Chapter 189: 196. Does Xiao Shimei Also Have This Hobby?

196. Does Xiao Shimei Also Have This Hobby?

Chen Jun Xie Chen Jun Xie Lingjiang's words came out.

The room went quiet.

"Why isn't Eldest Ru Shixiong speaking?" "Drinking tea, it's a bit hot." "Okay."

Chen Jun Xie Chen Jun Xie Lingjiang nodded.

She turned to the side toward the outside of the house, raised her head to look at the flowing clouds appearing and disappearing in the sky, as if counting in her heart. A moment later, seeing someone's teacup about to be put down, she suddenly turned her head and said:

"Now that you've finished drinking, Eldest Ru Shixiong can speak."

Magistrate Ouyang Rong's hand putting down the teacup couldn't help but pause in mid-air. He looked cautious and asked sideways: "Does Xiao Shimei not need to go to the official office to check on Immortal Lady Lady Yuzhi and see if she has woken up?"

"There is still one antidote left to take, and the medicinal power is too strong, so it needs to be slowed down. Even if she wakes up halfway, Xiao Shimei will naturally know the first time and rush over. Now that the explanation is finished, Ru Shixiong, don't change the subject. It's your turn."

"..." Magistrate Ouyang Rong.

Chen Jun Xie Chen Jun Xie Lingjiang stared at Eldest Ru Shixiong, who was leaning back slightly, with bright eyes, and pursued relentlessly:

"Who does Ru Shixiong think will win? Or rather, who will the Wei family Empress finally give the position of imperial heir to? Is it those two Wei princes, or the Prince Xiang who has already changed his surname from Li to Wei?"

Magistrate Ouyang Rong glanced at the room, then at the door, and couldn't help but say: "How could Xiao Shimei be interested in this?"

"I only want to hear Eldest Ru Shixiong's insights."

Chen Jun Xie Chen Jun Xie Lingjiang was quick-tongued and straightforward. After the words blurted out, her upper body behind the tea table unconsciously leaned toward Magistrate Ouyang Rong. As a result, it was like Mount Tai pressing down, and a "clatter" sound was heard immediately. It was unknown where the table was, but it actually made a slight sound.

In the relatively quiet room, the slight sound was somewhat unusually obvious.

It seemed that it not only gave someone a visual impact but also brought a great burden to the table between the two... Seeing the change in Xiao Shimei's face and the atmosphere around them, Magistrate Ouyang Rong immediately opened his mouth:

"Sorry, one of the table legs is short. It's easy to make a sound when touched. I've wanted to pad it for a long time, but that girl Ye Weilai always drags it out. Xiao Shimei, sit down carefully and don't touch it with your hands."

Magistrate Ouyang Rong feigned a frown and reminded her warmly.

In the inner room not far away, Ye Ye Weilai, who was kneeling and leaning over the bed to spread the sheets and tidy up, thought: The pot fell from the sky.

Seeing Eldest Ru Shixiong looking down at the table and shaking his head speechlessly, as if he hadn't noticed, Chen Jun Xie Chen Jun Xie Lingjiang didn't know whether to be shy or relieved.

"Okay, okay."

She nodded immediately, and her upper body also quietly leaned back, tucked her waist, and detached. The originally deformed red silk fabric and her slightly flushed little face tightened up. Of course, the curve was naturally rounder and fuller than her goose-egg little face. After all, Xiao Shimei's chin was quite pointed, wasn't it?

A certain Chen Jun Xie family noble lady sat upright, tightened her little face, and said coldly:

"However... Eldest Ru Shixiong, don't change the subject. Answer Xiao Shimei's question directly. Don't be smiling and unserious again. This is a matter of state!"

Magistrate Ouyang Rong curled his lips: "A matter of state? That's true, the family affairs of the emperor are state affairs... Ouch."

Magistrate Ouyang Rong stopped halfway, let out a low cry, and subconsciously looked down at his crotch, only having time to catch a glimpse of a red shadow.

"Why did you step on me, Xiao Shimei?"

He couldn't help but move his gaze upward and immediately arrested the culprit: a small, cute, soft-soled, hollow-toed brocade boot under the table.

Xiao Shimei liked to wear this kind of high boot, with a pointed toe and an upward-curved tip. It was a Hu-style dress that was masculinized for women in the Great Zhou Dynasty.

Chen Jun Xie Chen Jun Xie Lingjiang quietly retracted her right foot, turned her pretty face away, and said ruthlessly: "Be serious, be solemn."

