Chapter 8: Xingzhi Temple (8)
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As Lin Zikui walked ahead, the hoarse voice of Mo Liu excitedly exclaimed, “Young Master, it looks like Second Young Miss really likes you! That’s great! Even if Lord Xiao is not happy, he’ll have to marry his daughter to you now.”
Burying his nose in the fragrant plum blossoms, Lin Zikui’s lips curled slightly. “After I pass the spring exam, I’ll go to the Xiao Residence to propose.”
That day, he drew a Heaven King’s divination stick, and the diviner who interpreted it said that this girl had a crush on him, actively approaching and pursuing him.
He had sworn in front of the Guanyin Hall that as long as Second Young Miss was willing, he would not let her down.
So over these past few days, Lin Zikui had slowly come to terms with it. Though Second Young Miss’s temperament was a bit frivolous, she was cheerful, caring, and considerate, silently sending him medicine. Although she looked different from what he had imagined, for a woman… she was overly robust. Yet, late at night, he couldn’t help but feel a strange sense of anticipation.
She was his future wife, even though they hadn’t officially tied the knot.
In the future… they would raise children together, grow old together, and live out their days in harmony.
Although Second Young Miss didn’t seem like the type to be a good wife and mother, it didn’t matter. He would take care of such matters himself.
After the spring exam, and then the palace exam, with the honor of being a successful scholar, he could properly propose to Second Young Miss to Lord Xiao.
With fervor in his heart, Lin Zikui returned to the Hall of Purifying the Heart, carefully placing the plum blossoms in a clean clay pot, and then took three or four steps to the residence of Taoist Ling Yuan.
Of all the people Lin Zikui spoke to most in the vast XingzhiTemple, it was this Taoist.
Bringing some sesame candies for the Taoist, Lin Zikui took a seat and then asked, “To be frank, Taoist Ling Yuan, I suffer from an eye ailment, which makes it very difficult for me to read. Unfortunately, my young attendant at home has lost his voice these past few days and can’t speak, so I wanted to inquire if there are any literate young Taoists in this temple who could read to me for a few days. I only need them to read, and I won’t mistreat them.”
After pondering for a moment, Ling Yuan replied, “All the Taoists in the temple start their lessons from the hour of the Rabbit and have little free time.”
Lin Zikui interjected, “Then…”
Ling Yuan continued, “However, there is a book depository in the temple called the Qingxin Pavilion. Inside the pavilion, there is a Taoist in charge of managing the books named Lingbo, who is my Master Uncle. He is knowledgeable and was a scholar before he entered the Dao. Tomorrow, I will go and inform him. You can go to the Qingxin Pavilion to find him. He loves to eat chicken legs. You just need to give him one chicken leg every day. Regardless of your request, Master Uncle Lingbo will agree to it.”
“That’s great, thank you very much, Taoist!”
“Don’t be so polite, Benefactor Lin. By the way, I noticed that your footsteps seem to have improved, but has the injury on your foot healed?”
“Huh?” Lin Zikui looked surprised. “Taoist, you knew I was injured? It’s alright now, thank you!”
Ling Yuan smiled, “That day I noticed Benefactor Lin’s difficulty in walking, so I thought about it that night and sent a bottle of medicine over. Unfortunately, I saw you were studying diligently, so I didn’t want to disturb you and left it at the door. Today, seeing that you are doing well, I feel relieved.”
Lin Zikui was momentarily stunned and then asked, “That medicine… was it sent by you?”
Ling Yuan nodded, “Yes, indeed. The Sixteen Caves Mountain is often rainy, and it gets even more slippery after snowfall in winter. Benefactor Lin, with your eye ailment, you should pay extra attention to your footing.”
Lin Zikui’s expression blanked for a moment, then he quickly realized. So… Second Young Miss had never actually sent him any medicine.
He had simply misunderstood.
After bidding farewell to Ling Yuan, Lin Zikui returned to the Hall of Purifying the Heart and studied until late. His eyes began to ache, so he stopped and, by candlelight, wrote down several key points for the upcoming Spring Examinations, as advised by the scholars of the Ying Tian Prefectural Academy.
The first part of the Spring Examinations would cover three interpretations from the Four Books and four from the Five Classics. Having already thoroughly studied both, Lin Zikui felt confident about this part, despite his disdain for rote memorization.
The second part would involve writing an essay and delivering five points of argumentation, concerning imperial decrees, policies…
And it was precisely strategy that Lin Zikui excelled at.
He meticulously wrote on the paper: “Floods in the lower reaches of the Yellow River, locust plagues in the capital region, tribute from the northern tribes, incursions from the Tartars in Liaodong, expeditions against the Turks, opposition to factionalism, and the restoration of the Huai River.”
The examination questions at the Provincial Examination were unlikely to stray far from these topics. Lin Zikui had compiled them from the archives of the Yingtian Prefectural Academy, summarizing all the Provincial Examination questions from previous years. After several days of exhaustion, he wrote for a while, but his eyelids couldn’t resist closing, and he ended up slumped over the desk.
As the candle flickered and the night grew deep with heavy dew, a knocking sounded at the door.
“Young Master Lin?”
Mo Liu was about to move Lin Zikui to the bed, but he lacked the strength to do so. Upon hearing the knocking, he went to open the door.
“Creak—”
Looking out, Mo Liu had to tilt his head up to see. There stood Second Young Miss, clad in a black fox cloak, with a demeanor quite different from her usual gentleness, appearing sharp and imposing. Beside her was her personal guard.
