good season

Chapter 162 That Pig Needs a Shake-Up (Two Chapters Combined)

Something stirred in Zhao Shiqing's heart; a seed, planted at some unknown time, was sprouting in the meadow of her heart.

Zhao Shiqing felt a slight burning sensation at the tips of her ears and subconsciously touched them.

It was late summer, and the lakeside window was open. A gentle breeze, carrying the coolness of the lake water, gently ruffled the girl's soft hair. In the distance, dragonflies perched on the half-withered lotus stems, like little girls waiting to watch the excitement.

Zhao Shiqing stared intently at the dragonfly, as if trying to see a flower bloom on it.

She knew Xiao Zhen was watching her, but she just wouldn't turn around, no, she wouldn't turn around!

She styled her hair herself today. If she had known this would happen, she would have let Lingbo do it for her. Lingbo is very good at styling hair.

Oh dear, why isn't Xiao Zhen saying anything?

Fortunately, she finally heard Xiao Zhen's voice: "Is there a problem with that dragonfly?"

Zhao Shiqing.
"This is a serious problem. It means there are a lot of mosquitoes here. Young Master Zhen, you should try to repel them."

As Zhao Shiqing spoke, she turned around, her face bearing her usual relaxed smile.

Xiao Zhen's gaze fell on Zhao Shiqing's fair and jade-like ears. He couldn't be mistaken; he had just seen the girl's ears turn red, but the redness faded quickly as well.
Zhao Shiqing has already started talking about her encounter with Zhao Xingzhou.

"You said he is the retired emperor?" This news was like a thunderbolt, instantly suppressing the surging excitement in Xiao Zhen's heart.

Zhao Shiqing nodded and explained all her doubts, concluding, "Besides the Emperor Emeritus, I can't think of anyone else who could it be."

Xiao Zhen remained silent. In both his past and present lives, the Emperor Emeritus was alive, but in his heart, he was already a dead man.

In his previous life, neither the Crown Prince nor the Princess and her husband could move the Emperor Emeritus in the slightest with their deaths. The Emperor Emeritus only cared about whether they could become immortals and live forever.

As a father, he showed no affection for his children; as an emperor, he failed to fulfill his responsibilities as the ruler of the land.

Xiao Zhen never dreamed that the Emperor Emeritus would secretly go to the common people. Tong'an was fine, after all, it was only a few dozen miles away from Changshou Palace. But what about Wu? He had seen him in Wu last time, and every time he was alone, poor and destitute.

Xiao Zhen believed that the Emperor Emeritus would definitely have secret guards protecting him, but even so, it was still a risky move.

Even in storybooks, when the emperor travels incognito, he is accompanied by palace maids, eunuchs, guards, strategists, and even a favored concubine.

The retired emperor didn't even bring his servants. What does this mean? As Zhao Shiqing said, it means that he ran away secretly. The more he ran away secretly, the less he could bring his usual servants, because those people still had to stay in Changshou Palace to serve "him" as usual.

Xiao Zhen's face turned slightly cold, and his voice was devoid of any warmth: "He has handed over the entire world. He could have stayed in the Longevity Palace until he grew old, died, and ascended to heaven. He didn't have to go out. After all, he didn't even care about his own throne anymore, so what else could he care about? But he went out again and again, even to a place as far away as Wu. Did he go there to observe the people's conditions? How ridiculous!"

Xiao Zhen's words showed no respect for his maternal grandfather, but Zhao Shiqing sensed his doubt.

"You mean there are still things in this world that he cares about, and that's why he went out?"

Before she could finish speaking, Zhao Shiqing thought of her maternal grandfather, Zhen Wuduo.

Zhen Wuduo had lived by the sea his whole life, indulging in a life of luxury and debauchery. He eagerly followed Xiao Zhen to Wu, not for sightseeing, but to find his daughter!
"Could it be that the Emperor Emeritus already knew about Consort Li's conspiracy, and that he went to find his daughter?" Zhao Shiqing asked tentatively.

Xiao Zhen's eyes were full of mockery: "My mother was his most beloved daughter, but in my dream, she died unjustly, and he didn't care at all. If he treats his beloved daughter like this, how much affection do you think he has for that daughter he has never met and whose fate is unknown? There is no kinship in the royal family, and this has never been an empty saying."

Zhao Shiqing touched her nose. Xiao Zhen's words made a lot of sense, but then again, if Zhao Xingzhou wasn't there to understand the people's situation or to look for his daughter, then what was he doing out there?
Just to get some fresh air?

After leaving Ruyi Pavilion, Zhao Shiqing kept thinking about this matter. When she arrived at her doorstep, before she even went inside, she heard the barking of dogs coming from inside.

No need to ask, Xiaoye and Ah Huang started fighting again.

Since we got a dog, Xiao Ye's status has become precarious. We're all dogs, and in terms of looks, there's a big difference between the yellow, black, calico, and white dogs. One is the oldest, and the other is the second oldest.
In terms of ability, they are about the same, but Ah Huang has experience, while Xiao Ye is not as good as him;
In terms of likability with dogs, Ah Huang is not only eloquent but also obedient. As for Xiao Ye, well, she's at the age where she's being mischievous.

