Chapter 272: Signing a Written Agreement (Two Chapters Combined into One)
It started raining again in the evening, and Xiao Zhen had not returned yet, so Zhao Shiqing was worried.
Zhao Shiqing knew what Xiao Zhen was going to do, and she knew even more that what Xiao Zhen was going to do was a dangerous thing.
The so-called life in a dream was probably his previous life.
Therefore, Zhao Shiqing did not stop him, nor did he want to go with him willfully.
The latter is that Xiao Zhen will definitely not take her with him, and the former is something she had thought of a long time ago. This is the knot in Xiao Zhen's heart.
He had been to Tongzhou in his previous life, but he was a step too late. The situation was already hopeless, and all he could do was bring the corrupt officials to justice. However, the people who died would never be able to come back to life.
Zhao Shiqing thought that Xiao Zhen must have blamed himself for many years after that. If he had the ability to foresee the future at that time, if his abilities were stronger, if he had gone there earlier, then things could still be salvaged.
Zhao Shiqing could not empathize with Xiao Zhen's past life, but she was willing to help him make up for the regrets of his past life.
In this life, what he was thinking about most was the Tongzhou flood. He regarded the Tongzhou flood as more important than revenge for himself.
Now he wants to stop those people from enriching themselves, and even though he knows there will be danger, Zhao Shiqing will not stop him.
Before Xiao Zhen arrived, Zhao Shiqing remembered Zhao Xingzhou and asked Ling Bo, "Has Mr. Zhao's accommodation been arranged?"
Ling Bo smiled and said, "He arranged it as soon as he got up the mountain."
Zhao Shiqing nodded. At this moment, Xia Dachuan knocked on the door from outside. Ling Bo went out and came in a moment later: "Second Miss, Mr. Zhao is not in the room."
Zhao Shiqing was startled: "Not in the house?"
It is raining outside again, and this is on the mountain. The sky is getting dark, and the old guy's eyes are blurry. If he is not careful, his feet will slip and he will fall from the mountain. That would be the end of him.
This person is the emperor!
Although Zhao Shiqing was extremely disrespectful to the retired emperor from the bottom of her heart, she had to give the emperor the benefit of the doubt. For Xiao Yueyue's sake, she couldn't let the retired emperor die here.
What's more, Zhao Xingzhou seemed to be traveling alone, so who knows if there were any secret guards following him in the dark. That day in Dongxian Temple, the old man was definitely protected by secret guards.
If he died on the mountain today, not only Zhao Shiqing, but everyone on the mountain would probably be buried with this old madman.
Zhao Shiqing must not be careless.
"Wait, I'll go too, let's look for it together!"
There is a rule on the mountain that after dinner, no one except the patrolling guards can leave the accommodation area without permission. Once discovered, they will be driven down the mountain.
Therefore, now that one person is missing, and it is Zhao Xingzhou, it is a big deal for all the guards.
Fortunately, Zhao Xingzhou did not hide in any cracks or caves. He sat alone on a rock, lost in thought.
Zhao Shiqing asked everyone else to step back, and she tiptoed over and sat down next to Zhao Xingzhou.
"What are you thinking about?" she asked with a smile.
However, Zhao Xingzhou did not enthusiastically call her his goddaughter as he did during the day. He did not even look at her, but just stared at a big tree not far away.
"I thought life in the mountains was hard enough, but I didn't expect that this was how they lived."
Zhao Shiqing understood that this old man was stimulated by chatting with those old country men.
"Those dressed in silk and satin are not silkworm breeders. They grow rice, but they won't even eat millet. I don't think this is a secret."
Zhao Xingzhou finally turned around and looked at her. He opened his mouth and finally squeezed out a sentence: "I just didn't expect it."
Zhao Shiqing chuckled: "It's not that you haven't thought about it, it's that you don't want to think about it."
Zhao Xingzhou's face darkened: "Of course not, I've been to Wudi, where every household has enough food and clothing. I've also been to..."
"You've been to Wu and seen only plenty of food and clothing. But have you ever asked if those well-fed families have daughters in their twenties or even thirty who are still unmarried?"
Zhao Xingzhou was stunned. He didn't understand why Zhao Shiqing mentioned the daughters of those people. These were completely unrelated things. Why did he bring up this?
"What does this have to do with their daughter?"
Zhao Shiqing laughed again: "Those well-fed families you saw in Wu, where did their money come from?"
Zhao Xingzhou blurted out: "Spinning and weaving, of course."
Zhao Shiqing asked, "Who spins and weaves?"
"Of course it's the women in the family..." As soon as he said that, Zhao Xingzhou seemed to have thought of something. He was stunned for a moment and asked subconsciously, "Could it be that some families don't let their daughters get married in order to make money?"
