Chapter 658 Everyone Has Eight Hundred Clever Thoughts [Seeking Monthly Tickets!]
"Prefect Ouyang, the Prince seems to be in the study. Shall I take you there?"
"No need, I know the way."
"Indeed, I was worrying unnecessarily, haha. It just so happens that the Prince's study is close to the inner quarters, so it's inconvenient for me and the guards to go there."
"Hmm. By the way, General Li, won't you find it difficult to stay in the Prince's Mansion? The climate in Xunyang City is quite different from that in Luoyang. It's very humid, and it rains suddenly. You don't actually need to wear heavy armor and cover your faces all the time."
"No, not at all. I am originally from the South. Although I have lived in Luoyang for a long time, I often went back to my hometown in the South to pay respects to my ancestors when I was a child. Now that I am back, I feel extremely warm and familiar."
"Moreover, the prince and princess are both very kind and warm. This morning, the princess even arranged for me to stay in a courtyard in the palace that was on higher ground and less damp."
"Oh? General Li, where in the south are you from?"
“A native of Yuanzhou.”
"I've heard of it, it's a nice place."
"You flatter me, Your Excellency."
The midday sun was scorching, and Ouyang Rong's carriage had just entered the Xunyang Prince's Mansion.
They encountered a patrol of White Tiger Guards, led by a familiar young general in white robes.
Li Congshan had just returned from Xunyang Grottoes that morning.
Ouyang Rong got off the car carrying a rope of fresh bamboo shoots and chatted for a few words with Li Congshan, who came up to greet him with a fist and palm salute.
He remained calm and was about to say goodbye and leave when, after taking a few steps, he turned back:
"By the way, General Li, you and your soldiers can have a taste of the fresh duck and bamboo shoot soup later. It will be delivered from the kitchen. You warriors work very hard, so you should replenish your blood."
Li Congshan was about to put the silver tiger mask back on and leave when he paused slightly, then clasped his hands in a fist salute again:
"Thank you very much, Your Excellency."
Ouyang Rong glanced at his young and resolute face, nodded slightly, and smiled.
"By the way, where did Lady Miaozhen go? Didn't she come back with you?"
"Um...it seems she's resting in the courtyard. The small courtyard that the princess arranged for her is quite secluded. She said she likes quiet, so she went to meditate behind closed doors and had me patrol."
"I see. Alright, then General Li, go ahead and get busy. Hmm, it would be best if General Li avoided going to the inner quarters and the Prince's study as well, since the Prince and Princess prefer quiet."
Ouyang Rong gave a half-smile, half-reminder.
"Of course!"
Li Congshan nodded vigorously:
"I understand the rules. I was ordered to come here to protect the Xunyang Prince's Mansion, not to monitor it. I will not overstep my bounds."
He spoke seriously for a moment, then looked embarrassed:
"However, I am a newcomer and am unaware of some taboos or sensitive issues within the Prince's residence. Governor Ouyang is familiar with the residence and is favored by the Prince's son. I hope that he can offer me some guidance when necessary to avoid making any mistakes."
"No problem, no problem."
In the corridor, Ouyang Rongxu helped Li Congshan up.
The two looked at each other and smiled, exchanged a few pleasantries, and then parted ways.
Ouyang Rong remembered that when the second item on the agenda was decided that morning, namely whether to replace Li Congshan with Wei Mi's White Tiger Guards, the young general in white robes kept his head down the whole time, looking somewhat disappointed.
Later, when the second issue was tied and shelved, Ouyang Rong immediately observed Li Congshan's expression and saw no gloating or smugness from him.
On the long corridor, Ouyang Rong turned around.
He glanced at the back of the young general in white robes who had put on the silver tiger mask again, and at the White Tiger Guards standing guard every ten steps around him.
From the angle from which he looked back.
Each tiger face, made of silver, has its mouth turned downwards.
I'm a little unhappy.
...
Ouyang Rong divided the bamboo shoots he had snatched from Li Dalang and Yan Liulang into three portions.
He only brought one copy to the Xunyang Prince's Mansion.
As he entered the study, he smiled and handed it to Princess Wei Mei.
"The princess asked the kitchen to make some soup, and we'll send some over to Li Congshan and the others later."
"Good, Tanlang is very thoughtful."
Before Ouyang Rong came in, Wei Mei seemed to be lecturing Li Dalang with her hands on her hips. After taking the bamboo shoots, her expression changed almost instantly, and she nodded with a smile.
Upon seeing this, Li Dalang's eyes immediately filled with sorrow as he looked at his dashing and handsome friend.
Inside the study, Li Xian's family, Ouyang Rong, Xie Lingjiang, Yan Liulang, and Lu Ya were all present.
They were all in their usual seats.
"What was the purpose of your stay at the Xunyang Grottoes, Tanlang?"
Li Xian couldn't wait to ask.
All eyes turned to them.
Ouyang Rong said a few simple words, then sat down leisurely. He had just taken a spring pear from his junior sister when he heard Li Guo'er, who was petting a cat, frown and ask:
"You don't trust Li Congshan? Is there something wrong with this guy? Wasn't he arranged by Yi Qianqiu? Could this female general also have ill intentions? Besides, the resolution failed to pass this time, and that female historian named Rong Zhen didn't stand on our side. If there's something fishy going on, we should also be wary of this woman."
