Chapter 480 Khufu with Thick Eyebrows and Big Eyes
On the main street in front of Xunyang Tower, the air was silent in front of a carriage.
As Rong Zhen walked away, Xie Lingjiang withdrew her gaze.
"Junior sister, are you hungry...? Hmm."
Ouyang Rong had only spoken halfway when something bumped into his chest. He instinctively hugged it and looked down to see a small food box containing hangover soup, which his junior sister had abruptly stuffed into his arms.
"Get in the car," the woman said in a cool, clear voice.
Ouyang Rong looked up and saw that Xie Lingjiang had already boarded the carriage without turning back.
"oh oh!"
He got into the car.
"What are you doing sitting outside? Isn't Ali driving? What's it to you? Come in."
"well."
"You, sit closer."
"Uh-huh."
"Your soul has left with someone else? You can't even speak properly anymore, are you? You just keep nodding and shaking your head to appease me?"
"No, no..."
Before he could finish speaking...
Inside the carriage, a sudden sound of clothes being pulled apart and a snapping sound of a back being pulled apart rang out, followed by a series of cries of "Ouch!" and groans of pain...
Outside, Ali was focused on driving with a serious expression, seemingly oblivious to what was happening, driving very obediently.
The carriage, which used to be a smooth and steady ride, was now shaking and bumping along the way.
...
The newly arrived envoy from Luoyang, Hu Fu, settled in a large house with a plaque that read "Tingzhuxuan" on the same street as the main hall in Jiangzhou.
This "Tingzhu Pavilion" originally belonged to Zhu Lingxu, the governor of Hongzhou. After the incident, it was taken back by the Jiangzhou government, and Zhu Lingxu's concubines and servants were dismissed. After renovation, it became the best official residence in Jiangzhou.
It is also currently used to house the emperor's private envoys.
The night is deep.
On the streets of Xunyangfang, a red-lacquered silk-curtained carriage pulled by two Akhal-Teke horses was quietly traveling down the street.
The carriage was tall and quiet, except for the burly coachman wearing a straw hat.
It seemed to have come from the direction where the Xunyang Tower aristocratic banquet had just ended.
However, after the red-painted carriage approached "Tingzhuxuan", it suddenly slowed down, turned into a side alley, and finally stopped at the back door of Tingzhuxuan.
The black silk curtains of the carriage remained completely still.
The burly coachman jumped off the carriage and went to knock on the door.
A moment later, the back door opened, and several servants and guards poked their heads out with displeased expressions, peering at the late-night visitors.
The burly driver silently handed over a jade pendant, as if to say something.
The servants and guards who followed Khufu immediately composed themselves.
The jade pendant has a circular cloud pattern, and it looks like it has been chipped or broken, with a corner missing.
A guard took the broken jade pendant and glanced at the unassuming carriage outside the door.
A night breeze swept by, lifting the carriage curtain slightly, revealing several shadowy figures wearing veils and black cloaks.
The guard lowered his gaze, instructed his companion to stay, and then turned and hurried away...
Inside the carriage waiting at the back gate sat three dark figures.
Although covered by a veil and cloak, her figure was still vaguely visible.
A handsome young man with a violin case resting on his lap, a young lady with elegant plum blossom makeup, and a stooped, fat old man with his white hair meticulously combed.
"Young Master Ouyang, please rest assured. Little Mustache has been with this old servant for a long time and is the most filial godson. Little Mustache is a kind, upright, down-to-earth and capable man. Although he is occasionally a little petty and holds grudges, he is also very grateful. This old servant has liked him since he was a child."
"This old servant has come to speak on behalf of the young master... that jade pendant, the little mustache will definitely recognize it, unless he no longer acknowledges this old servant as his godfather."
The hunchbacked, fat old man was none other than Shunbo, the chief steward of the Xunyang Prince's Mansion.
Ouyang Rong and Li Guo'er exchanged a glance.
The latter nodded slightly, "Then I'll have to trouble you, Uncle Shun."
"It is what this old servant should do."
