Chapter 111 Falling into the Water
Inside the Buddhist temple, Princess Ning finished copying the Buddhist scriptures and handed them to a monk to offer before the Buddha. She then stood up, straightened her clothes, and left the meditation room.
The maid was waiting outside. When she came out, she put a cloak on her and said softly, "It has been cold lately. The prince has told me to take good care of the princess."
Princess Ning cooperated and asked the maid to tie her hood. She looked up at the sky and said calmly, "The weather is good today. Please accompany me to the back mountain for a walk."
After saying this, Princess Ning took her personal maid and several other servants and went to the back mountain.
Since her eldest son and daughter-in-law passed away, Princess Ning would go to a Buddhist temple every year to stay for a period of time in order to pretend to be well for outsiders, fasting, chanting Buddha's name, and silently praying for the safety of her children.
The scenery behind the Buddhist temple is beautiful. In spring, everything comes back to life, with new green buds and tender flower buds. Princess Ning would come here for a walk when she was bored.
After walking along the stone steps for a while, the master and servant came to a century-old pine tree. There was a small pavilion under the pine tree, which happened to be in the shade of the tree.
Princess Ning was tired, so she took her servants to rest.
The maidservant came forward first, swept away the fallen leaves and dust on the stone bench and stone table, and then placed the tea and snacks that she had brought along for Princess Ning to enjoy.
Just as the group sat down and Princess Ning had no time to take a sip of tea, they suddenly heard voices coming from the road they came from, and it seemed that it was another group of tourists.
This temple is very popular, with common people and dignitaries coming to worship Buddha in an endless stream. People also often go up the mountain to play, so it is not surprising to meet passers-by.
Princess Ning didn't pay much attention to it at first, and only noticed at a glance that the person who came seemed to be a woman with her servants.
But soon she had to pay attention because the woman was walking towards her.
Princess Ning raised her head and happened to meet a gentle face. They were both stunned.
It was the woman who reacted first. She bowed to Princess Ning and said, "I have seen you, Princess."
Princess Ning nodded as a gesture of acceptance.
The woman stood up and apologized again, "I didn't know the princess was here, and I rushed forward rashly. Please forgive me."
If it were somewhere else, servants would have been guarding the pavilion closely. Passersby would not be able to walk forward to see Princess Ning's face clearly, and they would probably be stopped the moment they approached the pavilion.
But in the temple, Princess Ning has always been low-key. Ordinary people have chatted with her in the past, but still do not know her true identity. This is no secret to the powerful circles in the capital.
"This is a holy place for Buddhism. Don't worry about these trivial matters. Madam Cui, do you want to come in and rest? If you don't mind, you can share this pavilion with me."
The person who came was the current second wife of the Cui family head and the biological mother of the last three young masters of the Cui family.
Madam Cui said, "I have been walking for quite a while and I am indeed tired. Since the princess has sincerely invited me, I am sorry to bother you."
There was only one stone table, so Madam Cui could only sit opposite Princess Ning. Her maid followed her, and the servants stood outside the pavilion waiting.
Princess Ning's maid also poured a cup of tea for Mrs. Cui. Mrs. Cui took it and smiled at her to express her gratitude.
After taking a sip of the tea brought by the maid, Mrs. Cui raised her brows slightly and said with a smile, "Is this tea made with water from the well in the west garden of the Buddhist temple? I have tasted it at the abbot's place. It tastes clear and sweet, and it is unforgettable."
Princess Ning said, "That's right. I didn't expect Madam Cui to be able to taste it."
Mrs. Cui smiled shyly, "I often come to the Buddhist temple to pray for my family. I drink a lot, so I can naturally tell the difference."
Hearing that Madam Cui seemed to be a Buddhist, the coldness on Princess Ning's face melted a little, "Madam Cui, did you come today? Or does she live in the temple permanently?"
Mrs. Cui responded softly, "In the past, I would come here on the same day, worship the Buddha and ask the master to resolve my doubts, and then leave the mountain on the same day. However, since my two beloved sons passed away one after another, I have been unable to resolve the grief in my body and mind. The only way for me to find comfort is to live in the Buddhist temple for a long time, see the Buddha every day and pray for the deceased. That is why I live here permanently."
When Mrs. Cui mentioned that she had lost two sons, Princess Ning's expression seemed to be touched and her defensive look relaxed a little.
