Chapter 94 Miscarriage
Rong Yin was only ready to kiss her once and then let go, but Zong Zheng Xiao grabbed the back of her head and hugged her and kissed her for a long time.
Rong Yin was so angry that she stuffed all the oranges into her mouth and said in a vague voice: "I won't give you any more. The more you eat, the more arrogant you become. Hurry up and continue talking."
Zong Zhengxiao, who had already eaten his fill, showed a satisfied smile, pinched Rong Yin's bulging cheeks, and only calmed down after being slapped in the face did he continue to gossip.
"Cui Lao Er quietly revealed the true identity of the aunt. Although it was only circulated among the rich and powerful, it also caused quite a stir. Now everyone is watching the excitement of the Cui and Li families."
"Tsk tsk, is this a shocking scandal? The Cui and Li families are almost being laughed at." Rong Yin felt that this kind of explosive gossip was worthy of being a hot search even in modern times.
To the head of the Li family, it was just that the son of the neighboring Cui family slept with his wife, and his wife was pregnant. This cuckoldry was so outrageous that it was about to burst through the sky.
The topic of human ethics is always a hot topic.
"Although no one will say it openly for the sake of the Cui family, discussions behind the scenes are inevitable." Zong Zhengxiao's face was also full of mocking smiles.
"It seems that Cui Laoer really hates his father and the entire Cui family." Rong Yin couldn't help but sigh.
As the saying goes, family disgrace should not be made public, but Young Master Cui was willing to go this far in order to get revenge, which shows how much anger he has been holding back over the years.
Zong Zhengxiao said: "Revenge means to make the other party feel pain. The Cui family cares about the reputation of their century-old family. Cui Lao Er has ruined the reputation of the Cui family, even though he is also a member of the Cui family."
Rong Yin was curious: "If he does this and is discovered by Patriarch Cui, I wonder what will happen to him?"
"Who knows? Cui Lao Er is not a good guy either. But we are the ones who benefit from their dog-eat-dog fight. I hope Cui Lao Er can hold on for a while longer and not be discovered by Old Man Cui too early."
Rong Yin swallowed the orange in his mouth and said, "It would be better if they could die together."
As New Year's Eve approaches, every household buys New Year's goods, hangs lanterns and posts Spring Festival couplets, creating a lively scene.
Several of Rong Yin's stores are about to close. They close on time every year, and customers who are familiar with the pattern rush to buy everything they want in the last few days before closing. The customer flow of the bakery and milk tea shop has increased sharply in the past few days.
Since biscuits have a longer shelf life than bread, they became the bulk of New Year's shopping. It would be a good opportunity not to make some money from them. Rong Yin immediately designed several gift boxes, carved auspicious designs out of fine wood, and put a box of biscuits in them. They immediately became the best choice for New Year's greetings and gifts.
The value of the gift box far exceeds the cookie itself. It looks high-end and classy, and the price is worthy of its status. It is specially designed for wealthy people.
Looking at the sales volume of the biscuit gift boxes and touching the white silver, Rong Yin couldn't stop smiling.
Although the hot pot restaurant has only been open for a few months, Rong Yin provides the same benefits to its employees as it does to the bakery and milk tea shop.
Rong Yin especially took special care of the little monkeys and other special employees. In addition to the year-end bonus, she also gave them a big New Year red envelope, hoping that they would have a good year.
"Then let us wish Boss Rong a happy New Year's Eve in advance! May you live in harmony and happiness in the coming year! Make a lot of money every day!" A group of little monkeys stood in front of Rong Yin and clasped their fists to him to express their blessings.
Rong Yin smiled and said, "I wish you all a happy new year, too! May you have this day every year!"
After settling the employees' wages, Rong Yin left after giving his instructions, leaving the matter of closing the store to the manager.
The paper-making workshop closed earlier than them. Two days ago, Rong Yin met the Zhao family of three who went to the city to buy New Year's goods.
Tian Xiaocui looked more cheerful than the last time he saw her. Although she had to work every day in the workshop, she was not listless at all. She was in much better spirits than usual and even seemed to have straightened her back.
After the female workers entered the workshop to work, the problems that everyone had worried about before did not occur. The male and female workers were fed, lodged and worked separately, so they rarely met each other under normal circumstances. There were also special people patrolling, so not only the female workers, but also the male workers had never encountered any danger.
