Chapter 036 Why is the bad emperor hiding from me? (Three in one)
It turned out that Su Wan'er had seen her mother's body that day, and after knowing that she had been holding the wooden figurine before her death, she guessed her mother's intention.
Because Buddhism was prevalent in the previous dynasty, it squeezed the living space of Taoism, making it difficult for some small Taoist temples to survive.
Su's parents are different from others. They believe in Taoism. According to Su's father, people believe in gods because they have something to ask for. There are too many Buddhists, and the Buddhist gods have to come one by one to help people realize their wishes. It is unknown how long it will take.
There are few people who believe in Taoism now. If he prays sincerely, the Taoist gods will see his wish first and fulfill it.
The family of three used to go to the small Taoist temple on the mountain outside the city to pray for blessings, and they would donate a lot of money every time, so they were considered distinguished guests of the temple. Therefore, there was a room belonging to their family in the backyard of the temple, and the key was in the hands of Su's father.
Later, Su Wan'er couldn't remember when her parents stopped taking her to the Taoist temple. She asked why, but her father always gave her a perfunctory answer. Over time, she stopped asking.
But Su Wan'er knew that her father would go to the Taoist temple secretly, because she smelled the scent of incense from the Taoist temple on him several times.
But by then she had understood the truth and realized that not all things were worth delving into, so she never paid any attention to it again.
It was not until she heard that several people had searched her house and couldn't find the account book, combined with her mother's abnormal behavior, that Su Wan'er began to guess.
If it were before, Su Wan'er would still hesitate whether to express her guess, but looking at the current situation, she has to say it even if she doesn't want to.
My father's case is no longer his personal matter. The royal family and the aristocratic families used it to attack each other. The two forces are entangled. My mother died because of it, and the next victim may be my father or her.
She needed the royal family or one of the noble families to firmly protect them, and the bill was the reward she could give.
As for why she gave the account book to the royal family, on the one hand, it was because she was Zong Zheng Lianqi's wife, and she felt guilty about the Su family's wrongdoing towards Prince Ning's family.
On the other hand, Prince Ning swore on his life that it was definitely not the royal family but a noble family who poisoned her mother.
Su Wan'er knew Prince Ning's character and chose to trust him.
She told the king where the account book might be placed, and King Ning sent people to look for it. Sure enough, they found the account book hidden in a secret compartment in a room in the backyard of the Taoist temple.
Handing the account book to Zong Zhengxiao could be considered as redemption, at least it preserved the status of Prince Ning's Mansion in the emperor's heart.
In addition to finding the account book, Zong Zhengxiao received another piece of news - Su Qian was dying.
The jailer went to bring food to Su Qian, but found that he would not wake up no matter how they called him. When the jailer went in to check, he saw that Su Qian was unconscious, and his breathing was greater than his exhalation.
The torturers under Zong Zhengxiao were very measured and could make Su Qian suffer but would not take his life.
Sure enough, a doctor was called in to see the prisoner, who said that the prisoner was already weak from the torture, and had a swelling on the back of his head. The old injuries combined with the new ones resulted in his current condition.
The head is the most important part of the human body. Once injured, it can be fatal. Moreover, Su Qian's head probably hit the wall very hard, causing it to be swollen and bleeding.
Now several doctors are taking turns to treat the patient, and they all say that this man will not survive, and the best way is to keep him alive with medicine. If they have any questions, ask them now.
The person who reported this to Zong Zhengxiao said: "The wound on the back of Su Qian's head appeared overnight, and that night only Lord He went to the cell to interrogate Su Qian. After receiving this news, Lord Zhou immediately forbade Lord He and his subordinates to get close to Su Qian again, on the grounds that he suspected Lord He intended to kill him to silence him."
Lord Zhou had reasons to do this. There were bloodstains of Su Qian on the wall, and judging from the position, it was clear that he couldn't have hit it himself.
This Lord Zhou is Zong Zhengxiao's man, the legitimate son of the general who protects the country, while Lord He is the eldest son of the younger generation of the He family, a noble family.
Previously, due to the conspiracy of the noble family, Zong Zhengxiao had to pretend to ignore the general who protected the country for a period of time. This time, he gave the task of interrogating Su Qian to the son of the Zhou family in order to appease the Zhou family.
"Well done." Zong Zhengxiao wiped away his previous depression and raised the corners of his lips.
