Chapter 487 I'm really familiar with Chu Zi Yue!
"Lady Rong, Gentleman Lin."
Just as the people in the hall were exchanging glances and gradually reaching a consensus, Ouyang Rong looked up and said:
"A small question."
"you say."
I do not know whether Yunmeng Jianze and Li Zhengyan's Kuangfu Army have any private dealings.
"Let's assume it exists for now, but why would Li Zhengyan and the Kuangfu Army want to stop the construction of the Donglin Buddha in Jiangzhou? And why would they send Qi cultivators from Yunmeng Jianze?"
Ouyang Rong sighed, looked directly at Rong Zhen who had lowered her eyes, and asked:
"I've wanted to ask this question for a long time. Is there some purpose of the Donglin Buddha that I'm unaware of?"
Before Rongzhen could answer, Lin Cheng, who was good at reading people's expressions, suddenly interjected:
"When Li Ze was in Guizhou, he destroyed and overthrew the Guizhou Buddha, spread rumors and misled the people, and boosted morale once. He was the one who repeatedly opposed the construction of the Great Zhou Songde Tianshu and the Four Directions Buddha statues."
"The Donglin Buddha is of course a thorn in their side, not to mention that it is being personally supervised by the Prince of Xunyang. It is the very banner they raised when they started their uprising, and it is the only remaining pitiful source of legitimacy for the Kuangfu Army. It is truly ironic and a slap in the face."
"Li and his accomplices certainly wanted to destroy it, not only to spread it widely, but also to damage the reputation and morale of Jiangzhou, a key town in the rear of the expeditionary army, and to promote a kind of divine mandate to overthrow the Zhou dynasty."
Lin Cheng looked at Ouyang Rong with a serious expression and said:
"Prefect Ouyang, do you now realize the importance of what you've done? The Donglin Buddha is of paramount importance; the whole world is watching. There can be no mistakes! Otherwise, it will be His Majesty's reputation that is damaged."
Ouyang Rong seemed not to hear these polite words, and looked past him to a cold, palace-dressed girl with her sleeves folded and eyes lowered.
Rong Zhen raised her hand to interrupt Lin Cheng, looked directly into Ouyang Rong's eyes, and after a moment spoke:
"Alright, Chief Secretary Ouyang, all you need to know is that the golden Buddha head that was sent from Luoyang to Jiangzhou must not be lost or damaged..."
"You only need to know this much: supervise the construction of the Buddha statue properly and complete it on schedule. As for other matters, leave them to me and Lin Cheng. Those are all within the purview of the Imperial Observatory, so you don't need to worry about them too much."
Ouyang Rong looked at her for a moment, then nodded:
"Alright, I understand."
"However, if that Buddha head... well, the Donglin Buddha is so important that it makes Li Zhengyan and other Kuangfu Army rebels restless and unable to eat or sleep."
"Then why don't the Yunmengze Yue women, who are Qi cultivators sent by them, and the Butterfly Love Flower Master who may be inextricably linked, come straight for me, kill me who is in charge of creating the statue, and then raze the Xunyang Prince's Mansion? This would be exactly what Li Zhengyan wants."
"These shouldn't be difficult, especially considering it was back in Huang Xuan's house in Xingzifang. At that time, the formation was broken, Lady Rong was unconscious, and all the elite Qi cultivators of the Imperial Observatory in the city were lost. For the time being, no one could stop them from causing trouble, whether openly or secretly."
"But why did he disappear completely in the end, yet I was spared from death?"
Ouyang Rong calmly questioned:
Is it mercy?
"Moreover, it's rather foolish of them to not stop the construction of the Donglin Buddha for so long, only to belatedly intervene when it's almost finished."
"If I were Li Zhengyan and the others, I would never be so negligent and careless. Why would I be so stupid as to rebel?"
Everyone frowned and exchanged glances.
Lin Cheng nodded slowly, seemingly agreeing with what he said.
After a brief silence, Wang Lengran waved his hand impatiently:
"Please, Chief Secretary Ouyang, don't think too highly of yourself."
