Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Wei Ci said, “I’m thoughtless. Please wait for a while. I’ll go greet Jing Rong.”

“Make it quick.”

Jiang Pengji buried herself in her work. The tall stack of bamboo slips had swallowed her figure.

The messenger was quick and the message was not delayed. Yang Si and his servant did not wait outside the city for long.

When Wei Ci arrived at the city gates, he happened to see Yang Si sitting on the edge of the carriage and watching the refugees who were lining up with interest.

“Jing Rong… is that really you?”

Hearing the familiar voice, Yang Si turned his head, only to see his friend dressed in thick clothes. Just looking at him made him feel warm from head to toe.

Yang Si stepped on the stool and got down from the carriage with a smile. They greeted each other by making a bow with their hands folded in front.

“Zixiao, I’m here to ask you for shelter. I hope that you can take me in for a while.”

Wei Ci was delighted. The smile on his face grew brighter and more sincere. He joked with a smile, “We’re intimate friends, so please make yourself at home. Even if you stay with me for 30 or 50 years, I won’t chase you out the door, let alone for a little while.”

The female soldiers who were paying close attention to them communicated with their eyes quietly. They had thought that it was fake and did not expect Yang Si to really be Wei Ci’s friend.

Hearing their conversation, the female soldiers revealed gazes which implicitly meant that they understood.

Yang Si replied bluntly, “Wei Zixiao, your words aren’t true. If I stay with you for 30 or 50 years, would your future wife not raise a stink?”

Nowadays, in a world where gayness was prevalent, for the sake of family harmony, many males who had intimate relationships with each other would also consciously keep a distance from each other.

Otherwise, people might misunderstand, just like the female soldiers.

With Jiang Pengji as an exception, Wei Ci was quite relaxed with his friends, and especially in front of a frivolous person like Yang Si.

He replied with a smile, “If I have a friend like you, so what if I don’t get married for 30 or 50 years?”

Yang Si suddenly hid his smile and shook his sleeves.

He smacked his lips and said, “I haven’t seen you for a few years, but you’ve really become more brazen. You even have the nerve to say such words.”

Wei Ci squinted his eyes. “I’m not as shameless as you.”

Every twinkle and smile of a beauty was flirtatious.

Yang Si could not stand it, but the boy servant beside him looked at Wei Ci’s face with total infatuation.

Upon seeing his behavior, Yang Si subtly hit the back of the boy servant’s head.

Wei Ci was indeed pretty, but he was also evil-minded. Was one really not afraid of being conned by Wei Ci without warning?

They chatted and joked for a while. Wei Ci took the initiative to welcome Yang Si into the city with a warm and thoughtful attitude. This made Yang Si feel tense.

He had to be nervous. How long had he known Wei Ci for?

When Wei Ci smiled like blossoming flowers, he was absolutely up to no good!

Their gestures were intimate. The soldiers who were guarding the city gates quietly watched the two leave. The boy servant led the horse and followed behind them.

Female soldier A: “Could that person be… the master’s wife?”

Female soldier B: “Why do I feel that… the master looks more like the wife?”

There were very few people around in the inner city. The houses were dilapidated and ruined. It was a desolate scene.

Yang Si only saw someone demolishing the ruins after walking with Wei Ci for a while. There were a lot of potholes on the road’s surface.

He gathered his thoughts and asked Wei Ci in a serious manner, “When I first heard that you’re the person in charge of Chengan District, I thought that it must be someone who shares the same name as you. After all, according to your temperament, it’s impossible for you to enter the game this early. The master whom you’re serving now has very lofty ambitions…”

Wei Ci smiled a little. “Yeah. No one has a wilder ambition than her.”

Yang Si was puzzled. His gaze lingered on Wei Ci’s face. He felt as if they were no longer friends after not seeing him for a few years.

Wei Ci dispelled his doubts with a smile. “You should know my ambition. I know that she can do it when I see her. She’s probably the only one who can do it. Since I’ve already met the right person, why should I care about the timing, right?”

A fine fowl perched only on a fine tree and a virtuous minister served only a virtuous master.

One had to seize the opportunity when one had already met someone whom he could work with.

Yang Si knew about Wei Ci’s ambition. Dumbfounded, he said, “Are you actually being serious?”

“My heart isn’t a stone that can be thrown anywhere.”

He could not be any more serious.

Yang Si was stunned into silence for a while. Finally, indicating the scene of devastation, he asked, “Here? Are you sure?”

Wei Ci replied, “You can see for yourself after three months. Who knows? The ruins now may transform into a place like the imperial capital.”

As he went on, Yang Si grew more and more curious.

He said, “With your words, I’ll have to freeload for shelter in your residence for three to four months and see what this place can transform into.”

Wei Ci smiled expressively. This was what he wanted to hear.

He could drag Zhang Ping, a lofty scholar who lived like a hermit, into the mire. How could he not be able to do the same thing to Yang Si?

Zhang Ping did not care about anything, but now he was ordered around. He wrote a letter a few days ago, complaining that he had not had a good rest for a long time. Now, he could sleep soundly as soon as his head hit the pillow… but Yang Si and Zhang Ping were different. It was too easy to drag Yang Si into the mire.

Yang Si shuddered upon seeing Wei Ci’s smile. He felt chills down his spine.

He said frankly, “Don’t smile. I’m scared.”

Wei Ci’s smile grew brighter upon hearing what he said.

Jiang Pengji was basically bearing the pressure of the workload in the government office alone. Wei Ci, who had just recovered from his ailment, did not have to do too much work.

There were not many places in the district where people could live. Moreover, the district was completely renovated. Wei Ci’s residence was located near the district headquarters.

It was heard that the former owner of the house was a wealthy businessman. Later, the whole family was killed by the Tsing Yi Army. It did not have an owner, so it became public property.

Wei Ci took Yang Si and his servant to his residence. He deliberately did not ask Yang Si about his purpose of coming to Chengan District. They just talked as usual.

He knew Yang Si well. The style of him doing or planning things was like a viper. He would be patiently placid and then kill with a single blow.

However, no one was perfect. Yang Si’s curiosity was his Achilles’ heel.

He liked food. He loved to eat, but he was picky about food. He was a very picky eater!

Under possible circumstances, he would never eat vegetables if he could have meat. He would never drink soup if he could have wine.

Having lived his previous life, Wei Ci knew very well about how Yang Si was tricked by Jiang Pengji.

The evil Jiang Pengji tempted him with delicacies. She estranged Yang Si and his master and caused a misunderstanding.

Once or twice would definitely be fine. Yang Si had also given a clear explanation, but what if it happened more than twice?

Even grain would build up over time and be so heavy it could break the cart.

Yang Si’s master, Huang Song, was also quite suspicious in nature. Although he did not mention it, he remembered it in his heart.

Yes, gluttonousness had blown up in Yang Si’s face in his previous life.

In their previous lives, Wei Ci and Yang Si secretly talked about the old days. Yang Si hugged him while he poured out his grievances and berated Jiang Pengji.

A leopard could not change its spots.

Gluttonousness had blown up in Yang Si’s face in his previous life. The same thing would likely happen again in this life.

In order to take care of the sickly Wei Ci, Jiang Pengji gave him the chef who was raised in the kitchen of the district headquarters.

One could imagine what the three meals in a day tasted like in Wei Ci’s residence.

Yang Si would not be reserved towards Wei Ci at all. He ordered the chef around as if he was the boy servant.

However, just after seven or eight days, the boy servant tragically realized that his master’s face had grown meatier.

“Sir, ease off. If you continue to feast, you’ll look as chubby as a month-old baby.”