Mrs. Cui had tears in her eyes after she finished speaking, but when she looked up and saw Princess Ning, she seemed to suddenly come to her senses and hurriedly wiped her tears while saying, "It is my fault for being rude. Please do not blame me, Princess Qing."
Princess Ning shook her head and looked at Madam Cui with a hint of pity in her eyes.
She said, "How pitiful are the parents in the world."
The two chatted for a long time that day and then continued walking together.
After returning to the monastery, Mrs. Cui often visited Princess Ning's courtyard to ask her for advice on the interpretation of Buddhist scriptures.
Not long after, the two returned home. After all, the capital was under the emperor's nose, so they pretended not to know each other, as if everything that happened in the Buddhist temple was just a dream.
Imperial Palace, Ginshasa Garden.
Rong Yin was sitting in Zong Zheng Xiao's arms, flipping through the account book. As she looked, she said to Zong Zheng Xiao, "It should have entered the final stage. If the experiment is successful, the funds invested in the future will be fixed. It won't be like now, with more and less at times, and it's troublesome to keep accounts."
Zong Zhengxiao rested his chin on Rong Yin's shoulder and said, "Well, the people from the Ministry of Works promised that it is 90% certain. We just need to pick a good day to test it."
Rong Yin looked up at him and asked, "Can I go during the trial?"
Zong Zhengxiao refused: "It's too dangerous, no."
"Okay." Rong Yin curled his lips in frustration.
In order to make Rong Yin happy, Zong Zhengxiao leaned close to his ear and whispered something to him.
After hearing this, Rong Yin's eyes widened in surprise, "Did Lian Jun really say that?"
Zong Zhengxiao nodded, "Absolutely true."
Rong Yin thought for a moment and said, "Then I'll wait and see what tricks he can come up with."
Cui family.
Mrs. Cui came back from the temple and met with the head of the Cui family in the study. After telling him that she had fulfilled his request, she turned around and left without any reluctance and returned to her own yard.
As the heir, Mrs. Cui did not have much affection for the head of the Cui family. She treated him with respect and gave birth to children just to fulfill her responsibilities as a wife.
Apart from being a housekeeper, she basically lived alone in these years and seldom asked about her husband and children.
As for the children, it was not that she did not want to discipline them, but the head of the Cui family did not approve of her motherly approach.
Any child who is recognized as the heir by the Cui family must accept his strict requirements and training, and no mistakes are allowed.
A child who cannot become an heir will be discarded like a useless chess piece.
Mrs. Cui did try to save the fallen Second Young Master Cui, but unfortunately it was of no avail. He was no longer the son who would listen to her obediently when he was a child.
So Mrs. Cui was forced to become a bystander, watching her husband and son, and her sons plotting against and torturing each other, until she watched both of her sons leave her, and she could do nothing about it.
This time, Patriarch Cui asked her to leave the yard just to use her to win over Princess Ning.
Even though he had paid the price of losing his loved ones, the head of the Cui family still did not give up the idea of opposing Zong Zhengxiao. He had already fallen into a crazy mood, and no one could tell whether his so-called revenge was really for the sake of the entire Cui family or just out of his selfishness.
But no matter why, Mrs. Cui didn't want to and had no power to care. The only thing she could do was to return to her own courtyard and quietly wait for the end of the Cui family.
In fact, several of the Cui family's advisers and several elders did not agree with the Cui family's plan.
Now, of the four great families, only the Cui family is left, and the other small families are useless. If the Cui family fights with Zong Zheng Xiao, it will be truly isolated and helpless.
Moreover, the Cui family has made enemies with the Chen family and the Li family. If they come back for revenge and a fire breaks out in the backyard of the aristocratic family, not only will they fail to defeat Zong Zhengxiao, but the entire Cui family may also be destroyed.
But the head of the Cui family was very determined. He felt that the Chen family only had the escaped eldest master Chen left, and Li Chu was already dead. It would not be long before the Li family would be in their hands.
If they don't seize this opportunity and make a desperate effort to quickly take down the royal family, and wait a few more years until the royal family's power reaches a level that they cannot shake, the Cui family will have nothing to do but wait for death.
Moreover, he has already obtained the support of Prince Ning's Mansion, which increases his chances of winning.
With his intelligence and strategy, it is impossible for him to lose to Zong Zheng Xiao.
