Chapter 602 Holy crap, my brother-in-law sent them to help! [5k6, please vote!]
Rongzhen walked through a narrow, long, and dimly lit passageway, and under the watchful eyes of the female officials, she walked out of the old state prison.
The blinding sunlight made Rongzhen stop in her tracks for a moment.
She raised her hand to cover her eyes, as if trying to adjust.
A strong river wind swept over her, whipping up the wet hem of her white dress, making it flutter loudly.
The palace dress was rather loose, and the ribbons fluttered in the wind, temporarily outlining the petite, Lolita-like figure of the girl in the palace attire. The contrast between the two made one worry that she might be blown away by the river wind at any moment and soar into the sky.
At the entrance of the state prison.
Ouyang Rong and Yan Liulang had disappeared.
Rongzhen adjusted to the light, and with her bare hand covering her eyes, she gently touched the jade hairpin with mandarin ducks that the little princess and the noble ladies of the city had imitated.
For some unknown reason, she suddenly spoke to the air in front of her:
"How is that similar... Hmm, although a prime minister's belly can hold a boat, and a young man will naturally gain weight in middle age, you mustn't get fat in the future. Don't be like the teacher; you're quite handsome now that you're thin..."
I don't know who he was talking to.
Lost in thought for a moment, Rongzhen turned and walked to the stable next to her, where a carriage was waiting.
Rongzhen was wearing a long palace dress, which made it inconvenient for her to ride a horse.
A short young man wearing a felt hat approached furtively.
Rongzhen didn't even glance at him before climbing onto the carriage shaft.
"Well, my brother-in-law waited for you at the door for a while, but you didn't come out. He just left and went back to the main hall of Jiangzhou with Military Advisor Yan."
Wang Caozhi reported to the Lady Historian earnestly, looking very serious:
"He also brought someone out of prison, who looked quite unfamiliar... So, is there something important that your brother-in-law is waiting for you?"
Rong Zhen shook his head calmly: "Important matters wouldn't wait."
"That's true, haha."
Wang Caozhi scratched his head, looked up at the sky, then suddenly patted his forehead and said:
"Oh, right, before my brother-in-law left, he said that you praised me and were quite satisfied with my performance... So he told me to stay at Xunyang Grottoes and work with you, and to let you know if I needed any instructions..."
Rong Zhen interrupted without even looking up:
"Alright, I got it, I'm leaving."
She boarded the carriage driven by the lady-in-waiting.
Out of the corner of Wang Cao's eye, he saw a young girl in palace attire just sitting down inside the gauze curtains of the carriage, seemingly waving her hand casually.
"Manager Wang, you should come back with us too. I wouldn't dare to give you instructions, but there's still some work to be done at the grottoes. Enough said, let's go."
"Understood, understood, I, Wang Caozhi, always listen to my brother-in-law. I'll definitely cooperate with you... Hey, hey, wait for me! Why did the car leave? I haven't gotten on yet. Weren't we supposed to go back together? Wait for me..."
Wang Caozhi stood under the carriage shaft, patting his chest to pledge his loyalty. Halfway through his speech, he noticed that the quiet carriage shaft in front of him suddenly started moving, silently propelling itself forward.
Wang Cao instinctively grabbed the outer frame of the cart shaft and took a few steps forward, but the cart shaft was moving faster and faster, showing no sign of stopping.
He couldn't help but gape and exclaim speechlessly:
"I'm still downstairs, let's go back together, wait a minute, wait a minute..."
The rolling of the wheels remained unchanged, kicking up dust as they went further and further away.
Wang Caozhi suddenly shouted, "There's something else. My brother-in-law gave me a message that I must pass on!"
The girl in palace attire inside the gauze curtain of the carriage seemed to turn her head and glance back.
The carriage driven by the middle-aged female official finally came to a slow stop.
Wang Caozhi breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly ran up to the carriage, taking the opportunity to climb on board.
Upon entering the car, before even wiping the sweat from her brow, Rong Zhen's expression was indifferent, and her jade lips parted slightly:
"What are you saying? Speak quickly."
