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 knew that Lord Zhou was a strict person 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 aristocratic 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.
賀衍不明白，“爹，就算皇上知道我們和蘇潛合作了又怎麽樣？我們打死不認不就行了。假賬本可以說是蘇潛胡亂攀咬，我們之前想幫他結案，是受他謊言蒙蔽，半夜審問也是急着找到真賬本還學子們一個公正。皇上沒有證據，還能強行按頭讓我們認錯嗎？”
他越說越覺得對，“至于蘇婉兒的身份和藏在京城的前朝餘黨，我們只是去調查了，沒有跟他們聯系或者合作，頂多是隐瞞不報，他皇帝能拿我們怎麽樣？”
賀家主都懶得生氣了，世家站在高位太久，孩子們沒吃過苦，真是一代不如一代了。
“知道前朝餘黨存在還隐瞞不報，你以為這是小罪名嗎？”賀家主對上兒子疑惑的神情，繼續道：“一旦罪名落實，哪怕我們真和那些餘孽無關，你信不信宗政逍都能捏造出一堆證據來證明我們和他們結交了。”
戰亂才過去三年，民間對前朝暴虐無道的印象還在，自然也會仇視與其沾邊的人和物。
只要讓百姓知道世家和前朝餘孽有關系，無論是什麽關系，百姓們都會覺得世家和那些餘黨是一夥的。
到時候宗政逍無論随便給他們安什麽罪名，百姓都會深信不疑，那樣的話世家可就要倒黴了。
不過世家畢竟根深蒂固，宗政逍不可能一口氣滅掉四個，那就可能會先拿一家殺雞儆猴。
這次是他們賀家惹了麻煩，到時候很可能會被另外三家獻祭出去。
聽了父親的話，賀衍沉默了，想必也是想清了其中關節。
良久以後，他才小心翼翼地問：“爹，那我們接下來該怎麽辦？”
賀家主閉上眼睛，只說了一個字：“等。”
等，說得簡單，可那種提心吊膽的感覺，只有身處其中的人才能懂。
蘇潛一日不死，世家就一日不安。
不知是老天眷顧還是祖宗庇佑，蘇潛在重傷三天後咽了氣，并且據說他中途一直昏迷，意識迷糊，根本無力接受審問，最後連眼睛都沒睜開過人就沒了。
世家的人狠狠松了口氣，他們應該是安全了。
不過消息全是宗政逍那邊的人傳出來的，他們唯一确定的就是蘇潛确實是死了，至于他之前有沒有蘇醒過，有沒有跟宗政逍的人說過什麽，他們都無從得知。
賀衍安慰他爹：“您就放心吧，要是皇上真從蘇潛那裏聽說了什麽，哪裏還會這麽淡定，早就來找事了。”
賀家主明白兒子說得對，但他還是不放心。
夜晚，四大家主聚在一處秘密商議了幾個時辰。
然後在某個安靜的夜晚，剛辦完兩場喪事的蘇家忽然起了火，雖然撲滅得及時，沒有禍及旁邊的房屋，并且房子也沒人在住，但房子裏面的東西基本都被燒沒了。
後來縱火犯也被抓到了，是國子監的一個學子，因為深受蘇潛受賄向學生洩題影響考試公平所害，異常仇恨蘇潛，即便蘇潛死了也不足以平息他的怒火。
所以他就趁着守衛不注意，跑進蘇家放了火。
這個學子一看就是替死鬼，因為如果他真是受害者，最想要的不應該是蘇潛和所有行賄的學子都被抓到，接受應有的懲罰嗎？
可現在蘇潛雖然死了，但那個賬本還沒找到，因此就不能給他定罪，剩下還有哪些學生參與也無從得知。
而賬本最有可能在的地方，就是蘇家。
他這麽做，豈不是不能還跟他一樣的學生一個公平了？
衆人知道這位學子在撒謊，可也奈何不了他，唯一能做的就是唾罵。
學子們都在感嘆，蘇潛死了，賬本找不到，蘇家房子也被燒沒了，這賄賂案最後恐怕要不了了之了。
不過這怪不得皇室，要怪也得怪那些世家，說不定這場火也是他們的主意。
寧王府。
寧王坐在書房裏，回憶着這些天發生的種種，有些不明白皇上的用意。
賬本他早呈了上去，只要拿出來，其餘的那些學生一個都跑不了，也能對世家造成重創。
