Chapter 467 The Gossip That Everyone Loves

"Ouyang Lianghan, come out for a moment, I have something to ask you..."

“Ouyang Lianghan, let’s go, let’s go see the Xunyang Grottoes…”

"Ouyang Lianghan, where's today's frontline battle report? Why hasn't it been sent over? Come out here for a moment, don't disturb others..."

"Ouyang Lianghan, come out here and bring me the list of scholars from the Jiangzhou State Academy in the first year of the Shengli era..."

"Ouyang Lianghan, where are you? We agreed to meet at 2:45 AM. If you dare to be late again, I won't wait for you anymore. This is the last time..."

"Ouyang Lianghan, accompany me to Huang Xuan's courtyard in Xingzifang. I've remembered something strange and want to investigate it..."

"Ouyang Lianghan, what have you been busy with these past two days? After applying for an extension, the Donglin Buddha is no longer important, is that it? You're late again. You say you're busy at the end of the year, but do you think I'm not busy? You're wasting my time. Next time, I definitely won't call you. You can take a ride and get there yourself..."

“Ouyang Lianghan? Forget it, whatever you want…”

"Ouyang Lianghan, come out."

Lately, around 7:30 in the morning, at the entrance of the main hall of Jiangzhou, one can hear a certain female historian calling out to Chief Secretary Ouyang in a cold voice.

This lady, who is usually elusive, has been visiting the Jiangzhou main hall more frequently lately, seemingly on official business each time she comes to see Chief Secretary Ouyang.

Sometimes I would call Ouyang Changshi out for questioning, sometimes I would go with him to the Xunyang Grottoes, and sometimes I would not know where we went together or what we were investigating, and I would not see him for a whole morning.

At first, everyone was a little worried that the gentle and refined Prefect Ouyang might be targeted by the female officials and cause them trouble.

But later on, no internal investigations or suspensions occurred, and many of the Jiangzhou officials coming and going at the main hall entrance had become accustomed to this scene...

This morning, it was the same.

Lady Rongzhen walked in with a cold face and called out to Chief Clerk Ouyang, who was buried in his documents. Judging from her tone, she seemed to be in a bad mood. Chief Clerk Ouyang scurried out, attracting curious glances from many people...

"Ms. Rong, what are your orders?"

"My surname is not Rong."

"They're all the same..." Seeing the lady's increasingly displeased expression, Ouyang Rong immediately changed his tune: "Alright, they're not the same. May I ask your surname, Lady?"

Rong Zhen quieted down, but her eyes were fixed on Ouyang Rong's curious face, scrutinizing every subtle expression, as if trying to find something.

"Um, should I not have asked?"

Rong Zhen lowered her eyelashes slightly: "I forgot too. Never mind, just call me Lady Rong."

"Okay."

"Here you go, take it back."

Rong Zhen suddenly threw something into Ouyang Rong's arms.

The latter couldn't help but lower his head in surprise:

"This is……"

"Thank you for the bamboo walking stick you gave me the other day, it's quite useful."

"It's nothing, just a small favor." Ouyang Rong paused, then handed it over again, saying casually:

"Why don't you keep it, Madam? It's something that's already been given away; there's no reason to take it back. You can keep it for later use."

“Ouyang Lianghan, you’re the one who curses me so often that I’m seriously injured, aren’t you?”

"No, no, then... then I..."

Rongzhen tilted her head: "Then you can keep it and use it yourself."

"..."

Just kidding.

Rong Zhen suddenly reached out and retrieved the emerald green bamboo staff, pouting as she said:

"Alright, I'll accept it for you for now. I'll return it to you next time you're injured and unable to walk. It's settled then."

How did you know I'd get hurt next time? You've changed it to cursing me now? Ouyang Rong was speechless, but still clasped his hands in a fist salute:

"Thank you, Lady Rong."

Rongzhen waved her hand.

The two stood on a long corridor not far from the main hall. This corridor leading to the main hall was a bustling road. In addition, the day's work begins in the morning, which is the busiest time in Jiangzhou Hall. Even Yuan Huaimin, the maniac who loves to slack off, has to personally clock in and check his daily steps.

Therefore, many minor officials delivering official documents would pass through the corridor. But right now, whether it was a coincidence or not, during the conversation between Rong Zhen and Ouyang Rong, not a single person passed by. It was as deserted as it usually is during holidays.

The two exchanged a few words, and then the atmosphere became somewhat quiet.

Ouyang Rong tentatively asked, "Does Lady Rong have any other instructions?"

Rong Zhenlong glanced out of the corner of her eye at a certain cowardly person who was behaving cautiously:

"That's all, but Ouyang Lianghan, I have a question for you."

"Speaking."

"Is Huang Xuan's father also working at the Xunyang Grottoes, and even placed in some kind of low-rent housing promoted by your Jiangzhou government? Are you aware of this?"

“I know,” Ouyang Rong replied immediately.

Rongzhen glanced at his calm and composed expression.

Ouyang Rong shrugged and said:

“His father performed very well, he was hardworking and resilient, and he applied for the position himself. I did not use any special connections.”

