Chapter 93 Kiss Me
In fact, Rong Yin did not realize Li Chu's purpose at first. She thought he really came to tell her gossip and ask her to help speak well of him in front of Zong Zheng Xiao.
Until Li Chu deliberately made a mistake. He said that Zong Zhengxiao found out that those people who were silenced were members of the Cui family. But Rong Yin clearly remembered that Zong Zhengxiao told him that the true identities of those people were found out by Li Chu.
Given Li Chu's meticulous mind, how could he possibly misremember such an important thing? So Rong Yin realized at that moment that Li Chu had made the mistake on purpose.
Rong Yin didn't understand what his purpose was, but he subconsciously corrected his mistake.
It was not until she left Qingqiu Pavilion and was on her way back to the hot pot restaurant that Rong Yin gradually figured out his routine.
Li Chu first confirmed again and again whether Zong Zhengxiao would tell him everything. After confirming, he used gossip to confuse his mind and let him relax his vigilance.
Then Li Chu deliberately got the point wrong on the pretext of asking for his help.
Because Li Chu had laid a lot of groundwork before he said this wrong sentence. If Rong Yin had heard the wrong version from Zong Zhengxiao, Rong Yin would not have reacted much.
If Rong Yin heard another version, that is, the true identities of those people were discovered by Li Chu, then Rong Yin would definitely hear such an obvious mistake.
Li Chu's purpose was to test which version Zong Zhengxiao told Rong Yin.
So it's not unreasonable for Rong Yin to say that she doesn't like to have contact with Li Chu. This man is too scheming. He does everything with a purpose, and you will fall into the trap he digs if you are not careful.
"Why does he want to know which version you told me, Your Majesty?" Rong Yin didn't quite understand.
After hearing Rong Yin's words, Zong Zheng Xiao's originally calm eyes suddenly became filled with a storm, but he concealed it well.
"Because the true version is that I actually found out that those people were members of the Cui family. I knew that the palace maids were not arranged by Li Chu, but I still followed the Cui family's frame-up and severely punished Li Chu."
Upon hearing this, Rong Yin's eyes widened in surprise, and he immediately understood Zong Zheng Xiao's intention.
Zong Zhengxiao pretended not to know that Li Chu was innocent. If he punished Li Chu, Li Chu would definitely resent the Cui family and would definitely retaliate. Coincidentally, Li Chu met the second young master Cui who wanted to retaliate against the entire Cui family. This sowed the seeds of internal strife in the Cui family.
In order to prove his innocence, Li Chu had to hand over the entire list of Li family's spies in the palace, and in order to put on a show for the people from the aristocratic families, he had to swallow the blame imposed on him by Zong Zhengxiao.
Zong Zhengxiao's schemes, when put together, are more than just killing two birds with one stone.
The reason why Li Chu came to find Rong Yin was because he noticed some clues, but he couldn't play Zong Zheng Xiao face to face, and he couldn't find any problems behind the scenes, so he set his sights on Rong Yin.
Rong Yin looked at Zong Zhengxiao and said, "Your Majesty didn't tell me the truth before. Did you guess that this day would come?"
If Rong Yin had known about this earlier, she might have been tricked by Li Chu today.
"It's just a precaution." Zong Zhengxiao touched his head, a little cautiously, "Will Ayin blame me for hiding so many things from you?"
"How could that be? You didn't do it on purpose. You just considered the overall situation. And it's a good thing that you didn't tell me." Rong Yin, a modern man, was too stupid and naive. There was no way he could beat these ancient people who had been tempered by thousands of hardships.
Rong Yin sighed: "The job of the emperor is indeed not something that ordinary people can do. If it were me, I would have revealed my true colors in front of Li Chu long ago."
Zong Zhengxiao smiled and said, "Ayin is also very capable. Not only did she discover Li Chu's conspiracy in time, but she also successfully counterattacked. She is no worse than me."
Rong Yin shook her head: "You don't know, I was so scared that my legs went limp and I almost fell down. I absolutely will never meet him alone again. It could cost me my life."
Zong Zhengxiao patted his shoulder soothingly and said, "Okay, I'll warn him not to meet you alone again in the future."
Rong Yin hummed happily, then suddenly remembered something, frowned, and said, "Your Majesty, do you think Li Chu believes what I said? Will he continue to doubt you?"
