Chapter 338 The Bond Between Ruler and Subject
"What does Mr. Wei think of Ouyang Lianghan?"
"It's true that he can drink a thousand cups without getting drunk."
"Mr. Wei rarely praises people."
"What does Lord Yan think of this boy? Is there still a chance to win him over?"
"Let's see." He smiled.
"He drinks a thousand cups without getting drunk, and frequently spouts drunken ramblings. Doesn't Lord Yan get annoyed?"
"What's there to be annoyed about? I traveled all the way from Huai and Yang to Jiang and Hong, visiting all the scholars in Jiangnan, and only then did I encounter such a person who can drink a thousand cups without getting drunk."
"Yan Gong still values talent." He paused, then added:
"However, Su Youwei, the governor of Yangzhou, can also be considered one. That's why Lord Yan is leaving."
"Um."
He suddenly laughed, “What a coincidence, both of them are sons-in-law of the Xie family in Wuyi Lane, one older and one younger, and they are married to an aunt and niece.”
It is said that the Shandong gentry value marriage, the Guanzhong gentry value official robes, and the Jiangzuo gentry value prominent figures...
"The people of Jiangzuo value people highly, and this is no exaggeration. Even noble ladies from the five prominent families marry poor scholars. If this were the case in the Shandong gentry, such a marriage would be unthinkable."
"No wonder that although the Jiangzuo gentry have generally declined, the Xie family of Chenjun still holds a firm position among the five surnames and seven prominent families."
A sigh of admiration.
The one called "Yan Gong" remained silent for a moment, then sighed:
"There is also Xie Xun, who is also a remarkable person, a famous teacher and a highly accomplished student."
"This master and apprentice are quite in sync, deceiving each other back and forth. It's a pity that the Xie family is too conservative and difficult to work with."
"Without being conservative, it would be difficult to inherit the legacy of our ancestors to this day."
"Is Master Yan hesitant about inheriting the family business?"
"No, it's just a feeling that I am a man from Guanzhong. My head may be cut off, my blood may flow, but I will not be humiliated."
"color."
There was a moment of silence.
"Mr. Wei, Yangzhou's wealth is truly unparalleled in the world."
"It's a pity the journey is too long."
"What if we add Jiangzhou? It is the confluence of three rivers, a thoroughfare connecting seven provinces, a vital place for the world. Going downstream, one can reach Yangzhou in a day or two. It is the throat of Jiangnan."
"Jiangzhou is a good place. The place is good, and the people who live there are good too. It's just a pity that there's another Ouyang Lianghan, just like Yangzhou."
"Let me take another look." He paused, then continued, "Let me take another look."
"Okay, no rush."
"I heard that Junzhi recommended a young man to Mr. Wei these past few days."
"That's right, this person is named Yue Zi'ang, a native of Hongzhou, and the leader of the scholars in Jiangzhou State Academy."
“Junzhi served as a doctor in Jiangzhou and managed the state school. He met him by chance and they hit it off immediately. He has been pestering Junzhi for the past few days and has revealed a lot of things to him.”
"Ha, Junzhi is quick-witted, perceptive, eloquent, and truly adept at making friends. These days, attending banquets in Xunyang City has allowed him to make acquaintances with almost everyone."
"Don't worry, Lord Yan. Junzhi is sensible and investigates all his friends before making them. He said that Yue Zi'ang is a simple and passionate person who greatly admires Lord Yan. So far, he doesn't seem to pose any threat. By the way, the controversy at the Temple of Confucius in Jiangzhou was started by Yue Zi'ang."
"The time when Ouyang Lianghan became famous for saying 'Study hard and make progress every day'?"
"Yes, that time it did help Ouyang Lianghan. However, although he suffered a setback, Yue Zi'ang didn't seem quite convinced."
His tone was indifferent: "What does Mr. Wei think of this young man?"
"It cannot be planned, but it can be used."
"Won't accepting this child cause Ouyang Lianghan some resentment, since the two of them have some conflicts?"
"Junzhi said that he would handle the matter and it would not displease Ouyang Lianghan. Besides, as the Prefect of Jiangzhou, it would be too petty of Ouyang Lianghan to hold a grudge against a mere scholar."
"That makes sense."
"To get back to the point, Junzhi recommended this young man because he has some connections."
"oh?"
