Chapter 96 Sweet Punishment
Rong Yin, Little Monkey and the others all looked at him: "What's the commotion?"
The waiter panted and said, "A concubine of the Li family died. Her family members thought her death was suspicious and are crying at the gate of the Li residence, demanding an explanation from the Li family."
Rong Yin understood. The concubine must be Li Ao's mother, but why did her family come suddenly?
"I'll go take a look, you guys continue with your work." Rong Yin gave the order and hurried towards Li's house.
I don't know if it's an illusion, but Rong Yin always feels that many people are heading to the same place as him.
Could it be that they were all going to Li's residence? It was just a small incident, so why did they make such a big fuss?
When they arrived at the gate of Li's mansion, Rong Yin looked at the crowd that was surrounding the mansion and said "damn it" subconsciously in his heart.
"Is this where they give out eggs? There are too many people here." He couldn't help but sigh.
Someone nearby recognized him and said with a smile, "Boss Rong, you came to see the fun too."
Rong Yin nodded, looking very puzzled: "I heard that someone was making trouble at the door of the Li family, so I came to take a look. Have they been making trouble for a long time? It seems that people from all directions have come here."
The man said, "I don't know either. I just heard someone say there was a good show here, so I came here because I had nothing else to do."
Rong Yin frowned, feeling that this matter was not simple.
Risking having his shoes squeezed off, Rong Yin pushed forward like a little wild boar. After trying his best and being scolded, he finally squeezed into a front row seat.
He straightened his messy hair and clothes and looked over there.
The gate of Li's residence was wide open. A middle-aged man who looked like a steward, with several strong servants following him, was looking coldly at a couple who were kneeling on the ground and crying loudly. His eyes were filled with uncontrollable irritation.
They would rather suppress their anger and not drag the two men away. It was not because they were kind, but because there were several tall men standing behind the two men, one of whom had a scar on his face and looked very tough.
"Dad! Mom! If you two are still alive, please open your eyes and see how the Li family has bullied us!"
The howling man was dark and fat, and judging by his clothes, he looked like a businessman.
The woman next to him was just as fat, but her skin was fairer. Judging from the hairstyle on her head, she should come from a well-off family.
As the man howled, the woman also began to cry in response, "My poor elder sister, she gave birth to a big fat boy for your Li family, and served Master Li with all her heart and soul for decades, but in the end she ended up like this, not only did she die in an unclear manner, but she didn't even have a proper funeral. You, the Li family, are really heartless!"
There are only two people who gave birth to sons for the head of the Li family, Madam Li and Li Ao's mother. It seems that Rong Yin's guess just now was correct. These are relatives of the aunt.
But what kind of relatives are these two to my aunt?
There were many people who were as puzzled as Rong Yin, and someone asked about it. Someone who arrived early kindly answered, "These two are the brother and sister-in-law of the concubine. They said they came from another place to send something to the concubine, but when they arrived, they found that the concubine had passed away some time ago. Not only did the Li Mansion not send anyone to notify the concubine's family, but I heard that they didn't even hold a funeral. They just buried the person in a thin coffin."
Someone said: "A concubine is not as good as a wife, so it's normal that she didn't hold a funeral. But not even informing her family is a bit too much."
"What are you notifying me about?" Youdao said in a voice filled with righteous indignation, "Do you know who this concubine is? She is the mother of Li Ao who was sentenced to exile a few years ago. She is the one who raised such a beast. What is there to pity about her?"
Li Ao's affair was known to everyone in the city at the time, and it really ruined the Li family's reputation. Later, it was only thanks to Li Chu and his mother that some of their reputation was restored.
"Li Ao is abominable, but it wasn't his mother who did those things, and now he's dead, so there's no point in talking about it anymore."
"Hmph, I just think that all members of the Li family should..." He didn't say that word in the end. It seemed that this man hated the Li family to the core. I wonder if he was one of the victims of Li Ao's evil deeds.
Rong Yin stopped listening to their conversation and turned his attention back to the front.
My aunt's brother and sister-in-law were still crying, but the manager had lost his patience and said in a cold voice, "Why didn't I inform you? Didn't you know it? My aunt severed ties with you a long time ago. You accepted the money from the master and said you would not bother my aunt again. You have been following the rules for the past few decades. Why did you come here this year when my aunt is gone? Are you crying for pity or are you trying to take the opportunity to ask for money? Only you know!"
