Chapter 5: V. Good Nephew, You Don't Want to Bear the Name of Unfilial, Do You?

V. Good Nephew, You Don't Want to Bear the Name of Unfilial, Do You?

"Magistrate, this subordinate will take his leave first."

"Alright, you've worked hard these past few days, Little Yan Constable."

"Magistrate is too polite, just call this subordinate Yan Wuxu, or Yan Liu is fine."

"Is Yan Liu because you are the sixth in your family?"

"Yes. This subordinate has... five older sisters above."

Magistrate Ouyang Rong, who was sending Yan Yan Wuxu out, smiled and joked: "Then there will be plenty to do when you become an uncle in the future."

"Hehe." Yan Yan Wuxu scratched his head.

"I'll call you that from now on." Magistrate Ouyang Rong decided.

"Alright, Magistrate!" Yan Yan Wuxu was suddenly as spirited as if he had been injected with chicken blood. Calling him Yan Liulang was obviously much closer.

However, Yan Yan Wuxu, who was about to leave, turned his head halfway, remembered something, and hesitated again: "Magistrate, I was really anxious today and offended your aunt. Should I go in and offer a cup of tea..."

"Aunt is not that kind of weak woman." Magistrate Ouyang Rong shook his head, "And Aunt and I haven't had time to thank you, Yan Liulang, for jumping into the water to save me that day. The grace of saving a life is obviously greater."

Yan Yan Wuxu hurriedly waved his hand, "No, no, it was the Magistrate's good fortune, and it's truly shameful. I wasn't the only one who jumped into the water to save you that day..."

"At that time, the water level of Butterfly Creek rose sharply, and it was all rapids and hidden reefs. Even the most skilled fishermen felt it was tricky. The Magistrate was bruised on the head by the hidden reefs in the rapids, but one of the cooks who jumped into the water was very brave and snatched the Magistrate directly from the whirlpool of the rapids. However, it seems he also suffered some injuries."

Magistrate Ouyang Rong lowered his head and thought for a while, then nodded: "When I recover and go down the mountain, I will definitely go and thank this hero properly."

He seemed to have remembered something and asked curiously: "Before I fell into the water, when we first met, did you ask me for a piece of calligraphy?"

"There was such a thing, but I was ignorant at the time. Please don't take it to heart, Magistrate. The Magistrate is a big figure and shouldn't write calligraphy randomly. After I went back, my father also taught me a lesson..." The latter hurriedly explained.

"Come and get it tomorrow."

Yan Yan Wuxu's face flushed red. He opened his mouth to speak, but stopped, and finally couldn't help but say:

"Magistrate, I, Yan Liu, admire two kinds of people in my life. One is a clean official who speaks for the people and punishes the illegal; the other is a hero who rides horses in the rivers and lakes and robs the rich to help the poor. I have been stupid at reading since I was a child, and I am not as smart as my sisters, so I couldn't do the former when I woke up; and the latter, my father wouldn't allow it even if he died, and he didn't even allow me to join the army, saying that military households are lowly status, a gambler's trade of buying fame with a lowly life. He just wanted me to take over his job and muddle along in this county government office.

"Magistrate, I heard that you spoke for the people, angered the nobles in Shenjing Luoyang, and were demoted to Jiangzhou. That day, you took office leading a thin horse, and you stood on the Longshou Bridge and announced to the public that in this four-year term, you would cure the water disaster and return justice to the six Battalion Commander of Longcheng County. I, Yan Liu..."

The eight-foot-tall man choked up when he said this.

Magistrate Ouyang Rong suddenly asked: "Don't you doubt that I'm just putting on a show, shouting a slogan, and then patting my butt and leaving after four years?"

Yan Yan Wuxu shook his head: "Some colleagues said so privately, but I don't believe it, because I don't believe that a person who dared to speak the truth to the Emperor in the Golden Throne Hall would run to our poor countryside and shout lies to a group of poor people who don't know a single character."

Magistrate Ouyang Rong, whose mind was still on the new thing that appeared in his brain, changed his expression slightly.

