She turned sideways and faced outside the house, looking up at the drifting clouds that were disappearing and appearing in the sky, as if counting them in her mind. After a while, she saw someone about to put down the tea cup from the corner of her eye, and suddenly turned around and said:
"Now that we've finished drinking, Senior Brother can talk."
Ouyang Rong put down the tea cup and couldn't help but pause in the air. With a cautious look on his face, he asked sideways:
"Little junior sister, why don't you go to the official residence and keep an eye on the Jade Fairy to see if she's awake?"
"There is still one pill of antidote that I haven't taken yet. The medicine is so strong that it takes a long time. Even if I wake up in the middle, I will naturally know it right away, junior sister, and rush over immediately. Now that I've finished explaining, senior brother, don't change the subject. It's your turn."
"..." Ouyang Rong
Xie Lingjiang stared at the senior brother who was leaning back slightly with bright eyes, chasing after him:
"Senior brother, who do you think will win? In other words, who will Empress Wei give the position of heir to in the end? Will it be the two Wei princes, or His Highness the Prime Minister who has changed his surname to Wei?"
Ouyang Rong looked inside the house, then outside the door, and couldn't help but say:
"Why would junior sister be interested in this?"
"I just want to hear Senior Brother's opinion."
Xie Lingjiang was quick and straightforward. After the words came out of his mouth, the upper body behind the tea table unconsciously leaned forward towards Ouyang Rong. Then, as if Mount Tai was pressing down on him, there was a "thump" sound immediately, and the table didn't know where it was.
There was a slight noise.
In a relatively quiet room, light noises are particularly noticeable.
It seems that it not only affected someone's vision, but also brought a great impact burden to the table between two people...
Seeing that the younger junior sister's face seemed to be changing along with the surrounding atmosphere, Ouyang Rong immediately spoke:
"I'm sorry, one of the legs of this table is short, and it will easily squeak when touched with my hands. I have wanted to use it for a long time, but that girl Wei Lai always drags it, so my junior sister just has to sit down and don't touch it with my hands."
Ouyang Rong pretended to frown and reminded him warmly.
In the back room not far away, Ye Weilai was kneeling on the bed with his back to make a bed for Ouyang Rong: "..."
The pot fell from the sky.
Seeing the senior brother lowering his head and shaking his head silently under the table, as if he hadn't noticed, Xie Lingjiang didn't know whether to be ashamed or relieved.
"well."
She nodded immediately, and her upper body quietly leaned back, tightened her waist, and separated. The part of the vermilion satin fabric that had been compressed and deformed became as tight as her dizzy little face, but the curvature was naturally smaller than that of her oval face.
A bit rounder and fuller, after all, the junior sister’s single chin is quite pointed, isn’t it?
A certain noble lady of the Xie family sat upright, her face straightened, and she said in a serious and cold voice:
"But... senior brother, don't talk about him or her, answer junior sister's questions head-on, don't smile playfully, it's not formal, it's a national matter!"
Ouyang Rong curled his lips: "National affairs? That's right, the emperor's family affairs are state affairs... Oops."
Ouyang Rong suddenly stopped speaking mid-sentence, shouted softly, and subconsciously lowered his head to look at his crotch, only having time to catch a trace of vermilion shadow.
"Junior sister, why are you stepping on me?"
He couldn't help but move his eyes upward, and immediately arrested the culprit, which was a small and cute soft-soled hollow brocade boots under the table opposite.
Junior sister likes to wear these kind of high boots. The boots have pointed toes and curve up. They are the masculine Hufu style of women's clothing in the Zhou Dynasty.
Xie Ling Jiang quietly put his right foot away and turned away from his pretty face. Liu Qin didn't recognize him and said: "Be more serious and serious."
In fact, she has always respected her teachers and seniors, but a certain senior brother went too far. When he was serious, he would give you the wrong words, and when he was not serious, he would give you... Wait, she never was not serious.
, let’s not mention this anymore.
Anyway, Xie Lingjiang felt that he had to step on the bottom to overcome the top. Hehe, he had to step on it!
Ouyang Rong bent down and patted the upper part of his shoes, then raised his head to look at the young junior sister who was sitting upright with a straight face, silently remembering in his heart that the upright and well-behaved young junior sister would also secretly be annoyed and scold others.
He calmed down his expression and sighed:
"Young junior sister, you really want to hear my opinion? But what's the use of my opinion? Whether it's the Wei family ascending to the throne, Li Daotao's death, or the Li family winning, changing the dynasty and restoring the throne, it has nothing to do with us."
"How could it be irrelevant..."
Xie Lingjiang hesitated to speak, and finally shook his head, looking away, as if to change the subject and explain:
"Now the people all over the world are discussing the matter of the emperor's heir in private. Just pick a teahouse, order a plate of nuts and snacks, and sit there all afternoon. On the way home for dinner, you will feel that you have gained a lot. You will know the secrets of the royal family better than the officials in the political hall.
There’s more.”
Ouyang Rong laughed.
