"It seems that I'm quite famous."
Ouyang Rong put down the documents and tokens, looked around, and said with a smile.
He looked apologetic again:
"It's a pity that I don't know you. I'm disrespectful and disrespectful."
"A lowly palace lady is not worth a cent."
"Your Majesty's grand ostentation is not as simple as being a humble palace lady."
"I just came here under orders. How can I be as famous as Ouyang County Magistrate?"
Miaozhen nodded and said:
"You can still live well if you directly remonstrate with the princess and offend your majesty. Magistrate Ouyang's reputation as a gentleman is spread all over the world, and everyone in the government and the public in the capital knows about it? I have heard about it in the palace."
"Yes, yes, yes." Ouyang Rong smiled sheepishly and waved his hand.
Miaozhen said again in a leisurely tone:
"Her Royal Highness Princess Changle said, 'This son is slandering the king for betraying his integrity' and 'a hypocrite.'"
Ouyang Rong raised his eyebrows, but before he could speak, Miaozhen changed the topic and smiled slightly:
"Don't get me wrong, Magistrate Ouyang, Her Royal Highness the Princess said this in front of His Majesty to protect you.
"That day, the court will imprison you. Your Majesty was so angry that he wanted to kill you directly. But when he heard His Majesty's words, he waved his sleeves and said, 'The coffin is ready? Do you want to leave a name in history? But this wish was not fulfilled. , If you want to compete, I am not the king of Zhou!"
"Thanks to Her Royal Highness the Princess's persuasive words and several court officials' petitions for mercy, Magistrate Ouyang was spared from death. This reputation is not easy to earn."
Miaozhen smiled slightly.
Ouyang Rong also smiled and glanced at Miaozhen. The sixth-grade female officer in front of him was cursing him.
Princess Changle, who was remonstrated by him, in turn escaped for him, allowing the furious Empress Wei of Long Yan to stop her murderous intention... If Ouyang Rong nodded to accept the favor and agreed with Miaozhen's statement, wouldn't it be confirmed with more sideways eyes? Is he just fishing for fame, or is he an ignorant mad dog that bites indiscriminately?
Ouyang Rong sighed and shook his head with a regretful expression on his face.
Miaozhen looked sideways: "Why is Magistrate Ouyang shaking his head and sighing?"
Ouyang Rong did not speak immediately, and handed the documents, tokens and other items back to Miaozhen. At the same time, he calmly pointed to the documents and tokens and said:
"No wonder Your Excellency Zai Tan is only a sixth-grade female officer. It seems that your life will end here. I just feel it is a pity."
Miaozhen frowned slightly: "Why do you say this?"
Ouyang Rong shrugged:
"Your Majesty doesn't even understand His Majesty's intentions. Fortunately, you are still serving His Majesty. I suggest that you don't serve His Majesty in the morning or evening in the future, and try your best to serve His Majesty at noon."
"Why not in the morning and at night?"
"Because it will be over sooner or later."
"..."
There was a faint burst of laughter from the crowd around, and they couldn't help laughing.
Miaozhen's face turned pale, and her eyes were cold as she said, "Is it funny?"
The crowd immediately fell silent.
Ouyang Rong said with a smile: "It's not funny, it's a bit cold, but it's just the truth."
He faced the north direction of Luoyang, slightly arched his hands and said:
"If the Holy One really wants to kill people, who in the world can stop him? Can he provoke the general? Princess Changle is just a close mother, Mo Ruonv. She understands the intention of the Holy One and the guarantor, so she hands out the ladder and lets the Holy One go down the slope.
"Princess Changle would never want to keep her subordinates. She gave extravagant banquets and competed with the people for profit. These were self-defiling methods to preserve her excessive favor in the government and the public. However, she was taken seriously by her, and she was reported to the emperor and put on the scale. It has made the whole world famous and infamous, and I feel very sad to have Her Royal Highness the Princess skinned alive. No matter how you look at it, those scoldings are all true."
Ouyang Rong smiled sheepishly, nodded and said:
"The reason I want to thank you is also to thank the Holy Lord for his grace. Why should I thank her?"
