Chapter 059: Pinch the waist and drag back

On the pleasure boat, Ning Yue returned with great joy, but the smile on her face faded a little 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 sigh of 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 fall 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.

畫舫靠岸後，李大少的侍衛前去查探藍眸男子的真實身份和背景，結果卻是一無所獲。

這人好像是一夜之間忽然出現在京城裏的，各方消息小販那邊都沒有他的信息。

查不到身份，要麽是這個藍眸男子有問題，來路不正，要麽就是他猜的那樣，這個人的靠山硬得不能再硬了！

像是為了驗證他的猜想一般，他剛回到家，他那好弟弟就找了過來。

“哥！你去哪兒了！我找了你一天了！”李小少爺神色驚慌，看見李大少以後，滿眼憤怒。

李大少一看就知道他是惹了麻煩，來找自己幫他解決的，而且寧願等他一天都沒去找李父，看來這個麻煩還不簡單。

“怎麽了小傲？”李大少演技上身，擔心地看向弟弟。

李傲見狀也顧不得跟他生氣了，趕緊将今早發生的事情告訴了他。

“哥，你一定得幫我啊！”李傲害怕得快哭了。

李大少在知道李傲早上就見過那位藍眸男子後，默默睜大了眼睛。

特別是李傲說那兩人身上穿着貢品布料做的衣裳，地位大概率比李家高，或許還可能是宮裏那位時，他差點沒忍住嗤笑出聲。

太好了，簡直是蒼天有眼，都不用他出手，他這個蠢弟弟就自己找死去了！

他猜的沒錯，藍眸男子那樣好看的人，果然會引起李傲的注意，而藍眸男子所依靠的勢力也不簡單。

“你別急。”李大少強壓住心裏的激動，裝出一副在為李傲思考對策的表情，“光憑你的描述，我無法确認那人究竟是不是皇上，你說你派人一直跟着他們，那他們現在在哪兒？我們得看了他們晚上落腳的地方，查出他們的具體身份，才好思考下一步該怎麽辦。”

李傲像是抓住了救命的稻草，趕忙把自己知道的都說了出來：“不久前下人來報，說他們在聚賢樓吃飯，這會兒天色已晚，他們應該要準備回落腳點了。”

“那就再等等，別怕，哥哥一定會幫你的。”李大少安撫弟弟。

其實他已經基本能肯定那位靠山的身份了，大概率就是當今聖上，至于藍眸男子，應當就是去年景王進獻給皇帝的鲛人。

俊美的外表和強于常人的優美嗓音，都能對上外界傳言的鲛人的特點。

前幾日宮裏他們的人傳出消息，說鲛人自那次病後，就長出雙腿，能幻化成人形了。

本來他還半信半疑，這次親眼目睹，才知道原來這世上還真有那麽神奇的事情。

聚賢樓。

戎音打着飽嗝，一邊揉肚子一邊走出大門，慢慢悠悠地朝他們停馬車的地方走去。

宗政逍和戎音走在中間，四喜、綠娥和護衛他們守在兩邊，即便兩人外貌再惹人注目，可面對這麽幾個兇神惡煞的護衛，路人也不敢多看一眼。

“這家飯菜的味道只比禦廚做的差一點點，還有好幾道創新菜式，下次出宮，我還要來他家吃。”戎音貼着宗政逍走，跟他閑聊。

宗政逍點頭：“你喜歡我們下次再來。”

“嘿嘿，我就知道你最好啦。”戎音拍馬屁。

宗政逍：“你知道就好，以後少惹我生氣我就謝天謝地了。”

戎音哼了一聲，不理他了。

他們停馬車的地方離鬧市比較遠，走着走着路人就少了。

相較于走路都顯得風度翩翩的宗政逍，戎音看起來就“沒規矩”許多，速度不定，時快時慢，背着手跟個散步的老大爺似的，嘴裏還哼哼着小曲兒。

衆人走到一處巷子口時，裏面忽然跑出來兩只狗，一只還沒戎音小腿高，一只長得高大威猛。

但兩只狗看起來都髒兮兮的，應該是街上的野狗。

小狗叼着骨頭狼狽地跑在前面，大狗在後面狂追，眼看大狗的血盆大口就要咬到小狗，小狗卻突然加速，借助體型優勢，穿過侍衛們跑到了戎音腳底下。

大狗就沒那麽好運了，它一靠近，侍衛們就拔出了刀。

刀刃閃着鋒利的寒光，侍衛們更是殺氣騰騰，能活下來野狗，審時度勢的本領弱不了。

它見這幾人不好招惹，沖他們狂吠幾聲後就轉身跑了。

“嗚嗚，嗚嗚……”戎音腳邊的小狗趴在地上，一邊啃着骨頭，一邊渾身哆嗦地發出可憐的嗚嗚聲。

即便怕得要死，也不忘記吃飯，看來的确是餓狠了。

看方才的情況，也不知是小狗膽大包天，搶了大狗的骨頭，還是小狗先得到骨頭，後被大狗追搶。

“離遠些，外面的野狗身上不幹淨，可能有跳蚤。”宗政逍把傻站着不動的戎音拉到自己身邊。

“好。”戎音擡頭往巷子裏看了一眼，确認大狗沒有在附近徘徊後，才道：“小狗應該暫時安全了，我們走吧。”