The aristocratic families feel that they are living too well and are asking for trouble, but this is a good thing for Zong Zhengxiao and the others.
Afterwards, Zong Zhengxiao instructed his subordinates on some more things. Less than a day later, Lord He and Su Qian tried to close the case by falsifying the accounts but failed. He had a conflict with Su Qian and went to meet Su Qian alone in the middle of the night. For unknown reasons, he imposed a heavy punishment on Su Qian, which led to the news that he was on the verge of death spread among the students of the Imperial College.
Because of Zong Zhengxiao's promotion, the students are actively discussing this matter.
"Why would the He family help Su Qian for no reason? There must be something behind it. Previously, it was said that the Su family dared to accept bribes and leak information because they had the protection of the Ning Palace. Now it seems that the Ning Palace is really innocent. They clearly did nothing, but they still have to take the blame for others."
"That's right. Prince Ning is a royal relative, how could he covet such a small bribe? Those bad things must have been done by Su behind the scenes of Prince Ning's mansion. Prince Ning's family is so unlucky to have such a relative."
"I felt something was wrong before, but everyone was cursing Prince Ning's Mansion, so I didn't dare to say anything..."
As he spoke, the scholar lowered his voice. "Let me tell you, Su had been accepting bribes from students in the Imperial College for such a long time, did the chief priests really not notice it at all? I think, maybe they were all in cahoots, but Su was accidentally discovered, and it just so happened that his daughter married the Prince of Ning, so the people above simply took advantage of the situation and passed the blame to the royal family."
Although they were all young students, they had heard about the disputes between the aristocratic families and the royal family in the court.
"What you said makes sense. Everyone knows the relationship between the He family and the Cui family. I think that after Su Qian was captured, he wanted to get them, saying that if they didn't save him, they would expose the fact that they were accomplices. The family had no choice but to agree. Who person knew that Lord Zhou was a strict and disagreed. Su Qian was not saved, and he had an argument with Lord He, and that's why..."
Someone added what he hadn't finished saying, "The aristocratic family has always been rude. They actually dared to meet Su Qian alone at night and seriously injured him. It's not necessarily that they wanted to kill him to silence him as the rumors said. Maybe they just wanted to teach Su a lesson and tell him not to talk nonsense, but they accidentally used too much force."
"Anyway, Su Qian is not dead yet. Even if he is dead, Lord He will only be convicted of improper punishment, demoted and fined a few years' salary. What does this mean to the noble family?"
A student said sadly, "I heard that Madam Su died, maybe she was poisoned. The royal family is eager to find the account book to prove their innocence. Madam Su may know where the real account book is. The royal family has no reason to kill her, so the person who did it must be someone who doesn't want the real account book to appear."
He didn't explain it clearly, but everyone knew who least wanted the account books to appear, and that was the family that forged the account books.
The direction of public opinion changed in an instant. Before, people criticized the royal family for protecting their relatives and being sorry for thousands of students. Now, people are talking about the overwhelming power of the aristocratic families, who can kill people at will. Today it is him, but will it be you and me tomorrow?
Zong Zhengxiao's plan to turn defeat into victory had thus far been half successful.
If he is happy, the aristocrat families will be worried.
When the head of the He family heard that Su Qian was dying, he slapped his son hard.
It would have been bad enough that he was discovered when he went to the cell alone to see Su Qian in the middle of the night, but he also injured Su Qian in a fit of impulse, giving the royal family an opportunity to explode.
Now in the eyes of outsiders, their family is no different from a scourge, and it is no exaggeration to say that their reputation has been ruined.
"Idiot, if you had killed him directly, I would have praised you for being courageous and knowing how to destroy the evidence in advance. If you were caught, I would have saved you. But look, you made him half dead. If he woke up and said something, do you know how much trouble it would cause us?"
The He family head was angry not only because his reputation was damaged.
Now their people have no way to get close to Su Qian. It would be terrible if he really revealed the affairs of the former princess and the remnants of the party, as well as his cooperation with them before he died.
Lord He, that is, He Yan, the son of the head of the He family, knelt on the ground with his face covered, and said aggrievedly: "He suddenly rushed over to strangle me, and I just kicked him lightly. Who knew he was so useless."
