No, gentlemen also guard against

Chapter 688 There is no woman in the world who can't be coaxed [7K, monthly ticket plus more! ]

After listening to this, Ouyang Rong rubbed his face:

"An unexpected discovery. Is it that simple..."

Rong Zhen didn't even turn his head and said calmly: "What else?"

Ouyang Rong asked in a normal tone, "Did they find out what they wanted to find out?"

"No, it's very likely that Yue Chuzi has left, especially since you made such a big arrest a few days ago. You alerted the enemy and he was not caught by you. That means he really ran away."

"It is my fault."

Ouyang Rong nodded, and just as he was about to deal with it, Rong Zhen in front of him slowly stopped.

"What happened, Madam?"

Rong Zhen turned around, frowning:

"Stop, take me there first."

"Where?"

Ouyang Rong saw her expressionless face and said:
"Meet your child bride."

……

"Are you all right, Governor? I have been waiting for you since yesterday. I am not an idler like you. When I am dealing with official business, I can keep my mistresses in my house. I go to eat with them every day and take care of everyone. I don't neglect anyone."

"It's almost time. Xiuniang and Madam Pei will be back soon."

After a pause, Ouyang Rong's voice said helplessly:
"What do you mean by adult or not? Miss Rong, please don't call me that. It always feels weird. Also, Miss Rong, please don't make fun of me. I'm exhausted these past two days..."

"Ah."

The next day, at the gate of a quiet courtyard.

There was a downpour from yesterday afternoon to night, and today the sun is shining brightly.

In the morning, Ouyang Rong and Rong Zhen came to the quiet courtyard again. They stopped in an alley not far from the gate and waited quietly.

This was what the two of them agreed to yesterday.

Rong Zhen changed back into her plain white palace dress today. She stood in the alley with her hands crossed and talked to Ouyang Rong. After sneering, she continued to speak coldly:
"Sir Governor, please hurry up. Why are you hiding her like a treasure? You hold her in your hands for fear of dropping her, and you hold her in your mouth for fear of her melting. You are so troublesome even for me to take a look at her. Do you have something to hide, or do you not trust me?"

"If you don't believe me, I wouldn't have brought Ms. Rong here. It's just that Miss Xiu's condition is special and she needs to rest. You'll understand when I see you later."

After saying that, Ouyang Rong looked at the cold and indifferent palace-dressed girl beside him and asked:

"Ms. Rong, are you still angry?"

Rong Zhen immediately turned his head and spoke like a string of pearls:
"Angry? What are you angry about? How am I angry? Which eye of yours saw me angry? I'm not angry. I'm just doing my job. In my opinion, you, the governor, have too many selfish thoughts and have forgotten what official business is."

"I haven't forgotten what I said. It's true that the matter of the embroiderer is for personal gain, but it won't interfere with official duties, and it won't affect the construction of the Donglin Buddha. I always keep this in mind."

Rong Zhen drooped his eyelids, rolled up his sleeves and looked ahead: "I hope so."

Ouyang Rong also stood with his sleeves rolled up.

The two men, one tall and one short, one calm and the other angry, were wearing a blue shirt and a white skirt, both with their sleeves rolled up, and stood side by side.

If there were outsiders passing by the alley at this time, they would take a few more glances, as the combination of the two styles was so surprising and impressive.

Unfortunately, the person involved is not aware of it.

After a night of review and reflection, Ouyang Rong roughly understood some things and took the initiative to say:

"Thinking carefully, it is normal to be angry. Junior Sister did say something inappropriate yesterday. She shouldn't judge others so arbitrarily. I am here to apologize to Ms. Rong. I hope Ms. Rong will be magnanimous and forgive me."

Rong Zhen asked back:

"Weren't you looking for those broken umbrellas at the time? How do you know what we talked about?"

Ouyang Rong coughed and said, "I learned a little bit from Madam Pei."

Rong Zhen glanced at him sideways.

At this moment, the two of them stopped talking at the same time and looked towards the street corner together.

A luxurious carriage drove up and stopped in front of the quiet courtyard.

