Chapter 536 The Buddha head is huge, please bear with it (Seeking monthly votes!)
"Hasn't Lady Rong arrived for her shift yet?"
"Um."
"Did she go to investigate a case and suddenly have a lead? She called me over this morning yesterday evening."
"This humble servant is unaware."
"Okay, thank you for your hard work."
Ouyang Rong let go of the familiar female official who had stopped him in the corridor, turned around and returned the way he came, leaving the Censorate.
He stood on the steps, arms crossed, looking up at the sky.
There was no sun this morning; the sky was overcast.
The withered branches and trees swayed in the wind, and the brisk west wind blowing from the Xunyang River swept away the last remaining fallen leaves of late autumn from the streets like a broom.
Looking at the sky, it looks like it's about to rain at any moment.
This cold wave since the beginning of winter has brought two light rains, and after a two-day break, today is likely to be the third.
At the entrance of the Supervisory Commission, Ouyang Rong did not leave immediately. Instead, he turned around and went to a familiar breakfast stall next door, where he ordered a bowl of hot vegetable porridge with two steamed buns.
While kneading the dough, the shop owner asked him with a smile why the aloof and pretty young lady who used to come with him wasn't there.
Ouyang Rong smiled but did not answer, and sat upright to wait for the meal.
This morning, Rongzhen invited him over for breakfast.
Yes, it's the meal Rongzhen said she owed last time.
This lady was very trustworthy.
However, Ouyang Rong was cowardly... no, he was acting on his heart.
In particular, the "double yolk egg blessing" that offered a buy-one-get-one-free deal a few days ago served as a wake-up call.
So he came prepared, anticipating that this morning might be a trap.
Ouyang Rong lowered his head and adjusted his right sleeve.
Out of the corner of my eye, I glanced at a bandaged hand peeking out from under the sleeve.
The palm of the hand appeared to have been cut by a sharp weapon, wrapped with several layers of bandages, and a faint red tinge could be seen through the white bandages.
After the hot porridge with vegetables was served, Ouyang Rong's right hand, which was bandaged with a new wound, was a little inconvenient to hold the bowl, so he had to use his left hand to slowly drink the porridge.
Soon, Ouyang Rong finished his breakfast alone in a rather leisurely manner, and then stood up.
"Um, boss, put it on Ms. Rong's tab, she can pay for it later. Hmm, this meal is on her treat."
He solemnly gave the shop owner his instructions.
The latter was taken aback.
"Oh, yes, young master, please take care."
Anyway, they were all regular customers who came here often. The young man in front of them seemed well-educated, polite, and mild-mannered. As for the female official surnamed Rong, she should work in the Censorate next door. They often saw her coming and going, and she spoke with a Jingzhao accent. Although they didn't know her official position, she wouldn't be short of money and default on her debts.
Ouyang Rong nodded, satisfaction in his eyes, and turned to leave.
It's best if he's not here; this meal is already a return favor, and there's no need to repay the favor.
What does it mean for masters to clash?
As a result, the happy person hadn't even taken two steps before the smile on their face disappeared.
"Ouyang Lianghan?"
"Ms. Rong...Ms. Rong."
Rongzhen rode alone through the streets, heading straight for the Censorate, but spotted him with sharp eyes and immediately called out.
She dismounted and blocked Ouyang Rong's path.
"Why didn't you wait for me?" she asked, frowning.
"Since you weren't here..."
Ouyang Rong gave a very honest explanation, glancing sideways at the orange-red sachet tied around her waist.
Rongzhen turned her head, her curious gaze falling on the breakfast stall behind him.
Before Ouyang Rong could even speak, the shop owner greeted him warmly:
"Good morning, Miss Rong. Would you like a bowl of spicy soup? Oh, by the way, this young master just finished eating and said he'd put it on your tab."
Ouyang Rong: ...
Rong Zhen turned around and looked at Ouyang Rong.
The two looked at each other, and the atmosphere became slightly awkward.
Ouyang Rong said with a serious expression, "I noticed you weren't here..."
Okay. Remember that.
