Chapter 282 Cousin (Two chapters in one)
Zhao Shiqing hasn't seen Xiao Zhen for several days.
These days, Xiao Zhen came at midnight and left at dawn, perfectly staggered with Zhao Shiqing.
Going up the mountain at night is dangerous and tiring. Zhao Shiqing knows that Xiao Zhen doesn't have to go back to the mountain. The reason he comes back every night is to let her know that he is safe.
Therefore, although they couldn't meet, Zhao Shiqing felt sweet in her heart every time she thought of him.
As for Zhao Xingzhou, he was so busy and tired that he didn't even know Xiao Zhen had come back. He almost forgot that he had a grandson.
But tonight, Zhao Xingzhou met Xiao Zhen.
Xiao Zhen came back earlier than usual. He came back as soon as it got dark, and even had dinner with Zhao Xingzhou and Zhao Shiqing.
Xiao Zhen brought dinner from outside, a few sesame cakes and two pickled pig ears.
Zhao Shiqing was surprised: "Hey, where did you buy the sesame cakes? Are there any shops selling them now? And these pig ears, I haven't eaten them for a long time."
There is only dried meat on the mountain. Cooking it with porridge makes it taste meaty and nutritious, but the taste is no match for the well-marinated pig ears.
The same is true for Zhao Xingzhou. He used to be a vegetarian, but later he started eating meat again. It might be because of the bad memories of his vegetarian period, plus he had been hungry when he went to Wu, so he has preferred meat in the past two years. If the imperial physician had not asked him to control himself, he would have wanted to eat meat and fish every meal. He has ignored the idea that one can only be a vegetarian when cultivating immortals.
But since he arrived in the mountains, the only meat he could eat, apart from eggs, was the dried meat he occasionally saw in the porridge.
He buried his head in eating, taking a bite of pig ear and a bite of sesame cake, and ate with relish!
Xiao Zhen looked at him and thought that this might be the first time in the life of the emperor that he had eaten pig ears.
Xiao Zhen really underestimated the emperor. There were indeed no pig ears in the palace, but he had eaten them when he went out for a walk. He had eaten pig heads, pig ears, and pig noses, and he loved them all!
Xiao Zhen answered Zhao Shiqing's question, "The sesame cakes are made in the Huang family's kitchen. The chef originally ran a food store, and his specialties were sesame cakes and braised dishes. He took refuge in the village, but he wasn't idle either, working in the kitchen with his son and daughter."
In order to please the Fourth Prince, Prefect Qian asked him to make some sesame cakes and some braised dishes. However, no one expected that the Fourth Prince would look down upon these coarse foods and directly gave them to the eunuchs.
Eat without worry, I didn't snatch these from the eunuchs, I took them out before I gave them to Prefect Qian to deliver to the Fourth Prince."
Zhao Xingzhou had been enjoying his meal, but after hearing this, he finally put down his chopsticks. "Now the common people can't even get meat, and that evil guy actually dares to despise it. His good days are over."
Xiao Zhen smiled: "That's why I still need you to take action."
"Go out as a horse? I'm a Taoist, I don't practice horse-riding."
Xiao Zhen......
"Then if he sold the disaster relief grain from the Huiji Warehouse for 500,000 taels of silver, would you be interested in this?"
Hearing the three words "Hui Ji Cang", Zhao Xingzhou's consciousness finally returned little by little.
I remember now, that's what happened.
Xiao Zhen said that he wanted to dig a hole and let that evil guy jump into it.
Alas, I have been too busy these days and forgot about this.
"Is it done?" Zhao Xingzhou looked at Xiao Zhen.
Xiao Zhen nodded: "Okay, but he is a prince after all."
"Prince? Is he worthy?" Zhao Xingzhou had been with Aunt Sun these days and had learned a lot of swear words (all of which were used by Aunt Sun to curse him). If Zhao Shiqing was not around, he would definitely learn them and use them on the spot to curse.
Alas, my adopted granddaughter is still a little girl, so I'd better be patient and not swear at her.
"What? Are you scared?" He glared at Xiao Zhen.
Xiao Zhen smiled bitterly: "My grandson has no official position and is now just a dead man."
Zhao Xingzhou snorted coldly, "Go and take him down tomorrow. Don't worry, I'll back you up. I want to see who dares to stop us."
Zhao Shiqing got anxious when he heard this: "If you want to go down the mountain, who will take care of the child?"
Zhao Xingzhou was stunned. Yes, who will take care of the child?
"How about asking Xiuxiu to help?"
In fact, there are a few old men and women who are a bit idle on the mountain, but Zhao Xingzhou doesn't want them to take over the shift. What if those people cheat and occupy the positions?
Let's leave it to Xiuxiu. Xiuxiu is careful and gentle. Most importantly, the girl is shy and will definitely not take his job.
Zhao Shiqing had no objection: "Okay, go talk to Xiuxiu yourself, she's usually very busy."