Zhao Shiqing snorted: "Yes, and it's not just a few, it's a lot."
Zhao Xingzhou sighed: "More people means more benefits, which is understandable."
Zhao Shiqing thought of Wan Ruyi. Aunt Wan was such a good girl, but she was imprisoned alive for forty years.
"Yes, there's always a benefit in numbers. Some people, in order to give birth to a son to inherit the throne, would even lock their own daughters in a remote nunnery, forbidding them from seeing anyone and letting no one see them. All she has access to are ancient Buddha statues and a few vegetable plots. Can you understand this?"
The surroundings suddenly became quiet. Zhao Shiqing could clearly hear Zhao Xingzhou's breathing, which became more and more rapid and heavy. In the night, she saw two cold rays of light flashing from Zhao Xingzhou's eyes.
"Who is the person you are talking about?" In stark contrast to his cold gaze, Zhao Xingzhou's voice was unusually calm.
The words were out, and they couldn't be taken back, and Zhao Shiqing didn't want to take them back.
In this world, even for someone like her who grew up in a royal palace, the chance to see the retired emperor is very rare. Moreover, the old man is very old, and the chance to see him will be less and less. Zhao Shiqing does not want to give up this opportunity.
Not only for herself, but also for poor Aunt Wan.
"Who else could it be? Of course it's the one in the palace who has a son who's the emperor but can't become the empress dowager."
Zhao Xingzhou stared at her without blinking, and said word by word: "Concubine Li only has one son, where did the daughter come from?"
It's not a time of chaos. Every time a concubine in the harem was favored and every time she became pregnant were all recorded in the book, so there would be no mistakes. What's more, the births. Concubine Li only gave birth once, to the current emperor, Emperor Yongjia, and they were not twins. How could there be a daughter? This is nonsense.
Zhao Shiqing chuckled, "You watched her give birth without blinking, didn't you? And there was also the midwife who delivered her, and the palace maids and eunuchs who served at the time. How many of them are still alive now? Oh, and those who died, when did they die? Did they die after Concubine Li gave birth, or ten or eight years later?"
Zhao Shiqing was very sure of what he said. If Lao Deng didn't believe him, he could go and check it out. He was not afraid of him checking it out, but he was afraid that he would be afraid of being cuckolded and dare not check it out.
"Why do you say that? What do you know? You are slandering the royal family and making up rumors out of thin air. Your entire family will be executed." Zhao Xingzhou's tone was no longer gentle.
Zhao Shiqing chuckled softly, his tone tinged with sarcasm. "My family never slandered the royal family, nor did we fabricate rumors. We lived our lives honestly, yet we were still wiped out. You ask me why I say this. Of course, I'm not speaking without evidence or hearsay. I dare to say this because I have evidence!"
Zhao Shiqing originally didn't want to say this. She was not a single person. She had a grandfather, the Prince Liang's Mansion, a master, and many friends. She didn't want to implicate them.
But now that things have come to this, Zhao Shiqing doesn't want to hide it anymore. The old man is in her hands, and she still doesn't believe how many secret guards the old man can bring with him. Her forty people are all on the mountain. At worst, they will fight to the death.
"Tell me everything you know." Zhao Xingzhou stared at her, his old eyes wide open.
Zhao Shiqing rolled her eyes. "You want me to tell you? This is a royal secret. Do you understand secrets? You can't just listen to them whenever you want."
Zhao Xingzhou was a little confused, so he suppressed his surprise and said softly, "Good boy, tell your godfather what you know, okay?"
The corners of Zhao Shiqing's mouth twitched: "Who are you godfather? Did I agree?"
Playing the emotional card? No way!
Zhao Xingzhou: "Then tell me, what do you want in exchange for telling me?"
Zhao Shiqing: The opportunity has come!
"Write a written agreement. You must write one that will not be pursued or held accountable for generations to come!"
Zhao Xingzhou: What kind of document is this? Isn't this a golden certificate of immunity from death? No, a golden certificate of immunity from death can also confiscate property and exile. It will not be pursued or held accountable for generations, but even confiscation of property and exile are not allowed.
If it were an ordinary person, the written document could be disregarded, but the emperor emeritus could not do that. His words were golden and would be valid for a long time unless there was a change of dynasty.
Seeing him hesitate, Zhao Shiqing snorted heavily, "I have two fathers, one who gave birth to me and one who raised me. Both are good fathers. Unlike some people, who only have one father, but only give birth to me and don't raise me. No, that father doesn't even know he has a daughter like this. Tsk tsk tsk, he would rather raise sons and grandsons for others, but ignore his own biological daughter."
Zhao Xingzhou's face changed as the four seasons passed by. What did he mean by "only caring about giving birth but not raising the children"? That was too harsh. Oh, and what about raising sons and grandsons for others, etc. What did that mean?