After hearing what he said, the crowd began to talk about it.
"We haven't seen each other for decades, but now he's here again. If not for money, what else could it be for?"
"That's right, and they have already taken money from me once before. They are trying to cheat me again this time. They are really greedy."
Some people disagree.
"Who doesn't know how overbearing these noble families are? Maybe they forced the girl to be their concubine, gave her some money to send her away, and forced her not to come again? Didn't Li Ao always do this kind of thing in the past?"
"Yes, yes. Besides, my sister died in an unclear way. What's wrong with my brother and sister-in-law wanting to know the truth? Do the noble families really not care about the lives of ordinary people?"
This person's last sentence really hit the nail on the head for most people present.
Although it is normal for the lower-ranking people to be bullied by the higher-ups, normal does not mean normal, nor does it mean that most of the bullied people have no temper and like to endure. They just don't have the power to resist.
Could it be that the lives of these people from noble families are lives, while their lives are worthless?
Although no one spoke, everyone looked at the Li family's manager with some resentment in their eyes.
Although the steward felt that these common people would not cause any major trouble, it would not be good to anger the public, as the emperor was still eyeing their family covetously.
He cursed in his heart, but his face remained calm: "What do you mean by death is unclear? We have told you many times that she died of a serious illness. The servants who served her in the mansion can testify to this. But you are here saying that her death was strange. Do you have any evidence?"
Of course, the brother and sister-in-law had no evidence, but they were first-rate at throwing things around.
My aunt's sister-in-law pointed at the steward and scolded him, "My sister is younger than me, and she is very healthy. She rarely gets sick. Besides, it's not like you, the Li family, can't afford doctors or medicine. What kind of illness can't you cure?"
The eldest brother did not give the steward a chance to explain and continued to question: "You said that the servants of the Li Mansion could testify, but who knows whether they gave false testimony because they were threatened by you? What is the difference between your evidence and no evidence? And how could it be such a coincidence that my sister was fine for the past few decades, but when my nephew got into trouble, first Master Li became paralyzed, and then my eldest sister died of illness. Who would believe that there is no connection between the two?"
The eldest sister-in-law stood up and said to the onlookers, "Look, everyone. This is the true face of Young Master Li and Madam Li. They said to the outside world that they treated my sister as half their mother, but after my eldest nephew died and Old Master Li was paralyzed in bed, the Li family became Young Master Li's world. If he really treated my eldest sister as his mother, how come Young Master Li's biological mother was fine, but my eldest sister died of illness for no apparent reason?"
Listening to what the brother and sister-in-law said, Rong Yin's doubts grew deeper and deeper.
First, there were an abnormally large number of people coming to watch, and then these two people, although they had no contact with the Li family for decades, were very familiar with the Li family's situation and even what Li Chu had said.
If there is no cat poop in this, no one would believe it.
Rong Yin was not the only one who thought of this. When the steward of the Li Mansion saw that the topic of the two people gradually turned to Li Chu, he roughly guessed who had called them and the purpose of doing so.
He waved his hand and several servants came forward with intimidating gestures.
The steward said, "Please show me the evidence when you speak. If you dare to slander me again, I will send you to the government."
The brother and sister-in-law looked at each other, and there was a flash of panic in their eyes, but I don't know what they thought of, and they quickly calmed down.
While hiding behind the big man they brought with them, they shouted, "You are anxious because we have guessed the truth, right? It seems that what we said is right, Li Chu is a hypocritical guy, Mr. Li and my eldest sister were harmed by him, maybe my nephew's exile is also his hand."
"That's right, everyone in the capital knows that Master Li loves my eldest sister and her son the most. This Li Chu killed the three of them out of jealousy!"
What these two people said was basically true, but this made the manager feel uneasy. If the people took it seriously, Li Chu would be finished.
The steward did not wait any longer. With a command, several servants rushed forward and wrestled with those strong men, trying to capture the brother and sister-in-law.
