Chapter 727 A False Alarm, Two Heartwarming Women [Seeking Monthly Tickets!]
At the entrance of Yinbingzhai.
Just as Ouyang Rong was about to speak, he suddenly heard the clear sound of a wooden fish, and his merits inexplicably increased.
Before he could react, the dull sound of the wooden fish rang in his ears again, and the merit he had just gained was deducted again... so there was no real change.
Ouyang Rong looked somewhat curious.
However, this kind of thing has happened occasionally before, so it's not unusual.
"Merits and demerits cancel each other out? What happened?"
He began to have doubts.
Just then, noticing someone approaching, Little Ink Spirit darted back into its sleeve.
Ye Weilai walked over and said softly:
"Young Master, Miss Xie and her aunt have arrived. They are Madam Xie from Yangzhou. Madam Xie wants you to go and greet them."
Ouyang Rong smiled and clapped his hands: "Okay, first help me check if it's pasted straight."
"Yes, that's correct."
Ouyang Rong nodded in satisfaction, turned and left, heading towards the main hall.
Ye Weilai followed behind him, and the two walked forward together for a while. Suddenly, she noticed that Tanlang stopped and reached out as if to touch his eyes.
"What's wrong, Tanlang?"
Ouyang Rong waved his hand: "It's alright, let's go."
"Yes, we can't keep Miss Xie and Madam Xie waiting."
Ye Wei smiled and continued to follow the tall, slender figure as it moved forward, muttering to herself:
"By the way, Tanlang, you said that Madam Xie might bring up your relationship with Miss Xie later..."
Ouyang Rong suddenly stopped in his tracks:
"Wei Lai, has Liu Lang arrived yet?"
"I arrived early and am chatting and eating sunflower seeds with the Nanlong people in the lobby."
"Call him over, I'll wait for him over at the stable."
Ouyang Rong inexplicably turned around, changed direction, and headed towards the back gate stable.
"But what about Miss Xie and Madam Xie..."
Ye Weilai paused for a moment, but still nodded:
"Yes, Tanlang."
After an incense stick has burned.
Yan Liulang, who had rushed over with a handful of melon seeds, saw Ouyang Rong sitting upright in a carriage that had just been prepared at the back gate.
"What is the Prefect doing? Aren't you going to greet the guests? Where are you going?"
Yan Liulang looked around curiously and asked.
Ouyang Rong was gazing intently through the curtains when he heard this, and his gaze shifted from the direction of Xingzifang.
He asked for no apparent reason:
"Any news from Pei Shisan Niang's side? When was the last time we heard from her?"
Yan Liulang was taken aback for a moment, then clasped his hands in a fist and said:
"Reporting to Your Excellency, there are no unusual developments in Xingzifang for the time being. The last message from Madam Pei was around noon; she sent someone over to meet with our people and discuss matters for the afternoon..."
"It's agreed that she will come by carriage at 3:45 PM to personally deliver the embroiderer to her door."
Inside the carriage, Yan Liulang clasped his hands and reported.
After saying that, he glanced at Ouyang Rong's thoughtful expression.
Just then, the carriage curtain was pulled open, and the coachman, Ali, peeked in.
Yan Liulang noticed that Ali was dressed in a tight-fitting outfit, ready to go, and had fed Dongmei, looking like he could leave at any time.
Judging from his hesitant expression, it seemed he had been waiting for a long time and wanted to ask the Prefect for instructions on how to proceed.
It seems that the prefect had just given him some instructions to prepare in advance.
Yan Liulang withdrew his gaze and asked cautiously:
"Is Your Excellency worried about something? Has he discovered something suspicious?"
Ouyang Rong touched his right eyelid again, but did not answer immediately.
He also saw Ali, who wanted to come in to ask for instructions on the next steps, but did not immediately reply, as if he hadn't seen him.
Ouyang Rong pursed his lips.
He hadn't actually noticed anything unusual, but... his right eyelid had been twitching frequently since morning, and he had a vague sense of unease in his heart. This feeling wasn't strong, but rather elusive, like a wisp of smoke.
