Chapter 106 The Old Man's Prank
These two groups of people are naturally the Chen family who hate the Cui family, and the second young master Cui who hopes that the Cui family will fall into chaos and go to hell with him.
There is no need to talk about the Chen family. In the past few years, the Cui family has repeatedly suppressed the Chen family. The Cui family still owes the Chen family a life, so they naturally hate the Cui family.
As for the Second Young Master Cui, he was the original heir of the Cui family because of his precocious intelligence and understanding. He was raised with great respect and it was not an exaggeration to say that he was treated as a favored child of heaven. Everyone told him that he would become the head of the family in the future.
However, due to the persecution of Master Cui, he fell from the altar in despair and was abandoned by his family, becoming a useless waste.
Such a huge psychological gap made him jealous and crazy.
When Elder Maoshan came to Beijing to give lectures, the head of the Cui family took the opportunity to send several of his children to him for him to choose, which naturally did not include the already abandoned Second Young Master Cui.
In the end, old man Maoshan chose Cui Xin, the youngest and most talented boy.
The second young master Cui was like a passerby, standing aside and watching his younger brother snatch the position that should have belonged to him.
Before Cui Xin left with Elder Maoshan, he came to see the second young master Cui. The child was only seven years old, but his expression was much more mature and stable than other children of the same age.
He looked at the Second Master Cui steadily, and suddenly laughed. He said, "Brother, I will definitely take your place and learn from Elder Maoshan. In the future, I will take over my father's responsibility and become the new head of the family."
Many years have passed since that day, and Young Master Cui still doesn't understand what Cui Xin meant by those words.
Is it provocation? Or is it just a statement of fact?
But no matter what the truth is, in the memories of the second young master Cui over the years, Cui Xin has been demonized by him into a scheming demon child. He said those words before leaving just to show off and stimulate him. Maybe his fall from the horse that year was also related to him.
Every time Cui Xin sent a letter home, Cui Ershao would masochistically ask him what he said in the letter.
When he learned that he was highly respected as Master Maoshan's disciple, and was warmly received wherever he went, and that Master Maoshan valued him and taught him everything he knew, Master Cui's heart felt like it was being stabbed by needles, as if his flesh was about to be rotten.
The better Cui Xin lived, the deeper the hatred that Cui Ershao felt for him.
Maybe Cui Xin is really innocent, but the Second Master Cui has already convicted him in his heart, and he must die even if he does not deserve to die.
The second young master Cui is no longer a normal person. He was previously involved in persecuting the Cui family. Sometimes he would worry in the middle of the night that after he died, he would go to the underworld and be punished by his ancestors.
But now he is not afraid anymore. When he was alive, he could make the Cui family live in chaos. Even after his death, he is not afraid of those old guys.
If they really have spirits in heaven, why didn't they appear to protect him when he fell off his horse?
So his ancestors were just a bunch of useless guys, so why should he be afraid?
Two months ago, Cui Xin's letter was once again delivered to the Cui family.
The second young master Cui found out that Cui Xin was going to accompany old man Maoshan to Anchang County to secretly visit an old friend. In addition, it has been raining a lot recently, and it is easy to encounter danger if they continue on the road, so they plan to spend the rainy season in Anchang County before setting off to other places.
Cui Xin's Knowing whereabouts and knowing that he would stay there for a long time, an evil idea immediately emerged in Cui Ershao's mind.
He secretly revealed the news to the Chen family. There was no way the Chen family would let go of such a great opportunity to take revenge on the Cui family.
Cui Xin is the life of the Cui family. Isn't taking their lives the best way of revenge?
A son of the Chen family died, so let's exchange him for a son of the Cui family.
It's just that both the Cui and Chen families don't know it for now, but strictly speaking, these two people died at the hands of the second young master Cui.
The flood problem in the south became more and more serious. Because Cui Xin was in the south, the Cui family not only did not cause any trouble in flood control this time, but also actively cooperated with Zong Zhengxi's actions.
They thought that Cui Xin would escape danger early like millions of other southerners, but even Cui Ershao did not expect that Cui Xin would be so unlucky as to meet an unreliable county magistrate.
When the news of Cui Xin's death came, Cui Ershao could not tell for a moment whether he died in the flood or at the hands of the Chen family.
