Chapter 552 Rongzhen's Heartfelt Confession, Twin Sword Techniques! [Seeking Monthly Tickets!]

From now on, I'll have to call you Scholar Ouyang.

"You're too kind, Lady Historian."

"Weren't you being polite too?"

"There were too many people just now, so I won't stand on ceremony."

"Please continue to be polite."

"Um, should we be polite or not?"

"want."

"Alright then..."

"Whatever you want," she suddenly said.

At the Huaiye Lane residence, Ouyang Rong first returned to his study, put away his new official seal, official robes, and the hemp rope Buddhist beads that were "re-strung and exempted from one more time," then turned and left. He found the aloof, palace-dressed girl waiting in the courtyard and saw her out.

The two walked out of the house together. Halfway through their conversation, Rong Zhen, unsurprisingly, killed the conversation, and Ouyang Rong seamlessly changed the subject:

"Has Lady Rong been staying at Twin Peaks lately?" he asked, changing his form of address.

"Hmm." Rong Zhen's expression showed no surprise. Underneath her snow-white white dress, her women's boots had mud on the soles of her feet.

Near Xunyang Grottoes, the ground was covered in mud and water after the snow melted.

“Recently, I and most of the female officials of the Censorate have been keeping an eye on things over there. The soldiers brought by Chief Secretary Qin have also stayed there. Senior Song is guarding Xingzi Lake to protect the Buddha’s head, which is also close to Lin Cheng’s mourning hall.”

"Ms. Rong is still cautious."

"It's not about being cautious, it's about having to do it."

Rongzhen took a deep breath:

“That lecherous thief is cunning and almost demonic in his intelligence; we must be on guard.” She paused, then repeated, “We must be on guard.”

Ouyang Rong nodded, remaining silent.

"You seem to have it easy. You had a very comfortable Spring Festival, didn't you?"

"good."

"I received the soup you sent on New Year's Eve. Thank you."

Ouyang Rong looked confused: "Soup? What soup? Is there such a thing?"

Rongzhen stopped in her tracks and suddenly turned around.

"Cough cough."

Ouyang Rong quickly covered his mouth and said sincerely:

"If you like it, that's fine. The main thing is that it's the Lunar New Year, and you all work very hard, so I asked my aunt and the others to make some extra chicken soup to warm you up..."

Rong Zhen didn't correct the word "loves to drink." She turned her head back to its original position, obscuring her expression, but a serious voice could be heard:

“Ouyang Lianghan, come here and help me. Jiangzhou needs you, as does Xunyang Grottoes, and I... we are all waiting for you.”

After a moment of silence, her voice came again:

"Actually, I knew you would eventually accept the imperial decree."

Why?

"I heard that Military Advisor Chen and Military Advisor Yan have repaired the city gates again to prevent a repeat of the incident where the Buddha head got stuck. They must have taken your advice; isn't this preparation for transporting the Buddha head back to the Xunyang Grottoes later?"

“Ouyang Lianghan, you were actually prepared to come back a long time ago, weren’t you? Ha, all bark and no bite.”

Ouyang Rong looked down at the ground: "Couldn't it just be a simple favor to help the person behind you?"

I don't believe it.

"Don't believe me?"

"I don't believe you can stay idle."

"I've been idle for the entire Spring Festival."

“But you can’t be idle for a year, ten years, or a lifetime. I know your personality.”

Looking at Rong Zhen's stubborn and determined face in front of him, Ouyang Rong, whose mind was in turmoil, was slightly taken aback.

He turned his head to look at the scenery outside the corridor.

To be honest, although this lady of the house is cold, rigid, and sometimes aloof, it feels quite warm to be trusted and confided in by her. Occasionally, there's even a clear wooden fish sound in response, making one wonder what she's thinking. It's incredibly emotionally engaging... However, he does feel a little guilty sometimes, but... a little guilty is nothing to worry about... He has an extremely thick skin.

"Anyway, we've already received the imperial decree today, so whatever Lady Rong says is right. I won't argue with you anymore."

"That's just how it is."

Rongzhen spoke with a defiant voice, head held high, as she marched forward.

"Ms. Rong, slow down, don't go the wrong way."

“I know the way, you don’t need to take me,” she said, walking ahead and being a head shorter.

Ouyang Rong didn't back down either, but followed behind her to see her out.