The first person to get off the car was a beautiful lady in a purple gold shawl. Her face was covered by a black veil, so her features could not be seen clearly. She turned around and helped a young girl get off the car.

The girl was pretty and charming, with a sky-blue ribbon covering her eyes, a ringing ice-white jade hairpin on her head, and a jasper staff in her hand. She landed lightly on the ground, as if she were mute. She made a gesture of thanks to the beautiful woman with a black veil covering her face, and was helped into the quiet courtyard by the latter with a smile...

It only took about ten minutes for the two girls, one adult and one child, to get off the car and enter the yard.

Rong Zhen, however, did not take her eyes away. Ouyang Rong discovered that the expression on her face was very complicated, with shock, astonishment, and... pity.

When the blind and mute pretty girl got off the carriage, the pendant of the white jade hairpin on her head swung and made a peculiar sound. Rong Zhen stared straight at it with her dark eyes, as well as the jade staff in the pretty girl's hand... She slowly lowered her head, closed her eyes and took a deep breath, not knowing what she was thinking.

The blind and mute girl was sent into the yard, and the beautiful woman in purple and gold shawl returned, got on the luxurious carriage, and slowly drove away.

The two people standing in the alley made no sound throughout the process and were not discovered by anyone.

After a long while, Ouyang Rong asked softly:
"seen?"

"Ah."

"Then there is no need for me to explain."

Rong Zhen hid the pity in his eyes, raised his head, looked at him straight, and asked seriously: "Is this natural to her, or... is it all because of you?"

Ouyang Rong remained silent.

Rong Zhen looked at him with complicated eyes. When he agreed, many guesses suddenly popped up in her mind. She said softly:

"No wonder you treat her so well, even at the cost of bending the law for personal gain, hiding and protecting her, even at the risk of being discovered by the jealous junior sister."

She looked at the cozy courtyard in front of her, and murmured absentmindedly, "She must like you very much. She is a pure-hearted woman, but she sacrificed so much for you... But you didn't let her down. Because of her, you violated the principles you adhered to and were willing to risk the world's disapproval to stand in front of her. She didn't choose the wrong person, and she didn't give her heart to the wrong person.

"In this way, I will never disappoint the woman who has silently made sacrifices for me, and I will cherish every bit of true love. Is this your selfishness, Ouyang Lianghan? You may not be a man who completely abandons personal feelings, but you are definitely a man who is worthy of trust... you are just a little fickle."

Ouyang Rong was slightly startled and turned to look at her.

Rong Zhen, who was inexplicably sympathetic, turned his head away. After a while, his demeanor and tone recovered, and he said with a bit of pride: "You were right not to bring me over to bother you. I can hardly blame you for this matter."

Ouyang Rong shook his head: "I'm not disturbing you, it's just that the embroiderer..." His tone was a little hesitant.

Rong Zhen suddenly asked: "Doesn't she know your specific position?"

"Almost. They only know my name but not my literary name."

Rong Zhen said softly:

"To wear a cap and a courtesy name is to show respect for the name. In front of the emperor and father, you should call him by his courtesy name, and in front of others, you should call him by his courtesy name. You are the governor of a state. Except for the emperor and father, teachers, or you are being modest, who dares to call you by your name in public?"

Ouyang Rong was silent.

In the Zhou Dynasty, ordinary people could not have a name. Only people with status, position, and culture could use it. It had to be related to the nobility and scholars, and in a sense, it was also a threshold for entering the circle.

Because men are expected to be fathers after they turn 20, they are given a "name" and a "character". After a man has a "character", he cannot call his peers or juniors by their names. If he calls them by their names in public, it will be considered disrespectful and offensive. The lower class cannot even mention the names of the monarch or one's parents or elders, otherwise it will be considered treason.

Ouyang Rong's courtesy name "Liang Han" was given to him by his teacher Xie Xun when he was studying at Bai Ludong Academy. It was taken from the sentence "Zhou Bang Xianxi, Rong has Liang Han". The courtesy name given by teachers is a kind of identity recognition and cultural inheritance. Otherwise, how can we say that a teacher is a father for life? If he can directly give you a "character" that you can use for the rest of your life, it is considered as the naming right. If he deliberately misuses it and cites classics to call you "Goudan" or something weird, then you are doomed...

