No, gentlemen also guard against

Chapter 626 Bronze Scroll, Guoer reads "Zhao" [5k, monthly ticket required! ]

"An article about a land full of peach blossoms...an article?
“Later on, it was said that this scroll was left by Mr. Tao.

"Isn't that the Peach Blossom Spring? It happens to be a scroll as well."

Ouyang Rong pondered for a moment and began to think:

"[Hanshi] The sword bearer Tao Yuanming resigned from his official position and retired to the countryside. Before he left, he not only left behind the sword formula "Returning to the Countryside", but also left behind [Hanshi]. But did he leave behind [Hanshi] in the form of a scroll of "Peach Blossom Spring"?
"The scroll-shaped [Hanshi] has always been in the hands of the royal family of the Southern Dynasty Liu, and assisted the Northern Expedition Army during the Yuanjia Northern Expedition. There is a detail here. According to Miaosi who witnessed it, the sword energy of [Hanshi] is like a long blue rainbow...

"The Yuanjia Northern Expedition failed, and the scroll-shaped [Hanshi] seemed to have fallen into the hands of the Northern Wei cavalry and was driven back to the north. He was probably presented to Emperor Taiwu of the Northern Wei. It is unknown what happened to him afterwards.

"According to the historical records that the little princess has found, Emperor Taiwu of the Northern Wei Dynasty did not seem to have any major actions afterwards, at least not actions that involved the participation of the [Poor Scholars]... The most famous incident was when Emperor Taiwu of the Northern Wei Dynasty, under the advice of a scholar from the Cui family of Qinghe, carried out a large-scale campaign to abolish Buddhism and destroy temples in the Northern Wei Dynasty. In the end, only 320 Buddhist temples were left in the entire Northern Dynasty in a short period of time..."

Ouyang Rong thought for a while, shook his head gently, and shifted his thoughts:

"The current Jingzhao Yuan clan is the former Northern Wei royal family Tuoba clan... The original copy of the Peach Blossom Spring is still there and has been collected by the Jingzhao Yuan clan to this day.

"And now it's been taken directly by the half-prodigal son Yuan Huaimin and landed in my hands..."

Ouyang Rong's face did not show any joy, but rather a bit solemn.

"Is this authentic copy of Peach Blossom Spring the scroll that originally fell into the hands of Emperor Taiwu of the Northern Wei Dynasty? Or is it a fake made by later generations and not an authentic copy of Tao Yuanming at all?

"After all, it now seems that the authentic copy of Tao Yuanming's Peach Blossom Spring should be the scroll containing the poor scholar."

Ouyang Rong nodded slightly, then shook his head.

“But there are still two doubts.

"First, this Peach Blossom Spring has been through so many hands, is there really any missing that I can pick up?
"For example, Rong Zhen and Deputy Supervisor Song, they had seen it first, why didn't they find it? Could it be that the real one had been replaced by them?

“The second doubt is that the reason why Rong Zhen and I suspected that there was something fishy about this original copy of Peach Blossom Spring was because Li Zhengyan, Wei Shaoqi and his group had asked Yuan Huaimin for the original copy of Peach Blossom Spring before they raised the banner of rebellion.

“Now that we know that [Han Shi] may be in the form of a scroll and has fallen into the hands of the former Northern Wei royal family, looking back, they must have known this a long time ago, so they approached Yuan Huaimin so early.

"Wait, something is wrong. What they asked Yuan Huaimin for was the original text of Peach Blossom Spring, not this authentic scroll. Why is that? Was the information wrong, or did they already know that this authentic scroll was not authentic?"

Ouyang Rong murmured as he carefully examined the silk scroll in his hand, occasionally tapping the shaft of the scroll with his fingernails to test the hardness of the material.

However, no matter how he tested it, this silk scroll gave him the feeling of an ordinary item, far less certain than when he violently tested the Night Pearl in the Pure Land Palace.

The indestructible Ding Sword [Han Shi] is just this?
Just when Ouyang Rong was considering whether to roast it over a fire and test the strength of his great friendship with brother Huaimin.

An idea flashed through his mind and he stood up suddenly.

"Oh, by the way, I remember Yuan Huaimin mentioned that when Li Zhengyan and others came to him, they showed him a picture of the Peach Blossom Spring. Is the carrier of this picture also a scroll?"

