Chapter 059: Pinch the waist and drag back
On the pleasure boat, Ning Yue returned with great joy, but the smile faded a little on her face when she saw the man sitting inside.
The man was dressed in luxurious clothes, with one leg bent and the other stretched out lazily. He held the wine glass in his hand and took a sip. His handsome and generous appearance, however, was made more fierce by the lingering gloom between his brows.
Glancing at Ning Yue coming in, the man picked up a piece of paper on the table and handed it to her. On it were the lyrics of "Huan Xi Sha" sung by Rong Yin.
This was written down for Ningyue when she was playing with Rongyin. The man saw that she was interested in the piece of music.
Ning Yue took it with both hands and bowed to express her gratitude: "Thank you, Master Li, for not only agreeing to row the boat over here, but also for helping me write down the lyrics."
Ning Yue was invited by Master Li to accompany them on the tour, so the person in charge of this pleasure boat was actually Master Li. Only with his permission did Ning Yue dare to accompany Rong Yin and get close to Rong Yin's boat to meet him.
"You're welcome." The man finished the last sip of wine in his glass, turned over and sat up, resting his elbows on his legs, and leaned over to look at Ning Yue who was standing below.
"He's very handsome, isn't he?" said Master Li.
Ning Yue was stunned, not understanding why he mentioned this, but she still answered honestly: "It is of course a heavenly appearance, which matches his singing voice very well."
Master Li was smiling, but his eyes were somewhat sinister. "I saw him from the window. He was a handsome man with blue eyes. He must be of Hu descent. His skin was as white as snow. Even the top prostitute in the Nanfeng Pavilion in the capital city couldn't compare to him. If the timing wasn't inappropriate, I would have liked to invite him up to sit and chat for a while."
Although the relations between Da Sheng and other countries were tense, they had not yet reached the point of war, and both sides had merchant exchanges, so it was not uncommon to see strange-looking or unreal-looking Hu people in the capital.
Ning Yue was shocked when she heard what Master Li said. Who else could he compare Master Rong with, but Master Rong was the top performer in Nanfeng Pavilion, and he also said that he was interested in getting in touch with him.
This statement sounds like she has a crush on Master Rong, and it's not the right kind of crush.
But she clearly remembered that Master Li was different from his brother and was not into homosexuality. She had never heard of him having any relationship with any Rabbit Master before. So why was he...
Ning Yue regretted it. She thought that Master Li only liked women, so he proposed to meet Master Rong.
If Master Rong was harmed because of her, she would become a sinner for all eternity!
The power of the Li family in the capital is too formidable. If Mr. Rong is really just a businessman from another country, he will definitely not be able to defeat the Li family.
Seeing Ning Yue's face turn from blue to white, and then from white to blue again, Master Li chuckled and said, "Miss Ning Yue, did you misunderstand something? I simply think he is good-looking, and I am not interested in him. You can rest assured."
Ning Yue was about to breathe a relief when Master Li said, "But my brother will probably like him very much."
Ning Yue's heart immediately rose again!
Everyone in the capital knew that the head of the Li family and the eldest son had raised their youngest son to be the overlord of the capital. He had forced women of good families into prostitution and raped men and women. Even the children of officials could not escape his clutches.
Those poor men and women, once Young Master Li lost interest in them, would be pushed around among that group of playboys like gifts, and eventually fell into the abyss.
Does Master Li mean to capture Master Rong and give him to his brother?
Ning Yue thought quickly and suddenly thought of something. She said, "When I met that young master just now, I saw several guards standing beside him. Judging from their posture, they must have good martial arts skills, and they are all Han Chinese. I think that young master should know someone in the capital, but I don't know who that person is?"
Her words sounded like she was curious about Rong Yin's backer, but in fact she was secretly reminding Master Li that there was someone behind him and his background was not simple, so you should not mess with him to avoid getting into trouble.
"Really?" Master Li smiled even more brilliantly. He said to the guards behind him, "Let's check it out later. I want to see what kind of powerful mountain he has that even my Li family can't touch him."
Ning Yue didn't expect him to be so stubborn. Just as she was about to say something else, Master Li said, "Ning Yue, play another song for me."
