No, gentlemen also guard against

Chapter 543: I have issued an IOU, how should you respond? (Please give me a monthly ticket!)
Xunyang Tower.

The lobby on the first floor is empty, but the lights are brightly lit. There is a river view outside the window. This building is particularly quiet tonight.
Rong Zhen stood in front of a white wall in the center of the hall, looking up at a framed Qi Jue poem hanging high on the wall.

"The rustling west wind fills the courtyard with plants, and the fragrant pistils are cold and the butterflies are hard to come... If I were the Qing Emperor in another year, I would repay peach blossoms... blooming in one place..."

She murmured with pink lips and stared at the sleeves for a while. The meaning of this sentence is easy to understand, and even Rong Zhen, who is not familiar with poetry, can immediately understand:

Once you become the Qing Emperor, the God of Spring, you must let the chrysanthemums and peach blossoms bloom in the great spring, so that the chrysanthemums that are originally bitter and cold in late autumn and ranked last can also enjoy the joy of warm and fragrant pistils and buzzing bees and butterflies... …

"It's so heroic and bold. Is this the pattern and ambition..." In the hall, the girl in palace clothes spoke alone to the white wall and the new poem, and it was quiet for a while.

"He's awake."

Suddenly a clear and slightly cold female voice came from behind.

Rong Zhen turned around and saw a tall figure in a delicate and elegant skirt, standing at the entrance of the stairs leading upstairs.

It is said that Mrs. Xie, who may be engaged to Ouyang Lianghan, is the only daughter of his mentor, the great scholar Xie Xun.

This noble daughter, who was the seventeenth in age among the Xie clan in Chen County of this generation, shouted to her from a distance.

The keen sense of smell unique among women told Rong Zhen that this noble lady of the Xie family might not welcome her.

Rong Zhen's expression remained unchanged, and he had no intention of leaving in anger.

"Miss Xie, did you tell him?" She took the initiative to step forward and asked seriously.

Xie Lingjiang looked at her, turned around and walked upstairs, leaving only a tall figure with her head held high like a swan.

"Come with me."

Rong Zhen raised his feet and followed Xie Lingjiang upstairs.

Along the way, there was silence between the two women, one behind the other.

No one spoke first.

Until Rong Zhen, who was walking behind, took out a small orange-red sachet from his sleeve and tied it around his waist with a calm expression.

Xie Lingjiang's steps slowed slightly as he walked ahead, then returned to the same state without looking back.

There is a faint scent of osmanthus in the air.

Xie Lingjiang suddenly said:
"Elder brother is not a good drinker. He often asks him to drink less but refuses to listen. He slept all afternoon today. Although he is sober now, he still has a headache. It is an old problem brought from Longcheng. I just used to have it. When I took office in Longcheng, I drowned once. Later, I was injured and fell into coma once when I was treating floods. I bumped my head all the time..."

Rong Zhen raised his eyes slightly and looked at the back of the tall girl on the stairs in front of him who was suddenly chattering about some trivial things.

After listening to this girl Xie talk a lot, she turned back and told her calmly:
"So, Ms. Shi, please hurry up. After explaining the matter, let the senior brother rest. He has worried too much about the affairs of Xunyang City in the past. The period when he was transferred to Jiangzhou Sima should be the longest since I met the senior brother. His most relaxed and calm state.

"To tell you something privately, it may not be something that Senior Brother would like to hear... Actually, I think it might not be too bad for him to take the post of Jiangzhou Sima and take a break."

Rong Zhen suddenly asked: "Miss Xie knows what I am here to do?"

Xie Lingjiang smiled and continued to walk up the stairs with his head slightly raised.

After a while, Rong Zhen heard her strange rhetorical question:

"Don't you need to guess? Everyone who comes to see Senior Brother is asking him to take action and do something to wipe his ass.

"If nothing goes wrong, no one will think of him. When something goes wrong and the situation deteriorates, it would be better to think of him again and be the first to find him."

Rong Zhen was quiet for a while.

Suddenly asked:
"If I were the Qing Emperor in his lifetime, I would be rewarded with peach blossoms blooming everywhere... Was that poem on the wall written by him on the spot at the Juhua Poetry Meeting that morning?"

"Ah."

"It's not his handwriting on the wall, and it doesn't have his style. It must have been copied by someone else."

"Well, the owner of Xunyang Tower loved this poem so much that he made a copy of it with the consent of the eldest brother and the organizer of the poetry meeting, Her Royal Highness the Princess, and hung it up... If he has the foresight, this Xunyang Tower can become several famous names in the south of the Yangtze River. One of the buildings is not unreasonable.”

Rong Zhen was about to speak but stopped.

Xie Lingjiang's faint words came:
"I like this poem. Senior brother gave me the manuscript. What's wrong?"

"nothing."

Rong Zhen turned his gaze away and asked casually:

"Why didn't he go back to Huaiye Lane? He was still staying in Xunyang Tower."

