Chapter 043 Little Mermaid's Love Snowball
When Fang Lin and his family and accomplices were escorted to Beijing, even in the middle of winter, countless passers-by watched.
There were people who were dedicated to publicizing the crimes of the Fang family, including but not limited to: private mining, kidnapping innocent people to work as illegal miners, resulting in the deaths of many people; selling the mined minerals that could be used to forge weapons to other countries, seriously threatening the safety of Dasheng; using the canal to make money and accepting bribes from a large number of merchants; privately manufacturing weapons and raising troops with the intention of rebellion; intending to assassinate members of the royal family, which was an even greater crime...
Under Zong Zhengxiao's arrangement, storytellers in the capital have recently been talking about Fang Lin's rebellion, telling the people how heinous the crimes he committed were and how much harm they had caused to Da Sheng.
Originally, after the incident of selling low-priced ice in the summer, the royal family's reputation among the people had been rising again and again. Now the people knew that Fang Linan was not only wasting time on peaceful days, but was actually trying to rebel and become the emperor, completely disregarding the fact that the people had just experienced ten years of war and were still recuperating.
If such a person really became the emperor, no one in the world would have a good life!
Moreover, Fang Lin's plan is to sell the mines to outsiders. When they make good weapons, it will be our Dasheng people who will die. He is treasonous and betraying the country.
Zong Zhengxiao's people promoted these two points to tell the people that the royal family that allows you to live a stable life is named Zong Zheng, and the interests of the royal family and the people are closely related.
The royal family arrested Fang Lin not only because he wanted to rebel against the Zong Zheng family, but also because he was doing evil things that harmed the people of the world.
In just a few days, the Fang family's reputation was ruined to the core, and everyone wanted to kill them.
Perhaps he knew that the matter was irreversible, so the people from the Ministry of Justice did not even question him. Fang Lin confessed everything and acknowledged all the crimes he had committed.
At the same time, the aristocratic families were extremely anxious, fearing that Fang would expose the remnant factions in the capital and implicate them.
The He family had connections in the Ministry of Justice, but this time Zong Zhengxiao used ruthless means. Not only were all the people in charge of the case him, but he also protected Fang Lin and his family very strictly, making it impossible for the He family to silence them.
But soon the He family no longer had to worry, because Fang Lin confessed to the case, saying that he knew several impoverished nobles from the previous dynasty in the capital, and these people also wanted to rebel.
Within an hour, all the remnants of the previous dynasty in Shijing Street were arrested and brought to justice.
As soon as Qin Shan walked out of Hong'er's house, he was pinned to the ground by soldiers. He shouted loudly, causing Hong'er to run out. Before being taken away, Qin Shan desperately shouted to her: "Hong'er, go find the noble man and ask him to save me!"
The nobles he was referring to were naturally the He family.
"Okay, I'll go right away!" Hong'er was so scared that tears came out of her eyes, and she responded in panic.
Qin Shan couldn't help but feel relieved when he got her response. He and the He family were in the same boat. The He family was afraid that he would betray them, so they would definitely save him.
But what Qin Shan didn't know was that as soon as he left, Hong'er, who had tears in her eyes, immediately put away her panicked look, turned around, ran into the house and started packing her luggage.
In the evening, she arrived at the designated location and met the person who was responsible for contacting her.
"I have done everything you asked me to do, sir. Now that Qin Shan has been arrested, it is time for you to fulfill your promise."
After she finished speaking, the man handed her a bamboo slip and told her to go to the East City Gate, find a carriage parked on the roadside, and show the bamboo slip to the old man driving the carriage. The old man would naturally take her to where she should go.
Hong'er fearfully found the old man with the bamboo slips in her hand and got on the carriage as she wished. In the carriage, she saw the silver that the man promised to give her, as well as a brand new identity certificate.
Even after leaving the capital and reaching her destination, Hong'er still felt that it was a little unreal.
The man did not lie to her, nor did he kill her to silence her. All her wishes came true!
"Go, your supporters are inside. Don't come back to the capital again." The old man instructed Hong'er.
