Chapter 706 You're attending the birthday ceremony too? [Seeking monthly votes!]
"What is Sister Xie thinking about?"
The Prince of Xunyang's Mansion, a boudoir.
When Li Guo'er carried the cat through the door, she gently waved her hand, signaling the maids around her to keep quiet.
After dismissing the maids, she came to Xie Lingjiang, who was staring blankly at a potted orchid in the center of the courtyard.
Li Guo'er accompanied Xie Lingjiang to look at the orchids for a while, and then she suddenly asked a question.
"Meow~"
At this moment, the cat in Li Guo'er's arms saw the bulging chest stretched by the red fabric in front of it, and tried to break free from her embrace with its two paws in the air, but its poor mistress immediately covered its eyes with her expressionless face.
Xie Lingjiang slowly withdrew her gaze, examined Li Guo'er for a moment, and then saw her ask:
"Sister Guo'er, do you think these marriage fortune slips are really accurate?"
Li Guo'er glanced at Xie Lingjiang's somewhat serious and competitive expression, chuckled, and asked in return:
"Whose signature should we mention first?"
"Never mind whose it is, just tell me if you think this thing is accurate or not."
Li Guo'er said calmly:
"If it's good, it's accurate; if it's bad, it's inaccurate."
Xie Lingjiang frowned slightly and refuted:
"Sister Guo'er is a bit too pragmatic."
Li Guo'er said confidently, "Otherwise, who would believe in Buddha? Of course, people only believe in good things, and bad things are just nonsense."
Xie Lingjiang seemed to want to argue, but then slowly closed her mouth and remained silent.
Li Guo'er asked again:
"Do you have your signature?"
Xie Lingjiang shook her head.
Li Guo'er smiled and said, "That belongs to your senior brother, right?"
Xie Lingjiang looked away: "I guess so."
“What do you mean by ‘considered’…” Li Guo’er started to say, then realized what she meant and her smile widened: “Oh, it’s his signature with another woman, um, that embroiderer girl, right?”
Xie Lingjiang fell silent.
She had told Li Guo'er about the embroiderer's matter after she returned last time.
This matter has been circulating privately within the Li Xian family, and now they are generally aware of it.
However, Li Xian, Li Dalang, Wei Mei, and the others did not dare to bring up the matter in front of Ouyang Rong and all pretended not to know.
Because they hadn't told Ouyang Rong about how the embroiderer had quietly left after curing him back in Longcheng, they inevitably felt guilty...
Li Guo'er put down her courageous act, and the latter immediately tried to rush into Xie Lingjiang's arms, but was kicked away by a foot that stretched out from under Li Guo'er's long skirt, a little too far away.
Ignoring the clear-eyed foolishness in Yougen's eyes, Li Guo'er suddenly clapped her hands twice and said:
"Accurate, of course it's accurate."
Xie Lingjiang frowned and retorted:
"If it were really that accurate, then everyone in the world would just go to temples to draw lots, and there would be no point in talking about love or romance."
Li Guo'er nodded in agreement, her viewpoint remarkably flexible.
“That makes sense. Okay, then it’s not allowed, very not allowed, even the opposite.”
Xie Lingjiang immediately reached out and covered Li Guo'er's mouth with her hand. She hesitated for a moment before saying:
"That's not quite right. There's more to it than meets the eye. It's definitely a good match because she's a very good person. How could Buddha treat her unfairly?"
Li Guo'er glanced at Xie Lingjiang, whose demeanor was inconsistent, with a half-smile, pondered for a moment, and then chuckled softly:
"I understand now. Was that fortune slip too good? Heh, Sister Xie, you want her to be well, but not too well, right? If she's even better than you, it'll make you seem like an outsider trying to sabotage them, right and wrong?"
Xie Lingjiang: ...
Seeing the stunningly beautiful woman in red before her turn stern, Li Guo'er stood up, clapped her hands, walked back into the house, and left with a remark:
"That's ridiculous, I don't know what you're talking about."
Li Guo'er said leisurely:
"You know what I'm saying. Sister Xie is getting better and better at playing dumb."
Xie Lingjiang ignored him.
Li Guo'er followed into the house and asked casually:
“My brother went to the governor’s mansion for a meeting this morning and just came back. He said the date for the grand Buddha celebration has been set for the 15th of this month, which is seven days from now.”