Even so, Xiao Ye still refused to give up, and so they started fighting yesterday. Ah Huang didn't want to argue with a child, and being a newcomer, he kept giving in. But Xiao Ye wouldn't let it go. If Ah Huang wouldn't fight back, he would create opportunities to force Ah Huang to fight. So, from yesterday until now, the barking of the dogs in the house has never stopped.

Zhao Shiqing was not surprised. She called over Mudfish: "Go and ask around in the capital. Are there any people who know how to castrate dogs?"

The mudfish's hair stood on end. What did that mean? Had those two dogs finally angered the second young lady so much that she was going to castrate them?
No wonder he came from the Prince's mansion; there are plenty of eunuchs in the Prince's mansion.

When Zhao Shiqing returned to her room, she saw Xiao Guai preening her feathers by the window.

"Oh, Little Darling is back."

Xiao Guai disappeared as soon as he returned to the capital. Zhao Shiqing knew without asking where he had gone.

It must be the Marquis of Baoqing's residence.

This guy had long considered the Baoqing Marquis's residence as his second home.

She reached out her hand, and Xiao Guai placed her head on it, something she learned from Xiao Yao—a sticky gesture.

Zhao Shiqing touched his forehead and scratched his back, asking, "You're back so early, did you hear something?"

While enjoying Zhao Shiqing's services, Xiao Guai recounted the news he had heard at the Baoqing Marquis's residence.

The two sisters became pregnant. At first, Lord Zhu did not want to bring them into the mansion because of Aunt Lan's miscarriage. He only wanted them to have their pregnancies outside.

But Madam Wei was worried. Nowhere outside could compare to the manor. Besides, her eldest grandson couldn't be born outside.

So the two sisters were carried into the mansion and officially became Lord Zhu's concubines.

But just a few days later, Ruan Ruan miscarried.

Zhao Shiqing had already heard about this from Sister Ping, but what Xiao Guai was telling her now was something she hadn't heard before.

Xiao Guai told Zhao Shiqing that last night, he flew into a courtyard and saw a woman dig a doll out from under a tree and then set it on fire.

What Zhao Shiqing found even more bizarre was that the woman was very happy after burning the doll, and started singing in a low voice.

Zhao Shiqing immediately recognized who it was.

Sun Lingzhi, who started her career as an actress.

The next morning, Zhao Shiqing asked Lingbo to go to Sister Aping to find out why the concubine in the Baoqing Marquis's mansion had miscarried.

Sister Ping went out to inquire and brought the news back in the evening.

Ruan Ruan woke up in the middle of the night and saw the corpse of an infant hanging on her window. She was so frightened that she screamed and fell off the bed, and bled on the spot.

The maid on night duty lit the lamp, only to find that there was nothing in the window.

The maids searched thoroughly but found no infant corpse. However, the baby in Ruanruan's belly could not be saved.

Besides being a waitress at a tea shop, Sister Ping also worked in the Ministry of Justice. Information that was hard to find on the street was not difficult for her.

With Aunt Lan in the past and Ruan Ruan in the future, Lord Zhu was convinced that the feng shui of the mansion was not good for his son. Therefore, when Old Madam Wei went to the estate to recuperate, she took Ruan Ruan with her.

From then on, Lord Zhu had even more reason not to come back, and he even ignored Ruan Ruan, who was still recovering from childbirth.

When Zhao Shiqing thought about what Xiao Guai had seen, she understood. It wasn't a dead infant at all; it was clearly a doll.

Sun Lingzhi used a doll to pretend to be a dead baby to scare Ruan Ruan, causing Ruan Ruan to miscarry.

Now it seems that Aunt Lan's miscarriage was definitely related to Sun Lingzhi.

Sun Lingzhi is also pregnant, and her pregnancy should be showing by now. It seems that the excitement surrounding Marquis Baoqing is yet to come.

Meanwhile, Sister Ping also brought back another piece of news: Yan Xia had returned to the capital, and the case of the weapon had been reported, causing a major uproar.

Yan Xia discovered that the Ding family's house next door had not been sold. It had indeed been entrusted to a brokerage firm back then, but not long after, the Ding family sent people to take the house back.

And this Ding family is no ordinary family either.

The wife of the scholar Ding was also surnamed Dong. Although she shared the same surname as the scholar Dong, the two Dong families were worlds apart.

The Dong family, the home of Dong Xiucai, were locals from Tong'an. Although they had some wealth, they were still a small family.

Ding's wife, however, came from the Dong family, which boasted "four members of the Hanlin Academy."

The Dong family not only produced four Hanlin scholars, but also a Crown Princess.

The Crown Princess, Lady Dong, was from the same clan as the wife of Scholar Ding. Although they were from different branches of the family, according to seniority, the Crown Princess had to call her aunt.

