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 notifying 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.
這種其貌不揚的人會從事什麽工作，戎音再清楚不過。
因為宗政逍安排在他身邊那幾個暗衛，長相就跟這個男人一樣，大衆不紮眼，最适合幹不能光明正大幹的活。
躲在人群裏保護戎音的侍衛上前，低聲問道：“需要屬下去把人抓來嗎？”
戎音搖頭，“沒必要。”
戎音的第六感告訴他，整個事件早已經被規劃好了，他的介入毫無意義。
那邊還打得不分勝負呢，戎音斜前方的人群忽然讓開了一條路，一隊官兵小跑進來，其中領頭的那個厲聲道：“光天化日，天子腳下，竟敢随意鬥毆，來人，把他們都給本官抓起來帶走！”
“是！”官兵們齊聲應下，然後上去三下五除二就把糾纏在一起的人分開，包括管事和哥嫂兩人在內，全都要押走。
哥嫂大呼：“我倆沒有打架，為什麽要抓我們？”
領頭官兵問：“你們是一夥的吧？他們打架的時候你倆站在旁邊了吧？”
哥嫂愣愣點頭。
領頭的官兵：“那就沒抓錯，有話到了牢裏再說。”
哥嫂傻眼了。
那兩人大呼冤枉的聲音逐漸遠去，沒了熱鬧可看，吃瓜群衆也逐漸散了。
戎音扭頭看向李府大門。
事情鬧得這麽大，李府的人都被帶走了，裏面居然沒有再出來一個人，安靜得像是這場鬧劇跟李家完全無關一樣。
這個時間，李楚估計還在禮部，他沒出現很正常，但李家又不是只有他一個主子，怎麽就這麽放任不管了？
這縮頭縮腦的做法，不像是世家的風格啊。
戎音心裏有些擔心，李家，準确來說是李楚，不會又想搞什麽陰謀詭計吧？
一整天都想着這件事，心不在焉的戎音雖然在各個店裏轉了好幾次，但其實什麽忙都沒幫上。
好在員工們對這些流程都很熟悉了，即便戎音不在，他們也能正常開業，所以影響并不算大。
回宮以後，盡管心知宗政逍肯定早就知道今天發生的事了，但戎音還是以自己圍觀者的角度跟宗政逍講了自己看見的內容，以及自己的想法。
“陛下你說，不會是李楚又要搞什麽幺蛾子了吧？可他找人當面揭穿他弑弟害父的秘密，對他也沒什麽好處啊，他這麽做是為了什麽？”
宗政逍端起果茶遞給戎音，語氣溫柔：“不急，口渴了吧，先喝點水潤潤嗓子。”
戎音抿了抿有些幹的嘴唇，确實是渴了。
他接過茶杯如老牛飲水般咕咚咕咚喝了幾口，打了個水嗝，放下茶杯，拱進宗政逍懷裏，抱着他的脖子撒嬌：“我好奇死了，你快幫我分析分析嘛。”
宗政逍圈住他的腰，故意逗他似的，沒有第一時間回答，反而是盯着他變得水潤的唇，問道：“果茶好喝嗎？”
“還行。”戎音道：“你想喝啊？我喂你。”
說着他就要扭身去端果茶，但被宗政逍控制住了身體。
宗政逍道：“你不是喝過了嗎？我從你這裏嘗嘗味道就行。”
戎音懂他的意思了，有些無語：“你想親我就直說，整這些亂七八糟的理由幹什麽？”
“這叫情趣，難道阿音你不喜歡嗎？”宗政逍撫上他的臉。
“我說不喜歡，你信嗎？”
“不信。”
話落，宗政逍封住了戎音的唇。
年假期間，兩人幾乎時時刻刻黏在一起，随時随地想親就親想抱就抱，現在開了工，他和戎音都有事要忙，忽然沒了對方在身邊，宗政逍有點不适應，也很想念。
戎音有着跟宗政逍同樣的感受，所以他才會由着宗政逍亂來。
兩人的吻技在積年累月的互相練習中，已然是爐火純青，戎音也不再是最初趕不上宗政逍的差生了，撩撥和滿足宗政逍的技巧，他早就爛熟于心。
羞人的動靜在房間裏響起，沒有宮人在，戎音的膽子比天還大，故意發出一些不正經的聲音，勾得宗政逍恨不得把他腰給掐斷。
隐約間，戎音後頸的清香味愈發濃郁，宗政逍糾纏着戎音的柔軟，被這道香味迷惑得險些失控，某處火勢逐漸擴大。
還好戎音及時反應過來，撐着宗政逍的肩膀推開了他。
唇瓣被迫分離，發出“啵”一聲水響，戎音瞪着一雙濕漉漉的眼眸，舔掉唇邊的津液，聲音是迷人的沙啞：“果茶的滋味嘗夠了吧？現在該回答我的問題了。”
