Chapter 172

One hundred and seventy-nine, Only then did I believe this was a country-toppling beauty.

No way, even a gentleman guards against craftsmen. One hundred and seventy-nine, Only then did I believe this was a country-toppling beauty. "Can't go drinking with the elder brother again."

That evening, at the entrance of the county government office, Magistrate Ouyang Rong said to Yan Beside Yan Liulang, who was chasing after him with great enthusiasm.

The latter was stunned, "Are you quitting drinking, Magistrate?"

Magistrate Ouyang Rong shook his head and said with a straight face:

"No, Beside Yan Liulang, think about it. Running to someone's residence every day to eat and drink—what kind of decorum is that? The bond between officials and the people is like fish and water, but it shouldn't be like this."

Yan Beside Yan Liulang stroked his chin:

"But Magistrate, this is our private friendship with the elder brother; what does it matter? The elder brother is righteous, and we shouldn't be petty. Not going is not giving him face, and the elder brother certainly won't be happy."

Magistrate Ouyang Rong's mouth twitched, and he immediately spoke righteously to Yan Beside Yan Liulang, who was even more shameless and fond of mooching than he was:

"There's no reason to go every day. It's too frequent, and if outsiders see it, it will have a bad influence."

Yan, it's just a private friendship; public and private are distinct, and we have a clear conscience."

"You have a clear conscience, but my conscience will hurt."

Magistrate Ouyang Rong waved his hand to shoo him away, turned, and walked off, leaving behind a sentence:

"Alright, go back. I've already declined today's invitation, so let's not go recently. Hey, I don't know why there are so many banquets at the elder brother's residence, and they never repeat, changing patterns every day...

"It's truly extravagant and wasteful. Speaking of which, where does the elder brother's money come from? I haven't seen Uncle Su doing any business. Could it be living off ancestral property? That would be fine, but just in case... I'll have to investigate later."

Yan Beside Yan Liulang stared blankly at the departing back of the young magistrate, who was leaking righteousness, and the faintly audible, righteous murmurs made the corners of his eyes twitch.

Magistrate Ouyang Rong returned to the Plum Mei Mei Lu Yuan.

In fact, the overly enthusiastic and frequent invitations from Su Su Xian and Su Fu made him feel embarrassed, and indeed gave rise to some suspicions.

He returned to the small plum blossom courtyard.

Pushing open the courtyard gate, Magistrate Ouyang Rong caught a glimpse of a figure with silver hair reaching her waist under the grape trellis, holding a tree branch and dancing around, poking and stabbing left and right.

"Ye Weilai? What are you doing?"

Magistrate Ouyang Rong asked curiously.

Ye Ye Weilai quickly threw the small tree branch in her hand to the ground, stood straight with her hands behind her back, and nodded honestly:

"Master, Nu'er is practicing martial arts secrets to protect you in the future."

She looked serious.

Magistrate Ouyang Rong chuckled, glanced at the bare, slender little tree branch on the ground, nodded, and gave an expression of affirmation and encouragement:

"Practice well; in the future, your master will rely on you."

Speaking of this, Magistrate Ouyang Rong smiled again, walked over, and gave her a head-pat.

"Mm, okay!" Ye Ye Weilai nodded vigorously and looked left and right, "Master, you must be tired from official business all day. Wipe your face first and rest. Nu'er will go to the back kitchen to urge Xiu Niang to send dinner over quickly."

The white-haired maid, with her double buns ruffled by someone, ran into the house actively, holding a hot towel just out of the basin in both hands, handed it to Magistrate Ouyang Rong, and turned to walk outside the courtyard.

Magistrate Ouyang Rong watched Ye Ye Weilai's departing back and shook his head with a laugh.

He squatted down, picked up the long tree branch on the ground, and placed it on the swing nearby.

Come to think of it, Ye Weilai is indeed not very old. A girl of this age should be in her prime, playing and having fun, but in this era, she has to serve people as a maid.

It's just that recently, why does this little girl like playing with sticks just like a boy?

Magistrate Ouyang Rong didn't pay too much attention to it.

Just then, a burst of zither music drifted over from behind.

Magistrate Ouyang Rong, standing in the courtyard, and Ye Ye Weilai, who hadn't walked many steps out of the courtyard gate, were both stunned and looked back.

