Chapter 522 The High-Level Hunter
Something's not right.
"Something's not right."
“Ouyang Lianghan”.
"What's wrong with him? I heard from the people below that he's behaving himself now, isn't he?"
"Why didn't he accept the position of Commander of the Central Army Battalion? He went to the front lines, so why did he come back?"
"Now that you mention it, something does seem off. I wonder what this kid talked about with Marshal Qin at the front lines? Why didn't he accept the official position? Did Marshal Qin change his mind?"
"No matter what, something unusual must be going on."
Inside the Jiangzhou Prefectural Governor's Mansion, Wei Shaoqi, Lin Cheng, and Wang Lengran gathered together.
Lin Cheng frowned in suspicion, while Wang Lengran asked with some curiosity.
After exchanging words, Wei Shaoqi suddenly said:
"Is it possible that it's because of the Prince of Xunyang's residence?"
Wang Lengran asked, puzzled, "What does the Third Young Master mean...?"
Wei Shaoqi calmly said:
"Marshal Qin's statement last time was quite intriguing. He clearly had no intention of aligning himself with the Prince of Xunyang's mansion, yet he still supported Ouyang Lianghan. Even though I was very unhappy, I could only think of one possibility."
"What's possible?"
"It is very likely that Marshal Qin values Ouyang Lianghan's eccentric talent and only sides with Ouyang Lianghan personally, not with the Xunyang Prince's Mansion. In other words, he is not choosing between our Wei family and the Xunyang Prince's Mansion. This can also explain his previous unusual and inconsistent statements."
"The Third Young Master's speculation makes sense..."
Lin Cheng turned around and continued:
"So what the Third Young Master means is that Marshal Qin extended an olive branch, inviting Ouyang Lianghan to serve as the Chief Secretary of the Central Army Camp at the front line, in order to win this boy over to his own side and thus get him out of the hands of the Prince of Xunyang's mansion."
"The Xunyang Prince's Mansion certainly doesn't want to lose Ouyang Lianghan as a strategist, so there's an undercurrent of competition between the Xunyang Prince's Mansion and Marshal Qin when Ouyang Lianghan goes to the front lines."
"Is Ouyang Lianghan's return to Xunyang City without assuming the position of Chief Secretary of the Central Army Camp the result of this covert struggle? Is the relationship between the Xunyang Prince's Mansion and Grand Marshal Qin not as peaceful as it appears on the surface, or even as close as it seems?"
"That's right."
Wei Shaoqi narrowed his eyes slightly:
"Otherwise, why wouldn't Ouyang Lianghan take the perfectly good position of Chief Secretary, which is almost second only to the emperor on the front lines? Aren't these Confucian scholars all proud and ambitious?"
"When Marshal Qin sent Qin Yanqing and the others last time, he personally invited him over in front of us. That was already giving us a lot of face. It was like sending charcoal in snowy weather."
"With such treatment of a national hero, I refuse to believe that any scholar could remain unmoved."
The more Wei Shaoqi spoke, the more resolute his tone became.
Wang Lengran nodded slightly: "What the Third Young Master said makes sense."
"Lin Cheng, what do you think?"
Wei Shaoqi and Wang Lengran turned their gazes to the slightly chubby young man who was deep in thought and silent.
“What the Third Young Master said is reasonable and well-founded.”
The latter hesitated for a moment, then said, "However..."
"But what? Stop keeping me in suspense," Wei Shaoqi urged.
Lin Cheng pondered for a moment;
"However... there is another possibility, which is also the most dangerous one."
Before anyone could press him, he said quietly:
“Ouyang Lianghan is probably still unconvinced, unconvinced by me, unconvinced by His Majesty, and unconvinced by the arrangements made by His Highness Prince Wei, the Supervisor of the Heavenly Pivot Construction! That’s why he stayed…”
"What Young Master Lin means is..."
Wang Lengran was suddenly startled.
Wei Shaoqi narrowed his eyes:
"Does Ouyang Lianghan really have such audacity? This is an affair personally approved by His Majesty."
Lin Cheng hesitated for a moment, then nodded:
"It's just a guess."
"He certainly doesn't respect me, but as for the Emperor, I doubt he would be so audacious. After being demoted for defying the imperial decree and risking his life, he still dares to hold a grudge against the Emperor, especially for deliberately damaging the statues commissioned by His Majesty. Unless he's courting death..."
"However, we still need to be careful with this boy, just in case. In Governor Wang's words, this boy is indeed a bit strange."
"That's right."
Wang Lengran nodded vigorously, gripping the cuffs of his official robes, and gritted his teeth as he said:
"Moreover, Ouyang Lianghan has been operating in Xunyang City for so long and has quite a few followers. Even if he doesn't dare to openly obstruct Young Master Lin, it wouldn't be difficult for him to sabotage him in secret."
"Yes, that's right. If I were him, I wouldn't be able to stand this insult either."
Wang Lengran clenched his fist and pounded his palm heavily, increasingly convinced that it was possible, drawing parallels between himself and others:
"It's possible that this kid came back this time with the intention of causing trouble, doing whatever he can to annoy us."
