Chapter 718 Long Time No See, Little Huaimin [Requesting Monthly Tickets!]

In front of the study of Yinbingzhai.

As Yan Liulang continued, he spoke a few more words on behalf of Wang Caozhi and the others from Hukou County.

Ouyang Rong, who was sitting at his desk with his eyes down, turning the pages of a book, waved his hand and interrupted:

"As long as we can find him, we know he wasn't slacking off. I still trust his abilities. This time, Qian Chen's whereabouts have indeed exceeded our expectations..."

"So what's the situation now? Guanyin Temple has found the person, and how did Cao Zhi handle it?"

Yan Liulang respectfully reported:

"As soon as Brother Wang found the person, he returned to inform me and gave me a general overview of the investigation, which is what I reported to you, Your Excellency. I left ahead of time to return and report back."

"Before leaving, Brother Wang asked me to convey that they have found the person and will continue to keep an eye on Qian Chen. They will not let their guard down and will not lose track of him again. After the past few days of work, they have now laid a huge new net in Hukou County. Qian Chen cannot escape. If he dares to make any other moves..."

"If there is any new information, Brother Wang will send someone to bring it back immediately. There are people keeping an eye on Duan Quanwu and the military camp as well."

Upon hearing this, Ouyang Rong stared intently at the book in his hands, remaining silent for a moment, seemingly lost in thought.

He nodded slightly:

"I understand, Liu Lang, you've worked hard. You may leave now."

"Yes, Your Excellency."

"etc."

Just as Yan Liulang was about to turn and leave, he heard Ouyang Rong call out, and turned back curiously:

"What is it, Your Excellency? Is there anything else you need?"

Ouyang Rong pulled out a red invitation from the neatly stacked letters on the desk and handed it to the table:

"Here you go. My aunt specifically asked me to give this to you. She said you've worked hard this year, and tomorrow night is her birthday. Don't forget to attend the banquet. Also, don't bring any gifts. My aunt said you're not allowed to bring any, or she'll get angry..."

Yan Liulang paused for a moment, then stepped forward and picked up the invitation.

He lowered his head, looked again and again, and his face showed a slight change in expression: "Your Excellency, this humble servant..."

Ouyang Rong waved his hand dismissively:

"Alright, accept it. Listen to your aunt. You don't need to bring any gifts. Just showing up is enough. If nothing happens in the places you're supervising in the city, you don't need to be so tense. Come over for dinner tomorrow night. Even if you're busy with the celebration on the 15th, we can still have a meal together. Dalang and the others will come too, and we can have a couple of drinks."

"Oh, right, the embroiderer also prepared some rice wine, which we'll bring over so we can have a taste."

"Understood, Your Excellency! I will certainly be there tomorrow night."

Ouyang Rong smiled and said, "Alright, go ahead."

Yan Liulang put away the red paper invitation, clasped his hands in a deep fist salute, and left the courtyard.

At his desk in the study, Ouyang Rong suppressed his smile, put down the book in his hand, and let out a long sigh of relief.

The man named Qian Chen, who had secretly left Wei Anhui's residence for Hukou County, has finally been found.

The result was somewhat reasonable, yet also unexpected.

He was actually there to prepare for Wei Anhui's departure from Xunyang City the day after tomorrow to visit the Guanyin Temple, a Zen Buddhist temple.

Ouyang Rong pursed his lips, got up and paced around the study twice before letting out another breath.

He picked up his outer robe, put it on, turned around and went out, intending to go to the Xunyang Prince's Mansion to inform everyone.

First, tell them about Qian Chen's situation so they can relax and stop being so tense.

In addition, Pei Shisan Niang and the Yinbingshi Trading Company can reduce the amount of ice they transport from today onwards.

After careful consideration, Ouyang Rong realized that transporting such a large quantity of ice in again might arouse suspicion.

...

Xunyang Grottoes.

A bamboo grove.

A white mist hung in the air, barely penetrating the afternoon sun, making it appear even more hazy.

A cold, palace-dressed girl emerged from the woods, arrived at the bamboo courtyard, and pushed open the wooden gate.

She paused for a moment in front of the door.

I looked up for a while at the hazy white mist that even the sunlight couldn't penetrate.

A short while later, Rongzhen put her sleeves down and returned to the house.

She pulled her small hand out of her sleeve and casually placed a leftover lump of wood on the table.

Rongzhen, who had just finished eating in the old musician's courtyard, went to the well, drew a ladle of water, and carefully washed her hands.

After washing her hands, she returned to the table, sat down with her back straight, and continued working meticulously.

Before us stood a young woman in palace attire, her delicate, fair hands holding a sharp carving knife. She then picked up a piece of wood and began to carve it with great care.

She obtained this piece of wood from Elder Yu on a whim.