可直到蘇潛死亡，匆匆辦完葬禮，甚至蘇家被一把火焚燒得幹淨，宗政逍那邊都沒有半點動靜。
除此以外，接下來該怎麽處理蘇婉兒，寧王也有點拿捏不準了。
蘇婉兒的身份太敏感，再加上副将女兒的事，他們寧王府往後不可能再容得下她了。
之所以只是關着她，沒殺她也沒趕她走，主要是宗政逍沒開口，寧王不敢擅自做主。
這次能找到賬本是蘇婉兒的功勞，至于這功勞宗政逍承不承認，就不是寧王能揣測出來的了。
寧王正感慨着，書房門忽然被敲響，宗政連祺的聲音從外面傳來，“爹，我有事想跟你商量。”
自從找到賬本後，寧王就不再拘束着兒子和蘇婉兒，讓他們能自由行動，不過沒有他的允許，還是不能離開王府。
不過即便不用再被關進房間裏了，蘇婉兒也很少會離開他和宗政連祺的院子，主要是她現在病得厲害。
短時間內同時失去了兩個至親之人，殺害父母的兇手還在逍遙法外，她卻無力為兩人報仇，甚至自身難保。
接連的打擊讓蘇婉兒本就羸弱的身體越發虛弱不堪，最近三天兩頭請大夫，藥更是沒停過，但心病還需心藥醫，所以這藥吃完，看上去也沒有什麽效果。
宗政連祺擔心妻子，蘇婉兒生病，他像是也跟着病了，整個人憔悴得緊，看上去很是可憐。
寧王妃擔心兒子，夜夜啜泣，寧王都看在眼裏。
所以聽見兒子來找自己，寧王基本可以斷定是跟蘇婉兒有關。
果不其然，等進書房以後，宗政連祺說的第一句話就是：“爹，我想進宮見皇上。”
聞言，寧王原本淡漠的眼神忽然變得無比犀利，他看向宗政連祺，問：“你又想幹什麽？”
宗政連祺壯着膽子擡頭對上父親的眼睛，說出了自己的打算：“無論婉兒是何身份，她父親又做了多少壞事，可婉兒幫忙找到了賬本是事實，她父母卷入皇上和世家的鬥争被世家害死也是事實，皇上現在坐視不管，我覺得不應該。”
“哦，所以呢？”寧王語氣平靜得可怕，“你要進宮，指責皇上說您不公平，為什麽只治蘇家的罪，不管蘇家因為您遭到的迫害？您必須得懲罰世家，給蘇家一個交代……你想說這些，對吧？”
宗政連祺知道父親是在嘲諷他，但還是強撐着道：“我是這麽想的，但不會說得這麽直接，我只是想知道皇上到底是什麽态度而已。”
寧王險些被氣笑了，“不會直接說，那我還得誇你聰明會辦事了？你以為你是個什麽東西，皇上想怎麽做還得告訴你？你老子都不敢這麽妄想！”
宗政連祺被怼得臉紅，繼續狡辯，“皇上不是不講道理的人，我……”
“閉嘴！”寧王懶得再聽他說這些廢話，指着門道：“給我出去，省得繼續看着你瞎了我的眼，你要是不想讓整個寧王府都給你陪葬，就滾回自己院子乖乖待着，要是敢私自出府，我就殺了蘇婉兒。”
“爹，這不關婉兒的……”
“滾——”
寧王目眦欲裂，見兒子還意欲要說什麽，便氣勢洶洶地轉身走到牆邊，拿過牆上裝飾用的劍，擡手拔了出來。
利劍開過刃，金屬冷光泛着濃重的殺意。
他看向兒子，怒呵：“與其擔心你以後犯下過錯連累整個王府，不如老夫今日就替天行道，斬了你這逆子！”
寧王話音未落，便提劍劈了過去。
宗政連祺雖然傻，但還沒傻到站着給他爹砍，他動作迅速地閃身到旁邊躲過第一劍，連忙道：“爹！你冷靜點！”
這種時候了寧王哪還聽得進去勸，再次調轉方向揮砍過去。
還好這時，房門突然被撞開，聽見動靜的管家帶着侍衛沖了進來。
看見寧王手裏的劍，管家被吓得一激靈，一把将宗政連祺拽過來往外推，然後跪下抱住寧王的腿，不讓他再追上去。
“王爺，世子知道錯了，您就饒過他這次吧！”
管家清楚，王爺這是被憤怒沖昏了頭腦，要是真讓他傷到世子，等清醒後他一定會後悔。
“你讓開！看我不劈死這個不孝子！”寧王說是這麽說，但身體并未用力掙紮，顯然是願意順着臺階下的，只是還在氣頭上。
管家自然是不肯放手，又接連勸慰了幾句，等寧王拎劍的手垂了下來，知道他這是冷靜了，才對旁邊的侍衛到：“還不趕緊幫王爺把劍放回去。”
“是。”侍衛聽命上前，接過寧王手中的劍收進了劍鞘。
直到那把劍被重新放回牆上，管家才松了口氣。
