Chapter 113: Suicide and Snow Disaster
The little monkey played dumb: "Oh, the news that our boss is a mermaid has spread everywhere. Many people say that our boss is a monster or something. Moreover, our boss was stabbed by those people and is still recovering. He really doesn't have the energy to manage the store."
The customers were angry.
"Those who say that Boss Rong is a monster who harms people are just talking nonsense. We have known him for so many years, and we still don't know what kind of person he is?"
"That's right, so what if he's a mermaid? He's done so many good things, isn't he better than those bad guys with bad hearts?"
"We don't believe in those rumors at all. What's the point of deceiving His Majesty? His Majesty is the true Dragon Emperor. How could he be deceived?"
"I was also present at the dragon boat race that day. It was clear that Boss Rong was there to save people, but he was framed as a monster who was harming people. In my opinion, the real bad guys are those who are calling for war and killing."
"That's definitely the case. I know one of the men in that group. He's a street thug who specializes in oppressing the weak and bullying the good. I don't believe he's the kind of person who would dare to fight against monsters to protect others."
Because so many people requested to reopen, and everyone said they believed in Rong Yin, and public opinion in the capital was favorable to Rong Yin, within a few days, the store resumed business as everyone wished.
In order to thank everyone for their support, several stores have launched discount activities, and the time will last for half a month.
More people praised Rong Yin, and no one believed what the murderers said. In this public debate, Rong Yin and his team won.
Many old customers also sent medicinal herbs to the store and asked the staff to pass them on to Rong Yin, hoping that he could recover soon.
At Rong Yin's suggestion, the shop assistants accepted everyone's kindness and gave back items of equal value.
However, Rong Yin agreed to let Zong Zhengxiao stay in the palace. Even though his wounds had healed and he could move freely, he still did not ask to go out.
Those who were previously injured by Rong Yin were also sent to jail after they recovered.
For fear of being accused by the noble families of having confessed under torture, Zong Zhengxiao's men did not torture them, but when they were interrogated verbally, they refused to admit anything.
There is no other choice but to keep playing along with them.
These people are either orphans without families, or they are spoiled brats who are abandoned by their families. Prison life is hard. Several people stay in one cell, eating, drinking, defecating and urinating in the cell, which is enough to show how bad the conditions are.
If you have a family and the people in your family are kind-hearted, they will spend money to send some food and clothing to your parents.
Those who have no family or are abandoned by their family can only watch others enjoy the warmth of their family while they themselves suffer miserably.
This person is most afraid of comparison. After a while, even if they are not punished, these guys can't stand it.
At first, they formed a group to bully those who were taken care of by their families, forcing them to ask their families to send more things in next time. If those people or their families did not agree, they would be beaten severely.
The jailers were happy to see them fighting among themselves, as long as no one was killed.
Gradually, those who were being beaten couldn't bear it anymore and wanted to be transferred to other cells.
The jailers wouldn't agree, they wouldn't agree even when offered money, and the prisoners who exploited them wouldn't agree either.
After a period of darkness, those people finally broke down and cried, saying they wanted to confess.
The jailer said, we only ask a few questions, and whoever confesses first will be transferred to a cell first, and will be released after serving their sentence. As for the others, they will continue to live in the dark prison.
Now those who bully others are getting anxious. Without anyone to bully them, they will have a hard life in the future.
As a result, everyone rushed to confess, because they did it voluntarily, and the people from the aristocratic families who wanted to capture Zong Zhengxiao had no chance.
All the people were interrogated separately and their testimonies were consistent, so they probably did not lie.
According to these people, they were all hired by a man named Zhao Mazi, who said that he would take them to fight monsters on the Dragon Boat Festival. They only needed to obey orders and do their jobs, and Zhao Liu would ensure their safety and give them a large reward after the task was accomplished.
After being imprisoned, they refused to confess because they were waiting for Zhao Liu to rescue them and they were also reluctant to part with the money.
But until now Zhao Liu has not shown up, and they also realized that they were abandoned, so they had no choice but to confess.
Based on the clues provided by the criminal, the investigators found Zhao Mazi's residence, but as expected, the house was empty.
They thought that this clue was gone, but the little monkey knew that they were looking for Zhao Mazi, and immediately slapped his thigh and said happily: "We know where Zhao Mazi is!"