Hearing that cold, businesslike voice, Wang Caozhi swallowed hard and tried to speak:
“My brother-in-law said that if I’m really too tired, I shouldn’t push myself, but should just tell you. He asked me to tell you that you could take care of me a little while I’m at Xunyang Grottoes…”
"Oh, really?"
Rong Zhen chuckled halfway through the conversation, and was about to interrupt when Wang Caozhi immediately waved his hand dismissively.
He spoke with righteous indignation and awe-inspiring integrity:
“But I refused! I refused as soon as I heard it. I appreciate my brother-in-law’s kindness, but am I, Wang Caozhi, the kind of person who would use family connections to get in through back channels? I am not, and you don’t need to say it either, neither are we! From now on, when working at Xunyang Grottoes, we will do things the way we should, and handle official business strictly. Don’t listen to your brother-in-law!”
Under Rong Zhen's expressionless gaze, the short young man spoke with increasing passion and fervor.
After rambling on and on, spitting everywhere, he turned his head and asked somewhat cautiously:
"You agree, right, Sister Rong?"
The carriage suddenly fell silent.
There was a deathly silence, broken only by the sound of wheels outside.
"I didn't hear you. What...what did you say?"
"Sister Rong!" Wang Caozhi called out in a loud voice, his thick eyebrows and big eyes thumping his chest as he asked with concern, "Have you forgotten? I'm Caozhi! My brother-in-law sent me to help out, isn't that how it's always been? Sister, you've really been too busy to remember..."
The usually expressionless and aloof Lady Historian was taken aback for a moment.
In the next instant, her expression changed dramatically.
...
"Take it off, why are you still wearing it?"
"How's the sun? Are you still cold? Let me ask Liulang to get you a towel so you can dry your wet hair..."
In the afternoon, near dusk, in the main hall of Jiangzhou.
After finishing his business, Ouyang Rong couldn't find Yuan Huaimin. He heard Yan Liulang whisper a few words to him, shook his head, and walked out of the main hall. He smiled and asked Li Yu, who was sitting alone by the flower bed in the courtyard.
Li Yu stood up to greet Ouyang Rong.
With his feet still shackled, he stared blankly at the key that the young official had casually tossed onto the flowerbed.
Ouyang Rong glanced at Li Yu's wet hair and her swollen, dazed face, which had been soaked in the cold, damp lake water.
I glanced again at the setting sun as it gradually darkened.
He had just brought Li Yu out of the old state prison, exchanged pleasantries with Wang Caozhi at the prison gate, and waited for Rong Zhen for a while.
She didn't come out for a long time, and I wondered what she was doing inside, whether she was unhappy with him or was sulking.
In addition, the wind by the river was too cold, and it was not suitable for Li Yu, who was still damp, to stay any longer. So Ouyang Rong simply took this poor, fat man who had been imprisoned in the water dungeon back to the main hall of Jiangzhou.
While he was handling affairs in the main hall, he left Li Yu in the courtyard to bask in the sun and get rid of the dampness on his body.
Although I changed into clean clothes, I had been soaking in the lake for so many days.
The last person Ouyang Rong had ever met who could be so skilled at flirting was a "craftsman."
In addition, since being imprisoned and never seeing the light of day, this middle-aged man's skin has become sickly pale, and he looks very weak.
Ouyang Rong was somewhat afraid that he would be killed by the sunlight at any moment.
Li Yu's bloated body swayed slightly, but it wasn't as exaggerated as Ouyang Rong had worried.
Waterboarding is a terrible form of torture, causing both physical and mental anguish, and can easily result in permanent trauma.
However, he was only imprisoned for half a day after the new spy confessed and Rongzhen became suspicious of him.
Before this, Rongzhen was actually quite kind to him; she almost let the matter of the Second Lady hiding Li Yu's house go unpunished.
Strictly speaking, Li Yu did indeed deceive the Lady Historian of her already limited compassion.
No wonder Rongzhen was so angry.
After this incident, Rongzhen's heart will harden a bit, and she will no longer easily trust outsiders.
