Chapter 474 Tanlang Has So Many Scented Sachets
They returned to their residence in Huaiye Lane from the Xunyang Prince's Mansion.
Ouyang Rong went to bed early.
Nothing was said that night.
Ouyang Rong got up early and dressed.
The sky outside the doors and windows was still a dark gray.
"Why did you wake up so early today, my love? You've been tossing and turning, are you lost in thought?"
Ye Weilai, dressed in a pure white nightgown, knelt on the bed tidying up the bedding, asking in a somewhat strange tone.
“I went to bed early last night,” Ouyang Rong said softly.
Ye Weilai walked over, half-embracing his waist from behind, her small face peeking out from Ouyang Rong's side, carefully examining his reflection in the bronze mirror, and then carefully fastening his belt.
"Is something important happening to Tanlang today?" She suddenly frowned with heartache. "Tanlang has lost weight. Look, your belt is too long."
Ouyang Rong seemed not to hear, nor did he look at the gesture of her tying the ribbon on her hand below, and turned to ask:
"Does our family not have the custom of celebrating the Cold Clothes Festival?"
"The Cold Clothes Festival?" The white-haired maid was taken aback and shook her head. "I didn't hear the mistress give any instructions beforehand, so I guess we shouldn't celebrate it."
"That's good. Keeping things simple is good, keeping things simple is good."
Ouyang Rong rubbed his face, muttered something, and went out. He hooked a small bundle with two fingers and also took a Mo family sword box with him.
Good morning.
At the gate, he greeted Ali, and carrying two items, boarded the waiting carriage.
The carriage moved slowly as autumn deepened, and the days grew shorter and the nights longer.
At the same travel time, the sky outside the car would have been bright in the summer, but now it was all gray and gloomy, with no light in sight. Yet the streets, which had been quiet all night, were already bustling with activity.
However, Ouyang Rong didn't pay attention to these things; his focus was elsewhere.
Inside the carriage, he first sniffed the air, then frowned slightly:
"It still has a taste..."
As he spoke, he opened the window and lifted the carriage curtain, and the sounds of the wind and the hustle and bustle of the city rushed in.
The faint fragrance of osmanthus blossoms can no longer be smelled for the time being.
Ouyang Rong bent down and took out a small black box that he had hidden yesterday from under the seat. After opening it, he took out an orange-red sachet.
This bright orange sachet, with its rather poor embroidery skills, exudes a fragrance of osmanthus.
It was sent by Rongzhen yesterday. I heard that it was made by the female officials of the Censorate who, when they were homesick and had nothing to do, picked up the golden osmanthus blossoms under the tree.
"Why put so many osmanthus flowers? The smell is awful."
A man with a gloomy expression took out some ripe, orange-red osmanthus seeds from his sachet and threw them out the window. Unfortunately, the sachet still exuded fragrance. Soon, he composed himself.
"Luckily, I expected this..." he muttered to himself.
Upon arriving at the street near the Jiangzhou Grand Hall, Ouyang Rong quickly closed the curtains and doors, ceasing ventilation.
He sniffed around.
Although the fragrance of osmanthus was still present, it had faded considerably in the carriage and was almost undetectable.
Without further hesitation, Ouyang Rong swiftly opened the sword box and stuffed the orange-red sachet containing the "source of calamity" into it.
After a short while, he stroked the long sword case that rested across his knees and smiled slightly.
"You're the most reliable one; you can hide anything."
Ouyang Rong bent down and placed the long sword box in the empty space under the seat.
At the same time, the small bundle that had been brought out in the morning was also placed on top of the wooden box.
This sword case not only conceals wind and gathers energy, but it is also a sealed space that can lock in fragrance.
"The effect is not bad." Ouyang Rong muttered to himself.
“What do you mean, Tanlang, are you giving me some instructions…” Ali’s puzzled voice came from outside.
“No. Take a break, call me when we get there,” he instructed, turning his head.
"Yes, Tanlang."
Ali agreed earnestly, and seeing that there was no more noise from the carriage behind him, he concentrated on driving the carriage.
Soon, the carriage arrived at the main hall of Jiangzhou, and Ali turned to call his young master...
After seeing Ouyang Rong off, the new stableman Ali turned and went to the stable to feed Dongmei some rations of hay.
The groom breathed a sigh of relief when he didn't see that strange official surnamed Yuan today.
After a busy period, just as Ali was relaxing, he heard the young master and the noble lady Xie talking not far away.
He stepped aside and went to the stable to clean the feed trough.
Two people walked over from not far away.
"Why does Senior Brother go to the Supervisory Council every day?"
"Junior sister, would you like to come along?"
"Forget it, I'm not going. Didn't they say that the sullen-faced female official is there too? I have no interest in going there and getting a cold shoulder from her."
"That's true."
"Why are you interested in going?" A noblewoman from the Xie family suddenly lowered her voice. "By the way, is she still pursuing that matter...?"
"Yes, it was mentioned."
"No wonder the eldest brother goes to check on things every day..."
"Sigh, we definitely need to keep an eye on it."
