Chapter 551 What?! Equipment can drop here too?! We've won so many times! [Seeking monthly votes!]
When Rong Zhen and his group found him, Ouyang Rong was putting up door gods.
Just after Lunar New Year's Eve, Xunyang City welcomed a long-awaited ray of sunshine this morning.
On Huaiye Lane, the last snow of winter has melted. Jiangzhou's winter snow season is very short, with only one or two heavy snowfalls each year, and sometimes even late or absent, which is very "Yuan Huaimin".
When I went out in the morning, I found it was a bit stuffy. Ouyang Rong had already taken off his white fox fur shawl and was wearing a thick, plain white scholar's robe. He was leading a group of beautiful women to rearrange and repost the door gods and couplets at the entrance of the mansion in Huaiye Lane.
You read that right, it's a re-paste.
"Ouyang Lianghan... what are you doing?"
Ouyang Rong turned around, glanced at the scene, clasped his hands in a fist and smiled, and said:
"Your Excellency, Happy New Year."
"Happy New Year? Where is this a popular New Year greeting?"
Rong Zhen frowned and stepped forward, sleeves tucked behind her arm as she ascended the steps to the gate of the mansion. She didn't get too close, keeping a slight distance from him, so that she could see his face by simply tilting her head up.
"From my dreams before."
Ouyang Rong waved his hand and smiled, while glancing at the guests behind Rong Zhen.
They were all familiar faces.
The imperial eunuch Zhang Yu, the imperial envoy Hu Fu, the Jiangzhou Prefect Yuan Huaimin, the Jiangzhou Vice Prefect Li Dalang representing the Prince of Xunyang, and so on, all the officials of Jiangzhou came and stood below the steps outside the mansion gate.
Apart from Yuan Huaimin yawning and Li Dalang winking at him, most of the figures were somewhat reserved, all staring at him, as well as the back of the cold, palace-dressed girl who walked up the steps to talk to him.
At the very back of the line was... the figure of an old woman with white eyes, standing at a street corner some distance away, seemingly casting a complicated look in his direction.
Ouyang Rong withdrew his gaze from the corner of his eye and asked Chao Rongzhen with a smile:
"Your Excellency, and gentlemen, where are you all headed? A picnic after the snow melts?"
Everyone's expressions immediately became somewhat awkward, especially Zhang Yu and Hu Fu, who covered their mouths and coughed.
Rong Zhen didn't turn around, but tilted her head slightly, her gaze falling on a pair of door gods behind Ouyang Rong, which were being straightened by Wei Lai and Ban Xi on tiptoe.
She asked in confusion, "Ouyang Lianghan, New Year's Eve has passed, why haven't the door couplets been put up yet..."
Rongzhen was speaking when she suddenly noticed that Wei Lai, Ban Xi, and the other maids and girls chuckled and covered their mouths, trying hard to suppress their laughter.
Before she could finish her question, the young man in the plain white scholar's robe beside her had already turned around in a flash:
"Lady, how do you know that the couplets on the door gods of my humble abode were personally painted by Qin, the son of the Duke of Hu, the head of the Qin family of Chang'an, and the Grand Marshal of the Jiangnan Army?"
Ouyang Rong asked in a serious tone.
Rong Zhen: "..."
I...I didn't ask that.
Before she could explain.
"Hey, why is everyone so interested in this? Actually, all the door gods and couplets on every household are the same, and my humble abode is no exception. The auspicious meaning of warding off evil and disaster is the same..."
All that could be seen was Ouyang Rong, standing before the mansion gate, letting out a long sigh. He put his hands behind his back, paced around the gate once, tapped his fingers on the fierce-looking door god couplet that he regularly checked upon leaving the house, shook his head, and looked slightly melancholy.
"This door god painting of mine is just one of the three limited edition paintings that the Qin family only sends out each year, painted by the eldest son of the Duke of Hu. It's really nothing different. Everyone, please disperse and stop crowding around."
