Chapter 379: 123. The Owner of Butterfly Loves Flowers

123. The Owner of Butterfly Loves Flowers

mayiwsk

After hastily studying the unfamiliar and difficult "Zhen Gao" in the afternoon, Magistrate Ouyang Rong took a short nap and went to the Jiangzhou Main Hall.

For a Daoist scripture passed down by a sect, the content was quite unfamiliar and difficult to understand.

Moreover, it was expressed in the form of some immortal Heavenly Human dictating it, with continuous ancient Pre-Qin language, slowly revealing the Dharma formula... making it quite strange to read.

In short, it was not easy to chew.

Although the operation diagrams of the meridians and acupoints on the old booklet were all understandable to Magistrate Ouyang Rong, who had some experience,

the annotations and asides next to them were mixed with many Daoist terms that even Magistrate Ouyang Rong found novel. He had to check the classics...

This might also be related to Magistrate Ouyang Rong cheating by skipping the learning order of the Upper Pure Sect's introductory cultivation method, "Upper Pure Great Cavern True Scripture," and directly learning the most difficult one.

Anyway, Magistrate Ouyang Rong had to figure out these terms; otherwise, if he missed any precautions, he would be finished if he went into Qi deviation.

This was just like reading the instruction manual before using a product. Magistrate Ouyang Rong was an old serious person in his previous life; when buying things, he loved reading instruction manuals...

So he was not in a hurry; he would chew on it slowly these days.

On the way to the Jiangzhou Main Hall, in the bumpy carriage, Magistrate Ouyang Rong closed his eyes and sank into the Pagoda of Merit.

He glanced at the blue-gold characters above the small wooden fish.

Merit: 3,921

Originally, before the Mount Mount Dagu trip, he had 3,800-plus merit.

During that period, he brushed a wave from the Junior Sister, and there was the positive feedback from dealing with corrupt officials and ink-pushers during the patrol with the eldest son, plus the merit feedback from old achievement projects like the Shuangfeng Peak new canal and the Zhe Yi Channel, totaling 300-400 merit, for a total of 4,200-plus merit points.

However, just at noon, he tried running "Zhen Gao" and delving into the Upper Pure Esoteric Art, consuming 300-plus merit. Now, only 3,900-plus merit remained.

He did not know if this merit was enough for him to chew through the entire "Zhen Gao."

This consumption was a bit large, but there was no way around it. He walked the Sword Holder and Fangshi Daoist paths, which were not related to the Daoist Daoist path. There was only one way to learn high-level Daoist cultivation techniques: consuming the Purple Mist of Merit.

So he still had to find a way to accumulate more merit points. Even if he hadn't discovered this new use, he wouldn't think he had too much of this thing...

Sensing the carriage beneath him slowly stop, Magistrate Ouyang Rong got off and walked into the Jiangzhou Main Hall. He immediately summoned Yan Yan Liulang and the others to go out of the city to Shuangfeng Peak to inspect the Donglin Great Buddha under construction.

Arriving at the water-side grotto under the North Peak of Shuangfeng Peak, before strolling for long, Magistrate Ouyang Rong saw an unexpected cold figure.

The palace-dressed girl stood not far away at the foot of the Great Buddha statue, her figure appearing very small and frail.

At this moment, she had her back to the crowd, her hands in her sleeves, looking up at the top. The laborers coming and going around her did not dare to disturb her. In the distance, a group of accompanying green-dressed female officials waited silently for their superior.

Magistrate Ouyang Rong felt a bit guilty. Acting as if nothing was wrong, he smoothly shifted his gaze, turned his head, and greeted Yan Liulang and the others with a natural face, preparing to oil the soles of his feet and leave, pretending he hadn't seen her.

"Stop."

After taking only two steps, the cold voice of the palace-dressed girl came.

In the eyes of the crowd, Magistrate Ouyang Rong turned around smoothly and walked up to meet her without stopping, arriving at the foot of the Donglin Great Buddha. Neither humble nor arrogant, he bowed slightly:

"What a coincidence, is the Female Official also here to see the scenery? I don't know what instructions you have for calling me over?"

