Chapter 276 The Eldest Brother is Bad
Inside the study.
Li Xian's family and junior sister, some standing and some standing, looked thoughtful.
"Paying for the pagoda, the father praying for blessings, the broken jade being restored, offering auspicious omens, claiming serious illness... all of this is reasonable and logical, with each step linked to the next."
Li Guo'er tapped her chin lightly with her finger, her eyes lighting up as she looked at Ouyang Rong: "Good!"
Wei Mei frowned, seemingly considering things more deeply, or rather, understanding the mother-in-law better:
"Won't she or they see right through me?"
Ouyang Rong looked at Wei Mei with a strange expression:
"Of course this will be seen through; isn't that self-evident?"
Wei Mei opened her mouth: "Huh?"
Ouyang Rong smiled:
"Who says auspicious omens have to be real? Aren't fake auspicious omens also real auspicious omens?"
He lowered his eyes and muttered to himself, like a rhyming jingle:
"When truth is false, falsehood is truth; when falsehood is truth, truth is falsehood. It is because of falsehood that it is true, and because of truth that it is false. Truth and falsehood are intertwined, and so are falsehood and truth."
Li Fusu seemed to be deep in thought, scratching his head, his tone somewhat hesitant:
"My lord, even a fabricated plan can go awry. Although the preparations have been meticulous, what if, by some chance, someone in the court steps forward to undermine us? If they take it seriously and send people to investigate, wouldn't that be disastrous?"
"Dalang's worries are not unfounded."
Ouyang Rong nodded, and in an instant, he raised his hand, his long, slender palm pointing towards the Zhou court in Luoyang to the north:
"But who dares to take it seriously, who dares to investigate? Before His Majesty, who dares to say that the auspicious signs of Buddha and the blessings of Heaven upon the Great Zhou are false?"
"I ask you, my lords, do you have the guts?"
The young strategist raised his chin and sneered mockingly.
“Tanlang is right, but it seems there are still prime ministers who dare to speak frankly before His Majesty,” Li Fusu said weakly. “For example, Master Di.”
Ouyang Rong looked puzzled: "Why is Master Di undermining you?"
Li Fusu and the others were speechless.
Yes, they are all allies. Why should the pro-establishment faction of the court undermine them? They see through it but don't say anything.
Not everyone is like Ouyang Lianghan, who prepared a coffin and dared to defy the eldest princess and the empress.
“That makes sense.” Li Guo’er nodded, then pondered and asked, “What about the King of Wei and the people of the Wei clan? They can also say quite a lot to His Majesty.”
Ouyang Rong nodded with a smile, completely in agreement:
"Alright, let's investigate. Perfect timing. Before the change of administration, we can also investigate those ridiculous auspicious omens they presented. Let's see who will run into trouble first."
Li Guo'er, Wei Mei, and Li Fusu turned their heads and looked sideways, all of them suddenly realizing: "What a brilliant scheme!"
Only Li Xian was still scratching his head in confusion, weakly muttering:
"My lord, the people below are fine, but the main problem is the Empress Dowager's attitude towards me. What if she dislikes me and doesn't accept this auspicious omen?"
Ouyang Rong shook his head and said:
"The one we need to least worry about in this act of offering auspicious omens is His Majesty."
He paused here, then sighed:
"In other words, it is precisely because of her attitude that we should take the initiative to offer auspicious omens today. This is an opportunity, an opportunity she has given us. If we do not seize it, we will miss it."
Li Xian was taken aback, and asked somewhat flusteredly, "What opportunity is Tanlang talking about?"
Ouyang Rong pointed to the jade pendant fragments on the edge of the boot:
"Uncle, can't you see that this jade pendant is her attitude?"
"But since ancient times, hasn't the main meaning of '玦' been synonymous with '绝' (jué)?"
Ouyang Rong countered, "Why not 'jue' as in decisive?"
He hesitated, wanting to speak but holding back.
Ouyang Rong then asked in return:
“If it were truly ‘ultimate,’ why did you not commit suicide after receiving the ‘jade’ in the street?”
"Now that so much time has passed, the news has long been relayed back by the palace messengers."
"Such an undignified act, given His Majesty's nature, wouldn't he send someone to help you maintain a dignified appearance?"
"The truth is, she didn't."
Li Xian fell completely silent. After a short while, he murmured to himself:
“Jue, so that’s how it is…”
Ouyang Rong said calmly:
"Uncle, the most dangerous moment has passed. This is the last chance."
