Chapter 493 Fate
The sound of the carriage bobbing made the atmosphere even quieter.
After a while, Li Dalang finally spoke.
"So what exactly happened to Qin Ying?"
Ouyang Rong said sternly, "What do you think is wrong with her?"
"Nothing happened to me, did it?"
He countered with another question: "What else do you want to happen?"
"Tanlang, I didn't do anything today anyway. I'll go find her now and just tell her the truth."
Ouyang Rong glanced at his friend who was shrugging, and frowned, saying:
"But that Jade Beauty Tea Ceremony was something you requested yourself, something you wanted to do. It's just that an unexpected event happened later, which prevented you from making a mistake."
"So it's not without reason that Miss Qin is angry this time. I would be angry too. You can't say she's being unreasonable, nor can you think that you've done nothing wrong and that explaining your innocence is enough. That's not enough, far from enough."
"Ultimately, it's a matter of attitude. Attitude is very important, Dalang. You need to correct your attitude."
"Before adopting the correct attitude, you can't deceive yourself. You have to ask yourself honestly and first define the nature of this matter."
"Okay, I'll straighten myself out, I'll ask myself questions, and I'll define myself."
Li Dalang nodded, his face very serious as he asked:
"Then, young master, how did you win over Miss Xie before? How did you make your promises?"
Ouyang Rong glared at him: "Why are you asking me? I've never done anything like you, Dalang."
Li Dalang sighed:
“Indeed, my blind date just fell apart, and there’s no end in sight. Unlike you, my love, your situation must be much more serious.”
"Shut up."
Ouyang Rong, expressionless, solemnly pointed out:
"I'm asking you to reflect on your actions and define your situation, not to define mine. Now, let's get to the point and stop beating around the bush."
"All right."
Li Dalang looked a little dejected, raised his hand to lower the carriage curtain, and said softly:
"I almost caused trouble for you, Tanlang. You've worked hard."
Ouyang Rong hummed: "Good to know."
Li Dalang looked up and asked again:
"By the way, why did Qin Ying come to Yunshui Pavilion? Why was she having tea with Wei Shaoqi all of a sudden?"
What do you think?
Ouyang Rong was speechless, wishing he could give his somewhat slow-witted friend a good whack to wake him up:
"You've already dug up the corner of the wall with a small hoe, and you're still asking a million questions."
"Uh, why did you dig it all up?" Li Dalang was taken aback.
"..."
"oh oh."
His expression changed, and he rubbed his face while muttering to himself:
"Wei Shaoqi is pursuing Qin Ying, right? The Wei family also wants to form a marriage alliance with the Qin family."
"Hmm." Ouyang Rong nodded: "Think about how to deal with it."
Li Dalang muttered, "What's the point of dealing with it? Let him pursue me if he wants."
"What did you say?" He looked over.
"No...it's nothing."
Ouyang Rong frowned and looked at Li Dalang.
I'm finding myself increasingly disliking this kid.
After a moment's thought, he reviewed the situation and sighed softly:
“We’ve been on the wrong track all along. Our attention was completely drawn to the sudden appearance of Princess An Hui. It turns out that Wei Shaoqi’s purpose in coming to Xunyang City was to bring Qin Ying into the marriage alliance between Qin and Wei. What a clever scheme.”
"Remembering something?" Ouyang Rong asked with a serious expression.
"Young Master, do you know that because of the Jade Beauty Tea Ceremony you drank today, Lady Qin agreed to let Wei Shaoqi accompany her on a hunting trip out of the city the day after tomorrow?"
His tone was somewhat dissatisfied.
Unexpectedly, after hearing this, Li Dalang was not angry but pleased, and said happily:
"What? Going hunting with her outside the city? This third young master of the Wei Prince's mansion is definitely going to regret it. I don't understand why these people keep jumping into fire pits."
"..."
Li Dalang composed himself, paused for a moment, and then said:
"Tanlang kept saying that I was in the wrong, meaning that all the mistakes were on my part, but didn't she also do something wrong?"
"She said this morning that she was going out of town for an autumn hunt and invited me to go with her. Although I made an excuse to refuse, now I realize that she actually knew from the beginning that I wasn't going and was just asking."
"She didn't go hunting in the morning either, but came to Yunshui Pavilion to meet with Wei Shaoqi."
At this point, Li Dalang fell silent and turned his head away.
Ouyang Rong sighed:
"But they might just be going through the motions of their elders. It seems they've already clearly refused Wei Shaoqi's offer."
Li Dalang interrupted:
“My love, in the end, she wasn’t completely honest with me, and I wasn’t completely honest with her either.”
"Actually, there's one thing we all have to admit: Qin Ying doesn't really like me that much, does she?"
Ouyang Rong remained silent.
The conversation reached a stalemate.
After a while, Ouyang Rong slowly spoke:
"But you have to coax her... apologize."
