Twenty-nine, the Junior Sister truly doesn't treat me as an outsider.

"Mingtang... Mingtang, please stay!"

Magistrate Assistant Diao chased after him, finally managing to intercept the man who moved with such brisk, decisive energy.

"Does Magistrate Assistant Diao have any instructions?"

"Instructions? I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare..."

Magistrate Assistant Diao panted, adjusting his slightly crooked official cap, and said helplessly, "How could we let you, Mingtang, go to the expense of hosting a banquet? You traveled all the way to Longcheng to assume your post; it is only proper that the local gentry fulfill their duties as hosts. They should be the ones treating you, not the other way around."

Ouyang Rong thought for a moment and asked, "Are you saying that I am the guest and they are the hosts?"

"Yes... no, that's not it." Diao waved his hands frantically. "This subordinate means that it is a fine tradition of this county for the local gentry to welcome their 'father-and-mother' official. All previous magistrates followed this protocol. There is no need for you, Mingtang, to be so courteous as to pay out of your own pocket..."

Ouyang Rong shook his head. "I am not being courteous at all; I just want to ensure they don't feel the need to be too courteous themselves."

He glanced at the visibly anxious Magistrate Assistant and said softly, "Actually, I will not hide it from you, Magistrate Assistant Diao. My reason for inviting everyone to Yuanming Tower for a meal, aside from wanting to become acquainted with the local sages and elders, is to discuss a matter of national and public importance—a matter that concerns them as well."

"Are you saying, Mingtang..."

"Exactly. After the banquet, I will hold a fundraising event for water conservancy, and I will be the first to donate grain."

Magistrate Assistant Diao seemed to have more to say but held his tongue. Ouyang Rong’s expression remained calm.

"You have seen the official documents sent from Jiangzhou and the suggestions from the imperial court; I have been pondering this for several days. Currently, we have enough grain for disaster relief, and with the three thousand shi of rice arriving from Jiangzhou, maintaining the stability of the twenty-four relief camps on the outskirts of the city for the next three months will not be an issue.

"However, there is an urgent matter at hand: the water conservancy projects, including the Di Gong Sluice, must be built as soon as possible. Otherwise, as I anticipate, when the plum rain season brings flooding shortly, we will face the tragedy of Longcheng being submerged once again. Magistrate Assistant Diao, this is not merely a matter for the tens of thousands of refugees on the city outskirts; it concerns the safety of everyone inside and outside Longcheng. You are the Magistrate Assistant; you are the most senior official in the yamen and the most familiar with the local gentry and wealthy families. I need you to clarify these stakes for me and explain the difficulties facing the imperial court and Jiangzhou to them."

Magistrate Assistant Diao sighed. "You truly exhaust yourself for the sake of the people of Longcheng, Mingtang."

"It is merely my duty."

Diao hesitated, then couldn't help but remind him, "Mingtang, you might want to consider the suggestion I made to you the other day... Holding a fundraising banquet is not impossible, but for the best results, it would be best if you were to meet with the Liu family privately beforehand to discuss things properly..."

Ouyang Rong suddenly interrupted, "Are you on such good terms with the Liu family, Magistrate Assistant Diao? You keep speaking on their behalf."

Diao replied solemnly, "You misunderstand, Mingtang. I am not speaking for the Liu family; I am thinking of you, which is why I offered such shallow advice."

Ouyang Rong studied him for a moment before nodding. "Thank you, Magistrate Assistant Diao, but that will not be necessary. This fundraising banquet will be aimed at all the gentry and merchants of Longcheng County. I am not begging; I am approaching them with sincerity and openness.

"Tell them about the tax incentives mentioned in the imperial documents regarding the fundraising. Although I may have a stubborn temper, I am not an unreasonable man. I will implement these policies at my discretion, provided they donate generously... In the face of this ruthless natural disaster, if our officials and people stand together, we will surely overcome these difficult times. This is not a matter for any single family or household."

With that final sentence, Ouyang Rong gave Magistrate Assistant Diao a meaningful look and turned away.

Magistrate Assistant Diao sighed, watching his back, and said, "This subordinate... obeys your command."

***

While Magistrate Assistant Diao was going from house to house, contacting the local gentry and relaying the young magistrate’s invitations and promises, Ouyang Rong walked silently into the archives of the yamen and retrieved the financial and tax ledgers of the county for the past several years.

He had already arranged the matters for the relief camps yesterday, allowing him to arrive late today and attend to this more important task. The young magistrate dismissed the respectful clerks and sat alone in the small room, reading quietly.

By the time Xie Lingjiang arrived carrying a two-tiered food box, Ouyang Rong was still intently reviewing the documents.

"Senior Brother."

"Hmm."

"I brought you some pastries. Aunt Zhen asked me to bring them."

"Good."

Seeing he didn't even look up, still focused on his work, Xie Lingjiang settled down, set the box aside, and sat nearby to wait, occasionally stealing glances at him. She had always felt that men looked most handsome when they were focused; her father was the same.