After a moment of silence, Rong Zhen asked without turning her head:

"You also went to Longcheng?"

"Also?" His tone was puzzled: "The Female Official also went? When did that happen?"

Clang—!

Merit minus one.

A dull wooden fish sound rang in his ears, but Magistrate Ouyang Rong's expression did not change.

Rong Zhen turned her head, looked at his harmless and concerned expression, and pursed her lips:

"You don't need to know."

"Alright." Magistrate Ouyang Rong nodded and sighed lightly:

"The subordinate and the Prince did pass through Longcheng, but I didn't know the Female Official was also there. I didn't entertain you, and there was much neglect. I hope you will forgive me."

"There is no neglect or not. It's all for the Emperor and the imperial court."

Rong Zhen interrupted him: "This time, I went to Longcheng to investigate the case of Zhao Zhao Rushi. I think Senior Official Magistrate Ouyang must have heard of this case..."

Magistrate Ouyang Rong looked sideways slightly and saw the palace-dressed girl in front of him frowning slightly. Today, she was unusually talkative, and she told him the case of Zhao Zhao Rushi in Longcheng without getting tired of it.

He didn't know if it was an illusion, but although her words still sounded cold, after a trip to Longcheng, Rong Zhen's attitude toward him seemed to have eased... In the long time he had known her, the words she had said to him before did not add up to as many as this time.

Apart from her attitude being slightly better, looking at Rong Zhen's relentless pursuit, it seemed she really cared about the Zhao Zhao Rushi case, or rather... she really wanted to ferret out a certain guy?

Magistrate Ouyang Rong remembered something and couldn't help but glance at the skin under her palace-dressed lapel. This whiteness was a bit dazzling in the sun, and he quickly withdrew his gaze.

In front of him, the palace-dressed girl had a serious little face, speaking officially.

There was not a trace of what happened on Mount Mount Dagu that night to be found on her face, as if it had never happened.

Could it be that the purple bellyband that had been washed white was not hers? Then where did the Artisan pick it up?

And what was going on with Rong Zhen's bad mood when she left Longcheng and returned in a hurry two days ago?

Magistrate Ouyang Rong couldn't help but mutter in his heart.

After listening to Rong Zhen finish speaking, Magistrate Ouyang Rong nodded seriously:

"I have heard of this case. It happened within Longcheng, and this matter is currently being handled by the Longcheng County Government."

Rong Zhen looked at him, "Senior Official Magistrate Ouyang really separates public and private matters clearly."

"You flatter me. It's mainly because Prince Xunyang affairs are busy, and I have to supervise the construction of the statues. The subordinate can't manage everything in detail. I declined the Emperor's grace some time ago for this reason.

"As a chief official, some things only need to be outlined and grasped."

Magistrate Ouyang Rong stood straight, looked up at the Great Buddha in the grotto under construction, and talked eloquently:

"To be ashamed, when I was an official in Longcheng, the subordinate interfered in everything, feeling that I had endless energy, running around every day, and I did enjoy it. But that was in one county, and there weren't that many affairs.

"When I arrived in Prince Xunyang City and became a Jiangzhou Senior Official, governing several counties, the documents were like mountains every day. Only then did I feel that human energy is limited and I need helpers, not fighting alone.

"Later, I occasionally heard people say that the kind of superior who does everything personally and likes micro-management is actually very annoying to the people below. Apart from slippery ink-pushers playing truant, if the superior even grabs the basic affairs of the people at the bottom to do, what are the people below doing?

"From that time on, the subordinate became a bit more flexible, learning from that Master in the court. In handling official business, I strive to grasp the main points, such as grasping key links like finance, and not randomly grabbing the rice bowls of the people below..."

While Magistrate Ouyang Rong chatted and laughed, his tone changed:

"What does the Female Official think of this principle?"

Rong Zhen had no expression. She looked at him for a while and nodded, asking: "Is Senior Official Magistrate Ouyang teaching me how to do things?"

