Chapter 520

392. Magistrate Ouyang Magistrate Ouyang Lianghan, do you know who the Little Mistress is? 【Last three days of the month, begging for monthly tickets!】

In the meditation room, Master Master Yizhi was surrounded and exhorted by the Abbot of Chengtian Temple and the others.

Magistrate Ouyang Rong sat alone opposite them, with his back to the entrance.

Yan Beside Yan Liulang, Qin Yi, and others stood under umbrellas on the open ground at the entrance of the meditation room, and the surrounding black-armored soldiers almost filled the entire meditation courtyard.

Clearly a place for Buddhist cultivation and Zen meditation, it was now filled with cold, murderous soldiers and armor.

Fang Fang Yiwu knelt three steps behind Magistrate Ouyang Rong, kneeling and burying his head without moving.

Fang Fang Shengnan and Fang Fang Juxiu, whom he had brought behind him, had very colorful expressions after seeing Magistrate Ouyang Rong, who was the center of attention.

As Lady Pei Shisan Xiao Niangzi stepped forward to pour tea for Magistrate Ouyang Rong.

"Are you really the Xiouwen Pavilion Scholar and Jiangzhou Jiangzhou Cishi Magistrate Ouyang Magistrate Ouyang Lianghan?"

Fang Fang Juxiu asked suddenly.

"Mm."

Magistrate Ouyang Rong responded without turning his head, not paying much attention to her, and turned to Lady Pei Shisan Xiao Niangzi:

"Why are you pouring tea for me? Fill it up for the Master and the high monks. Thirteen Xiao Niangzi, didn't you see that they are so thirsty they can't speak? You have no eye for things."

Lady Pei Shisan Xiao Niangzi lowered her eyes: "Yes, Young Master."

She wasn't angry, obediently taking the tea to serve the monks.

After her sister finished asking, Fang Fang Shengnan couldn't help but press:

"But you... why are you so handsome?"

Magistrate Ouyang Rong asked curiously:

"Why can't Magistrate Ouyang Magistrate Ouyang Lianghan be this handsome?"

Fang Fang Shengnan didn't hesitate and blurted out: "But... but isn't someone this handsome a pretty boy? You don't look like that corrupt official Magistrate Ouyang Magistrate Ouyang Lianghan at all."

Magistrate Ouyang Rong thought for a moment and asked: "Can't I be a pretty boy corrupt official?"

He turned his head to look at the dazed Fang Fang Juxiu, nodded, and said again:

"Thank you for the suggestion, Eldest Xiao Niangzi Fang. It was very pertinent. Although it's not useful, just in case for the future, I'll thank you first."

Magistrate Ouyang Rong smiled embarrassedly and pointed to Master Master Yizhi's side:

"This Master, Eldest Xiao Niangzi Fang and Second Xiao Niangzi Fang should know him, right?"

Fang Fang Juxiu looked away, and Fang Fang Shengnan showed a difficult expression, frequently looking toward Master Master Yizhi, her eyes filled with worry.

Fang Fang Yiwu's face turned black, and he turned his head and shouted loudly:

"The Jiangzhou Cishi asked you two to speak, didn't you hear?"

Magistrate Ouyang Rong smiled slightly:

"Squire Fang, don't be so loud. It's not good to scare people; after all, they are your own daughters."

Fang Fang Yiwu's expression was haggard: "The guilty man has no such unfilial daughters. It's truly a sin."

Magistrate Ouyang Rong pointed to the bronze short sword and the secret letter on the ground, signaling the Fang sisters, and asked:

"And this little thing, the two of you should know it, right?"

Fang Fang Shengnan remained silent and shut her mouth. Under Fang Fang Yiwu's frowning gaze, she lowered her head.

Fang Fang Juxiu didn't blink, staring at Magistrate Ouyang Rong's face the whole time without speaking.

There were bloodshot eyes in her whites, as if she wanted to firmly remember something and see something clearly.

Magistrate Ouyang Rong stood up, walked to Master Master Yizhi, took a washed teacup from Lady Pei Shisan Xiao Niangzi's hand, skillfully poured a cup of tea, pushed it forward, and smiled:

"Master, if you don't speak, the tea will get cold. They say when the tea gets cold, people leave. Master, you aren't waiting for us to leave, are you? It's a pity that this cup of tea can be refilled today. Even if you get cold, Master, it won't."