"No, I will never go back again." Hong'er's eyes were wet as she strode towards a new life.
In the big prison in the capital, Qin Shan and his entire family were locked up, but the cells for the men and women were not in the same place, so the children were locked up with the women.
Although Hong'er did not inform the He family, the He family still came to find Qin Shan and others, but not to save them, but to warn them to shut up.
"If you dare to tell anyone about your relationship with the He family, I guarantee you won't see the sun tomorrow!" the man threatened viciously.
Qin Shan was almost frightened to death. He knelt down and grabbed the corner of the man's robe, begging, "Sir, we can keep it a secret, but you have to save us!"
The visitor's eyes flashed with disgust, and he said perfunctorily: "Of course, as long as you behave yourself and don't say anything nonsense, with my master's ability, saving you couldn't be easier."
"Okay, okay, we'll shut up. We promise not to mention the He family to the interrogators. Sir, we don't want to die. Please ask Sir He to get us out quickly."
"Got it. Just wait, you will be able to leave here soon." The man said this casually and left.
Qin Shan and others were skeptical about his words, but they also knew that at the moment they could do nothing but trust the He family.
During the interrogation the next day, even though they were tortured, Qin Shan and others only confessed that they had dealings with Fang Lin'an. As for the He family, they did not mention a word.
Seeing this, the He family breathed a sigh of relief. The head of the He family couldn't help but sigh. Fortunately, he only placed people around Fang Lin'an and hadn't contacted him yet. Otherwise, the He family might have been in jail now.
But the head of the He family did not think that the He family could rest easy, because if Qin Shan and his group of idiots could not bear the torture and betrayed the He family, they would still not be able to escape.
The head of the He family was at a loss and could only seek advice from the other three families on countermeasures.
To his surprise, the three families did not even bother to pretend. When he asked for help, they looked puzzled and said, "It is the He family that cooperated with the rest of the party. Now it is about to be discovered and it is also the He family that is facing a catastrophe. What does it have to do with us? Why do you want us to find a solution for you?"
"You, cough cough cough..." The head of the He family had not yet fully recovered from his illness. His already pale face instantly lost all color after hearing these words, like a dying person.
The other three looked at him coldly. From the day Fang Lin was escorted to Beijing, they knew that the plan had failed, and they all gave up on the He family.
It can't be said that he cut off his arm to survive, but he just found an unlucky person to take all the responsibilities.
Looking at their indifferent expressions, the head of the He family knew that everything was over. Their families had come together because of interests, and they would naturally separate because of interests.
"Do you think that you can be safe with my He family as a shield?" The head of the He family said, "Don't forget, I know everything you have done. If you reveal any of them to the emperor, you will be in big trouble. What do you think? Do you want to give it a try?"
The four companies have been cooperating for many years, and the other three companies are basically aware of any dirty deeds done by each company.
After hearing what he said, the Li and Chen families started to feel a little fearful, but the head of the Cui family, who was sitting at the top, didn't even blink an eye.
He looked at the head of the He family calmly: "You have leverage over us, and we have leverage over you, but don't forget that you have cooperated with the remnants of the previous dynasty, and you have committed the crime of deceiving the emperor and treason, which is punishable by death. As for us, even if the emperor really knew what we had done, at most he would kill a few people to vent his anger, but it would not shake the foundation of our three families."
Seeing that the more he spoke, the uglier the face of Patriarch He became, Patriarch Cui did not stop, but continued: "According to the Dasheng law, if you participate in rebellion, the elders in the three clans will be headed, the younger men will be exiled to the frontier, and the women will be enslaved and sent to the Jiaofang Bureau. You will definitely not survive, but what about your grandchildren?"
"It's all over if the adults die, but it's a pity for the children. If you honestly confess all the crimes, we can still take care of your children. But if you anger us, no one can predict what will happen to those children in the future."
This is a threat, a naked threat. Mr. He understands it, but what can he do?
The He family has a young son, and it is pitiful that they were implicated because of the mistakes of the adults. If the adults die, it will leave hidden dangers for the children, which is even more sinful.
