Xunyang Ferry.
After the big ship left, only Ouyang Rong and Wang Junzhi were left at the pier to see them off.
The two turned their heads and looked at each other.
Wang Junzhi took out his handkerchief, wiped his hands, and explained with a smile:
"Brother Zi'ang had a very pleasant conversation with Brother Shuqing, and decided to send him a ride to Dragon City to take up his post, and also to visit the nearby Yunmeng Daze."
Ouyang Rong nodded.
Wang Junzhi put away the handkerchief, smiled softly, turned and left without staying any longer.
Ouyang Rong silently watched his back go away, turned around, and looked back at the shadow of the boat in the distance on the river, which was gradually getting smaller.
Yan Liulang came up to him: "Mingfu, where are you going now..."
Ouyang Rong suddenly moved, passed in front of him, and walked towards the east side of Xunyang Ferry.
There is an official office of the Shipping Department there, which handles registration procedures for various berthed ships.
Yan Liulang was slightly startled, then shut up immediately and kept up with Mingfu's pace.
Immediately, he saw Mingfu striding towards the door of the Shipbuilding Department and stopping in front of the desk of a yawning clerk on the morning shift.
Mingfu stretched out his palm and said calmly:
"The big ship that just left, where did it start from and where does it end? Get me the formalities."
The yawning officer was stunned for a moment and was about to put on a straight face, but he immediately saw a blue-clad catcher hurriedly out of the queue behind this loud-mouthed young man in plain clothes, holding a bronze medal in his hand.
"Okay, you two adults will wait a moment."
The clerk greeted him with a smile and looked for documents.
Yan Liulang didn't pay much attention to the sudden change in the clerk's attitude. He glanced sideways at Mingfu, who was standing quietly in front of the table with his hands behind his back.
His eyes were as quiet as a deep pool.
…
Xunyang Ancient Ferry, known as the first ferry in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, was left behind.
Standing on the deck, looking at the bow of the ship breaking through the wind and waves, Du Shuqing stared at it for a while and then turned back.
He silently passed over the excited and chatty Yue Ziang next to him, and got into the rear cabin vigorously.
He said to the two figures who were immersed in playing chess in the cabin:
"Mr. Yan, what should I do with the house on Luming Street?"
Du Shuqing opened a bunch of keys in his hand and asked dully.
Li Zhengyan was playing chess with Wei Shaoqi, staring intently at the black and white chess pieces on the chessboard, saying without raising his head:
"What else can we do?" He sighed slightly: "Let's go first."
"yes."
Wei Shaoqi said: "He served as a county magistrate in Longcheng, so he should know someone."
Du Shuqing looked sideways.
Li Zhengyan nodded: "This is something you need to pay attention to."
Du Shuqing said "hmm", put away the keys, and left silently.
After the people left, only the two playing chess were left in the cabin.
Li Zhengyan dropped a sunspot and sighed with regret:
"Jiangzhou does have a royal atmosphere and the location is good. It's a really good place."
Wei Shaoqi's words were concise and concise: "It and Hongzhou are each other's southeast gateway."
Li Zhengyan nodded: "Especially Jiangzhou. Going down the Xunyang River, you can easily reach Jinling and Yangzhou, and it is also the gateway to the two."
The cabin became quiet, with only the sound of chess pieces falling on the board.
Li Zhengyan suddenly threw the chess pieces in his hand back into the jar, stood up, and waved his hands:
"Let's go, we can't stay in Jiangzhou for long, the way is different, we can't make plans.
"Leave it to Toshihi later."
Wei Shaoqi turned a deaf ear and pointed at the chessboard and said:
"Mr. Yan, sit down, this game of chess is not over yet."
"Ahem." Li Zhengyan coughed:
"Mr. Wei, what can we do with the stinky chess basket? If you want to play chess, I'll go out and ask Shuqing to play with you, sir."
Wei Shaoqi sighed: "Mr. Yan is not a good chess player."
"It's not like you don't know my chess skills."
"for example?"
"Like this."
Li Zhengyan calmly waved his sleeves, brushed the losing chessboard into chaos, and nodded: "Smash the board."