"Master, what is this?"

The zither music seemed to come from behind the courtyard, deep within that plum forest nearby.

It didn't seem very far away.

"Why is someone playing the zither there? Who would run there?"

Ye Ye Weilai stopped, her little face looking slightly confused.

This plum forest was located behind the courtyard. Unless the maids and servants of the Plum Mei Mei Lu Yuan were passing through this courtyard, how could they enter this plum forest?

Could it be that this zither music was coming from the Su residence adjacent to the back...

Ye Ye Weilai frowned and wanted to return, but Magistrate Ouyang Rong turned his head and said: "You go to the back kitchen to prepare dinner."

Ye Ye Weilai looked at her master's calm appearance as he lowered his head to wipe his face, so she had to nod and turn to leave.

After the white-haired maid left, Magistrate Ouyang Rong hung the hot towel on the rack, turned, and walked toward the plum forest behind the courtyard.

He came to a back door that hadn't been opened for a long time, unlocked it, pushed open the wooden door, and entered the plum forest.

Ever since Xiao Shimei recovered from her illness last time, he hadn't walked this small plum forest path to the Su residence for a long time.

Mainly because this small plum forest path led to the boudoir of that younger Su sister at the end.

He remembered it seemed to have been locked by someone, as if outsiders were not allowed to pass.

But this burst of familiar zither music right now...

On the small path in the plum forest, Magistrate Ouyang Rong, who was lost in thought, walked halfway and slowly paused, standing where he was.

He saw that in the elegant pavilion by the roadside ahead, which had been abandoned for a long time, there was a stone-carved shadow wall, and the zither music was coming from behind the shadow wall, as if someone was playing the zither.

The shadow wall blocked the figure of the person playing the zither, but a maid was standing to one side, and her figure could be seen.

This maid seemed to be holding an umbrella in her arms and was faintly wearing the Su family maid attire that Magistrate Ouyang Rong was familiar with.

Magistrate Ouyang Rong silently glanced at the general situation.

He didn't walk up immediately.

He had heard this zither music once a few days ago.

And it had ended with him leaving behind a "six" character.

Magistrate Ouyang Rong turned his head to look at the path he had come from, seeming hesitant.

But just as he turned his head, he saw a bun-faced little maid walk out of the pavilion. Seeming to have discovered Magistrate Ouyang Rong's figure, she walked straight toward him this time.

The bun-faced little maid looked quite spirited and cute, holding a red oil-paper umbrella in her arms, and came before Magistrate Ouyang Rong.

"Greetings, Young Master." She bowed gracefully.

Magistrate Ouyang Rong seemed to have remembered something and sized up the familiar baby fat on the maid's face.

He nodded, "Sorry to disturb you."

He wanted to leave.

"Hey!"

Sister Caishou stepped forward and called out to Magistrate Ouyang Rong. She blushed slightly and said crisply: "Young Master, do you still remember this oil-paper umbrella?"

Magistrate Ouyang Rong was slightly surprised, glanced at the umbrella she handed over, took it, and touched it, finally remembering.

"Was it at Donglin Temple on Mount Mount Dagu last month? I seem to have some impression."

Sister Caishou smiled, revealing dimples upon hearing this, but pouted slightly: "Young Master truly has a short memory, but my Miss has a fresh memory and has been thinking about it..."

Just as Sister Caishou said this, the "High Mountains and Flowing Water" zither music that had been coming from the pavilion suddenly broke, and then continued, but the zither sound was slightly off, as if the fingers plucking the strings were somewhat unstable.

Magistrate Ouyang Rong looked over, stunned.

Sister Caishou quietly stuck out the tip of her tongue, stopped chattering, and stated her purpose directly:

"Meeting you by chance today, Young Master, my Miss has ordered this servant to return the umbrella and thank you for your kindness in gifting it that day."

Magistrate Ouyang Rong shook his head: "A small effort, no need for formalities."

Sister Caishou added:

"Then Young Master, please don't be polite. My Miss invites you to enter the pavilion for a chat. At this twilight hour, enjoying the zither in the plum forest is also an elegant affair.

"My Miss is a refined and elegant young lady, and you, Young Master, are also a cultured scholar from the academy. Meeting by chance in the plum forest today, with the zither music attracting a guest, is truly fate.