Ouyang Rong put down the scroll, put his hands behind his back, and wandered around the study room, his face suspicious:
“Is there any connection between the two paintings, Peach Blossom Spring and Peach Blossom Spring?
"But Miao Si clearly mentioned that the form of the [Hanshi] she saw in the Southern Song army during the Northern Expedition in Yuanjia was a scroll of an article recording a land full of peach blossoms. Since it was an article, it should be a "Peach Blossom Spring". It is very clear that it is not a picture of the Peach Blossom Spring.

"Moreover, Yuan Huaimin also said that the painting of Peach Blossom Spring in Li Zhengyan's hand was painted by a Taoist priest named Wu whom he knew, and it was obviously painted by modern people and things...

"If this original copy of Peach Blossom Spring is not this one, then where did [Han Shi] go?"

Ouyang Rong stopped in front of the desk, his eyes slowly moved down to an old silk book with many seals of ancient celebrities.

His thoughts temporarily came to a dead end.

"Could it be that [Han Shi] can change into a thousand different forms?
"Could it be that Emperor Taiwu of the Northern Wei Dynasty got the scroll-shaped [Hanshi] and recast it, so this authentic copy of [Peach Blossom Spring] is no longer the original one?
“But I’ve never heard of the [Ding Sword] being able to be reforged.

“According to Miao Si, the original form of [Han Shi] was a standard sword, the only feature being that it had no handle.

"However, before Tao Yuanming retired, he handed it over to the Liu Song royal family of the Southern Dynasty, but it was in the form of a scroll with "Peach Blossom Spring" written on it...

"What exactly happened in this change?"

Ouyang Rong couldn't help but fall into deep thought.

After a while, his eyes slowly fell on the wardrobe in the inner room, and his face showed a little hesitation.

Should we call Miaosi and let it take a look at this scroll of "Peach Blossom Spring"?
"After this little fellow got the pastries during the day, he didn't know anything when asked. I don't know if he was pretending to be stupid or if he was hiding something."

He shook his head and temporarily put away the silk scroll containing "Peach Blossom Spring" on the table.

But this time, it was placed in the Mohist sword box, together with [Craftsman's Works] and the Night Pearl.

Ouyang Rong glanced at the night sky and turned back to the bedroom.

Early the next morning.

Under the supervision of his aunt Zhen Shuyuan, Ouyang Rong had no choice but to drink a large bowl of health-preserving chicken soup, put on his official uniform, and walked out quickly.

At the back door, Ali was feeding Dongmei hay, and Ouyang Rong nimbly climbed onto the carriage.

"Let's go to Chengtian Temple first."

"Master, why are you here so early today? This fodder..."

"It's okay. Yuan Huaimin has fodder. I'll go over and ask him to feed it later."

"Yes, son."

The carriage left the house and headed quickly towards Chengtian Temple in Xingzifang.

But just as they drove out of the alley, they were blocked by a carriage with purple curtains.

Ouyang Rong frowned and lifted the car curtain.

He saw a chubby-faced maid coming down from a purple-draped carriage and waving towards him.

"Wait for me right here."

"Yes, son."

Ouyang Rong entered the purple-draped chariot and sat cross-legged opposite the young girl with plum blossom makeup and a purple veil covering her face, who was pouring tea with her head down.

"Your Highness, what's the urgent matter that brings you here?" His face was calm.

Li Guoer did not answer, but looked around, as if observing the confidentiality of the conversations around him.

Ouyang Rong also looked around, but what he was worried about was obviously avoiding suspicion, as a single man and a single woman were in the same car.

His tone was a bit urgent: "What's the matter? Why didn't you tell me yesterday afternoon in the library? Why are you running here so early in the morning..."

Li Guoer interrupted:

"Is the scroll that was seized by the Northern Wei royal family and is suspected to be the original copy of Peach Blossom Spring that you showed me last time? Yes, was it obtained from Yuan Huaimin, the governor of this city?"

Ouyang Rong said nothing, and looked at Li Guoer twice more, who continued in a serious tone:

"It also seems to be a silk scroll. Could it be the same one? As it happens, Yuan Huaimin is also a descendant of the Northern Wei Tuoba royal family. It is very likely that this is it..."

Ouyang Rong sat upright:
"Thank you for the reminder, Princess. I will go back and verify it."

Li Guoer paused with her red lips, her clear eyes fell on Ouyang Rong's face, as if she was looking him around.

After finding that he was calm and composed, Li Guoer nodded slightly, continued to lower her eyes, and poured the tea gracefully.

"Okay, that's good for you to know." She said indifferently.

