"Others say you are a gentleman. I am very curious. With so many things going on in Xunyang City these days... have you ever had selfish motives?"

Ouyang Rong nodded without hesitation: "Yes."

"for example?"

"Can you be more specific?" He shrugged helplessly.

"good."

Rong Zhen nodded, looked straight at him with lowered eyelids and said:

"Take the most recent one, for example, Jiangzhou Hall was asked to promote the construction of low-rent housing in the suburbs, and in the end, Huang Xuan's father, Huang Feihong, was placed there. Is there any selfish intention?"

"Yes." Ouyang Rong nodded and admitted.

Rong Zhen's expression remained unchanged and he continued to ask:

"Go forward, dig the peaks of the twin peaks, and push forward the construction of Xunyang Grottoes against all opinions. Is there any selfish intention?"

"Yes." He sighed.

Rong Zhen also asked: "Going a step further, did you have any selfish intentions when you first built the Broken Wing Canal in Longcheng to benefit the people?"

When Ouyang Rong heard this, he smiled and nodded:

"There are some."

"Okay, very honest."

Rong Zhen stared at him honestly for a while, then slowly asked:

"Then...where is the public spirit?"

"Yes." After a pause, Ouyang Rong couldn't help but add another sentence: "It can't be."

It seemed to mean the same thing, but Rong Zhen's eyes were a little moved. He looked away, took a deep breath, and then asked:

"Then let me ask you, are these things more selfish or public?"

Ouyang Rong looked calmly, and did not answer more or less, but instead answered in order:

"Private first, then public."

Rong Zhen pursed her lips:

"Who is older and who is younger?"

"Private and public."

"Choose one of the two."

"Elect the public."

"Aside from clichés, why?"

"What is private is temporary, what is public is eternal."

Ouyang Rong did not pause and his logic was clear:

“A moment is one moment for one person, and an eternity is one moment for millions of people.

“Between public and private matters, why should we choose one and disparage the other?

"Public and private are not always in opposition. I believe that selfishness is the selfishness of one person, while publicity is the common selfishness of millions of people.

"Let one's selfish desires closely follow the selfish desires of millions of people and work for everyone. This is a public person."

Rong Zhen didn't know when he got up, but he had already turned around and looked at Ouyang Rong.

She listened with a somewhat dazed expression.

There seemed to be some kind of light brewing in his eyes.

The atmosphere between the two of them was silent for a long time.

"Is there no conflict between the public and the private? So Ouyang Lianghan, do you want to be this kind of public person? What about... the private person?"

She thought of something, her tone seemed a little low, and she asked and answered herself:

"Is it going in the opposite direction, using the selfish desires of one person and one family to represent the selfish desires of tens of thousands of people and families?"

Ouyang Rong nodded and said softly: "So all the people and families in the world have become her fuel."

"I see."

Rong Zhen stood up, lowered his head and quietly put away the dishes and chopsticks he had finished eating, while whispering softly:

"Take the current Xunyang Grottoes and the construction of Buddha statues as an example. When the... imperial court announced the construction, the scholarly debate was heated, and various states and places opposed it.

"Ouyang Lianghan, you were one of the first to respond to the imperial court and even appease thousands of scholars at the Temple of the Holy Master, because you think that selfishness can coexist with publicity, right?

"And the prerequisite for these is the conditions you agreed to in public with the people of Jiangzhou. It will not waste people or money, and it can also control water and attract business. It will be of great benefit to Jiangzhou."

Ouyang Rong nodded, looking a little embarrassed and said:

"Unfortunately, it has also resulted in the postponement now, which makes you worry."

Rong Zhen seemed not to hear and continued to talk to himself:

"There is also the matter of low-rent housing. Ouyang Lianghan, as a benefactor, you should rule out Huang Xuan's ungrateful stabbing of you that day. You should have wanted to help Huang Xuan's family before, but you are not limited to helping only one family.

It is based on the selfishness of each household, but it has been promoted and benefited thousands of households, Huang Xuan's family is just one of them... By the way, there is also the Zheyi Canal..."

The girl in palace attire had a calm expression, and while she was collecting the dishes and chopsticks with her sleeves rolled up to reveal the big bowl, she was counting them one by one.

After listening silently for a while, Ouyang Rong couldn't help but ask:

"That's right, it's pretty much the same, but... Rong Zhen, from what you said, you seemed to have been too entangled in the distinction between selfishness and publicity.

"Not only for me, but also for the people around me. It seems that as long as there is a little selfishness, it will never be regarded as a public person. Why is this? Can you elaborate on it?"

Rong Zhen ignored him and didn't answer.

Ouyang Rong coughed to relieve his embarrassment. After thinking for a while, he took the initiative and said:

"Actually, in addition to what you analyzed, my selfish motives are a little... special."

"What's special?" Rong Zhen asked.

"It's a bit hard to describe. Well, you can understand it this way. Doing these public things can... make me happy and feel happy, as if I have gained something."

"Happy harvest?" She frowned and muttered.

Seeing this, Ouyang Rong reorganized his words and said with a very sincere face:

"Well...it's like this. My mother and aunt both believe in Buddhism. I have a little bit of it. I believe that doing good deeds can accumulate merit. Well, that's it. Yes, it's better for people to accumulate more merit. At critical moments... maybe... If you can be blessed, you can save your life."

Ouyang Rong paused in his words because he found that Rong Zhen looked at him as if he was speechless.

It seems to be asking, you, a Confucian scholar who reads books about sages, still believe this stuff.

However, the current trend of the Daqian and Zhou dynasties is that the three religions of Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism are integrated into one in folk temples. It is normal for some people to study the three religions at the same time and integrate them...

She didn't think much, nodded and admitted, murmuring:

"The Ouyang family of Nanlong is really a family that has accumulated good deeds, and there will definitely be more happiness."

Ouyang Rong said casually: "The same goes for your family."

Rong Zhen suddenly frowned and looked at him with a strange look on his face.

"What's wrong? Did I say something wrong somewhere?"

Ouyang Rong touched his face and asked curiously.

"It's okay. I'd like to lend you some good advice. I have something to do, so I won't send you off and I'll leave."

After packing all the dishes and chopsticks into the food box and stuffing them into Ouyang Rong's arms, Rong Zhen turned and left the hall.

Ouyang Rong heard that she walked out of the door against the sunshine outside, and coldly said:

"I just forgot to mention that the news Miaozhen brought this morning, apart from what I mentioned before, there is one more thing."

"Is there anything else?" He frowned: "Why do you talk so incoherently?"

Rong Zhen's emotionless voice came from the door:

"After weighing it up with the supervisors of Si Tianjian, Grand Siming selected a Lingtai Lang to be sent to Jiangzhou to assist me in investigating the owner of Die Lianhua to ensure the smooth completion of the Great Buddha!

"Lingtai Lang will accompany the envoy... to Jiangzhou together. You can make preparations together."

Ouyang Rong raised his eyebrows slightly.

"Ling Tailang?"

He couldn't help but glance at the indifferent back of the girl in palace clothes leaving.

It seems that a certain female historian was not happy this morning not just because of him...
Chapter completed!