Chapter 815 Guo'er Leaves a Poem, Liang Han Solves the Riddle
"What's the name of this post?"
"Qingya Post Station".
Inside the main hall of the Hanyang County Government Office.
Upon hearing the urgent report from the messenger to the magistrate of Hanyang County, Ouyang Rong disregarded the suspicious looks from the surrounding county officials, immediately took out a map, spread it out on the table, and began to examine it carefully.
Rongzhen and Qin Ying also stopped arguing and came closer to observe.
Upon hearing the news, the magistrate of Hanyang County caught a glimpse of the three men's actions out of the corner of his eye. He immediately slammed his fist on the table and stood up angrily:
"What are the officials of Qingya Post Station good for? I have repeatedly warned them that the weather is dry and there is a risk of fire, but have they ignored the county government's warnings? Today they actually burned down the entire post station! What a bunch of rats! Rats!"
The messenger clerk said with a bitter face:
"Your Honor, please calm down. This fire is strange; it came on too fast and too fiercely. We've never seen such a strange fire before, and we don't know what's burning it. We didn't even have time to fetch water..."
A cold, indifferent voice rang out.
"What color is this fire again?"
The magistrate of Hanyang County and other officials saw that it was the stunningly beautiful young woman in palace attire sitting in the main seat who suddenly spoke up and asked the question.
The clerk honestly replied, "It's a ghostly green, like a will-o'-the-wisp."
Rongzhen glanced thoughtfully at the young man in a scholar's robe who was intently studying the map beside her.
On the day the river pirates attacked the Xunyang Prince's Mansion, a fire suddenly broke out in the mansion. At that time, Wei Wu was on the high platform of the main grotto. When he received the report from his subordinates, Rong Zhen was also nearby.
Inside the main hall, the magistrate of Hanyang County waited for a while, but the female historian did not speak again, so he continued to question his subordinates with a stern face:
Are there any wounded inside the post station?
"No, no!"
The minor official, still shaken, said:
"I heard that before the fire broke out, a young woman in red was banging a gong throughout the inn to warn people. Luckily, it was evening, and the new guests had just put down their luggage. No one was asleep, and they all ran out after receiving the warning. Otherwise, the fire would have surely burned people to death..."
Upon hearing "the young lady in red," Rong Zhen turned her head slightly.
Ouyang Rong's finger, which was moving across the map, paused for a moment.
"Useless! What a bunch of useless trash!"
The magistrate of Hanyang County was furious and pointed at the lower-ranking officials, berating them:
"Do you all need passengers to remind you? Are you all idiots? Wasting the imperial grain! This fire must be investigated and those responsible held accountable!"
Just as Ouyang Rong, who was sitting in the main seat of the hall, was about to look up, the magistrate of Hanyang County, who was in the deputy seat, suddenly turned his head, his expression instantly changing, and looked at him.
The magistrate of Hanyang County, his face showing both concern and shame, cautiously asked Ouyang Rong:
"Your Excellency, Your Excellency, is the person you two are looking for also passing through Qingya Post Station?"
"Fortunately, there were no casualties this time, otherwise these good-for-nothings wouldn't have escaped and would have been beheaded. However, this fire, which turned out to be a close call, will be thoroughly investigated by this county government, and we will definitely give the two officials an explanation. By the way, I will send someone over right away..."
Ouyang Rong suddenly spoke:
"Wait, let's go together."
The magistrate of Hanyang County hesitated: "Together? But the governor and the lady of the court are of noble birth..."
Ouyang Rong looked up, pointed to the map, and said seriously:
"Looking at the map, the nearest ferry crossing to Qingya Post Station is a wild ferry where we can stop. It will take us less than half an hour to get from the county town ferry to this wild ferry crossing. We can skip the welcoming banquet and the 'punishment wine' and all that. You all prepare the boat immediately, and then gather all the people in the county government to go there together. I and the Lady Historian will take the boat ahead. See you at Qingya Post Station."
"But...yes, yes!"
The magistrate of Hanyang County and other officials were taken aback, but before they could ask any more questions, the young governor had already stood up and left quickly with Rongzhen and Qin Ying.
The crowd exchanged glances, thinking to themselves that this young governor was indeed as unique and decisive as the rumors suggested.
About an hour later.
Qingya Post Station.
When Ouyang Rong, Rong Zhen, and the others arrived on horseback, the fire had already been extinguished.
Qingya Post Station is now just ruins.
The yamen runners and lodgers gathered outside the ruins; some were setting up tents in the woods, while others looked dejected and worried.
Ouyang Rong silently rode his horse around the ruins once, and the Hanyang officials who followed him went to notify the yamen runners to assemble.
Qin Ying and fifty armored soldiers also came.
She left a few people at the ferry crossing in Hanyang County to wait for the ships carrying Qin Yanqing's main force to arrive and to inform them of the situation and give directions.
Is there anything special about the color of this fire?
Qin Ying couldn't help but ask.
Ouyang Rong nodded.
Before parting ways in Xunyang City, he left two tubes of Burning Heaven Dragon Oil for his junior sister.
Combined with what the messenger clerk just said, it's obvious who started the fire.
