No, gentlemen also guard against

Chapter 582: Shortcuts to Merit and Fighting for Favor among Subordinates (The chapter was missed, it has been corrected, please refresh it!)
Merits: 2,708

In a pure white and quiet space, Ouyang Rong's eyes fell on an ordinary small wooden fish.

"Boom-"

The small wooden fish would make a sound from time to time, and every time it made a sound, a digit in the row of cyan and gold numbers suspended above it would jump up a bit.

The sound of wooden fish echoes in the pure white space, with a hint of Zen.

At this moment, Ouyang Rong showed a slight smile.

When I sent my junior sister back to Jingyi Court after the quick communication last night, I only had a little over 1,900 merit points.

In one night, the price increased by nearly eight hundred.

Among them, taking the embroiderer to the Lantern Festival, and subsequently "passing by the bathroom door without entering" and watching her fall asleep, probably increased the merit points by nearly 200.

The remaining 600 merit points are more difficult to distinguish.

For example, the praise and admiration that a poem "Qingyu'an·Yuan Xi" brought overnight:
From Prince Li Xian, Princess Wei Mei, his mentor Xie Xun, Xie Xue'e and so on, and possibly even the little princess Li Guoer who acted with him at the Lantern Festival banquet.

The merit points brought by these close people are quite a lot. It seems that he may have underestimated the terrifying influence of this "No. 1 Lantern Festival Poem".

Coupled with the series of crisp wooden fish sounds that suddenly rang in my ears just now, the merit value increased by about 100.

Ouyang Rong pondered for a moment and couldn't help but think of the grandfather and grandson who were outside the lantern riddle corridor last night.

This small increase in merit points of one hundred most likely came from them.

Of course, it could also be from Pei Shisan Niang. After this operation on the mandarin duck jade hairpin, this beautiful woman may have become more and more convinced by him.

Anyway, that’s pretty much it.

It is foreseeable that with the spread of this poem "Qing Yu'an Yuan Xi", it will be possible to gain a wave of merit points in the following period of time.

It can be regarded as a stable growth point in a short period of time, similar to the recent fame of "On Chrysanthemums" and "On Teachers" in Luoyang.

Although the fame of this type of poetry is less, the quantity is huge.

There will always be people who, because of the fame of these poems, turn their attention to the poets behind them and develop a favorable impression of them.

In particular, the four words "Ouyang Lianghan" are also associated with the character of a gentleman.

Whether it was the initial remonstrance at the risk of his life, or the recent refusal to obey the imperial edict, these are all glorious deeds.

People who originally didn't pay much attention to it, after hearing about it, all gave a thumbs up.

Those who already know the story can search their memories again, review it again, and deepen their favorable impression.

And with this good first impression, if you also fully agree in your heart that he is speaking up for the people, and show gratitude and respect for him... then the merit points will come, right?

So it is still important to have a good reputation.

Ouyang Rong had not previously been interested in the title of "gentleman" that was famous all over the world.

This is because they know very well that maintaining this kind of fame and persona requires a huge investment and is restrictive.

After all, he is different from his original self, and what he has to do cannot be simply defined by the four words "gentleman".

And if you are not careful, it is easy to suffer backlash.

Throughout history, those who created gods and those who destroyed gods were actually the same people...

Having said that, now that I’ve tasted the sweetness of fame, to be honest, it’s really “really good”.

Just as he was thinking for a while, the small wooden fish rang about thirty times.

[Merit: 2,708]... [Merit: 2,742]

Ouyang Rong shook his head and his consciousness left the Merit Tower.

"It's fun, once or twice is fine, but you can't do it every day. After all, it's not as solid as the Zheyi Canal and Xunyang Grottoes..."

He lowered his eyes and adjusted the crimson cuffs of his official uniform.

Moreover, just now in the Supervisory Council, Rong Zhen was surprised again by his literary talent because of his Lantern Festival poem, but Ouyang Rong brushed it off. He asked her seriously: "What does the palace urn do with me, Ouyang Lianghan?"

But secretly he wiped a sweat, thinking that if he plagiarized more often, Rong Zhen might ask him for his own poems again one day.

