Coupled with the dew-wet vegetation on the roadside, this late autumn morning was a bit cold.
Ouyang Rong put on the fox white fur shawl again.
When they went out in the morning, Zhen Shuyuan and Ye Weilai also gave some instructions on how to keep out the cold, but he was distracted the whole time and didn't hear them.
Ouyang Rong's sleeves were walking on the long corridor covered with autumn leaves.
He has walked the road leading to King Xunyang's study in Prince Xunyang's Mansion a thousand times this year, and he can reach it with his eyes closed.
"Mingfu..."
Yan Liulang, who was following closely behind him, shouted a little cautiously.
"It's okay, let's go together. If you want to talk about anything, we'll talk about it after we get in."
Ouyang Rong waved his hands without looking back.
A day and night have passed since Ouyang Rong and Lin Cheng parted ways and broke up on bad terms yesterday, and many things have begun to ferment.
At least that's how it seems to Yanrokuro.
Being observant and familiar with the Ming Dynasty's behavior, he found that something was wrong with the current atmosphere in Xunyang City. There was a vague sense of calm before the storm.
Yan Liulang met Ouyang Rong at the Overwatch Council early in the morning. He was about to report the newly discovered information, but was calmly interrupted by Ouyang Rong, who brought him directly to Prince Xunyang's Mansion and went all the way to the depths of the mansion.
After a while, Ouyang Rong brought Yan Liulang to an ordinary study.
This was Yan Liulang's first time here. He knew that being here meant that he had truly become a close confidant of Prince Xunyang's Mansion.
Speaking of which, he is considered to be half an "old man from Longcheng". Although he did not fully board the train when he was in Longcheng, he has always closely followed the footsteps of the Ming Dynasty and has never fallen behind.
Today, the Ming Mansion actually brought him in without saying a word, even if there was an emergency now, he had to obey the authority.
But some rules are like this. Since it happened once, there must be a second time and a third time!
Anyway, now, he can definitely be counted as the "Old Man of Xunyang" in the future.
The study of Prince Xunyang in front of us has always been a place that those Jiangnan scholars who had taken refuge in Prince Xunyang's palace from all directions dreamed of entering.
Yan Liulang knew very well that even if he had a good relationship with Li Dalang, he would not be qualified to come in. Only if the Ming Mansion brought him here would King Xunyang recognize him and feel relieved.
Yan Liulang's face turned a little red.
Ouyang Rong didn't know what he was thinking about all the way. He lowered his head and moved forward. He slowly stopped at the door of the study, patted Yan Liulang's shoulder gently, and then turned and walked into the door.
"Tanlang, you're here!"
"Tan Lang, how is the situation now? I heard from Guo'er and niece Xian that Lin Cheng's matter is really that serious?"
"Tan Lang, this Lin Cheng is really despicable. When I invited him to Yunshui Pavilion for tea for the first time, he didn't act quite honestly. It turned out that he was just pretending..."
In the study, Li Xian's family, Xie Lingjiang and Shun Bo were all there.
Hearing Ouyang Rong's footsteps, except for Li Xian who was restricted by etiquette and inconvenient, everyone else stepped forward to greet him.
Ouyang Rong heard this and waved his hands to everyone:
"Everyone, please take a seat. No need to be polite."
Then, he turned his head and looked at Yan Liulang: "Tell me."
"I...report to the prince, I'm humble...my position is humble..."
"It's okay, Xiaoyan, please speak slowly."
Li Xian comforted him with a wide voice.
Li Dalang also stood up, poured a cup of tea for his friend, and handed it to him to relieve his tension.
Holding hot tea in his hand, Yan Liulang took a deep breath and confided:
"In accordance with the order of the Ming government, I went to investigate and found that Lin Cheng indeed went to the Supervisory Yuan's Censor's Office yesterday morning before going to the meeting and handed over an urgent document with unknown contents.
memorial.
"The humble post asked an acquaintance from a post station near Jiangzhou to check and found that a batch of memorials were indeed sent out yesterday morning, and they were rushed to Luoyang with eight hundred miles of expedited authority. It seems that they cannot be recovered at the moment.
!Besides, blocking Guanyi’s messenger is a capital crime of beheading...
"Lin Cheng must have figured this out. Now, he can't be found in Xunyang City. He doesn't know where he is hiding. After the meeting yesterday morning, the last time anyone saw him was when he entered the Governor's Mansion.
"
"Wei Shaoqi, Wang Lengran!" Upon hearing this, Li Guo'er shouted out the two names.
Ouyang Rong looked at her.
Seeing that the two of them were no longer talking, Yan Liulang continued to frown and said:
"In addition, I also found out something at the inn. Lin Cheng has been sending private messages to the capital in the past few days, and has frequent exchanges with acquaintances in Luoyang. I don't know what they are connecting... Anyway, based on the speculations of the Ming Dynasty, this son
He indeed has ambitions and plans!"
