Chapter 79 I'm Afraid That Ayin Hates Me
Ning Yue's hand that was touching the strings of the zither trembled, and she subconsciously looked at Li Chu with shock in her eyes.
Li Chu seemed to not understand what she was surprised about, and smiled and said, "Is there any problem?"
"No..." Ning Yue forced a smile, she was so nervous that she stuttered, "This song was composed by a washerwoman, and later spread by Rong, Rong Gongzi. I am lucky to be able to sing it, and I would like to thank you two gentlemen here."
After saying that, Ning Yue took a deep breath, pretended to be calm, started playing, and then started singing.
But because of her fear, she was unable to remain calm and her song got stuck in the middle of singing, which made her even more uneasy.
Li Chu seemed not to notice her mistake. He propped up one leg and drank tea leisurely with his eyes closed. Occasionally, he hummed a few times, feeling very comfortable.
Finally, when the song was over, Ning Yue broke out in sweat on her back. She clenched her trembling hands, suppressed her rapid breathing, and looked up at Li Chu.
Li Chu also opened his eyes and looked back at Ning Yue with a smile.
"Ms. Ningyue, I am your old customer after all. Why do you look at me like a ghost? I don't eat people. It really makes me sad."
Ning Yue curled her lips and said, "Master Li, you are joking. Ning Yue has no opinion about you. I just feel a little uncomfortable today."
"Not feeling well." Li Chu seemed to be thinking, then chuckled and said, "Are you sick? Do you need a friend to visit you? For example, Mr. Rong."
Ning Yue was silent for a while, but finally compromised: "Master Li, why did you come to my place today? Just tell me."
Li Chu spun the teacup, drank the tea in it, and then put the cup back on the low table with a "thump".
He turned to face Ning Yue, squinting his eyes and smiling: "Alas, it would have been better if you had said no earlier. If Miss Ning Yue hadn't asked, I would have been too embarrassed to speak up."
Ning Yue: “…”
hehe.
Li Chu continued with a smile, "It's nothing, actually. I just want to borrow your place and identity, Miss Ningyue, to help me cover up so that I can meet with Boss Rong."
Ning Yue was surprised. He really came here for Rong Yin.
Ning Yue: "I wonder why Master Li is looking for Boss Rong?"
She had not forgotten that when Li Chu first met Rong Yin, he planned to use him to plot against his own brother, and he even succeeded in the end.
How could Ning Yue let such a scheming and scheming person get close to Rong Yin easily?
Li Chu did not hide the truth from her and said, "This is about His Majesty and the noble family. Miss Ningyue, are you sure you want to listen?"
Ning Yue was silent.
Given her status and position, knowing too many secrets would be tantamount to seeking her own death.
Li Chu said: "Don't worry, what I want to discuss with him will not cause any harm to him or His Majesty."
Ning Yue thought for a while and said, "I will convey Master Li's intention to Boss Rong for you. As for whether he will agree to come, I can't guarantee it."
"Of course." Li Chu still had a smiling face. "The time is set for three days later. Whether Boss Rong agrees or not, I will come to support you, Miss Ningyue."
After Li Chu left, Ning Yue absentmindedly received the remaining guests, and then asked her confidant to go to the milk tea shop to find Miss Lu'e and ask her to tell Rong Yin that she wanted to see him for something.
The next day, Ning Yue turned down all the guests on the grounds of illness and waited anxiously for Rong Yin to arrive.
After receiving the message from Lu'e, Rong Yin realized that Ning Yue might really have something urgent, otherwise she would not have said she wanted to see him, so she left the palace early the next day and went to Qingqiu Pavilion.
In Ningyue's room, after listening to Ningyue's words, Rongyin fell into deep thought.
Li Chu is a member of the Li family, and the Li family is one of the aristocratic families that specifically opposes Zong Zhengxiao. Why does he want to find me?
Ning Yue saw Rong Yin was puzzled, so she said, "Boss Rong, do you remember that I once told you that when we first met, Young Master Li wanted to give you to his brother Li Ao?"
Rong Yin nodded, "I remember."
Ning Yue asked again: "What do you think, Boss Rong, is the relationship between Li Ao's death and Li Chu?"
