Chapter 496 Tanlang is even more amazing
"What did you say?"
Rongzhen wondered if she had misheard and asked in a daze.
Ouyang Rong shrugged:
"Right, I told you, it sounds like a pipe dream. Nobody would believe it if I told them."
"A former child bride? That means she's someone I've known since childhood. Why did she become a Yue woman?"
Rong Zhen frowned and pressed for more questions:
"Are you close to her? Are you still in contact?"
Ouyang Rong was somewhat downcast. He turned to look at Ye Weilai and said softly:
"Unravel Wei Lai's secrets. Wei Lai knows more about these things. To be precise, the person who knows her is Wei Lai. I haven't seen her awake for a long time."
"See you while you're awake? What do you mean?"
Puzzled, Rongzhen turned around, raised two sword fingers, and lightly poked the white-haired maid sitting beside her several times at a speed barely visible to the naked eye.
Ye Weilai, who had been standing upright, leaned forward like an avalanche, and Ouyang Rong immediately caught his limp, limp personal maid.
"Are you alright?" he asked in a low voice.
Ye Weilai shook her head.
She gasped for breath, glanced at Rong Zhen whose eyes were fixed on her, and then at Ouyang Rong's encouraging gaze.
After a moment of hesitation, she recounted the story of how the embroiderer disguised herself as a cook and hid in the Plum Deer Garden to protect her beloved, without going into too much detail.
Rongzhen listened silently, occasionally glancing at someone.
"So, this sword move of yours was learned from her back then?"
"Um."
Ye Weilai spoke softly, her eyes fixed on the short sword on the ground:
"She told me to protect my beloved, but... I'm useless."
Rongzhen pursed her lips and asked again:
"What's her name?"
Ouyang Rong shook his head: "I don't know, I only know that she used to have a nickname, Xiu Niang."
"An embroiderer? Or a mute girl?"
Rong Zhen lowered her eyes and muttered to herself:
"The secular names of the hidden female rulers are usually kept secret. They mostly use the titles inherited from the Queen's Palace to show their identities, because entering the Cloud Dream Sword Swamp means abandoning the entanglements and karmic burdens of the mortal world. It is also to prevent enemies from finding their former family members."
She looked up and gazed at Ouyang Rong:
“Ouyang Lianghan, I didn’t expect you to have some connection with a reclusive female ruler. I wonder where this female ruler called ‘Embroiderer’ ranks in that female ruler’s palace.”
Ouyang Rong remained silent.
He picked up the short sword and slowly sheathed it, seemingly lost in thought.
Rongzhen glanced at his expression.
"Why have I never heard you mention something so important before?"
Ouyang Rong countered, "Would Lady Rong tell me everything on her mind?"
Are you still thinking about her? Still regretting missing out?
Ouyang Rong was lost in thought for a moment, then broke into a bright smile:
"I wouldn't say that. I prefer to look forward. Just as she abandoned her old name to start a new life, I also have a new life, a new identity, and new responsibilities."
"All things arise from causes and conditions and are empty of inherent existence. It is enough to know that there was such a connection. It is actually quite good to keep some things in your heart and not say them out loud."
Rongzhen shook her head:
"But today I have reopened your wounds."
"Ms. Rong also has her own difficulties, which I understand."
"Aren't you angry?"
"I was angry just now, but I'm not angry now."
Why?
"I said I understand."
Ouyang Rong said softly:
"As the head of the female officials in Xunyang, Lady Rong cannot let go of the doubts because of personal relationships. Investigating a case requires getting to the bottom of things. Even though I am the Prefect of Jiangzhou, I cannot be an exception."
Rongzhen was silent for a while:
"If everyone were as reasonable as you, that would be great."
"Let's just take it as a compliment from Lady Rong."
"That's the truth, there's no sarcasm in it."
"I know."
Ouyang Rong paused, then sighed and asked:
"In fact, Lady Rong has already trusted me enough. Not only did she help plead for the postponement, but she also strongly recommended me to attend the recent meeting of the Control Yuan and helped persuade Wei Shaoqi and Wang Lengran."
"To be honest, sometimes when I think about these things, I feel a little flattered."
Rongzhen asked, "So you just said that you've always considered me a trusted comrade-in-arms?"
"That's right."
Ouyang Rong nodded:
"Therefore, I do not feel there is anything wrong with being investigated so thoroughly by Lady Rong today. Lady Rong has already done more than enough."
Rong Zhen turned her gaze away:
"I don't like to say anything mushy, but I have to mention that I owe Chief Secretary Ouyang and Military Advisor Yan a life-saving favor for what happened in Huang Xuan's courtyard."
Ouyang Rong immediately pressed for an answer:
"Is it because of this matter, and the fact that you helped me retrieve a certain...something, that Lady Rong has shown me such leniency and trust?"
He was originally going to mention the faded purple undergarment, but Rong Zhen turned to look at him halfway through, and Ouyang Rong subtly changed his mind.
Rongzhen did not answer Ouyang Rong's question.
She sat alone in the carriage for a while, then spoke again, her face expressionless:
"I am grateful for Chief Secretary Ouyang's cooperation in today's matter. The affair with the Yue woman was indeed a misunderstanding. I am already aware of the details and reasons behind it."
