Chapter 511 Your subject will die rather than obey the imperial edict.
The autumn wind was blowing outside.
There are four auspicious beast-shaped braziers in the study, placed in the four corners, making the entire study warm and cozy.
The atmosphere among the Li family was also harmonious and joyful.
The reason, of course, is the upcoming imperial edict from Luoyang.
While Ouyang Rong was quietly drinking tea, Li Xian carefully explained the message in the secret letter.
Empress Wei Zhao has already ordered that Li Xian remain the supervisor of the construction of the Donglin Buddha in Jiangnan.
Ouyang Rong, the Prefect of Jiangzhou, remained as his deputy.
Furthermore, he was given the additional official position of Left Deputy Commissioner of Jiangnan Construction, continuing to fully "assist" Li Xian in the construction of the new Donglin Buddha in Xingzifang.
As for Lin Cheng, he was promoted to Right Deputy Commissioner of Jiangnan Construction and assisted in the construction of the new Donglin Buddha.
Therefore, apart from Li Xian, who was nominally in charge of the Jiangnan Construction Project, the real leaders were Ouyang Rong and Lin Cheng.
However, in the Great Zhou Dynasty, the left was superior to the right, so Lin Cheng was one head shorter than Ouyang Rong.
He was Ouyang Rong's deputy.
In addition, Rongzhen continued to serve as the inspector, ensuring the implementation of the Empress's orders.
After this arrangement was made...
No wonder Li Xian sounded relieved and fortunate just now.
That's absolutely right. The power structure within Xunyang City has hardly changed, except for Lin Cheng, a deputy envoy who has suddenly appeared and is almost insignificant.
Since the beginning of the year, Ouyang Rong and Li Xian have been using this combination of tactics to undermine Wang Lengran's power as governor.
Of course, if we had to say what impact Lin Cheng's petition had on the Donglin Buddha, it certainly did have some effect.
Empress Wei still favored Lin Cheng's "perfect solution".
However, they tried their best not to disrupt the power structure within Xunyang City.
It's a compromise.
Li Xian and the others seemed to have no objections.
Ouyang Rong looked around the study, his gaze sweeping over the faces of Li Xian, Wei Mei, and the others.
He didn't speak.
There has been no statement or action taken.
The previously relaxed atmosphere inside the room suddenly fell silent.
The entire Li Xian family fell silent, while Uncle Shun cautiously observed the strange atmosphere between his master and Young Master Ouyang.
Li Xian asked gently:
"Does Danlang have anything... to say?"
Ouyang Rong shook his head and stood up:
"I understand. Thank you for your hard work, Your Highness and the people in Luoyang."
Ouyang Rong then turned to Xie Lingjiang, who seemed hesitant to speak, and said:
"The teacher has also worked hard."
After saying that, he walked towards the gate.
“My love.”
Li Xian couldn't help but call out to stop him.
"Is there anything else Your Highness wish to instruct?"
Li Xian smiled awkwardly:
"In that case, when we welcome the envoy from Luoyang the day after tomorrow... Tanlang must also be present, since there is an imperial decree to announce it."
Ouyang Rong remained silent for a while, then nodded and left.
As his tall figure disappeared around the corner of the corridor, the people in the study fell into an unusual silence.
Li Xian's ever-present joyful smile slowly faded.
Wei Mei's expression also turned serious, and he reached out to grasp Li Xian's somewhat cold hand.
Li Dalang, who had been sitting silently in the corner with one eye covered, turned his head and looked at Li Guo'er with one eye:
“Sister, it seems like our attempts to ease the tension haven’t worked. Tanlang still looks unhappy. His condition is giving me the creeps. The last time I saw him was back in Longcheng.”
Not long ago, Li Xian and Wei Mei, who had been incredibly optimistic, both turned to look at Li Guo'er, who had come up with the idea.
Xie Lingjiang pursed her lips and said:
"I knew Senior Brother wouldn't buy into that. There's no use in trying to comfort yourself. Senior Brother is the most practical person. In his eyes, the position of Left Deputy Supervisor of Construction in Jiangnan is nothing but a piece of trash."
Li Xian rubbed his temples:
"What else can we do? At least the Empress's attitude towards us isn't bad, which is a blessing in disguise. We must hope that the situation Guo'er described last time doesn't happen... My dear niece, you must comfort Tanlang properly. Sigh, it seems that talking to Meiniang doesn't work..."
Xie Lingjiang shook her head: "I will try my best, but actually, what Senior Brother needs least is comfort."
For a moment, everyone sighed and lamented.
Li Guo'er and Wei Mei turned their heads almost simultaneously, and instructed Li Dalang:
"You should go over there and give them a good talking to."
"good."
Li Dalang pounded his head like garlic...
The next day.
After his day off ended, Ouyang Rong went out to work as usual.
When they passed through Dongshi, they asked Ali to stop the horse and inquire about the price of pork in Dongshi.
When he arrived at the main hall of Jiangzhou, he encountered Lin Cheng, whom he hadn't seen for many days, standing next to Wang Lengran.
The two exchanged a glance in mid-air.