"Perhaps in Li Zhengyan's eyes, even if it weren't for you, Ouyang Lianghan, there would have been other Zhang Lianghans or Li Lianghans to oversee the construction of the Buddha statue?"
"Moreover, the golden Buddha head is very valuable. Perhaps they are waiting to seize it? Why alert them so early?"
"As for what you said, why not raze the Xunyang Prince's Mansion to the ground, well, Chief Secretary Ouyang often runs to the Prince's Mansion. He probably knows better than any of us here what kind of trump cards the Prince's Mansion has to protect him."
"Are Li Zhengyan and the female cultivators of Yunmeng fools?"
Ouyang Rong shook his head, his expression unchanged:
"One explanation is acceptable, but three explanations put together are far-fetched."
"After the incident at Huang Xuan's house that day, Xunyang City was left unguarded. They could have done so much more if they were all really Li Zhengyan's accomplices."
"you……"
Before Wang Lengran could finish speaking, Rong Zhen interrupted:
“Ouyang Lianghan, what are your speculations and thoughts? Just say them directly, there’s no need for hesitation or preamble.”
Ouyang Rong met her gaze and said:
"Do you think it's possible that the owner of the Butterfly Loves Flowers never intended to damage the Donglin Buddha?"
“Going even further… he has no vested interests with the Yue women of Yunmeng Sword Marsh; they are simply two different groups.”
Ouyang Rong lowered his eyelashes slightly:
"So on that day in Huang Xuan's courtyard, the owner of Butterfly Love Flower was fighting with the Yunmeng Yue women who arrived late."
"Otherwise, how do you explain the doubts above?"
"Otherwise, I, Lady Rong, and Yan Liulang would not have been able to escape by simply fainting and surviving."
Rong Zhen clenched her fist slightly beneath her sleeve, then released it, neither confirming nor denying, but instead asked:
Why did the master of Butterfly Loves Flowers clash with the women of Yunmeng Yue?
"It might be the Dingjian sword."
Rong Zhen frowned:
"And to which side does the owner of this Butterfly Loves Flowers belong? Is he fighting alone?"
Before Ouyang Rong could answer, Rong Zhen reacted and asked:
"Huang Xuan left with the Shangqing Taoist priest. Could it be the Sanqing Taoist sect?"
"I don't know." Ouyang Rong shook his head: "I'm just saying it's possible."
Rong Zhen pondered for a moment, then said, "Well, what Chief Secretary Ouyang said makes sense."
Wei Shaoqi, who had been listening in the background, grew impatient and asked coldly:
"Why are we still going in circles? We've already analyzed it before: the case of Sixth Brother Wei Shaoxuan, the case of the Butterfly Love Flower Master, and the case of Zhu Lingxu and his son's defection. The murderers in these three cases are the Butterfly Love Flower Master and his gang!"
"Yunmeng Jianze has the strength to intercept the Dingjian, and Li Zhengyan's group has the motive of hating the Zhu Lingxu father and son who have defected, as well as our Wei family."
"Yunmeng Sword Marsh is right next to Longcheng, so close. Moreover, according to Li Li's secret intelligence, my sixth brother and his master, Mr. Qiu, fought against Xue Zhongzhu, the eldest female ruler of Yunmeng, once in Longcheng!"
"According to intelligence, Mr. Qiu was suppressed by Xue Zhongzhu at the time, and his strength was somewhat inferior."
"However, Xue Zhongzhu probably did not succeed on that day and did not obtain the Ding Sword. Later, due to some special reasons, Sixth Brother and Mr. Qiu went to Yunmeng Marsh again..."
"After that, we completely lost contact, with only the occasional suspicious appearances of the fake sixth brother."
Wei Shaoqi's face was somewhat gloomy, and he sneered:
"You say that Yunmeng Jianze and the owner of the Sixth Brother's Ding Sword, that Butterfly Love Flower Master, have no connection? Who would believe that? They are the most suspicious and have the most motive."
"I wonder what Chief Secretary Ouyang was thinking, standing up to defend those pretentious women. Is there some kind of fate between them? Hmm?"
