Chapter 4: Xingzhi Temple (4)
<Previous Chapter<Table of Contents>Next Chapter>
Lin Zikui’s mind raced as he took in the situation. Reading books didn’t make him a fool; his eyesight might be a bit blurry, but he wasn’t blind, and his ears were sharp; he was definitely not deaf.
He saw “Young Miss Xiao” still bending down, gazing at him. Lin Zikui could see clearly: those curved peach blossom eyes, the faint smile at the corners of her lips, captivating enough to ensnare souls and cloud minds.
He was momentarily stunned, then snapped back to reality.
Those broad shoulders…
He lowered his gaze.
Those large feet…
He raised his head.
Seemingly taller than himself.
That voice…
Lin Zikui caught sight of the Adam’s apple.
Just like a man.
But this face…
Lin Zikui struggled to discern the gender, the features were so exquisitely beautiful yet ruggedly handsome, a blend that could confound even the keenest observers.
For a woman, it was delicate enough yet also had a hint of masculinity.
Lin Zikui vaguely remembered that Lord Xiao was quite short, while his wife was tall.
No, isn’t she a young lady? How can she be like this?
Lin Zikui was nearsighted, examining things very carefully. He took the initiative to approach, getting extremely close, close enough to catch the clean and fragrant cold scent emanating from the other person.
Xiao Fu didn’t avoid it either, tilting his head and asking him, “Little Taoist, what are you looking at?”
He hesitated, “Forgive my impertinence, but… are you really the Second Young Miss?”
“As real as it gets.”
Beside them, General Chen took two shocked steps backward.
Lin Zikui was completely puzzled. “Then…. why are you wearing men’s clothing?”
Xiao Fu remained calm. “Since you’re here to find me, haven’t you heard that I like dressing as a man?”
Lin Zikui nodded honestly.
Since the person spoke like this, and it was indeed the Second Young Miss from the Xiao family that he was looking for, he must be right.
Lin Zikui’s gaze became a bit unfocused as he realized the person was a woman. Feeling inappropriate, he immediately turned his face away and shuffled backward, retreating all the way to the wall. “I apologize for any offense caused today. I’m truly sorry. I… I wonder if the Second Young Miss could return my attendant to me?”
Xiao Fu shook his head. “No, I can’t.”
Lin Zikui looked up in disbelief. “Why not?”
“He almost trespassed into my chamber. What do you think?”
Lin Zikui was momentarily speechless. “It was all my doing! If the Second Young Miss wants to punish someone, it’s me she should come after! Mo Liu is just a child, I beg the Second Young Miss to spare him!”
He turned his head, searching around the courtyard for the little attendant. However, being partially blind, Lin Zikui couldn’t see clearly into the distance.
Jinzun spoke up, “He, passed out.”
Jinzun was a child from the Turkic tribe. His Han was not fluent, and he liked to blurt out one or two words at a time. His accent was heavy, making it obvious he wasn’t from the Central Plains.
Lin Zikui’s expression changed. “What… what did you do to Mo Liu?”
Xiao Fu slowly straightened up, looking down at him with a smile. “He’s not dead. But first, what’s your name, and what do you want from me?”
With Xiao Fu standing straight like that, Lin Zikui could perceive him more clearly now.
His prospective wife-to-be was so tall, taller than himself by at least half a head!
Was this the second daughter of the Xiao family?
He could hardly believe it.
Xiao Fu’s voice carried a chill. “Little Taoist, are you mute? Don’t want your tongue? I can have someone cut it off for you.”
“…”
Lin Zikui hurriedly waved his hand. “I… I’m Lin Zikui! My father is Lin Chuan. Second Young Miss, I… I might… you might not know, but actually, I… I…”
Xiao Fu raised an eyebrow. “What is it?”
Lin Zikui buried his head even lower. “There… was… an engagement.”
“Oh, I remember now. You’re from Huainan, Graduate Lin.” Xiao Fu’s voice remained unchanged, but only Yuanwu, who knew him well, could hear the laughter in his tone, suggesting extreme satisfaction.
Marquis Xiao had a mischievous nature and enjoyed toying with people. Yuanwu knew this, but it was the first time he realized how much Marquis Xiao enjoyed this particular approach.
Lin Zikui nodded repeatedly. “That’s right, I’m Graduate Lin! I’m surprised you recognize me. Even though we had an engagement, it’s all in the past. At that time, the arrangement between our fathers was made in haste, and we never met. Moreover, next spring is the imperial examination, and I’m bound to fail. With my eye disease, my future looks bleak. I’ll probably end up as a minor official in a poor place… Second Young Miss, you and I…… are not destined for the same path.”
He depreciated himself frantically, almost saying: Please, call off the engagement.
Marquis Xiao nodded slowly.
Thinking he had obtained consent, Lin Zikui’s eyes suddenly lit up, and he got up. “Second Young Miss! I’ll go tear up the marriage document right away! And my attendant… could you consider releasing him?”
Marquis Xiao shook his head. “I never considered ending the engagement. As for your attendant….”
Marquis Xiao turned to the side. “Yuanwu, carry him back to the West Guest Hall.”
“Yes,” said Yuanwu without hesitation, grabbing Mo Liu’s collar from the corner of the wall and leaping over it. Lin Zikui breathed a sigh of relief and looked up at Xiao Fu, speaking earnestly, “Second Young Miss, our marriage… if you’re unwilling, there’s no need to force it. We can annul the engagement, I’ll tear up the marriage document, and you can find a better match. Really.”
Xiao Fu looked him up and down. “I don’t feel forced.”
Lin Zikui was taken aback.