He raised his head and smiled lightly: "So when you fell into the water that day, you jumped in without a second thought?"

"It wasn't me, it was us."

Magistrate Ouyang Rong raised his hand and patted Yan Yan Wuxu on the shoulder, "Yan Liulang, I understand."

Afterward, the young constable in dark blue clothes left.

Just as the person left, a graceful woman walked out slowly from the inner room and came behind Magistrate Ouyang Rong, who was seeing him off, and gently draped a coat over him.

However, she said: "My dear nephew, this follower of yours in the county government office is reckless and can't even hold a saber steady. What's the point of condescending to win him over? It's truly childish and a waste of your time."

Madam Zhen frowned and looked at the door, "And he doesn't know that my dear nephew's body is weak and he can't stand in the wind at the door for so long? Ignorant. By the way, my dear nephew, the medicine will be sent later."

"Ignorant..." Magistrate Ouyang Rong withdrew his gaze, turned his head and asked: "Does Aunt think... jumping into the water to save nephew is what they should have done?"

Madam Zhen raised her chin slightly, "Of course. My dear nephew is a student of the Son of Heaven, an official of the imperial court, and the head of a county. Their lives are not as precious as yours. Not even one ten-thousandth. If they don't jump down to save you, are they trying to rebel? If something happens to you, they will all be implicated!"

Magistrate Ouyang Rong smiled: "Then if the Emperor falls into the water like I did that day, should I jump down to save him immediately?"

Madam Zhen said immediately: "You, no."

"Isn't the life of the Great Zhou Emperor more precious than mine, a county magistrate?"

Madam Zhen said shrewdly: "The current Emperor of Great Zhou is an Empress, and men and women should not touch hands when giving or receiving. It should be those female officials in the palace who jump down to save her. My dear nephew, remember to stay away."

"Then what if it's a man?"

Madam Zhen was silent for a while, glanced at the door, and muttered: "Stupid kid, then you shouldn't jump down foolishly either. You can't swim, just pretend to do it. There are plenty of loyal officials, you don't have to be the one!"

Magistrate Ouyang Rong glanced at Madam Zhen, but she looked as usual, not feeling that she was contradictory at all, but rather more determined, "Anyway, my dear nephew is a noble seed by nature. It's just that I can't explain the specific reason... but you just listen to your aunt, she won't harm you. If you don't listen... not listening is unfilial!"

"Good nephew, loyal and filial, famous all over the world... you don't want to bear the name of unfilial, do you?" Madam Zhen smiled.

She brought the helpless Magistrate Ouyang Rong to the table and poured him a cup of hot tea to warm his body.

Magistrate Ouyang Rong held the hot teacup and silently looked at Madam Zhen, who was busy taking care of him, through the warm tea smoke.

At this time, she was wearing a light blue oblique-collared jacket on her upper body and a goose-yellow silk skirt on her lower body. However, the long skirt dragging on the ground was tied with a knot at the calf to facilitate daily travel, and she was wearing a half-sleeve jacket over it. This was also the style that first became popular among the ladies of noble families in Shenjing Luoyang, the attire of a noble lady from an official family.

Madam Zhen was the daughter of a military household, and her nickname was Zhen Shuyuan. It is said that her father was once a captain in a border army and had some family-inherited spear techniques and martial arts, but later the family fell into decline and she married into the Magistrate Ouyang family. It's just a pity that Magistrate Ouyang Rong's uncle passed away shortly after their marriage.

Madam Zhen was a classical lady-type round-faced woman. In the words of the common people at this time: she looked like a dignified and family-managing good woman. However, the light mole at the corner of her mouth added a bit of charm. She was already middle-aged, but she was still plump and round.

It's just that her pair of spirited phoenix eyes gave people a rather sharp and difficult-to-suppress feeling.

And the facts were indeed so.

In his impression, this aunt had always been quite spicy, and also mixed with some roundness and snobbery. She was the kind of person in the countryside who could tear things apart for half a rice seedling...