宗政逍暗沉的眼眸盯着戎音，像是一頭正欲捕獵的狼。
“要不待會兒再說，我們先忙別的事？”
戎音搖頭：“我才不要，你忙起來沒完沒了，宗政逍同學，你不要再逃避回答了，快點告訴我你到底是怎麽想的。”
不能一口将人吃了，宗政逍就抓着人家的手把玩，算是解解饞。
他回答得雲淡風輕：“這的确是李楚的計謀，不過不是針對我們的。”
“嗯？”戎音驚訝地瞪大眼睛，“陛下你怎麽知道？”
宗政逍笑了起來：“因為我也參與了。”
“哦，怪不得你這麽淡定。”戎音氣鼓鼓地哼了一聲，“你沒提前告訴我，是不是就等着我來問你，然後你再趁機占我便宜？”
宗政逍點頭：“阿音真聰明。”
“別以為說句好話我就不跟你計較了，你和李楚這種玩計謀的，心都髒！”戎音惡狠狠地戳了戳宗政逍的心口。
宗政逍小聲問道：“生氣了？”
戎音扭頭，“哼。”
宗政逍巴巴地湊過去：“我錯了，阿音罰我吧，罰我什麽我都認，除了跟你分開。”
戎音聞言，不知想到了什麽，忽然轉怒為喜，笑眯眯道：“不分開，我怎麽舍得跟陛下分開呢，不用擔心，這只是個甜蜜的懲罰。”
宗政逍：“……”
一種不妙的感覺。
當夜，宗政逍被戎音安排坐在旁邊，親眼看着戎音把藥玉玩出了十幾種花樣，他也是第一次發現，戎音之前看的那些畫冊，沒有一本是白看的。
戎音不許他過去，也不許他自給自足，宗政逍忍得眼睛都紅了，額角青筋暴露，在戎音再一次自我登頂時，他硬生生把椅子把手給掰斷了。
這還不是最折磨人的，最後戎音累得沒力氣了，還讓宗政逍抱他去清洗，被褥也是宗政逍換的，整個過程只許碰，不許吃，無論宗政逍說多少句我錯了都無濟于事。
半夜，渾身舒坦的戎音美滋滋地睡着了，獨留宗政逍烈火燒遍全身，直到天亮了才睡着一會兒，然後頂着個熊貓眼去上朝。
早朝上，言官将昨日李家門口發生的事情都禀告給了宗政逍，說那名妾室的家人只是想要個說法，李家拿不出證據不說，還當着衆多百姓的面，縱容家仆欺辱妾室的哥嫂。
李楚是朝廷官員，代表着朝廷的顏面，他仗勢欺人、縱仆行兇，造成了很不好的影響，也損毀了陛下和百官公正偉岸的形象。
所以還請陛下嚴查李府小妾病死一事是否屬實，給妾室親人一個交代，也還百姓一個安心。
言官說完以後就退了下去，宗政逍喚出當事人李楚，神情陰冷地問他：“李愛卿，你是怎麽看待這件事的？”
李楚道：“回陛下，臣問心無愧，那妾室的哥嫂沒有證據就胡亂攀咬，臣的家仆一心維護臣，這才不小心與他們起了沖突，這是忠仆護主，并非別人口中的仗勢欺人，作為朝廷官員，如果連自己的清白都無力維護，又怎麽能做到真正替百姓申冤。”
“呵，好一個問心無愧。”宗政逍語氣裏滿是嘲諷，“你的意思是，你和你的家仆半點錯沒有，是朕和其他大人冤枉你了？”
李楚趕忙解釋：“臣并非此意，臣的家仆處事不當，當街與人打鬥，這點确實是他們的錯，也怪臣管教不嚴，但那妾室确實是因病而亡，不是她哥嫂所說的另有隐情，陛下，臣冤枉，還請陛下明查！”
說完，李楚跪地，板板正正磕了一個響頭。
宗政逍一雙陰鸷的眼眸死死盯着他，冷聲道：“朕記得那妾室哥嫂懷疑的，不止是妾室的死因吧？”
此話一出，李楚身體下意識一顫，下面站着的文武百官也屏住了呼吸，特別是世家一行人。
知曉真相的崔陳兩位家主眉頭皺得都能夾死蒼蠅了，他們都知曉李楚的秘密，之前還用來威脅過他。
但現在的情況不是世家間內鬥，而是宗政逍似乎想趁機出手對付李家。
先不說李傲和李家主，姨娘的死亡可是跟崔家脫不了關系的，當初事情鬧得那麽大，宗政逍不可能不知道，只是苦于沒有機會發作罷了。
而這次姨娘的哥嫂找來，正好給了他一個完美的時機。
李楚要是出了問題，他崔家也逃不了。
這件事本身和陳家無關，但陳家主還是很緊張，因為李家要是再沒了，可就要輪到陳家來做擋箭牌，直面宗政逍的刁難和算計了。
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?"