Chapter 393 Blood Transfusion
Zhu Yuheng is dead.
When Ouyang Rong received this message,
After completing my routine inspection of the Shuangfengjian Grand Buddha Grottoes, which are currently under construction, I am on my way back.
A rider came galloping from afar, respectfully handing a intelligence report to the "Military Advisor Yan."
Yan Liulang immediately reported to Ouyang Rong, who was resting with his eyes closed inside the carriage.
"Who killed him?"
Ouyang Rong kept his eyes closed.
Yan Liulang, who was sitting outside with the coachman, read the letter and sighed.
“Cai Qin, Yue Zi'ang”.
"Yue Zi'ang?"
"Yes, according to intelligence, they were also on the walls of Hongzhou City at the time."
Ouyang Rong nodded and said, "The reinforcements that Li Zhengyan sent earlier have arrived. He should be accompanying the army to support Hongzhou."
"Your analysis makes sense."
Ouyang Rong nodded: "And then?"
Yan Liulang explained in detail:
"When Zhu Yuheng fled for thousands of miles and arrived at Hongzhou City, he was exhausted. He seemed to take out a token and sent someone to present it to him, explaining that he had come to seek refuge. Cai Qin and Yue Zi'ang allowed him to enter the city, but did not allow everyone to enter. They asked Zhu Yuheng to enter the city first to present his petition."
Zhu Yuheng did not hesitate and rode into the city with a dozen or so personal guards. However, as soon as he passed the city gate, he was hacked to pieces.
“At that time, Cai Qin and Yue Zi'ang were both on the city wall, watching coldly from the sidelines.”
Ouyang Rong remained silent, while Yan Liulang sighed:
"It's karma, isn't it? After all that voting, people don't believe me anymore, hey."
Ouyang Rong suddenly asked, "What about the surrendered soldiers who were the vanguard?"
“Does Your Excellency care about this?” Yan Liulang nodded: “With Zhu Yuheng dead, the group was leaderless and surrendered without resistance. Very few returned, and since they were originally from Hongzhou, Cai Qin didn’t make things difficult for them.”
Ouyang Rong nodded: "Li Zhengyan and Cai Qin are people of principle."
Yan Liulang nodded: "The Prefect is a man of principle. In the past few days, he has let so many people go free in dealing with the aftermath of Zhu Lingxu and his son's affairs..."
Ouyang Rong shook his head: "I don't count."
Yan Liulang was speechless, put down the letter, and said with some surprise:
"However, it is said that Yue Zi'ang sneered and mocked at the time, and cursed a few words... I don't know what he meant."
"explain."
"Well... it's better not to say anything since I've already insulted Magistrate Ming."
"It's okay, just listen."
Ouyang Rong nodded.
Yan Liulang had no choice but to confess:
"At that time, Yue Zi'ang held up a felt hat and said... Yan Gong was truly a genius. He specifically reminded me before leaving, and I didn't expect it to actually happen. Zhu Yuheng, do you and your son want to do it again? This kind of trick of using tokens is something Ouyang Lianghan taught you. It's really childish and laughable!"
Ouyang Rong chuckled lightly:
"Well said."
Yan Liulang was curious, but Ouyang Rong didn't explain and just shook his head:
"Let's go back."
"yes."
Half an hour later, Ouyang Rong returned to the main hall of Jiangzhou.
The situation at the front was already urgent, and just like when Rongzhen lifted the seal on the Jiangzhou Grand Hall not long ago, the court did not have much time to delay any longer.
In Luoyang, the capital, the Empress has already ruled that Zhu Lingxu and his son's defection is an ironclad case. Even a powerful family like the Wei clan has no chance of overturning it; at most, they can only cut their losses and try to survive.
Or they could work hard to find evidence to clear some of the charges, instead of taking all the blame.
Right now, news of Zhu Yuheng's death is arriving late, but Ouyang Rong will receive it, and so will the Wei family.
But he wasn't worried at all. The follow-up news of the "failed surrender" sounded a bit strange, but it wouldn't affect the overall situation.
Apart from Ouyang Rong, who could understand cause and effect, the Wei family was at most suspicious and wary. As for other people who had no interest in the matter, they were mostly too lazy to pay attention to them and kept a low profile.
Ouyang Rong shook his head and muttered something that he shouldn't have been the one to reflect on:
"What a cold and heartless world this is."
In the past two days, Ouyang Rong noticed that after the news of his resignation as the chief clerk of the military camp was relayed back, Chen You and other officials in Jiangzhou looked at him, their superior, with some strange eyes.
Ouyang Rong, on the other hand, remained calm and continued doing what he was doing as usual.
