Ouyang Rongfeng's convoluted words left Xie Lingjiang a little confused for a moment.
I just feel a sweet heart.
Xie Lingjiang actually doesn't object to people from the Su Mansion next door coming into contact with his senior brother.
Even some acquiescence.
Otherwise, why did she often take Ouyang Rong to the Su Mansion, intentionally or unintentionally?
But the moment Xie Lingjiang first heard that his senior brother called out Su Guoer's name as if it were normal, he suddenly felt a little emotion that seemed to come from his daughter's family and it was hard to suppress.
"It turns out it's not as generous as I thought."
Xie Lingjiang murmured in his heart.
People are like this sometimes. Some things, before they happen, are just one thought, and after they appear, they are another thought.
But now I found out.
"Are you just looking for the eldest brother to gossip about government affairs? The Su family sister moves quickly and has a clear purpose. It is probably that the eldest brother is the only one who is a little confused about her purpose.
"So... the two of them really just have a relationship between gentlemen, as light as water.
"This... is normal. Senior brother is like a pearl. It may not have been obvious when he first came to Longcheng County, but now, after taking office for a few months and bringing such big changes to Longcheng, who dares to despise him?
"Eldest Brother being a seventh-grade county magistrate is obviously a sign of humiliation. In the eyes of some people, he is naturally brilliant and talented.
"Didn't the Su family's sister's attitude towards him also change from contempt to disdain, from arrogance to respect? But I didn't expect that during the days when I was out, the Su family's sister would take the initiative to make friends with the senior brother.
"It seems that this sister of the Su family is not just a tough and arrogant person. She can also assess the situation and seek talents from time to time. For this reason, she can even let go of the dignity of her proud daughter's family. Although the other party is a senior brother, she still makes people happy. Surprisingly, this sister of the Su family...
"It's like getting to know her again. My father is right. When looking at people, you must not only judge their words, but also their actions."
Looking at the man in front of me who was talking freely and very different from those who were familiar with each other.
Xie Lingjiang lowered his eyebrows and bit his lip, feeling a little embarrassed about his random thoughts not long ago.
A slight smile appeared on her cheeks as she savored the sweet reverberation of Tieguanyin in her mouth.
"What are you laughing at, little junior sister?" Ouyang Rong asked curiously.
"fine."
Xie Lingjiang shook his head, looked at him again, and said softly:
"I'm just sighing. Senior brother is too steady and calm. His tone is so strict, and the distinction between inside and outside is so clear. Junior sister, I feel a little... when I think of the way the Su family sister feels embarrassed and self-indulgent every time in front of senior brother... …some……"
"Something?"
Xie Lingjiang couldn't help but laugh and said nothing.
"Wait, senior brother."
Xie Lingjiang suddenly stood up, glanced at the petite figure in the room who was still folding quilts and making the bed, and resumed the posture of Xie Zhilan, a lady from the academy, and said politely:
"Miss Wei Lai, the tea is a little cold."
"Tanlang, thank you, little lady. I'm going to make a new pot of tea. You two can chat slowly."
Ye Weilai was not an idiot. He immediately put down his assistant, exited the room, closed the door with a creak and left.
This pot of tea will probably take a long time to boil.
There was only one brother and sister left in the house.
The two looked at each other.
The atmosphere is slightly quieter.
Seeing Ouyang Rong was about to speak, Xie Lingjiang suddenly turned around and went to the bed in the back room.
Ouyang Rong couldn't help but ask:
"Junior sister, what are you doing? Sleeping...sleeping?"
In the back room, Xie Ling Jiang looked left and right, seeming to be quite curious about Senior Brother's private residence. His face was very interested and he said casually:
"I accidentally sent away your caring little maid, which delayed the cleaning of senior brother's room. I just happened to have nothing to do. Junior sister came to try and help senior brother tidy up."