He Yan was almost thirty years old, but he was still punished by his father to kneel and be beaten for making mistakes. This made him feel ashamed and unhappy, and he subconsciously made excuses for himself.
Seeing his son's stubborn attitude of "I think I'm right anyway", Patriarch He was so angry that veins popped out. He suppressed his anger and said, "Who are you explaining this to? Who cares why you kicked Su Qian? The most important thing right now is how to make him shut up completely!"
He Yan said, "Father, you have already said that it would be better if he just shut up. You can't bribe the doctors who take care of him and the jailers who can get close to him, right?"
The head of the He family said coldly: "Need you to tell me that? But what if this is a trap set by the emperor? If our people are caught when they take action, we will be convicted of murder and silencing people."
Now the noble family is in a dilemma. If they had known this in the beginning, they should not have agreed to cooperate with Su Qian, but the conditions he offered are really tempting.
Seeing his father's anxiety, He Yan said, "I warned Su Qian that night. If he tells the royal family about this, we will tell everyone that he raised a princess from the previous dynasty and colluded with the remnants of the previous dynasty, and let the Su family be infamous forever. He seems to care about his reputation, so he should keep the secret."
"You have done something useful." The head of the He family sighed, "Now we can only hope for this."
After Su Qian's accident, the aristocratic family was mired in public opinion. The other three families also put pressure on the head of the He family, which gave him a headache.
He Yan didn't understand. "Dad, even if the emperor knew that we cooperated with Su Qian, what would happen? We just have to deny it. The fake account book can be said to be Su Qian's random accusation. We wanted to help him close the case before, but we were deceived by his lies. The interrogation in the middle of the night was also because we were anxious to find the real account book and give justice to the students. Without evidence, can the emperor force us to admit our mistakes?"
The more he spoke, the more he felt it was right. "As for Su Wan'er's identity and the remnants of the former dynasty hiding in the capital, we just went to investigate. We didn't contact or cooperate with them. At most, we concealed it. What can the emperor do to us?"
The head of the He family is too lazy to get angry. The aristocratic family has been in a high position for too long, and the children have never suffered. Each generation is worse than the previous one.
"Knowing the existence of the remnants of the previous dynasty but concealing it, do you think this is a minor crime?" Facing his son's puzzled expression, the head of the He family continued: "Once the charges are proven, even if we really have nothing to do with those remnants, do you believe that Zong Zhengxiao can fabricate a bunch of evidence to prove that we have made friends with them?"
The war had only been over for three years, and the public still had the impression that the previous dynasty was tyrannical and brutal, so they naturally hated anyone and anything that had anything to do with it.
As long as the people know that the aristocratic families are related to the remnants of the previous dynasty, no matter what the relationship is, the people will think that the aristocratic families and those remnants are in cahoots.
By then, no matter what crime Zong Zhengxiao accuses them of, the people will believe it without a doubt, and the aristocratic families will be in trouble.
However, the aristocratic families are deeply rooted after all, and Zong Zhengxiao cannot kill four of them in one go, so he might kill one family first to scare the others.
This time it was the He family that caused the trouble, and they will most likely be sacrificed by the other three families.
After hearing what his father said, He Yan fell silent. He must have figured out the connection.
After a long while, he asked cautiously, "Dad, what should we do next?"
The head of the He family closed his eyes and said only one word: "Wait."
It sounds simple to say "wait", but only those who have been in it can understand the feeling of anxiety.
As long as Su Qian is alive, the aristocratic family will be in unrest.
It is not known whether it was God's blessing or the protection of his ancestors, but Su Qian died three days after being seriously injured. It is said that he was in a coma and confused during the interrogation. He was completely unable to accept the interrogation. In the end, he died without even opening his eyes.
The people from the aristocratic family breathed a sigh of relief, they should be safe.
However, all the news came from Zong Zhengxiao's people. The only thing they were sure of was that Su Qian was indeed dead. As for whether he had woken up before or whether he had said anything to Zong Zhengxiao's people, they had no way of knowing.
He Yan comforted his father: "Don't worry, if the emperor really heard something from Su Qian, he would not be so calm and would have come to cause trouble long ago."
Mr. He knew his son was right, but he was still worried.
At night, the four family heads gathered together and discussed secretly for several hours.
Then, on a quiet night, a fire suddenly broke out in the Su family, who had just finished two funerals. Although the fire was put out in time and did not affect the neighboring houses, and no one was living in the house, almost everything in the house was burned.