As for those I already know and trust... cough cough.
For some unknown reason, Ouyang Rong suddenly felt guilty.
In fact, "The Master of Butterfly Loves Flowers" should be the biggest traitor at the top of the wanted list.
Ouyang Rong had a bit of a headache, but his attention was quickly drawn back by a series of crisp wooden fish sounds.
[Merit: 3093]...[Merit: 3097]...[Merit: 3101]!
The cyan-gold characters above the small wooden fish inside the Merit Pagoda finally stop at the number "three thousand one hundred and one".
The merit points gained from saving Li Yu today should be close to one hundred.
It's just that this extra integer is really driving perfectionists crazy.
However, the overall increase in merit points these days has been quite pleasing, returning to over three thousand merit points.
You can use the Shangqing Secret Arts Divine Decree once.
Another red and black talisman was added today, so the materials for one-time use are now complete.
Ouyang Rong saw Li Yu bend down to pick up the key, hold it in his hand, and stand with his hands hanging down, without unlocking the shackles.
"You've become addicted to wearing them?" Ouyang Rong said with a laugh.
Li Yu said hoarsely:
"I am a commoner and a sinner, and I dare not disobey."
“You have no fault in the eyes of the Yuanjun; in fact, you have merit,” Ouyang Rong said with a smile.
Li Yu paused for a moment, then nodded, then shook her head:
"But as a citizen of the Great Zhou, I have indeed violated the criminal law and am willing to be punished physically."
Ouyang Rong curled his lip: "Physical torture is mentally enjoyable, right? If you didn't know better, you'd think it was some kind of weird fetish."
"Special fetish?" Li Yu asked doubtfully, then tentatively inquired, "Is it what you mentioned in prison this afternoon, Young Master, about postgraduate entrance exams?"
Ouyang Rong stroked his chin: "Don't say it, you really shouldn't say it."
Li Yu looked puzzled, but that didn't stop him from showing remorse as he lowered his head and said:
"This humble subject cannot implicate you any further. You saved this humble subject and took him out of prison, but the Lady-in-Waiting is already dissatisfied. We cannot..."
"It's okay, she's just all bark and no bite. She actually owes me a meal... Of course, it would be best if we could skip it."
Ouyang Rong waved his hand and muttered something that Li Yu frowned at but couldn't understand.
"It's up to you. Wear it if you like, just don't lose the key."
Standing in front of Ouyang Rong and being stared at by him, Li Yu felt somewhat at a loss.
However, this person is very understanding.
"Let's go home."
“Go…home?” Li Yu murmured.
Ouyang Rong waved his hand behind him and strode forward.
Some officials who were off duty passing by would occasionally greet the young governor.
Li Yu looked around and subconsciously followed Ouyang Rong's steps, step by step.
However, Ouyang Rong was naturally fast and walked with great speed, so Ouyang Rong had to jog to catch up with him, and the shackles on his body rattled as he ran.
It immediately attracted the attention of many passing officials.
Why are you following me?
Ouyang Rong turned around and asked curiously.
Li Yu also opened her mouth, staring blankly at him.
Ouyang Rong spread his hands and said, "Didn't I say I was going home?"
Li Yu hesitated for a moment, but still followed him.
The two walked to the back door of Jiangzhou Hall. Ouyang Rong got halfway into the carriage and glanced at Li Yu, who was standing awkwardly to the side.
“Master Li, your home is in the west, over at Xingzifang. It’s different from mine; I’m heading east, to my residence in Huaiye Lane,” he kindly reminded me.
As dusk fell, Li Yu's face was ashen and difficult to read, but his voice was low and somber:
"Young master, I have no home."
Ouyang Rong sighed: "The seal on the house was removed by Constable Yan this afternoon. All the maids and female relatives of your Li residence should have been released by the procuratorate. You'll see them when you get home."
After listening, Li Yu fell silent, sat down on the steps beside him, breathed on his face, covered his face with his hands, rubbed it, and stared at the ground in front of him with his eyes.
