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

Chapter 120 Your sister taught you very well

Zhu Zheng searched the deep palace but couldn't find the figure. In her anxiety, she finally remembered a place.

She hurriedly crossed most of the palace and unexpectedly ran into a person at the corner of a narrow corridor, who was leaning on the railing and looking at the bamboo calmly.

Apparently waiting for her.

The gauze covering Gong Yihao's eyes fluttered in the wind, and he stood with his hands behind his back.

"Fourth sister."

She frowned and her eyes darkened when she was addressed by him.

Gong Yihao didn't care, "Looking for A Yan?"

Zhu Zheng did not deny it, "Where is he?"

Gong Yihao sat down on the edge of the corridor and asked, "What do you want to see him about?"

What is…

Many things, many reasons.

But she never needed a reason to look for him.

The hall was filled with distinguished guests today, and she couldn't help but look at Rong Yan. Amidst the dazzling array of lights in the hall, he was the only one drinking alone.

When I left, I was also alone.

He is always alone, with no one around him.

Zhu Zheng didn't know why she came out.

Before she had time to figure it out, she had already run out.

Zhu Zheng didn't answer. She felt a little impatient being blocked in the road. "Your Highness, do you want to talk to me about something?"

It can't be a chance encounter.

Even if they met by chance, there was no need for them to engage in small talk.

Gong Yihao finally got straight to the point and took out a red sandalwood painting tube from his back, "I'm here to return something to my fourth sister, as someone asked me to do."

He opened the painting tube, pulled out the scroll inside, and unfolded it in front of Zhu Zheng's eyes with a whoosh.

The person in the painting is her.

She was probably just coming of age, and her face still looked a little childish, which, combined with the red turtle painted on her face, made her look even more funny.

Zhu Zheng remembered this painting and specially invited a court painter to do it. The painting skills were first-rate, but he had a bad temper and was a bit of a flatterer.

This was used to select a concubine for Gong Yihao, who was still the Crown Prince. Even if Zhu Zheng remembered it, she only had a vague impression of it. However, the rosewood tube that contained the scroll looked quite familiar.

Zhu Zheng was not interested, "Why does Your Highness still keep these things?"

strange.

"It has nothing to do with me." Gong Yihao saw the suspicion in her eyes and said slowly, "I can't remember which year it was, but A Yan found the portrait of my fourth sister in the name of asking me to choose a concubine."

"This portrait has been in A Yan's hands since it was sent to the palace."

Zhu Zheng's expression became slightly solemn.

Gong Yihao continued, "Even if no one else told him how much he cared about you, seeing this portrait... no, even without this portrait, it would have been obvious."

Zhu Zheng glanced at the elegantly framed portrait, but the paint on it was a little faded, as if it had been copied many times.

Gong Yihao seemed very satisfied when he saw Zhu Zheng's stunned reaction.

Shi Shiran rolled up the scroll and placed it in her hand.

"Now, the property has been returned to its original owner."

Zhu Zhengxu shook his hand, and when he realized who he was "returning" the painting for, he first wondered why he was doing this favor.

"Has Your Highness known about today's imperial decree?"

If he really had to live a miserable life in Shanqi City for the rest of his life, he wouldn't have reacted like this to Rong Yan, and he wouldn't even be in the mood to deliver a message here.

"Fourth sister is indeed very smart." Gong Yihao was stunned and said vaguely, "But this is none of Fourth sister's business. For some things, the less you know, the better."

Some people always think that keeping things secret is a smart move.

Zhu Zheng sneered, avoiding the question was also an answer.

This is tantamount to him admitting that he knew about it.

Her intuition told her that Rong Yan was playing another big game. Strictly speaking, he was always planning and playing chess. It had become a common occurrence over the years.

Holding the scroll in her hand, Zhu Zheng pursed her lips and heard her own voice sound strangely weak.

"Then I will ask about my own affairs. The marriage was also arranged by the adults, right?"

At this moment, Gong Yihao seemed to understand a little bit why A Yan was so fond of this little girl.

She does have a lot to commend her.

"It's always hard to guess what Ayan is thinking," he replied with a smile.

"I can't guess much, but I did hear him say that the eaves of the Nie Mansion are big enough."

"Fourth sister won't be wronged if she marries into the family, and it can also help win over the Nie family. This is really a win-win situation."

Kill two birds with one stone...

Who wants to raise it and who gets it?

The gold hairpin and beads on her head seemed to weigh a thousand pounds, and Zhu Zheng suddenly felt a headache.

She has always known that it is not her turn to decide her own marriage, and she has no interest in love matters because they are out of her reach.

A woman born in a mansion, if she is lucky, will smoothly go to another mansion of a noble family and wait for death. If she is unlucky, she will be kicked around like a Cuju ball until she is finally kicked into a suitable courtyard.

She was unwilling to spend her life like this, and therefore she had been resisting fiercely in her previous life, trying to take control of her own destiny and future. As a result, she met with misfortune and ended up with the most tragic ending.

Now, after going around in circles, I'm back to my original plan.

In this plan, does Rong Yan really want to give her a broad roof and a strong backer?

Or did she remember that she was a chess piece and finally had a place to use her skills?

Since he had granted her the marriage with dignity, why did he have to bring out a portrait that she had no idea about and disturb her mind at this time?

Suddenly forgetting why she was so anxious to find him, Zhu Zheng showed a smile on her face, which froze at the corner of her lips, with some ambiguous meaning.

"Why doesn't he pay it back himself?" she asked.

Gong Yihao was silent for a while, as if he was thinking about the answer, but what he started to talk about was a story from the past.

