TL: Hua
Chapter 1: Marquis Dingbei
The tavern was filled with laughter, followed by the deafening sound of musical instruments.
Behind the shadowy grille door, two people sat opposite each other. One wore a dark cloak, hiding his face, and the other can be described as dignified with a gleam in his eyes.
The conversation was vague, and only a few words could be heard.
“Marquis Dingbei is returning to the capital. His Majesty has instructed everything to be simple, so he only has three guards by his side. This opportunity is once-in-a-lifetime…”
“No matter how skilled Xiao Fu’s men are in martial arts, they can’t resist hundreds of assassins! Marquis Dingbei will surely die! Before he enters Jinling, he must be killed on the spot…”
–
In late autumn, in October, flowers began to freeze and leaves started falling.
Outside Jinling City, the wheels of the carriage creaked past. In front of the carriage, the black-clothed man driving the horse rolled up his sleeves, slowly grasped the reins, and said to the carriage, “Marquis, we are about to enter Jinling. Our journey has been smooth all the way. The ambush you mentioned—we didn’t even see a shadow. We didn’t bring any soldiers, and the news was also strictly blocked. Maybe no one will know that you have returned from Guannei.”
The carriage was hung with a bamboo curtain, half lifted, and a trace of alcohol was leaking out.
Only a pale, bare foot was seen under the corner of the wanton red dress with gold satin.
The voice also swayed lazily with the carriage: “No hurry; there are still sixty miles to go before entering the city gate.”
“But…” The guard was about to say something when he heard leaves falling not far away. He pricked up his ears sharply and grabbed the reins. “Whoa!”
“Here it comes.”
Xiao Fu remained calm and composed, revealing a section of his wrist through his wide sleeves. He held a white jade wine cup in his slender fingers and lazily leaned against the gorgeous silk and brocade mat.
In the woods, densely packed, black-clothed people surrounded the carriage.
“Marquis, they are the dead soldiers!” The guard’s face also became solemn. He drew out his scimitar and scanned the area. “There are more than a hundred of them.”
Another tall guard held a bow and crossbow and said disdainfully, “A mere hundreds of dead soldiers are less than a thousandth of the enemy troops who died in the hands of my comrades!”
There was another child who looked only fifteen or sixteen years old. His skin was slightly dark, his cheeks were red, and his eyes were simple and clean. However, he carried two double maces that were taller than others.
The child held the black double maces with his hands crossed and said nothing.
The sound of breaking wind rang out sharply, and a cloud of arrows came galloping in a chaotic manner! The three people waved their weapons and slashed with grim faces, breaking the reins first to save the frightened horses from running amok.
The sword light flew up and down, and the three of them tightly protected their master, keeping the carriage unharmed.
The tip of the arrow “clanked” as it struck the weapon, and the clear and pleasant sound of weapons was exactly what Xiao Fu had heard day and night for the past five years.
Suddenly, there was a sharp “swish,” and the poisoned, cold arrow shot through the bamboo curtain!
Xiao Fu quickly turned his face to the side, and his seemingly casual posture suddenly tensed up. Unexpected explosive power burst out from him, and the arrow just brushed his cheek and nailed into the wall of the carriage.
Xiao Fu’s face, which was originally smiling, suddenly turned cold.
Outside, there were corpses everywhere.
Guards: “Marquis, are we still chasing them?”
“Kill them all.” The sinister tone was completely different from before.
The two guards nodded, knowing that he meant even the people who went back to report the news would not be spared, so they flew to chase and kill them.
The black-clothed dead soldier could not escape in time; their pupils shrank, as if they did not expect that there were only three people around Marquis Dingbei, but they were masters among masters! The two brothers of the Chen family were fine, but the child was even more terrifying! With brute force, he could move mountains and lift tripods, and the black mace swept over, killing and injuring countless people!
These assassins were extremely professional. They committed suicide by taking poison before the guards could interrogate them.
The guards checked and shook their heads, saying, “Marquis, there are no obvious marks on the weapons of these assassins. These weapons are well made, not inferior to the Weiwei Temple.”
