Chapter 958 Brother Tanlang
Everyone was stunned when Ouyang Rong spoke.
He continued:
"Put those books here with me for now, I haven't finished reading them yet. I'm glad you're reading them carefully, but some of the annotations are a bit inappropriate, I've marked them with red circles, you can review them properly when you get back."
Huang Xuan nodded blankly. The turn of events in those few sentences was so abrupt that she forgot to speak for a moment.
Miao Si understood.
She pouted, climbed onto Huang Xuan's shoulder, and muttered:
"So it's just a different way of addressing her. Why are you being so serious in front of Xiaoxuan? Honestly."
Fang Juxiu, who had just returned, observed everyone's expressions and was drawn to Huang Xuan's expression.
She saw that the usually upright, polite, and quiet little fairy of the Shangqing School had a rare smile bloom on her usually aloof face.
Fang Juxiu initially thought she was seeing things and looked at them repeatedly.
I went to see the "culprit," Ouyang Lianghan, again.
This Fairy Huang was introduced to them by Military Advisor Yan when they were in Xunyang. She was said to be the junior sister of Master Lu of the Xunyang Prince's Mansion, and that she possessed profound Taoist skills.
At first, Fang Juxiu thought that it was someone sent by the Prince of Xunyang in Luoyang to find her lover, and that Ouyang Lianghan might not be familiar with her. But now it seems that their relationship is not so simple.
You can tell just from that old title, "benefactor."
Huang Xuan wasn't one to laugh easily, and the smile that suddenly appeared on her face didn't last long before she withdrew it, not giving the Fang sisters much of a chance to look at her with surprise.
She asked, "Hmm... if we don't shout, then how should we shout?"
Ouyang Rong shook his head:
"Whatever you like to call your junior sister 'elder sister,' you can call me 'Brother Ouyang' too. Actually, we're not that much older than you."
Miaosi raised her little hand and suggested:
"How can that be? Let's go by seniority. I call Xiao Xuan my sister, and she's barely on the same level as me, so I'll call you Xiao Rongzi too."
Huang Xuan: ...
The Fang sisters: ...
Ouyang Rong: ?
Huang Xuan pretended not to hear and suddenly asked:
"My benefactor, what do Sister Xie and the others call you?"
"She calls me Senior Brother, but your Senior Brother calls me Governor Ouyang, which is acceptable..."
She interrupted him briefly and asked again:
"What about Madam Zhen and the others in the family?"
Before Ouyang Rong could speak, Huang Xuan suddenly shouted:
“My love.”
Ouyang Rong was stunned for a moment, then looked somewhat helpless:
“This is what my aunts and the others like to call me. Junior Sister doesn’t call me that very often. Why don’t you call me Big Brother, Xiao Xuan? It’s the same as calling me Junior Sister. Junior Sister and I have always regarded you as our younger sister.”
Huang Xuan tilted her head slightly and added only two words:
“Brother Tanlang”.
Ouyang Rong thought about it and didn't correct him anymore, just tell him not to call him "Tanlang" directly.
Calling him "Tanlang" directly sounds a bit too intimate; I'm not used to it.
Miao Si muttered, "Nothing like 'brother' or 'sister' sounds as good as 'Xiao Rongzi'."
Ouyang Rong frowned and looked over. The little black spirit nimbly hid behind Huang Xuan's shoulder.
Just like Fang Shengnan last night, Fang Juxiu, who had just returned, looked at the palm-sized female Taoist priest in Confucian robes with great curiosity.
However, she didn't ask any more questions at the moment.
Ever since witnessing firsthand the scene of a young man in a scholar's robe wreaking havoc in the Xunyang Grottoes, the Fang sisters had long since become accustomed to the things happening around Ouyang Lianghan. No matter how bizarre or outrageous the events, they no longer seemed to be surprised.
There's no other reason than that he is Ouyang Lianghan, the man who dared to withstand heavenly lightning, destroy the Empress's Buddha statue, and even go to Yunmeng Jianze to snatch the Empress's child bride...