Ouyang Rong glanced at the street outside the chariot, which was gradually becoming bustling in the morning, and asked:

"Your Highness, is there anything else? You wouldn't come here just to remind me, right?"

“Who came here specially?”

Li Guoer's pretty face was tense, and she said in a cold tone:
"This princess just happened to come here for shopping. There was a poetry gathering in Xunyang Tower this morning... I remembered this halfway and came here on the way. You don't think..."

Ouyang Rong interrupted with a wave of his hand, looking a little hurried:
"That's not what I meant. Princess, you misunderstood. What I meant was that if there's nothing else, I'll leave first. I also have something to do in the morning."

"Oh, so does this princess."

Li Guoer responded calmly, but did not leave immediately. She suddenly said:
"Tao Yuanming is the legendary swordsman of Hanshi, so aren't the things he left behind simple? Isn't the "Returning" you gave me as a birthday gift also the same? Could it be... a sword technique?"

Ouyang Rong was silent, and said without comment:

"Whether it is true or not, Princess, please don't tell anyone else... Is there anything else?"

"Don't worry, this princess is more tight-lipped than you."

Li Guoer snorted coldly, stared at his expression for a while, then lowered her head to continue pouring tea, but she did not pour it for Ouyang Rong.

She said calmly, "It's okay, but don't come here every day and give me some limericks just to make up the numbers. It's better not to give me any.

"Thinking carefully, Ouyang Lianghan, you are quite thoughtful. The gifts you gave me...except for the hairpin, both the "Returning Home" and the later "Peach Blossom Spring" manuscripts are very valuable. I misunderstood you before. I thought you were more partial to my brother, just like you had some prejudice against me..."

As Ouyang Rong listened, his expression became a little strange.

In fact, I really want to say that when he sent those things, he had no idea they would be so important, otherwise he would definitely not have sent them.

For example, the night-shining pearl that was making him hesitant right now... Li Guoer suddenly spoke, interrupting Ouyang Rong's distraction.

"Ouyang Lianghan, actually, you gave this princess something in Dragon City before. Or rather, it wasn't something, but a word. It may be very important now..."

"What word?" Ouyang Rong asked subconsciously.

Li Guoer turned her eyes away, and waved her hands with a bored look on her face under the purple veil:
"It's obvious that you're not interested here. Let's not talk anymore. Go away. I'm also very busy. Many people are waiting for me. I'm leaving now."

The little princess with plum blossom makeup spoke incoherently, and Ouyang Rong was completely confused. However, he was in a hurry, so he didn't linger any longer and got off the car and left.

Li Guo'er looked at the handsome young man's slender back as he walked away and pursed her pink lips.

This guy really doesn't look like he cares.

Anyway, his attitude towards her brother is different from his attitude towards her.

Li Guoer was used to it, and chuckled to herself: "But the gifts are all things that this princess likes very much..."

Having said this, she paused and silently took out a piece of slightly yellowed rice paper from her bosom.

Li Guoer opened the rice paper that she had kept at the Su Mansion in Longcheng County. There was an ink character on it, which was Ouyang Rong's handwriting.

"The sun and the moon are in the sky, this is Zhao, what a nice word... Zhao... was given to me by you that day, so isn't it also very important..."

"Miss, ma'am."

When Li Guo'er was lost in thought, a small maid with a chubby face called out from outside the carriage:

"Master Ouyang has left. Where are we going now? I am so sleepy after getting up so early in the morning. Didn't you say yesterday that you had nothing to do today?"

Li Guoer quickly put away the rice paper and stuffed it into her arms.

"Go home and catch up on some sleep," she said unhappily.

"Great."

Caishou was very happy.

……

"Brother Lianghan, I want to criticize you severely."

"Criticize what?"

"Dongmei is almost starving to death here with you! You really don't know how to cherish her, eh."

"turn down."

"?"

Chengtian Temple, in Yuan Huaimin's courtyard.

Ouyang Rong crossed his arms over his chest, watching Yuan Huaimin feeding Dongmei with great enthusiasm.

When Ouyang Rong brought Ali over, Yuan Huaimin and Li Yu had just woken up and were squatting on the steps washing their faces with willow twigs.

At this moment, Li Yu and Ali went to the breakfast yard to get food, leaving the two in the yard to feed the horses.

"I want to ask you a question." Ouyang Rong crossed his arms and leaned against the stone table.

"Liang Han, you're so polite."

"Still about Li Zhengyan, Huaimin, when they found you in Jiangzhou, did they show you a painting of Peach Blossom Spring?"

