Chapter 293 Site Selection for the Great Buddha
Ouyang Rong noticed that Yuan Huaimin seemed to know everyone he met.
He rode Dongmei away from the Jiangzhou main hall and returned to Huaiye Lane for lunch.
Yuan Huaimin followed, riding his skinny black horse.
"So the Chief Secretary lives so close by."
Ouyang Rong nodded.
Yuan Huaimin asked curiously, "Is the Chief Secretary returning to his residence for dinner?"
Ouyang Rong ignored him.
Yuan Huaimin stroked his beard with his fingers and said with a serious expression:
"Dongmei is a divine steed. Lord Changshi is young and promising. Riding this horse, he is truly dashing. A fine horse is a perfect match for a hero."
Ouyang Rong's lips twitched slightly.
Yuan Huaimin looked around and said mysteriously:
"My lord, to tell you the truth, I was once a famous romantic scholar and elegant poet in Chang'an."
"It's not that I'm bragging, it's what everyone in Chang'an says. My literary talent is top-notch, even by today's standards. Back in Chang'an, countless courtesans and beauties were chasing after me, but I didn't care about them at all..."
As Ouyang Rong and his entourage approached the mansion in Huaiye Lane, Yuan Huaimin leaned in and began to chatter incessantly, drawing sidelong glances and disdain from several of Ouyang Rong's attendants from his hometown of Nanlong.
Ouyang Rong suddenly turned around: "So, what does Commander Yuan want to say?"
Yuan Huaimin wiped his mouth and nodded solemnly:
"I would like to compose a poem to describe the heroic figure of the Chief Secretary riding the divine steed Dongmei. What do you think?" He sighed, "This is a great opportunity to make a name for yourself in history. The Chief Secretary should seize this opportunity."
Ouyang Rong stared at the somewhat narcissistic Yuan Sima for a while.
"I'll pass on the poetry... I really can't lend you the plum blossoms. I have something to do this afternoon and need to leave the city. Let's do it another day." He sighed and asked, "Minister Yuan, where do you live? Why aren't you home for dinner yet?"
Yuan Huaimin: "This humble official is temporarily residing in Xingzifang."
One of the servants asked curiously, "Sir, you hold an official position, so why do you live in such a place with poor environment and security?"
Yuan Huaimin was not annoyed at all upon hearing this, and instead chuckled and scratched his head, saying, "I'm short of money, I'm short of money..."
Ouyang Rong sat upright on his horse, looking straight ahead, and calmly said:
"Not showing up for duty is not showing up for duty. Half a bushel of salary has already been deducted. Yuan Sima should take this as a warning and come earlier in the next few days. There are only a few days left in the year."
"Okay, okay, okay." Yuan Huaimin nodded with shame.
Ouyang Rong felt a little embarrassed by the quick agreement. Reaching the entrance of the mansion, he casually asked:
"It seems quite far to go back to Xingzifang. Shall we go in and grab a bite to eat?"
"Yes, yes, yes!" Yuan Huaimin nodded vigorously, agreeing first, then blushed with embarrassment: "Well, I'll have to trouble the Chief Secretary's family."
Ouyang Rong silently turned around and couldn't help but glance at Yuan Huaimin, who was completely at ease with him.
"Alright then. My humble abode is simple, with coarse tea and plain food. Please forgive me, Yuan Sima."
"It's alright, it's alright."
Ouyang Rong took Yuan Huaimin back to the mansion for lunch.
In the main hall, Zhen Shuyuan had prepared a sumptuous meal and was directing the maids to arrange the fruits. Ye Weilai handed Ouyang Rong a hot towel to apply to his face and fetched hot water to wash his hands.
The two women were quite curious about the strange colleague that Tanlang had brought back.
After a cup of tea, at the dining table, they looked at Yuan Huaimin as he wolfed down his food, exchanged glances, and were speechless.
Yuan Huaimin ate heartily, his words slurred: "My lord, this is hardly a simple meal. I'll take you to my humble abode another day, where you'll find true simple food."
