Talking about this marriage, when his father arranged a marriage for him, Lin Zikui was only fourteen years old, had not yet fallen in love, and was very ignorant about the idea of ​​getting married.

At that time, Lin Zikui was devoted to reading books of sages. He started studying classics at the age of three and was regarded as a child prodigy. He could write essays at the age of seven, ranked first in the county school at the age of nine, and won the top spot in the Huainan County Examination when he was only fourteen!

At this age, he is truly a rare genius!

Unfortunately, he suffered from an eye disease. During the imperial examination in the spring of the following year, Lin Zikui suddenly felt unbearable pain in his eyes. He knew the test questions by heart, but found it difficult to write.

He failed the exam and was ashamed to be a student of the Shangshu, so he returned to Fengtai County dejectedly.

At that time, Lord Xiao was still a seventh-rank official. He happened to handle a major case and was appreciated by a nobleman, so he and his family moved to Nanjing.

Lin Zikui lived in Fengtai County and studied hard. His vision became increasingly blurred and he had to look closely to recognize words. The doctor forbade him to use his eyes like this, so he could not study all the time.

So there were distracting thoughts in my mind.

Miss Xiao Er is three years older than me.

Lin Zikui didn't know her name and had never seen her face, but he had imagined in his mind that this was his wife-to-be. What would she look like and what kind of personality would she have?

His eye disease did not heal, so his father took him to visit famous doctors everywhere. But he died of an acute illness last winter.

Lin Zikui's eyes were swollen from crying, and he was in a daze for several months. When I was sorting out old things at home this year, I found the dusty marriage certificate, which had been preserved very well.

In August, the results of the autumn examination were announced. The neighbors were beating drums and gongs. Lin Zikui was listening to his servant boy reading to him. Someone passed by his door and called him "Mr. Lin".

Soon, Lin Zikui took Mo Liu to Jinling.

At this moment, they arrived at Xingzhi Temple and first entered the main hall to kneel down and worship Emperor Wenchang. Lin Zikui lowered his head and saw that his appearance was untidy, and he felt ashamed.

Afterwards, the master and servant were led by the young Taoist priest to the depths of the Taoist temple and into a secluded guest hall.

There is a palm-sized plaque hung at the door of the living room, with the three characters "Xixin Hall" engraved vertically. Entering into a small courtyard, there are two rooms inside and outside, with bamboo curtains and elm tables under the eaves. Spots of light shine on the time-honored wooden table like flowing water, and bursts of sandalwood scent waft over the air.

The Taoist said in a gentle voice, "This is a guest hall specially prepared for scholars who are preparing for the imperial examination. If you want to stay for a few days, Xingzhiguan will not charge you for accommodation. You can share three meals a day with the Taoist priests. You can stay as long as you want. Nowadays, there are few scholars coming to the guest hall. Mr. Lin, you two, one big and one small, will pay 20 coins per day."

It’s really cheap!

Lin Zikui took out some silver from his sleeve, thinking that if he broke off the engagement with Miss Xiao, it would be inconvenient for him to live here, but... maybe Miss Xiao couldn't stand him and turned back to Jinling?

This is very likely.

Lin Zikui wanted to stay for a long time, but he didn't know what would happen in the future, so he could only pay two hundred coins first: "My servant and I will stay for a few days. Thank you, Taoist priest. What's your name?"

"You are welcome, sir. I am Lingyuan."

Lin Zikui looked around and could barely see all the furnishings. There was no bathroom here, but there was a tattered bamboo screen.

He hesitated and asked, "Excuse me, Taoist Lingyuan, is there a bathtub in the guest hall? Where can I get hot water? I got my clothes dirty when I went up the mountain, so I need to wash up. I have to visit the abbot early tomorrow morning."

Taoist Priest Lingyuan: "Mr. Lin came in a hurry, and these things are not ready yet. The temple is busy today, and there are distinguished guests staying in the East Guest Hall. I will send some items for you to use later. If you are in a hurry to bathe, you can go to the back mountain, there are several hot springs."

Hearing this, Mo Liu leaned over to Lin Zikui's ear and said, "Master, I saw an orange tree in the back hill. Let's go!"

"Okay...thank you Taoist Lingyuan."

Lin Zikui put down the book frame, carefully took out the pen, ink, paper and inkstone one by one, and placed the book on the table.

Not long after, Taoist Lingyuan brought clean bedding, bamboo mats, two clean plain gray Taoist robes, and some food. Lin Zikui thanked him again and again.

