Chapter 442

"The reason for the extension was told honestly, moving with emotion and reasoning with logic. How can there be any persuasion?"

On the street, it was quiet for a while.

Ouyang Rong walked forward holding a sandalwood qin box carved with auspicious clouds and mythical beasts, saying without looking aside.

Lin Cheng turned his head, looked at Ouyang Rong's side profile for a while, and sighed lightly:

"Open and aboveboard, frank and honest. Sometimes I have to admit that Chief Clerk Ouyang's demeanor is indeed convincing."

"Lord Lord Xiaoguan Lingtai Lang Lin doesn't look like someone who is easily convinced."

Ouyang Rong said softly.

Lin Cheng smiled: "Then what kind of person does Chief Clerk Ouyang think this humble one is?"

Ouyang Rong was silent for a while.

"That's right, three ceremonies, three opportunities, only three Yin-Yang School Qi-refining practitioners can have... and they need to participate in the whole process until the moment the Buddha lands and is completed."

Ouyang Rong turned his head and looked at him for a while, saying seriously:

"Since we both came from humble beginnings, Lord Lord Xiaoguan Lingtai Lang Lin should be like me, better able to empathize with the hardships of the lower classes. After watching for these days, you should be able to understand the extension of the Donglin Great Buddha a little bit, right?"

Ouyang Rong smiled, and changed the subject:

"Lord Lord Xiaoguan Lingtai Lang Lin just said that besides the Saint who piously worships Buddha, Female Official Rong is the person who most hopes for the Donglin Great Buddha to be built as soon as possible. How is this to be understood?"

"Those who eat meat are vulgar and lack long-term planning. Although Lord Lord Xiaoguan Lingtai Lang Lin comes from Luoyang, he is obviously not one of them."

"Good."

Lin Cheng thought for a moment, his expression suddenly enlightened:

"Chief Clerk Ouyang means that this humble one can plan for the long term?"

Lin Cheng suggested sincerely.

Ouyang Rong watched Lin Cheng's expression and shook his head.

Ouyang Rong nodded and shook his head:

"Lord Lord Xiaoguan Lingtai Lang Lin and I are very similar, but also seem different. I always feel there is some difference."

"Chief Clerk Ouyang, we scholars from humble beginnings, it's fine to be approachable on weekdays, but as a chief official, you cannot lack majesty. When necessary, you must be thunderous.

"I dare not agree."

After a pause, he added:

"To put it bluntly, besides the routine imperial rewards for meritorious supervision after the Buddha is built, what other benefits can Female Official Rong get?"

"An official is an official, and a commoner is a commoner. What's more, it's just a vulgar merchant."

Lin Cheng said faintly:

"It doesn't matter, this humble one is too."

Ouyang Rong's expression was serious:

"This is not the point. The point is that the people of Jiangzhou cannot afford to be tossed around. Now the front line is fighting, and Xunyang City is also tight. The specific details have been listed for Eunuch Hu and Lord Lord Xiaoguan Lingtai Lang Lin. It is good to slow down the Donglin Great Buddha. Not long ago, General-in-Chief Qin also sent word to the Jiangzhou Government Hall, ordering us remaining officials to stabilize the rear and not to take radical actions in the short term..."

"I am asking, is the Donglin Great Buddha closely related to Female Official Rong?"

Lin Cheng smiled:

"This is natural. This humble one also knows that having a parent official like Chief Clerk Ouyang is a great fortune for the people of Jiangzhou."

Ouyang Rong's brows gathered, showing confusion:

"The merchant who criticized Chief Clerk Ouyang just now, does Chief Clerk Ouyang really not want to teach him a lesson?"

Ouyang Rong raised his head and interrupted: "Female Official Rong only mentioned that a golden Buddha head will be sent from Luoyang... Is there any connection?"

"But this humble one thanks Lord Lord Xiaoguan Lingtai Lang Lin for his concern."

Lin Cheng turned his head, looked at Ouyang Rong's angular face like a marble statue, and said with focused expression:

"Otherwise, if you let private criticism fill the sky, when the people below see it, they might not feel that the chief official is compassionate and grounded, but instead easily feel contempt, feeling that even a low-class merchant cannot be handled, which will inevitably lead to lightness and negligence toward the chief official. This is human laziness."

Lin Cheng nodded:

Lin Cheng's expression was a bit surprised, sizing up Ouyang Rong who was asking, and asked:

"Does Chief Clerk Ouyang really not know or is he pretending not to know?"

"Chief Clerk Ouyang, we are from humble beginnings, it's true, but even the Saint admits that people have levels. To deal with vulgar and despicable people, you can only use vulgar and despicable methods."

He said faintly:

"Actually, you only need to send someone to warn and beat them. Of course, it is best to catch a typical example and handle it. This is called killing the chicken to warn the monkey."

"Almost... Actually, it doesn't matter if Chief Clerk Ouyang doesn't understand. Some things about Yin-Yang School Qi-refining practitioners."

Ouyang Rong said seriously:

"Those who eat meat are vulgar, those who eat five grains are stupid, those who eat Qi have longevity, those who don't eat are long-bright and immortal..."