"Yue Zi'ang was previously active in the poetry gatherings of scholars in Xunyang City. He was a member of the Juhua Poetry Society and had some connections with the youngest daughter of the King of Xunyang, the little princess."
"In addition, this person's teacher when he studied in Luoyang was named Yuan Xiangshan, a former official of the Ministry of Rites. During the turmoil of the abdication of the emperor, he was dismissed from office along with the Xunyang Prince's family and went through ups and downs. He lived in seclusion in Longcheng in a low-key manner."
"Now, Mr. Yuan is an old servant of the Prince of Xunyang's mansion. He teaches the heir to read, and the Prince of Xunyang and his son both respect the old man very much."
"Originally, with this connection, Yue Zi'ang could easily have become a retainer of the Xunyang Prince's Mansion, but unfortunately, he was expelled by the Xunyang Prince and his heir a few days ago."
"He said indignantly that it was because Ouyang Lianghan spoke ill of him in front of the Prince of Xunyang and the Crown Prince that he acted this way."
"However, I think that Ouyang Lianghan is not such a petty person, and there is not much need to target him. It is more likely that the Prince of Xunyang and the Crown Prince are worried that his personality will cause trouble."
"Although he is not well-liked by the Xunyang Prince's Mansion, he still has connections with the poetry club and his teacher, who can help recommend Junzhi and get in touch with the Xunyang Prince's Mansion..."
"So Junzhi also introduced Yue Ziang, as a kind of exchange."
The air was quiet for a moment, then someone sighed:
“In this respect, Junzhi does a better job than me.”
"Why do you say that? It's just that Yan Gong's reputation is too great, which easily arouses vigilance and suspicion. It's more convenient to let young people like Junzhi and Shuqing do some things."
"However, Junzhi does have the talent of a persuader, so it is not unreasonable to hand over Jiangzhou to him."
"Hmm." His tone was ambiguous, as if he had pondered for a moment.
"Mr. Wei brought this boy to the poetry gathering tonight, so I can meet him."
"Very well, Yue Zi'ang must be flattered to have gained the favor of Lord Yan. Oh, by the way, there is one more thing."
"speak."
"Yue Zi'ang is from Hongzhou and has some connections there. He said he is very familiar with Zhu Yuheng, the eldest son of Zhu Lingxu, the governor of Hongzhou. The two of them even traveled to Mount Lu together some time ago."
"Right now, the eldest son of the governor of Hongzhou is still touring the scenic spots of Mount Lu."
"Zhu Lingxu?" The tone was thoughtful.
"I have heard of this man. In his youth, he was a captain in the border army under my grandfather and was praised by my grandfather. Later, he made many military achievements in the border army and rose to the position of governor of Hongzhou. He is indeed a talented general."
"I've only heard that this person is somewhat greedy and lustful, so he's a combination of good and bad qualities."
"Oh? So that's how we got along. It seems that Yan Gong is getting twice the results with half the effort thanks to the Duke of Yingguo's influence."
"What does Mr. Wei mean?"
"I've heard that before Zhu Lingxu, the governor of Hongzhou, rose to prominence, he was a retainer of the old Prince Teng, and now he's close to the new Prince Teng, Li Lou..."
The atmosphere at the table suddenly fell silent.
After an unknown amount of time, someone stood up, supporting themselves on the table.
"good."
He turned and went out.
"Where is Lord Yan going?"
"The Prince of Xunyang's Mansion".
"Has that prince responded to Lord Yan's invitation?"
"No."
"Then why bother going back? This master is clearly ignoring Lord Yan."
“He may refuse to see me, but I cannot refuse to go; this is… the duty between ruler and subject.”
...
Ouyang Rong accompanied Li Zhengyan to the Xunyang Prince's Mansion.
Li Zhengyan said he wanted to visit Li Xian, the Prince of Xunyang.
Ouyang Rong needed to make a trip to report to the Prince of Xunyang regarding the construction of the Donglin Buddha.
The two were going the same way.
However, the final result of their visit was:
Ouyang Rong, the Prefect of Jiangzhou, was warmly welcomed into the Xunyang Prince's Mansion. The Xunyang Prince, Li Xian, was kind and approachable, showing concern for his well-being.
Li Zhengyan was left standing outside the gate of the Prince's Mansion, ignored and left to linger for a long time, frequently being glanced at and scrutinized by the endless stream of officials passing by the gate.
Worlds apart.