"Years ago, there was a fire in the palace. Ah Yan was trying to put out the fire and save people. When he rushed into a palace, his leg was crushed by a fallen beam. He had a dagger with him and wanted to cut off his leg without hesitation... The dagger was blunt, and he cut very persistently. Fortunately, the guards arrived in time and rescued him."

"Otherwise...what you see now is a one-eyed prince with a one-legged tutor."

Hearing him say without hesitation that he had one eye, Zhu Zheng raised her eyebrows and looked at him.

Gong Yihao was generous. He pulled off the eye covering and looked at Zhu Zheng calmly, with one of his eyes showing a lifeless gray.

Zhu Zheng had no habit of spying on other people's defects, so she turned her eyes away.

If I had known he was half blind, I would have been shocked by the implication of his words.

Master Chong Hong once told her that Rong Yan was stubborn and arrogant. Once he made up his mind to do something, he would never turn back.

Gong Yihao now told her that it was time to cut off. Even if Zhu Zheng was just a piece of his flesh, he would cut her off when the time came.

Zhu Zheng suddenly understood.

He also painted a portrait at this time, meaning that this was his end.

And if he doesn't come in person, it probably means he doesn't want to meet her again.

No wonder the person who was so easy to find before is so hard to find today...

So this is what it feels like to be avoided by others.

It really doesn't feel good.

Zhu Zheng rolled up the scroll and said calmly, "Your Highness, please destroy it for me."

It has always been a custom in Dayong that people destroy their own portraits, which is considered unlucky.

This portrait is of her, but it never belonged to her, so it cannot be said to be "returned to the original owner."

"Please also tell your Highness..." She forced a dry laugh, "Your Excellency is truly the most straightforward and trustworthy person I have ever met."

Gong Yihao thought he had taken on a hot potato, but he did not expect Zhu Zheng to be neither humble nor arrogant, and neither complain nor argue.

"Fourth sister is not much inferior." He complimented.

Zhu Zheng's smile faded. "Isn't it too early for Your Highness to change his mind? It seems that he is determined to win over my sister."

Gong Yihao reminded, "Your sister already has my child."

"If Your Highness was so confident, you wouldn't have tried every possible means to prevent me from meeting my sister during this period." Zhu Zheng's expression gradually turned cold.

"How did this child come about? Your Highness, do you really have a clear conscience?"

Gong Yihao's face froze.

Zhu Zheng continued, "Our family is unfortunate. If the one we raised had no backbone, he would have turned into a pile of mud long ago."

"I don't know what happened between your highness and my sister."

"But the doctor said that she lost her memory due to excessive worry. You'd better pray that she will never remember. If you have used any means to humiliate her..."

"There will never be a happy ending for you and her."

Gong Yihao let her hide her ulterior motives without getting angry. Instead, he suddenly smiled as if he was relaxed.

"Your sister taught you very well."

His sister taught her with all her heart, but he shouldn't be the one to say this.

Because she will definitely find a way to reunite with Zhu Qing, no matter what the cost.

Zhu Zheng's cold and beautiful face was gloomy, and she suddenly felt a sense of boredom, as if she was playing the lute to a cow.

"That's all I have to say. Goodbye."

*

In front of Chengyi Palace, withered and yellow bamboo leaves fell to the ground and then flew up in the wind.

Gong Yihao turned around the eaves and said to the man standing there in a trance, "Are you still looking? He has gone far away."

Under the sunlight and bamboo shadows, Rong Yan frowned and came back to his senses, looking towards Gong Yihao with a slightly dissatisfied look in his eyes.

"I told you, just return the portrait."

This is because they think he is talkative.

"Wasn't that wrong? Doesn't drawing a portrait require being ruthless? Isn't the more ruthless you are, the more effective it is?" Gong Yihao raised his eyebrows.

"Or are you two just putting on a show for my good 'brother'? He's not that easy to fool."

Rong Yan looked into the distance, in the direction Zhu Zheng left, and said in a deep voice, "He knew it a long time ago."

Gong Yihao didn't respond. After a while of silence, he regained his charming smile and jokingly asked, "Why bother?"

"In my opinion, Fourth Sister's personality is more compatible with you. Are you afraid that you will become my brother-in-law and be suppressed by me from now on?"

Rong Yan ignored him, took the portrait from his hand, and walked into Chengyi Hall.

It seems that the teasing hit a big wound. Gong Yihao said helplessly, "She hasn't finished talking yet, and she asked me to tell you..."

Rong Yan: “I heard it.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the palace door was closed tightly.

Gong Yihao felt frustrated. After he had done his best to break up the couple, he prepared to go back to see Zhu Qing.

On the way, she made a special trip to the Imperial Hospital and personally got two prescriptions of pregnancy-preserving medicine to take back with her.

Since he was deposed as the crown prince and the East Palace changed hands, he moved to the secluded Jinghe Palace.

The palace servants didn't pay much attention to this place. The entrance to Jinghe Palace was overgrown with grass. At this moment, someone was waiting at the entrance.

"Brother, it's been a long time."

Gong Yixiu had a smile on his face with sparkling white teeth.

Gong Yihao didn't even look at him, but walked forward coldly.

Gong Yixiu's smile widened, and he said loudly behind his back, "I heard that the emperor wants to appoint a concubine, and the emperor's wife happens to be an old acquaintance. Are you not welcome to come and reminisce about the past?"

"Call her the Emperor's sister-in-law..." Gong Yihao suddenly stopped and paused meaningfully.

"Are you worthy? Shame on you."