Rong Zhen nodded to the shop owner, interrupting Ouyang Rong's words.
Turning back, she said seriously:
"I promised to treat you, but I have something important to do today... I apologize for not being able to entertain you properly this time, I'll make it up to you next time."
Ouyang Rong swallowed all his words.
He kept smiling: "Okay, okay."
Rong Zhen's gaze suddenly lowered and quickly focused on his right palm.
Ouyang Rong subconsciously hid his hand behind his back.
But she grabbed his sleeve and pulled him out.
What happened to your hand?
Ouyang Rong looked embarrassed.
"Yesterday in the study, I accidentally tore the paper with a paper cutter, and cut my hand in the process. Ugh, it's not even convenient to hold a pen now, which is a bit annoying."
He made a silent complaint.
Unexpectedly, the lady of the house reacted with surprising intensity:
"You're such a grown man, how can you be so careless? Aren't there maids in the study? Why do you have to do the paper cutting?"
Rong Zhen's pretty face showed displeasure. She pointed a slender finger at his right palm, which was bandaged like a carrot, and said in a harsh tone:
"Untie it, let me see."
Ouyang Rong was slightly taken aback. "Huh?"
She said sternly, "I told you to untie it."
Ouyang Rong had no choice but to lower his head obediently, slowly unwrapping the bandage on his palm, muttering to himself:
"It's really a scratch, are you trying to lie..."
The girl in palace attire didn't utter a sound.
"Have you finished looking...?"
As Ouyang Rong spoke, he looked up and was immediately taken aback. He found that she was leaning forward, her head lowered, her brows slightly furrowed as she carefully examined the injury on his hand... She ignored his slightly complaining words.
"You were cut diagonally by a sharp object, and the wound looks quite deep. Also, it seems like you've lost a lot of blood? Was the bandage applied very late after you were injured... How could you be so clumsy, getting injured even while cutting paper..."
As she frowned and muttered to herself, Rongzhen reached into her bosom, pulled out an item, and handed it to her with her palm open.
"This is……"
Ouyang Rong asked curiously.
In her fair palm lay a bright green pill, faintly scented with herbs.
"Swallow it. This pill was prepared within the prison and comes from the Louguan Taoist sect. It can quickly heal injuries, replenish qi and blood, and treat both internal and external ailments..."
"Um, actually, a few days of rest is enough. Isn't it too wasteful to swallow pills?"
Ouyang Rong looked embarrassed.
"You are a scholar; your right hand is important, and it shouldn't affect your writing in the future."
She spoke with an unusually serious expression.
"Okay, I guess I owe you a favor..."
He nodded helplessly.
Rongzhen did not respond.
Under her watchful gaze, Ouyang Rong re-tied his pale, bloodless, slender right hand with a cloth strip, borrowed a ladle of water from the breakfast stall owner, and swallowed the emerald green pill.
Rong Zhen did not look away, but looked Ouyang Rong up and down at his attire.
"Why are you dressed so casually? Where's your official robes? Aren't you on duty today?"
Ouyang Rong was dressed in a clean, light blue scholar's robe, with a snow-white fox fur shawl wrapped around his neck for warmth. The robe was a thicker version, with fine stitches, made by A Qing.
"There's a poetry gathering about chrysanthemums at Xunyang Tower this morning. I'll head over there later."
Rongzhen nodded slightly:
"I see. Alright, go ahead. I have other matters to attend to and may not be able to accompany you this time. While you're at it, keep an eye out for any clues about the owner of the Butterfly Love Flower."
Ouyang Rong said without changing his expression:
"Alright, anyway, this time it's organized by that young princess from the Xunyang Prince's Mansion. You probably don't like to have contact with the Xunyang Prince's Mansion, so it's fine if you don't go."
"By the way, what have you been up to? You seemed to be in such a hurry when you came back. Oh, did you go to Twin Peaks outside the city last night?"
"Yes...how did you know?"
Under Rong Zhen's sudden, focused gaze, Ouyang Rong pointed downwards to the hem of her palace dress and embroidered shoes, and said:
"It's covered in mud. Judging by the color of the mud, it should be from the Shuangfengjian area... Don't look at me like that. I used to go to Xunyang Grottoes often, and I know what kind of mud my shoes get when I come back from that area on a rainy day."