Xiao Fu taunted in a low voice, “How many people in the whole world can raise so many dead soldiers? You can count them on two hands.”
The bamboo curtain, which had become riddled with holes, had fallen to the ground. The wind with a strong smell of blood blew over, and the flamboyant red clothes covered the pale, bare feet.
Xiao Fu got up and got off the shaky carriage. His eyes swept over the assassins who had fallen to the ground, and he ordered, “Yuanqing, you will return to the capital to see the emperor immediately and say…”
Xiao Fu paused, looking at the green eaves flying out from the golden mangroves on the top of a mountain not far away.
The guard looked at it and said, “Marquis, that is the Xingzhi Temple.”
Xiao Fu nodded and said slowly, “Yuanqing, if the emperor asks, tell him that his uncle was assassinated in the suburbs of the capital and was seriously injured. It is inconvenient to move. He is recuperating at the Taoist temple in the suburbs. He will return to the palace to report after his injuries are fully recovered. I hope he will not blame me.”
Yuan Qing nodded in response, and with a light kick, he disappeared. Yuanwu blew the whistle to lead the frightened horse back, stretched out his hand to comfort it for a long time, and then led the horse to take Xiao Fu and the child up the mountain.
At the same time, in the streets of Jinling City, in front of the house of Xiao, the head of the Ministry of Revenue,.
A visiting card and three framed calligraphies and paintings were thrown out of the door, hitting Lin Zikui’s forehead.
He cried out and covered his head in pain.
“Young Master!” The young bookboy at the side was anxious, staring at the gatekeeper of the Xiao Mansion, and shouted, “My young master is the future son-in-law of Lord Xiao! You are just a gatekeeper! How dare you do this to my young master?!”
“Mo Liu! This is Jinling; don’t talk nonsense.” Lin Zikui stopped him, rubbed his head, squatted down, and groped to pick up the scattered calligraphy and paintings on the ground.
The bookboy sniffed and turned his head angrily: “Young Master, let Mo Liu do it; you can’t see clearly.”
The gatekeeper still had an arrogant face and pointed at Lin Zikui: “Just look at you, a man with squinted eyes! You want to climb up to our Xiao Mansion!”
Mo Liu: “What’s wrong with squinted eyes! Do you look down on people with squinted eyes!”
“Yes, I do! Get lost!” The gatekeeper threw the box down together, and this time it hit the bookboy right on the body, making a muffled sound.
Seeing this, Lin Zikui straightened his hunched back and said anxiously, “Mo Liu! Are you okay?”
The book boy whispered, “Young Master, I’m fine.”
Lin Zikui pulled the boy behind him and pointed at the gatekeeper: “You are so old, but you bully a child! Utterly rude! Is this the behavior of the gatekeeper at Lord Xiao’s house? If the teacher of my schoolmaster, the imperial censor, knows about it, he will definitely report it!”
As soon as the word “censor” came out, the guard was dumbfounded: “You, this, this, it has nothing to do with our master! Don’t make up stories!”
“So, Lord Xiao didn’t know about Lin’s visit? But you insisted on stopping me?”
The gatekeeper couldn’t say anything. The master didn’t say it clearly, but everyone in the mansion understood what Lin Zikui’s visiting card meant.
How could their second young miss marry such a half-blind poor scholar?
Lin Zikui heard his silence, cupped his hands, and continued, “Lin is a humble person; my father and Lord Xiao of your mansion have arranged a marriage for me and Second Miss. As the saying goes, children shall listen to their parents’ orders and matchmakers’ words. Now my father has passed away, and even if the Xiao family really does not recognize this marriage, we must treat it with courtesy and talk to each other in person.” His voice was neither loud nor high enough, but every word was bold: “Dare I ask this little brother, has Lord Xiao said in person that he does not want to see me? Does he not recognize me?”
As expected from a scholar, he is very eloquent.
The gatekeeper was silent for a moment and didn’t dare to scold him: “Our master is really not at home, Young Master Lin; you should leave quickly!”
Lin Zikui asked, “Is the second miss here?”