Does it matter whether auspicious omens are real or fake? No, because in this Great Zhou Dynasty, Her Majesty always holds the final right of interpretation, and the truth or falsehood is judged by her alone.
"And this jade pendant is actually a question His Majesty has given you."
"Wh...what question?"
"A question to test you, a question about how to smoothly go around in circles."
"His Majesty wants to see if you have learned to be tactful after being exiled to Longcheng for so many years. This is the foundation for your reinstatement in the future, and also a kind of... basic lesson for an emperor."
Li Xian paused for a moment, then couldn't help but ask with reverence:
"Tanlang, did you know all this from the very first moment you saw the jade pendant?"
Ouyang Rong remained noncommittal, walked to Xie Lingjiang's seat, picked up a piece of watermelon from the food box, and took a small bite.
Li Xian lowered his head and chewed repeatedly:
"Going in circles... Tanlang, isn't your suggestion to offer auspicious omens and feign illness just going in circles?"
“That’s right.” Ouyang Rong nodded, chewing on a melon, and muttered casually:
"The more gracefully you navigate this circle, the better."
The Li family, along with Xie Lingjiang who held a silver spoon, all turned their heads to look at Ouyang Rong, their gazes varying.
Ouyang Rong ignored them, lowered his eyes to eat the melon, finished it all, and put down the melon ladle.
There were light red watermelon juice stains between his fingers.
Two handkerchiefs were handed to him almost simultaneously, right in front of him.
One handkerchief is a moon-white embroidered lotus flower handkerchief, and the other is a peach-pink embroidered phoenix handkerchief.
The former was held in the hands of the woman in red, and the latter in the hands of the young woman in plum blossom makeup.
Xie Lingjiang turned her head with a normal expression, while Li Guo'er glanced sideways at her veiled face.
The two women who handed over the handkerchiefs exchanged glances.
Just before Ouyang Rong raised his hand, Li Guo'er suddenly withdrew her embroidered phoenix handkerchief, stuffed it back into her sleeve, and her eyes seemed unpredictable.
Ouyang Rong raised his hand and directly accepted the white lotus handkerchief from his junior sister.
He lowered his eyes, wiped his mouth, and then carefully wiped his fingers. He folded the handkerchief in half and handed it back to Xie Lingjiang, pointing to the milky white, pinkish lips that were left by Su Shan.
Xie Lingjiang took the handkerchief back and used the clean side of the handkerchief, which seemed to have been specially left by her senior brother, to wipe the corner of her lips. She avoided the gaze of Li Guo'er and the other members of the Li family, feeling a little embarrassed.
Why is my senior brother so straightforward? He doesn't treat me like an outsider at all.
The Xie family's daughter's heart was beating a little faster.
There was a hint of anger in her voice.
I wonder if I tasted some watermelon juice he had wiped off my lips.
It has a slightly sweet taste.
She quickly glanced in the direction of her senior brother, only to find that after handing him the handkerchief, he turned around as if nothing had happened, put his hands behind his back, and paced around the room.
Ouyang Rong ignored his junior sister's slightly resentful gaze.
He paced around the room, looking left and right, surveying the Su residence, nestled in a remote corner of Jiangnan, with a sigh, muttering to himself:
Why did Buddha's Five Finger Mountain only imprison Sun Wukong for five hundred years, instead of five million or five million years?
The young strategist seemed to be asking himself a question, or perhaps asking someone else.
Li Guo'er looked up, her eyes filled with curiosity: "What Five Finger Mountain? What Sun Wukong?"
"Uh, it's nothing."
Ouyang Rong shook his head. He remembered that there seemed to be no Journey to the West in this world, so he didn't bother to explain.
Li Guo'er and the others looked at him with increasing curiosity.
Ouyang Rong curled his lip and put it another way:
"In that game in the sky, most people don't dare to make mistakes, or even try. What if they make a mistake and get demoted and ignored?"
"But your uncle is different, and your family is different."
Even if you're trapped under Five Finger Mountain... well, as long as you don't die, there's always a chance.
Why?
He asked himself and answered:
"Because my uncle is His Majesty's flesh and blood, a direct descendant of Emperor Taizong, and a member of the imperial family."
His words were extremely straightforward.
This caused everyone to look at each other in bewilderment.
When Li Xian heard this, he felt ashamed and dared not reply, because his nephew Liang Han was from a poor family.
But these words, spoken in a calm tone, sounded like an indescribable mockery to Xie Lingjiang, who knew the man well.
She couldn't help but glance at her senior brother, whose expression remained calm.
