Chapter 69: The Little Mermaid is Kidnapped
Zong Zheng Lianxing ran back to the courtyard where the two brothers lived, entered his room and closed the door. He did not respond when Zong Zheng Lianjun knocked on the door.
Zong Zheng Lianjun could feel his brother behind the door. He reached out and gently pressed the door, saying, "Xingxing, let me in first. I'll explain everything to you slowly, okay?"
Zong Zheng Lianxing spoke this time, his voice tinged with tears: "I know I'm not smart, and I also know that you must be preparing for something big. You told me because you were afraid that I would leak it. I understand all this, but brother, I will still be very sad to be excluded by the family."
Since the death of his brother and sister-in-law, the Ning Palace has undergone earth-shaking changes.
Princess Ning pretended to be obsessed with Buddhism and Taoism, and did many absurd things in the eyes of outsiders. However, Zong Zheng Lianxing, who was with her every day, knew that his mother was not at all like what the outside world said.
Prince Ning spent his days reading books, and he was not as strict with the two brothers as before. Even if Zong Zheng Lianxing made a mistake, he would only reprimand him with a few words instead of using family rules as before.
His elder brother Zong Zheng Lianjun studied and practiced martial arts more diligently. Zong Zheng Lianxing often woke up in the middle of the night to find the candles in his room were still lit. When Zong Zheng Lianxing got up the next day, Zong Zheng Lianjun had already finished practicing a set of boxing.
Moreover, sometimes Zong Zheng Lianjun would have some items around him that Zong Zheng Lianxing had never seen before. Not all of them were extremely expensive, but they were obviously carefully selected gifts, and each one was very suitable for his brother.
In order to test his brother, Zong Zheng Lianxing once pretended to ask him for those things. Strangely, his brother, who always obeyed him in everything, was reluctant to give him any of them.
It is said that it was a gift from a noble person and cannot be given to others, even to one's own brother.
Furthermore, Zong Zheng Lianxing had seen his brother seal up the policy papers he had written many times and have a servant take them out of the mansion and send them to an unknown place.
Zong Zheng Lianxing asked his brother who he would give the strategies to, but his brother did not answer, only saying that he wanted someone to review and give advice.
His parents and brother would get together secretly to discuss something, and every time they would send Zong Zheng Lianxing away, but they were still discovered by the sharp Zong Zheng Lianxing.
Zong Zheng Lianxing was not as smart as the other people in the family, but he could still sense that something was wrong with his parents and brother. The three of them must be hiding something from him.
Zong Zheng Lianxing felt very aggrieved. He was already a big boy of almost eleven years old, why didn't his family still trust him?
Listening to the sobbing coming from behind the door, Zong Zheng Lianjun sighed, "Xingxing, I'm sorry."
Zong Zheng Lianxing sobbed and said, "I don't want to hear it, sorry, I want to know the truth."
Zong Zheng Lianjun was silent.
After a while, he said, "Xingxing, calm down first. I'll come talk to you tomorrow."
After saying that, he turned and walked towards his room.
However, before he had taken a few steps, the door behind him opened. He turned around and found Zong Zheng Lianxing looking at him with tears in his eyes.
"Stars..." Zong Zheng Lianjun took a few steps forward.
"Bad brother!" Zongzheng Lianxing also rushed over, hugged Zongzheng Lianjun's waist, buried his face in his arms and sobbed, "Not only did you not tell me the truth, but you don't even want to comfort me? You are so bad! Give me back the good brother who used to be kind to me and cared about my feelings the most!"
Zongzheng Lianjun touched his head and said softly, "Xingxing, I have always been myself and have never changed."
Zong Zheng Lianxing continued to cry: "No, no, you are not the brother who treats me well."
Winter nights were even colder, and the wind had just started to blow. Zong Zheng Lianjun was afraid that his brother would catch a cold, so he could only bend over, pick him up, and bring him back to the room.
Zong Zheng Lianxing did not struggle, but just hung on his brother like a pendant. Zong Zheng Lianjun held him with one hand and lit candles with the other.
When the room became brighter, Zong Zheng Lianjun sat down with his brother in his arms and took out a handkerchief to wipe his tears.