Zong Zhengxiao said without hesitation: "Yes, once Li Chu becomes suspicious, he will not easily dispel it. Even if all the evidence is placed in front of him, he will still be a little cautious."
Rong Yin was worried: "What if he doesn't obey or turns against us?"
"Don't worry. As long as he fails to prove his guess, he will not break up with us. After all, he can't go back to the aristocratic family anymore."
"Alright." Rong Yin returned to Zong Zheng's caress and said lazily, "Let me lean on you for a while. With Your Majesty here, I feel safe and I'm not afraid of anything."
These words sounded like a spoiled child, Zong Zheng Xiao was overjoyed, he lowered his head and kissed Rong Yin on the top of his head.
"Ayin can rely on my arms for the rest of her life."
"Hey, okay."
The two of them were having a great time, but Li Chu was feeling mixed emotions.
After Rong Yin left, he also quietly left Qingqiu Pavilion without leaving any trace.
Although it has been proven by Rong Yin that Zong Zhengxiao did not find out the identities of several spies in advance, Li Chu still feels inexplicably uneasy.
In fact, he was gambling when he joined Zong Zhengxiao, gambling with the future of the Li family and his own life. He only wanted a stable future, and he could do anything for it, but he was afraid that it would be a waste of time and he would become a pawn of others.
Without solid evidence, he couldn't prove that Zong Zhengxiao was deliberately using him. It was also unrealistic to turn back now, so he could only take things one step at a time.
After returning to the mansion and having dinner with his mother, Li Chu said, "I'm going to go to my father's place to tell him that my aunt has a new home. Would you like to come with me, mother?"
Li Chu had already told Madam Li about the matter between his aunt and Young Master Cui. Madam Li had had enough of the hustle and bustle and didn't want to see the ugly face of the head of the Li family again.
"I'm a little tired and want to rest early. My son, go by yourself. Remember not to stay too long, so as not to be infected with his bad luck."
"Yes, Mother."
The winter was extremely cold, but there was only a charcoal basin in the main house of the Li family. It was not warm enough, but it was not enough to freeze people to death. The quality of the charcoal was not very good, and the smell was a bit pungent.
Knowing that Li Chu was coming, the manager in the yard replaced the incense with better quality silver carbon and quickly opened the windows to ventilate the room so that the smell would dissipate.
When Li Chu arrived, the house still smelled stuffy, but not to the point where it was unbearable to stay there.
The head of the Li family was lying on the bed. Because of the curtains, Li Chu couldn't see his face clearly, but he could feel that he was still alive.
Li Chu sat down beside the bed and said calmly, "Dad, I came here today to tell you a good news."
There was no movement inside.
Li Chu continued: "You still remember, I told you that the Cui family secretly brought my aunt back to Beijing from the manor to threaten me to help them."
At this point, a hint of resentment flashed in Li Chu's eyes, but when he thought of what he was about to say, the corners of his mouth couldn't help but rise.
"I was worried that my aunt would be bullied because she was alone and helpless in the Cui family and had no status. But my aunt is always more powerful than I thought. Dad, you would never guess that she actually climbed into the bed of Master Cui. Yes, the Master Cui who is young enough to be her son."
Before he could finish his words, a fierce "Haha" sound came from inside the bed curtain. It sounded like someone wanted to say something, but couldn't utter a single word. He was extremely anxious.
Li Chu seemed not to have heard what was going on inside, and continued to add fuel to the fire, "Dad, you think that mom and I are the ones who harmed you, Li Ao, and your aunt. Now that your aunt has finally left the Li family and has a new home, you must be very happy for her. Oh, I almost forgot to tell you that your aunt is pregnant with Master Cui's child."
The breathing inside stopped abruptly, probably because the person was shocked to the extreme.
"The monk said before that Li Ao, the child you and your aunt love the most, will be born again through your aunt's belly. So, Dad, tell me, is the child your aunt is carrying now the reincarnation of Li Ao?"
"Dad, not only has your woman become someone else's woman, but your child will also call someone else dad when he is born."
In fact, Li Chu did not believe in the concepts of dreams and reincarnation, but the head of the Li family did. Li Chu came today just for his lung puncture, so naturally he would say whatever made the head of the Li family most heartbroken.
