Chapter 526 No Need to Ask How Much Pork Costs
Where is Tanlang?
"Aunt Zhen said they haven't come back yet."
"What has Tanlang been busy with lately? I haven't seen him in the main hall of Jiangzhou, nor has he come to the Prince's mansion, and he hasn't been taken out to fool around by Dalang either. Could it be that he's not feeling well?"
A weak voice came from the side:
“Father, the past is the past, why bring it up again? Besides, with my limited abilities, how could I possibly manage to guide such a bad boy? If anyone should be guiding someone, it would be... it would be more like the boy guiding me…”
He muttered to himself.
"Shut up, did Tanlang corrupt you?"
The Prince of Xunyang sternly rebuked his unfilial son:
"Nonsense! And it's all in the past. So why did Lady Qin still refuse to see you just now? To avoid you, she didn't even step out of the carriage, leaving Guo'er and Xie Xian's niece to accompany her outside. Aren't you ashamed? Even your father is ashamed for you."
"..." Li Dalang.
In the evening, in the reception hall of the Huaiye Lane residence, Li Xian, Li Dalang, Yuan Huaimin, and Yan Liulang sat, stood, or paced back and forth.
I'm waiting anxiously.
The four of them came together from the Xingzifang Qingyang Hengjie area.
In the past few days, Li Xian and Li Dalang have frequently gone to inspect the statue-making matters in Xingzifang.
The Donglin Buddha must be built; this is the current national policy of the Great Zhou Dynasty. The site selection plan for the Buddha in Xingzifang has been personally approved by Empress Wei Zhao, and it is already a fait accompli.
The Xunyang Prince's Mansion naturally had no choice but to cooperate. In particular, Ouyang Lianghan, who had previously acted as the Xunyang Prince's Mansion's representative in the Jiangzhou officialdom, had caused a lingering rift between the Xunyang Prince's Mansion and the Empress in Luoyang due to the controversy surrounding his previous refusal to obey the imperial edict.
Just like Ouyang Rong's prior instructions to Li Dalang to restrain Li Xian from acting impulsively, it was a well-planned arrangement.
Regarding the current matter of the statues in Xingzifang, the Xunyang Prince's Mansion can only cooperate, or at least pretend to cooperate on the surface.
Therefore, in a sense, the current statues in Xingzifang are not solely the responsibility of Lin Cheng, the one who first advocated for this project.
This was also the common political task of all the high-ranking officials in Jiangzhou who obeyed the arrangements of the Great Zhou Dynasty and whose power came from the Empress.
Qin Jingzhen, the Grand Commander of the Jiangnan Road Army at the front, was no exception and had already expressed his support.
As for Ouyang Lianghan, the former Prefect of Jiangzhou who firmly opposed... or rather, the only one who openly opposed the Xingzifang statues, he has been demoted to Sima of Jiangzhou and marginalized by Empress Wei Zhao immediately, which can be considered to have completely nipped the opposition in the bud in Luoyang and the local area.
Therefore, from the very beginning, Ouyang Rong's opposition was never going to take root.
Because what he was actually opposing was not Lin Cheng and the Wei family behind him, but essentially opposing a certain supreme empress.
How can people take sides like this?
Should we defy imperial power together?
How could that be? Take the Xunyang Prince's Mansion for example; it was itself a derivative product of the Great Zhou imperial power.
What frustrated Li Xian, Li Guo'er, Li Dalang, and others the most was that they knew Ouyang Lianghan was aware of this, and even saw it earlier than most officials with a keen sense of smell.
But he still stepped forward.
He refused to obey the imperial edict even unto death.
This is why, despite being demoted, he was still honored, his reputation soared, and he was admired by many.
This is something that none of them could do on their own.
Li Xian and the others felt both admiration and worry...
However, officials like Yuan Huaimin, the Prefect of Xinjiang Prefecture and the Prince of Xunyang, who needed to protect themselves, could not emulate him.
Life is an art of compromise.