The entire Cui family is under the control of Patriarch Cui. Over the past few decades, he has already undermined the power of the elders. So when they saw that verbal persuasion was ineffective against Patriarch Cui, the elders had no choice but to let him do as he pleased.
Moreover, the elders of the clan actually hoped that the head of the Cui family could really defeat Zong Zhengxiao, so that the Cui family could become an existence that surpassed the imperial power and reproduce the glorious history of their ancestors. In this way, they would die without regrets.
High risks bring high rewards. The Cui family does not want to be crushed by imperial power in the future, so they can only win in this action and cannot lose.
At night, after discussing the specific action plan with the counselors, the Cui family head's excited nerves gradually relaxed after the counselors left. Amid the fragrance filling the room, he slowly leaned back in his chair and fell asleep.
In his dream, he dreamed that when he was young, he studied hard and mastered all six arts. Finally, he was noticed by his father and stood out from his brothers to become the heir to the family.
After he grew up, he married and had children. He took advantage of the chaos in the previous dynasty to seize wealth and power. For a moment, he really thought he could fulfill his father's dying wish and restore the glory of his family by stepping on the common people and the puppet royal family.
Unfortunately, due to the tyranny of the previous dynasty, uprisings broke out everywhere and finally reached the capital. Several noble families had no choice but to compromise and open their doors to welcome the new dynasty and the new emperor.
At first, the royal family was weak, and the aristocratic families wanted to control the Zong Zheng royal family as they did the previous dynasty. At the beginning, it went smoothly, until the mermaid appeared, and the situation began to develop in a direction they could not predict.
Hatred for Zong Zhengxiao and Rong Yin erupted at this moment. Patriarch Cui imagined himself as an all-powerful ghost, and rushed towards the two people not far away with a scream.
It was not until the sharp claws slashed the throats of the two men that Patriarch Cui suddenly realized that the people he killed were not Zong Zhengxiao and Rong Yin, whom he hated, but...
"Father." Young Master Cui was poisoned and his face turned purple.
"Father." Cui Xin was soaked in water, his body was floating, and the wounds were rotting.
The two of them stared at Patriarch Cui with their eyes full of whites, their mouths slowly cracked to their ears, and they said in unison: "We are waiting for you, and we will go to hell together!"
"Ha!" Patriarch Cui woke up in shock and sat up suddenly.
The horrified faces of his two sons were still lingering in his mind. Mr. Cui didn't know whether he was afraid or just wanted to vent, so he stretched out his hand and swept all the items on the table to the ground.
As the items fell to the ground, Patriarch Cui gritted his teeth and said, "Damn it! You all deserve to die!"
The incense in the incense burner had not yet burned out, but Patriarch Cui's eyes were dark blue. Because of this dream, his rationality was gradually stripped away, and only irritability and hatred were left in his heart.
…
In the blink of an eye, it was already summer. While the temperature was not yet so high that Rong Yin could not bear it, she went to several stores to explain the business plans for the coming season. She planned to stay in the palace during the hot summer to escape the heat and not go out.
That day, Rong Yin was sitting in the backyard of the hot pot restaurant, drinking milk tea and looking at the account book. After a while, the little monkey walked in with a strange expression.
"What's wrong?" Rong Yin asked curiously when she saw that the little monkey, who was laughing all day, suddenly had a depressed look on his face.
The little monkey looked at Rong Yin, wanting to say something but stopping himself.
Rong Yin laughed: "Why are you looking at me like that?"
The little monkey tried to hold it in for a long time, but he couldn't hold it in any longer. He walked up to Rong Yin and whispered, "Boss, do you know what's been going on outside recently?"
"What?" Rong Yin really didn't know.
The little monkey looked a little awkward. "Everyone is saying that your Majesty has been on the throne for more than ten years and has not yet appointed a queen or concubine. It's because he was seduced by that merman in the palace. He tempted your Majesty to be obsessed with only him and completely forget his duty to expand the royal family."
Rong Yin was stunned when he heard this, and suddenly realized that the Cui family had begun to take action.
Rong Yin asked, "Has this rumor spread widely?"
The little monkey nodded: "The customers in the store are talking about it. I also heard a child passing by singing a limerick about the same thing."
If you want to accomplish something, you must first create public opinion and confuse people. Rong Yin expected the Cui family's move and he was not surprised.
