Chapter 361 The Dilemma of Overt Schemes
"My love! How come you've arrived so quickly? Where is Miss Xie?"
Before disembarking from the carriage, Ouyang Rong changed into a scarlet official robe. Under the watchful eyes of everyone, he carried a zither case and entered the Xunyang Prince's Mansion.
As soon as I stepped through the side door, I bumped into Li Dalang.
The latter, who had been standing still, paced around anxiously. Upon seeing Ouyang Rong's figure, he exclaimed in surprise.
Ouyang Rong did not reply upon hearing this.
He lifted the overly long hem of his official robe, turned around, and glanced at the empty street outside the Xunyang Prince's Mansion.
The midday wind swept across the sycamore leaves on the street.
Ouyang Rong gestured to Li Dalang with his eyes.
The two left the entrance in tacit agreement and entered the mansion.
They stopped at a gallery far from the entrance.
"You mean, my junior sister just went looking for me?"
Li Dalang nodded, and then blurted out the words like beans pouring from a bamboo tube:
"Wang Junzhi arrived early this morning, and Father was in a difficult position. You weren't there, and Miss Xie and Guo'er started arguing..."
"Miss Xie said she needed your decision. She had only been gone a short while when you arrived."
Ouyang Rong nodded slightly, walked past Li Dalang, and headed familiarly towards the study in Juxian Garden:
"knew.
"Send someone to find Junior Sister and tell her I'm back."
Seeing his friend's calm and composed back, even though the hot potato was still at home, Li Dalang felt surprisingly much calmer.
He suppressed his anxiety and nodded to do as instructed.
Juxian Garden is where Prince Li Fusu studied. It is located deep within the Xunyang Prince's Mansion and is usually off-limits to servants and maids, making it a relatively private and safe place within the mansion.
In the past, the regular meetings held at night to plan meetings were also held in the secret secret room of Juxian Garden.
Ouyang Rong walked silently through the long corridor of the Prince's Mansion, which was adorned with wind chimes, and passed through one exquisite garden after another before finally entering the reception room in Juxian Garden.
“My love.”
"Tanlang, you've arrived."
As soon as he appeared, the people in the hall, some standing and some sitting, spoke up to greet him, their expressions varied.
Ouyang Rong nodded slightly in response, and walked past Li Xian, Li Guo'er, and Wei Mei without looking to the side. During this time, he placed the zither case in his arms horizontally and handed it to Li Guo'er.
Ouyang Rong walked up to a new figure in the hall and sat down as usual.
You have three sentences to say.
Ouyang Rong lowered his eyes, gazing into Wang Junzhi's surprised eyes. His tone was calm and indifferent, as if he were discussing dinner plans with a guest.
"If the prince and I have no interest in your three sentences, we'll send you to meet Wang Lengran sideways. What do you say?"
Get straight to the point.
Wang Junzhi visibly paused for a moment.
Immediately afterward, upon seeing the three figures—the Prince of Xunyang, the Princess, and the Little Princess—silently standing up behind the upright Ouyang Rong, they realized that...
Especially that intelligent and quick-witted noble princess, who actually obediently held the zither case for this person, tacitly lowering her eyes.
Prince Li Xian and Princess Wei Mei, who were standing nearby, did not find anything amiss about this.
Wang Junzhi's expression turned excited, and he couldn't wait to say:
“Ouyang Lianghan, you really are the chief strategist named Tanlang in the Xunyang King’s staff. Yan Gong and Mr. Wei guessed correctly.”
“The first sentence.” Ouyang Rong nodded and warmly announced the number.
Wang Junzhi burst out laughing.
He wasn't in a hurry. Facing the four pairs of scrutinizing eyes directed at him, he paused for a moment, then slowly said:
"Quite a few people must have seen me enter the Prince's residence. Perhaps Wang Lengran has already received the news."
"Yan Gongju is undertaking a major undertaking. Currently, the tyrannical Emperor Wei Zhao is suspicious of Your Highness, and Wang Lengran is also wary and hostile towards Brother Lianghan. If I am sent there, I would not mind dying, but if it implicates Your Highness and Brother Lianghan and becomes a reason for trouble, that would be bad. I hope you will think it over carefully."