The reason why Li Ao was so arrogant and domineering, committed many evil things, and even dared to scold the emperor, was because he was spoiled by his father and brothers when he was growing up, which led to his disregard for the law and ultimately his own destruction.
Therefore, most of the reasons why Li Ao fell into his current situation can be attributed to his father and brother.
This is a truth that everyone understands, so Rong Yin doesn't think the answer to Ning Yue's question would be this.
Rong Yin recalled carefully that Li Chu and Li Ao were half brothers. Li Chu's grandfather's family died in the rebellion. He and his mother had been unloved since childhood. Everyone in the capital knew that the head of the Li family loved his youngest son Li Ao and his mother the most.
Logically speaking, Li Chu, if not hated Li Ao and his mother to the core, at least would have harbored some resentment towards them. However, he was surprisingly good to Li Ao, so good that he was as famous in the capital as his father for doting on Li Ao.
This is a very abnormal thing.
So either Li Chu is really crazy and wants to get his father's approval by doting on his brother like his father does, or he is just forbearing and letting Li Ao do evil and covering up for his evil deeds just for...
Rong Yin suddenly realized: "He praised Li Ao to death."
Ning Yue nodded: "That's right, I only figured it out after Li Ao died. Li Chu is a man with deep thoughts. I don't know whether it is good or bad to have an intersection with him."
Rong Yin thought differently: "Whether a sharp sword hurts the enemy or me depends on who wields the sword."
Ning Yue vaguely understood what he meant: "Boss Rong wants to see him?"
"See you." Rong Yin said firmly, "But I have to go home and discuss this with my husband. I'm not very smart and I'm afraid I can't beat him. If you hadn't reminded me, I wouldn't have noticed the things between the two Li brothers."
Ning Yue said: "Boss Rong, you are being modest. You just didn't think of it for a moment. How can you be stupid?"
"Hey, Ningyue, you don't need to comfort me. I am still very self-aware."
Ning Yue looked at his indifferent expression and said nothing more.
When Rong Yin returned to the palace, Zong Zhengxiao was still busy in Yu's study and it was estimated that he would be back later.
Classmate Xiao Ai came over with a sepak ball in his mouth and asked Rong Yin to play with it. Rong Yin didn't bother to be polite with him. He rounded his arms and threw it far away. Classmate Xiao Ai shouted happily, then rushed out like the wind.
Rong Yin sat down, drinking an ice drink while waiting for Xiao Ai to come back. However, after she finished her ice drink, Xiao Ai showed up while playing with a sepak takraw ball.
"Hey, this is not your usual speed. Tell me, did you go somewhere else to play during the trip?" Rong Yin rubbed Xiao Ai's head with both hands. He was just playing around, but he actually found a feather in its fur.
"Is this a bird feather?" Rong Yin opened the dog's mouth to check, and sure enough, he found a few bird feathers and small pieces of eggshell in its mouth.
Rong Yin had a bad feeling: "You wouldn't eat the whole bird family, would you?"
"Awoo?" Xiao Ai didn't understand what Rong Yin said and could only tilt her head to act cute.
Fearing that Xiao Ai might have eaten something else she shouldn't have, Rong Yin asked a palace maid to check near where the rattan ball had fallen. The maid only brought back an empty bird's nest that had fallen on the ground.
Rong Yin looked at the bird's nest without any feathers left, and couldn't help but rub Xiao Ai's head again: "I don't know what kind of bird it is. Fortunately, it's not in my world. Otherwise, if it was found to be a protected bird, I, your father, would have to go to jail instead of you."
"Woof woof!" Xiao Ai called out excitedly. He didn't understand anything else, but the word "rice" (food) was understood.
Rong Yin laughed: "You, you really take after your dad, a little foodie."
Xiao Ai was taken outside by the palace maid to play with the ball in her mouth, while Rong Yin played with the empty bird's nest out of boredom, muttering softly: "Poor bird, a dog killed all the birds..."
Before he finished speaking, an idea suddenly flashed through Rong Yin's mind.
He stared at the bird's nest in a daze.
As the saying goes, when the nest is overturned, no egg can remain intact. Since your enemies have killed you, how can they let your family go?
