"Tan Lang, how long do we have to wait in Xunyang City?"
"It depends on when the opinions within the Wei family are unified, whether to counterattack or accept fate, the truth will soon come to light."
"Then how should we respond."
“It is better to remain unchanged in response to all changes than to make too many mistakes and make many mistakes.”
Late at night, in the study room of Prince Xunyang's Mansion, Ouyang Rong looked into Li Xian's eyes and said seriously:
"After all these years, uncle, can't he wait even longer?"
Li Xian, who greeted guests with a smile during the day, showed a hint of tiredness and sighed:
"The recent arrival of batches of Luoyang angels has made me a little frightened. The same goes for this Prince Xunyang Mansion. It has been many years since I have experienced such a bustling Yuan Zheng, and I feel a little uncomfortable for a while."
Wei Mei interjected: "Qilang has woken up from his dreams three times in the past few nights. In the past few years, every time the angel from Luoyang came, it was bad news and left a lot of shadows."
Ouyang Rong looked at the red-faced Li Xian and encouraged:
"Uncle, please rest assured. Things are no longer what they used to be. The days when cruel female officials relied on their monopoly on the power of Shangda Tianting to do evil to Prince Li have passed.
"The affairs of Xunyang City are being watched closely by many interested people in both the government and the public."
"Okay." Li Xian breathed a sigh of relief, then thought of something and asked:
"I heard that at Miss Xie's dinner a few days ago, Wang Lengran and Tan Lang had another affair?"
Looking at Li Xian's worried face, Ouyang Rong shook his head:
"Don't worry, Wang Lengran is just a knife, Wei is the arm. The knife cannot influence Wei's choice, uncle, there is no need to worry about it."
Li Xian shook his head and said warmly:
"I am worried about Tanlang. After all, he is his immediate boss. The knife is indeed irresistible, but he is a disgusting person who can pretend to be powerful."
Ouyang Rong nodded: "I will pay attention."
"That's good."
Li Xian felt relieved and said, "As long as Tan Lang knows what's going on."
Ouyang Rong looked around the study room.
This is Li Dalang's study, and it is also the place where everyone has agreed to have night plans.
The candlelight on the desk reflected the faces of Li Xian, Wei Mei and Li Dalang.
Apart from Xie Lingjiang, there is one less person tonight.
Ouyang Rong hesitated for a moment and asked garrulously: "Where is the little princess?"
Li Xian and Wei Mei looked at each other and smiled bitterly.
Li Dalang replied:
"Tonight there is a Yuan Zheng-themed poetry gathering over at Chaisangfang, which needs to be hosted by my sister. It is not convenient to come back due to the curfew, so my sister informed me in advance and stayed overnight in a private house over at Chaisangfang."
"Why is she everywhere..."
Ouyang Rong subconsciously opened his mouth, then closed it again, and nodded to show that he understood.
Not much to say.
If Li Xian or Li Dalang did this, Ouyang Rong would immediately admonish him and say a few words of justice.
These days, Li Xian and his son always treated him with the courtesy of a gentleman, even more respectful than Mr. Yuan who had followed him for many years.
Ouyang Rong was quite satisfied with the two men's generosity, kindness and willingness to listen to advice.
However, Li Guo'er was different, Ouyang Rong had no control over her.
Moreover, her father and brother don't care about her, so how can they care about him because he only has the status of "Advisor of the Su Family"?
She is a princess from the royal family of the Zhou Dynasty, or a young princess waiting to be given birth.
Ouyang Rong is an outsider, and it is difficult to interact with him. He is easily misunderstood...
He doesn't want to be a freeloader.
What, are you talking about the Chenjun Xie’s soft rice that junior sister brought with her?
It was a helpless move. Ouyang Rong felt that this was the most he could eat in his life, so he didn't think so.
So treat Li Guo'er,
In addition to being afraid that my junior sister would think too much, she stayed away from other women.