He glanced at Rong Zhen, who was squinting, and asked, "Did Lady Rong go and ask him?"

Rong Zhen nodded: "We naturally had to question the suspect's relatives, but we didn't make things difficult for him. Although he was stammering, what he said was actually true when it was later verified."

What were the findings?

Rong Zhen looked at Ouyang Rong, who was filled with curiosity, for a moment, and then slowly spoke:

"According to him, Huang Xuan seems to have been taken away by a Taoist priest with a sword on his back. I investigated and found that the Taoist priest's attire seems to be from the Sanqing Taoist sect."

Ouyang Rong nodded: "The Three Pure Ones Sect? There's such a thing."

Rongzhen suddenly asked, "The people below have also found out that this sword-wielding Taoist priest has been in and out of the Xunyang Prince's Mansion, and it seems that he lives there."

Rong Zhen noticed that Ouyang Lianghan first frowned, then relaxed his brows slightly, and slowly replied, "Could it be that Taoist priest...?"

"What Taoist priest? You know him?"

"I know him, but we're not close. I don't know him very well either. This Taoist priest suddenly visited the Prince's Mansion a while ago. It seems he has some old ties with the Prince's family. However, I don't have much interaction with him, so I didn't ask any questions."

"What's your last name?"

"I don't know." After a pause, he replied, "It seems to be something like Yuan, but I've forgotten."

Rong Zhen pursed her lips: "He is undoubtedly a Taoist priest of the Three Pure Ones, a member of the Three Mountains Bloodline Generation, and his seniority is not low."

Ouyang Rong asked with concern, "Did this Daoist Master Yuan see potential in Huang Xuan when he took her away?"

Rong Zhen said directly:

"It's not that simple... I originally thought Huang Xuan was taken away by Yunmeng Yue Nu or that lecherous thief... the master of Butterfly Love Flower, but I didn't expect that she was intercepted by a Taoist priest of the Three Pure Ones. It seems that what happened on the day we were unconscious was not so simple, and the Taoist sect of the Three Pure Ones was also involved."

"Wait, could it be that the owner of the Butterfly Love Flower sect is also related to the Three Pure Ones sect?"

Ouyang Rong raised an eyebrow: "That's possible."

Rong Zhen sighed softly:

"Whether it was a lucky find or a collaboration with the Butterfly Love Flower Master or the Cloud Dream female cultivator remains to be seen... It's a pity that Huang Xuan has the Innocent Spirit Eye and saw the Butterfly Love Flower Master's true face behind her mask. If we could find her, it would be much easier to find this thief."

Ouyang Rong suggested, "That makes sense. Why don't we... go ask the Prince?"

Rong Zhen was silent for a while, then said to Ouyang Rong, "I'll trouble you, Chief Secretary, to ask for me."

"Okay, leave it to me."

Ouyang Rong nodded, but Rong Zhen hesitated for a moment before lowering her voice and speaking first:

"If you can help, I will already be grateful. Whether it succeeds or not, just do your best. If you can't find out the truth even with the Prince's trust in you, then I will go. The Prince is even more tight-lipped and I won't be able to get him to open his mouth."

"The analysis makes sense."

The two chatted for a while longer, filling in any gaps in their understanding. After a moment, Rongzhen turned to leave, waving her hand:

"Alright, you can go ahead and get busy."

"Um, is Ms. Rong sure there's nothing else?"

"It's gone."

"And what about tomorrow? What about the matter that came to see me tomorrow?"

"We'll talk about tomorrow's matters tomorrow. Why are you so concerned? Do you want me to write you a guarantee that I'll come looking for you tomorrow if nothing happens?"

"..."

Not long after, Rongzhen left with a soft hum.

Ouyang Rong shook his head and returned to the main hall.

Back in his seat, ignoring the sudden return of people to the corridor outside, he calmly perused the official documents.

So far, Rongzhen's reaction and the direction of the investigation have been within his expectations.

The only thing that made him a little embarrassed was that Rong Zhen seemed to trust him more and more, and entrusted him with the task of getting information from the Prince's mansion.

Obviously, he ended up "returning empty-handed," but he still felt... uneasy about what he had done as an inside man.

However... the purple bellyband has been returned to her in a roundabout way, and it has also saved her life. There's nothing else that requires her to bring the sword, and Rong Zhen can't find any clues to pursue her relentlessly. So let's just pretend that the past grudges never happened.

Half an hour later, after finding a secluded spot, Ouyang Rong closed his eyes and went to the Pagoda of Merit.

[Merit: 2031]

"Not bad. Thanks to Lady Rong, but it seems like I've been accumulating them a bit too quickly lately... Activating the divine decree on the red and black talisman requires a lot of merit purple mist, but two thousand merits should be enough for one use..."

In the afternoon, after handing over his work, Ouyang Rong took half a day off and went to the Xunyang Prince's Mansion to see his junior sister.

He met his junior sister at the entrance of the Prince's Mansion, but he didn't mention the pot of chicken soup.

