Chapter 678 Ouyang Lianghan, do you know who the young master is? [Last three days of the month, please vote!]
Inside the meditation room, Zen Master Yizhi was surrounded and admonished by the abbot of Chengtian Temple and Juzhi.
Ouyang Rong sat alone opposite them, with his back to the door.
Yan Liulang, Qin Yi, and others stood under umbrellas in the open space in front of the Zen house, surrounded by black-armored soldiers who almost filled the entire Zen temple.
This place, which is clearly a Buddhist retreat for meditation and enlightenment, is now filled with chilling, murderous soldiers.
Fang Yiwu knelt three steps behind Ouyang Rong, his head bowed and motionless.
Fang Shengnan and Fang Juxiu, who were behind him, had very interesting expressions after seeing Ouyang Rong, who was the center of attention.
Pei Shisan Niang stepped forward to serve tea and water to Ouyang Rong.
"Are you really Ouyang Lianghan, the scholar of the Imperial Academy and the governor of Jiangzhou?"
Fang raised his sleeve and suddenly asked.
"Um."
Ouyang Rong responded without turning his head, ignoring her, and turned to Pei Shisan Niang, saying:
"Why are you pouring tea for me? Fill the cups for the masters and all the eminent monks. Didn't you see that they were so thirsty they couldn't even speak? You're being a bit too tactless."
Pei Shisan Niang lowered her eyes and said meekly, "Yes, young master."
She wasn't annoyed, and obediently served tea to the monks.
After her sister asked, Fang Shengnan couldn't help but follow up with her own question:
"But you... how come you're so handsome?"
Ouyang Rong asked a strange question:
Why can't Ouyang Lianghan be this handsome?
Without hesitation, Fang Shengnan blurted out, "But...but isn't someone this handsome just a pretty boy? He doesn't look like that corrupt official Ouyang Lianghan at all."
Ouyang Rong thought for a moment and asked, "Couldn't it be a pretty boy corrupt official?"
He turned to look at Fang Juxiu, who was lost in thought, nodded, and said:
"Thank you for your advice, Madam Fang. It's very insightful. Although I may not need it in the future, I'd still like to thank you in advance."
Ouyang Rong smiled sheepishly and pointed towards the Zen master:
"Master, you must know Madam Fang and Madam Fang, right?"
Fang raised her sleeve and looked away. Fang Shengnan looked troubled and kept glancing at Zen Master Yizhi with a worried look in her eyes.
Fang Yiwu's face darkened immediately, and he turned around and shouted loudly:
"The master told you two to speak, didn't you hear him?"
Ouyang Rong smiled slightly:
“Master Fang, please don’t speak so loudly. It’s not good to frighten people, after all, she is your own daughter.”
Fang Yiwu looked haggard: "This sinful people have no daughter like this. It's truly a tragedy."
Ouyang Rong then pointed to the bronze dagger and the secret letter on the ground, gesturing to the Fang sisters, and asked:
"You two should recognize this little gadget, right?"
Fang Shengnan fell silent and lowered her head under Fang Yiwu's frowning gaze.
Fang Juxiu stared intently at Ouyang Rong's face the entire time, without saying a word.
There were some bloodshot veins in the whites of her eyes, as if she was trying to remember something or see something clearly.
Ouyang Rong stood up, walked to Master Yizhi, took the washed teacup from Pei Shisan Niang, skillfully filled it with tea, pushed it forward, and said with a smile:
"If the master doesn't speak soon, the tea will get cold. They say that when the tea gets cold, people leave. Could the master be waiting for us to leave? What a pity. Today, we can have a refill of this tea. Even if the master gets cold, the tea won't get cold."
As soon as Ouyang Rong finished speaking, Pei Shisan Niang giggled and picked up the teapot to refill the teacup.
The group looked at each other in bewilderment.
Ouyang Rong spoke again, his clear voice echoing in the ears of everyone inside and outside the meditation room, seemingly drowning out the thunder and rain outside:
"I'll ask you again, Master, why did you accept this Yunmeng Token, and what is its relationship with Yunmeng Marsh? If you were coerced, you can say so. This place is a pure Buddhist sanctuary, and you can turn back before it's too late."
"If you don't speak up, don't blame the law for being merciless. The decree restricting women from crossing the border has been issued. It is true that the current sage loves Buddhism, but you Buddhist disciples, even the monks of the Hanging Temple who are favored by the sage, are not exempt from the law. The Buddhist community is not above the law."
Yan Liulang glanced sideways at the prefect's indifferent, businesslike expression.
The magistrate has always left room for maneuver.
Otherwise, why would I waste time arguing with these people, and why would I patiently wait several times to figure out all the informants before trying to catch them all in one fell swoop like today?
Moreover, this time, the fact that Lady Rong and others were not summoned indicates that the prefect was in charge of the case and that the people from the Censorate were kept out.
Perhaps it was because of the embroiderer... Yan Liulang sighed softly.
Before Master Yizhi could speak, Fang Yiwu, who was behind Ouyang Rong, knelt down and kowtowed repeatedly, honestly confessing his sins.