"What? Are you afraid I'll get lost? Is there something in your residence that I don't want you to see?"

Rong Zhen didn't turn her head, her tone somewhat impatient, but she didn't shoo him away. The two of them continued walking forward, one after the other.

Ouyang Rong shook his head and changed the subject, asking, "How's the murder case after the Buddha statue collapsed?"

"Didn't you say you didn't care?"

"We've already received the imperial decree. Now we're all in this together, sharing both glory and loss. We need to be concerned now."

Rong Zhen gave a soft snort, her voice seemingly tinged with amusement, but she quickly suppressed it and spoke in a cold voice:

"The thief is definitely nowhere to be found. We still don't know where he was hiding and setting up his sword, or how those rebels in Tiannan Jianghu arranged his escape route... We've searched inside and outside the city, but I'm still completely baffled."

"There's also the matter of that Dingjian sword being used to perform the 'Return Home' sword technique."

"Lin Cheng once built many watchtowers on the Xingzi Lake construction site. The sword of Han Shi Shen Tong, Gui Qu Lai Xi, takes a long time to set up. The strange thing now is how this Ding sword was successfully set up under the watchful eyes of the secret guards and the whole place under martial law.

"Didn't Lin Cheng and the others know to run after seeing Ding Jian and Bu Jian?"

“Yes, it is indeed strange.” Ouyang Rong nodded and asked seriously, “Is there some method to conceal the sword-laying process?”

Rong Zhen's expression was serious as she frowned and pondered:

"That's right, I also suspect so. The Overwatch Council has a theory that the sword was inside the Buddha head at the time, and it was only under the cover of the Buddha head taking off that the sword was laid. So by the time Lin Cheng and the others realized what was happening, it was too late... which is why the Buddha head's face was damaged."

"Actually, at first I thought that the damage to the Buddha's face was caused when Dingjian killed Lin Cheng and the others and tried to destroy the Buddha's head and body at the same time."

"However, this point needs further discussion for two reasons. First, the Buddha's head was not completely damaged; it wasn't destroyed by the cauldron fire like the Buddha's body. Second, according to the recollections of the onlookers at the time, the strange phenomenon did indeed appear on the Buddha's face first. Later, Lin Cheng, Wei Shaoqi, and others were beheaded by the cauldron sword, and then the Buddha collapsed. The damage to the Buddha's face occurred at the very beginning..."

Rong Zhen calmly analyzed the situation and sighed softly:

"However, the scene was too chaotic at the time, and because Lin Cheng's rules were too strict, most of the workers were restricted to their posts. There were only about a dozen people watching from the sidelines... The workers who used winches and pulleys to lift the Buddha's head all had their backs to the Buddha..."

"Moreover, most of these ten or so people have blurred memories, and some didn't even realize it until Lin Cheng and the others died and Pei Shisan Niang cried out."

"There are also some who are illiterate, have poor memories, and love to talk nonsense. It was later proven that their statements contradicted those of several other people, and were simply blatant lies..."

"This seriously interferes with our Control Yuan's on-site review... Ugh, it's a complete mess."

Ouyang Rong comforted him, "Take your time. Investigating cases is a slow process; you can't rush it. You have to unravel the mystery step by step."

"Yes, that's right."

Rong Zhen nodded, glancing at Ouyang Rong's gentle and composed expression. She slightly turned her gaze away and exhaled a breath of fresh air.

"You're so calm. With you here to advise me, things will definitely be better."

"Okay." Ouyang Rong nodded harmlessly, and even offered a friendly suggestion:

“Actually, Pei Shisan Niang is very important. She is close by, so her testimony is closer to the truth and more convincing than other witnesses.”

“That’s right. That businesswoman was indeed crucial; she was able to untangle a lot of messy situations.”

Rongzhen nodded vigorously in agreement, but after a moment, she sighed:

"She is still unconscious. The doctor has examined her and said it was due to shock. Her life is not in danger, but we don't know when she will wake up. I am also waiting for her."

As if remembering something, Ouyang Rong looked up and asked with curiosity, "By the way, of the five people closest to the Buddha, why was she the only one who survived?"

"I don't know." She frowned and murmured, "Maybe it was just luck. As for being accomplices, wouldn't that be too obvious?"

Rong Zhen frowned as she recounted the progress of the Censorate's investigation to Ouyang Rong:

"Actually, I've been thinking about this for the past few days. If it's true that the sword was hidden inside the Buddha's head, then we should investigate how the sword got in."

