Chapter 002: The Bad Emperor

The living creatures present could be counted on one hand, and the voice obviously did not belong to anyone standing on the shore, so the only one left was the one hiding in the water.

The mermaid's words could be considered extremely disrespectful to the emperor, but Jiang Xun and the two eunuchs were still hurriedly looking for the mermaid, as if they hadn't heard it at all.

Faced with such a strange phenomenon, Zong Zhengxiao was not only not afraid, but also felt a little interested.

"See! He's there!" After looking for a long time, Jiang Xun finally found the mermaid and pointed in that direction excitedly.

As a result, when he turned around, he was met with Zong Zhengxiao's indifferent eyes, which scared him so much that he quickly shut his mouth.

After Rong Yin realized that his whereabouts were exposed, he stopped hiding and swam out directly.

The moment they saw his appearance clearly, the two eunuchs behind Zong Zheng Xiao took a deep breath.

No wonder people say mermaids have a beauty that can captivate the whole city. Even these eunuchs who have no interest in men and have lost their roots can't help but feel their hearts beating fast when seeing such a peerless beauty.

If I could own such a beauty, I would probably wake myself up from laughter even when I was asleep.

This was what the eunuchs who saw the mermaids for the first time thought. Jiang Xun, who had long known how beautiful mermaids were, hated them to the core.

If the mermaid had not been given to Zong Zhengxiao, but had been kept by King Jing, even if he could not eat the meat, he would have been satisfied just to drink some of the soup.

God knows he once accidentally touched the arm of a mermaid, and the bewitching touch still makes him linger on it to this day.

Jiang Xun glanced at Rong Yin stealthily, his eyes were greedy and obscene.

But when he thought of King Jing's current situation, Jiang Xun could only swallow his resentment and smiled flatteringly at Zong Zhengxiao: "Your Majesty, I wonder if you are satisfied with this merman?"

Zong Zhengxiao did not respond to Jiang Xun. He stared at the beautiful mermaid in the corner of the pool. He heard the strange voice again: What are you looking at! If you look again, I'll poke your eyes out!

On the surface, the mermaid has a blank expression, clear and innocent eyes, and his lips don't even move, but who would have thought that there is such a ferocious side beneath his simple appearance.

Zong Zheng Xiao curled his lips and smiled meaningfully.

"Let him come over." Zong Zhengxiao said to Jiang Xun.

Seeing that Zong Zhengxiao was interested in the mermaid, Jiang Xun quickly took out a bell and shook it towards Rong Yin a few times, saying to Zong Zhengxiao, "This mermaid cannot speak human language and can only be driven by the sound of the bell."

"Can't speak human language?" Zong Zhengxiao wanted to laugh. If he hadn't heard this mermaid scolding people, he would have believed it.

The pool was not actually very spacious. Rong Yin heard the conversation between Jiang Xun and the emperor, as well as the sound of bells.

Mermaids are not born with the ability to act upon the sound of bells; this ability was only achieved after the original owner was beaten countless times.

The pain, along with the bell sound that sounded like the devil's whisper, was deeply engraved in the original owner's bones. The original owner hated the bell sound, and so did Rong Yin.

However annoying it was, Rong Yin had to obey the ringtone, otherwise it would be easy to expose the fact that she was not the original one.

Rong Yin comforted herself that it was not without benefits to act according to the ringtone. At least pretending that she could only understand the ringtone and not what they were saying could save her a lot of trouble.

The ringtone can only give general direction instructions, but it cannot perform more detailed operations. For example, you can use the ringtone to call him over, but you cannot ask him to come over while holding flowers and singing.

This also means that they will not ask Rong Yin to do anything more complicated. This is good news for Rong Yin, who just wants to spend the rest of this year in peace and retirement.

Rong Yin made a decision and swam towards the direction of the bell, as if he was really called by the bell.