Looking at his brother with red eyes, Zong Zheng Lianjun teased him: "You are so old and still crying. If your classmates knew about this, they would laugh at you to death."
Zong Zheng Lianxing said angrily: "If you dare to tell anyone, I will no longer acknowledge you as my brother."
Zong Zheng Lianjun smiled and said, "Are you really willing to disown me?"
Zong Zheng Lianxing lowered his head and said nothing, obviously reluctant to leave.
Zong Zheng Lianjun wiped the tears from his face and said, "We are indeed worried that you can't keep secrets, so we didn't tell you some things, but apart from that, we actually want you to live a carefree life. Sometimes knowing too much means you have to bear more things. You are still young, there is no need for us to worry about these things."
Zong Zheng Lianxing subconsciously retorted: "I'm not a child anymore."
Zong Zheng Lianjun smiled and said, "Well, our Xingxing is a big kid now."
"Look, you've already admitted that I've grown up, so why is there any need to hide it from me? I don't want to be a fool who knows nothing anymore." Zong Zheng Lianxing said aggrievedly.
Perhaps moved by his attitude, Zong Zheng Lianjun stared at him for a while, then suddenly asked in a serious tone, "You really don't regret it?"
Zong Zheng Lianxing understood what he meant, and his originally frustrated expression immediately turned into excitement. He quickly said: "I promise I won't regret it. If I regret it, I'm a pig."
Zong Zheng Lianjun laughed: "That little pig, why don't you turn your ears over here quickly?"
Zong Zheng Lianxing gave a small shout of joy and asked him to come closer. He wished he could stick his whole body to his brother.
Zong Zheng Lianjun didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He helped him to stand still and whispered in his ear the general outline of the secret between himself and his parents.
As he finished speaking, Zong Zheng Lianxing's eyes widened. He looked at his brother and said in surprise: "You and B..."
"Tsk!" Zong Zheng Lianjun pressed his lips, and after he closed his mouth, he tapped him lightly on the forehead.
"Look at you, you almost said it."
Zong Zheng Lianxing quickly covered his mouth and said in a deep voice, "There will definitely not be a next time, brother, believe me."
"It would be better if it were just as you said." Zong Zheng Lianjun shook his head helplessly and sighed.
Zong Zheng Lian Xing chuckled: "I knew you were the best, brother."
Zong Zheng glanced at him, suppressed his laughter and said, "Now you won't let me return your good brother to you?"
"Oh, I was just anxious and confused just now. Don't take what I said seriously." Zong Zheng Lianxing also felt a little embarrassed.
He looked at his brother's face in the candlelight. He had sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, and was extremely handsome. When he faced him, there was always a smile on the corners of his lips, and his tone was as warm and pleasant as the spring breeze in March.
"Brother." Zong Zheng Lianxing called him.
"Well, what's wrong?"
Zong Zheng Lianxing said: "Do you think I'm too clingy? I'm not a good brother."
Zong Zheng Lianjun was puzzled: "What does being clingy have to do with being a good brother?"
Zong Zheng Lianxing said: "Among my classmates, there are older brothers and younger brothers. The younger brothers said that their older brothers often beat and scolded them. The older brothers said that they don't like to be close to their younger brothers and feel that their younger brothers are very annoying. They said that this is a normal brotherly relationship."
He looked very distressed: "But I'm with my brother every day, and I want to stick to him every day. Brother, do you think I'm annoying?"
Zong Zheng Lianjun rubbed his brother's head and comforted him: "Every pair of brothers has a different way of getting along. Others may be used to fighting and quarreling, thinking that is what true brothers are like, but big brother has never hit or scolded me, and I don't want to hit or scold you either. This is because we have a good relationship, which does not mean that we are not like real brothers. I also like you to stick to me, so Xingxing, don't worry, I won't abandon you and bother you."
The more his brother spoke, the more moved Zong Zheng Lianxing became.
He hugged Zongzheng Lianjun tightly, buried his face in his shoulder, and said in a muffled voice: "I will always love brother, and it will never change in my life."
Zongzheng Lianjun chuckled, as if he didn't take his brother's words seriously, but his arms around his brother tightened.
