Zheng Xiao Mistake: The Mistake of Rebirth Provoked the Cold Master

Zhu Qing's last words made Zhu Zheng feel uneasy.

How could she not worry about her sister's affairs?

But what should I worry about now?

It is difficult to meet once you enter the palace, the only way is to find Rong Yan.

Old Madam Zhu was counting the betrothal gifts brought by Gong Yihao and had no time to pay attention to Zhu Zheng. She slipped out of the house smoothly. An Fengxue happened to come over, which made things convenient for Zhu Zheng. She asked her to pass a message to Rong Yan and make an appointment to meet at Tingxiaoyuan.

An Fengxue came back soon and said that the Grand Tutor had entered the palace this morning and would be back later.

Zhu Zheng could only wait. The longer she waited, the more anxious she became, so she simply picked up some unimportant things to keep herself busy.

So I went to Clearwater Bay first.

She once thought that she would be safe until her sister gave birth, so she generously paid a nine-month deposit at Huang's Leather Shop. Now there is no need to renew it.

Shopkeeper Huang returned the money promptly, but the amount did not match what Zhu Zheng paid.

Looking at the three times more banknotes, Zhu Zheng asked in doubt, "Why are there so many?"

"Miss Zhuge, your husband has been here before, and these are all extra gifts from him." Shopkeeper Huang said as he brought out a long narrow yellow wooden box. "He also brought so much fine silk and cool jade, and asked me to make them lighter and easier to use for you. Summer was approaching when he came, and he was afraid that you would get hurt by covering yourself up."

Zhu Zheng frowned, "My...husband?"

Shopkeeper Huang: "This is my guess. He is a tall and handsome young man who looks very suitable for you. Isn't he your husband?"

Zhu Zheng was stunned and didn't say anything.

Huang thought she had acquiesced, and asked with curiosity on his face, "Let me ask you one more thing. Since your husband knows about this, what are you doing? Who are you showing this belly to?"

Zhu Zheng was stunned. She didn’t know who she was showing it to.

When Rong Yan returned to Tingxiaoyuan and found Zhu Zheng, it was already evening and the study was a little dark.

She sat on the floor in the corner of the desk.

With his head buried and his knees hugged, the little figure curled up into a ball.

He had seen this posture many times, and each time, it meant that she was worried.

There were still some residual sunlight on the glazed windows, and a gentle breeze passed through the hall, so it was still relatively warm.

Rong Yan squatted down and touched her fingertips, which were a little cold. Before he could hold them in his palm, Zhu Zheng had already moved her hand away without leaving a trace.

"You're back." she whispered.

Rong Yan said, "The ground is cold, get up first."

"I want to sit for a while, is that okay?" Zhu Zheng didn't look at her, "Or do you want to listen to the adults' arrangements?"

Rong Yan was silent for a moment, hearing the hidden meaning in her words, and looked down to see a layer of moist mist on her eyelashes, as if she had been crying.

But he didn't ask and sat down next to her.

"Are you hungry? I brought you some..."

Zhu Zheng didn't let him finish and said directly, "Before I came here today, I went to Qingshui Bay first. Shopkeeper Huang told me that someone went to see her and paid her some extra money, and specifically asked her to keep it a secret from me."

After a pause, he looked up at Rong Yan, "Is that person an adult?"

On the way back, Rong Yan bought a box of chestnut crisps, which were freshly baked. The seller said they tasted best when hot, so he kept them in his sleeves until his palms were sweating.

When Zhu Zheng's skirt brushed against the back of his hand, it felt extremely cold. He didn't know how long he had been sitting on the ground.

Rong Yan was a little distracted, and it took him a while to come back to his senses. He realized what she asked and answered with a single word.

"Yes."

Zhu Zheng then asked, "So the adults already knew about this."

"Yes."

"When did you know?"

Rong Yan held the chestnut cake in his arms, hesitated for a moment, and said casually, "That time at Xiangsi River..."

Zhu Zheng suddenly smiled, which seemed a little out of place in the empty study room.

"In fact, when I first heard about this, I was thinking that maybe there was some misunderstanding."