"Okay, isn't it just a piece of paper? I'll sign it!"
Anyway, he is old. When he ascends to heaven, the matter of the document will be handed over to his descendants. He won't be bothered by it if he doesn't see it.
Zhao Shiqing's eyes lit up, Oh hey, it's done.
A written document alone wouldn't be enough; if conditions allowed, she would exchange it for an imperial edict. By the way, does the Emperor's edict count as an imperial edict?
Zhao Shiqing thought to himself, and with quick hands and feet, he pulled Zhao Xingzhou up and walked back.
"Where are we going? Can't we talk here?" Zhao Xingzhou thought this place was great. The mountains and forests were quiet and there was no one around. It was a perfect place to whisper.
Zhao Shiqing: "There's no writing brush, ink, paper, or inkstone here. If you don't sign a document, how can I say anything?"
Zhao Xingzhou: Okay, is this my fault?
Back in the house, Zhao Shiqing ground the ink himself. Zhao Xingzhou hesitated for a long time and then wrote a note.
Zhao Shiqing picked it up, looked at it, and shook her head. This won't do. There's a loophole. This old man is trying to trick her! Tear it up!
Zhao Xingzhou had no choice but to write it again. Zhao Shiqing shook his head again, tore it up and rewrote it.
Zhao Xingzhou wrote seven pieces in total, Zhao Shiqing tore up six of them, and was finally satisfied with the seventh one.
Zhao Xingzhou signed his name and stamped his private seal. Zhao Shiqing took a look and reached out to pull out a hairpin from Zhao Xingzhou's Taoist bun.
This hairpin looks ordinary, but you can tell it is a good thing as soon as you pick it up.
"This hairpin is the proof, so that your descendants won't deny it."
Zhao Xingzhou also wanted to roll his eyes like her. At this moment, he even suspected that this little girl had already known his identity.
"Can you tell me now?" Zhao Xingzhou asked.
Zhao Shiqing pointed at the room and asked, "Are you sure you want to say this here?"
Zhao Xingzhou said, "It was very good there just now."
The old man and the young man returned to the rock and sat side by side. The rain had stopped long ago. In the dark night, the shadows of the trees were hazy and occasionally the chirping of night birds could be heard.
Zhao Shiqing finally spoke, "There was a girl back then. Although she was born into a branch of a wealthy family, her father was only a minor official. She had a lover at the time, but that man already had a wife and children. As a daughter of an official family, she couldn't be a concubine. Her parents forcibly separated them. Not long after, the palace held a selection, and by chance, she entered the palace..."
The surroundings became increasingly quiet. For a moment, Zhao Shiqing couldn't even hear Zhao Xingzhou's breathing. She had no choice but to turn her head to look, worried that the old man would not be able to bear the shock and die.
Fortunately, although the old man's face was ashen, his neck was still strong. Well, as long as his neck was strong, he would not die for a while.
Zhao Shiqing breathed a sigh of relief and couldn't help but stab again: "The favorite concubine likes hooked noses the most. It's a pity that the emperor's nose is not hooked, so the favorite concubine can't like it."
Zhao Xingzhou: You bad girl!
Zhao Shiqing continued, "But the emperor doesn't need to be so upset. Even though he's raising someone else's son, it doesn't count as cuckolding. After all, the son is the son of another man and his wife, not his own. Don't you agree?"
Zhao Xingzhou hummed in a low voice. At this point, this was the only way for him to comfort himself.
"Li...didn't that concubine give birth to a daughter? Where did she raise her?"
Zhao Shiqing sneered: "Wrong, she didn't intend to raise that daughter, she had her daughter strangled to death and thrown away, but her cousin had ulterior motives and secretly kept the child, and raised the child for forty years.
That was a small nunnery. Ha, the girl’s father was a Taoist, but he raised her in a nunnery. It’s interesting to think about it, right?
From childhood to adulthood, the child had never seen anyone except the nun who guarded her. She worked from sunrise to sunset every day, chanting sutras and farming. She had no idea what the outside world was like. She was as innocent as a blank sheet of paper. She had never worn silk or satin, had never tasted delicacies from land and sea, had no jewelry, and had never even worn embroidered shoes. Her best clothes were unpatched monk robes. She didn't know what meat tasted like. She..."
"Enough!" Zhao Xingzhou suddenly shouted loudly, and several night birds were startled and flew away. The little demon who was dozing off behind the rock flew into Zhao Shiqing's arms.
Zhao Xingzhou's gaze fell on Xiao Yao's clear, transparent cat-like eyes. He thought of the innocent girl Zhao Shiqing had mentioned, and a wave of sadness welled up in his heart: "Where is she?"
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