He is a gentle, respectful, frugal person with the best temper, and seems like anyone can bully him.

Lingyuan explained some things and then left. It was just past noon, and Mo Liu felt sleepy, but he was still thinking about the oranges. Lin Zikui wanted to take a bath: "I am too slovenly to be worn for visiting the Second Miss, not to mention worshipping the Emperor Wenchang."

Mo Liu forced himself to sleep, yawned, and picked up the medicine: "Let's go, sir, let's go to the back mountain."

There are several roads in the back mountain, but fewer people walk on them, so they are not as easy to walk on as those in the front mountain.

Lin Zikui followed the sound of flowing water and climbed up the stairs. Mo Liu picked a bunch of oranges along the way and ate them as he walked. When he saw the small shrine of the social worker's mother on the side of the road, he asked his son to pay homage to it.

After walking for an incense stick and a half, they finally saw a hot spring with steam bubbling out of it, hidden behind a row of green bamboos.

Lin Zikui stretched out his hand to touch the water, which was slightly hot, but not hot enough to burn him.

Mo Liu took out the medicine bag and said, "Master, apply the medicine."

The medicine bag is a thin piece. It was prescribed by the doctor for Lin Zikui. It is for internal and external use. Apply the medicine bag on the eyelids and remove it after two hours.

"The doctor said that when you take a bath, the hot steam will help the medicine be absorbed faster." Mo Liu said as he diligently wrapped Lin Zikui with a black cloth and blindfolded him.

Mo Liu held the orange, yawned, and sat on the stone behind him.

Darkness came over him, and Lin Zikui said, "Mo Liu, your clothes are dirty too, don't you want to wash them?"

"As for me, there's no rush. Young master, you take the bath." Mo Liu thought, he was not as fond of cleanliness as the young master. Besides, the young master was shy and liked to bathe alone. He didn't like to have anyone around him.

Lin Zikui had no choice but to go along with him. Although her eyes were covered and she couldn't see at all, her senses were still there. She took off her clothes layer by layer until she was naked. Her skin felt cold from the wind.

He hissed softly, squatted on the ground, and slowly went into the water like a blind man. He stepped one foot on the bottom of the pool, then put the other foot down, and finally squatted slowly into the slightly hot spring water. The spring water gradually flooded his waist, abdomen, and chest...

Only the white collarbone and smooth shoulders remained above the water.

The weak scholar Lin Zikui did not know that on the other side of the spring, there was a martial artist named Lord Dingbei, who leisurely watched him strip down to nothing and fall into the water, without moving or making a sound.

His eyes were more beautiful than peach blossoms, and they were naturally affectionate and smiling. Despite this, few people said that he was friendly.

Xiao Fu looked at Lin Zikui, his eyes sweeping across his uncovered lower face inch by inch, to the vaguely visible part under the water.

This blind man can't see himself at all.

Xiao Fu leaned lazily against the stone wall, holding his chin with one hand and looking at him.

Lin Zikui was extremely tired from the journey and yawned, then leaned his head against a cold stone. He had gotten used to blindfolding himself over the past three years, and was not as helpless as he was at the beginning. The bitter aroma of herbs filled the air, and Lin Zikui asked, "Mo Liu?"

"Sir...ah, what's wrong?"

"It's okay. I just wanted to ask if you fell asleep accidentally. We walked all the way from Jinling, sleeping in the open air. You are so young, and you have suffered with me. I feel bad. I will definitely pass the imperial examination next spring... Then, you won't have to suffer anymore."

When it comes to high school, Mo Liu suddenly becomes much more energetic.

"It is Mo Liu's fortune to follow you! You taught me how to read and write, gave me a name, and brought me from Fengtai County to Jinling. My parents passed away early, you are my father!"

“…”

Lin Zikui was helpless: "Mo Liu, I am only four or five years older than you, how could I give birth to a child as old as you."

"Pooh, Mo Liu is wrong. The young master is my brother, but if the young master and Miss Xiao get married in the future, they will have a child soon."

Lin Zikui shook his head and said, "The marriage with Miss Xiao Er will definitely not work out."

"Why not? If you pass the palace examination in the spring of next year and win the favor of His Majesty, and get the first place, you will be appointed to the cabinet! When you see Mr. Xiao, the head of the Ministry of Revenue, you will regret it! He will definitely come to pick you up and marry the second lady in person."

"Don't talk nonsense."

"I know, sir, I remember everything you said. But this is a remote place, not in Jinling, Mo Liu is not talking nonsense, isn't Sir Xiao just looking down on others..."