Just as Magistrate Ouyang Rong's words fell, Lady Pei Shisan Xiao Niangzi giggled and lifted the teapot to refill the cup a little.

Everyone looked at each other.

Magistrate Ouyang Rong spoke again, his clear and bright voice echoing in the ears of everyone inside and outside the meditation room, and the sound of thunder and rain outside seemed to be suppressed by this voice:

"I will ask the Master one more time: why did you accept this Cloud Dream Decree, and what is your relationship with the Cloud Dream Marsh? If you were coerced, you can still say it. This is a pure Buddhist place; turn back and you will find the shore.

"If you don't speak again, don't blame the national law for being ruthless. The Yue Maiden Decree has already been issued. The current Saint loves Buddhism, it is true, but you disciples of the Shamen, even if you are monks from the Hanging Temple who have received great imperial favor, have no right to be exceptions if you violate the national law. The Shamen is not a place outside the law."

Yan Beside Yan Liulang looked sideways slightly, looking at the Jiangzhou Cishi's calm expression of handling official business.

The Jiangzhou Cishi had always left room for maneuver.

Otherwise, why would he bother with these people, and why would he patiently wait several times, figuring out all the informants before striving to catch them all in one net like today?

And this time, he didn't call Xiao Niangzi Rong and the others over, which counted as the Jiangzhou Cishi leading the case himself, keeping the people from the Supervisory Court out.

It might be because of Sister Xiuniang... Yan Beside Yan Liulang sighed lightly.

Everyone didn't wait for Master Master Yizhi to speak, but instead waited for Fang Fang Yiwu, who was behind Magistrate Ouyang Rong, to kneel and knock his head loudly, honestly pleading guilty:

"The guilty man pleads guilty! My daughters, bewitched by those demon women of the Cloud Dream Sword Marsh, committed a mistake. Master Master Yizhi might, might also be like this. And Master Master Yizhi has practiced silent meditation for many years and might not be able to speak. I hope the Jiangzhou Cishi can be magnanimous..."

Fang Fang Shengnan couldn't help but speak: "Dad, we..."

"Shut up!"

Fang Fang Yiwu glared at her, signaling her to quickly plead guilty and beg for mercy with a look of "iron not becoming steel."

Magistrate Ouyang Rong nodded lightly and turned his head to look at Fang Fang Yiwu:

"Oh, is that so?"

He suddenly asked: "Are there any other Yue Maidens in the city?"

Fang Fang Yiwu, while gauging Magistrate Ouyang Rong's expression, said cautiously:

"No... no more. The informants of the Cloud Dream demon women in the city have all been destroyed by your wise and martial lordship."

Magistrate Ouyang Rong looked at him carefully for a while and nodded lightly:

"Good, your attitude toward pleading guilty is quite positive. You handle your daughters. Later, you take them and follow General Qin to confirm if they have all been caught. If even one is missed, I will make you pay."

"If the performance is good, it's not impossible to deal with it leniently. I will go ask Xiao Niangzi Rong about this matter."

"There won't be any missed, absolutely none missed. They have all been caught."

Fang Fang Yiwu nodded like a pestle pounding garlic, gauged the calm face of this handsome Jiangzhou Cishi, swallowed his saliva, and added:

"Of course, the guilty man will take his daughters to identify faces and confirm again. There will absolutely not be one missed."

While speaking, the hand wrapped in blood-stained white cloth from picking up porcelain shards in a private courtyard was hidden behind his back. Fang Fang Juxiu and Fang Fang Shengnan heard this and completely understood everything. They took a deep breath, their eyes looking at Magistrate Ouyang Rong and their father with infinite complexity, and the previous doubts about an uncertain matter were completely resolved.

Magistrate Ouyang Rong nodded lightly: "That's fine, let's leave it at that for now..."

Just at this moment, Master Master Yizhi, who had been listening to the two of them playing word games with his eyes closed, spoke hoarsely:

"Why bother, benefactor? Sister Xiuniang has great wisdom and will eventually realize the 'One'."

The voice echoed throughout the room. Magistrate Ouyang Rong stopped instantly, did not turn around, raised his hand to listen, his tone curious:

"What did you say? Say it again."

The middle-aged Zen master did not speak, holding up one finger in desolate silence.