Ouyang Rong and Ye Weilai were both slightly taken aback.
Rong Zhen spoke in a measured and loud voice, which could be faintly heard by those outside the carriage.
"However, there is still some evidence to be supplemented in this matter. For example, your personal maid needs to prove that she has no past involvement with Yunmeng Jianze. Tomorrow morning, please have Chief Secretary Ouyang send her birth certificate or redemption contract to the Censorate, understand?"
"clear."
Ouyang Rong kept his eyes straight ahead and loudly agreed.
Rongzhen stood up, lifted the carriage curtain, and left the carriage.
She got out of the car to give instructions to the other female officials.
Ouyang Rong and Ye Weilai, who remained in the car, exchanged a glance.
The latter took the dagger back and whispered:
"My love, just now..."
Ouyang Rong frowned, as if deep in thought, and interrupted without turning his head:
"Wait for me."
He immediately left Ye Weilai behind and got out of the car first.
Inside the courtyard, the group of female officials retreated like an undercurrent, disappearing into the darkness.
Rong Zhen was standing at the entrance of the courtyard, talking calmly to a slightly overweight young man.
Ouyang Rong walked over and greeted him.
"Lin Lingtai Lang".
“Prefect Ouyang”.
Lin Cheng clasped his hands in return, then turned and continued:
"Since everything is alright, just a false alarm, then I'll head back now. If Lady Rong ever undertakes such a large-scale operation again, please don't forget me, after all..."
He smiled slightly at Rong Zhen, whose face remained expressionless:
"After all, the Grand Master of Fate and my teacher sent me here to assist Lady Rong. Please don't treat me like an outsider."
"Envoy Lin Lingtai, please return."
"good."
After watching Lin Cheng and the group of female officials leave, Rong Zhen turned back to look at Ouyang Rong.
"Ouyang Lianghan, is there anything else?"
Ouyang Rong nodded:
"Want to come up for a cup of tea?"
Rong Zhen frowned slightly, but still agreed.
The two soon returned to the Qinghe private room on the third floor.
As soon as he sat down, Ouyang Rong didn't bother to make tea, but went straight to the point:
"I have a clue that I wish to provide to Lady Rong."
"What clue?"
Ouyang Rong said calmly:
"The clues from the Wei Shaoxuan case."
Rongzhen immediately turned around and saw that her brows were tightly furrowed:
Do you have any leads?
Ouyang Rong's words were concise and to the point:
"Last year I was the magistrate of Longcheng County, and I had experience in disaster relief, flood control, and the Liu Family Sword Shop."
"At the last meeting of the Supervisory Council, I did not speak up for Yunmeng Jianze regarding the child bride matter. Rather, I felt that there was someone else involved, and that Yunmeng Jianze might have been deliberately misled."
Who do you think the murderer is?
He bent down to clean the tea set, and slowly said:
"Is it possible that Wei Shaoqi and his group were not killed in Yunmengze, but were killed back in Longcheng, and that the Dingjian was intercepted?"
"What's the meaning?"
Rongzhen frowned, puzzled.
"But besides Yunmeng Sword Marsh, what other forces nearby could silently eliminate Qiu Shenji and Wei Shaoxuan?"
Ouyang Rong shook his head:
"I don't know. But Lady Rong could ask Young Master Wei if any of his people witnessed Wei Shaoxuan and Qiu Shenji appearing together in Longcheng later?"
He spoke calmly, defending a certain sword-shaped marshland, saying:
"Since the owner of the Butterfly Love Flower can impersonate Wei Shaoxuan, why can't his whereabouts in Yunmeng Sword Marsh also be an impersonation?"
Rong Zhen seemed to understand: "That makes sense. Ouyang Lianghan, what evidence or clues do you have?"
Ouyang Rong raised his eyes:
“I’ll mention a suspicious person. Rongzhen can go back and ask Wei Shaoqi and the others if they know anything about him.”
Who is it?
"Liu Zilin, the third son of the Liu family."
"The Liu family?"
“Yes, the Liu family of Longcheng back then.” Ouyang Rong nodded, and at the same time, he noticed that Rong Zhen’s expression was a little strange, so he immediately asked, “What’s wrong, does Lady Rong know them?”
"It's alright, please continue."
Ouyang Rong nodded:
"Back in Longcheng, the eldest and second young masters of the Liu family died one after another. It was later discovered that only the third young master of the Liu family had disappeared without a trace, neither alive nor dead."
Rongzhen murmured, "Liu Zilin..."
Ouyang Rong nodded:
"Anyway, I haven't seen him again, and I don't know if the Wei family has seen him or not. If I'm not mistaken, Wei Shaoxuan's Ding sword is related to the Liu family's Guyue sword shop."
"As the third young master of the Liu family, Liu Zilin most likely knows the secrets of the Dingjian. Who wouldn't be ambitious for such a mythical item, especially since none of the three Liu brothers are good people?"
Rong Zhen suddenly said:
"I know that Liu Ziwen, the eldest son of the Liu family, was killed by Liu Zian, the second son. Liu Zian's death was also secretly planned by Liu Zilin."