The atmosphere in the study quieted down. Li Xian, Wei Mei, and Li Guo'er, along with Wang Junzhi, focused their attention on Ouyang Rong's lowered gaze, waiting for something.
"Isn't that simple? Didn't our senior brother say that we'd send you there sideways? How can a dead man speak?"
A clear, crisp female voice came from outside the door.
Xie Lingjiang, dressed in a dashing white men's outfit, carrying a long sword in her delicate hand, entered the study, with Li Dalang silently following behind her.
Under the golden morning sunlight, the Xie family's seventeenth daughter stood with her eyebrows raised, exuding an imposing aura.
Wang Junzhi glanced sideways: "Miss Xie, the dead can't speak, but they can be twisted and their stories turned upside down... People are the butcher and I am the fish on the chopping block, all I need is an excuse."
"Are you threatening my senior brother, threatening the prince?"
Xie Lingjiang tilted her head slightly, smiling broadly:
"Just like Li Zhengyan, you've repeatedly tried to extort money from the Prince's Mansion, and now you're even resorting to this audacious, shameless, and coercive trick?"
She slammed the Moonlight Sword onto the table with a snap, and the smile on her stunning face turned icy cold.
"Heh, then chop them into mincemeat and feed them to the carp in the lake. There will be no evidence against them. So what if they see you come in? They're already suspicious anyway, so what difference does it make?"
"Uncle Li and Senior Brother Li have always been open and aboveboard. They did not plot a rebellion, and there is nothing shameful about it. They are not afraid of his investigation."
"As for you, Wang Junzhi, you are all smooth talkers and sneaky. Don't get involved with us."
At this moment, Ouyang Rong spoke calmly and succinctly:
"One sentence left."
Wang Junzhi, who had previously appeared confident and in control, showed a slight change in expression.
He couldn't help but glance at the young man in crimson official robes drinking tea in front of him.
I noticed that this "young man" looked quite tired today, leaning back slightly in his chair, with a listless and uninterested expression.
It was even harder to persuade him than Wang Junzhi had imagined.
He licked his dry lips, took out a white handkerchief, and wiped his fingers, which appeared to be sweaty.
Wang Junzhi said to Ouyang Rong:
“Brother Lianghan, the Kuangfu Prefecture established by Lord Yan has left and right chief secretaries, who are second only to the emperor. This time, the position of left chief secretary has been left vacant, waiting for someone to fill it.”
"Lord Yan was eager to find talented people and deeply appreciated that Brother Lianghan was a man of great talent. Even Mr. Wei was willing to step down and serve as the Right Chief Secretary, lowering his head to the position."
"Furthermore, on Your Highness's side, Lord Yan still firmly remembers the bond between ruler and subject. Restoring the Li Gan regime is not just a slogan. Lord Yan is willing to serve Your Highness and the Crown Prince as the most respected, to act on behalf of Heaven, to punish the tyrannical guards, and to reclaim the Li clan's empire. His heart is as bright as the sun and moon, and will never waver..."
His tone was both envious and sincere:
"Your Highness, Brother Lianghan, the Xunyang Prince's Mansion is currently in dire straits. Not only is the tyrannical emperor suspicious, but the Wei family is hostile, and the local officials are also causing trouble for us. We live in constant fear."
"This is only the beginning. Who knows if we will become more and more suspicious later on? Who knows when a white silk ribbon will be bestowed upon us... Why not fight to the death and join us to take back the throne of Emperor Taizong?"
The entire room fell silent.
Wang Junzhi finished speaking in one breath, his face flushed and he was panting.
Xie Lingjiang pouted: "That's quite a long sentence. So you're that afraid of death."
Wang Junzhi ignored him, but seeing that Ouyang Rong remained silent, his eyes lowered as if he were silently weighing his options, he seized the opportunity to speak up again:
“Wang Lengran has been ostracizing and suppressing Brother Lianghan. With Brother Lianghan no longer in charge of Jiangzhou, what can that good-for-nothing Wang do to defend it?”
"The reinforcements from Yangzhou are still far away, and General Cai and Governor Zhu's troops are already at our throats. Xunyang City will fall soon."
"I have heard that when you served as Chief Clerk, you were honest and loved the people, and were deeply supported by the people and scholars of Xunyang. You were also fair in rewarding and punishing, and the officials of Jiangzhou all trusted you. Now you are being held hostage by corrupt officials, and the people feel humiliated and indignant on your behalf."