The ancients such as Tao Yuanming and the recent ones such as Yuan Huaimin all have a surname plus a courtesy name. Yuan Huaimin also has a given name, but Ouyang Rong, as a good friend, doesn't know it either, as he is used to calling him by his courtesy name every day. When Yuan Huaimin was sent out to serve as an official, he also went out with his courtesy name. It is estimated that only the elders in the clan know his name. Even Yi Qianqiu, who was very disappointed with his son, didn't call him by his courtesy name when he met him last time and got angry and beat him up.

Tao Yuanming's name is "Qian". In fact, this is understandable. When a certain golden-haired lady called him a thief and called him by his name, she must have been very angry.

"So you are afraid that if I meet her face to face, she will find out our identities and know yours?"

Ouyang Rong frowned and said nothing.

Rong Zhen chuckled: "Your name, Ouyang Lianghan, must be quite famous. Like me, you are regarded as a thief of the imperial court by the Yunmeng Yue women and the rebels in the Tiannan Jianghu."

Ouyang Rong shook his head: "The embroiderer is different from them."

"Yeah, it's definitely different."

Rong Zhen nodded again and said word by word:
"From the last time your child bride taught your personal maid Ye Weilai the sword move 'Virgin Splitting Guan', it can be seen that she should be a Yue girl of the female lord level, not the same as an ordinary Yue girl."

Ouyang Rong didn't know whether he agreed or didn't want to talk about it anymore, so he asked:
"Ms. Rong, is there anything else you want to ask or see?"

Rong Zhen stared at him for a while and asked:

"What are you going to do with her?"

Ouyang Rong lowered his eyes:
"After the last cleanup of the entire city, there are no more spies of Yunmeng Jianze around Xiu Niang. She is blind and mute, and cannot contact the outside world. She can be considered as missing. I will accompany her well and not let her get involved in muddy water again."

"You did cut off all her connections with that place, but if she secretly or insists on interfering, can you stop her?"

Ouyang Rong was silent for a long time, then said softly:

"I promised her that I would bring her back to the Huaiye Lane mansion to attend my aunt's birthday celebration. I will never break my promise. Xiu Niang also promised, and she will try her best."

Rong Zhen narrowed his eyes and looked at him, saying:
"No wonder you didn't let her know your name and official position."

Her advice:
"Then don't let them know the date when the Donglin Buddha was completed..."

Ouyang Rong walked forward with his sleeves rolled up, saying nothing.

Rong Zhen paused in the middle of her words, turned her head and looked at Ouyang Rong's calm and peaceful face, she suddenly laughed at herself:
"I have given you some advice. Haha, you must have already planned this matter. There is no need for others to say more. I am the one who is making a fool of myself."

"No, Ms. Rong's advice is very useful. I'm grateful for it."

Rong Zhen still frowned in thought, then came to his senses and asked:
"When was your aunt's birthday originally scheduled?"

Ouyang Rong was silent for a while before he said, "One or two days after the Donglin Buddha was completed and landed."

Rong Zhen's eyes became meaningful:

"Good of you, Ouyang Lianghan. You've already made preparations. You chose this juncture, and the timing is really clever. Do you want to use this to stabilize her? If you delay until the Buddha city is built, then your child bride will have to fulfill her promise no matter what and go home with you."

Ouyang Rong looked straight ahead, calm and silent.

I don’t know what I’m thinking.

Rong Zhen retracted his gaze and said, "You are in charge of the construction, so you should know the date when the Buddha will land."

Ouyang Rong whispered a tentative date, and Rong Zhen frowned and thought carefully.

At this moment, Ouyang Rong suddenly asked:

"Ms. Rong just said that they sent a team of female officials to investigate secretly. They found a suspected Yue woman in my yard and observed her for a while. Didn't they tell you that the embroiderer was a blind and mute woman?"

Rong Zhen kept his gaze fixed on her, and after a moment of silence, he said:

"If they don't do their job well, I will punish them when I get back. What else do you want, Governor?"

Ouyang Rong shook his head and looked at her again.

Rong Zhen has already turned around and walked away.