Mo Liu’s eyes lingered on Second Young Miss for a moment, noticing a resolute and handsome aura emanating from her, as if she were a young general disguised as a woman on the battlefield.
Quickly retracting his gaze, he glanced at the guard and wondered to himself. What woman would travel without a maid but with a man?
Could she also be disguised as a man?
But it didn’t seem likely…
He stole a few more glances before being glared at by Yuanwu. Mo Liu could only turn his gaze towards the amiable and smiling Xiao Fu.
“Second Young Miss, coming so late at night, is there something you need?” Mo Liu’s voice was deliberately lowered so as not to disturb Lin Zikui.
Xiao Fu glanced inside, then whispered, “Is Lin Lang asleep?”
A faint scent of ink mingled with the fragrance of plum wafted out of the room. Under the candlelight, Xiao Fu saw Lin Zikui slumped over his desk, a worn gray cloak draped over his shoulders, his face resting on his arms, with layers of parchment paper beneath.
Mo Liu said, “Second Young Miss, my Young Master is asleep.”
“Why is he sleeping on the table?” Xiao Fu took a step up the stairs, surprising Mo Liu. “Second Young Miss!”
“I brought a rabbit fur coat for Lin Lang and want to move it inside,” Xiao Fu said.
Mo Liu noticed the box carried by the guard beside Second Young Miss and scratched his head, then without much hesitation, he stepped aside. “Second Young Miss, my Young Master is a light sleeper and easily wakes up.”
“I won’t disturb him,” Xiao Fu said, walking in. Observing the Hall of Purifying the Heart, which was half the size of his Cold Plum Hall, it consisted of two rooms: an outer room with a desk, tea table, and bookshelf, and an inner room with two beds separated by a tattered screen.
The desk where Lin Zikui lay was not particularly large. Next to it was the white plum blossom Lin Zikui had picked and given to him. On the desk, there was a stack of scrolls, ink, paper, and inkstone, and a few purple-haired brushes hung on the pen rack. The candlelight flickered in the wind, but he slept soundly with his eyes closed. His eyelashes drooped quietly, and a few strands of dark hair fell, partially covering his slender face, adorned with the worn gray rabbit fur.
Contrary to what Mo Liu had said, Lin Zikui did not seem to be a light sleeper. Xiao Fu bent down close to him, but he remained oblivious.
As Xiao Fu drew near, he closed his eyes and took a careful sniff. Lin Zikui’s scent was that of a scholar, with a hint of warmth emanating from his skin.
“Hall of Purifying the Heart…” Mo Liu’s heart was in his throat.
Xiao Fu: “Shh, your Young Master is fast asleep.”
Mo Liu: “……”
Xiao Fu casually glanced at his desk and noticed the graceful and delicate handwriting, which matched Lin Zikui’s demeanor.
He picked up a sheet of paper and examined the writing. Slowly, his expression changed.
Xiao Fu lowered his head and looked at Lin Zikui, a hint of perplexity in his eyes.
“No wonder you’re so bold, daring to criticize Emperor Wen Tai.”
Lin Zikui’s strategy essay was exceptionally well-written, unlike the conservative scholars and different from what Xiao Fu had initially expected.
Such extraordinary talent was fit for governing a country! However, Lin Zikui’s temperament was too immature, lacking the experience of the political arena and unaware of the need to conceal his sharpness.
“If this strategy essay were to reach the Emperor’s desk, you might find yourself punished…” Xiao Fu’s words trailed off, unnoticed by the others. His expression remained unchanged as he returned the paper to its original position. Then, he bent down and reached out. Just as he was about to grab Lin Zikui’s waist, Mo Liu rushed over. “Second Young Miss, let me handle this!”
Seeing Mo Liu’s determination, Xiao Fu relented and let go.
Mo Liu unsteadily helped his Young Master up from the chair. But being young and weak, he couldn’t support Lin Zikui properly. Lin Zikui, blushing and unsteady on his feet, was about to fall.
Xiao Fu decisively reached out and pulled Lin Zikui by the waist, steadying him in his arms. The sudden movement should have awakened Lin Zikui from his drowsiness.
As Lin Zikui slowly opened his eyes, Xiao Fu pretended to lose his grip and collapsed to the ground, still holding onto him.
“Thud!”
Lin Zikui, leaning against him, and Xiao Fu both fell to the ground together, jolting Lin Zikui awake.
Lin Zikui blinked groggily, only to be met with a handsome face just inches away.
For at least a few moments, he thought he was dreaming, his heart pounding in his chest.
Then, the person in front of him spoke, “Lin Lang, why are you like this?”
Still dazed, Lin Lang had just woken up, his hand subconsciously supporting himself as he tried to sit up.
Feeling his weight on top of him, Xiao Fu found it strangely comforting, unable to resist reaching out to embrace him.
The warm, fuzzy collar of the gray rabbit fur coat pressed between their faces, tickling their necks.
Seeing Lin Zikui’s confusion, Xiao Fu reached out and gently held the hand that had inadvertently pressed against his ribs. “We’re not even married yet, and you’re taking advantage of me. If word gets out, how am I supposed to face others?”
Despite his domineering tone and mischievous demeanor, Xiao Fu’s words sounded more like a complaint than anything else!
Author’s note:
Lin Lang: It doesn’t matter, I’ll marry you anyway.
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