At this moment, Fang Shengnan asked with concern:
"Sister, have you eaten yet? There's still some porridge and rice downstairs."
Fang raised his sleeve and waved his hand:
"On the way back, I had a quick bite. This place is too far south, and it's easy to get a sore throat from the dampness. I'm not used to the food here; it's not as good as the stir-fries back in Xunyang."
After speaking, she turned to Ouyang Rong and said;
"Young Master Ouyang has finally returned. To be honest, we've been waiting for ten days. If you hadn't come back, Little Fairy and I would have been preparing to find a boat and go to Yunmeng Marsh to look for you."
Ouyang Rong immediately shook his head:
"I've been delayed by some things and can only go down the mountain once a month now. However, you can't just wander into this marshland. Even if you can't wait for me in the future, you are not allowed to enter Yunmeng Marshland without permission."
Fang Juxiu keenly noticed a word:
"Down the mountain? What do you mean? Where is Young Master Ouyang now? Has he found him...?"
Ouyang Rong glanced in the direction of the door.
Fang Juxiu immediately understood and looked at Fang Shengnan.
The latter immediately went to the door: "You guys chat, I'll go to the door and keep watch for you."
Xiufa also offered, "Amitabha, please give the bowls and chopsticks to this humble monk. I'll take them down now and go for a walk. If you need anything, you can come downstairs to find me."
The cross-dressing girl and the bald young monk left the house on their own initiative. Fang turned around, raised his sleeves, locked the door, and then checked the windows.
Inside the room, only Ouyang Rong, Huang Xuan, Miao Si, and Fang Juxiu remained.
The group worked together seamlessly and moved into the inner room for a detailed chat.
The curtains had barely been drawn when Fang raised his sleeve and asked impatiently:
“Young Master Ouyang, Military Advisor Yan asked when you would return. Since you are not in Xunyang, letters have been arriving from all sides, and he is somewhat uneasy about replying on your behalf.”
Ouyang Rong said with a smile:
"I asked Lady Fang about the situation in Xunyang. She and Thirteen Sister are managing it quite well, so they don't need my help."
Fang Juxiu said helplessly, "Young Master Ouyang is really bold, coming all this way and leaving his post for so long... However, Military Advisor Yan said that he can't hide the people and letters from Luoyang and has to answer truthfully. Currently, the Xunyang Prince's Mansion knows about your situation."
Fang Juxiu paused for a moment, then looked at Huang Xuan, who was listening quietly to him.
The latter nodded slightly:
"Yes, that's why Sister Xie asked me to come find Brother Tanlang. The Great Zhou court and Yunmeng Sword Marsh are currently at loggerheads, and the situation is dangerous. Sister Xie and the Royal Palace are worried about Brother Tanlang's safety."
Ouyang Rong remained noncommittal, then raised his sleeve and said to Fang, "Miss Fang, please continue."
"Yan Canjun said that when Young Master Ouyang was away, two groups of people came from Luoyang. The first group was led by Wang Caozhi. However, his main purpose was not to urge you to return to the capital, but to retrieve a copy of your manuscript, the 'Pipa Xing' that you gave to the pipa player at the Xunyang River."
Fang Juxiu looked at Ouyang Rong with a complicated expression:
"I heard it's because your poem has become a famous piece in the capital, widely circulated. Manager Wang didn't specify who commissioned him, but he privately told Military Advisor Yan that Princess Anle and Lady Rongzhen both wanted the original copy of the pipa player's work..."
Ouyang Rong, who had been engrossed in his work, was somewhat stunned. He hadn't expected it to be such a trivial matter... at least, it seemed trivial to him... He couldn't help but say:
"Why are people scrambling to get this kind of thing? Besides, it's just one article, who are you going to give it to?"