…
Today is New Year's Eve. Rong Yin learned how to cut paper-cuts from Lu'e. This time, he not only cut out paper-cuts of himself and Zong Zhengxiao, but also cut out paper-cuts of classmate Xiao Ai, and pasted them between the paper-cuts of him and Zong Zhengxiao.
Xiao Ai might have realized that the paper-cut was it, and she barked with joy. She stood up and threw herself at Rong Yin, almost knocking him down.
When it came to distributing red envelopes, Xiao Ai's red envelope was a large bone tied with red ribbon, with the meat shaved off, just for the dog to grind its teeth.
Rong Yin smiled and said, "If His Majesty gave you a red envelope of money, I could still say that Dad would keep it for you, but this bone, only you can use it."
"Woof woof!" Xiao Ai wagged his tail wildly.
After Rong Yin gave it the big bone, it immediately took it and hid it in its den, as if it was really afraid that someone would steal it.
Looking at its silly look, Rong Yin was amused and laughed.
Not long after the Chinese New Year, Zong Zhengxiao plunged into his busy government affairs again, while Rong Yin picked out some of the seeds sent by Ji Xie to make corn starch, and added other ingredients to make some light cream.
Because the quantity was limited, a five-inch cream cake was made for Ji Xie as a reward for finding the seeds, and the remaining cream was divided equally between Rong Yin and Zong Zhengxiao.
On the Lantern Festival, Zong Zhengxiao and Rong Yin went out of the palace to watch the lantern festival together, and delivered the cream cake to Ji Xie.
Of course, in order not to disturb the Ji family and to hide their whereabouts, the cake was delivered by the guards, and a sealed letter was also given to Ji Xie, telling him that if he hadn't found the corn seeds, Rong Yin would not have been able to make such delicious food.
After receiving the cake, Ji Xie did not suspect that Zong Zhengxiao and Rong Yin had left the palace. Instead, he was curious about how delicious the cake was that Rong Yin mentioned in the message.
He called the whole family over, then cut the cream cake into pieces and gave each person a piece.
Before eating, Ji Xie said proudly: "Besides your Majesty and that noble, we are the first to eat this thing called cream cake. This is all thanks to me finding the seeds!"
Since he came back, the Ji family has been hearing him muttering similar words every day, and their ears are already numb.
At first, I felt sorry for him because he had to run around outside looking for seeds. He became darker and thinner, and everyone in the family spoiled him. But later, this kid became more and more outrageous, and he was almost taking advantage of others.
His father got annoyed and slapped him on the head to make him quiet down.
As a result, when Rong Yin sent him a cake today, his true colors showed up again.
Duke Ji said, "Have you said enough? If you have, I will start eating. This is better than bread. I have been craving for it for a long time."
The other family members showed the same expression, Choi Ji-seop, hurry up.
Ji Xie: “…”
I feel like I picked it up.
"That's all, let's eat quickly."
Before Ji Xie finished speaking, the others couldn't wait to start eating. Ji Xie was not willing to be left behind and took a bite of a piece of cake.
After tasting the cake, Ji Xie regretted why he had said nonsense just now, otherwise he could have eaten the cake earlier.
This time he really believed Rong Yin's words.
Delicious! Really delicious!
After Ji Xie finished a few bites, he looked up at the little bit of cake left on the table. At the same time, Duke Ji and his wife and Ji Xie's other brothers and sisters also looked over.
Duke Ji stood up, coughed lightly, looked at the children and said, "Dad knows that you are filial, so I think you will all be willing to leave the remaining cake to me and your mother."
The brothers and sisters looked at their father and then at their mother.
Dad was shameless and didn't look them in the eye, while Mom pretended not to see anything.
What could they do? If they didn't agree, Dad would whip them harder during the next training session.
Therefore, we have no choice but to give up this little bit of deliciousness.
As the eldest brother, Ji Xie stood up and said on behalf of the other brothers and sisters with tears in his eyes: "Dad is right, the remaining cake should be given to you and mom."
Duke Ji happily shared the cake with his wife. Under the eager yet resentful gaze of the children, the cake seemed to taste even sweeter in their mouths.
