Chapter 3: Xingzhi Temple (3)
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In front of the East Guest Hall of the Xingzhi Temple, a banana tree, two jujube trees, and several plum trees were planted. In October, the plum blossoms were in full bloom, filling the garden with fragrance.
The fallen leaves rustled, and among them knelt more than a dozen people. In front was an old imperial physician, followed by two young imperial physicians, and behind them were palace guards dressed in black.
The old imperial physician could barely hold on, and one of the young imperial physicians couldn’t help but speak up, addressing the black-clad guard in a tone like cold iron, “General Chen, when will Lord Marquis wake up? We were sent by His Majesty to treat his injuries, but Lord Marquis only allows us to kneel outside without letting us in. What’s the reason for this?”
Chen Yuanwu and his younger brother, Chen Yuanqing, were both generals under Marquis Xiao Fu. They were both rare masters, ranking among the top five in the entire Jinling City where masters abound.
Under the banana tree in the courtyard, there was also a child with a Turkic appearance, squatting on a chair, staring at a black-and-white chessboard, and nibbling on a pear, as if contemplating how to break the game.
The palace guards didn’t recognize the child, only the Chen brothers. But Chen Yuanwu was stern and blunt, with a rough face and eyebrows, and he rudely replied, “If you don’t want to kneel, then go back to the palace!”
“But, we haven’t even seen Lord Marquis yet! How can we report back to His Majesty?”
“Just say that Lord Marquis is seriously injured and needs rest, and ask His Majesty not to send anyone to disturb him.”
The old imperial physician couldn’t kneel any longer. Seeing him on the verge of fainting, Yuanwu said, “Physician Zhang, please sit down.”
Physician Zhang slowly slumped to the ground, gasping for air. “General, today, if I can’t see Lord Marquis, I won’t get up.”
“Hmph, then stay kneeling if you want.”
Physician Zhang, seeing his firm stance, sighed and slapped his thigh, crying out like a mourner, “Marquis, Young Marquis, Lord Xiao!”
Xiao Fu’s father was the first-rank Duke Chang of the Ye Dynasty, and his mother was the concubine of Duke Chang and also the county princess of Prince Yunnan. From birth, Xiao Fu was destined to inherit the title.
Before being appointed as a first-rank army marquis, Xiao Fu was envied by many as the Young Marquis.
After entering the court as an official and assisting his sister, who was more than ten years older than him, Xiao Fu was favored to become the army marquis when the young emperor successfully usurped the throne from the crown prince born to the then empress.
However, the good times didn’t last long. Seven years ago, the young emperor became wary of him, and in a move both public and secret, Xiao Fu was sent to the frontier.
In the borderlands, with grasslands and livestock as his only companions, Xiao Fu, naturally aloof, had no desire for power like others. Yet, he went to the frontier as instructed.
During times of peace, Xiao Fu would ride alone across the grasslands, sometimes lying on the ground, surrounded by sheep. These animals were intuitive; he could touch them without any fear. When Xiao Fu said “baa,” the sheep would “baa” in return, as if they could communicate.
And so, seven years passed in this manner.
Just a month ago, a secret edict arrived in the frontier, summoning him back to Jinling quietly, without alerting anyone.
It was a clear indication that he wasn’t needed to lead troops.
Along with the secret edict, there was also a confidential letter from his elder sister, Empress Xiao. The letter was short, devoid of any extra meaning, just urgently asking him to return.
Xiao Fu understood that something must have happened in the palace, a storm was brewing, and that’s why they were so desperate for his return to Jinling.
Whatever the turmoil, it had nothing to do with him.
The affairs of the Yuwen family were not his concern.
Coincidentally, he was ambushed before entering Jinling, so Xiao Fu decided to rest at the Xingzhi Temple.
The imperial physicians had been there for three days, but they hadn’t even seen the Lord Marquis.
After bathing in the hot spring on the back mountain, Xiao Fu returned to the East Guest Hall of the Xingzhi Temple, carrying two oranges and covering his eyes and ears. It was the best guest hall, with a large courtyard planted with white plum blossoms, hence its name, the Cold Plum Hall. Next to the bedroom were three rooms; he didn’t mind staying there. It was much better than being in the frontier.
When Xiao Fu returned, he seemed to be in a good mood. He tossed out two oranges. “Jinzun.”
The child of the barbarian race, named Jinzun, caught the oranges and held the chessboard, urging Xiao Fu to play.
“Lord Marquis, let’s play chess!”
“Jinzun, come here.” Xiao Fu lifted the snow-white hem of his robe and sat down. “Bring the chessboard over.”