It turned out that in recent days, the little monkey and his brothers had been visiting the homes of those prisoners, and happened to meet Zhao Mazi who had been to one of their homes.
Zhao Mazi is a well-known figure among this group of hooligans. Xiao Houzi and others all know him. When they saw him interacting with these prisoners, they noticed him and followed him to his current residence.
Upon hearing that Zhao Mazi was still in the capital, the government officials, led by the little monkey, immediately went there to look for him.
But unfortunately, they were still a step too late. When they arrived, Zhao Mazi had just died. His body was still warm. It seemed that he had been strangled to death by someone.
Zhao Mazi's house was looted and he was killed. Now no one knows who the mastermind behind him was.
But generally speaking, Rong Yin, Zong Zhengxiao and the others did not lose. If the Cui family wants to frame them in the future, it will not be as easy as it is now.
Cui family.
Hearing the sounds of smashing and smashing coming from the study, the servants all hid nearby and trembled.
The servants couldn't count how many times the master had lost his temper. They didn't know since when, but his originally calm character became more and more irritable and violent. A few days ago, a maid accidentally knocked over a tea bowl and was dragged away and beaten to death by the master.
I don't know if it's because appearance reflects the heart, but the head of the family seems to have aged particularly quickly recently. His face is pale with a hint of blue, his eyes are often bloodshot, and because he always has nightmares, he has also suffered from insomnia.
But even after all this, he still refused to see a doctor. Even when the old lady came to persuade him, he still insisted that he was not sick.
The servants standing guard outside the study were silently begging the master not to let them in, but they heard footsteps not far away. When they looked up, they saw the Third Young Master limping towards them.
Perhaps because of the excessive pressure of studying to be a housekeeper, the originally quiet and well-behaved Third Young Master suddenly became silent and rebellious, often trying to sneak out of the house to have fun.
But the consequences were also obvious. In the first few times, he was only punished to kneel in the ancestral hall, but later on, the family law was directly invoked. The wooden whip was used to whip the third young master again and again, almost crippling him.
Just now the head of the family sent someone to call the third young master over. The servants knew without any guessing that he was going to take his anger out on him again.
Even though they knew he was the young master and they were just servants, the servants still couldn't help but look at him with pity.
The subsequent developments were within the servants' expectations. The third young master was scolded by the head of the family for some reason and was sent to the ancestral hall to kneel as punishment.
…
In late summer and early autumn, after a few months of recuperation in the palace, Rong Yin's injuries had long since healed, but an ugly scar inevitably remained on her originally clean and delicate skin.
Zong Zhengxiao often stroked the scar and sighed, with uncontrollable self-blame in his eyes.
Rong Yin jokingly comforted him, "You have scars, and so do I. Doesn't this just prove that we are made for each other."
Zong Zhengxiao pinched Rong Yin's face and smiled helplessly, "You are good at comforting people."
That night there were lightning and thunder, heavy rain outside and light rain inside.
Rong Yin's sweat mixed with physiological tears rolled down her face, hitting Zong Zhengxiao's equally sweaty abdominal muscles one by one, causing him to shudder.
During the swaying, Rong Yin took the time to glance out the window and asked Zong Zhengxiao in a hoarse voice: "Experiment, yes, ah, tonight, right?"
Zong Zhengxiao circled him, assisted him in his movements, and replied, "Yes, it's just right to use the thunder as cover."
"If it succeeds, we will have an extra layer of protection." Rong Yin said as he reached the deep end.
Rong Yin couldn't hold back her tears and fell into Zong Zheng Xiao's arms.
"I can't do it, you come."
"Okay, thank you for your hard work, Ayin."
After Zong Zhengxiao finished speaking, he immediately took the initiative.
There were bursts of thunder outside and raindrops fell densely, splashing up water. Finally, the water gathered into a river and accumulated in the low-lying area.
The trees in the yard were tossed by the strong wind, their branches were broken, and their leaves were scattered all over the ground. They looked very pitiful.
I don't know how long it was before a bolt of lightning struck. The strong wind suddenly stopped, tightly wrapping around the trees. The rain suddenly became heavier, as if the Yellow River was flowing back and rushing straight to the ground.
Before dawn, all the madness gradually ended, the thunder, lightning and strong winds retreated, leaving only a drizzle of rain still falling, heralding the lingering aftertaste of this madness.