It was leftover wood from when the old musician finished making that one-stringed zither; it wasn't anything rare.

But Rongzhen really needs to use it.

At this moment, under her skillful hands, the lump of wood gradually transformed into a roughly round bead.

Rongzhen paused for a moment, then continued to polish it carefully...

About half an hour later, Rong Zhen put down the sharp carving knife, opened his palm, and there lay a perfectly round wooden bead.

She took a small jar of precious wax oil, applied it, and polished it.

With her mission accomplished, Rongzhen tossed the round, gleaming, exquisite little wooden bead into a small porcelain bowl that had been prepared nearby.

With a "clunk".

The brand-new wooden beads rolled into the porcelain plate and collided with the other beads, making a metallic clanging sound.

Inside this small porcelain bowl, there were other similar beads, made of various materials: black mountain stone, ice flower seed, red agate, ebony wood...

They are colorful, but like the newest small wooden beads, they are all round, shiny, and roughly the same size.

Rongzhen carefully picked out a few more flawed pieces from the small porcelain bowl, and continued to polish them with her knife until they were round and perfect before she stopped.

She carefully selected seventeen beads and strung them together with a red string.

During this time, I even had the leisure to match the colors of the beads...

After stringing the seventeenth bead to her satisfaction, the girl in palace attire unhesitatingly removed the string of white jade prayer beads bestowed upon her by His Majesty from her wrist.

She used a knife to pry open the string, removed one of the white jade beads, and then pieced it back onto the novice bracelet.

Completed.

Rong Zhen breathed a slight sigh of relief.

I finally finished making this item the day before Ouyang Lianghan's aunt's birthday celebration.

She is usually very busy and can only make one bead each day when she has a spare moment.

In addition, Rongzhen had also carefully prepared a gift for Ouyang Lianghan at the main grotto, intending to present it to him on the day of the victory celebration.

At the table, the white, delicate hands of the palace-dressed girl, still bearing traces of wood chips, tightly gripped the new Buddhist prayer beads.

This item is called the Eighteen Seeds Bracelet, a unique type of bracelet found in Northern Buddhist circles, used for praying for blessings and warding off misfortune. Each bracelet contains eighteen beads, composed of eighteen different materials such as gold, stone, and wood. There are no strict rules about which materials are paired with which; the main consideration is the size of each bead, aiming for an aesthetically pleasing arrangement. In addition, each bead also represents a different meaning: black mountain stone symbolizes abundant wealth, while ice flower mani beads symbolize happiness and well-being…

Rongzhen intended to give this string of eighteen seeds as a gift to that guy's aunt.

Keep her safe.

Tomorrow is his aunt's birthday celebration, and Rongzhen can't go empty-handed.

And anything she gives away is naturally a generous gift.

If she hadn't left a good impression on Ouyang Lianghan's aunt before, this time she might make a very deep one...

As Rong Zhen lowered her eyes, lost in thought, a middle-aged female official suddenly knocked on the door and announced something from the courtyard outside:

"Your Excellency, Princess Anhui has arrived and is at the main grotto, wishing to see you."

"Did the princess come with a groom and attendants again?"

"Yes."

Rongzhen's tone was lonely:

"Go and tell them that I am feeling unwell and cannot accompany you."

The middle-aged female official received the order and immediately went out.

A quarter of an hour later, the middle-aged female official returned to the bamboo courtyard, looking somewhat troubled.

"Your Excellency, Princess Anhui is concerned about you and has come over. She is waiting not far from the courtyard and wants to visit you."

Rongzhen continued:

"Go and tell her that I am feeling a little better, but I have something to attend to and ask the princess to return."

The middle-aged female official seemed to be stunned for a moment, then went out again.

Before long, the middle-aged female official returned to report.

Finally, Princess An Hui was sent away.

The middle-aged female official glanced at Rong Zhen's indifferent expression, unsure of what the princess had done to offend the lady-in-waiting.

She asked cautiously:

"Your Excellency, the princess will be leaving Xun for Hukou County the day after tomorrow. Today may be the last time we see her."

"oh."

Rongzhen's response was somewhat indifferent.

The middle-aged female official asked no more questions and turned to leave.

But then he heard Rongzhen's voice from behind him;

"Wait a minute, who were the people who went to greet the princess when she came to the grottoes this time?"

The middle-aged female official recited a list of names, including Granny Song, some female officials from the Censorate, and some key generals of the White Tiger Guard. Wei Mi of the Black Tortoise Guard was not present.

Rong Zhen suddenly asked, "Where is Commander Yi?"

"He went to Xunyang City to find Chief Clerk Yuan, but he hasn't returned yet."

"Alright, you may leave."

"Yes, Ms. Shi."

...

Xingzifang.

Chengtian Temple, a vegetarian dining hall.