His expression was somewhat dazed, and he nodded with a slight chuckle:
"Ah, that's right. Isn't Longcheng right next to Yunmengze? Chief Secretary Ouyang was once a county magistrate there."
"With Ouyang Changshi's face, who knows, the women of Yunmeng Yue might fall in love with him when they pass by? And what about the female ruler? Haha, after seeing Ouyang Changshi, she doesn't even care about the rules and regulations of the female ruler's palace, she's just deeply in love, right?"
"In that case, it's understandable to speak up for them."
Upon hearing this, Ouyang Rong smiled and glanced sideways at Wei Shaoqi.
Wei Shaoqi immediately noticed that the boy's eyes were rather strange, and even asked him aloud:
"Huh, how did Young Master Wei know that?"
"While I was managing the floods in Longcheng, I also rescued two beauties on the side. I'm quite familiar with that so-called Great Queen and Yue Chuzi. I even know their nicknames."
"Yes, that's what they told me. Some things weren't done by them, so they're not taking the blame."
"You?"
Wei Shaoqi was so angry he laughed.
Rong Zhen glanced at the boastful person, frowned slightly, and interrupted again:
"Stop arguing. This is a meeting. Be serious. This isn't a market. If you want to fight, go outside later."
"That person has a pretty good idea."
Wei Shaoqi snorted coldly, flicked his sleeve, and turned his head, saying:
"Your Excellency, there is now a chain of evidence that is clear enough, and the corresponding logical motivation is also the most complete."
"The most important thing to figure out right now is whether Yunmeng Jianze and Li Zhengyan and the Kuangfu Army are really colluding! If so, then the whole story will be revealed."
"In addition, the owner of the Butterfly Love Flower is likely hiding in Xunyang City right now, waiting for the delivery of the golden Buddha head. We must also be wary of this."
"Your Excellency is also from the palace. Regarding the Donglin Buddha, there must be no mistakes... You know the importance and consequences."
"Finally, Your Excellency, please don't bring certain irrelevant people to the next meeting; they're simply wasting our time!"
"Who are you referring to as 'unrelated people'?" Ouyang Rong asked curiously.
"I'm talking about you..."
Wei Shaoqi had just opened his mouth when he realized what he was doing and quickly stopped, his nostrils flaring as he glared at someone.
"Listen to me, everyone."
Ouyang Rong turned to Rong Zhen and said in a serious tone:
"Yunmeng Jianze is indeed highly suspicious, but we cannot rule out the possibility that the owner of Die Lianhua is another group of people."
"Don't underestimate them. Who knows, Wei Shaoxuan and Mr. Qiu were killed by the owner of Butterfly Love Flower alone."
"After all, those who can become sword wielders are all exceptional geniuses, one in a million. Unruly, aloof, brilliant, and peerless... these are all to be expected. Moreover, they possess a cauldron sword that is unpredictable and has unparalleled killing power."
"Therefore, it is not surprising that he can do such a thing as killing someone of a higher level. We must not underestimate this kid."
The entire room fell silent.
Wei Shaoqi was somewhat reluctant to pay attention to him, and turned to ask Rong Zhen in the same way:
"Your Excellency, after Zhao Rushi was murdered, Li Li led a group to Longcheng County to mourn at Donglin Temple on Dagu Mountain, but they never returned and no news came back."
"I heard that Lady Historian was also at Dagushan that night. I wonder if she saw them?"
Rong Zhen glanced at Wei Shaoqi, who had a serious expression, remained silent for a moment, and then shook her head:
I've never seen it before.
"However, this matter should have been done by the owner of the Butterfly Love Flower."
"That night, I first encountered the master of the Butterfly Love Flower at Dagushan. At that time, he destroyed the evidence of Zhao Rushi's body. Now it seems that Li Li and others should also have been murdered, possibly along with Zhao Rushi, and their bodies were destroyed to cover up the crime."
Wei Shaoqi sighed and nodded:
"Fortunately, Li Li often sent back secret letters before, and the Prince's Mansion has preserved many of the secret letters he sent back at that time."
"Our people are now going back through the old letters, looking for any suspicious clues..."
