No, gentlemen also guard against

Chapter 822: All Jealous

"Ouyang Lianghan, you are keeping watch alone, without any rest?"

It was dawn. Qin Ying, who had gotten up early for morning exercise and was dressed in men's clothing, saw a young man in a scholar's robe standing in a daze by the campfire. She asked in an unexpected tone.

Ouyang Rong, who was like a statue, suddenly stood up and patted his sleeves.

He straightened his sleeves and said with a smile:
"It's okay. I'm used to being alone and quiet, so it's convenient for me to think about things."

Last night Ouyang Rong indeed stared at the campfire and thought about many things.

However, it is not a matter of "dragon and tiger fight" between Junior Sister and Lady Historian, and has nothing to do with the love affairs between men and women in this small family.

It is about the current situation in Xunyang City.

Prince Xunyang and his family must continue to move north and cannot stay in the south of the Yangtze River any longer.

Now let's follow what everyone discussed last night:

Taking advantage of the fact that all of Wei's spies and lackeys were killed and they had temporarily lost control of the situation here, Prince Xunyang and his family immediately rushed back to the capital, unexpectedly entered the palace to meet the emperor, and then presented this brand new Ding sword in the name of auspiciousness.

At present, the four Buddha statues including the Donglin Buddha and the Songde Tianshu have collapsed. Ouyang Rong learned about this in advance through Cui Hao, and it was also Cui Hao's work.

Rong Zhen, Xie Lingjiang, Li Xian and others knew that the Donglin Buddha had collapsed, but they did not know that the other giant Buddhas and the Luoyang Tianshu were also destroyed, and they did not know how serious the situation was.

But that's a good thing.

The people in Luoyang don't know who the real murderer is, so all their anger will be directed at the rebels in Tiannan.

The saint would certainly be furious. At this time, they presented a new sword that was comparable to the one used by Emperor Wen.

His contribution is no less than that of King Wei and King Liang in building the Tianshu Buddha.

There is a sense of surprise that everyone below has messed up, but they who are not valued have made it back in one fell swoop.

Moreover, this great auspicious sign also has a subtle flavor of destiny.

Judging from Rong Zhen’s reaction when he found out not long ago, we can tell that the female emperor in Luoyang must be happy.

On the way, it would be best to let the people from Xunyang Palace become the sword bearers of the new Ding Sword. Now the saint will need them even more.

This strategy was an improvement on the strategy of returning to Luoyang that Ouyang Rong had previously designed for the Xunyang Palace.

The auspicious contribution of the "New Ding Sword" has been added, instead of simply selling misery to gain sympathy.

However, when he was in Xunyang City and arranging for them to leave Xunyang and head north, Ouyang Rong was still unsure whether the Night Pearl could manifest its power, nor was he sure whether the Red Lotus Sword Seal inspired by the embroiderer would be useful.

The same goes for what he promised to give Rong Zhen on the road not long ago.

Ouyang Rong carefully reviewed the situation for half the night and determined that this was the best solution he could think of at the moment.

And last night, while staring at the campfire in a daze, in addition to thinking about these things, he also thought about many other things.

From taking up the post of Xunyang, to falling in love with his junior sister at her birthday banquet, to first disobeying the imperial order and then obeying it to build the Donglin Buddha, his career had its ups and downs, and he worked and got to know the lady historian... and later he met the embroiderer again, spending a comfortable time together in a quiet courtyard, and then there was the final battle at the Shuangfeng Peak, where he overwhelmed both sides, resisted the thunder with his own body, and reaped a series of blessings, both big and small.

Everything flashed through Ouyang Rong's mind frame by frame.

It was like he was watching an old silent movie from his previous life. He didn't call for a stop, but just watched silently.

The moment the morning sun struggled to emerge from the horizon, he understood something.

At this moment, Qin Ying noticed that Ouyang Rong was a little distracted, so she looked at him curiously.

