Chapter 104 Unexpected Twists and Turns and Unexplained Merits

"oh?"

The priestess stopped, glanced again, her expression a mixture of regret and curiosity, though her face was covered in paint, making it impossible for others to tell:

"What makes him special? Besides that grumpy old man halfway up the mountain, is there anyone else in this sword shop who can make it difficult for you to move?"

Liu Zian recalled the report from the steward in blue robes and shook his head again:

"The old gentleman likes this young female worker named Aqing quite a bit, so she can't be moved."

"What if you can't move around?"

Liu Zian glanced at her, remained silent for a moment, and then suddenly said:

"She's not moving... because she's still a pawn that's been laid out by our elder brother, and we can't disturb her prematurely."

The priestess said impatiently, "What do you mean? What could you possibly gain from a lowly factory worker? Is that old man just using her to blackmail him?"

Liu Zian smiled and said:

"It has nothing to do with the old man, but it has something to do with the county magistrate."

"The little female worker's brother is named Liu Ashan. He used to be a government slave in the sword shop, but he was later rescued by the county magistrate, who also helped him redeem himself."

"Liu Ashan is currently working under the county magistrate. Although he keeps a low profile and hides himself quite well, he can't escape the eyes and ears of our Liu family."

"My elder brother noticed him some time ago and conducted a thorough investigation. This Liu Ashan is a bit dishonest; he even dared to plant spies in our sword shop to gather information."

The priestess frowned: "Then why aren't you making a move?"

Liu Zian gently shook his head:

"We're still cooperating with the county government, although it hasn't been that long..."

"It's not convenient to clean up right now, as it might alert them. As for Liu Ashan's people at the sword shop, we've been keeping an eye on them. Any information that gets out is safe, but we won't let them find out anything important."

"And this young female worker named Aqing has been under surveillance for a while now. She's usually quite honest and well-behaved, not like someone who's gathering information. I don't know why Liu Ashan keeps her here. Hmm, maybe he thinks the Liu family hasn't discovered his affair yet."

The sickly-looking second young master of the Liu family chuckled:

“Perfect, let’s play along and pretend we don’t know anything. Brother, we can keep her around as a spare piece, she might come in handy someday.”

The priestess sneered, "So it's used to threaten the new magistrate?"

Liu Zian tilted his head and said:

"This might be a bit difficult. Ouyang Lianghan's personality is not like that of the Xie noblewoman, and as for coercing Liu Ashan, it's not useful right now."

"However, our people found out that Liu Ashan took her to a family dinner at Meilu Garden last night. It seems that the two families have a good relationship. She might actually be a weakness later on. That's what my elder brother has arranged, so it's not a good time to make any moves right now."

The priestess scoffed, "Your Liu family is truly obsessed with self-interest."

"Likewise."

At this moment, the two who had stopped to chat saw a group of female tassel workers emerging from the sword tassel workshop not far away, walking out in groups of three or five, as if it was time for a break.

Meanwhile, the pretty young female factory worker they had just been discussing was being watched and pointed at by many passing female factory workers, especially a thin-lipped female factory worker who was standing with one hand on her hip and the other hand poking the pretty young female factory worker's head with her index finger, while her companions around her laughed from time to time.

The priestess slightly tilted her somewhat plump double chin forward in a gesture:

"Then let's go with the one next to her. She has a sharp tongue and seems quite eloquent. She's probably just as intelligent as her."

This time, Liu Ziwen immediately nodded, his expression calm: "Okay."

"Let's go then. I'll go set up the ceremony."

The two turned and left.

The group of female workers behind them had no idea that the fate of some of them had already been decided by someone's casual remark.

It's like stepping on an ant.

...

Ouyang Rong woke up at 7:00 AM. When he opened his eyes, he suddenly noticed that his mouth tasted sour and astringent.

My face also felt a bit spicy.

It felt like my face had been smeared with the oil from the spicy home-cooked food I ate last night.

Ouyang Rong reached out from under the covers and curiously wiped his face and lips.

Strange, why does it have a spicy flavor like that of Sichuan peppercorns and dogwood in the food?

He brushed his teeth with willow twigs before going to bed last night.

Or is it...?

"Wei Lai, did you steal a kiss from me last night?"

