Chapter 013 Finding Lu'e

Rong Yin was stunned for a moment and thought: The bad emperor is not that bad after all. He thought I couldn't understand the language but he still explained it to me.

In fact, Zong Zhengxiao, who had been eavesdropping on Rong Yin's thoughts, said: "..."

I feel guilty.

Soon, this feeling of shame became even stronger, because Rong Yin said again: He really didn't mean to not say goodbye to me, I misunderstood him. Then I was so angry last night that I didn't feel like eating, and I deliberately slept so far away from him. I looked so stupid. Fortunately, Zong Zheng Xiao didn't know the truth, otherwise he would definitely laugh at me.

Zong Zheng Xiao was surprised. It turned out that the little mermaid was not losing her appetite because she missed the girl, but was just being angry with him.

Well, Zong Zheng Xiao took back what he said before about being magnanimous. In fact, the little mermaid he raised was still a little petty, but Zong Zheng Xiao liked his pettiness.

The feeling of guilt was replaced by a sour and unclear emotion. Knowing that the little mermaid cared about him, Zong Zhengxiao was very happy.

The misunderstanding was resolved, and both were very happy, so one accidentally fed too much and the other accidentally ate too much. Looking at the bulging belly of the mermaid, Zong Zhengxiao skillfully held Rong Yin in his arms and rubbed his belly to aid digestion.

Rong Yin leaned on Zong Zhengxiao's shoulder, squinted her eyes comfortably, and her mind became active again.

He thought: The book says that Zong Zhengxiao died of illness after only five years as emperor, so what year is it now? I saw Lu'e yesterday, I wonder if the story of Zong Zhengxiao saving her has come to an end? Lu'e is a good girl who is loyal to the emperor and loves the country, I wonder if my arrival will affect her fate.

Listening to the little mermaid's inner voice, Zong Zhengxiao appeared calm on the surface and continued to rub Rong Yin's belly gently, but in fact, a huge wave of emotions had already been set off in his heart.

The book says? From which book did the little mermaid know his identity and life span? And this girl named Lu'e, it seems that the little mermaid was thinking about her last night, and it seems that he and this girl will have an intersection.

What the mermaid said seemed to be things that would happen in the future. Could it be that he was reading a book that could predict the future?

And judging from the little mermaid's tone, his coming to him must be an accident. He had mentioned before that he was not a mermaid. So what was his identity and where did he come from?

There are more and more mysteries surrounding the little mermaid, and Zong Zhengxiao can only rely on himself to unravel the mystery and find out the truth hidden in the deepest part bit by bit.

While Rong Yin was taking a nap, Zong Zhengxiao went to the side hall and found Si Xi, asking him to check who the little mermaid had met yesterday and bring them all over.

This was not a difficult task. Soon, the palace maids who served in the palace yesterday and Lu'e who went to clean appeared in front of Zong Zhengxiao.

The palace servants were trembling with fear, not knowing what the emperor had called them to do. They were all trying to think carefully about whether they had seen or heard any secrets recently that they shouldn't know, fearing that they would be killed to silence them.

Lu'e, who was standing among them, had a pale face, not because she was afraid that the emperor would kill her, but because her knees hurt so much that she could hardly stand.

Lu'e has been beautiful since she was a child. Her father wanted her to become a phoenix and then the whole family would rise to prosper.

When the previous dynasty was overthrown and the new dynasty was just established, the emperor Zong Zhengxiao's harem was empty. Her father wanted to send her to a beauty pageant, but Zong Zhengxiao had not thought about getting married and having children for three consecutive years. Seeing that she was about to turn sixteen, her father gritted his teeth and sent her into the palace as a maid through the back door, thinking that at least it would give her another way to see the emperor.

It was a pity that her family's connections were not strong enough to arrange her to serve the emperor. She could only become the lowest-level palace maid, doing the dirtiest and most tiring work every day.

But Lu'e did not feel sad about this because she had never thought of becoming a palace concubine.

My father was only a seventh-rank official, but he had several concubines, not to mention those outside who were not brought in. The small place was filled with smoke and miasma because of the competition for favors.

My father enjoyed the feeling of women vying for him, but Lu'e, who suffered greatly from it, felt terrified.

The emperor has three thousand beauties in his harem. If a fight really breaks out, the cruelty will surely be far greater than any domestic fight she has ever seen.

Lu'e believed that she did not have such extraordinary means, nor did she have the ambition to be the most glorious in the harem. She could not refuse her father to send her into the palace. The only thing she could do was to live cautiously and avoid seeing the emperor if possible. When she reached the age to leave the palace and her beauty faded, she would be much safer.

