Chapter 739 Rongzhen's Gift, Qingxiu's Embrace [Seeking monthly votes at the beginning of the month!]
A convoy escorted by female officials from the Censorate and constables from Jiangzhou was passing through the west gate of Xunyang City and heading towards Shuangfengjian along the official road.
Along the way, you can see many horse-drawn carriages heading towards Twin Peaks.
Ouyang Rong frowned slightly as he lifted a corner of the curtain, his eyes scanning the outside.
Just then, he caught a whiff of oily aroma. He turned his gaze from the window and immediately saw the lady-in-waiting, who had been sitting upright and serious, taking out a bundle of sesame cakes wrapped in oil paper from her purple silk sleeve. There were two cakes, but they were wrapped in oil paper.
She tore open the oil paper, parted her lips slightly, revealing her pearly white teeth beneath her rosy lips, and took a bite of the oily edge of the round cake. Even though she bit very lightly, the sound was still unavoidable.
Ouyang Rong was taken aback.
Rongzhen ignored him, lowered her head, and ate the pancake in small bites.
After a moment, she swallowed, her Adam's apple bobbing slightly, and asked coldly:
"There's too much food; I can't eat it all. Have you had breakfast yet?"
Perhaps Ouyang Rong's gaze was too direct; the girl in palace attire slightly turned her head and pursed her lips.
"I heard your stomach growling. I saw you ran to the Prince's Mansion early in the morning, without even changing out of your formal attire... But you'll have to wait until I finish eating, though I eat a bit slowly."
"It's no use looking. This is just how fast I eat. It's a habit I developed over the years in the palace—I'm particular about the fineness of my food..."
Before Rongzhen could finish speaking, she noticed that the extra piece of cake inside the oil paper she was holding had disappeared.
Looking up, she saw that Ouyang Rong had simply reached out and grabbed it, not caring about the oil stains, and not waiting for her to wrap it in oil paper after she finished eating.
"you……"
Rong Zhen glared at him with her almond-shaped eyes.
The sesame seed cake was indeed piping hot. Ouyang Rong switched between his left and right hands to squeeze it, ignoring the murderous glare from the Lady Historian, and took a big bite, eating it with relish.
Ouyang Rong puffed out his cheeks and mumbled indistinctly:
"Hmm...I am indeed hungry...thank you...thank you very much, Lady Rong."
He swallowed a bite of meat pie and laughed:
"It's alright, I'm just a rough and unrefined man, I don't eat such refined food..."
"This pancake was bought from the breakfast stall we often eat at near the entrance of the Censorate, right? Lady Rong really loves patronizing their business."
Rongzhen frowned and looked at him for a while, then advised him:
"Can you please not eat so crudely? Although you came from a poor family in Luling, you are now a scholar of the Imperial Academy and the governor of a prefecture. What will you do when you go to the capital? Will you eat like this at His Majesty's banquet?"
Ouyang Rong shrugged, took a bite of his biscuit, and said in a nonchalant tone:
"No, that's not it. I know exactly what kind of meal you eat at what kind of banquet you're seated at, but these sesame seed cakes bought from street stalls are meant to be eaten in big bites. The way you eat them, Lady Rong, is a bit unusual."
"But thinking about it, it makes sense. Lady Rong must have a very good upbringing. She must have come from a wealthy and noble family. It's not just the habits she developed in the palace, but also the upbringing she received from a young age. You can tell at a glance that she's different from ordinary girls."
Rongzhen didn't pick up on the topic. She glanced at him for a while, then continued to eat her pancake in small bites.
Ouyang Rong finished the sesame seed cake in no time, clapped his hands and said:
"Speaking of which, it seems that Lady Rong really likes to talk to me about returning to the capital in the future, but that's still a long way off. It's not like we can just go back whenever we want."
"In the capital, right under the emperor's nose, official positions are extremely limited. Even if you are lucky enough to squeeze in and become a scholar in the Imperial Academy, it's just a low-paying job with a meager salary. The cost of living in the capital is also difficult to afford, so living there is not easy."
"Lady Rong is a female official and can live in the palace, but I am just a lowly civil official. I can't possibly live in the palace."
Ouyang Rong's casual, joking remark seemed to be taken seriously by Rong Zhen, who then replied:
"No matter what, you'll have to return to the capital eventually. With this merit you've already earned, His Majesty certainly won't treat you unfairly. What if he also bestows upon you a residence and a marriage upon you then? And..."