"Especially now that the Wei family has entered the picture, they're eyeing the Qin family as a lucrative match through marriage. We can't let them succeed."
“We had a good relationship before, we have to maintain it, we can’t let her hate you and do anything out of spite, otherwise the Wei family will benefit.”
He rubbed his face and then opened the car window a little to let some fresh air in.
Ouyang Rong, facing the cold wind, said:
"Moreover, not only from the perspective of gains and losses, but also from the perspective of friends, Wei Shaoqi is not a good person. He is tyrannical and easily angered, yet he likes to pretend and act, putting on a show in front of people and doing the same thing behind their backs. He may also be putting on an act in front of Qin Xiaoniangzi. We cannot sit idly by and watch Qin Xiaoniangzi be deceived by such a person."
"That makes sense."
Li Dalang nodded in agreement, paused, and looked at Ouyang Rong, saying:
"However, no matter what happens between us and Qin Ying, we shouldn't become enemies."
Why are you so certain?
"Because Tanlang is there. Not only Qin Ying, but also the old master Qin can be felt to admire and have a good impression of Tanlang."
Ouyang Rong pursed his lips and remained silent.
Li Dalang looked around and started searching inside the carriage.
What are you looking for?
"Do you have any extra robes? I'm a little cold."
He left in a hurry, leaving his outer robe in the No. 1 private room.
Ouyang Rong calmly said:
"Are you afraid that if you go back to the manor dressed like this, Uncle Li will find out and you'll be in big trouble?"
Li Dalang whispered his defense:
"I was wearing an undergarment, so why are you talking as if I'm not wearing any clothes?"
"Stop searching. I don't know what's in my carriage. Don't find me a sachet."
"As expected of Tanlang."
Li Dalang sighed.
Ouyang Rong looked Li Dalang up and down with a suspicious gaze.
"What is Tanlang looking at?"
"You're dressed like this, and you still say you were just having tea and nothing happened."
Ouyang Rong was speechless:
"No wonder Wei Shaoqi fought you so hard. His clothes were disheveled, and anyone would be anxious to see that."
Li Dalang recalled with a look on his face:
"I'm not kidding. Actually, after we chatted for a bit, I realized that she had gone to the wrong private room, or rather, she had been assigned to the wrong one. She wasn't the kind of tea master that Yuren Tea Ceremony has. I guessed that she might be a new tea master who doesn't do those frivolous things."
Ouyang Rong sighed: "Luckily you're not stupid, you didn't hold back and do something reckless."
"What do you mean, 'burdened up'? Don't talk nonsense, Tanlang."
Li Dalang corrected someone.
"Then why did you take off your coat and lie on their lap when we went in?"
"My tea-drinking habit is to first rest my head on the tea master's lap, take a nap, and fall asleep as soon as I smell the aroma of the tea. You can try it too, Tanlang. You will feel very relaxed when you wake up. This is also why I like to go to the third floor of Yunshui Pavilion."
"So, that's what I asked her to do too. She hesitated for a moment and asked if I was too tired. I said yes, and she lowered her head and said okay, but I have to keep my promise."
"Tanlang, actually I thought she would refuse, but I didn't expect her to agree. When I asked her why she agreed, do you know what she said?"
How should I answer you?
"She looked up, staring timidly yet boldly into my eyes, and said, 'Your eyes don't lie. You're a good person and you definitely won't bully me. Besides... you look very tired.'"
Ouyang Rong asked, "And then?"
"What do you mean, 'then'? What do you want to hear about 'then'? Then I took off my outer robe, lay down, and then I was dozing off when you woke me up by knocking on the door. Then Wei Shaoqi broke down the door, and that's how it ended up like this..."
"Oh, now that you know her identity as a princess of the Wei family, how do you feel?"
"One can only sigh at fate."
Ouyang Rong fell silent, seemingly digesting the information.
Li Dalang hesitated, as if about to speak, when Ouyang Rong suddenly asked:
Is she waiting for someone?
"What are you waiting for?"
"What is Princess An Hui doing in the Earth-class private room? Didn't you book this room?"
Li Dalang pondered, "Perhaps we've gone the wrong way."
"If she went to the wrong room, she still came. If she didn't go to the wrong room, she's probably in another private room. You won't run into her, but..."
Ouyang Rong paused, frowning as he pondered:
"Why is Wei Shaoqi meeting and having tea with Qin Ying in the top-tier private room, while Wei Anhui is waiting in the next private room?"
"Is he waiting for Wei Shaoqi? Or is he planning to introduce her to Qin Ying and build a relationship with her?"
"But if you care about her so much, why leave Wei Anhui alone in the private room? Where are the guards? Why didn't you bring them up?"
Ouyang Rong muttered to himself, a series of questions that stunned Li Dalang, who scratched his head:
"Tanlang has so many ideas."
