Chapter 649 Delicate and Beautiful, Each with Their Own Charm [Seeking Monthly Tickets!]
“We should be careful with Lady Rong. She and the Censorate are now at odds with Lady Yunmeng.”
Night fell. In the inner room of Yinbingzhai, Ouyang Rong pondered for a moment, then nodded gently.
Ye Weilai has indeed grown up quite a bit. When she first came back from the carriage shop in Longcheng, she was only five dou of rice and sixty jin in weight, and she was as thin as could be.
Now, not only has she grown taller, reaching Ouyang Rong's chin, but she has also become much heavier, though all the weight has been in the right places. She is maturing earlier than Han girls and is showing signs of developing a figure with the curves of a Western woman, with a slender waist and long legs.
For example, right now, she was sitting in Ouyang Rong's lap, her buttocks resting on one of his legs, which felt heavy, unlike the bony and uncomfortable feeling of a seamstress.
Most importantly, Ye Weilai has thick and lush hair, long and beautiful silver-white hair, smooth as water, draped over her shoulders.
After returning to her room at night, Ye Weilai took off her ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) and changed into a loose-fitting light pink silk nightgown. Ouyang Rong only needed to casually tug at it to reveal a round, delicate shoulder with skin as white as snow.
I don't know if it was specially worn for Ouyang Rong.
However, Ouyang Rong has been very busy lately, leaving early and returning late, and hasn't paid much attention to family matters.
But Ye Weilai was quiet and unassuming. During the day, she would either learn household management from Zhen Shuyuan, consult with Xie Xiaoniangzi about the Six Arts, or learn embroidery etiquette from the maids like Banxi... She became increasingly intelligent and refined.
In the evenings, she had to take care of Tanlang, who returned exhausted and had no interest in talking. Only occasionally could Tanlang find time to assign Ye Weilai the next stage of her homework and respond to the questions she had specifically left for her to ask.
She managed the Yinbingzhai restaurant with great efficiency, and at the same time, she was able to fully integrate into the prosperous life of a Han Chinese woman in the Great Zhou Dynasty.
Despite being busy, Ouyang Rong silently observed all of this.
"I'll help with Madam Zhen's side, but I still need to lend a hand to Madam Xie and Rongzhen."
Ye Weilai tapped her chin with her index finger and nodded.
Ouyang Rong, who had been nodding, paused, his brows furrowing slightly.
"Why bother with all that effort from Lady Rong? Just keep her out of it. You think you can reconcile them? Everyone knows they're irreconcilable."
Ye Weilai rolled her eyes slightly upward and glanced at Ouyang Rong:
"We still have to try. What if... what if she also comes to attend Madam Zhen's birthday celebration? Or what if she suddenly comes to the Huaiye Lane residence one day?"
Ouyang Rong frowned, as if he were pondering this possibility.
Ye Weilai didn't urge her. She sat obediently on Ouyang Rong's lap, her legs swinging slightly. She took a comb and slowly combed her long, silvery hair over her shoulders... She usually liked to let her thick silver hair down after bathing at night and then gather it over her shoulders.
"What is Tanlang's attitude towards Yunmeng Jianze now?"
Ye Weilai asked softly.
Ouyang Rong pursed his lips, and after a while, said softly:
"Aside from the matter concerning the embroiderer, we are even."
Ye Weilai was not surprised to finally hear the words "embroiderer" from Tanlang's mouth.
From the moment they tasted the pastries made by the embroiderer herself, the two of them had an unspoken understanding about "the embroiderer" over the past two days. Ye Weilai never directly revealed who "she" was in their conversation.
Ouyang Rong suddenly asked:
"When I was managing the floods in Longcheng, I fell into a coma for the second time and was admitted to the Sanhui Courtyard of Donglin Temple. Did you come to visit me then?"
Ye Weilai was slightly taken aback and shook her head: "Don't you remember, my lord? At that time, my aunt and I were still in our hometown of Nanlong. It was you who urged us to go back for the Ghost Festival in advance."
Ouyang Rong nodded: "Oh, right, so at that time I only had my junior sister and my master with me?"
"Hmm. Why do you ask about this, Danlang?"
Ouyang Rong pondered for a moment, then gently shook his head: "It's alright."
Ye Weilai continued to lower her head, combing her long, silvery-white hair over her shoulders.
This did not disturb Ouyang Rong's thoughts.
Ouyang Rong snapped out of his daze, reached out and picked up a strand of silver-white hair, rubbing it between his fingertips.
Perhaps because she made osmanthus cake in the evening, Ye Weilai's neck and hair carried a faint, sweet fragrance of osmanthus.
He suddenly picked up Ye Weilai from his lap and put her down.
Both of them stood up at the table.
"What's wrong, my love?" Ye Weilai asked instinctively, "Do you want to take a bath and change your clothes?"
Ouyang Rong grabbed her hand:
"No need. I'm done washing. I'll have to wash again later, it's too much trouble."
"Is Tanlang going out tonight?"
Ye Weilai was curious, but didn't pay much attention. She put down the comb and prepared the study:
"Then I've gone to study and practice. When my lord returns, he'll call me..."