The head of the He family hesitated for a long time, looked at the three people, and spoke slowly and firmly: "My He family is willing to bear all the charges and will not implicate you three families in the slightest. But you must also swear that you will never embarrass the living young people of the He family in the future. Those who violate the rules will be struck by lightning and die a miserable death!"
After he finished speaking, there was silence in the room. The head of the He family and the three men exchanged greetings, neither giving in at all.
Finally, Patriarch Cui spoke first: "Okay, I promise you."
After saying this, he swore an oath according to the wishes of the head of the He family, and the other two followed closely.
Things have come to this point, looking at the faces of these three people will only increase resentment, so the head of the He family stood up, forced his back to straighten, and walked away steadily without looking back once.
Did he believe the oaths sworn by the three family heads? Of course not. In the face of absolute interests, oaths were shit. The reason why he asked them to swear was just a delaying tactic.
Even if they really came to the point of being desperate, as long as the He family members were not all dead, the evidence of the other three families' crimes would remain in the hands of those who were still alive. If the three families dared to break their promise, they would send the evidence to the emperor and would bite off a piece of meat from the three families even if it meant death.
After returning home, the head of the He family fell seriously ill. He did not let his son continue to send people to threaten Qin Shan and others not to betray the He family, because he knew that what was coming would come.
Sure enough, within a few days, the He family received news that Qin Shan's wife took the initiative to expose Qin Shan, saying that they were cooperating with a noble family and preparing to rebel together.
In addition to her as a witness, there was also physical evidence that the money given to Qin Shan by the aristocratic family was hidden in the house. Qin Shan and his friends were planning to extort enough money from the aristocratic family and leave the capital, but they were caught in advance.
Qin Shan and his friends often went to the store of this aristocratic family to ask for hush money, and also went to the bank of the aristocratic family to withdraw money. A quick check showed that what Qin Shan's wife said was true.
This family is the He family.
Not long after, the He family was also thrown into jail. The emperor sent people to investigate and indeed found evidence that the He family had collaborated with these remnants of the previous dynasty.
When Qin Shan found out that it was his wife who had exposed him, he was so angry that he wanted to rush over and beat the woman to death immediately. However, he didn't expect that he would receive the news that his wife and children were all dead the next day.
He said that his wife strangled several children to death and then hit his head against the wall. No one could rescue him and he died on the spot.
The bodies have now been dumped in mass graves.
Qin Shan didn't believe it and said he wanted to see the bodies of his wife and child to confirm them. The jailer thought he was making too much noise, so he beat him up and said that when he was beheaded, he could go to the underworld to see them and see them as long as he wanted.
As for whether Qin Shan's wife and children were really dead, the answer is no.
At first, the auntie who lived next door to Qin Shan's family advised his wife that their identities were the bargaining chip to get rid of Qin Shan. At that time, the auntie was vague and did not explain it clearly, but Qin Shan's wife still took her words to heart.
It was not until she and her child were imprisoned by Qin Shan and saw the aunt again that she learned of her aunt's true identity and understood what she meant by her words at that time.
Because she is Qin Shan's wife and knows everything about him, the officials investigating the case will definitely believe her if she reveals and testifies.
Her aunt promised her that as long as she exposed the relationship between Qin Shan and others and the He family, she and her child would be spared, but Qin Shan would be killed for sure.
The wife agreed to her aunt's request without any hesitation. She had long been fed up with Qin Shan and wished he would die.
The aunt did what she said. After the evidence was enough to dismantle the He family, she immediately used a trick to make Qinshan's wife and children escape. She secretly sent them to a far away place and asked them to remain anonymous and never appear in the capital again.
However, not everyone is as lucky as Qin Shan's wife. Charged with participating in rebellion, the only fate waiting for them is death.
A case of rebellion shook the entire capital and Beijiang officialdom. The He family, an old aristocratic family, collapsed overnight. Officials related to the He family were more or less implicated, especially the Ministry of Justice, where half of the officials from the aristocratic families were kicked out and replaced by members of the royal family.
As for Beijiang, it was even more of a case from beginning to end. Fang Linan had done so many evil things in Beijiang, but local officials, big and small, dared to say that they had not discovered anything? If they had discovered it, why did they conceal it and not report it?