A few days ago, when Li Xian and Li Dalang went to inspect the statues in Xingzifang, they encountered the incident on Qingyang Hengjie Street.
That day, they followed closely behind Lin Cheng and visited the old lady of the Wang family. Well, the white-haired old lady, with tears in her eyes and overjoyed, mistook them for some "Wang Lang".
After several days of persuasion to no avail, the construction team is preparing to demolish the structure.
Li Xian suddenly realized that this matter was troublesome, so he summoned Yuan Huaimin, the current Chief Administrator of Jiangzhou, to help persuade him.
However, Yuan Huaimin could comfort the fallen women in the brothels and singing houses along the Xunyang River and persuade a few of them to reform.
As for the octogenarian, Yuan Huaimin was also at a loss.
But the demolition of Qingyang Hengjie must continue, otherwise where will His Majesty's Buddha statue be placed?
Only one of the old woman's shrine and Her Majesty the Queen's Buddha statue can remain.
Do we still need to choose? But how do we make it silky smooth?
With their brows furrowed in worry, Li Xian, Li Dalang, Yuan Huaimin, and Yan Liulang immediately thought of someone.
He was best at handling civil affairs and interacting with ordinary people.
So after leaving Qingyang Hengjie, the group of people unanimously came to the Huaiye Lane residence for dinner.
Speaking of which, this was the first time Li Xian had personally visited the Huaiye Lane residence.
Although I've seen it before.
Zhen Shuyuan, who was in charge of household affairs at the Huaiye Lane residence, was somewhat flattered by the arrival of this gentle-looking prince.
This was a personal visit.
She led Wei Lai, Ban Xi, and other female relatives to brew tea, serve fruit platters, and prepare dinner, leaving the main hall to these men who seemed to have come to discuss important matters with their husbands.
Actually, Li Guo'er, Xie Lingjiang, and Qin Xiaoniangzi also came.
The three girls happened to be together today, enjoying a day trip to Lushan, sightseeing and playing in the scenery.
On the way back, Xie Lingjiang mentioned visiting Zhen Shuyuan at the Huaiye Lane residence, preparing to part ways. However, she didn't know who she really wanted to visit, or where the two women, Li Guo'er and Qin Ying, were.
They deliberately kept quiet, nodded in unison, and said in unison that they had come together to visit Zhen Shuyuan.
Xie Lingjiang felt slightly embarrassed, turned her eyes away, lowered her brows for a moment, and then nodded her head in agreement.
The three women arrived without tacitly understanding each other.
However, they did not enter the room at the moment.
They happened to run into Li Xian and Li Dalang, who were also visiting.
To appease Qin Ying, who remained expressionless inside the carriage at the door, Li Guo'er and Xie Lingjiang also avoided Li Dalang and did not get out of the carriage...
Inside the hall, no one had time to attend to the matters concerning the daughters outside.
"Your Highness, Ouyang Sima left early this morning and didn't come to the Jiangzhou main hall this afternoon. We don't know where he went."
Yuan Huaimin hesitated to speak, but his tone betrayed his envy.
Yan Liulang returned from outside the door and reported:
"Aunt Zhen said that after having lunch, Mr. Ming rested for a while and then went out. He received an invitation last night and should have gone to a literary gathering in the suburbs this afternoon. Aunt Zhen asked us to sit down and said that she had sent someone to call Mr. Ming back."
"Alright, thank you for your hard work, Madam Zhen."
Li Xian and Li Dalang exchanged a glance and breathed a sigh of relief.
...
Inside a large, unassuming carriage in Huaiye Lane.
A young woman was curled up lazily on a soft couch, her slender hands adjusting an incense burner and adding red charcoal.
The carriage was filled with a pleasant fragrance and felt very warm.
The three young ladies were sitting together on a soft couch next to the incense burner.
The glowing charcoal in the stove, which occasionally flickered red, created three beautiful faces: one yawning lazily, the other frowning seriously, and the other pursing their lips in a cool and aloof manner.