"Yeah, that's right."

"Are you sure this painting of Peach Blossom Spring was painted by the Taoist priest named Wu that you know?"

"Of course. I would recognize Mr. Wu's paintings even if they turned to ash."

Ouyang Rong chuckled and asked:

"How do you know him?"

"At that time, Mr. Wu was copying Buddhist paintings in an old temple in Chang'an. I was drunk and slept in the temple. I woke up in the morning and bumped into him. We had a great chat. At that time, I could see that his painting skills were superb and I admired him. Mr. Wu also invited me to eat spicy soup. After a few visits, we got to know each other and became both teachers and friends. I learned painting from him.

"Mr. Wu seemed to be very interested in the Buddhist painting techniques of the Northern and Southern Dynasties left in the Buddhist temples in Chang'an and Luoyang. He loved to depict them and was able to concentrate on them. He was truly a great man... No wonder he was later invited to the palace."

Ouyang Rong suddenly asked, "Has your family preserved the original manuscript of Peach Blossom Spring until now without any changes? I mean, has the silk scroll of the original manuscript been opened and repaired by anyone?"

"Hmm..." Yuan Huaimin, who was squatting down to feed the grass, was about to nod, but stopped.

"Not really." He turned around and said.

"What do you mean?"

"I once invited Mr. Wu to my house to see my treasures. He particularly liked the two bronze shafts of this authentic scroll. Anyway, it is not an original silk manuscript. Seeing that he liked it, I gave it to him directly."

"A bronze shaft?"

"That's right. The two shafts of the original scroll at home were made of bronze. Well, after being stored for a long time, there are green copper embroidery on it. I have wanted to replace it for a long time. It is too heavy to hold, so it is just right to give it to someone. Now I have replaced it with a new one, which is what Lianghan sees now. Isn't it more pleasing to the eye?"

Ouyang Rong took a deep breath.

"That's it, I understand."

Yuan Huaimin turned back curiously: "Brother Lianghan, what do you understand?"

"Nothing." He waved his hand, walked over and sat down, supporting his chin with both hands, looking at the ground in front of him with a flickering look in his eyes.

"The reason why I am sure that the Peach Blossom Spring was definitely painted by Mr. Wu is because I saw that day that the shafts of the Peach Blossom Spring they brought were two bronze shafts... It seems that Mr. Wu likes this object and this painting very much."

Ouyang Rong turned his head, glanced at Yuan Huaimin who looked pleased, and nodded without comment.

Sure enough, this original copy of "Peach Blossom Spring" was not left intact at the beginning. It was taken away by someone with ulterior motives, and even the strange bronze shaft was pulled out.

Wait, the rust on the bronze shaft is bluish-green, and [Han Shi]'s Changhong sword energy tends to be bluish... Is there any connection between the two?

Could it be that the material of [Hanshi]'s body is bronze?
Are the two shafts another form of [Hanshi]?
All kinds of uncertain speculations flashed through his mind, and Ouyang Rong rubbed his face.

At this time, Yuan Huaimin turned around with a strange look on his face:
"It's strange, why do you all ask the same question?"

"Who else asked this?" Ouyang Rong immediately came to his senses.

"Ms. Rong also asked this question." Yuan Huaimin said, scratching his head.

Ouyang Rong's expression changed slightly.

After a while, Yuan Huaimin asked with some guilt:

"Uh, why is Lianghan silent? Did I say something wrong?"

"fine."

Ouyang Rong, who was lowering his head slightly, waved his hand.

After a moment, he raised his head again and asked seriously:

"So when she asked you that, did you answer exactly what she said?"

"Of course I am. I can't let Madam Historian think that I am dishonest and suspect that I am colluding with the rebels. I have to prove my innocence."

After saying this, Yuan Huaimin sighed and lamented that being an official was not easy.

Ouyang Rong said softly: "What was Ms. Rong's reaction after hearing this?"

"Why is Liang Han asking this?"

Yuan Huaimin looked at Ouyang Rong's calm face in surprise, then shook his head and replied:
"No reaction. Madam Shi is a quiet person and her emotions are not visible on her face. I lowered my head and did not dare to look at her. But she did not speak for a long time. When I raised my head, she was gone..."

"understood."

Ouyang Rong narrowed his eyes.

At this time, Li Yu and Ali came back with breakfast porridge and rice.

Ouyang Rong and Yuan Huaimin patted their hands, went to the well, fetched a bucket of water, and washed themselves.

Several people had breakfast together...

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(End of this chapter)