Later, the arsonist was also caught. He was a student at the Imperial College. He was deeply hurt by the fact that Su Qian was bribed to leak exam questions to students, which affected the fairness of the exam. He hated Su Qian so much that even Su Qian's death was not enough to quell his anger.
So he took advantage of the guards' inattention and ran into Su's house and set fire.
It’s obvious that this student is a scapegoat, because if he is really a victim, shouldn’t what he wants most be that Su Qian and all the students who bribed be caught and receive the punishment they deserve?
Although Su Qian is dead now, the account book has not been found, so he cannot be convicted, and there is no way of knowing which other students were involved.
The most likely place for the accounts is the Su family.
By doing this, isn't it possible for him to provide fairness to students like him?
Everyone knew that the student was lying, but they couldn't do anything about it. The only thing they could do was curse him.
The students were all lamenting that Su Qian was dead, the account books could not be found, and the Su family’s house was burned down. This bribery case might end up being left unresolved.
But this cannot be blamed on the royal family. If anyone is to be blamed, it should be on those aristocratic families. Maybe the fire was their idea as well.
Prince Ning's Palace.
Prince Ning sat in the study, recalling what had happened in the past few days, somewhat confused about the emperor's intentions.
He had already submitted the account book. As long as he took it out, none of the remaining students would be able to escape, and it would also cause severe damage to the aristocratic family.
But until Su Qian died, his funeral was hastily completed, and even the Su family was burned to ashes, there was no movement from Zong Zhengxiao.
Besides this, Prince Ning was a little unsure about how to deal with Su Wan'er next.
Su Wan'er's identity is too sensitive, and coupled with the matter of the deputy general's daughter, it is impossible for their Ning Wang Mansion to accommodate her in the future.
The reason why she was only imprisoned and not killed or driven away was mainly because Zong Zhengxiao did not speak up and Prince Ning did not dare to make a decision on his own.
It was Su Wan'er's credit that the account book was found this time. As for whether Zong Zhengxiao would acknowledge the credit or not, that was not something Prince Ning could guess.
Prince Ning was sighing when there was a knock on the study door. Zong Zheng Lianqi's voice came from outside, "Dad, I have something to discuss with you."
Since finding the account book, Prince Ning no longer restricted his son and Su Wan'er, allowing them to move freely, but they could not leave the palace without his permission.
However, even though she was no longer locked in the room, Su Wan'er rarely left his and Zong Zheng Lianqi's yard, mainly because she was very ill now.
She lost two of her closest relatives at the same time in a short period of time. The murderer of her parents is still at large. She is unable to avenge them and even cannot protect herself.
The continuous blows made Su Wan'er's already weak body even weaker. She had to see a doctor every two or three days and had to take medicine all the time. However, heart disease needs to be treated with heart medicine, so after taking the medicine, it seemed to have no effect.
Zong Zheng Lianqi was worried about his wife, Su Wan'er, who was sick. He seemed to be sick too. He looked very haggard and pitiful.
Princess Ning was worried about her son and cried every night, and Prince Ning saw it all.
So when Prince Ning heard that his son was looking for him, he could basically conclude that it was related to Su Wan'er.
As expected, after entering the study, the first thing Zong Zheng Lianqi said was: "Dad, I want to go to the palace to see the emperor."
Upon hearing this, Prince Ning's originally indifferent eyes suddenly became extremely sharp. He looked at Zong Zheng Lianqi and asked, "What do you want to do now?"
Zong Zheng Lianqi mustered up the courage to look up at his father and expressed his plan: "No matter who Wan'er is or how many bad things her father has done, it is a fact that Wan'er helped find the account book. It is also a fact that her parents were involved in the struggle between the emperor and the aristocratic family and were killed by the aristocratic family. I think it is wrong for the emperor to sit back and do nothing now."
"Oh, so what?" Prince Ning's tone was terrifyingly calm. "You want to go to the palace and accuse the emperor of being unfair. Why do you only punish the Su family and ignore the persecution they suffered because of you? You must punish the Shi family and give the Su family an explanation... That's what you want to say, right?"
Zong Zheng Lianqi knew his father was mocking him, but he still insisted, "I think so, but I won't say it so directly. I just want to know what the emperor's attitude is."