"Okay, okay, I'll go talk to her right away."
Zhao Xingzhou left as soon as he said he would. After a few steps, he came back and took a pancake: "This is for Xiuxiu."
Looking at his back, Xiao Zhen was confused: "Does he want to come back and continue to take care of the child?"
Zhao Shiqing spread her hands. She didn’t know either. Is this person addicted to taking care of children?
Xiao Zhen sneered, "He has never been a responsible person. When he was young, Empress Dowager Qi made plans for him. Before her death, she left him several loyal ministers, allowing him to have the leisure to practice Taoism. When the Crown Prince died, the situation in the court was unstable. Instead of eliminating the treacherous officials and rectifying the court, he chose to abdicate and ran away to Changshou Palace to live in seclusion.
The only serious work he's done in his life is probably taking care of the children in the mountains these past few days."
Zhao Shiqing couldn't help but chuckle. Yes, what Xiao Zhen said made a lot of sense. This was probably the only time in his life that the emperor had to rely on himself to do things.
"He's a good parent. Although he makes mistakes frequently, he's very gentle with them and tells them stories from books, which Auntie Sun doesn't do. So the children like him very much."
Xiao Zhen smiled and shook his head: "He used to like children, but only grandchildren. He wasn't even interested in looking at us grandchildren."
Zhao Shiqing stood on tiptoe and reached out to touch the top of Xiao Zhen's head: "My love-deprived child, I love you."
Xiao Zhen grabbed her hand and said, "Sister? We are cousins now. I am your cousin and you are my cousin."
Zhao Shiqing glanced at him sideways: "Cousin? The kind from the storybooks?"
The two were very close. He held her small hand and pulled it gently, forcing her slender waist close to him. The girl's faint fragrance came to his face. Xiao Zhen's ears felt numb and his heart was burning.
"As your cousin, I only have eyes for you. Is that also true in the storybook?"
Zhao Shiqing's pretty face flushed slightly, but she still said stubbornly: "In the storybooks, the cousins all fall in love with a scholar, and some fall in love with an actor. Although the cousins are heartbroken, they still protect their cousins as always."
Xiao Zhen asked hurriedly, "What about you? Do you have a favorite scholar?"
Zhao Shiqing sighed, "When I was young, I didn't like studying, so my teacher complained to my master. He chased me all over the mountains with a ruler. That's when I thought, 'One day, when I'm powerful enough, I'm going to blow up the school, scare the teacher away, and drive all the students who are good at studying and academics out to raise chickens and ducks.'"
Xiao Zhen smiled and asked, "How old were you then?"
"Before the age of ten." Zhao Shiqing said.
Xiao Zhen regretted it. When Zhao Shiqing was ten years old, he already owned Fanghe Mountain. If he had known that there was such a little cutie in the Baihe Mountain next door, he would definitely have come to Fanghe Mountain.
Unfortunately, he has owned Fanghe Mountain for ten years but has never been there.
"Have you ever liked actors?" Xiao Zhen asked again.
Zhao Shiqing thought for a moment and said, "I've liked one before."
Xiao Zhen's heart suddenly tensed for no reason. He asked, "Is this the one who sings the role of Xiaosheng? You don't like the role of Shusheng, so this one is the one who sings the role of Wusheng?"
Zhao Shiqing shook his head. "His name is Mo Hou'er. He performs monkey opera. He's very famous in Liang. Every New Year, my father would have him perform at the palace. I'm the only one in the family who likes to watch him perform. He imitates monkeys very well and looks like a monkey too. He's really good-looking."
Xiao Zhen really couldn't imagine how good-looking a person who looked like a monkey could be.
"Is he still singing now?" Xiao Zhen decided to write down this name and invite him to the capital later, or simply buy his troupe and let him perform for Zhao Shiqing every day.
Zhao Shiqing was a little sad. "Mo Hou'er died two years ago. He was doing a somersault on stage and collapsed, never to get up again. He wasn't at the party in the mansion that year. That's when I found out he was dead. I even went to send some silver to his family."
Xiao Zhen didn't expect that what he said would actually make Zhao Shiqing sad. He hurriedly said, "Cousin, believe it or not, I can do somersaults too. If you want to see it later, I'll show you, okay?"
Zhao Shiqing was about to nod. She hadn't even seen Xiao Zhen do a somersault yet, when she heard a familiar voice from behind: "What are you two doing?"
They both turned around and saw Zhao Xingzhou's eyes on their clasped hands.
"How can you behave like this? You are brother and sister!"
Xiao Zhen let go of Zhao Shiqing's hand and said unhappily, "Cousins, or the kind that aren't blood-related."
Zhao Xingzhou was stunned. Okay, I remember now. One is Jiayi's biological son, and the other is Ruyi's goddaughter. These two are indeed not biological siblings.
