Chapter 150 The True or False Master (7)
7
Zhu Qingchen took a bite of the dessert, retracted his gaze, and answered Lin Jingzhe's question: "You may not be able to attend class today, and you can't go to the fields to grow vegetables."
Lin Jingzhe also looked back.
There were two carriages parked outside the gate.
Perhaps they had learned from the last lesson where the horse-drawn carriages could not turn around on the dirt road in Linjia Village, so this time there were more people coming back, but fewer horse-drawn carriages, and they were replaced with lighter carriages.
It turns out there is room for two carriages.
Lu Jiming asked his attendants to announce outside the courtyard gate: "Master Zhu, Master Lin, the person you want to see has arrived! Come out and meet him!"
Nearly half a month has passed, and Lin Jingzhe's life has been getting better and better. He almost forgot what happened a while ago.
But now...
Why did Lu Jiming suddenly bring people here?
Is what Lu Jiming said true? Or is he trying to cheat again?
Lin Jingzhe was a little dazed, and subconsciously looked at Zhu Qingchen: "Master..."
Zhu Qingchen threw the last bite of snack into his mouth and clapped his hands: "Let's go out and take a look."
"Yes." Lin Jingzhe stood up hesitantly and followed the teacher.
Zhu Qingchen pushed open the door and looked outside.
Surrounded by attendants outside the courtyard, Zhu Qingchen couldn't tell who was who for a moment.
But Lin Jingzhe followed behind him and saw the lady standing among the attendants at a glance.
The lady looked middle-aged, with gentle features, and beside her stood a young man in his teens. The young man held her hand, leaning slightly sideways, and stood beside her.
The two people seemed to be mother and son, and they seemed to be talking.
As the lady spoke, she gently patted the back of the young master's hand, with a gentle smile on her face.
After just one glance, Lin Jingzhe was stunned where he was.
He didn't know why, but when he saw this lady, he felt a strange touch penetrating his body, like a bolt of lightning that struck him and froze him in place.
Had he...had he met this lady before?
Seeing that he was stunned, Zhu Qingchen did not urge him, but just waited quietly for him to make a decision.
Lu Jiming said, "Master Zhu, I have brought what you asked me to bring, and I have also brought the person you wanted to see, so you two can talk."
He doesn't want to get involved in this matter anymore.
Originally, he thought it was just a matter of running errands. But during this period, he was running back and forth between the capital and Linjia Village. Sometimes L was called a liar by Lin Jingzhe, and sometimes L was mocked by the Earl of Changping for not being able to do things and not even bringing anyone back.
But their families were old friends, the Earl and Lady Changping were his elders, and Yizi was a true good friend, so he couldn't say much.
Even though he was as gentle as jade, and even though he was truly sincere to Yi Zizhen, his heart was almost broken after running around for days.
Just as he was about to get in the car and leave, he was stopped by the young master of Countess Changping.
The young master put his hands together and looked at him eagerly: "Brother Jiming, my father is not here. My mother and I are new here and we are unfamiliar with the place. Please help others to the end and help us. At least introduce us to him, okay?"
Lu Jiming met his hopeful gaze and finally nodded: "Okay."
A smile immediately appeared on the young master's face: "That's great, thank you Brother Jiming."
Lu Jiming extended his hand and introduced him: "That is Lin Jingzhe, your...brother. This is Master Zhu Qingchen, Lin Jingzhe's master."
There is a teacher in this remote mountain village? The young master raised his eyebrows and looked at Zhu Qingchen.
Lu Jiming introduced Zhu Qingchen again: "Master Zhu, this is the Countess of Changping, Madam Yi. This is the son of the Count's Mansion, Yi Zizhen."
After Lu Jiming finished his introduction, I couldn't leave even if I wanted to.
He was the introducer, how could he leave now?
At this time, Countess Changping and Lin Jingzhe also met each other's eyes.
When she saw Lin Jingzhe, Mrs. Yi was obviously touched.
Her expression slightly changed, she took a step forward, and called out hesitantly: "Jingzhe? Are you Jingzhe?"
Hearing Mrs. Yi's gentle voice, Lin Jingzhe could no longer hold back his tears and they fell down in an instant.
He took a step forward, ran towards Madam Yi, threw himself into her arms, and called out in a voice that only he could hear: "Mother..."
Madam Yi hugged him, touched his head, and couldn't help but reddening her eyes: "Jingzhe, my Jingzhe."
The mother and son hugged each other, looking at each other in silence.