As Rongyin swam, he muttered in his heart: Ah, yes, yes, yes, I can't understand human language, I can only listen to the ringtone~

Rong Yin didn't know that Zong Zheng Xiao had already heard his thoughts clearly.

Zong Zheng Xiao was not a stupid person, he understood immediately that he could hear what was in the merman's mind.

And judging from the situation, I am the only one who can do it at the moment.

This fact made Zong Zhengxiao feel inexplicably happy, but he himself did not realize it.

Rong Yin swam to Zong Zheng Xiao's front. As he got closer, his handsome face became even more captivating. His light blue eyes seemed to contain a pool of spring water, which made Jiang Xun's heart flutter. He couldn't help swallowing.

But Rong Yin didn't even look at him, his attention was completely attracted by Zong Zheng Xiao.

Rong Yin didn't understand what the imperial aura was before, but today he finally saw it. Zong Zheng Xiao was just standing there and doing nothing, but people couldn't ignore his existence.

The aura that permeated him was not gentle, like a sword stained with frost, sharp and piercing, as if one would be hurt just by looking at it.

In addition to his extraordinary bearing, his eyes were also frighteningly cold and fierce, like a ghost walking at night that feeds on human souls, and the bloody aura could not be concealed.

Rong Yin also noticed that Zong Zhengxiao had dark circles under his eyes, probably because he hadn't slept well for a long time. This feature made him look even more gloomy.

Rong Yin thought: This emperor with panda eyes looks like someone who is not easy to mess with. He must love to bully people. If I fall into his hands, I will be doomed.

Zong Zheng Xiao, who heard his inner thoughts, wondered what the panda eyes were.

Ever since he ascended the throne, no one dared to look him in the eye, but this merman not only dared to do so, but also made comments wantonly.

Zong Zhengxiao recalled Rong Yin's words "I'll poke your eyes out if you look at me again" and suddenly had an idea to test how courageous this little mermaid was.

So he leaned down and stared at Rong Yin closely. The distance between them quickly shortened. Zong Zheng Xiao smelled a fragrance he had never smelled before, and his originally dull mind immediately relaxed a lot.

The charming fragrance made Zong Zheng Xiao move closer consciously.

Looking at Zong Zheng Xiao's face which was gradually getting bigger, Rong Yin instinctively shrank back, with a look of panic in his eyes.

Rong Yin: What does this panda emperor want to do?

Rong Yin's inner voice brought Zong Zheng Xiao back to his senses which were confused by the fragrance.

They also call him a panda. What on earth is this panda?

Zong Zhengxiao was thinking, but his eyes were always on Rong Yin. Seeing his confused and panicked expression, Zong Zhengxiao slowly raised his hand and stretched it towards Rong Yin's face.

Jiang Xun became nervous when Zong Zhengxiao approached Rong Yin on his own initiative, but he was afraid of disturbing his interest and being scolded, so he could only keep silent. However, seeing that Zong Zhengxiao was about to take action, it was too late for him to stop him.

"Your Majesty, don't touch it. This mermaid has a fierce personality and may scratch you!"

When Jiang Xun said this, Zong Zhengxiao's hand was about to touch Rong Yin's face, and Rong Yin was about to hide in the water.

After he reminded her, Rong Yin finally reacted. The mermaids were strong and sturdy, and their webbed claws were as sharp as blades. They could easily tear the enemy to pieces. Otherwise, they would not have become the overlords of the seabed.

The original owner was considered a relatively weak species among the mermaids, but in order to capture the original owner, the merchant also lost a lot of his men.

The person in charge of training the original owner was also injured many times. In the end, he had to feed the original owner drugs similar to softening powder and use violence to force the original owner to behave himself.

But now, the effect of the medicine has long worn off. Although his body has become much thinner due to the torture in recent days, Rong Yin still feels that he is full of strength.

Rong Yin suddenly had an idea: If I act a little more fierce, the Panda Emperor will definitely not like to come to my place anymore, and then I will have free time!