The year-end bonus from the workshop was more than what the Rongyin store gave out. Add to that Tian Xiaocui's usual savings, and the family's life had visibly improved.
Tian Xiaocui also told Rong Yin that now everyone in the village envied her for being able to work in the workshop, and they always kept asking her when the workshop would start recruiting people.
Those guys who spread the rumor that her entering the workshop would damage her reputation have long since shut up. Some even came with gifts to apologize, begging Tian Xiaocui to forgive them for spreading the rumor and to tell them if there was any news about job openings.
The Zhao family became famous in the village, even more prosperous than those wealthy families. No one dared to mock them for sending Juan'er to school anymore, and they all praised them for their foresight.
Knowing that thanks to Zong Zhengxiao and his own efforts, more and more people are living a good life, Rong Yin is content and feels that his life is getting more and more promising.
After returning to the palace, Zong Zhengxiao also showed him this year's account book. Whether it was ice, rice paper or sanitary paper, the performance was very good, and the net income was about 20,000 taels of silver more than last year.
Not only did Zong Zhengxiao and Rong Yin's small treasury have new members, but the group of heroes who got a share of the profits from these businesses also had bulging pockets. Their faces, which were already rosy because of the New Year, became even more radiant and they were as happy as gods.
It was lively outside, and the Cui family's inner house was no less lively. However, except for Cui Laoer, no one in the Cui family could laugh.
He had just come out of his concubine's room when the servant came to tell him that his aunt had gone to Young Master Cui's courtyard.
Cui Laoer was dressed neatly and had a calm expression. There was no crying or wailing in the room.
Seeing this, the servant breathed a sigh of relief silently. It seemed that the Second Young Master did not use those means to torture his concubine today.
Although he was not the one being tortured, the servant had followed the Second Master Cui since he was young, and he knew that the Second Master Cui would always get very angry when he used abnormal methods on his concubines.
Rather than saying that torturing people in bed was his hobby, it was more like a way for him to vent his anger. He made his concubines who were in pain scream and cry in order to divert his own powerlessness and helplessness.
He regarded these people as his enemies, and poured out all his hatred, which he had nowhere to vent, on them.
At this time, the Second Master Cui basically attacked everyone indiscriminately, including his servant, so the servant actually did not want the Second Master Cui to be angry, just like his concubine.
But perhaps because he had recently avenged himself, the resentment in Cui Ershao's heart was released. He had not gone mad at his own people for a long time, which made the servant very happy.
Hearing the servant's words, Mr. Cui sneered and strode out.
"It's the New Year, it's the best time to watch a good show."
The second young master Cui calculated the time deliberately. When he arrived, the first young master Cui's courtyard was already crowded with people. Someone said that they wanted to invite the master and the mistress to come over. There were also sounds of pulling and struggling from inside, and the scene was extremely noisy.
However, Young Master Cui knew that his father had gone out to meet guests today, and his mother's health had deteriorated after giving birth to several children. She was now only meditating and chanting Buddhist scriptures in her own yard, and it was estimated that she would not come over.
That leaves only my grandmother who lives in Qingshui Pavilion. However, she is old, and even if she wants to help take charge of the situation, it will take some time to get her to come over.
Roughly speaking, this amount of time is enough for my aunt to make trouble.
After the incident in the garden, the head of the Cui family did not allow the aunt and the young master Cui to meet again. He also comforted the aunt and said that he would give her an explanation. However, no matter how the aunt begged and cried, the head of the Cui family kept delaying and refused to give her an explanation.
Seeing that her belly was getting bigger, the aunt couldn't sit still any longer. She had to ask the father of the child for an explanation.
So with the help of her servant, the Second Young Master Cui, she picked today, a good day, and regardless of the order of the head of the Cui family prohibiting the two from meeting, she went straight to the yard of the First Young Master Cui.
She used the same old trick again, crying all the way, attracting many people to watch.
Young Master Cui saw his third brother and several illegitimate sons and daughters in the crowd. It seemed that no matter how cold the weather was, it could not stop everyone from coming to see the excitement.
He pushed through the crowd and walked in. The first person he saw was the aunt who was tugging at Master Cui's sleeve. Her eyes were red and she was crying.