Seeing that Ouyang Rong remained silent, Qin Ying did not urge him but instead sent his armored soldiers to disperse and search for his whereabouts.
Ouyang Rong summoned the manager of Qingya Post Station and asked him earnestly:
"Where did this fire first start?"
"The fire spread too quickly, I don't know, I only know that it was in the backyard, from back to front."
"Did a group of people surnamed Su arrive at the post station to rest today?"
"That's right. How did you know, Your Excellency? Could it be someone you know?"
Where is he?
"After the fire started, I was busy putting it out with the others and didn't pay much attention. However, a young woman from the Su family was the first to ring the gong to warn of the fire. She was probably the first to discover it. We are so grateful to her. If you are a friend or sir, please do me a favor and convey our thanks to all the staff at Qingya Post Station..."
Rong Zhen interrupted, asking, "Don't you know which way the Su family is going? Where were they originally headed?"
"I don't know. The stables at the post station were all burned down, and the Su family's carriage was also destroyed. I just checked, and most of their luggage was lost in the fire. I'm truly ashamed. However, they initially said they were going to Hanyang County. I don't know if they've gone there yet. Your Excellency, Prefect and Lady-in-Waiting, you can go back to Hanyang County and look for them..."
Ouyang Rong didn't even lift his eyelids.
Someone was left in Hanyang County to inform them immediately if the "Su family" arrived in the county.
Several hours have passed since the fire started, and there is still no news from Hanyang County. At least no one has entered Hanyang County. Could it be that they have passed through the city but not entered again?
Just as Ouyang Rong was pondering...
Qin Ying arrived hastily with a soldier, and before they even got close, he shouted:
“Ouyang Lianghan, we have discovered traces of the White Tiger Guards on the official road leading south. They are heading south.”
Rong Zhen frowned:
"The official road heading south? Isn't that the road leading to Hanyang County? How long have they been traveling? Why haven't we run into them in Hanyang County?"
"It's estimated to take no more than half an hour."
Rongzhen turned her head, her tone decisive:
"It's highly likely they're chasing after the Prince and his men. This fire is very suspicious. It's possible that the Prince used it to obstruct Li Congshan and his group, but Li Congshan might not be able to shake them off so easily. Right now, it looks like the Prince and his men are heading south. Let's take a boat back to Hanyang County now and see if we can stop them. We can't afford to miss them again."
Ouyang Rong suddenly asked:
"How do you think this fire will hinder Li Congshan?"
Rong Zhen opened his mouth, then pursed it, and replied cautiously, "I don't know the specifics, but there must have been a purpose in setting the fire."
Ouyang Rong calmly pointed out:
"This fire produces no thick smoke and is confined to the post station area. It is not a forest fire. If it is merely a way to confuse Li Congshan's tracking methods, setting fire to it will be useless. Li Congshan can simply bypass it."
Rong Zhen tilted her head and asked, "Then why did you set the fire?"
Ouyang Rong remained silent.
He can only think of one possibility at the moment: that is, just like the plan he devised to deceive the river pirates at the Xunyang Prince's Mansion, he is "drinking ice in fire".
But Qingya Post Station isn't his own royal residence, so where would he find an ice cave to hide in?
But it was undoubtedly set by the junior sister and her friends. In fact, the junior sister even gave a warning in advance, worried that passersby might be accidentally injured.
In addition, Ouyang Rong had another question.
Does Junior Sister know that he's been chasing after us? If the skirt blade's sensing ability hasn't failed, Junior Sister should be able to sense his movements in Hanyang County.
Qingya Post Station is not far from Hanyang County. If Junior Sister sensed that he had arrived in Hanyang County ahead of time, she would naturally know that he had come to find them.
But how can we explain this sudden fire, coupled with their current disappearance?
Doesn't this mean that they were in a critical situation at the time, with no time to wait for Hanyang County, so they set fire to Qingya Post Station in advance?
If, as the post station official said, they really continued south on the official road to Hanyang County after the fire, then why did they set fire to Qingya Post Station in advance?
This brings us back to Rongzhen's question: can this smokeless, sky-burning fire really stop Li Congshan and his mobile cavalry?
What is its significance?
Putting all that aside for now, let's work backward from the result.
The current result is that Li Congshan and the other White Tiger Guard pursuers continued their southward journey along the official road.
If heading south along the official road is the right direction, then Junior Sister's arson plan has failed.
Conversely, if the direction was wrong, it would be quite reasonable and indeed misled Li Congshan.
But this also confused Ouyang Rong.
He also didn't know where his junior sister and the others had gone.
Returning to the current question, should we follow the trail of Li Congshan and his cavalry and continue south in pursuit of them?
With many questions swirling in his mind, Ouyang Rong lowered his eyes slightly and fell into deep thought.
The innkeeper standing nearby seemed to want to say something but hesitated.
Rongzhen caught a glimpse of it and suddenly asked:
“Speak plainly.”
The innkeeper said cautiously:
"You two gentlemen are probably looking for this family surnamed Su, aren't you?"
Rong Zhen's face was cold and expressionless, as if she didn't want to answer this nonsense.