Zong Zhengxiao took Rong Yin to take a bath. After returning to the bed, he kissed the scar on his abdomen before closing his eyes and falling asleep with him in his arms.
A few days before the Mid-Autumn Festival, Rong Yin, who had not left the palace for a long time, asked Zong Zhengxiao for an opportunity to visit several shops.
The guests were very happy to see him. They greeted him with smiles and asked about his recovery.
Rong Yin responded one by one, and at the same time told everyone that the store would hold an event on the Mid-Autumn Festival, asking customers not to miss it.
Before returning to the palace, Rong Yin went to see Ning Yue.
After knowing that he was injured, Ning Yue asked Lu'e to send him some medicinal herbs and also wrote him several letters of sympathy.
Now that she saw that he was fine, Ning Yue finally breathed a sigh of relief.
She said, "The Cui family is really vicious. If the Cui family doesn't fall, you and your spouse will probably have troubles all the time in the future."
Rong Yin comforted her: "Bad people will be punished by heaven, and the Cui family will not be able to survive for much longer."
Ning Yue thought thoughtfully: "I think so too."
Rong Yin is so confident because they now have a secret weapon in their hands. If Ning Yue says so, does she also...
"Is there any progress with Miss He?" Rong Yin asked.
"Ah?" Ning Yue came back to her senses instantly, her expression a little awkward, as if she was shy and hesitant. She whispered, "No, not yet."
Rong Yin did not expose her, but just said: "Whether it succeeds or not, as long as you need it, I will help you, don't put too much pressure on yourself."
Ningyue nodded and said okay with a smile.
As soon as Rong Yin left, Ning Yue couldn't wait to pick out her clothes, preparing to go watch the moon with He Yan on the Mid-Autumn Festival.
Because Ningyue can make money and has a good relationship with Rongyin, the boss doesn't restrict her much and she is relatively free to act.
Rong Yin and Lu'e returned to the palace together. Sitting in the carriage, Rong Yin pulled aside the curtain and looked out boredly.
As the Mid-Autumn Festival approaches, the streets are very busy. Adults discuss what to buy, and children run around hand in hand, looking at the toys and food on the stalls, with longing expressions in their clear eyes.
Rong Yin smiled, and as the carriage moved forward, his eyes shifted to other places.
In front of a tavern, I saw a man who looked like a young master being dragged out by a group of servants. The young master obviously did not want to go with them and kept struggling. However, two fists were no match for four hands. After a few moves, the young master was tied up and stuffed into a carriage.
The carriage soon left and the crowd of onlookers gradually dispersed.
Rong Yin frowned, "Look at the servant's clothes, is he from the Cui family?"
Lu'e also saw the situation over there just now. She obviously knew more, so she explained it to Rong Yin.
"That's the third young master of the Cui family. I heard that the Cui family was planning to train him to be the heir. But this guy is like a madman. He always sneaks out to have a good time, and then is taken back by people sent by the Cui family."
"I passed by one time and saw that he seemed to have injuries on his body. I thought he had been scolded by his family, but this still couldn't stop him from wanting to escape."
After listening to this, Rong Yin said with great understanding: "Now he is the only one available in the Cui family. He carries the hopes of the whole family. The head of the Cui family is an out-and-out lunatic. You can imagine how repressed he is in the Cui family. It is normal for him to yearn for freedom."
Lu'e said: "I don't know whether it is fortunate or unfortunate that he was born in the Cui family."
Rong Yin put down the curtain, "Only he himself knows this."
On the day of Mid-Autumn Festival, Zong Zhengxiao went to attend the Mid-Autumn Festival dinner, while Rong Yin was preparing dinner in Yinjiao Garden, and she and Xiao Ai and her classmates waited for him to come back to eat moon cakes and admire the moon.
Zong Zhengxiao left the dinner early, thinking of Rong Yin in his heart.
The two of them sat in the courtyard under the moon. Zong Zhengxiao helped Rong Yin to open the crab, and Rong Yin fed him warm wine.
Zong Zhengxiao told Rong Yin about the dinner. This year, only the head of the Cui family came, without his wife or son.
"I think he looks very unhappy. Sitting there drinking alone, he really looks like a lonely person."
Rong Yin teased Zong Zheng Xiao: "Why, are you feeling sorry for him?"