Due to the basic principle that counselors should not easily interfere with their master's private affairs, Ouyang Rong's attitude has always been quite cold and somewhat respectful.
There is no longer any behavior like when they first met in Longcheng, where they often played the piano and talked.
Of course, this has also resulted in Li Guoer often straying outside of his arrangements.
Tonight, I even asked for leave but didn't come.
Ouyang Rong was discussing most things with Li Xian and Li Dalang, while Li Guo'er seemed a little unconcerned. Of course, he might ask his father and brother about it afterwards.
However, this does not mean that she despises Ouyang Rong. After all, not long ago, she personally selected a fox white fur shawl as a promotion gift for Ouyang Rong.
It's just that Ouyang Rong found that the subjective initiative of this young prince with plum blossom makeup was quite strong, and she seemed to have many ideas of her own...
He couldn't stop it.
As long as we do what was discussed at the beginning, we don't cause trouble and don't give people any excuses, and we don't harm the interests of everyone in the Xunyang Palace in the general direction, that's all.
This is also the tacit understanding between Ouyang Rong and Li Guo'er that has not been spoken out.
Regarding this point, according to Li Guo'er's intelligent temperament, he has a good sense of proportion and has indeed done well so far.
A certain weak-headed counselor pouted.
Sometimes, two people who are too smart are naturally at odds with each other. One plus one is less than two.
Ouyang Rong didn't speak. Li Xian and Li Dalang looked at each other, and the former spoke first:
"Guo'er has nothing to do. She recently attended a literary gathering and made friends with famous people from Kuanglu and talented people from Xunyang. She established a Juhua Poetry Society. I heard from her that this society is small but sophisticated, and it is better to have a shortage of people joining the society than to overfill it.
"
"Tonight is actually the night of the first poetry meeting held by this poetry club. She couldn't leave, so she had to miss tonight. She is also quite apologetic. Don't blame Tan Lang."
Ouyang Rong heard this and nodded.
Li Dalang explained:
"Actually, A-mei also wants to contribute to Tanlang. There are some things that my father and I can't do, but A-mei's status is very suitable.
"For example, forming a poetry club to help us win over people from Xunyang and search for talents. I think it would be beneficial, so I won't stop it. If Tan Lang has any objections, you can tell me and I will talk to her."
Looking at Li Fusu who looked serious, Ouyang Rong shook his head:
"I don't have any opinion. Maybe it's a way to go."
He curled his lips: "Juhua Poetry Club? The name is weird."
Li Dalang chewed the next two words and wondered: "What's weird?"
Ouyang Rong waved his hand: "It's okay. Celebrities love chrysanthemums. They started picking chrysanthemums from Tao Yuanming. It's normal. I'm overthinking it."
After explaining this clearly, Li Xian and his son felt relieved.
After discussing for a while, Ouyang Rong stood up and prepared to leave.
"By the way, Tanlang." Li Xian suddenly remembered something and turned around to ask, "I received some invitations to a banquet today. I wonder if I should go."
Ouyang Rong asked politely: "Uncle, do you think it is appropriate to go now?"
Li Xian thought for a moment with a serious face and shook his head: "Since Tan Lang said to just wait, it's better to ignore these interactions."
Ouyang Rong nodded: "My uncle is not in full bloom now. His Majesty may be observing my uncle. How can he 'make a lot of friends'?"
Li Dalang nodded: "Tan Lang is right, if you do too much right now, you will make many mistakes."
Li Xian looked hesitant: "But there is a distinguished guest with a special status among them."
"who?"
"Zhu Lingxu, the Governor of Hongzhou."
Ouyang Rong was speechless.
There were over a hundred states in the Great Zhou Dynasty, but there were only twenty-four states with the post of governor. All of them were key points in the world and battlegrounds for military strategists. There were several Zhechong mansions where a large number of soldiers were gathered.
Hongzhou, next door to Jiangzhou, is one of them. It is located at the heart of Jiangnan Road and can control Jiangzhou's water transportation. It is an important military state in the south.