Ouyang Rong and Xie Lingjiang stopped at the back gate stable.
Ouyang Rong glanced at Ali.
"Please wait a moment, my lord."
The latter immediately went to fetch the horse and prepare the carriage.
While waiting, the graceful Xie family girl, standing with her hands behind her back next to Ouyang Rong, suddenly asked:
"Does Senior Brother know what holiday it is today?"
"What?" Ouyang Rong asked with a curious look.
Xie Ling smiled at Jiang Yanran:
"Guess."
"Hot Spring Foot Bath Festival"
"?"
"Then I can't guess." He sighed.
"Hmph, I'll tell you with my eyes closed." She said irritably.
Ouyang Rong suppressed his smile and solemnly closed his eyes.
Immediately, he felt something being tied around his waist.
He opened one eye and peeked out.
really.
It is a lotus-white sachet.
Its embroidery was exquisite, the silk threads shimmered, and a phoenix woven with gold thread danced on the sachet. It contained the fragrance of ambergris and was clearly extremely precious.
“This is…” Ouyang Rong looked surprised.
Xie Lingjiang stood with her hands behind her back and her head held high, looking smug and pleased with herself.
The overflowing joy in someone's eyes was like the sweetest candy to feed her.
Xie Lingjiang, moved by his feelings, took his arm and said:
"Today is the Cold Clothes Festival. In addition to buying winter clothes, we also need to wear sachets to ward off evil spirits. Here, I made one for you and one for your father. It took a lot of time. You must wear it carefully for the next two days, not just today, and don't take it off."
Ouyang Rong nodded hurriedly.
"Of course, this gift is of utmost importance."
The new groom was very observant; he waited until his young master and Miss Xie had finished their intimate encounter before conveniently leading the horse back home.
"Tanlang's carriage is ready."
"Yes, thank you for your hard work."
Ouyang Rong first bid farewell to the reluctant Xie Lingjiang, then boarded the carriage and headed to the Censorate.
As Ouyang Rong boarded the carriage, Ali glanced at the sachet on his waist, his eyes filled with envy and blessing.
Tanlang and Xie family's daughter are truly a perfect match, a match made in heaven.
As Madam Zhen had previously boasted in Nanlong Township and in front of her clansmen, that her beloved nephew would marry a noblewoman from one of the five noble families, it turned out to be true.
"I guess only an outstanding man like Tanlang could win the favor of the noble ladies of the five surnames..." Ali thought to himself.
He roused himself and dutifully drove the carriage, arriving at the Censorate with practiced ease.
Seeing the young master step down from the carriage.
Ali reflexively said goodbye, but his eyes suddenly caught a glimpse of the young master's waist.
He was taken aback.
One of the lotus-white sachets was gone, replaced by an orange-red sachet.
Before Ali could even take a look, the handsome young man had already entered the room and disappeared.
"Strange, could I have seen wrong? How could the color change in such a short time..."
Ali was puzzled for a long time.
He waited for almost half an hour at the back gate of the Censorate before finally seeing the young master come out.
Ali quickly rubbed his eyes.
He stared intently at the young master's waist.
It really is an orange-red sachet.
The young master, who had just left the Censorate today, seemed to be in a good mood, humming a little tune as he returned to his carriage.
"What are you looking at, Ali?"
"N-nothing, my eyes are playing tricks on me."
"Eat more vegetables. How can you drive if your eyesight is poor?"
"Yes, Tanlang." Ali then asked instinctively, "Tanlang, where are we going now?"
"Go back to the main hall of Jiangzhou first, but... just like yesterday, wander around outside for a while, don't go back right away."
"yes."
Although he didn't quite understand the young master's skillful instructions, he still nodded hurriedly as an obedient child.
Ouyang Rong returned to the carriage, sat down with satisfaction, and let out a sigh of relief.
"Not bad, I passed the test, but it's a bit strange. Why is Rong Zhen so focused on the ambergris I'm wearing? Does she like this kind? But this is my junior sister's sachet, so I definitely can't tell her or give it to her..."
He rubbed his face.
Immediately, just like not long ago... he took off the orange-red sachet from his waist, opened the Mo family sword box immediately, and with lightning speed took out a lotus-white sachet. Then he put the orange-red sachet into the box and resealed the sword box.
Ouyang Rong re-tied the lotus-white sachet.
After the change was completed, he smiled and opened the window again, taking advantage of Ali's extra detours outside the Jiangzhou Hall to get some fresh air.
"Why did Tanlang open the window again?" Ali, who was driving outside, couldn't help but ask through the carriage curtain.
"It's a bit stuffy, but there's some draft."
"oh oh."
"Ali, when we get to the main hall of Jiangzhou, clean the carriage again, and change the curtains, seat cushions, and everything else," Ouyang Rong instructed.
"But Tanlang, didn't we just change yesterday..."
"Change it again." He nodded.
"Okay, wait a minute, could it be that there's a strange smell in the car?"
“It does have a smell,” Ouyang Rong said seriously.
"Yes, my love."
Just after giving the order, Ouyang Rong suddenly noticed that the long sword case under his seat was creaking and vibrating.