After Li Xian and the others returned, they must have told the women everything about the Xunyang Grottoes.
Upon hearing this, Ouyang Rong took a bite of the pear.
"They summoned Miaozhen back and directly arranged for the White Tiger Guards to come and assist in the defense. Anyone who didn't know better would think that the Prince and the Prince's Mansion could be manipulated at will."
"I don't know if Li Congshan has any problems, but we'll take a shot anyway. These two topics were brought up this morning and they yielded a lot of information, and we were able to figure out the positions of several people."
"Now we know that Duan Quanwu and Qiu Shenji are in cahoots. Even if Yi Qianqiu, Li Congshan and others from the White Tiger Guard don't have the same deep connection as Duan Quanwu, their stance is still biased towards that side."
"So transferring Duan Quanwu away this time is a good thing for us, as he is the easiest person to make peace with the Wei family."
After listening, Li Guo'er suddenly asked:
Are you worried that Li Congshan, like Duan Quanwu, has also received favors from Qiu Shenji?
"Just in case, let's try it this way first and observe this person."
Ouyang Rong turned his head and carefully instructed Li Xian and Wei Mei:
"Your Highness and Your Highness have been trying to win this person over these days and see how he reacts."
Wei Mei nodded in agreement:
"Alright, let's take another look at the relationship between this young man and that Miaozhen. If they have a close relationship, he's probably not a good person either."
Li Xian was about to speak, but upon hearing the name "Miaozhen," he immediately fell silent.
The room was filled with coughing, so everyone changed the subject.
Li Guo'er frowned and said:
"Li Congshan was only ordered to guard the Prince's Mansion, and so was Miaozhen. They weren't sent by Grandmother to supervise them. No one dares to openly support them. If they were, potential enemies would naturally emerge. If we make good use of this, there's a lot of room for maneuver."
"If all else fails, we can use the seal of the Prince of Xunyang and the magistrate of Jiangzhou to temporarily transfer them away. If they don't leave, it will be considered disobeying orders, and their intentions will be obvious and their position will be untenable."
"That makes sense."
Li Dalang nodded and added, "Moreover, we also have General Wei's secret help."
Wei Mei beamed with joy:
"Father is still the most reliable. He found a reliable junior. I read in the letter that this nephew, Wei Mi, abandoned his studies to join the army and became the commander of the Xuanwu Guard at the young age of thirty."
“When he was a child, I liked him. However, although he was brave and fierce, he was beautiful like a girl and was often bullied by his peers in the clan. When he grew up, the elders of the clan arranged for him to enter the government as a high-ranking ninth-grade secretary. After serving for two months, he found the secretary position too idle, abandoned his pen for the sword, and went to the grassroots of the border army alone. He struggled on his own and relied almost no help from the clan…”
"Truly displaying the demeanor of a son of the Wei family. Seventh son, Tanlang, the Wei family of Jingzhao does indeed possess some skill."
His wife was speaking animatedly, glancing at him as she went, and Li Xian nodded hurriedly.
"What a virtuous nephew."
Ouyang Rong suppressed a laugh and turned his head to say:
"By the way, I saw Princess Anhui today, and she was still wearing mourning clothes... It seems that this blood feud will be difficult to resolve."
Everyone knew who these words were meant for, and they all glanced at that person.
He kept his eyes straight ahead, not glancing at Da Lang.
Before long, the crowd dispersed.
Ouyang Rong first went to find Xie Lingjiang and Li Guo'er, and then inquired about the location of the peach blossom forest in Mount Lu.
In the evening, I returned to my residence in Huaiye Lane.
Ouyang Rong took out the remaining third of the bamboo shoots and handed them to Ye Weilai.
“My love, this is…”
"I'll stew a duck and make a soup; I want to take it with me tomorrow morning."
"oh."
The next morning.
Ouyang Rong arrived at Xunyang Grottoes as scheduled.
He brought a box of duck and bamboo shoot soup for Rongzhen.
The latter glanced at him, took the soup, and left.
Rongzhen didn't take Ouyang Rong sightseeing; she was also a very busy person.
Ouyang Rong was not annoyed and wandered around the Xunyang Grottoes alone, joining in the fun.
This continued for two consecutive days.
He brings Rongzhen a bowl of fresh hot soup every day.
However, there were many people at Xunyang Grottoes, so Ouyang Rong brought extra hot soup for Yi Qianqiu, Wei Mi, and others to try.
Yi Qianqiu didn't stand on ceremony. He drank the soup as usual, his complexion remained the same, and left after finishing.
Wei Mi put down her soup bowl slightly, smiled, and said:
"Prefect Ouyang and Lady Rong are quite close friends."
Ouyang Rong shrugged:
"How could a life-or-death friendship not be good? Back in the Huang family courtyard, at the critical moment, it was I who carried Lady Rong out..."
The tone was somewhat joking.
Wei Mi chuckled, took another sip of soup, and suddenly said:
"Duan Quanwu is gone."