Ouyang Rong picked up a piece of pastry and put it in his mouth. After a few bites to replenish his energy, he walked quickly to Ye Weilai's back and picked her up in his arms as she exclaimed in surprise.
"Oh, what's wrong with my beloved..."
Ouyang Rong weighed it in his hand and muttered, "It's quite heavy."
Ye Wei blushed and whispered, "Isn't Tanlang going out?"
Ouyang Rong did not answer, but asked:
"What did you just say you were going to do?"
"Reading and writing..."
"Then let's learn to read and write. I'll teach you."
Ouyang Rong nodded seriously.
Ye Weilai always felt that the reading and writing that Tanlang talked about was somewhat different from what she wanted, which made the young girl's heart, which was in the throes of first love, both confused and shyly delighted.
Just then, Tanlang muttered to himself:
"Hmm, let's try one more time, see if it can be transferred in any way..."
"What ferry?" Ye Wei asked, her face full of confusion.
Ouyang Rong did not answer, but turned and went into the bedroom with Ye Weilai in his arms, going in the opposite direction from the bedroom.
She suddenly stopped talking.
While being held, she buried her face tightly in his chest and clothes.
The girl's long, silvery-white hair trailed on the ground, stretching across the reddish-brown carpet, whiter and brighter than the moonlight outside tonight.
After an unknown amount of time, the cry of an unknown bird drifted from the darkness outside the window...
Ye Weilai suddenly remembered the sunset she had seen before Ouyang Rong returned in the evening.
That patch of rosy clouds, pressed down at the very bottom of the vast sky, was fiery red and scorching, passionate and rolling, obediently and silently bearing the weight of the night and the mountains.
Finally, the fiery red clouds lay on the distant horizon, drifting with the wind, occasionally punctuated by showers, too lazy to move a finger, slowly floating and sinking into the deepest darkness of the night...
...
Pitch black as ink.
The sound of gongs at dawn could be heard outside the window.
A single lamp lit up on the desk.
Ouyang Rong extinguished the tinderbox, sat down at the table, let out a long breath, and rubbed his face.
The lamplight illuminated his slender figure, which was only draped in a thin blue robe.
Ouyang Rong turned his head and looked towards the inner room. He had just covered a girl with long, flowing silver hair and dazzlingly fair skin with a blanket.
The latter drifted into a deep sleep, her delicate body weary, yet she slept exceptionally soundly. As expected of a foreign silver-haired, blue-eyed girl, her figure and waist were incredibly resilient, capable of withstanding heavy pressure and bending...
Ouyang Rong withdrew his gaze, rested his chin on the back of his hands, closed his eyes, and entered the Pagoda of Merit.
Inside the Pagoda of Merit, it remains the same as always, a pure white space.
A blessing bell hangs high, but it has been quiet for some time since the last time the blessing was redeemed through dual cultivation with the embroiderer.
Below, the round little wooden fish occasionally made a "ding" sound, its crisp sound quite loud in the quiet space of the merit pagoda.
Ouyang Rong walked over and glanced at the cyan-gold characters.
Merit: 5,420
He had just asked Ye Weilai to test the criteria for selecting a candidate to receive the Merit Purple Mist Dual Cultivation Infusion.
This is also a question I've been pondering lately, so I thought I'd ask her to test it out.
turn out……
It's useless.
The blessing bell inside the merit pagoda remained perfectly still.
Since it wasn't triggered, it couldn't infuse Ye Weilai with the purple mist of merit; it was just normal intimacy.
Ouyang Rong frowned.
He wasn't sure if this was because Ye Weilai had no cultivation, while the embroiderer did.
Therefore, the reference group in the experiment on whether the Purple Mist of Merit can be used for dual cultivation is not complete enough, and more control groups are needed.
But in such a short time, where could he find such a control group besides the embroiderer? Curiosity really killed the cat.
Well, Junior Sister is a noblewoman from one of the five noble families, a lady of high birth. As for consummating her marriage, it must be done through a formal marriage ceremony.
This was something the two of them tacitly understood.
Whether it's washing feet in a clear spring, sharing sweet cakes, or inspecting the son's cafeteria...
They all kept to a minimum, engaging in minor squabbles without crossing any lines.
Otherwise, let alone his mentor Xie Xun, even his aunt Xie Xue'e would have skinned him alive.
Women in this era still placed great importance on chastity. For example, the embroiderer was unaware that Ouyang Rong knew about her status as a child bride. When he asked her about it last time, she almost burst into tears, but fortunately, Ouyang Rong responded cleverly.
Currently, the results obtained from the experiment with Wei Lai only prove that Ouyang Rong cannot transfer merit purple mist to achieve the effect of dual cultivation when consummating a marriage with an ordinary woman who has no Qi cultivation level.
Ouyang Rong pursed his lips, recalling the strange feeling of exchanging merit-based purple mist with the embroiderer.
His curiosity and desire to find out the truth stemmed not only from his desire to be a money-giving boy, but also from the fact that he had been surprised to discover in the past few days that his cultivation had improved.