Since Li Chu killed Li Ao, he couldn't just hate Li Ao, he must also hate the head of the Li family and Li Ao's mother.
Now that he has dealt with Li Ao, the next one should be the head of the Li family or that concubine.
If the head of the Li family dies, Li Chu will definitely be the head of the Li family. Will he choose to continue to unite with the aristocratic family, or withdraw from the dispute, or switch to someone else?
So, is the reason why he wants to meet me this time...
"Ayin, why are you staring at a bird's nest?" A familiar voice sounded above his head. Rong Yin looked up and found that it was Zong Zheng Xiao who was leaning over to look at him.
Rong Yin said happily, "You're back. Come sit down and try the fruit tea I just made."
Zong Zhengxiao sat down opposite Rong Yin, took a sip of fruit tea, and praised him before asking, "What does the person from Qingqiu Pavilion want to talk to you about?"
Zong Zhengxiao knew that Rong Yin often went out of the palace to look for Ning Yue. Although he knew that they were just soulmates and Rong Yin was simply popular with the girl, Zong Zhengxiao still felt a little uncomfortable.
His way of showing jealousy was that he would not call people by their names, but instead say "the one from Qingqiu Pavilion".
A little bit irritable, but not much.
After Lu'e reported Ningyue's request to Rongyin last night, Rongyin told Zongzhengxiao about it.
Every time he went to see Ning Yue, he would report to Zong Zheng Xiao. He was afraid that Zong Zheng Xiao would become jealous and his position would be in danger.
Rong Yin put down her ice drink and did not answer his question. Instead, she stared at Zong Zheng Xiao and asked, "Did you know about Li Chu's plan to kill Li Ao?"
Zong Zhengxiao didn't expect him to talk about this. He was stunned for a moment, but still nodded: "Well, I guessed it after we went to Qingqiu Pavilion on your birthday."
Rong Yin was curious: "Why didn't you tell me? I don't think this is a secret that can't be told to me, right?"
Zong Zhengxiao was silent for a while, and looked at Rong Yin with a complicated look, as if he was entangled and uneasy.
He said: "Ayin, do you still remember how I came to sit on this throne?"
He fought for power with his brother and killed his brother.
Rong Yin pursed her lips and suddenly understood Zong Zhengxiao's thoughts.
Zong Zhengxiao continued, "Perhaps it was the scene that brought back memories. Seeing the dispute between the two Li brothers reminded me of me and my brothers. I didn't tell Ayin about this because I was afraid that you would remember how I ascended to the throne. I was afraid that you would hate me and my cruelty."
"I'm sorry, it's my fault for not considering your feelings." Rong Yin held Zong Zheng Xiao's hand. After apologizing, his tone became firm. "But you can worry about anything, but you can't worry that I hate you. Stupid Zong Zheng Xiao, it's not the first day we've known each other. I know your past very well. If I wanted to dislike your past, I would have done it long ago. Why would I keep it until now!"
Zong Zheng Xiaohui held his hand and smiled again, "I also want to say sorry to you. I misunderstood you."
Rong Yin smiled and said, "Okay, I forgive you."
Zong Zhengxiao smiled and returned to the previous topic, "Ayin suddenly mentioned the Li brothers. Could it be that the reason why the man from Qingqiu Pavilion came to see you is related to Li Chu from the Li family?"
"You guessed right." Rong Yin said, "Li Chu found Ning Yue because he wanted to borrow Qingqiu Pavilion to meet me secretly."
Zong Zhengxiao speculated: "You have nothing to do with the Li family, so he came to you because he wanted to convey something to me through you."
"You guessed it right again. Talking to smart people doesn't require much effort." Rong Yin relayed to Zong Zheng Xiao what Ning Yue had said to him.
Since it concerns Zong Zhengxiao and the aristocratic family, it sounds like their intentions are not simple.
Rong Yin told Zong Zhengxiao all his speculations and asked him, "Do you think he might want to switch from the aristocratic family to our camp? His father would definitely not want to agree, so he would definitely get rid of his father first. Have you found any useful information recently?"