Ouyang Rong looked at Rong Zhen with a puzzled expression.
"These were all revealed by Wei Shaoqi. I've been investigating the Liu family's affairs these past few days and have learned some things as well."
"No wonder Lady Rong had that expression just now." Ouyang Rong suddenly realized, and then asked, "Where is Liu Zilin? Did he go to seek refuge with the Prince of Wei's mansion?"
Rong Zhen shook her head: "No, Wei Shaoqi said he has disappeared without a trace."
Ouyang Rong frowned:
"Looking at it this way, Liu Zilin is indeed somewhat suspicious."
"During the time when Wei Shaoxuan and Qiu Shenji came to Longcheng, I saw that Liu Zilin was always by their side. He is a loyal lackey of the Wei family. It was probably him who colluded with the Wei family to betray Liu Zian."
"But why didn't he later go to the Prince of Wei's mansion and accept the generous reward on behalf of the Liu family?"
Rongzhen seemed to be deep in thought:
"If he weren't dead, or if there weren't ghosts..."
She suddenly lowered her voice and said:
“Ouyang Lianghan, regarding the Liu family, Wei Shaoqi came to see me last night and told me something in private, which is also an important clue.”
"Wh...what clue?"
Ouyang Rong asked calmly:
"Why haven't we heard anything? Did Wei Shaoqi contact you privately?"
"Yes, no one else was notified."
Rong Zhen nodded, glanced around, then narrowed her eyes slightly and said:
"Wei Shaoqi sorted out Li Li's secret letters and learned that the Liu family once had a guest named Yu Zhi, who followed the crooked ways of sorcerers. It is said that she could use a bronze mask to change the appearance of others."
Ouyang Rong immediately raised an eyebrow.
"A bronze mask?"
Rong Zhen gritted her teeth: "Yes, a bronze mask, what a coincidence."
Ouyang Rong's expression turned serious:
"So... um, that connects them all."
"That's right. The clues have come together."
Rong Zhen nodded emphatically: "The missing Liu Zilin is indeed highly suspicious."
The two remained silent for a while, their expressions reflecting their deep thoughts.
Rongzhen stood up:
“Ouyang Lianghan, your clue is very useful. I will go find Wei Shaoqi now to confirm the situation again.”
"good."
Ouyang Rong immediately stood up, and the two walked out of the main building of Yunshui Pavilion.
Ouyang Rong escorted Rong Zhen all the way to the back gate.
He turned around, preparing to return to a waiting carriage in the courtyard.
Outside the courtyard gate, in the shadows where the lanterns couldn't reach, the cold, palace-dressed girl suddenly turned around:
“Ouyang Lianghan”.
"What's wrong?"
"Tonight you revealed your selfish motives, but what if I told you that I also had my own selfish motives for coming to Xunyang City?"
Ouyang Rong followed up by asking:
"What ulterior motives does Lady Rong have?"
Rongzhen stood with her arms tucked into her sleeves, making it impossible to see her expression clearly.
After a moment, Ouyang Rong asked cautiously, "Why aren't you saying anything?"
"We'll talk about it when we have time. You should get some rest."
Rongzhen waved her hand, turned around and left.
Ouyang Rong watched with curiosity as the somewhat bewildered girl's figure disappeared into the distance.
After a short while, his expression gradually calmed down, and he sighed softly, muttering to himself:
"Yes, who is without selfishness... You have something to say but I have the same thought."
Ouyang Rong rubbed his face and returned to the carriage.
“Back to Huaiye Lane.”
Ouyang Rong gave an order, and the carriage slowly started moving.
“My love.”
Inside the carriage, Ye Weilai, who had been waiting, suddenly hugged Ouyang Rong.
Ouyang Rong looked down at her small head buried in her chest, her long silver hair flowing down, and gently patted her slender back.
Ouyang Rong didn't ask any questions about what happened to Ye Weilai that afternoon.
"The redemption contract is on the top shelf of the bookshelf. Take it down and pack it carefully. Make sure you haven't forgotten anything. Get it ready, and I'll take it to the Overwatch Council tomorrow."
"Yes, Tanlang."
The white-haired girl nodded, then couldn't help but whisper:
"Did you expect this, Tanlang?"
Ouyang Rong remained silent.
Are you scared this afternoon?
Ye Weilai shook her head vigorously:
“I know that my husband is always here, so I’m not afraid. He is a master strategist, as immovable as a mountain. I have been influenced by him, so I naturally cannot hold him back.”
Ouyang Rong nodded:
"Indeed, these days of reading have enriched my mind, and at least my ability to praise others has improved."
“I’m telling the truth.”
The white-haired girl nestled in his arms looked up and spoke earnestly.
In the dimly lit carriage, she gazed longingly at her beloved's calm face with her blue eyes.
When she was subdued this afternoon, she was indeed not afraid and did not cry with red eyes like last time.
Because at some point I suddenly felt...
Compared to the cold, aloof ladies in palace attire who used force to overwhelm their superiors, Tanrou was far more formidable.
(End of this chapter)
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