But it didn't take long for him to find out the answer.
The assassination of Cui Xin for revenge was actually arranged by the eldest and third young masters Chen.
The two of them were the first to receive the news secretly revealed by the Second Young Master Cui. After knowing Cui Xin's situation, they immediately decided to kill him.
Fearing that their father would stop them, the two brothers did this without telling him. The grief of Chen Ershao's death still lingers in their hearts. If they miss such a good opportunity to avenge their relatives, they will never be able to get rid of it, and will never forgive themselves.
The brothers' confidants went to Anchang County with the secret order and killed Cui Xin's guards according to the original plan, and finally cut Cui Xin's throat personally.
They did not touch old man Maoshan. After all, he was a great scholar of the time. If he died, it would definitely cause public outrage, and the case might even be traced back to the Chen family. Moreover, the feud between the Cui and Chen families had nothing to do with him, so why bother involving an innocent person?
Coincidentally, the killers acted at night and escaped from Anchang County before dawn. Less than two hours after they left, the people of Anchang County were killed forever in their sleep.
The flood provided a good cover for the Chen family's assassination. No one would know that Cui Xin had actually died before the flood came.
Father Chen only found out what his two sons had done after the incident in Anchang County. The eldest and third sons of the Chen family knelt in front of Father Chen and admitted that they should not have kept the secret from their father, but even if their father beat them to death, they would not regret killing Cui Xin.
Chen's mother pleaded for her two children with tears in her eyes. She had already lost one beloved son and could no longer bear the pain of losing a loved one.
Looking at his crying wife and stubborn son, the Chen family head remained silent for a long time, and finally heaved a long sigh. He did not hold anyone accountable, nor did he punish anyone.
He himself couldn't explain clearly whether he felt angry that his two sons had brought disaster to the family, or subconsciously approved of it, when he heard that his two sons had killed Cui Xin.
He is far less rational than he thinks, and like ordinary people, he is swayed by his emotions.
The group of cronies who went to assassinate Cui Xin were sent away from the capital overnight. The Chen family kept an eye on the disaster relief situation in the south, especially in Anchang County. They didn't want anyone there to show up alive.
If Cui Xin's death drove the entire Cui family crazy, then the news of the death of the Maoshan old man caused students all over the world to mourn.
Because Mr. Maoshan traveled everywhere, many students had listened to his lectures and were considered half of his students.
The poetry and essay collections of Mr. Maoshan are must-reads for the imperial examinations. Now, those in the Dasheng officialdom who have not read his works are rarer than the tears of mermaids.
Most students have never seen him in person, but they can glimpse his noble character from the words he wrote, and thus silently admire him.
Not only in the capital, but almost all the students in Dasheng gathered together tacitly to hold a memorial service for Mr. Maoshan. While recalling his glorious past years, they prayed together for God's blessing, hoping that he could be born into a good family in the next life and live a peaceful and smooth life.
Out of respect for the scholar, Zong Zhengxiao also attended the memorial service held by the Imperial College. Although he only stayed for less than half an hour, he had already expressed his attitude as an emperor.
The pen of scholars is the most terrifying thing. Because he killed old man Maoshan and the people of Anchang County, the county magistrate was cursed by almost all the scholars in Dasheng. Many people also wrote articles to criticize him and secretly reminded the remaining officials to do their jobs conscientiously and not to be a useless waste, otherwise this county magistrate will be a lesson for you.
The officials were naturally not afraid of this group of powerless scholars, but Zong Zhengxiao on the throne seemed to support them, so the officials had been on tenterhooks in recent days. Even for the idle posts, they had to find things to do for themselves, and they didn't even dare to be late or leave early.
Everyone was afraid that they would make a mistake at this time and be caught by political enemies and reported to the authorities. If they lost their official position because of this, it would be a huge loss.
In this flood, more than one corrupt official was caught, the magistrate of Anchang County. Some of them embezzled disaster relief funds and supplies, some took advantage of the displacement of the people to extort money from the people, and some failed to do their job properly, resulting in unnecessary casualties and even tried to cover it up.
These guys were caught red-handed along with the evidence by Ji Xie, who was secretly investigating under the orders of Zong Zhengxiao. The report letters were sent to Zong Zhengxiao's desk in the capital as if they were free.