Miaozhen's face changed slightly, she stared at Ouyang Rong intently, and said word by word:
"County Magistrate Ouyang is so convinced that he is in the emperor's heart, and his majesty is reluctant to kill you? With such a holy favor? Could it be that he was confused in his official duties in this poor and remote country, and he had some hallucinations?"
Ouyang Rong sighed again:
"What does this have to do with whether you have divine grace or not? It seems that you really don't understand, and you're not just pretending."
The cold-tempered woman in palace clothes became more and more serious as she listened to Ouyang Rong's words. She scolded:
"Don't be pretentious and delay time. If you have something to say, say it directly. Don't beat around the bush. If you don't have anything to say, just let it go. If you delay what the Holy Father has commanded, you can't afford it."
Receiving the burning tone, Ouyang Rong seemed to have a good temper. He was not angry at all, but nodded happily:
"I can't afford to delay the Lord's business, but I accidentally misunderstood the meaning and ruined the Holy Lord's business. Can you afford it?"
He glanced at the midday sky above his head and added warmly: "It will be over sooner or later."
Miaozhen suddenly narrowed his eyes: "Say."
Ouyang Rong put his hands behind his back, and in front of Miaozhen, Su Xian, his wife and everyone in the audience, he paced back and forth leisurely, raised his chin slightly and said:
"Your Excellency, you don't know that your Majesty loves fame now? He has already passed the stage of thunder and bloodlust. If you don't believe it, go and see for yourself. Are there any of those famous cruel officials who were famous when the Zhou Dynasty was just established, and are still active in the court now?
"Those who take a clear-cut stand against the Zhou Dynasty and the New Dynasty will be killed and exiled. There is no need to use sharp knives..."
Ouyang Rong paused and his tone was a little more tactful:
"Well, now the Holy One is kind-hearted when reciting the Buddha's name, cherishes feathers very much, and is known to the world as a wise monarch.
"So you should be careful. Don't follow the same thinking as before. You will misunderstand the holy will and fight for fame randomly. When the time comes, you will ruin the holy affairs and ruin the holy king's name. It will be difficult for me to help you."
Ouyang Rong was obviously talking to Miaozhen, but he looked sideways at the brocade box in the hands of the man in Qingyi not far away, with a half-smiling expression.
Miaozhen looked at Ouyang Rong's expression and was silent for a long time. Then she suddenly said:
"I will naturally not miss the important matters of the Holy One. Everything is enforced impartially and in full view of the public. How can I make arbitrary opinions, and how can I have wrong intentions? What the Holy One means is what I mean, and I will resolutely implement it."
After a pause, her tone seemed to indicate:
"But you, Magistrate Ouyang, hehe, I heard that when he was imprisoned by His Majesty's imperial staff, many senior ministers in the court wrote letters to plead for mercy. Later, by coincidence, he came to Longcheng County to serve as an official. It seems that Ouyang The county magistrate also has some connections, and he just happened to appear here..."
Ouyang Rong shrugged:
"The Longcheng County Government Office is right here on this street. Your Excellency brought people here with great momentum, and you couldn't pass the government office without even saying hello. Naturally, I became suspicious and came here to verify your identity. If you hadn't arrived in time, it would have been Dereliction of duty.”
He smiled:
"As for those adults who plead for me, hey, do you really not know or are you pretending not to know? I just became the first one by mistake. The barometer in the eyes of the court, as long as your majesty did not kill, it means that your majesty Now I am indeed reciting the Buddha's name and my heart has become kind, and I care very much about virtuous names.
"Your Excellency is in Luojing. Haven't you noticed that since I left the capital safely and soundly, there have been more upright ministers in the court, and they have begun to admonish the Holy One?"
Everyone looked sideways, and saw the woman in crimson palace clothes who had been scorching before, standing quietly with her hands raised, her face changed slightly, and she fell into silence.
Obviously, the young magistrate's seemingly careless words were at least mostly correct.
"Haha, what a sharp mouth. Magistrate Ouyang is so good at guessing the holy will. Do you want to guess what gift is in this box?"
Miaozhen nodded: "You guessed it right. If you go back and tell the truth truthfully, even the Holy Emperor will look at you with admiration. Isn't the Holy Pet coming now?"
"How can I dare to speculate on the Holy Heart? I have always firmly believed that the Holy One is a wise monarch who has the common people in mind. He must have been merciful after eating fast and chanting Buddha these years."