After a thorough investigation, it was found that half of the Beijiang officials had accepted bribes from Fang Lin, and half were afraid of death and did not dare to report it. But no matter which one it was, they would be in danger.
Those who conceal the truth and fail to report it will be considered dereliction of duty and will be demoted.
Officials who accepted bribes were sentenced to be beheaded and their entire families were exiled.
Although the prefect Zhao Ling was guilty, he assisted the princess in catching Fang Lin, so his merit was offset by his fault. He was given a cup of poisoned wine and his official position was taken away, but his family would not be harmed.
Zong Zhengxiao sent an imperial messenger to cooperate with Zong Zhengxi in handling the Beijiang affairs. The private soldiers raised by Fang Linan were incorporated into the Beijiang Army and were managed vertically by the court in the future. All powers of water transport were also returned to the royal family. As for the mines found, of course they also belonged to the court.
The head of the Huo family was also very interested. After handing over the military power, he resigned and returned to his hometown. After all, he was once Fang Lin'an's man and was not suitable to stay in this position.
With the princess in Beijiang, Zong Zhengxiao's attention is more focused on the capital.
The He family was very honest and knew they could not escape, so they simply took all the blame and did not involve the other three families.
However, perhaps because they were unwilling to see only their family suffer, or perhaps out of a desire to take revenge on the royal family, the He family made public the secret that Su Wan'er was a princess of the previous dynasty.
Su Wan'er is the daughter-in-law of Prince Ning. If that's the case, then Prince Ning's family is also guilty of concealing the crime.
Since other officials who made this mistake should be punished, out of fairness, the emperor should also hold Prince Ning's Mansion accountable.
The other three families knew that this was a good opportunity to strike a blow to the royal family, so they did not stay out of it and started to spread the news everywhere.
When they first confirmed Su Wan'er's background, they found a lot of evidence, which could be used now.
At the morning court session, officials from the aristocratic families put pressure on Zong Zhengxiao, demanding that Prince Ning must be severely punished and not be shielded just because he is a member of the royal family, otherwise it would chill the hearts of the people of the world.
Zong Zhengxiao looked at the aggressive officials without giving any answer, his face was terribly cold.
Prince Ning's Palace.
In the prince's courtyard, Su Wan'er had a high fever that wouldn't go away. She had just been forced to drink medicine and could only wait for the fever to slowly subside.
Zong Zheng Lianqi stood by the bed, staring at his wife's haggard face with a dull look.
Ever since she buried her parents with her own hands, Su Wan'er's health has been deteriorating. Not only is she frail and sickly, she is so thin that even the clothes that used to fit her well are two sizes too big for her.
Prince Ning and Princess Ning did not mention divorce, but Zong Zheng Lianqi and Su Wan'er knew that this was only temporary, so they cherished the time they could spend together even more, and their hearts became more and more sad.
Ever since Fang Lin was escorted to Beijing, Zong Zheng Lianqi, who knew Su Wan'er's life experience, became uneasy. He always felt that his wife would be involved in this storm.
As expected, the He family reported the Ning Palace, and Su Wan'er learned that she was originally a princess of the previous dynasty, and that her father had private connections with the remnants of the previous dynasty and wanted to rebel as well.
What made her even more miserable was that her husband had known all this for a long time but had kept it from her.
In grief, Su Wan'er fell ill again. Zong Zheng Lianqi stayed with his wife, while Prince Ning was facing the continuous storm.
He originally wanted to go to the palace to apologize, but Zong Zhengxiao sent someone to send a message in advance, asking him to be patient and wait a while.
This wait lasted until Su Wan'er woke up, and she forced herself to kneel before Prince Ning and his wife, begging them to give her a letter of divorce in advance.
Su Wan'er said hoarsely, "My parents have committed many evil deeds. Wan'er is born with sins. The Ning Palace treats me like a close relative. You are innocent. Wan'er feels that I should not implicate you. Please ask the prince and princess to divorce Wan'er. All the sins of the Su family and Wan'er's identity should be borne by Wan'er alone."
