As soon as these words were spoken, both of them knew what the other meant. Although Xiao Fu couldn't see his eyes, he could hear his sincerity.

When Lin Zikui thinks about something, he always thinks about how to solve it, rather than making excuses or breaking the contract.

The second girl said so, maybe the third master had also seen his illness and found some hidden diseases.

Maybe it can be cured in the future. Maybe, he can adopt an abandoned baby and raise him as his own child. Lin Zikui can accept it.

Sometimes, Xiao Fu also wanted to tell him the truth, but his own affairs could not be explained in a few words, nor could they be accepted all at once.

Say a little at a time, slowly but surely, until Lin Zikui's bottom line becomes lower and lower, until he retreats to the point where who he is, whether he is a man or a woman, a human or a demon, is not important at all.

Lin Zikui embodies the most simple side of a scholar. He has not yet entered officialdom, has not been refined, and is not tainted by turbidity. He is a clean unpolished jade.

Xiao Fu wanted him to remain like this forever, and remain steadfast in his determination even if he became an official in the court.

Therefore, when Yuan Qing mentioned that Emperor Wentai had granted Xue Xiang permission to retire and return home, Xiao Fu's first reaction was: "Has he left the city? He is so young, only 64 years old, why would he retire and return home? Bring Xue Xiang to Xingzhi Temple and tell him that I have something important to discuss with him."

Lin Zikui now believes that the imperial examination is on the verge of collapse and his future is bleak, and this is when he needs encouragement.

When Prime Minister Xue left Beijing, he only had a zither and a crane, two simple carriages, and an elderly servant. In the carriage behind were his first wife and fifteen-year-old granddaughter. The rest of his family had returned to their hometown a month ago.

Now that he has taken off his official uniform, the prime minister looks no different from an old man herding cattle on the roadside.

The Jinyiwei sent by the emperor to chase him, but before they could catch up with Xue Xiang, Yuan Qing stopped Xue Xiang first.

The old servant asked loudly, "Who is that person in front? Why are you blocking the road?"

Prime Minister Xue, with the lost and found jewel on his nose, was sitting in the carriage, reading a book with his eyes lowered. When he heard the words, he thought he had met a thief, so he lifted the curtain to take a look.

His eyesight is not as good as before and his face has become very old. People can barely recognize him when they walk up to him.

"Prime Minister Xue, I am Chen Yuanqing, the commander of the troops stationed inside the pass."

"General Chen?" Prime Minister Xue recognized him, having met him many years ago.

"Prime Minister Xue recognized me," Yuan Qing said with a smile, "My Lord is at the Xingzhi Temple. Hearing that Prime Minister Xue is leaving home, he specially invited him to have a drink to celebrate his retirement."

"Your Marquis," Xixi slid down, and Xue Xiang pushed him up, "Marquis Dingbei Xiao Fu?"

"It is the Marquis of Dingbei." Yuan Qing took the initiative to lead the horse, "I will take Prime Minister Xue to the Xingzhiguan Temple, and Madam may as well go with us."

Xue Xiang guessed that it was probably not a farewell dinner. Xiao Fu was not the type to invite people to drink for no reason. What did he want to do...

In Xingzhi Temple, Lin Zikui had not seen Taoist Lingbo for many days, so he asked Mo Liu to send him to Qingxin Pavilion. This time, he happened to meet Taoist Zewu again.

This Taoist priest would come to Qingxin Pavilion occasionally. Since Lin Zikui went there every day, he would often meet him at these times. He would either have a small talk with him or discuss the past and present. They would have long conversations, which always gave Lin Zikui a lot of insights.

He was very willing to chat with Taoist Master Zewu. This time, he couldn't help but sigh: "The Taoist master is so wise, far better than those who seek fame in the court, but he is willing to live in the mountains and valleys, burning incense and sweeping the floor. I didn't quite understand it before, but now I know why people would live in seclusion."

Zewu raised his eyes and looked at him: "What happened during your trip to Jinling that made you feel this way?"

Lin Zikui was not a person who complained about himself. He did not say that he was harmed by villains and that the imperial examination system was dark. He only sighed in a low voice: "The world is full of such people. Who can change them?"

While Lin Zikui was chatting with Taoist Master Zewu, Jinzun squatted on a tree near Qingxin Pavilion and watched for a while. He was discovered by Taoist Master Zewu's guards and driven away.

Jin Zun had no choice but to return to the East Guest Hall, squatting on the wall and said to Xiao Fu: "My Lord, the scholar was talking to the old Taoist priest, and I was discovered by the master beside him and was driven away."

"Jinzun." Xiao Fu raised his hand and called him over, giving him a candy: "That old Taoist priest hates people listening to him the most, so Jinzun, you watch Lin Shusheng from a distance, keep an eye on his safety, and don't let anyone hurt him."