The brother and sister-in-law were so frightened that they backed away, shouting at the same time: "He's beating people! He's killing people! Li Chu killed my brother and aunt, and he wants to kill us ordinary people who are seeking justice for our relatives! Is there any justice in this world?"
There was a huge fight at the gate of Li's residence. There was also booing from the crowd. Everyone was enjoying the excitement.
Rong Yin's eyes scanned the crowd, sliding across faces that were excited about gossip, and finally stopped on a certain inconspicuous man.
To say that he was inconspicuous was not to belittle him, but he looked and dressed in a common way, the kind that would be hard to pick out in a crowd. If it weren't for his calm expression that created a sharp contrast with the people around him, Rong Yin would not have noticed him so quickly.
He didn't seem to be here to watch the show. He was so calm as if he already knew what would happen here. The reason he appeared here was just to see if the plot would develop successfully as they had arranged.
Rong Yin knew exactly what kind of job this unattractive-looking person would do.
Because the secret guards that Zong Zhengxiao arranged to be around him looked just like this man, they were not noticeable to the general public and were best suited for doing jobs that could not be done openly.
The guard who was hiding in the crowd to protect Rong Yin stepped forward and asked in a low voice: "Do you need someone to capture the person?"
Rong Yin shook his head, "That's not necessary."
Rong Yin's sixth sense told him that the whole incident had already been planned and his intervention was meaningless.
The fight was still going on, but the crowd in front of Rong Yin suddenly made way for them. A group of soldiers came running in, and the leader shouted, "In broad daylight, under the emperor's feet, how dare you fight so casually? Come on, arrest them all and take them away!"
"Yes!" The officers and soldiers responded in unison, and then quickly separated the people who were entangled together, including the steward and the brother and sister-in-law, and took them all away.
The brother and sister-in-law shouted: "We didn't fight, why are you arresting us?"
The leading soldier asked, "You two were in the same group, right? You two were standing by when they were fighting, right?"
My brother and sister-in-law nodded blankly.
The leading soldier said: "Then we didn't make a mistake. We can talk about it in jail."
My brother and sister-in-law were dumbfounded.
The voices of the two men crying out for injustice gradually faded away. Without the excitement to watch, the crowd of onlookers also gradually dispersed.
Rong Yin turned his head and looked towards the gate of Li’s mansion.
The incident was so serious that all the people in the Li Mansion were taken away, and no one came out again. It was so quiet that it seemed as if this farce had nothing to do with the Li family.
At this time, Li Chu was probably still in the Ministry of Rites, so it was normal that he didn't show up, but he was not the only master in the Li family, so why did they just leave it alone?
This timid approach doesn't seem like the style of a noble family.
Rong Yin was a little worried. Would the Li family, or more precisely Li Chu, be up to some conspiracy again?
Rong Yin thought about this matter the whole day, and although he went around the stores several times, he couldn't really help.
Fortunately, the employees are familiar with these processes, and they can operate normally even without Rong Yin, so the impact is not that big.
After returning to the palace, even though she knew that Zong Zheng Xiao must have known what happened today, Rong Yin still told him what she saw and her thoughts from the perspective of a bystander.
"Your Majesty, is Li Chu up to something again? But it won't do him any good to have someone expose the secret of his murder of his brother and father in person. Why is he doing this?"
Zong Zhengxiao picked up the fruit tea and handed it to Rong Yin, saying softly, "Don't worry, you must be thirsty, drink some water to moisten your throat first."
Rong Yin pursed her dry lips. She was indeed thirsty.
He took the teacup and gulped down a few mouthfuls like an old cow drinking water, burped, put the teacup down, leaned into Zong Zheng Xiao's arms, hugged his neck and said coquettishly: "I'm so curious, please help me analyze it."
Zong Zhengxiao put his arm around his waist, teasing him on purpose. He didn't answer immediately, but instead stared at his moist lips and asked, "Is the fruit tea delicious?"
"Not bad." Rong Yin said, "You want to drink? I'll feed you."
As he said this, he was about to turn around to serve the fruit tea, but Zong Zheng Xiao controlled his body.
Zong Zheng Xiao said, "Haven't you drunk it before? I can just taste it from yours."
Rong Yin understood what he meant and was a little speechless: "If you want to kiss me, I'll just say it. Why do you have to come up with all these messed up excuses?"