Prince Ning looked at Su Wan'er, who was almost skinny and lying on the ground, and sighed softly, "You can still be grateful, which shows that the kindness of Prince Ning's Mansion to you in the past was not in vain. But you have to think carefully. If you leave Prince Ning's Mansion, as a princess of the previous dynasty, you will only die."
Su Wan'er lowered her head: "Wan'er understands, but Wan'er is not afraid. Maybe this is Wan'er's fate."
"You are quite open-minded." It was unclear whether Prince Ning's words were a compliment or insult. Su Wan'er tightly grasped the corner of her clothes and did not respond.
Princess Ning's eyes were red and she almost shed tears, but she did not say anything to stop it. Just like Su Wan'er said, it was all their fate.
It was snowing outside again. Prince Ning was just about to call Su Wan'er to get up so they could discuss the divorce letter, but at this moment Zong Zheng Lianqi suddenly pushed open the door and the guards ran in. Facing his parents, he knelt down next to Su Wan'er.
Zong Zheng Lianqi never expected that he was tired from taking care of his wife for too long and went back to rest for a while. When he woke up again, he heard the news that his wife wanted to leave him.
Now there was nothing that Zong Zheng Lianqi didn't understand. The outside world used Su Wan'er's life experience to attack the Ning Prince's Mansion. Su Wan'er didn't want to implicate the Ning Prince's Mansion, so she wanted to leave on her own.
Zong Zheng Lianqi would never allow such a thing to happen.
When Prince Ning saw his foolish son acting stubborn again, he knew that today's matter would not be easy.
Just as he finished thinking this, Zong Zheng Lianqi spoke up, "Father, mother, Wan'er is my wife. If I want to divorce her, I will do it myself. You have no right to replace me."
Prince Ning had already been irritated enough by him and was too lazy to argue with him. He said coldly, "No one wants to replace you. Since you are here, just write the divorce letter yourself."
As he said this, he asked the steward to bring pen, ink, paper and inkstone.
"Write now. Why are you kneeling there without moving?" Prince Ning looked at Zongzheng Lianqi and said.
Su Wan'er, who was standing next to Zong Zheng Lianqi, shuddered and silently closed her eyes, tears rolling down her cheeks.
She came to ask Prince Ning and Princess Ning for help because she didn't want her husband to divorce her personally, but she didn't expect that it would end up like this.
But the next moment, Su Wan'er's icy hand was held by a familiar big hand. She looked up and saw Zongzheng Lianqi smiling at her tenderly.
Su Wan'er was stunned. Zong Zheng Lianqi did not explain to her, but turned to look at Prince Ning and Princess Ning.
"Dad, if I write, you should write too. I'll write the divorce letter, and you'll write the severance letter."
"What?" Prince Ning's eyebrows twitched, feeling that something was wrong.
Zong Zheng Lianqi said, "On the day Wan'er and I got married, we swore to be together forever. If she is sure to die this time, I will accompany her. In order not to implicate the Ning Palace, you should write a letter of severance and remove me from the Ning Palace. From now on, Wan'er and I will have nothing to do with the Ning Palace."
His words shocked everyone present. King Ning thought that no matter what stupid things his son did, he would not be angry, but he did not expect that his son would be so stupid as to break his limits again and again.
"Zong Zheng Lianqi! Are you crazy?" Prince Ning roared.
Princess Ning cried and pulled her son, "Lian Qi, get up and stop talking nonsense. You are your parents' son and the prince of Ning's mansion. How can you bear to abandon our family?"
Su Wan'er also followed suit: "Husband, don't be like this, I don't need you to give so much for me."
When Su Wan'er first learned that her husband had been hiding her true life experience, she would have been lying if she said she wasn't angry. But she then recalled that she had not told Prince Ning's family about what her father had done.
Everyone has their own reasons. She shouldn't blame her husband, let alone hurt them again.
Zong Zheng Lianqi shook his head and said firmly: "You don't need to say anything more. I have made up my mind. Father, please write a letter of severance of the relationship as if it were your son's request to you!"