Zong Zheng was ruthless and merciless. No matter which party in the capital the arrested people belonged to, once they were caught, they would all be punished according to the law, and no one would be spared.
None of the civil and military officials in the capital dared to question Zong Zhengxiao's actions. Even if they were implicated, they dared not say a word, because they knew the seriousness of the incident. If they accepted the punishment honestly, they could live in peace. If they dared to resist, they would only have death as their fate.
One night in August, Rong Yin, who was sleeping soundly in Zong Zheng Xiao's arms, seemed to sense something and suddenly opened his eyes, awake without any sleepiness at all.
He pulled away Zong Zhengxiao's hand that was on his waist, lifted the bed curtain, glanced out the window, and muttered in a dreamy voice, "It's going to rain."
"Boom——"
Before Rong Yin finished speaking, a thunderclap so loud that it hurt people's ears resounded through the sky, followed by cold blue lightning that almost illuminated the entire capital city.
Zong Zheng Xiao woke up in shock and saw Rong Yin standing in front of the window, so he opened it.
A strong wind blew in, Rong Yin's long hair and robe fluttered in the wind, and the falling lightning illuminated half of Rong Yin's body.
For a moment, Zong Zhengxiao suddenly had the illusion that if he blinked, Rong Yin would disappear in front of him.
Zong Zhengxiao got out of bed, and the moment his hand touched Rong Yin's shoulder, the rain that seemed to have been held back for a long time suddenly fell from the dark clouds, hitting the muddy ground hard, bringing with it a smell of dust.
The puppies' noisy barking came over, not sounding like fear, but more like excitement.
Rong Yin turned her head to look at Zong Zheng Xiao, tears already welling up in her eyes.
"Zong Zheng Xiao, it's raining, we are saved." Rong Yin's voice was almost choked with sobs.
Zong Zhengxiao held Rong Yin in his arms and said with a smile, "Well, we have solved another difficulty on our way forward."
It rained in the middle of the night and woke up almost everyone in the capital, but no one was angry or complaining. They looked at the falling raindrops, as if they were reuniting with their loved ones after a long separation, and their hearts were full of excitement and joy.
Although the drought in the north is not as severe as the floods in the south because of the support of reservoirs, the long-term high temperature and drought still affected the growth of crops.
Zong Zhengxiao's decree was quickly issued to all places. The disaster-stricken areas in the south were exempted from grain taxes this year, and the government would lend seeds to the people for sowing next year, which needed to be repaid within five years.
The North also lowered tax rates as appropriate after considering the drought situation.
Although the harvest this year was poor, it was not so serious as to destroy every grain. It felt like the harvest was only about 10% less than before the advent of fertilizers, so the people could still afford it.
The price of grain in the capital was bound to rise, but with official control, it was all within a reasonable range and the people had no complaints.
In late autumn, the weather was getting colder. Rong Yin thought that business would be difficult this year, but after starting business, she found that business in her stores was even more prosperous than before.
Rong Yin was surprised, but he did not forget to ask someone to find out what was going on.
The people who inquired came back and said that most of the new customers who suddenly appeared in these stores were ordinary people. They came to the stores to consume because they were grateful for Rong Yin's generosity during the drought. He helped many poor people survive the unbearable high temperature period and maintained the prices in the capital so that the people would not be exploited in times of crisis.
On the other hand, the food in Rong Yin’s shop is indeed delicious. They were reluctant to spend money on it before, but now it’s a good opportunity to express their gratitude to Rong Yin and spend money boldly, and occasionally enjoy a carefree life.
After Rong Yin learned the truth, he immediately asked several stores to offer discounts, trying to reduce the financial burden on those who supported and thanked him.
After this "thank you boom" passed, business returned to its original state. Only a small number of the new customers became regular customers, but this is normal, after all, their spending power is there.
But Rong Yin still feels very gratified that she has helped so many people and they are grateful for her kindness. This is a virtuous cycle of kindness.
The first snow of winter fell in the capital. That day, Zong Zhengxiao and Rong Yin had hotpot together in the palace. After they were half full, they started chatting.