"As long as you are willing to stand up and are well aware of the weakness of Xunyang's defenses, you only need to raise your arm and call out to receive a great response. The downfall of a city, a state, or even half of the southern country is within your grasp."
"Rather than sitting idly by and waiting to be humiliated by treacherous officials, and waiting for the poisoned wine in the Luoyang Palace, it is better to rise up, respond to the greater cause, and take our lives into our own hands."
"In a fit of rage, one can crush the bones of high-ranking officials; in stillness, one can bring joy to the world. This is how a true man should be."
It must be admitted that Wang Junzhi is an excellent persuader. His words are as clear as ink falling on water, extremely infectious. He is eloquent and his words are powerful and resonant.
After his words, the entire room fell silent.
Li Xian and Li Dalang were deeply moved.
Xie Lingjiang, who had been pouting and fuming, narrowed her eyes and fell silent.
She, Wang Junzhi, and the Li family, each with their own thoughts, all turned to look at Ouyang Rong.
Among them, some actually hesitated to speak.
Ouyang Rong saw it out of the corner of his eye.
At that moment, he looked up and glanced at Wang Junzhi.
"Are you done?"
Ouyang Rong asked.
"Mm." Wang Junzhi nodded.
His hand unconsciously clenched the handkerchief he was wiping away sweat under his sleeve, as if he was waiting for something.
Ouyang Rong suddenly stood up, picked up the Moonlight Longsword that Xie Lingjiang had slammed on the table, and drew the sword in front of everyone.
Wang Junzhi's body trembled.
However, Ouyang Rong did not fully draw his sword. He only pulled out a section of the cold blade from the scabbard and held it horizontally in front of him. The cold moonlight illuminated his pair of dark eyes.
He seemed to be paying attention not to the pros and cons that Wang Junzhi had just mentioned.
Ouyang Rong carefully admired the unsheathed sword for a while.
Wang Junzhi's temples were wet with sweat, beads of perspiration forming on them.
Clang—!
The next instant, beads of sweat the size of soybeans splattered from his temples. He felt a hard, blunt object strike his chest, causing his body to shudder and twitch.
"This is……"
Wang Junzhi lowered his head in confusion, cradling the Moonlight Longsword.
It turned out that Ouyang Rong had sheathed his sword and then tossed it into his arms.
"Brother Wang, please wait quietly in this room."
"If the king brings his men to our door, I urge you, brother, to commit suicide."
After speaking, Ouyang Rong glanced at Xie Lingjiang, Li Guo'er, and the others, then turned around and left the reception room first.
Wang Jun was taken aback, then breathed a sigh of relief, wiped his sweat, and chuckled.
"Thank you very much, Lianghan."
Ouyang Rong ignored him for the time being, and after leaving the house, he took Xie Lingjiang and Li Xian's family back to the familiar study where they used to plot against each other.
Xie Lingjiang Qinghan reached out to Li Guo'er with a cold expression.
The latter handed back a violin case.
Ouyang Rong ignored the subtle scheming between the two women and spoke directly to Li Xian:
"What does Uncle think?"
Li Xian looked guilty: "It's all my fault. I shouldn't have gotten involved with this person. It's really troublesome."
Xie Lingjiang said directly, "What are we waiting for? Kill them."
Li Guo'er shook her head: "We can't kill them yet."
Xie Lingjiang glanced at her sideways: "Sister Guo'er is alright again?"
She emphasized the word "行" (xing), seemingly as a sarcastic remark.
Li Guo'er shook her head: "This was my mistake; I didn't consider it properly."
"It's not just inappropriate, it's perfectly fine, but they insisted on making trouble by recruiting talented people. Now look what's happened, they haven't seen any talented people, but they've encountered danger."
Faced with the accusations, Li Guo'er did not refute them, but nodded in acknowledgment:
"The main thing is that I never expected that Li Zhengyan would dare to risk his life to start a rebellion."
Upon hearing this, Ouyang Rong glanced at the pretty young woman with plum blossom makeup whose face had darkened slightly; it was rare to see her like this.
He gently patted Xie Lingjiang's hand, stopping her from continuing her sarcastic remarks, and said:
"Your Highness is right. I was also caught off guard. This is a matter of risking one's life to rebel. People are willing to risk their lives to play the 'favor card' and deliberately get close to you so that you will be suspected by the court."
