Chapter 394 Adding Clothes in the Autumn Chill
"Qin Jingzhen belonged to the Guanzhong aristocracy, but he was not only a member of the Guanzhong aristocracy; he was also a newly emerging military elite since the reign of Emperor Gaozong."
Ouyang Rong turned to the crowd who were listening intently and said softly:
"Li Zhengyan was born into the Duke of England's family, a hereditary dukedom, and belonged to the old-fashioned noble family. Wei Shaoqi, Du Shuqing, Wang Junzhi and others who followed Li Zhengyan in this rebellion and restoration had backgrounds from aristocratic families in Chang'an and other places, and could all be considered noble children."
"The war in the southwest has expanded. Although it was blocked in Jiangzhou, it is gradually gaining momentum overall."
"Just like how our royal palace attracts talented people and patriots from several surrounding states, the Kuangfu Prefecture established by Li Zhengyan is also beginning to gather a group of Guanzhong nobles who were previously frustrated in the New Great Zhou Dynasty. The anti-Wei forces in the ten provinces are gathering through various channels and being taken over by Li Zhengyan... This is not a good phenomenon."
Even though many prominent families in Guanzhong and even the Five Clans and Seven Noble Families have publicly expelled the "unworthy sons" involved, it still cannot change the fact that the core of the conflict in this southwest storm is the dissatisfaction of the old, established noble groups with the new dynasty and the new distribution of interests forcibly established by His Majesty and the Wei clan.
"The old officials of the pro-establishment faction can still be won over and appeased through the civil service system of the Great Zhou Dynasty, but the old noble families are difficult to satisfy. This contradiction even manifests as regional conflict, such as the old families of Chang'an against the new nobles of Luoyang, and the nobles of Guanzhong against the gentry of Shandong and Jiangzuo..."
"Faced with this potential conflict, His Majesty adopted the idea of the Master and the ministers of the Council of State, choosing to divide and win over the other side."
Ouyang Rong shook his head:
"Reinstate and reuse Qin Jingzhen, who is also a member of the Guanzhong aristocracy, to deal with Li Zhengyan."
"One of them is the son of the Duke of Hu, and the other is the grandson of the Duke of Ying."
"Although the former did not inherit the title of Duke of Hu, he rose to power through military merit and lived up to his family's reputation. The latter, on the other hand, raised the banner to restore the country, and his circumstances and environment also represented the old noble families of the past, which is most likely to arouse the private sympathy of this group."
"These are like two completely different flags, each representing a different kind of thing. They stand there for the nobles and gentry of the world to see, and to tell the nobles and gentry of the north and south who are watching that there is more to it than just Li Zhengyan's unorthodox path. Why should they tie their heads to their belts and rebel like lackeys, ruining the legacy of their ancestors and their family?"
"This would both divide the Guanzhong aristocracy, break a certain underlying cohesion, and send a signal—"
"The Great Zhou Dynasty inherited the military system, and the Northern Imperial Guards, the Sixteen Guards of the Southern Imperial Guards, and the hundreds of military commands under its remote command are still firmly in His Majesty's hands."
"The fact that former nobles like Qin Jingzhen remain loyal to Your Majesty and the new dynasty is not only an example but also a manifestation of Your Majesty's control, waking up some people inside and outside the pass from their unrealistic fantasies."
"Kill two birds with one stone".
Ouyang Rong nodded.
Everyone frowned, pondering his words.
"good."
Li Guo'er nodded in praise, glanced at him, and continued:
"No wonder my grandmother valued the Master so highly. She relied on him as a senior statesman through many ups and downs. The Master was indeed able to get straight to the point and resolve conflicts every time. This move was truly effective in destroying the spirit of the state."
Li Dalang was puzzled:
"Qin Jingzhen is getting old, and his ambition may have faded. Moreover, he should be able to see through his grandmother's intentions. What if he doesn't want to be used and has no desire to continue serving the emperor and the country, so he refuses the imperial decree?"
Ouyang Rong shook his head:
Qin Jingzhen will definitely accept it.