"Cui Lang, I had a dream last night. I dreamed that I was pregnant with a boy this time. If the baby is born successfully, he will be your first son. Are you really willing to abandon us?"
Although Young Master Cui got married early, he was destined to have no son. His first wife and two concubines each gave birth to a daughter for him, but he still has no son.
He had told his aunt before that he wanted a son, and now his aunt's words hit him right in the sore spot.
Speaking of which, Young Master Cui has a similar personality to Master Li, so when it comes to dealing with Young Master Cui, Auntie is very familiar with him.
After hearing what his aunt said, Master Cui, who originally felt embarrassed and wanted to hurry back to his room, hesitated.
Seeing his emotion, the aunt continued: "You don't want our son to be born as a wild child without status, do you? I don't ask for a high status, even if I am just a concubine, I am willing to stay by your side, serve you for the rest of my life, and raise our son at the same time."
Her repeated use of "our son" gradually won Master Cui's heart a little closer to her. Looking at his aunt who was crying pitifully, Master Cui's eyes softened a little.
However, whether or not he can keep his concubine by his side is not up to Young Master Cui. His father is still the one who makes the decisions in the Cui family.
Young Master Cui pursed his lips and said, "When Dad comes back, I'll go with you to see him and ask him to help us, okay?"
Young Master Cui had some resentment towards the head of the Cui family, but he was more afraid of him. The aunt was very clear about this, so when she heard what he said, she knew that he was very determined. It seemed that her plan was successful.
姨娘克制住上揚的唇角，裝作柔弱地靠進崔大少懷裏，“崔郎，我走了好久才走過來，天氣又這麽冷，我身體有點不舒服，可以先扶我進屋休息一會兒嗎？”
姨娘都打算好了，今天她是不準備走了，崔家主一天不答應，她就一天住在崔大少這裏，看誰膈應得過誰。
崔大少不清楚姨娘的想法，還以為她是真的不舒服，就想聽話，扶着她進屋。
可崔大少答應，他的正妻卻不同意了。
之前任憑姨娘和崔大少糾纏，她都只站在旁邊面無表情地看着，像是根本不在意自己的丈夫跟別的女人拉拉扯扯。
直到姨娘說要進屋，才像是觸碰到了她的逆鱗一般，讓她發了脾氣。
她領着兩個妾室攔在崔大少和姨娘面前，仰着下巴，語氣嚴肅冷然：“夫君，你想要納妾，我不會攔你，但你找誰都行，唯獨不能是她，之前你還在父親面前說過，是她勾引你，你才誤入歧途的，現在你把她帶進門，是想告訴父親，你那天是在撒謊嗎？”