Wei Shaoqi nodded and suddenly returned to the topic not long ago:
"People like Wang Lengran are nothing to be afraid of, but there is Ouyang Lianghan in Jiangzhou. He really can't stay long. It's time to leave."
"I never asked, what does Mr. Wei think of Ouyang Lianghan?"
Wei Shaoqi pointed at the messy square chessboard with black and white round chess pieces in front of him and said bluntly:
"Fang is like practicing righteousness, roundness is like using wisdom, movement is like using materials, and tranquility is like being satisfied."
Li Zhengyan couldn't help but turn around and take a second look at Mr. Wei, who was always stingy in his praise.
The general meaning of these four words of praise is that one's behavior is upright and orderly, one's resourcefulness is smooth and changeable, one is open-minded in doing things, but one's heart is calm and peaceful.
"What a calm and proud person."
Li Zhengyan nodded in approval:
"The most rare thing is to have 'calm' at such a young age. I don't know what happened to him when he was demoted to Dragon City. He is too un'young'."
"That's right, the presence of such people is the luck of Wei Zhou."
After a pause, Wei Shaoqi sighed:
"It would be great if Ouyang Lianghan could accept the order and enter the Yushitai at the end of last year. Duke Yan and I could get to know this person earlier, and there would be no trouble in Jiangzhou today."
Li Zhengyan looked surprised:
"Mr. Wei rarely praises characters so much."
Wei Shaoqi shook his head: "Since I changed my name to Zhou, I have seen many heroes and heroes become famous in these years. It is rare to meet a person who lives up to his reputation."
He sighed with emotion: "As expected of the Master's favor, he was allowed to stay in Jiangzhou against the order."
Hearing the word "master" in Wei Shaoqi's respectful tone, Li Zhengyan lowered his eyes and remained silent.
Wei Shaoqi seemed to have noticed the cold situation and kept silent.
It was quiet for a while, and someone in the cabin was sorting out the messy chessboard, and seemed to ask casually:
"Where should we go next, Guizhou?"
"No." The man who smashed the chessboard with his sleeves was quiet for a while, nodded and said, "Hongzhou."
"color."
…
Ouyang Rong walked out of the Shipbuilding Trading Department in the morning light.
Yan Liulang, who was following behind him, turned over the documents in his hand and muttered:
"There seems to be no problem. It indeed started from Jinling and passed through Longcheng and Yi County."
Ouyang Rong was noncommittal.
The two returned to Jiangzhou lobby.
"Wait at the door."
Ouyang Rong entered the main hall, picked up a letter, handed it to Yan Liulang when he went out, and said:
"Yan Liulang sent it to County Magistrate Diao for me... No, Magistrate Diao."
Yan Liulang laughed when he heard Ouyang Rong's smooth slip of the tongue.
"Yes, Mingfu."
Turn around to retreat.
"etc."
Ouyang Rong turned around, called Yan Liulang and asked:
"Wang Junzhi, I want you to keep an eye on what he has done recently, except for going to the state school to attend classes."
Yan Liulang said: "Wang Junzhi was introduced by Yue Zi'ang, and later participated in three elegant gatherings of the Juhua Poetry Society, and had some contact with the little princess of the Xunyang Palace."
Ouyang Rong frowned slightly.
Yan Liulang observed his expression and asked, "Mingfu, is there anything wrong?"
"It's okay." Ouyang Rong shook his head.
"Mingfu doesn't like this person?"
"Can't tell."
Yan Liulang thought for a moment and hesitated:
"Mingfu, after all, she is Dalang's sister, so she is not an outsider. She can also let Dalang take the lead. If you have anything to say or any warning, it would be better to tell her directly."
Thinking of Li Guo'er's attitude of not getting close to strangers after that misunderstanding.
Ouyang Rong nodded slightly, but said nothing.
In fact, as the chief counselor of Xunyang Palace, it was not convenient for him to say some words.
And his attitude has always been the same:
Tolerance to latecomers, and not to exclude any capable people with unrecognized talents who seek refuge in Prince Xunyang's Palace, the premise is not to lead them into the ditch.