She couldn't help but ask:
"Are you sleepy? Do you want to take a rest? Why do you have to keep watch alone? Where are Miss Xie and the others? If I had known I would come to accompany you, you could have taken a nap instead."

Ouyang Rong shook his head:

"I used to study at night, and when I looked up it was already dawn. I would just take a nap in the afternoon."

He smiled and added:
"I've discovered that northerners don't seem to like taking naps, but southerners like this habit. This is the difference between the north and south of our Zhou Dynasty. But don't underestimate the nap. A 15-minute nap is equivalent to an hour's sleep at night."

Qin Ying laughed in silence, then remembered something:
"By the way, I heard that your aunt will be here soon. Qin Yanqing and I are going to pick her up. Do you want to come with us?"

Ouyang Rong looked at the other side of the river where smoke was rising from cooking fires and said:

"Wait a minute, I'm going to go to the other side to look for Ms. Miaozhen. Oh, and I have something else to discuss with you."

Qin Ying stared into his dark brown eyes seriously:
"You speak."

Ouyang Rong discovered that Qin Ying had an advantage. She liked to look people in the eye when speaking, which gave people a sense of respect. She was similar to her junior sister, and was equally graceful and elegant. This was probably the temperament that only a lady from a noble family could have.

As for your question to Lady Madam Historian and the Little Princess?

Well... one of them "doesn't look at people", and the other "looks at people with her chin", of course, it depends on the person.

Ouyang Rong said seriously:

"I need you and General Qin to escort Miao Zhen and the three hundred surrendered White Tiger Guards back to Xunyang City and hand them over to Commander Yi and Army Officer Yan. Let's set off today. The weather is good."

"So soon..." Qin Ying hesitated, then nodded: "No problem, are the prince and the prince going to continue northwards back to Beijing?"

"Ah."

Ouyang Rong nodded, clasped his fists and said goodbye, but he noticed that Qin Ying seemed to be hesitant to speak.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Ouyang Lianghan, what about you? Are you going back to Xunyang..."

Qin Ying paused halfway through her speech, and waved her hand with a forced smile:

"Forget it, I asked a stupid question. The prince's return to the capital is a big deal, so of course we should go together. Besides, you are a scholar of Xiuwen Academy, so you have the excuse to go back... Ouyang Lianghan, you are a man who can do big things. Grandfather has long seen that. A small Xunyang City cannot contain you, if it weren't for the Xunyang Palace.

"Okay then. I'll go inform Qin Yanqing and ask him to start feeding the horses. We plan to leave at noon."

Ouyang Rong nodded silently and watched the Qin girl's back disappear.

After a while, the young man in Confucian robes turned around and crossed the river, came to the camp of the surrendered generals of the White Tiger Guard on the left bank, and found Miao Zhen.

The middle-aged female official was standing by the water, staring at the rushing water in a trance.

Ouyang Rong walked forward with his sleeves rolled up and stood shoulder to shoulder with her.

He looked straight ahead, also at the river, and softly repeated what he had just told Qin Ying.

Of course, the word "escort" was not used. It just said that Miaozhen would take the soldiers back to Xunyang to provide assistance, and Yi Qianqiu would be there to pick them up.

Miao Zhen turned her head and looked at the young man next to her.

She asked word by word:
"Ouyang Lianghan, is this your arrangement or Li Xian's?"

Ouyang Rong turned his head and looked her in the eye, calm and open-minded:
"My arrangement, my intention, the prince was a little hesitant about this. After what happened yesterday, he trusted you. It was obvious that he felt guilty, but I couldn't let the prince take risks. I persuaded him."

Miaozhen stared at Ouyang Rong's eyes for a while.

She spoke slowly:
"It doesn't matter. I didn't do it for him. I just couldn't stand the Wei family's actions. I don't like this kind of convoluted conspiracy. They stab their allies in the back when they are facing foreign enemies."