She had always been very respectful to her teachers and seniors, but this Eldest Ru Shixiong was really too much. When he was serious, he acted unserious, and when he was unserious, he... Wait, she didn't have any unserious moments. Let's not mention this.

Anyway, Chen Jun Xie Chen Jun Xie Lingjiang felt that she had to be subordinate to her superior, step on him, hum, she must step on him!

Magistrate Ouyang Rong bent down to pat his shoe, raised his head to look at the stiff, upright Xiao Shimei, and silently remembered in his heart that the ancient, serious, and rule-abiding Xiao Shimei would actually secretly stomp on people in private.

He restrained his expression and sighed:

"Does Xiao Shimei really want to hear my opinion? But what use is my opinion? Whether the Wei family takes power, Li replaces the peach, or the Li family wins, restoration of the previous dynasty, it has nothing to do with us."

"How could it have nothing to do with us..."

Chen Jun Xie Chen Jun Xie Lingjiang wanted to speak but stopped, finally shook her head, turned her gaze away, as if changing the topic to explain:

"Now the people of the ten circuits of the world are privately discussing the matter of the imperial heir. Just pick a teahouse, order a plate of nuts and snacks, and sit for an afternoon. On the way home, you can feel that you have gained a lot, knowing more about the imperial secrets than the ministers in the government office." Magistrate Ouyang Rong laughed.

Chen Jun Xie Chen Jun Xie Lingjiang shook her head:

"I've long since heard enough of other people's high opinions and am not interested at all. But I am only interested in Eldest Ru Shixiong's... We've been together for so long, but I've never heard Eldest Ru Shixiong express an opinion on the court situation. Never, not once. On matters of state and family, he is always silent, as if he is clumsy and dull."

She paused, and couldn't help but glance sideways at Magistrate Ouyang Rong, who was drinking tea. A complex look containing admiration and respect appeared in the depths of her eyes:

"The people of this dynasty have the custom of discussing court politics and the government. According to reason, men who enter officialdom should be even more so. Which man doesn't want to be a great man, be appointed as a high official, enter the government office, marry a woman from the five surnames, and be buried in the Qilian Mountains."

Mentioning a certain word, Chen Jun Xie Chen Jun Xie Lingjiang lowered her eyes slightly and pursed her delicate red lips, which were red without rouge:

"But Eldest Ru Shixiong has never mentioned these, as if he has never considered them at all. From the first day I followed my father to meet Eldest Ru Shixiong, it has been like this. Eldest Ru Shixiong seems to never consider these universal male ambitions, only focusing on the affairs of Longcheng County before his eyes, only thinking about disaster relief, water control... and returning justice to the people of Longcheng."

Magistrate Ouyang Rong couldn't help but interject:

"This still needs thinking? Isn't this just having no great ambitions, being short-sighted, having a narrow vision, having small ambitions, and having no foresight?"

Magistrate Ouyang Rong searched his brains and said all the words that could describe his salted-fish state of lying flat. However, he was stunned to find that Xiao Shimei's beautiful eyes were staring at him without blinking, and she said slowly:

"For such a man, my father once said, those who are silent and live in seclusion are either very stupid or very wise." "Then which one does Xiao Shimei think I am?"

"Stupid."

"Then I can rest assured. Although I don't want to admit it, I am indeed like that in some respects." Magistrate Ouyang Rong nodded. "The stupid of 'great wisdom looks stupid'." Chen Jun Xie Chen Jun Xie Lingjiang said leisurely.

"..."

"And Eldest Ru Shixiong likes to play dumb."

Magistrate Ouyang Rong wanted to retort "Aren't you the same?", but swallowed it back. Some things had finally passed.

If you want to know what state the two were in, it should be... more than friends, less than lovers.

They were Ru Shixiong and Xiao Shimei who were intimate in most things.

Magistrate Ouyang Rong felt it was quite good, although he didn't quite know what Xiao Shimei was thinking. For example, today, she suddenly started "keyboard politics" with him. Xiao Shimei's thoughts were becoming harder and harder to guess...

Magistrate Ouyang Rong muttered in his heart.

Seeing Eldest Ru Shixiong's speechless and frustrated look, Chen Jun Xie Chen Jun Xie Lingjiang's corners of her mouth tilted slightly upward, then she retracted them and cast a worried look:

"Is it because of the incident where Eldest Ru Shixiong remonstrated with Princess Princess Changle and was demoted by the court that he became cautious, and even unwilling to talk to me, Xiao Shimei?"

