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.

對宗政逍和戎音的恨意在此刻爆發，崔家主幻想自己成為了無所不能的厲鬼，尖叫着就撲向了不遠處的兩人。

直到利爪劃破了那兩人的咽喉，崔家主才陡然發現，自己殺的似乎不是他怨恨的宗政逍和戎音，而是……

“父親。”崔二少中毒，臉色青紫。

“父親。”崔炘泡了水，身體浮囊，刀口腐爛。

他倆瞪着沒有眼白的眼睛直勾勾看着崔家主，嘴角緩緩裂到了耳朵根，齊聲道：“我們等着你，一起下地獄！”

“呵！”崔家主驚醒，一下子坐了起來。

兩個兒子恐怖的臉龐還萦繞在腦中揮之不去，崔家主不知是懼怕還是單純想發洩，伸手一揮就将桌上的物品全部掃落在地。

物品落地的響聲中，崔家主咬牙切齒：“該死！你們都該死！”

香爐內的香料還未燃盡，崔家主眼下烏青，因為這個夢，他的理智逐漸被剝離，心裏只剩下暴躁與仇恨。

……

轉眼時間已到入夏，趁着氣溫還沒高到讓戎音承受不住的地步，戎音先到幾個店鋪把未來一季的經營計劃都交代了，打算酷夏那段時間，自己宅在宮裏避暑不出來了。

這日戎音正坐在火鍋店後院裏喝着奶茶看賬本，沒過一會兒，小猴子表情奇怪地走了進來。

“怎麽了？”戎音見整日嘻嘻哈哈的小猴子臉上居然有了郁色，就好奇地問了一嘴。

小猴子看着戎音，欲言又止。

戎音好笑：“幹嘛這麽看着我？”

小猴子忍了半天，終究還是沒忍住，他湊到戎音身邊，小聲道：“老板，你知道最近外面都在傳什麽嗎？”

“什麽？”戎音是真不知道。

小猴子神情有些別扭：“大家都在說，陛下登基十幾年了都沒有立後納妃，是因為受宮裏那個鲛人蠱惑，他誘惑陛下只沉迷于他一人，完全忘記了自己該為皇室開枝散葉的職責。”

戎音聞言一愣，忽然明白過來，這是崔家開始行動了。

戎音問：“這個流言已經傳得很廣了嗎？”

小猴子點頭：“店裏的客人都在談論呢，我還聽見路過的孩童在唱一首打油詩，也是說這件事的。”

想要做成某件事，必先制造輿論，迷惑人心，崔家此舉在戎音的預料之內，他并沒有多驚訝。

“這個流言說的是聖上和那個鲛人，他們倆跟你又沒多大關系，小猴子你為什麽不開心？”

小猴子他們至今都不知道，戎音就是宮裏那個鲛人。

小猴子有些郁悶，捧着臉道：“我覺得他們說得好沒道理。”

“嗯？”戎音挑眉。

小猴子說：“他們說陛下不娶女人生孩子，是被那個鲛人蠱惑了，我認為不對。”

“哪裏不對？”

“陛下可是真龍天子，他這些年為咱們老百姓做了那麽多好事，怎麽可能是個會被鲛人迷惑住的昏君？而且鲛人要是真有迷惑人的本領，他為什麽不迷惑陛下把皇位給他，或者送他回家？我聽說鲛人是被一個王爺送給陛下的，鲛人的家不在這裏，他肯定很想回家吧。”

戎音想起曾經原主至死都在思念家鄉，不由得感嘆小猴子有時候第六感真是準得驚人。

“你說的對，這些都是無稽之談，陛下不會被鲛人迷惑，那個鲛人也不會去迷惑陛下。”

小猴子一副老學究的表情：“唉，像我這麽明事理的人不多了。”

戎音沒忍住笑，揉了一下他的腦袋，“滑頭。”

小猴子看着笑吟吟的戎音，突然想到了什麽，他靠近戎音，問道：“老板，大家都說你跟陛下關系很好，那你有沒有見過宮裏那個鲛人啊？他是不是真像傳說中的那樣，長得比神仙還好看？”

戎音眼珠子一轉，絲毫不害臊地自誇，“當然見過，他真的特別特別好看，堪稱天下第一美人。”

“我不信。”小猴子搖了搖頭。

戎音疑惑，“為什麽不信？”

“因為我覺得天下第一美人是老板你。”小猴子化身彩虹屁專家，笑眯眯地道：“我第一次見到老板你的時候，還以為你是天上的神仙，來帶我去天上享福的呢，雖然後來沒有去成天上，但現在我過的日子，比神仙還要快活。”