"The female historian and the deputy superintendent had not yet ordered the city to be closed. I was going to take the senior brother back to Huaiye Lane in the afternoon, but I was told that the whole city was under martial law. The owner of Xunyang Tower and Miss Qin, the steward of the Qing Dynasty, kept the senior brother in the building. Let's rest for a night and wait for the city to be lifted. I don't know how long the female historian will close the city. The court arranges it, so the common people like me can only suffer.

"Elder brother hadn't rested for a while in the afternoon when the prince, the prince, General Qin, Yuan Changshi, and Yan Canjun came to the door one by one to disturb his rest.

"It's good now, the female historian is here too."

Rong Zhen lowered his eyes and said:
"But he seemed to have refused."

Xie Lingjiang didn't look back and asked softly:

"So Ms. Shi thinks she can convince him by taking action herself?"

Rong Zhen didn't know how long he was silent before he answered in five words:

"The people need him."

Xie Lingjiang corrected: "The premise is that you also need it."

Without waiting for Rong Zhen to say anything more, Xie Lingjiang led her to the Tianzihao box on the top floor, stopped and turned around:

"We're here, little lady, go get some tea. Senior brother needs a rest. Lady Shi only has time for a cup of tea. Please be considerate."

The girl in palace clothes stood there, slowly tilting her head, watching Xie Lingjiang's figure disappear on the stairway.

This woman is a head taller than her.

Just now, I was walking all the way up the front stairs, always talking to her while maintaining a large height difference.

She didn't like it very much, especially the tone of knowing and caring about Ouyang Lianghan.

Rong Zhen glanced at the box door and knocked twice.

"Please come in."

Rong Zhen opened the door and found the sound of pipa echoing in the box.

Turning around, he saw two figures in the large box.

Miss Qin, a noblewoman holding a pipa, and a young man with downcast eyes listening to music with his chin propped up. Rong Zhen walked over and sat down.

She softly took the initiative to talk about the current situation in the city, as well as what happened at the Xingzi Lake construction site in the morning, all in detail, including the progress of her and Aunt Song's investigation and the speculation on the suspects...

Ouyang Rong suddenly interrupted her:

"If you are not in your position, you will not be in charge of your affairs. Your Majesty, Brother Qin, and Brother Yuan were here this afternoon. I should have told you when I got back.

"I have little talent and little knowledge. My only advantage is that I am honest and honest. The King of Wei and the King of Liang think that I am getting in the way. Your Majesty has listened to the opinions of the two princes and will transfer me to Jiangzhou Sima. I understand that I will keep my position in this position.

"I am flattered that you can allow me to see you tonight. Please do not talk about state affairs except for personal friendship."

Ouyang Rong continued to drink tea and listen to the pipa.

Rong Zhen stared at the serious face of the man in front of him for a while, then suddenly nodded:
"I know this, so when I come this time, I won't talk about state affairs, and I won't force you to talk about anything else out of any righteousness."

Ouyang Rong nodded calmly, "That's good, thank you for your understanding..."

But who would have thought that Rong Zhen lowered his head, took out a sachet from his waist, put it on the table, and said something that made Ouyang Rong's eyelids jump:

"This morning, when you were composing a poem in Xunyang Tower, I was actually outside the building, preparing to come in and ask you for a poem."

She nodded again, opened the sachet, took out an IOU, and said with a straight face:
"Originally, it seemed that your right hand was injured and it was difficult for you to write poems. I didn't plan to ask you for it recently. But now it seems that you can write poems in the morning and you should be able to write poems in the evening as well. The injury will not hinder you.

"When Miss Xie comes later, Ouyang Sima, please exchange the IOU and compose a poem."

Ouyang Rong's expression changed slightly: "What do you mean, Ms. Shi?"

"It's not interesting. I just like your song "Inscribed on Chrysanthemums" so much. It's so well written... I want you to write a song for me. Everyone loves talent."

"Then...there's no need to do it in front of Junior Sister."

He looked helpless.

"I'm happy with it. If you don't do it, I won't leave tonight. What, you don't want her to know?"

Ouyang Rong was suddenly silenced, and his expression seemed to be tangled.

Rong Zhen turned his head and listened to the pipa music with concentration on his face.

Waiting for his reply.

After a while, when Ouyang Rong looked hesitant, Rong Zhen suddenly spoke seriously:
"Ouyang Lianghan, we won't talk about state affairs this time, but as a matter of personal friendship, I would like to ask you to come out and help, okay? It's a personal relationship."

After saying that, she handed the IOU forward.

Ouyang Rong understood immediately and looked a little confused.

Rong Zhen saw him, looked around, quietly reached out his palm from under his sleeve, and quickly grabbed the IOU.

Then the young man listening to the music stood up and said solemnly:

"Only this time, and I have stated in advance that I will only come forward to handle the affairs of Xunyang City for these two days. After two days, I will be on track, and I will retire and continue my duties as a Sima. I will not stay any longer. Please allow Nu Shi and Your Excellencies understand and let me go.”

Rong Zhen nodded immediately: "Okay."

But she secretly thought in her heart that personal friendship means personal agreement, but how the court arranges it later is none of her business...

In short, let someone out first.

Not long after, I sent Rong Zhen away for the time being, and said goodbye to Miss Qin, the servant girl of the Qing Dynasty.