He pointed at Zhao Shiqing and said, "Your surname is Zhao, and your name is in the clan register. You are a daughter of the royal family."
He pointed at Xiao Zhen again and said, "Your last name is Xiao. The Xiao family has had a princess once, which is a blessing earned through several lifetimes. Do you still want to have a second one? Dream on!"
He doesn't like the Xiao family, not at all.
Marrying Jiayi to the son of the Xiao family was already his limit. Now the Xiao family wanted to marry the daughter of the Zhao family, but he didn't agree!
Zhao Shiqing rolled her eyes. "My biological father, mother, and grandfather all agree. My adoptive father agrees too. Your opinion doesn't count. Lulululu!"
"Your biological parents and your adoptive father are all dead. How do you know they agreed? Did they appear in your dreams?"
Having said that, Zhao Xingzhou didn't believe that they would really send Zhao Shiqing a dream. Only someone with immortal roots like me can receive a dream from the ancestor.
Zhao Shiqing said confidently, "I personally asked for their opinions in front of their tablets. They didn't object. If they didn't object, that means they agreed. They agreed!"
Zhao Xingzhou: If they opened their mouths to object, you would probably be scared to death.
Xiao Zhen: It turns out that she has already asked them. She values me in her heart.
When it comes to quarreling, ten Zhao Xingzhous can’t beat Zhao Shiqing.
He was so angry that he was gasping for breath. No, no, I have to go back and talk to Ruyi when I see her. And I have to say hello to Prince Liang about the Prince Liang's Mansion. How can the daughter raised by the Zhao family be given to someone surnamed Xiao for nothing?
If the two of them succeed, it will mean that the royal family and the Xiao family will be married for the second time, which will give face to the Xiao family!
no!
Zhao Shiqing didn't care whether he was happy or not. She pulled Xiao Zhen to another place to talk in private, leaving Zhao Xingzhou alone here to enjoy the mountain breeze.
The next morning, Zhao Xingzhou and Xiao Zhen, the grandfather and grandson who disliked each other, went down the mountain together.
At this time, the Fourth Prince was still sleeping. Ever since he was disgusted by those floating corpses that day, his appetite has been poor.
Fortunately, the hawthorn cake sent by the rich prefect was appetizing, otherwise he would have starved himself to death.
He went to bed early for the past two or three days, and fell asleep as soon as his head touched the pillow.
He had never slept so well since the incident at Shiji Mountain. Every night when he lay in bed, he would think of the accident, his father's neglect of him, those who flattered the powerful and looked down on the weak, and the You family who held him back.
But recently, he has been sleeping very well, but he has been dreaming more.
He had already made up his mind that he would rebel, it was just a matter of time. He also understood that even if he didn't rebel now, he would still rebel when the third brother ascended the throne.
Since we have to rebel sooner or later, it is better to rebel early than to rebel passively in the end.
If he rebelled before his father appointed the third son as the crown prince, then the third son would have no chance of becoming the emperor.
Become emperor?
This was something he had not dared to hope for before. Yes, although he could now walk like a normal person, he knew, the imperial physician knew, his father knew, and everyone knew that his two legs were actually different lengths, and he was lame!
For a man like him with a missing limb, there is no other way for him to sit on that chair except to rebel.
The Fourth Prince never went out. He stayed in his room. He used to think about all sorts of things, but now he only thought about one thing.
That is rebellion.
He even thought of the reign title after he ascended the throne.
And there is the You family.
Originally, he only felt disgust towards the You family, disgusted with their greed, selfishness, and unconscious stupidity.
But now, he no longer just dislikes the You family, he also hates them.
The You family, who depended on him like maggots and sucked his blood, actually betrayed him. Who gave them the courage?
If he wanted to rebel, he had to get rid of the You family first.
The Fourth Prince became angrier and angrier, so he called Chen Feng before going to bed.
Chen Feng is his shadow guard.
Each prince has a shadow guard, with as many as eight and as few as four.
There are only four fourth princes, and Chen Feng and his younger brother Chen Lei are two of them.
Chen Lei once committed a crime and the Fourth Prince saved him. From then on, the brothers entrusted their lives to him.
"Chen Feng, you and Chen Lei go back to the capital and kill all three brothers of the You family. This must be done cleanly and efficiently, and no one can suspect the Prince's Mansion."
He is now in Tongzhou, and no one will suspect him if someone from the You family dies.
Chen Feng took the order and left Tongzhou with Chen Lei overnight and headed for the capital.
The Fourth Prince put aside his worries and fell asleep peacefully.
The next day he slept until he woke up naturally. In his dream, Chen Feng and Chen Lei killed the three masters of the You family. The You family was leaderless and in chaos.
The Fourth Prince breathed a sigh of relief. Killing people made him happy, especially killing ungrateful people like the You family.
It’s time for Liu Wang to come back.
At this moment, an eunuch came in hurriedly: "Your Highness, Li Zhenfu is back!"
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