Zong Zhengxiao said, "Ji Xie's letter said that this time when he was secretly investigating the officialdom in the south, Li Chu offered him many strategies and helped him a lot. Once he was discovered and almost killed, and it was Li Chu who saved him."
Rong Yin took a sip of iced drink, raised an eyebrow and asked, "Is Ji Xie moved by him and came to you to plead for him?"
Zong Zhengxiao shook his head and said with a smile, "Ji Xie said that he didn't understand until now why we were so wary of Li Chu. This guy is really too smart, even resorting to the tactic of self-torture. If he hadn't been determined, he would have been deceived by Li Chu."
Rong Yin said, "It seems that Li Chu wants to show weakness to you through Ji Xie and ask you to re-employ him."
"That's probably what he's thinking, but Ji Xie knows what he's done before and won't be easily fooled by him."
Rong Yin picked up a piece of meat and put it into Zong Zhengxiao's bowl, and said with a look of pity: "Your Majesty has worked hard to fight him with wisdom and courage. Come, have a piece of meat to replenish your energy."
Zong Zhengxiao ate the meat and looked at Rong Yin with a pair of sharp eyes. His voice was a little charming, "This little bit of meat is not enough. I want to eat more."
Rong Yin didn't understand what he meant, so he took out a big spoonful of meat from the pot and piled it all into Zong Zhengxiao's bowl, saying with a smile, "It's just meat, it's definitely enough."
Zong Zhengxiao's eyes turned resentful: "A Yin..."
Rong Yin was surprised: "Isn't this enough? You need a balanced diet, not just meat, but also vegetables."
As she spoke, Rong Yin picked up a few more chopsticks of vegetarian dishes for Zong Zheng Xiao.
Seeing Rong Yin almost emptying the pot, Zong Zhengxiao lowered his brows helplessly.
After dinner, Zong Zhengxiao remembered that he had some memorials to review, so he returned to his study.
Rong Yin ate and drank enough, and after digesting everything, he went to wash and take a bath alone.
Halfway through his bath, he remembered Zong Zheng Xiao's expression during dinner.
Suddenly, it seemed as if a knot in her mind was untied, and Rong Yin immediately understood what Zong Zhengxiao meant.
The meat that Zong Zhengxiao wants to eat is him!
Rong Yin couldn't help but hold his forehead.
Because they were both very busy recently, they haven't had sex for three months.
Zong Zheng Xiao had always been lustful, and now that he was free, he wanted to flirt with him and then get together naturally. However, he was too stupid and didn't understand Zong Zheng Xiao's hint.
Rong Yin thought that Zong Zhengxiao must be extremely helpless.
Rong Yin almost couldn't hold back her laughter, but she felt that Zong Zheng Xiao looked pitiful, like an unwanted puppy who couldn't get the toy he wanted and didn't make a fuss, but quietly hid aside.
Now that he has reacted, let's go and comfort the aggrieved puppy.
Rong Yin got up from the bath, changed into the black clothes, put on a robe on the outside, and knocked on the door of the study under the pretext of delivering something.
Si Xi came to open the door, and seeing that it was Rong Yin, his originally somewhat sad face immediately smiled, and his tone was somewhat excited, "Young Master, you are here."
"Well, I have something to give to His Majesty."
Si Xi saw that Rong Yin had nothing in his hands and knew that this was just his excuse, so he wisely did not expose him.
The two of them went in together. Hearing footsteps, Zong Zheng Xiao raised his head and saw Rong Yin looking at him with a smile.
He was a little surprised and a little confused: "Why is A Yin here?"
Rong Yin said: "Of course I came to see you."
Zong Zhengxiao didn't understand why, but he still let Si Xi leave first.
Seeing Rong Yin's attire, Si Xi guessed something vaguely, and this time he retreated completely, locking himself outside the door.
After Si Xi left, Rong Yin walked forward, sat down in Zong Zheng Xiao's arms like a willow in the wind, and hummed softly: "I'm sorry, Your Majesty, I just reacted."
Zong Zheng Xiao now knew why he came.
"It's okay. I was too obscure. It's normal that Yin didn't understand."
Rong Yin sat on Zongzheng Xiaoqi's lap facing him, raised her arms to hold his neck, and her wide sleeves slipped down, revealing a piece of her fair forearm.