Lin Cheng didn't forget to greet Ouyang Rong, but the latter ignored him and walked past him without changing his expression.
The fact that this person has reappeared says a lot.
The day passed quickly, and as he was about to finish his shift in the afternoon, Ouyang Rong, who was passing by the clerk's residence, clearly sensed that the officials of all ranks in the Jiangzhou main hall had begun to whisper among themselves.
Yan Liulang, with a solemn expression, came to report some news.
Sure enough, rumors began to circulate rapidly, seemingly from nowhere, about the Empress's change of heart and the impending relocation and reconstruction of the Donglin Buddha.
Many officials discussed it privately, causing widespread anxiety. Some were serious, some were just watching the spectacle, and others remained neutral.
Ouyang Rong silently walked out the door, finished his shift, and went home.
I met Li Dalang on the road.
"Is Tanlang off duty? Come on, let's go to Yunshui Pavilion for a cup of tea."
"You're going to Yunshui Pavilion for tea?"
Ouyang Rong turned his head and asked in return.
Before Li Dalang could speak, he asked softly again:
What's wrong with your eyes?
Li Dalang covered his right eye, which was bruised and swollen, with some embarrassment and coughed forcefully, but his drooping dark eyelids could not hide the brutal blow he had suffered.
"Don't ask, my love. I fell down by accident."
Ouyang Rong was silent for a while, then pursed his lips and said, "Serves you right. Are you still going to the Xingzifang porridge stall in the future?"
"..."
Li Dalang felt awkward.
However, he was not bothered at all by his friend's teasing, especially at this critical juncture; in fact, he was overjoyed.
"My lord, my father asked me to inquire about the arrangements for welcoming the envoy from Luoyang tomorrow. How about we all meet at the palace in the morning..."
Ouyang Rong neither agreed nor disagreed.
Li Dalang talked for a while, and just as they were about to get off at Huaiye Lane, Ouyang Rong finally nodded slightly under Li Dalang's expectant gaze.
"good."
Before getting off the bus, he added, "Get some ice from the ice cellar and put it on your eyes."
"oh oh."
Li Dalang watched his departing figure and breathed a slight sigh of relief.
...
That night.
Ouyang Rong went to sleep fully clothed.
The autumn wind blew against the window. At one moment, he sat up on the bed, holding the quilt, and looked around in the darkness.
A short while later, Ouyang Rong got dressed and went out.
He took advantage of the darkness and left the city overnight.
At dawn, Ouyang Rong arrived at the Xunyang Grottoes at Shuangfengjian.
But at the foot of the Buddha, the campsite was still bustling with activity.
Workers are building a giant stone Buddha on a cliff face.
The Xunyang Grottoes project has already completed its initial phase, so Ouyang Rong doesn't need to keep a close eye on things. However, there's no need to work late at night; people usually rest until morning when construction is scheduled to begin.
Ouyang Rong spotted a familiar figure among them.
Ouyang Rong called out to Huang Feihong and his fellow workers:
"Brother Huang, is the project urgent? Why can't we go back to sleep so late at night?"
He frowned, preparing to hold the foreman in charge tonight accountable.
Huang Feihong waved his hand anxiously:
"Young master, we volunteered to work overtime."
Why?
Huang Feihong looked troubled.
“Young Master, we’ve heard these past few days… we’ve heard that the imperial court might cancel the construction of the Xunyang Grottoes. We’re worried that perhaps you’ve treated us too well before, causing the court to lose money. And it seems we’ve already been delayed and won’t be able to finish on time. If that’s the case, no wonder the officials in the court have to move to a different location every few years… We were thinking, could we work harder and finish it as soon as possible…”
The surrounding workers all lowered their heads.
Ouyang Rong fell silent.
Huang Feihong seemed to sense something and asked cautiously:
"Young master, so all this news is true, isn't it?"
Ouyang Rong didn't say anything, but stepped forward and gave them a hand, and together they buried themselves in moving the stones.
Huang Feihong and the others were flattered and overwhelmed.
Seeing that he was silently helping without saying a word, I didn't ask any more questions.
As dawn approached and it was time to rest, Ouyang Rong prepared to take his leave of the camp. Huang Feihong handed him a water bag.
Ouyang Rong took a sip of water, then suddenly smiled and said:
"Actually, it's not a big deal to change the location of the statue. Let's go together, how about it? What we have now, we can have there too, we won't be short of anything."
"Really?!"
Huang Feihong asked with delight, "Then will it still be Young Master hosting?"
"I guess so."
"So you could say that? Then..." Huang Feihong immediately asked curiously, "Then... where does the imperial court intend to move it?"
Ouyang Rong shifted his gaze, looked up at the stone Buddha statue that was about to be abandoned by the court, and said with a pursed lip:
"It might be near Chengtian Temple in Xingzifang."
Huang Feihong's curious expression gradually turned into a frown of confusion:
"Why is it built in the city? I remember you told me at dinner that Shuangfengjian was built to avoid affecting the livelihood of Xunyang people and to help control the floods... Now it's being built back in Xingzifang. It's so crowded, can it even fit? Won't we have to demolish people's houses? Wait, no wonder I saw Madam Pei walking around in Xingzifang with a smile yesterday... Does the young master know about this?"