“Lianghan is not asleep either… Hmm, Sister Xie, I’ve found out why Ouyang Lianghan hasn’t come to see you much these past few days. It turns out he’s been spending most of the night with Yuan Huaimin and the others.”
Li Guo'er lowered her eyes as she added charcoal, and spoke with a faint smile.
Qin Ying, dressed in a Taoist nun's robe, sat upright, browsing through a handwritten manuscript in her hand.
I've heard of Yuan Huaimin in Chang'an. No wonder he has such a close personal relationship with Young Master Ouyang.
She said with a hint of longing in her voice:
"The moonlight streams into the room, and I happily set out... Where my heart leads, my bare feet will follow... This is the kind of interaction between famous scholars and gentlemen, with the legacy of the Wei and Jin dynasties."
Li Guo'er, her fair face adorned with plum blossom makeup, asked earnestly:
“Yuan Huaimin is in the house right now. Why doesn’t Sister Qin go in and get to know him?”
With a soft hum, Qin Ying turned her head away and remained silent.
The quietest of them all, Xie Lingjiang, raised her head and said softly:
“My eldest brother needs to be alone. It’s best not to disturb him these days. In Father’s words, he needs to figure things out on his own. It’s no use having others say it.”
“That makes sense. Sister Xie and Mr. Xie really understand Ouyang Lianghan.” Li Guo’er nodded.
Xie Lingjiang lowered her eyes and did not reply.
On the night she returned to Xunyang City, she sat silently in Huang Feihong's courtyard, leaning on her sword, waiting quietly for her senior brother and Huang Feihong to start cooking in the kitchen...
She didn't tell anyone when she returned, not even the Prince of Xunyang's residence or her father's side.
It was as if nothing had happened.
But that night, as she and her senior brother rode across the plains on horseback, amidst the howling, knife-like night wind, Xie Lingjiang could not forget his eyes, bright as stars in the human world.
"By the way, what brings Your Highness and Dalang here today? And why did they bring Yuan Huaimin with them?"
Li Guo'er narrowed her eyes slightly:
"It seems something happened on Qingyang Hengjie in Xingzifang. I wanted to ask Ouyang Lianghan about it. I haven't seen him lately, and my father hasn't had a chance to come back either."
"oh."
Xie Lingjiang pursed her lips.
"Oh, Ouyang Lianghan is back."
Upon hearing this, Xie Lingjiang immediately looked up and saw Li Guo'er pointing out the window.
The three women immediately stopped what they were doing, got out of the car, and went to greet him.
Ouyang Rong, whom we hadn't seen for many days, looked much thinner.
He was dressed in a simple white shirt and carried a rope of pork as he walked peacefully out of the alley.
"Junior Sister, Your Highness the Princess, um, Miss Qin, why don't you come in and sit down? What are you waiting outside for?"
Ouyang Rong asked with a gentle smile.
The three women exchanged a glance, and Qin Ying looked away.
Seeing this, Ouyang Rong seemed to understand, greeted Qin Xiaoniangzi, and offered a few words of comfort.
After chatting for a while, Qin Ying took her leave first.
Xie Lingjiang and Li Guo'er did not see them off, but followed Ouyang Rong into the Huaiye Lane residence.
The three met Li Xian, Li Dalang, and their three companions, who were lingering and waiting in the hall.
"Tanlang is back!"
"My lord, I have an urgent matter to discuss with you, concerning the people of Xingzifang..."
Li Xian and the others stepped forward with joy, their previous worried expressions vanishing.
Before they could finish speaking, Ouyang Rong casually raised the pork in his hand, gently interrupting them with a smile:
"They're all here, perfect timing. Tonight I'll cook, Your Highness, the Crown Prince, and the Little Princess, please try my specialty, Dongpo Pork. Huaimin and Junior Sister have both tried it and said it wasn't good."
"Please wait a moment, everyone. I'll go to the kitchen."