This time, the Wei family was sitting at home when a pot fell from the sky, leaving them bewildered and forced to give up a large slice of the pie.
This time, when it came time to divide the cake, Ouyang Rong was included.
But he refused very decisively.
Because what Ouyang Rong wanted when he did all this was never to share in the spoils of war.
The previous complaints about not including him in the cake-sharing were mostly self-deprecating jokes, mocking the Wei family's unseemly behavior.
If he does such things only for personal gain, how is he any different from the Wei family?
First, let's clarify one premise: the Great Gan and Great Zhou are not terminally ill; it's just that their blood transfusion mechanisms have encountered some problems.
When necessary, he can act as a catalyst for a blood transfusion, removing clots and allowing fresh blood that should have been flowing in to be injected.
However, Ouyang Rong did not participate in it, and touted himself as the so-called fresh blood.
The current situation is exemplified by the dereliction of duty by King Wei Jisi and the appointment of the renowned general Qin Jingzhen as the Grand Commander of the Jiangnan Road Army.
Ouyang Rong followed the underlying trend, assisting the Xunyang Prince's Mansion and resolving the conflict between Li and Wei in the same way.
The fresh blood that their bodies spontaneously produced made Ouyang Rong seem more like an outsider.
If we compare a dynasty to a body, then a relatively healthy body can undergo normal blood exchange internally. It doesn't need others to interfere too deeply, nor does it require unparalleled patrons to dedicate themselves to the cause until their dying breath, like the prime minister of Shu Han in the previous life. On the contrary, it is precisely because the body is unhealthy that unparalleled patrons are needed to do everything personally and devote themselves wholeheartedly.
In short, if this unified dynasty, established for less than a century, still possesses the potential for a peaceful and prosperous era that Ouyang Rong still believes in, then there is no need for him to devote himself wholeheartedly to the cause until his death.
If it were no longer there, but rather as corrupt and feeble as Li Zhengyan described, unable to even overwhelmingly suppress a single uprising of the Kuangfu Army, then Ouyang Rong would not have needed to devote himself to it to the point of exhaustion.
Therefore, Ouyang Rong declined the position of Chief Secretary of the Army Headquarters.
He chose to stay in Xunyang City to guard the Xunyang Prince's Mansion, while continuing to keep an eye on the Donglin Buddha, which he had personally supervised the construction of and whose purpose was peculiar.
To quell Li Zhengyan's rebellion, we will not be deeply involved. Qin Jingzhen and others can handle it; the Great Zhou Dynasty has plenty of renowned generals to deal with it.
Ouyang Rong's only role was to act as an external lubricant, reducing the intensity of the struggle and minimizing the impact on ordinary people. Therefore, he never criticized the counties and prefectures along the southwest route for surrendering without resistance during the civil war; on the contrary, he always tolerated and understood them.
By declining the position, he could also do a favor for the newly appointed Qin Jingzhen and do it conveniently.
In the afternoon, Ouyang Rong continued to handle the follow-up matters of the Zhu Lingxu incident.
The task of bringing this turmoil to a close fell to Ouyang Rong.
Because Rong Zhen was to supervise the army, and Wang Lengran dared not accept the position for fear of being implicated by Zhu Lingxu and his son, he had recently been acting like a coward to avoid suspicion.
Ouyang Rong has dealt with all those who were previously associated with Zhu Lingxu.
Ouyang Rong dismissed all his household servants and concubines with silver.
Apart from a few stubborn members of the Zhu family's personal guards, including Chen Laosan, most of the other guards were lifted up and then gently released by Ouyang Rong.
As for the generals in the vanguard who were appointed or dismissed by the Wei family and Zhu Lingxu, Ouyang Rong and Rong Zhen discussed it and decided to leave them to Qin Jingzhen, who was about to take up his post, to examine and deal with.
In short, it was all talk and no action.
This surprised Wang Lengran, who had expected Ouyang Rong to retaliate and use the situation as an excuse. When they met during the day, Wang Lengran looked at Ouyang Rong as if he were a fool.
Rongzhen also glanced at him a couple more times.
Ouyang Rong didn't care.
I finished my shift in the evening and left the Jiangzhou lobby.
He did not return to his residence in Huaiye Lane, but went directly to the Prince of Xunyang's Mansion.
The relationship between Ouyang Rong and the Xunyang Prince's Mansion no longer needs to be concealed.
Familiar with the route, they entered the residence for a meal...
An hour later, everyone gathered in Li Xian's study.
Ouyang Rong handed over a piece of intelligence.
"Zhu Yuheng is dead?" Everyone was surprised.
