Chapter 443 Strange Twist

"Go to Jingyiting."

"yes."

Ouyang Rong, holding a golden sesame cake wrapped in oiled paper, boarded the carriage waiting on the street.

He casually gave the order, and the coachman responded, turning the carriage towards the water repair workshop.

At dawn, the dew that was about to fall from the roadside weeds was shaken off by the clattering hooves of the horse-drawn carriage.

Inside the carriage, the golden sesame cakes were still hot from the pan, and Ouyang Rong had to switch hands several times before finally taking a small bite.

The hot biscuits filled his rumbling stomach a little, and he leaned back in his seat, letting out a long sigh of relief.

The carriage Ouyang Rong was riding in was entering the city through the west gate.

He has been outside the city for the past two days.

All our food, drinks, and accommodations were taken care of at Shuangfengjian.

The construction of the giant Buddha at Xunyang Grottoes is entering a crucial stage, and he needs to go there personally to oversee it.

Ouyang Rong finished the sesame cake in no time, and after hearing the children playing outside the carriage, he casually folded the remaining oil paper into a paper airplane.

She lifted the carriage curtain and, with a smile, launched the paper airplane.

I watched as the group of snotty-nosed children chased paper airplanes in the sunlight and disappeared into the distance.

Ouyang Rong withdrew his gaze and sniffed the fabric on his left and right shoulders.

I haven't showered for days, so I thought I'd go to my junior sister's place for a soak in the hot springs.

My junior sister has been staying at Jingyiting recently, so it's convenient for her to accompany Qin Ying to the elegant gatherings and banquets.

Before long, the carriage drove smoothly into the back gate of Jingyi Courtyard.

Before getting off the train, Ouyang Rong took out a long, narrow cloth bag from under the seat and carried it inside.

Upon seeing Xie Lingjiang outside the quiet courtyard, he casually handed her the long, narrow cloth bundle.

Ouyang Rong walked into the hospital alone.

Xie Lingjiang skillfully carried the long cloth bag and followed closely behind him.

She looked as if she had just gotten up. Xie Lingjiang had a bare, oval face, without any makeup, naturally beautiful, and her satin-like hair was simply tied with a red ribbon.

She rubbed her sleepy almond-shaped eyes from time to time, her demeanor carrying a languid air of a beautiful woman who was too lazy to do her makeup after waking up late.

"Why did you suddenly come back?"

"I'm going back to the city to take care of the backlog of official business, and also to see you."

"Go take a shower, you're covered in sweat."

"Not together?"

"You wish."

"I'll just go to the hot spring to get some water to wash myself, there's no need to waste it."

"Go ahead and ruin it all you want, hmph."

"You're not drinking it anyway, so what's wrong with me taking a shower? Oh, I remember now, that was someone's foot bath water, right? No wonder you valued it so much, you couldn't bear to part with it."

"You're not allowed to mention it again." The woman, with her bare face, glared at him fiercely, a little annoyed, and asked, "You still use that to wash your feet?"

The person didn't answer, but blinked and asked, "So after I washed you that day, did you like it so much that you secretly went to wash yourself again?"

"Who's as shameless as you?"

"Got it. It's no fun soaking your feet by yourself without me here. Looks like I'll have to do it."

"Go take a shower, stop being so talkative."

Xie Lingjiang gave a playful snort and gently pushed his chest.

Ouyang Rong smiled and stopped teasing his junior sister.

"You left a set of clothes here, I'll get them for you now, just wait."

As they approached the hot spring that they both knew well, Xie Lingjiang suddenly spoke and turned to run to get her clothes.

However, Ouyang Rong felt that she was making excuses to run away, afraid that he would do something bad and drag her "into the water" while she was washing.

Ouyang Rong chuckled and shook his head, too lazy to expose her.

Perhaps because he had to go to the Jiangzhou Hall to handle official business in the morning, he didn't do anything wrong during his bath.

Upon arriving at the hot spring, he used a wooden bucket to draw water, quickly washed himself, and then changed into the clean clothes that his junior sister had found for him.

Xie Lingjiang, who deliberately squinted and kept a distance to observe carefully, watched her senior brother obediently wiping his hair in the sunlight. She noticed that he didn't mention anything malicious about asking her to hand him a towel or clothes. Xie Lingjiang couldn't help but feel a sense of novelty and strangeness.

Has he changed his ways? It's rare that he hasn't done anything malicious.

However... why did she feel a vague sense of emptiness and disappointment?

Xie Lingjiang, who was standing quietly to the side, looked away, bit her lip, and silently criticized herself for her wild thoughts.

"His clothes were covered in sweat and filthy, and he didn't even bother to change. Nobody cares when you're out here, and he just wears the same clothes all the time without ever changing..."

She muttered to herself.

However, Ouyang noticed that his junior sister's movements as she bent down to tidy up his dirty clothes didn't stop. She crumpled them into a ball, hugged them to her chest, sniffed them, and then turned her head away with a slight look of disgust...

"Why did you bring it with you when you went to Twin Peaks this time?"