This is a hint at her, don't meddle in her business.
Ning Yue is also a miserable person. She cannot influence the decisions of powerful people like Mr. Li. If she makes others unhappy, she may even lose her life.
"Yes." Ning Yue agreed, sat on the small stool, and started playing the guqin again.
While playing the zither, Ning Yue said sorry to Master Rong in her heart. It was she who brought disaster to Master Rong. Master Rong was such a good man, and she only hoped that the people behind him could protect him.
Young Master Li followed the rhythm of the piano, tapping his thigh lightly with his index finger, humming a few times from time to time, and seemed to be in a very good mood.
Of course he understood Ning Yue's mood at the moment, but what he wanted was to offend the person behind the blue-eyed man. The stronger the blue-eyed man's backers were, the happier he would be.
Because he wants his brother to die!
It's ridiculous to think about it. The head of the Li family wanted to have more sons all his life, so he took in several concubines and had so many mistresses that you couldn't even count them on your fingers.
But over the past few decades, these concubines have given birth to many children for him, but they are basically daughters.
Young Master Li's biological mother was the first wife of the head of the Li family. Her family's status was originally second only to the Li family. Later, because they offended the royal family of the previous dynasty, they were implicated, demoted and expelled from the capital. Later, most of the family members died at the hands of the rebel army.
Her natal family was weak, and the head of the Li family didn't like his first wife very much. As soon as something happened in his father-in-law's family, he simply ignored her.
Even though his first wife gave birth to his first son, he hated his son because he was a mother and because the eldest son looked like his mother but not like the head of the Li family. He therefore disliked his eldest son and usually did not care about him at all and did not fulfill his responsibilities as a father.
When Young Master Li was ten years old, the favorite concubine of the head of the Li family gave birth to his second son. Coincidentally, this son looked 70% like him, almost as if they were cast in the same mold.
So, the sensible Mr. Li saw in his younger brother the infinite doting that his father had never shown to him.
Young Master Li was enlightened at the age of three. In order to gain his father's recognition, he studied very hard and achieved excellent results. All the teachers who taught him praised him highly.
When Mr. Li heard others talking about how outstanding his eldest son was, he just hummed lightly and continued to rock the rattle to amuse his younger son.
The concubine, relying on herself and her son's favor, repeatedly went to the wife to provoke her and even tried to seize her housekeeper rights.
If it weren't for the fact that Master Li knew that the concubine was beautiful but incompetent, and that his wife had done a good job as housekeeper over the years and there was no need to change her, he would not have agreed to the concubine's request.
Otherwise, if they lose their position as housekeeper, the wife and Mr. Li will never be able to turn things around in this family.
As Young Master Li grew older, he developed an arrogant and domineering personality due to his father's indulgence. He even looked down on his elder brother, Young Master Li, and often beat and scolded him.
After knowing this, the head of the Li family not only did not comfort Young Master Li, but also scolded him for not being sensible even though he had grown up and did not know how to give in to his younger brother.
Once, when the head of the Li family got drunk, he mistook his wife for the concubine and told her that after his death, he would leave all his property to his youngest son and find a good future for him so that he would have power and wealth for the rest of his life.
The wife, who had never fought for anything, finally erupted with suppressed hatred after hearing what Patriarch Li said.
She found Mr. Li, told him about this, analyzed the pros and cons with him, and asked him what he was going to do.
Young Master Li looked at his mother who was asking the question knowingly, and knew that she was testing him, so he answered seriously: "Father dotes on him to the bone, and as his elder brother, I should learn more from him."
The mother smiled and said, "My son is smart. Born into a family like this, he has to fight for his life and power by himself."
From then on, Young Master Li, who originally resented the concubine and his younger brother, suddenly became a different person. He frequently approached his younger brother, gave him delicious food and fun things, accompanied him in getting into trouble, took the blame for him afterwards, and even encouraged his younger brother, saying that few people in the entire capital dared to offend the Li family, and told his younger brother to do whatever he wanted without worry.
When facing the concubine, he respected her more than his biological mother. Everyone said that he was a heartless person. Seeing that he could not rely on his biological mother and afraid of being abandoned by the head of the Li family, he flattered the concubine and her son.