Ouyang Rong didn't catch the words of flattery, he cupped his hands towards the northern sky and said calmly:
"The deposed King Xunyang's family is the direct relatives of the Holy One. Even though the son of a man was unfilial and the Holy One was a mother, he was still magnanimous and sent people all the way to send congratulatory gifts. This is not a motherly act of licking a calf. I really can't figure it out. Could it be that If you have other understandings, you can tell everyone."
Miaozhen lowered his eyes and said: "My lord, county magistrate, please don't put a high hat on me...Have you finished checking me? Are you disobeying the imperial edict by blocking me here?"
"The inspection has been completed. Isn't this a very pleasant meeting with Your Excellency and a long conversation? How dare you disobey the imperial edict?"
Ouyang Rong's face remained normal, he turned his head to look at Li Xian and his wife and said seriously:
"Su... I'm a common man, so why don't you open the gift box yourself and thank the Lord for your kindness?"
"Okay, okay."
Li Xian reacted and nodded quickly. His originally pale face regained a lot of color after hearing Ouyang Rong's eloquent words just now.
I don't know if it was a psychological effect, but the latter stood between him and Miaozhen, like a mountain, resisting the invisible pressure before.
Li Xian cast a grateful look at Ouyang Rong.
Ouyang Rong stood quietly with his sleeves in his sleeves, and for some reason, he slightly averted his eyes.
It made Su Guo'er, Wei Mei and others who were always paying attention to him feel a little strange.
Li Xian didn't think much, walked up to the Qingyi palace man, grabbed his sleeve with his palm, and wiped it quietly.
Hands outstretched.
Everyone held their breath and concentrated.
With a slight "click", the gift box opened.
Li Xian, with his narrowed pupils and the open gift box in front of him, suddenly became the center of attention of the audience.
However, Ouyang Rong didn't even look at it. His back was already soaked quietly, and his eyes immediately fell on Miaozhen's face.
He looked at it intently, seemingly refusing to let go of even the smallest detail.
Ouyang Rong quickly discovered that Miaozhen was also looking at Li Xian's expression attentively.
This woman doesn’t even know what’s in the gift box!
Ouyang Rong withdrew his attention, quickly walked to Li Xian, and looked into the carved brocade box.
It's not an empty box, white silk and wine flask.
His brows furrowed.
But after seeing the gift clearly, he frowned.
Then he let go again.
Ouyang Rong smiled brightly, faced the audience, pointed at the items in the brocade box, and said loudly:
"Your Majesty's gift is a pure white jade!"
He turned to Li Xian and cupped his fists:
"Congratulations, Your Highness, the jade jue is the gift of a gentleman. As the old saying goes, those who are given the jue by Confucian scholars will be able to make decisions when the matter comes to an end! Your majesty gave you the jade jue, which probably means that after wearing it, you will make decisions in all matters and have the air of a gentleman. I hope your highness Don’t forget your teachings!”
Li Xian stared blankly at the jade jue lying quietly on the wool in the box.
It was all milky white and warm and shiny, but there was a small chip on the round jade body.
Jue, the ring is not well-circulated.
"Yes Yes!"
Li Xian reacted and quickly picked up the pure white jade, ready to thank him.
Miaozhen suddenly took a step forward and interjected:
"Oh? Really? But why did I hear another statement with a bad meaning?
"It is said that when hiring people, you use Gui, when asking people, you use walls, when you recruit people, you use Yuan, when you recruit people, you use Jue, and when you reject people, you use Huan!
"Giving a gift to someone, in most cases, isn't it a sign of decision, a sign of severing ties!
"Even I have heard this sentence before. Ouyang County Magistrate was born as a Jinshi and a Confucian scholar. How could he not know these meanings?
"This is inconsistent with Magistrate Ouyang's clever decision just now. Is it intentional or accidental?"
Miao Zhen pointed out and questioned in public.
When everyone heard the words and turned around, they saw Ouyang Rong's expression unchanged and calmly said:
"Of course I know that Yujue has this intention, to seduce others with Jue, and to seduce others with ring. But hasn't Her Majesty the Queen already announced that she will sever the relationship between mother and son with King Xunyang, and we will not have any contact with each other for more than ten years.