“This sinner confesses! My daughter was bewitched by those enchantresses of Yunmeng Sword Marsh and committed wrongdoing. Master Yizhi Zen may have done the same. Moreover, Master Yizhi Zen practices silent meditation and has not spoken for many years, so he may not be able to speak anymore. I beg Your Excellency to have mercy…”
Fang Shengnan couldn't help but speak up: "Father, we..."
"Shut up!"
Fang Yiwu glared at her, his eyes conveying a look of disappointment and frustration, signaling her to quickly confess and beg for forgiveness.
Ouyang Rong nodded slightly and glanced back at Fang Yiwu:
"Oh, is that so?"
He suddenly asked, "Are there any other Yue women in the city right now?"
Fang Yiwu carefully observed Ouyang Rong's expression while speaking cautiously:
"No...nothing. The Yunmeng demonesses' spies in the city have all been destroyed by Your Excellency's brilliant and mighty efforts."
Ouyang Rong looked at him carefully for a while, then nodded slightly:
"Good, you're quite eager to confess. You'll take care of your daughter. Later, you'll take them with you and go with General Qin to confirm whether they've all been arrested. If you miss a single one, I'll make you regret it."
"If they perform well, they may be treated leniently. I will consult with the Lady Historian about this matter."
"There won't be any leaks, absolutely no leaks, they've all been caught."
Fang Yiwu nodded in agreement like a pestle striking garlic, then glanced at the handsome governor's calm face, swallowed hard, and added:
"Of course, the criminals will take my daughter to have her face identified and confirm it again, so that no one will be missed."
As he spoke, he instinctively hid his blood-stained white cloth-wrapped hand, which he had obtained while picking up shards of porcelain in a private courtyard, behind his back. Fang Juxiu and Fang Shengnan, upon hearing this, finally understood. They took a deep breath and looked at Ouyang Rong and their father with incredibly complex expressions, their previous uncertainties about a certain matter completely resolved.
Ouyang Rong nodded slightly: "Alright then, let's leave it at that for now..."
Just then, the Zen Master One-Finger, who had been listening to the two exchanging witty remarks with his eyes closed, spoke in a hoarse voice:
“Why bother, benefactor? The embroiderer is a woman of great wisdom; she will eventually understand the ‘One’.”
The sound echoed throughout the hall. Ouyang Rong stopped abruptly, without turning around, raising his hand as if to listen intently, his tone curious:
"What did you say? Say it again."
The middle-aged Zen master remained silent, his expression serene as he raised a single finger.
Ouyang Rong lowered his hand, glanced back at Zen Master Yizhi, looked around the entire room, walked back, bowed in front of Zen Master Yizhi, and looked at him. He slowly turned his head, squinted and carefully examined the monk's raised finger.
The entire room fell into a deathly silence; no one dared to utter a sound.
As everyone watched, the young governor smiled and placed the long, narrow zither case he was carrying on the ground. He then gently pushed it forward with one finger, making a horizontal line in front of the Zen Master One-Finger.
He chuckled and nodded:
"You can keep holding up that pointless finger until the end of time, but if I find out that you have even the slightest interaction with any Yue woman... I don't care what you call her, Mother... I'll show you my 'One,' show you my great wisdom root, which I guarantee will help the master attain enlightenment."
Zen Master Yizhi sighed, shook his head, and said no more.
Ouyang Rong turned around, dusted off his sleeves, and left.
Before long, Qin Yi led the black-armored soldiers into the courtyard and began to escort the people in.
Yan Liulang stepped forward and reported everything.
Ouyang Rong spoke calmly, outlining the general plan:
The informants captured by Taoshouzhai and Chengtian Temple were temporarily thrown into the vacant old state prison. Master Yizhi's identity was sensitive. At present, the atmosphere in the Great Zhou was Buddhist. Killing a high monk from Xuankong Temple would require reporting to higher authorities and would attract the attention of the Censorate and the Luoyang court. Ouyang Rong was too lazy to go through the trouble, so he did not kill him for the time being and had Liulang send people to guard him. The crime was that he was privately possessing the Yunmeng Token.
As for the Fang father and daughters, Fang Yiwu surrendered himself and was commendable. He also forced his two daughters to atone for their crimes by helping the Jiangzhou government hunt down other Yunmeng Yue women's spies. Depending on the circumstances, their crimes may be temporarily waived. However, the Fang sisters will definitely be confined to their homes, but they will be placed in nearby locations for the convenience of the Fang family to visit them.
Everything was arranged properly.
Yan Liulang took out the secret letter that the Fang sisters wanted to send from his bosom and whispered:
“My lord, they were trying to send a message outside to guide the Second Lady. Now, if we arrest everyone except Xiu Niang, the Second Lady will not receive the message and will probably realize that Xunyang City has been exposed soon.”
“Oh.” Ouyang Rong nodded, not surprised at all. Instead, he instructed, “Today we can make a bigger splash. Let’s issue an announcement so that the Second Lady knows as soon as possible, instead of making her guess.”
"Yes! By the way, there's one more thing, Your Excellency."
"explain."
"Today, after delivering the letter, Fang Shengnan went to see Li Yu before leaving Chengtian Temple."
Looking for Li Yu?