In addition, the sudden increase or decrease in merit points just now added up to the previous two.
Ouyang Rong began to speak:
"Not really, I just suddenly remembered and wanted to ask."
At this point, he lifted the car curtain and glanced at the sky.
Shenzheng Erke is 4:30 PM.
It's around 2:30 PM now.
There was still about an hour before the embroiderer was scheduled to arrive.
However, Ouyang Rong knew the embroiderer well; she was impatient and would always arrive early. Even if she did arrive early, she would wait outside and still make sure to arrive before the appointed time to avoid being late.
As Ouyang Rong sat deep in thought, he heard Yan Liulang say:
"Your Excellency, so far, all the news coming from various places, including Xingzifang, is still within the normal response time. Compared with the past, I have not found anything unusual."
Ouyang Rong fell silent for a moment.
He said slowly:
"In that case, I'll trouble you again, Liu Lang. Apart from Xingzifang, I'll personally go to the other places again."
"You should focus on checking three places. First, the Fang family in the south of the city, and meet the Fang sisters. Second, Li Yu and Huai Min at Chengtian Temple, and see if Li Yu is there. Third, the old state prison, and check on the prisoners... Go through all of them. Liu Lang, let's set off now."
"Uh, yes."
Yan Liulang hurriedly shook out the melon seeds from his sleeve, clasped his hands in acceptance of the order.
He noted down the prefect's arrangements, but found one was missing, and asked:
"Oh, Magistrate, what about Pei Shisan Niang and Xiu Niang's courtyard? Shouldn't I go there? It's on my way..."
Ouyang Rong calmly shook his head and pointed to the carriage at his feet: "I'll go over there, the carriage is ready..."
Just then.
Ye Weilai's voice came from outside.
"Is Tanlang here?"
Yan Liulang fell silent. Ouyang Rong lifted the carriage curtain and asked with a smile, "What's wrong?"
Ye Weilai curiously examined the carriage that was preparing to depart and said:
"My lord, Madam is asking where you are. She wants you to come quickly. There are quite a few guests. Madam is currently entertaining Miss Xie and her aunt for you, but new guests have arrived. They are elders from Madam's family, and she has to go to the gate to greet them. Madam wants you to hurry back and take care of Miss Xie and the others. Oh, and Miss Xie said that the little princess and the young master of the Xunyang Prince's Mansion are also arriving soon. They are on their way. They are distinguished guests, and only you can entertain them..."
Before Ouyang Rong could speak, Ye Weilai turned around and glanced behind her, her expression momentarily stunned:
"Oh, Miss Xie is here. She must be looking for Tanlang. Hmm, is Tanlang going out?"
Following her gaze, Ouyang Rong turned his head and saw a beautiful figure, fiery red like the evening glow, appearing in the corridor not far away.
He hesitated for a moment, then said, "I need to..."
Just then, Yan Liulang suddenly tugged at Ouyang Rong's sleeve.
"Your Excellency."
Ouyang Rong frowned and turned around.
Yan Liulang nodded emphatically:
"My lord, please leave Madam Pei and the embroiderer's courtyard to me as well. In addition to the three places you just instructed me to visit, I will first go to the embroiderer's courtyard to find Madam Pei. I will then escort them back together."
He smiled:
"Didn't you always say that we should be calm and collected when doing things? Things should be prioritized and we should think things through before we act. We can't lose our composure. This is still true now. You are the only male head of the household. It is still necessary for you to preside over the birthday celebrations of our closest elders. It is not good to be absent halfway through. No matter how reasonable Madam Zhen and Miss Xie are, they are still women. For men, they ultimately care about the word 'value' they receive."
He took off his waist knife, hugged it tightly to his chest, and said with his chest out:
"However, Your Excellency's concerns are not without merit. Leave the external affairs to me, Your Excellency, please remain here."
Ouyang Rong looked at him.
After a moment, he nodded, got out of the carriage and left, leaving the carriage to Yan Liulang.