She learned to bend down, make the bed, and continued what Ye Weilai had not finished. She turned her back to Ouyang Rong and said without raising her head:
"Elder brother, you are talking nonsense. You can continue, I can hear you."
Ouyang Rong was speechless.
"Junior sister, have you made the bed?"
"Not yet, but if there is one, it depends on the maids sorting it out."
Ouyang Rong curled his lips, stepped forward, and snatched the work from this cute little junior sister who wanted to try everything.
"Move away, I'll do it."
"Senior brother, what are you doing? You are also a maid, so don't look down on me..." Xie Lingjiang suddenly stopped talking.
Ouyang Rong, who was too lazy to explain, folded the quilt in a clever way.
I'm so old, don't ask, just asking is the soul of those who are taking the postgraduate entrance examination.
Then, Ouyang Rong began to tidy up the sheets, as resolutely as he did official business.
Xie Lingjiang stood by the bed, staring blankly at the senior brother's skillful operation, and couldn't help but say:
"Elder brother is so powerful, why do you still need a maid and servants to sort it out? You are so slow."
Ouyang Rong kept moving, thought for a moment, turned around and said seriously:
"You have to find something for the little girl to do. Otherwise, idleness is just idleness. It will be embarrassing for no one but easy to gain weight."
"..." Xie Lingjiang.
Are you doing charity here?
It seemed as if she had digested Senior Brother's routine in her mind for a long time. She tilted her head slightly and sighed:
"So Senior Brother asked Junior Sister to investigate the unsolved case to find something for her to do. In fact, Senior Brother can solve the problem faster, but Junior Sister is also idle when she is idle?"
The corner of Ouyang Rong's mouth twitched.
"Business matters are different from private matters. Junior sister is not an idle person, so don't think blindly."
After saying that, he lowered his head and held the crumpled corner of the bed.
Just as Xie Lingjiang behind him watched for a long time, and when he felt that he had a hand, he was eager to try, Ouyang Rong suddenly said:
"The current situation in Dazhou is like this sheet. It looks messy, but as long as you hold the four corners and other clever places and pull back hard, it will be neat and clean in an instant."
Xie Lingjiang was startled, then frowned and stared at the back of Ouyang Rong, who was immersed in tidying up his private couch.
The man's cold voice came:
"You ask me, what do I think about the secret confrontation between the Wei family and the Liberation faction in the court of Luoyang, the capital of God? Who has a better chance of winning?
"Actually, if junior sister could find and easily manage the cleverness of a tidy bed, she would not ask this question, at least not in this way, because this is not a simple matter of the east wind overpowering the west wind."
Xie Lingjiang couldn't help but asked: "Have you found the senior brother? What's the problem?"
Ouyang Rong turned a deaf ear and said calmly:
"Whether I have found it or not is not important. What is important is that the Holy One will definitely, must, and eventually find it.
"This is not a question of whether Wei wins or the pro-Left faction wins.
"This is the question of how the Holy Emperor can win today.
“Win big, win medium, or win small.”
Xie Lingjiang was listening well at first, but then she heard her senior brother suddenly change the subject and chuckle at her, as if there was some humor that she couldn't understand.
"How does Empress Wei win?"
Xie Lingjiang frowned. Unlike Ouyang Rong, who was an official of the Great Zhou Dynasty and called the emperor, she always called Empress Wei directly. She didn't know if she learned from her father Xie Xun.
However, this is also the spirit of the five surnames such as the Xie family of Chen County.
A flowing dynasty, an iron-clad family.
Anyway, since I don’t choose to serve as an official in the court, and I don’t pursue power, being able to address Empress Wei by her first name is enough to give her face. Otherwise, should I call her by her first name, Wei Zhao? That’s not impossible…
Ouyang Rong did not correct the younger junior sister's title, but pointed to the sheets under him and said:
"In the eyes of the current Holy Emperor, the situation in the court is like this bed sheet. It seems to be in disarray at the moment, but it is starting to get more and more intense, and it is wrinkled and indistinguishable.
