Chapter 197 Does Junior Sister Also Have This Quirk?
Xie Lingjiang's words were spoken.
The room fell silent.
Why isn't Senior Brother saying anything?
"I'm drinking tea, but it's a little too hot."
"good."
Xie Lingjiang nodded.
She turned to face outside, gazing up at the intermittently appearing clouds in the sky, seemingly counting them in her mind. After a moment, she caught a glimpse of someone preparing to put down their teacup, and suddenly turned back, saying:
“Now that you’ve finished drinking, Senior Brother can start speaking.”
Ouyang Rong's hand, which had been setting down his teacup, paused in mid-air. He asked cautiously, trying to probe further:
"Junior Sister, why don't you go to the official residence and keep an eye on the Jade Cup Fairy to see if she's awake yet?"
"There's still one antidote left. The medicine is too strong, so I need to take it slowly. Even if you wake up in the middle, I'll know immediately and rush over. Alright, that's all for the explanation. Senior brother, don't change the subject. It's your turn."
“…” Ouyang Rong
Xie Lingjiang stared intently at her senior brother, who was leaning back slightly, and pressed on relentlessly:
"Senior brother, which side do you think will win? Or rather, to whom will the Empress of Wei ultimately pass the throne to? To one of the two princes of Wei, or to His Highness the Prince of Xiang, who has already changed his surname to Wei?"
Ouyang Rong glanced inside the room, then looked outside the door, and couldn't help but say:
"Why would Junior Sister be interested in this?"
"I only want to hear my senior brother's insights."
Xie Lingjiang was quick-witted and outspoken. As soon as she spoke, her upper body behind the tea table unconsciously leaned forward towards Ouyang Rong. As if Mount Tai were pressing down on her, a "thump" was heard, and a slight sound came from the table, which seemed to be out of nowhere.
In the relatively quiet room, even a soft sound is quite noticeable.
It seems that this not only affected someone's vision, but also put a lot of visual strain on the table between the two people...
Seeing that his junior sister's expression and the surrounding atmosphere seemed about to change, Ouyang Rong immediately spoke up:
"Sorry, one of the table legs is too short, it makes a creaking sound if you touch it. I've wanted to replace it for a while, but Wei Lai always delays. Junior Sister, please make do with this and try not to touch it."
Ouyang Rong pretended to frown and offered a gentle reminder.
In the inner room not far away, Ye Weilai, kneeling and crouching on the bed with her back to him, was making the bed and folding the blankets for Ouyang Rong: "..."
A pot fell from the sky.
Seeing her senior brother shaking his head silently under the table, seemingly oblivious to what was happening, Xie Lingjiang didn't know whether to feel ashamed or relieved.
"well."
She immediately nodded, and her upper body leaned back, tucked in, and detached. The crimson satin fabric that had been deformed by the pressure, like her slightly dizzy face, became taut, but the curve was naturally rounder and fuller than her oval face. After all, her junior sister's single chin was quite sharp, wasn't it?
A young lady from the Xie family sat upright, her face tense, and spoke in a serious, cold voice:
"However... Senior Brother, don't beat around the bush. Answer Junior Sister's question directly. Don't be so frivolous and unserious. This is a matter of national importance!"
Ouyang Rong curled his lip: "National affairs? That's true, the affairs of the emperor's family are national affairs... Oh dear."
Ouyang Rong stopped abruptly halfway through his sentence, gasped softly, and subconsciously looked down at his crotch, only managing to catch a glimpse of a crimson shadow.
"Junior sister, why are you stepping on me?"
He couldn't help but look up and immediately spotted the culprit: a small, cute, soft-soled, openwork brocade boot under the opposite table.
My junior sister really likes wearing these kinds of high boots. The boots have pointed toes that curve upwards, a style of women's clothing from the Great Zhou Dynasty that incorporates masculine elements.
Xie Lingjiang quietly withdrew her right foot, turned her pretty face away, and said in a stern tone, "Be serious, be solemn."
She has always respected her teachers and seniors, but that senior brother is really too much. When he's serious, he acts inappropriately, and when he's inappropriate, he acts inappropriately again... etc. She never acts inappropriately, so let's not talk about that.
Anyway, Xie Lingjiang felt that it was necessary to defy superiors and kick them while they were down. Humph, it was necessary to kick them while they were down!
Ouyang Rong bent down and patted the surface of his shoes. He looked up at his junior sister, who was sitting with a stern face, and silently remembered that his strict and proper junior sister could also privately scold and step on people.
He composed himself and sighed:
"Junior Sister, do you really want to hear my opinion? But what use is my opinion? Whether the Wei family takes over and substitutes one person for another, or the Li family wins and restores the dynasty, it has nothing to do with us."
"How could it be unrelated..."
Xie Lingjiang hesitated, then shook her head and looked away, seemingly changing the subject to explain:
"Now, scholars and commoners all over the world are privately discussing the matter of the imperial heir. Just pick a teahouse, order a plate of nuts and snacks, sit there for an afternoon, and on the way home for dinner, you will feel that you have gained a lot and know more about the secrets of the royal family than the officials of the Council of State."