寧王無奈道：“行了，你也起來吧，一大把年紀了還學小孩兒抱人大腿，真不怕閃着你那把老腰。”
“多謝王爺體恤。”管家樂呵呵地爬起來，哄着寧王道：“王妃親手做了蓮子湯，正好清熱解暑，叫老奴來請王爺過去品嘗呢。”
寧王明白他是在故意轉移話題，剛巧他也不想再提起那個逆子，便應了一聲，“這就過去吧。”
管家滿口說好，提前就給旁邊的下人使了眼色，讓她趕緊去告訴王妃剛才發生了什麽事，讓王妃有個準備，別又惹怒了寧王。
不知是不是被兒子氣的，寧王當夜就覺得胸口有點不舒服，第二天早上起來更嚴重了，不僅胸悶氣短，腦袋也一抽一抽地疼。
王妃請了大夫過來，看完以後，大夫說是寧王在戰場上積傷太多，随着年紀越大，對身體的反噬也就越厲害。
這樣的情況适合無憂無慮地安靜修養，飲食上要清淡，也不能經常憂思和暴怒，得避免情緒起伏過大。
這種病不能完全靠藥治，所以大夫只開了些溫補安神的湯藥，其它的得看病人遵不遵循醫囑了。
寧王喝完藥，很是感慨：“到底是老了，大不如前，生個氣都得喝藥。”
王妃安撫道：“王爺別說胡話，你才不老呢。”
寧王哪聽不出這是王妃在寬慰他，他看着同樣不複年輕的妻子，用回憶過去的語氣道：“時間過得可真快啊，我還記得老大剛出生的時候，全家都圍着他看，說他以後定是個有出息的，結果現在……”
說着，寧王又長長嘆了口氣。
寧王妃這回不替兒子解釋了，因為她已經知道昨天兒子去書房是想做什麽了。
她是心疼兒子沒錯，可在大局面前，她個人的偏愛不值一提。
大兒子太注重感情，這是優點，也是缺點。
他對蘇婉兒的愛蒙蔽了他的頭腦，萬事只會從妻子的角度考慮，反而忘了自己的身份，忘記父母曾經告訴過他，什麽該做什麽不該做。
“順其自然吧，我們不可能永遠給他兜底。”王妃回道。
人外有人天外有天，總有連他們也無能為力的時候。
聽見向來寵兒子的妻子也這麽說，寧王臉上的愁容更盛。
宗政連祺把自己老子氣病了的消息傳進宮裏後，宗政逍語氣不明地評價了一句：“一個王爺，生了個王八。”
旁邊的四喜：嗯，話糙理不糙。
宗政逍也只是這麽随口一說，并不想花太多精力去管別人的家事，他問四喜：“事情辦妥了嗎？”
四喜笑着道：“陛下放心，都安排好了，就等着他們上鈎呢。”
兩人說的事，跟賬本有關。
蘇潛的死不在宗政逍的計劃之內，蘇潛也确實到死都沒清醒過來，一個字也沒有交代。
不過蘇潛的那些秘密，宗政逍早就知道了，他說不說都一樣。
本以為蘇潛死後，世家出于謹慎，不會再繼續尋找蘇潛所說的前朝餘黨。
可不知是覺得蘇潛死了，他們就沒後患了，還是出于其它的考慮，總之世家并沒有放棄尋找賬本和那群前朝餘孽。
宗政逍不怕他們找，就怕他們放棄，不然自己前面的布局都白費了。
扔下去這麽多餌料，總得釣到一條大魚才甘心。
至于世家這邊為什麽不收手，原因總結下來就是：宗政逍越來越強大越來越可怕了，他們手裏得掌握更多籌碼才能鬥得過他，不然哪天被他生吃了都無力反抗。
這次蘇潛事件，最初優勢在他們，本來利用得好的話，從宗政逍身上狠狠撕下一塊肉來是不成問題的，結果最後卻是他們搬起石頭砸了自己的腳。
雖然說失敗的原因主要在他們，但宗政逍在其中起到的作用也是巨大的，他仿佛掌控了所有事情，輕易就能扭轉局勢、化險為夷。
從前他們跟宗政逍還能鬥個有來有回，最近卻頻頻吃癟，這讓他們很是不安。
跟前朝餘黨合作這招雖險，但何嘗不是一條好退路。
蘇潛死了，知道蘇婉兒身世秘密和餘黨存在的就只有他們了。
這麽好的棋子，不加以利用，實在是不甘心啊。
沒能從蘇潛口中挖出餘黨名單，他們也嘗試過自蘇潛往日的人際往來中入手調查，但沒想到蘇潛這老東西平時居然謹慎成那樣，幾乎将所有痕跡都抹幹淨了，他們什麽都沒查到。
氣憤的世家并不知道，其實這些都是宗政逍做的，如果蘇潛真這麽有能耐，就不會被宗政惜的暗衛查到蘇婉兒的身世以及他和餘黨來往了。
而這一切，都是宗政逍為了讓世家無路可走，只能乖乖跳進自己的圈套。