Young Master Li seemed not to hear the insults. He took his younger brother with him, teaching him how to gamble, fight, bully others, and hang out in brothels and southern pavilions of all sizes in the capital.
Of course, in order not to arouse his father's suspicion, Young Master Li secretly helped the situation. On the surface, he behaved well and often advised his younger brother to be a good person.
But his younger brother, who had been praised to the skies since childhood, was not willing to accept his advice. Not only was he not grateful, he even complained to their father, saying that his brother always blocked him and did not allow him to go out to play.
So for the sake of his beloved younger son, even though he thought his eldest son was right, Mr. Li still punished his eldest son every time.
The harsher his punishment, the happier Young Master Li was, because it meant that Young Master Li was falling deeper and deeper into depravity.
After knowing that his father was going to depose him and his mother and make his youngest son the head of the family, these two were no longer his father and brother, but mortal enemies.
In recent years, Young Master Li passed the imperial examination and entered the court as an official, moving up step by step with determination. However, Young Master Li became a real loser, who only knew how to eat, drink, gamble and whore every day, and whenever he got into trouble, he would come to Young Master Li and his father to clean up the mess.
Young Master Li and Patriarch Li were both happy to help him. Patriarch Li felt sorry for his son, and Young Master Li was excited. The more trouble his younger brother got into, the closer he was to death.
After the pleasure boat docked, Mr. Li's guards went to investigate the blue-eyed man's true identity and background, but found nothing.
It seemed like this person suddenly appeared in the capital overnight, and there was no information about him from any source.
His identity could not be found out, so either there was something fishy about this blue-eyed man and his background was not right, or, as he guessed, this man's backers were extremely powerful!
As if to verify his guess, his good brother came to him as soon as he returned home.
"Brother! Where have you been? I've been looking for you for the whole day!" Young Master Li looked panicked, and when he saw Young Master Li, his eyes were filled with anger.
Young Master Li knew at a glance that the man was in trouble and came to him for help to solve it. Moreover, he would rather wait for him for a whole day than go to find Father Li. It seems that this trouble is not a simple one.
"What's wrong, Xiaoao?" Young Master Li acted up and looked at his brother worriedly.
Seeing this, Li Ao didn't bother to be angry with him and quickly told him what happened this morning.
"Brother, you have to help me!" Li Ao was so scared that he was about to cry.
After knowing that Li Ao had met the blue-eyed man in the morning, Young Master Li silently widened his eyes.
Especially when Li Ao said that the two men were wearing clothes made of tribute fabrics, and their status was probably higher than that of the Li family, and they might even be the one in the palace, he almost couldn't help but sneer.
That’s great! It was like God had a vision. He didn’t even have to do anything. His stupid brother just sought death on his own!
He guessed correctly. A man as good-looking as the blue-eyed man would indeed attract Li Ao's attention, and the power that the blue-eyed man relied on was not simple either.
"Don't worry." Young Master Li suppressed his excitement and pretended to be thinking of a countermeasure for Li Ao. "Based on your description, I can't confirm whether that person is the emperor. You said you sent people to follow them, so where are they now? We have to see where they stay at night and find out their specific identities before we can think about what to do next."
Li Ao seemed to have grasped a life-saving straw and quickly told everything he knew: "Not long ago, the servants reported that they were having dinner at Juxian Building. Now it's getting late, they should prepare to return to their place of residence."
"Then wait a little longer. Don't be afraid. I will definitely help you." Young Master Li comforted his younger brother.
In fact, he has basically confirmed the identity of that patron, most likely the current emperor. As for the blue-eyed man, he should be the mermaid that King Jing presented to the emperor last year.
His handsome appearance and beautiful voice that is stronger than that of ordinary people match the characteristics of mermaids rumored by the outside world.
A few days ago, their people in the palace reported that the mermaid had grown legs and could transform into a human form after falling ill.
He was skeptical at first, but after seeing it with his own eyes, he realized that there really are such magical things in the world.
Juxian Building.
Rong Yin burped and rubbed his stomach as he walked out of the door, slowly walking towards where they parked the carriage.