Prince Ning trembled and said, "Because I asked you to divorce your wife, are you taking revenge on me?"
"It's not revenge. I'm just using my own method to protect my family and my feelings for my wife. Father, you don't have to speculate about me like that."
Prince Ning's chest rose and fell violently, and he nodded like a madman, saying: "Okay, you want to leave this family, right? Then I will grant your wish!"
As he was about to get a pen and paper, Princess Ning and the housekeeper rushed over to pull him back, "Your Highness, no, you absolutely cannot do that!"
Prince Ning looked at the two of them and said angrily, "No? Then tell me what to do?!"
The two men could not think of a solution, but they just refused to let Prince Ning write the letter of severance of the relationship. It would be too late to regret it later if they acted on their anger now.
"Mother, please let father go. Do you want the entire Ning Palace to be buried with him?"
"I..." Princess Ning hesitated, but slowly loosened her grip on Prince Ning's hand.
"Husband..." Su Wan'er's face was already covered with tears as she looked at Zong Zheng Lianqi with a face full of pity.
In the end, Zong Zheng Lianqi got the severance letter as he wished, but Su Wan'er's divorce letter was changed into a divorce letter, which meant that the two of them officially had no connection with Ning Wangfu anymore.
However, no matter it was a severance of engagement or a divorce, the document needed to be submitted to the government office to be stamped and recorded before it could take effect. A divorce letter was easy to deal with, but the people in the government office in the capital did not dare to stamp the severance of engagement between the prince and the crown prince of this country.
If things don't go smoothly later, we might have to take action against them.
There was no other way, Prince Ning and his son had to go to the palace and ask the emperor to personally declare that the letter of severance was valid.
Zong Zhengxiao had long heard about the farce in Prince Ning's mansion through the secret guards. He looked at the father and son kneeling below and said calmly, "Have you really thought it over? Once you break off the relationship, you won't be allowed to regret it."
The father and son replied at the same time: "Your Majesty, I have made my decision."
Zong Zhengxiao stood with his hands behind his back and sighed, "Then I will do as you wish."
After saying this, Zong Zhengxiao stamped his own private seal at the end of the document.
Seeing this, the expressions of Prince Ning and his son changed. Prince Ning was helplessly relieved, while Zongzheng Lianqi was lost and dazed, but soon his eyes regained their firmness.
This is the path he has chosen, and he will continue on it even if it means death.
After finishing the marriage divorce, Zong Zheng Xiao's attention shifted to Zong Zheng Lianqi.
As the saying goes, it is easy to change the country but difficult to change one's nature. In the book that Rong Yin had read, Zong Zheng Lianqi put love before the danger of the country. Now, even if the situation has changed, his first choice is still his wife.
For a moment, Zong Zhengxiao didn't know how to evaluate his nephew.
"Lian Qi." Zong Zhengxiao called him.
Zong Zheng Lianqi quickly responded, "Your Majesty, I am here."
Zong Zhengxiao stared at his face and said, "You know that the noble families are holding on to Su Wan'er's background, and she is also related to Prince Ning's Mansion. If I don't deal with her, I'm afraid it will be difficult to stop the public from talking."
The rebel Fang Lin, the He family who participated in the rebellion, and the remnants of the previous dynasty are now imprisoned awaiting sentencing. Su Wan'er, as a princess of the previous dynasty, was exposed for her true identity at this critical juncture. If Zong Zhengxiao does not kill her, how will the people view the royal family?
Although Zong Zheng Lianqi only has his wife in his heart, he is not a fool. He has seen the situation clearly, so he forced his father to write a letter of severance of relations.
Zong Zheng Lianqi said resolutely: "Your Majesty, I understand what you said. Wan'er is no longer the daughter-in-law of Prince Ning's mansion, but she is always my wife. Whether she lives or dies in the future, I am willing to follow her."
Even though he already knew his son's intentions, when he heard these words again, Prince Ning couldn't help but reveal a look of pain.
Zong Zhengxiao saw the reactions of the father and son, and said to Zong Zheng Lianqi: "You are a lovesick person, I will definitely help you."