In the unmanned box, Ouyang Rong put away the IOU. His somewhat embarrassed expression disappeared and was replaced by a calm expression.

He glanced at the small IOU, burned it in the candlelight, and muttered:

"Were you outside the building in the morning? It turns out that the blessings have come true here. The peach blossoms are so bad, I almost got caught."

After a while, he stood up, packed his things, and walked out.

Xie Lingjiang was already waiting at the door, holding a stack of crimson official uniforms that had been prepared for a long time.

Ouyang Rong put on his official uniform and went downstairs.

Xie Lingjiang followed silently and asked softly: "She just went out, and she looked at me a little strangely. She seemed to be quite arrogant and proud... In addition to agreeing to go out as planned, senior brother, did you promise her anything else?" "

Ouyang Rong looked confused: "What did you promise? I don't understand."

Xie Lingjiang tilted his head, looked at him, and asked slowly: "It's really bad for me to tease her like this today. You came to save the mess you caused, and you still let others beg us to save it. So. So ...With such skill, will Senior Brother also tease me?"

Ouyang Rong pretended not to hear and changed the subject: "Junior sister, do you know what is the biggest lesson I learned this time?"

"What is it?"

“The weapon of criticism is certainly not a substitute for the weapon of criticism.”

Xie Lingjiang looked thoughtful and serious: "I heard that the business woman is not dead. Senior Brother has been very restrained."

Ouyang Rong took a small ink ingot wrapped in the original manuscript of "Inscription on Chrysanthemums" from Xie Lingjiang, comforted it, and said softly: "The incense array reaching the sky penetrates Chang'an, and the city is covered with golden armor. Maybe it's too early, Not yet, but if I become the Qing Emperor in his future years, I can look forward to retribution and peach blossoms. I have been struggling with these two paths these days, one is radical and the other is slow. Of course, the little guy likes the first one, but in the end he was taken. I persuaded and reluctantly agreed to the latter one, and stopped whining in my ears... Little Junior Sister, I don’t know if I can wait until that day, but this tripod sword will definitely live longer than me. It may Can we wait for that day, those people, those things? Because it is called 'craftsman's work', and the work of ordinary craftsmen inherently implies the power of myth rising from the mortal world."

Xie Lingjiang looked at the tall figure in front of him with complicated eyes: "So, senior brother is leaving a fire for future generations? This is the fire passed down by the real salary-bearers. The height of the sword skills created has already reached far." He is ahead of his time. Those legendary sword masters in history who have done well alone are far behind. Their merits and deeds have made them immortal. Sword masters in future generations may encounter craftsmen or create new ones, no matter how arrogant they are in the world or how evil and invincible they are. If you want to know Ouyang Lianghan's name, you must listen to Ouyang Lianghan's true meaning." The latter said nothing and strode out...

A short while later, on the street blocked by the curfew, a carriage making an exception was escorted by Rong Zhen, a dozen female officials and hundreds of black-armored soldiers, and drove quickly to Xingzifang... Along the way, officials and generals who learned the news , all breathed a sigh of relief and cast trusting and hopeful glances at the carriage.

What everyone didn't know was that in this carriage that everyone was looking forward to sorting out the mess, Ouyang Rong sat down with his eyes down and reached out to touch the empty piano case under the chair. In the baggage placed with the piano case, the ink pill box was also empty, and there was also a precious red and black talisman missing from the baggage.

The empty sword box was secretly sent back from the west city gate by Yan Liulang and Chen Canjun during the poetry meeting in the morning... As for the red and black talisman and the Qi-tonifying elixir Mo Jiao, they had already gone to Huang Feihong's place, and at the same time, they also had the secret knowledge of Shangqing. The corresponding formula of God's order was also passed on to him...

That ink dragon is a top-notch qi-replenishing elixir. This is what Ouyang Rong got from Lu Ya and Li Dalang. It is best for the person who is being seduced to take a Qi-tonifying elixir, so that he can bear the burden of spiritual energy after the deity... This time, he can use all his energy to deploy the sword. Sweeping through Lin Cheng and others, and simultaneously destroying the giant Buddha stained with the blood and sweat of the people, it was thanks to the surging spiritual energy provided by this ink dragon.

Therefore, of course he was going to the Xingzi Lake construction site, but taking the initiative to go there on his own was different from asking others to go there after only a second glance at the thatched cottage. The latter is easier to do, while the former is suspected everywhere.

No, tonight I accidentally recovered a small IOU that could explode at any time... Ouyang Rong nodded with satisfaction.

"Here you go, Brother Huang, I said I would take you back... and that little guy, this time I let him kill him comfortably. He has been holding it in for so long..." He murmured to himself.

But this time there was something Ouyang Rong didn't expect. According to the guess Rong Zhen just revealed...

"Cauldron fire..."

He lowered his head and looked at his long, slender right palm, which was pale and bleeding and wrapped in bandages.

"Legendary Sword Holder... Well, if you didn't tell me, I wouldn't have known that I was so powerful."

Someone nodded with emotion and sighed a little.

(End of this chapter)