"Then let him come! Are you afraid of this brat?"
Wei Shaoqi flashed his gleaming white teeth, his eyes gleaming arrogantly:
"I do hope he can be a little bolder. If he's not convinced, he should fight. Why hold back?"
“Aren’t you, Ouyang Lianghan, a recognized upright official in the court and among the people? Aren’t you the backbone of the literati? Yet you are used by those poor and pedantic scholars to criticize and insult my Wei family every day.”
"Now we're going to seize your Xunyang Grottoes and build statues in Xingzifang, which you absolutely refused to agree to. Even His Majesty has demoted you to Jiangzhou Sima and forced your stubborn head down so you can witness this scene firsthand."
"If you, Ouyang Lianghan, have the guts to cause trouble again by 'refusing to obey imperial orders'?"
Wang Lengran sneered:
"If he dares to jump out and cause trouble, then the nature of his actions will be different from the last time when he 'refused to obey the imperial edict'."
"Last time, it was only because the Prince of Xunyang and his men backed down and secretly hid his memorial of remonstrance that His Majesty turned a blind eye."
"This time, daring to cause trouble has truly touched a raw nerve. Even if the Master, the Prince of Xunyang, the Prince of Xiang, and even the Grand General of the Jiangnan Army all plead for him, they still can't save his life."
Wei Shaoqi pursed his lips, picked up the teacup from the table, slowly blew on it, and sipped the tea:
"Heh, I'd like to see just how tough this bone is."
Lin Cheng listened with his eyes lowered for a while, then raised his head and said earnestly to the two of them:
"I really like this saying: A high-level hunter is one who sees the trap, walks in, and retrieves the rope."
Wei Shaoqi and Wang Lengran raised their eyebrows, while Lin Cheng made the arrangement in a calm tone:
"If you want to trip someone up, there are only a few ways."
"First is Yuan Huaimin, Prefect Wang. You will be keeping an eye on Yuan Huaimin in the main hall of Jiangzhou. He is likely to become Ouyang Lianghan's pawn. However, if he dares to make a move, chop off his hooves and strip him of his official robes as Prefect of Jiangzhou."
"Secondly, there is the head of the Donglin Buddha... Third Young Master, you must keep in touch with the Prince of Wei's residence and remind the Prince of Wei that we must ensure that the head of the Donglin Buddha is transported smoothly from the capital to Xunyang City. This is the most crucial part of this statue making process."
"As for other methods... Marshal Qin has already made it clear that he will not get involved. Marshal Qin knows that His Majesty values the Donglin Buddha, so he should not deliberately make things difficult for the Xingzifang statue construction."
Lin Cheng stood up, patted the dust off his clothes, and walked out the door under the watchful eyes of Wei Shaoqi and Wang Lengran.
"Well, I'll go and pay my respects to Lady Rongzhen again. Actually... this Lady Rongzhen is one of the people in Jiangzhou who least wants His Majesty's Buddha statue to have any problems."
"Those who share the same interests are friends."
...
Two days have passed since Ouyang Rong returned from the front lines.
As Ouyang Rong walked through the main hall of Jiangzhou, he was frequently met with curious and strange glances.
However, this former Chief Administrator of Jiangzhou, who died disobeying the imperial edict and later gained a great reputation for integrity, and who even refused the offer of a position personally extended by Marshal Qin, is now the Sima of Jiangzhou.
The officials remained respectful, unlike how they had treated Yuan Huaimin before.
After all, the mere presence of the Xie family of Chenjun was enough to extinguish any sycophants' ambitions.
That evening, in the main hall of Jiangzhou.
Ouyang Rong sat idly for the afternoon, packed his things, and prepared to go off duty with his colleagues.
As soon as he stood up, he saw a cold, palace-dressed girl standing silently in the long corridor as dusk fell.
"Lady Rong?"
Rongzhen, whom I hadn't seen for many days, walked into the main hall.
He still has that same cold, indifferent face that he owes money.
However, she changed her usual plain white court dress into a water-red court dress.
The light red high-waisted fitted dress, paired with a short-sleeved blouse, looks simple and elegant at first glance.
Moreover, red is usually a color that makes people look fat, but Rongzhen still looks very thin in it... This may be related to the delicate and small collarbone that is faintly visible below her neck.
However, whenever Ouyang Rong had the leisure to observe Rong Zhen's outfit, he couldn't help but wonder if she was still wearing that faded purple undergarment underneath.
My apologies, my apologies.
Ouyang Rong silently shifted his gaze... afraid of hearing the dull sound of the wooden fish being used to dedicate merit.
"Why is Lady Rong here?"
Rong Zhen did not answer, but said softly:
“Ouyang Lianghan, Lin Cheng came to see me yesterday.”
"Oh? What did he say?"
Rong Zhen pursed her lips, bypassed the question, and said seriously:
"I heard that you turned down the position of Commander of the Central Army Battalion at the front?"
Yes, that's true.
Why are you refusing?
"I can't stand being on the front lines, Xunyang is much better."
"But what can you do in Xunyang?"