Ouyang Rong nodded: "It can be seen that Ms. Miaozhen is a straightforward person, otherwise she wouldn't be so unhappy about the prince and princess misunderstanding you."

Miaozhen frowned at first, then looked away, as if she was a little embarrassed by the praise.

She pointed to the hundreds of soldiers behind her who were making a fire and cooking. Ouyang Rong saw that many of them had young faces after taking off their armor. They lowered their heads, looking depressed. They didn't dare to make loud noises to disturb the noble family on the other side of the river. They also didn't dare to look at the young governor who was chatting with Ms. Miaozhen by the river, with a face so calm that it was awe-inspiring.

Miao Zhen spoke:
"Ouyang Lianghan, these are all good families of our Great Zhou. They just followed the wrong people. Even though there are only 300 soldiers, there are 300 families behind them. They are the sons, husbands, and fathers of thousands of women and children.

"If I die in battle, it's fine. Soldiers should serve their country and die on the battlefield. But I can't stand seeing them die in internal strife.

"We lost too many people in this battle of Twin Peaks, far more than 300... I can't stop them over there, but if they die under my nose, it's good if there's one less person killed."

Ouyang Rong asked softly, "Does Ms. Miaozhen have any family members who are also in the army?"

Miao Zhen did not answer, but turned to face him and spoke solemnly, calling out his official title:

"Governor Ouyang, I will cooperate with you on how to end the matter in Xunyang City and report it to you. I only ask that you do not settle accounts with them after returning to Xunyang City. If you can spare one person, then spare one. Of course, if there are still accomplices of Li Congshan among them who still have evil intentions, I will work with Commander Yi to help you catch them and deal with them. You can trust our Sitianjian's methods of catching traitors."

Ouyang Rong looked around the camp and suddenly asked:
"Ms. Miaozhen is indeed righteous. How dare I not agree with what she said? But I have a question that bothers me. I want to ask Ms. Miaozhen for the real answer."

Miao Zhen was puzzled: "What's the problem? Tell me."

Ouyang Rong asked with a smile:
"You said that it was to protect them as much as possible and to save the three hundred families from being destroyed. Then I am a little curious. If Li Congshan succeeds and kills us with overwhelming superiority, and they all join the bandits and board the pirate ship, then will Ms. Miaozhen also turn a blind eye to save them and sacrifice me and the prince, and the few families behind them?"

Miaozhen suddenly fell silent.

Ouyang Rong waited for a while, but received no response, so he turned around and prepared to leave.

Miaozhen suddenly shouted:

"You should know what my attitude was when I left that letter. Li Xian also knows it. And you were trapped by crossbows yesterday. The outcome was still uncertain. You also know this."

Ouyang Rong stopped, smiled and looked back:

"Yes, I know that Ms. Miaozhen is not a fence-sitter. But your silence just now is very interesting and explains a lot. Ms. Miaozhen did not refute you immediately because she hesitated."

Miaozhen heard the young man's voice that was as gentle as spring breeze, and his words pierced her heart as accurately as a sharp blade.

"And this hesitation, if I'm not mistaken, is not just there now. You've long known about the backstabbing plots that Li Congshan and Wei Wu were secretly doing, but you remained silent just like Yi Qianqiu and Nanny Song..."

He smiled, shook his head and said:

"But it doesn't matter. Many people just go with the flow. Many upright civil servants in the government and the country also go with the flow when faced with the Liwei dispute. It's not just Ms. Miaozhen who does this.

"Besides, a gentleman judges deeds rather than intentions. The letter you left on the morning of the Donglin Buddha celebration ceremony was indeed crucial. It alerted us and helped us avoid danger.

"You know, there are very few people who are determined in every choice. It is already very difficult to be firm in one or two things. Most people just choose to pretend to be confused and be confused for the rest of their lives."

