Chapter 885 Aqing is Not Here (Seeking guaranteed monthly votes! Giveaways available!)
Ouyang Rong found himself the center of attention on the deck.
Various glances, some obvious and some subtle, were cast upon them.
He frowned slightly.
Since infiltrating Yunmeng Sword Marsh, Ouyang Rong has preferred to keep a low profile. He came to steal... oops, to find Xiu Niang.
It's not a good feeling to be the center of everyone's attention.
Compared to Lu Jinghong, who loves to show off and feels uncomfortable if he doesn't pretend to be cool.
These days, Ouyang Rong wished that all the young ladies in Jianze would think of him as a taciturn, tattooed, and uncouth country bumpkin.
At this moment, the large ship is sailing on the lake, cutting through the waves.
Ouyang Rong, Song, and Lu stood in an inconspicuous spot at the stern of the ship. Although he had just been called upon by Senior Sister Yue Nu, and his involvement with the Queen made him quite conspicuous...
Song Zhian, Yu Mili, and Lu Jinghong, who were standing next to him, were also looking at him with different expressions.
Ouyang Rong didn't look at them, maintaining a blank expression, and focused on observing the route the large ship was taking.
They soon discovered that the large ship seemed to be heading towards the dripping cave from yesterday.
Just then, Yu Mili's muttering came from the side:
"Brother Liu, are you hiding something from us?"
Ouyang Rong glanced at Yu Mili, whose curiosity was like that of a cat.
There are many things I'm keeping from you. Do you expect me to tell you that I beat up the Empress Dowager two and a half times?
After mentally muttering a complaint, the taciturn man wore a bewildered expression:
"ah?"
Lu Jinghong, who had been holding it in the whole way, couldn't help but ask:
"Brother Liu, you wouldn't happen to be related to some female ruler, would you? Are you hiding some kind of connection from us?"
Relatives? Does Yue Chuzi's legitimate husband count? He should be close enough... Ouyang Rong remained expressionless and shook his head.
He said calmly:
"I don't know, I never expected to be left behind."
Ouyang Rong slightly raised his hand, gesturing towards them with the food box.
The four of them realized that Brother Liu must have been preparing to say goodbye that morning, so this was something he had never expected.
As Lu Jinghong pondered and spoke, he never forgot to maintain his elegant sword-holding posture, especially now that many young women on the deck were glancing at the five of them out of the corner of their eyes.
He looked thoughtful and lowered his voice:
"Brother Liu, could it really be the First Lady, or some other Lady? Just like me... Well, to be honest, the Third Lady is my aunt, which is why the First Lady gave me the opportunity to stay and participate in the Bamboo Hall assessment... Of course, the First Lady is impartial and selfless, and she also said that there are no backdoors; you have to rely on your strength to stay, and you have to let your results speak for themselves... I wholeheartedly agree with this. Having a Lady as an aunt is nothing special, really."
Having inadvertently revealed this relationship, Lu Jinghong maintained her speaking pace and continued to frown with questioning intent:
"So, when Brother Liu accompanied my mother and me into the Sword Swamp last time, I had my doubts. After all, your bone age is a bit too advanced, and you shouldn't be qualified to be selected for the assessment... I apologize for being a bit blunt; I didn't mean to look down on you, but that's what I meant. Besides, Brother Liu's talent is not bad; it's just that your bone age is a problem, which is a real pity..."
"If Brother Liu himself doesn't know, then it's probably a distant relationship, but he will still be taken care of. It seems to be a blessing left by his family or relatives, allowing Brother Liu to be protected by a certain female ruler."
Song Zhian, who had been observing Ouyang Rong for a long time, suddenly spoke up, interrupting Lu Jinghong's incessant analysis:
"That's not necessarily the case. Perhaps it's just as Brother Sha guessed, that Brother Liu was missed on the list, and that the Queen, who was in charge of this assessment, found the omission in time and has now been added."
Lu Jinghong hesitated, then said, "Is it just to make up for it? But Jianze isn't that careless..."