It was also true. After the young and strong men in the family passed away early, she and Zhao pulled Magistrate Ouyang Rong up. Except for the appropriate care of the clan in the countryside, the two women were naturally not easy to mess with.

And in the past few years, Magistrate Ouyang Rong was promising, passed the imperial examination in Shenjing Luoyang, and became a Metropolitan Graduate. Their branch immediately became the core branch of the Nanlong Magistrate Ouyang clan, bringing glory to their ancestors. Mother and son were honored, and Madam Zhen was even less dared to be messed with. The family's fields and slaves were no longer lacking, and she didn't need to care about those petty profits, which could be considered as having raised her eyebrows and exhaled in the group of clan women.

Actually, the original body... or the me who has merged memories of two lives, is a bit afraid of Madam Zhen, because in his memory, usually mother Zhao sang the red face, and Madam Zhen sang the white face, taking turns to discipline the child.

And now, it's good, only the white face is left.

"Why is my dear nephew staring at his aunt? Don't you recognize your aunt?"

"No, I'm looking at... a quite interesting pagoda."

"Pagoda?" Madam Zhen, who was bending over to pour tea, turned her head and looked outside the door, "The Buddhist pagoda in this temple is built quite high, I don't know how much silver it cost. These temples are really rich."

She turned her head again and asked: "My dear nephew, why don't you tell me the principles of that Meng something after the argument?"

"What Meng something?"

"It's that what... the people are precious... the ruler is light. In the past, you would teach your aunt once every time." Madam Zhen looked at Magistrate Ouyang Rong with some doubt.

Magistrate Ouyang Rong put down his teacup and said calmly: "Because nephew has grown up."

Madam Zhen put down the work in her hand, sat on the stool, looked at him and was silent for a long time, then sighed:

"Indeed grown up. Just now I knew how to put down my talent to win over subordinates, and I didn't argue with my aunt about right and wrong anymore... Looking at it this way, being demoted once is not too much of a loss. My mind is deeper. This is good. Being an official is about being deep, so that the people below will be in awe."

The woman in the silk skirt tucked her hair behind her ears, and suddenly changed the subject: "Then since my dear nephew has grown up, should you start considering the big matter of marriage? The mourning period before has delayed three years."

Magistrate Ouyang Rong was a bit tired. He didn't want to talk about these family matters for the time being, he just wanted to figure out the thing that suddenly appeared... or brought over in his brain, which might be related to whether he had a chance to go home. And for the water disaster down the mountain, he was also hesitant. Just like before climbing out of the underground palace, he once said to the crane-cape old Daoist, he was not a sage, nor did he have the heart of a sage, he was just a person who left "home." And for the marriage, he was also...

Fortunately, at this time, a shiny little bald head appeared in the courtyard outside, holding a tray and entering the door.

"Benefactor, it's time to take the medicine."

Magistrate Ouyang Rong immediately greeted him, not caring about the hot mouth, drank it in one gulp, and almost clinked glasses with Xiufa's little bald head.

"Good medicine." He praised, and turned his head: "Aunt, nephew is a bit dizzy again, the medicine is a bit strong, I'll go lie down for a while, you've traveled all day, go settle down and rest early."

Madam Zhen glanced at him, nodded, and gave him a few more instructions before getting up and leaving.

It's just that before leaving, she left a sentence without looking back:

"My dear nephew, don't forget, your mother had two wishes for you before she died, one is, pass the Metropolitan Graduate exam, and two, marry a woman from the five surnames!"

After the woman left, the last four words still lingered in his ears.

Even Xiufa, who had short hair and shorter knowledge, looked at Magistrate Ouyang Rong, who had a calm face, in amazement.

Good heavens, the Magistrate wants to marry a woman from the Five Surnames and Seven Wangs? This should be a bit harder than marrying a princess of the Li or Wei families, right? The Five Surnames and Seven Wangs sometimes don't even bother to marry their daughters to the imperial family...