Prince Ning almost laughed out of anger, "You can't say it directly, so I have to praise you for being smart and capable? Who do you think you are? Do you think the emperor has to tell you what to do? Even I don't dare to dream like that!"
Zong Zheng Lianqi blushed at the retort and continued to argue, "The emperor is not an unreasonable person, I..."
"Shut up!" Prince Ning was too lazy to listen to his nonsense any longer, so he pointed at the door and said, "Get out of here, or I won't have to watch you blind my eyes any longer. If you don't want the entire Prince Ning's Mansion to be buried with you, then go back to your own courtyard and stay there obediently. If you dare to leave the mansion without permission, I will kill Su Wan'er."
"Dad, this has nothing to do with Wan'er..."
"Get lost!"
Prince Ning's eyes were red with anger. Seeing that his son was about to say something, he turned around angrily, walked to the wall, took the decorative sword on the wall, and pulled it out.
The sharp sword cut through the blade, and the cold light of metal exuded a strong murderous intent.
He looked at his son and shouted angrily: "Instead of worrying about you making mistakes in the future and bringing trouble to the entire palace, why don't I enforce justice on behalf of heaven and kill you, this rebellious son!"
Before Prince Ning finished speaking, he raised his sword and chopped forward.
Although Zongzheng Lianqi was stupid, he was not stupid enough to stand there and let his father chop him. He quickly dodged the first sword and said, "Dad! Calm down!"
At this moment, Prince Ning would not listen to anyone's advice and turned around and swung his sword again.
Fortunately, at this moment, the door was suddenly pushed open, and the butler, who heard the noise, rushed in with his guards.
Seeing the sword in Prince Ning's hand, the butler was frightened. He pulled Zong Zheng Lianqi over and pushed him out, then knelt down and hugged Prince Ning's legs to prevent him from chasing him.
"Your Majesty, the prince knows he is wrong, please forgive him this time!"
The housekeeper knew that the prince was blinded by anger, and if he really hurt the prince, he would definitely regret it when he came to his senses.
"Get out of the way! I'm going to chop this unfilial son to death!" Prince Ning said this, but he didn't struggle hard. It was obvious that he was willing to go down the stairs, but he was still angry.
The butler naturally refused to let go, and continued to persuade him. When Prince Ning's hand holding the sword dropped, he knew that he had calmed down, and then he said to the guard beside him: "Hurry up and help the prince put the sword back."
"Yes." The guard obeyed the order and stepped forward, took the sword from King Ning's hand and put it into the scabbard.
The butler didn't breathe a sigh of relief until the sword was put back on the wall.
Prince Ning said helplessly, "Okay, you should get up too. You are so old and you are still hugging people's thighs like a child. Aren't you afraid of hurting your old waist?"
"Thank you for your consideration, Your Highness." The butler happily got up and coaxed Prince Ning, "The princess made lotus seed soup herself, which is just right for clearing away heat and relieving summer heat. I asked this old servant to invite Your Highness to taste it."
Prince Ning understood that he was deliberately changing the subject, and he just didn't want to mention that rebellious son anymore, so he said, "Let's go now."
The housekeeper agreed readily and winked at the servant next to her in advance, asking her to quickly tell the princess what had just happened so that she could be prepared and not anger Prince Ning again.
Perhaps it was because of his anger at his son, but Prince Ning felt a little uncomfortable in his chest that night, and it was even worse the next morning. Not only did he feel chest tightness and shortness of breath, but his head also throbbed with pain.
The princess invited a doctor over. After examining the prince, the doctor said that Prince Ning had accumulated too many injuries on the battlefield, and as he got older, the backlash on his body became more severe.
This situation is suitable for quiet cultivation without worries, a light diet, and not frequent worries or anger, and extreme emotional fluctuations must be avoided.
This disease cannot be completely cured by medicine, so the doctor only prescribed some warming and soothing decoctions. The rest depends on whether the patient follows the doctor's instructions.
After drinking the medicine, Prince Ning sighed: "I am old now, not as good as before. I have to take medicine even when I am angry."
The princess soothed him, "Don't talk nonsense, my lord. You are not old at all."
Prince Ning could tell that it was the princess comforting him. He looked at his wife, who was no longer young, and said in a nostalgic tone: "Time flies so fast. I still remember when the eldest was born, the whole family gathered around him and said that he would be a promising person in the future. But now..."