"And what?"
Rong Zhen looked straight ahead and said to the side:
"Moreover, with me here, at least in front of His Majesty, I can say a few words for you. I won't say that I'll make you rise to the top, but what's yours will definitely be yours. No one can take away your credit, and no one can suppress you."
Her tone was certain.
Regardless of the circumstances, whether it was out of friendship or any other relationship, hearing these words would warm anyone's heart, and Ouyang Rong was no exception.
He paused for a moment, then clasped his hands in a fist salute with a slight force:
"Thank you for your guidance, Ms. Rong, but... if it's not necessary, it's best not to do it this way. Just do things the way they should. To put it bluntly, if we do this, how are we any different from those who use back channels to squeeze out others' rightful spots?"
Rongzhen asked in a crisp voice:
"But what if you don't have anyone in the upper echelons and someone else pushes you out? If you don't fight for it, you'll become someone else's stepping stone, just like Lin Cheng did back then."
Ouyang Rong remained silent, seemingly unwilling to bring up the topic again.
Rong Zhen stared at his gentle smiling face and said directly:
“Ouyang Lianghan, I have said it many times, you are different from them. You are a good person, a capable minister, a good official who benefits the country and the people. You are a blessing to the Great Zhou and a boon to the people of Jiangnan. But you should not be limited to Jiangnan. The world is vast, and the Great Zhou is vast. We need your talents.”
"I used to disdain the idea of using connections and flattery to curry favor with the sage, but since it exists and cannot be completely eliminated, why not give it to those good-for-nothings from kinship ties and powerful families? The capable should have it."
Ouyang Rong asked softly, "Ms. Rong is being a little too extreme."
Rongzhen frowned, lowered her head, swallowed the last bite of the biscuit, and asked:
"I'll ask you this: if you have the chance, would you like to return to the capital and go to the real grand stage of the Divine Capital?"
Ouyang Rong said helplessly, "Why did you suddenly bring this up, Lady Historian?"
Rong Zhen's gaze remained fixed on him, unfazed by his change of topic. After looking at him for a while, she continued to press for answers:
"Ouyang Lianghan, has the Prince of Xunyang's mansion already made a promise to you? So you already have connections in high places and look down on me?"
Ouyang Rong looked somewhat troubled:
"Seriously, when we're just taking a break and having some pancakes, can we not be so blunt?"
Rongzhen said firmly:
"No, we can't talk like this. You always pretend to be confused."
She had barely finished speaking when she saw Ouyang Rong suddenly smile.
"why are you laughing?"
Ouyang pointed to her lips, and then to Rongzhen's lips, as if his finger had unconsciously moved closer to hers.
"Ms. Rong has a little habit, I don't know if she is aware of it."
"What……"
Rongzhen paused, silently releasing her sucking lips, withdrawing her glistening, wet index finger, and reaching into her sleeve to retrieve a handkerchief to wipe it.
Having just finished eating sesame seed cakes, she habitually put her oily index finger into her lips, a habit she developed when drinking soup as a child.
Rong Zhen snorted coldly: "What are you looking at? I am frugal."
Ouyang Rong nodded, raising his hand as if he wanted to suck his finger as well.
Rong Zhen turned her head instantly and glared at him.
Ouyang Rong then stopped joking and said seriously:
"Ms. Rong said that I like to pretend to be confused, but I think Ms. Rong is the one who likes to pretend to be confused the most."
Rong Zhen frowned, her beautiful brows furrowing: "Why am I pretending to be confused?"
Ouyang Rong lifted the carriage curtain and glanced outside, seemingly checking where the carriage had arrived, as they had not yet reached their destination, Shuangfengjian.
He withdrew his gaze, spoke calmly, and went straight to the point:
"Very well, then I'll be more frank too."
"The matter of the defense of Xunyang Grottoes has been kept secret by Lady Rong."
"Although the Donglin Buddha was built with the help of me and the Jiangzhou government, Lady Rong has always kept the Buddha head that was transported from the Imperial Observatory and the other uses of the Buddha after its completion from me."
"If it were only once or twice, it would be fine, but now that the Buddha statue has been completed for a long time and we are still facing a formidable enemy, it would be too much to ask that I should come to the grotto to assist in its protection without being told."
He added:
"You can't hide the truth about the Buddha statue from anyone. It's a very simple matter. If the Buddha statue were really just a simple Buddha image, why would Yunmeng Jianze and those people from Tiannan Jianghu be blocking it?"
