Chapter 505: Three hundred seventy-seven, Spring arrives and everywhere is peach blossom water

Three hundred seventy-seven, Spring arrives and everywhere is peach blossom water

Perhaps she didn't notice Ouyang Rong's embarrassment.

Xie Lingjiang said to herself:

"The Ru Shixiong just said that one can take a concubine without marrying a primary wife first, but one needs to have the ability to reconcile the conflict between the two.

"The problem lies right here. Dalang actually doesn't have this ability, and he probably realizes it himself, so it's better to avoid trouble than to add more."

Ouyang Rong immediately agreed:

"That's right, the Xiao Shimei's analysis is thorough."

Xie Lingjiang tapped her vermilion lips with her index finger one by one:

"Actually, I think if Dalang simply rejected the marriage, it would be understandable—who hasn't rejected a marriage before? But he insists on not taking a concubine beforehand, which inevitably makes Uncle Li and Sister Guoer think that he just doesn't want to get married, that it's not some other excuse, but that he just wants to wait for someone and is using those words as an excuse."

Ouyang Rong praised: "The Xiao Shimei's words are extremely correct."

Xie Lingjiang slanted her eyes: "Ru Shixiong, don't force the praise. Why did you suddenly come to find me today? If you have no business, you're either a traitor or a thief."

"It's not that. I wanted to ask about the peach blossom forest in the Kuanglu Mountains and see you while I was at it."

"While you were at it?"

Ouyang Rong changed his words in a second:

"No, thinking about it again, it was mainly to see you, and ask about the matter while I was at it. Look, I didn't even go to find the Prince or the Princess to ask about it."

"The Ru Shixiong's mouth is getting sweeter."

Ouyang Rong didn't take the bait. He suddenly covered Xie Lingjiang's eyes, took something out of his sleeve, and placed it before her.

"What are you doing?"

"Open your eyes."

"What era is this, still playing such old-fashioned games."

"The third year of Tianyou of the Great Zhou."

Ouyang Rong's solemn words came from behind.

"Pfft."

Xie Lingjiang couldn't help but laugh. After he let go, she opened her eyes.

Actually, when she closed her eyes just now, she had already smelled the fragrance of flowers, but when she opened them and saw it, Xie Lingjiang still smiled.

Her eyes were somewhat pleasantly surprised.

"Is it pretty?" Ouyang Rong asked.

"Hmph, so-so." Xie Lingjiang suppressed her smile and lowered her head to lightly sniff the petals.

Ouyang Rong nodded: "That means you like it, you're saying one thing but meaning another."

Xie Lingjiang didn't answer. She held the flower with two fingers and examined it. After being happy for a while, she asked suspiciously:

"For no reason, why is the Ru Shixiong giving me an apricot blossom? Is today a special day?"

"No, but I feel that from the day two people meet to the day they understand each other, every day is actually very special and should be treated grandly... Does the Xiao Shimei like it?"

"I like it, but... Ru Shixiong, this apricot blossom couldn't have been taken from Aunt Zhen's vase, could it?"

"That's not it. It was by the roadside. Seeing that it was spring and the flowers were blooming, I found this one to be exceptionally beautiful and felt it matched the Xiao Shimei, just as delicate and beautiful as the spring sun, so I picked it."

The garden path of the Xunyang Prince's Mansion was also by the roadside.

Ouyang Rong nodded quietly.

"Then it truly suffered an undeserved disaster." Xie Lingjiang teased. She lowered her head and touched the petals for a while, then opened the pastry box, picked up an osmanthus pastry, and held it in her mouth; it melted upon contact.

Her pair of star-like eyes curved into crescent moons.

"Mmm, the apricot blossom is quite fragrant... This osmanthus pastry is really sweet. Last time I tasted it with Aunt Zhen, I wanted to ask how it was made."

Xie Lingjiang muttered a few times while tasting the pastry, her words somewhat slurred.

Ouyang Rong looked at his nose and heart, honestly wiping hair and tying buns for the Xiao Shimei.

Xie Lingjiang suddenly closed the pastry lid and said with a smile that wasn't quite a smile:

"Ru Shixiong giving flowers and bringing pastries... it always makes people feel a bit uneasy."