Lin Cheng didn't commit himself and didn't take Ouyang Rong's topic about official business, asking:

"Maybe it's because we are both from humble beginnings, not some high-gate noble species, so naturally, I feel close."

"That's right, Chief Clerk Ouyang is not from our Astronomical Bureau after all..."

Ouyang Rong still shook his head:

"Majesty doesn't come this way, or rather, the majesty produced by such fear is better not to have."

Ouyang Rong stared at him for a while, and said softly:

"What understanding, it's just the literal meaning."

Lin Cheng narrowed his eyes and said:

"Then fine, Chief Clerk Ouyang can understand it this way. The promotion of Yin-Yang School Qi-refining practitioners requires a series of special ceremonies. The larger the scale and the more Qi luck involved, the better... And the construction of the Donglin Great Buddha is a ceremony that fully meets the promotion conditions of the Yin-Yang School. It is also... the type of ceremony that Female Official Rong, a sixth-rank Qi-refining practitioner, needs most at present. Maybe she can complete the promotion from sixth rank to fifth rank in one step."

"This humble one just mentioned it casually, Chief Clerk Ouyang should just listen to it casually."

"I should still know something, please Lord Lord Xiaoguan Lingtai Lang Lin give me some pointers."

Ouyang Rong suddenly said: "One Great Buddha Hub plus four Buddha statues, excluding the one in Guizhou, doesn't that make three Great Buddha ceremonies?"

Ouyang Rong nodded: "Understood, the Donglin Great Buddha in our Jiangzhou has a quota reserved for Female Official Rong, right?"

"That's right."

Lin Cheng sighed:

"Since the Wei Wang and Liang Wang promoted the construction of the Great Zhou Great Buddha Hub and the four Buddha statues, I don't know how many people in the Luoyang Astronomical Bureau are staring at these few quotas. Among them, there is no lack of senior predecessors who have been stuck at the sixth rank for a long time. Female Official Rong being able to occupy a seat is truly formidable, regardless of strength or connections."

Ouyang Rong suddenly said: "Lord Lord Xiaoguan Lingtai Lang Lin also wants this position occupied by Female Official Rong very much, right?"

Lin Cheng nodded without covering up:

"That's right, but this was what I thought before I came to Jiangzhou. After visiting the Xunyang Grottoes in Jiangzhou, I didn't have much thought."

Ouyang Rong asked with a smile: "Why is this?"

Lin Cheng hesitated, his words vague:

"According to my teacher's guidance, the feng shui on the Twin Peaks side is not very good. This humble one needs to stay away. That is not an opportunity that belongs to this humble one, so it's better not to think too much. Moreover..."

"Moreover what?"

Lin Cheng shrugged his shoulders:

"Moreover, even if this humble one has any extra thoughts, it's useless. This opportunity for the Donglin Great Buddha is already Female Official Rong's ironclad one. Who dares to compete? This not only has to pass the Great Fate Master's level, but also the level of that Prince..."

"Which Prince?" Ouyang Rong asked keenly.

Lin Cheng's expression changed slightly, as if he had accidentally let something slip. He immediately restrained his expression, smiled without a word, and changed the subject:

"Regarding the ceremony, Chief Clerk Ouyang, don't say it was this humble one who told you. Just know it in your heart. Female Official Rong is indeed very loyal to Chief Clerk Ouyang. If it were someone else, they would wish for the Buddha to be built early. Chief Clerk Ouyang should handle it well..."

Ouyang Rong frowned and looked at him.

Lin Cheng looked innocent, looked around, and prepared to say goodbye and leave.

"By the way, I wonder if Chief Clerk Ouyang is free tomorrow afternoon?"

Ouyang Rong nodded: "Of course."

Lin Cheng smiled slightly:

"Thinking back, I haven't been in Xunyang City for many days. Recently, I inspected the Xunyang Grottoes with Eunuch Hu. I admire Chief Clerk Ouyang's painstaking efforts to build the Buddha very much. At the same time, I also have some small insights and suggestions... Tomorrow, this humble one will come over with Eunuch Hu. We will talk when we meet. It counts as... the final gathering before returning to the capital."

Ouyang Rong immediately understood. This is their final opportunity for expression and communication before this batch of inspectors returns to Luoyang to report.

He immediately nodded

"Good, then I will welcome Eunuch Hu and Lord Lord Xiaoguan Lingtai Lang Lin tomorrow. If there is anything the Jiangzhou Government Hall has done wrong, please feel free to say it."

"Fine." Lin Cheng cupped his hands and turned to leave.

Ouyang Rong watched his back disappear, looked up at the sky which was not late, and muttered to himself:

"Prince... which Prince... First exclude Uncle Li, then it's easy to guess. Besides that Wei Wang, who else can lead the construction of the four Buddha statues?"

"But what does Lin Cheng mean by saying this? Is it intentional to tell me? Or did he accidentally let it slip, deliberately dangling my appetite?"

Ouyang Rong's eyes showed deep thought, and he muttered:

"Setting aside his little thoughts, if what he said is all true, then Rong Zhen being able to steadily occupy the position at the Donglin Great Buddha, making even Lin Cheng dare not have thoughts, is related to Wei Wang speaking up..."

