Chapter 543 I'll produce an IOU; how will you respond? (Seeking monthly votes!)
Xunyang Tower.
The lobby on the first floor was empty, yet brightly lit, with a panoramic view of the river at night outside the windows. The building was exceptionally quiet tonight.
Rongzhen stood in front of a white wall in the center of the hall, her slender neck tilted back as she looked at a seven-character quatrain that had been framed and hung high on the wall.
"The west wind rustles through the courtyard, the blossoms are cold and the fragrance is faint, butterflies dare not come... If I were the Green Emperor in the future, I would grant the peach blossoms... to bloom together..."
She murmured softly, her pink lips parting slightly, and gazed intently for a moment, her sleeves tucked behind her ear. The meaning of this sentence is easy to understand; even Rongzhen, who was unfamiliar with poetry, grasped it immediately:
Once I become the Green Emperor, the God of Spring, I will make chrysanthemums and peach blossoms bloom in the beautiful spring sunshine, so that the chrysanthemums, which were originally in the bitter cold of late autumn and ranked last in the spring, can also enjoy the joy of warm fragrance and bees and butterflies fluttering around them...
"How bold and daring! Is this what you call vision and magnanimity..." Inside the hall, the young woman in palace attire stood alone facing the white wall and the new poem, remaining silent for a while.
"He's awake."
A slightly cold, clear female voice suddenly came from behind.
Rongzhen turned around and saw a tall, slender figure in an exquisite and elegant ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) standing at the top of the stairs leading upstairs.
She is Xie Xiaoniangzi, who is rumored to be engaged to Ouyang Lianghan. She is the only daughter of Xie Xun, his mentor and a great Confucian scholar.
This noblewoman, who was the seventeenth in age among the direct descendants of the Xie clan of Chenjun in this generation, shouted to her from a distance.
Rongzhen's keen intuition, unique to women, told her that this noble lady from the Xie family might not be very welcoming to her.
Rong Zhen's expression remained unchanged, showing no intention of leaving in a huff.
"Did Miss Xie tell him?" She stepped forward and asked earnestly.
Xie Lingjiang glanced at her, then turned and went upstairs, leaving behind only a tall, graceful figure, head held high and chest out, like a swan.
"Come with me."
Rongzhen lifted her foot and followed Xie Lingjiang upstairs.
The two women remained silent throughout the journey, one in front of the other.
No one spoke first.
Until Rongzhen, who was walking behind, took out a small orange-red sachet from her sleeve and calmly tied it around her waist.
Xie Lingjiang slowed her pace slightly as she walked ahead, but then resumed her previous steps without looking back.
A faint fragrance of osmanthus blossoms filled the air.
Xie Lingjiang suddenly spoke:
"My eldest brother isn't a good drinker. We often tell him to drink less, but he won't listen. He slept all afternoon today. Although he's sober now, he still has a headache. It's an old problem he brought from Longcheng. When he first took office in Longcheng, he nearly drowned once, and later he was injured and fell into a coma while controlling the floods. He bumped his head on both occasions..."
Rongzhen slightly raised her eyes and looked at the tall woman on the stairs in front of her, who was suddenly chattering about some trivial matters.
After listening to Miss Xie speak at length, she calmly turned back and gave her some instructions:
"So, please hurry up, Lady Historian. Once you've finished explaining, let Senior Brother rest. He's already worried too much about Xunyang City. This period since he was transferred to Jiangzhou as Sima has probably been the most relaxed and easygoing time I've ever known him."
"To be honest, and this might not be something my senior brother would like to hear... I actually think that it wouldn't be so bad for him to take a break as the Jiangzhou Sima."
Rong Zhen suddenly asked, "Miss Xie, do you know why I've come here?"
Xie Lingjiang smiled, then continued to walk lightly up the stairs with her head slightly raised.
A moment later, Rongzhen heard her strangely toned question:
"Do we even need to guess? Everyone who comes to our senior brother is asking him to step in and do something to clean up their messes."