Ouyang Rong pointed at the White Tiger Guards and shook his head:
"Don't worry, you and them will be safe. Li Congshan will be reported as having died protecting the Buddha, just like most of the White Tiger Guards who died in Xunyang Grottoes. However, Li Congshan and Wei Wu should be very grateful to Commander Yi and you in the underworld. If they were not afraid of the trouble of explaining and implicating you, they would have murdered the palace and rebelled against the enemy."

Miaozhen's expression was somewhat moved.

After a while, she took the initiative to say:
"Last night, I heard Ms. Rong Zhen talk about the Xunyang Grottoes. Was the Donglin Buddha destroyed? Although he was seriously injured and repelled the rebels in Tiannan Jianghu, the Buddha was also destroyed in their hands."

Ouyang Rong raised his eyebrows slightly: "Did Rong really tell you this?"

Miao Zhen was stunned when she heard this: "Well, what else? Is there another hidden story?"

Ouyang Rong nodded seriously:

"No, Ms. Rong Zhen is right. The traitors who destroy Buddhism are indeed hateful."

Miao Zhen pursed her lips and suddenly mentioned:
"Are you the owner of the Butterfly Love Flower? Are you the legendary swordsman?"

Ouyang Rong narrowed his eyes and said, "Did Ms. Rong Zhen also say that?"

Miao Zhen shook her head: "I asked her, and she said she didn't know. I was just guessing. Judging from your tone, it should be the case."

Ouyang Rong simply asked:
"How did you guess?"

"First of all, you have the Ding Sword in your hand. Secondly, the Ding Sword that looked like the bright moon rising into the sky yesterday, isn't that the magical power of [Hanshi], Guiqulaixi?

"The only person who can arrange the sword like this, I can think of is the owner of Dielianhua. Although I have never seen him use the sword before, as far as I know, he is the only one who arranges the sword like this, and currently he is the only one who can return to his fate."

Ouyang Rong suddenly frowned and asked seriously:

"Are you sure that's Guiqulaixi?"

Wonderful question:

"It looks like... Wait, you set up the sword yourself, and you're asking me? Aren't you the one who set up the sword?"

Ouyang Rong suddenly restrained his expression and waved his hand casually:

"Just a joke."

Miao Zhen pondered and said:
"You are a sword bearer and you have the mythical Ding Sword. There is actually a way to please the saint."

Ouyang Rong nodded:
"know."

Miao Zhen took a look at his expression and breathed a sigh of relief:

"It's enough for you to know. That's right. Ms. Rong Zhen understands the saint. She would remind me even if I don't say it. Besides... I could see it when we were in Longcheng that you understood the saint's mind very well. Those brilliant strokes when Li Xian was reinstated should have been planned by you." Ouyang Rong did not comment.

Miao Zhen looked at him deeply:

"No wonder Rong Zhen did so much for you... I will take the White Tiger Guard back to Xunyang today and will keep an eye on them along the way, but before I leave, let me see Li Xian."

Ouyang Rong was a little hesitant.

She nodded: "You just need to report it."

Ouyang Rong nodded, turned and left.

"Ouyang Lianghan."

Miaozhen suddenly called out to him.

Ouyang Rong paused: "What's the matter?"

Her voice came:
"When we first met in Longcheng, I could never have imagined that such a small city like Longcheng would have a great man like you. I feel relieved to have you by my side."

Ouyang Rong waved his hand.

Didn't say anything and kept going.

He crossed the river and returned to the camp on the right bank, where he found Li Xian and Li Dalang in a tent.

"Tanlang."

Li Xian immediately came forward, grabbed his sleeve, and peered behind him:
"Where are my niece and Ms. Rong Zhen?"

Ouyang Rong shook his head: "I don't know, Junior Sister might be preparing to pick up Aunt."

Li Dalang looked at his friend and asked calmly:

"Didn't you sleep well, Tan Lang? Nothing happened last night, right?"

He asked in return: "What can happen?"

"Okay, Dalang, what are you asking?"

