Chapter 457 Your Excellency, please put your undergarment away.
The next day.
Ouyang Rong got up early and left the house as Zhen Shuyuan, Ye Weilai, and other female relatives saw him off.
The carriage I sat in rumbled away from the entrance of Huaiye Lane in the morning light.
He plans to visit his junior sister and Miaosi today.
However, before that, we need to finish the important business first.
Ouyang Rong first went to the main hall of Jiangzhou to handle official business.
He met Yuan Huaimin in the main hall and exchanged a few chuckles with the "time-checking official" who was almost late.
Before long, Ouyang Rong stood up, took a newly delivered official document from Luoyang, went to the governor's mansion, and handed it to Wang Lengran in an official manner.
There was naturally nothing more to say between the two. Normally, they would have parted ways without a word, but this time Wang Lengran called out to Ouyang Rong.
"Chief Secretary Ouyang, how is Lady Historian doing?"
"The Lady is recuperating in the backyard of the medical office next to the main hall of Jiangzhou. Her injuries are not serious, but it will take some time before she is fully recovered and discharged from the hospital."
Wang Lengran frowned, completely ignoring Ouyang Rongshang's bandaged forehead and chest injuries, and coldly instructed:
"Your Excellency is an imperial envoy, as if His Majesty himself were here. You must ensure your safety, or we will both be guilty."
"good."
Ouyang Rong left the governor's mansion without looking back.
If you don't see eye to eye, even half a sentence is too much.
Back in the main hall of Jiangzhou, it was already the second quarter of the morning. Just then, Yan Liulang arrived, bringing the latest intelligence.
"Your Excellency, we have still not found any trace of those Yunmeng Yue women, and we do not know if they are still in the city."
Ouyang Rong put down his pen and glanced at Yan Liulang.
After the incident at the old courtyard in Xingzifang that day, Xue Zhongzhu and his companions disappeared without a trace, like the fleeting shadows of deer in the deep forest.
They left the courtyard before the officials and the soldiers of the Zhechong Prefecture stationed outside the city arrived.
This was exactly what Ouyang Rong had expected.
Currently, there is a vacancy for Qi Refining cultivators in the Imperial Observatory within Xunyang City. The Imperial Observatory forces scattered throughout Jiangnan Province have quickly gathered to temporarily protect Xunyang City.
With Xunyang City under heavy guard, it's possible that Xue Zhongzhu and his group have already left the city.
However, no matter what, we still need to be careful. That Xue Zhongzhu lost to him again, and he must be very dissatisfied.
Anyway, before Ouyang Rong used the Xuanhuang Earth Dragon's whiskers to escape using earth magic, the way he saw the Great Queen of Yunmeng looked at him was as if she wanted to devour him.
Honestly, without the conditions of dependent origination and emptiness, plus the right timing, location, and people like those at Dagushan or the old courtyard, Ouyang Rong definitely wouldn't be able to defeat her.
They'll most likely be dragged back to Yunmengze like chicks and dealt with accordingly.
So it's best to be careful. In any case, Ouyang Rong hasn't dared to open that sword box at all these past few days. Although the snow-white longsword named Zhi Shuang has been "returned to its rightful owner," there's no guarantee that the Yunmeng female cultivators might still have some special locking method for the Ding Sword.
Ouyang Rong shook his head, picked up Yan Liulang's latest intelligence report, rolled it up, and stuffed it into his sleeve.
"Prepare the carriage."
"Prince, where are we going?"
"I'm going to pay a visit to the female historian."
"yes."
The medical facility where Rongzhen was receiving treatment was located at the end of the street, not far from the main hall of Jiangzhou.
Fifteen minutes later, in a spacious and exquisite ward in the back of the hospital, a cold and aloof young woman was leaning against the headboard wearing a white undergarment, flipping through a intelligence report.
She wore a long, pale white-gold fox fur draped around her neck, and when she lowered her head to read, her face seemed to be buried in the pale white-gold fox fur.
Her long, dark hair, cascading down her cheeks, was glossy and black, and when set off by the platinum fox fur coat, it resembled the finest black silk.
Ouyang Rong brought over a small round stool with a backrest, pulled it to the side of the bed, sat down, and waited silently.
At that moment, he turned his head and suddenly realized that the cold-looking girl lying on the bed in his field of vision seemed to have a fox-like face.
This isn't the typical oval face that's considered beautiful; instead, her chin is more pointed and upturned, along with a delicate, high-bridged nose.
Those eyes, as black as lacquer, can captivate anyone who gazes at them for a long time.
Her upper eyelids are curved and natural, while her inner corners are sharp and long. Her outer corners, when she smiles gently, appear slender and elegant.
This fox-like face shape was rare among the women Ouyang Rong had ever seen; with just a smile, she could exude an unparalleled charm and liveliness.
Unfortunately, this lady-in-waiting, personally sent by Empress Wei and who had served in the imperial court, never smiled.