The Turkic child was picked up by Xiao Fu on the battlefield, and his original name was too long. This child had eyes like a sheep, clean and transparent. Xiao Fu taught him to speak the Han language, but even after many years, he still couldn’t learn it properly, always stuttering out a few words at a time.
So Xiao Fu casually gave him a Han name.
Jinzun was probably no more than ten years old in terms of temperament, which could be seen from his eyes.
Therefore, Xiao Fu always judged people by their eyes. No matter what kind of monsters or demons, he could see through them at a glance.
Jinzun loved playing chess, although he was terrible at it. Xiao Fu rarely played with him, but Jinzun enjoyed playing with himself, making moves on both sides.
Xiao Fu held a white piece in his hand and caught sight of Chen Yuanwu pacing outside.
“Yuanwu,” Xiao Fu called him in.
“Lord Marquis, Yuanwu is here.”
Without lifting his head, Xiao Fu held a warm white piece in his hand and spoke softly, but clearly, “Are they still kneeling? Can’t they leave?”
“They’re still kneeling. They say they can’t go back to the palace without seeing you. Lord Marquis, Imperial Physician Zhang is already old, and he’s quite stubborn…”
“Then let him continue kneeling.”
Chen Yuanwu suggested, “Should I knock him out?”
Xiao Fu lifted his eyelids to look at him.
Chen Yuanwu: “…I was just joking.”
Xiao Fu chuckled and continued placing his pieces, “Alright then, knock him out. Let the Brocade Uniform Guard take him back and don’t let him come again.”
After Lin Zikui and Mo Liu returned, Lin Zikui had his eyes covered with medicine, while Mo Liu went around to the east guest hall to take a look. He stood at a distance and saw a large group of people kneeling in front of the “Second Young Miss Xiao,” all men, old and young, strong and weak.
“Weird,” Mo Liu muttered, “Are they punishing the servants?”
Then, Mo Liu saw a burly man knock the old man unconscious.
“Master!”
“Imperial Physician Zhang!”
Mo Liu couldn’t hear clearly, he just saw a group of people shouting, the burly man’s voice was even lower, as if he was persuading them kindly. After a while, two young men who looked weak helped the old man up on either side, but they didn’t bow towards the house. Then the group of men with the aura of soldiers escorted the three away.
Once they got on the carriage, Imperial Physician Zhang opened his eyes.
“M-Master?”
“You didn’t really faint?”
Imperial Physician Zhang nodded, “I was pretending. If General Chen had hit me harder, what would we have done?”
“But Your Majesty…” the young physician hesitated.
“In that case, how do we return to the palace and report to His Majesty and the Empress Dowager?”
Imperial Physician Zhang wiped his sweat, “Lord Marquis should be fine. If something were wrong, General Chen would have let me in to treat him. Marquis Xiao is lucky. Let’s go back to the palace. For a while, Lord Marquis won’t be willing to return to the palace.” Imperial Physician Zhang closed his eyes, looking somewhat worried.
Mo Liu peeked around for a while, feeling that something was off. He turned back to report, “Young Master, I saw it all. There are many people kneeling outside the east guest hall, and they’re even hitting an old man!”
Though he couldn’t describe it clearly, Lin Zikui caught onto a suspicious point.
“You said all the people coming and going were men?”
“Yes! They’re all men.”
“If Second Young Miss lived there, she would have maidservants attending to her. The one living there probably isn’t Second Young Miss.”
“Don’t worry, Young Master. I’ll go check!”
“Ah? Wait, Mo Liu…”
Mo Liu began changing his clothes, “The Taoist robes sent by Taoist Ling Yuan are here. I’ll put them on and take a look. I’ll know once I’m there. Don’t worry, Young Master. I’m young, you always say I’m twelve, but I’m as small as an eight-year-old. They won’t do anything to me.”
Lin Zikui didn’t know what to say, “…… Well, hurry back then.”
“Don’t worry, Young Master.”
Mo Liu closed the door behind him and left.
Lin Zikui sat under the tree in front of the door with his eyes covered. It wasn’t time yet, and the medicine hadn’t fully taken effect. He couldn’t remove the blindfold just yet.
The wind made him shiver, so Lin Zikui buried his head and tightened the cloak around his shoulders, tucking his ears into the rabbit fur collar.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Mo Liu, acting furtively, was grabbed by a big hand as soon as he approached the east guest hall.
“Kid, where did you come from?”
Mo Liu cried out and looked up at the fierce-looking man with thick eyebrows and eyes like bronze bells, anxiously saying, “I-I’m a Taoist from the Xingzhi Temple. I came to see if you need anything. Please let me go!”
“You? A Taoist? Look at your shifty eyes!”
With a slap, Chen Yuanwu threw him to the ground, and Mo Liu fainted, truly this time. He was really out cold.