He chuckled and continued asking:
Why would you leave the city for no reason?
Rong Zhen withdrew her gaze, let out a soft breath, and simply nodded without saying a word.
Ouyang Rong, however, was staring at her.
Rongzhen avoided eye contact, glanced back at the direction of the West Gate where she had just rushed over, and hesitated, as if she wanted to say something but then stopped.
Never mind, I didn't ask.
Ouyang Rong suddenly spoke up:
"I won't be going to the Jiangzhou Hall today. I'll just go to the Chrysanthemum Poetry Gathering in Xunyang City this morning to join in the fun."
Rong Zhen lowered her eyes and said, "Okay."
He muttered to himself, "It's best not to go...it's best not to go...there's nothing worth going..."
I don't know what she was specifically referring to.
"Ouyang Lianghan, don't go to Xingzifang today. Just stay in Xunyang Tower and have fun. I'll come find you after I've finished my business," she repeatedly instructed.
“Okay,” Ouyang Rong replied without changing his expression.
Rong Zhen seemed to remember something and asked:
Are you acquainted with that pipa player surnamed Qin at Xunyang Tower?
"Yes, I have some connections with Master Qin."
"Okay, I'll introduce you to an interesting senior figure another day."
Rongzhen looked up again and said, "You go about your business. When we're done today, I'll take him to find you."
"Either is fine, no rush."
Ouyang Rong nodded gently.
Seeing that nothing was amiss, he took his leave.
After watching him leave, Rongzhen hurriedly entered the Overwatch Council.
Before long, she led all the female officials of the Censorate out to the city gate to welcome a certain Buddha statue.
...
Ouyang Rong returned to the carriage.
He didn't go to the Jiangzhou lobby to work; now he's basically a complete slacker who's always late and leaves early.
He looked down at the wound on his right palm.
Then he turned his head to look in the direction of the West Gate, where Rongzhen was rushing off to.
His expression was calm.
He bent down and took out a violin case from below, then stroked it.
The carriage arrived at Jingyiting.
Xie Lingjiang boarded the carriage.
"Senior Brother."
"Um."
I greeted them.
Xie Lingjiang subconsciously took the violin case and placed it on her lap.
The two traveled together to the Xunyang Prince's Mansion, intending to meet up with Li Xian's family and then go to Xunyang Tower to attend a poetry gathering.
Xie Lingjiang suddenly frowned, as if she had sensed something, and looked down at the piano case that was the wrong weight.
"This is……"
Under Ouyang Rong's calm expression, she opened the violin case and found a violin lying inside.
There was no sword.
Ouyang Rong said softly, "You recite poems, and I'll play the zither. We need to find something to do at Xunyang Tower."
"good."
After closing the zither case, Xie Lingjiang didn't ask any further questions about where the sword was.
Ouyang Rong suddenly took out a pill box and handed it to Xie Lingjiang:
"Lu Ya gave it to us to give to Da Lang. You can pass it on to him privately later."
"For Dalang?"
"Lu Ya said that the eldest son had drunk the red and black talisman water of Master Yuan, and could cast a divine decree in times of crisis. This was what he was told last time... However, since it involves the safety of the heir, the Shangqing Sect Ancestral Hall discussed it and decided that in order to avoid harming his physical body, just in case, it would be better to take this Qi-replenishing pill in the future."
"Give this pill to Dalang and give him some instructions."
"good."
Xie Lingjiang immediately recalled the figures of Lu Ya and his sister that she had seen at Huang Feihong's door that day, and nodded.
Before long, the carriage arrived at the Xunyang Prince's Mansion.
But then, an unexpected and urgent message came from the governor's office.
The head of the Donglin Buddha has arrived and is ready to be brought into the city.
The governor's office informed the Prince of Xunyang to come and welcome them.
Everyone was taken aback.
Actually, it's quite late to be announced now that we're preparing to enter the city, but everyone has already gotten used to it.