"It's not that I'm overthinking it, it's just that there's something fishy about it."
"So, what does Tanlang think is going on?"
Ouyang Rong paused for a moment, then narrowed his eyes and said:
"Go back and quickly take care of things with Miss Qin, then find out more."
"What are you trying to find out?"
"Let me see if you think Qin Xiaoniangzi came alone this time. Is there an older or younger brother with the same surname who also secretly came to Xunyang City, just like Wei Shaoqi was waiting for her? Wei Anhui is also waiting for that person, and may even... mistake you for that person."
Li Dalang leaned back slightly and looked Ouyang Rong up and down.
He scratched the back of his head, somewhat amazed:
"How can Tanlang's mind work so fast?"
"Stop praising me, it won't help. I still have to say what needs to be said. Do you remember what I told you?"
"I remember." Li Dalang nodded vigorously.
"Okay, go ahead."
The carriage stopped at the entrance of the Xunyang Prince's Mansion, and Ouyang Rong immediately took off his outer robe and handed it to Li Dalang.
He waved his hand.
After seeing Li Dalang off, he breathed a sigh of relief and turned to instruct Ali to return to the main hall of Jiangzhou.
...
"Does Tanlang mean that he needs Ye Weilai's previous redemption contract?"
"Hmm, Auntie must have been holding back."
"Didn't you ask me to tear it up? Hmm, I do have it. I remember putting it in the box. I need to go look for it."
"I told you to tear it up, but I know you'll probably keep some secretly... Alright, thank you, Auntie."
In a flower hall of the Huaiye Lane residence, Zhen Shuyuan glanced curiously at her calm nephew sitting in a chair, then turned and went out to retrieve something from her bedroom.
Ouyang Rong watched his aunt's graceful figure disappear through the doorway.
In the morning, he escorted Li Dalang back to the Prince's Mansion, and then spent most of the day busy in the main hall of Jiangzhou. As soon as he got home after his shift, he went to find Zhen Shuyuan to ask for something.
A short while later, he returned to Yinbingzhai with the market deed documents that had helped Ye Weilai redeem herself.
As soon as I entered the room, I saw Ye Weilai sitting at her desk, one hand supporting her chin, her eyes down as she flipped through a thick book.
During this time, the white-haired girl has been reading and studying, and her temperament has become noticeably quieter, gradually developing a scholarly air.
Ouyang Rong walked to the table, and Ye Weilai came back to her senses, quickly closed her book and stood up: "Tanlang, you're back."
Ouyang Rong placed his two large hands on her shoulders and gently pressed her back into her seat: "These past two mornings, you went to Zhenguang Street in Xingzifang yourself, didn't you? You didn't have Banxi and the others do it for you?"
Ye Weilai flicked a strand of hair behind her ear with her little finger, smiled and nodded: "No, I didn't forget your instructions, it was all my doing."
"Okay, that's fine then." Ouyang Rong gave some instructions: "Remember to buy flowers and fruits on time, and while you're passing by the courtyard on Zhenguang Street, take a look at the flower pots on the wall."
Ye Weilai reached out and stroked Ouyang Rong's somewhat thin right cheek, a hint of heartache in her eyes. She asked, "Tanlang, did you send me because you don't trust anyone else? Is there something important going on there?"
Ouyang Rong remained noncommittal, raising his hand to cover her slender hand that was cupping his face: "Nothing unusual happened along the way, right?"
"Something unusual?"
Ye Wei looked thoughtful, shook her head, and asked softly:
"Has something happened to General Qin's family recently? Why is Tanlang paying attention to it again, sending me to keep an eye on that flowerpot signal?"
Ouyang Rong lowered his eyes and did not answer.
She simply said softly, "We'll continue tomorrow."
"Yes, my love."
Ouyang Rong reached out and ruffled the white-haired maid's hair, then asked out of the blue:
"Does Wei Lai still hate that female historian named Rong Zhen?"
Ye Weilai immediately quieted down, lowered her head, and arranged the books on the table with both hands, sorting and classifying them. After a moment, she murmured:
"I used to hate her, but now... I'm better. I understand more that her arrogance and disregard for others wasn't without reason. Instead of hating her, I should improve myself."
"There has been progress."
Ouyang Rong said with a smile.
Ye Weilai whispered, "Actually, there's one more important point."
"What?"
Ye Weilai turned her gaze away: "I heard that Tanlang and she have been getting very close lately."
"Who told you that?" Ouyang Rong couldn't help but ask.
Ye Weilai glanced at him again and whispered:
"That little girl named Mo Zhi Xian also said that Rong Zhen is some kind of bad woman."
Ouyang Rong's lips twitched involuntarily.
"Wei Lai, don't listen to her nonsense."
He gave his earnest instructions.
She tilted her head: "Is it a bad woman talking nonsense, or is it someone who gets very close and talks nonsense?"
"...?"
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