Li Xian scolded Li Dalang, then turned around and patted Ouyang Rong on the shoulder.

He sighed with the tone of a veteran:
"I understand Tan Lang's situation. I was in the same situation back then. I had good looks and talent, but I was destined to have romantic relationships. That was my fate. There was nothing I could do."

Li Xian shook his head at his bearded eldest son:

"You haven't experienced this, Dalang. You won't understand even if I tell you. Let me explain it to Tanlang."

Li Dalang:?

Ouyang Rong:......

Li Xian looked serious and said to Ouyang Rong:

"Tan Lang, I remember I told you this a long time ago when we were in Longcheng, but we had just met and were not familiar with each other at that time, so we just chatted briefly...Now you have to remember that there is often only a fine line between peach blossom luck and peach blossom disaster. You must treat it seriously. Don't just focus on enjoying the love at the beginning, otherwise it will be a bad peach blossom. This is good advice.

"Da Lang is useless, and I am too lazy to talk to him. But Tan Lang is different. Tan Lang is an adult and needs to understand these things. I cannot teach you other things, but I know a thing or two about the relationship between men and women. I may know more than you. If you have any doubts in the future, you can come and ask me..."

Ouyang Rong listened quietly, looked at the Li Xian father and son who were staring at him, and nodded.

"As long as you understand." Li Xian smiled and asked casually, "By the way, why did Tan Lang come here?"

Ouyang Rong said frankly:

"Ms. Miaozhen wants to talk to you. She will wait for you by the river. Please let me know."

Li Xian's expression changed slightly.

Ouyang Rong and Li Dalang looked at him together.

The atmosphere was quiet for a while.

"Ahem, Tan Lang, you are busy. I am going to go out for a while. By the way, please do not make this matter public."

He lowered his voice and gave some instructions, then left in a hurry.

Ouyang Rong turned around and found that Li Dalang was gone, but he didn't care. He turned around and walked out of the tent to find Rong Zhen, ready to talk about Miao Zhen's matter.

When he arrived at her tent and saw no one around, he called Shunbo and asked curiously.

"Sir, it seems that the lady has gone to the camp gate to pick someone up."

"Pick someone up?"

Ouyang Rong was stunned, then realized that she should have gone to pick up Zhen Shuyuan.

"Yes, Madam Shi came to me early in the morning and asked us to pick some herbs and catch a perch in the river."

He wondered:
"Why do you fish and collect herbs?"

"Make soup."

Ouyang Rong's expression changed when he heard Shun Bo's voice:
"The lady filled a bowl and took it out..."

Ouyang Rong didn't listen anymore. He left Shun Bo and quickly went out to the camp gate.

As soon as he approached the camp gate, he saw Wei Mei walking towards him angrily and leaving from the camp gate in the opposite direction of Ouyang Rong.

Li Dalang followed behind Wei Mei.

Wei Mei just greeted Ouyang Rong and passed by him.

Ouyang Rong looked back and saw that Wei Mei was hurrying towards the other side of the river.

He looked at his nose and his heart, and came to the gate of the camp.

Junior sister is here.

The lady historian is here.

Her Royal Highness the Little Princess and Qin Ying and her brother were also there.

Ouyang Rong glanced at it silently.

Qin Ying and Qin Yanqing were riding on horses.

The junior sister and the little princess stood together, very close to each other.

Rong Zhen stood alone on one side, with his hands in front of him, holding a red lacquered food box.

She raised her chin slightly, narrowed her eyes, and looked at the official road ahead.

Ouyang Rong came, and Rong Zhen didn't look back.

Ouyang Rong withdrew his gaze from the food box in her hand and turned to look at Xie Lingjiang.

He found that his junior sister had changed her clothes.

The red men's clothing that she loved to wear was gone, replaced by a round-necked, narrow-sleeved skirt.