He shook his head:
“Young master, she’s gone, Xiao Shu is gone too. My home is long gone. As for the remaining maids and aunts, I’m a burden to them. I have no face to see them again. My home is gone…”
Ouyang Rong interrupted him halfway through the conversation.
“Master Li, you don’t mean I’m going to bail you out again, and take you back to live here and provide you with three meals a day? You really want to freeload off me, don’t you?”
He asked with a sincere expression.
"No... I didn't mean that." Li Yu quickly waved his hand and bowed solemnly: "Young master, your kindness is beyond repayment. However, young master..."
The slightly overweight gentleman changed the subject:
"I am, after all, a criminal, and this freedom is only temporary. The shackles on my feet are still there; it's just a matter of time... The Lady Historian will surely punish me. Young Master has already done more than enough by granting me this much leniency. Please do not break the precedent for my sake, or I will be guilty of a thousand deaths."
Ouyang Rong suddenly said:
“A person with a criminal record can perform meritorious service. If they perform meritorious service, their crimes will be offset, and they will naturally have a family.”
Li Yu shook his head sadly:
"Once a pawn is discarded, stop making trouble for it and becoming a nuisance."
Ouyang Rong suddenly interrupted:
"Let's go, get in the car."
“Young Master…” Li Yu choked up.
“What are you thinking? I’m not going back to my house, I’m taking you somewhere else. You can stay there tonight. You’re so pessimistic, I need to find you someone more open-minded to talk things out. Maybe you’ll be more open-minded after living with him… Honestly, I’m playing both father and mother to you.”
After sighing, Ouyang Rong instructed Ali in front of him:
"Xingzifang, Chengtian Temple".
Li Yu asked in confusion, "Why go to the temple...?"
"Get in the car." Ouyang Rong was too lazy to explain.
Li Yu had no choice but to comply and board the carriage.
After an incense stick's time, the carriage left Xunyang Ward and entered Xingzi Ward, heading towards Chengtian Temple.
On the way, they happened to pass by the Li residence near Qingyang Heng Street. Li Yu lifted the carriage curtain and silently looked at his brightly lit residence, which seemed to be waiting for returning guests.
He silently lowered the carriage curtain.
A hand passed in front of Li Yu and lifted the carriage curtain again.
It is Ouyang Rong.
He pointed out the window.
"Are you sure you don't want to go back to sleep? It's much more comfortable than outside. Strange, are there really people who don't want to go home..."
Li Yu nodded seriously and prepared to close her eyes.
Ouyang Rong looked at him and asked with a light laugh:
"By the way, you said your deceased wife and youngest daughter are gone, and you have no home. Your youngest daughter was taken away by the Second Lady, Yu Nianyuan, right? So, are you afraid that if the secret is leaked, the Yunmeng Sword Marsh will take their anger out on your youngest daughter? When the Second Lady took your youngest daughter away that day, was she also holding a hostage? Do you think that was one of your considerations?"
"This humble subject does not know."
Li Yu's face was ashen, showing no resentment whatsoever.
Ouyang Rong looked at him meaningfully for a while before looking away.
He still stretched out his palm and continued to lift the car curtain, his eyes fixed on a "light" on the shore of Xingzi Lake in the distance.
The lights are from people's homes.
That's the direction of the quiet courtyard.
The light is on even when it's dark, indicating that someone is holding a lamp and waiting for him.
Ouyang Rong remained silent.
Li Yu was unaware of the young man's condition. He lowered his head, staring at the shackles, and as the carriage was about to arrive at Chengtian Temple, he couldn't help but ask:
"Young master, aren't you worried that I'll be ungrateful and run away secretly since you're letting me go back so readily?"
"Actually, I'm more afraid that if you come home with me, my aunt will scold me."
Li Yu: ……
The carriage carrying the two entered Chengtian Temple and stopped in front of a familiar courtyard.
When Ouyang Rong and Li Yu set off from the main hall of Jiangzhou, it was still sunset; now that they have arrived at their destination, it is already dark.
