Chapter 465: Lady Shi, please put in a good word for me?
Ouyang Rong was right, Rong Zhen was indeed not tall.
She has cultivated to the level of the sixth-grade jade girl of the Yin-Yang family early on. She has grown slowly and has almost stayed at the stage of a twenty-eight-year-old girl, turning into a large lolita.
She is about the same size as my white-haired maid.
However, the aura of the empress' special female historian's identity made officials in Xunyang, including Ouyang Rong, dare not underestimate her, and many people respected her and looked up to her.
Ouyang Rong cut down the bamboo of Yinbingzhai and made a specially made "jasper stick" with just the right length and thickness.
He glanced at the back of the girl in palace clothes walking calmly at the front on the mountain road.
The Jasper Staff is quite easy to use.
"Ouyang Lianghan, when the imperial court announced the construction of Songde Tianshu and the debate among scholars was boiling, I heard about your deeds in Luoyang reciting the original text of the Zhou Shui Debate in the Temple of the Holy Master."
Rong Zhen suddenly spoke up.
"Mr. Shi made me laugh." Ouyang Rong shook his head.
"I did laugh at that time." She said with a straight face.
"..."
Ouyang Rong wiped his face and asked, "So, what about now?"
"now."
Rong Zhen murmured something in a low voice, then stopped talking and did not look at a certain "hypocrite" he once thought.
The cold and cold girl in palace clothes took a few steps forward, leaning on a jasper staff, and climbed onto a rock. Her vision suddenly became clearer.
Ouyang Rong followed up, and the scenery in front of him also spread out before his eyes.
The two of them stood on the top of the South Bank with the twin peaks. From a bird's eye view, they saw the prototype of the giant Buddha project on the cliff on the North Bank of Xunshui.
Ouyang Rong and Rong Zhen left the city on their own on a temporary basis today. They did not notify the Jiangzhou lobby officials stationed at the construction site, so they did not bring anyone with them.
It was already late afternoon, the sun had set early, and the afterglow, as red as the maple leaves, fell on the Buddha's head on the opposite stone wall.
The Donglin Buddha is about 40 to 50 feet tall. The Buddha's head has not yet been carved. It looks like a faceless man with no expression of joy, sorrow or anger.
There are vaguely visible figures, rows of black ant-like figures, clinging tenaciously to the hard and steep stone walls, hammering and carving around the stone carvings of the faceless Buddha.
There are about two thousand people on the entire statue construction site. Up and down the cliff, it is a dark place, and it is more densely packed near the Buddha statue... They are like worker ants that never stop, giving them a sense of order.
During this period, from time to time, workers on the wall who were the size of rice grains accidentally escaped from the steep part of the cliff, causing a burst of exclamations. Fortunately, they were suspended by emergency ropes tied to their bodies, and they were safe...
Below the Giant Buddha, the tributaries of the Xunyang River flow northward along the newly dug Shuangfengjian Canal, galloping endlessly, turning up turbulent water waves full of gold. At the same time, they also welcome ships carrying supplies from Xunyang Ferry.
rocking boat.
Looking around, on the Xunyang River in the distance, there is a faint fisherman returning to the ferry, and the fishermen are singing late.
This spectacular scene fell in the eyes of Ouyang Rong and Rong Zhen on the top of the south bank.
Rong Zhen watched quietly for a while.
Ouyang Rong looked sideways and found that her eyes were resting on the rows of "ants" on the cliff for a long time.
The girl in palace clothes leaning on the bamboo stick suddenly pointed to a dark flow of workers carrying stones in the southeast of the opposite bank and asked:
"What are these people doing? Why do they throw the gravel they carried into the river at that fork?"
Ouyang Rong took a look and explained patiently:
"Long before the twin peaks were excavated, there were many undercurrents and whirlpools in the river next to it, which often caused shipwrecks, and passing ships had to take detours.
"After the Shuangfengjian tributary was successfully excavated, the whirlpool became even worse this time, affecting the transportation of materials, so the official asked them to move the extra stones from carving the stone Buddha and fill it into the river, so as to minimize the whirlpool undercurrents.
…”
Ouyang Rong talked eloquently about the details of the construction of this double peak.
Rong Zhen listened and couldn't help but look back at his focused expression. After a while, she said thoughtfully:
"I heard that after the construction of the twin peaks, this tributary was led out. Now the floods in the low-lying Xunyang City have been reduced a lot. During this year's Yangtze River flood season, the rising water did not even flood the lowest-lying Xingzifang.
Get through it safely?”
Ouyang Rong was stunned for a moment and nodded:
"Well, it's like this. The flood problem seems to have been solved, but it's just this year's wave. We have to observe and confirm next year. We can't be arbitrary. After all, human life is at stake, and flood problems must be monitored."