說完，幾人繼續往前走去。

誰知剛剛還在埋頭啃骨頭的小狗，看見他們要走，立馬叼起吃了一半的骨頭跟上，還一直往戎音身邊拱。

一個侍衛用刀鞘去攔它，誰知它聰明得很，閃身繞開刀鞘，繼續往戎音那裏靠。

戎音轉頭跟宗政逍說話去了，根本沒注意到後面的動靜，直到小狗被攔了好幾次，眼看着戎音越走越遠，快追不上了，它才依依不舍地放下嘴裏的骨頭，仰頭奶乎乎地叫了幾聲。

聽見狗叫聲，戎音停下腳步，轉頭看過去。

小狗見狀，立馬重新叼起骨頭，靈活地躲過侍衛們，跑到了戎音面前。

它叼着骨頭，在戎音腳邊躺下，露出了自己柔軟的腹部。

戎音歪頭問道：“你是不是想跟我回家？”

“汪汪！”小狗把骨頭放到戎音腳邊，張嘴叫了兩聲，小尾巴狂甩，跟要飛起來了似的。

“這麽機靈啊。”戎音蹲下，伸出手，小狗立即上前蹭了蹭他的手指。

戎音穿書前穿書後都沒養過寵物，這還是他第一次遇見這麽親他的小動物。

怎麽辦，不想辜負它的示好。

戎音擡頭看向宗政逍，眨巴眨巴無辜的大眼睛。

“想養？”宗政逍語氣平靜，像是并不反對。

“可以嗎？”戎音道：“小狗吃得不多的，我的食物可以分它一半，也不占地方，它可以跟我一起睡。”

聽見前半句話，宗政逍還在笑，但等戎音說完，他就笑不出來了。

“你那是魚窩，狗要睡狗窩，所以你們不能睡一起。”宗政逍一本正經地胡扯。

戎音故意道：“你不也跟我一起睡了嗎？”

宗政逍：“……”

懷疑他在罵我，并且有理有據。

“再胡說，你就別想養它了。”宗政逍使出威脅大法。

戎音做出委屈巴巴的表情：“可是不能養它的話，我會傷心很久的。”

明知道戎音是在裝可憐，但宗政逍還是抵抗不了。

他嘆氣，對其中一個侍衛道：“把這狗帶上。”

侍衛正要答應，綠娥先道：“奴婢來吧，侍衛大哥長得太壯實，小狗可能會怕。”

戎音道：“可是我想自己抱。”

宗政逍拉着他的手就往前走：“想都別想，回宮洗幹淨後你再抱。”

“好吧。”戎音戀戀不舍地回頭看小狗。

或許是感受到綠娥是個很溫柔的人，當她用一塊布将小狗包着抱起來時，小狗并沒有反抗。

綠娥甚至沒忘記幫它帶上那塊骨頭，那可是小狗的戰利品。

馬車緩緩朝皇城駛去，車廂內，宗政逍已經将戎音按倒，熱浪般的呼吸噴薄在他耳邊，輕聲道：“阿音，到了該你實現承諾的時候了。”

戎音悲催地閉上眼睛，伸手摟住宗政逍的脖子，用心聲警告他：不許鬧出太大動靜，要是被外面的人發現，我以後就不跟你做了。

戎音真是悔不當初啊，就算宗政逍吃醋了，但哄好他的辦法有那麽多，他為什麽偏偏腦子一熱，選擇主動把自己送上門啊！

感受到戎音的緊張，宗政逍在他耳朵上親了一口，低笑道：“放心，我有分寸，不會被發現的。”

馬車搖搖晃晃，窗簾時不時會被晚風掀起，戎音咬着嘴唇，不敢發出半點聲音來。

他跪在軟墊上，雙腿內側燙得像是要燒起來，人也被撞的不停朝前挪，然後又被掐着腰拖回來。

戎音喉嚨裏不小心洩出幾道嗚咽聲，聽起來比被大狗追的小狗還可憐。

就在戎音快要控制不住叫出來時，宗政逍及時停下動作，掰過戎音的臉，低頭吻了上去。

戎音閉上眼睛，把所有的不安都化作熱情回應了回去。

計算着時間，發現快要進宮了，宗政逍加快速度，使的力氣也越來越大。

戎音抓住宗政逍的手，宗政逍回握，跟他十指相扣。

“……”

“！！！”

過了好一會兒，窗簾一角才被一只手悄悄挑起，讓外面的風吹進來，沖淡裏面濃烈的味道，順便給快變成紅燒魚的戎音降降溫。

戎音眼睫上還挂着淚珠，兇巴巴地瞪向宗政逍：“就這一次，下次再也不能這麽幹了。”

宗政逍握着戎音的手親了一口：“都聽阿音的。”

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: “?”