"Hiss!" Thinking of this, Rong Yin imitated the original owner, grinning to reveal his sharp teeth, and uttered a low warning with a fierce expression.

"Your Majesty!" Jiang Xun and two eunuchs were terrified and wanted to rescue the emperor, but Zong Zhengxiao reached out and stopped them.

His eyes never left Rong Yin's face, even though Rong Yin's expression was so ferocious that it looked like she would pounce on him and bite him to death in the next second.

Zong Zhengxiao asked, "Si Xi, how did you deal with the black panther that wanted to bite me last time?"

Si Xi immediately replied, "Your Majesty, the black panther was killed, chopped into pieces, and fed to the other animals in the zoo."

As soon as these words came out, Rong Yin's movement of raising his claws froze immediately, and he could no longer maintain his ferocious expression.

Rong Yin: Is it so cruel?

Zong Zhengxiao answered him in his heart: I am so cruel, you want to have a leisure time? Don't even think about it.

From Zong Zhengxiao's eyes, Rong Yin clearly realized that he was not joking, and if she hurt him, she would really be hacked to death.

Rong Yin didn't want to waste the chance of rebirth given to him by heaven, so he wisely restrained his aura and returned to his weak and harmless appearance, not daring to avoid Zong Zheng Xiao's touch.

Jiang Xun and the two eunuchs only thought that Rong Yin was frightened by the murderous aura emitted by Zong Zheng Xiaosan, and did not suspect that he could actually understand human language.

Zong Zhengxiao couldn't help but sneer in his heart. He was indeed a cowardly little merman with sheep's skin and tiger's appearance.

Thinking of Rong Yin's pretending to be fierce just now, Zong Zhengxiao pinched his face hard as if to teach him a lesson. The mermaid's skin is smoother and softer than that of humans, and it feels slightly cool to the touch, and it feels extremely good.

"Ouch!" Zong Zhengxiao's force was too great, and Rong Yin's eyes turned red with pain, and she almost cried out in pain.

Fortunately, he managed to control himself in the end, otherwise his disguise of not being able to speak human language would have collapsed.

Zong Zhengxiao saw that Rong Yin didn't avoid him or curse at him even though he was about to cry in pain, but just looked at him angrily, thinking that he wouldn't be bored for some time in the future.

"Okay, I'll keep this mermaid." Zong Zhengxiao let go of his hand and stood up while speaking, turning his head to glance at Jiang Xun.

Rong Yin quickly covered her face and rubbed it, glared at Zong Zheng Xiao secretly, and then suddenly shrank back into the water.

Jiang Xun had been jealous of Zong Zheng Xiao being able to touch Rong Yin at will, but upon hearing this, he quickly retracted his gaze and knelt down to flatter him, "It is a blessing for this merman to be favored by your majesty. If the prince heard of this news, he would be extremely happy."

Zong Zhengxiao knew what Jiang Xun wanted, but he did not respond immediately. He just said, "The merman has also seen it. Let's go back to the study."

After turning around and taking two steps, Zong Zhengxiao instructed the eunuch beside him: "Tell the manager of the Hundred Beasts Garden to take good care of this merman. If he gets sick or dies, I will only ask him for help."

"I obey your command." Eunuch Sixi lowered his eyes and responded.

After the people left, a few bubbles floated on the water surface and Rong Yin emerged from the bottom of the water.

Zong Zheng Xiao's figure could no longer be seen in the distance. Rong Yin looked in that direction and sighed. It seemed that she would not have an easy year.

*

From the time he came out of the Hundred Beasts Garden and sent Jiang Xun away to the time he returned to Yu's study, during this period of time, Zong Zhengxiao was in a relatively good mood because of the little mermaid.

It was not until he began to handle government affairs that he saw many ministers submitting petitions to him requesting him to expand his harem and expand the royal family.

Zong Zhengxiao threw the memorial away like garbage, sneered, and his face quickly turned gloomy. The palace servants serving in the study lowered their heads in fear. Even Si Xi, who was the most respected in front of Zong Zhengxiao, silently reduced his presence.