Before leaving, Ouyang Rong silently glanced at the merit points inside the merit tower...
Inside the carriage, Yan Liulang lifted the curtain and glanced at the departing figure of the magistrate, as if he had entrusted everything to him. He saw that the magistrate had only taken a few steps when he met up with Miss Xie, and the sound of their conversation could be faintly heard:
"What are you doing here, Senior Brother? Where are you going?"
"It's alright, where's Auntie?"
"To meet someone at the main gate." Miss Xie's voice held a hint of doubt: "Does Senior Brother have ulterior motives?"
"Junior Sister, when will the Prince and Princess arrive?"
"Almost there, let's go over there first..."
The two, brother and sister, walked away.
The blue-clad constable withdrew his gaze. What he didn't see was that the young governor, halfway through his journey, raised his hand and touched his right eye.
It looks like it jumped.
Outside the stable.
"Brother Ali, let's go. First, let's go to Xingzi Lake, to the embroiderer's courtyard."
"Yes, Military Advisor Yan."
Yan Liulang straightened his clothes, closed his eyes and gave instructions, preparing to leave. He had originally been given a half-day off in the afternoon to attend the banquet, but he didn't expect to have to work overtime.
The carriage driven by Ali had just left the back door when it suddenly came to a screeching halt.
"What's wrong?"
Yan Liulang opened his eyes, frowned, and asked.
From outside came Ali's strange voice: "It's the young master."
"What young master?"
Before Yan Liulang could finish speaking, a tall, slender figure was seen slipping into the carriage.
It was Ouyang Rong who left and then returned.
And this time, along with her came a graceful figure, her hair as red as the sunset.
It was Miss Xie. Ye Weilai, however, was nowhere to be seen.
Yan Liulang saw that Miss Xie accompanied Mingfu into the carriage, sat down next to him, and turned to look at his face. Her beautiful brows furrowed slightly, revealing a hint of worry.
Yan Liulang asked in confusion:
"Why is the magistrate back? Oh, Miss Xie, you're here too?"
Xie Lingjiang nodded slightly without replying, keeping her head tilted to the side, constantly watching her senior brother's expression.
Ouyang Rong didn't look at her. He raised his hand and touched his chin, staring at Yan Liulang across from him for a while. He felt a little uneasy when he saw the latter.
"My lord, is there something on my face?"
Yan Liulang touched the face he considered second only to the Mingfu in handsomeness.
Ouyang Rong suddenly said, "Let's go together."
Yan Liulang was even more confused: "Why did you change your mind, Your Excellency? Is Miss Xie going too?"
Miss Xie frowned and nodded. Ali, who was outside, received the order and continued driving forward.
Ouyang Rong didn't explain, closed his eyes, and went to check the Merit Pagoda.
At this moment, he could hear the clear sound of a wooden fish drum.
This was the merit that suddenly increased when Ouyang Rong suddenly pulled Xie Lingjiang back and got into the carriage.
The amount doesn't matter; what matters is the reaction of the little wooden fish that represents merit!
That's right, Ouyang Rong had just deliberately tested the difference between going and not going, so he went and returned.
This shows that if he went along, he would gain merit!
Although we don't know exactly how it will rise, it indicates a trend.
Ouyang Rong's expression gradually hardened.
Xie Lingjiang turned to Yan Liulang and said, "Don't ask anymore, let's go together. Listen to your senior brother, this concerns Xiu Niang, my aunt and I are fine for now."
"yes."
Yan Liulang nodded vigorously.
Xie Lingjiang glanced at Ouyang Rong's expression. She had already heard his general explanation on the way there; he was worried about Xiu Niang.
She asked softly:
"Senior Brother, is there anything unusual about the Embroiderer?"
Ouyang Rong opened his eyes and said calmly, "I need to go take a look."
"Okay, let's go take a look. I'll go with you."
Ouyang Rong glanced at her serious expression and felt somewhat apologetic:
"I'm sorry, junior sister, I've disturbed you..."