After dealing with the dirty clothes, Xie Lingjiang returned with the long cloth bag in her hands, tilting her head to ask.

"in case."

"To guard against those Yangzhou merchants who are not convinced?"

"Yes, one should always be wary of others."

"Actually, it would be enough to have Liu Lang keep an eye on things. Senior Brother... you're really cautious."

"We must be cautious. Junior Sister may think that Xingzifang's profits are not much, but for those people, it is enough to make them take risks."

"That makes sense." Xie Lingjiang nodded slightly, quickly understanding.

This is also why Ouyang Rong likes to talk a lot with Junior Sister Xie and often acts as a teacher in front of her—Junior Sister Xie is not stubborn or arrogant, but understanding and will listen to what is right. She has a gentle temperament that belongs to women, which man would not love.

Her gaze was fixed on Ouyang Rong:

"However, that Pei Shisan Niang doesn't seem like someone who can't think straight. They happen to be from Yangzhou and know how powerful Aunt is. They dare to make small moves. We need to consider how to deal with Aunt afterward."

"I'm afraid of hotheads." Ouyang Rong said softly. Xie Lingjiang lowered her head and casually untied some of the cloth bundle.

"Cough cough, don't open it."

"Reason." She glanced sideways.

"There is a sword from Yunmeng Sword Marsh inside. The craftsman needs to keep it under the scabbard and not let it leave the scabbard casually. Don't let the little guy escape."

"oh."

Xie Lingjiang nodded, indeed feeling that the sword box was much heavier than usual, and wondered:

"This sword has a very strong sword aura."

"It depends on its owner."

Before Xie Lingjiang could ask any more questions, Qin Ying's voice rang out from outside the courtyard; she had come looking for her.

Ouyang Rong put on his coat and went out hand in hand with Xie Lingjiang.

Xie Lingjiang and Qin Ying were going to the Xunyang Prince's Mansion to find Li Guo'er and travel together.

Before going to the main hall in Jiangzhou, Ouyang Rong also wanted to find Li Xian and Li Dalang to discuss the recent situation, and it just so happened that he was on his way.

The group rode together in a carriage to the Xunyang Prince's Mansion.

After the two women got out of the car, they said goodbye and left.

Ouyang Rong turned and headed towards the study, where he happened to run into Lu Ya, who was leaving the study.

"Where did Master Lu go?"

"Princess, you will be traveling to Mount Lu soon. The Prince has asked me to accompany you and protect you."

Ouyang Rong nodded, then, as if remembering something, asked calmly:

"Has Master Lu recently gone to Xingzifang to look for the Huang family?"

I went there the day before yesterday.

"I've never asked why Master Lu often visits them, is it merely to look after me?"

Lu Ya hesitated for a moment.

"Not entirely."

"I would like to hear the details."

"Actually, I've already told Her Highness about this, it's not exactly a secret. The little girl surnamed Huang that Young Master Ouyang helped has a connection with my sect."

Lu Ya's words were brief and to the point.

Ouyang Rong raised an eyebrow slightly and sized up the expressionless young man in the Taoist robe.

"Fate... I understand. But does your Shangqing Sect also accept female disciples?"

"The Shangqing sect, where I reside, teaches without discrimination, unlike the Taiqing and Yuqing sects, which reject disciples of different kinds or female disciples."

"I see."

Immediately, the two fell silent.

Not long after, Ouyang Rong bid farewell to Lu Ya, finished his business in the study, and left the Xunyang Prince's Mansion. He carried a long, narrow cloth bag and headed to the main hall of Jiangzhou.

Upon arriving at the main hall, he set aside the unremarkable long cloth bag and turned to attend to official business.

I didn't lie to my junior sister when we were at Jingyi Pavilion; the craftsmanship really couldn't leave the Mo family's sword box.

It needs to suppress the snow-white sword named "Zhi Shuang" that Xue Zhong Zhu wields. Well, it also comes with a purple undergarment.

It seemed that Yan Liulang had known in advance of Ouyang Rong's return, so he rushed over.

Ouyang Rong asked him questions.

"Sixth Brother, how are Pei Shisan Niang and those Yang merchants you were asked to keep an eye on doing now?"

"There hasn't been much activity lately, but they've been having frequent gatherings. Pei Shisan Niang has been behaving quite well, but those Yangzhou merchants have been complaining about the Ming family at private dinners."

After listening, Ouyang Rong nodded:

"Let them complain. I can't control what they say in private. You keep an eye on them. Remember, the most important thing is to keep a close eye on them to see if there are any signs of them... coming into contact with Wang Lengran."

"Yes. Wait. What you mean, Your Excellency, is..."

Yan Liulang couldn't help but glance at him sideways.

Ouyang Rong lowered his eyes and remained silent.

After thinking for a moment, Yan Liulang frowned and pondered:

"He was dealt with so badly by the Ming government before, losing all his prestige. And the Wei family has recently suffered a setback. This guy surnamed Wang probably wouldn't dare to do that."

"It's not that I'm worried or afraid, but I mainly dislike the feeling of things being unexpected. Just keep an eye on this, Liu Lang, and report any developments."