Anyway, Ouyang Rong had never seen it.
Instead, she always has a cold, sour face. To use the words she used when chatting and asking me questions after Miao Si woke up the other day, she is the "money-owing fairy".
That's really apt.
"Prefect Ouyang hasn't finished reading yet?"
"ah?"
Ouyang Rong immediately averted his gaze, sat up straight, and replied:
"No, I was just lost in thought and didn't mean to look at you. I hope you won't take offense, Lady Historian."
"I was referring to intelligence. Didn't you finish reading it? Keep an eye on it."
Rong Zhen seemed not to have understood him. With a calm expression, she handed the intelligence back to Ouyang Rong and asked in a somewhat cold voice.
"Oh, okay." Ouyang Rong immediately took it, pretending that he had just been paying attention to intelligence, and looked down as if he had browsed through it.
Seeing that Rong Zhen didn't ask any more questions, as if the matter had been dropped, he breathed a slight sigh of relief.
But in the next instant...
Thump—!
Several muffled sounds of small wooden fish echoed in my ears.
Merit points have been deducted.
Ouyang Rong, whose face was covered by intelligence, twitched at the corner of his mouth and couldn't help but glance at Rong Zhen.
"Have you finished reading?" Rong Zhen asked calmly, her eyes fixed on him.
“I’ve finished reading it.” Ouyang Rong nodded affirmatively.
Rongzhen spoke in a businesslike tone, issuing her orders directly:
"Do not relax the city's vigilance these next few days. Maintain a relaxed exterior but a tight interior. Regarding the incident that day, I have already submitted a letter back to the palace, and the Imperial Observatory will send someone over soon."
"Send someone else? Who should we send?" Ouyang Rong couldn't help but ask.
Rong Zhen nodded, then shook her head, her expression somewhat serious.
“There are some things we must be wary of. Right now, only I and Miaozhen are guarding the Buddha in the city, which is still not safe. The situation has already been reported, so let’s see what the Grand Master of Fate decides.”
"good."
"What's wrong? Chief Secretary Ouyang doesn't seem too happy about it."
"No, I'm just worried that the new envoy isn't as easy to talk to as Lady Historian."
"Does Chief Secretary Ouyang think I'm easy to talk to?"
"Of course."
Hearing this affirmative tone, Rongzhen, wrapped in a pale white fox fur coat, couldn't help but raise her head slightly.
She glanced at the handsome young man sitting relaxed on the stool in front of the bed.
When others, including Wang Lengran, the governor of Jiangzhou, came to visit her to check on her condition, they did not dare to get too close to her bedside. Even when they were in the hall exchanging pleasantries, they stood respectfully and did not overstep their bounds.
Ouyang Lianghan simply pulled out a stool and sat down without any ceremony. His back was just starting to feel better, but he still leaned back against the chair, using only one leg of the stool to support his weight. He swayed slightly, not afraid of falling over.
Rong Zhen didn't say anything, and looked away:
"I hope so."
She paused, then added, "Even if you send someone else, they will still be working with me."
"good."
Ouyang Rong nodded, and after a short while asked about some issues related to the city's defenses.
The two also discussed the battle situation of Qin Jingzhen's army at the front...
Soon, it seemed that all the important things to say had been said.
An awkward silence fell between the two.
Rongzhen lowered her eyes and silently gazed at the bed curtains in front of her.
She doesn't talk much.
Their daily lives are as simple and austere as those of ascetic monks in Buddhist temples in northern deserts.
Once we were off official business, upon reflection, it seemed there wasn't much to talk about with Ouyang Rong.
We can't exactly ask each other if we've eaten, can we?
Seeing this, Ouyang Rong didn't say anything more.
In the awkward silence, he stood up, ready to take his leave.
Although Rongzhen did not tell anyone to leave.
"Oh, right."
Before turning to leave, Ouyang Rong seemed to remember something, and took out a deflated little bundle from his pocket, placing it on the still-warm wooden stool.
"This item was found by the Lady-in-Waiting when I groggily awoke from the ruins after the tragedy that day..."
"I don't know if it belongs to Lady Historian or someone else. Regardless of whether it belongs to Lady Historian or not, you can handle it. It might have been left behind by the thief. Ahem, I'll take my leave now."
"Wait a minute." Rong Zhen looked at Ouyang Rong with a strange expression and said impatiently, "I am not feeling well. What is this? Open it and hand it over."
"this……"
"Stop dawdling, hurry up."
Ouyang Rong had no choice but to turn around, bend down again, and hesitantly open the bundle.
He lifted a corner of the bundle, slightly revealing a glimpse of purple inside. With a "whoosh," Ouyang Rong felt a blur before his eyes, and the bundle on the stool vanished.
He stared blankly, looking up and around. He saw that the fox-fur girl who had been staring at him coldly and somewhat arrogantly on the bed now had her head buried deep in the pale white and gold fox fur. Her hands, which had been holding the blankets to her chest, were now tucked into the blankets, as if she were tightly embracing something.