Hearing his somewhat accusatory tone, Rong Zhen immediately became angry. She instinctively puffed out her chest beneath her palace attire and retorted:
"Ouyang Lianghan, why have I kept this a secret from you until now? Don't you know the reason?"
"The matter of the Donglin Buddha concerns the central government of the Great Zhou Dynasty in Luoyang. It is currently a top secret of the Imperial Observatory. Not to mention a local official like you, even among the high-ranking officials in the Luoyang central government, very few know about it. And it is only possible to do so if one has the Emperor's favor and trust... Anyone who leaks this information without proper investigation and reporting will be held accountable by the Prince of Wei and the Grand Master of Fate."
Rong Zhen grew increasingly angry as she spoke, and glared at him sideways:
"Ouyang Lianghan, did I not try to fight for you? How dare you blame me for keeping it a secret?"
Upon hearing this, Ouyang Rong thought of the embroiderer's matter and felt guilty. However, since it was a negotiation, he couldn't show weakness; he understood this principle. So, he calmly said:
"Oh, that was before. Now the situation is critical, so we have to act expediently."
"Since Lady Rong invited me here to offer advice and assist the Buddha, she should at least make things clear, so that I know the current strength of the enemy and ourselves."
After a pause, Ouyang Rong asked with an air of righteous indignation:
"For example, what are some corresponding methods to deal with the Master of Butterfly Love Flower and people like Candle in the Snow?"
After Ouyang Rong finished speaking, there was a moment of silence inside the carriage, with only the sound of the wheels bobbing and rolling.
Rong Zhen quieted down for a moment, then slowly turned her head and stared at Ouyang Rong for a while. The latter didn't even blink under her gaze.
After a while, as if she had figured something out, Rong Zhen nodded reluctantly:
"Alright, I'll vouch for you on this matter. You can talk about it today."
Upon hearing this, Ouyang Rong felt a slight pang of guilt for some reason.
But then I thought, this time he's an ally, not the master of Butterfly Love Flower, so what's there to feel guilty about... Hmm, it must be the aftereffects of being the sixth brother too many times.
Ouyang Rong, with his thick eyebrows and large eyes, wore an expression of attentive listening.
"Go ahead and speak."
Rong Zhen shook his head and said:
"But this place is not suitable for private conversation. We'll go to the main grotto on the north bank later, and I'll take you to see the Buddha statue while we talk."
Ouyang Rong frowned and asked, "I am very familiar with the Buddha statue. Is there any need for me to visit it?"
She suddenly asked, "What about that golden Buddha head? Are you familiar with it?"
Ouyang Rong paused in his speech.
Rong Zhen lowered her eyes and said:
"The Buddha body you built is just a shell. The true mystery of the Donglin Buddha lies entirely within the Buddha's head. However, the Buddha body cannot be absent; the more magnificent and imposing it is, the better, so that it can endure. This is because it needs to collect the incense offerings of Buddhist believers, and it also involves the intricacies of feng shui arrangement..."
Upon hearing the words "formation setup," Ouyang Rong showed no surprise and asked directly:
"So, the Donglin Buddha is actually a grand formation? And the Buddha's head is the core?"
Rongzhen nodded, then shook her head.
Although she had just said she would introduce it during the visit, she did not refuse Ouyang Rong's curious questions.
"Yes and no. To be precise, it is part of a top-secret array. This top-secret array covers a wide range, far beyond your imagination. The sage valued its function, which is why he attached so much importance to it and strongly promoted the construction of the Heavenly Pivot and the Four Directions Buddha statues... Anyway, you'll know when you go and see it later. It's hard to explain here."
After a brief question-and-answer session between the two.
The carriage arrived at Twin Peaks and stopped on the official road outside.
Inside the carriage, Ouyang Rong composed himself and got out with Rong Zhen.
On the official road, many carriages were parked, and many people were waiting outside. They were all commoners who were originally going to attend the victory celebration. However, Shuangfengjian seemed to have received a new order and did not let them in, but temporarily blocked them outside.
The female officials and armored soldiers guarding the entrance immediately pushed through the crowd to greet Ouyang Rong and Rong Zhen's carriage as it arrived.
One of the young generals, dressed in white armor, clasped his hands in greeting and asked Ouyang Rong and Rong Zhen:
"Your Excellency, Your Excellency, Commander Yi would like to ask you two, given the current situation, with the river pirates arriving at any moment, should the planned victory celebration still proceed as scheduled? Should we send the invited spectators and commoners outside home first?"