"I wouldn't dare. It's just that General Manager Qin will arrive tomorrow. The Female Official holds multiple positions, but the position of Army Supervisor of the Jiang Nan Camp should be relatively important. The Emperor sent the Female Official here, it seems, also because he values this matter the most. If the rebellion is quelled early, the people of Jiang Nan will be peaceful early...

"The subordinate noticed that the Female Official has been absent-minded recently, as if her heart and mind were entangled by miscellaneous affairs, so I couldn't help but say a few more words. The subordinate has a straight temper, so I hope you don't blame me."

Rong Zhen waved her sleeve:

"Don't bother Senior Official Magistrate Ouyang to teach me. I am lowly and stupid, not as busy as Senior Official Magistrate Ouyang. Moreover, according to my speculation, the Zhao Zhao Rushi case may also be inextricably linked to Zhu Zhu Lingxu's defection. This can also be considered an important clue and needs to be investigated carefully."

Magistrate Ouyang Rong was curious: "Oh? How did the Female Official reach this conclusion?"

Rong Zhen asked back: "Didn't Senior Official Magistrate Ouyang just mean that you don't care about miscellaneous affairs? I won't bother Senior Official Magistrate Ouyang with the details of this case."

The corners of Magistrate Ouyang Rong's mouth twitched. He wanted to speak, but was interrupted by Rong Zhen again:

"I called you here this time because there is one thing."

She stretched out her hand, and in her palm lay a piece of red paper and five pieces of paper scraps:

"This thing is suspected to be left by the murderer of the Zhao Zhao Rushi case. The red paper is a poem restored by me according to the secret techniques of the Astronomical Bureau. It is a 'Butterfly Loves Flowers,' and the poetic talent is quite outstanding.

"I had people investigate the paper scraps. According to the texture of the paper and the ink, the owner of this 'Butterfly Loves Flowers' is suspected to be in Prince Xunyang City."

Magistrate Ouyang Rong raised his eyebrows slightly, looked at the scraps in her palm for a while, and asked: "How did you get this?"

"The workshop that produces the paper is in Prince Xunyang City, and it only supplies some fixed shops. In addition, the ink is also the ink that is a specialty of Mount Mount Kuanglu."

Magistrate Ouyang Rong asked suddenly: "What about the handwriting?"

Rong Zhen did not speak. How could she say that she almost vomited blood and was seriously injured by looking at this strange handwriting that was not a brush, and could not look directly at it?

After a moment of silence, under the increasingly curious gaze of Magistrate Ouyang Magistrate Ouyang Lianghan in front of her, she spoke slowly:

"However, I checked, and the paper and ink are not government supplies supplied daily by the Jiangzhou Main Hall. This excludes the possibility that this person is a member of the bureaucratic system, eliminating the suspicion of most government personnel."

Magistrate Ouyang Rong lowered his eyes and nodded, understanding what Rong Zhen meant.

Not only the officials of the Jiangzhou Main Hall, but in this era, the officials of the Great Zhou Dynasty actually used public property for private use to some extent. Usually, the paper and ink used at home would be taken from the government office.

This phenomenon happened a lot, and everyone was used to it, even justified, regarding it as a benefit.

As for the fact that the pen, ink, and paper purchased by the Jiangzhou Main Hall every month were consumed extra, Magistrate Ouyang Rong had always turned a blind eye.

As for himself?

Perhaps because of considering his beloved nephew's reputation, the expenses for pen, ink, and paper for the residence in Huaiye Lane were all instructed by Zhen Zhen Shuyuan for Ye Ye Weilai and the others to purchase extra.

Therefore, Magistrate Ouyang Rong never took paper and ink from the government office to use. When Ye Ye Weilai practiced calligraphy and studied, they were all the four treasures of the study purchased by the family.

To be ashamed, having been the Jiangzhou Senior Official for so long, the only thing Magistrate Ouyang Rong brought home from the Jiangzhou Main Hall was the horse feed in Dongmei's stomach.