Song Zhian, however, pointed out incisively:
"As Young Master Lu also said, the First Queen is impartial and selfless, and the other Queens are also upright and honest. The assessment of new recruits is a major event in Jianze, which is related to the survival of the future. There is no such thing as being ranked last."
"Moreover, even with a female aunt like Young Master Lu, he couldn't get into Jianze directly through back channels. It's clear that even the closest relationships wouldn't work. But now, Brother Liu has been accepted again. If it's really as Young Master Lu suspects, that he got in through back channels, does Brother Liu have an even closer relationship than Young Master Lu's aunt? How close must they be? How deep must their background be?"
The beautiful young woman calmly analyzed the situation:
"From this perspective, it seems more likely that the list will be filled in to fill any gaps."
Lu Jinghong initially wanted to argue, but upon hearing the latter reason, she immediately shut up and slowly nodded:
“Miss Song is right. It’s impossible for our relationship to be closer than mine. So, the most reasonable thing to do is to fix the problem.”
Seeing that Brother Liu could stay again, Sha Ergou grinned from ear to ear:
"Actually, it's not as complicated as Young Master Lu thought. I guess it's because Her Majesty is wise. When reviewing the list of selected candidates, she removed some factor of bone age. Brother Liu's grades are much better than mine. If I can get in, then Brother Liu can naturally get in too."
Yu Mili nodded like a chick pecking at rice: "That makes sense. That's right, that's right."
As if remembering something, she added with a grin:
"Besides, the Bamboo Hall assessment isn't that difficult. Young Master Lu lost to me by a small margin, yet he still managed to get first place among the newcomers of the Bamboo Hall. Brother Liu is definitely going to get in, if it weren't for those outdated bone age rules blocking the way."
Ouyang Rong couldn't help but glance at them a few more times.
He didn't say anything, and the four of them didn't give him a chance to speak either. They took turns explaining things to him.
Ouyang Rong sometimes had to admire the power of imagination.
But their analysis does make a lot of sense.
As for the reason for the sudden arrival of that elegant Yue woman, Ouyang Rong only had some vague guesses.
At that moment, he thought of Aqing, whom he hadn't seen outside the Dripping Cave the day before.
She had won first place in the assessment by a landslide, but it was unclear what she was doing with that Senior Sister Yuan or where she was taken.
On the deck at the bow of the ship, a group of young women, including Chen Jiaxin, were also paying attention to Ouyang Rong's group.
However, they were all the young women around Chen Jiaxin; she herself did not look at them.
He seemed completely uninterested in the movements and affairs of Ouyang Rong and the other four.
What difference does it make whether there is one more or one less taciturn young man on the boat or in the bamboo hall?
Within the Yunmeng Sword Marsh, the Bamboo Hall is merely an accessory; the Yue Women are the core group.
Chen Jiaxin gripped the railing at the bow of the boat, her eyes fixed on the white waves breaking through the surface of the water below.
I wonder what he's thinking.
Her gaze kept drifting towards another traveling vessel not far away...
Soon, the large ship arrived at an island and entered a cave.
Ouyang Rong glanced around and saw that it was the same route as yesterday. It seemed that they would meet at the Drip Cave Hall again this time.
"Brother Liu, that's great! We can be together again."
Yu Xiaoniangzi's voice came from behind.
And there was the sound of her swallowing.
Ouyang Rong had no choice but to hide the food box behind his back slightly.
He knew without even turning his head that her eyes were fixed on something.
Both ships reached the shore, and Ouyang Rong, carrying a food box, stepped off the ship slightly ahead of the main force.
Song, Lu, and the other three were somewhat surprised, but they still followed.
The people from both boats gathered on the shore and entered the cave together.
On the familiar road leading to Drip Cave, Ouyang Rong looked around and gradually frowned.
Aqing is not here.
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(PS: I'm humiliated and have to bow my head. This chapter is a bit short. I spent a whole day writing it, but I have to post it, sob sob... There will be another chapter tonight.)
(End of this chapter)
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