小猴子在火鍋店幹了幾年活，已經混成了一個小管事，再熬點資歷出來，當個掌櫃也不成問題。

到時候他用自己攢的錢娶個老婆生個孩子，家庭事業美滿，這一生也算沒白活。

而他能有如今的幸福生活，都是戎音好心賜給他的。

所以在他心裏，沒有人的形象能比戎音更漂亮更高貴，哪怕是陛下也不成。

小猴子這話讓戎音很是感動，他眼眶微紅，玩笑道：“這話你在我面前說說就行了，可不能告訴外人，不然被皇上聽了去，小心拿你問罪。”

小猴子笑道：“放心吧老板，我嘴嚴實着呢，不該說的絕對不會說。”

回到宮裏，戎音跟宗政逍講了流言甚嚣塵上的問題。

“他想打敗你，肯定要先鬥倒我這個錢袋子，這只是他的第一步，接下來我倒是想看看，他到底要怎麽辦。”

戎音沒有半點畏懼，因為他知道宗政逍會保護他，不會讓他有性命之憂。

宗政逍将他摟進懷裏，悶聲道：“阿音，我想把你關在宮裏，不想讓你去冒險。”

戎音回抱住他，拍拍他的背，道：“不入虎穴焉得虎子，想早點了結世家，我們就不能龜縮着不應戰，要是錯失這個機會，不知道還要等多久。”

他笑道：“我都不怕，陛下你怕什麽，陛下你要自信起來，相信自己可以保護好我，知道了嗎？”

“阿音……”宗政逍像只蔫頭耷腦的大狗子，委屈又無奈地蹭着戎音的臉。

戎音安慰他：“陛下，不怕，屬于我們的春天很快就會來臨了。”

除了在民間散播流言外，崔家人還夥同其餘世家上書，要求宗政逍為大晟江山考慮，盡快立後納妃，擴充後宮，否則就是坐實了流言。

到時引起百姓慌亂，導致社稷不穩，那可就得不償失了。

世家造謠，宗政逍也不會幹看着。

他讓欽天監站出來，說夜觀天象，算出陛下今年有一道紅顏劫，若是與女子親近，恐會招來血光之災。

若是聖上出事，才是真的會動搖大晟江山。

世家偏偏在今年這個節骨眼上請陛下選妃，是否是包藏禍心？故意想陷陛下于困境？

雙方吵得不可開交，讨論了許久都沒有得出一個結果。

轉眼來到端午這天，城裏有賽龍舟活動，而且天氣也不算太熱，戎音陪宗政逍吃過粽子，本想和他一起出去玩，但宗政逍忽然被一封緊急密信攔住了腳步，戎音就只能自己出宮了。

今日過節，街上很是擁擠熱鬧，宗政逍特地給他多派了幾個護衛。

下午戎音給店裏員工都放了假，自己跟綠娥小猴子他們一同去河邊看賽龍舟。

比賽由官府舉辦，參賽隊伍都是民間百姓，共有三支，都是沖着那一百兩的獎金而去的。

龍舟的賽道很長，戎音嫌在樓上看不仔細，就帶着大家去了河邊。

因為怕出現踩踏事故，官府特地派了許多官兵來維持秩序，是以觀衆雖然多，但分布在河道兩側，并不算太擁擠。

眼瞧着龍舟要從大橋下過了，戎音帶着綠娥他們就上了橋。

觀衆趴在石欄杆邊，大聲為自己支持的隊伍加油。

“綠隊再快點！你們馬上就能超過藍隊了！”

“藍隊小心！綠隊要趕超了！”

“還是我支持的紅隊省心，一直在最前面！”

龍舟隊的速度很快，眨眼就從大橋下劃過去了。

戎音想着這裏也能看見終點，就不打算再換地方了。

可他們不走，其他人想走，同一時間，橋的兩端忽然來了兩大波人，他們都要擠上橋，而橋上的人卻是要下橋。

不知不自覺間，橋上越來越擠，官兵也開始維持不住秩序，人群逐漸亂起來了。

“不要擠！不要擠！小心踩到人！”

“為什麽一直有人上橋，先讓大家下去啊！”

“哪個癟犢子再敢擠我試試！”

眼看情況不妙，護衛趕緊護着戎音他們，怕他們被擠到。

就在這時，離他們不遠處的地方突然傳來一聲尖叫，“救命啊，踩到人啊，快讓開！”

這一聲喊，直接把周圍的人都吓得一激靈，紛紛下意識往後退。

這一退，又壓縮了不少空間。

不知是巧合還是什麽，原本圍在戎音身邊的護衛漸漸都被擠走了，他們想再回來，但根本挪不動步子。

戎音心裏突然不安起來，他左右看了看，還好綠娥和小猴子都還在自己身邊。

“綠……”戎音正想讓綠娥朝自己這邊過來點，自己好護着她，誰知下一秒，突如其來的意外直接打斷了戎音的話。

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!"