A look of heartache appeared in Chen Jun Xie Chen Jun Xie Lingjiang's eyes, heartache for the monstrous disaster that had descended on Eldest Ru Shixiong that time, torturing a righteous gentleman who dared to remonstrate and had an iron backbone into retracting his sharp edges, no longer appearing like those ambitious men. Perhaps he had matured like her father.

But Eldest Ru Shixiong was still young, and Chen Jun Xie Chen Jun Xie Lingjiang hoped even more to see Eldest Ru Shixiong with sharp edges and heroic posture, with her following obediently and intimately behind him, looking up at his back.

Seeing that Chen Jun Xie Chen Jun Xie Lingjiang's gaze was becoming more and more wrong, and even though she hadn't drunk tea, her cheeks were flushed with a pale red, and she didn't know what exciting things she was thinking of.

Magistrate Ouyang Rong really couldn't help it anymore. He stopped beating around the bush and asked directly: "Xiao Shimei, has Su Xiaomei said anything to you recently?"

Otherwise, how could you have the same hobby of finding people to discuss court politics as her... Magistrate Ouyang Rong swallowed it back and couldn't help but look at Xiao Shimei a few more times.

"Su Xiaomei?"

This time it was Chen Jun Xie Chen Jun Xie Lingjiang's turn to be stunned. She shook her head, "No."

Seemingly insighting something from the huge amount of information revealed in Magistrate Ouyang Rong's words, she reacted immediately. Eldest Ru Shixiong and the Su family sister already know each other? When did this happen? The Su family sister didn't mention it to her.

Was it because she had been going out frequently to handle cold cases since returning to Longcheng County these past few days, and there was little time for her and the Su family sister to meet?

Or was it intentional not to say?

A certain Xiao Shimei who was exceptionally protective of her food suddenly became vigilant.

She looked at the sky outside the door, turned her head, and said to Magistrate Ouyang Rong, as if nothing had happened: "The Su family young lady said she quite likes chatting with you, Eldest Ru Shixiong."

"Oh..."

Magistrate Ouyang Rong was just about to nod and be humble, but his intuition, cultivated after being with Xiao Shimei for a long time, made him shake his head and say:

"Maybe it's because Xiao Shimei isn't here and there's no one to accompany her, so this Su family sister is bored in her boudoir. She looks quite talkative, but I've been very busy and don't have much time to deal with her."

Magistrate Ouyang Rong laughed lightly and said: "She didn't complain about me to Xiao Shimei, right? After all, she is Su Dalang's sister, and I'm embarrassed to refuse or offend her."

"She hasn't complained." Chen Jun Xie Chen Jun Xie Lingjiang shook her head.

She paused, looked at Magistrate Ouyang Rong, whose tone was normal, and added:

"Besides, discussing people behind their backs is not an upright behavior. If she discusses Eldest Ru Shixiong in front of me, I will definitely stop her. But why does Ru Shixiong ask this? Is it because you accidentally did something and are worried that she will complain to me, Xiao Shimei?"

Magistrate Ouyang Rong shook his head seriously:

"How could that be? It's mainly because I'm afraid of neglecting others, and the chat seems a bit perfunctory. By the way, Xiao Shimei, what else did she say to you? Are there any topics she likes to discuss?"

Facing Eldest Ru Shixiong's counter-question, Chen Jun Xie Chen Jun Xie Lingjiang was noncommittal and didn't answer. She picked up her cup, took a sip of tea, raised her head, and took the initiative to ask again:

"During the days I went to Mount Gezao, did the Su family young lady come to find Eldest Ru Shixiong often?" "Not often, and we didn't talk deeply." Magistrate Ouyang Rong said righteously.

"Oh, is that so." Chen Jun Xie Chen Jun Xie Lingjiang's tone was normal, and she asked with unusual gentleness: "Then... how did you get to know each other? Did she take the initiative to find you?"

He immediately explained:

"No, it was a few days ago. I went to the Su Mansion for a banquet at Su Dalang's invitation. We met in the corridor while having tea and rice. She was also returning an umbrella. By the way, the matter of borrowing an umbrella at Donglin Temple, I remember I seemed to have told you about it before..."