世家中被宗政逍安插了卧底進去，卧底拿着宗政逍這邊僞造的假賬本放在蘇家倒塌的磚牆裏，再引人過去發現。
因為那個地方世家的人的确沒有搜查過，再加上賬本做得能以假亂真，世家覺得賬本有可能是真的，但還是心存懷疑。
直到他們翻完賬本，看見蘇潛不僅在裏面記錄自己收了哪些學子的賄賂，還把自己給了那些餘黨多少銀子也寫下來了，估計是想着萬一以後這些餘黨造反成功，他能憑此獲得榮華富貴。
世家不禁感嘆，這蘇潛還真是貪心啊，一邊把女兒嫁給寧王世子攀高枝，一邊又跟前朝餘黨聯系。
所以最後他落得這樣的結局，也是活該。
根據賬本的記錄，他們先去查探了其中幾人的身份，确認了這幾人确實是隐姓埋名的前朝貴族，并且有造反的心思。
至此，世家總算是放心了，堅定地認為自己手裏握着的就是蘇潛藏起來的賬本。
但他們不知道的是，後面那些餘黨的名單，其實是宗政逍加上去的，生怕他們在找死的道路上走得太慢。
有了這個賬本，世家不僅起了結交那些餘黨的心思，還找上了那些沒有被曝光出來的學子的家人。
意思很簡單，不加入我們，就等着身敗名裂吧。
他們的這一舉動更讓宗政逍高興，嫌勾結前朝餘黨的罪名還不夠重，自己再加上一條結黨營私，砍頭和株連九族都預定了。
看着世家們逐步走進自己布下的天羅地網，宗政逍感受到了從未有過的舒心。
然而他還沒高興多久，“麻煩”就來了。
四喜急匆匆地跑進來，躬身對宗政逍道：“陛下，小主子在外面，鬧着要見您。”
宗政逍差點沒拿穩手裏的茶杯。
“沒看見朕正忙着？”宗政逍兇了一聲，氣勢又迅速弱了下去，“咳，你跟他說，等朕處理完政務就去找他。”
四喜心道：這個理由陛下都用過多少次了，您覺得還會管用嗎？
最近宗政逍除了晚上睡覺，其餘時間基本都自己待在書房裏，很少再像之前一樣時時刻刻都和鲛人黏在一塊兒，現在即便是睡覺，他也要等鲛人睡着了才回去。
別人或許會覺得宗政逍是膩了，不喜歡鲛人了，但只有慧眼如炬的四喜知道，他家陛下不是不願親近鲛人，而是不敢。
至于原因，四喜想肯定和前些日子早朝前的那次沐浴有關。
雖然淨了身，但同為男人，四喜也照顧過前朝的皇子，自然曉得宗政逍那天是什麽情況。
四喜想：陛下這或許是愛而不自知？
“陛下，老奴已經這麽跟小主子說過了，但他還是不樂意離開。”
四喜他們跟戎音交流，大多數時候都是連說帶比劃，基本能明白對方的意思。
宗政逍沉默了，似是不知道該怎麽辦。
四喜眼珠子一轉，道：“小主子是個倔脾氣，怕是會死守在外面，今兒個天氣熱，若時間久了不回水裏，恐是要不好……”
魚離水太久可是會死的，鲛人也無法避免。
四喜邊說邊用餘光去瞅宗政逍，果然見他蹙起了眉頭。
點到為止，四喜不再說話，完美地功成身退。
他知道陛下還是在乎鲛人的，不過需要別人再推他一把。
果然，呆坐了一會兒後，宗政逍還是沒忍住，起身快步朝外面走去。
綠娥陪戎音在外面等四喜回話，房門雖然開着，但中間有屏風阻隔，看不清裏面的情景。
戎音雙手交叉抱在胸前，時不時伸頭朝裏看一眼，臉色不太好。
宗政逍已經連續躲着他好些天了。
一開始戎音還沒察覺，以為他是真的忙，直到後來宗政逍開始有意無意地拒絕他的親近，有空的時候也不去陪他了，戎音才意識到事情的嚴重性。
他倒不認為是自己做錯什麽得罪宗政逍了，以他對壞皇帝的了解，要是錯在他，壞皇帝肯定早想各種辦法捉弄他出氣了。
所以他能肯定，問題出在宗政逍這邊。
經過這些日子的相處，戎音覺得自己跟宗政逍已經不止是主寵關系，算得上朋友了吧。
他不懂宗政逍在逃避什麽，想知道真相，就只能親自來堵人了。
見四喜這麽久還沒出來，戎音本以為自己要白跑一趟了，可誰知下一秒他就聽見了腳步聲。
一擡頭，正巧對上剛走出來的宗政逍。
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 angrier: 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.