"Then, Your Majesty, do you still want to eat meat at this moment?" Rong Yin said, and the moist tip of his tongue flashed across the corner of his mouth.
Zong Zhengxiao's eyes were dimmed by the dazzle, and the hand holding Rong Yin's waist tightened slightly.
He asked, "Go back, or stay here?"
Rong Yin sneered: "I told Si Xi that I was here to deliver something. Your Majesty hasn't even enjoyed it yet, and you want to leave?"
Zong Zheng Xiao also laughed: "I would like to enjoy it, but you, A Yin, can't stand it."
"Humph, who are you looking down on?" Rong Yin bit his ear lightly and said provocatively, "Old man, don't sprain your back."
Zong Zhengxiao's breath was choked, the flames were almost bursting, he gritted his teeth and said, "Okay, then let's see who sprains my waist first, or you, Rong Yin, beg for mercy first."
The outer robe fell off, revealing an almost transparent black gauze dress underneath. It was the one that Rong Yin had specially customized for them when they first met.
Time flies, the clothes are the same, the people are the same, and the two still love each other deeply.
Rong Yin took the initiative to kiss Zong Zhengxiao's lips and whispered, "Your Majesty, this is the first time we do this here, please don't let me down."
Zong Zhengxiao lowered his eyes and kissed her back, leaving only one sentence: "I will definitely make A Yin unforgettable for the rest of her life."
The cold wind was howling outside the door, and Si Xi hid behind a pillar that blocked the wind. He wore a cloak and held a small heater in his arms, which were brought by his little apprentice.
Counting on his fingers, he realized that His Majesty and the young master had not relaxed for a long time, and they would probably have to toil for most of the night. He ordered the palace servants to always keep hot water ready, and then stood in the corner, waiting to be ordered by the people inside.
The room was as warm as spring. Rong Yin lay on the table, tilting her head to look at the red candle beside her.
Although there was no wind, the flame of the red candle kept fluttering, as if someone was holding it and shaking it. Drops of candle tears slid down the candle and piled up in the black candle holder, forming a sticky ball.
Before Rong Yin could take a closer look, he was picked up by Zong Zheng Xiao and moved from lying to kneeling.
A cold wind was blowing outside, and the small tree in the courtyard was shaking its branches passively. The rhythm was getting faster and faster, so fast that it almost became a shadow. The small tree was tortured and made unbearable movements, as if it was crying, but also as if it was happy.
Finally, the first round of cold wind had enough fun, and after a gust of heavy wind, it stopped blowing temporarily, only slowly passing over the branches and waist of the small tree, as if apologizing for its own rudeness and comforting the trembling small tree.
But Han Feng was not very kind. He had not had enough fun, and Xiao Shu was doomed to die tonight.
Because the cold wind was so strong, the snowflakes on the small tree were blown off several times and fell to the ground, gradually changing from a thick layer of white to a thin, clean and transparent layer.
In order to prevent the snow from being blown off the small tree, the cold wind half-kindly and half-teasingly restrained the small tree's snow-covered branches, and then continued to blow the small tree's trunk wildly, as if it was risking its life and had gone mad.
In the end, it was the little tree that compromised first and begged the cold wind to spare it. Only then did the cold wind feel satisfied and released its restraints on the little tree while making its final sprint.
"No, no, change direction, there is a memorial ahead!" Rong Yin's voice became hoarse. Seeing that the memorial approved by Zong Zhengxiao was not far from where he was kneeling, he was so nervous that his heart was about to jump out.
His heart tensed up, and so did another part of him. Zong Zheng Xiao took a deep breath and almost couldn't hold it in, but he managed to grit his teeth and get through it.
"It doesn't matter. It won't be visible after the wind dries up." Zong Zhengxiao said this deliberately, speeding up his movements.
Rong Yin was held tightly by him and couldn't break free at all. In the end, she could only close her eyes, and cried out in shame at the moment the white light descended.
“No, no, no… um—”
At the same time, Zong Zhengxiao also exploded at the deepest point.
After a long time, Rong Yin finally came out of the feeling of almost dying. He looked down in fear and found that Zong Zheng Xiao's big hand had firmly caught his things, not a drop of it fell out.
Zong Zheng Xiao was just teasing him on purpose.
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