Jinzun took the candy, said "Oh", and went back to the tree near Qingxin Pavilion.

The master around the old Taoist priest was very powerful. He wanted to fight, but the master seemed to know that he was someone around Marquis Dingbei, so he didn't fight with him and just drove him away with a few moves.

He was feeling depressed, and like a monkey on a tree, he stared intently at two people sitting opposite each other across the window lattice: a handsome, elegant and bright-looking blindfolded scholar, and the Taoist priest sitting opposite him who seemed old and had blurry eyes and a thin figure.

In the east guest room. Yuan Wu said, "My Lord, we have been here for such a long time, but we haven't even seen the emperor. We only have Master Lin, who is on good terms with him. How about... let Master Lin go and ask about it? Maybe the whereabouts of the tiger talisman..."

Xiao Fu glanced at him, and Yuan Wu slowly fell silent: "I made a mistake in my words."

Xiao Fu: "The old Taoist likes Zikui because he is well-informed and has great potential. He is a close friend of mine, not a scheming person. The simpler the relationship, the better. You must not take advantage of him."

"Yes, Marquis, I understand..." Yuan Wu sighed in his heart. The Marquis has liked Master Lin for such a long time, but he has not gotten tired of him at all.

"Tomorrow is the New Year's Day. Donate some incense to the Taoist temple, give some alms to the Taoist priests, and make more food tonight so that we can have a reunion dinner together."

Yuan Wu replied yes, and Xiao Fu asked him again: "Why did you take so many days to investigate the imperial examination case this time?"

Yuan Wu replied: "I went to the Ministry of Rites and Shuntian Prefecture to investigate the case and learned that many students disappeared three years ago, but they were all put aside by Shuntian Prefecture. At that time, Mr. Lin's classmate was arrested by Shuntian Prefecture and died in prison. Xu Dang wanted to recruit Mr. Lin, but he was unwilling and planned to file a complaint with the emperor... That's why he was blinded, failed the imperial examination, and returned home sadly. I went to Tang Mengyang's house and found some letters in his house. These things were also mentioned in the letters. Most of the letters were sent by Mr. Lin. There were seventy or eighty letters in the past three years. In order to piece together the complete correspondence, I went to Fengtai County, Huainan Prefecture."

Xiao Fu: "We don't need Xu Zhuojun's evidence. He's already been imprisoned. He'll die in a few days." He stretched out his hand and said, "Where's the letter? Let me see it."

One stack was written by Tang Mengyang, and the other stack was written by Lin Zikui.

Xiao Fu frowned: "So many."

"Yes, they exchanged a lot of letters. I have read them all. Most of the time, Tang Mengyang used metaphors to describe the situation in the capital and asked Master Lin to explain it. In the past three years, Master Lin has made a lot of efforts to help Tang Mengyang get promoted."

Xiao Fu lowered his head and flipped through the letter: "This Tang Mengyang is really a lackey. A so-called Grand Secretary is supposed to guess the emperor's mind and judge the situation. He actually has to rely on a teenager to help him with his plans. What a coward."

After flipping through the letter written by Lin Zikui for a while, Xiao Fu could recognize his handwriting now. The content was nothing serious, just some advice and a good question.

Tang Mengyang's letter is very interesting. He said that he was promoted, moved to a new residence, and asked Lin Zikui to be his aide.

Who would have known that in the last letter, Lin Zikui mentioned that he wanted to go to Beijing to take the exam.

From these letters, it is not difficult to see that Tang Mengyang is not completely incompetent. He is obviously well aware of the situation in the capital and is able to make plans.

However, Xiao Fu looked at it for a long time and said, "This Tang Mengyang..."

Yuanwu thought that the Marquis would say something insightful, after all, he had been watching for so long.

Then Xiao Fu said, "He is indeed a dead gay."

Soon, Yuanqing brought Xue Xiang to Xingzhi Temple.

"My Lord, that is the Prime Minister's wife and his granddaughter."

Xiao Fu walked out of the East Guest Hall and said with a smile, "Prime Minister Xue, please take a seat. Bring me some tea."

"Your Majesty, you are joking. I have already resigned from my post, so how can I be a prime minister?" Prime Minister Xue waved his hand and sat down to sip his tea. "General Chen said that Your Majesty called me here to drink a glass of wine with me? But I am old now, so a glass of tea will be enough for me."

Mrs. Xue Xiang, his granddaughter, and the old servant were all sitting outside and did not come in.

Just now, Prime Minister Xue had already told the women: "This Lord Xiao is not someone you can get along with easily. Don't deal with him. Don't say a word to him."

Xiao Fu didn't like to talk nonsense, so he waited for Xue Xiang to finish his tea and asked, "I guess the Marquis specially invited me here, it's not just a simple cup of tea, right?"

Xiao Fu answered him truthfully: "I have a boyfriend who is a top scholar in Huainan Prefecture."