Ouyang Rong followed her and left the quiet courtyard.

On the way, Rong Zhen, who had been silent for a long time, spoke again:
"There is one thing you haven't considered."

"what's up."

"Your safety. She is sincere to you, but now you are the abbot of Donglin Buddha, and you have issued a ban on women. You are a thorn in Yunmeng Jianze's side, and you are a dog official of the court... Have you ever considered your own safety? It's not that she wants to hurt you, that won't happen, but what about her sisters? After all, there is an unstable disaster. A gentleman does not stand under a dangerous wall. You should understand this principle."

Ouyang Rong smiled:

"Let's put it this way. I won't indulge them because of the embroiderer, and they don't need to forgive me because of the embroiderer. It all depends on their ability. They can take my life if they have the ability."

Rong Zhen couldn't help but turn his head, glanced at the cool and confident man beside him, and asked:
"You are free and easy, but what about your responsibilities? His Majesty has entrusted you with an important task and sent you to make the statue. Prince Xunyang also relies on you to gain credit. If you are gone, what will happen to your responsibilities?"

This question made Ouyang Rong look more serious:
"In fact, there is a reason why I have delegated power to Cao Zhi and the others these days. I have already taught you how to build the Donglin Buddha, and the same goes for Xunyang City. Lin Cheng has left and abandoned the Xingzi Lake Buddha, but the people of Xunyang City still have their support. As long as there is this support, the court can still build a Buddha in Xunyang City. This is the soil and is indispensable. So, without me, can it not function? It won't be like this, and it shouldn't be like this."

Rong Zhen couldn't help but look sideways after hearing this.

At some point, she suddenly interrupted Ouyang Rong who was talking and asked:

"What about this palace?"

Ouyang Rong was stunned.

Under his gaze, Rong Zhen said softly:

"You promised to teach me the music, and the essence of the music that Senior Yu hid. You promised to teach me until I know you. If you are gone, who will teach me?"

Ouyang Rong frowned slowly, as if he was also thinking about this question seriously.

He first asked tentatively:

"So Ms. Rong agreed to this condition and is no longer angry about what happened today?"

Rong Zhen didn't answer, his face was cold and stern.

Ouyang Rong felt somewhat relieved.

There are two kinds of silence for women, one is anger, the other is acquiescence. "Didn't Ms. Rong say that it would be best to understand the essence of this before the Donglin Buddha falls to the ground? I will take more time to teach you in these days. Even if you die in the future, at least I have not broken my promise."

Rong Zhen coldly criticized:

"Why do you like to say depressing things so much? Do you know that this is unlucky?"

Ouyang Rong smiled:

"Why does Ms. Rong like to keep a sullen face? Do you know that this is unlucky? Come on, smile and you will look ten years younger."

"I don't need any less, it's already very little."

Ouyang Rong couldn't help but look at her height and nodded in understanding.

She threatened without turning back:
"Look again? I'll gouge out your eyes."

Ouyang Rong looked away.

At this time, Rong Zhen's voice came from the front:

"Also, Ouyang Lianghan, confidence is a good thing, but being too confident is not good. Do you know how difficult the essence of the music is? How can you promise so easily? Even Senior Yu didn't guarantee that he could teach me."

Just as Ouyang Rong was about to speak, he was interrupted by Rong Zhen's sneer:
"Are you really going to teach me for my whole life? You have time to teach me, but I don't have time to learn. But you have already promised to teach me until I can do it. You said it yourself, and I want to see how you will fulfill it. Before that, hehe, you are not allowed to die too early. Do you understand?"

Perhaps he was used to it, Ouyang Rong suddenly felt that these sarcastic words were surprisingly... not unpleasant or harsh.

They were silent.

Rong Zhen walked forward for a while and then spoke:
"I'm a little curious, how did you meet her?"

Ouyang Rong smiled when he heard this, and told the story again about how he accidentally attracted the embroiderer with the special sound of the ice-white jade hairpin at Chengtian Temple that day.

Rong Zhen listened quietly, occasionally glancing at his interested expression.