If there is a great talent that is astonishing to the world, there is no harm in Ouyang Rong voluntarily giving up the position of chief adviser.
Only those with low self-esteem and arrogance love their position and envy their talent.
Of course, sometimes, this non-competition attitude is the biggest struggle, but it is just unconscious.
Previously, he had never said anything bad about the extremely angry Yue Ziang in front of Li Xian and his son.
It was the decision of Li Xian and his son to avoid suspicion at that time by driving him out of the palace.
As for the refusal to see the famous Li Zhengyan and Wei Shaoqi, Li Xian and his son were worried that they would cause trouble if they came into contact with such scapegoated extreme separatists, so they refused to meet them.
Ouyang Rong also didn't say anything bad behind his back in advance.
However, Ouyang Rong was actually worried and vigilant about the possible purposes of Li Zhengyan, Wei Shaoqi and others.
If Li Xian and his son really met them, Ouyang Rong would give a few words of warning afterward out of his duty as a counselor, but that didn't happen.
However, at the moment, it was inconvenient for Ouyang Rong to say more about Wang Junzhi's slowly approaching behavior.
In particular, there is a high probability that he will follow Guo'er's recommendation.
Maybe it was just Wang Junzhi's normal defection behavior after staying in Jiangzhou, and it had nothing to do with Li Zhengyan and others. After all, the attraction of Xunyang Palace was too great.
Ouyang Rong couldn't decide.
We can only wait and see what happens.
In fact, speaking of it, he does have a good impression of Li Zhengyan and his group, regardless of their stance and the trouble of being guilty. After getting in touch with them these days, he does have a good impression.
I even sympathize with their experience of being cut off and abandoned by the large forces of the North Korean-Chinese pro-separatists.
But this is not the reason why he treats the future and lives of his junior sister, the women of Huaiye Lane, and Prince Xunyang's palace like child's play.
Ouyang Rong must follow a planned path and walk out firmly.
This was what he had discussed with everyone when he became the "Counselor of the Su Mansion":
After surviving the darkness before dawn, he could not be defeated no matter how hard he waited for the situation in Shendu to change, and helped Li Xian's family return to the capital, inherit the throne of the emperor, and even regain the great treasure later.
As for what happens next.
It was that summer afternoon, on the dragon-slaying platform of Guyue Sword Shop, that Ouyang Rong and Li Dalang made an agreement.
He helped Li Xian's family return to the capital.
And they also gave Ouyang Rong a big stage to display his ambitions.
In the process, those who hold the salary will not be frozen to death in the wind and snow.
And Ouyang Rong, who knew a certain direction in his previous life, clearly understood that there was another prosperous age in the future, hidden behind the many chaos of the current Wei Zhou Dynasty female protagonist.
That was the era when the national power of this young unified dynasty, which had changed from Qian to Zhou, was at its peak.
It is also a remaining expectation in Ouyang Rong's heart.
He wanted to go to that prosperous era, take a look, touch and change something.
At the same time, Ouyang Rong, who had experienced Longcheng County, did not want this prosperous age to become a prosperous age for only a few people in the two capitals of Guanhai.
Just like what he did in Dragon City, he saved the lonely people in the prosperous age.
When he first took office as county magistrate in Longcheng, Ouyang Rong often asked himself:
Is this hell compared to the previous life?
Yes, it is hell.
But since he woke up for the second time and crawled out of the Pure Land Palace, Ouyang Rong completely gave up his hope for the afterlife and the Pure Land, and stood firm.
Since the Infinite Hell cannot be transformed into the Lotus Pure Land overnight, let's make it slightly better.
He still clearly remembers the words he carved next to the stone carving of "Go back and come back" before climbing out of the underground palace that day:
Today I have a long tassel in my hand, when will I bind the blue dragon?
What is Changying?
A mouthful of "craftsmanship" is not enough.
He also wants to get a "power sword" that all men in the world dream of, and cut off the many shortcomings of this dynasty.
And all of this requires Ouyang Rong to wait quietly and survive this period of darkness before dawn.
From the Yingzhou Rebellion, to the construction of the Central Committee and the Giant Buddha instigated by the Wei family, to the disparagement of radical separatists such as Li Zhengyan, to the recent Guizhou massacre and the mutiny of the Guizhou garrison.