The gatekeeper evaded the question: “Our second miss and the old lady went to the Xingzhi Temple to burn incense. They won’t be back for at least several months!”
Lin Zikui clenched the calligraphy and painting in his hand, then turned around, tilted his head, and whispered, “Mo Liu, let’s go back.”
“Yes… Young Master.”
The little book boy appeared to be twelve or thirteen years old, with a childish face. He muttered in a low voice, “Isn’t he just the head of the Ministry of Revenue? He has only been promoted to the sixth rank, but he has already acted over the top! You have been in Jinling for two months, and you have sent visiting cards several times, but no one from his house has replied. Today, you came in person, and it turned out to be like this…”
“Mo Liu.” Lin Zikui interrupted him, “How many times have I told you? Be careful with your words. Be careful.”
Mo Liu’s head was buried even lower, holding Lin Zikui’s hand: “Young Master, your eyes aren’t in good condition. Let’s walk slowly.”
“I can see the road clearly. You don’t have to treat me as a blind man.”
“That’s what the doctor said. If you don’t take good care of yourself, you’ll really lose sight in the future. If that happens, what should we do?”
Lin Zikui smiled with a hazy light in his eyes. “In the past six months, I have followed the doctor’s advice to apply some herbs and avoid sunlight. Today, after taking off the blindfold, I can see your face clearly. I think it has improved a lot.” He said, clutching Mo Liu’s sleeve and walking to the side, “Look, is that not a carriage?”
“…… Young Master, that is a donkey.”
“Oh, horses and donkeys are pretty much the same, aren’t they?”
Walking slowly along the street, Lin Zikui took his bookboy and entered an antique calligraphy shop.
“This young master, are you here to see calligraphy and painting?” The shop owner greeted Lin Zikui and looked up and down at him.
The young man was neatly dressed in a white cotton robe, full of scholarly air, with a gentle and elegant face, but he didn’t look like someone from a wealthy family.
Sure enough, Lin Zikui brought the calligraphy and painting over: “Do you accept calligraphy and painting?”
The shopkeeper behind the counter raised his hand and asked, “What calligraphy and painting, from what dynasty?”
“This…” Lin Zikui was slightly embarrassed. “Last month’s.”
“Oh? From which master?”
Lin Zikui spread out the painting.
The shopkeeper glanced at the good calligraphy and exquisite painting and then squinted at the red seal: “Lin Huaifu? Who is it?”
Lin Zikui bowed implicitly: “It’s me; Huaifu is my courtesy name.”
“The calligraphy is good, and the painting is also good,” the shopkeeper said indifferently. “I’ll give you this amount.” He stretched out his palm.
Mo Liu: “Five taels?”
The shopkeeper stroked his beard: “Five hundred coins for three pieces.”
Mo Liu hurriedly took back the calligraphy and painting: “Five hundred coins! Ptooey! It’s not even enough for my young master’s ink and brush! This is painted with the best She inkstone!”
“A poor scholar like you can afford She inkstone? Nonsense.”
“It’s the She inkstone! This is the gift from Lord Tang, the Grand Secretary of Jianji Palace, to our young master! You don’t know the goods!”
Lin Zikui shook his head gently. “Mo Liu…”
Mo Liu turned his head and opened his eyes wide. “No way, young master, five hundred coins; why are you selling it at a low price?”
Lin Zikui hesitated and shook his head: “Let’s go. Sorry to bother you, shopkeeper.”
He politely excused himself. Then the master and servant ran to several calligraphy and painting shops, but they were repeatedly rejected. These paintings are indeed masterpieces in terms of painting skills and artistic conception. The paper and ink are also excellent. If Lin Zikui had not planned to pay a visit to Lord Xiao, he would not have been willing to use such rare and expensive paper and ink.
But this place is Jinling. What have the dignitaries not seen?
Lin Zikui, an unknown young man, will definitely not be able to sell his calligraphy and paintings here.
Unable to sell the paintings, he returned to Yingtianfu Academy dejectedly. The next day, there was another knock on the door.
