Chapter 190: 197. Governing a Great Country is Like... Managing a Small Bed (Happy Children's Day)

197. Governing a Great Country is Like... Managing a Small Bed (Happy Children's Day)

Ouyang Rong's sudden change of topic left Xie Lingjiang speechless for a moment. She only felt her heart turning sweet.

Xie Lingjiang actually didn't resent the people from the neighboring Su Fu for contacting Ru Shixiong. She even tacitly approved of it to some extent.

Otherwise, why did she intentionally or unintentionally bring Ouyang Rong to the Su residence often in the beginning?

But the moment Xie Lingjiang first heard Ru Shixiong call out "Su Guoer" as if it were a normal thing, a certain little emotion, like that of a young girl, suddenly became hard to suppress.

"So I wasn't as generous as I imagined," Xie Lingjiang whispered in her heart.

People are sometimes like this. Some things are one idea when they haven't happened before your eyes, and another idea when they appear.

But now she discovered.

"Just discussing state affairs with the Eldest Ru Shixiong sideways, Su family sister is indeed fast and has a clear purpose. I guess only the Eldest Ru Shixiong is a bit confused about her purpose."

"So... the two of them are really just acquaintances as light as water."

"This... is also normal. Eldest Ru Shixiong is like a bright pearl. He might not have been obvious when he first came to Longcheng County, but now, after bringing such great changes to Longcheng in a few months, who dares to underestimate him?"

"It's obvious that Eldest Ru Shixiong is overqualified as a Grade 7 magistrate. In the eyes of some people, he is naturally brilliant and talented."

"Su family sister's attitude toward him has also changed from contempt to side-glance, from pride to respect. But I didn't expect that during the days I went out, Su family sister would take the initiative to befriend the Eldest Ru Shixiong."

"It seems that this Su family sister is not a stubborn and arrogant person, but also knows how to judge the situation, and also knows how to seek talents in her sleep. For this, she can even put down the face of a proud daughter, although the other party is the Eldest Ru Shixiong, it is still surprising. This Su family sister..."

"It can be considered as getting to know her again. Father is right, to look at people, you must not only examine their words but also observe their form. Su family sister is better than her brother, it's just a pity she is a daughter."

Looking at the man who was talking eloquently and was very distinct in his closeness and distance.

Xie Lingjiang lowered her brows and bit her lip, feeling a bit embarrassed about her wild thoughts from just a moment ago. Savoring the lingering sweetness of the Tieguanyin in her mouth, shallow dimples appeared on her cheeks.

"What is Xiao Shimei smiling at?" Ouyang Rong asked curiously. "Nothing."

Xie Lingjiang shook her head, looked at him again, and said softly:

"It's just sighing that Eldest Ru Shixiong is a bit too steady and calm, his mouth is so tight, and he distinguishes inside and outside so clearly. When I think of Su family sister eating shriveled and asking for trouble in front of Eldest Ru Shixiong every time, I feel a bit..."

"... a bit..."

"A bit what?"

Xie Lingjiang couldn't help but laugh, but said nothing. "Wait, Ru Shixiong."

Xie Lingjiang suddenly stood up, glanced at the petite figure still folding quilts and tidying the bed in the inner room, and resumed the posture of a Xie family scholar and a lady of the academy, saying politely:

"Weilai girl, the tea is a bit cold."

"Tanlang, Xie Xiaoniangzi, Nu'er will go boil a new pot of tea, you two chat slowly."

Ye Weilai was not a fool, immediately put down the work in her hand, exited the room, and left with a "creak" of the door closing. This pot of tea would probably take a long time to boil.

Only a pair of senior brother and junior sister were left in the room.

The two looked at each other. The atmosphere was slightly quiet.

Seeing Ouyang Rong preparing to speak, Xie Lingjiang suddenly turned and went to the side of the bed in the inner room. Ouyang Rong couldn't help but ask:

"What is Xiao Shimei doing? Sleeping... sleeping?"

Inside the inner room, Xie Lingjiang looked left and right, seemingly finding Ru Shixiong's private residence quite novel. With an interested expression, she said casually:

"Nothing, I accidentally sent your thoughtful little maid away, delaying the cleaning of Ru Shixiong's room. It just so happens that there is nothing to do, so Xiao Shimei will try to help Eldest Ru Shixiong tidy up."

She learned to bend over and tidy the bed, continuing the work Ye Weilai hadn't finished, with her back to Ouyang Rong, and said without raising her head: "Eldest Ru Shixiong, you say yours, you continue, I can hear it."

Ouyang Rong was speechless.

"Has Xiao Shimei tidied the bed before?"

"Well, no, but I've seen the maid tidy it."

Ouyang Rong curled his lips, walked straight up, and snatched the work from the hands of the anti-contrast Xiao Shimei who wanted to try everything. "Let go, I'll do it."

"Ru Shixiong, what are you doing? Don't you also have a maidservant to tidy up? Don't look down on me..." Xie Lingjiang suddenly stopped speaking.

Ouyang Rong, who was too lazy to explain, folded the quilt in two or three strokes, his technique was skillful, and then began to tidy the bedsheet, just like he handled official business, swift and decisive.

By the bed, Xie Lingjiang leaned against the bed frame, staring blankly at the skilled Ouyang Rong, and couldn't help saying: "Ru Shixiong, you are so capable, why do you still need a maidservant to tidy up?"

Ouyang Rong didn't stop, thought for a while, turned his head and said seriously:

"You always have to find something for the little girl to do, otherwise, if she is idle, she is idle, eating for nothing, and no one feels embarrassed."

"..." Xie Lingjiang.