Heavy breathing sounds like bellows came from inside the bed curtains. Li Chu opened the curtains and the candlelight shone in. The head of the Li family had tear marks on his sunken face, and his cloudy tears kept rolling down his face, with a look of extreme despair.
Now he no longer even had the intention to hate Li Chu.
And this is the result Li Chu wants to see.
"Dad, don't worry. I will definitely come to inform you when my aunt remarries. In a few days, the Cui family may ask you to write a letter of release. But you are in such a state now that you probably can't write it. Then I will do you a favor with reluctance."
"Heh...heh..." Patriarch Li looked at Li Chu with tears in his eyes, his breathing becoming more and more rapid.
Li Ao said, "I say, you deserve it. You willingly served the Cui family as a butcher, but your beloved son was killed by them, and your beloved concubine also became a member of the Cui family. It's really sad. When you die, I wonder if you will have the face to face the ancestors of the Li family."
"Wu...Wu..." The head of the Li family made an unpleasant crying sound from his throat, his expression was distorted, and saliva flowed down the corners of his mouth.
Li Chu was indifferent to his father's plight. Instead, he taunted him, "It seems that you have been in good health recently. You have not fainted even though you are so sad. You have made progress. You should keep up the good work. After all, I still need you to live for a while."
After venting his emotions, Li Chu no longer looked at the head of the Li family, turned around and left.
The next day, Li Chu was summoned by Zong Zhengxiao to Yu's study.
Li Chu knew why he was looking for him, so he knelt down before Zong Zhengxiao could speak.
"I am guilty, Your Majesty, please punish me." Li Chu kowtowed solemnly.
Zong Zhengxiao leaned back in his chair, expressionless, and looked at Li Chu with eyes full of oppression.
"Oh, Lord Li, tell me yourself, what crime have you committed?"
Li Chu said: "I shouldn't have been so impulsive that I invited Mr. Rong to meet me, knowing that he didn't want to see me, and asked him to plead for me and speak well of me in front of His Majesty."
Zong Zhengxiao suddenly laughed, as if he was speechless, but also as if he was showing contempt, "Li Chu, didn't I tell you not to use your cleverness on me and the people around me? If I find out, you won't be able to bear the consequences."
Li Chu raised his head, but did not dare to look Zong Zhengxiao in the eye. "I do not understand what your majesty means."
"Still trying to make excuses!" Zong Zhengxiao slammed the table with such force that Si Xi beside him jumped in surprise. Zong Zhengxiao grabbed the inkstone at hand and smashed it directly in front of Li Chu, shouting: "You have even schemed against me. Is this what you call loyalty?"
Li Chu's face turned pale and he said nothing.
Zong Zhengxiao said, "You suspect that I am not sincere in accepting your surrender. You think that I have discovered that you were framed by the Cui family but I am pretending not to know and using you to deal with the Cui family. I understand your thoughts because I am also suspicious in my heart, wondering whether you are truly surrendering to me."
Li Chu's pupils trembled slightly and he clenched his teeth.
"Our cooperation has never been stable. If you investigate privately, I can tolerate it, because only when you feel at ease will you do your best to help me. But you should never touch my bottom line. I didn't hold you accountable for your plot against Rong Yin, and now you want to repeat the same mistake again..."
He sighed and stared into Li Chu's eyes: "Li Chu, I seem to be easy to talk to, right?"
These words were like an icy sword, stabbing straight at Li Chu's chest. As long as Zong Zheng Xiao gave the order, Li Chu would be covered in blood on the spot.
Li Chu knew he couldn't escape, so he leaned forward and kowtowed again with his lips pale.
"I deserve death, Your Majesty, please punish me!"
After he admitted it, Zong Zhengxiao's expression suddenly became much calmer. He stood up and walked forward, still keeping a distance from Li Chu, looking down at him as if he was looking at an ant.
"How do you think I should punish you?"
Li Chu didn't dare to play tricks anymore and said honestly, "I don't know."
Zong Zhengxiao did not answer how he would punish Li Chu, but said: "Rong Yin doesn't like you, don't bother him in the future."
"I obey your command."
Zong Zhengxiao said again: "When spring comes, you can go to Ji Xie to help him find new grains, so that you don't have to be caught between me and the noble families. Don't worry, I will take good care of your mother and the Li family for you, and I will not let your uncles take the position. They are not my people, and I will not cause trouble for myself."
