become like this?
Had Pei Lian not come up with a way to stop this flood?
At this moment, Pei Lian stood before the Imperial Study. The Zhaowu Emperor threw a memorial in his hand at him, his face showing rage: “Crown Prince, look at the good work you have done!”
“Not only has the flood not been alleviated, but it is becoming increasingly serious.” The Zhaowu Emperor’s voice was filled with anger, his eagle-like eyes fixed on Pei Lian.
Pei Lian knelt on the ground, reached out to pick up the fallen memorial, and opened it to read.
Pei Lian read quickly, and after finishing, he felt shocked.
The method he had proposed was exactly the same as the one used to control the floods in the nineteenth life. Why was it not working in this life, but instead becoming even worse?
“So many people have died in this flood, so many crops and houses have been submerged—this is the clever strategy you thought of!” The Zhaowu Emperor sat on the dragon throne, his chest heaving violently with rage.
“Is this how Grand Tutor Chen taught you?”
Because of this, Pei Lian was scolded by the Zhaowu Emperor for the entire morning.
Watching Pei Lian kneel there, his body straight, his face expressionless, and saying very little, the Zhaowu Emperor became even more furious. He was just like the Empress—was his mouth just for decoration?
Could he not speak a few words?
“Get out! Get out of my sight!”
“Yes, this son acknowledges the command.” Pei Lian lowered his head and kowtowed to the Emperor, saying, “Father Emperor, please do not be angry; it is easy to harm your health by getting this worked up.”
“This time, it was my lack of consideration; I wrote the plan haphazardly without understanding the situation on the ground.”
“I will certainly reflect on this upon my return.”
Hearing these few sentences from Pei Lian, the Zhaowu Emperor’s expression softened slightly.
“Get out, get out, get out.”
After Pei Lian exited the Imperial Study, he walked toward the Eastern Palace, his mind constantly wondering why things were different in this life.
Why had the strategy he proposed failed?
Upon returning to the Eastern Palace, he thought for a moment before heading toward Lanxin Pavilion.
He wanted to find Shen Zhi and get to the bottom of this.
In Lanxin Pavilion, Shen Zhi, having learned the news from Qingxue and the others, was also pondering why it hadn’t worked.
“His Highness the Crown Prince arrives!”
Only when Yuan Qing’s sharp voice rang out was Shen Zhi pulled back to reality.
“Greetings to Your Highness the Crown Prince.” Everyone hurriedly bowed to Pei Lian.
Pei Lian waved his hand, dismissing them, and soon only the two of them were left in the room.
“Why does the strategy I thought of not work in this life?” Pei Lian looked at her and asked directly.
When Shen Zhi heard this, she realized he had come to hold her accountable.
“This concubine does not know,” Shen Zhi responded, shaking her head.
“Impossible!” Pei Lian frowned.
Hearing his stern voice, Shen Zhi immediately spoke to remedy the situation: “Your Highness, may this concubine see the strategy you wrote?”
Hearing her request, Pei Lian glanced at her before finally compromising.
He had Yuan Qing go to his study to retrieve the strategy.
Not long after, Yuan Qing brought the paper to Pei Lian.
After Pei Lian received it, he handed it to Shen Zhi.
Once Shen Zhi had it, she immediately began to read. Pei Lian had written a great deal, and in great detail.
From disaster relief, how to settle the victims, the subsequent reconstruction…
It was indeed very feasible, but Pei Lian had forgotten that this was no longer the previous life; perhaps something had changed in this flood.
“Your Highness, have you paid attention to the situation of this current flood?”