Xiufa prepared to take the medicine bowl and slip away, but was suddenly called by Magistrate Ouyang Rong, "By the way, Xiufa, I have something I want to ask you for help."

"Magistrate is too polite, just order whatever this poor monk can do."

Magistrate Ouyang Rong lowered his head and thought for a while.

"That night I fell into the underground palace... besides your Ru Shixiong Master Xiuzhen, there was also an old man covered in pus and a mute girl with a missing little finger. They were quite pitiful. Can you let the Compassion Institute take good care of them, especially the old man, see if his pus can be treated."

"No problem, the Compassion Institute is subsidized by the County government office. Magistrate, please rest assured, this poor monk will go and tell the senior brother in charge of the institute, he will take care of them for you, Magistrate."

"Then I'll trouble you."

"You're welcome."

Magistrate Ouyang Rong smiled and watched the little novice monk, who was quite heroic and enthusiastic, leave.

This matter was settled. He closed the door, lay down on the bed with his clothes on.

As soon as he closed his eyes, auspicious clouds and fairy mists, overlapping distant mountains appeared in front of him. At the end of his vision stood a very familiar merit tower, and the door was already open...

After Xiufa left Sanhui Institute, he sent the bowl and tray back to the kitchen.

He first went to the Scripture Chanting Hall, followed his senior brothers to do the afternoon lesson, chanted scriptures and announced incense.

After class, he turned left out of the door, passed through several halls with solemn Buddha statues, and found the Master who was receiving pilgrims. He consciously poured tea and poured water, accompanying the Master to interpret signs and dreams for the more noble pilgrims.

By evening, the flow of pilgrims was sparse, and the Abbot finished work perfectly. Xiufa went out to prepare for vegetarian food. On the way, he suddenly remembered something and turned to the Compassion and Relief Institute.

On the night road, the little novice monk muttered to himself, imitating and learning the Master's demeanor and tone in the afternoon, reading to a certain place, suddenly light "eh."

"Amitabha, female benefactor... eh, why did Master call the Magistrate's aunt 'female benefactor' in the morning, and call that pockmarked woman who prayed sincerely 'female benefactor' in the afternoon? Strange, strange, really strange, is there any particularity?"

Xiufa lowered his head and pondered for a long time, then shook his head sadly, "The Buddhist principles are too profound, it's hard to understand... forget it, I'll ask Master tomorrow."

Before long, the little novice monk, who didn't forget to study the Master's "profound Buddhist principles" while walking, arrived at the Compassion and Relief Institute. There was no one on duty in the courtyard.

"Ru Shixiong Brother Xiudu?" He shouted four or five times before someone finally responded.

"Here, here, here." A middle-aged monk walked out of a room with stumbling steps, the night covering his face full of drunkenness.

"Eh, what's the smell?"

Xiufa sniffed, pointed at Brother Xiudu and said: "Why is there a sour smell?"

"It's too stuffy inside the room, it's all sweat."

"Oh, Ru Shixiong, don't catch a cold from sweating." Xiufa nodded, not doubting him.

Then the little novice monk repeated the matter Magistrate Ouyang Rong had entrusted to him earnestly and repeatedly, urging him that this was something the Magistrate had ordered and must be handled well.

Brother Xiudu hiccuped with alcohol, agreed with his mouth full, and finally sent the little junior brother away. After the person walked far away, he patted his face full of alcohol, sighed, "Really the last sip."

After saying that, he was about to return to the room to get wine. He walked halfway, and suddenly froze.

"There are two old men with pus, and there is also a mute woman, but the one covered in pus and the one with a missing little finger... does our Compassion Institute still have these two people? And they fell into the well two days ago like the Magistrate? This little monk doesn't know." Brother Xiudu scratched his head in confusion.

"I went to take a look two days ago, wasn't there only Ru Shixiong Master Xiuzhen below? Strange..."

Finally, the monk muttered and returned to the room.

"The Magistrate's illness is really getting worse... hiccup~ take another sip."

... ===== CHAPTER 6 =====