Chapter 359 A Friend (Second Update)
"Why is Lord Wang asking me? Isn't Lord Wang in charge of all the affairs in the city?"
"I'm still on vacation and just wanted to come over for a chat because I was bored."
In the main hall, Wang Lengran and a squad of armored soldiers blocked the sunlight from entering.
A group of officials from the Jiangzhou government followed behind, gathering around to watch the spectacle.
After reviewing the official documents, Ouyang Rong turned to look at Wang Lengran, who seemed somewhat anxious, and replied with a smile.
Wang Lengran frowned, walked in, and paced back and forth in front of Ouyang Rong's table:
"Does Chief Secretary Ouyang really know nothing?"
Ouyang Rong nodded: "I do know a little bit about it."
"What?" Wang asked, his eyes wide.
He should be gone by now.
"..."
Ouyang Rong glanced at the soldiers, fully armed and ready for battle, standing at the door, nodded, and said:
"Lord Wang is very anxious because he can't find the person."
Wang Lengran stared at the smiling young man who was trying to whet his appetite with his empty words, his eyelids twitching uncontrollably, and the corners of his wrinkled eyes gradually narrowing:
“Ouyang Lianghan, if you dare to keep quiet about what you know, you know the consequences. Don’t think that just because you have someone in the court speaking up, you can do whatever you want and flirt with the rebels.”
"The country is in peril now, and His Majesty's tolerance has its limits. Do not release escaped criminals who will undermine the overall stability of the court."
Ouyang Rong looked around in confusion, then gave Wang Lengran a strange look:
"That's a bit strange, no, let's sort this out first."
He stroked his chin and said:
"How could I not remember? When I was in charge of the Jiangzhou Hall, Wang Jun was still at the state school, behaving himself, and being watched by the spies of the Judicial Officer from morning till night."
"Why is it that when Lord Wang took over and presided over the Jiangzhou court, the judicial officer lost track of him and could not be found?"
Ouyang Rong frowned and said to the people around him:
"Whatever Lord Wang takes over, something goes wrong. Now the suspect has been lost... He keeps telling others to prioritize the big picture, but in my opinion, Lord Wang is the one who's ruining the big picture."
"Why don't we search Lord Wang's residence first? Maybe we'll find a surprise."
"Haha...cough cough." Someone in the crowd at the door tried to suppress a laugh.
"..." Wang Lengran's face turned red.
After a short while, seeing that he couldn't get any more information, the governor of Jiangzhou turned away with a displeased expression.
Seeing that the crowd had dispersed from the entrance, Wang Lengran led his soldiers to search other areas.
Ouyang Rong withdrew his gaze.
The smile that had been on his lips slowly faded, and he pursed his lips and fell silent.
He had just listened to a brief summary.
It turns out that when Li Zhengyan launched his rebellion in Guizhou, everyone associated with him was implicated.
Not only Ouyang Rong and the Xunyang Prince's Mansion, but also Wang Junzhi, who had been sent by Li Zhengyan and Wei Shaoqing to serve in the Jiangzhou State School, were the first to be affected.
However, prior to this, there was no concrete evidence; he was simply under close surveillance by the censor assigned to Jiangzhou and confined to Xunyang City.
However, a few days ago, in Yangzhou, a fellow student of Wang Junzhi stood up and reported Wang Junzhi to the Jiangnan Circuit Censor.
It was stated that Wang Junzhi had met with Li Zhengyan, Wei Shaoqi, and others in Yangzhou. During a private drinking party, they harbored resentment over losing their official positions and plotted rebellion, making dissenting remarks...
So the censor from Yangzhou sent a document ordering the Jiangzhou government to arrest Wang Junzhi and imprison him as an accomplice in the rebellion.
Both being from the Wang family, Wang Lengran had long disliked Wang Junzhi.
You come from a prominent family in Guanzhong and Jingzhao, yet you gave up your promising future to follow the pro-establishment faction, and now you even dare to raise the flag of rebellion.
He's practically asking for trouble, running around the streets with a manure basket on his back.
However, when Wang Lengran arrived at the door with his soldiers, he found nothing.
The house that had been under surveillance was now deserted.
So Wang Lengran immediately ran to find Ouyang Rong, suspecting that he was behind it all...
"What a bunch of useless trash."
Looking towards the door, Yan Liulang crossed his arms and said with a cold expression:
"If the Chief Justice Cao were still in my hands, Wang Junzhi would have no chance of escaping."
"Something's not right."
It was Ouyang Rong who suddenly spoke up:
"Wang Junzhi has participated in the Juhua Poetry Society and has met the Prince of Xunyang and the Crown Prince. Wang Lengran's grand display today is not simply about arresting traitors and their accomplices to claim credit."
"He probably wants to capture a living person, torture them to extract a confession, and frame me and the Xunyang Prince's Mansion."
Yan Liulang immediately stood up, anxiously asking, "What should we do then?" He paused, then added, "Luckily, that kid escaped, otherwise we would have been implicated."
He frowned again:
"But he was seen entering the house by the people who were watching him yesterday, and he disappeared this morning."
"Xunyang City has been under strict guard recently, with the city gates only opening at 2:45 AM. Wang Lengran must have sent men to guard it closely."
"Could this kid still be in Xunyang City? Oh no, we can't let Wang Lengran catch him first."
While Yan Liulang was analyzing the situation, Ouyang Rong had already gotten up and walked out the door.
I glanced back at him.
Seeing this, Yan Liulang picked up his sword and followed suit in perfect unison.
After an incense stick has burned.