Zong Zhengxiao laughed: "I felt sorry for him? When I saw his miserable look, I almost laughed out loud."
Although the Cui family's last attempt to discredit Rong Yin failed, they still did not stop putting pressure on Zong Zheng Xiao.
The rumors that Rong Yin was a disaster confused the emperor's mind, causing the rumor that there would be no successor to the Da Sheng dynasty to continue to this day.
Although on the surface, there are more people in the capital who support Rong Yin, but those who are prejudiced against Rong Yin may still be hiding and not saying anything, and no one knows what trouble they will cause in the future.
Rong Yin took a bite of the crab roe and thought it tasted good. He fed it to Zong Zhengxiao himself and said optimistically, "I am born lucky. No matter how many schemes and tricks the Cui family uses, they can't defeat me. Instead, they will only get more and more unlucky."
Zong Zhengxiao smiled and responded, "Yes, our Ayin is the luckiest person in the world."
Perhaps God really answered Rong Yin's words. When they woke up the next day, they received big news about the Cui family.
The third young master of the Cui family committed suicide.
Last night was the Mid-Autumn Festival, and the family should have been reunited in harmony. However, after returning from the dinner, the head of the Cui family got angry for some reason, and scolded the third young master Cui in front of the family members and servants.
Young Master Cui returned to his courtyard with a pale face. When the servants called him in the morning, he didn't answer. When he opened the door, he found that he had hanged himself.
After hanging for a whole night, the person was already dead.
I heard that the stool he was resting his feet on was not kicked away, so if he wanted to live, he just had to stretch his feet.
But he overcame his instinct to survive and hanged himself.
He left a suicide note to the head of the Cui family, who burned it after reading it. No one except him knew what was written on the note.
When Rong Yin heard the news of Young Master Cui's death, he was still a little confused. He thought of the man who kept trying to escape from the servants' clutches at the door of the restaurant that day, and couldn't help but sigh.
Compared with other children of aristocratic families, Young Master Cui is a low-key person and has never done anything to harm the people.
But since he was born into a noble family, he had no say over his fate.
The reason why he was determined to seek death was because the only freedom he had left was to be able to choose whether to live or die.
First it was Cui Xin, then it was Cui Ershao, and now it’s Cui Laosan.
None of the three children of the Cui family died of natural causes, and all of them died in an undignified manner.
Now, the only direct descendant of the Cui family is Young Master Cui.
The funeral was quickly concluded, and the process was as low-key as Master Cui himself.
Mrs. Cui felt that her son had forced her two grandsons to death, so she bore a grudge against him and threatened that she would never see him again.
Mrs. Cui still lives in her own small courtyard, as if everything happening in the outside world has nothing to do with her.
The head of the Cui family was going crazy more and more frequently, and everyone in the Cui family was in danger. Several servants had already been shot and executed in various ways, and no one wanted to be the next one.
An atmosphere of fear enveloped the entire Cui Mansion.
After the death of Third Master Cui, the head of the Cui family seemed to have completely lost his mind. His rumor attacks on Rong Yin became more and more fierce. He even invited a sorcerer from somewhere, who said that there were dark clouds shrouding the direction of the palace, and it was obvious that an evil spirit was causing trouble.
If he is not allowed to subdue the monster, Da Sheng will probably face endless disasters in the future, and the people will be the ones who suffer in the end.
Because this sorcerer had a certain reputation among the people, he gathered a lot of believers, and often held rituals to spread the rumor that Rong Yin was a demon who brought disaster to the country. Three people make a tiger, and the rumor did cause quite a stir.
The government also tried to catch this sorcerer, but with the Cui family protecting him, they were unable to do anything to him for the time being.
After all this commotion, winter soon arrived.
This winter was unusually cold. Even Zong Zhengxiao, who was in good health, accidentally caught a cold. It took him three days of taking medicine before he fully recovered.
The heavy snow fell from day to night. Rong Yin lay on the windowsill, looking at the courtyard where a layer of snow had just been cleared and piled up again, and his brows couldn't help but frown.
In the evening, Zong Zhengxiao came back and the two of them sat together for dinner. Rong Yin asked, "I heard that the price of charcoal has gone up again?"
Zong Zhengxiao nodded. "I haven't seen such heavy snow in more than ten years, especially in the capital. I have sent people to the surrounding prefectures to buy charcoal. When the goods arrive, the price will naturally drop."