After finishing the meal, Duke Ji wiped his mouth and said, "I will secretly tell His Majesty when he goes to court in two days and ask him to ask you to put this cream cake in the bakery as soon as possible. Then we can eat as much as we want."
When the children heard this, their eyes lit up, except Ji Xie who sighed.
"Dad, one of the ingredients for this cream cake is the grain seeds I brought back this time, but there aren't many seeds, so you only made a little. The remaining seeds have to be kept until spring to plant, but grain can't be harvested until at least July or August, so if you want to eat cream cake, you'll have to wait."
"What!" Duke Ji was angry, "Why didn't you bring back more seeds? You are so useless!"
Ji Xie: "... Dad, didn't I tell you after I came back that the locals forbid selling the seeds of the Golden Grain to outsiders? I just happened to save a local man, and I got those seeds by rewarding him with a large sum of money. How could you forget it so quickly?"
Duke Ji remembered, but he chose to play dumb: "Really? Did you tell me? Why don't I remember it?"
Ji Xie: “…”
Dad, do you know that the word "guilty" is written all over your face?
Rong Yin had no idea how many ridiculous stories the cream cake he sent had caused in the Ji family. After arriving at the street, they found a place to park the carriage. Seeing that it was still early and the lantern festival had not yet become fully lively, they strolled along the street first.
Today, there were many vendors setting up stalls to buy things to supplement their family income. Rong Yin bought some snacks and picked out a few small items, such as Ruyi knots and straw grasshoppers. She also chose a wooden teething stick for Xiao Ai.
When they arrived at the mask stall, Rong Yin was afraid that it was too busy today and someone would recognize her and Zong Zhengxiao's identities, which would cause trouble, so she paid for two masks.
There were no fish or dragon-shaped masks on the stall, so Rong Yin picked up a white fox and a black wolf.
Rong Yin kept the black wolf mask for herself, then asked Zong Zheng Xiao to bend down and put the white fox mask on him.
That was all. After putting it on, he whispered to her, "Little fox, you must hide quietly. If you are found by the big black wolf, you will be eaten."
Zong Zhengxiao was not afraid either. He lifted Rong Yin's chin with his fan and raised the corners of his lips: "No matter how small a fox is, it eats meat. Big Black Wolf should worry about himself first."
"Tsk! Sooner or later I'll let you know how powerful I am." Rong Yin gestured with his fist towards Zong Zhengxiao.
Zong Zheng Xiao laughed, pried his fist apart, and held his hand.
"Let's go, great black wolf, we haven't finished our tour yet."
Rong Yin smiled again: "Come on, come on, I think I smell some sugar-roasted chestnuts up ahead, let's go buy a bag."
Zong Zhengxiao laughed and said, "Your nose is even better than Xiao Ai's."
Rong Yin: "Humph, I am gifted, you can't envy me."
By the time they had finished eating the chestnuts, night had already fallen. The lanterns overhead were lit, and there were more people walking on the street. Later on, the place was so crowded that it was almost packed.
The two of them walked all the way down the street. If they continued to squeeze in, there would be a risk of trampling, and there was nothing to see. So they hit it off and took their guards to find a restaurant to eat and take a break.
Of course one has to eat Yuan Xiao during the Lantern Festival. They each ordered a Yuan Xiao with a different filling and shared it.
The two of them were sitting next to the window, so they could just see the lively scene downstairs.
Rong Yin lay by the window and looked at the lanterns for a while. Suddenly, his stomach started to rumble from eating too much.
"No, I want to go to the toilet." Rong Yin said as he stood up.
Zong Zhengxiao said: "I'll go with you."
Rong Yin waved her hands, "No, no, I'm already a grown-up, how can I have the nerve to ask my parents to accompany me to the toilet?"
Seeing that he was really unwilling to have him accompany him, Zong Zheng Xiao said that he would not go. He turned around and quietly signaled a guard to follow him so as not to be discovered by Rong Yin.
The guard nodded, hiding himself in the crowd and chasing after him.
The toilet was at the back of the first floor. After asking the waiter for the location, Rong Yin quickly ran in that direction.