Ouyang Rong did not see her movements clearly.
Wow, how did you become so agile?
"Is Your Excellency's injury alright?" he tried to ask.
"Shut up!" a woman forced out a few words.
Ouyang Rong glanced at her and could vaguely see the tips of her small ears, red and delicate, peeking out from under her silky black hair.
"Since everything is alright, I'll take my leave now."
"Wait... why is this thing so neat and clean?"
"Um, it was the female relatives who cleaned it."
"Why didn't you hand it over to me immediately the day before yesterday?"
"I was afraid that others would misunderstand. At that time, the Lady was still unconscious, and the item was right at her feet, which could easily be unclear. So I had to put it away temporarily and pretend it was from my own female relatives to prevent tarnishing the Lady's reputation."
"Who, who said it belongs to me? Don't talk nonsense." She threatened in a somewhat fierce tone.
"Alright, alright, no, no, Your Excellency, then, Your Excellency, please handle this. There might be clues about the thief up there..."
"Shut up."
Ouyang Rong immediately fell silent.
A certain female historian buried her face in fox fur.
An awkward silence fell between the two once again.
There was a moment of silence.
Rong Zhen didn't look up, but managed to squeeze out a few words through gritted teeth:
"You...you opened it and looked at it?"
Ouyang Rong shook his head:
"No, I found it in a daze at the time. I only glanced at it briefly, but I didn't spread it out to examine it closely or touch it much. I quickly handed it over to the female relative who came to visit my injuries."
"You're not lying? You really didn't look closely?"
Ouyang Rong remained silent.
Rong Zhen couldn't help but bury her face in her hands, but her eyes peeked through the gap and glanced to the side.
Ouyang Lianghan met her gaze openly and without any hesitation.
Rongzhen was speechless.
Ouyang Rong remained silent. Apart from the first time he brought the craftsmanship back and took a look at it, he hadn't really examined the girl's undergarment closely in private these past few days.
Rongzhen stared at him for a while.
Just as Ouyang Rong was about to offer an explanation, a faint voice came from inside the sickbed:
"Th...thank you."
"fine."
Ouyang Rong looked somewhat surprised, but still turned and left the ward.
After he left, in the ward behind, Rongzhen raised her head at some point, her small, delicate face flushed with a burning red. She stared blankly at his tall, departing figure.
"He's a gentleman..."
Unlike the owner of the Butterfly Lovers, who was a real lecher.
Rong Zhen truly believed that Ouyang Lianghan hadn't opened it for a closer look, as for the reason...
Silently, she took out a bundle from the bedding, opened it, and took out a pale purple undergarment that she had lost and then found again.
I stared at a line of small print for a while.
Rongzhen was stunned.
A moment later, she twitched her nose slightly.
The faded purple undergarment still had a faint scent of soapberry after washing, which must have been the scent that Ouyang Lianghan mentioned, that it had been washed by his female relatives.
Although after this cleaning, it is difficult to find any trace of the owner of the Butterfly Love Flower, making it hard to trace its origin.
However, since the other party was trying to help her cover up the situation out of kindness, Rongzhen couldn't say anything.
If the state soldiers and constables who rushed to the courtyard that day had discovered this undergarment, it would inevitably be used as evidence and be strangely scrutinized by the group of people below.
Rong Zhen breathed a sigh of relief.
However, for now, this matter concerning the purple bellyband is an unspoken secret between her and Ouyang Lianghan.
Rongzhen couldn't help but glance at the departing figure of a certain upright gentleman...
"Good heavens, I've gained a huge amount of merit again."
At the entrance of the medical institute, Ouyang Rong couldn't help but turn around and take another look. The series of crisp wooden fish sounds in his ears left him speechless.
He couldn't help but mutter to himself, a thoughtful look on his face:
“What a wonderful place! I should come here often… I wish this lady could be discharged from the hospital a little later.”
Ouyang Rong was quite moved.
He was actually a little surprised by Rongzhen's attitude of trust.
However... being trusted by someone, especially by a beautiful woman, is indeed a pleasant thing, putting everything else aside.
Moreover, Ouyang Rong was not lying. After he got his hands on it, he did not rummage through the girl's undergarment or do anything strange or lewd.
A virtuous person is cautious even when alone.
However, he still felt a little guilty, after all, compared to returning the purple bib, he had ultimately kept a golden mask called "Fang Xiangshi".
Ouyang Rong shook his head, banishing his distracting thoughts. Seeing that it was noon, he boarded the carriage and gently gave the instructions:
"Go to the Prince of Xunyang's residence."
Half an hour later, the carriage arrived at the Xunyang Prince's Mansion, and Ouyang Rong went to his junior sister's boudoir.
Soon, he spotted a young woman in Confucian robes lying on a swing, swaying back and forth and sunbathing in the courtyard...
(End of this chapter)
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