Yun Xi thought so, but then she felt it was impossible. Qi Rong, however, wore a mysterious smile on his face.
"You've never seen me do anything useless. There's definitely a good reason for making you the deputy supervisor," he said.
Yun Xi wanted to hear more of his thoughts, but Qi Rong stopped at that and said nothing more.
Yun Xi pouted and gave Qi Rong a reproachful look.
"You're just being mysterious!"
Qi Rong was amused by her expression. He couldn't help but reach out and ruffle her hair, his smile deep.
"Don't you want to do something for the people of Lingchuan? I thought you could see the importance of things more clearly than other women."
"I... Don't flatter me."
Yun Xi felt she had no way to retort. Taking advantage of her hesitation, Qi Rong took her straight into the council hall.
"I hereby announce that from today on, Princess Yongning will be the deputy supervisor of the dam - building project. If anyone has any objections, keep them to yourselves!"
Once Qi Rong said this, it was almost a settled matter. Knowing she couldn't escape, Yun Xi silently accepted it.
After they left the council hall, seeing Qi Rong looking so pleased with himself, Yun Xi couldn't help but feel suspicious. She probed.
"You didn't deliberately set me up, did you?"
Only later did Yun Xi realize that this shameless man might really have done so!
"How could that be? What kind of person do you take me for?"
Qi Rong pretended to be hurt, but there was a mischievous glint in his black eyes. Suddenly, he leaned forward, pinning Yun Xi between his arms, and stared deeply into her eyes.
"I didn't know you liked me so much before. You even came up with such a great idea to help me."
Qi Rong praised her sincerely, with a hint of pride in his words. Yun Xi nervously looked around and then pushed him away forcefully, scolding him in a low voice.
"Come on. I won't be fooled by you!"
With Qi Rong's cunning and intelligence, he must have been able to come up with a better strategy than hers. He was just giving her face on purpose. She wasn't going to be easily coaxed by his words!
However, at this moment, Yun Xi didn't know that she had really been schemed against by Qi Rong!
Moreover, in the end, Qi Rong not only wanted the emperor to reward her for her merits but also used it as a life - saving talisman for her. Whenever Yun Xi thought about this later, she felt she had been extremely stupid!
From then on, she had a deeper understanding of Qi Rong's baseness, shamelessness, and his deep - seated scheming!
Suddenly remembering something, Yun Xi took out a letter from her father from her sleeve and threw it at Qi Rong, angrily saying,
"How do you explain this letter? What on earth did you say to my father?"
Qi Rong caught the letter and quickly scanned it. He raised his eyebrows slightly, curled his lips, and casually put the letter back into the envelope.
"Aren't you happy to know that your father is okay?"
Yun Xi was at a loss for words for a moment. She immediately replied,
"Of course I'm happy! But you can't just make things up and say that I eloped with you!"
Her father was extremely worried in the letter. He even asked her to choose between the Prime Minister's Mansion and Qi Rong in order to keep her away from him.
She was now in a dilemma, all thanks to Qi Rong! But this guy acted as if nothing had happened, which really annoyed her!
"I want you to write a letter to my father yourself to clear up the misunderstanding. I'll also explain it to my father. Otherwise, I won't stay in Lingchuan any longer!"
Yun Xi thought that Qi Rong and her father were at odds and that he wouldn't easily agree to her request. So she threatened him in order to force him to explain.
However, Qi Rong readily agreed this time.
"No problem. I'll write the letter right away. How about you supervise me in person?"
Yun Xi was suspicious.
"Really?"
Why did she feel something was off? It seemed that this guy had some ulterior motive!
Maybe he had been a bad guy for so long that even when he did a "good deed", it was still hard to believe.
"Okay, stop talking about unimportant things. I said I had a surprise for you. Come with me and take a look."
Hearing him classify her father as "unimportant", Yun Xi frowned immediately. But Qi Rong put his arm around her waist and led her all the way to the study.
"Open it and see what it is."
After entering the study, Qi Rong handed a red wooden box to Yun Xi and motioned for her to open it.
Yun Xi took it blankly. When she opened the box, there was a stack of documents lying quietly inside. She slowly unfolded them, and her eyes gradually brightened. She immediately asked,
"How much silver did this cost you?"
This stack of documents consisted of three pieces: a map, a land deed, and an official document clearly stating the ownership of several mountain peaks in Lingchuan. And the name of the owner at the end of the document was actually hers!
No one else knew about their discovery of the swallow cave. To prevent local officials from interfering, Qi Rong had to prepare this secretly.
Yun Xi didn't expect that in just one day, the official document had already been obtained!
Even if someone later discovered the blood - swallows, they would have no right to interfere with their mining!
Looking at Yun Xi's radiant face, Qi Rong smiled dotingly. He reached out and tapped her nose.
"If I said I didn't spend a single copper coin and that it was presented by Magistrate Cheng himself, would you believe me?"
"Not a single copper coin?!"
Yun Xi was shocked. Buying these mountain peaks would cost a fortune.
Thinking of a possibility, Yun Xi looked at the official document again and then handed it back to Qi Rong.
"You're openly bribing people! If someone gets hold of this evidence, even you will be in trouble!"
So, she would rather spend money than accept such a thing.
"Are you worried about me?"
Qi Rong smiled and grabbed her arm. He pulled her onto his lap and looked at her with a smile.
Yun Xi struggled. Her face turned crimson because of their intimate actions, but she stubbornly said,
"No, I'm worried about getting myself into trouble!"
"Well, you estimate how much silver it would cost and send it to the government later. That way, it'll be legitimate."
Then they wouldn't have to worry about anyone causing trouble later.
"Absolutely not!"
Qi Rong smiled and comforted her.
"As the magistrate of Lingchuan, Cheng Yu concealed the actual situation of the Lingjiang Dam. Now that his family has been raided by me, this is considered an opportunity for him to 'atone for his sins'. From now on, he'll be extremely cautious and definitely won't cause trouble for himself."
So, compared to Qi Rong, Magistrate Cheng would be more likely to keep this secret and make the official document flawless, leaving no room for others to find fault!
"You're really despicable."
Yun Xi was stunned. She didn't know whether to admire or despise Qi Rong.
Qi Rong smiled recklessly. He pulled Yun Xi closer into his arms and looked at her eagerly.
"I'll take this as your compliment! Can I kiss you?"
Qi Rong suddenly asked. Yun Xi was stunned and immediately shook her head.
"No!"
This guy was getting addicted to taking advantage of her. Did he think he could kiss her just because he wanted to? What did he take her for?
Just as Yun Xi was thinking this, Qi Rong said,
"Do you think one kiss is too little? Just tell me. I'll definitely satisfy you!"
As soon as he finished speaking, his gentle kisses rained down on Yun Xi's cherry - like lips like a storm!
"You're cheating!"
Yun Xi was out of breath. She pounded on Qi Rong's shoulders. Qi Rong seemed still unsatisfied, with a lingering smile on his face.
"If I don't cheat, how can I keep you by my side?"
After saying that, without waiting for Yun Xi to react, he kissed her lips again for a new round of plundering...