It seemed that she had digested this set of routines from the Eldest Ru Shixiong for a long time. She tilted her head slightly and sighed:

"So Eldest Ru Shixiong asking Xiao Shimei to investigate cold cases is also to find something for her to do, actually Eldest Ru Shixiong can solve it faster, but Xiao Shimei is idle anyway?"

"..." Ouyang Rong's mouth twitched.

He didn't answer, lowered his head and pulled the wrinkled bed corner.

Just as Xie Lingjiang behind him was about to quietly step in to help, Ouyang Rong suddenly said:

"The situation of the Great Zhou Dynasty now is like this bedsheet. It looks messy, but as long as you hold the four corners and other clever points and pull back hard, it will be neat and clean in an instant."

Xie Lingjiang was startled, then frowned and stared. A man's cold voice came:

"You ask me how I view the dispute between Li and Wei that is fighting endlessly in the imperial court of Shenzhou Luoyang? If Xiao Shimei had found this clever point to easily pull and tidy the bedsheet, she wouldn't have asked me this question."

"Did Eldest Ru Shixiong find it?"

Ouyang Rong turned a deaf ear and continued:

"Whether I found it or not is not important. What is important is that the current Empress has actually found it."

"In the eyes of the current Empress, the court situation is like this bedsheet. It looks chaotic and disorganized now, getting more and more intense, tangled in a ball, but she only needs to raise her hand once, hold the four corners and pull gently, and it will be a clean and tidy bedsheet again for her to sleep soundly."

Xie Lingjiang looked up and said:

"Does Eldest Ru Shixiong mean that in the heart of Empress Wei, she has already made a decision on the dispute between Li and Wei for the imperial heir, and now... she is just deliberately standing by?"

She shook her head hard again, puzzled:

"But isn't Empress Wei afraid that the two factions will fight more and more intensely, and finally become like fire and water, and any side that takes power will completely clear out the other side?"

Ouyang Rong held the four corners, finished tidying the bedsheet, got off the bed, walked toward the desk, and said calmly: "That's why I said, Xiao Shimei, you haven't found the knack for easily smoothing out a bedsheet." Xie Lingjiang thought for a long time but couldn't figure it out:

"Ru Shixiong, just say it directly, which faction is more likely to win? I'll also talk about my guess, let's exchange views." "If it's this question, do we still need to exchange views?"

Ouyang Rong laughed, walked to the desk, took out a court report, and threw it to the side of the table. "The Wei family has lost. Those two princes cannot inherit the position of imperial heir."

Xie Lingjiang looked down; the court gazette was recording a recent rebellion suppression in the north, known to the world as the Yingzhou Rebellion.

Xie Lingjiang's eyes flickered, "Ru Shixiong is also concerned about this matter?"

This Yingzhou Rebellion originated from the Eastern Barbarian Protectorate and was a rebellion by foreigners who had once surrendered to the Great Zhou. As a result, the more it made trouble, the bigger it got, exposing many problems in the border army. The situation spread for two years, until not long ago, that is, before the Yunmeng Marsh water rose, Ouyang Rong learned through the court report that this rebellion that had lasted for two years had been suppressed.

Ouyang Rong nodded and pointed at it:

"I just flipped through it casually. The Yingzhou Rebellion was originally a move by His Majesty to add prestige to the Wei family descendants, but it was messed up by the Wei family. The Wei descendants performed poorly; it was supposed to be a meritorious deed, but it caused the war to drag on and on. In the end, it was the rebels themselves who had internal strife, only then was it dismantled by the Great Zhou government troops suppressing the rebellion."

"Such a shameful thing, and it was even publicized as a great victory."

Ouyang Rong shook his head, "In the heart of the current Empress, she can no longer hand over the position of imperial heir to the Wei family, otherwise the world will not be convinced. But the Empress is old, and a group of ministers including Di Fuzi around her are occasionally remonstrating."

"So, Prince Xiang is the winner?" Xie Lingjiang's eyes brightened: "I also think Prince Xiang has the best chance of winning."

This Prince Xiang is the one who was grounded in the deep palace by the current Empress, and is supported by many ministers in the court. Empress Wei still has three biological children, two princes, and one princess.

They are Prince Xiang who was grounded under Empress Wei's nose, the former Xunyang Prince who was demoted to a commoner and lost his legal status, and Princess Changle.

Ouyang Rong didn't answer, but suddenly said: "Isn't there another one?" Xie Lingjiang looked at him sideways:

"But the other prince's family has been demoted out of the capital, and even the title of prince is gone. They have been away from the capital for more than ten years. Now the pro-Li faction in the court naturally all support Prince Xiang in the palace. Does Eldest Ru Shixiong mean that there will be changes? For example, the Wei family takes a risk, Prince Xiang has an accident, and then..."

Ouyang Rong laughed lightly, shook his head, and wanted to speak.

Just then, the voice of Caishou suddenly came from outside the door.

"Is Young Lady Xie there? My master and the young lady are urgently looking for you! Please return!" Xie Lingjiang and Ouyang Rong turned their heads together.

"Ouyang Young Master, you are awake..." Caishou saw Ouyang Rong and couldn't help but speak, but immediately said anxiously: "Xie Xiaoniangzi, go back and take a look."

Xie Lingjiang glanced at Ouyang Rong, the two said goodbye, and hurried out. In the study, Ouyang Rong lowered his eyes to read the gazette, sitting silently.

"Before leaving, should I tell the Xiao Shimei those similar historical trajectories? It's also good to help the teacher's family..." Someone fell into hesitation for a while. ===== CHAPTER 191 =====