“If nothing goes wrong, no one will remember him. But once something goes wrong and the situation deteriorates, they will remember his good qualities and look for him first.”
Rongzhen was quiet for a while.
Suddenly asked:
"If I become the Green Emperor in the future, I will make the peach blossoms bloom together..." Was that poem on the wall something he composed on the spot at the Chrysanthemum Poetry Gathering this morning?
"Um."
"His handwriting on the wall isn't his, nor does it have his literary flair; it must have been copied there by someone else."
"Yes, the owner of Xunyang Tower loves this poem very much. With the permission of my senior brother and the princess who is the organizer of the poetry gathering, he copied it and hung it up... He has good taste. There is a reason why Xunyang Tower can become one of the famous towers in Jiangnan."
Rongzhen hesitated, as if she wanted to say something but then stopped.
Xie Lingjiang's calm voice came through:
"I like this poem. My senior brother gave me the original manuscript. What's wrong?"
"Nothing much."
Rong Zhen looked away and asked casually:
"Why didn't he go back to Huaiye Lane? He's still staying at Xunyang Tower."
"It's all because the Lady Historian and the Deputy Supervisor ordered the city to be sealed off. I was planning to take my senior brother back to Huaiye Lane this afternoon, but I was told that the whole city was under martial law. The owner of Xunyang Tower and the courtesan, Miss Qin, let my senior brother stay in the tower for the night and wait for the city to be unsealed. I don't know how long the Lady Historian will keep the city under lockdown. It's the court's arrangement, and we commoners can only accept it."
"My eldest brother hadn't even had a chance to rest in the afternoon when the Prince, the Heir Apparent, General Qin, Chief Secretary Yuan, and Military Advisor Yan all came to his door, disturbing his rest."
"Now look what's happened, even the Lady Historian has arrived."
Rongzhen lowered her eyes and said:
"But it seems he refused them all."
Xie Lingjiang didn't turn her head, but asked softly:
"So, Your Excellency believes that you can persuade him by personally going to the scene?"
Rong Zhen remained silent for an unknown period of time before finally uttering five words:
"The people need him."
Xie Lingjiang corrected: "The premise is that you also need it."
Before Rong Zhen could speak again, Xie Lingjiang led her to the top-floor VIP room, stopped, and turned back:
"We've arrived. I'll go pour some tea. My senior brother needs a rest, and Your Excellency only has time for a cup of tea. Please understand."
The girl in palace attire stood still, slowly turning her head to watch Xie Lingjiang's figure disappear down the stairwell.
This woman is a head taller than her.
I was walking up the stairs ahead of her, maintaining a significant height difference while talking to her.
She disliked it very much, especially the tone that suggested she understood and cared about Ouyang Lianghan.
Rongzhen glanced at the door of the private room and knocked lightly twice.
"Please come in."
Rongzhen pushed open the door and found the sound of a pipa echoing in the private room.
Turning my head, I saw two figures inside the large private room.
A courtesan named Qin, holding a pipa, and a young man with his chin resting on his hand, listening to the music with downcast eyes.
Rongzhen went and sat down.
She spoke softly and proactively about the current situation in the city, as well as what had happened at the Xingzi Lake construction site that morning, in great detail, including her and Granny Song's progress in the investigation and their guesses about the suspects...
Ouyang Rong suddenly interrupted her:
"Those who are not in a position should not concern themselves with its affairs. The Prince, Brother Qin, and Brother Yuan came by this afternoon; they should have already told you about it when they got back."
"I am not very talented, but I have one advantage: I am honest and dutiful. The Prince of Wei and the Prince of Liang thought I was in their way, so His Majesty listened to their opinions and transferred me to the position of Sima of Jiangzhou. I understand and will remain in this position and do my job well."
"I am deeply honored that Lady Rong has come to see me tonight. Apart from our personal friendship, let us not discuss state affairs."