She paused, then added:
“Ouyang Lianghan’s matter is the Prince’s matter, so Uncle Shun is not only helping him, but also helping the Prince’s mansion and Father, do you understand?”
"This old servant understands!"
Uncle Shun nodded vigorously.
Just then, the guard who had just left the carriage hurriedly returned, the jade pendant in his hand gone.
The guards peered warily around the doorway, and seeing that no one had noticed them in the alley, they turned and bowed respectfully to the carriage.
"The master said, please invite the distinguished guests inside."
Ouyang Rong and Li Guo'er were about to get up and get out of the carriage when Shunbo waved his hand to stop them, gesturing for them to wait a moment.
The old eunuch, who had been away from the palace for many years, straightened his clothes, looked serious, stepped down from the carriage alone, and followed his personal guards into Tingzhu Pavilion.
Ouyang Rong and Li Guo'er continued to wait inside the carriage.
Without the nagging Uncle Shun, the two of them were a little awkward being alone together.
Ouyang Rong avoided eye contact and looked to the side.
Li Guo'er glanced at the red mark under his sleeve and asked:
"Did you make Sister Xie angry again?"
“No.” Ouyang Rong shook his head, sitting upright.
“Your arm isn’t covered, pull your sleeve up a bit.”
"It was from a cat scratching me."
"You keep cats at home in Huaiye Lane? How come there's no cat hair on you?"
"wildcat."
"good."
Li Guo'er nodded:
"I'll talk to Sister Xie tomorrow and ask her to be careful so that her beloved senior brother doesn't get scratched by some wildcat that appears out of nowhere again."
The word "wildcat" was emphasized with extra force.
"No!" he stopped him.
"Is it a stray cat or a house cat?" she asked curiously.
"Home...house cat".
"Why has it changed again?"
"Maybe...it's someone else's cat, scratching a stranger."
"Okay." Li Guo'er smiled: "She can't escape the fact that Sister Xie is someone else's cat this time. I'll talk to her about it tomorrow."
"Your Highness, will you ever stop?"
Ouyang Rong looked up and asked, displeased.
Li Guo'er said to herself:
"Getting anxious?"
"No wonder Sister Xie didn't serve you any food at dinner tonight, tsk tsk."
"Can't I serve it to her?"
"OK."
She nodded and changed the subject:
"I wonder if Shunbo's influence is still of any use, and whether this Hu Fu is a sentimental person."
Ouyang Rong shook his head: "Whether it works or not, thank you for your hard work, Uncle Shun."
"Don't mention it."
The young woman in plum blossom makeup, wearing a white veiled hat, lowered her eyes.
Ouyang Rong adjusted his felt hat, lifted the carriage curtain with two fingers, and glanced at the night outside.
After the luncheon during the day, he went to discuss things with the family of Xunyang Prince Li Xian in the afternoon.
Tonight, taking advantage of Li Guo'er's late return from the literary gathering as cover, he and Shunbo came to Tingzhuxuan to find out Hu Fu's attitude.
Although they were acquaintances whom I had helped in the past.
But who knows what might happen after half a year apart?
Just then, the guard who had delivered the jade pendant returned, but Shunbo was nowhere to be seen.
The guards, carrying an object in both hands, approached the carriage and respectfully presented it:
"The master entrusted this item to you; please come inside, young master."
Ouyang Rong raised an eyebrow slightly and took the familiar waist knife.
It was the waist knife he had given to Khufu before they parted ways, which later saved his life, and he never expected to keep it all this time.
Ouyang Rong silently accepted the waist knife. He didn't take any of the valuable gifts that Wei Mei and Li Guo'er had prepared in the carriage. He only wore a felt hat and got out of the carriage alone.
A long, narrow, harp-box-shaped sword case was also placed inside the carriage.
Li Guo'er caught a glimpse of it.
“Ouyang Lianghan…”
"Let's go, it's alright."
Li Guo'er frowned slightly, watching Ouyang Rong's carefree and composed back, and pursed her lips.
She adjusted her veiled cloak, gracefully stepped out of the carriage, and followed...