"yes."

Ouyang Rong withdrew his gaze, opened a scroll of official documents in his hand, and prepared to dismiss Yan Liulang to attend to his business. However, the latter did not intend to leave immediately. Instead, he took out a letter from his pocket and handed it over.

"Wait a minute, Your Excellency. A new letter arrived from Longcheng this morning."

"Whose Dragon City is it?"

"Lord Diao."

Ouyang Rong took the envelope with some curiosity, opened the seal, and took out a piece of paper with the familiar handwriting of Magistrate Diao.

He glanced at it; there wasn't much content, but then his expression froze slightly.

It wasn't Magistrate Diao who sought him out, but rather the unusual Ah Qing who did, and Magistrate Diao even helped write the letter on his behalf.

In the letter, the little girl only mentioned one thing.

The other evening, the tall, blonde oriental woman came to see her again.

The candle in the snow seemed to be fulfilling the promise that Sanhuiyuan had made before leaving that day: to visit Aqing again and ask for her opinion once more.

Aqing naturally declined, and cleverly cooperated with her sister-in-law and mother to cover for her absent "brother".

Xuezhongzhu seemed unaware of anything. After being politely refused, he left somewhat disappointed, but still left Aqing a piece of jade, saying he would use it when she changed her mind...

Ouyang Rong put down the letter, feeling a warm current flowing through his heart at what Aqing and the others had done.

However, after a moment, his brows furrowed slightly again, and he muttered to himself:

"Did you come here specifically to see Aqing, or are you just doing something on the way...?"

However, what Ouyang Rong wanted to know more about was whether Xiu Niang had come with Xue Zhong Zhu, but unfortunately, A Qing's letter did not mention it.

Just as Ouyang Rong was frowning and pondering Yue Nu's movements, Yan Liulang suddenly ran back from outside the hall and said in a deep voice:

"Sir, Miss Xie is looking for you. It seems she has something urgent to discuss. She is waiting for you in the courtyard next to the back gate."

"Did you say what it was about?"

"She didn't tell me, but urged you to go over quickly..."

Before Yan Liulang could finish speaking, Ouyang Rong immediately got up, strode out the door, and soon arrived at the side courtyard by the back gate.

Pushing open the door, I immediately saw a tall, slender figure in a red dress pacing back and forth in the courtyard.

"What's wrong, Junior Sister? Didn't you take Miss Qin to the literary gathering? Why did you come here?"

Xie Lingjiang's expression was somewhat complicated. She took out several items and handed them over.

"Senior Brother, take a look at these..."

Ouyang Rong's gaze sharpened slightly as he looked at his junior sister's hands.

In her hands were a basket of red leaves and three oil-paper umbrellas...

...

The night was as black as ink, and the autumn wind howled.

In a corner of Xingzifang, there are courtyards and houses that have been in disrepair for many years, all of which are now hidden in the darkness.

The population density of the low-cost housing area of ​​Xingzifang is definitely the highest in Xunyang. Some people jokingly say that if a tile falls from the roof, it could hit two people, one tall and one short.

However, it was already past midnight, and most households here had turned off their lights and were resting, with only a few scattered shadows flashing by as people occasionally got up to relieve themselves. There was none of the brightly lit scene of revelry that raged through the night along the Xunyang River or in other wealthy neighborhoods.

At this moment, inside a dark house in a dilapidated courtyard, the sound of snoring rang out precisely on time and rhythmically, as most people were fast asleep.

With a creak.

Half of the cabinet door was quietly pushed open from the inside.

A small head wearing a lotus crown peeked out from the cabinet, seemingly looking into the dark room.

After repeatedly confirming that the Huang father and daughter on the straw mat were fast asleep, she breathed a slight sigh of relief.

A moment later, the young female Taoist priest, dressed in a dark Confucian robe, skillfully jumped down from the top of the cabinet, one step at a time, without making much noise. She was even more agile than a cat, but her expression was somewhat serious.

In the past, she would often sneak off to Hanlei Mozhai to forage for food and free meals while Huang Xuan and Huang Feihong were asleep, just like she does now.

However, tonight, she no longer had the same anticipation and cheerful mood as usual.

Miao Si turned her head and glanced at the pitch-black night outside the window.

The three-day period has ended.

Tonight is the final deadline set by that cold, palace-dressed girl.

A short while later, the small figure of the young woman in Confucian robes and a Taoist priest disappeared from the room.

Inside, on the straw mat, the bearded man was still fast asleep, even turning over; the little girl, lying flat on her back with her eyes closed, murmured a few times in her sleep, a slight smile playing on her lips…

(PS: I'm traveling home today, spending the whole day on the road, and I won't arrive until 2 AM. I'm writing this update on the bus, and I'm feeling a bit carsick from all the swaying.)

I saw a lot of traffic jams along the way, mostly caused by traffic accidents.

With the Spring Festival travel rush approaching, my friends, please drive safely. Drivers, please don't be impatient. Finally, wishing everyone a happy and prosperous New Year!

(End of this chapter)