"So there is no need for formalities; don't worry about too many tedious rituals. Would you like to, Young Master?"

Magistrate Ouyang Rong looked at the sparkling eyes of the bun-faced little maid in front of him, thought for a moment, and nodded gently.

"It's hard to refuse such kindness, so I will respectfully comply."

Since there was nothing to do right now, he might as well see what kind of "Yan State map" this was... Magistrate Ouyang Rong walked straight into the elegant pavilion without ceremony and bypassed the shadow wall.

Entering his view.

The beauty was wearing a mysterious black Daoist robe, which set off her skin like white snow.

Three thousand strands of green silk were coiled up with a delicately carved plum blossom hairpin and tied into a jade-green lotus crown.

A long zither table.

A bronze incense burner.

Opposite the beauty, there was a tea table.

There were two teacups.

They were already filled seven-tenths full with tea.

Magistrate Ouyang Rong sat down behind the tea table, picked up a teacup, took a sip, and looked up calmly:

"Good tea, good fragrance, good zither, it's just a pity that I don't understand profound zither arts and only know some common tunes."

The zither music stopped suddenly. Su Su Guoer's ten fingers hung in the air, pressing slightly on the strings. Sitting in her original position at the zither table, she only nodded with a calm expression, replacing secular etiquette, and said lightly:

"Wonderful prose, wonderful poetry, wonderful person. Your arrival, Young Master, makes this humble place shine; it is already the most refined of arts."

Magistrate Ouyang Rong laughed, raised his cup to sip tea, and seemed unceremonious, staring straight at the Su sister who was cross-dressing in front of him.

As if sizing her up.

After all, who doesn't love looking at a beauty? Moreover, this was one of the most beautiful faces Magistrate Ouyang Rong had ever seen in this world. Magistrate Ouyang Rong did not spare his gaze or hide his thoughts.

Su Su Guoer was not shy either, straightening her waist and raising her head, her chin pointed, her vermilion lips pursed, her eyes pitch black, meeting the man in front of her.

Open and aboveboard.

"The young lady is the wonderful person." Magistrate Ouyang Rong sighed, his tone suddenly changing, "Are you the younger sister of Su Li Dala?"

"So you already knew, Young Master."

"Xiao Shimei mentioned it a little." Magistrate Ouyang Rong's words paused, "Li Dala hasn't really talked about you, young lady."

Su Su Guoer was not surprised at all, nodded, and asked: "Where has Sister Chenjun Xie gone? Why did she suddenly go on a long journey without leaving a message?"

Magistrate Ouyang Rong lowered his head to drink tea: "She went out to handle some business related to a case in the county government. She should be back soon, so Miss Su need not worry."

Su Su Guoer looked at him.

The atmosphere between the two became a bit quieter as they each drank tea.

Occasionally their gazes met.

For some reason, although they looked at each other frequently, Su Su Guoer felt that the gaze with which Magistrate Ouyang Magistrate Ouyang Lianghan sized her up did not make her feel disgusted.

Was it because the other party was a handsome man? Su Su Guoer felt that wasn't it either; she had seen plenty of handsome men and beautiful women, and the whole Su family were all exquisite people, so she really wasn't swayed by looks.

It was because this person's eyes were clear and spirited; when he stared at her, his pupils didn't move at all, and his focus was concentrated.

There was absolutely none of that shrinking look that revealed itself when a man clearly wanted to look but was afraid that looking too much would damage his image in the beauty's heart, or was considering some pitiful male self-esteem.

Su Su Guoer had seen plenty of men who were self-important on the surface but inferior on the inside; of course, she had also seen plenty who pretended not to care.

But the gaze that Magistrate Ouyang Magistrate Ouyang Lianghan cast openly in front of her was a gaze of appreciating beauty.

It was like seeing a beautiful flower on a mountaintop; you would only appreciate it from afar and sigh at the creator's craftsmanship.

Instead of giving birth to a desire for possession and reaching out to pick it.

Because people are born with a desire for possession and protection toward beautiful things.

And a gaze of pure appreciation is counter-intuitive.

So this is something rare among most self-centered men in the world.

It can only mean that in his heart, he truly had no desire to pick it at all.

It was just the indifferent mind of a traveler passing through beautiful scenery, with eyes full of nothing but appreciation.