In an alley not far from the main hall of Jiangzhou, a carriage quietly started moving and slowly drove into the distance...
"Brother Lianghan? Military Advisor Yan? What brings you here today?"
Yuan Huaimin opened the courtyard gate and looked at Ouyang Rong and Yan Liulang, who had suddenly arrived, with a curious expression.
In front of the courtyard gate, Ouyang Rong stood with his hands behind his back, dressed in a plain white robe and wearing a felt hat.
Yan Liulang stood behind him, holding a long, rectangular zither case carved from rosewood and shaped like a miniature guqin.
Yuan Huaimin shifted his gaze from the unfamiliar violin case and smiled at the calm young man wearing a felt hat, asking:
"Brother Lianghan, you wouldn't happen to be here to make friends through music, would you?"
He scratched his head: "Unfortunately, I am better at the pipa and have not studied much about guqin music, only knowing a little bit about it."
"Know a little? Oh, then you know a lot." Ouyang Rong's gaze went past his shoulder and swept over the courtyard:
"Why is Brother Huaimin staying in the guest quarters of the temple?"
Yuan Huaimin blushed:
"Life is like a journey against the current, and we navigate it with a single reed. As the saying goes, it doesn't matter where you sleep, it's all the same, hahaha, it's all the same."
Ouyang Rong nodded:
“Brother Huaimin is quite open-minded. If he can also see through the issue of being late and having his salary deducted, then things will be even easier.”
Yuan Huaimin, who had been grinning, instantly turned serious: "You absolutely must not deduct any more money."
He shook his head firmly: "There are still thirteen days left in this month, and I will definitely not be late or absent again."
"That's ambitious." Ouyang Rong stepped past Yuan Huaimin, entered the courtyard, looked around, and asked:
"Why do you smell so strongly of alcohol? Did you attend a literary gathering and come home hungover?"
"More or less." Yuan Huaimin lowered his head and sniffed his sleeve, muttering, "Does it smell of alcohol?"
Ouyang Rong continued walking straight toward the largest main house ahead without stopping.
Yuan Huaimin turned around and saw that the person had rudely "barged" into the courtyard. He advised:
“My humble abode is messy and hasn’t been tidied up in a long time. Why don’t you sit in the courtyard, Brother Bulanghan?”
Ouyang Rong shook his head: "Is there a beautiful woman hidden inside?"
“This…” Yuan Huaimin hesitated, then saw Yan Liulang, who was holding a zither case, stop at the door of the main house and stay outside with the zither.
Ouyang Rong calmly walked into the house.
Yuan Huaimin had no choice but to obediently follow.
"Why are there two teacups, and both contain tea leaves?"
Ouyang Rong turned around and chuckled, "Could it be that Brother Huaimin knew I was coming and poured tea in advance? But why did you drink mine?"
After making the joke, he calmly asked, "Or were there other guests this morning?"
Yuan Huaimin nodded: "I woke up early this morning after drinking too much, and a friend came over for tea."
Ouyang Rong sat down, took a new teacup, poured himself some tea, and asked casually:
"Is your friend named Wang Junzhi?"
Yuan Huaimin fell silent.
His smile faded slightly as he sat down, tidying up the tea set while nodding gently.
"Where is he now?"
Ouyang Rong seemed completely unsurprised, glancing around in all directions.
Yuan Huaimin sighed, "Of course they've left."
"Did you really leave, or are you just pretending?" Ouyang Rong asked with a smile. "Could you be hiding somewhere? Why don't we call you out for tea?"
"He's really gone." He replied helplessly, "The tea hadn't even gone cold before he left."
Ouyang Rong gave a soft "hmm" and asked, "Do you know that the Jiangzhou government is searching for him?"
"I don't know..."
Yuan Huaimin looked up, only to meet Ouyang Rong's fixed gaze. He hesitated for a moment, then nodded, then shook his head.
"I just guessed."
Ouyang Rong sighed:
"You guessed it but still let him go. He's a suspect in the court now. Brother Huaimin knew but didn't report it. If Wang Lengran finds out... it won't just be a matter of not being able to collect the remaining thirteen days of salary this month."
Yuan Huaimin said wearily, "I have indeed made a mistake. I will accept Brother Lianghan's judgment and am willing to turn myself in."
Ouyang Rong didn't answer, but looked straight at him and asked:
"Where are you now? Did you escape from the city?"
"I don't know."
Yuan Huaimin shook his head, hesitated for a moment, and added, "But... I can guess a little bit."
"speak."
Yuan Huaimin sighed, "If I'm not mistaken, they went to the Xunyang Prince's Mansion."
Ouyang Rong frowned instantly.
After a moment of silence, his brow relaxed.
He laughed and said:
"Ha, Wang Junzhi, you have some nerve."
After setting down his teacup, Ouyang Rong stood up, ignoring Yuan Huaimin, and prepared to leave.
It seems they will no longer pursue the matter.
Yuan Huaimin suddenly spoke:
"Brother Lianghan."
"Um?"
"That day, you said you would wait for me every day on duty. Does that still count?"
Upon hearing this, Ouyang Rong recalled another remark he had made before saying this that day, and he replied irritably:
"Spit it out, stop beating around the bush and getting sentimental... What I say always holds true, without exception. You can tell me whatever it is, and I'll handle what I can. If I can't, then don't say anything."
Yuan Huaimin, who had been serious, paused for a moment, then chuckled. His expression turned serious again, and his gaze fell on Ouyang Rong's felt hat.
"Actually... Li Zhengyan came to see me back then."
The air inside the room became still.
It's here!
(End of this chapter)
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