“You feel forced?” Xiao Fu bent down, pinching his chin with two fingers. “Could it be that you don’t want to marry me? My father is a sixth-rank official in the Ministry of Revenue. If you follow me, I’ll ensure you have a bright future, with a smooth career and abundant wealth.”
Lin Zikui had never been so intimately close to a woman before, and his ears turned red in an instant. “Men and women should not be too intimate.”
He tried to push Xiao Fu’s hand away, but to his surprise, Xiao Fu’s grip was strong, and he held onto Lin Zikui’s fingers firmly, saying, “Little Taoist, your hand is even smaller than mine.”
Lin Zikui: “…”
Xiao Fu’s eyes curved into small arcs as he touched calluses on Lin Zikui’s fingers from writing. Lin Zikui trembled uncomfortably and blushed deeply.
Xiao Fu spoke slowly, “You see, you’ve touched my hand now, and I haven’t even married yet. No man has dared to touch me before. If you dare to break off this engagement, I’ll sue you for defaming my innocence at the Magistrate Office of the Capital.”
“You…” Lin Zikui was stunned and shocked!
Wasn’t it him who was being touched?!
“Second Young Miss…” Lin Zikui attempted to pull his hand away, and Xiao Fu let go, bending down to look into his eyes. “So, little Taoist, are you going to marry me or call off the engagement?”
Lin Zikui pressed his lips tightly together, lowering his gaze as he met Xiao Fu’s eyes. After a long pause, he finally spoke, “Well… all right then.”
“What’s all right?”
“I don’t regret the engagement. As long as Second Young Miss is willing, I’ll never regret it for the rest of my life.” Lin Zikui gritted his teeth, accepting whatever fate awaited him with this wife.
He sincerely apologized, “Second Young Miss, I apologize for the offense I’ve caused today without permission. I’m sorry.”
Xiao Fu’s lips curled up again. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell Lord Xiao about this. He won’t find out.”
“Thank… thank you.” Lin Zikui leaned against the wall and climbed to his feet, still looking dazed. “Well then, Second Young Miss, I’ll… take my leave.” He stood up, bowed twice, then turned and fled.
As the sun sank in the west, the sky was filled with rosy clouds.
The red trees and green mountains, the falling leaves and grass.
Lin Zikui’s heart sank.
“If I fail the exam, Lord Xiao won’t let her marry me.”
Lin Zikui watched over the still-unconscious Mo Liu, feeling the fierceness of this future bride. Speaking to himself, he said, “But how can I fail… to fulfill my father’s wish of achieving top honors thrice?”
Lin Zikui got up to pack his belongings, intending to wake up Mo Liu, but then he sat back down.
Mo Liu is just a child, what does he understand?
“Perhaps after she gets to know me, she’ll realize I have eye problems, average knowledge, and empty pockets, and she won’t want to marry me. The worst-case scenario is marrying a tigress who bullies me at home behind closed doors, with no one knowing…”
It’s not too miserable.
He has a good temper and can endure it.
Lin Zikui’s eyes were sore, incredibly bitter. He closed his eyes, rubbed them twice, and lay down on the hard bamboo bed.
The golden wind blew softly, and the phoenix tree leaves fell.
When Chen Yuanqing returned from practicing swordsmanship, he smelled an unusual atmosphere.
Why was Lord Marquis smiling?
Although Lord Marquis usually smiled, with no emotions, his smile didn’t reach his eyes. Anyone could tell that he just had an upturned face. Marquis Xiao was not an easy person to deal with. When he got mad, he dared to even slap the emperor.
Jinzun held the chessboard. “Lord Marquis, let’s play chess.”
“I won’t play,” he sat under the banana tree in a daze. “Yuanqing is back, go find him.”
Jinzun: “Brother Qing, let’s play chess.”
Yuanqing sat across from the chessboard and asked him softly, “Jinzun, what’s wrong with Lord Marquis?”
“Lord Marquis is getting married.”
Yuanqing: “…”
“Where did this kid come up with such nonsense?” Yuanqing was puzzled. He then saw his elder brother Yuanwu coming in from outside. Marquis Xiao asked him, “Yuanwu, what is the little Taoist doing?”
“He was talking to himself for a while, then slept motionless for a bit. When his attendant woke up hungry, Young Master Lin said he was hungry too. They found the dining hall closed, so they went to the kitchen to cook.”
Xiao Fu laughed heartily, “What was he muttering about?”
“Well… nothing much, just saying that even if he married a tigress who bullied him at home, with no one knowing, it wouldn’t disgrace his integrity. That’s about it.”
“No one knowing, not disgracing his integrity? Hahaha.”
This little scholar dared to speak ill of Emperor Wen Tai behind his back, and was afraid of death, so adorable.
Xiao Fu propped his chin, “Yuanwu, go down the mountain.”
“Huh? Lord Marquis?”
Marquis Xiao said, “Get me a few sets of clothes.”
“Yes, it’s almost winter. The County Princess must have provided many for you, Lord Marquis. Shall I go to Duke Chang Residence to fetch them for you?”
Xiao Fu shook his head, “Get me a few sets of women’s clothes.”
Yuanwu: “Huh? Women’s clothes, who are they for?”
Xiao Fu’s expression remained unchanged as he lazily said, “Of course, they’re for me to wear. Didn’t you see? That scholar has poor eyesight. He mistook me for his fiancée, didn’t he? If he knew I was a man, it wouldn’t be as fun.”
Yuanwu: “…………”
It’s not like he mistook you; you clearly did it on purpose.
If you love what Ciacia is doing, then consider showing your support by supporting a cup of tea for her at Kofi. If you can’t wait for the next release chapter, subscribe to advanced chapters membership on her Kofi to get access to up to 10 chapters!
<Previous Chapter<Table of Contents>Next Chapter>