At the entrance, not only was Junior Sister there, but also Qin Xiaoniangzi and Li Dalang, seemingly preparing to leave.

Qin Ying was dressed for an autumn hunt, and it seemed she was going out of the city to hunt. No wonder she was a woman of the Qin family.

Ouyang Rong shifted his gaze to the back. Inside the gate, he could vaguely see Wei Mei leading a group of maids, smiling as she saw them off. This Princess of Xunyang was waving to Li Dalang, who was dressed in a martial outfit today, as if to indicate that he had made a good start.

Ouyang Rong immediately understood.

He met the group at the entrance, greeted them, and the group, going the same way, left Wangfu Street together by car.

Inside the carriage, Ouyang Rong was chatting casually with his junior sister, while Li Dalang beside him was frantically giving him meaningful glances.

Ouyang Rong's lips twitched slightly, and he turned to ask Xie Lingjiang and Qin Ying a few questions.

Sure enough, today was a pre-arranged date for Li Dalang and Qin Ying, a planned autumn hunt to spend some time alone together.

Seeing the unwavering determination in Li Dalang's eyes, Ouyang Rong could only sigh inwardly and secretly wink at his junior sister.

Xie Lingjiang pouted.

After a short while, they finally found an opportunity. Ouyang Rong and Li Dalang made an excuse to leave, and Xie Lingjiang reluctantly took Qin Ying away in a carriage.

Seeing the carriage drive away, Ouyang Rong and Li Dalang, who had been put down from the carriage, hurriedly made their escape.

Soon, the two went to Xunyang Ferry and found Yan Liulang, who was leading a patrol and secretly slacking off.

The three of them, in perfect harmony, immediately agreed to go to Yunshui Pavilion to drink tea and catch fish.

On the third floor of Yunshui Pavilion, as soon as they sat down, Li Dalang poured Ouyang Rong a cup of tea with a face full of gratitude.

"My lord truly understands women, saving his brother from dire straits. I am deeply grateful and cannot express my thanks."

"Perhaps we should thank him..." Ouyang Rong was about to speak when Yan Liulang casually remarked:

"Of course, there's no woman that Magistrate Ming can't handle. Speaking of which, have you met that debt-ridden lady, Da Lang?"

"The woman with the face that owes money?" Li Dalang asked curiously.

"That's the one who looks like a young girl of sixteen or seventeen, the prettiest among the ladies of the government in Xunyang, but also the coldest and most rigid. She has that face that looks like she owes money. In the past, no one's face mattered in front of her. No one in the government wanted to be assigned to work under her."

"I remember her. She was a lady-in-waiting in colorful robes, who was favored by my grandmother and sent to supervise... What happened to her? Why did you bring this up, Liu Lang?"

Yan Liulang gestured towards Ouyang Rong with his chin and winked, saying:

"What's the use of being difficult? Look, aren't they now completely infatuated with you, coming to your door obediently every day?"

Ouyang Rong nearly spat out his tea onto their faces, coughed while covering his mouth, and asked unhappily:

"Liu Lang, what nonsense are you talking about? What do you mean by 'obediently come to the door'? Don't let anyone hear you spreading rumors, otherwise no one's face will matter."

“I’m not making this up. Everyone in the Jiangzhou hall is talking about it privately right now. There are all sorts of speculations going around, and everyone is praising you as a hero.”

Li Dalang asked with great interest, "A hero?"

"A hero who subdued Lady Rongzhen."

After saying that, Yan Liulang cleared his throat by coughing, and then called out, "Ouyang Lianghan, come out for a moment..."

Ouyang Rong remained expressionless.

Yan Liulang quickly waved his hand and began to issue a disclaimer:

"The gossip my colleagues are spreading has nothing to do with me; it's just a retelling, just a retelling."

"This kind of gossip is completely pointless. Who says it has to be romantic love? Can't it be between colleagues who get along well, cooperate smoothly, and have a good relationship?"

Ouyang Rong frowned and was halfway through his sentence when Li Dalang quietly spoke up, reminding him:

"Exactly, can't you be a little more innocent... But, Liu Lang, you can joke around in private, but please don't say it in front of Miss Xie and the others, and Tan Lang too, be more careful in the future."

"Okay, okay."

Yan Liulang's expression turned serious, and he hurriedly poured tea and gestured for it to be served.

"Have some tea, have some tea."

Looking at his two unusually well-behaved friends, who were quietly drinking tea, Ouyang Rong couldn't help but frown:

"I don't even know her last name, and she hasn't asked about my affairs. It's obvious she's not interested. She usually contacts me when she has something to do, although it's been a bit more frequent lately, but I don't need to be so narcissistic as to assume..."

"It's not what you think,"

"Ah, yes, yes, yes."

"Yes, yes, I was overthinking it."

Li Dalang and Yan Liulang nodded vigorously, with expressions that said, "You're absolutely right," and lowered their heads to drink their tea, exchanging thoughts on the taste of the tea they had enjoyed that day.

“…??” Ouyang Rong.

(End of this chapter)