Zong Zhengxiao ascended the throne at the age of 25. It has been three years now, and the harem has been empty all this time, and he has never mentioned selecting a beauty.

His father had said before that he wanted to arrange a marriage for him, but he was only interested in building a successful career, so he refused.

After becoming emperor, Zong Zhengxiao no longer had this idea, because he knew that his harem was just another place for the aristocratic families in the court to fight for power. Those concubines were not his concubines, but tools used by the aristocratic families to monitor him.

Before the uprising, the Zong Zheng family was only a small family in the local area and was always looked down upon by the aristocratic families. Even after he became emperor, these aristocratic families still put on airs, thinking that they had a deep foundation and were much more noble than their Zong Zheng family.

But the fact is, because the imperial examination system was prosperous in the previous dynasty, culture was no longer monopolized by the aristocratic families. After a hundred years of development, the strength and influence of the aristocratic families have declined sharply, and they are no longer as glorious as they once were.

In the ten years since the uprising, aristocratic families have also been hit hard. Some rebels ran out of money and food, so they targeted wealthy aristocratic families, killing people, robbing people, and setting fire to their houses. Generations of accumulation were destroyed in one fell swoop. Many wealthy families Hence its decline.

The Zong Zheng family had never done such a thing before, but the aristocratic families did not feel grateful or respectful towards them. Instead, they felt that the Zong Zheng family had a weak background and that the new dynasty had just been established, so they wanted to control the emperor and recreate the glory days when the aristocratic families controlled the royal family and the world.

Over the past three years, Zong Zheng Xiao has vigorously promoted the imperial examinations, selected capable people from among the meritorious officials who followed the Zong Zheng family to build up his own power, and has been dealing with the aristocratic families in the court.

In the previous case of the Protector of the Nation General, outsiders saw it as him punishing a meritorious official after his merit had been fulfilled, but in fact it was just a trap set by the aristocratic family.

Because the general who protects the country is his man, doing so can not only provoke the relationship between him and the meritorious officials, but also stigmatize him.

The general who had correspondence with Zong Zhengqing had already defected to the aristocratic family, and his house was raided in order to suppress the aristocratic family.

In the past three years, there have been more than one or two similar incidents, and many people have died at his hands, so the aristocratic families secretly declared that he was a tyrant.

The task of governing aristocratic families is arduous and long!

Thinking of this, Zong Zhengxiao, who was in a heavy mood, felt a sharp pain in his head and couldn't help but hold his forehead. Long-term insomnia has seriously damaged his body.

Si Xi wanted to call the imperial physician, but was stopped by Zong Zheng Xiao, who said that they were all old illnesses and if they could be cured, they should have been cured long ago.

After that period of time passed, Zong Zhengxiao put aside the memorial urging him to take a concubine and started reading other memorials.

After dealing with government affairs for the entire afternoon, Zong Zhengxiao put down his brush only when dusk fell.

Si Xi stepped forward and asked, "Your Majesty, would you like to have a meal?"

Zong Zhengxiao pinched the bridge of his nose, and suddenly a pair of angry light blue eyes appeared in his mind, and the corners of his lips lifted unconsciously.

"I will have dinner at Jinlin Pond tonight, and I will take this opportunity to see if the little mermaid is behaving well."

Jinlin Pond belongs to the Zoo, where koi were originally raised, and is now Rong Yin's residence.

"Yes, Your Majesty, I will arrange it right away." Eunuch Sixi responded with a smile, and then ordered each department to make preparations.

Zong Zhengxiao is the emperor. Let alone Jin Linchi, even if he wants to sit on the roof to eat, they, the palace servants, can only obey his orders and do their work beautifully.

Rong Yin was playing with bubbles in the pool when she saw a group of palace servants moving things around, lighting lanterns and burning incense, trying to make the quiet garden as lively as a market.