There was a sudden silence in the study, and everyone looked at each other in shock.
Xie Lingjiang stared at Ouyang Rong's tired and dark circles under his eyes as if he had not slept all night, and said with some distress:
"Senior Brother, this person is indeed two-faced. However, based on just one memorial from him... maybe the situation is not as bad as we think?"
"That makes sense."
"That's right."
Li Xian and others nodded.
Li Xian consoled him:
"Tan Lang, don't worry too much, it will easily upset you. We can't care about him now as he handed over a memorial to say bad things. Such criticism from villains is always unavoidable. We are upright and are not afraid of the shadows being distorted.
"But just in case, I have already written to the capital and asked someone to inform King Xiang and Changle, asking them to help take care of the spot to prevent the villain from slandering Tan Lang and affecting the statue."
Wei Mei also comforted:
"Don't worry, Tanlang. There are masters in the court. Master Shen and the others are here, right and wrong will not be confused. We all see the efforts you have made in Jiangzhou, and the court will not ignore it."
"That's not the case." Li Guo'er shook his head and said with a serious expression on his pretty face:
"This is never what we should be worried about. In fact, we are not afraid of Lin Cheng criticizing Ouyang Lianghan. In fact, the opposite is true. He may also say nice things about Ouyang Lianghan."
"Then what should we worry about most?" Wei Mei was curious.
Li Bao'er pursed her lips:
"It was he who crossed Ouyang Lianghan and provided His Majesty with the best option for re-selecting the location of the Giant Buddha. This move was the real bottom line, allowing us to advance, attack, retreat or defend.
"It's easy to understand why he retreated. He waited for us to nod, make peace with him, compromise and relocate... He actually understood Ouyang Lianghan's temper and knew that he would never compromise. This is what hurts his heart. Anyway
It just doesn’t make Ouyang Lianghan easy, and he has to give up something. For him, the best result... is for Ouyang Lianghan to conflict with the court and destroy his future."
Li Xian shuddered and couldn't help but whispered:
"Tanlang, how about we..."
Wei Mei frowned: "Tan Lang, Lin Cheng's plan to relocate to Xingzifang yesterday, what exactly did it mention that you are so opposed to?"
"If he follows his method, all the houses around Chengtian Temple in Xingzifang will be demolished. Although it doesn't sound like a lot, it is only a small part of the many houses in Xingzifang, but the calculation is not like this, because even if
Not to mention the trouble of building Buddha statues in the city, the noise and pollution caused by the demolition of these houses and the impact of the construction will affect Xingzifang for several months. More than half of the residents of Xingzifang will be affected by this, not to mention the newly lost houses.
The people of Xingzifang who had lost their homes had to find a new place to live before the severe winter... In the end, the Buddha statue was erected, but there was a lot of chicken feathers left on the ground."
Xie Lingjiang interjected: "According to Senior Brother, the most difficult thing now is that Lin Cheng's plan is feasible on paper. The cost to the court is not high, and the cycle is very short. Not only is it faster than us, but there is no need to postpone it.
, it can be completed on time, which is very attractive to Empress Wei and the court."
Ouyang Rong closed his eyes and said: "He is just trying to fool us. He not only deceives us, but also deceives His Majesty."
Li Guo'er whispered: "I'm just afraid that grandma will know about it, and she won't care."
There was a sudden silence in the study.
Ouyang Rong was silent for a while, then turned to ask Yan Liulang:
"There's another thing I want you to keep an eye on."
Yanrokuro, who was panting while drinking tea, immediately realized that the tea in the cup leaked a little due to the bump:
"Oh, there are also Pei Shisanniang and the others. This group of Yangzhou profiteers are still in the city, but it's a little strange. Yesterday, I heard that they were leaving in the next two days and staying away from Jiangzhou. But today they are going to Xunyangdu where they are humble.
I asked my colleagues, but it seems that they are not preparing to return to Yangzhou on the passenger ship... Mingfu, I will go and have a look in the next two days to see what is wrong with these profiteers..."
Ouyang Rong took a long breath and waved his hand:
"You don't have to go to the trouble of looking at the docks and ships. You can go to Xingzifang to inquire and see if they have stopped selling houses. Also, see if they have turned around and continued to acquire the old Xingzifang house. If so, report them as soon as possible."
"Yes, Mingfu."
Yan Liulang nodded heavily.
Xie Lingjiang seemed to understand something and bit his silver teeth into pieces:
"There must have been private contacts! These profiteers are working together in collusion and colluding with each other!"
Ouyang Rong pursed his lips, turned to the crowd and said:
"It is absolutely not feasible to build a statue in Xingzifang. This matter cannot be allowed for public or private purposes. We must stop this matter. No matter what Lin Cheng's conspiracy is, we must do our own thing well. Only then can we be invincible. Otherwise
No matter how much you talk, no matter how many people give you good words, it is useless. Today’s Holy Spirit will not accept this.”
"good."