"Lady, let's stop here for today. I've given you all the clues that I and the Prince's Mansion can provide. If we have any new leads in the future, we will come to you again."
"Alright. Thank you for your hard work, Prince Wei's Mansion."
"It is our duty. In addition, it is our Wei Prince's Mansion that thanks Lady Historian."
Wei Shaoqi's expression was very sincere, and his tone was unusually gentle:
"If it weren't for Lady Historian's persistent investigation in Xunyang City, these suspicious points in the case of Zhu Lingxu and his son would probably have been overlooked by the incompetent officials below, and our Wei family would have been forever misunderstood by His Majesty and humiliated by petty people."
"At least for now... there is still a chance to overturn the verdict. I will pass the message on to the Prince's residence right away. My father will be overjoyed when he finds out."
"Lady Historian, if you return to Luoyang next time, my father will definitely thank you in person."
Rong Zhen remained noncommittal and instructed the crowd:
"First of all, we must be careful because the owner of Butterfly Love Flower has the ability to impersonate others. We do not know the specific methods, but we must be on guard. In the future, we must verify identities and be wary of conspiracies."
"It is currently known that he can impersonate Wei Shaoxuan and Zhao Rushi. These portraits of the two should be distributed over the next two days to see if anyone has seen them..."
"Secondly, regardless of whether he is an accomplice of Yunmeng Jianze, this Butterfly Love Flower Master is a hidden danger. To put it in the worst-case scenario, he and his accomplices have the ability to murder Mr. Qiu."
"We must immediately report to the Luoyang Astronomical Bureau and request assistance."
"That makes sense."
"Agreed."
The meeting quickly adjourned amidst enthusiastic responses from the attendees.
Wei Shaoqi and Wang Lengran left the Supervisory Council directly; Lin Cheng then went to investigate the ruins of the old courtyard in Xingzifang.
“Ouyang Lianghan”.
Just as Ouyang Rong was about to turn and leave, he heard a shout from behind and turned around.
Rongzhen stood under the eaves of the gallery not far behind, seemingly waiting.
Ouyang Rong followed.
The two, one short and one tall, walked one in front of the other along a long, quiet corridor where their footsteps echoed.
Ouyang Rong saw a young girl in plain white palace dress in front of him, her jade-like neck barely visible.
"What is my nickname?"
"ah?"
Ouyang Rong didn't react.
"nothing."
She shook her head and changed the subject.
"I remember the first time we met was in your female companion's carriage at the West Gate."
Ouyang Rong was slightly taken aback, not expecting her to bring this up. He nodded and said:
"That's right. It gave me quite a fright at the time."
Weren't you quite calm at the time?
"That's on the surface."
"What's going on behind your back? Are you feeling guilty?"
"I was thinking to myself, who is this fierce girl? I don't owe her any money, do I? Why is she giving me such a cold and sullen face..."
Rong Zhen couldn't help but turn around and interrupt: "Alright, let's not talk about these trivial things."
"Then what should we mention?"
He smiled, then asked curiously:
Why is Lady Rong suddenly bringing up our first meeting?
Rongzhen pursed her pink lips:
“I remember that time, before I left the carriage, you mentioned something.”
"It seems that when the number one rebel, Li Zhengyan, passed through Xunyang, he carried a painting of Peach Blossom Spring and went to find Yuan Huaimin, the magistrate of Jiangzhou, to ask him for two poems by Tao Yuanming, a famous scholar of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, as well as a rare copy of the Peach Blossom Spring Record passed down in the Yuan family of the Northern Wei Dynasty... And after leaving Xunyang, did they also go to Yunmengze?"
Ouyang Rong was silent for a moment, then nodded.
"Hmm. But..."
"Alright, I understand. You may go back now."
Rongzhen walked forward with her sleeves tucked in, her eyes fixed straight ahead, leaving behind a single sentence:
"You are very dishonest. You always talk nonsense in front of me."
Ouyang Rong paused.
He turned his head and watched the cold, palace-dressed girl's back recede into the distance.
The echo of her cold voice still lingered in the corridor.
"Always rambling on about unrelated things..."
(End of this chapter)
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