Ouyang Rong chuckled.
Xie Lingjiang shook her head:
“I’m tired of hearing other people’s opinions and I’m not interested in any of them, but I’m only interested in my senior brother… We’ve known each other for so long, but I’ve never heard him express any opinion on the political situation. Never. He always keeps his mouth shut on matters of national importance, as if he were clumsy and dull.”
She paused, then glanced sideways at Ouyang Rong, who was drinking tea, a complex look of admiration and respect appearing in her eyes.
"The people of this dynasty have always had a tradition of discussing the government and officials. In principle, men who enter officialdom should be even more so. Which man doesn't want to be a great man, become a high-ranking official, enter the Hall of State Affairs, marry a woman from one of the five noble families, and be buried in Beiqishan?"
Upon hearing a certain word, Xie Lingjiang lowered her eyes slightly and pursed her delicate red lips, which were naturally rosy:
“But my eldest brother has never mentioned any of these things, as if he has never even considered them. This has been the case since the first day I met my eldest brother with my father. It seems that my eldest brother never considers these universal values and aspirations of men, but only focuses on the affairs of Longcheng County, only thinking about disaster relief, flood control and... and restoring justice to the people of Longcheng.”
Ouyang Rong couldn't help but interject:
"Isn't that obvious? This is just a lack of ambition, short-sightedness, narrow-mindedness, lack of vision, and short-sightedness."
Ouyang Rong racked his brains, uttering every word that could describe his current state of utter indifference, but he was taken aback to find his junior sister's beautiful eyes fixed on him. She slowly said:
“My father once said that those who are silent and live in seclusion are either extremely foolish or extremely wise.”
"So, junior sister, which one do you think I am?"
"stupid."
“Then I’m relieved. Although I don’t want to admit it, that’s true in some respects.” Ouyang Rong nodded.
“The foolishness of appearing foolish but being wise,” Xie Lingjiang said leisurely.
"..."
"And the eldest brother really likes to play dumb."
Ouyang Rong wanted to retort, "You're the same," but he swallowed it back.
Some things have finally been put behind us.
To describe their current situation, it would be...
More than friends, but not quite lovers.
They are close brothers and sisters in most aspects of life.
Ouyang Rong thought it was fine, although he didn't quite know what his junior sister was thinking. For example, today, she suddenly started "talking politics" with him. His junior sister's thoughts were becoming increasingly difficult to fathom...
Ouyang Rong muttered to himself.
Seeing her senior brother's speechless and frustrated expression, Xie Lingjiang's lips curled up slightly, then she suppressed it and cast a worried look at him.
"Is it because of the incident where you directly advised Princess Chang Le and were punished with caning and demoted that you've become so cautious in your words and actions, and even unwilling to talk to me about it?"
A pang of heartache appeared in Xie Lingjiang's eyes. She felt sorry for the terrible calamity that had befallen her senior brother, which had tormented this upright and outspoken gentleman, causing him to hide his sharp edges and no longer act like those ambitious and enterprising men. Perhaps he had matured like his father.
But the eldest brother is still young. What Xie Lingjiang hopes to see more is the eldest brother who is sharp and heroic. She obediently and considerately follows behind him, looking up at his back.
Seeing that Xie Lingjiang's gaze was becoming increasingly strange, and even though she hadn't drunk any tea, her cheeks were flushed slightly, it was unclear what exciting thing she was thinking about.
Ouyang Rong couldn't hold back any longer and stopped beating around the bush, asking directly:
"Junior Sister, did Su Xiaomei say something to you recently?"
Otherwise, how could you have the same penchant for discussing politics with others as she does... Ouyang Rong swallowed, and couldn't help but glance at his junior sister again.
"Su Xiaomei?"
This time, Xie Lingjiang was stunned and shook her head, "No."
As if she had discerned something from the vast amount of information revealed in Ouyang Rong's words, she immediately realized what was going on.
Senior Brother and Sister Su already know each other? When did this happen? Sister Su never mentioned it to her.
Because she had been frequently out dealing with unsolved cases since returning to Longcheng County these past few days, she had little time to meet with Su's younger sister and hadn't had a chance to mention it.
Or is it that they deliberately chose not to say?
A junior sister who was particularly protective of her food suddenly became alert.
She glanced at the sky outside the door, then turned to Ouyang Rong, her expression unpredictable, and said:
"The Su family girl said she really enjoys chatting with you, Senior Brother."
"oh……"
Ouyang Rong was about to nod and say a few words of modesty, but his intuition, honed from spending so much time with his junior sister, made him immediately shake his head and say:
"Perhaps because my junior sister isn't here and she's bored at home, this Su family girl is probably just bored. She seems quite talkative, but I'm always busy and don't have much time to deal with her."
Ouyang Rong chuckled and said, "It's good that she didn't complain about me to my junior sister. After all, she's Dalang's sister, and I couldn't very well refuse to offend her."
"I haven't complained about it," Xie Lingjiang shook her head.
