Chapter 498 Khufu's Reminder (Second Update)

Ouyang Rong went to the Supervisory Commission first thing in the morning.

He handed over Ye Weilai's birth certificate, redemption contract, and other documents to Rongzhen.

Rongzhen wasn't as busy as she used to be today, so busy that she was nowhere to be seen.

After all, there's no need to follow them to Xingzifang and Zhenguang Street to investigate anymore.

After clarifying Ye Weilai's misunderstanding last night, Rong Zhen didn't inquire about the relationship between Ouyang Rong and Qin Heng anymore, as if she had forgotten about it.

Inside the Censorate, seeing that Ouyang Rong had arrived so early, Rong Zhen said nothing and took him to the breakfast stall at the entrance of the Censorate for breakfast.

After what happened last night, the atmosphere between the two has returned to normal.

After exchanging a few words, Ouyang Rong and Rong Zhen parted ways.

He returned to the main hall of Jiangzhou.

As soon as the carriage arrived, they got off in the backyard and ran into Xie Lingjiang and Li Dalang, who were waiting there.

"Senior Brother."

"Why are you here so early today?"

Ouyang Rong turned around curiously, his gaze falling on Li Dalang beside her:

"Why is Dalang here too?"

Li Dalang turned to look at Xie Lingjiang.

Xie Lingjiang, with a serious expression, silently handed over a military-made waist knife.

Ouyang Rong composed himself, glanced at his junior sister, turned around, and got back onto the carriage.

Xie Lingjiang and Li Dalang also silently followed the carriage.

Inside the carriage, the three of them closed the curtains.

Ouyang Rong took the familiar military-style waist knife, drew it, and examined it.

Xie Lingjiang said softly:

"Senior Brother, late last night, Khufu sent a trusted aide with this knife, saying he was looking for Shunbo, and then relayed Khufu's message."

"What did Khufu say?"

Xie Lingjiang solemnly said:

"Hu Fu said he invited Lin Cheng to dinner last night, during which he subtly probed and hinted at his intentions, inviting Lin Cheng to finish writing his memorial as soon as possible and return to the capital at a chosen date. However, Lin Cheng declined, saying he hadn't started writing yet and needed a few more days, and still hadn't set a date for his return to the capital..."

Upon hearing this, Ouyang Rong sheathed his sword and nodded slightly.

"Lin Cheng went to Longcheng a few days ago, which may have indeed delayed his writing of the memorial. It is reasonable that he was delayed for a few days."

"Even if they're deliberately stalling for time to continue their investigation, let them investigate. We're innocent and have nothing to fear."

Xie Lingjiang shook her head:

"Not necessarily. Hu Fu's message specifically warned the eldest brother to be careful of Lin Cheng. He told the eldest brother not to let his guard down and said... a dog that bites doesn't bark, and Lin Cheng is that kind of person."

"Hu Fu also said that based on his years of experience dealing with this kind of person, Lin Cheng might be a bit strange, and Senior Brother should not underestimate him."

Ouyang Rong, whose expression had been calm, frowned slightly.

His gaze exchanged glances with Xie Lingjiang and Li Dalang for a moment, then he nodded after a thoughtful expression.

"Understood, I will be careful."

Ouyang Rong handed the military-style waist knife back to Xie Lingjiang, then turned to Li Dalang and asked:

"Why is Da Lang here too? Didn't I tell you to go find Qin Xiao Niangzi?"

Li Dalang gave a wry smile. Before he could answer, Xie Lingjiang had already replied on his behalf:

"Qin Ying got ready to leave early in the morning. Da Lang rushed to Jingyi Court early in the morning, but was turned away. Qin Ying didn't take him with her. She dressed in Hu clothing and rode out of the city to go hunting in the autumn."

At this point, she also became curious about someone:

"By the way, I haven't asked yet, what's wrong with Dalang and Qin Ying? Why are they giving each other the cold shoulder?"

Li Dalang hesitated for a moment, then sighed and said to Ouyang Rong:

"My love, I've tried my best, many times, but Qin Ying still ignores me. She went hunting this morning, probably with Wei Shaoqi."

Xie Lingjiang frowned and looked at Li Dalang, and couldn't help but ask. Having already let it slip, Li Dalang had no choice but to turn around and tell the truth.