As he spoke, Prince Ning let out another long sigh.
Princess Ning did not explain for her son this time, because she already knew what her son wanted to do when he went to the study yesterday.
It's true that she loves her son, but in the face of the overall situation, her personal preference is not worth mentioning.
The eldest son is too sentimental, which is both an advantage and a disadvantage.
His love for Su Wan'er blinded his mind, and he only considered everything from his wife's perspective. He forgot his own identity and what his parents had told him about what he should and should not do.
"Let it be. We can't always cover for him," the princess replied.
There are always people who are better than you, and there will always be times when even they are powerless.
When King Ning heard his wife, who had always doted on her son, say so, his expression of sorrow grew even more intense.
When Zong Zheng Lianqi reported that his father had fallen ill from anger, Zong Zheng Xiao commented in an ambiguous tone, "A prince gave birth to a bastard."
Si Xi next to him: Well, that’s a rough point, but the truth is there.
Zong Zhengxiao just said this casually, not wanting to spend too much energy on other people's family affairs. He asked Si Xi, "Is the matter settled?"
Si Xi smiled and said, "Don't worry, Your Majesty. Everything has been arranged. We are just waiting for them to take the bait."
What the two were talking about was related to the account book.
Su Qian's death was not part of Zong Zhengxiao's plan, and Su Qian never regained consciousness until his death, without saying a single word.
However, Zong Zhengxiao already knew all of Su Qian's secrets, so it made no difference whether he told them or not.
I thought that after Su Qian's death, the aristocratic family would be cautious and would not continue to look for the remnants of the former dynasty that Su Qian mentioned.
But whether they thought that they would have no trouble now that Su Qian was dead, or for other reasons, the noble families did not give up on looking for the account book and the remnants of the previous dynasty.
Zong Zhengxiao was not afraid of them looking for him, but he was afraid that they would give up, otherwise all his previous arrangements would be in vain.
After throwing in so much bait, you have to catch a big fish to be satisfied.
As for why the noble families don't stop, the reason can be summarized as follows: Zong Zheng Xiao is becoming more and more powerful and more and more terrifying. They have to have more chips in their hands to defeat him, otherwise they will be eaten alive by him one day and have no power to resist.
In this Su Qian incident, they had the advantage initially. If they had used it well, it would have been no problem to tear a piece of flesh off Zong Zheng Xiao. However, in the end, they ended up shooting themselves in the foot.
Although they were the main reason for the failure, Zong Zhengxiao also played a huge role in it. He seemed to be in control of everything and could easily turn the situation around and avert danger.
In the past, they were able to fight Zong Zheng Xiao fairly well, but recently they have been losing frequently, which makes them very uneasy.
Although cooperating with the remnants of the previous regime is a risky move, it is also a good way out.
Su Qian is dead, and they are the only ones who know the secret of Su Wan'er's life and the existence of the remnants of the party.
It would be a shame not to make use of such a good chess piece.
Unable to dig out the list of the remaining party members from Su Qian's mouth, they also tried to investigate from Su Qian's past interpersonal relationships, but they did not expect that this old man Su Qian was so cautious in his daily life that he almost wiped out all traces, so they found nothing.
The angry noble families didn't know that actually all of this was done by Zong Zhengxiao. If Su Qian was really that capable, Zong Zhengxi's secret guards would not have discovered Su Wan'er's background and his interactions with the rest of the party.
All of this was done by Zong Zhengxiao in order to leave the noble families with no way out and force them to fall into his trap.
Zong Zhengxiao planted an undercover agent in the noble family. The undercover agent took the fake account book made by Zong Zhengxiao and placed it in the collapsed brick wall of the Su family, and then lured people to find it.
Because the family had never searched that place, and the accounts were so convincing that they could be mistaken for real, the family thought the accounts might be real, but they still had doubts.
It was not until they finished looking through the account books that they saw that Su Qian not only recorded which students he had accepted bribes from, but also wrote down how much money he had given to those remnants. He probably thought that if these remnants succeeded in their rebellion in the future, he would be able to gain wealth and glory from it.
The noble families couldn't help but sigh that Su Qian was really greedy. On the one hand, he married his daughter to the Prince of Ning to climb up the social ladder, and on the other hand, he was in contact with the remnants of the former dynasty.