Ouyang Rong continued drinking tea and listening to the pipa.
Rong Zhen stared at the man's serious expression for a while, then suddenly nodded:
"I know that, so this time I'm not here to talk about state affairs, nor will I force you to talk about anything else under the guise of some grand principle."
Ouyang Rong nodded calmly, "That's good, thank you for your understanding..."
But to everyone's surprise, Rong Zhen lowered her head, took out a sachet from her waist, placed it on the table, and said something that made Ouyang Rong's eyelids twitch:
"This morning, when you were composing a poem at Xunyang Tower, I was actually outside the tower, intending to come in and ask you for a poem."
She nodded again, opened the sachet, took out an IOU, and said sternly:
"I was originally not planning to ask you for poetry because I saw that your right hand was injured and it was inconvenient for you to write poetry. But now it seems that you can write poetry in the morning, and you should be able to do so in the evening as well. The injury shouldn't be a problem."
"When Miss Xie arrives, please have Ouyang Sima exchange the IOU and compose a poem."
Ouyang Rong's expression changed slightly: "What do you mean, Lady Historian?"
"It doesn't mean anything, I just really love your poem 'On Chrysanthemums,' it's so well written... I'd like you to write one for me too, everyone appreciates talent."
"Well... there's no need to act like that in front of Junior Sister."
His face showed helplessness.
"I'm willing. If you don't want to, I won't leave tonight. What, you don't want her to know?"
Ouyang Rong fell silent, his expression seemingly conflicted.
Rongzhen turned her head and listened intently to the pipa music.
I'll wait for his reply.
A moment later, as Ouyang Rong hesitated, Rong Zhen suddenly spoke seriously:
“Ouyang Lianghan, let’s not talk about state affairs this time, but I’m asking you to come out and help me out of personal friendship, is that alright?”
After saying that, she handed the IOU forward.
Ouyang Rong understood immediately, his expression showing some hesitation.
Rong Zhen noticed this, glanced around, and secretly reached out from under his sleeve to quickly grab the IOU.
Then the young man listening to the music stood up, his face darkening, and said:
"This is a one-time event, and I want to make it clear beforehand that I am only handling the affairs of Xunyang City on your behalf for the next two days. Once things are back on track in a couple of days, I will step down and resume my duties as Sima. I will not linger here any longer. I hope you, Lady and all the lords, will understand and allow me to leave."
Rongzhen immediately nodded: "Okay."
She thought to herself, "Personal feelings are a personal promise, but what the court does afterward is none of my business..."
In short, let someone come out of retirement first.
Not long after, they saw Rongzhen off and then bid farewell to the courtesan, Miss Qin.
Inside the empty private room, Ouyang Rong, who had put away the IOU, lost all trace of his troubled expression, which was replaced by a calm demeanor.
He glanced at the small IOU, burned it in the candlelight, and muttered:
"Was he outside this morning... So this is how good fortune manifests itself? What a stroke of luck, I almost got caught in the act."
After a short while, he stood up, packed his things, and went out the door.
Xie Lingjiang was already waiting at the door, holding a stack of crimson official robes that had been prepared long ago.
Ouyang Rong put on his official robes as he went downstairs.
Xie Lingjiang followed silently behind, then asked softly, "When she just left, the way she looked at me was a bit strange. She seemed quite arrogant and smug... Besides agreeing to leave the mountain as planned, did you promise her anything else, Senior Brother?"
Ouyang Rong looked confused: "Agree to what? I don't understand."
Xie Lingjiang tilted her head, sizing him up, and then slowly asked, "You teased her like that today, Senior Brother, you're really naughty. You created the mess yourself, and then you had to clean it up yourself, and even then, it was others who begged us to save the day. So... with such skillful techniques, have you ever teased me before, Senior Brother?"
Ouyang Rong pretended not to hear and changed the subject: "Junior Sister, do you know what the biggest lesson I learned this time was?"
What is it?