Lin Zikui shook his head: "First of all, it is difficult to pass the imperial examination. It is not as easy as you said."

"But young master, you were able to write at the age of three, write poems at the age of seven, and passed the imperial examination at the age of fourteen. As the old saying goes, a gold imperial examination is worth a silver imperial examination. If you hadn't suddenly developed an eye disease, you would have passed the imperial examination three years ago!"

Lin Zikui ignored him and continued, "Secondly, I have never met the Second Miss and have no feelings for her. I came to Xingzhi Temple to visit her because I couldn't see Master Xiao. I wanted to be frank with the Second Miss and make this marriage clear. Others say that I am marrying up, but that is not my intention. If she intends to cancel the engagement, I will tear up the marriage certificate and never mention it again. No one will know about this old story, so it won't disturb her reputation."

Mo Liu suddenly realized: "Yes, the second girl is three years older than the young master. In the future, my young master will pass the imperial examination and become the first place. He will be favored by the princess and become her husband... This marriage is over, so let it go! We don't care!"

Heat filled the air and Lin Zikui felt the water was a little too hot. The medicinal power spread and stung his eyes with heat.

Lin Zikui stood up a little, his chest, red from being scalded by the hot water, emerged from the water, and laughed at him: "You are a brat, I don't want to be the son-in-law of the Xiao family, nor do I want to be the prince consort."

When he smiled, a small dimple appeared on his left cheek, adding a touch of cuteness to his elegant and refined temperament.

The servant asked again: "What do you want to be, sir?"

"A real man should help the world and fight against the strong and help the weak! Although the world is peaceful now, the current emperor is tyrannical and unjust, and does not care about what people say. It's really..." Having said this, Lin Zikui slowly fell silent.

Even Mo Liu didn't hear clearly, so he asked him, "What did the young master say?"

"Nothing." If someone heard this, he would be beheaded.

Bamboo leaves floated into his hair. Lin Zikui reached out and touched them, then picked two leaves. There seemed to be more, so he tilted his head and submerged his hair in the water.

In the dim light, I seemed to be able to sense a gaze staring straight at me.

But he had clearly seen that there was no one here just now.

He thought it was an illusion and didn't care.

But this gaze became stronger and stronger, so strong that it could not be ignored! With the sound of flowing water, Lin Zikui felt a little uneasy. He also felt a little dizzy from soaking in the water, so he quickly got up and said, "Mo Liu, I need to get dressed. Don't look at me."

Lin Zikui turned his back, with water droplets still hanging on his body, one by one, forming a string and flowing down along the grooves of his back, waist and buttocks. Lin Zikui bent his legs, naked, and bent down to pick up the clean clothes stacked on the stone.

But he was blindfolded after all, and he put it on the wrong way. After struggling for a long time, Mo Liu offered to help him, but Lin Zikui refused to let him: "Turn your back, don't look at me, I'm blind, not disabled."

The word "blind" was specially emphasized.

Although Lin Zikui has a good temper, he can be stubborn at times. Mo Liu is his book boy, not his servant, and things like dressing should not be done by Mo Liu.

"Oh." Mo Liu thought he was shy and took a secret glance at him. He thought to himself that the young master's skin was really white. He had been locked up at home studying for many years. Except for some calluses on his fingers, the rest of his skin was as smooth as cream.

No wonder those scholars in the academy called her a beauty behind her back.

Lin Zikui put on his clothes, leaned on Mo Liu's shoulders, and walked a long way before he lowered his voice and asked, "Just now, did you see anyone else in the spring?"

Mo Liu opened his eyes wide: "I just looked, there's no one there!"

Lin Zikui's expression became a little more serious: "Did you look carefully?"

"I..." Mo Liu shook his head, "I didn't look carefully... Did you notice someone?!"

"It seems like there is someone there... That's why I stopped you from looking." Even when getting out of the bath, he reminded her loudly.

Mo Liu was terrified: "Why didn't the young master say anything? Is that person a man or a woman?"

"I don't know. If it's a girl...she will scream when she sees a man. Or maybe she won't dare to make a sound because I'm blind and pretends to be away. But if it's a man..." Lin Zikui began to feel confused. "Why is he staring at me so intently?"

Mo Liu: "Needless to say, you pervert!"

The author has something to say:

ps: He passed the imperial examination at the age of 14 and won the first place at the age of 18. I looked through the History of Ming Dynasty and found a case. It was Zhao Shichun, who won the first place in the spring examination in the fifth year of Jiajing and ranked third in the second class of the palace examination.