So he deserved to end up like this.
According to the records in the account book, they first investigated the identities of several of them and confirmed that they were indeed former nobles who had hidden their identities and had the intention of rebellion.
At this point, the noble family was finally relieved, firmly believing that what they had in their hands was the account book that Su Qian had hidden.
But what they didn't know was that the list of the remaining factions was actually added by Zong Zhengxiao, who was afraid that they would move too slowly on the road to death.
With this account book, the noble families not only wanted to make friends with the remnants of the party, but also approached the families of those students who had not been exposed.
The meaning is simple: if you don't join us, you will be ruined.
This action of theirs made Zong Zhengxiao even happier. He felt that the crime of colluding with the remnants of the previous dynasty was not serious enough, so he added another charge of forming a clique for personal gain, and was doomed to be beheaded and his entire clan implicated.
Watching the noble families gradually walk into the trap he had laid, Zong Zhengxiao felt more at ease than ever before.
However, his happiness did not last long, as "trouble" arose.
Si Xi hurried in, bowed and said to Zong Zheng Xiao, "Your Majesty, the young master is outside, clamoring to see you."
Zong Zhengxiao almost couldn't hold the teacup steady.
"Can't you see I'm busy?" Zong Zheng said fiercely, but his momentum quickly weakened. "Well, tell him that I'll go find him after I finish my government affairs."
Si Xi thought to himself: Your Majesty has used this reason many times, do you think it will still work?
Recently, Zong Zhengxiao basically stays alone in the study room except for sleeping at night. He rarely sticks with the mermaid all the time like before. Now, even when he goes to bed, he has to wait until the mermaid falls asleep before going back.
Others might think that Zong Zheng Xiao was tired of mermaids and no longer liked them, but only the discerning Si Xi knew that his Majesty was not unwilling to get close to mermaids, but he just didn't dare.
As for the reason, Si Xi thought it must be related to the bath he took before the morning court a few days ago.
Although he had been purified, as a man, Si Xi had also taken care of the princes of the previous dynasty, so he naturally knew what happened to Zong Zheng Xiao that day.
Si Xi thought: Your Majesty, maybe you love someone without realizing it?
"Your Majesty, I have already told the young master this, but he still doesn't want to leave."
When Si Xi and the others communicated with Rong Yin, most of the time they used both speaking and gestures, and they were basically able to understand each other's meaning.
Zong Zhengxiao was silent, as if he didn't know what to do.
Si Xi rolled his eyes and said, "The young master is stubborn and will probably stay outside. It's hot today. If he doesn't go back into the water for a while, it might be bad..."
Fish will die if they stay out of water for too long, and mermaids are no exception.
As Si Xi spoke, he glanced at Zong Zheng Xiao and saw that he was frowning.
That was the end of the conversation. Si Xi said no more and retired perfectly.
He knew that His Majesty still cared about the mermaids, but he needed someone to give him a push.
Sure enough, after sitting there for a while, Zong Zhengxiao couldn't help it, he stood up and walked quickly outside.
Lu'e accompanied Rong Yin outside and waited for Si Xi's reply. Although the door was open, there was a screen in the middle, so the situation inside could not be seen clearly.
Rong Yin crossed his arms over his chest, occasionally peeking inside to take a look, his face not looking very good.
Zong Zhengxiao has been avoiding him for several days.
At first, Rong Yin didn't notice it and thought he was really busy. It was not until later when Zong Zheng Xiao began to intentionally or unintentionally reject his closeness and stopped accompanying him when he was free that Rong Yin realized the seriousness of the matter.
He didn't think that he had done anything wrong to offend Zong Zhengxiao. Based on his understanding of the evil emperor, if it was him who was wrong, the evil emperor would have thought of various ways to tease him to vent his anger.
So he was sure that the problem lay with Zong Zhengxiao.
After spending these days together, Rong Yin felt that she and Zong Zheng Xiao had more than just a master-pet relationship, they could be considered friends.
He didn't understand what Zong Zhengxiao was avoiding. If he wanted to know the truth, he had to come and stop him in person.
Seeing that Si Xi hadn't come out for such a long time, Rong Yin thought that he had made a wasted trip, but who knew that he heard footsteps the next second.
When he looked up, he happened to see Zong Zheng Xiao who had just walked out.