Rong Zhen only saw the young man in the plain white scholar's robe finish speaking, then humbly wave his hand, seemingly glancing at her and the people behind him, before quickly turning his head and asking her with a slightly reproachful tone:
"Wait a minute, did everyone come here for a snow-melting outing instead of to see this? Your Excellency, really, these gentlemen are usually so busy. Who suggested this? How could you let them join in this nonsense..."
Rong Zhen: "???"
Zhang Yu, Hu Fu, Yuan Huaimin, and others: "..."
Ye Weilai, Banxi, and the other women in front of the mansion laughed when they saw the somewhat embarrassed expression on their husbands' faces, covering their mouths with the backs of their hands.
Inside the back door, Zhen Shuyuan, who was "sick" and unable to come out, was eavesdropping and couldn't help but chuckle.
Tanlang didn't just go out to put up this door god couplet today... Anyway, now the whole Huaiye Lane knows the origin of their door god couplet. The people living in Huaiye Lane are all rich and noble. But now, many neighbors have started to take detours, afraid of being caught by Tanlang for a chat.
Otherwise, they'll offer "Happy New Year," along with words of comfort and praise, saying even their ordinary door god couplets look good, and urging you not to compare or get discouraged... It's practically a relentless pursuit.
At first, the neighbors were quite flattered to be greeted and spoken to by Ouyang Sima, who was retired at home and famous in Jiangnan... But Ouyang Sima was not a human being.
Seeing that everyone remained silent and their gazes seemed to wander guiltily, Ouyang Rong's smile faded slightly, and he prepared to turn around and return to his residence.
“Ouyang Lianghan, wait a minute.” Rongzhen suddenly called out to him.
"What's wrong?"
"Well, Eunuch Zhang and Eunuch Hu have brought an imperial edict from Luoyang again."
"So that's what it is." Ouyang Rong's expression remained unchanged as he turned to the crowd and nodded apologetically, "Your Majesty, please rest assured, my aunt is unharmed for the time being..."
Before Ouyang Rong could finish speaking, Rong Zhen, Hu Fu, Zhang Yu, and the others all turned around and looked at a certain old woman with disdainful eyes.
Ouyang Rong noticed that their expressions were different, and they tacitly stepped aside to make way for him.
Granny Song stepped forward, followed by a palace maid in green carrying a tray of imperial edicts.
They walked up to Ouyang Rong, one after the other.
Granny Song's tone was somewhat stiff: "Marshal Ouyang, please receive the imperial decree."
"Ah, door couplets? What door couplets?"
Ouyang Rong looked puzzled and curiously pointed to the door god couplet behind him:
"Is this what Deputy Supervisor Song was referring to? Hey, what brings you here to see the door gods and couplets at my humble abode? It's really nothing, but then again, it's a matter of belief. If Brother Lin and his family had hung a similar door god and couplet at their door back then, perhaps... hey."
A fist suddenly hardened beneath Song Mama's sleeve. Then, under the watchful eyes of Rongzhen, Hufu, Zhang Yu, and other palace attendants, she took a deep breath and forced a smile.
“Sir Ouyang, I am not here to see the couplets on your door, but to deliver an imperial edict. His Majesty values you highly and is very concerned about your elder’s illness. He has specially ordered me to come to your residence in person to visit you and to clear up some past misunderstandings with you, Sima Ouyang.”
"It's a misunderstanding, there's no misunderstanding. Alright, gentlemen, please issue the decree. Please come in, have some tea first, don't be shy."
Ouyang Rong waved his hand, preparing to receive the imperial decree as usual.
The expressions of Granny Song, Zhang Yu, Hu Fu, and others changed.
He welcomed them with the same warmth and courtesy last time, and then resigned under the pretext of filial piety. It's simply outrageous.
Granny Song lowered her voice: "Sir Ouyang, may I come in and have a private chat to clear up any misunderstandings?"
Ouyang Rong raised an eyebrow and, under Rong Zhen's somewhat pleading gaze, reluctantly agreed.