But Lu'e's non-contention did not mean that others would do the same as her. There were many people who entered the palace with the same purpose as her father. Lu'e, who was outstanding in appearance, was regarded as a thorn in their eyes. In addition, she had no money to bribe the steward, so she naturally became the target of bullying.

She did the most work every day, slept in the narrowest corner of the shop, often went hungry, and was bullied by those people all day long.

Just last night, someone slandered her and accused her of stealing her jewelry. The manager did not investigate the truth and directly punished her by making her kneel in the yard for a whole night.

She was called up to move things before dawn this morning, and she didn't even have a sip of water until she was called over.

Not only did Lu'e's legs hurt, she was also dizzy from hunger. If she hadn't been afraid of offending the emperor and being punished, she would have collapsed to the ground by now.

Zong Zhengxiao glanced at them casually, and Si Xi stepped forward and pointed at the palace maid in the front and said, "Start with you. Tell me your name."

The palace maid responded, "My name is Duofu."

After he finished speaking, the next person spoke up. There were not many people at first, so it was soon Lu'e's turn.

Lu'e bit her tongue to keep herself awake and replied in a hoarse voice: "My name is Lu'e."

Before she finished her words, Zong Zheng Xiao, who had originally had his eyes downcast, suddenly looked over. His eyes were as sharp as a blade, and Lu'e was so frightened that she almost couldn't help screaming, and her body began to tremble.

Si Xi had been in the palace for so long and was an expert at observing people's words and expressions. Seeing this, he understood what Zong Zheng Xiao meant, so he quickly drove out the other palace servants, leaving only Lu'e.

The surroundings suddenly became empty. Lu'e could no longer bear the oppressive feeling emanating from Zong Zheng Xiao, and fell to her knees with a thud.

Her knees hit the ground and severe pain quickly spread to Lu'e's limbs and bones. She clenched her teeth hard to prevent herself from crying out in pain.

Zong Zhengxiao said: "Raise your head."

Upon hearing this, Lu'e hurriedly did as she was told, but her eyes remained lowered, not daring to look directly at Zong Zheng Xiao.

Despite all the hardships she has gone through, Lu'e's beauty has not diminished at all. Instead, time has polished her into her most mature and beautiful side.

Her face was pale, her eyebrows were slightly furrowed, and her lips were bloodless. She looked like a pitiful sick beauty.

If Zong Zhengxiao had other ideas, he might really be able to fulfill Lu'e's father's wish. With Lu'e's beauty, even if she couldn't sit on the throne of the queen, she would be more than enough to be a favorite concubine.

But looking at the beautiful Lu'e in front of him, Zong Zhengxiao was thinking: Fortunately, the little mermaid misses Lu'e because she is related to him. If the little mermaid had romantic feelings for Lu'e, he might have destroyed her directly.

Lu'e, kneeling on the ground, keenly sensed a hint of murderous intent. Although she didn't understand how she had offended the emperor, she couldn't help feeling sad when she thought that she might not live long.

When Lu'e was praying for a good family in her next life, Zong Zhengxiao spoke again, but it was not to kill her as Lu'e expected, but: "Si Xi, take her down and clean her up, and let her serve the mermaid in the future."

"Yes, I'll do it right away." Si Xi concealed his curiosity about Zong Zheng Xiao's behavior and asked other eunuchs to carry Lu'e, who was still in a daze, away.

Compared to the confusion of others, Zong Zhengxiao was in a good mood, because as long as the little mermaid saw Lu'e, she would definitely "tell" more secrets, and then he would be able to know all the truth without any effort.

As for Lu'e, she did not go back to her original residence. Her things were packed up and sent to her by palace maids.

Knowing that Lu'e was "favored" by the emperor and kept by his side, and that she would most likely become very successful in the future, those who had bullied her in the past were filled with fear and jealousy.

They were jealous that she had actually succeeded in gaining the emperor's favor, and they were afraid that she would come back and punish them after gaining the emperor's favor.

Lu'e didn't know what these people were thinking for the time being. After she was taken away, Si Xi not only arranged a separate room for her, but also, knowing that she was injured, he invited an imperial physician to come and see her. The medicine he prescribed was the best, and she didn't have to pay for it.

The continuous surprises made Lu'e at a loss. She almost thought she was dreaming. Wasn't the emperor going to kill her? Why could she still live so happily?

How could an experienced person like Si Xi understand the little girl's thoughts? Thinking that Lu'e's future development prospects might not be worse than his, he thought it would be a good idea to do her a favor in advance, so he smiled and comforted her: "Just rest assured and take good care of yourself. You will be able to serve that nobleman, and your good days are still ahead."