Ouyang Rong was actually quite familiar with this Tingzhu Pavilion. After Zhu Lingxu died, he was in charge of confiscating the property and cleaning up the mess.
Speaking of which, walking along the corridor of this house late at night, he, being sentimental, even felt a little nostalgic and missed that Governor Zhu...
Soon, Ou Rong and Li Guo'er, who were revisiting the place, were led to a study.
As soon as they entered, the two witnessed a scene that took their attention.
"Godfather, please calm down. I was wrong, I was wrong no matter what. It was all my fault. I deserved to be beaten. Godfather, please calm down, have some tea, have some tea..."
"Ouch... Godfather, please stop hitting me... I'm truly not an ungrateful person, Godfather has misunderstood me. I will never forget your great kindness, Godfather, please spare my life, please stop hitting me..."
Inside the study, Hu Fu, the emperor's private envoy who was all the rage and admired by everyone during the day, was now kneeling in front of a chair, carefully serving tea to the old man seated there.
Shunbo, who used to be respectful and submissive in front of Ouyang Rong, sat calmly in his chair. He remained silent with a cold face and gave a soft snort when his godson tried to curry favor with him.
Ouyang Rong and Li Guo'er entered the room.
Some things couldn't be avoided in time.
Khufu, who was kneeling on the ground, quickly stood up, but still kept his waist very low in front of his godfather.
He bowed his head to serve tea, not daring to neglect the white-haired, hunched old eunuch before him.
"You say you're ungrateful, then let me ask you, when you first arrived in Jiangzhou, how did you give Young Master Ouyang such a hard time?"
"Giving you a hard time? Really...really not." Khufu paused, then looked troubled, stammering an explanation:
"It's a misunderstanding, it must be a misunderstanding."
"No? Then Father must have misheard? Alright, I'll ask again tomorrow. Father won't wrong anyone, and you shouldn't feel aggrieved, godson..."
"Oh, right, Young Master Ouyang has arrived. Father, let me ask him again..."
"Hey, no, godfather, no."
Upon hearing this, Hu Fu, feeling guilty, called out to Shun Bo.
After Ouyang Rong entered and surveyed the situation, he stepped forward and offered words of comfort to defuse the predicament:
"Lord Shun, please calm down. Envoy Hu did not neglect me; it must be a misunderstanding."
Hu Fu, embarrassed to look at Ouyang Rong, flashed a hint of gratitude in his eyes, then nodded at Shunbo like a chick pecking at rice:
"Yes, yes, actually... it's just that it's inconvenient to talk during the day, there's no neglect involved."
"is that so?"
Ouyang Rong and Hu Fu both nodded in agreement.
Shunbo stared at the obediently bowing Hu Fu for a while, then nodded slightly:
"Alright, you two go ahead and chat. Just pretend this old servant isn't here."
Uncle Shun took the teacup, blew on the tea, and took a sip. His mission for the night was complete, and he wouldn't get involved anymore.
Hu Fu turned his head and exchanged a glance with Ouyang Rong.
He sighed.
However, he first turned his head and respectfully bowed to Li Guo'er.
"Your Highness's arrival is an honor; I have failed to greet you properly."
"It's alright, please get up."
Li Guo'er waved her hand.
Neither Li Xian nor Li Dalang could come.
It is crucial to avoid being caught red-handed in such private meetings with eunuchs.
It's different with daughters; they can move around a bit more. After all, daughters and sons are different.
As for women showing their faces in public, what's wrong with the princesses of Daqian and Dazhou being a little more open? Who says women are inferior to men? Have you even asked the current female emperor?
"Chief Secretary Ouyang, His Majesty sent me here this time mainly to investigate the matter of the postponement of the Jiangzhou Grand Hall."
"Let's see if the many difficulties you've reported are as you say. Let's come here to inspect and verify them. You must report back to the court truthfully."
"So, Chief Secretary Ouyang, tell me, under these circumstances, how can we show you any closeness in front of outsiders? Wouldn't that be detrimental to you?"
"I see."
Ouyang Rong nodded slowly.