Fortunately, the carriage wheels were bumping along, which prevented it from attracting the attention of Ali and the other outsiders immediately.
"Stop fooling around."
In the carriage where he was sitting alone, Ouyang Rong suddenly lowered his head and reprimanded the air.
It turns out that the little guy in the sword box discovered someone's scumbag behavior and started causing trouble in protest.
Just like before, Ouyang Rong was very unhappy that she had brought back the purple bellyband and the snow-white longsword without permission.
However, he couldn't go against the sword master's wishes.
Soon, the sword case fell silent again.
Before long, they arrived at the Jiangzhou Hall again.
Ouyang Rong alighted from the carriage, straightened his hat at the gate, and entered with an air of nonchalance.
Ali's peripheral vision caught the shadow of a lotus-white sachet at his waist again, and he froze, looking confused.
Why did it change color again?
Wasn't it just an orange-red sachet a moment ago?
"Tanlang has so many sachets."
He couldn't help but mutter to himself.
However, remembering his master's instructions, Ali quickly replaced the carriage curtains, cushions, and other items.
During that time, I saw a long, narrow violin case under the seat.
Ali didn't touch it.
This appears to be the young master's beloved zither. A small group of maids and servants in the Huaiye Lane mansion, responsible for taking care of the young master's daily life, all know of its existence. It seems to have been a gift from the noble lady Xie, a token of their betrothal.
At the same time, Tanlang seems to be a bit of a germaphobe, not allowing any outsiders to touch him, and everyone respects this.
A similar incident happened before. A senior maid from Yinbingzhai accidentally bumped into something while wiping the tableware. I don't know how she found out, but the young master immediately returned... It seems he values this token of love very much.
Ali obediently avoided the violin case, not even bothering with the small bundle on it.
There didn't seem to be any strange smell in the carriage, but he still carefully cleaned it as instructed by the young master.
Ali had just finished packing his things when he saw Ouyang Rong and Xie Lingjiang return again.
The two greeted him and boarded the carriage together.
"We're going to the Prince of Xunyang's residence for dinner tonight. The princess herself is cooking and has prepared a family feast."
"good."
Xie Lingjiang lowered her head and touched the lotus-white sachet at his waist with her small hand, becoming more and more satisfied with the look.
She suddenly frowned: "Why does it smell different?"
Ouyang Rong seemed taken aback: "Wh...what does it taste like?"
Xie Lingjiang looked up at him: "It's not ambergris."
"oh!"
Ouyang Rong suddenly realized:
"I almost forgot."
Without any attempt to hide it, he bent down, pulled something out from under his seat, placed it on his lap, and opened it under Xie Lingjiang's curious gaze.
Ouyang Rong took out two identical sachets from his small bundle, his tone somewhat troubled:
"I just ran into Dalang. He gave me two sachets, saying they were a small token of his appreciation for the Cold Clothes Festival, a gift for both of us. He asked me to give this one to you, Junior Sister, look..."
Xie Lingjiang frowned as she looked at the two similar pale yellow sachets. She picked one open with her finger and glanced at it; it contained chrysanthemum petals.
"A sachet given by the eldest son? What does this mean?"
He stroked his chin and guessed, "It must be a gift for the two of us to ward off evil spirits."
"But aren't these things only given as gifts between lovers or relatives?"
Xie Lingjiang hesitated, then said, "Eldest Brother and us..."
He said thoughtfully, "It's possible that the customs in Chang'an and Luoyang are different from those in your hometown, Junior Sister."
"So it's customary over there to give gifts to people other than lovers and relatives...?"
Xie Lingjiang held a pale yellow sachet in her hand, tapping her delicate chin with her index finger and muttering to herself.
Ouyang Rong nodded vigorously.
He felt he had a lot to say on this point, otherwise how would he explain the two coins he received yesterday?
Ouyang Rong spread his hands and asked:
"What should we do? We can't force ourselves to conform to different customs. How about we put it away and stop wearing it?"
"no."
Xie Lingjiang raised her hand to stop him, frowning as she corrected him:
"Since Dalang is also representing Uncle Li and Aunt Wei, at the family dinner tonight, the eldest brother should still wear it as a matter of courtesy."
"Moreover, the relationship between the eldest brother and the eldest son is extraordinary and should not be affected."
"It's a normal relationship, nothing more than friendship," Ouyang Rong firmly corrected.
"Okay, okay."
He sighed, "Well, it seems that's the only way. By the way, junior sister, what are you wearing?"
Xie Lingjiang shook her head and handed the pale yellow sachet back to Ouyang Rong:
"I won't wear it. After all, I'm a woman, unlike my senior brother."
"Junior Sister is so thoughtful."
Ouyang Rong rebuked, "You mean, what's with Dalang, a grown man, giving away sachets? Seriously!"
"Big Brother is just concerned about you. Alright, eldest brother, be good and listen to me."
Xie Lingjiang gently coaxed him.
"Fine, I just can't do anything with you guys."
Ouyang Rong nodded reluctantly.
(End of this chapter)
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