Xie Lingjiang nodded: "Understood."
Li Guo'er touched her lips with her index finger, seemingly asking casually:
"What about Madam Zhen's birthday celebration? If you're not going to handle it, when will you?"
Xie Lingjiang said without thinking:
"The fourteenth of this month."
"One day earlier than the victory celebration?"
"Yes, it was Senior Brother's idea. The celebration ceremony was scheduled for the 15th of this month to avoid conflict. It's better to do it earlier, to avoid any unforeseen complications."
She then calculated with her fingers and said:
"Perfect timing. The things needed for the birthday gift, as well as the gifts from my aunt and uncle, will arrive in a few days... I'll send out some invitations today to notify some people..."
Li Guo'er nodded and held out her hand: "Then I need to prepare some gifts too. By the way, where are my invitations?"
Xie Lingjiang asked instinctively, "What invitation? You're going too?"
"?"
Li Guo'er said with a stern face, "Didn't you agree last time?"
"Really? Oh, I almost forgot."
Xie Lingjiang nodded slightly, as if she had just remembered.
Li Guo'er pouted: "Your mind is entirely on the embroiderer. On the day of the birthday ceremony, Ouyang Lianghan is going to bring her back, isn't he?"
"Um."
"How do you feel?"
"What does it taste like?"
"Forget it, you're always so stubborn, I'm too lazy to talk to you anymore."
Li Guo'er left the house.
Liu Xielingjiang continued to drift off into a daze.
Li Guo'er returned to her boudoir, climbed the red tower, came to a bookshelf, and took out a large book.
She took out a piece of red paper that was tucked inside.
The red paper had quite a few wrinkles, but after being sandwiched between books for several days, some of them had been smoothed out.
Li Guo'er bent the red paper, wrapped it around a finger, held it up in the midday sun by the window, squinted at it for a while, and slowly said:
"Sister Xie, this one seems better than yours too."
In the neighboring courtyard, Xie Lingjiang, who was deep in thought, suddenly sneezed for no apparent reason.
She sniffed, looked around in confusion, and tilted her head slightly.
Who is thinking about her?
First, let's rule out the senior brother, hmph.
...
Ouyang Rong left the governor's mansion and returned to his residence in Huaiye Lane for a meal.
The original purpose of summoning Wang Caozhi and Pei Shisan Niang in the morning was to discuss an important matter after the meeting.
However, regarding Qian Chen's matter, Wang Caozhi and Magistrate Meng need to communicate for a while to facilitate things there. It seems there won't be time during the day.
Ouyang Rong told Pei Shisan Niang and the others to go back and wait, while he went back to his residence in Huaiye Lane for dinner.
In fact, Magistrate Diao hadn't left; he was going to stay in Xunyang City for two days. However, Ouyang Rong had Yan Liulang entertain him, so he wouldn't see him for the time being.
After lunch, Ouyang Rong planned to visit the Xunyang Grottoes in the afternoon.
However, before leaving, he went back to the Yinbingzhai study, grabbed a lazy little one from the wardrobe, tossed him into his sleeve, and they went out together.
"Little Rongzi, why did you decide to take this fairy maiden out today?"
Ouyang Rong stopped: "Then you're going back?"
"No." Miao Si said firmly, grabbing his sleeve: "You have to take this fairy with you when you go out to play."
“I’m not just playing around with you.” Ouyang Rong solemnly instructed, “Be careful to protect my literary aura and don’t let it leak out.”
"Oh, so you're asking this fairy for something again. How opportunistic, Xiao Rongzi."
"You eat and drink my food before you squeeze ink, so you're not being opportunistic? That's called mutual benefit, and that's how things can last."
"That's true, I hate IOUs the most, hmph. But why are you suddenly concerned about literature? It feels like you haven't mentioned it in a long time. Is someone from the Imperial Observatory looking for you?"
Sitting in the carriage that was slowly pulling out of the west gate, Ouyang Rong glanced at their destination, Twin Peaks, and said softly:
"in case."
Miao Si shifted to a more comfortable position, lying on his lap with her hands behind her head, crossing her legs, and said leisurely, "You can tell at a glance that you've done too many bad things and feel guilty."
