Chapter 524 The Lady Historian is Kind of Cute (Happy May Day, please vote with monthly tickets~)
Jiangzhou Main Hall.
The publication of his poem "A Night Visit to Chengtian Temple" unexpectedly made Yuan Huaimin the focus of attention among a group of officials.
After Rongzhen returned the booklet that Yuan Huaimin was carrying, she led the group of female officials out and left.
The atmosphere was no longer as heavy as before.
Rongzhen wasn't actually very proficient in poetry and prose; she only focused on literary style.
Inside the main hall, Ouyang Rong stood up and, instead of joining his colleagues to congratulate and praise Yuan Huaimin, silently walked out the door to see Rong Zhen off.
The girl in her cold, palace-style attire straightened her pretty face.
As they arrived at the entrance of Jiangzhou Hall and were about to part ways, Rongzhen paused.
She turned around and gave him a serious, deliberate warning:
"If you can't sleep at night, just stay in your room and practice your inner energy cultivation. Don't hang out with Yuan Huaimin and the others."
"If I remember correctly, you are still at the lower-grade Qi Refining level. If you don't want to repeat what happened to Huang Xuan's family that day, you need to hurry up and improve your strength, while you are currently serving as the Jiangzhou Sima and it's a temporary post."
"I share this sentiment with you, and I encourage you to strive for it as well."
She paused, seemingly noticing the slightly confused look on Ouyang Rong's face, and continued earnestly:
"What I mean is not that Yuan Sima is a bad person, but that you are on a different path from them. They may indeed be excellent at poetry and prose, and they may be eloquent, but they are of no benefit to the country."
"I have seen this kind of Confucian scholar in Luoyang. The Sage has nurtured many of them both inside and outside the palace, and they specialize in writing frivolous and ornate articles."
"Of course, there might be some aloof and proud individuals among them, and Yuan Huaimin might even be more capable than them. Moreover, this piece, 'A Night Visit to Chengtian Temple,' which I, who don't read much literature, find excellent, is a stroke of genius, brimming with literary talent. Hmm, I believe it will appeal to many ladies and gentlemen..."
“But, Ouyang Lianghan, you and I are different from them.”
"We are people who do real work, not just talk and show off our writing skills."
"And the worst example is that Butterfly Loves Flowers owner, whose poetic talent has nothing to do with his character; he just hides in the shadows and does shameless things..."
“Ouyang Lianghan, to use my biggest takeaway from this trip out of the palace and to Jiangzhou, this world needs people who are dedicated to doing practical work, and you are such a person. I believe that this is the kind of person the world needs.”
At this point, Rong Zhen's stiff words softened slightly as she looked at Ouyang Rong and said:
"So, this demotion may be disappointing, but a great man can't always have smooth sailing. You can be a little disappointed and frustrated, but as long as you're disappointed, there's no need to associate with scholars like Yuan Huaimin who claim to be elegant and aloof. Even if you get close enough to leave your name in their poems and songs, so what? It's just a small matter for a short time."
“Ouyang Lianghan, the good water conservancy projects like Zheyi Canal and Shuangfengjian that benefit the country and the people are the right way to not waste your talents. Remember this.”
As Ouyang Rong listened, he couldn't help but glance at Rong Zhen, who was speaking to him with some earnestness, and his eyebrows involuntarily rose slightly.
Lady Historian is afraid that he might become envious after seeing Yuan Huaimin's "skillful and accidental" article being highly praised, and thus deviate from his original path, so she is giving him a few words of advice.
"What are you spacing out for? Didn't you hear me?"
Rongzhen frowned and asked with dissatisfaction.
"I heard it, I heard it."
Ouyang Rong nodded seriously and proceeded to summarize:
"Go to bed early and get up early, don't fool around. Seriously, what decent person would stay up all night writing this stuff? Hmm, can someone who stays up all night really be a decent person?"
"Good to know."
The girl in the cold, palace-style dress gave a soft snort and turned to leave.
At the main gate, Ouyang Rong watched her and the group of female officials guarding her disappear around the street corner.
"The way the Lady Historian was earnestly trying to persuade me was actually kind of... cute."
He chuckled softly.
He rubbed his face, turned around, and went back to the main hall of Jiangzhou.
In the side hall, Yuan Huaimin looked at the stunning short essay in front of him and, amidst the congratulations from his colleagues, couldn't help but fall into deep thought.
As Ouyang Rong passed by the door, Yuan Huaimin suddenly shook off his colleague, slipped out, and grabbed Ouyang Rong's sleeve.
"Brother Lianghan."
"What's wrong?"
"Did you see that! Damn, it's written so well, holy crap, so this is my true ability... Looks like I was too modest before."
Ouyang Rong smiled and nodded in agreement:
"As expected of the man who boasted to my aunt that he would create a world-famous work, keep it up."
After bidding farewell to Yuan Huaimin, and arriving at a secluded spot, Ouyang Rong's brilliant ideas, which he could no longer contain, leaped out from his sleeve.
The young woman in Confucian robes spread her hands, her small face devoid of emotion.
"Give me the money. This time, I'm so grateful to this fairy for helping you transfer your literary energy."