The long skirt drags on the ground, and the shawl is draped over the shoulders. The thin dress is perfectly combined with the body. The natural and smooth silk texture of the dress further highlights the majestic scenery somewhere and outlines the two graceful and rich arc lines.

Xie Lingjiang stood calmly and elegantly, with a slender figure. She did not look away and did not look at Rong Zhen.

Li Guoer, who was standing next to him, tilted her head and looked at the food box in Rong Zhen's hand with interest.

Ouyang Rong walked forward, looked around, and asked with a smile:

"Why are you all here so early?"

Xie and Rong ignored him.

Only Qin Ying and Qin Yanqing responded.

Li Guoer also replied:

"I told you I wouldn't come so early. Sister Xie is impatient and dragged me here early."

Xie Lingjiang turned around, and Li Guoer smiled and shut up.

Ouyang Rong suddenly discovered that Xie Lingjiang and Rong Zhen were both wearing the mandarin duck jade hairpin on their heads. He wondered if it was a coincidence.

Qin Ying seemed to have noticed this as well. She turned slightly, her eyes lingering on Xie Lingjiang and Rong Zhen, with a thoughtful look on her face.

At this time, Li Guoer smiled at Ouyang Rong:

"I remembered something. If our people really inherited the New Ding Sword, the Empress Dowager and the Imperial Astronomical Bureau would definitely provide the [Emperor Wen] sword technique. So, you don't have to worry about learning any piano music. After returning to the capital, there will be plenty of opportunities to obtain this sword technique..."

The sound was neither too loud nor too soft, just loud enough for everyone to hear.

Rong Zhen didn't look back.

Ouyang Rong didn't know how to answer.

Xie Lingjiang suddenly said to Li Guoer: "Okay."

At this time, Li Xian returned.

Wei Mei followed beside him with a stern face and didn't say a word, while Li Dalang also followed obediently behind.

Everyone saw that the prince had a bruised face.

Li Xian turned around and smiled cheerfully: "Haha, the road beside the river is slippery, everyone please be careful when crossing the river."

Qin Ying and Qin Yanqing looked at each other and nodded in confusion.

After everyone waited for an incense stick of time, a team of horse-drawn carriages slowly drove up and stopped in front of the camp.

Zhen Shuyuan and Ye Weilai got off the carriage together.

Wei Mei took a step forward and held Li Xian's arm. The latter seemed startled at first, but quickly calmed down.

The couple, accompanied by Ouyang Rong, were the first to go forward.

Started chatting with Zhen Shuyuan.

Xie Lingjiang and Rong Zhen stepped forward and followed.

However, Zhen Shuyuan was mainly talking to Li Xian. The woman's attention was now on Ouyang Rong. She held a handkerchief in her hand and touched her beloved nephew with heartache from time to time.

They all walked back together and returned to the main tent of the camp.

Qin Ying and Qin Yanqing withdrew tacitly and went to the left bank to arrange the evacuation of the surrendered White Tiger Guards.

Lu Ya and Zhang Shixiu went to the door to stand guard.

In the main tent, only Ouyang Rong, Xie Lingjiang, Rong Zhen, and Li Xian's family were left.

Plus the female relatives Zhen Shuyuan, Ye Weilai and Ban Xi.

In addition, Cai Shou is also there, left by Li Guoer.

Ouyang Rong saw Li Guoer take the colorful ribbon aside and started to tell her something.

Xie Lingjiang and Rong Zhen walked towards Ye Weilai together.

The white-haired girl was about to go find Ouyang Rong, but was pulled aside by the two girls.

Ouyang Rong was detained by Zhen Shuyuan and could only see the expressions of Ye Weilai and Cai Shou from afar.

Ye Weilai's expression became a little calmer and she looked at Ouyang Rong frequently.

Cai Shou's expression was the funniest. She stood in front of Li Guoer, opened her mouth slightly, pointed at herself, and looked like "What, me?"

(End of this chapter)