Ouyang Rong was a little embarrassed.
Although this matter had absolutely nothing to do with him.
Li Zhengyan's insistence on refusing to meet with Li Zhengyan, the former governor of Meizhou and now the prefect of Raozhou, who also inherited the title of Duke of Yingguo, was more about his desire to retire from public life.
After all, one of them was a demoted official who resolutely and forcefully opposed the construction of the Heavenly Pivot and the Great Buddha.
One of them was a filial prince who upheld the Empress Dowager's decision and respectfully accepted the position of supervisor of the construction project in Jiangnan.
How to avoid getting too close to someone?
But Li Zhengyan was just so clueless; when he couldn't get through to Ouyang Rong, he came to Ouyang Rong's door himself.
Naturally, he was met with an embarrassing rebuff.
On the way back.
Ouyang Rong and Li Zhengyan rode side by side on horseback, walking down the street.
Ouyang Rong turned to look at Li Zhengyan's face, which showed no sign of frustration or anger.
He even had the leisure to reach out and stroke the mane of Ouyang Rong's steed, Dongmei, and nodded:
"Lianghan, this is a rare and excellent steed. You have a good eye."
Ouyang Rong casually replied, "It was a gift from someone else; I don't know much about judging horses."
Li Zhengyan laughed and said, "The person who gave the gift really put in a lot of effort; this gift is very thoughtful. However, back in the Guannei region, giving a fine horse is an important courtesy; I didn't expect it to be the same here in Jiangnan."
Ouyang Rong thought for a moment, then closed his mouth and remained silent, saying that this was a gift from his uncle Li, who had given him the cold shoulder.
He chuckled and shook his head, secretly praising, "Talented horses are common, but discerning judges of horses are rare."
Li Zhengyan smiled.
As the two passed through the bustling street of Xunyang Ferry Wharf, they saw officials posting notices, and the people were actively watching.
The excavation of Shuangfengjian has already begun. The Ministry of Works under the Jiangzhou government is in charge of this matter and is recruiting workers in Xunyang Ferry and Xingzifang. This matter has become a hot topic in Xunyang City in recent days.
The daily wages for digging the canal were quite substantial, and the government's sincerity was so great that it made one wonder if there were any harsh or exploitative clauses that had been overlooked or hidden.
However, the first group of daring pioneers had already participated, and various positive feedbacks were coming back one after another, so the laborers of Xunyang Ferry actively got involved.
"Liang Han has the talent to govern the world, but he is relegated to a small place like Jiangzhou, which is a pity."
"Li Gong is too kind."
Li Zhengyan shook his head:
"Of the four continents where Buddhist statues were built, I have visited three: Taiyuan, Yangzhou, and Jiangzhou. Among them, the planning for building Buddhist statues in Jiangzhou was the clearest, fastest, and most orderly, with very few public complaints."
He squinted at the sun overhead and said;
"Regardless of the final design of the Buddha statue, Jiangzhou was the most stable and reliable compared to Taiyuan and Yangzhou, just like Liang Han's actions, which were calm and unhurried."
Ouyang Rong feigned curiosity and asked, "Does Lord Li still care about these things?"
"It's an old problem. I didn't mean to criticize the person in charge, Lianghan, don't be nervous."
“No.” Ouyang Rong smiled and joked, “It just feels like Lord Li isn’t going to be demoted to a new post, but rather…”
Li Zhengyan asked curiously, "What is it?"
Ouyang Rong nodded: "It was sightseeing and enjoying the beautiful scenery. There was no sign of disappointment or dejection from being demoted."
Li Zhengyan laughed loudly:
"Jiangzhou is a place of great literary talent, and has produced many scholars throughout history. The most famous scholar among them in the past few hundred years is Tao Yuanming, a man from the Eastern Jin Dynasty who was known for picking chrysanthemums by the eastern fence."
"Tao Yuanming refused to bow down for five pecks of rice and resigned from his official post to live in seclusion. Did he leave with a bitter face? What disappointments or regrets did he have?"
Ouyang Rong smiled: "In ancient times there was Tao Gong, and now we have met Li Gong. Good."
The two looked at each other and smiled.
On the third day, Ouyang Rong received another invitation from Li Zhengyan and others.
This was a banquet held by Wang Junzhi after he officially took office as a Doctor of Jiangzhou.
Ouyang Rong thought for a moment and then went to participate.