After saying that, Ouyang Rong turned and left without waiting for the bewildered crowd to react.
It was somewhat unexpected.
Where is Ouyang Lianghan, who used to treat the people like his own children and was a workaholic? Why doesn't he ask about the urgent matters concerning people's livelihoods that everyone talks about anymore?
Watching him carry pork in his hand, walking leisurely and unhurriedly to the kitchen, I could feel his back.
Li Xian and the others exchanged glances, while Li Guo'er also looked sideways.
Then, everyone's eyes turned to Xie Lingjiang.
She is probably the one who understands Ouyang Lianghan the most.
Xie Lingjiang remained silent and followed him out the door.
I caught up with my senior brother.
She tilted her body slightly, extended two fingers, and took the rope of pork from Ouyang Rong's hand.
"I'll do it."
Ouyang Rong's expression remained calm; he didn't try to snatch it, letting her take the meat herself.
Xie Lingjiang turned her head, looked at his profile, and asked softly:
"Senior Brother, what's the market price of pork now?"
Ouyang Rong's expression showed a slight hint of contemplation, and after a moment, he gently shook his head:
"I forgot. Ali paid for it."
He then smiled gently:
"Don't worry, junior sister, the salary of the Jiangzhou Sima is not much different, it's enough. Being late is not a big deal. I can afford to treat you to Dongpo pork. You can come often."
Xie Lingjiang was speechless.
He couldn't help but take another look at his senior brother, who had changed somewhat.
Before long, she also stopped at the kitchen door and silently watched the back of the young man who walked into the kitchen and mingled with the virtuous women such as Zhen Shuyuan and Ye Weilai.
...
After finishing their meal, Li Xian, Li Guo'er, Yuan Huaimin, and the others quickly prepared to return home.
What Li Xian and his group originally wanted to ask, Ouyang Rong avoided answering throughout the meal.
Just as I started talking about the Wang residence, he changed the subject and started talking about some interesting things he had done recently when he attended poetry gatherings and interacted with literati in Xunyang.
The former group was quite uneasy.
They naturally understood Ouyang Rong's implied meaning and decided not to linger and disturb this young man who was currently living a quiet life at home, focusing on his own well-being.
Before today, everyone was worried that Ouyang Rong would continue to defy the Empress.
But now he is in a state of leisure, indulging in nature and ignoring politics... coupled with some rumors circulating in the city caused by "Lianghan is not asleep".
People were unsure whether to be happy or worried.
Especially since they had previously tried so hard to persuade Ouyang Rong to let things go, and now he had done just that...
Before seeing him off, Li Xian suddenly turned back and said:
“My lord, although the old lady of the Wang family is a bit confused and has poor eyesight, and often mistakes people for others, I do not find her repulsive. On the contrary, I find the old lady adorable.”
Ouyang Rong glanced at him but didn't say anything.
Li Xian continued speaking, his face showing reminiscence:
"Moreover, I originally advised her that since His Majesty wanted to have a statue made, they should consider the affairs of state and make room for it. But she said something that left me speechless and left a deep impression on me..."
"The old lady said she didn't believe His Majesty would do such a thing and told us not to slander him."
She said that when she was young, she had gone to Chang'an with her late husband, Wang Lang. At that time, it was during the reign of Emperor Gaozong. Her father and mother were the two emperors ruling together. The country was peaceful and prosperous, and the world was at peace. What a magnificent sight it was...
"The old lady kept reminiscing about the past, insisting that she had seen the two emperors from afar and that they both had a wise and sagacious appearance. Although Emperor Gaozong is no longer alive, Her Majesty the Empress is still here. Such wise emperors would never compete with the common people for such petty gains. She told us not to falsely convey imperial edicts and smear the emperors."
Li Xian took a deep breath:
"That's why I came to ask you about this matter, Tanlang... I feel ashamed and uncomfortable after hearing your words and actions."
Ouyang Rong paused slightly and turned to look at him.
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com