Rongzhen turned to look at Ouyang Rong.
The latter pondered for a moment:
"Don't move, put away your weapons, don't scare people. I'll handle this."
Rongzhen nodded slightly.
"Yes, Your Excellency."
The young general in white armor clasped his hands in a fist salute and withdrew.
Ouyang Rong turned his head and said with a serious expression:
“Ms. Rong, we’ll go to the main grotto later. According to what we just discussed, the two most likely attack plans for these pirates are: one is to land at Shuangfengjian Ferry, seize the dock, and control the south bank of Shuangfengjian where we are now…”
"We need to prepare in advance. You should immediately gather a group of armored soldiers to blockade the Shuangfengjian ferry crossing and leave people there to guard it. If any pirate fleet approaches, you can burn down the ferry crossing as needed to prevent them from having a large-scale beach landing."
"As for the other offensive plan... we can try to block the Twin Peaks Waterway with iron chains. From this moment on, no ships are allowed to pass through the Twin Peaks Waterway..."
"If there's no time to set up, or if we can't find the iron chains, then we'll try another method. I remember the Xuanwu Guard has a batch of small boats. You can have the Xuanwu Guard fill the boats with hay and oil drums, place them on the Shuangfengjian waterway, and use fire to disrupt them..."
Ouyang Rong calmly gave the instructions, and Rong Zhen looked at him, who had arranged everything in great detail, and nodded slightly in approval.
"Alright, I'll take some people over there first. You take care of things here."
"Okay, be careful."
Upon hearing this, Rong Zhen's expression softened slightly, though she still waved impatiently at Ouyang Rong's retreating figure.
Halfway there, she stopped, turned her head, and said:
"By the way, do you remember the gift I mentioned before, the gift I gave you?"
Ouyang Rong, who was about to turn his head, stopped, thought for a moment, and nodded:
“I remember asking you once on the day the Buddha was completed, but to no avail. I thought Lady Rong had forgotten.”
"I haven't forgotten, I never break my word."
"What's the meaning?"
"It means that I will give you that gift today. When I return, I will take you to the main cave to introduce the defenses, and then I will take you to see the gift... Knowing your personality, you will definitely like it."
Ouyang Rong became increasingly curious: "What exactly is this thing, acting all mysterious?"
Rongzhen did not answer, but continued forward to dispatch men to block the Shuangfengjian ferry crossing.
Ouyang Rong remained where he was, watching the figure of the girl in palace attire disappear into the distance.
After a short while, he shook his head, turned around, and began to gather people to disperse the crowd waiting for the celebration at the entrance.
Ouyang Rong, using a plausible excuse, withdrew a portion of the onlookers and sent people to escort them back to their homes in the city.
However, since the victory celebration was still going to be held, and the plan to invite Yuan Huaimin to paint a picture of officials and civilians celebrating together was still in place, even though there was a risk of attacks from river pirates and rebels, Ouyang Rong still left some county and prefectural officials at Shuangfengjian for easy management and to keep secrets, to serve as spectators and as a backdrop for the victory celebration.
Ouyang Rong was directing his subordinates when Chen You, a military advisor, suddenly came over. Ouyang Rong thought it was to report on important matters, but Chen You took a step forward with a furtive expression and whispered something in his ear.
Ouyang Rong's expression faltered as he looked up at him, then he calmly gave the order:
"Military Advisor Chen, please take charge for me for now. I'll be right back."
"Yes, Your Excellency."
Ouyang Rong walked out of the crowd and went to a shady grove of trees. The morning sun shone through the treetops and dappled the trees with light. Ali's carriage was parked quietly in the dappled sunlight.
Arriving at the carriage, Ouyang Rong exchanged a knowing glance with Ali, then nimbly slipped into the carriage in a few quick steps.
Inside the carriage, a pretty young girl, her eyes blindfolded with a sky-blue satin ribbon, sat quietly waiting, holding a long cloth bag in her arms.
Ouyang Rong sat down in front of her, his brows furrowed, and couldn't help but ask:
“Embroiderer…why are you here alone? Where are Wei Lai and the others…”
Before he could finish speaking, Ouyang Rong felt a weight in his arms, and his vision was completely filled with fragrant black hair.
Zhao Qingxiu, like a swallow returning to its nest, rushed into his arms.
It was as if they had experienced a life-or-death separation; they hugged each other very tightly.
(End of this chapter)
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