"After the failure to establish Zhu Lingxu and his son as role models, His Majesty has turned his attention back to finding someone among the old nobles who can resolve the conflicts. It is like spending a fortune to buy a horse's bones, and Qin Jingzhen is the most suitable."
There are two reasons.
He held up one finger.
"Firstly, as I just mentioned, Qin Jingzhen is different from those old nobles who can sit back and enjoy the benefits. He earned his position through his own abilities, seized the opportunity, and fought his way up. He did not rely on the blessings of his ancestors for nothing. His position as Left Martial Guard General is the real deal."
"Therefore, Qin Jingzhen and the old noble families of Guanzhong could not get along. This can be seen from the fact that he left Guanzhong and retired to Yangzhou."
"He doesn't need to be like other old nobles, who would care about the Duke of England's reputation and be timid and hesitant towards Li Zhengyan. Besides, Qin Jingzhen is a generation older than Li Zhengyan, so it should be Li Zhengyan who respects the elder."
Ouyang Rong raised another finger:
"Secondly, so what if Qin Jingzhen sees through it? So what if he spends a thousand gold pieces to buy horse bones? Horse bones it is, as long as he pays a thousand gold pieces, it's a win-win situation."
"The little princess just told us about Qin Jingzhen's experiences and his affair with the Duke of Hu, and everyone knows about it now. Putting aside the issues of loyal ministers and ideals, from a pragmatic point of view, it's not hard to guess what attracts Qin Jingzhen the most."
"At over seventy years old, he has reached the same level of officialdom as his father, which can be said to be worthy of the family name. However, in terms of glory, he is not quite there yet. After all, he is still a little short of his father, Duke Hu, although this little bit is really hard to come by."
"I met this Uncle Qin at my junior sister's birthday banquet last time. He was healthy and had sharp eyes. At his age, he still had such energy. I guess his only desires and hopes are for the honor and disgrace of his family and the well-being of his descendants."
"His Majesty and the other officials know very well what can move Qin Jingzhen. He just wants a title, right? Why can't we grant it? We can even grant him the title that his father didn't receive without reducing his rank."
Ouyang Rong sighed softly:
"A thousand pieces of gold can buy a horse bone, but a horse bone is easy to find, while a thousand pieces of gold are not."
"Qin Jingzhen has been recuperating and retiring for so many years, and His Majesty has even left Qin Jingzhen idle for so many years. Now that Wei Jisi has replaced him, he immediately 'remembered' him. In fact, both sides are tacitly in agreement, waiting or gambling on the present moment."
"Qin Jingzhen has no reason to refuse. If I'm not mistaken, he has already received the imperial decree and is on his way."
Li Dalang couldn't help but ask, "So, Tanlang declined the position of Chief Secretary of the Army Camp?"
Ouyang Rong glanced at him:
“I don’t know the old man’s specific temperament, but if he wants to save up a fortune for his family’s descendants, why would he stand in the way?”
He shook his head.
Li Guo'er said calmly, "It's not far from Yangzhou to Jiangzhou by boat."
“Yes, they should arrive in the next couple of days.” Ouyang Rong turned to Li Xian and said:
"On the day Qin Jingzhen arrived, his uncle and eldest son went to Xunyang Ferry to pick him up."
After a pause, Ouyang Rong added, "Junior Sister, you should go too. We can catch up together."
"Okay." Xie Lingjiang nodded crisply.
Li Xian asked with concern, "Won't this enthusiastic contact with the generals be seen as an attempt to win them over? Won't it give the Empress a bad impression?"
"It's good that Uncle is being cautious, but there's no need to be so easily frightened. The matter of Li Zhengyan and Zhu Lingxu is over."
Ouyang Rong said with a smile:
“My uncle is now the Pacification Commissioner of Jiangnan Circuit, and my eldest son is the Prefect of Jiangzhou. It would be presumptuous of them not to go. As for whether we can win them over... we’ll see what happens.”
Li Guo'er suddenly smiled:
"What if Qin Jingzhen is truly a loyal minister who has been hiding for many years, deeply worried about being separated from his post?"