Rong Zhen stared at him for a while, then turned to stare at the slowly taking shape of the Donglin Buddha below, as well as the workers who were working hard, and murmured to himself:
"So, this can be regarded as a water conservancy project, just like... just like the Broken Wing Canal in Longcheng, right?"
"Exactly." Ouyang Rong nodded, and then asked curiously: "Ms. Shi, do you still remember the Broken Wing Canal in Longcheng?"
Rong Zhen returned to his calm tone, seemingly without any emotion:
"When I was in Luoyang, I received a lot of praise from the government and the public, and Your Majesty also paid attention to it. I passed by Dragon City last time to see what was going on."
"Well, it's nothing, I just didn't expect the female historian to be so careful." Ouyang Rong waved his hand.
Rong Zhen whispered: "Ouyang Changshi is also very careful. I re-examined the plan drawings you sent me last night. Did you design a hidden drainage system for the Donglin Giant Buddha?"
Ouyang Rong raised his eyebrows slightly: "Yes. There is one."
"Why is this?"
Ouyang Rong pursed his lips: "Xunyang has a lot of rain. In order to prevent the Buddha from being damaged, the accumulated water must be drained to prevent wear and tear."
After Rong Zhen listened carefully, he sighed softly:
"Similar to the Broken Wing Canal in Longcheng, it seems that when Ouyang Changshi served as an official, he really wanted to leave something to Xunyang that could be passed down for hundreds of thousands of years. Unlike other states, he just completed the tasks assigned by the court or won the prize.
The jackpot is used to claim credit, and it is a transitional step up the career ladder.
"After all, the officials who come to inspect and accept the work will not pay attention to these details. It is difficult to count them as achievements. In the eyes of many people, they are just useless efforts. You said, who do you have to show so much hard work, right?"
Ouyang Rong shook his head calmly: "It was done easily, and it was also a matter of low-level official status. It is rare for a female historian to appreciate it. It is an excessive praise."
Rong Zhen reluctantly looked away from the spectacular scenery of the mountains and rivers below, and said softly:
"Is it these scattered and thoughtful designs that shortened the completion time of the Donglin Giant Buddha?"
"Ms. Shi, in fact, these can't be regarded as useless efforts..."
Ouyang Rong insisted in his tone. Halfway through, he was interrupted by Rong Zhen:
"I know, you don't need to explain, but...you answer my question first."
"Ms. Female Historian, please speak." Ouyang Rong said seriously.
"Currently, according to your calculations, how long will the delay be?"
Ouyang Rong hesitated for a moment and then reported the number. It was also the number that had been in his mind recently:
"It's later than scheduled... about four and a half months."
Rong Zhen frowned, looked at Ouyang Rong, and suddenly pointed at the prototype of the faceless Buddha's head carved on the stone opposite:
"What if we remove the Buddha's head? Don't bother with the Buddha first, just build the Buddha's body below."
Ouyang Rong couldn't help but frown: "Why is this?"
"As I said, don't ask yet. First, answer my question. How long will it take to postpone the construction of the Buddha's head?"
Ouyang Rong pondered for a moment and replied rigorously:
"It can be done one and a half months in advance, which means it can be postponed for three months. Wait, maybe it can be faster."
"Then it will be considered as an extension of three months."
Rong Zhen pinched his fingers in his sleeves, as if he was calculating an account.
Although Ouyang Rong was curious, he couldn't be bothered, so he held his breath and concentrated.
After a while, I saw her wrinkled eyebrows loosened slightly, and she muttered to herself at the corner of her lips:
"Three months... It should be completed before the inner pillars of the Songde Center in Luoyang are completed..."
Ouyang Rong heard some fragments of words and his eyes became more and more curious. But before he could ask, Rong Zhen glanced at him, then lowered his eyelids and whispered:
"There's nothing I can't say. This is the latest news. The gold Buddha head of Donglin Buddha will be sent from Luoyang. You don't need to build it, which can save a lot of time."
Ouyang Rong was startled for a moment, then asked calmly:
"Is this true only in Jiangzhou, or is it true in every state?"
Rong Zhen said coldly: "It's all like this. Master Chang Shi just needs to cooperate. Don't ask any more questions."
Ouyang Rong nodded and said to himself:
"For the Buddha statues in the four directions, do you give a gold Buddha head to each big Buddha? Why not let the local cast it? The court is so considerate..."
Rong Zhen looked away.
The atmosphere between the two was silent for a while.
She seemed to ask casually:
"I heard that Miss Qin, the granddaughter of Qin Jingqin, the general manager of Jiangnan Road's march, is also in Xunyang City now."
Ouyang Rong did not hide anything:
"Well, Miss Qin is on good terms with the Princess of Xunyang Palace and they are currently living in the city temporarily and traveling around. The official has few opportunities to see her on weekdays. I wonder what the female historian is asking about this?"
"How did I hear that the Qin family also participated in the construction of the Xunyang Grottoes organized by Lord Changshi?"