A moment later, Ouyang Rong led Song Mama into a side hall.
About fifteen minutes later, Granny Song came out with a solemn expression, but there was a slight sense of relief in her eyes.
Ouyang Rong also came out, his expression showing surprise.
This arrogant deputy director of the Imperial Observatory had just spoken to him in a rare show of humility, which could be considered a sign of him bowing his head.
She promised him that as long as he was willing to come out of seclusion and build the Xunyang Grottoes, she and Rongzhen would definitely cooperate with his work, and all previous private grudges between Lin Cheng and him would be wiped clean!
However, what Ouyang Rong valued more was Song Mama's promise that she would inform him of the actions of the Censorate and the female officials in Jiangzhou in the future, without concealing anything, and would allow him to participate in them, including the case of the Butterfly Love Flower owner and the rebels in Tiannan Jianghu that they were investigating.
In other words, it means removing supervision and defenses, completely empowering him, and allowing him to confidently unleash his talents.
"Such a good thing?" Ouyang Rong thought about it calmly, then reluctantly agreed without even asking what the imperial edict was.
Seeing Song Mama nod with a stern face, Zhang Yu, Hu Fu, and the others breathed a sigh of relief. The imperial eunuch Zhang Yu immediately stepped forward and quickly read out the imperial decree.
The imperial edict was the same as before, but the wording was much more rigorous and careful, clearly having learned from the lesson of being taken advantage of last time... In any case, Ouyang Rong, who was skilled at receiving edicts, could sense the slight resentment of the person who wrote them.
From this day forward, Ouyang Rong will act as the governor of Jiangzhou and concurrently serve as the Left Deputy Commissioner for the Construction of the Jiangnan Buddha, giving him full authority over the construction of the Donglin Buddha. He will have even greater power than Lin Cheng did before, as he will also hold the governorship of Wang Lengran.
At the same time, Zhen Shuyuan was granted the title of Lady of the Imperial Decree, a fourth-rank county lady. A royal physician was also sent to treat her illness, clearly to prevent him from finding another excuse… However, the most unexpected promotion for Ouyang Rong was the position of Academician of the Imperial Academy, a fifth-rank official in the capital!
In other words, he could now return to the capital, take a temporary post at the Xiuwen Academy to slack off, and have meals with his six colleagues who were all "eloquent and talented" and would arrive late or leave early... However, due to special circumstances, he had to temporarily hold the position of Jiangzhou Sima and also act as the Jiangzhou Prefect.
The rank of the Jiangzhou Sima was lower fifth grade, while the previous position of Jiangzhou Changshi was upper fifth grade, so he had been demoted one rank.
Now, the scholar of the Xiuwen Pavilion is a fifth-rank official, so his actual official rank is fifth-rank, and he serves as the Sima of Jiangzhou and the acting governor of Jiangzhou.
The reason he hasn't been directly promoted to Governor of Jiangzhou is because the Governor of Jiangzhou is a fourth-rank official.
A fourth-rank official in his early twenties? And he's a junior official, promoted directly from the fifth rank to the fourth rank? That's too outrageous. It won't be convenient to give him an official position when he's transferred back to the capital. Besides, once the Donglin Buddha statue is completed, he'll be promoted again as the main contributor. How should he be rewarded then?
So now he is acting as the governor of Jiangzhou... There is actually an advantage to this, because in the Great Zhou Dynasty, in addition to the rule that "no official can be appointed to the central government without having served in a prefecture or county", there is actually an even higher unwritten rule, that is, an official without the experience of a local governor cannot become a powerful prime minister, and must at least be appointed as a local governor for one term.
So Ouyang Rong has first earned a prerequisite achievement, which means he has the resume of a prefectural governor... Of course, this is still too far away now, and even the Empress and the officials of the Council of State probably haven't thought of this little rule... They probably only considered that if the next statue is successfully made, he could be promoted to the capital or sent to a prefecture to serve as a real prefectural governor.