With a bang, Ouyang Rong slammed his long, slender hand on the table, facing everyone, and made a decisive decision:
“A person has already been chosen to present auspicious omens; I will go and persuade him.”
“Aunt Wei and Miss Li, go and fetch all the wealth in the manor immediately. Give a thousand taels of gold to Junior Sister, and give the rest to Eldest Brother.”
He turned his head:
"Junior Sister, you shall set off immediately to purchase jade in Lingnan and bring back a flawless jade ring, the more unique the better."
"Eldest brother, uncle, go find Sixth Brother, then go to Donglin Temple and donate money to repair the pagoda. We want to build the largest pagoda in the southeast to enshrine the 'Jade Ring'!"
Xie Lingjiang and Li Xian's family were immediately invigorated, readily obeyed, and stood up, clasping their hands in greeting to receive the order.
Before leaving, Ouyang Rong suddenly turned his head and asked:
"Uncle, Aunt, Eldest Brother, Miss Li, do you really trust me that much? This whole scheme will drain the Su family's wealth, and even Miss Li's entire birthday gift will be spent on it. From now on, we'll never be able to return to the life of a wealthy family again. Aren't you afraid of ruining things by following me?"
Li Fusu's face flushed red, and his tone was resolute: "I believe in my love!"
Li Xian and Wei Mei held each other's arms, supported each other, gritted their teeth, and nodded vigorously with excitement:
"I am not afraid. I will follow your plan to the end, even if it means giving away all my wealth, I will have no regrets!"
Li Guo'er nodded: "Cai, planning is up to people."
Ouyang Rong glanced around at the family members who were serving him tea and water respectfully as their teacher, and sighed:
"If you believe me without question, then I will certainly not fail you."
At this moment, Wei Mei cautiously glanced at the young, smiling strategist and whispered:
"My love, if this plan to present auspicious omens succeeds, what will happen to us?"
Ouyang Rong squinted: "Uncle prayed for Mother's well-being, which moved Heaven and Earth. Unfortunately, he became seriously ill and naturally needed treatment. This is in accordance with the Great Zhou's ethical principles and the will of the people."
"Is Qilang going back to... Luoyang?"
Ouyang Rong shook his head with absolute certainty:
"It's not that easy."
"My uncle is a deposed emperor. His return to Luoyang is of great importance, with countless implications, and could profoundly change the political landscape of the court."
"His Majesty is keen on imperial power politics, and maintaining balance in the court is his basic logic. How he will deal with his 'seriously ill' uncle is indeed quite intriguing."
"It's hard to say for now. I'm afraid I won't be able to go back to Luoyang directly, but I will definitely leave Dragon City, this birdcage."
"In fact, what most restrains His Majesty's will and actions is the entrenched and uncontrollable conflict between the Liwei and Wei factions."
"From the matter of the stolen casting of the Ding Sword in Longcheng, it can be seen that the Wei family has not given up and is still obsessed with the Ding Sword. They are trying to turn the tables and will not easily admit defeat or compromise to welcome Uncle."
"Furthermore, Prince Xiang may not necessarily give his full support... um."
Ouyang Rong paused quietly at this point, and everyone noticed a rather intriguing smile on his lips.
With a slight smirk, Ouyang Rong spoke clearly and with a cunning mind:
"Moreover, my uncle has openly broken with His Majesty, and the rift in the relationship between mother and son cannot be completely repaired simply by praying for blessings and offering auspicious omens."
"Moreover, Uncle's move is a roundabout one. As a master of roundabouts, how could His Majesty not also take a roundabout approach?"
"But it's alright, this is just the first step, testing the waters."
"How can we find the way without throwing stones?"
He lowered his eyes, straightened his sleeves, and spoke calmly:
"Let's hear the echoes from Luoyang."
"My lord's brilliant plan can bring peace to the world!"
The people in the study were immediately relieved and happily went out to do their own thing.
Only Ouyang Rong and Xie Lingjiang remained in the room, one standing and one sitting.
"I'll see you off."
Ouyang Rong turned his head and said
Xie Lingjiang glanced at him and nodded.
The two siblings went out, one in front of the other, and walked along the corridor with wind chimes hanging on it.
After a lot of trouble today, everything was resolved, and it was almost evening.
The summer evenings are just beginning to cool down, with a gentle, intoxicating breeze.
Gusts of wind blew up the sleeves and skirts of the tall, slender man and woman in the corridor.
The wind chimes tinkled and jingled, their clear sound like the knocking of dusk.