Rong Yin said in a rather unappetizing tone, "Have you arranged for people to urge the people to clear the snow off the roofs? The snow is so heavy, I'm afraid it will collapse the houses."
Zong Zhengxiao picked up some food for Rong Yin, "The officials have gone around the streets and alleys with gongs and have informed everyone. The village chiefs outside the capital have also spread the word. As for whether every household has followed the order, there is no way to guarantee it."
There is a saying that goes "It is difficult to persuade a damned devil with sweet words." Even in modern times, it takes a huge amount of time and energy to implement a policy at the grassroots level.
Some people just like not to take their own lives seriously. Not to mention the emperor, even the gods can't do anything about it.
Because he was feeling uneasy, Rong Yin, who was always a greedy person, only ate half a bowl of rice tonight for the first time.
In the early morning, Rong Yin slept uneasily. Faintly, he seemed to hear the dogs barking, but when he opened his eyes, there was silence all around.
Apart from the crackling of the burning candles, there was the howling of the cold wind outside the house.
Rong Yin got out of bed, poured himself a cup of cold tea and drank it, then walked to the window, opened it a little and looked out. He found that the snow in the yard was probably as high as his thighs, and it was still snowing heavily from the sky.
Feeling even more uneasy, Rong Yin turned around, climbed onto the bed, and woke up Zong Zheng Xiao.
"Ayin, what's wrong?" Zong Zhengxiao was in a daze, and subconsciously reached out and held Rong Yin in his arms.
Rong Yin said in a panic, "Your Majesty, the snow outside is unusually thick. I'm afraid something might happen. There are many old buildings in the capital. What if..."
He didn't say anything else, but Zong Zhengxiao understood what he meant.
Zong Zheng Xiao immediately became much more sober. He sat up, stuffed Rong Yin back into the quilt, got out of bed, opened the window, and faced the howling wind and snow. He saw the branches broken by the snow.
Rong Yin got out of bed and came to Zong Zhengxiao's side.
"Although I have arranged for the Jinwu Guards to patrol day and night, I'm afraid the snow tonight will be terrible." Zong Zhengxiao's tone was full of worry.
After saying this, he called Si Xi, who was on night watch, in and told him while he was putting on his clothes: "Which general of the Jinwu Guard is on night duty tonight? Summon him to the palace. At the same time, pass on my order to send more night patrol officers. If they find something wrong, evacuate the people from the houses first and make plans after the snow stops."
Si Xi also knew that the situation was urgent, so he quickly agreed and went down to do the work.
Zong Zhengxiao changed his clothes, hugged Rong Yin and kissed him, comforting him, "I'll go first, Yin, continue to sleep, don't worry about me, I'll come back when it's daybreak and it's safe."
Rong Yin was afraid of delaying him, so she could only agree obediently.
After Zong Zhengxiao left, Rong Yin sat at the head of the bed and waited alone all night without feeling sleepy at all.
But the bad thing was that even though Zong Zhengxiao responded in time, the unfortunate news still reached the palace during the day.
Due to the delayed evacuation, a house collapse accident occurred in the residential area of Zanhua Lane, and many people were trapped underneath in their sleep. The government is currently rescuing them, and the number of deaths and survivors is unknown.
Not only in the city, but also in several villages near the capital, houses collapsed.
Because rural houses are not as strong as those in cities, the situation is even more serious. The government has already sent people to help with the disaster.
Zong Zhengxiao said he would be back at dawn, but there was no sign of him until the afternoon. He just sent someone to pass on a message that he would probably be busy for a while and asked Rong Yin to take good care of herself.
Lu'e came back in the evening and told Rong Yin that she and the managers of several other shops had already delivered quilts, hot water, food, charcoal and other supplies to the disaster-stricken areas as he had instructed.
The situation on the scene is not good. Most of the people dug out from the ruins are dead. Even those who are still alive will be missing limbs in the future, which is very pitiful.
Rong Yin felt very distressed when he heard this.
He said, "No, I will go out of the palace with you tomorrow to see."
Hearing this, Lu'e's expression suddenly changed. She said with some embarrassment: "Master, it's better for you to stay in the palace recently."
Rong Yin's heart skipped a beat, and she felt like something bad had happened.
"Why can't you go out?"
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