What Zong Zhengxiao meant was that Li Chu's test had destroyed the already precarious trust between them. Now Zong Zhengxiao had taken away his power and asked him to go to Ji Xie so that Ji Xie would supervise him.
But at the same time, Zong Zheng Xiao did not give up on him, because his last sentence meant that Li Chu was on his side, but Li Chu's uncles were not.
If Zong Zhengxiao is relieved about him in the future, he will arrange for him to come back.
Li Chu felt a little regretful. He was indeed too impatient yesterday, which allowed Zong Zheng Xiao to find the handle.
If he does not obey the punishment, it will prove that he has rebellious intentions. Then Zong Zheng Xiao will no longer give him face, and it will be uncertain whether he lives or dies.
Li Chu only regretted not being careful enough, but he did not regret doing that yesterday.
Until now, he still didn't completely believe in Zong Zhengxiao, but in the face of power, he had to yield.
Li Chu lowered his eyes: "Thank you for your grace, my Lord!"
Zong Zhengxiao just looked at him quietly without saying a word.
After Li Chu left, Rong Yin came out from inside.
There was a place for the emperor to rest in the study. When Zong Zhengxiao was teaching Li Chu a lesson just now, Rong Yin was hiding in it.
Rong Yin looked at the direction where Li Chu left and asked, "Your Majesty, do you think Li Chu regretted joining us?"
Zong Zhengxiao said: "He will not regret it, because it was his best choice at the time."
"But you have transferred him out of Beijing. This punishment is actually quite severe for him. Do you think he will turn around and retaliate against us?"
"He doesn't dare." Zong Zhengxiao said with certainty, "Now he is nominally ours. As long as he dares to take revenge, I only need to tell the noble family that he has joined us. We don't even need to do anything. The noble family will not let him go."
Rong Yin vaguely understood: "So now he can only gamble that His Majesty will leave him a way out because of what he has done for you."
"You're right." Zong Zhengxiao touched Rong Yin's head, as if praising a child who answered a question correctly. "If Li Chu had insisted on standing on the side of the aristocratic family, then the Li family would have been doomed to fall before the Cui family. Li Chu would have died 100%. That's why he wanted to take a chance with me. At least he still has a 50% chance of survival."
Rong Yin asked curiously, "Then Your Majesty, will you give him this chance in his life?"
Zong Zhengxiao put his index finger on his lips and smiled with narrowed eyes: "It cannot be said."
"Tsk, if you don't want to tell me, then don't tell me. I'll know it when the time comes anyway."
After Rong Yin finished speaking, he suddenly smiled and said, "As expected, being an emperor requires good acting skills. It's obvious that your majesty schemed against Li Chu, and Li Chu also schemed against us, but you just scolded him so righteously, as if he was the one who was wrong. Tsk tsk, I understand once again why he is afraid of you."
Zong Zheng Xiao was not bothered by being called scary by his lover. Instead, he thought it was a compliment.
"Because he plotted against you, and you and I caught him. The evidence is solid, so he naturally feels guilty. I scolded him because he used a conspiracy against us, but I didn't deny or confirm whether his guess was right or wrong, and he didn't dare and didn't need to ask me."
Zong Zhengxiao raised the corners of his lips, "Because no matter if I say yes or no, he won't completely believe it. He can't afford the price of either outcome. The only thing he can do now is to pretend to be ignorant. Maybe he can wait for the opportunity to turn the tables in the future."
Rong Yin was curious: "If you leave him to Ji Xie, can Ji Xie handle it? Aren't you afraid that Ji Xie will secretly scold you?"
Zong Zhengxiao said in a nonchalant tone: "Many people have scolded me. Ji Xie has scolded me before. If he can't even handle Li Chu, how can I dare to entrust him with important tasks in the future?"
This was a punishment for Li Chu and also a test for Ji Xie.
Rong Yin sighed and observed a three-second silence for poor Ji Xie.
“A-choo!”
At a dock near the sea, Ji Xie, who was inspecting a cargo ship, suddenly sneezed, scaring his subordinates beside him and saying, "Sir, the wind is strong at the sea, you should go back and have a rest. I will report to you after I finish inspecting the cargo, so don't get sick from the wind."