Suddenly, Yi Zizhen clapped his hands and laughed, "That's great. Jingzhe was worried that she had made a mistake and refused to go back to the capital with Brother Jiming. Now mother recognized Jingzhe at first sight. It seems that we can be sure that Jingzhe is our child without the need for a blood test."
Refusing to return to the capital? Blood test?
Hearing this, Mrs. Yi suddenly remembered something and her whole body stiffened.
Yes, a few days ago they asked Lu Jiming to pick up Lin Jingzhe, but Lin Jingzhe not only refused to go back with him, she also said that someone from the Earl's Mansion must come and pick her up in person, so she brought Yi Zizheng here.
Thinking of this, Mrs. Yi frowned slightly, raised her hand, and pushed Lin Jingzhe away from her arms.
She said in a cold tone: "Since Jingzhe wants to test it, we still have to test it for the sake of safety."
Lin Jingzhe had tears in her eyes and before she could react, Yi Zizheng hugged her again.
Yi Zizhen smiled and said, "Blood testing is painful, so don't do it, brother. I'll just have to get a few injections, but I can't let my brother suffer."
Madam Yi saw him and said in a soft voice, "Zizhen, since you have done the test, then he should do the test too. Mother will not be partial to one over the other."
She turned her head and raised her hand to the maid who followed her: "Go and prepare."
"Yes." The two maids bowed and went downstairs to prepare the things needed for the blood test.
Madam Yi said to Lin Jingzhe, "Come in. Don't you want to check it? I'll check it right away."
Lin Jingzhe raised his head and looked at her blankly, not knowing what was going on.
Why did the lady's expression and tone change all of a sudden?
Lin Jingzhe reacted and asked quickly, "Madam, are you angry about what happened before?"
Zhu Qingchen wanted to stop him, but it was too late.
This silly child, why did he ask directly?
Never mind, it’s time for him to see clearly.
Zhu Qingchen sighed, said nothing, and just stood beside Lin Jingzhe.
As expected, after he asked this question, Mrs. Yi's expression became stern and she put on airs, no longer losing her composure like before.
She glanced at Lin Jingzhe and said calmly, "Weren't you the one who said that someone from the Earl's Mansion should come to pick you up personally? Weren't you the one who said that a blood test was needed? Now that we have fulfilled your wish, what else do you want?"
"No." Lin Jingzhe explained hurriedly, almost crying, "Last time it was because I didn't know Mr. Lu at all, and I didn't know whether it was true or not, so I didn't go to the capital with him..."
Zhu Qingchen held his hand, led him towards him, and said sternly, "Madam Yi, it was me who said that the Earl's Mansion should come to pick you up personally, and we should also do a blood test to prove our relationship."
Lin Jingzhe quickly retorted: "It's me! I said it!"
At that time, no one knew whether the story was true or not. Even if it was true, he would not blame the Master, let alone "betray" the Master. Zhu Qingchen said, "You don't have to be angry with Jingzhe. Imagine if a stranger who has never met before came to the Earl's Mansion and said that Master Yi was their child, and he wanted to take him away now, would the Madam let Master Yi go with him?"
"Of course you know that Mr. Lu is not a liar, but how do we know that? How can I allow a stranger to take my child thousands of miles away?"
"In my opinion, Madam should not be angry about Jingzhe not going to the capital, but should be happy that Jingzhe is independent and has his own ideas. At least when he is not seen in the Earl's Mansion, he is growing up well. Don't you think so?"
Mrs. Yi was choked by what he said and was speechless.
Yi Zizhen took her hand and said with a smile, "Yes, mother should be happy. I heard from brother Jiming a few days ago that Jingzhe has a teacher named Zhu who is very talented and upright. Mother was worried that Jingzhe would have a hard life outside, but now it's good. With someone as powerful as Zhu teaching Jingzhe, Jingzhe will definitely have a good life."
Zhu Qingchen glanced at him and said nothing more. He just stepped aside and extended his hand to them: "Please come in."
Yi Zizheng supported Mrs. Yi, and Lu Jiming followed behind, and the group entered the courtyard.
No one paid any attention to Lin Jingzhe anymore.
It was as if he was deliberately punishing Lin Jingzhe.
Although they could not refute the reasons given by Zhu Qingchen, although they admitted that what Zhu Qingchen said made sense and that Lin Jingzhe did nothing wrong, they just wanted to punish him for his disobedience.
Lin Jingzhe watched them go in, stood beside the Master, and said in a trembling voice: "Master, did I screw up? Should I not have asked? Should I have followed at that time?"