Zong Zhengxiao thought of the news about the Li family that the secret guards had passed on to him, and said, "Old man Li hangs out with his concubines every day, and Li Chu is gradually gaining power. Is this useful information?"
"That's really useful." Rong Yin said excitedly: "It seems that my guess is right. Li Chu really wants to kill everyone he hates, even if that's his own father."
Zong Zhengxiao said, "If a son is not well-educated, it is the fault of his father. Li Aoke died in a foreign land, and Li Chu plotted revenge on the three of them. It was all the fault of old man Li himself. No wonder Li Chu hated him."
Rong Yin drank a sip of fruit tea, held her face in her hands, and asked, "If I meet him and he says he wants to join us, do you think he is sincere, or is this just a scheme by the family to plant spies among us?"
Zong Zhengxiao asked back, "A Yin, do you think that someone as calculating as Li Chu could be sincere?"
Rong Yin thought for a moment and said, "Li Chu seems to be a person who only pursues interests and does not care about feelings. If he kills the head of the Li family, he will be in power at a young age, and other families may take the opportunity to suppress him. He will definitely not be able to fight against the other families alone. So when he saw that our side was gradually gaining strength, he wanted to join us."
Zong Zhengxiao continued, "But if the noble family becomes powerful in the future, he might turn around and stab us in the back."
Rong Yin concluded: "This is just a fence-sitter."
"Indeed." Zong Zhengxiao was amused by him and said, "If he is interested in surrendering, he will definitely bring us an important surrender gift. Ah Yin, you can decide. If you think the gift is okay, then agree to his surrender. I will talk to him later."
"Okay." Rong Yin nodded, and Zong Zhengxiao rubbed his hair lovingly.
On the day of the meeting, Rong Yin arrived at Qingqiu Pavilion on time. As soon as he entered the door, the boss ran over with a smile and said that Ningyue had turned down all the guests of the whole day just to see him.
Seeing the boss's painful expression, Rong Yin said, "The quota for the cream cake in half a month is given to you. It's up to you whether you want to use it yourself or give it to others."
When we say it's a gift, it actually also means a resale. There are so many people in the capital who want the quota. Whether the boss sells it or uses it to climb up the social ladder, the profit he gets will be far more than Ningyue receiving a single customer today.
Upon hearing this, the boss immediately smiled and said, "Oh, Boss Rong, you are too polite. Even if there is no quota, we in Qingqiu Pavilion are very welcome to you. Please come upstairs quickly. Ningyue has been waiting for you for a long time."
After Rong Yin left, the boss immediately and anxiously called his confidants, asked them to go to the bakery to register his name, and at the same time asked them to spread the news that he had a reservation, looking forward to the distinguished customer coming.
After going up to the second floor, Rong Yin discovered that there were several people who looked like maids walking back and forth at Ningyue's door. They seemed to be busy with their own things, but their eyes were always lingering around the door of Ningyue's room. They looked more like guards guarding the door.
Rong Yin thought that Li Chu was indeed careful. In order to prevent the noble families from finding out that he had defected to another camp, he was very cautious.
He pretended not to know the identities of those people and walked straight into Ningyue's room. After he entered, the maid at the door closed it.
There was incense burning in the room. When Rong Yin walked in, Ning Yue had just put the lid of the incense burner back on.
"Boss Rong." Ning Yue stood up, glanced at Rong Yin, and then turned her gaze to the screen behind Rong Yin.
There was still some space behind the screen, and the person he wanted to see was inside.
Rong Yin nodded to Ning Yue and said, "Please Ning Yue, play a piece of music for me."
A play must be performed in full. If he came in and Ningyue left, it would arouse suspicion for no reason.
But it was a good thing for Ning Yue not to hear what he and Li Chu wanted to talk about, so he asked her to play the piano. On the one hand, it was to cover for him and Li Chu, and on the other hand, it was to disturb Ning Yue's hearing so that she could not hear their conversation clearly.
"Yes." Ning Yue bowed and then sat on the piano stool.
As the sound of the piano rang out, Rong Yin walked behind the screen and saw Li Chu sitting upright behind a desk.
Rong Yin sat down opposite him, and Li Chu personally poured a cup of tea for Rong Yin.