Ouyang Rong ignored her, and she muttered to herself:
"Oh, right, I just remembered something. You said last time you beat up those female rulers and taught that Grand Queen a lesson. Didn't you get anything, any spoils of war or anything? How come you came back empty-handed? Don't you usually like to smuggle things?"
"What do you know? When masters spar, they stop when they've made their move. If someone gets injured and runs away, it's impolite of you to chase after them. Besides, which eye of yours saw me stealing things?" Ouyang Rong said seriously, with a solemn expression.
"Your sword case isn't full of... well, but it still feels strange. Are you really that powerful?"
Little Ink Spirit muttered to herself, suggesting, "Why don't you beat them up again next time, and bring me along so I can have a good look at them?"
Ouyang Rong: ?
A serious explanation from Miao Si:
"It's nothing, I just wanted to see how you beat them to a pulp with my magic ink, hehe, why the expression? You can't do it, can you? Don't worry, there's plenty of magic ink, as long as you can do it again."
Ouyang Rong seemed not to hear him, and after a long while, he nodded absentmindedly:
"Mmm-hmm-hmm."
Miao Si glanced at him, who readily agreed, and snorted.
Half an hour later, on the north bank of Shuangfengjian, in a pavilion next to the main grotto, Ouyang Rong waited for a while before finally seeing the palace-dressed girl walking calmly towards him.
“Ms. Rong…” Ouyang Rong explained in detail the arrangements for the celebration ceremony on the fifteenth of this month.
Rongzhen nodded slightly. In fact, she had received the message from her trusted female official, Li, who had returned from the meeting that morning.
After listening to Ouyang Rong's explanation, she suddenly asked a slightly strange question:
When is your aunt's birthday?
Ouyang Rong blurted out, "Uh, the fourteenth of this month."
"The day before the ceremony, right? Perfect."
Ouyang Rong was taken aback and asked, "What do you mean, 'just right'? Why is Lady Rong asking this?"
Rong Zhen said calmly, "It depends on the time. I'll go see you when I have time, out of respect for you."
Ouyang Rong frowned: "You're going too? Aren't you going to guard the cave? You don't need to give me this kind of face, His Majesty's affairs are more important."
Rongzhen shifted her gaze slightly: "That's why I said I'd only go when I have time."
Ouyang Rong cautiously probed, "Ms. Rong must be very busy and doesn't have time for this."
With a stern face, she retorted, "Are you afraid I'll come empty-handed and freeload?"
"I had absolutely no such intention..."
Rong Zhen interrupted:
"Don't worry, I won't be eating and drinking for free." She then changed the subject: "By the way, I received news this morning that there's new activity from the bandits in Hukou County."
Ouyang Rong turned his head sharply: "What's that noise?"
"Recently, a group of Qi cultivators have emerged among the river pirates of Hukou County. Among them are mid-level Qi cultivators who are quite troublesome. Duan Quanwu urgently wrote to request reinforcements. After discussing with Commander Yi, we decided to be cautious and prepare to send 300 reinforcements to aid Hukou..."
Ouyang Rong, who had been frowning and thinking about the previous matter, gradually calmed down.
After a while, he asked, "Will sending so many people over affect the defenses at Xunyang Grottoes?"
Rongzhen answered decisively, "No."
Ouyang Rong waved his hand:
"As long as Lady Rong and Commander Yi know their place, then let's send them out."
She glanced sideways at Ouyang Rong's furrowed brows, slightly raised her delicate chin, and said in a clear, cold voice:
"I know what you're worried about. This time, we've sent an extra batch of men. The more men we have, the better for the defense of Xunyang Grottoes. Don't worry, Duan Quanwu will bring these White Tiger Guards back before the victory celebration and return to defend the area immediately."
"Taking these river pirates seriously is actually the right thing to do." Ouyang Rong paced back and forth in the pavilion for a while, his voice steady, and continued:
"Ms. Rong overlooked one thing: during our last 'water control' operation at Shuangfengjian, this group of river pirates from Hukou County approached Xunyang City. Although we don't know why they retreated and hid in the marshes, it clearly shows that the diversionary tactics we set up at Shuangfengjian were not without suspicion and action by the rebels in the southern Jianghu."
His voice grew heavier as he spoke next, as if emphasizing:
"This incident shows that these river pirates are capable of approaching Xunyang City. If they can come once, they can come a second time. Moreover, this time some mid-level Qi cultivators have emerged, which means they are definitely not ordinary river pirates. In addition, Hukou County is adjacent to Xunyang City. If it weren't for the White Tiger Guards blocking the way, the defense forces along the coast from Hukou County to Xunyang City would not be able to stop them at all."