Zong Zhengxiao and Rong Yin walked in the middle, while Si Xi, Lu'e and the guards stood on both sides. Even though the two of them looked very eye-catching, passers-by did not dare to take any second glance at them in front of such ferocious-looking guards.
"The food here is only slightly worse than that made by Chef Yu, and there are several innovative dishes. Next time I leave the palace, I will come to his house to eat." Rong Yin walked close to Zong Zhengxiao and chatted with him.
Zong Zhengxiao nodded: "If you like us, come again next time."
"Hehe, I knew you were the best." Rong Yin flattered.
Zong Zheng Xiao: "It's good that you know. I'll be thankful if you don't make me angry in the future."
Rong Yin snorted and ignored him.
The place where they parked the carriage was far from the downtown area, and as they walked along, there were fewer and fewer passers-by.
Compared to Zong Zhengxiao who looked so graceful even when walking, Rong Yin seemed much more "unruly". His pace was irregular, sometimes fast, sometimes slow. He walked with his hands behind his back like an old man taking a stroll, humming a little tune.
When they reached the entrance of an alley, two dogs suddenly ran out. One was not even as tall as Rong Yin's calf, and the other was tall and mighty.
But both dogs looked dirty, probably stray dogs on the street.
The puppy was running in front with a bone in its mouth, and the big dog was chasing it from behind. Just as the big dog was about to bite the puppy with its bloody mouth, the puppy suddenly accelerated, and with the advantage of its size, it passed through the guards and ran to Rong Yin's feet.
The big dog was not so lucky. As soon as it approached, the guards drew their knives.
The blade flashed with a sharp cold light, and the guards were full of murderous intent. The wild dogs that could survive must have strong ability to judge the situation.
Seeing that these people were not easy to mess with, it barked at them a few times and then turned and ran away.
"Woo, woo, woo..." The puppy at Rong Yin's feet lay on the ground, chewing on a bone and shivering all over, making pitiful woof sounds.
Even though he was scared to death, he didn't forget to eat. It seemed that he was really hungry.
Judging from what happened just now, I don’t know whether the puppy was so brave that it snatched the bone from the big dog, or the puppy got the bone first and was then chased by the big dog.
"Stay away. The stray dogs outside are not clean and may have fleas." Zong Zhengxiao pulled Rong Yin, who was standing stupidly, to his side.
"Okay." Rong Yin looked up into the alley and confirmed that the big dog was not wandering around before saying, "The little dog should be safe for now. Let's go."
After saying that, they continued to move forward.
Unexpectedly, the puppy, who had just been chewing a bone, saw them leaving and immediately picked up the half-eaten bone and followed them, and kept nudging towards Rong Yin.
A guard tried to stop it with his scabbard, but it was very smart and dodged the scabbard and continued to move towards Rong Yin.
Rong Yin turned around to talk to Zong Zheng Xiao, and didn't notice the movement behind him at all. It was not until the puppy was stopped several times and saw Rong Yin walking farther and farther away and it was almost impossible to catch up with him that it reluctantly let go of the bone in its mouth, raised its head and barked a few times.
Hearing the dog barking, Rong Yin stopped and turned to look over.
Seeing this, the puppy immediately picked up the bone again, nimbly dodged the guards, and ran to Rong Yin.
It held the bone in its mouth and lay down at Rong Yin's feet, revealing its soft belly.
Rong Yin tilted his head and asked, "Do you want to go home with me?"
"Woof woof!" The puppy put the bone at Rong Yin's feet, opened its mouth and barked twice, and wagged its little tail wildly as if it was about to fly.
"So clever." Rong Yin squatted down and stretched out his hand. The puppy immediately came forward and rubbed his fingers.
Rong Yin had never kept a pet before or after he traveled through the book. This was the first time he met a small animal that was so affectionate to him.
What should I do? I don’t want to let it down.
Rong Yin looked up at Zong Zheng Xiao and blinked her innocent big eyes.
"Want to raise one?" Zong Zhengxiao said calmly, as if he had no objection.
"Is that okay?" Rong Yin said, "The puppy doesn't eat much, so I can give it half of my food. It doesn't take up much space, and it can sleep with me."