In a short period of time, all kinds of events were overwhelming.
Let me ask, is Weizhou in chaos right now?
Chaos, of course chaos.
Isn't it disgusting that the hearts of one person and the hearts of thousands of Empress Wei are abominable?
Abominable.
Ouyang Rong nodded without hesitation.
Then he would use the most time-saving, labor-saving, and least intense method to end it.
Since the best answer written between the lines in the next few pages of Qing History is "autocracy".
So if the upper class fights to the death and the palace is stained with blood, it's okay. Just don't affect the general peace and stability of the lower class people.
Unless the fresh blood cannot be replaced at all, and the minister has to be trampled to death.
Otherwise, it is better to fight for blood within the ruling class than to turn the world upside down when the lower class changes the world from bottom to top, leaving no one in the population alive.
Save time and effort, low intensity.
Xunyang Wang Lixian's family is the answer closest to him right now.
This is also the reason why Ouyang Rong chose to take over from the Li Xian family when he walked out of Dragon City, put on the identity mask of "Counselor Tanlang" and assumed this responsibility.
I just didn't expect that in Xunyang City, I would confess my love to my junior sister.
So he added another identity mask of "the canteen contractor of my junior sister's son".
Fortunately, the junior junior sister, the Huaiye Lane female family members, and the Prince of Xunyang are all in Xunyang City, and they are all by Ouyang Rong's side.
Personal desires and future aspirations are consistent at the moment and do not conflict for the time being.
So even though Xunyang City was like a prison on thin ice, his heart was stable and calm.
In the main hall, Ouyang Rong sat down, calmly arranged the papers, lowered his eyes and said:
"Wang Junzhi doesn't need to worry about it for the time being. Liulang, if there is a reply from Longcheng, please notify me as soon as possible."
"Yes, Mingfu."
…
Three days later, Ouyang Rong received a reply from Magistrate Diao.
Du Shuqing and his party have arrived at Dragon City.
Du Shuqing stayed and moved into the vacant Meiluxuan that night.
Ouyang Rong silently read the letter and wrote another letter. In the letter, he gave some instructions to Magistrate Diao and sent it back.
After finishing, he leaned back and leaned on the chair, his face slightly relieved.
Li Zhengyan and his party finally left, and now it seemed that nothing happened.
However, there is bad news now.
About the Tower of Merit.
I don’t know if it has expired or if there is no key item to continue to trigger, but the red blessing in the merit tower suddenly disappeared.
The purple mist of the bronze bell disappeared and remained motionless.
Recovered as before,
Ouyang Rong couldn't help but frown when he woke up and found out the morning before yesterday.
However, when he thought that his merit was insufficient and it would be difficult to make up the seven thousand in a short period of time, he could not force it. He had no choice but to comfort himself and go back to business. He had no time to regret.
Ouyang Rong began to look for a way to help the soldiers of the Third Regiment of Jiangzhou Zhechong Prefecture escape the crisis.
I thought hard for several days.
That night, he came to Xunyang Prince's Mansion for a night plan as usual.
As soon as everyone in the study arrived, before Ouyang Rong could speak, Li Xian suddenly took the initiative to mention Qin Heng and the soldiers of the third regiment.
"Does Tanlang have any countermeasures?"
Ouyang Rong looked a little surprised: "How did uncle know?"
Wei Meixiao said: "Xie Xian's niece said that you have been worrying about this matter recently. A few days ago, you went to the flower hall to deliver cakes during the day. Qilang and I also saw you, Tanlang, frowning and thinking when you were talking about business. "
Li Xian answered: "I asked Xia Xian's niece that night, and it turned out that it was about the mutiny of the garrison soldiers."
Li Dalang said in a reproachful tone: "Seriously, Tanlang, why didn't you discuss this matter with us?"
Li Guo'er, who was holding the cat, also looked sideways.
When Ouyang Rong heard this, he couldn't help but look at his junior sister, and then at the Li Xian family who cared about him.
He felt a little warm in his heart.
(End of chapter)