"But she, who is good at maneuvering, will find a clever place, like a small couch, hold the four corners and gently pull it, and there will be a clean and tidy sheet for her to continue sleeping soundly."
Xie Lingjiang looked at the gradually tidy sheets, his eyes thoughtful:
"Eldest brother, what you mean is that in the heart of Empress Wei, whether the throne is given to His Highness the Prime Minister or to Wei's two nephews and princes, it will be in the best interest of her in the end."
She lowered her head and thought for a moment, then said with a pretty face:
"Elder brother, are you talking nonsense? Now both factions are trying to gain the trust of Empress Wei, and both are trying to please and serve Empress Wei, just to gain her favor in the battle for the imperial heir.
"Even if both sides know clearly that Empress Wei is using this to balance the two factions and the court. It is an imperial technique, a political balancer, and a way to make everyone in the government and the public follow their lead, but there is nothing they can do."
Xie Lingjiang, who seemed to have been taught by his family since he was a child, and who did not talk much about government affairs, now has a quite mature view of the government, even better than many middle and low-level officials in the Great Zhou Dynasty.
Her beautiful eyebrows are slightly gathered:
"The question now is, is the Empress Wei not afraid? She is still playing imperial tricks and watching the tigers fight from the mountain. As a result, the fight between the separatists and the Wei family becomes more and more fierce. The grievances are accumulated and the momentum is like fire and water. In the end, she will wait for a hundred years. After that, when either party comes to power, will they kill the other party?
"Still, Empress Wei doesn't care. It doesn't matter whether he is his own flesh and blood or a relative of his mother's family. If he is slaughtered, he will be slaughtered. After his death, he will not care about the flood."
Ouyang Rong said calmly without looking back:
"Who said it was nonsense? I am asking you to think carefully about what you would do if you were Empress Wei. Some things are just human nature and cannot be understood without putting yourself in someone else's shoes."
Xie Lingjiang frowned and shook his head, "If it were me, I wouldn't do what she is doing now anyway. The increasingly fierce party struggle is definitely not a good thing for the country."
Ouyang Rong held the four corners of the sheets, arranged them, got out of the bed, turned and walked towards the desk, he said calmly:
"So I said, junior sister has not found this clever way to easily tidy up the sheets."
"But Senior Brother, even Concubine Di may not necessarily guess what Empress Wei is thinking. The Sacred Heart is unpredictable." Xie Lingjiang thought for a long time and was still puzzled:
"Well, senior brother, can you please stop using metaphors? How about you tell me directly, which side do you think is more likely to win, the separatists or the Wei family? Junior sister, please share your guesses and exchange views."
"If it's just this issue, is there any need to exchange views?"
Ouyang Rong laughed and shook his head.
Xie Lingjiang said half-jokingly: "Let's exchange opinions and see if we are from the same school and want to go together. If not, if we have different opinions, please don't arrest me, senior brother."
Ouyang Rong nodded: "Just don't step on my shoes then."
"..." Xie Lingjiang.
"No kidding." She shook her head, her expression calmed down, and she looked into Ouyang Rong's eyes and said seriously:
"Eldest brother, if the Wei family cannot win, the two princes will no longer be able to compete for the throne of the emperor!"
"Why." Ouyang Rong answered.
"Because...the rebellion in Yingzhou."
Ouyang Rong at the desk raised his eyebrows, reached out and pulled out a copy of the imperial palace newspaper that he had read several times among the papers, and threw it casually in front of the desk.
"this?"
Ms. Xie, who had been receiving letters from her father recently, wanted to find out more about it, but was stunned.
She lowered her head and looked at the imperial newspaper on the table. It was something similar to a newspaper sent to local places by the central government of the Zhou Dynasty. It recorded some battle reports and auspicious news, or the achievements of Empress Wei.