The guard was guarding not far from the toilet. After a while, he saw Rong Yin come out with his own eyes. He waited until Rong Yin took a few steps before he caught up.
As a result, on the way from the backyard to the lobby, a group of drunkards walked past Rong Yin with their arms around each other, and as if on purpose, they bumped into the guards.
"Who are you? Get out of my way! Go away!"
"That's right, if you don't get out of here, I'll kill you."
"Hahahahahaha, big brother is so awesome!"
A group of people walked in a crooked manner and laughed loudly.
For a few seconds, the guards' sight and hearing were distracted by the group.
The guards quickly walked around them, and when they looked again, Rong Yin was no longer there.
He suddenly felt something was wrong and ran inside quickly. There was no sound of war in the lobby, so he hurried back to their seat on the second floor.
When the guards saw the empty chair opposite Zong Zheng Xiao, their hearts sank.
Rong Yin was ahead of him. Even if he walked slowly, he should have met him on the road when he came back, instead of being unable to see even his shadow like now.
Even though he knew he was doomed, the guard still ran to Zong Zheng Xiao and reported the situation to him.
“Pah—”
The moment he heard Rong Yin disappeared, Zong Zheng Xiao crushed the teacup in his hand.
Rong Yin felt dizzy and wanted to vomit.
He was walking along the road normally, but after passing a group of drunks, a pair of big hands suddenly reached out from the side and dragged him into a dark corner. When he was about to fight back, a thick cloth was covered over his mouth and nose. He breathed subconsciously, and after smelling a strange odor, his head immediately became dizzy.
He felt that he had not lost consciousness for too long, probably only about five or six minutes. Now his eyes were blindfolded, his mouth was stuffed with cloth, and he felt dizzy and his limbs were sore and weak. It seemed as if his hands and feet were tied up.
The cloth covering his mouth and nose must have been filled with drugs.
I don't know which reckless person dared to kidnap him. When he comes back to his senses, he will be cut into pieces.
Rong Yin resisted the urge to vomit while cursing in her heart.
Rong Yin was carried on someone's shoulders. His already dizzy head was shaken several times. He felt that he was hundreds of times more uncomfortable than carsickness.
Finally, the man who was taking him somewhere stopped, and Rong Yin heard a knock on the door.
Then the door creaked open and someone whispered, "Come in quickly."
The man carrying Rong Yin took two steps into the house, and the door was closed again. The man who opened the door asked nervously, "Is he still alive? Has he not been discovered by others?"
The man who answered said in a hoarse voice, "The person has passed out after smelling the medicine. I put a large amount of medicine in him, and it will probably take him an hour or two to wake up. Don't worry, buddy, I did it cleanly and efficiently. No one saw it, and there was no clue left."
"I know, I'll give you the other half after the job is done. Send the man inside quickly. The young master is waiting."
"good."
After walking a few more steps, Rong Yin felt that he had entered a room.
The door just now should be the gate to the courtyard. He was brought into a courtyard. He was dizzy for a while. This courtyard should be not far from the tavern.
The man said it would take him an hour or two to wake up, but he was only confused for a few minutes. He didn't know if there was something wrong with the man's medicine, or if it had no effect on him?
But no matter what the reason is, they thought they were unconscious and would definitely relax their vigilance against him. Once the man put him down and loosened his hands and feet, he would make sure to teach these bastards a lesson!
"Young Master, the person is here." The person who had just questioned the man called out.
Rong Yin heard footsteps approaching, and then a familiar voice rang out: "It's really Rong Yin! Give him to me!"
Rong Yin almost couldn't hold back from cursing.
It turned out to be that bastard Li Ao. He was wondering why someone kidnapped him for no apparent reason. Could it be that this bastard wanted to rape him?
Rong Yin gritted his teeth secretly, if he dared to molest me, I would chop off the weapons he used to commit the crime!
Li Ao held Rong Yin in his arms and walked towards the house in a hurry. His servant reminded him, "Young Master, hurry up. We have to leave before they come. The wine shop is not far from here. They will search here soon."
"I know, I know, stop nagging." Li Ao kicked the door shut.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