Madam Historian, although she trusts him as her close comrade-in-arms, she cannot be so rude to him every day, right?
Ouyang Rong closed his eyes and rested while riding in a carriage. Just as he arrived near Xingzi Lake, he was found by Yan Liulang.

"Mingsir, Wang Caozhi is looking for you."

"Where are the people now?"

"It's right by Xingzi Lake, not far from...that yard. But Madam Pei helped you stop him."

"How did he find this?" Ouyang Rong asked, opening his eyes.

"It's all Yuan Changshi's fault. Wang Caozhi went to Jiangzhou Hall to look for you. Yuan Changshi said that you have been busy with the mess in Xingzifang these past two days. You were either at the Xingzi Lake construction site or at Chengtian Temple... so Wang Caozhi came over."

"I really thank him, okay."

Ouyang Rong sighed and ordered the carriage to turn in another direction.

……

In a luxurious carriage next to the Xingzi Lake construction site.

Pei Shisan Niang and Wang Caozhi sat face to face in a quiet atmosphere.

Wang Caozhi occasionally lifted the car curtain and looked at the lake outside the car. After waiting for a quarter of an hour, he couldn't help asking:

"Sister Pei, what is my brother-in-law busy with?"

Pei Shisanniang lowered her eyes and did not look at the short, sweet-talking young man:
"How can I ask about your whereabouts, but don't worry, it's official business that concerns the welfare of the people. Shopkeeper Wang, just wait patiently. We, the subordinates, don't ask to share your worries, but we can't make things worse either."

Upon hearing this, Wang Caozhi frowned and nodded seriously:

"That's right, dear sister." The beautiful woman sat up straight, her round and smooth red lips slightly parted: "As long as Manager Wang understands."

"Of course I understand. I fully understand. I will continue to understand."

Wang Caozhi smiled and nodded, looking at Pei Shisan Niang in front of him, and agreed readily, but he curled his lips in his heart... You've only been transferred for a few days, and you're calling me Young Master and you don't even address me by your title. Why are you pretending to be so familiar with my brother-in-law in front of me?
"correct."

Wang Caozhi pointed out the window and asked with concern:
"Sister Pei, I heard that Governor Wang and Lord Lin died tragically at the foot of the Buddha that day. I hope that didn't scare you. It seems that the vice president of your Chamber of Commerce also died. He should have had a good relationship with Sister Pei. Hey, life is unpredictable. Sister Pei, please accept my condolences..."

Hearing Wang Caozhi's extremely sincere comfort, Pei Shisanniang's lips twitched and she looked straight ahead, as if she didn't hear it.

"How can you comfort someone like that? Don't mind it, Madam Pei. It's just like that. He just talks nonsense occasionally."

Ouyang Rong got on the carriage.

Wang Caozhi and Pei Shisan Niang immediately behaved themselves, and greeted him respectfully.

"Son."

Pei Shisan Niang covered her chest with one hand, bowed and saluted, and said calmly: "Manager Wang has been waiting here for a long time. By the way, has the young master finished his work?"

"Hmm." Ouyang Rong sat down.

"Then I'll take my leave first." Pei Shisan Niang observed the expressions on the faces of the people and took the initiative to leave.

"it is good."

Watching Pei Shisanniang get off the car and walk away, Wang Caozhi immediately muttered:
"Brother-in-law is really nice to this merchant lady. He didn't even bother to look into her eyes. Hey, brother-in-law, I heard that this kind of experienced lady knows how to please a young man, especially she is very experienced in that aspect. But she is just acting after all. How can she be as sincere as a young lady..."

Ouyang Rong smiled:
"Don't worry, I don't agree with you."

"..."

Wang Caozhi's expression changed slightly, but he calmed down after a while, and waved his hand with a cheerful smile as usual:
"Haha, brother-in-law, you're joking. By the way, since brother-in-law has accepted this woman and seems to trust her, let's get her to join us and let her invest in Xunyang Grottoes..."

Ouyang Rong glanced at Wang Caozhi, who was worrying about him and giving him advice.

