The queen is crazy and spoiled, and the tyrant bows to her

Jiang Wantang slowly put away her wrist and looked up at Lu Jinan, the teardrop mole at the end of her eye conspicuous. "I want to go to the nearby flooded area to take a look."

Lu Jinan was startled and said hesitantly: "This..."

"What's the problem?" Jiang Wantang curled the corners of her lips, looking at his embarrassed expression with a cold smile: "I can't go?"

"Miss, you misunderstood. That's not what I meant." Lu Jinan quickly explained, "It's just that the flood-stricken area has a harsh environment, many diseases are rampant, and there are all kinds of people. It's really dangerous."

"A girl's body is worth a thousand gold..."

Jiang Wantang interrupted him impatiently and said with a faint smile, "What if I insist on going?"

Seeing Jiang Wantang's serious expression, Lu Jinan knew that he couldn't persuade her, so he said frankly, "If you want to go, I won't stop you. But I still need to ask Master Xie for permission first."

"Girl, you might as well wait a little longer."

Jiang Wantang nodded slightly and said nothing more.

Lu Jinan did not delay and immediately sent a pigeon to convey Jiang Wantang's physical condition and her request to go to the flood-stricken area to Xie Zhiyan.

The latter replied quickly. The letter contained only a few sentences, which roughly meant that if Jiang Wantang wanted to do something, there was no need to restrain her, and she could just send someone to protect her safety.

After lunch, Jiang Wantang took Yun Shang out, both of them dressed as men.

Considering safety issues, Jiang Wantang left Yun Shang in the city and served porridge to the refugees with Lu Jinan, while she took two followers and rode out of the city on fast horses to the nearby villages and towns that were most affected by the disaster to investigate the disaster situation.

The horses' hooves were flying, raising dust all the way.

Jiang Wantang, dressed in a simple and capable men's suit, rode her horse forward. She observed the terrain of the area along the way and found that there were not only many rivers in the Jiangnan area, but also many mountains, which were almost endless.

The village she visited was surrounded by mountains and located in a low-lying area. Once the dam was breached and the flood spread, the entire town would be trapped.

Therefore, the main reason why the flood in Jiangnan was so severe this time was the destruction of the dikes, and the secondary reason was the terrain and environment.

If we simply build dams and dredge rivers, we will only be treating the symptoms and not the root cause.

Thinking of this, Jiang Wantang went to a village along the way. The scene she saw made her heart sink suddenly.

The village is now in a mess, with houses collapsed. Although most of the water has receded, mud is everywhere, making it a horrible sight.

The elderly, the weak, women and children from the surrounding villages huddled in makeshift wooden shelters, where doctors provided them with medical treatment. The able-bodied men followed the soldiers to build dams and dig canals for drainage.

Jiang Wantang dismounted and slowly walked towards the simple wooden shed, which was filled with sick and weak women, elderly people and children.

However, there were many injured people, but only one doctor.

When Jiang Wantang lived in the mountains, she knew some simple wound dressing techniques.

So she walked towards an old woman with a painful look on her face and a wound on her leg that was still bleeding, and treated and bandaged her wound.

At this moment, the old woman opened her eyes, tightly grasped Jiang Wantang's arm, and tearfully asked, "Young Master, have you seen my granddaughter?"

"Did they find my granddaughter?"

Seeing this, the people around kindly advised Jiang Wantang not to pay attention to the old woman, saying that she had gone crazy and asked everyone where her granddaughter was.

Jiang Wantang learned from them that the old woman in front of her was a lonely person. Her son and daughter-in-law died in their early years, leaving behind only a granddaughter to depend on.

A month ago, my granddaughter went into the city to deliver embroidery, but there happened to be a flood that day, and she has never returned since.

The old woman still held Jiang Wantang's hand tightly, as if she had grabbed a life-saving straw.

Jiang Wantang gently patted the old woman's hand and said soothingly, "Grandma, don't get excited yet. Tell me about your granddaughter's age, appearance, or any other characteristics."

The old woman said tearfully, "My granddaughter just turned fifteen this year. Her name is Xiaotao. She has beautiful features, big eyes, and two dimples when she smiles."

"On the day she went to town, she wore a blue coarse cloth dress and a yellow silk flower on her head that I made for her..."

As she spoke, she stood up and knelt on the ground, holding Jiang Wantang's hand tightly, and begged with tears streaming down her face: "Young Master, I beg you, please help me find her. She is the only thing I care about in this world..."

"Unfortunately, I am old and not strong enough. I broke my leg before I had gone far."

Jiang Wantang was moved when he heard this.

Perhaps it was the words 'only concern' that reminded her of the past.

Her eyelashes trembled, and she hurriedly helped the old woman up, saying with a somewhat bitter tone: "Okay, mother-in-law, don't worry, I will definitely help you find it."

"Take care of yourself first."

The old woman looked at the little girl dressed as a man in front of her, with a mixed feeling in her mind.

She had raised her granddaughter for more than ten years and could tell at a glance that she was a girl.

The old woman's lips trembled for a long time, and turbid tears fell from her eyes, "Thank you..."

Then, he let go of Jiang Wantang's hand.

Soon, someone came running in excitedly and said that the court had sent people to deliver food and disaster relief supplies, and asked everyone to go out and get them.

Jiang Wantang felt relieved when she heard that. As it was getting dark, she got up and left.

What she didn't know was that as soon as she left, Xie Zhiyan came in with people and distributed clothes, quilts and food to the victims.

The two just missed each other.

After returning, Jiang Wantang first told Lu Jinan about the old woman's granddaughter and asked him to help her keep an eye out for the refugees in the city.

Then he sat down at his desk and drew a few topographical maps, drawing and revising them, which consumed a lot of rice paper. He didn't finish until after dinner.

Before going to bed, she gave the drawings to Lu Jinan and asked him to pass them on to Xie Zhiyan.

That night, after midnight, it suddenly started to drizzle again. The rain got heavier and heavier. Jiang Wantang slept uneasily and tossed and turned.

The raindrops hit the window, making crackling sounds.

Jiang Wantang simply sat up and looked at the rain outside. A hint of worry flashed in his eyes and his thoughts were complicated.

Ji Wuyuan, who had no news from afar, the people who were suffering, and... Xie Zhiyan, who avoided her...

At the same time, a tall black figure appeared in the inn where they were resting in the rain.

Lu Jinan looked at Xie Zhiyan, who was soaking wet, with even his hair dripping, and asked in surprise, "Sir, aren't you in charge of overseeing the repair of the dam? Why did you suddenly rush back in such a hurry?"

Xie Zhiyan stood there, his whole body dripping with water, which soon gathered into a small puddle on the ground. His clothes were tightly attached to his body, outlining his tall and straight figure.

Inside the inn, the dim candlelight illuminated his stern face.

Xie Zhiyan didn't answer. He took out a letter from his pocket and said in a cold and indifferent tone, "Forward this letter to her."

It goes without saying who this "she" is.

Lu Jinan took the secret letter and looked at the dragon totem on it, his pupils suddenly shrank.

This is... a letter from His Majesty? !