Magistrate Ouyang Rong put his hand down, turned his head to look at Master Master Yizhi, scanned the entire room, walked back, bent down in front of Master Master Yizhi, looked him in the eye, slowly turned his head, and squinted to look carefully at the finger held high by the monk.

The whole room fell into a dead silence, with no one daring to make a sound.

Everyone witnessed the young Jiangzhou Cishi smilingly take the long zither case from his arms, place it on the ground, and use one finger to push it forward gently, placing a horizontal "One" in front of Master Master Yizhi.

He nodded with a light smile:

"You can keep holding that boring finger of yours until the end of time, but if I find out that you have even the slightest bit of contact with any Yue Maiden... no matter what her name is... I will let you see my 'One', let you see my great wisdom, and I guarantee it will let the Master attain enlightenment."

Master Master Yizhi sighed, shook his head, and said no more.

Magistrate Ouyang Rong turned around, patted his sleeves, and left.

Not long after, Qin Yi led the black-armored soldiers into the courtyard and began to arrest people.

Yan Beside Yan Liulang stepped forward to report one by one.

Magistrate Ouyang Rong's tone was calm as he deployed the arrangements, roughly:

The informants caught at Taoshou Studio and Chengtian Temple were temporarily thrown into the old state prison, which had already been emptied. Master Master Yizhi's identity was sensitive, and the current atmosphere in the Great Zhou was to worship Buddhism. Reporting the killing of a high monk from the Hanging Temple required reporting upward and would attract the attention of the Supervisory Court and the Shenjing Luoyang imperial court. Magistrate Ouyang Rong was too lazy to be troubled, so he didn't kill him for the time being, letting Beside Yan Liulang send people to guard him, with the charge of hiding the Cloud Dream Decree.

As for the Fang father and daughters, Fang Fang Yiwu had surrendered and had merit, and he had forced his two daughters to plead guilty and perform meritorious service, helping the Jiangzhou main hall pursue other informants of the Cloud Dream Yue Maidens. Depending on the situation, they could be temporarily not pursued for punishment, but the Fang sisters would definitely be grounded, though it would be nearby, convenient for the Fang family to visit...

Everything was arranged properly.

Yan Beside Yan Liulang took out the secret letter that the Fang sisters wanted to send out from his arms and said in a low voice:

"Jiangzhou Cishi, they were going to report to the outside and guide the Second Xiao Niangzi. Now that we have caught everyone except Sister Xiuniang... that Second Xiao Niangzi won't receive the letter and will probably realize that Prince Xunyang City has been exposed very soon."

"Oh." Magistrate Ouyang Rong nodded, not surprised at all, but instead urged: "Today, our momentum can be even bigger. Let's issue a public notice so that the so-called Second Xiao Niangzi knows early, don't bother her to guess."

"Yes! By the way, Jiangzhou Cishi, there is one more thing."

"Speak."

"Today, after Fang Fang Shengnan finished delivering the letter and before leaving Chengtian Temple, she went to find Li Yu."

"Find Li Yu?"

"Mm, they should have known about Li Yu's matter; he was bailed out by you last time."

"Join forces?"

"Mm, it seems it also has to do with you."

"Me?"

"Yes, the Cloud Dream Sword Marsh side seems to want to deal with you and is probing your whereabouts. They probably think Li Yu knows you and was treated well by you, so they want to persuade Li Yu to return kindness with enmity and lure you out..."

Magistrate Ouyang Rong asked with a light smile: "How did Li Yu choose?"

Yan Beside Yan Liulang sighed with emotion:

"This matter was reported by Li Yu himself to our people. However, he didn't sell out Fang Fang Shengnan, just saying that he heard wind that someone might be unfavorable to you, Jiangzhou Cishi, and asked you to be careful recently... In addition, during these days, although he stayed at Chengtian Temple, he didn't have contact with Master Master Yizhi and stayed honestly in Registrar Yuan's courtyard."

"It can be seen that compared to fighting and killing, Squire Li still prefers picking straight tree branches."

"Picking straight tree branches?" Yan Beside Yan Liulang was confused.

Magistrate Ouyang Rong laughed.

Yan Beside Yan Liulang leaned closer, lowering his voice:

"Jiangzhou Cishi, although Li Yu didn't make a mistake this time, perhaps he was moved by your brilliance, but we still need to be careful. Back then, Xiao Niangzi Rong and Old Yang couldn't pry the appearance and whereabouts of the 'Yue Maiden' out of his mouth even with water torture. This person still has a sense of loyalty to the Cloud Dream Yunmeng Yuanjun."