Just as Xie Lingjiang was frowning and processing this matter, Ouyang Rong curled his lip:

“Da Lang deserves it. Judging from his attitude, he's quite angry… You should consult your junior sister first…”

Xie Lingjiang didn't look at her senior brother, and said expressionlessly:

"Forget about asking for advice. My suggestion is to tell the truth, stop trying to cover it up, be honest and sincere. That might give you a chance to survive."

Ouyang Rong nodded vigorously immediately, indicating his strong approval:

"That's right, Da Lang, listen to your junior sister, sincerity is the ultimate weapon."

Li Dalang glanced at Ouyang Rong one more time.

He always felt that Miss Xie wasn't just talking to him... but after hearing this, Li Dalang sighed:

"I'm afraid this sincerity will only make things worse."

"Why is that?" Xie Lingjiang asked, puzzled.

Li Dalang nodded reluctantly: "It's alright, I understand, I'll give it a try..."

Seeing that he was unlikely to be able to complete the reconnaissance task he had previously assigned to Li Dalang, Ouyang Rong turned his gaze to Xie Lingjiang:

"Qin Ying lives in Jingyi Courtyard. Junior Sister and she are quite close. Do you know if any young men from the Qin family have come to Xunyang City recently? Or, have any other men come looking for Qin Ying?"

Xie Lingjiang shook her head:

"I've never heard Qin's younger sister mention these things before, and no one has come looking for her recently... Why is Senior Brother asking about this?"

"It's alright now."

Ouyang Rong recalled the private room numbered "Di" that Wei Shaoqi had booked for Wei Anhui on the third floor of Yunshui Pavilion that day...

I shook my head, trying to shake off the thought for the time being.

Ouyang Rong lifted the curtain of the carriage and returned to the main hall.

He had just returned when he encountered Yan Liulang, who was pacing and waiting in the corridor.

"What's wrong?"

“My love…”

"Come in and talk."

Yan Liulang followed Ouyang Rong into the main hall, not forgetting to clasp his hands in greeting.

It was a person and event that Ouyang Rong had almost forgotten.

"You mean... Pei Shisan Niang and that group of Yangzhou merchants have recently been selling off their houses in Xingzifang at discounted prices? They're giving back all the Xingzifang property deeds they'd previously acquired?"

“That’s right, Mr. Ming, they’re selling at a loss right now.”

Ouyang Rong smiled and asked with great interest:

"What about those Yangzhou merchants you mentioned before, the ones who criticized me the most in private? What's the situation with the people you had keeping an eye on?"

Yan Liulang coughed twice and said:

"She's still complaining about the magistrate, completely lacking Pei Shisan Niang's composure and awareness. It seems that this Pei Shisan Niang has never expressed any dissatisfaction with the magistrate in private."

Ouyang Rong smiled:

“They should be cursing. The more they curse these unscrupulous merchants, the more it proves that I am doing the right thing. They are always praising me. They should be reflecting on their actions.”

Yan Liulang sighed:

"The Prefect is truly magnanimous. Compared to him, those unscrupulous merchants from Yangzhou are really petty. They deserve to end up like this..."

Ouyang Rong shook his head slightly, said nothing more, and then said:

"The speed at which Pei Shisan Niang and her group disposed of their property deeds and left the scene was even faster than I had imagined."

Yan Liulang nodded:

"That's for sure. Didn't Madam Pei come to us a while ago, wanting to join the construction of the Xunyang Grottoes, like Wang Caozhi and the others?"

"Unfortunately, I entered too late and was politely refused by the magistrate."

“This Madam Pei is a smart woman. It seems she has realized the significance of Shuangfengjian and Xunyang Grottoes. She knows that Xunyang City will expand towards Shuangfengjian in the future, and there will be no shortage of land. The future value of the houses in Xingzifang will be greatly reduced, and they cannot be held for a long time. So she should sell them as soon as possible.”

Ouyang Rong pursed his lips, then turned and gave the order:

"Keep an eye on them. Once they've dumped everything at a low price and left, you don't need to worry about them anymore. Let them curse behind your back."

"Yes, Your Excellency."

Yan Liulang clasped his hands tightly. Seeing that nothing was wrong and that the prefect in front of him seemed to be in a daze, he prepared to leave.

"Sixth Brother, do you know where Lin Cheng is now?"

Ouyang Rong suddenly called out to him and asked.

Yan Liulang was stunned for a moment.

...

(End of this chapter)