"Talking about money hurts feelings."
"No, talking about feelings costs money. Let's not waste money."
"Then consider it a loan, it's still owed."
“If you don’t have money, you can find someone to scam you out of money, and then return the money you scammed to this fairy, isn’t that enough?” she muttered.
Ouyang Rong lowered his head and poked the arrogant little outlaw's raised forehead with his finger:
"Look at this, is this what a human being says?"
Miao Si asked with a serious expression, "What you're doing isn't human. Aren't you already scamming people out of money?"
"I'm asking to borrow from you, not to cheat you," he corrected.
"Ha, borrow? Borrowing money is just cheating your friends. You might as well just cheat outsiders."
"..."
Ouyang Rong sighed: "What you say makes a lot of sense."
With her hands on her hips, Miao Si said proudly:
"No matter what, if you don't pay back what you owe this time, don't expect me to help you next time. We have to settle the debt, understand? This is a matter of principle. We have to prevent someone from bullying you. I'm not a pushover, you know that, you know that..."
Little Mo Jing, who loves money more than anything, repeatedly emphasized this, so Ouyang Rong had no choice but to nod helplessly: "Alright, alright, I'll give you an IOU first, and we'll have to wait a few days..."
Why does this little guy seem harder and harder to fool?
Two days passed quickly.
"A Night Visit to Chengtian Temple" continued to gain traction in Xunyang City, spreading widely and sparking heated discussions.
In particular, the line "Lianghan is also not asleep" has left many people wondering whether he is truly not asleep or just pretending. Could it be that he was woken up in the middle of the night by his mischievous friend?
That morning, Ouyang Rong was late as usual.
Because of the fact that "Liang Han also did not sleep," many Xunyang poetry gatherings are now extending olive branches to Ouyang Rong, inviting him to participate.
Ouyang Rong couldn't refuse, so he selected some large-scale poetry gatherings and elegant events, and even went to discuss with Rong Zhen about selectively attending. This led to him frequently arriving late or leaving early during the day.
In any case, Yuan Huaimin was extremely envious of this kind of life.
Wait a minute, why is it that his lucky poem made Liang Han the center of attention, stealing the spotlight from him who didn't have time to attend the poetry gathering? Damn it, that's not fair!
Faced with the occasional mournful glances from his friend, Ouyang Rong could do nothing but pat him on the shoulder with a sigh, encourage him to do a good job as the chief secretary, and offer some spiritual comfort.
In the morning, in the main hall of Jiangzhou, Ouyang Rong arrived late, a sesame seed cake dangling from his mouth. Just as he entered, he bumped into Li Dalang, who was about to leave.
"Hey, Dalang, what brings you here? You're here before me?"
Li Dalang couldn't help but glance sideways: "I didn't expect the rumors to be true. Tanlang is late every day now."
Ouyang Rong remained calm, eating his pancake without saying a word.
Li Dalang coughed and pointed inside the door:
"Well, I just stopped by for a bit, and thought I'd drop by to see you all. Oh, and I have something else to do, so I'll take my leave now..."
"etc."
Ouyang Rong called out to him, and calmly nodded, saying:
“I just arrived. Liu Lang has been overseeing the repairs of the dilapidated city gate at the West Gate these past two mornings, so he's not here... So who did you come to see?”
Li Dalang scratched his head: "No wonder I couldn't find you guys after searching all over, haha."
Ouyang Rong glanced at his silly grin and changed the subject, asking:
"Wait a moment, it's been a long time since I've been to Yunshui Pavilion. Let's go over together later, have some tea and chat."
Li Dalang looked troubled. "Tanlang, I'm not going to Yunshui Pavilion now. I have something to do today, so let's reschedule and talk somewhere else."
Ouyang Rong raised an eyebrow slightly. "Okay."
He paused, then couldn't help but ask:
"Why have you changed your ways so much? You don't even go to Yunshui Pavilion anymore. Did you really learn your lesson after being scolded by your uncle and aunt?"
"hey-hey."
Li Dalang scratched his head and chuckled, then slipped away before Ouyang Rong could ask any more questions.
Ouyang Rong stood in front of the door, watching his figure disappear into the distance.
A moment later, he turned around, went straight inside, and found Yuan Huaimin engrossed in his work in the main hall. Without further ado, he asked in a calm tone:
"Chief Secretary Yuan, was the Emperor looking for you when he left?"
“Farewell, Your Excellency? Oh, yes, that’s right. He just came over saying he admires my latest article and asked for a copy of the original manuscript of ‘A Night Visit to Chengtian Temple.’ I couldn’t refuse, so I tore out that page and gave it to him.”
"I didn't expect the departing driver to be interested in this," he remarked.
"Is there anything else?" Ouyang Rong asked again.
"It's gone."
"good."
Ouyang Rong nodded in understanding, walked back to his seat, and muttered softly at one point:
"Why would Dalang want the original manuscript for no reason?"
After a long while, still unable to figure it out, I temporarily put the matter out of my mind.
...
Xingzifang.
Inside Chengtian Temple, near Xingzi Lake, a bustling scene of activity unfolded amidst a cloud of dust.