Xie Lingjiang suddenly reached out, grasped Ouyang Rong's hand, and shook her head:
"What matters to Xiu Niang is my matter. It's not just you; I'm worried too. Everything else can be put aside for now, but we can't be careless about her... Senior Brother, Xiu Niang has sacrificed so much for you. No man should let her down... Let's go, together. We'll go together. Senior Brother was very good and honest this time. Keep it up in the future and don't hide anything from me."
The woman in red sat upright and spoke, word by word.
Ouyang Rong took a deep breath and nodded emphatically: "Okay, let's go together!"
The senior and junior students worked together.
The carriage slowly drove out of the back door.
We drove through the streets for a short while.
The carriage stopped again.
Ouyang Rong frowned: "Why did you stop?"
Before Ali could explain, Pei Shisan Niang's curious voice suddenly rang out from outside.
"Young master, where are you going?"
Ouyang Rong immediately lifted the carriage curtain and looked outside.
Ali's carriage collided with Pei Shisan Niang's luxurious carriage, blocking each other's way.
Pei Shisan Niang was probably planning to drive the luxurious carriage to the back gate and park it in the stable.
Ouyang Rong subconsciously said, "You..."
Before he could finish speaking, Pei Shisan Niang had already impatiently lifted the carriage curtain and gestured to him:
"Young master, as agreed, I've brought the embroiderer here... Uh, where are you, young master, Miss Xie, and Military Advisor Yan headed?"
"Longling—"
Upon hearing the familiar figure, Ouyang Rong turned his gaze and indeed saw a slender white figure inside the carriage.
"Ah ah."
Zhao Qingxiu, supported by Pei Shisan Niang's arm, stepped out of the carriage.
A sky-blue ribbon covered her eyes, but she also wore a black veiled hat on her head.
Black and white don't really go well together.
"Sister Embroiderer."
Xie Lingjiang, who was standing next to Ouyang Rong, had already run over to help Zhao Qingxiu.
"Ahh!"
As if calling out "sister," Zhao Qingxiu's voice was a little excited.
Xie Ling smiled and helped Jiang Yanran out of the car, then helped her inside.
"You've finally arrived. Senior Brother was just worried. But Sister, you're quite early, almost an hour ahead of schedule. You're always so impatient. Oh, why are you wearing this hat today? Isn't this Madam Pei's?"
Zhao Qingxiu lowered her head shyly, as if writing in her palm, and followed Xie Lingjiang into the room, occasionally turning back to look in Ouyang Rong's direction.
The two women got along well.
Ouyang Rong followed behind them, somewhat dazed.
"Your Excellency, I am now..."
"Stay for dinner."
"Yes, Your Excellency."
Yan Liulang breathed a sigh of relief and happily ran back to continue eating sunflower seeds.
Ouyang Rong looked around.
Before entering, Ouyang Rong looked inside the Pagoda of Merit with some doubt.
Huh, what happened to the increase in merit just now?
Ouyang Rong noticed that his eyelids seemed to have stopped twitching, so he shook his head and followed.
"Little sister, take off your hat. It doesn't look good on you. I'll get you a nicer one next time."
"Um."
"Huh? The embroiderer isn't wearing makeup? Why is she here without any makeup? Did Madam Pei not do her eyebrows? And why are her eyes a little red..."
Zhao Qingxiu quietly turned her head away, and before she could answer, Xie Lingjiang had already said with a smile:
"That's perfect. Let's go. We still have an hour. Let's go to Senior Brother's courtyard first, and I'll help you with your hair and makeup."
"Uh-huh!"
Zhao Qingxiu nodded like a chick pecking at rice, and happily took the hand of Xie Lingjiang, who was like an older sister.
The icy white jade hairpin in her hair also seemed to dance lively.
"Longling—Longling—"
Ouyang Rong followed behind like a nobody, watching the beautiful young woman and her older sister whispering to each other in front of him.
Hearing that familiar sound of jade, he felt inexplicably at ease.
Ouyang Rong didn't interrupt or disturb them, but instead followed the two women like a guardian all the way to Yinbingzhai...
(End of this chapter)
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