Fang raised his sleeve and shook his head:
"I don't know, I'm curious too... About a month after Manager Wang brought the original copy of 'The Song of the Pipa' back to the capital, a second group of people from the Prince's mansion came from Luoyang. This time, it was Uncle Shun who personally led the group, and he brought a letter from the Prince..."
She lowered her voice: "It's inconvenient for Military Advisor Yan to hand it over to me. Just in case, I only gave a brief explanation. The gist of it is that he wants to invite you back to the capital. The Prince's Mansion has some connections in Luoyang. With the help of the Ministry of Personnel, there are currently no vacant fourth-rank positions in the court. However, we can transfer you back to the capital under the title of Academician of the Academy of Literature..."
"In short, with you away from Luoyang, the Prince and the Heir Apparent are constantly worried. Although the current situation in Luoyang is favorable to the Prince's residence, the ruthless methods of the Wei family and other forces are still fresh in our minds. The Prince fears that a single misstep could lead to a wrong move..."
As Fang Juxiu finished speaking, he noticed that Ouyang Rong's expression was indifferent.
He suddenly asked, "I heard that the little princess has a new title, Anle."
"That's right, it was probably the month before last. The Emperor doted on the little princess and allowed her to come and go from the palace at will."
Ouyang Rong nodded:
"Isn't that good? With the little princess and junior sister around, the prince can just listen to her opinions more. In addition, Lu Ya is also guarding the palace. He just needs to keep an eye on Da Lang... the young master."
After a pause, Ouyang Rong did not mention the three brocade pouches.
Fang Juxiu frowned: "But the letter from the Prince urging us to leave says that the Emperor's thoughts have been hard to fathom lately. It seems he hopes to hold a grand ceremony in the Mingtang, supposedly to promote relations between the Li and Wei families..."
"His Highness is somewhat worried. It seems to be a test for him. He has discussed it with the little princess, and they both hope to get your advice."
Ouyang Rong nodded:
"My suggestion is to attend as usual, and keep everything as before." He paused, narrowed his eyes, and said, "I have already given my junior sister the instructions I needed to give. Your Highness is overthinking it."
At this moment, Huang Xuan, who had been listening quietly, spoke softly;
“Brother Tanlang is the backbone. With you gone, the prince, the little princess, and my senior brother are naturally uneasy, just like the Shangqing Ancestral Hall after Master left.”
Ouyang Rong nodded, then raised his sleeve and said to Fang:
"Then take my message back and have Yan Liulang tell the Prince's Mansion that there is no need to worry about the so-called Mingtang Grand Ceremony. The Prince's Mansion should do whatever the Emperor wishes and not beat around the bush."
He squinted:
"Since the sage wishes to ease the relationship between the Li and Wei families, Your Highness should do as he says and may even become sworn brothers with the King of Liang and the King of Wei."
Fang Juxiu asked in confusion, "But aren't the Wei family mortal enemies? They almost killed the Prince's Mansion several times."
Ouyang Rong shook his head:
“In Luoyang, if the Emperor does not want the Wei family to die, no one can destroy the Wei family. Similarly, if the Emperor does not want the Prince’s Mansion to fall, no one can drag the Prince’s Mansion down with him.”
"In short, the will of the sage is inviolable. This can be seen from the forced advancement of Tian Shu and the Four Directions Buddhas. In the current court, the sage, who is proficient in the art of emperorship, has completely taken control. After ruling for many years, this is the peak of the sage's methods. The failure of Yunmeng Jianze and the Buddhas was just an unexpected episode."
"The reason why the Prince's Mansion is so prosperous in Luoyang and getting closer and closer to that position is because the Emperor wants it this way. The Emperor is now the Prince's Mansion's biggest backer. Times have changed. No matter how many schemes the Prince has, he would be better off being an obedient follower of the Emperor, rather than being as self-righteous as some other Prince's Mansion... I also dislike the Wei family, but the Prince's Mansion's real enemy right now is not the aggressive Wei family..."
He spoke calmly, stopping there after touching on the point.
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