Ouyang Rong picked up his bowl and some food, then shook his head and said, "It's just simple food. If Yuan Sima is late and doesn't show up for duty, then he won't get paid."
"Your Excellency is mistaken. Supplies and provisions are sufficient as long as we have enough to eat and use," Yuan Huaimin said earnestly and with surprising firmness.
“At other times, we should do something meaningful and not be bothered by external things or pursue them excessively. The same applies to the highest values.”
Ouyang Rong nodded: "Then I'll deduct half a shi from your pay today..."
Yuan Huaimin immediately wore a bitter expression: "Half a shi less is just right, we'll have to go hungry for three days."
Ouyang Rong's lips twitched slightly. He was so strict about eating, right? His monthly salary, after deductions for absences, was only enough to cover his food expenses?
“Yuan Sima’s mathematical skills are not bad. I’ll arrange some accounting work for you tomorrow.”
"..."
Yuan Huaimin froze, holding the bowl, and suddenly the delicious food in his mouth lost its flavor: "Chief Secretary, this..."
Ouyang Rong suddenly asked, "Then, Yuan Sima, what do you think is meaningful for us?"
“I don’t know about others.” Yuan Huaimin sat up straight and spoke with certainty: “But about me… Chief Secretary, don’t be alarmed when I say it, or you might think I’m being arrogant.”
Ouyang Rong extended his hand, gesturing for him to speak: "Go ahead."
"I will compose a poem that is unparalleled in this era! It will amaze the entire literary world of the Great Zhou, be praised by the scholars and common people of both capitals, and be remembered for generations to come!"
Ouyang Rong raised an eyebrow as he looked at the Jiangzhou Sima in front of him, who was wielding chopsticks with great eloquence and passion, yet could barely afford a meal and had to mooch off him.
In front of Ouyang Rong, the beautiful woman in the silk dress, and the silver-haired beauty at the dinner table, Yuan Huaimin's eyes shone, spittle flew from his lips, and he waved his sleeves with high spirits, saying:
"The ancients said that one should establish merit, virtue, and words. I am not talented enough to establish virtue and merit, but what difficulty is there in establishing words?"
"Once my poems and essays are published, the name Huaimin will surely be remembered by future generations!"
The hall fell silent upon hearing this.
At the dining table, Ouyang Rong stared at Yuan Huaimin for a while, then reached out from under his sleeve and moved the food in front of him a little further away.
Ouyang Rong nodded, seemingly in agreement, and then turned to pick up some food and eat.
Zhen Shuyuan and Ye Weilai continued to serve food to Tanlang.
"..."
Seeing the three people eating quietly with their heads down, Yuan Huaimin chuckled awkwardly, "Ahem."
Keep eating.
About fifteen minutes later, Yuan Huaimin finished his meal and drinks. Under Zhen Shuyuan's polite insistence, he couldn't refuse her hospitality and packed some dishes to take away.
They returned with a full load.
"Tanlang, your colleague is quite interesting."
Zhen Shuyuan covered her mouth and shook her head: "I heard he was demoted? He has a pretty open-minded attitude, but he's a bit of a braggart."
Ouyang Rong yawned: "I'm going to sleep. Wake me up before 2 a.m.
He took Ye Weilai back to Yinbingzhai for a midday rest.
...
Mount Kuanglu, on the summit of a main peak named Yunwu.
"Your Excellency has come all the way to Mount Lu, why don't you visit some famous scholars and enjoy the scenery?"
Yan Liulang, hands on his knees, looked at the tall, slender figure on the edge of the cliff ahead and asked breathlessly.
Ouyang Rong shook his head, standing atop the mountain, intently gazing down at the scenery below.
Mount Lu is not a single mountain, but a group of mountains with a high altitude.
The clouds and mist rising from the Yangtze River and Yunmengze Lake surge towards the Lushan Mountains, shrouding them in mist all year round, making them resemble a fairyland.
It is indeed a great place to escape the summer heat and live in seclusion, and even now in winter, there are spectacular snow scenes.