Ji Xie glared at him and said, "Go away, do you think I am as useless as you and will catch a cold just by the sea breeze? I have been practicing martial arts for many years and I am strong and healthy. How can I get sick just because I am sick?"
Upon hearing this, the subordinate hurriedly pretended to slap himself on the face and said with a smile: "It is me who looks down on others. Please don't blame me, sir."
"Forget it, you are also considering me, why should I blame you." He smiled and said, "I heard that sneezing means someone is missing me. Maybe it's my family or His Majesty who is thinking about me."
Subordinate: "...Haha, that must be what you think, sir."
Their Lord Ji is really narcissistic.
What Ji Xie didn't expect was that he was bragging to his subordinates the day before about his good health and not getting sick, but when he woke up the next morning he had a fever and a dry throat, which were signs of catching a cold.
However, he was too embarrassed to take medicine and thought he could get through it, so he forced himself to continue working. It was not until noon, when his brain was so dizzy that he could not walk, that he hurriedly called a doctor.
He hadn't been sick for such a long time, but when he got sick, he was very weak. Ji Xie, a big man, had to lie in bed for three days before he could get out of bed.
Ji Xie felt inexplicably uneasy. Why was he so unlucky? He got sick out of nowhere. Would he encounter any bad things in the future?
He was just thinking about going to a nearby temple in a few days to burn incense and get rid of the bad luck, but bad luck came to him instead.
When Ji Xie looked at the secret letter written to him by Zong Zhengxiao, his eyes suddenly went dark and he almost fainted again.
Your Majesty, are you here to make things difficult for me because you think I'm living too easily?
I am truly the most miserable subject in the world!!!
Zong Zhengxiao had no idea of Ji Xie's resentment, and even if he knew, he would not care. After stopping writing at the end of the year, he and Rong Yin hid in the Silver Shark Garden to spend the winter.
At this time, he was holding a beautiful woman in his arms, enjoying the orange fed to him by Rong Yin herself, and then telling gossip to Rong Yin.
The story of Master Cui and his aunt has not yet come to a conclusion. The secret guards sent by Zong Zhengxiao to monitor the Cui family report progress to him every day.
"Although the powerful and aristocratic circles in the capital have heard that Cui Da secretly got one of his mistresses pregnant, and that mistress was a woman about the same age as his mother, many of them actually don't know that the woman was the concubine that Old Man Li once loved the most."
"Because the concubine is pregnant, and outsiders know about her existence, and she is also a handle to threaten Li Chu, Master Cui can't deal with her directly, but he can't really marry her because she is still Master Li's concubine. If he wants to marry her, he can only let her sever ties with the Li family first."
"But this is tantamount to giving Li Chu a handle. As long as Li Chu holds on to the fact that the eldest son of the Cui family slept with his father's aunt, he will be invincible in the negotiation with the Cui family, because if the Cui family still has any dignity, they will not want this secret to be spread."
"Currently, the Cui and Li families are at odds with each other, and the Cui family is at a disadvantage. The head of the Cui family is of course unwilling to give way to Li Chu, so he has been dragging his feet and refusing to deal with it. However, my aunt and the second son of the Cui family will not allow the Cui family to have a chance to rest."
"Auntie was afraid that the Cui family would consider it for too long and finally give up on her. Cui Lao Er felt that this matter was not lively enough and not enough to make the head of the Cui family anxious and exhausted. So Auntie began to surround the head of the Cui family every day, crying and shouting for him to make a decision for her. And what about Cui Lao Er..."
Zong Zhengxiao suddenly stopped talking here.
Rong Yin was listening attentively. When he saw that he was silent, he asked anxiously, "What did Cui Laoer do? Tell me."
Zong Zhengxiao pointed to his mouth and said, "I'm thirsty."
Rong Yin hurriedly stuffed the peeled orange into his mouth. Zong Zhengxiao finished eating the orange and said, "It's too sour. I don't want to talk about it."
Rong Yin: "...You are just talking nonsense. This orange is obviously very sweet."
"But I just feel it's sour." Zong Zhengxiao was like an unreasonable child, "Unless someone kisses me, I'll feel sweet and continue talking."
Rong Yin: “…”
I endured it in order to listen to gossip.
He held up Zong Zheng Xiao's face, leaned over and smacked him.
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