"The heavy rain in Jingzhou can be stored. There will be a severe drought after the rain. It's advisable to store the water for future use," Mu Xia relayed what Gu Jiangyue had said word for word to Xie Chengrui, but without mentioning it was Gu Jiangyue's idea. She quite naturally took the credit for herself.
"How do you know that?"
Xie Chengrui looked at Mu Xia with a hint of suspicion. Mu Xia was caught off guard by his question.
"My family has studied astrology for generations. If you don't believe me, Your Highness the Second Prince can find someone to calculate it."
Mu Xia wasn't entirely sure about the authenticity of this matter either, but since Gu Jiangyue was so certain, she simply left it to Xie Chengrui to decide. Xie Chengrui must have more ways to verify it than she did.
"Fine."
Xie Chengrui had been racking his brains for several days about the heavy rain in Jingzhou without coming up with a solution. Now that Mu Xia had proposed an idea, even though he was skeptical, he decided to find someone to verify it. What if it was correct?
Mu Xia reached out to pour a cup of wine for Xie Chengrui. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of the cup of wine that Gu Jiangyue had poured for her earlier. Without much thought, she picked up the cup, clinked it with Xie Chengrui's, and then downed it in one gulp.
After Mu Xia finished drinking, Xie Chengrui also emptied his cup.
"I didn't expect you to know astrology."
Xie Chengrui felt that his dizziness had subsided a bit. The look in his eyes when he looked at Mu Xia took on a different meaning.
"If I'm right this time, Your Highness the Second Prince will surely take Mu Xia back with you, won't you?"
Mu Xia only felt dizzy, and her body was getting hot. Even her voice came out with a slight pant.
"After this matter is accomplished, not only will I take you back, but I'll also marry you."
Xie Chengrui let out a soft laugh. But the next moment, Mu Xia got up and sat on Xie Chengrui's lap. She leaned over and whispered in his ear, "Mu Xia can do more than just astrology. I can do something even more amazing. Does Your Highness the Second Prince want to give it a try?"
Desire gradually clouded Xie Chengrui's eyes as he looked at Mu Xia. Mu Xia was a woman from a brothel after all, and he had just given her so much silver. So, Xie Chengrui didn't refuse.
All their conversation was overheard by Xie Jiuan and Gu Jiangyue, who were hiding outside the door. Hearing this, Gu Jiangyue guessed that the powerful aphrodisiac prepared by Ji Yunsheng had taken effect. Since the task was accomplished, Gu Jiangyue had no intention of listening any further.
"Let's go. It's time we talked about our own business."
Gu Jiangyue grabbed Xie Jiuan's hand. Xie Jiuan was a bit confused and asked blankly, "W-What business?"
Under Xie Jiuan's gaze, Gu Jiangyue reached into his bosom and took out a silver ingot. This was the one that Xie Jiuan had rewarded Mu Xia with before. Mu Xia had placed it on the table at that time. The more Gu Jiangyue looked at it, the angrier she got, so she simply stole it.
"This..."
Xie Jiuan also recognized the ingot. He hesitated for a moment and was about to say something when he saw Gu Jiangyue tiptoeing and planting a kiss on his face.
The faint smell of wine on Gu Jiangyue assailed Xie Jiuan's nostrils, making him feel a bit tipsy. Gu Jiangyue only gave a gentle peck on Xie Jiuan's face and then slumped dizzily into his arms.
"Don't come to such places anymore. I'll be sad..."
Gu Jiangyue's voice grew softer and softer, and then she fell asleep in Xie Jiuan's arms.
Xie Jiuan let out a soft sigh, then picked Gu Jiangyue up in his arms. As soon as she was lifted up, Gu Jiangyue felt a churning in her stomach and vomited all over Xie Jiuan.
Xie Jiuan didn't say anything. He carried Gu Jiangyue away from there and sent her back to the Gu Mansion.
The after - effect of the wine Gu Jiangyue had drunk was quite strong. She didn't wake up until she was sent back to the Gu Mansion. Xie Jiuan left after sending her there.
Gu Jiangyue didn't wake up until that evening. Her head was throbbing painfully. Zhi Yuan had already helped her change into fresh clothes.
"Miss, you're awake. Drink this herbal soup quickly to replenish your body. It was His Highness the Ninth Prince who sent you back today, and you vomited all over him."
Seeing Gu Jiangyue wake up, Zhi Yuan quickly brought a bowl of herbal soup and presented it to her.
Gu Jiangyue rubbed her head, and countless memories came flooding back. Her face flushed with embarrassment, and she voiced her doubt, "Did you tell Xie Jiuan that I went out?"
Gu Jiangyue took the herbal soup and gulped it down, enduring the bitterness.
"No, I didn't. Could it be that His Highness the Ninth Prince really recognized you? It seems that His Highness truly cares about you."
Zhi Yuan looked at Gu Jiangyue with a more obvious smile in her eyes. Gu Jiangyue, reminded of what Xie Jiuan had said to her by Zhi Yuan's words, felt a warm feeling in her heart.
Nothing eventful happened in the Gu Mansion recently. Gu Jiangyue waited quietly for two days. Just when she couldn't wait any longer and was about to go find Xie Jiuan to ask about Xie Chengrui's movements, the black - clothed man came first.
The black - clothed man was quite familiar with the Gu Mansion. He sat opposite Gu Jiangyue and immediately noticed her anxiety. He said hoarsely, "If you want to know something, just ask. Xie Jiuan has told me everything."
"Did Xie Chengrui mention the method of storing water?"
Gu Jiangyue was impatient. Her eyes were wide open as she awaited the black - clothed man's answer.
The black - clothed man didn't beat around the bush and directly said, "He mentioned it in the court, but his reason was rather far - fetched, and the Emperor didn't believe him."
Hearing this, Gu Jiangyue's eyes visibly dimmed. Seeing her like this, the black - clothed man quickly continued, "But Xie Jiuan strongly supported it. He said it was good to store the water for future use. The Emperor couldn't argue with Xie Jiuan, so he simply agreed."
After the black - clothed man finished speaking, Gu Jiangyue let out a sigh of relief. Fortunately, there was Xie Jiuan. Gu Jiangyue suddenly felt glad that Xie Jiuan had recognized her.
Gu Jiangyue then recalled vomiting all over Xie Jiuan, and a sense of guilt welled up in her heart. After much thought, she decided to make a set of clothes for Xie Jiuan in the next few days.
"Has Xie Chengrui verified the upcoming drought in Jingzhou?"
After making the decision to make clothes for Xie Jiuan, she still had to continue asking questions.
"I sent someone to follow him. He should have verified it. Otherwise, he wouldn't have dared to mention it in front of the Emperor. But you seem quite certain about this matter?"
"I also asked someone to look into it beforehand."
Gu Jiangyue felt a bit guilty and didn't dare to look up at the black - clothed man. The black - clothed man saw through her lie at a glance, but he didn't expose her. He just nodded casually.
"It's getting late. You should go back and rest early."
Afraid that the black - clothed man would notice something, Gu Jiangyue hurriedly pushed him out.
Gu Jiangyue felt guilty for a few more days. Finally, she decided not to worry about this matter anymore and simply prepared to make clothes for Xie Jiuan.
Gu Jiangyue was threading a needle in the courtyard when she saw Zhi Yuan running over in a hurry, shouting her name non - stop.
"Miss, miss! I just received a letter. The young master is coming back!"