Li Dalang shook his head and corrected:
"I don't ask for any loyal ministers or good ministers, or even demand that he be selfless, neutral, or an upright minister. I just need him to be a good general, to enforce the law strictly, to minimize offenses, and to end the war in the southwest as soon as possible to avoid affecting the common people below... He should at least be able to do this as well as Li Zhengyan."
Li Guo'er tilted her head: "Brother is right."
Ouyang Rong glanced at the brother and sister with their contrasting ideas.
After discussing for a while, Ouyang Rong spoke up and gave instructions:
"Regardless of the circumstances, assisting in quelling the war and completing the construction of the Buddha statue are both very important tasks and crucial opportunities for our return to the capital. We should prepare well."
Li Xian and the others nodded emphatically.
A short while later, Ouyang Rong left, and before he left, he was given three sets of thick autumn clothes, each different from the others.
They were all purchased for Ouyang Rong.
I asked casually, and one set was prepared by Wei Mei, one set was made by my junior sister, and there was another set... I didn't ask.
He casually brought them back to his residence in Huaiye Lane.
...
In a secret underground room in the back residence of the governor of Xunyang City.
Two rows of chairs were placed in the center of the secret room, but it was mostly empty.
Li Li and Wang Lengran sat in the two chairs at the head of the table, remaining silent.
Two burly Xianbei men, weary from their journey, were in front of him, speaking in broken Chang'an dialect as they reported something.
Not far from them, the Secret Mantra Monk and the Frivolous Taoist Priest sat respectively.
The monk, with lowered eyebrows and benevolent eyes, recited the Diamond Sutra.
The Taoist priest casually crossed his legs, flipped through historical novels and stories, and marveled at the sight.
The monk and the Taoist priest did not disturb each other.
Li Li and Wang Lengran ignored them.
The Persian merchant held a black iron token engraved with the character "Wei".
Wang Lengran looked down and flipped through a newly delivered case file, which was stamped with the seal of the Longcheng County Legal Officer.
After listening to the two Xianbei men's retelling, the two men's faces darkened.
"Zhao Rushi's death is not that simple." Wang Lengran narrowed his eyes.
Boss Li stroked his beard, then turned to ask the two returning Xianbei men:
"You mean you saw Zhao Rushi that night?"
"right."
Wang coldly waved the file in his hand:
“But he died during the day, right on the streets of Longcheng County. Many people saw him. That night, his body was lying in the courtyard of the county government office, and there were people on duty there. Are you sure you're not mistaken? Could it be that you saw a ghost?”
The Xianbei man hesitated, then shook his head.
“It looks like him, but I’m not sure. However, someone did come looking for Zhu Yuheng that night. It seems to have been sent by Zhu Lingxu. He walked with a limp, which looks a lot like Zhao Rushi.”
What did they talk about?
"I don't know. Zhu Yuheng sent us away, and we don't know what they talked about, but that morning, Zhu Yuheng took the opportunity to shake us off and led his soldiers to defect."
Wang Lengran and Li Li exchanged a glance.
Li Li lowered his head and looked at the "Wei" token in his hand again.
The token was found among Zhu Lingxu's belongings and was retrieved by Wang Lengran. Before that, they had spent a lot of time explaining the token to Ouyang Rong and Rong Zhen.
However, Rong Zhen and Ouyang Rong still reported the truth to the authorities, and most likely the blame was placed on the Prince of Wei's mansion, becoming irrefutable evidence of the close relationship between Zhu Lingxu and the Prince of Wei's mansion.
Li Li certainly recognized the token.
After the incident involving Zhu Lingxu and his son, he could no longer find the Sixth Young Master.
Meanwhile, a reply came from the Prince of Wei's residence, saying that Qiu Shenji and Dingjian had not returned, let alone the whereabouts of the Sixth Prince.
Li Li's first reaction was that something had happened.
Could it be that the Sixth Prince has been murdered?
However, he soon discovered something amiss and, with a hint of suspicion, sent a letter to the Prince of Wei's residence to investigate.
Upon receiving the reply, they were shocked to discover that the "Sixth Young Master's" claim of encountering other informants from the Wei Prince's Mansion after leaving Yunmengze was completely unfounded. At that time, none of the Wei family's forces in Jiangnan Road were present near Yunmengze.