Rong Zhen nodded slightly: "That makes sense, so what you mean is?"
Ouyang Rong suggested: "On the day of the grand celebration for the Buddha statue, General Duan's men should remain in Hukou County and not make any moves to keep the river pirates occupied."
Rong Zhen shook his head directly: "Duan Quanwu probably won't do it. You forgot, before he went to Hukou County to suppress the bandits, he made a request to personally meet the owner of Butterfly Love Flower. On the fifteenth, he will lead the team back to defend."
Ouyang Rong retorted, "How did he know that on the fifteenth, the Master of Butterfly Love Flower... and the rebels of Tiannan Jianghu would come?"
"That day was ostensibly the day the Buddha statue was completed, and it was what the rebels thought was their last chance, which was highly likely."
Rong Zhen analyzed for a moment and couldn't help but sigh: "This warrior is indeed willful. How about this? Anyway, we've now sent reinforcements. He has a lot of men there. We can leave half of them in Hukou County to continue blocking the river pirates, and he can bring the other half back to defend Dafo."
Ouyang Rong nodded reluctantly: "That works too."
Afterwards, they exchanged opinions on the details, and after the discussion, Ouyang Rong bid farewell to Rong Zhen and returned to Xunyang City.
As the carriage passed through the west gate and entered the city, Ouyang Rong, who had been deep in thought the entire way, suddenly gave an order:
"Go to the Prince's Mansion."
"Yes, young master."
We arrived at the Xunyang Prince's Mansion.
Ouyang Rong didn't go looking for his junior sister or Li Xian and the others. He wandered around and arrived at a small courtyard, where he politely knocked on the door: "Knock knock knock—"
"Is Fellow Daoist Lu here?"
In the quiet courtyard, a slight movement occurred. After a short while, the courtyard gate was pushed open, and a young Taoist priest walked out. He was still the same as before, with an old Taoist robe, a peach wood sword on his back, and a blank expression on his face.
Lu Ya looked Ouyang Rong up and down:
"What is it?"
Ouyang Rong also sized him up.
Lu Ya was away from Xunyang City for some time, traveling around searching for his senior brother Zhang Shixiu.
Until a few days ago, when Ouyang Rong's journey to Shuangfengjian was blocked for ten days, he rushed back and has been guarding the Prince's Mansion ever since.
Ouyang Rongxian politely asked:
"Master Lu, do you have any news about that senior brother from Longhu Mountain?"
Lu Ya shook his head seriously and answered truthfully:
"No, I went back to the Ancestral Hall once and also went to Longhu Mountain. Senior Brother Zhang has not returned yet, but a senior uncle from the Celestial Master's Mansion said that the green lotus in the Thunder Pool within the Celestial Master's Mansion that is related to Senior Brother Zhang's fate is still unharmed."
Ouyang Rong nodded thoughtfully and said:
"Oh, right, there's something I need to tell you."
"Speaking."
Ouyang Rong whispered a few words to Lu Ya.
Lu Ya pointed to his expressionless face and asked:
"Should I go to Hukou County to help with an investigation?"
Ouyang Rong nodded:
"After much thought, there is no one more suitable than you, Daoist Master. If you don't object, I will take you to meet a few people later, one of whom is Magistrate Meng of Hukou County... Just follow them."
Lu Ya frowned and said, "What about the Prince's mansion? I heard from the Prince that he may also attend the Buddha's Grand Ceremony on the 15th of this month, and I need to go with him."
"Go and return immediately. Before the 15th of this month, regardless of whether there are any clues or whether you have found the person, you must return."
After a pause, Ouyang Rong lowered his eyes and said:
"Well, it would be best to follow the White Tiger Guard from Hukou County back to Xunyang City. In theory, Duan Quanwu should return with half of his troops by the 15th. You follow them, and if there is any unusual activity, report it immediately."
"Alright, but I must first report to the Prince and the Princess."
Ouyang Rong glanced at Lu Ya's expressionless face, turned and left, waving his hand:
"Go."
His back paused for a moment, and he smiled and said:
"It doesn't matter who you report to."
(End of this chapter)
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