"But now, what's the use of His Majesty suddenly giving a gift, a jade jewel, and emphasizing the intention of severance?"
After a pause, Ouyang Rong said to everyone in the audience:
"After the family relationship has been decided, the gift of Yujue is more to encourage His Royal Highness King Xunyang to have a gentlemanly temperament. At the same time, he also emphasizes that the severance of family relationship in the first place is unforgivable. This is the meaning of hating iron but not steel, and His Majesty licks it. The love of a calf.”
He answered fluently, becoming more and more fluent as he spoke, with a firm tone:
"Besides, there is only a small difference between the jade ring and the jade ring. Although His Royal Highness King Xunyang was unfilial in the past, he has sincerely repented over the years. He has received this jade ring to raise him personally. The jade is inherently psychic. It cannot be said that he is sincere. When the metal and stone are opened, filial piety moves the heaven and the earth, how can the jue become a ring again?"
"A jue is a jue, and a ring is a ring. It's true!" Miaozhen still held on tightly: "Your Majesty gave you the jue, and once again emphasized the meaning of decision, doesn't it mean that there is no further decision?"
Ouyang Rong asked:
"Do you think so?"
"Does Magistrate Ouyang think so?"
"I'm asking you."
"I am also asking you!"
"You answer me first."
"Answer me first!"
The whole place was silent except for the tit-for-tat sounds of the young magistrate and the woman in palace clothes.
Ouyang Ronghu said: "Since you think it exists, then quickly implement the will that you think exists."
He glanced at the sky, nodded calmly and said:
"Then your Excellency, please do it quickly, while it's still just after noon and it's not morning or evening yet."
Miaozhen seemed to understand the cold joke that Ouyang Rong was referring to. Miaozhen stared at the young magistrate who was smiling but not smiling for a while, and suddenly asked:
"Are you threatening me?"
Ouyang Rong frowned coldly: "I don't dare to do this."
There was obviously no wind on the street at this moment, but Miaozhen was wearing a crimson palace dress with sleeves and skirt dancing wildly, like a blazing flame.
Ouyang Rong's body swayed slightly, but he could still stand upright.
The atmosphere was frozen, and no one knew how long it had been.
Ouyang Rong suddenly felt the mountain of pressure disappear.
Miaozhen suddenly turned around and said:
"Okay, the county magistrate seems to understand your majesty better than the concubine who has been with your majesty for many years, so let's follow the magistrate's explanation, but..."
She said word by word:
"What you said today, I will tell you to your majesty truthfully. The county magistrate will be prepared."
"As you wish."
Ouyang Rong nodded calmly.
I couldn't help but laugh... I laughed to death. Anyway, he was going to resign and run away. If he didn't serve him anymore, what else could be done to him?
Miaozhen snorted coldly, ignored him, turned to the palace people behind him and calmly ordered:
"Go and present the little princess's gift."
With his back to Ouyang Rong, where the former couldn't see him, Miaozhen lowered his eyes, and Nazozo's compelling expression just now had long since disappeared without a trace.
If she really wanted to take action, how could she, a dignified sixth-grade qigong practitioner, be easily suppressed by a weak scholar? Even if the latter had the world-famous title of "gentleman", there was another one that she found extremely annoying and had to admit that he had. He is an eloquent speaker with some sense of reason, but at most he is hesitant.
What really kept Miaozhen honest was the birthday gift His Majesty gave to this little granddaughter named Guo'er.
Your Majesty is indeed unpredictable, but these two gifts must be viewed together... When Miao Zhen was quiet, no one on the court spoke.
After a while, another palace man in green clothes came forward respectfully, holding a long gift box in his hand.
Gently pushing away her elder brother Su Dalang who was blocking him, Su Baoer covered her face with a gauze veil and walked out of the Su Mansion gate alone, calmly facing the attention of everyone.
Unlike her father's hesitation, Su Guo'er opened the long gift box without saying a word.
Take out a long scroll.
She unfolded the scroll in front of everyone, and saw... the scroll was empty, with no ink on it.
Su Guoer frowned slightly and said to Miaozhen, who looked calm:
"This is……"
It seems like an empty scroll.
Everyone looked curious.
Ouyang Rong also looked slightly sideways.
(End of chapter)