聽見崔大少居然這麽說自己，姨娘眼裏閃過一抹恨意，不過很快就被她隐藏了起來。
她擡起頭，眼眸裏盈滿淚水，質問似地對崔大少妻子道：“夫人，我知我懷了崔郎的兒子，你看不慣我，可同不同意崔郎納我為妾，是家主和崔郎說了算，你說不許，是覺得你在崔府比這兩位還有話語權嗎？還有我只是身體不舒服，想進屋歇會兒，怎麽就扯到崔郎撒謊了？難不成維護崔郎是假，嫉妒我才是真？”
夫人看得出來姨娘是在挑撥離間，她也不跟她辯論，只是道：“你要休息可以去別的地方，但只要有我在，你就別想踏進這座房子。”
“崔郎……”姨娘見夫人不接茬，态度還如此強硬，明白自己跟她糾纏沒有意義，便把目标轉向了崔大少。
“夫人，你先讓開，有話我們進屋再說。”
其實此刻的崔大少已經有些不高興了，這麽多人看着，夫人卻那麽不給他面子，氣勢強硬地攔在他面前。
所以與其說是他在給姨娘出頭，不如說是為了挽回自己的面子。
只不過，他夫人還是那個态度：“我說了，她不能進我們家的門！”
崔大少語氣也變了：“那如果我非要她進呢？”
夫人毫不露怯：“那就踩着我的屍體過去吧。”
自從崔大少和姨娘的奸情被人發現，崔夫人的心就跌進了谷底，她不僅要面對丈夫亂搞的痛苦，還得忍受外人的嘲笑。
她什麽都沒做，卻要平白無故承受這些，現在丈夫還帶着別人的女人在她面前扮演恩愛情深，這讓她怎麽忍受得了。
“好啊，那我就如你所願！”崔大少怒氣上頭，不顧懷着孕的姨娘還在自己身邊，擡手就上去推自己夫人。
夫人也不是吃素的，她也在火頭上，崔大少對她不客氣，她也顧不上什麽禮數了，怒吼一聲後就跟他撕打在一起。
“賤人，敢攔老子的路，不怕老子休了你嗎？”
“你有本事就休，老娘也早就跟你過夠了！”
“夫人，少爺，你們別打了！”
旁邊的小厮和妾室趕忙勸架，原本圍觀的人群也跑了上去，本來想拉架，但人一多，場面難免就混亂起來。
姨娘被擠在人群裏，原本跟在她身後的仆人也被人推到了外圍，她努力護着肚子，正想擠出人群，忽然不知是誰撞了她一下，她一個沒站穩，直接摔到在了地上。
這時恰巧，崔大少夫妻倆又打着打着就朝她的方向移了過來，他們一動，拉架的人也跟着動，誰也沒注意到腳下的姨娘。
姨娘被人擠來擠去，還被踩了好幾腳，她大喊着都讓開，別踩到她了，這才有人發現她在地上。
“往後退往後退，踩到人了！”有人大聲喊着，同時往後擠。
但後面的人沒反應過來啊，一個朝前一個往後，理所當然撞在一起，又是一片混亂。
夫妻倆還在互相揪頭發，根本就沒聽見姨娘的驚呼和別人的提醒，他倆被裹挾在人群裏，腳下一個不注意，直接糾纏着雙雙往地上摔去。
而不幸的是，他們倒下去的地方就躺着姨娘。
更不幸的是，兩人是倒在了姨娘的肚子上。
兩個成年人，就那麽直挺挺砸了下去，一聲凄厲的哀嚎聲在庭院裏響起，瞬間蓋過了所有的混亂，吓得所有人都僵立在了原地。
本來在旁邊看戲的崔二少也蹙起了眉。
……
崔家主回到家時，大夫已經給姨娘開好了補身的藥方。
姨娘最後還是如願住進了崔大少的院子裏，但這是用她肚子裏的孩子換來的。
她本就是高齡孕婦，胎兒很不穩定，又還處在最脆弱的懷孕前期，結果摔倒就算了，還被重物，也就是兩個人壓到了肚子。
即便是神仙來了，也保不住她這一胎。
姨娘小産了，還大出血，人都差點和那個剛成型的胎兒一起沒了。
崔家主聽見這個消息時，只覺得像是被人在後腦勺敲了一悶棍，眼前一黑，差點直接暈厥過去。
他就半天不在家，那幾人居然就給他捅出了那麽大一個簍子，他們是嫌自己這個年過得還不夠慘嗎？
崔大少和其夫人被罰跪，崔家主差點請出家法，最後還是崔老太太求情，兩人才躲過一劫。
另外那些看熱鬧的，包括崔二少在內，都被崔家主訓斥了一番。
因為崔大少和崔二少有舊仇，之前崔大少和姨娘在花園厮混被賓客發現時崔二少也在場，那會兒崔家主就有些懷疑崔二少了。
不過他讓人去調查卻發現崔大少和姨娘是自己勾搭到一起的，跟崔二少無關。
巧合的是，這次出事崔二少又在現場，但調查結果依舊是崔二少無辜。
管事說崔二少就是跟其他人一樣去圍觀了，并沒有做什麽，所以崔家主即便心懷疑慮，但沒有證據，也只能暫時将其放下。
別人家過年阖家團圓，歡樂喜慶，只有崔府愁雲慘淡，壓抑的氣氛将紅豔的窗花都壓得黯淡了幾分。
當姨娘小産還卧病在床的消息傳到李家時，本來正因為馬上要被宗政逍趕出京而感到郁悶的李楚忽然笑了一聲，道：“真是我的好姨娘啊，知道我最近心情不好，特地幹了件大喜事，讓我也跟着高興高興。”
李夫人還在憂心自己兒子被皇上厭棄，知道姨娘出事後也沒多關注，只是對李楚道：“過幾天崔家應該會找你談話，記得多為自己争取些好處。”
“是，母親。”
皇宮裏，崔家的倒黴事跡早被暗衛傳到了宗政逍耳朵裏，宗政逍又當成八卦講給了戎音聽。
“這個發展我倒是真沒想到。”戎音撸着小艾同學的狗頭，有些不高興地道：“李楚這王八蛋運氣也太好了吧，如果姨娘沒小産，在姨娘和崔大少這件事上，崔家主最起碼能拖到他離開京城，到時候李楚在外面，鞭長莫及，崔家還不是想怎麽樣就怎麽樣，但現在姨娘流産，可能還會有生命危險，逼得崔家不得不緊急處理這個問題，不然要是姨娘死在崔家，李家就可以反将他一軍了。”