He was originally quite far from reaching the Great Perfection of the Eighth Rank.
It would normally take three to five years to cultivate, but after a somewhat unrestrained and shameless encounter with the embroiderer, his cultivation level actually advanced directly to the bottleneck.
I've already reached the eighth rank of perfection. Once I break through the bottleneck, I'll be at the seventh rank of light red!
Surprisingly, he also benefits from this dual cultivation-like state.
However, upon closer reflection, dual cultivation is certainly not just beneficial to one person; otherwise, wouldn't it be what Taoists call the cauldron or something?
Ouyang Rong left the Tower of Merit, closed his eyes and looked inward, feeling the deep blue spiritual energy flowing steadily in his lower dantian. A slight smile appeared on his lips.
As is widely known, the ninth and eighth ranks are considered low-ranking Qi cultivators.
The seventh and sixth ranks are considered mid-level Qi cultivators.
Next, moving from the eighth rank to the seventh rank is a very important threshold.
Once this threshold is crossed, the deep blue spiritual energy will transform into crimson spiritual energy, representing a qualitative leap. The swordsman's abilities will be greatly enhanced, such as "Return to the Source," which increases the range of sword placement while reducing the time required; and "Dependent Origination and Emptiness"...
"Sword Technique".
He suddenly opened his eyes and murmured to himself:
"We're still missing a sword technique; it would be best to have another advancement ceremony."
...
"Madam Fang, has Miss Fang settled in here? Aren't you worried about things back home?"
Midday in the quiet courtyard.
Ouyang Rong, Zhao Qingxiu, Fang Juxiu, and Fang Shengnan were having dinner together at the same table.
Ouyang Rong put down his bowl and asked curiously.
Fang Juxiu and Fang Shengnan exchanged a glance.
"I heard that the incense at Chengtian Temple is very efficacious, and my sister and I planned to pray there more often. However, the inns at Chengtian Temple are full, so we have to stay here with you and Xiu Niang. Please don't be offended."
"By the way, I hope I didn't disturb you."
Ouyang Rong shook his head: "No."
He paused, then said casually:
"As long as I didn't disturb your lunch break, that's fine."
"Lunch break?" Fang Juxiu asked curiously.
Fang Shengnan blushed slightly and lowered her head to eat.
Ouyang Rong added, "Since you've been staying here, Xiu Niang's complexion has improved considerably."
Fang raised his sleeve and nodded, but then noticed that Fang Shengnan, who was eating next to him, had her head even lower.
The young lady opposite also seemed to have her ears turn a little red.
Ouyang Rong then inquired about the matter of worshipping Buddha, but Fang Juxiu remained tight-lipped and did not yield any clues about Zen Master Yizhi.
Ouyang Rong pursed his lips.
Recently, the Fang sisters' activities have been limited to Chengtian Temple. The intelligence they received also indicated that although the outpost had been demolished, the patrols of Liu Lang's soldiers were still deployed in Xingzifang to search for the identities and deeds of suspicious individuals.
The Fang sisters couldn't move around the city or stay away from Xingzi Lake, so they naturally couldn't find out much information.
Ouyang Rong was pleased with this outcome.
Although he has kept a low profile since taking office as the prefect of Jiangzhou, except for the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the first phase of low-rent housing in Qingyang Hengjie, Pei Shisan Niang has been the one to take the lead in handling affairs in Xingzifang these days.
Therefore, not many people in the city knew what he, the governor of Jiangzhou, looked like; they had only heard of the famous name "Ouyang Lianghan".
Having spent so much time with the Fang sisters and frequently trying to elicit information from them, he gradually came to understand this point.
There's no need to worry about this for now.
In addition, Yan Liulang investigated the people that the Fang sisters contacted at Chengtian Temple.
Everything is still under control for now.
Yan Liulang inquired whether to arrest the Fang sisters and those bald monks from Chengtian Temple, but Ouyang Rong temporarily put that aside.
Not long after, after finishing his meal, under Fang Shengnan's watchful gaze, Ouyang Rongben headed to the main hall, not intending to go to the kitchen. The embroiderer had set a rule last time that he should be restrained, so even though he was just washing dishes normally, Fang Shengnan might still misunderstand him, and he felt a little embarrassed.
Unexpectedly, the embroiderer came over, tugged at his sleeve, and then walked towards the kitchen alone.
Ouyang Rong was stunned for a moment, but had no choice but to follow. They had caught him and made him wash the dishes!
"Is there anything I can help you with, my lady?" Fang Juxiu looked at the scene with curiosity and was about to go and see when Fang Shengnan stopped her.
"What's wrong with Shengnan?"
"No, it's nothing, sis. Let's go back inside. I suddenly feel sleepy."
Fang Juxiu was pulled into the room by Fang Shengnan.
Ouyang Rong followed the embroiderer into the kitchen.
On the way, I couldn't help but glance at the embroiderer's slender back. I wondered if it was just my imagination, but I felt that the embroiderer had been subtly more proactive lately.
Could it be that the Purple Mist of Merit has had an effect?
It's unclear how the embroiderer felt...
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(End of this chapter)
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