"Was it the owner of the nearby Butterfly Love Flower who directly controlled the Ding Sword to enter, or was it even bolder, with the person and the sword separated, and the Ding Sword already hidden in the Buddha's head, while the sword owner was hidden at the Xingzi Lake construction site... If it's the former, it would be too easy for Lin Cheng and the others to discover it."

"If it is the latter, what is more suspicious at present is that when the two female rulers of Yunmengze led people to ambush the caravan, someone may have taken advantage of the chaos to hide the cauldron sword in the Buddha head..."

"These cases are still under investigation."

"That makes sense."

Ouyang Rong pondered for a moment, then said seriously:

"I've thought of a possibility."

"What's possible?" she asked curiously.

"Doesn't this boy have a bronze mask? According to what you said last time, it's called something like Mirage Mask, which can change the appearance of other people. Do you think it's possible that he transformed into a female official and blended in with our people when Qin Yin was in Xingzifang, which is why he escaped Qin Yin's exposure?"

"Was it at this time that he took advantage of the chaos and hid the sword inside the Buddha's head?"

"Hmm, that makes sense. Besides, he killed one of our female officers in Huang Xuan's courtyard last time. Maybe he collected some spiritual energy for this demon mask back then..."

Rongzhen suddenly realized, lightly tapped her chin with her index finger, and pondered with a thoughtful expression, finding it increasingly possible.

Ouyang Rong calmly asked, "Is the Buddha head hollow inside? I saw it was somewhat damaged last time, it should be fine, right?"

"It's alright, the damage assessment has been done, only the exterior is damaged."

"That's good."

"Therefore, I am increasingly suspicious of the other possibility you mentioned before."

"What's possible?"

“He didn’t have time to destroy the Buddha’s head,” Rong Zhen said softly, continuing to ponder.

"After the sword was hidden inside the Buddha's head, in order to prevent making a sound and being exposed prematurely, it was inconvenient to destroy the Buddha's head. After successfully setting up the sword, he chose to kill people immediately, and then destroyed the headless Buddha, which took the most time... At this point, he may have been exhausted, or he may have wanted to buy time to escape, so he abandoned the damaged Buddha's head and left."

"Your analysis is very insightful," Ouyang Rong had to admit.

Rong Zhen calmly analyzed: "Our two possibilities are one after the other and can be linked together. Looking at it this way, he first used the mask to disguise himself, hid the sword inside the Buddha head, then dodged the zither music, hid at the construction site, laid out the sword to kill, and made time to escape... This makes sense."

Ouyang Rong nodded admiringly: "That makes sense. Now we just need to wait for Pei Shisan Niang to wake up and ask her where the strange phenomenon of the cauldron and sword first appeared. If it first emerged from the face of the Buddha's head, it will be even more certain."

“That’s right.” Rong Zhen’s eyes brightened, and he narrowed them. “However, besides that, could this Butterfly Love Flower Master also be the hidden ruler of the Queen’s Palace?”

"The hidden ruler of the Female Ruler's Palace? He... isn't he a man?" Ouyang Rong looked a little confused.

"The Hidden Lord is not limited by gender, which is the only exception in the Female Lord's Palace. However, the Hidden Lord of the Female Lord's Palace is not permanent, because it is difficult to find a swordsman, and even more difficult to find a reliable one... This can also explain why the old musician's zither music cannot find him... It is said that the Hidden Lord of Yunmeng will take an ancient strange insect called the Tortoise Shell Longhorn Beetle to obtain the supernatural power of hiding wind and gathering qi and concealing aura."

"Legend has it that in ancient times, there was a person who swallowed an entire tortoise shell longhorn beetle and became a 'non-existent person,' as if he had become invisible. Not only did he conceal all his aura, but he could also walk into the bustling city as if it were his own territory."

"If this person is indeed the Hidden Lord, then the fact that he swallowed the Tortoise Shell Sky Beetle explains why Qin Yin couldn't find him. If that's the case, the destructive power, or rather, the danger level, of the Yunmeng Sword Marsh has directly increased to a new level. Yue Nu is already skilled with the sword, and the world's leading swordsmen and swordsmen all come from this place. With the Hidden Lord and the Mythical Cauldron Sword, the Yunmeng Sword Marsh has completed the sword mastery of the swordsman. With this complementarity, the increase in strength is simply unimaginable..."