"But why would Wei Wang speak for Rong Zhen? Is it to make friends and invest in the red man by the Saint's side, letting Rong Zhen owe the Wei family a favor? But what is the favor for..." Wait."

Ouyang Rong suddenly raised his head.

In his mind flashed the words Rong Zhen said to him not long ago before parting in the backyard of the Cloud Water Pavilion:

Ouyang Lianghan, you spoke of a bit of your own selfishness tonight... And what if I told you that I also have selfishness in coming to Xunyang City...

After a long silence, Ouyang Rong murmured:

"Wei Shaoqi... overturning the case... from the beginning, he has been tightly grasping the case of the owner of the Butterfly Loves Flowers..."

Ouyang Rong suddenly turned his head and looked south toward the direction of Mount Dagu in Dragon City in the distance.

He remembered another thing.

When he broke into the courtyard where Zhao Rushi's body was parked on Mount Dagu, and solved Li Li and others one by one, he discovered that this Persian merchant was delaying time, as if waiting for some reinforcements.

Ouyang Rong guessed at the time, could it be the Candle in the Snow who killed later?

Looking at it now, the Yunmeng Sword Swamp has no collusion with the Wei family, and has even become an enemy relationship.

And that night, later on Mount Dagu, Ouyang Rong, who was preparing to leave after destroying the evidence, ran into Rong Zhen who seemed to be chasing the case. It was also that time that he accidentally confiscated her purple bellyband...

"Were you the reinforcements Li Li and the others were waiting for before they died... Or rather, Li Li contacted you in the name of providing clues, wanting to encircle and suppress me with you on Mount Dagu, so you 'happened' to appear on Mount Dagu at that time... It connects."

Ouyang Rong sighed long, muttering to himself:

"Selfishness... selfishness... Is this your selfishness, Female Official?

"From the beginning of investigating the Zhao Rushi case, to the later Butterfly Loves Flowers owner case, you have been chasing relentlessly... So you are not completely selfless, you also have some selfishness?"

Ouyang Rong calmed down, returned to the carriage, turned his head to look at the pitch-black night outside the window, and was speechless for a while.

After a long time, he withdrew his gaze and rubbed his face hard:

"That's right, who doesn't have selfishness... You have asked me many times, whether my public heart or private heart is more...

"And this time, overturning the case for Zhao Rushi and the father and son Zhu Lingxu, how much public justice and how much selfishness is in it, which one is more..."

Ouyang Rong said this, raised his head, and asked with knitted brows:

"No, why did this Lin Cheng tell me these things? Was it accidental or intentional? He revealed Rong Zhen's matter, what is his purpose? Is he... trying to lead me in some direction?"

His brows locked tightly, and the carriage fell into silence.

Just then, the carriage stopped halfway. Ouyang Rong withdrew his thoughts and turned to ask:

"What's wrong? Have we arrived?"

Outside the carriage came A-Li's voice:

"Tanlang, there is a carriage parked at the entrance of Huaiye Lane ahead, blocking our way a bit..."

Ouyang Rong lifted the carriage curtain, poked his head out to look at the low-luxury carriage that was motionless at the entrance of the alley, immediately recognized it, and remained calm.

"Stop for a moment, A-Li, wait for me on the side, I'll be back."

"Yes, Tanlang."

Ouyang Rong got off the carriage and walked straight into the low-luxury carriage in the shadows.

"What business does Little Princess have with this humble one?"

Ouyang Rong entered and sat down directly, asking unceremoniously.

He saw opposite him, sitting quietly, a little girl with plum blossom makeup wearing a black thin veil, her eyes like stars, ancient well without waves, a look of peaceful years, the black veil set off the whiteness of her forehead and slender neck skin, matched with the luxury interior of Persian carpets and soft pillows in the private room, revealing a noble and cold aura from the inside out.

Li Guo'er looked at Ouyang Rong's expression and asked:

"It's not an important official matter, it's about Brother... Ouyang Lianghan, what's going on with Brother recently?"

"What's going on?" Ouyang Rong asked back calmly.

Li Guo'er sized up his expression:

"Brother came to find me today, moved the porridge shed of the Shelter Hall to Star Square, saying it was to distribute porridge and clothes, doing charity. When asked why, he said it was influenced by Tanlang, wanting to learn from Tanlang... Ouyang Lianghan, what did you teach him."

"..." Ouyang Rong.

His first reaction was actually to refute, immediately refute, clearly taught nothing!

But then he reacted, Ouyang Rong restrained himself, and kept his mouth tightly shut.

Moved the porridge shed of the Shelter Hall to Star Square? Isn't there Princess Anhui's porridge shed there? Are you sure you are doing charity?

Ouyang Rong couldn't help but laugh or cry.

"What kind of expression is that?"

Li Guo'er's eyes were a bit suspicious.

"No... nothing. Brother is doing things... more and more efficiently, saying do it and do it, good, did well."

He praised sincerely, and at the same time, the corners of his mouth twitched slightly...

(End of chapter)