At the dinner party, they encountered two unexpected people.
One is Yue Zi'ang.
Yue Zi'ang did not come alone; he was accompanied by a tall, imposing young man in white.
Ouyang Rong recognized him; he was none other than Young Master Zhu, whom he had met at his junior sister's birthday banquet, the eldest son of the governor of Hongzhou.
Why is he here?
Ouyang Rong subtly shifted his gaze and sat down next to Li Zhengyan.
Wang Junzhi introduced the guests to him.
Although he had only been in Xunyang City for ten days, Ouyang Rong felt that this Wang Junzhi seemed to know the famous scholars of Xunyang better than he did.
He is indeed a very sociable person.
Ouyang Rong glanced at the cheerful young man who was creating a lively atmosphere.
Over time, Ouyang Rong gradually became familiar with the people around Li Zhengyan.
First was Wei Shaoqi, who had served as an imperial censor.
Li Zhengyan respected him greatly and addressed him as "Mr. Wei," so Ouyang Rong followed suit.
Wei Shaoqi's scholar's robe was faded from washing, and every time Ouyang Rong saw him, he would change back and forth between the same two scholar's robes.
He speaks little and mostly listens quietly.
However, as soon as he opened his mouth, Li Zhengyan, Wang Junzhi and others would immediately fall silent. This was probably a habit he had developed when he was an imperial censor. Ouyang Rong found that his words were mostly to the point and could end the conversation.
"This man is extraordinary; no wonder he is valued by Li Zhengyan," Ouyang Rong thought to himself.
Wang Junzhi and Du Shuqing were relatively young, but they were still four or five years older than Ouyang Rong, though they were still considered promising young talents.
All of them were successful candidates in the imperial examinations and came from distinguished families.
Du Shuqing, in particular, is a member of the Du clan of Jingzhao, a member of a prestigious family from the Guanzhong Plain.
However, Du Shuqing was plain-looking and had a rather introverted personality, which did not match his name. He was also quite burly and looked more like a military officer on the frontier than a scholar.
He had great respect for Li Zhengyan and Wei Shaoqi, and listened to their advice.
Ouyang Rong, however, had a natural affinity for Du Shuqing, perhaps because he saw the shadow of an old friend from Longcheng.
Wang Jun lived up to his name, with a fair complexion, no beard, and a tall and straight figure. He was only slightly shorter than Ouyang Rong, but he dressed meticulously and was better at dressing up than Ouyang Rong, looking like a refined young nobleman.
He was eloquent and usually worked with Li Zhengyan at banquets to liven up the atmosphere.
However, Ouyang Rong noticed that Wang Junzhi seemed to be a bit of a germaphobe, carrying several handkerchiefs with him and wiping his hands repeatedly before each meal or tea.
Even now, after toasting guests, he puts down his glass, calmly takes out a handkerchief, and wipes his fingers that are slightly wet with wine.
As the host today, Wang Junzhi naturally created a pleasant atmosphere at the banquet.
Ouyang Rong discovered that Yue Zi'ang seemed to have a good relationship with Zhu Yuheng, the eldest son of the governor of Hongzhou.
Yue Zi'ang was very enthusiastic towards Li Zhengyan and the others, even showing a hint of admiration.
Ouyang Rong saw this.
He thought that Yue Ziang would, like him, tacitly ignore the other party at this banquet.
Unexpectedly, Yue Zi'ang suddenly stood up, raised his glass to him:
"My lord, I was young and ignorant before, and I misunderstood you. I was presumptuous and presumptuous. I hope you will forgive me."
As he spoke, he punished himself by drinking three cups in a row.
Ouyang Rong was drinking with his head tilted back when he heard this, and the wine cup stopped at his lips.
He looked around at the people next to him, pointed to himself, and asked with a puzzled expression, "You mean me?"
Yue Ziang's face turned bright red, and he couldn't tell whether Ouyang Rong was pretending to be stupid.
Under the gaze of everyone present, he forced a smile and nodded again: "Yes, Lord Ouyang."
Ouyang Rong waved his hand: "It's nothing, it's nothing."
He paused, then turned to Li Zhengyan and his group, who were subtly glancing at him, and smiled sheepishly, saying:
"However, I still prefer Young Master Yue's arrogant and unruly demeanor from before."
Yue Ziang and the others: "..."
(End of this chapter)
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