雖然現在權貴圈都知道了姨娘的真實身份，但他們大概也明白姨娘出現在崔家的原因。
所以即便覺得李家的小妾和崔家大少爺搞在一起，着實荒謬，但只要小妾活着一天，她就能威脅到李楚，主動權就還在崔家手裏，只要處理得當，崔家主直接拖到姨娘生産都行。
但現下情況不同了，一旦姨娘死了，那李楚弑弟害父的秘密就失去了一個有力的人證，萬一李楚再一狠心把李家主滅了口，那就是真的死無對證了。
相反的是，李楚可以狀告崔家藏匿自己父親的小妾，還縱容崔大少欺辱姨娘，致使她懷孕，如今人更是死在了崔家。
畢竟姨娘可是從李家莊子上消失時，這就說明是崔家人把她帶走的，而且她至今還沒脫離李家主小妾的身份。
不僅如此，如果李楚将消息傳了出去，讓全京城全大晟的百姓都知道崔大少的“壯舉”，那百年世家的清譽，就真的要毀于一旦了。
是以現在崔李兩家的博弈，是李家，準确來說是李楚掌握了主動權。
宗政逍給小艾同學梳毛，回道：“這或許就叫禍害遺千年吧。”
戎音撇撇嘴，“那我叫他王八蛋還真沒叫錯，王八确實能活很長時間。”
宗政逍輕笑，戎音說話總是那麽幽默。
晚上，兩人一起泡澡，戎音伸手從宗政逍頭發上摘下了一根狗毛。
“還好我眼睛尖，不然你和小艾同學的毛發都是一樣的顏色，分都分不清。”戎音把那根狗毛展示給宗政逍看。
宗政逍看着他傲嬌的小表情，忽然覺得有點心癢癢，他将戎音牽進懷裏，湊近他耳朵柔聲道：“我覺得我身上還有狗毛，阿音幫我找找好不好？”
Rong Yin hadn't realized that this was Zong Zheng Xiao's trick yet, so he asked honestly, "Where?"
"It seems to be the top of the head, take a look." Zong Zhengxiao held Rong Yin's waist, hugged him and lifted him up so that he could see the top of his head.
Rong Yin held Zong Zhengxiao's shoulders, stared at his head for a few seconds, and finally reacted.
"You don't have eyes on your head, how do you know there is a dog above your head... Ugh!"
There was a sudden sharp pain in my chest, and a slight tingling sensation. It was obvious what Zong Zheng Xiao had done.
"Zong Zheng Xiao!" Rong Yin gritted her teeth, "You're teasing me again."
Zong Zheng Xiaoan caressed the two frightened spots and kissed Rong Yin's neck. "It was just a joke, Ayin, don't be angry."
Rong Yin said in a cold tone: "If you put me down, I won't be angry anymore."
Zong Zhengxiao was shameless: "Then I allow you to be angry for a while."
"Get out!" Rong Yin pushed Zong Zhengxiao away, swam to the side, turned around and transformed into a mermaid, looking at him fiercely.
Zong Zhengxiao thought Rong Yin was unhappy and had turned back into a mermaid to protect him. He was about to explain to Rong Yin that this was not necessary, but Rong Yin waved at him and said, "Come here."
Zong Zhengxiao was puzzled, but he swam over anyway. As soon as he got in front of Rong Yin, Rong Yin grabbed his shoulders and pushed him hard into the water.