Xie Lingjiang shook his head:
"I've long been tired of hearing other people's opinions, and I'm not interested in any of them, but I am only interested in Senior Brother... We have been together for so long, but I have never heard Senior Brother express his opinions on the affairs of the country, and never on important matters of home and country.
, always silent, seems clumsy and dull.”
She paused, and then couldn't help but glance at Ouyang Rong who was drinking tea from the corner of her eye. There were some complex colors including admiration and admiration in her eyes:
"The scholars and people of this dynasty have a custom of discussing government affairs and officialdom. It stands to reason that this should be more true for men who enter the officialdom. What man does not want to be a man, worship him as Zhu Ziqing's prime minister, enter the political hall, marry a woman with the fifth surname, and be buried in Bei Qishan.
"
After mentioning a certain word, Xie Lingjiang lowered his eyes slightly and pursed his delicate red lips that were not red but red:
"But Senior Brother has never mentioned these, as if he has never considered them. From the first day when I followed my father and came into contact with Senior Brother, it has been like this. Senior Brother never seems to consider these men of universal value.
My ambition is to only focus on the immediate affairs of Longcheng County, and only think about disaster relief, flood control... and justice for the people of Longcheng."
Ouyang Rong couldn't help but interject:
"You don't have to think about it. Isn't this just a lack of ambition, short-sightedness, short-sightedness, small abilities and short ambitions, and a lack of foresight?"
Ouyang Rong said all the words that could describe his rotten state, and he said them truthfully. However, he was stunned to find that the beautiful eyes of his junior sister were staring at him unblinkingly. She
He said slowly:
"For such men, my father once said that those who remain silent and live in isolation are either great fools or great wisdom."
"Then who do you think I am?"
"stupid."
"Then I'm relieved. Although I don't want to admit it, it is true in some respects." Ouyang Rong nodded.
"Great wisdom is as stupid as fools." Xie Ling Jiang Youyou said.
"..."
"And senior brother likes to pretend to be confused."
Ouyang Rong wanted to reply, but he swallowed it back.
Some things have finally been revealed.
To talk about the current state of the two of them, it should be...
More than friends, not enough lovers.
They are brothers and sisters who are close to each other in most things.
Ouyang Rong thought it was pretty good, although he didn't quite know what the junior sister was thinking. For example, today, she suddenly started to "get into trouble" with him. It was getting harder and harder to guess what the junior sister was thinking...
Ouyang Rong muttered in his heart.
Seeing his senior brother's speechless look, Xie Lingjiang raised the corners of his mouth slightly, then closed them again, casting a worried look:
"Is it because Senior Brother directly admonished Princess Changle and was demoted by the royal staff that he became cautious in his words and deeds, and was not even willing to tell me about it, Junior Sister?"
Xie Lingjiang couldn't help but have a look of distress in his eyes. He was distressed by the terrible disaster that befell his senior brother that time. This tortured a gentleman who dared to speak out and remonstrated with iron bones put away his sharp edges and no longer behaved like this.
He is the same as those enterprising men, perhaps as mature as my father.
But the eldest brother was still young, and what Xie Lingjiang wanted to see more was the eldest brother who was sharp and majestic. She followed him obediently and considerately, looking up at his back.
Seeing that Xie Lingjiang's eyes were getting more and more strange, even though he didn't drink tea, his cheeks were slightly red, and he didn't know what exciting things he thought of.
Ouyang Rong couldn't bear it any longer, so he stopped beating around the bush and asked directly:
"Junior sister, did Xiaomei Su say something to you recently?"
Otherwise, why would you have the same habit of finding people to discuss government affairs like her... Ouyang Rong swallowed and couldn't help but take another look at his junior sister.
"Little sister Su?"
This time it was Xie Lingjiang's turn to be stunned and shook his head, "No."
She seemed to have gained some insight from the huge amount of information revealed in Ouyang Rong's words, and she reacted immediately.
The eldest brother and the Su family sister already know each other? When did it happen? The Su family sister never mentioned it to her.
It was because in the past few days, when she returned to Longcheng County, she often went out to deal with unsolved cases and had little time to meet with the Su family sister, so she didn't have time to mention it.
Or did you not say it on purpose?
A certain junior sister who was particularly protective of her food suddenly became vigilant.
She glanced at the sky outside the door, turned her head towards Ouyang Rong, and said as if impermanent:
"The girl from the Su family said that she really likes chatting with you, senior brother."
"oh……"
Ouyang Rong was just about to nod and say a few words of humility, but the intuition he developed after spending a long time with his junior sister made him shake his head immediately and said:
"Maybe it's because the junior sister is away and has no one to accompany her. This Su family girl is bored in her boudoir. She seems quite talkative, but I'm very busy and don't have much time to deal with it."
Ouyang Rong chuckled and said, "It's okay if she didn't complain to my junior sister. After all, she is Da Lang's sister. I am too embarrassed to refuse to offend her."
"I've never complained." Xie Lingjiang shook his head.
After a pause, she glanced at Ouyang Rong, who spoke in a normal tone, and then added:
"Besides, talking about people behind their back is not an honest act. If she talks about Senior Brother in front of me, I will definitely stop her. But why does Senior Brother ask this? Could it be that he has done something accidentally and is worried that she will complain to me, Junior Sister?"