The title of Lady of the Imperial Decree bestowed upon Zhen Shuyuan this time was the title of Fourth-Rank County Lady, which could only be bestowed upon the wives or mothers of Fourth-Rank officials.
In other words, the Empress and the Council of State had already tacitly granted him the treatment of a fourth-rank official! They were just waiting for his statue to be completed before promoting him. It was an implication that everyone in the officialdom understood.
"Prefect Ouyang, please rise. From now on, Jiangzhou will depend on you!" After Ouyang Rong formally received the imperial decree, the way everyone looked at him immediately changed, becoming somewhat respectful, because the person standing before them was a powerful official! He was also highly regarded by Her Majesty the Empress and the officials of the Council of State, and was in charge of the statue-making in Jiangzhou, with the Empress's eyes always on him.
Ouyang Rong shook his head and said helplessly, "Just call me Sima. I've gotten used to it these days, and the people of Jiangzhou like to call me that too. It's more affectionate. Actually, I prefer to be called Chief Secretary, but unfortunately, Brother Huaimin has already taken that title."
Yuan Huaimin scratched his head, and everyone immediately burst into good-natured laughter. However, no one was so tactless as to continue calling him "Sima Ouyang." They either called him "Prefect Ouyang" or "Scholar Ouyang," always aiming for a higher title. Only Rong Zhen, Li Dalang, and a few others knew that Ouyang Rong was probably being sincere.
Ouyang Rong suddenly asked, "Wait a minute, as the cultural sanctuary of the previous dynasty and the present Great Zhou, does Xiuwen Hall collect many authentic works of calligraphy by famous artists?"
"That's right."
"Then... are there any calligraphic works by Tao Yuanming?"
"There should be."
"May I request a view?"
Zhang Yu hesitated for a moment, then nodded and said, "We can report it and give it a try."
“Okay.” Ouyang Rong nodded gently.
Hu Fu's face lit up with recollection: "The Imperial Academy of Literature in the capital has branches in all ten circuits of the empire, each with its own secret archives. Since the founding of the nation, it has been dedicated to collecting authentic works by famous calligraphers. There should be some works by a renowned scholar like Tao Yuanming. Why would Governor Ouyang be interested in this person?"
"I was just asking out of curiosity, I didn't expect Xiuwen Academy to be so amazing."
Ouyang Rong smiled calmly and accepted the seal of the Prefect of Jiangzhou from Rong Zhen. At the same time, he weighed the golden token of the Scholar of the Academy of Literature, along with the corresponding scholar's seal and official document... This time, he could be said to have absolute power.
As everyone departed, before leaving, Granny Song suddenly turned around and solemnly handed Ouyang Rong a string of Buddhist prayer beads.
"Prefect Ouyang... Prefect Ouyang, please accept this. This is a gift from His Majesty. It was originally given to Cheng'er. This item was used by His Majesty and is only bestowed upon close officials. It can grant one reprieve from death. Countless people would kill for it..."
The old woman nodded, her voice tinged with sadness:
"Prefect Ouyang, please keep this safe and make a Buddha statue for Cheng'er. This is my humble request."
"Ah, oh oh."
Ouyang Rong was stunned for a moment, then his lips twitched violently. What a hellish joke! He watched the respectful backs of the crowd leave.
Only Rong Zhen remained, standing in the courtyard not far away, looking around at Ouyang Rong's house, seemingly waiting for him to finish his business.
Zhen Shuyuan, who had been granted the title of Lady of the Imperial Decree, was also excited about her beloved nephew bringing glory to the family and was surrounded by Ye Weilai, Banxi and others to celebrate.
At the doorway, Ouyang Rong looked down at the "immunity prayer beads" in his hand, which Song Mama had re-strung with hemp rope, speechless. He didn't know whether to laugh or spit out "bad luck."
Goodness, this can drop equipment? I'm so unlucky!
(End of this chapter)
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