Rong Yin spoke first: "Seeing is believing. Young Master Li is more handsome than I thought."
Li Chu smiled warmly: "Thank you for the compliment, Boss Rong. Boss Rong is still as handsome as ever."
Rong Yin picked up the teacup but didn't drink it. Instead, she looked at Li Chu with a smile: "I wonder who is more impressed by my appearance, Master Li or your brother? I think it should be you, Master Li. After all, you need to understand both me and your brother at the same time in order to plan better and achieve your goals."
Even though his previous conspiracy was exposed, Li Chu was neither panicked nor angry, and his expression was as calm as ever.
He said, "I'm sorry that I took advantage of you, Boss Rong. I wonder if you can give me a chance to ask for your forgiveness."
Rong Yin raised an eyebrow: "You don't deny that you plotted against your own brother, so aren't you afraid that I will spread the news? After all, you and I are enemies. If I can ruin your reputation and cause trouble to your family, it will be considered a win for us."
"Of course I'm afraid." Li Chu said this, but there was no panic on his face. "So I beg you, Boss Rong, don't tell anyone."
Rong Yin: "...Can you act more seriously? You don't look scared at all."
"Oh, my acting wasn't good enough?" Li Chu seemed confused.
Rong Yin took a sip of tea and sighed, "It seems that you are not acting badly, but you are too disdainful to act in front of me. You are not afraid of being exposed at all, because the Li family has fallen into your hands, right? When do you plan to kill your father and that concubine like you killed your brother?"
Li Chu smiled and poured tea for Rong Yin: "Boss Rong thinks too highly of me. Although I am a direct descendant, there are collateral branches around me who covet my position. How easy is it to completely control the entire Li family? My father cannot die for the time being. With him around, those collateral branches will not dare to act recklessly, and I will have time to slowly take power. Of course, my father has no choice but to stay alive."
The drug is not fatal, but it is enough to kill a person.
Rong Yin understood what he meant and said, "Tell me your family's private affairs. Is this the condition you use to ask for my forgiveness?"
"Yes, but not completely." Li Chu looked at Rong Yin and said, "Boss Rong, I am a very sincere person. How can I send you away with such a small bowl of porridge and side dishes? I have to have at least a plate of main dishes, right?"
"How hard is that hard dish you're talking about?"
"The He family was once one of the four great families. Is that considered a tough one?"
Rong Yin: "Tell me."
Li Chu began to bargain: "I said you should forgive me."
They both knew that forgiveness meant that Li Chu's previous use of Rong Yin was written off, and that Rong Yin agreed to Li Chu's surrender.
Rong Yin rolled her eyes at him and said, "If you don't tell me, how can I know whether the conditions you offer are worth my forgiveness?"
Li Chu asked in confirmation: "Can you represent the meaning of the person behind you?"
"..." Rong Yin was a little speechless, "If you don't trust me, then why did you ask me to meet you? Wouldn't it be easier to just go find him in one go?"
After all, Zong Zhengxiao is the one in power of the royal family. Rong Yin has to discuss with Zong Zhengxiao whether to accept Li Chu's surrender, so it is totally unnecessary for Li Chu to look for him.
Li Chu picked up the teacup and said with a smile: "I am just afraid. That person's mind is too scary. I can't fight him. If I talk to him, I will be eaten to pieces without leaving any bones."
"He's not that scary, and..." Rong Yin glared at him, "You mean I'm just a liar, that's why you chose to meet me."
"Misunderstanding, misunderstanding, that's not what I meant." Li Chu said, "I just think that you, Boss Rong, are kind and easier to talk to."
Rong Yin was puzzled: "How can you, a person who even schemed against your own father and brother and succeeded, have the nerve to call him terrifying?"
Li Chu had a look that said, "I'm so wronged." "Boss Rong, you are the one who gets all his love, so of course you can't see the suffering of the outside world. You only heard about the fight between him and our family, but he and I were both participants in it. He was able to beat us back step by step, so his methods must be extraordinary. It's normal for us to be afraid of him."
"And..." Li Chu added in a low voice: "Let me tell you a little secret. When the late emperor had not yet entered the capital, he was planning to give the position of crown prince to Zong Zheng the Second."
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