"Listen to Tanlang."
Xie Lingjiang tugged at the cuff of Ouyang Rong sitting next to him:
"Elder brother, I have sent a letter to my father, asking him to take a walk in Luoyang..."
"Thank you for your hard work, junior sister."
Wei Mei whispered: "Tan Lang, I have been communicating with my natal family in Jingzhao recently. Although there has been no contact for many years, it seems that some friendships are still there. Several of my cousins are also in the court.
To be a high official, you can speak a few words..."
Ouyang Rong looked around, looked at Wei Mei and everyone, and nodded vigorously:
"Thank you very much, prince, princess, and everyone."
After a short moment of silence, he changed the subject:
"However, last night, I re-optimized the plan for Xia Xunyang Grottoes and prepared to submit a new proposal. Your Majesty, please help me and jointly submit a letter. This time the extension should be shortened to one and a half months. Some side issues
Let's stop repairing it. Let's rush to complete the Xunyang Grottoes project and try our best to calm down the scale in His Majesty's heart.
"In addition, I also approached Master Shandao and asked him to advise me on the grounds that Buddhist Feng Shui is not suitable for building in a busy city. Let's write the letter immediately and don't wait for the power of Lin Cheng's memorial to ferment. Let's try again.
"Everyone, keep in mind that you must not give in on this issue. Otherwise, not only will the achievements of the Xunyang Grottoes be wasted, but the Wei family will also take the opportunity to interfere in the affairs of Xunyang City by changing the address. We will all be controlled by others."
Everyone saw this and nodded together.
Xie Lingjiang turned around and asked:
"Elder brother, what do Rong Zhen say? She is a personal envoy sent by His Majesty, and His Majesty will definitely consult her."
Yan Liulang couldn't help but look sideways. It seemed that Miss Xie knew that Ouyang Rong had gone to the Supervisory Yuan to find Rong Zhen in the morning and was not jealous. Miss Xie was worthy of being a lady, and when it came to business, she never cared about the emotions of lesser women.
Ouyang Rong looked around and said softly:
"Rong Zhen said that as long as my public conscience is greater than my selfishness and I have a clear conscience regarding the Xunyang Grottoes, she will report the truth..."
After a pause, he sighed:
"It's like speaking for us."
"She has a conscience." Xie Lingjiang tilted his head and hummed.
Li Xian and others did not interrupt, pretending not to hear.
On the other side, although the situation was not optimistic, Li Guo'er still kept her ears open, listened with interest, and looked at Sister Xie's expression.
Li Dalang also looked at Ouyang Rong with admiration, and quietly gave him a thumbs up under his sleeves.
Ouyang Rong has no time for friends.
At this time, Li Xian seemed to remember something, patted his head and said:
"By the way, why don't you go take a look at General Qin's side? Well, why don't you let Da Lang go and beg the young lady? We don't have the nerve to ask for the postponement last time. The favor can be used now.
General Qin's prestige is still very high, and his words carry weight..."
"My husband is right!"
Except for Wei Mei who nodded in agreement,
Ouyang Rong, Li Guo'er, Xie Lingjiang and even Yan Liulang all fell silent.
"What's wrong? Why don't you talk?"
Leaving leisure, Wei Mei looked around curiously.
Li Bao'er and Xie Lingjiang both had cold expressions and lowered their eyes.
Ouyang Rong and Yan Liulang seemed to have caught a cold and started coughing.
For a while, there was some silence.
Li Xian couldn't help but doubt himself:
"Did I make an inappropriate suggestion... Oh, I understand. Is it true that the Wei family and Lin Cheng will also share the interests of the Xingzifang statues, just like we share the interests of the Xunyang Grottoes?
Same, to win over the Qin family? So General Qin doesn’t necessarily speak to us? Yes, and he is the leading general. It may be useful to intervene in this kind of thing, but it may deduct points in His Majesty’s heart? It will cause suspicion, and the gain is not worth the loss? "
"My father's analysis is reasonable. It can be regarded as one of them."
Li Guoer nodded and said.
"First, what other reasons are there?" Li Xian was confused.
Wei Mei, who was also frowning and thinking, noticed from the corner of her eye the eldest son who had shrunk to the corner at some point. She suddenly asked:
"Why doesn't Dalang say anything?"
Li Dalang shuddered and immediately nodded like a chicken pecking at rice:
"Father is right!"
Wei Mei narrowed her eyes and asked, "How are you and Miss Qin doing lately?"
Li Dalang froze in place...
Li Guo'er pouted and started to complain.
Really having no time to save Dalang, Ouyang Rong left the study in a hurry.
The discussion in the study room was over. On the same day, Prince Lixian of Xunyang, Prince Li Dalang, the crown prince of Xunyang, and Ouyang Lianghan, the governor of Jiangsu Province, jointly presented a memorial to the capital.
A few days later, the atmosphere in the Zhou Dynasty court far away in Luoyang became a little strange because of several memorials...