Xie Lingjiang turned her head and looked at Ouyang Rong walking slightly ahead of her, his profile flickering in the setting sun, and asked softly:
"What is Senior Brother thinking?"
"Hmm? I wasn't thinking about anything."
After a private discussion and brainstorming session in the study, Ouyang Rong, who had discovered an unexpected surprise, temporarily snapped out of his reverie and ignored the crisp sound of the wooden fish drum in his ear.
He turned around and asked:
"You really like eating crispy mountain delicacies?"
"Yes." Xie Lingjiang nodded: "There are grape pulp inside."
Ouyang Rong smiled broadly, "You glutton. Next time you come back, ask Aunt Wei to make more."
"Senior Brother is really not being polite now, treating this place like his own home."
He spoke in a relaxed and at ease:
"There's no need to be so polite. You know what this family is like. Apart from that young lady Li, whom we need to be a little careful with, there's no need to be polite to the eldest son and his uncle."
Xie Lingjiang immediately asked, "Why is Sister Guo'er special?"
"She appears gentle and refined, but is fierce and resolute on the inside. If you dare to provoke her, you're likely to get a piece of flesh from her and be unable to shake her off. I always keep my distance from this kind of woman."
"Oh, Senior Brother is truly brilliant."
After listening, Xie Lingjiang nodded calmly and continued to ask:
"But just before today, our senior brother was still declining and avoiding their family's requests for talent. Could it be that he was truly moved by Li Fusu today?"
Ouyang Rong turned to look at Xie Lingjiang, but didn't answer. He said softly:
“A friend once told me an interesting principle, or rather, a little trick.”
"What's the logic behind this? Uh, what's the trick?"
"When you refuse to help someone, you must express your regret in the process of refusing."
"And when you agree to help someone, you must appear very hesitant during the agreement process."
Xie Lingjiang was taken aback, and couldn't help but glance at his senior brother a few more times before asking:
"When did Senior Brother implicitly agree to this?"
She paused, a hint of recollection appearing on her pretty face, and muttered, "When I came down the mountain not long ago after recovering from my illness?"
Ouyang Rong thought for a moment and said, "Pretty much."
"Yeah."
Xie Lingjiang gently bit her lip.
“These days, Uncle and the others have been anxious and sleepless, and even Father thinks that Senior Brother is unwilling... Senior Brother is a bit naughty.”
“This isn’t bad, um, this is called going in circles.” Ouyang Rong blinked: “You silly junior sister, what do you know?”
He sighed, "Many things need to be handled a little more carefully. This is not about complicating simple problems, but about handling them properly and appropriately."
"This is called, 'Handle urgent matters slowly; things will be resolved if you wait.'"
Ouyang Rong suddenly turned around and asked:
"I seem to remember you saying something to me, that young lady Li said something like, 'Lies don't hurt people,' and 'The truth is the sharpest knife.' These are the kinds of things she taught you."
Xie Lingjiang nodded, "Yes, what's wrong, Senior Brother?"
Ouyang Rong said leisurely, "Then I also have a saying to teach you."
Xie Lingjiang asked curiously, "What did you say?"
"True feelings are hard to retain, but tricks win people's hearts." He nodded: "The same is true today."
Xie Lingjiang paused slightly, chewed for a moment, and then looked up:
"Senior Brother's move is really... Well, it's good. Now Uncle and the others treat you as an honored guest, and they are eager to treat you with utmost respect, not daring to be negligent in the slightest."
After a pause, the woman in red, holding a sword, suddenly narrowed her eyes and spoke in a cat-like voice:
"Oh? You like to use sincerity and tactics together, so does that mean Senior Brother is using tactics on me too?"
“…” Ouyang Rong.
Xie Lingjiang tilted her head slightly, meeting Ouyang Rong's gaze, which he subtly avoided. Looking into his innocent eyes, she asked with a smile:
"Hmm, someone's subtle tactics have my junior sister completely under their control, haven't they... Ouch!"
Xie Lingjiang was halfway through her interrogation when she suddenly covered her forehead with both hands, wrinkled her nose, and inhaled through her teeth.
A faint blush appeared on a patch of fair skin on her forehead.
On the long corridor at sunset, after giving his junior sister, who loved to think outside the box, a good whack on the head, Ouyang Rong snorted and walked away with his hands behind his back.
"Does it sound good? If it sounds good, then it's a good start, and it's quite loud. Someone with such a stupid brain, does he even need my tricks?"
"..."
or2 (obediently pouting)
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