Li Li was immediately horrified and broke out in a cold sweat.
Looking back at the Sixth Young Master's actions, he was filled with astonishment and doubt.
"Beheaded in the street? Could it be that..."
The Persian merchant stood up and suddenly asked:
Where is Zhao Rushi's body?
Wang Lengran frowned and replied, "Dragon City."
...
The next morning, Ouyang Rong went out to go to his shift.
When the carriage was halfway there, Yan Liulang rode up at full speed, his expression serious. He dismounted, climbed into the carriage, and whispered a few words to Ouyang Rong.
The words "leaving the city overnight" and "Persian merchants" are vaguely visible.
"Got it, you're finally a bit smarter this time, you've found some suspicious points... But it's still been a long wait, the dew is condensing, the autumn wind is dropping the temperature, I'm almost too lazy to move..."
Ouyang Rong nodded, muttered a few words to himself, then turned and handed a stack of new clothes to Yan Liulang, who was stunned: "This is..."
"These were made by my aunt, so don't worry about keeping them. They're not made of fine silk or satin, but rather a few lined garments filled with velvet and goose feathers."
Ouyang Rong nodded and said softly:
“Since you’re still unmarried and your parents and sisters are in Longcheng, not Xunyang, your aunt made a few clothes for you. Try them on and see if they fit. If not, I’ll take them back and alter them.”
"Thank you, Your Excellency. Thank you, Madam." Yan Liulang was deeply moved.
Ouyang Rong gave a few more instructions, and Yan Liulang left with his clothes and a smile.
Inside the carriage, Ouyang Rong lowered his head, stroking his thick new autumn clothes. Suddenly, he raised his hand, lifted the curtain, and looked westward toward Longcheng County.
"I wonder how Aqing and Mother Liu are doing. It's been more than half a year since I last saw them. I should go and visit them. It's getting chilly in autumn, so please wear warm clothes."
...
Inside Xunyang City, in a simple room with only an ordinary wooden bed.
A cold, aloof young woman in palace attire sat upright at a table, carefully perusing a document.
"Longcheng...Zhao Rushi...beheaded in the street..."
She lifted her cold, icy face, her expression thoughtful.
Miaozhen suddenly strode in from outside, glanced at the cold-faced girl, then at the note in her hand, and frowned in displeasure:
"You sent a female official to Longcheng yesterday? Are you still investigating what happened before? Rongzhen, didn't I say that some things have already been settled in Luoyang, and His Majesty has already made the decision?"
"What's past is past. Don't get involved too much, or you'll just be taken advantage of. Just focus on doing your own thing. Have you forgotten the rules of the palace?"
Listen less, talk less, and guess less.
The woman in palace attire gave a serious warning.
Rong Zhen put away the paper and said coldly, "Aren't you the same? You're just as biased towards the Xunyang Prince's Mansion."
The girl in palace attire emphasized the word "biased," as if it were a sarcastic remark.
“It’s different.” Miaozhen shook her head, her expression not annoyed: “At least I didn’t meddle.”
Rong Zhen ignored her, casually putting away the file, her tone devoid of emotion:
"This concerns the Buddha statue; there can be no destabilizing factors within Xunyang City."
“Unstable factors, you mean... Ouyang Lianghan? Although this boy doesn’t seem honest and doesn’t seem like a gentleman, he and the Xunyang Prince’s Mansion were chosen by His Majesty to build the Buddha statue, so it’s unlikely that he would commit adultery and defect.”
The girl in her cold, palace-like attire remained silent.
Miaozhen asked thoughtfully, "Besides, what does your investigation have to do with the matter of the Great Buddha?"
Rongzhen stood up and suddenly nodded: "Actually, you're right, but there's one thing you said wrong."
Hearing the palace-dressed girl unusually yield, Miaozhen's expression softened a little:
"What did you say?"
"This is not the palace."
Rongzhen left with the book, leaving after saying that.
Since it's not in the palace, that premise doesn't apply, and everything that follows is wrong, right?
Miao Zhen's cheek twitched, and she asked again:
"Where are you going?"
"Investigate the case," she said.
(End of this chapter)
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