Laborers desperately carrying bricks, ordinary people forced to relocate, monks with worried faces, and stern petty officials arrogantly directing the demolition of old houses to make room for statues.
A panorama of humanity.
Inside a large house that was temporarily requisitioned not far from the construction site of the Donglin Buddha.
Lin Cheng and Wang Lengran were sitting in a relatively quiet, spacious hall, dealing with the inquiries from the officials outside while drinking tea and waiting for something.
A moment later, the two saw Wei Shaoqi rushing over in a huff.
"What's wrong, Third Young Master?"
"Third Young Master, what happened?"
Seeing Lin Cheng's calm face, Wei Shaoqi tried hard to suppress his emotions and waved his hand absentmindedly:
"It's alright, it's alright, let's talk about business."
Wei Shaoqi couldn't very well say directly that it was that damned brat Li Dalang who had secretly come to poach his son again.
I don't know how he has so many tricks up his sleeve. He bypassed the guards who had recently become lax in their duties, found Wei Anhui, chatted with her for a few minutes, and even gave her a ridiculous gift, saying it was a return gift for the clothes she had given him last time.
Wei Shaoqi's face immediately darkened.
Later, he received the news, rushed over, caught him on the spot, and chased Li Dalang away in a fit of rage.
You're lucky you got away fast! Damn it!
If it weren't for the bottom line set by Wang Shuliang, Wei Shaoqi would have loved to tear Li Dalang in half on the spot and throw him into the Xunyang River to feed the fish.
Wei Shaoqi sat down and gulped down two cups of cold tea in quick succession. Only after he felt a little better did he see the handwritten copy of "A Night Visit to Chengtian Temple" being passed around by Lin Cheng and Wang Lengran.
His face flushed red again.
But it wasn't convenient for her to lash out in front of Lin Cheng.
Because the gift that brat just gave to Wei Anhui was a so-called original manuscript of "A Night Visit to Chengtian Temple".
It just so happens that his cousin loved poetry and literature when she was in Luoyang. She enjoyed reading books by talented men and beautiful women, although she wasn't an expert. But isn't that exactly what young ladies of marriageable age like?
They all possess a touch of the melancholic and sentimental nature of artistic young women.
It just so happens that these past few days, "A Night Visit to Chengtian Temple" and "Liang Han also did not sleep" have become extremely famous in Xunyang City, so my cousin could not possibly have not heard of them.
Seventh Sister must have liked the article quite a bit. Before Wei Shaoqi arrived, he gave her a lecture and even tried to forcibly confiscate it, but he almost made Wei Anhui cry. In the end, he had no choice but to give up, quickly coaxed her, and left with a dark face.
He blamed Li Dalang in his mind and rushed over angrily.
"It's nothing serious. In fact, sometimes you don't need to worry too much about trivial matters, Third Young Master. The important thing is to focus on your career. A real man should prioritize his career."
Lin Cheng showed concern and offered his earnest advice.
"Okay, sure."
Wei Shaoqi nodded perfunctorily.
Now, even the once arrogant and unrestrained Lin Cheng is too afraid to meet his gaze, as he has a feeling that this Brother Lin is being cuckolded...
"What are you looking at? It's that same piece of rubbish again. What's so interesting about it?"
Wei Shaoqi spoke up, clearly displeased.
Wang Lengran, who had been praising him in a low voice not long ago, immediately nodded and echoed his sentiments:
"That's right, it's just a romantic and frivolous work. Yuan Huaimin is only a minor talent and is of no use to important matters. There's no need to pay him any mind."
Lin Cheng lowered his eyes and carefully folded up the handwritten manuscript.
"However, I must admit that this young man has the air of a great master. It's a pity that he's only a minor official in Jiangzhou, wasting his literary talent. I particularly like the lines 'the moonlight enters the room' and 'happily set out.' Such concise words, yet they are mutually reinforcing..."
He nodded, then shook his head:
"Upon careful consideration, the beauty of this article actually stems from the truth between the lines. It is concise yet rich in meaning, flowing smoothly, and must be the true scene of that night."
Wei Shaoqi snorted coldly, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.
"No matter which path they take, just don't be like Ouyang Lianghan, courting death and trying to stop a chariot with your bare hands."
Wang Lengran waved his hand impatiently, his eyes darting around as he said:
"The real situation... Third Young Master, Young Master Lin, what do you think of Ouyang Lianghan? It's that Lianghan is also not sleeping, and that he's slacking off and indulging in poetry gatherings. Has this kid really become hopeless?"
"It's not fair to call him completely devastated," Lin Cheng said softly. "But he's been behaving himself, which is different from our expected counterattack. We thought he was coming back to cause another ruckus."
Wei Shaoqi's eyes still held a hint of doubt: "Why do I find it hard to believe that he can change his nature?"
"Yes, there's a possibility it's a smokescreen."
Lin Cheng narrowed his eyes and whispered the instructions:
"Let's wait and see; we can't let our guard down against him."
"That makes sense."
Wei Shaoqi suddenly put down his teacup and said:
"The latest news from the Prince's residence is that the head of the Donglin Buddha is already on its way, and Father is secretly sending people to transport it..."
(End of this chapter)
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