Ouyang Rong nodded slightly:
"The felt hat that Zhu Yuheng took as a token was the one that Li Zhengyan left behind at the dock when he saw him off. Yue Zi'ang was present that day to witness this."
Li Guo'er couldn't help but chuckle:
"Judging from their reactions, Yue Zi'ang and the others probably still think that this was a scheme you and Zhu Lingxu devised to feign surrender and steal the city... Zhu Yuheng didn't know the reason for his death until the moment he died."
“Ouyang Lianghan, what a brilliant move to kill two Zhus with a single hat.”
Ouyang Rong nodded, then shook his head:
"Actually, I didn't expect Yue Zi'ang to be there. I thought Cai Qin was unaware that Li Gong's felt hat had changed hands and would accept Zhu Yuheng's surrender."
"They're all the same."
Everyone nodded:
"It's all about timing and fate."
Li Guo'er shook her head and said:
"But you've been quite generous this time, declining the position of Chief Secretary of the Army's Headquarters. Who knows how many people are vying for this coveted position..."
Ouyang Rong said seriously, "Your Highness is too kind. I am not skilled in military affairs and cannot shift the center of gravity at all."
"Heh." Li Guo'er rolled her eyes at him, indicating her disbelief.
Li Dalang asked:
"Who is this Qin Jingzhen?"
Li Guo'er immediately replied:
"The son of Duke Hu initially rose to prominence through his father's merits; however, Duke Hu did not receive the honor of inheriting the title without reduction of rank from his great-grandfather, Emperor Taizong..."
Li Dalang asked curiously, "Most of the other founding dukes received gifts, so why didn't Duke Hu receive one?"
Li Guo'er said meaningfully, "Some people have said that Duke Hu is a good minister, but not a loyal one."
"A good minister? A loyal minister? Aren't they almost the same?"
Xie Lingjiang curled her lip: "A good minister is not the so-called loyal minister. A good minister is loyal to the country and the state, not to a single monarch, even Emperor Taizong Wen."
Li Guo'er glanced at Ouyang Lianghan out of the corner of her eye, then continued with a light smile:
"The title of Duke of Hu cannot be inherited indefinitely, but the descendants of the Qin family have benefited from this misfortune."
"When Emperor Gaozong was in power, he was extremely ambitious in expanding the territory. He joined forces with his grandmother to suppress the old noble families in Guanzhong. Qin Jingzhen had the style of his father, Duke Hu. He did not inherit the title of Duke, so he started from a low point and did not live off the family's good fortune. Taking advantage of his father's connections, he joined the army early and accumulated military merits. He did not have much involvement with the old noble families in Guanzhong who were enjoying peace and comfort..."
"Qin Jingzhen led a large number of soldiers to fight in various places and expand the country's territory. He stood out from the crowd and was granted the imperial favor of his grandfather. He was promoted to the position of Left General of the Martial Guard, which his father had held when the country was founded. He was able to live up to his family's reputation."
Li Guo'er has an extremely broad knowledge base. She knows the current nobles, kings, generals and ministers of the Great Zhou Dynasty like the back of her hand, as if she has memorized their family tree. It is unknown where she learned all this information from.
The group exchanged bewildered glances, but listened with great interest.
Her voice was as melodious as a lark's; halfway through her speech, the little princess in plum blossom makeup narrowed her bright eyes and smiled.
"Actually, I think the most interesting thing is the name that Duke Hu gave to his son."
"What's the meaning?"
Everyone was curious, and Ouyang Rong also raised an eyebrow.
Li Guo'er lowered her eyes, raised her hand and counted her slender white fingers one by one:
“Jingqin, Jingqin, Jingqin like mist.”
"If I remember correctly, this sentence comes from the epitaph of a person who experienced the entire 'Six Garrisons Rebellion' at the end of the Northern Wei Dynasty during the struggle for power between the Northern and Southern Dynasties."
"I happened to come across a rare rubbing of an epitaph, and I really liked one sentence in it, which described the situation in Longyou during the transition between several regimes before the establishment of the Northern Wei Dynasty. It left a deep impression on me..."
The Northern Wei Dynasty of the Tuoba clan? The chaos of the Six Garrisons?
Ouyang Rong turned his head.
Because of the Northern Wei royal family descendants Yuan Huaimin and Li Zhengyan, as well as the Peach Blossom Spring painting, he was particularly sensitive to these terms and naturally attracted their attention.
Only Li Guo'er could be heard reciting softly:
"After the Stone Chamber was established, Fu Zong rode his horse. The Zhang family seized the opportunity and wielded their swords in Hexi. Heroes stood tall in three directions, and brave men were challenged in this year. Ranks and titles were numerous and competitive... like mist."