After a while, she nodded slowly:

"Chengtian Temple? That makes sense... In addition, this ice-white jade hairpin was originally a token of your mother's clan, and it has symbolic meaning. From this point of view, it is indeed only suitable for women from this clan, and it should be given to her. No wonder your little sister didn't care about it. In addition, your child bride is blind and mute, which is indeed quite pitiful... Haha, you are lucky."

Ouyang Rong smiled awkwardly and scratched his head.

Immediately, he heard Rong Zhen next to him ask for no reason:
"Does a child bride count as a childhood sweetheart?"

Ouyang Rong was surprised and said, "I guess so. Why is Ms. Rong asking this?"

Rong Zhen immediately showed a sneer:

"I am not envious of Governor Ouyang. Today's matter has been settled safely. I have solved the problem with my junior sister. Can I start to enjoy the happiness of having two wives?"

Ouyang Rong shook his head speechlessly.

"There's something."

Rong Zhen brought up the topic and changed the subject:
"If it weren't for what happened today, I would have waited until you went to Xunyang Grottoes before talking to you."

Ouyang Rong immediately became interested:
"Ms. Rong, please speak."

Rong Zhen hesitated for a moment, then spoke slowly...

The shore of Xingzi Lake is very quiet, except for the wind that blows across the lake, creating wrinkles.

After hearing this, Ouyang Rong's eyes lit up slightly, and he couldn't help but look at Rong Zhen:

"What a good idea. Did Ms. Rong come up with this herself?"

"Almost. Yesterday, I discussed it with Senior Song and we both thought it was feasible, so I came to ask you if it's appropriate and if you can cooperate."

Ouyang Rong did not hesitate and said directly:

"Okay, what a great trick..." He paused, thought for a moment and said, "Then we should not only spread false information to confuse them, but also confuse our own people."

Rong Zhen nodded slightly: "Yes, it is limited to a few of us and some craftsmen at the Xunyang Grottoes construction site."

Ouyang Rong said thoughtfully:
"But what is coming may still come. We must be prepared for the worst-case scenario in case the deception is useless."

"Agree."

"Ms. Rong, are you sure that once the Donglin Buddha lands successfully, the Tiannan Jianghu will have no way to turn the tide? Can they resist the subsequent sudden counterattack?"

Rong Zhen was silent for a moment and nodded vigorously:
"Yes. Let me tell you this, the Donglin Buddha itself is an important part of this defense deployment. We must wait until it is completed before we can exert its maximum strength.

"So the Si Tian Jian had been worried before, fearing that the Tian Nan Jiang Hu would not take the usual route and force their way in ahead of time."

"No wonder they set up this trick. If the Buddha falls to the ground earlier, they will be powerless to save him."

Rong Zhen sneered:

"That's right. If they dare to force their way in, with the existing targeted defenses, they will be unable to escape and will never be able to return."

"Okay. But be careful with Wei Shaoqi, they have a strange scroll."

"Don't worry, if there is one, it counts as one. We have already calculated it in advance."

"That's fine."

Ouyang Rong echoed, and after seeing Rong Zhen sneer, he rolled up his sleeves and walked forward without saying anything else.

He couldn't help asking:

"Ms. Rong, do you have anything else to say besides this?"

Rong Zhen asked back: "What else do you want? Isn't this matter important?"

"Important, but..."

"But what."

"Did Ms. Rong promise me something the night before? I thought she wanted to tell me."

"what's up?"

"The core defense of Xunyang Grottoes."

Rong Zhen turned around and asked with a cold face:
"But I also said that you need to pass a confidential investigation."

"Yes."

Rong Zhen asked directly:
"That's it. Do you think you can pass the Si Tian Jian's confidential investigation by forcibly protecting a Yue woman who is suspected to be a female monarch?"

"Uh, probably not."

"That's it."

Ouyang Rong observed her unhappy expression, smiled and said:

"I see. I understand now. I thought it was due to something else and the confidentiality investigation failed."

"What are you worried about?"

"Well, for example, some anonymous reports made Ms. Rong hesitate."

"Humph."

Rong Zhen turned around and left.

No more hanging out at the lake.