The power of the governor of Hongzhou is greater than that of the governor of a state, especially the power to mobilize troops.
Ouyang Rong pondered: "Why does Governor Zhu come to see my uncle?"
Li Xian shook his head and explained:
"It's the eldest son of his family. He came to Jiangzhou to attend Xie's niece's birthday party a few days ago. After a heavy rain, he stayed in Jiangzhou. He simply visited Xunyang City in the past few days. He said that he heard about the snow scene in Kuanglu Mountain.
Yi Jue, I would like to invite Da Lang to accompany me."
When Ouyang Rong heard this, he nodded slowly. He had a vague impression of Master Zhu. He seemed to be tall and powerful.
He was also one of the young heroes who pursued his junior sister at the birthday party, but he didn't have much of a presence at the time.
But I heard that the Zhu family initially made their fortune through military exploits, so it’s a family inheritance...
Li Dalang answered the conversation and said with a smile:
"This Mr. Zhu also brought a letter from Governor Zhu to my father. In the letter, he expressed some regrets about our family's fate over the years."
Ouyang Rong frowned slightly and said straightforwardly:
"So what does this imply? If you want to get close to us, is it a sign of goodwill? Burning the cold stove in advance?"
Li Xian smiled bitterly: "I'm not sure either. Governor Zhu's words were respectful, which made me a little flattered. The most important thing is that he also mentioned Prince Teng, saying that Prince Teng had a similar attitude to him.
I have admired and sympathized with my uncle Wang for a long time..."
Ouyang Rong frowned immediately.
Wei Mei suddenly said: "Sure enough, I have heard people say before that this Governor Zhu is close to Prince Teng's Mansion."
Ouyang Rong nodded seriously, having heard about it before.
The King of Teng is a hereditary position. He was originally a member of the Li clan of Daqian. The first King of Teng was the younger brother of Taizong and had a fiefdom in Hongzhou. It has been hereditary and passed down to this day.
The previous Teng kings had acted honestly and low-key, and since they were not direct descendants of Li Gan from Taizong's lineage, when Empress Wei attacked the Li clan in the world, it did not affect Teng Wang's lineage.
In addition, this Jiangnan Road was originally far away from the emperor, and the clan concepts left over from the Southern Dynasties were still strong, let alone restraining the emperor's relatives and vassal kings.
Since the founding of the country, the first Prince Teng has been deeply involved in this state, which has led to the strong influence of Prince Teng's Mansion in the local area.
Especially this term.
I heard that the current King Teng is a weak-titled vassal king about the same age as Ouyang Rong. He has just inherited the throne, is young and vigorous, and has inherited such a family fortune. He can be regarded as one of the top nobles in Jiangnan Road.
However, the impact of the change of dynasty is still there.
Originally, King Teng in the early years of the Qian Dynasty concurrently served as the governor of Hongzhou, with great powers.
Later, Wei Zhao became emperor and reorganized the system. One of the changes was to take back the post of governor of Hongzhou and change it to appointment and dismissal by the imperial court.
However, Zhu Lingxu, the former governor of Hongzhou, was rumored to have received favors from the old King Teng in his early years before he went to the frontiers to make contributions and make a fortune.
Therefore, since taking office, he has always turned a blind eye to some matters in Prince Teng's Mansion.
However, these rumors were all groundless and unfounded before.
But now, after hearing what Li Xian said, Ouyang Rong and Wei Mei both realized that this statement was true.
This Governor Zhu actually spoke for King Teng.
Li Xian tried to ask: "Tan Lang, this Prince Teng, do we want to win over him?"
"What are we doing to win over him?"
Ouyang Rong held his forehead, feeling a little headache, and asked Li Xian:
"Uncle, our goal in coming to Xunyang City is very clear. It is to return to the capital and claim the throne of emperor, not to expand our wings and plot a rebellion.