"This is called interest. Ayin, don't you like it?" Zong Zhengxiao stroked his face.
"I said I don't like it, do you believe me?"
“No.”
After he finished speaking, Zong Zheng Xiao sealed Rong Yin's lips.
During the New Year holidays, the two of them were almost always together, kissing and hugging each other whenever and wherever they wanted. Now that work has started, he and Rong Yin both have things to do, and suddenly without each other by their side, Zong Zhengxiao feels a little uncomfortable and misses each other a lot.
Rong Yin had the same feeling as Zong Zheng Xiao, so he let Zong Zheng Xiao do whatever he wanted.
After years of mutual practice, the kissing skills of the two have become perfect. Rong Yin is no longer the poor student who could not catch up with Zong Zheng Xiao in the beginning. He has already mastered the techniques of teasing and satisfying Zong Zheng Xiao.
Shameful noises were heard in the room. There was no one in the palace, but Rong Yin was bolder than the sky. He made some improper noises on purpose, which made Zong Zheng Xiao want to break his waist.
Faintly, the fragrance from the back of Rong Yin's neck became stronger. Zong Zheng Xiao lingered on Rong Yin's softness, and was almost confused by this fragrance and almost lost control. A fire somewhere gradually grew stronger.
Fortunately, Rong Yin reacted in time, holding Zong Zhengxiao's shoulders and pushing him away.
The lips were forced to separate, making a "pop" sound. Rong Yin stared at him with a pair of wet eyes, licked the saliva on his lips, and said in a charming hoarse voice: "Have you had enough of the fruit tea? Now it's time to answer my question."
Zong Zheng Xiao stared at Rong Yin with dark eyes, like a wolf about to hunt.
"How about we talk about it later while we get busy with other things?"
Rong Yin shook her head: "I don't want to. You are busy all the time. Zong Zhengxiao, stop avoiding answering questions and tell me what you really think."
Since he couldn't eat the person in one bite, Zong Zheng Xiao would grab the person's hand and play with it to satisfy his hunger.
He answered calmly: "This is indeed Li Chu's plan, but it is not aimed at us."
"Huh?" Rong Yin's eyes widened in surprise, "Your Majesty, how did you know?"
Zong Zhengxiao laughed: "Because I also participated."
"Oh, no wonder you're so calm." Rong Yin snorted angrily, "You didn't tell me in advance, were you waiting for me to ask you, and then you took advantage of me?"
Zong Zhengxiao nodded: "Ayin is really smart."
"Don't think I'll let you go just because you say something nice. You and Li Chu are such scheming people, you have dirty hearts!" Rong Yinye poked Zong Zhengxiao's heart fiercely.
Zong Zhengxiao asked in a low voice: "Are you angry?"
Rong Yin turned her head and said, "Huh."
Zong Zheng walked over and said, "I was wrong. A Yin, please punish me. I will accept any punishment you give me, except the separation from you."
Rong Yin heard this, and suddenly she turned from anger to joy, smiling and said, "If we don't separate, how can I bear to separate from Your Majesty? Don't worry, this is just a sweet punishment."
Zong Zhengxiao: "..."
A bad feeling.
That night, Zong Zhengxiao was arranged by Rong Yin to sit next to him, and he watched with his own eyes as Rong Yin used the medicinal jade in more than a dozen different ways. It was also the first time he realized that none of the picture books Rong Yin had read before were in vain.
Rong Yin wouldn't let him go, nor would he be self-sufficient. Zong Zheng Xiao was so impatient that his eyes turned red and veins popped out on his forehead. When Rong Yin once again reached the pinnacle of himself, he forcibly broke the handle of the chair.
This was not the most torturous thing. In the end, Rong Yin was too tired to have any strength left, but he still asked Zong Zhengxiao to carry him to take the shower. The bedding was also changed by Zong Zhengxiao. During the whole process, he was only allowed to touch it but not to eat it. No matter how many times Zong Zhengxiao said "I was wrong", it was of no use.
In the middle of the night, Rong Yin, feeling relaxed, fell into a sweet sleep, leaving Zong Zheng Xiao alone with the burning sensation all over his body. He did not fall asleep until dawn, and then went to court with panda eyes.