Mo Liu woke up early to answer the door. The morning mist filled the room, and the fragrance of ink lingered. Lin Zikui sat by the bed, holding a book, with a layer of black cloth covering his eyelids. The light from the window lattice shone on his side profile, and the transparent fuzz on his cheeks was like a layer of pure white frost.
His thumb gently rubbed the rough paper surface, as if he could touch the words.
The sound of conversation outside came into his ears.
“Mo Liu, your young master’s grain allowance for last month has not been paid yet. I dare not help you extend it any longer…”
“Give him a few more days, please? My young master will definitely pass the examination next year! He won’t forget you then.”
“Ah… well, why don’t you look for another place? There are a few good temples outside Jinling City with cheap food and accommodation. You should know that the current vice minister of the Ministry of Personnel studied hard in Xingzhi Temple and won first place! The temple worships the god of literature, and many candidates went there to prepare for the exam in the past few years.”
“Xingzhi Temple?”
Lin Zikui’s heart moved when he heard these three words.
“Young master, are we really going to leave Yingtianfu Academy?”
Lin Zikui nodded. “Yes, the doctor once told me that climbing high and looking far will help my eyes recover. Besides, we don’t have much money on us. This Yingtianfu Academy… With all the ups and downs to be taken care of and not much funds left from the scholarship provided by the prefectural school, I’m afraid I can’t make it to the spring exam next year.”
Mo Liu said, “You still have the ancestral property. You can sell it for a few hundred taels of silver, and it will be enough to make it to the spring exam.”
Lin Zikui refused: “The ancestral property must not be sold; it is left by my parents. Don’t mention it again in the future.”
Two days later, Lin Zikui packed his luggage, put on his book bag, and led his book boy out of the north gate.
A row of imperial soldiers and horses rode past them arrogantly: “Get out of the way! Get out of the way!”
It took Lin Zikui, a weak scholar, three days to travel fifty or sixty miles with his young bookboy.
When Lin Zikui arrived at Xingzhi Temple, he was covered in dust, and his shoes and robes were filthy. He couldn’t see the way up the mountain, and Mo Liu was too weak to hold him, so Lin Zikui kept falling.
There were a pair of couplets on both sides of the gate outside the temple. Lin Zikui couldn’t see clearly, so he asked Mo Liu, “What’s written on the couplets?”
“Young Master, it is written above that one should kneel down and ask; the universe is a mirror; Tao is not something that can be achieved, but rather something that needs to be done. Sitting at the gate of a mountain temple, with the sun and moon shining on both sides, one shall know that there is a heaven beyond heaven. When one should stop, one must stop.”
Mo Liu is not very old, but he knows a lot of words. He is Lin Zikui’s eye.
Lin Zikui nodded repeatedly after hearing this: ““Good! Good, when one acts, one acts; when one stops, one stops; stopping in the realm of material things, washing one’s mind with immaterial things, a good view of stopping and observing1Xingzhi Temple is literally translated to stop and observe. .”
As he was lamenting, he suddenly noticed a low-profile, unassuming carriage parked off to the side, along with a number of good horses, and wondered who was visiting.
Mo Liu climbed the steps and knocked on the door of the Taoist temple. After a while, a young Taoist priest opened the door. Lin Zikui explained his purpose: “Taoist, I am Lin Zikui, from Huainan. I am going to the capital for the imperial examination. During this period, I would like to stay at Xingzhi Temple for a while and focus on studying. Dare I ask if it’s convenient?”
The Taoist priest looked at him in surprise and then carefully read his pass and the provincial examination documents issued by the Huainan County Magistrate. Although this person looked a little shabby, his temperament is elegant and refined, and he had an extraordinary appearance, so he politely introduced: “Lin-jushi2A term monk used to refer to regular people. , please follow me.”
“Thank you, Taoist.” Lin Zikui lifted his robe and stepped over the threshold with his left foot first. “May I ask, Taoist, those carriages and horses are…”
The Taoist priest whispered, “Those are noble people from the capital coming to visit the temple. They should be high-ranking officials. It seems that their surname is Xiao.”
Lin Zikui was slightly absent-minded.
It was indeed the second miss, his wife, who had not yet married.