Ouyang Rong looked down at the bulging blankets beside him and asked.

The silver-haired girl peeked her small, white head out from under the covers, her eyes still blurry with sleep. A few wisps of hair framing her face, along with a single, upturned tuft, peeked out from under the covers. Her grey-blue eyes barely opened a crack as she mumbled something in her sleep.

"Um...no...no..."

"Why does your face feel a bit sticky, and it smells like chili peppers? Is it...?"

The young man, who had been stern and accusatory in the early morning, was stopped by the girl's languid gentleness before he could finish speaking.

After a long while, they parted.

The white-haired maidservant, clutching the quilt in both hands, tilted her head back and asked, "Is this it, Master?"

"..."

Ouyang Rong glared at her, brushed off a few strands of silver from the corner of his mouth, and shook his head: "Didn't brush your teeth? Aren't you afraid of the weird taste?"

Wei Lai shook her head vigorously, "I don't blame my master... but today there does seem to be a bit of dogwood smell."

"I knew it. I thought it was yours, but you don't seem to have this flavor."

"What exactly is that?"

Ouyang Rong and Wei Lai stared at each other, but still couldn't figure it out, so they had no choice but to give up and ignore it.

After dawdling for a while, the two got out of bed and started a new day.

After having breakfast at the Deer Garden, Ouyang Rong hurried off to the yamen to go on duty, with the white-haired maidservant watching him with tender affection.

He wore the new robe that Aqing had given him today, and I must say, it fit him quite well.

Aqing really meant well.

Ouyang Rong felt a warmth in his heart.

Upon arriving at the yamen, he entered the government office amidst greetings from his subordinates and joined the clerks in handling matters related to the Di Gong Gate.

In the morning, Ouyang Rong was full of energy, engrossed in his work, barely taking a few sips of the cold tea on his desk, when a series of crisp wooden fish sounds suddenly interrupted his train of thought.

In the quiet hall of the government office, where only the rustling of writing could be heard, the young magistrate behind the desk paused, his long, slender right hand holding the writing brush.

He looked up at the quiet hall and his subordinates, a hint of doubt in his expression.

Why did I suddenly gain so many merit points?

The continuous sound of the wooden fish made Ouyang Rong's ears go numb.

Confused, he put down his fine wolf-hair brush, stood up, and quietly told the clerks to rest for a while. He then went straight out and lingered in the long corridor outside.

Taking advantage of the absence of others, the young magistrate spotted an empty office, went inside, closed the door, sat down on a chair, closed his eyes, and immersed himself in the merit pagoda.

Upon entering the Pagoda of Merit, everything around him remained the same. He looked at the merit points displayed above the small wooden fish:

[Merit: 9021]

A few days ago, after exchanging for a blessing at Yunshui Pavilion that he still doesn't understand, he had 8,631 merit points remaining. In recent days, his merit points have only increased by less than 100 from that amount.

Of course, this is also related to the fact that the Di Gong Gate and the Zhe Yi Canal were not completed, so there was no large income. He could only rely on the steady flow of water from the twenty-four disaster relief camps in the suburbs, his good deeds in the past few days, and the money he made from the silver-haired maid.

But just now, while he was working at his desk, his merit points suddenly surged by more than 300 points in just ten breaths.

It's clear that this comes from the same "source".

"What good deed have I done?"

Ouyang Rong stroked his chin and wandered around the Pagoda of Merit for a long time, but couldn't figure it out. Suddenly, he heard some noises coming from the outside.

Ouyang Rong immediately left the Merit Pagoda, got up and left the office, and then heard Liu Asan's voice from around the corner not far away.

Have you seen the master?

“It seems the magistrate has gone to the restroom…” a clerk replied.

Ouyang Rong walked over and called out from afar, "Here I am, Ashan."

A tall, thin man immediately approached, his expression quite serious, indicating that he had something important to discuss. Ouyang Rong led him into the previously empty office. Once the door was closed, Liu Ashan spoke directly:

"Master, my men at the sword shop have learned that the Jia San sword furnace, which has been strangely lit, stopped smoking this morning. It must have been extinguished around midnight."

"Based on my previous experience working at the Guyue sword shop, I speculate that it should be a sword that has been fired in this furnace."

Ouyang Rong frowned and glanced sideways.

(End of this chapter)