At the morning court session, the censor reported to Zong Zhengxiao everything that had happened at the doorstep of the Li family yesterday, saying that the concubine's family just wanted an explanation. Not only did the Li family fail to produce any evidence, they also allowed their servants to bully the concubine's brother and sister-in-law in front of many people.
Li Chu was a court official, representing the face of the court. He abused his power to bully others and allowed his servants to commit crimes, which caused a very bad impact and damaged the image of His Majesty and all officials as fair and great.
Therefore, I ask Your Majesty to carefully investigate whether the death of Li Mansion’s concubine due to illness is true, give an explanation to the concubine’s relatives, and give the people peace of mind.
After the censor finished speaking, he retreated. Zong Zhengxiao called out the person involved, Li Chu, and asked him coldly, "My dear Li, what do you think of this matter?"
Li Chu said, "Your Majesty, I have a clear conscience. My concubine's brother and sister-in-law made false accusations without any evidence. My servant was only trying to protect me, and that's why we accidentally got into conflict with them. This was a loyal servant protecting his master, not bullying as some people say. As a court official, if I can't even protect my own innocence, how can I truly redress the grievances of the people?"
"Oh, you have a clear conscience." Zong Zhengxiao's tone was full of sarcasm. "You mean, you and your servants did nothing wrong, and I and the other masters wronged you?"
Li Chu hurriedly explained: "That is not what I meant. My servants behaved improperly and fought with people in the street. It was indeed their fault. It was also my fault for not disciplining them strictly. But the concubine did die of illness. It was not because of some hidden reason as her brother and sister-in-law said. Your Majesty, I am innocent. Please investigate!"
After saying that, Li Chu knelt on the ground and kowtowed loudly.
Zong Zhengxiao stared at him with sinister eyes and said in a cold voice, "I remember that my concubine's brother and sister-in-law suspected more than just the cause of my death, right?"
As soon as these words came out, Li Chu's body shuddered subconsciously, and the civil and military officials standing below also held their breath, especially the people from the aristocratic families.
After learning the truth, the two family heads Cui and Chen had their brows furrowed so much that they could pinch a fly to death. They all knew Li Chu's secret and had used it to threaten him before.
But the current situation is not an internal fight among the noble families, but Zong Zhengxiao seems to want to take the opportunity to take action against the Li family.
Let’s not talk about Li Ao and the head of the Li family. The death of my aunt is closely related to the Cui family. The incident was such a big deal at the time, it is impossible for Zong Zhengxiao not to know about it, but he just didn’t have the opportunity to show it.
This time, the visit of my aunt's brother and sister-in-law gave him a perfect opportunity.
If anything happens to Li Chu, the Cui family will not be able to escape.
This matter itself has nothing to do with the Chen family, but the head of the Chen family is still very nervous, because if the Li family is gone, it will be the Chen family's turn to act as a shield and face Zong Zhengxiao's difficulties and calculations.
Li Chu did not respond to Zong Zhengxiao's question, but said: "Since they think I have a problem, they should produce evidence to convict me, instead of shouting that they have a grievance and doing nothing else. Such random framing challenges the authority of Da Sheng's laws. I dare not agree with it."
Facing Li Chu's stubborn words, Zong Zhengxiao did not get angry but laughed: "My dear, what you mean is that you think you are innocent and are not afraid of being investigated."
"Yes." Li Chu said, "A person with a clear conscience is not afraid of his own shadow. I beg Your Majesty to send someone to investigate and clear my name."
"Okay, then I'll do as you wish." Zong Zhengxiao raised the corner of his mouth with a meaningful smile.
Looking at Zong Zhengxiao's expression, the two heads of the Cui and Chen families turned pale and shook their heads helplessly.
Maybe this is God's will. What is coming cannot be avoided.
The people who went to investigate the Li family this time must be Zong Zhengxiao's men. Unless Li Chu can really do it flawlessly, if Zong Zhengxiao finds him doing anything wrong, Li Chu will never be able to live a peaceful life again.
In the Silver Shark Garden, Rong Yin looked at Zong Zhengxiao, who was staring at him with resentment, and asked, "What do you and Li Chu mean by this? In order not to leave the capital, Li Chu would rather destroy himself?"
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