Meanwhile, Xiao Fu was still in the room, playing chess with Jinzun. But he found the game boring, just indulging the kid.
He had been this bored ever since he was in the borderlands.
Hearing the commotion, Xiao Fu asked about it, and Chen Yuanwu explained, “Lord Marquis, it was a sneaky little brat. I saw him eavesdropping on our conversation behind a tree just now. He hadn’t put on his Taoist robe yet. Later, he changed into one and tried to sneak over again. Who knows what he’s up to!”
Xiao Fu just nodded and didn’t pay much attention, but with a glance, he recognized him.
That boastful attendant who talked about getting his young master to top the imperial exams, become the top scholar, and marry a princess.
That young master…
Xiao Fu rubbed a warm white piece between his fingers, his eyelashes fluttered twice, and his lowered gaze betrayed his thoughts.
Yuanwu asked, “Lord Marquis? What should we do with him?”
“Leave him there, forget about it.”
Xiao Fu spoke again, “What about Yuanqing? Is he still practicing swordsmanship?”
“Yes, he probably won’t be back until the evening.”
Hall of Purifying the Heart.
Lin Zikui waited anxiously, watching as the sky darkened. Uneasily muttering to himself, “Why hasn’t Mo Liu returned yet? He should have been back by now. Could something have happened? Was he caught by someone?”
“No, I have to take a look.”
He removed the blindfold. After the fumes of the medicine had dissipated, his eyes were still watery, but he could see. Lin Zikui quickly changed into a somewhat fitting Taoist robe and hurriedly made his way around several rooms and rows of trees. He quietly pressed his back against the wall and leaned in, his head peeking inside. It was dimly lit, and he could make out two or three figures.
There was also the sound of conversation, but it was too muffled to discern.
“Who’s there?”
Lin Zikui immediately crouched down in nervousness. He hadn’t even entered yet, and he was already discovered!
A large hand grabbed him by the collar.
“Good, another Taoist!”
Lin Zikui glanced at him, a fierce and burly man, then closed his eyes again. “It’s a misunderstanding, brother. I… I’m here to find someone.”
“Who are you looking for?!”
“My… my attendant. A child who doesn’t know any better, running around causing trouble, making me worried! If there was any offense, I hope the gentleman would be magnanimous and not hold it against a child.”
This eloquent speech left Chen Yuanwu speechless for a moment. It took him a while to respond, “Nonsense! Your attendant was eavesdropping on our conversation, pretending to be a Taoist and intruding here. Are you his master? You’re also pretending to be a Taoist, so what’s your excuse?!”
“I… sent him to find someone.” Lin Zikui was being held by the collar, struggling but unable to move. He buried his head like a quail.
Out of the corner of his eye, he seemed to sense someone approaching.
“Come clean! Who are you really looking for?!” Yuanwu’s voice lowered as if he noticed someone approaching from the side. “Mar… “
The rest of the word was swallowed back as Marquis Xiao shook his head at him.
“Master, this person is not being honest. He’s beating around the bush, I don’t know who sent him or what his intentions are,” Yuanwu’s eyes narrowed. “Should we… kill him?”
Lin Zikui’s face turned pale. He hurriedly said, “I’m not a thief! I’m here to find Second Young Miss Xiao! I thought she lived here! It’s all a misunderstanding! I made a mistake! She doesn’t live here, and my attendant and I have no malicious intent! Please spare him, brother! Don’t hurt him!”
Chen Yuanwu was half-skeptical and was about to speak: “Then you….”, when a calm voice from the side interrupted, “Who said you were wrong?”
“Mar… master?”
Chen Yuanwu looked at Marquis Xiao in astonishment, and his grip instinctively loosened.
With nothing to support him, Lin Zikui sat down heavily on the ground, panting heavily as he clasped his hands together. “Thank you, gentlemen, for your mercy, forgive me, forgive me…”
Marquis Xiao slowly bent down.
“There is no need to say sorry.”
The clear and playful voice made Lin Zikui lift his head, and the slowly approaching face was close enough for him, even with his nearsightedness, to see clearly. The appearance of this person—
Lin Zikui held his breath, staring blankly with wide eyes.
It seemed that Marquis Xiao was particularly interested in his eyes, leaning in close and staring for quite some time, peering deeply into them.
Then he smiled, using a tone as soft as a whisper. “I am Second Young Miss Xiao. Minister Xiao of the Ministry of Revenue is precisely her father.”
Lin Zikui was bewildered. “….Ah?”
Author’s note:
Yuanwu: …?
Lord Xiao: !?
Ciacia/N: Pleas note “Xiao” in Xiao Fu is different from “Xiao” in Minister Xiao surname. They got same pronunciation but different character, basically mean both of them are not related.
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