No one knew what Rong Yin was thinking. After seeing clearly that the person who came was the one he wanted to see, he not only did not go to greet him, but turned around and walked out.
The fish's tail twisted and turned, making it look like a negative child.
After walking for a while, Rong Yin looked back quietly and found that Zong Zheng Xiao had not caught up with her at all.
Rong Yin was angry: Why doesn't the evil emperor pursue me!
Zong Zhengxiao heard his inner voice: "..."
It turns out that it wasn't that I didn't want to see him, it was that I wanted him to follow me on his own initiative.
Seeing Zong Zheng Xiao still standing there with an expressionless face, Rong Yin became even angry: If you don't come after me, I will really be angry and will ignore you from now on.
Thinking this in her mind, Rong Yin did not move forward another step, fearing that she was too far away and Zong Zheng Xiao would not be able to catch up.
Zong Zhengxiao wanted to laugh, but when he glanced at Rong Yin's tail which had lost most of its moisture, his expression immediately became serious.
His expression turned gloomy, and Rong Yin thought that he had gone too far and made Zong Zheng Xiao unhappy.
Rong Yin was wondering what to do when Zong Zheng Xiao suddenly walked up to him and, in front of his surprised gaze, skillfully picked him up by the waist.
Zong Zhengxiao walked quickly towards the pool.
Lu'e and Si Xi who followed out smiled at each other, and hurriedly trotted to catch up.
Rong Yin hugged Zong Zhengxiao's neck and looked up at him: Why is it so sudden?
Zong Zhengxiao did not respond until he personally put Rong Yin into the water. Only then did Rong Yin understand why he suddenly picked her up.
Rong Yin floated on the water, looking at Zong Zheng Xiao with some anger in her eyes, but more of aggrieved: Since you know you are worried about me, why are you still hiding from me?
The water that flowed onto the steps wet Zong Zhengxiao's boots and the corners of his robe. He squatted down, almost looking at Rong Yin at eye level, and raised his hand to touch Rong Yin's face.
Zong Zhengxiao was still trying to dodge the angry Rong Yin, and his hands froze in mid-air.
There was a flash of disappointment in Zong Zhengxiao's eyes, but he knew that he was wrong this time, and it was normal for Rong Yin to have a bad temper.
Just as he was about to withdraw his hand, Rong Yin took the initiative to put her face into his palm and rubbed it coquettishly as usual.
The touch of her face was still as cool and soft as ever. Facing Rong Yin's clear eyes, Zong Zheng Xiao said sincerely, "I'm sorry, I was distracted before. I shouldn't have avoided you."
The little mermaid was innocent. He had no idea that the emperor in front of him had other thoughts about him, nor did he know why his friends were avoiding him. But as long as his friends showed a little bit of closeness, he would swallow all his sorrow and resentment and respond positively to his friends' kindness.
"Ah." Rong Yin held Zong Zheng Xiao's hand, bringing his palm closer to her face, and said in her heart: I forgive you because of your good attitude in admitting your mistakes.
Zong Zheng Xiao chuckled, and his tightly furrowed brows slowly relaxed.
Although Zong Zhengxiao did not explain why he had been avoiding Rong Yin recently, Rong Yin did not want to pursue the matter. After all, everyone has their own little secrets, just like there were many things he had not told Zong Zhengxiao.
Since Zong Zhengxiao had admitted his mistake, Rong Yin felt that she shouldn't keep harping on it.
So the two of them reconciled, and Zong Zhengxiao specially set aside a whole day to accompany Rong Yin.
Summer is coming to an end, the temperature has dropped, the lotus flowers in the pond are gradually withering, and the lotus seeds are getting old.
As autumn approaches, the sun is warm but not dry. Even when Zong Zhengxiao is not around, Rong Yin likes to bask in the sun on the terrace and enjoy a leisurely sashimi.
When Zong Zhengxiao came back after finishing his work, Rong Yin was still sleeping soundly. Zong Zhengxiao signaled to the palace maids beside him not to perform formal greetings, and he went over and sat down on the bamboo mat where Rong Yin was lying.
Rong Yin was sleeping on his side with his tail hanging down beside him, his face facing Zong Zheng Xiao. Zong Zheng Xiao stared at his peaceful sleeping face, and his originally agitated expression gradually turned into calm.
Before coming here, he had just received good news.
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