Zong Zheng Lianqi knelt down and kowtowed: "Your Majesty, thank you for your grace."
After Prince Ning and his son left, Zong Zhengxiao sat alone in the study for a long time, until he had digested all the emotions in his heart, and then he went to Yinjiao Garden to find Rong Yin.
When he arrived, Rong Yin was still making a snowman outside.
Before he traveled through the book, Rong Yin lived in the south. He had seen snow, but never such heavy snow. Besides, he was not afraid of the cold, so he often went to play in the snow in recent days.
Two round snowballs, one big and one small, stacked together form a "person". Rong Yin used stones to give the snowman eyes, nose and mouth. He looked at the snowman and then at Zong Zheng Xiao, meaning that the snowman was Zong Zheng Xiao.
Zong Zheng Xiao raised his eyebrows and asked, "Is this how I look in your eyes?"
"Ah." Rong Yin thought: What else?
Rong Yin pointed at the snowman's mouth, which was straight without any curve, and looked at Zong Zheng Xiao: This is what you look like now, and you look very unhappy.
Zong Zheng Xiao looked in the direction he pointed. The snowman had a serious "expression" and there was really no smile on his face.
He didn't always smile before, but Rong Yin had never pointed it out as clearly as this time, because not smiling doesn't necessarily mean being unhappy, it could also mean that one is simply calm.
Zong Zheng Lianqi's matter also affected his mood to some extent. Zong Zheng Xiao thought he had concealed it well, but he didn't expect that Rong Yin still found out.
"What a clever little fish! You observe very carefully." Zong Zhengxiao praised with a smile, but there was a sadness in his eyes that he himself was not aware of.
He raised his hands and held Rong Yin's face, looking into his clean light blue eyes, and suddenly he felt a sense of grief for the deceased.
Due to their identities, Zongzheng Lianqi and Su Wan'er should not have been together, so they ended up with a tragic ending.
What about him and Rong Yin? He is a human, Rong Yin is a mermaid. As an emperor, he may encounter many unavoidable situations in the future. If Rong Yin falls in love with him, she will probably be very unhappy.
Perhaps it would be best for Rong Yin if he and Rong Yin maintained their current relationship and did not develop any further feelings, because the more he cared, the more he would suffer.
Rong Yin also heard that there was something wrong with Zong Zheng Xiao's tone, and looking at his eyes, he saw heartache and reluctance, hesitation and struggle, as well as many emotions that he could not understand.
Zong Zhengxiao seemed to be extremely sad at this moment.
"Ah." Rong Yin rubbed Zong Zhengxiao's palm, leaned over to hug him, and patted his back gently in a soothing manner.
At the same time, I said in my heart: I don’t know why you are sad, but as a good brother, I hope my hug can make you stronger!
Zong Zhengxiao didn't know whether to cry or laugh when he heard this. He thought it was best to be friends with Rong Yin forever, but when Rong Yin really said so, he felt unwilling and lost.
Seeing that Zong Zhengxiao was still in a very low mood after the hug, Rong Yin picked up the snow and pinched it into a palm-sized round love heart, and handed it to Zong Zhengxiao with both hands.
He smiled brilliantly, his eyes sparkling with tiny gleams.
Rong Yin: Look! A heart snowball! It represents my deep love for you! I originally wanted to keep this trick to chase girls, but I didn't expect that the first time I used it was on you. But in this life, I may only send you hearts.
He didn't have much time left to live. He couldn't wait for the next winter, nor for the appearance of his beloved girl.
Rong Yin never thought that an ancient person could understand what love meant. When he started, he just wanted to make a small thing to make Zong Zheng Xiao happy. Love was the first thing he thought of, and it was also the easiest thing to make.
Love is not necessarily limited to romantic relationships, brotherly love is also love!
Sure enough, this worked. Rong Yin saw Zong Zheng Xiao stunned for a few seconds, and then his eyes suddenly turned red.
Zong Zhengxiao embraced Rong Yin in his arms, pressed the back of his head and waist, held him tightly, then lowered his head and buried his face in the crook of his shoulder.