Ouyang Rong followed closely and said in a gentle voice:
"What I did today was indeed wrong. It is normal that it failed the confidentiality investigation. This shows that Ms. Rong enforced the law impartially and followed the procedures. This is public-spirited."

Rong Zhen said nothing.

The two returned to the carriage and Ouyang Rong prepared to get on.

When they were about to part, Rong Zhen called out to him:

"I never said I forgive you for what happened today."

Ouyang Rong hesitated to speak.

Rong Zhen immediately said:
"I understand that you are selfish today. I have said long ago that everyone has selfish motives. I understand that you were able to speak so frankly just now, but..."

"but what?"

Rong Zhen silently shook his head: "Nothing."

Ouyang Rong asked again: "Is it really nothing?"

Rong Zhen seemed to have figured it out, and finally spoke:
"Yes, Ouyang Lianghan, for your selfish behavior this time, you owe me a favor, in addition to teaching me the essence of piano music. This favor will be kept by me.

"As I said before, everyone has selfish desires. I hope that if one day, I mean just in case, you happen to discover my selfishness, you should understand me for once. This is called not owing each other anything."

Ouyang Rong looked curious and a little confused, so he nodded:
"Okay, but what selfish motives does Ms. Rong have?"

Rong Zhen waved his hands and said impatiently:
"Okay, let's go back. My mouth is dry after talking so much."

"it is good."

"and many more."

"what happened again?"

"One last question. How old is your aunt for her birthday gift? She looks quite young."

"It seems like she's past her prime, I don't know exactly. Every time I ask, she taps my forehead and says she's eighteen, telling me not to ask any more questions, and that women are always eighteen."

Rong Zhen:......

She asked casually, didn't pursue the matter any further, turned around and left without any further hesitation.

Ouyang Rong rubbed his face.

Finally, the situation that was about to overturn the table was averted.

He watched the girl in palace dress walk away, then turned around and got on the carriage.

"Go to Xunyang Palace first. Also, call Liu Lang over." Ouyang Rong whispered.

"Yes."

When the carriage was halfway there, Yan Liulang got into it.

Ouyang Rong, who was resting with his eyes closed, said directly:

"The group of secret female officials that the Overwatch Council originally left in the city to investigate Yue Chuzi, go and find out if it's true, and check if they have any actions in Xingzi Lake recently."

"Yes, Mingfu."

Yan Liulang took the order and withdrew.

Ouyang Rong opened his eyes, looked at the empty carriage, and murmured to himself:
"Openly repairing the plank road, secretly attacking Chencang... Ms. Rong's trick is interesting. It's good to land it early."

……

Xunyang Grottoes.

In the evening, there is a brilliant sunset.

Rong Zhen returned and met Nanny Song who had been waiting for a long time at the entrance of the construction site.

Nanny Song glanced at the palace-dressed girl who had changed out of her purple dress and asked directly:

"What happened in Xunyang City? Why did you go there alone for two consecutive days? I heard from the people below that you didn't let everyone get close to Xingzi Lake. What happened? Do you need help?"

Rong Zhen's face was calm and he shook his head seriously:
"It's not a big deal, Senior Song, don't worry, I can handle it."

Nanny Song glanced at her with a somewhat inexplicable look:

"Okay, as long as you know your limits."

At this time, Rong Zhen heard the familiar voice of Princess Anhui coming faintly from the grotto construction site.

A hint of warmth appeared on Nanny Song's originally wrinkled and gloomy face:
"An Hui is here again. This girl is really filial and polite. The people around her are also very sensible. Would you like to go over and say hello, Rong?"

Rong Zhen said in a somewhat cold tone: "Forget it today, Senior Song will entertain us. I am a little tired, so I will go back and rest first."

"Row."

After separating from Nanny Song, Rong Zhen walked into a bamboo forest next to the grotto construction site and went to visit Elder Yu first.

The old man has recently become obsessed with carpentry, carving bamboo all day long, saying he wants to make a special musical instrument...

Rong Zhen immediately turned around and returned to his bamboo house. As soon as he came back, he saw someone in the yard...

----

(PS: This chapter will be updated with monthly tickets, 7,000 words, one more update, and 12 more updates are owed)

(End of this chapter)