Before long, Ouyang Rong closed the books and rubbed the bridge of his nose with two fingers, looking up to catch a glimpse of the blue sky and white clouds outside to relieve his fatigue. But just then, his junior sister stood up, handed him the opened pastry box, and leaned forward, her upper body tilting toward him...

Caught off guard, Ouyang Rong suddenly felt his eye fatigue vanish.

*Slender branches bearing heavy fruit.*

The phrase popped into his head unbidden. Perhaps it was from staring at the dense, tiny characters for too long, but his vision felt strangely unfocused, making everything seem to expand and contract... The combination was a knockout blow.

"Why are you leaning back, Senior Brother?" Xie Lingjiang asked crisply.

"No... nothing, just stretching," Ouyang Rong said calmly. He was not a man who lacked self-control, but his junior sister was truly well-endowed, and her swift, decisive movements in front of him made it difficult to ignore, even if a muscular man of the same stature had been standing there, he would have glanced out of pure reflex. He could tell she must have been binding her chest tightly, as she was usually very careful, and the fabric remained taut without any exaggerated movement.

"What are you looking at, Senior Brother?"

Ouyang Rong panicked for a second but quickly realized she wasn't asking about that.

"The financial expenditures of Longcheng County for the past two years, and the tax records of some of the wealthier households," the upright Senior Brother replied solemnly.

"Oh."

Xie Lingjiang nodded, took a pastry, and leaned in closer, curious to see the books on his desk. She seemed quite interested in everything her Senior Brother was doing lately, though she wasn't sure if it was because of that "energy."

"And did you find anything, Senior Brother?"

Ouyang Rong nodded and pointed to one. "In the first half of this year, the county yamen had only fifty guan left in the treasury from last year, yet the expenditures totaled over two thousand guan. The year before that was the same; the surplus was only forty guan..."

Xie Lingjiang frowned as she listened. "Doesn't that mean the annual income is spent exactly to the last penny, leaving almost nothing? Isn't that a bit too coincidental?"

Ouyang Rong glanced at the clerks passing by outside. "And every single line item of the expenditure is incredibly detailed, down to how much the yamen spent on door gods and couplets for the Lunar New Year. If you count it up, it indeed adds up to that amount. There are no errors."

***

Xie Lingjiang’s frown deepened.

He smiled. "Never mind that for now."

The young magistrate closed the financial ledger, tossed it aside as if nothing had happened, and rang a small bell on his desk. When the clerks arrived, he had them take the files back to be archived.

After the clerks left, Ouyang Rong’s expression remained neutral. Xie Lingjiang couldn't help but ask, "Are you just going to let it go? Not investigate the yamen further?"

"It will pass for now. There are more important things."

Ouyang Rong gestured to a thick book remaining on the desk regarding Longcheng’s tax revenue. This was the real focus of his visit today.

Xie Lingjiang was silent for a moment, then nodded and turned to flip through the remaining pages, seemingly trying to understand her Senior Brother’s intentions, forgetting the pastry in her hand.

Meanwhile, due to her intense focus, her upper body unconsciously leaned further forward...

With a beauty nearby, Ouyang Rong, who had been about to taste a pastry, caught a delicate fragrance even more alluring than the sweets. Knowing his junior sister was acting without thought, he still moved back to avoid suspicion, shifting his seat as she leaned in.

Ouyang Rong took a bite of a pastry and thought to himself, *Junior Sister really doesn't treat me as an outsider.*

She had no defenses against her "upright" Senior Brother. The feeling of being trusted by her moved him, and he silently resolved to keep his eyes under control in the future. However, he also noticed that sometimes when his gaze wandered, he didn't seem to lose any "merit points," perhaps because she hadn't noticed... Just out of curiosity, he turned to check again.

At that moment, a dull *clack* of a wooden fish sounded in his ear.

*Merit Point deducted.*

Before Ouyang Rong could even react, Xie Lingjiang, who had been leaning in to examine the documents, abruptly stood up, clutching the pastry in her left hand and grabbing her sword hilt with her right. With her back to him, she hurried toward the door without looking back.

It wasn't so much a "hurry" as it was an escape.

Ouyang Rong, however, caught a sharp glimpse of the fair skin between her collar and her hairline—it was flushed a deep red, like a maple leaf intoxicated by a warm breeze. The noble lady of the Xie family seemed to realize something as she reached the door. She stopped abruptly, pretending to look at the scenery, keeping her back to her "indecent" Senior Brother inside. She shook her head, glanced left and right, and though he couldn't see her expression, he heard her voice drop as she muttered, "It’s too hot in here... I’m going to get some air," before her graceful figure vanished.

His junior sister had run off with the pastry.

"..."

Only Ouyang Rong remained in the room, left with words he couldn't say... *Wait, can I explain?*

"It's over. My image as a gentleman in Junior Sister’s heart is gone."

The Senior Brother felt a wave of sorrow.

However... although it was a misunderstanding, he had to admit, he never expected that his usually stern and serious junior sister would be so cute and dazed when she was shy and blushing.

Perhaps this was what they called the "charm of contrast."