As for the flower, she would naturally show appreciation for such a unique passerby; this is called "the green mountains see me as I am."

Su Su Guoer suddenly picked up her teacup, withdrew her gaze, and lowered her eyes to take a sip.

Raising her eyes again, she broke the silence:

"This young lady has a slight misunderstanding; what is the meaning of that 'six' character you left in the water pavilion outside Juxian Garden that day?"

Magistrate Ouyang Rong smiled faintly, sipped his tea, and didn't speak immediately.

Su Su Guoer didn't know that someone was muttering in his heart. She furrowed her brows slightly, seemed to have pondered it again, shook her head slightly, and said with a firm expression:

"Young Master, don't say it. This young lady will ponder it herself. It was this young lady who was obsessed; I shouldn't have been so vulgar as to ask."

She raised her eyes, exhaled gently, and leaned forward a little:

"Then let's talk about yesterday's. Young Master left a wonderful poem in the Drunken Old Man Pavilion, which surprised this young lady a little."

Magistrate Ouyang Rong's eyes flickered, he put down the teacup, and said with a sincere expression: "If I said I wrote it casually, would you believe me, young lady?"

The pavilion fell silent instantly.

Magistrate Ouyang Rong prepared to speak again, but suddenly discovered that on the goose-egg face of the Daoist-crowned young lady in front of him, which made the evening scenery of the plum forest look dull, a touch of... elegant smile gradually appeared.

"Believe, of course I believe. Everything you say, Young Master, this young lady believes."

Su Su Guoer watched him with a smile, nodding her head slightly.

"Really?" Magistrate Ouyang Rong raised his brows slightly.

"Really."

Su Su Guoer habitually raised her chin, and because of this elegant, lady-like sitting posture of raising her head and straightening her waist, a touch of snow-white skin was faintly revealed between the collars of her Daoist robe.

In the dim evening pavilion, it was also very dazzling.

Magistrate Ouyang Rong felt it was inconvenient to look too much at this scene, so he lowered his head to sip tea, "As long as you believe it, let's not mention this."

Su Su Guoer's faint voice, however, followed immediately into his ears:

"Of course you wrote it casually, Young Master, but just like how all landscape descriptions are descriptions of feelings, the poet may have written it without intention, but between the lines, there is a sincere heart speaking to itself."

Su Su Guoer showed an elegant smile at the corners of her mouth and recited softly:

"'The Han Emperor valued beauty and longed for a country-toppling beauty'... what a 'valued beauty,' what a 'longed for a country-toppling beauty.' Even though he is the Han Emperor, why can't he find a country-toppling beauty when he values beauty?

"This whole world belongs to the Han Emperor, but there isn't a country-toppling beauty by his side. This isn't because he can't find one, but because treacherous officials are in power. Even if the Han Emperor is thirsty for beauty, it's hard to find a country-toppling beauty.

"It seems someone has their own unique views on the political situation, comparing themselves to fragrant herbs and beauties, possessing country-toppling beauty, different from those vulgar, flashy women in the court, it's just a pity that they are envied by all the women and it's hard to meet the Han Emperor."

Su Su Guoer unconsciously leaned forward, staring at Magistrate Ouyang Rong with burning eyes, appreciation in the depths of her pupils.

This scene was just like Magistrate Ouyang Rong staring at her after sitting down not long ago.

Su Su Guoer looked at him, as if she were also appreciating another special kind of country-toppling beauty.

She wasn't swayed by looks, but she was swayed by something else.

Magistrate Ouyang Rong's teacup froze at his mouth, and his left eyelid couldn't help but twitch twice.

He couldn't help but glance at the elegant, head-raised, and confident Su sister in front of him.

He suspected his ears had heard wrong.

Is this Su Li Dala's younger sister trying to... talk politics with me?

Magistrate Ouyang Rong turned his face and silently looked around.

The sun was setting in the west, plum branches were swaying in the wind, the old pavilion was floating with fragrance, and they were steaming tea and tasting it.

Being in this scene, it should have been a calm and clear conversation, but the little beauty in front of him was showing him a cat-like, squinting, and fish-stealing expression, and in his ears was her pleasant voice, deliberately lowered.

Wait, wasn't it said that this was a refined and elegant young lady like a crane in the clouds? But what kind of strange way to open this is?

Hey, can we not talk about such dangerous topics?