She paused, glanced at Ouyang Rong whose tone was normal, and added:
"Besides, talking about people behind their backs is not a respectable thing to do. If she were to talk about Senior Brother in front of me, I would definitely stop her. But why is Senior Brother asking this? Did you accidentally do something and are you worried that she will tell me, Junior Sister?"
Ouyang Rong shook his head seriously:
"Not at all, I was just afraid of neglecting her and seeming a bit perfunctory during our conversation. By the way, junior sister, what else did she say to you? Did she bring up any topics she likes to discuss?"
Faced with her senior brother's question, Xie Lingjiang remained noncommittal and did not answer.
She picked up her cup, took a sip of tea, looked up, and asked again:
"During my time at Gezao Mountain, did the Su family girl frequently visit my senior brother?"
“We didn’t talk often, and we didn’t have any deep conversations,” Ouyang Rong said righteously.
"Oh, really?" Xie Lingjiang's tone was as usual, surprisingly gentle. "Then... how did you two meet? Did she take the initiative to contact you?"
He immediately explained:
"No, it was a few days ago. I was invited by Dalang to a banquet at the Su residence. We bumped into each other on the veranda during our tea and meal break. She was also returning her umbrella. Oh, by the way, I think I mentioned the umbrella I borrowed from Donglin Temple to you back then..."
Xie Lingjiang nodded and glanced at him sideways.
Ouyang Rong then said calmly:
"Then she asked some questions about where you went, junior sister. You left in a hurry then, so it seems that this Su family girl cares about you quite a bit. Are you two on good terms?"
"It's alright... I guess." Xie Lingjiang hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "Yeah, it's pretty good."
"I see." Ouyang Rong smiled.
What he didn't see was that a delicate hand hidden in the sleeve under the opposite table had somehow grasped the hem of his clothes, and those slender fingers were twisting the fabric of the hem back and forth.
The tips of her slender fingers, tangled in the fabric of her clothes, were sometimes pale and bloodless, sometimes flushed red...
These little thoughts and actions of the young women naturally went unnoticed by anyone.
Ouyang Rong only heard Xie Lingjiang nod with a slight smile, her beautiful eyes sparkling:
"That's good. With me gone, she can keep my senior brother company in my place. The Su family's younger sister is also a very nice person, beautiful and kind-hearted, a well-bred lady who lives a secluded life, unlike me who dresses like a man and shows my face in public all day long..."
Ouyang Rong was taken aback, and immediately interrupted:
"What are you saying, Junior Sister? We only have something to talk about because of you. It's also because of you that I've become acquainted with her. I guess she feels the same way. When we occasionally meet and chat, one of the two most frequent topics is about you."
He looked directly at her and said with a smile, "I learned a lot about my junior sister from her. I didn't expect that while she's so energetic on the outside, she's quite... well, you know."
"What do you mean by 'supporting'?" Xie Lingjiang, whose mood had brightened as if a flower had bloomed after Ouyang Rong's few words, couldn't help but ask.
"Pretty stupid."
"She...she tells me everything."
"You're stupid, so people aren't allowed to say that?"
"Even my eldest brother is quite clumsy in real life and has made a lot of silly mistakes." Xie Lingjiang straightened her back. "Aunt Zhen and Wei Lai have both told me this!"
The two siblings teased each other for a while, and the atmosphere was no longer as strange and awkward as before.
Ouyang Rongchao Xie Lingjiang took the initiative and said:
"When I chatted with Su's younger sister, there was another main topic. She always tried to ask me questions about politics and my views on the current situation in a roundabout way."
"It's just like what happened to you today, Junior Sister, that's why I asked. You asked if this matter is related to Sister Su, after all..."
“Junior Sister never mentioned it before. I thought that as a member of the Xie family of Chenjun, she was not interested in this because of her family’s tradition of appreciating metaphysics and engaging in philosophical discussions.”
Xie Lingjiang hesitated, but she understood the mystery behind Ouyang Rong's strange description of Su Guo'er. She lowered her voice and offered a small explanation:
"I see. As for Su's younger sister... it's like this. Although she is a young lady, she has some boyish charm and likes to discuss the affairs of the court. Please don't take offense, senior brother."
"It's nothing."
Ouyang Rong blinked at Xie Lingjiang:
"Anyway, I always pretend to be deaf and dumb, and let her analyze if she wants. I just nod and flatter her, and occasionally give her a look of admiration. But if she wants to get anything out of me, no way."
"Senior Brother is so mean..." Xie Lingjiang said, both amused and exasperated.
Ouyang Rong smiled, his expression gradually turning serious:
"Didn't Junior Sister ask who would win the battle between Li and Wei?"
He nodded slightly:
"There are some things I want to say, but I'm only telling you, my junior sister, in private. I can't tell those outsiders."
For some reason, Xie Lingjiang suddenly felt that the bitter tea she had been holding in her mouth for a long time was starting to taste sweet.
"Senior Brother..." Xie Lingjiang stared at Ouyang Rong, who had become serious, her mouth full of sweet saliva.
She looked down at the tea leaves in her cup.
I don't know if it's because the bitterness has turned into sweetness, or if my senior brother is just too sweet.
I caught a cold (or it's the third day of abstaining from pornography).
(End of this chapter)
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