"This rumor is about the emperor and the merman. They have nothing to do with you. Why are you unhappy, little monkey?"
The little monkeys still don’t know that Rong Yin is the mermaid in the palace.
The little monkey was a little depressed, holding his face and said, "I think what they said is unreasonable."
"Hmm?" Rong Yin raised his eyebrows.
The little monkey said, "They say that your Majesty doesn't marry a woman and have children because he was bewitched by the mermaid. I don't think that's true."
"What's wrong?"
"Your Majesty is the true Dragon Emperor. He has done so many good things for us ordinary people over the years. How could he be a tyrant who was bewitched by a mermaid? And if the mermaid really has the ability to seduce people, why doesn't he seduce your Majesty to give him the throne, or send him home? I heard that the mermaid was given to your Majesty by a prince. The mermaid's home is not here. He must want to go home very much."
Rong Yin recalled that the original owner had missed his hometown until his death, and couldn't help but sigh that the little monkey's sixth sense was sometimes so amazingly accurate.
"You are right. These are all nonsense. Your Majesty will not be deceived by the mermaid, and the mermaid will not deceive Your Majesty either."
The little monkey had a pedantic expression: "Alas, there are not many people as sensible as me."
Rong Yin couldn't help laughing and rubbed his head, "Slippery."
The little monkey looked at the smiling Rong Yin and suddenly thought of something. He approached Rong Yin and asked, "Boss, everyone says that you have a good relationship with His Majesty. Have you ever seen the merman in the palace? Is he really as good-looking as the legend says, even more beautiful than a god?"
Rong Yin rolled her eyes and boasted without any shame, "Of course I have seen him. He is really very handsome. He can be called the most beautiful man in the world."
"I don't believe it." The little monkey shook his head.
Rong Yin was puzzled, "Why don't you believe it?"
"Because I think you are the most beautiful woman in the world." The little monkey turned into an expert in flattery and said with a smile: "When I first saw you, I thought you were a god from heaven, coming to take me to heaven to enjoy happiness. Although I didn't go to heaven later, now I am happier than a god."
The little monkey has worked in a hot pot restaurant for a few years and has become a small manager. If he gains some more experience, he will have no problem becoming a shopkeeper.
By then, he will use the money he has saved to marry a wife and have a child, and his family and career will be happy, and his life will not have been lived in vain.
And the happy life he has now is all given to him by Rong Yin's kindness.
Therefore, in his heart, no one can be more beautiful and noble than Rong Yin, not even His Majesty.
Rong Yin was very moved by the monkey's words. His eyes were slightly red, and he joked, "Just say this in front of me, but don't tell anyone else. Otherwise, if the emperor hears it, be careful to punish you."
The little monkey smiled and said, "Don't worry, boss. I'm very careful with my words and I won't say anything I shouldn't."
Back in the palace, Rong Yin talked to Zong Zhengxiao about the problem of the rumors.
"If he wants to defeat you, he must first defeat my money bag. This is just his first step. I want to see what he will do next."
Rong Yin was not afraid at all because he knew that Zong Zheng Xiao would protect him and would not let his life be in danger.
Zong Zhengxiao held him in his arms and said in a muffled voice, "Ayin, I want to lock you up in the palace and don't want you to take any risks."
Rong Yin hugged him back, patted his back, and said, "No risk, no gain. If we want to finish off the family quickly, we can't just sit there and not fight. If we miss this opportunity, we don't know how long we'll have to wait."
He smiled and said, "I am not afraid, Your Majesty, so what are you afraid of? Your Majesty, you need to be confident and believe that you can protect me. Do you understand?"
"Ayin..." Zong Zhengxiao was like a big droopy dog, rubbing Rong Yin's face with grievance and helplessness.
Rong Yin comforted him: "Don't be afraid, Your Majesty. Our spring will soon arrive."
In addition to spreading rumors among the people, the Cui family also joined other aristocratic families in writing a letter to Zong Zhengxiao, asking him to consider the interests of Da Sheng and to establish a queen and concubines as soon as possible to expand the harem, otherwise the rumors would be confirmed.
If that causes panic among the people and leads to instability in the country, it would be a loss instead of gain.
Zong Zhengxiao would not just stand by and watch the noble families spread rumors.
He asked Qin Tianjian to come forward and said that he had observed the celestial phenomena at night and calculated that Your Majesty would have a disaster with beauty this year. If you get close to a woman, you might bring about a bloody disaster.