"I……"
Before Ouyang Rong could speak, Huang Feihong's face showed indignation, and his tone was filled with barely suppressed emotion:
"Of course the young master knows. How could the young master know later than me? Is the young master also unwilling to relocate, but forced to, but... but wants to continue to fight for our benefits so that we won't be laid off and lose our jobs by the new boss?"
Ouyang Rong never expected Huang Feihong to be so shrewd despite his rough exterior; his series of words left him speechless.
"Young master, I can't make decisions about the others, but I won't go!"
Ouyang Rong noticed that the burly, bearded man in front of him, who only knew how to eat, sleep, and do hard labor, had an unusually serious and earnest expression on his face.
"Young Master Ouyang, do you know what we said to you when Madam Pei invited us to Xunyang Tower to publicly toast you and Xiaoxuan so they could refuse?"
"What did she say?" he asked, bewildered.
"Xiaoxuan said that our happiness cannot be built on the suffering of others. If I agree to Madam Pei's conditions, she will look down on me for the rest of my life. So we refused the mansion that Madam Pei offered, even if we had to do it all over again."
After saying this, Wong Fei-hung lowered his head, wiped the redness from the corners of his eyes, and hurriedly took out a letter from his pocket:
"This was sent by Xiaoxuan yesterday. She must be sincerely asking you for advice on some matters related to reading... Young master, Xiaoxuan admires you the most."
After Huang Feihong finished speaking, he turned and left.
Ouyang Rong remained standing there, envelope in hand, until a beam of golden light pierced the darkness in the sky. Only then did he look down at the delicate yet resolute handwriting on the envelope…
early morning.
As dawn broke, Ouyang Rong rode back to Xunyang City.
He found that today was a beautiful autumn day with clear skies and crisp air.
The sky steals blue.
The Erya (a Chinese dictionary) says in its section on birds: "The Qiuhu steals indigo."
That is, the blue of the clear autumn sky contrasts sharply with the gray-yellow earth of late autumn, which has lost all trace of green and brightness, instantly sketching the charm of the bright autumn sun and clear sky.
It is precisely because the earth is shrouded in gray and desolate conditions that this patch of blue between heaven and earth is so impressive and evokes a sense of melancholy that it was recorded by ancient sages in the Erya.
Ouyang Rong, still on his horse, turned his gaze away from the blue sky above him and returned to Huaiye Lane to change into his official robes.
"Why is Tanlang only coming back now! Where did he go last night?"
At the Huaiye Lane residence, Li Dalang, who had been anxiously waiting, exclaimed with delight. He immediately stepped forward, grabbed Li Dalang, and pulled him out of the house to head towards Xunyang Ferry.
"Tanlang, the envoy from Luoyang is almost here. Father and the others have gone ahead. Please go and greet them quickly."
"I heard from Eunuch Hu that the eunuch in charge of delivering the imperial edict this time is a very senior old eunuch, and he seems to have a bad temper. We'd better not be late. There are many people present today, and we can't afford to be negligent..."
"Okay, wait a moment."
Ouyang Rong nodded and went back to his study first.
He pulled a crumpled letter from a girl from his pocket, which he had never opened, and placed it under his pillow.
He then changed into a neat crimson official robe, turned around and went out.
As soon as he boarded the carriage, Ouyang Rong took the initiative to ask:
"Did your sister send you here to persuade me not to act impulsively?"
Li Dalang scratched his head, embarrassed, and said, "My sister told me to tell Tanlang to calm down..."
"I see."
Ouyang Rong nodded vigorously.
This morning, his unusually calm demeanor—breaking out of his usual daze and taking the initiative to strike up a conversation—pleased Li Dalang. At least the eerie tranquility of the past few days—where death or explosion seemed inevitable—was gone.
At this moment, Ouyang Rong reached out and patted Li Dalang on the shoulder:
"Don't follow me anymore, Dalang. When you get back, keep a close eye on the Prince and make sure he doesn't do anything impulsive, understand?"
Li Dalang was taken aback: "Huh?"
Completely puzzled, before I could ask any more questions, the carriage had already arrived.
Ouyang Rong and Li Dalang stepped off the carriage and arrived at the bustling and crowded Xunyang Ferry.
Prince Li Xian of Xunyang, Lady Rongzhen in colorful robes, Eunuch Hu Fu, Xie Lingjiang, and Yan Liulang;
There were also carriages belonging to Lin Cheng, Wang Lengran, and Wei Shaoqi, and so on... all of them appeared at this bustling ferry crossing.
Half an hour later, under a rare patch of clear blue autumn sky, Ouyang Rong calmly addressed the white-haired eunuch who had arrogantly finished reading the Empress's decree and was now waiting with lowered eyes for him to kneel and thank her for receiving it, in front of everyone at the ferry:
"Thank you for your great favor, Your Majesty. I will die rather than obey the imperial edict."
The entire Xunyang Ferry fell into a deathly silence in an instant.
(End of this chapter)
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