Lin Cheng, who holds the power to create the statues, and the governor's mansion have already largely sidelined the Jiangzhou main hall and the Xunyang Prince's mansion.
"Why are you only notifying me now?" Li Dalang said, displeased.
Ouyang Rong lifted the carriage curtain and addressed the crowd at the entrance of the Prince's Mansion:
"Your Highness and the Crown Prince should go and take a look, just go through the motions. The Princess, the Little Princess, and I will wait for you at Xunyang Tower first."
After exchanging glances, Li Xian and Li Dalang had no choice but to turn around, change into formal clothes, and hurry off.
Ouyang Rong turned his head:
"Junior Sister, you should go too, to protect the Prince and the Crown Prince."
"Okay." She then asked, "Isn't Senior Brother going?"
Ouyang Rong smiled and shook his head, gently patting the zither case with his palm.
"good."
Xie Lingjiang dismounted from the carriage, too lazy to change her clothes. She wore the elaborate lady's dress she had dressed for the day and headed towards the west gate.
At the entrance of the Prince's Mansion, Li Guo'er, dressed in her finest attire, her face veiled by a delicate purple gauze, kept her eyes fixed on Ouyang Rong's expression.
Very calm.
It was hard to tell whether he was calm and collected or completely unsurprised.
...
When Li Xian, Xie Lingjiang, and the others arrived at the West Gate late, the city wall was already crowded with people.
Rong Zhen, Wei Shaoqi, Lin Cheng, and Wang Lengran were already on the city wall.
Also present were Yangzhou merchants such as Pei Shisan Niang and Shen Bingqiang, who assisted in the demolition of Xingzifang.
Looking around the city walls, one sees people from the governor's office and female officials from the Censorate.
However, the old woman with the disdainful eyes and the old musician were nowhere to be seen last night.
The 800 elite soldiers from the Guanzhong Zhechong Prefecture who had escorted the Buddha all the way have taken over the city's defenses and are on high alert.
Chen You and Yan Liulang, the two military advisors in charge of the defense of the West Gate, could only temporarily step aside and nominally assist them.
Li Xian and Li Dalang arrived at a reasonable time.
Later, Yuan Huaimin also rushed over, wiping his sweat as he looked at the grand and solemn scene with some bewilderment.
He was obviously only just notified.
Good heavens, these days, they really don't inform the Jiangzhou government at all about some things.
The Prince of Xunyang and his son exchanged a glance, their expressions turning serious. They then climbed the city wall together with Yuan Huaimin and joined the others.
Wei Shaoqi glanced back, especially at Li Dalang, and snorted coldly.
Lin Cheng and Wang Lengran didn't have time to turn around and exchange pleasantries with the Prince of Xunyang and his son, which seemed somewhat impolite, but at the moment, no one cared about that.
The Buddha's head and statue can be combined today, and the entire structure will be completed!
Wei Shaoqi and Wang Lengran both had burning eyes.
Lin Cheng's expression calmed down slightly, and he occasionally glanced at the surrounding sky from the top of the city wall.
On the official road outside the city, a large Buddha statue covered with fireproof tarpaulin was slowly transported by a horse-drawn carriage and slowly entered the bridge arch below.
The crowd watched in silence.
But the next second, the Buddha head convoy stopped, and after waiting for a while, it still didn't move.
Lin Cheng frowned, and Wang Lengran asked impatiently:
"What's wrong? Why isn't it moving?"
All that could be seen was a square-faced captain running out from under the bridge below the city gate, who clasped his hands in greeting to Military Advisors Chen and Yan and said a few words to them.
Chen and Yan peered under the bridge. Military advisor Chen You jogged upstairs, clasped his hands in greeting before the group, and looked troubled.
"Reporting to Your Highness and Your Excellency, the Buddha head is very large. Although the bridge arch looks large, the passageway inside is rather narrow, and it's causing a slight obstruction. We may need to wait a while while some wooden pillars and beams are removed..."
Lin Cheng's expression froze.
The people on the city wall looked at each other in bewilderment.
(End of this chapter)
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