Ouyang Rong smiled without speaking. He put down the towel, went into the room to fetch the pair of mandarin duck jade hairpins, helped Xie Lingjiang tie a high bun, lowered his head to examine it carefully, and inserted the hairpin straight.

Xie Lingjiang stood up, walked over to insert the apricot blossom into the vase, and lowered her head to look at the small patch of water in the vase.

The beauty in the water was smiling prettily.

"Pretty."

Ouyang Rong's voice suddenly came from behind.

Xie Lingjiang looked back and saw the Ru Shixiong bending over, looking at her with a smile.

She turned her face away somewhat shyly.

Ouyang Rong hugged her from behind. This time, his palms surprisingly didn't climb or make trouble; he honestly held her, resting his chin on her shoulder, lightly sniffing the fragrance from the fair skin of Xie Lingjiang's neck. Xie Lingjiang's hair was very lush, and there were many black strands that had escaped the high bun on her neck, tickling Ouyang Rong's nose.

Xie Lingjiang asked softly: "Ru Shixiong has a heart."

Ouyang Rong scratched his itchy nose:

"Miaosi produced some spiritual ink for me last night."

"Oh? Is that so? That's a good thing." She turned her head, her expression showing a little pleasant surprise.

Ouyang Rong tilted his head and said directly:

"You are a Grade 6 Sage of the Confucian school; you clearly also need spiritual ink. Not only did you give it to me, but you also privately fed it your own treasured ink without telling me, your Ru Shixiong."

Xie Lingjiang's expression gradually calmed down. She straightened her head and looked toward the few spring swallows returning to their nests under the eaves not far away.

"I was willing; it has nothing to do with the Ru Shixiong. The Ru Shixiong doesn't need to feel guilty."

Ouyang Rong pointed to the flowers in the vase and the pastry box and said:

"I was also willing. Seeing beautiful flowers, I just wanted to give them to the Xiao Shimei; it has nothing to do with the Xiao Shimei."

Xie Lingjiang glared at him, but couldn't refute it. She let out a light hmph and returned to the room.

Ouyang Rong followed her and changed the subject.

"Looking at Dalang's appearance, this marriage is definitely rejected; he doesn't mind being beaten."

"Mm, so Ru Shixiong, you should talk to Dalang more; he'll probably listen to you. I always feel that the methods of Uncle and Sister Guoer are wrong."

Ouyang Rong was silent for a while.

"Actually, I also understand Dalang a little."

"Understand?"

Ouyang Rong asked: "If you and I were placed in his and Princess Anhui's position, how should it be resolved?"

Xie Lingjiang didn't even think about it this time and said:

"If the Ru Shixiong were in his position, you would absolutely not sit and wait for death. Uncle and Sister Guoer wouldn't worry about the Ru Shixiong messing things up; the Ru Shixiong is different. As for me..."

The Xie noble girl slightly raised her chin:

"It's just a surname. So what if it's Wei? No one can restrict me. Father has a saying that is good: the wealth and honor fought for by the ancestors of the family are precisely to allow the descendants to have better choices. Otherwise, this family is not worth staying in; it cannot make people recognize it and fight for it from the heart."

Xie Lingjiang changed her tone again:

"However, Li Dalang is different. Uncle and Sister Guoer treat him more like a child. Even though he is already the Heir Apparent, they still feel that he will definitely mess things up.

"But if he could be more firm in his attitude, and sometimes be able to stand out clearly like Sister Guoer to prove that he has grown up, Uncle and the others might realize this point. In that case, they might not block him, and might even help him persuade us..."

Ouyang Rong was quiet for a while and sighed lightly:

"Good."

A short while later, Ouyang Rong asked a few questions about the peach blossom forest in the Kuanglu Mountains and said goodbye to leave. Before leaving, Xie Lingjiang suddenly said:

"Did the Ru Shixiong have something you wanted to say when you came today?"

Ouyang Rong pondered for a while.

"Aunt's birthday banquet should be held after the Great Buddha of Donglin lands, to prevent the times from clashing. It can be postponed for a few days; this is also Aunt's intention... The Xiao Shimei can handle it."

"Okay." Xie Lingjiang nodded and asked again: "Is there really nothing else to say?"