Ouyang Rong didn't raise his eyes and his tone remained calm:
"There is such a thing, but Mr. Qin mainly participated in it because of the prince's face..."
"King Xunyang? But I also heard something about the Xie Qin family banquet last time."
"What did you hear?" Someone pretended to be stupid with a confused expression: "I went there to make up the numbers for that family banquet. Wouldn't the female historian think that..."
"Okay, no need to explain."
Rong Zhen suddenly interrupted him, pursed his lips, and spoke slowly:
"This time about the postponement of the Giant Buddha, in fact, if you can persuade General Manager Qin to help speak up, the imperial court... maybe the reaction will be smoother."
"Can I ask Mr. Qin to speak?"
Ouyang Rong couldn't help but look at the girl in palace clothes in front of him who made serious suggestions.
"So what does Lady Shi mean?"
Rong Zhen shook his jade hand:
"Okay, the Donglin Giant Buddha has been postponed for three months. Changshi Ouyang is going to submit a letter. Now go to the prince and the general manager of Qin. Don't delay this matter any longer."
Ouyang Rong frowned.
After giving the instructions, Rong Zhen turned around and went down the mountain. When passing Ouyang Rong, she silently left a sentence:
"I... will also write to Her Majesty the Queen to tell the truth clearly and truthfully."
Ouyang Rong was stunned for a moment.
"Ah? What did the female historian say? What is the letter?"
He wondered if he had heard wrongly, so he quickly followed her and asked after her.
Rong Zhen held the jade bamboo stick and walked slowly down the mountain road, looking away:
"Don't think too much, this is just... my job.
"And it's already half done. What else can I do now? I'm on board with you. Although it seems now that you really put your heart into this Xunyang Grotto. It's not just a fool's errand, so I can't blame you.
"
"But will it happen in Luoyang..."
"Over in Luoyang, I can't guarantee how Her Majesty the Queen will respond after we submit the letter. Sir Chang Shi, please be prepared."
"Then thank you so much, Ms. Shi."
Ouyang Rong looked at the back of the cold and cold girl in palace clothes with some trance.
This female historian wants to... put in a nice word for him?
Three days later.
As the governor of Jiangzhou, Ouyang Rong accompanied the superintendent and Wang Lixian of Xunyang, and jointly submitted a letter to Luoyang regarding the postponement of three months.
Among the people who signed the letter this time were the eminent monk Shandao Dahui, the nominal Jiangzhou Biejieli Fusu, and a group of Jiangzhou officials who participated in the statue creation and were close to the palace.
As for Rong Zhen's suggestion, asking Qin Ying to pass on the word to persuade General Qin to help him speak, Ouyang Rong did not comply. He even didn't mention it in front of Qin Ying and stopped the younger junior sister who was about to ask.
There are two main reasons.
First, according to the interest-binding theory conjectured by Li Guo'er, the old Qin general did not simply favor him and let his granddaughter and the Qin family business participate in it. He just secretly made friends with Prince Xunyang's house and took the opportunity to make a fortune at the same time.
So it is unlikely that Qin Jingqin will participate in a joint memorial, which is easily labeled as an ally by the political opponents of the imperial court. After all, the relationship of interests means that if it is beneficial, there will be peace, and if it is not beneficial, there will be dispersion. There is no way to force it.
Second, the frontline battlefield was at a critical moment. Ouyang Rong did not want to trouble Qin Jingqin now and distract the general who led the army. Doing so would break the rules no matter what.
Although Qin Jingqin and the Qin family, the current general manager of Jiangnan Road Marching, are very important in the court, speaking for the postponement of Donglin Giant Buddha is still quite easy to arouse suspicion. I believe the wily Qin Jingqin will not think of this.
.
Therefore, instead of placing hope on this not-so-deep friendship, it is better to save it for the critical moment in the future...
Soon, King Xunyang Lixian, Ouyang Changshi and others submitted the postponement of the memorial, which immediately caused a wave of heated discussion in the Jiangzhou lobby.
As the governor of Jiangzhou, Wang Lengran stood by and watched the whole process, and had no intention of participating in the joint signing.
This matter became more and more speculative, but in the evening of that day, a piece of news spread rapidly in Xunyang City:
It turned out that Rong Zhen, a female official in Cai Shang who was a popular figure around Her Majesty the Queen and was sent to monitor the situation, also submitted a memorial later in the afternoon, seemingly with everyone else.
This incident immediately caused an uproar within the official system of Xunyang City.
In the main hall, Ouyang Rong, who was packing his things and getting ready to go off duty, heard the faint discussion, calmly went out, boarded the carriage, looked inside quietly, and glanced at the green-gold fonts in the merit tower that had been rising day by day.
He touched his chin.
It seems that this wave of merit and goodwill is not a loss, this wave is a bit profitable.