Magistrate Ouyang Rong worked in the government office every day, and Dongmei ate quack-quack in the stable, returning home with a full stomach every day...

This kind of integrity, Magistrate Ouyang Rong never publicized before. There was an element of indifference, and also the idea of not wanting to appear high and mighty and not being convenient to integrate the people below.

But I didn't expect that today, it seemed to be a crooked hit, becoming a protective talisman.

Rong Zhen did not discover the speechlessness in someone's heart. She continued to analyze:

"I called you this time because I want to borrow people from the Jiangzhou Main Hall to help investigate the source of the ink and paper in the city, circle a time range, and check shop by shop.

"Compare the two, check the group of people who bought this kind of paper and ink at the same time, so that the range can be reduced.

"In addition, people who can buy this kind of paper and ink are at least scholars, or wealthy families, or scholarly families, or students of the state school... If it is purchased by a scholar personally, it is even more obvious, and there are very few people with this kind of poetic talent. It is impossible for their fame not to be obvious. In this way, a small group of people can always be circled..."

Magistrate Ouyang Rong nodded immediately, very approving:

"What you said makes sense. The Female Official has clear logic and is very powerful. However, although the range is much smaller, it is also a big project. No wonder the Female Official came to borrow manpower from the subordinate."

Rong Zhen dropped a sentence and turned to leave:

"You just send people to cooperate. This matter won't bother you. Before tomorrow afternoon, send all the people from the Judicial Section first to cooperate with me. Subsequent manpower will be increased or decreased depending on the situation. That's it."

Without allowing any discussion.

Magistrate Ouyang Rong couldn't help but look sideways.

A moment later, he stood where he was and nodded slightly, as if admiring. Suddenly, he turned his head and shouted at her back:

"The Female Official remembers to pick up people at Prince Xunyang Ferry tomorrow morning."

Rong Zhen's figure had already disappeared.

Magistrate Ouyang Rong stood where he was. A moment later, he looked up and narrowed his eyes at the incomplete Buddha statue in the dazzling sun:

"The owner of 'Butterfly Loves Flowers,' huh? Just hearing the name, he doesn't seem like a serious person. However, to be able to find clues to this and lock onto Prince Xunyang City, um, you little thief, who told you to show off your literary talent for no reason? Now it's good, not only did you reveal your flaws, but it also seems like you deliberately left evidence to provoke the Female Official. Um, wait for death, you.

"But then again, how did you offend the Female Official to this extent? Why is it getting more and more like an endless situation? Checking like this..."

Someone sighed, patted his sleeve, and turned to leave.

Early the next day.

Magistrate Ouyang Rong and the Prince Xunyang Prince's Mansion, as well as the officials of the Jiangzhou Main Hall, went to the pier together.

Today, they were to welcome the Jiang Nan Circuit Army General Manager Qin Qin Jingqin and his subordinate officials.

Rong Zhen came as scheduled, and Wang Wang Lengran, who hadn't been seen for many days, also came.

The latter had been avoiding suspicion recently, fearing that he would be affected by the aftermath of the Zhu Zhu Lingxu incident, and had asked for sick leave, which could be considered keeping his tail between his legs.

The arrival of the new Jiang Nan Circuit Army General Manager actually marked the turning of the page on the Wei Wang and Zhu Zhu Lingxu incident. Wang Wang Lengran naturally popped his head out again to avoid leaving a bad impression on the new military commander.

For this old General Qin who was about to command the rebellion suppression war in Jiang Nan and Lingnan Circuits, all parties in Prince Xunyang City held their own thoughts...

The crowd waited respectfully at the Prince Xunyang Ferry pier, but after the agreed time passed, and even until noon, the expected Yangzhou official ship still did not arrive.

This caused the proprietor of the Prince Xunyang Building, who had prepared a banquet in advance, to come and ask personally, and the officials of the Jiangzhou Main Hall were also puzzled and looked around.

At the pier, the crowd welcoming guests was a bit restless, whispering to each other...

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 380 =====