Zong Zheng Xiao was still laughing when he heard the first half of the sentence, but when Rong Yin finished speaking, he could no longer laugh.
"That's a fish nest, and dogs should sleep in dog nests, so you can't sleep together." Zong Zhengxiao said nonsense seriously.
Rong Yin deliberately asked, "Didn't you sleep with me too?"
Zong Zhengxiao: "..."
I suspected that he was scolding me, and he had reasons to do so.
"If you keep talking nonsense, forget about raising it." Zong Zhengxiao used threats.
Rong Yin made a wronged expression: "But if I can't keep it, I will be sad for a long time."
Even though he knew Rong Yin was pretending to be pitiful, Zong Zheng Xiao still couldn't resist.
He sighed and said to one of the guards, "Take the dog with you."
The guard was about to agree, but Lu'e said, "Let me do it. The guard is too strong, and the puppy might be scared."
Rong Yin said: "But I want to hold it myself."
Zong Zhengxiao took his hand and walked forward: "Don't even think about it. Go back to the palace and wash yourself clean before you hug me."
"Okay." Rong Yin looked back at the puppy reluctantly.
Perhaps because the puppy felt that Lu'e was a very gentle person, when she wrapped the puppy in a piece of cloth and picked it up, the puppy did not resist.
Lu'e even remembered to bring the bone back for it, as it was the puppy's trophy.
The carriage slowly drove towards the imperial city. Inside the carriage, Zong Zhengxiao had already pushed Rong Yin down, his breath like a hot wave blowing in his ear, and he whispered softly, "Ayin, it's time for you to fulfill your promise."
Rong Yin closed her eyes sadly, put her hands around Zong Zheng Xiao's neck, and warned him in her heart: Don't make too much noise. If we are discovered by people outside, I will not work with you anymore.
Rong Yin really regretted it. Even if Zong Zheng Xiao was jealous, there were so many ways to please him. Why did he get so carried away and choose to deliver himself to her?
Sensing Rong Yin's nervousness, Zong Zheng Xiao kissed him on the ear and said with a low laugh, "Don't worry, I know my limits and won't be discovered."
The carriage was shaking, and the curtains were occasionally blown up by the evening breeze. Rong Yin bit her lip, not daring to make a sound.
He knelt on the cushion, the inner sides of his legs felt as if they were burning, and he was pushed forward repeatedly, then grabbed by the waist and dragged back.
A few groaning sounds accidentally escaped from Rong Yin's throat, and he sounded even more pitiful than a puppy being chased by a big dog.
Just when Rong Yin was about to scream out uncontrollably, Zong Zheng Xiao stopped in time, turned Rong Yin's face, bent down and kissed her.
Rong Yin closed his eyes and turned all his anxiety into enthusiasm as he responded back.
Calculating the time and realizing that they were almost entering the palace, Zong Zhengxiao quickened his pace and exerted more and more strength.
Rong Yin grabbed Zong Zhengxiao's hand, and Zong Zhengxiao shook it back, interlocking their fingers.
“…”
"!!!"
After a long while, a hand quietly lifted a corner of the curtain, allowing the wind from outside to blow in, diluting the strong smell inside and cooling down Rong Yin, who was about to turn into braised fish.
Rong Yin still had tears on her eyelashes as she glared at Zong Zheng Xiao fiercely: "Just this once, never do it again next time."
Zong Zhengxiao held Rong Yin's hand and kissed her: "I will listen to you, A Yin."
Rong Yin said in a low voice, embarrassed, "Did you hide the handkerchief? Deal with it yourself, and don't let Si Xi know!"
"Okay, don't let him know."
"What if they see me walking in an abnormal way and become suspicious of me?"
"I'll carry you back and tell you that you were sleepy and fell asleep."
"Is my face still red?"
"It's getting better."
Zong Zhengxiao coaxed her softly, and Rong Yin gradually felt at ease.
The carriage stopped, Zong Zhengxiao carried Rong Yin out, Rong Yin lay on Zong Zhengxiao's shoulder, quietly squinting her eyes to observe the surroundings.
Then he saw the guard driving their carriage, his ears were so red that they seemed to be bleeding.
Rong Yin: “?”
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