Rong Zhen muttered to herself, her expression gradually becoming serious. It was rare to see her so serious. Ouyang Rong raised an eyebrow slightly and silently made a mental note of it.

A moment later, Rongzhen was escorted to the door.

Ouyang Rong stopped and watched the petite and beautiful figure disappear into the distance. He rubbed his face and muttered, "The Hidden Lord of Yunmeng... the Tortoise-shelled Sky Beetle... can conceal wind and gather energy, hide one's aura... why does this sound so familiar? But... I'm not invisible either..."

Temporarily putting his thoughts aside, he turned to comfort his excited aunt, who had just been promoted to the rank of Lady of the Imperial Decree. Then, he changed into his official robes and, under the reluctant gazes of Ye Weilai, Banxi, and other female relatives, strode out the door without looking back.

However, as he passed the doorway, he paused slightly, carefully examined the neatly arranged door gods for a while, and nodded with satisfaction.

After walking a few steps outside, they came to a dark alley where Yan Liulang was sitting in the coachman's seat of a carriage, waiting.

"Has Your Excellency received the imperial decree?"

"Um."

Ouyang Rong boarded the carriage and sat down.

Yan Liulang said calmly:

"Rest assured, Your Excellency, the incident at the West Gate that day was an accident no matter how you investigate it. If you have any doubts, Wang Lengran, some female officials, and generals were also present in the bridge arch at the time, and they are all suspects..."

"Moreover... apart from this humble servant, no one else knows, including Military Advisor Chen."

"Um."

Ouyang Rong didn't say much, then suddenly asked:

"What's the status of the land in Xingzifang that the Yangzhou Chamber of Commerce and the Prefectural Governor's Office jointly acquired?"

Yan Liulang was taken aback, and replied:

"They're all still here. During the Spring Festival, since the Prefect didn't receive any imperial decree and there was no one in charge, Chief Clerk Yuan sealed them up in the name of the Jiangzhou Grand Hall and put them aside, forbidding them from selling them... They're all there now. What does the Prefect intend to do with them?"

Ouyang Rong narrowed his eyes slightly, remaining silent.

Yan Liulang then asked, "My lord, where are we going now? The governor's mansion or the Jiangzhou Grand Hall? Everyone is eagerly waiting."

Ouyang Rong said softly, "No rush, Liu Lang, go ahead for me. I'll go take a look at those plots of land in Xingzifang."

"Yes." Yan Liulang nimbly jumped off the carriage and left.

Inside the bumpy carriage, Ouyang Rong was alone. While waiting, he took out the original manuscript of "On Chrysanthemums" from his sleeve. He rubbed his face and said, "It's a good thing I didn't write down the whole sword technique, otherwise it would have been troublesome..."

That's right, the one in his hand isn't actually the complete Craftsmanship Sword Manual, but... half of it. There are two Craftsmanship Sword Manuals: one is "On Chrysanthemums," and the other is "Ode to Chrysanthemums After Failing the Imperial Examination," the one with the lines "The fragrance of chrysanthemums fills Chang'an, the whole city is adorned with golden armor." He wants them both!

This is the Twin Sword Technique, one bright and one dark! [Craftsman's] favorite, and also the one hidden, is the poem "Ode to Chrysanthemums After Failing the Imperial Examination," which is now known only to Ouyang Rong in the whole world and is kept deep in his heart.

Fortunately, I didn't write it that day; now, my poem "On Chrysanthemums," which is out in the open, is famous throughout the world...

Furthermore, the original manuscript of his poem "On Chrysanthemums" must not be revealed.

Because it was written by his own hand, as a half-sword manual, those who wield the sword can perceive the true meaning of the sword energy hidden within the original manuscript.

Just like the "Return to the Land" sword manual on the wall of the Pure Land Palace—the sword manual written by the swordsman himself contained his true meaning!

Moreover, given that his true writing style is also present in the original manuscript, his identity would be easily exposed if outsiders saw it.

"Your Excellency, Pei Shisan Niang has woken up!"

At this moment, Yan Liulang suddenly returned, stopped the carriage, leaned close to the window, and whispered his report.

Ouyang Rong put away the original manuscript of the sword manual, lifted the carriage curtain, and raised his eyebrows slightly.

"woke up?"

(End of this chapter)