If something happens to the emperor, it will really shake the Dasheng Empire.
The noble family chose to ask Your Majesty to choose a concubine at this critical moment this year. Is it because they have evil intentions? Do they want to put Your Majesty in trouble?
The two sides argued fiercely and could not come to a conclusion after discussing for a long time.
In a blink of an eye, it was the Dragon Boat Festival. There was a dragon boat race in the city and the weather was not too hot. Rong Yin accompanied Zong Zhengxiao to eat rice dumplings and wanted to go out to play with him, but Zong Zhengxiao was suddenly stopped by an urgent secret letter, so Rong Yin had to leave the palace by herself.
Today was a festival and the streets were very crowded and bustling, so Zong Zhengxiao specially assigned him a few more guards.
In the afternoon, Rong Yin gave all the store employees a day off, and went to the river with Lu'e and the little monkey to watch the dragon boat race.
The competition was held by the government, and the participating teams were all civilians. There were three teams in total, and they all went for the 100-liang prize money.
The dragon boat race track was very long, and Rong Yin felt that he couldn't see clearly from upstairs, so he took everyone to the riverside.
To prevent a stampede, the government dispatched many soldiers to maintain order. Therefore, although there were many spectators, they were scattered on both sides of the river and were not too crowded.
Seeing that the dragon boat was about to pass under the bridge, Rong Yin took Lu'e and the others onto the bridge.
The spectators leaned against the stone railings and cheered loudly for their favorite teams.
"Hurry up, Green Team! You'll soon overtake Blue Team!"
"Blue team, be careful! The green team is overtaking!"
"The Red Team I support is the most worry-free one. They are always at the forefront!"
The dragon boat team was very fast and passed under the bridge in the blink of an eye.
Rong Yin thought that he could see the finish line from here, so he decided not to change places.
But they didn't leave. Others wanted to leave. At the same time, two large groups of people suddenly came from both ends of the bridge. They all wanted to squeeze onto the bridge, while the people on the bridge wanted to get off.
Unconsciously, the bridge became more and more crowded, the officers and soldiers could no longer maintain order, and the crowd gradually became chaotic.
"Don't squeeze! Don't squeeze! Be careful not to step on people!"
"Why do people keep getting on the bridge? Let everyone get off first!"
"If any idiot dares to squeeze me again, come and try!"
Seeing that the situation was not good, the guards rushed to protect Rong Yin and the others, fearing that they would be squeezed.
At this moment, a scream suddenly came from not far away from them, "Help! Someone is stepping on you! Get out of the way!"
This shout frightened everyone around and they stepped back subconsciously.
This retreat has compressed a lot of space.
Whether it was a coincidence or something else, the guards that originally surrounded Rong Yin were gradually squeezed away. They wanted to come back, but they couldn't move at all.
Rong Yin suddenly felt uneasy. He looked around and fortunately, Lu'e and the little monkey were still by his side.
"Lu..." Rong Yin was just about to ask Lu'e to come closer to him so that he could protect her, but the next second, a sudden accident interrupted Rong Yin's words.
Suddenly, two hands stretched out from behind Lu'e and pushed her hard on the back. Lu'e, who was standing on the edge of the bridge, fell forward and fell into the water without even a scream.
"Ahhhh! Someone fell into the water! What should we do?"
Screams followed, and soon the crowd became more chaotic, with all kinds of crying and cursing being heard.
"Plop!"
"Plop!"
"Plop!"
"Someone fell into the water."
"Someone fell in again, it seems to be a child!"
Rong Yin remembered that Lu'e seemed unable to swim.
He squeezed to the edge of the bridge, spotted Lu'e's position, leaned on the railing, turned over and jumped down.
The guards in the distance saw it and shouted: "Go to the river to save him, the young master has jumped in!"
As soon as he finished speaking, several guards near the railing jumped without hesitation.
The little monkey who couldn't swim was so anxious that he kept shaking his head, but he knew that he would just die if he went down, so he could only squeeze under the bridge desperately, ready to ask the soldiers for help.
After Rong Yin jumped into the water, he quickly floated up. He wiped his face and saw Lu'e not far from him. Just as he was about to swim towards her, he suddenly heard a childish cry for help from behind him.
"Help! Someone please save me!"
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