Zhu Zheng's face looked unclear.

Because of what Manager Huang said, she was stunned for a long time, thinking about this and that, and for some reason, she went to Dongtan Medical Clinic.

The female doctor who treated her sister told her that someone had indeed asked her about them.

Counting the date, it was the day after Zhu Zheng tricked Rong Yan on a whim.

The person who came was not tall, with a long black braid.

It’s An Fengxue.

Zhu Zheng's smile froze a little, but she still held on stubbornly, "My Lord is still lying to me..."

"But I lied to the adults first, so they must mind it. That's why they watched me play around like a little bird or a little cat." She closed her eyes, "We are even on this matter now, okay?"

Rong Yan didn't say whether it was good or bad, and replied calmly, "I don't mind."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Zheng smiled even more distantly, "Your Excellency is truly a man of high character. Why don't you mind? Is it because you don't care? Or are you confident of victory? Or is it because you know my personality well and I won't cause any big trouble?"

The sun sets in the west, and the light in the study is dim. It's time to turn on the lights.

With this last bit of light, Zhu Zheng's outline was a little unclear. Rong Yan squeezed the paper box with a little force, his knuckles turned white, and he said stubbornly, "Let's talk somewhere else. It's autumn now, and we'll catch a cold."

Zhu Zheng shook her head and continued, "Originally, I came here to ask for help from you adults. Can you think of a way to ask my sister to stay with me?"

"While waiting for the adults, I figured out a lot of things."

"Is it you who informed His Royal Highness the Crown Prince about my sister's pregnancy?"

"He tried so hard to hide it, and was discovered at midnight last night, but he arrived at the Zhu Mansion before us. In just half a day, the adults handled everything. I really admire him."

Rong Yan moved his lips as if he wanted to say something, but Zhu Zheng did not give him a chance to speak.

He continued to talk to himself, "Then I thought that the adults would definitely not help me, but when I asked, they would definitely give me a thoughtful answer."

"The group from Fanlin Temple came to the palace with the imperial concubine's handwritten letter. Your Excellency has handled everything so well, but it's really strange. I used to think that Your Excellency would not lie to me."

After the calm accusation, the person on the other side was silent for a while. Rong Yan fixed his eyes on Zhu Zheng's face and said solemnly, "Tell me, what happened?"

"Didn't An Fengxue tell you, sir? Don't you know everything about my actions?" Zhu Zheng couldn't hold back her smile any longer. "Or even if you told me, you insisted on finishing the show with me?"

Rong Yan was stunned and his eyes dimmed.

Faced with his calmness, Zhu Zheng finally couldn't maintain her useless calm any longer and suddenly pulled out a wooden box from under the desk. Because she used too much force, the things inside rolled to the ground with a clang.

When she arrived at Tingxiao Garden, she was waiting for Rong Yan in this room. She was holding a box of Tiansi Liangyu and wanted to put it on the bookshelf, but she accidentally knocked over a rosewood box underneath.

The lid of the box swung open, and a bag of silver and money fell out. It looked familiar, like the "token" that she had abruptly given to Rong Yan at the Waterside Poetry Meeting.

She thought this "token" would cause trouble later, but she never saw him take it out again. Zhu Zheng flipped it over and saw a dried tangerine leaf, a strand of hair wrapped in red silk, a window paper-cut with missing arms and legs that she had cut, and three coins strung with red thread...

In addition, there are some other objects underneath, which have a distant sense of familiarity.

An enamel earring that I seemed to have worn during the Hundred Flowers Festival. When I came back I found that there was only one left on my ear.

A bamboo stick for marriage, which I asked for when I accompanied my grandmother to the Yue Lao Temple in the west of the city. I just asked for it and threw it away.

A small wooden carriage that she played with for a while when she was young. Later, her sister bought her a better one and she didn't know where she put it.

There was also an old sachet, a broken diabolo, and a pottery figurine with a painted face...

...and many more, old things that she would have forgotten long ago if they had not been placed here.

In the gloomy twilight, Zhu Zheng looked up at Rong Yan.

"Can you tell me where these come from?"