Ouyang Rong thought for a moment, then said seriously:
"What can I do? It's not like Xunyang can't accommodate me. Isn't the position of Jiangzhou Sima quite good? Naturally, I should do what a Jiangzhou Sima should do."
Rongzhen frowned slightly, looked at him for a while, her expression hesitant.
Seeing this, Ouyang Rong nodded and said:
"I understand. What Lady Rong is trying to say is that some things may be hard to accept, but they have already happened, especially since it was His Majesty's will. It is said that the ruler and the subject should be like ruler and subject, father and son. How can a subject disobey his ruler and father..."
"That's right. Ouyang Lianghan, what do you think?"
Ouyang Rong smiled:
Whether I feel it or not is not important; what matters is that it's all in the past.
Rong Zhen breathed a slight sigh of relief upon hearing the second half of the sentence:
"It's good that you can figure it out."
She paused, then added earnestly with her small face:
"However, your opinion is also very important. But there are many people and things in this world that are no greater than the ruler or father... This applies to both of us. Remember this well."
"Thank you for the reminder, Ms. Rong."
Ouyang Rong nodded calmly, then looked a little embarrassed and said:
"Actually, the reason I came back this time is to take care of the Xunyang Prince's Mansion nearby. I don't want to go too far away."
"I see."
Rongzhen nodded slightly:
"That's good. I guessed you would feel the same way before I came."
Ouyang Rong smiled and said, "It seems that Lady Rong has always trusted me and never made any malicious assumptions. I don't know how to repay her."
Rong Zhen waved his hand, his tone somewhat indifferent, and said:
“Ouyang Lianghan, I know your character and temperament well. Just don’t do anything impulsive and foolish like you did at Xunyang Wharf last time. Being carefree is fine, but life is more important. I feel quite guilty about what happened at Xunyang Grottoes. I didn’t help you. I even advised you to hold on to Xunyang Grottoes when Lin Cheng revealed his ambitions…”
Ouyang Rong said softly, "Lady Rong is indeed loyal to His Majesty."
Rong Zhen immediately straightened her expression, her pretty face unusually serious as she said:
"The Sage is the ruler of all the people of the Great Zhou Dynasty. He is devoted to the country and manages countless affairs every day. There are some things that we may not understand, but the Sage has his own difficulties and hardships. We need to be understanding and not cause trouble."
Ouyang Rong nodded with a smile.
Immediately afterwards, Rongzhen said:
"Lin Cheng came to see me yesterday. Besides talking about your failure to take on the new position of Chief Secretary and expressing some concern, he also asked me to come and invite you to attend the Xingzifang statue-making event. He said you are welcome to come anytime."
"Does Lady Rong think I should go?"
"No. I'm just passing on a message, hoping to prevent any further conflict between you."
Ouyang Rong countered, "I don't want us to clash... because he and Lady Rong are both Xia Guan Lingtai Lang of the Imperial Observatory, they're from the same school?"
"no."
Rong Zhen turned her head away and said coldly, "It's because I'm afraid he'll court death that I keep provoking you."
"Ms. Rong flatters me. Brother Lin has really picked a weak spot by stepping on me this time."
Ouyang Rong sighed.
Rong Zhen glanced at Ouyang Rong's expression, naturally not taking it seriously, and suddenly spoke:
“Ouyang Lianghan, Lin Cheng’s teacher is the Deputy Director of the Imperial Observatory. Even the Grand Master of Fate has to consider his reputation, so there are some things we need to be careful about. I also want to teach him a lesson, but we must not cross the line…”
"I know, I know."
Ouyang Rong spread his hands helplessly:
“I’ve already said that I’ve returned to do what the Jiangzhou Sima should do. How dare I, a mere Sima, offend the esteemed disciple of your Deputy Director of the Imperial Observatory? I’ve already told you, Brother Lin, that you’ve picked a soft target; I’m not joking.”
Rong Zhen suddenly said, "Don't dare to provoke me? Then how did you provoke me before? Did you think I was easy to provoke?"
Ouyang Rong was speechless.
Before he could reply, Rongzhen immediately switched back to the original topic.
"What is the job of the Jiangzhou Sima? Isn't this a sinecure? What is he supposed to do?" she asked, looking puzzled.
Ouyang Rong remained noncommittal and asked softly:
"What has Lady Rong been busy with lately?"
"We have already sent people to Longcheng to track down the prime suspect, Liu Zilin."
"I just returned the day before yesterday. I've recently heard that many poetry gatherings and literary contests are being held in Xunyang. I plan to go and take a look, to see if the owner of Butterfly Loves Flowers is any less cultured. This scoundrel is quite talented. I don't believe he's been keeping his true colors hidden all this time. As long as he's still in Xunyang, he'll inevitably be exchanging poems with other literati..."
Ouyang Rong nodded and suggested:
"Alright, let's go together from now on. If you find any clues, please remember to call me, Lady Rong."
"Why did I call you? Don't you usually have anything important to do?" Rongzhen asked, puzzled.
“This is what the Jiangzhou Sima should do: handle everything except official business.” He said with a serious expression.
Rong Zhen:......
(End of this chapter)
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