The steward weakly pointed to the huge stone tablet at the entrance, which was engraved with the three characters "Qingya Post Station".
The crowd followed the direction and saw that the entire Qingya Post Station had been burned down, leaving only this stone tablet standing prominently in front of the ruins.
"My lords, behind the stone tablet is a wall with inscriptions, which was recently set up at this post station. I remember that in the Su family, there was a young lady with stunningly beautiful features, and a plum blossom between her eyebrows. When she first arrived, she stopped by the wall and wrote a poem."
"Write a poem?"
Rong Zhen was curious, and Ouyang Rong immediately looked up:
"Take me there."
"yes."
Soon, Ouyang Rong was led to the back of the "Qingya Post Station" stone tablet.
His gaze fell upon a delicate and elegant poem among a collection of travelers' poems.
It was a familiar woman's handwriting.
Beside her, Qin Ying looked straight ahead and softly recited:
"The cold branches cut through the iron bones, the cold fragrance permeates the lonely heart... The frozen pistils break through the frost, the icy soul tempers the sword's edge... The lonely mountain stands beyond the clouds, a single blade cuts through the spring wasteland... Without borrowing the power of the east wind, it stands alone against the sky."
Rongzhen tilted her head slightly, and the young woman who wrote the poem was clearly half a head taller than her.
She frowned slightly and asked coldly:
"The Song of Jade Blade on Lonely Mountain? What does this mean? Could it contain a message pointing to a certain Plum Mountain? But where can we find plum blossoms this season?"
Ouyang Rong stared intently at the poem written by Li Guo'er, browsing it back and forth several times.
The poem about plum blossoms is commendable, reflecting Li Guo'er's aloof style, but it also seems casually written and not particularly stunning.
As for Tibetan... Ouyang Rong pondered for a long time but still couldn't figure it out.
Rongzhen and Qin Ying had long since given up trying to figure it out, and both turned to look straight at him, waiting for the junior scholar from the Xiuwen Academy to answer their questions.
Ouyang Rong stood there, slightly embarrassed.
Just then, a soldier ran back and whispered a few words to Qin Ying. The latter was startled and immediately shouted:
“Ouyang Lianghan, Lady Rongzhen, a fight has been found in the woods outside the post station.”
Ouyang Rong and the others rushed over immediately.
Upon entering the woods, an inspection revealed traces of yellow talisman paper used by Taoist priests on the ground.
"Could it be Lu Ya?"
Ouyang Rong muttered to himself.
Qin Ying urged:
"If it's Master Lu, then it further proves that the Prince and his men fled south along the official road. Master Lu and his men fought with Li Congshan here. Judging from the marks, Master Lu also fled south along the official road. I wonder if Li Congshan caught up with him. Let's hurry over there to help them out."
Ouyang Rong remained rooted to the spot.
He suddenly turned around and asked the post station official:
"Was it you who invited that young lady with the plum blossom makeup to write the poem, or did she do it on her own initiative?"
"Of course, it was the young lady who brought it herself. We men wouldn't strike up a conversation with a guest's female relative for no reason. But if we encountered a talented scholar or official, we would shamelessly ask for a piece of calligraphy..."
The post station official suddenly stopped speaking. He saw the young governor in front of him turn around and leave halfway through his conversation, running back to Qingya Post Station.
Ouyang Rong returned to the stone tablet and dismissed the crowd.
When no one was around, he took out his brilliant idea from his sleeve and asked directly.
"Can you sense where the owner of this scholarly aura is?"
Little Ink Spirit rolled her eyes:
"This fairy is not a god."
"And the approximate location?"
"Hmm, the newly proposed poem is worth a try; it should be quite accurate."
"If you have this ability, why didn't you say so sooner?"
"Why didn't you ask sooner?"
Little Mo stood with her hands on her hips, speaking with an air of self-righteousness; her toughest feature was probably her mouth.
She turned her face away and muttered a few more words: "But Xie girl knows that last time I caught you and Xiu Niang cheating, it was this fairy who sniffed out the general direction."
Ouyang Rong: ...?
Before Ouyang Rong could react, Miao Si darted onto the stone tablet, sniffed at its literary aura, glanced around, and suddenly pointed east:
"They went that way."
Ouyang Rong immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
The poem about leaving Guo'er was probably asked to be written by her junior sister. It was a carefully chosen signpost for him, as her junior sister knew that Miao Si was by his side.
All the previous clues and inconsistencies suddenly made sense.
The only thing he didn't understand was how his junior sister's arson plot had fooled Li Congshan, but that was no longer important.
Ouyang Rong grabbed the little ink spirit, stuffed it into his sleeve, and ran towards the horse camp, calling out to Rong Zhen and Qin Ying:
"Qin Ying, you rush back to the county town immediately and call Qin Yanqing and the main force of the Xuanwu Camp to intercept Li Congshan who is heading south. Master Lu and the others are likely drawing fire, so you should rush to their aid and rescue them."
"Rongzhen, mount your horse and let's go. We'll head east to catch up. The official road to the south is just a smokescreen to deceive Li Congshan!"
(End of this chapter)
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