Ouyang Rong shook his head seriously:
"That's not true. The main reason is that I'm afraid of neglecting others and seeming a bit perfunctory when chatting. By the way, little junior sister, what else did she say to you? Did she share any topics with you that she likes to discuss?"
Facing the senior brother's rhetorical question, Xie Lingjiang was noncommittal and did not answer.
She picked up the cup, took a sip of tea, raised her head and asked proactively:
"During the days when I went to Gezao Mountain, did the girls from the Su family often come to see Senior Brother?"
"We don't talk often, and we don't talk deeply." Ouyang Rong said righteously.
"Oh, really." Xie Lingjiang's tone was as usual, surprisingly gentle: "Then...how did you get to know each other? She took the initiative to find you?"
He immediately explained:
"No, it was a few days ago that I went to the Su Mansion for a banquet at the invitation of Dalang. I met her on the verandah after tea and dinner. She also happened to return the umbrella. By the way, I remember borrowing the umbrella from Donglin Temple.
I think I told you..."
Xie Lingjiang nodded and looked at him sideways.
Ouyang Rong said calmly:
"Then she also asked some questions about your whereabouts, little junior sister. You left in a hurry at that time. It seems that this little girl from the Su family still cares about you. Do you have a good relationship with her, junior sister?"
"It's okay... maybe." Xie Lingjiang hesitated for a moment, then nodded, "Well, it's pretty good."
"That's it." Ouyang Rong smiled.
But what he didn't see was that a plain hand hidden in a sleeve under the table across from him had grasped the hem of the clothes at some point, and those green fingers were twisting the fabric at the corners of the clothes back and forth.
The green onion tangled with the fabric at the corner of the clothes was pointed at the belly. Sometimes it was blue and white without blood, and sometimes it was red...
Naturally, no one knows the little thoughts and tricks of these daughters’ families.
Ouyang Rong only listened to Xie Lingjiang and nodded with a smile, his beautiful eyes looking forward to:
"It's good. I'm not here, so she can take my place to accompany my elder brother. The younger sister of the Su family is also quite nice. She's kind-hearted and a lady. She lives in seclusion. She's not like me, who wears men's clothes all the time and is in public...
"
Ouyang Rong was stunned and immediately interrupted:
"What are you talking about, junior sister? We still have something to talk about because of you, isn't it? It's also because of junior sister that I became casually acquainted with her. I guess she is the same. Occasionally, when we meet and chat, one of the two most popular topics is
We are surrounding our little junior sister."
He looked directly at her and said with a smile: "I learned a lot about my junior sister from her. I didn't expect that my junior sister is very popular outside, but in private life she is quite..."
"What's the matter?" After Ouyang Rong said a few words, Xie Lingjiang, whose mood improved like a flower blooming in the dark willows, couldn't help asking.
"Quite stupid."
"She... why can't she say anything?"
"You're not allowed to say you're stupid?"
"Eldest brother is also very stupid in life and has caused a lot of stupid things." Xie Lingjiang straightened his back, "Aunt Zhen and Wei Lai both told me!"
The two brothers and sisters made fun of each other, and the atmosphere was no longer as weird and strange as before.
Ouyang Rong took the initiative and said to Xie Lingjiang:
"When I was chatting with the Su family girl, there was another main topic. She always beat around the bush and tried to find ways to ask me some questions related to government affairs and inquire about my views on the current situation.
"You are very similar to me, Junior Sister, today, so I asked if Junior Sister asked if this matter was related to Su Xiaomei, after all...
"Junior sister didn't mention it before. I thought that as a descendant of the Xie family in Chen County, she was not interested in it due to the influence of Qingtan Chongxuan's family tradition."
Xie Lingjiang hesitated to speak, but as for the strange thing about Su Guo'er in Ouyang Rong's mouth, she understood the mystery, lowered her voice, and explained in a small way:
"I see, what the Su family's little sister said...is like this. Although she is a girl in a boudoir, she has some masculine qualities and likes to discuss the affairs of the court. Don't blame me, senior brother."
"nothing."
Ouyang Rong blinked at Xie Lingjiang:
"Anyway, I pretend to be deaf and dumb every time, pretending that I don't understand. If she likes to analyze, just analyze. I nod and flatter, and occasionally give her a look of admiration to cheer her up, but there is no way to get rid of me."
"Elder brother is so bad..." Xie Lingjiang couldn't laugh or cry.
Ouyang Rong smiled and his expression gradually turned serious:
"Didn't my junior sister ask, who will win the battle between Liwei and Wei?"
He nodded slightly:
"There are some words, but I only tell you in private, junior sister, and I can't talk to outsiders like them."
For some reason, Xie Lingjiang suddenly realized that the bitter tea that he had just held in his mouth for a long time began to taste a little sweet.
"Elder brother..." Xie Lingjiang stared at Ouyang Rong who was serious about his matter, his teeth and cheeks filled with sweetness.
She looked down at the tea leaves in the cup.
I don’t know whether it’s the joy that comes after all the hardships, or whether my senior brother is very sweet.