Ouyang Rong smiled:

"There is... thank you for your hard work, Xiao Shimei."

Xie Lingjiang shook her head. Before she could speak, Ouyang Rong said again:

"The Xiao Shimei just said something very correct."

"What words?" She was curious.

"If it were me, I would definitely be able to handle it well."

After Ouyang Rong finished speaking, he chuckled and turned to walk away.

Xie Lingjiang was slightly stunned.

The Kuanglu Mountains are very large.

It is not a single mountain, but a group of mountains, with an average elevation higher than the basin where Xunyang City is located.

Therefore, it has the nickname of a summer resort in Jiang Nan.

In a valley on the west side of the Kuanglu Mountains, human footprints are rare.

In this spring season, however, there is a brilliant pink peach blossom forest.

In the afternoon, the spring sun sprinkled through the forest, and the peach blossoms were in full bloom.

In the forest, there were three figures.

An old musician holding a wooden zither walked at the very front.

Ouyang Rong and Rong Zhen's figures fell behind.

The two stood side by side, quite far from the old musician.

Ouyang Rong asked with a somewhat mournful tone: "Why didn't Lady Historian Rong bring a zither?"

"Isn't it fine to use yours?"

"Then you should carry it too."

"No, I don't have your build. Such a heavy thing, how could you have the heart to let me carry it?"

Ouyang Rong looked at the Lady Historian's short and petite stature and said speechlessly:

"Your strength is definitely greater than mine."

"It's good that you know."

"What do you mean?"

"Whoever is powerful has the final say. I have great strength and am more powerful, so you listen to me."

Ouyang Rong:..."

What kind of Rong-style comparison method is this?

He complained in his heart.

A short while later, Ouyang Rong's gaze followed Rong Zhen, looking together at the old musician in front.

Since entering the peach forest, the old musician's smile had not left his face. He walked and stopped, stretching out his palm to let the petals drifting in the air stay for a moment.

Ouyang Rong and Rong Zhen exchanged a glance and also smiled.

It seems this elderly senior is in a good mood; perhaps he can play two more songs for them.

Just at this moment, a burst of noise suddenly came from the front. Looking closely, in a pavilion in the center of the peach forest, there were seven or eight scholars and Daoist priests drinking and making merry, with singing girls playing flutes and zithers to the side.

The old musician's footsteps paused. After seeing clearly, his expression was full of interest, and he prepared to step forward.

Ouyang Rong, who was holding the zither, prepared to follow, but discovered that Rong Zhen beside him was slightly frowning and waved her hand.

A group of solemn-faced female officials appeared from nowhere, quickly stepped forward, passed by the old musician, went to the pavilion, and invited the group of drunken guests away. Before leaving, they checked their identities one by one to prevent assassins.

Rong Zhen's expression softened.

Ouyang Rong turned his head silently and saw that the smile on the face of this elderly Mr. Yu had already disappeared.

After Rong Zhen asked the female officials a few questions, she returned to the side of the old musician and Ouyang Rong and apologized:

"Apologies, Senior. I disturbed your elegant interest. It is truly because the situation is urgent now; one must guard against others, so it is best to have as little contact with strangers as possible."

"No matter."

Ouyang Rong saw that Mr. Yu's expression was calm, with no sign of dissatisfaction.

It seems these things are also forgotten very quickly.

The female officials who cleared the area were driven away by Rong Zhen and were no longer in sight, not following them.

At this time, the three people going down the mountain passed by a clear mountain stream, and the sunlight shone through the tree shadows, sprinkling mottled fragments of sun.

The spring water tinkled.

The old musician suddenly chose a large rock on the bank of the stream, sat on the ground, and placed the zither horizontally on his knees.

Rong Zhen's pretty face was slightly happy. She gave Ouyang Rong a look, and the two immediately sat down on the spot.

Ouyang Rong was just about to put down the zither when he found his hands empty. It turned out that Rong Zhen had already unceremoniously taken the zither and placed it on her own knees.

This time, she didn't say anything about her small build.

Rong Zhen ignored the increasingly mournful gaze of a certain someone.

The old musician used his hand as a ladle, scooped up a ladle of spring water, tilted his head to taste a mouthful, and let out a long breath.