"This is an open scheme, impossible to guard against."
Xie Lingjiang pursed her lips and then said to Li Guo'er, "Then why are you still speaking up for him? Are you reluctant to part with the virtuous man you recruited?"
Li Guo'er shook her head, then turned to look at the reception room where Wang Junzhi was confined, her face icy cold:
"I wish I could kill him with my own hands. The reason I'm keeping him alive is because of our current situation."
The little princess with the plum blossom makeup, having just learned a lesson, spoke with surprising seriousness:
“Jiangzhou is in crisis now. If Wang Lengran is useless and fails to stop the enemy's advance, Xunyang City will fall. We will need this man. Killing him directly will offend Li Zhengyan.”
"Regardless, hold it for now, there's no rush."
Xie Lingjiang was very unhappy: "He's just taking advantage of smart people like you."
Everyone fell silent.
Ouyang Rong glanced at Li Guo'er.
This choice is definitely the smartest one right now.
Wei Mei interjected:
"This person swaggered in; Wang Lengran should know by now. Why hasn't he come to arrest him all morning?"
Ouyang Rong shook his head and said:
“Wang Lengran dared not barge in. Besides being suspicious and afraid of falling into a trap, openly barging into the Xunyang Prince’s Mansion is also a serious crime. One Wang Junzhi may not be able to completely put us in our place.”
Li Dalang sighed: "Although Wang Lengran clamors every day that Tanlang is Li Zhengyan's accomplice and a conspirator in rebellion, only the enemy knows how wronged Tanlang is."
Ouyang Rong remained noncommittal: "However, he should already be writing a memorial. By using this matter, he can impeach us again. Little by little, it will add up. Who knows, one day we might be offered poisoned wine from Luoyang."
Xie Lingjiang gritted her teeth and crushed the powder:
"Wang Junzhi deserves to die, and Li Zhengyan is also treacherous. Now even the senior brother's position has been affected."
"We are completely in the dark inside Xunyang City."
Restless and uneasy:
"My lord, Li Zhengyan has made such a big fuss, using my name and having so many people respond. How can I be sure that the Empress Dowager will actually believe me and order my execution..."
He looked around at his wife and children, his eyes wavering slightly: "We...why don't we make some contingency plans first?"
Ouyang Rong sighed: "So, this is an open conspiracy."
He turned to Li Xian with a smile and asked:
"Does Your Highness really think that by supporting him in the past, you can secure a position of honor?"
Li Xian stared wide-eyed and asked in a low voice, "Tan Lang means... a puppet?"
Ouyang Rong looked carefully at Li Xian, then at Li Dalang, and sighed:
"Uncle, being a founding emperor or a restorer of a dynasty is not an easy job. In other words, the temple name 'Zhongzong' for the restorers of dynasties throughout history is not something that is easy to obtain."
"Or should we use a military coup to restore order...? For example, what if the meritorious military officers become too powerful later on?"
"At least for you and Dalang, this path is too difficult."
Li Xian and the others were stunned: "Tan Lang has thought so far ahead."
Xie Lingjiang added:
"My uncle might act as a mascot, but my eldest brother is different."
"It seems that Li Zhengyan truly intended to give me the position of Left Chief Secretary of the Kuangfu Prefecture. With my senior brother here, the Kuangfu Army will be even more powerful."
"Not to mention surrendering Jiangzhou, which would be tantamount to surrendering the entire rich southeast. No wonder Wang Junzhi dared to take such a risk and act as an advocate."
Li Xian looked ashamed, while Li Dalang and Wei Mei were moved.
"Why are you saying these things, junior sister?"
Ouyang Rong shook his head and solemnly instructed:
"Unless absolutely necessary, we will not change our policy. Your Highness, please be patient. I still have some informants in Xunyang City. I am not completely in the dark. If there is any movement, I will be able to find clues."
He then turned to Xie Lingjiang and instructed her:
"Junior sister, please keep an eye on Wang Junzhi. Once Wang Lengran sends someone to your door, deal with them immediately."
"yes."
Li Guo'er also stood up: "Together."
Ouyang Rong and Xie Lingjiang glanced at her but did not refuse.
The gathering is temporarily adjourned.
(End of this chapter)
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