However, these past two days, after finishing his official business in the morning, Ouyang Rong took Yan Liulang out of the city to visit the surrounding mountains and plains in the afternoon, and today they finally arrived at Mount Lu.
But it wasn't to see this extraordinary scenery.
“The view from this main peak is quite good,” Ouyang Rong suddenly said.
"Indeed... this mountain is too high and too difficult to climb. Would Your Excellency possibly choose this location as the site?"
Yan Liulang thought for a moment and suggested:
"It would be better to choose a flat area or a place close to Xunyang City to build the Buddha statue, so as to facilitate the use of laborers and resources."
“That’s right.” Ouyang Rong nodded in agreement.
Mount Kuanglu is located to the east of Xunyang City. The entire city of Xunyang is almost entirely built against the backdrop of the Mount Kuanglu range and borders the Yangtze River to the west.
Therefore, standing on the highest peak of Mount Kuanglu, one can clearly see the terrain and surrounding conditions of the entire Xunyang city below.
Ouyang Rong's eyes reflected the entire city of Xunyang below, and he couldn't help but mutter to himself:
"Stand here and take a look; it's much clearer than any picture book or anything like that."
"Xunyang City is good in every way, except that there is too little flat land around it. It is backed by Mount Lu and surrounded by mountains or sandbars."
"Or rather, Xunyang City was originally built on the largest flat area here."
"From the westernmost Chaishan and Xingzi neighborhoods on the shore, to the easternmost Lianxi neighborhood near the foot of Mount Lu."
"It has already expanded to its maximum extent; only hills that are difficult to expand on remain..."
Ouyang Rong muttered to himself:
"With such a compact space, where should we choose to build the Buddha statue?"
"We can't just build a giant Buddha on flat ground like the Shangyang Palace in Luoyang. It would be spectacular, but how much money and resources would it consume?"
"Besides, there isn't enough flat land this size in Xunyang City; we can't delay the people's livelihoods..."
Ouyang Rong stood on the edge of the cliff, gazing into the distance in deep thought.
Behind them, Yan Liulang ran off and brought back a bag of spring water, handing it to Ouyang Rong and talking incessantly:
“My lord, I have heard that there is a Kangwang Valley on the south side of this peak. In the valley there is a clear spring called ‘Gulian Spring’, which flows down a hundred meters. It is incredibly clear and cold. The tea brewed with this spring is a unique delicacy of Mount Lu.”
"There should be quite a few tea connoisseurs there right now, shall we go and have some..."
Ahead, Ouyang Rong took the water bag and replied without turning his head, "Good tea naturally comes from high mountains and misty clouds."
"Shouldn't you go and take a look, Magistrate..."
Ouyang Rong suddenly stopped drinking water, pointed his hand holding the water bag to the west, ignoring the spring water flowing down from the bag, and interrupted Yan Liulang's words:
What place is that?
"ah?"
"What was that place called again?"
Yan Liulang was taken aback. He turned his head and saw that the magistrate was pointing to two mountain peaks not far to the west of Xunyang City.
The two peaks are quite low, with sparse vegetation in winter, leaving them bare and close together with a narrow valley in between.
"Please wait a moment, Your Excellency." Yan Liulang hurriedly flipped through the map, found the location, and after a short while read it aloud:
"Reporting to the governor, it seems to be called... Twin Peaks."
"Twin peaks...why do they look familiar? Have I seen them somewhere before?"
"Really? We don't think we've been there yet," Yan Liulang said curiously.
Ouyang Rong muttered to himself for a moment, then suddenly turned his head.
"Let's go down the mountain and take a look."
Why do we have to go down again after we just climbed up? Yan Liulang had no choice but to obediently follow.
On the way, Ouyang Rong suddenly remembered that he had seen this place name somewhere before.
...
late at night.
Chaisangfang, Huaiye Lane.
Even after winter sets in, the bamboo forests in the south still have deep green bamboo leaves.