Ouyang Rong glanced at him without changing his expression and nodded: "Mm."
Yesterday, Duan Quanwu left with five hundred White Tiger Guard soldiers.
Currently, Xunyang Grottoes has 1,200 White Tiger Guards under the command of Yi Qianqiu and 1,000 Black Tortoise Guards under the command of Wei Mi, but both are under the command of Yi Qianqiu.
Although Li Congshan took over the most crucial defensive duties at Xunyang Prince's Mansion, at least with Wei Mi and others at Xunyang Grottoes, there was still a lot of room for maneuver.
Just like Li Guo'er said a few days ago, in an emergency, we need to use micro-management...
Wei Mi put the soup bowl back and patted her stomach:
"Was this soup prepared by Governor Ouyang's family?"
Ouyang Rong said calmly:
"The one from a few days ago was this. Today's stewed chicken with mushrooms was a gift from the Prince. He said it was personally stewed by Princess Wei to reward the soldiers guarding the Xunyang Grottoes."
"I see."
Upon hearing the words "Princess Consort Wei," Wei Mi's expression remained unchanged, but Ouyang Rong noticed that Wei Mi's gaze lingered on his face for quite a while.
Then, with a playful remark:
"Back in Luoyang, I heard people say that Governor Ouyang was handsome and extraordinary. He was the third-ranked scholar chosen by His Majesty at the Apricot Garden Banquet. Now that I see it, it is indeed true. No wonder the usually aloof and unattainable Lady Rongzhen was willing to accept Governor Ouyang's soup."
Ouyang Rong suddenly turned his head: "Has Lady Rong finished her soup?"
Wei Mi immediately straightened his back, lowered his head, and prepared to slip away.
A moment later, however, he noticed a half-smile on Ouyang Rong's face.
He turned around and looked, but there was no sign of Lady Rong.
Wei Mi was both angry and amused:
“Governor Ouyang is too dishonest. We can’t play this ‘boy who cried wolf’ game too often.”
Ouyang Rong asked with a smile:
"General Wei, please stop teasing me. It's fine if I'm laughed at, but if it gets back to Lady Rong, it will be a big deal."
"Okay, okay."
Wei Mi waved his hand dismissively.
After a brief silence, the two looked at each other and smiled.
A tacit understanding arises spontaneously, unspoken yet understood.
Before leaving, Wei Mi said casually:
"By the way, there's something a little strange. On the afternoon we arrived, the Xuanwu Guard and the Baihu Guard were traveling together. When they learned that the water bandits in Hukou County had attacked the water transport route, Commander Yi mustered his troops to help. He didn't bring the main force, and after defeating the water bandits, he didn't return to regroup. He abandoned the main force and immediately led his men to the grotto. I don't know why he was in such a hurry... Does Governor Ouyang know about this?"
Upon hearing this, Ouyang Rong narrowed his eyes.
For no apparent reason, I recalled the unusual scene when Yi Qianqiu first arrived at Xunyang Grottoes and secretly discussed something with Rongzhen and Granny Song.
Subsequent events proved that it had nothing to do with any attempts to criticize or exclude him.
Then it can only be related to official business.
Could this strange occurrence be related to this seemingly insignificant strange occurrence of Vemiti?
Why did Yi Qianqiu's main force abandon their pursuit after defeating the river pirates and rush over here...?
Ouyang Rong remained silent for a moment, then reached into his sleeve and touched the bronze short sword wrapped in white cloth.
His expression was thoughtful.
When Yi Qianqiu arrived that day, he only brought two pirate heads and this Yunmeng Token on horseback.
Could it be that the matter she was so eager to discuss with Rongzhen and Granny Song was also related to this Yunmeng Token?
Did Yi Qianqiu glean something from this bronze short sword?
Ouyang Rong shook his head: "I don't know either. Maybe... I'm just impatient. I'll ask Commander Yi when I have the chance."
Wei Mi glanced at him and nodded slightly:
"good."
A short while later, Wei Mi left. Seeing that it was getting late, Ouyang Rong packed up the soup bowls and food box, preparing to return to the city. At this moment, Rong Zhen hurriedly arrived and returned several empty soup bowls.
She handed the bowl to Ouyang Rong and suddenly said:
"That old senior also really likes this stewed chicken with mushrooms. Bring some more tomorrow and see if we can have lunch together so we can get to know each other properly."
"Oh, and it would be best if you brought your usual violin..."
Ouyang Rong was secretly delighted, but nodded casually on the surface:
"Yes, I have time to eat."
Rongzhen walked away lightly, her hands behind her back.
Ouyang Rong let out a long breath.
The lady-in-waiting finally relented.
He glanced at the sky, left the cave, and returned to Xunyang City.
Upon entering the west gate, Ouyang Rong realized it was still early and looked up:
"Let's go to Xingzi Lake, the usual place."
"Yes, young master."
Ouyang Rong lifted the carriage curtain and glanced at Xingzi Lake in the distance, bathed in the afterglow of the setting sun.
Suddenly it dawned on me that the three-day period of restraint stipulated by the embroiderer had come to an end, and I wondered what the so-called reward was...
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(End of this chapter)
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