Yuan Huaimin returned to his courtyard in a somewhat depressed mood.

Although working shifts every day does make it hard to feel excited, it's time to go off duty now, and there's no overtime. Logically, this should be the happiest time of the day, but Yuan Huaimin can't muster any enthusiasm.

It felt like a piece of iron was pressing on my heart, and I felt listless about everything around me, only wanting time to pass quickly so that I could get through that day.

Yuan Huaimin sighed and pushed open the courtyard gate.

Inside the courtyard, Li Yu was not there. She should be in the adjacent study hall. Since Yi Qianqiu had come last night, Li Yu had quietly moved to the adjacent courtyard that the two of them had prepared in advance. She had also moved her luggage and the straight wooden sticks she had collected there, just in case.

Yuan Huaimin wandered around the courtyard a few times, looking somewhat dazed. After a while, he went to the bedroom, took out a few straight wooden sticks he had taken from Brother Li from deep inside the cabinet, and played with them for a while, but his mood was somewhat absent-minded.

In the past, he would have carried the straight wooden stick out of the house, walked around a few times, and shown it off to his friends in the temple.

Today, Yuan Huaimin looked like a wilted eggplant, head down, fiddling with his stick, listless and dispirited.

"Knock knock knock".

A knocking sound came from the empty courtyard.

Yuan Huaimin's body suddenly trembled, but he quickly realized that it shouldn't be Qiu Niang who had come.

Because she didn't need to knock; she just kicked the door open.

It's a knocking sound, not a kicking sound.

Moreover, he had already promised her that he would paint at the celebration ceremony the day after tomorrow.

This also includes the matter involving Liang Han.

After receiving a reply, Qiu Niang let him go and stopped pressuring him.

Yuan Huaimin took a deep breath and quickly composed himself.

He shoved the straight wooden stick back under the table, rubbed his face, and walked toward the courtyard gate.

Who is it? Brother Li?

There was no response from outside.

Yuan Huaimin walked over with a strange look on his face and opened the courtyard gate.

At the entrance to the courtyard, there was a hunched figure.

He looked like a short, wiry old man, with his hands behind his back, facing away from Yuan Huaimin and the courtyard gate.

He was dressed in an ancient style that was more antique than the men's clothing of the Great Zhou Dynasty, wearing straw sandals and a short-sleeved hemp shirt. His back view exuded a leisurely and carefree air. There seemed to be a scroll hanging at his waist, wrapped in gray hemp cloth. The exposed part of the scroll appeared to be made of bronze, which made Yuan Huaimin feel vaguely familiar with it.

At that moment, perhaps hearing the sound of the door opening behind him, the old man turned around and looked at Yuan Huaimin, who looked puzzled after opening the door, and sized him up.

The two people faced each other, one inside and one outside the door.

The thin, old man had a face covered in wrinkles, and small eyes that would squint when he smiled.

The moment Yuan Huaimin saw the visitor, he froze on the spot as if he had been frozen in place.

The little old man who brought the scroll stood on tiptoe, patted his shoulder with a smile, and said with some emotion:

"Long time no see, little Huaimin, you've made something of yourself! I heard you're now painting portraits of the Sage. Truly, the younger generation surpasses the older, and a new generation replaces the old."

...

As dusk falls, fishermen sing their evening songs.

On the south bank between the twin peaks, beside the official road.

A carriage of the rank of a princess from the Great Zhou Dynasty was parked by the roadside.

The White Tiger Guards patrolling around seemed unfazed by the sight of the carriage shaft, and no one stepped forward to question it.

However, the shaft of the cart is a bit strange right now.

There was no one in sight where the carriage was, but there were people behind the curtains on the carriage.

Through the crimson veil on the carriage shaft, Wei Anhui gazed at the dejected setting sun in the distance.

Due to the angle of view, the setting sun was positioned precisely between the south and north peaks of Shuangfengjian, behind the river in the middle.

Wei Anhui stared, somewhat lost in thought.

Once, a retainer of the Wei clan came from the eastern coast. When presenting a treasure to her father, King Liang, she also reported that the sun in the human world rises from the end of the East Sea every day and travels westward, seemingly destined to set in a similar "Western Sea".

As a child, Wei Anhui overheard something outside the palace gates and wondered more than once whether the sun, such a large fireball, would make a "sizzling" sound like a branding iron hitting water every time it fell into the sea, and that it would be more than ten thousand times louder than the ordinary sound.

Even now, she still thinks about it occasionally, but she no longer has the same unresolved doubts and obsessions as she did when she was a child. Now she understands that many things in the world have no answers, so why bother herself with them?

"Why is the princess out here?"

Just as Wei Anhui was lost in thought, Wei Wu walked over from a distance and boarded the carriage to become the coachman.

...

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(End of this chapter)