Lights were on in Yuan Huaimin's courtyard as well. However, when Ouyang Rong's carriage stopped at the gate, a flurry of activity suddenly came from the courtyard, followed by the sound of hurried footsteps approaching.
Creak—!
The courtyard gate was pushed open from the inside, and a timid, thin head peeked out.
"Lianghan, why are you here so late?" Yuan Huaimin asked tentatively with a laugh, "Well, Lianghan, have you eaten yet?"
"Didn't you ask for leave saying you weren't feeling well? Can't I come over to check on you and show some concern for my colleague?"
Ouyang Rong led the curious Li Yu away, passed by Yuan Huaimin, and entered the courtyard with practiced ease.
After returning from the state prison in the afternoon, Ouyang Rong had originally wanted to see Yuan Huaimin, but he didn't see him. Yuan Huaimin, who had slipped out of the old state prison earlier, had asked for leave again.
"Yes... I'm feeling a bit unwell. I mainly saw some disturbing things in the cell, and I feel dizzy and lightheaded. I urgently need to come back and rest to replenish my energy."
"You came back to secretly eat something to replenish your energy, right?"
Ouyang Rong, sensing the odor inside the courtyard, pointed it out incisively.
"No, no."
Li Yu couldn't help but glance at the two bickering men again, finding it hard to believe that they were the chief and deputy officials of Xunyang City.
Yuan Huaimin scratched his head:
"By the way, Lianghan, how did your interrogation with the Lady Hermit go this afternoon? Did that traitor confess?"
"No, why don't you, Brother Huaimin, take the case?"
"Lianghan is joking. How could I possibly be qualified to conduct an investigation?"
"Then I'll do you another favor and share the burden."
"Okay, as long as it's not an interrogation, it's fine."
“Okay, you said it.” Ouyang Rong pointed to Li Yu next to him: “He’s here. You’ll sleep with him for one night.”
Yuan Huaimin: ...?
After an incense stick had burned, under Yuan Huaimin's mournful gaze, Ouyang Rong left the courtyard feeling relieved.
He told Li Yu some things and asked him to stay the night.
"Young master."
Li Yu suddenly appeared at the courtyard gate and called out to Ouyang Rong's back.
"What's wrong?"
Ouyang Rong paused slightly, turned around, and spoke patiently and gently.
Li Yu remained silent for a while before saying:
“Young master, you are from Luling, and also a man of Wu and Yue. Yuanjun will bless you.”
In the evening breeze, the handsome young man seemed to smile, turned around and continued walking away, waving his hand:
"She should take care of herself first."
Li Yu remained silent, watching Ouyang Rong's figure disappear into the distance.
The slightly overweight wealthy man withdrew his gaze and turned to look around at Chengtian Temple, but his expression was not clearly visible.
Turning away from her gaze, Li Yu met Yuan Huaimin's eyes as he breathed a sigh of relief, took out the lotus leaf-wrapped roasted chicken again, and began to devour it.
They stared at each other for a while.
“No meals will be provided,” Yuan Huaimin said earnestly.
Li Yu: ……
...
Inside the car, Ouyang Rong closed his eyes to rest.
After a while, things finally got a little quieter.
From the moment I said goodbye to Li Yu and left Yuan Huaimin's courtyard until just now, the series of crisp wooden fish sounds echoed in my ears, sounding somewhat noisy in this quiet night.
It's obvious who this wave of merit points came from.
Ouyang Rong did not go to the Merit Pagoda to check the new additions for the time being.
I felt the carriage beneath me slowly drive out of Chengtian Temple.
At one point, he suddenly shouted towards the outside of the carriage curtain:
"Change route, go to that courtyard."
"Yes, young master."
The carriage traveling along the lake immediately turned left and headed towards a courtyard with a single lamp not far away...
——————
P.S.: There are still spots available for the Alliance Leader rebate event, ending at the end of the month!
If you join a guild as a gentleman, you'll immediately receive 500 points, meaning you can become a guild leader for 500 points. Good brothers who want to level up their VIP status can consider this.
Finally, I'm begging for some monthly votes! or2 (bows)
(End of this chapter)
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