Chen Jun Xie Chen Jun Xie Lingjiang nodded and looked at him sideways. Magistrate Ouyang Rong said nonchalantly again:

"Then she also asked about Xiao Shimei's whereabouts. At that time, you left in a hurry. It seems that this Su family sister is still quite concerned about you. Are you on good terms with her, Xiao Shimei?"

"Quite... well." Chen Jun Xie Chen Jun Xie Lingjiang hesitated for a moment and nodded, "Yes, quite well." "So that's how it is." Magistrate Ouyang Rong laughed.

It was just that he didn't see that the plain hand hidden in the sleeve of the person opposite him had gripped the hem of her clothes at some point, and those few slender fingers were twisting the fabric of the hem back and forth.

The fingertips of the fingers that were tangled with the fabric of the hem were sometimes pale and bloodless, and sometimes flushed red... These little thoughts and little actions of a daughter were naturally unknown to anyone.

Magistrate Ouyang Rong only heard Chen Jun Xie Chen Jun Xie Lingjiang smile and nod, her beautiful eyes looking forward:

"Quite well. I'm not here, so she can just happen to accompany Eldest Ru Shixiong. Su family sister is also quite good, beautiful and kind, a lady from a great family, staying in her boudoir, unlike me, wearing men's clothes all day and showing my face..."

Magistrate Ouyang Rong was stunned and immediately interrupted:

"What is Xiao Shimei saying? Aren't we still able to talk because of you? It's also because of Xiao Shimei that I had a shallow acquaintance with her. I guess she is the same. We meet and chat occasionally, and one of the two most frequent topics is about Xiao Shimei."

He looked straight and said with a smile:

"I learned a lot about Xiao Shimei from her. I didn't expect Xiao Shimei to be quite... in her private life..."

"Quite what?" Chen Jun Xie Chen Jun Xie Lingjiang, whose mood had cleared up like clouds parting after the rain under Magistrate Ouyang Rong's few words, couldn't help but pursue.

"Quite silly."

"She... how could she say everything." "Can't people say it if you're silly?"

"Eldest Ru Shixiong is also quite silly in life, making quite a few silly mistakes." Chen Jun Xie Chen Jun Xie Lingjiang straightened her waist, "Aunt Zhen and Ye Weilai have both told me!"

The Ru Shixiong and Xiao Shimei teased each other for a while, and the atmosphere was no longer as strange and wrong as before. Magistrate Ouyang Rong took the initiative to say to Chen Jun Xie Chen Jun Xie Lingjiang:

"When chatting with Su family sister, there was another main topic. She always asked me some questions involving court politics in a roundabout way, trying to find out my views on the situation."

"It's very similar to you today, Xiao Shimei, so I asked if this matter was related to Su Xiaomei. After all..."

"Xiao Shimei didn't mention it before either. I thought that as a child of the Chen Jun Chen Jun Xie family, influenced by the family style of pure talk and reverence for Meilu Xuan, you were not interested in this."

Chen Jun Xie Chen Jun Xie Lingjiang wanted to speak but stopped. However, regarding the strangeness of Su Su Guoer in Magistrate Ouyang Rong's mouth, she understood the mystery, lowered her voice, and explained a little:

"So that's how it is. As for Su family sister... it's like this. Although she is a young lady in the boudoir, she has some male style and likes to discuss court politics. Eldest Ru Shixiong, don't blame her."

"No problem."

Magistrate Ouyang Rong blinked at Chen Jun Xie Chen Jun Xie Lingjiang:

"Anyway, I played dumb every time. I treated it as if I didn't understand. If she likes to analyze, let her analyze. I nodded and flattered her, occasionally giving her a look of admiration to support her. But if she wants to get words out of me, no way."

"Eldest Ru Shixiong is really bad..." Chen Jun Xie Chen Jun Xie Lingjiang couldn't help but laugh or cry. Magistrate Ouyang Rong smiled, and his expression gradually turned serious:

"Didn't Xiao Shimei ask who will win the dispute between Li and Wei?" He nodded gently:

"There are some things, but I only tell you privately, Xiao Shimei. I can't tell those outsiders."

For some reason, Chen Jun Xie Chen Jun Xie Lingjiang suddenly felt that the bitter tea she had been holding in her mouth for a long time without swallowing began to become a bit sweet.

"Eldest Ru Shixiong..." Chen Jun Xie Chen Jun Xie Lingjiang stared at Magistrate Ouyang Rong, who had become serious, and her teeth and cheeks were full of sweetness. She lowered her head and looked at the tea leaves in the cup.