"Thank you..." Zong Zhengxiao's muffled voice came.
Rong Yin smiled in her heart and replied: As long as you like it.
Palace ladies such as Si Xi and Lu E stood by and looked at the two people hugging each other in the snow. It was such a beautiful scene, but they felt a little sad for nothing.
Zong Zhengxiao asked Si Xi to take the heart made of snow and treasure it, and told him to keep it frozen with ice every day. If it melted one day, he would be held responsible.
It was cold in winter, so Zong Zhengxiao took a hot spring bath at night. Rong Yin didn't like very hot water, but considering that Zong Zhengxiao was in a bad mood today, she went in to accompany him.
Although he didn't know what major events had happened in the past few days, and neither Zong Zhengxiao nor Si Xi had mentioned it to him, through observation, Rong Yin could still vaguely guess that there was a high probability that things were not peaceful in the court.
Because Zong Zhengxiao's morning court hours were extended a lot, and he often went to Yu's study to meet with ministers, he would occasionally miss having dinner with him, and his face would feel very tired when he came back at night.
Zong Zhengxiao seemed unhappy today, which might be related to these things.
In the pool, Zong Zhengxiao leaned against the edge with his arms outstretched, his eyes slightly closed, feeling the comfort of the hot steam steaming his skin.
Rong Yin swam up to him and stared at him without saying a word.
Zong Zheng Xiao opened his eyes and looked at him, somewhat amused: "What do you want to do?"
"Ah." Rong Yin pushed his arm, making him turn around with his back to her, then clenched his fists, hid his sharp claws in his palms, and used both hands alternately to lift Zong Zheng Xiao's shoulders.
Zong Zhengxiao didn't expect him to do this. He turned around and looked at him with a smile on his face.
Rong Yin met his gaze, raised her chin proudly, and thought to herself: No need to say more, my skills are great, and I will definitely serve you comfortably.
The smile in Zong Zheng Xiao's eyes deepened, and he turned around as Rong Yin wished, enjoying his shoulder-hammering service with peace of mind.
I have to say, Rong Yin was not bragging. After he hammered with just the right amount of force for a while, Zong Zheng Xiao's originally tense body gradually relaxed, his breathing became long, and even his unconsciously frowned brows relaxed.
Seeing Zong Zheng Xiao looking much more relaxed, Rong Yin nodded with satisfaction. His efforts were not in vain.
After all, people and fish are different. No matter how comfortable a hot bath is, it should not be taken for too long. After Rong Yin finished hammering his shoulder, Zong Zhengxiao stretched his limbs, stepped onto the steps, and took the towel handed to him by Si Xi to wipe his body.
Rong Yin also went ashore and waited for Lu'e and the others to change the water in the pool to a temperature suitable for him before he went back.
After wiping the water off his body, Zong Zheng Xiao was helped to put on his pajamas. Rong Yin glanced at him subconsciously and saw Zong Zheng Xiao's private parts again.
Rong Yin: Tsk.
Well, even though he had seen it many times intentionally or unintentionally, he still felt that Zong Zheng Xiao's thing was too majestic and powerful, and his wife would probably suffer in the future.
But as he watched, Rong Yin's focus shifted.
Rong Yin: Hehe, although it's big, it's very pink. There's an inexplicable cute contrast to it, it's quite adorable.
Because Rong Yin's gaze was too fiery, Zong Zhengxiao, who was trying not to stand up, said: "..."
I really want Rong Yin to try it out for herself to see whether he and it are cute or not.
After Zong Zheng Xiao put on his pants and Rong Yin had nothing to watch, he quietly turned his eyes away.
Zong Zheng Xiao was provoked for no reason, so he naturally would not let Rong Yin go easily.
After the palace servants helped Rong Yin dry her body and hair, Zong Zhengxiao immediately went over to carry her up, then strode towards the bed.
"Ah?" Rong Yin was confused as his vision suddenly turned upside down.
Before he could react, Zong Zhengxiao threw him onto the bed like a salted fish.
The palace servants nearby: "!!!"
Your Majesty, what are you doing? It's not what we thought, is it?
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