Before Xue Xiang could figure out what the phrase "my beloved young man" meant, he heard the following sentence and was completely attracted by it.

"Oh? The champion?"

It is said that the first place in the imperial examination is gold and the second place in the imperial examination is silver. A student who can pass the imperial examination must be an extraordinary person.

"When he passed the imperial examination, he was only fourteen years old."

"I... seem to have heard something about it." The fourteen-year-old champion was a child prodigy. Xue Xiang had heard of this three years ago.

Later, I heard that he had a serious eye disease, failed the imperial examination, and returned to his hometown without staying in Yingtianfu Academy to continue his studies.

I never thought I would hear this from Xiao Fu's mouth.

Xiao Fu nodded and said, "This champion is surnamed Lin. He went to Beijing to take the imperial examination recently. He was blinded by Xu's party and became disheartened. He doesn't want to pursue a career in government anymore. So I would like to ask Mr. Xue to help him."

"Harassed by Xu's party?" Prime Minister Xue sighed. "There are only a handful of people who have won the first place in the 14th High School. And the Marquis spoke on his behalf. He must be a great talent."

"Yes, this scholar Lin is well-read, knowledgeable, well-informed, humble and open-minded..." Xiao Fu used at least a dozen words to praise him.

Hearing this, Prime Minister Xue was amazed.

He had met this Marquis Dingbei in his earlier years.

Thinking back to the time when Duke Changguo sent his second son to him for training, he was earnest in his words, saying, "My son is stubborn by nature and refuses to study. After much thought, I think only Prime Minister Xue can teach him a lesson."

Xue Xiang quickly said that he could not cure it.

Xiao Fu was asked to write something. After he finished, Xue Xiang's face turned green. "Xiao Fu! You are already a teenager, why is your handwriting as ugly as that of a five-year-old child!"

When asked to compose a poem, he recited a frivolous doggerel.

I can't even draw.

I can't even play the piano.

Can play a little chess, but not much.

When I have nothing to do, I like to hang upside down on a tree and practice darts with leaves.

Occasionally, he would blow on the bamboo leaves, and the sound was very unpleasant.

He had a handsome face, which attracted the maids in the prime minister's mansion to peek at him every day.

After teaching for half a month, Xue Xiang sent the boy back: "Master, I can't teach your son."

Nowadays, people can actually use four-character phrases and so many words to praise a scholar?

Who is this person?

Just for this, Xue Xiang also had to meet him. Xiao Fu also said: "If you can stay and be his teacher, I believe that Lin Shusheng will become a pillar of the country in the future."

"I can't bear to see talented people buried. Guangling Sanjue! I'm going to meet this man. As for whether to accept him as a student..." Xue Xiang stood up and said, "I'll meet him first."

"He is in Qingxin Pavilion. I will take Elder Xue there. Elder Xue, please do not mention my identity in front of him. Just call me Mr. Xiao."

Xiao Fu took Prime Minister Xue to Qingxin Pavilion, but they were naturally stopped by Taoist Zewu's personal guards. Xiao Fu introduced: "The current Prime Minister Xue Jianzhi has retired and returned to his hometown. Go and inform him."

The guard looked at Xue Xiang a few more times and flew to Qingxin Pavilion.

Xue Xiang raised his head, his nose reflecting the colorful light: "Is there any important person here?"

"You will know when you meet Master Xue. He is an old friend of yours. However, he is a hermit who has escaped from the secular world. His current Buddhist name is Ze Wu. Master Xue, please do not reveal his identity to his face."

"Xiao Fu, what kind of riddle are you talking about?"

Xiao Fu said, "Mr. Xue forgot. You should call me Mr. Xiao."

The guards rarely showed up, but this time the son showed up and whispered a few words into Master Zewu's ear.

Lin Zikui couldn't see it, only Mo Liu saw it and looked at it a few more times out of curiosity.

Master Ze Wudao sat cross-legged on the cushion, clasped his hands, and nodded after a long while: "Let him come up, you know the rules."

The old voice said to Lin Zikui, "Mr. Lin, an old friend from the secular world is here to visit me. He is a true great scholar. Would you like to meet him?"

Lin Zikui sat upright and straightened his sleeves: "Of course I'd like to see you. Thank you for the introduction, Master Zewu."

When the guard led Xue Xiang upstairs, he warned him in a cold voice: "Master Zewu has stepped back, washed away his past, and converted to the Three Treasures. You two can only call him Master."

"Who is it?" Xue Xiang felt a sense of fear in his heart. However, when he pushed open the grille door and saw a plain old man in a gray Taoist robe turning his head in the dusty light, Xue Xiang still could not control his shock, satisfaction and joy at that moment.

After many years, the king and his ministers met again, but no one expected it to be under such circumstances.

Prime Minister Xue fell to his knees with a thud. He opened his mouth and said, "Your old minister..."