Magistrate Ouyang Rong muttered to himself: "Not selling out the old master is loyalty, not harming this official is righteousness. Loyalty and righteousness are both satisfied; you are quite particular."

He waved his hand, letting Yan Beside Yan Liulang go get busy.

After coming back to his senses, Magistrate Ouyang Rong went to the temple entrance, in a green Confucian robe, holding an umbrella alone, passing through one hall after another.

At the entrance of Chengtian Temple, the Fang father and daughters were waiting honestly. Seeing Magistrate Ouyang Rong's figure, they immediately stepped forward.

Fang Fang Yiwu knelt in the rain, grateful.

"Your lordship's great kindness..."

Magistrate Ouyang Rong didn't stop his footsteps, bypassing him with his umbrella.

Likewise, he walked past the dejected Fang Fang Juxiu and Fang Fang Shengnan without looking sideways, and walked forward.

Fang Fang Juxiu, who had been silent, suddenly shouted at this indifferent back:

"Magistrate Ouyang Magistrate Ouyang Lianghan, do you know who the Little Mistress is!?"

Magistrate Ouyang Rong didn't look back, continuing forward, his voice peaceful but firm:

"Then do you know who I am?"

Fang Fang Juxiu was full of confusion.

"You..."

Fang Fang Shengnan shouted loudly as if sulking:

"Even if you are Magistrate Ouyang Magistrate Ouyang Lianghan, it won't work! And... and it's even less possible!"

Fang Fang Yiwu suddenly stepped forward, and with two crisp "slaps," gave each of the two daughters a slap.

"Two unfilial beasts, get back and face the wall. If you dare to run out again, I will personally eliminate the harm for the people!" He was so angry his chest heaved.

Fang Fang Shengnan was stunned, covering one side of her face with both hands, looking blankly at the square-faced man who had almost never hit her since she was little.

Fang Fang Juxiu stood dazed, covering her face and watching Magistrate Ouyang Rong's back walk away...

By the time this spring rain stopped and the sky cleared, it was already evening.

The evening glow was like fire, reflecting on the ancient temple and old courtyard.

Magistrate Ouyang Rong arrived at Yuan Yuan Huaimin's courtyard.

He went straight to find Yuan Yuan Huaimin and Li Yu.

Yuan Yuan Huaimin saw him arrive and asked curiously:

"Brother Magistrate Ouyang Lianghan, what was with the martial law in the temple this afternoon? It didn't seem to be people from the Supervisory Court, but people transferred from the two Xuanwu battalions of the front-line main camp. They said it was by the order of the Jiangzhou Cishi to enter the city and search the temple... Is this really an order you issued?"

Magistrate Ouyang Rong sighed: "Rebels must be suppressed."

He turned his head to look at Li Yu, who was carefully organizing tree branches in the room, clapped his hands, and laughed lightly:

"Brother Yuan Huaimin, Squire Li, are you hungry? Let's go, let's go eat at my house tonight."

"Eh, Magistrate Ouyang Lianghan actually cares about us." Yuan Yuan Huaimin punched his palm: "Good, good, good, I'll go change my coat. It's quite cold just after the rain stopped. It should be even colder by the river in Huaiye Lane, Prince Xunyang..."

Magistrate Ouyang Rong shook his head: "We aren't going to Huaiye Lane in Prince Xunyang."

"Then where are we going?" Yuan Yuan Huaimin realized: "Magistrate Ouyang Lianghan, you have two homes?"

"Right next to Star Lake, not far."

"Strange, Magistrate Ouyang Lianghan, when did you have a home next door?"

Magistrate Ouyang Rong smiled without answering, leisurely holding up one finger.

Just like Master Master Yizhi in the afternoon.

Yuan Yuan Huaimin stared at his raised index finger, muttering:

"One? What does this mean? Are you saying one isn't enough? Another one?"

Magistrate Ouyang Rong shook his head: "Soon, it will be one home."

Yuan Yuan Huaimin:...

Li Yu:...

Sounds like... hiss, a very complicated relationship.

……

——————

ps: Double monthly tickets, begging for monthly tickets in 360 degrees! Good brothers, don't forget to vote, woo woo woo.

or2