She smiled gently and nodded along with his words:

"Then let's do as you say. I didn't have this idea originally. It kind of breaks the first-come-first-served rule. After all, I have to get the consent of you elders. But now it seems that everyone is very open-minded, so then..."

Wang Caozhi's smile froze for a moment, and he immediately shook his hands and sighed in embarrassment:

"Haha, brother-in-law, you're joking. No... But of course I have no objection. It's mainly because of some stubborn and conservative brothers..."

"Okay, no kidding."

Ouyang Rong interrupted and said lightly:
“From now on, Madam Pei will be mainly responsible for the renovation of the old house in Xingzifang and will not interfere with the Xunyang Grottoes. You will be in charge of the statue-making in the Xunyang Grottoes.

"When you come to Xunyang City this time, don't leave. You are helping me. Sometimes I may not be at the Xunyang Grottoes. You are responsible for handing over to Ms. Rong and others and promoting the statue making..."

"Good good."

Wang Caozhi suddenly showed a look of delight.

Originally, the initial capital for the construction of Xunyang Grottoes was provided by a dozen grain merchants from Jiangnan, including Ouyang Rong and Wang Caozhi, who were considered the initial shareholders.

However, Wang Caozhi and others initially regarded the Xunyang Grottoes as a political achievement to maintain their friendship with Ouyang Rong, and as a future investment for this promising young official.

Who would have thought that the Donglin Buddha would become so important later? A long time ago, Wang Caozhi was ready to put aside the affairs of his business and come to "assist" Ouyang Rong.

Unfortunately, Lin Cheng intervened later and changed the site to the Big Buddha. He asked Pei Shisanniang and other Yang merchants to raise money again. Wang Caozhi and others felt regretful, but no one could have imagined that there would be a reversal soon...

Now that the Xunyang Grottoes have been restarted and have received strong support from the court, Wang Caozhi came to assist his "good brother-in-law" without saying a word.

Ouyang Rong's face was calm. He certainly knew the source of his old subordinates' hostility towards Pei Shisan Niang, the "newcomer".

After comforting Wang Caozhi, Ouyang Rong waved his hand:

"Then you go and get busy first."

"No, no, I'm just going to chat with my brother-in-law for a while. I finally waited until he was free."

The short young man asked with a sincere expression:
"Oh, brother-in-law, I see there are so many vacant lots in Xingzifang. Are you going to give them all to Madam Pei? Ahem, I actually have some experience in managing residential land. Can I..."

Ouyang Rong glanced sideways.

Good man, just now he was on guard against Mrs. Pei's sharing of the cake, and now he's turning around and sharing her cake, right?

Ouyang Rong listened in silence for a while, then under Wang Caozhi's expectant gaze, he slowly spoke:
"That makes sense... In principle."

Wang Caozhi was delighted when he heard the first sentence, but the second sentence made his heart sink to the bottom.

"Good brother-in-law..." he shouted eagerly.

Ouyang Rong patted him on the shoulder:

"First, we should finish the tasks at hand. Xunyang Grottoes is the most important thing. We can't be distracted. There is no need to rush for Xingzifang. It will definitely be slower than the Donglin Buddha. After the Donglin Buddha is completed, we can reconsider it..."

"Ok."

Ouyang Rong's words made sense, and Wang Caozhi couldn't ask for anything more, otherwise he would be ignoring the overall situation.

But soon, his face brightened up. At least the "good brother-in-law" had spoken. If the Donglin Buddha was successfully built in the Xunyang Grottoes, and the "good brother-in-law" was happy, what if "in principle it is possible" changed to "in principle it is not possible"? He still kept his word.

There is a lot of hope!
Wang Caozhi is ready to go.

"Brother-in-law is busy now, so I'm leaving first. By the way."

Before getting off the bus, he looked back and muttered:
"Brother-in-law, I really don't like that. Don't listen to those rumors... But if you insist on communicating, I have a friend..."

"..."

Ouyang Rong was speechless and waved his hands impatiently. Wang Caozhi left with a laugh.

The car fell silent. After reconciling the conflict of interests and painting a big picture for the people below, he turned his head and looked over at the quiet courtyard...

(End of this chapter)