"Do you believe there is a Peach Blossom Spring in this world?" He asked suddenly.

Ouyang Rong and Rong Zhen exchanged glances.

Ouyang Rong tried asking: "Does Mr. Yu mean the Peach Blossom Spring in Tao Qian's poem?"

Rong Zhen said softly:

"As long as the old gentleman wants it, no matter how many Peach Blossom Springs there are, the Sages and the Astronomical Bureau can find them for you."

The old musician shook his head.

Rong Zhen was afraid he wouldn't believe it, so she said directly:

"Old Senior, the hometown you mentioned to Deputy Supervisor Song last time, the Astronomical Bureau has already found it. It is in a village in Wutong County, Cangzhou, Lingnan Circuit... The village is on the mountainside and is still there now.

"Old Senior doesn't need to look for the road either. After this matter is over, the junior and Deputy Supervisor Song will personally send you back to the village. The imperial court has already notified the government of Cangzhou, Lingnan Circuit, to prepare to welcome the Old Senior. It will definitely be glorious, returning home in splendor, letting those villagers know of your glory... As for that peach blossom forest at the entrance of the village, it seems a bit withered, but it's not a big problem; people have already gone to help plant it..."

The old musician's thin face, full of wrinkles of dissatisfaction and vicissitudes, first smiled, then the wrinkles smoothed out, and he fell silent. After a while, he continued to say with a smile:

"Is that so."

Rong Zhen was about to nod.

Ouyang Rong suddenly pulled Rong Zhen's sleeve. The latter frowned and glared at him: "What are you doing?"

In front, came the old musician's murmuring to himself:

"You say it's found, then is it still called Peach Blossom Spring?"

Suddenly mentioning Peach Blossom Spring again, Rong Zhen frowned and pondered, not knowing how to answer.

Ouyang Rong chanted softly:

"At that time, I only recorded entering the deep mountains, the green stream reached the cloud forest several times. Spring arrives and everywhere is peach blossom water, I cannot distinguish where the immortal source is to be sought..."

The old musician looked sideways.

Ouyang Rong nodded and said:

"Why does the Old Senior insist on seeking a place to find peace of mind? Hometown is also the same; the so-called hometown is just the last stop of the ancestors' wandering. Where my heart is at peace is my hometown."

The old musician pondered for a moment and smiled dashingly.

"Good realm, what a 'where my heart is at peace is my hometown.' It's a pity, this old man is a vulgar person."

Smiling and pointing at Ouyang Rong, who was sitting upright, he cupped his hands to scoop another ladle of spring water, wiped the wooden zither, and began to play without warning.

The sound was as light as high mountains and flowing water, as clouds rolling and unrolling, and also like white clouds and gray dogs.

Ouyang Rong listened carefully.

Rong Zhen to the side also listened with a focused little face for a while. A short while later, however, a look of disappointment appeared on her face.

After the song ended, the old musician didn't say much and stood up to leave.

Ouyang Rong recalled the song while taking the zither from Rong Zhen's knees and seriously played it again.

A moment later, he collected his thoughts and turned to ask Rong Zhen, who was preparing to leave:

"Lady Historian Rong, aren't you going to learn it?"

Rong Zhen waved her hand:

"It's not this one... That song should be a military formation song..."

"What do you mean?"

Rong Zhen frowned and didn't answer, standing up to follow.

"Military formation song?"

Ouyang Rong murmured as he stood up. The zither song just played was indeed unrelated to a military formation song.

Could it be that the song Lady Historian Rong wanted to learn from the old musician was related to a military formation song, similar to that zither song in Star Child Lane that could make practitioners reveal their forms? Could it help with the defense of the Xunyang Grottoes this time?

Ouyang Rong was lost in thought as he held the zither and followed.

—————— ===== CHAPTER 506 =====

Ouyang Rong murmured as he rose; the zither piece just played was indeed unrelated to the military formation music.

Could it be that the piece Lady Rong wanted to learn from the old musician was related to military formation music, similar to that zither piece in Xingzi Ward that could reveal the forms of Qi Refiners? Could it help with the defense of the Xunyang Grottoes this time?

Ouyang Rong looked thoughtful as he hugged his zither and followed.

……

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