"Hey, Elder Xue, your legs are too weak." Xiao Fu pulled him up. Xue Xiang's emotions fluctuated and he couldn't help crying: "Ze Wu... Taoist Master!"

Zewu nodded graciously: "Mr. Xue, how are you?"

"I am fine, I am fine, may I ask the Taoist priest..."

"I am fine too."

When Lin Zikui heard Xiao Fu's voice, he stood up and bowed to the old gentleman. Although he didn't know who he was, he was very polite.

Then he whispered, "The second girl is here too?"

Xiao Fu said "hmm", but fortunately Mr. Xue was hard of hearing and his attention was all on Ze Wu, so he didn't hear it at all.

Xiao Fu walked towards him and stood next to Lin Zikui: "I said I would introduce a teacher to you."

"The one that Master Zewu wants to introduce to me, huh? Is it the same person?"

"It just so happens that it's the same person. His last name is Xue, so you can just call him Master Xue. I will only feel at ease if he is your teacher."

Lin Zikui didn't think about Lord Xue at all, he was just a little surprised. He thought he must be a big family, otherwise why would Zhao Ling say that.

He bowed again and said, "I am Lin Zikui, and I am honored to meet Mr. Xue."

"Are you Lin Zikui?" Elder Xue paid a little attention to him. "The champion of Huainan Prefecture, such a handsome and gentle man, hmm, hmm."

He was obviously satisfied. He had just come in and saw the top scorer talking to Zewu. Old Xue thought that he must be extraordinary, as he was valued by both the Supreme Emperor and Marquis Dingbei.

But he was too busy now. Xiao Fu also knew that Xue Xiang would understand what he had seen and must have something to say. There was no rush to become his disciple. He led Lin Zikui out of Qingxin Pavilion, and Mo Liu followed closely behind.

Xiao Fu sent him away: "You little tail, I'm following your master, stay away."

"oh……"

The young master wanted to talk about love, and Mo Liu was very tactful.

He stood in the library on the second floor, watching the second girl holding her son's hand and leading him down step by step.

I was afraid that he wouldn't see the fall, so I was extra careful.

Mo Liu often sighed that our second girl's height and figure, with broad shoulders and back, if you don't look at her face, she really looks like a man, too much like a man.

Could it be true...

Lin Zikui slowly walked down the stairs under Xiao Fu's guidance and asked, "Is Mr. Xue a great writer?"

Xiao Fu: "Yes, his name is Xue Jianzhi."

"What?!" Lin Zikui's foot slipped and he almost fell down, but Xiao Fu quickly grabbed him and held him firmly in his arms. He sighed with amusement, "I knew you were so careless when walking."

"Is he really Prime Minister Xue Jianzhi?" Lin Zikui looked incredulous.

The name of Prime Minister Xue is known to all scholars in the world.

Xiao Fu: "It's fake."

Lin Zikui: "Oh, you scared me on purpose, that's why I fell."

Xiao Fu changed the subject: "I was lying to you. Seriously, he is Xue Xiang, absolutely genuine."

Lin Zikui almost fell again. He held her in his arms. She could hear the deep laughter coming from Xiao Fu's chest. Lin Zikui raised her head a little unhappy: "Is it true or not? Don't lie to me."

Lin Zikui couldn't see, and didn't know that the angle at which he tilted his head was just right for Xiao Fu to kiss him by lowering his head.

Xiao Fu stared at him deeply: "Really, I didn't lie to you this time. If you don't believe me, go up and ask him."

Lin Zikui believed it about 70% this time, and was still a little confused and shocked. He couldn't speak at all. He was about to lower his head and go downstairs to find a place to rest, but Xiao Fu quickly lowered his head, rubbed his thin lips on Lin Zikui's lips, and sucked them intently for a while, making a soft sucking sound, and then quickly separated.

Lin Zikui was stunned.

He can’t see…

But he vaguely knew what he had done. Lin Zikui's face instantly turned red from his neck to his ears.

He released his hand that was holding Xiao Fu's arm and suddenly squatted down.

Xiao Fu bent down to look at him: "What are you squatting for?"

He shook his head, his face flushed in the snow, and explained in a low voice: "I won't go downstairs. Miss Zhao Ling, we haven't gotten married yet. We can't do this. It's against the rules."

Xiao Fu smiled: "But what can I do? You kissed me yesterday. I have never kissed anyone else in my life."

"Yesterday... that was different. We were in the dark room of the carriage, it was so crowded and dangerous. There was nothing we could do..." Lin Zikui thought, was it me who kissed him? It’s not good to push this matter onto Zhao Ling, so okay, he accepted it.

"The carriage is still parked outside the temple," Xiao Fu held his hand and said, "Prime Minister Xue is a talkative person. We will have to talk for a while. If you don't want to leave, I will carry you to the carriage?"