"Yes, they must know about Li Yu. He was bailed out by you last time."
"Get him to join us?"
"Hmm, it seems to be related to you as well."
"I?"
"Yes, it seems Yunmeng Jianze is trying to deal with you. They're trying to find out your whereabouts. They probably think Li Yu knows you and that you paid a fortune for his services, so they want to persuade Li Yu to repay kindness with enmity and lure you out..."
Ouyang Rong chuckled and asked, "How will Li Yu choose?"
Yan Liulang sighed:
"This matter was reported to our people by Li Yu himself. However, he did not mention that he had heard rumors that someone might be plotting against you, Your Excellency, and advised you to be careful recently. Also, although he has been staying at Chengtian Temple, he has not had any contact with Zen Master Yizhi and has been staying obediently in the courtyard of Chief Secretary Yuan."
"It's clear that compared to fighting and killing, Master Li prefers picking up straight tree branches."
"Pick up straight tree branches?" Yan Liulang was completely baffled.
Ouyang Rong chuckled.
Yan Liulang leaned closer and lowered his voice:
“My lord, although Li Yu did not make a mistake this time, perhaps he was influenced by your brilliance, we should still be careful. Back then, even when Lady Rongzhen and Old Yang used water torture, they couldn't get any information about the appearance and whereabouts of ‘Yue Chuzi’ from him. This person still has some loyalty to the Yunmeng Yuanjun.”
Ouyang Rong muttered to himself, lost in thought: "Not betraying one's former master is loyalty, not harming one's current official is righteousness. You manage to be both loyal and righteous. You're quite particular."
He waved his hand, telling Yan Liulang to get on with his work.
When he came to his senses, Ouyang Rong went to the temple gate, dressed in a blue scholar's robe, holding an umbrella alone, and passed by one temple after another.
At the entrance of Chengtian Temple, the Fang family father and daughter were waiting patiently. Upon seeing Ouyang Rong, they immediately went forward.
Fang Yiwu knelt in the rain, deeply grateful.
"Your kindness is immense..."
Ouyang Rong didn't stop walking; he held up his umbrella and walked around him.
Similarly, he walked past the distraught Fang Juxiu and Fang Shengnan without glancing at them, and continued on his way.
Fang Juxiu, who had been silent all along, suddenly shouted loudly at the indifferent figure:
"Ouyang Lianghan, do you know who the young master is?!"
Ouyang Rong didn't look back and continued forward, his voice calm yet resolute:
"Then do you know who I am?"
Fang Juxiu looked completely bewildered.
"you……"
Fang Shengnan shouted loudly in a fit of pique:
Even if you are Ouyang Lianghan, it won't work! And... and it's even less likely to work!
Fang Yiwu suddenly strode forward and slapped each of the two women twice with a sharp "slap".
"You two wicked beasts, get back and face the wall! If you dare to run away again, I'll personally come and rid the people of this scourge!" He was so angry that his chest heaved.
Fang Shengnan was stunned by the beating. She covered one side of her face with both hands and stared blankly at the square-faced man who had almost never hit her since childhood.
Fang Juxiu stood there speechless, covering her face as she watched Ouyang Rong's figure disappear into the distance...
When the spring rain stopped and the sky cleared, it was already evening.
The sunset glowed like fire, illuminating the ancient temple and old courtyard.
Ouyang Rong arrived at Yuan Huaimin's courtyard.
They went directly to Yuan Huaimin and Li Yu.
Upon seeing his arrival, Yuan Huaimin asked curiously:
"Brother Lianghan, what's with the martial law at the temple this afternoon? It seems they weren't from the Censorate, but rather people transferred from the two Xuanwu Battalions of the Central Army Camp at the front. They said they were ordered by the Governor to enter the city to search the temple... Was this really an order from you?"
Ouyang Rong sighed, "We must suppress these rebels."
He turned his head and glanced at Li Yu, who was diligently tidying up the branches inside the house, clapped his hands, and chuckled:
"Brother Huaimin, Master Li, are you hungry? Come on, let's have dinner at my house tonight."
"Hey, Lianghan actually cares about us." Yuan Huaimin punched his fist. "Alright, alright, I'll go change my coat. It's quite cold since the rain just stopped. It must be even colder in Xunyangfang, Huaiye Lane, by the river..."
Ouyang Rong shook his head: "Not going to Xunyangfang Huaiye Lane."
"Where are we going?" Yuan Huaimin realized, "Lianghan, you have two homes?"
"It's right next to Xingzi Lake, not far away."
"That's strange, Lianghan. When did you get a home nearby?"
Ouyang Rong smiled without saying a word, and leisurely raised one finger.
Just like the Zen Master Yizhi in the afternoon.
Yuan Huaimin stared at his raised index finger and muttered:
"One? What do you mean? You mean one isn't enough? Want another one?"
Ouyang Rong shook his head: "It'll be soon, we'll be a family soon."
Yuan Huaimin: ...
Li Yu: ……
It sounds... wow, such a complicated relationship.
...
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P.S.: Double monthly votes! I'm begging for monthly votes from every angle! My good brothers, please don't forget to vote, sob sob sob.
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(End of this chapter)
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