"The weapon of criticism can certainly not replace the criticism of weapons."
Xie Lingjiang looked thoughtful, her eyes serious: "I heard that the merchant woman didn't die, and Senior Brother has already been very restrained."
Ouyang Rong took a small inkstick containing the original manuscript of "On Chrysanthemums" from Xie Lingjiang, soothed it, and said softly, "The fragrance of chrysanthemums fills Chang'an, the whole city is adorned with golden armor. Perhaps it's too early, not yet, but if I become the Green Emperor in the future, I can look forward to the day when the peach blossoms bloom together. These days I've been struggling with these two paths, one radical, the other gradual. The little guy naturally prefers the former, but in the end I persuaded him, and he reluctantly agreed to the latter, no longer chirping in my ear with his indignant words... Junior Sister, I don't know if I can live to see that day, but this Ding Sword will definitely outlive me. It may live to see that day, to see that group of people, to see those things. Because it's called 'Craftsmanship,' an ordinary craftsman's work, which inherently implies the mythical power rising from the mortal world."
Xie Lingjiang gazed at the tall, upright figure ahead with a complex expression: "So, is Senior Brother leaving a torch for future generations? This is the true torch passed down by those who carry the torch. The level of the sword technique he created far surpasses that of his predecessors. Those legendary sword masters in history who only cared about themselves are far inferior. Establishing merit, virtue, and words—the three immortalities. Future sword masters, whether encountering master craftsmen or breaking new ground, no matter how arrogant they are in their time, how monstrous and invincible they may be, will all know the name of Ouyang Lianghan, and will all listen to the true meaning of Ouyang Lianghan." The latter remained silent and strode out the door…
A short while later, on the streets under curfew, a carriage that was allowed to travel out of turn sped toward Xingzifang, escorted by Rongzhen, a dozen female officials, and hundreds of soldiers in black armor. Along the way, the officials and generals who heard the news all breathed a sigh of relief and cast trusting and hopeful glances at the carriage.
Unbeknownst to everyone, inside the carriage where everyone was eagerly awaiting the resolution of this mess, Ouyang Rong sat with his eyes lowered, reaching out to touch the empty zither case beneath the chair. In the bundle placed alongside the zither case, the Ink Dragon Pill Box was also empty, and a precious red and black talisman was also missing from the bundle.
The empty sword box was secretly sent back from the west gate by Yan Liulang and Chen Canjun during the morning poetry gathering... As for the red and black talismans and the Qi-replenishing pill Mo Jiao, they had already gone to Huang Feihong, along with the corresponding incantation for the Shangqing Ultimate Skill of the Divine Mandate, which was also passed on to him...
That black dragon was a top-grade Qi-replenishing pill. This was an inspiration Ouyang Rong received from Lu Ya and Li Dalang. It was best for the person being possessed by a spirit to take a Qi-replenishing pill so that they could bear the burden of spiritual energy after being possessed... This time, he was able to sweep away Lin Cheng and the others with his sword in one fell swoop, and at the same time destroy the Buddha statue stained with the blood and sweat of the people, all thanks to the surging spiritual energy provided by this black dragon.
So, of course he had to go to the Xingzi Lake construction site, but there's a difference between him taking the initiative to go and someone else having to personally invite him three times. The latter makes things easier, while the former raises suspicion at every turn.
And tonight, he unexpectedly received a small IOU that could explode at any moment... Ouyang Rong nodded in satisfaction.
"Here it comes, Brother Huang. I said I'd take you back... and that little guy too. This time it got its fill of killing, it's been holding back for so long..." he muttered to himself.
However, this time there was something unexpected for Ouyang Rong, based on the guess Rong Zhen just revealed...
"A cauldron fire..."
He looked down at his pale, bloodless, bandaged, slender right palm.
"Legendary Swordsman... cough, I had no idea I was this powerful until you told me."
Someone nodded with a sigh, and then smugly boasted a little.
(End of this chapter)
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