Khufu thought for a moment and then said:
“Prefect Ouyang, I won’t hide anything from you. As long as your work doesn’t have any major flaws, I’ll just go through the motions and won’t make things difficult for you.”
"Besides, we know exactly who you are, Young Master Ouyang, so there shouldn't be any major problems on our side."
"However, there is one thing to note: I am not here alone this time. I am only representing the Inner Palace Secretariat, but there is another line that Chief Secretary Ouyang needs to pay special attention to."
"What line?"
"His Majesty not only sent me from the Inner Palace Secretariat, but also sent a Lingtai Lang from the Imperial Observatory, named Lin Cheng, to come to Jiangzhou together."
"Actually, it's like we're keeping each other in check."
"Young Master Ouyang, this person should not be overlooked."
Khufu gave detailed instructions.
Ouyang Rong nodded thoughtfully.
"Does Envoy Hu know the background of this Lin Cheng?"
"This young man probably comes from a humble background, but he has risen to the position of Xia Guan Lingtai Lang at such a young age, so he must have been helped by someone."
“I heard there’s a teacher who’s a deputy supervisor,” Ouyang Rong said softly.
"The deputy director of the Imperial Observatory? None of them are easy to deal with." Hu Fu said seriously, "Prefect Ouyang, keep an eye on this person."
"good."
Just then, Li Guo'er, looking around curiously, asked:
"Envoy Hu, I remember you were in trouble last time and rushed back to the capital. How come you are here again as an envoy?"
"Grandmother must have been quite strict. Usually, only eunuchs who were trusted and valued received such treatment."
"This, our family...our family..."
Hu Fu hesitated, seemingly afraid to look at Shunbo, and explained in a low voice:
"Our family is indeed highly valued by His Majesty..."
"Why is that? You've lost this old servant all these years, do you have other connections to help you?"
Uncle Shun put down his teacup and asked curiously.
The tall man with a full beard blushed slightly.
"No, it's not that. As I've already said, it's His Majesty's... high regard for him."
Ouyang Rong, Li Guo'er, and Shunbo exchanged curious glances.
Valued? In what way?
etc.
No way.
The three of them stared wide-eyed at the tall, imposing, and undeniably strong-looking bearded eunuch before them.
"puff--!"
Uncle Shun, who had been calm and collected, suddenly spat out a mouthful of tea.
You thick-browed, big-eyed fellow, you actually chose this path of becoming a favored courtier!
Ouyang Rong couldn't help but turn to look at Shunbo, who was wiping his mouth in a daze.
Is this the kind, upright, down-to-earth and capable person you described?
Uncle Shun's face flushed red.
Beside her, Li Guo'er, the current empress's granddaughter, blushed and quickly looked away.
Ouyang Rong was utterly speechless.
However, he thought about it carefully.
Aside from lacking that thing, Khufu was no different from a strong, muscular man, and with his thick beard, he certainly exuded masculinity.
The elderly empress, who preferred strong and handsome men, naturally found him pleasing to the eye.
It may not necessarily involve any romantic relationship, but it still counts as using one's looks to please others and living off someone's money.
Hmm, so it seems that the reason he was praised as a "lost gem of the southeast" by Her Majesty the Empress at the Apricot Garden Banquet and then directly granted an official position was because he was too handsome. Her Majesty the Empress was attracted to his looks.
Unfortunately, no one guided him afterward, and later... he contradicted Her Majesty the Empress, well, unfortunately in the wrong way.
He's only been demoted until now.
Sure enough, no matter the era, living off a woman is always appealing... Ouyang Rong sighed.
Under his godfather's shocked gaze, Khufu lowered his head and scratched it.
He even picked up the teapot and refilled Uncle Shun's cup of tea, who was staring wide-eyed.
Ouyang Rong straightened up and clasped his hands in greeting to Hu Fu:
"Lord Hu, I admire you! These are truly sincere words."
Hu Fu was taken aback, put down the teapot, and cautiously asked:
"Admiration? Prefect Ouyang... does he also have plans to go to the capital?"
Entering the capital? You mean entering the palace.
Ouyang Rong immediately hesitated, unsure how to respond.
(End of this chapter)
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