Although Ding Juren's job was just a minor county magistrate position, it was arranged by Xue Jin, who was a minister of the Eastern Palace and a man of the Crown Prince.

Therefore, even Yan Xia could not investigate the case on his own. After returning, he went to the palace and truthfully reported what he had found to Emperor Yongjia.

Not to mention Yan Xia, even Zhao Shiqing, an onlooker, was dumbfounded.

She never imagined that the small Tong'an and the small Dong family would be involved with the current crown prince.

Didn't they say the Ding family moved away seven or eight years ago?

Didn't the Dong family expand their wall a few years ago?

Conspiracy! This is all a conspiracy!

Zhao Shiqing said to Zhen Wuduo, "Grandpa, I've discovered that being the Crown Prince is really not good; it's fraught with danger."

Zhen Wuduo waved his large palm-leaf fan and nodded in agreement: "Yes, especially those who were named crown princes from a young age, very few of them were able to ascend the throne smoothly."

Zhao Shiqing sighed, "No wonder Xiao Zhen said there is no kinship in the royal family."

Zhen Wuduo rolled his eyes: "Empress Dowager Qi's refusal to allow Qi family women to enter the palace may seem like she is heartless towards her own family, but in reality, she is helping those Qi family women. Not becoming royal wives is perhaps a blessing in disguise."

Zhao Shiqing glanced at him, and she felt that the old man was using a double entendre.

"Grandpa, don't worry, my surname is Zhao, and there's no way I could ever marry into the royal family."

The old man continued to fan himself with his large palm-leaf fan: "Anyone connected to the royal family is out of the question. There's too much trouble. My eldest granddaughter is beautiful, has powerful connections, and is rich. What kind of man can't she find? Why should she wade into this mess? Eldest granddaughter, don't you agree?"

Zhao Shiqing: I have a bad feeling again. The old man is definitely targeting someone.

"Grandpa, I'm still a baby. I don't understand what you're saying."

The old man clearly wasn't buying it: "Don't pinch your voice like that, or you'll get used to it and won't be able to break the habit."

Zhao Shiqing secretly made a face, turned around and left. She wanted to go to bed early. The capital was getting more and more lively. Tomorrow she was going to see her second brother and ask him to stay home as much as possible.

The princes' rivalry has now escalated to a new level. Her second brother is too naive, and she worries that he might be used as a pawn.

But Zhen Wuduo didn't want to go to sleep. He wanted to find an opportunity to call the pig over and give it a good beating.

At this time, Emperor Yongjia in the palace was also unable to fall asleep.

Who did the thing in Tong'an?

That box of weapons was clearly intended to frame the crown prince.

Who could have done it?
It definitely can't be the third brother. Such a low-level tactic is full of flaws; it can't be the third brother.

Fifth brother?

The fifth brother always listens to the third brother. Without the third brother's instructions, the fifth brother will not act rashly or make decisions on his own, so he is not the fifth brother.

As for the second son, that's even more impossible; he's a bookworm who practically lives in a library.

And the fourth brother
Upon thinking of the fourth son, Emperor Yongjia immediately rejected the idea.

The fourth prince is disabled, so the throne will not be passed to him. On the contrary, whoever becomes emperor will treat him well because he is the least threatening. Using him to demonstrate brotherly love and respect and the emperor's boundless grace is the most appropriate thing to do.

As for the others, they are too young, so it's even less likely.

If it wasn't one of these princes, then who else could it be?

Could it be that their subordinates are being overconfident?
Emperor Yongjia decided to hand the case over to Yan Xia. Although Yan Xia seemed reckless, he was actually quite sensible in his actions.

The following day, Emperor Yongjia summoned Yan Xia and ordered him to continue investigating the case.

Yan Xia accepted the order and was about to leave when Emperor Yongjia suddenly called him back.

"You're not engaged yet?"

Yan Xia was taken aback, not expecting Emperor Yongjia to suddenly ask about this.

"Yes, I am not yet engaged."

Emperor Yongjia smiled and said, "You're twenty now, aren't you? It's time for men to marry and women to marry. Do you have a girl you like? I can arrange a marriage for you."

Yan Xia hurriedly replied, "I have no one I fancy. My mind is currently focused on the case, and I do not want to be distracted for the time being."

Emperor Yongjia recalled the young lady who had been murdered by Zhu Yu. It was said that the woman was Yan Xia's betrothed, which explained why Yan Xia was willing to risk his life to bring Zhu Yu to justice.

Suddenly, Emperor Yongjia realized that the Empress's suggestion was also feasible.

Yan Xia was a man of great loyalty and righteousness. Although he and that young lady were not married, if it weren't for the marriage proposal, she wouldn't have come to the capital. And if she hadn't come to the capital, she wouldn't have been kidnapped by Zhu Yu. It's fair to say that the young lady died because of Yan Xia.

Given Yan Xia's temperament, even if he marries another lady, he will forever be burdened with guilt towards that cousin.

He might even treat Miss Biao as a deceased wife and offer sacrifices to her.

The living can never win against the dead.

So, Yanxia's wife. Haha.