She paused, then smiled and said:
"The word 'Qin' means flourishing. What a wonderful phrase, 'The ranks and decrees are colorful and the competition is like mist.' It seems that after Emperor Taizong's great-grandfather Xuanwu Gate Incident, when Duke Hu was retired at home, he also enjoyed reading that period of history from the Northern and Southern Dynasties."
Everyone turned to look.
“Zhang Shi Chengji, Fu Jian Hexi… What a fine line.” Ouyang Rong smiled: “Interesting.”
Xie Lingjiang chewed for a while, then said crisply and directly:
"I prefer the saying, 'Heroes stand tall in three directions, and brave warriors lie down in this year.'"
After the group had sampled the food for a while, Ouyang Rong suddenly asked:
"The chaos caused by the Six Garrisons? What is this all about?"
"Historical records say that at the end of the Northern Wei Dynasty, the Six Garrisons Rebellion broke out, and the Tuoba clan used cauldrons and swords to suppress it, crushing it with bloodshed. However, the Six Garrisons Rebellion also became the beginning of the fall of the Northern Wei Dynasty."
Ouyang Rong seemed to be deep in thought.
Li Guo'er squinted and said:
The epitaph summarizes the chaos in the Six Garrisons at the time of the tomb owner's death in eight characters: "The Wei dynasty has come to an end, and the Great Zhao has responded."
"Duke Hu was once a general who followed the emperor, and later joined Emperor Gaozu... Perhaps in his eyes, he was also... following the path to its end, and now he is seizing the opportunity to make a great contribution."
"And now?" Xie Lingjiang chuckled. "In his son Qin Jingzhen's eyes, isn't it the end of the Great Gan Dynasty and the beginning of the Great Zhou Dynasty?"
The group remained silent, exchanging glances.
Ouyang Rong smiled: "Why not the end of the Great Zhou Dynasty, the time of great undertakings?"
"Cough cough." Li Xian covered his mouth and coughed.
The topic was a bit bold, so Li Dalang silently changed the subject for his friend, nodding and sighing:
"Judging from this, Qin Jingzhen has been a general in the military all his life and can be called a famous general of our time. Grandmother should have sent such an old general long ago. It seems that Li Zhengyan and the Kuangfu Army are in big trouble."
Ouyang Rong nodded:
"The teacher wrote that it was Confucius who strongly recommended it at the imperial council meeting, which won the support of neutral court officials, and His Majesty adopted it."
Li Guo'er sighed softly:
"Sending such a person here, I wonder if the Master thinks too highly of Li Zhengyan, a junior under his former command, or if he simply wants to end the war in the southwest as soon as possible to avoid the ravages of war."
"If I remember correctly, my junior sister and I have met this person before."
Ouyang Rong suddenly spoke, his gaze turning to Xie Lingjiang.
The noble lady Xie nodded: "It is him, my aunt introduced him."
"When did you two meet?" Li Xian asked, puzzled.
Ouyang Rong said softly:
"It was Junior Sister's birthday banquet. At that time, a Mr. Qin bought an umbrella at a high price in public. I didn't expect it to be Qin Jingzhen, who was recuperating in Yangzhou... Aunt Xie is really something, she can even give face to invite him. Hmm, it seems that I underestimated the prestige of Junior Sister's birthday banquet."
Xie Lingjiang tossed a pear over, rolled her eyes cutely, and said, "Good to know."
The two flirted and teased each other, which made Li Xian, Li Dalang and others unable to help but laugh, and Li Guo'er also chuckled.
"So how does this person treat us?" Wei Mei couldn't help but ask.
Li Guo'er said softly:
"After my grandmother established the Zhou dynasty, Qin Jingzhen's official position remained unchanged. It is conceivable that he did not take a clear side, and at least in my grandmother's eyes, there was no need to touch him. Moreover, Qin Jingzhen can be said to have inherited the true skills of his father, Duke Hu. In recent years, with the constant struggles in Luoyang, he has repeatedly asked for leave and claimed illness, choosing to retire gracefully and live out his retirement in Yangzhou."
Ouyang Rong nodded:
"It's fine to remain neutral. It would be even better if you could sympathize with the Prince, but that's not a requirement... The situation in Xunyang City can't just consist of us and the Wei family. We also need to introduce fresh blood to balance things out."
“A neutral party like Rong Zhen would be quite good. In critical moments, it can prevent the Wei family from being undignified and flipping the table recklessly.”
Everyone praised him, which put them at ease.
溱 (zhen, third tone)
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