As the evening breeze blows and the bamboo shadows sway, there is a small courtyard in the bamboo grove where the light is still on.
Inside the room, a desk was piled high with documents. Ouyang Rong, wearing a fox fur cloak and with a blanket over his legs, buried himself in the documents, his eyes unblinking as he flipped through the papers.
At his feet under the table was a small stove, its glowing embers radiating waves of heat that distorted the air.
It added some warmth to the room with the windows closed.
However, in front of the small stove, a petite white-haired girl sat on a small stool, covered with a blanket, hugging her knees and burying her head, keeping her master company as he read at night.
At one point, Ouyang Rong put down an old bamboo slip and let out a long sigh: "This is it, I've finally found it."
He muttered something to himself, stretched, and caught a glimpse of a girl on a small stool in front of him out of the corner of his eye.
Ye Weilai curled up, closed her eyes, and pressed her cheek against her knees, her body swaying slightly like the candle flame on the desk.
Ouyang Rong stood up quietly, took off his fox fur cloak, and covered the sleeping girl with it. He then picked her up by the waist and carried her to the clean bed in the inner room.
"Hmm, Master... Is Master finished with his work?"
"Shhh."
Ouyang Rong pressed his index finger against Ye Weilai's soft pink lips. In her dazed state, she subconsciously took it in her mouth and, for some reason, sucked on it with a certain skill... Perhaps she mistook something for something else?
"..." Ouyang Rong carried her back to the bed, covered her with the quilt, returned to his desk, and wiped his fingers.
People's saliva is sticky when they sleep, and young girls are no exception.
Ouyang Rong shook his head and picked up an old bamboo slip that had been stored in the Jiangzhou main hall storeroom for who knows how long.
He walked to the window, paced back and forth, and carefully read through the pages.
In my hand is a bamboo slip on water management, proposing a water conservancy plan to control floods near Xunyang City.
Indeed, Xunyang City, like many other counties below, was also plagued by floods, though not as severely as Longcheng and other counties.
The main period is during the summer flood season on the Yangtze River.
Therefore, Ouyang Rong was not in a hurry. He had originally planned to start preparing for the worst after the New Year and Winter Solstice holidays, but now it seemed that he could start preparing earlier...
Ouyang Rong glanced at the signature on the bamboo slip. The proposer of this water management plan was a minor official from the north who had been demoted to Jiangzhou more than ten years ago. His hometown was near the Yellow River, and he was quite knowledgeable about water conservancy.
This person submitted this document on flood control to the Jiangzhou government, but it was ultimately not adopted and was shelved.
Ouyang Rong remembered it because not long ago he was preparing to submit the "Ten Memorials on Water Management in Jiangnan" and "Review of the Map of the Water System in Jiangnan".
He made considerable preparations at the time, privately reviewing water management plans proposed by many prefectures and counties in Jiangnan, thus drawing on the strengths of various approaches.
Therefore, I have some recollection of this plan concerning the flood control of Xunyang City.
After returning from Mount Lu, Ouyang Rong went to the storeroom in the main hall of Jiangzhou and retrieved the original manuscript on the same day.
This water management plan specifically mentions Shuangfengjian and focuses on it.
Ouyang Rong flipped through it again, nodding to himself:
“The floods in Xunyang City are different from those in Longcheng County. Longcheng was trapped by the floods of Yunmengze upstream, while Xunyang City was affected by the floods of the adjacent Yangtze River during the flood season.”
"The Xunyang River, a tributary of the Yangtze River, converges south of Shuangfengjian. It is blocked by this mountain and cannot flow northward, so it is prone to forming a vast expanse of water, flooding and submerging the city of Xunyang on the riverbank."
He held the bamboo slips in his hand, his brows furrowed slightly as he pondered:
"The idea of carving out twin peaks is a bit far-fetched, but it can be improved a little."
“A canal was carved out between the two peaks to dredge the Xun River and allow it to flow into the Yangtze River, thus solving the flood problem in Xunyang City…”
"It has potential."
(End of this chapter)
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