"What's the use of getting to know Prince Teng, and what's the point of being a governor? If my uncle wants to rebel, he must have experienced your majesty, who is expert in civil war, foreign war... and even more expert in foreign war?"
Li Xian was stunned and quickly shook his head, "Tan Lang doesn't even dare, how can I dare."
"That's right. Uncle, the goodwill shown by these two people is useless."
Ouyang Rong has a straight face and clear thoughts:
"Furthermore, it is inappropriate for princes to exchange letters, especially for local vassal kings with deep roots. This is ten times more serious than sending family letters between you and your brother, the Prime Minister. After all, neither of you has real power. .”
He couldn't help but reprimanded:
"But His Royal Highness Prince Teng is actually a vassal king. He not only has a close relationship with the Governor of Hongzhou, but also dares to communicate with the deposed emperor. How can he be so bold?"
Li Xian was startled: "Don't worry, Tan Lang, I will never reply to Prince Teng's letter."
Ouyang Rong asked: "Has Zhu Lingxu ever replied to his letter?"
Li Xian said nervously: "I only replied to one letter, all of which were polite and did not involve Prince Teng."
"It's okay." Ouyang Rong squeezed his sweat, pondered for a moment, stretched out his hand and said:
"Give me Zhu Lingxu's letter and I will handle it."
He turned around again and told Li Dalang: "Don't agree to Mr. Zhu's invitation. Find a reason to refuse."
"Yes." Li Xian and his son nodded quickly.
After a while, Ouyang Rong took the letter and browsed it for a while. He raised his head and placed the thin letter paper between his two fingers:
"It doesn't matter if everything is peaceful, but once something comes out, it will be the source of trouble."
Everyone stared blankly at the young man who stood tall and solemnly.
"I'm not exaggerating. As the rear area of the Zhou Dynasty, Jiangnan Road is too rich and peaceful, and the discipline is lax."
He lowered his arms, pointed at the envelope and sighed:
"According to the laws of the Great Zhou Dynasty, the governor of Hongzhou is already responsible for supervising and restraining the nobles of the feudal lords in the territory. He is the same as the governor and the chief historian. How can he have such a personal relationship?
"Fortunately, it is still an era of peace. If there is a special period, this is the way to die."
Li Xian and his son sat up straightly.
Wei Mei glanced sideways at Ouyang Rong.
Ouyang Rong laughed angrily, spread his hands and said:
"Who knows what His Majesty was thinking about appointing me the governor of Jiangxi.
"But we are different from them. Prince Xunyang's palace has no foundation. I only have a long history, and I have the checks and balances of the governor. I don't control a single soldier, and my help is limited. At most, I can have an uncle and 'go around in circles.'
"Although Wang Lengran is a fool, he is not a low-income person. His supervisory and military powers are tightly covered."
Everyone laughed.
Ouyang Rong looked around, his face returned to calm, and he said, "This matter ends here."
Li Xian expressed his position: "According to your words."
After a while, the night plot was over and Ouyang Rong left.
On the way back, he touched the thin letter paper in his sleeve and thought about Li Guo'er, Xiang Wang and other things.
"Uncle, uncle, it is not necessarily a good thing for an emperor to be affectionate and soft-hearted. For those of us who are close friends, it may be a great benefit. We can live a relaxed life without worrying about the end of the rabbit.
"But it is of no use to the country or the people, especially when there are several blood relatives who are not efficient in fuel consumption..."
A murmur was blown to pieces by the night wind and scattered into the Xunyang night.
Late at night, drinking in the Bingzhai study room.
After Ouyang Rong took a bath, he sat at the table and breathed a long sigh of relief. At a certain moment, he turned his head and looked in the direction of Jinling with a dazed look on his face:
"Will you be back in half a month?"
Ouyang Rong immediately stood up, took out bamboo wood and various tools, lowered his head and got busy...
He promised to make an umbrella for her to protect her from the wind and rain.