The current imperial palace newspaper just records a huge rebellion that took place in the Northland in the past two years, which is also known as the "Yingzhou Rebellion" by the world.
This rebellion originated from the Dongyi Protectorate. Foreigners who had submitted to the Zhou Dynasty were dissatisfied with the oppression of the local officials of the Zhou Dynasty. The state is becoming more and more noisy.
The situation spread for two years, and the counter-rebellion of the Zhou army was also stumbling. As a result, many problems of the border army were exposed.
It was not until recently, before the floods in Yunmengze, that the last imperial newspaper from Jiangzhou reported that the rebels had been suppressed.
Xie Lingjiang's eyes flashed, "Elder brother is also concerned about the rebellion in Yingzhou?"
Ouyang Rong nodded, pointed at it and said:
"Look through it, it's quite interesting." It looks familiar.
He didn't say the next sentence. He didn't tell his junior sister that he had seen a similar trajectory in his previous life when he was studying history...
Xie Ling Jiang chuckled and said softly:
"The rebellion in Yingzhou was not serious at first. Empress Wei originally wanted to give the children of the Wei family a chance to gild and accumulate prestige, but it had the opposite effect. The children of the Wei family behaved extremely badly. It was originally a meritorious deed, but it made the war drag on. After all, in the end, the rebels themselves had civil strife and disintegrated, and were suppressed by the counter-insurgency champions.
"The great Zhou Dynasty, who is full of martial virtue, has lost his face and is still here preaching a victory against the rebellion."
Xie Lingjiang sneered, with bright eyes, and said clearly:
"Elder brother, after this incident, Empress Wei can no longer hand over the position of imperial heir to Wei, otherwise the people of the world will be dissatisfied, but she is old and needs a group of pillar ministers around her, including Di Fuzi. , handle political affairs, and the family of His Royal Highness the Prime Minister, who has lived in the palace for a long time, are also respectful, filial, and cautious Du Wei..."
Ouyang Rong nodded and answered:
"So, Junior Sister, do you think His Highness the Prime Minister is the winner?"
Xie Lingjiang nodded:
"Yes, the Wei family has essentially lost the battle for the imperial heir. It's just that the fire was too strong in the past and no one dared to water it. Now the situation is undercurrent, but His Highness the Prime Minister has stabilized."
Ouyang Rong didn't answer, but suddenly said: "Didn't you say that there are two princes left here, and there is one more?"
Xie Lingjiang looked at him sideways:
"The other prince is the family of King Xunyang. They have been demoted from the capital, and then demoted to common people and lost the throne... This family has been away from the capital for more than ten years. The ministers in the court all support the prime minister in the palace. His Royal Highness’s family and the remaining clans scattered all over the world are also headed by His Highness the Prime Minister.”
She suddenly realized: "Eldest Brother, do you mean that something will happen? For example, if the Wei family takes a risk, something will happen to His Highness the Prime Minister, and then..."
Ouyang Rong shook his head and chuckled:
"You can't win the battle for imperial heirs, no matter what you say." He said leisurely: "Prince Wei can't win, and neither does His Highness the Prime Minister..."
At this moment, a girl's panicked voice suddenly came from outside the door.
"Thank you, madam! Where are you? My master and wife are looking for you to discuss something urgent. It's urgent! Please go back quickly!"
In front of the desk, Xie Lingjiang and Ouyang Rong stood and sat, turning their heads together.
"Mr. Ouyang...you...are you awake?" Cai Shou said in surprise, but then turned anxiously: "Thank you, little lady, go back and take a look."
Xie Lingjiang glanced at Ouyang Rong, who nodded. She hurriedly said goodbye and went out with Cai Shou.
In the room, Ouyang Rong lowered his eyes to read the newspaper and sat silently.
"I'm leaving soon. Do you want to tell my junior sister about those similar historical trajectories and help her family..."
Someone hesitated for a moment.
Happy Children's Day! (or the fourth day of rebooting)
(End of chapter)