"No." Zhu Qingchen clenched his fist vigorously, "You are right. Under the circumstances at that time, what you did was right."
"But……"
"Don't doubt yourself, you are right. Stop second-guessing yourself right now."
Zhu Qingchen's tone was firm, and his eyes were equally firm.
Lin Jingzhe met the Master's gaze, slowly calmed down, and stopped trembling.
The teacher and student also returned to the room.
Lin Jingzhe brought out the chairs: "Master, Master, please sit down."
"Yeah." Mrs. Yi brushed the chair with her sleeve and then sat down.
Lin Jingzhe took away the dishes on the table, placed the clean snacks on the table, and poured tea: "You please."
"Yeah." Mrs. Yi took a look at the snacks and tea he brought, but ultimately decided not to eat anything.
She looked around.
Although the room was simple, it was cleaned by Lin Jingzhe.
The only tables, chairs and benches were spotless and neatly arranged. Even though it was a muddy floor, there wasn't much dust on it.
Not bad.
Not long after, the maids came in carrying a copper basin and a tray.
Madam Yi waved to Lin Jingzhe: "Jingzhe, come on."
Lin Jingzhe walked forward, and the maid grabbed his hand, picked up a silver needle, and stabbed his fingertips.
Mrs. Yi saw his dark and thin hands and couldn't help but frown.
A drop of blood fell into the basin, and then Mrs. Yi also stretched out her hand.
Zhu Qingchen sat beside him with his hands folded.
The system was explaining to him that blood testing was actually unscientific and could not detect blood relationships, it could only detect whether the blood types were the same.
Zhu Qingchen said: "If their blood types are different and they are incompatible, the Earl's Mansion will think that Jingzhe is not their child, and Jingzhe will not have to go to the Earl's Mansion, and this world will end directly."
So Zhu Qingchen began to pray——
They don't mix! They don't mix! They don't mix!
With a "tick", a drop of blood fell from Mrs. Yi's fingertips.
Although Lin Jingzhe didn't understand, he opened his eyes wide and observed carefully.
Zhu Qingchen looked up and saw the blood beads slowly spreading in the water and gradually merging.
He was a little disappointed.
Yi Zizhen was the first to jump up: "Congratulations, mother! Congratulations, Jingzhe!" He hugged Lin Jingzhe: "Congratulations on coming home! Brother!"
Madam Yi clenched her hands and turned to look at Lin Jingzhe: "Jingzhe, you are my child."
Lin Jingzhe was still a little bit unbelievable: "Really?"
"Really." Mrs. Yi forced a smile at him and extended her hand to him.
Yi Zizhen pushed him in front of his mother and put their hands together.
Lin Jingzhe held his mother's hand, knelt on the ground, and called out, "Mom."
"Hey." Mrs. Yi responded with a smile, "My good child."
Lin Jingzhe's eyes turned red, and he threw himself into her arms, crying loudly: "Mother! Mother!"
Yi Zizhen smiled and said, "Congratulations, mother. You will have two sons who will be filial to you in the future."
*
The blood test is a sure thing.
Lin Jingzhe lay in the arms of the mother he had never seen, crying like a newborn baby.
It was as if he wanted to shed all the tears that he had never shed in the past ten years at once.
"Mother... Mother! I want to go home, I want to go home! It hurts so much, Lin Laosan beat me so hard, I'm going to die... Save me... Save me..."
When people are extremely sad, they will cry for help.
Even though Lin Laosan was already dead, he still couldn't help but shout for help.
He himself didn't know what he was talking about.
He cried miserably with tears streaming down his face. Mrs. Yi took out a handkerchief and helped him wipe his face.
"Okay, okay, stop crying. You've made mother's clothes dirty. Hurry up and wipe your face."
"Um……"
Lin Jingzhe took the handkerchief and wiped his face vigorously.
Mrs. Yi went to the carriage to change into clean clothes and returned to her simple room.
She said to Zhu Qingchen, "Master Zhu, you should be relieved now, right? Jingzhe is our child, we are not liars."
"Yeah." Zhu Qingchen responded, "I feel relieved."
"In that case, I will take Jingzhe back to the capital."
When he heard that they were going to the capital, Lin Jingzhe quickly raised his head and looked at the teacher.
He really wanted to go home, but he also didn't want to be separated from his master.
When he thought about facing the unfamiliar capital alone, he...
Zhu Qingchen stood up and said, "Okay, Madam, please take him back to Beijing."
Lin Jingzhe was startled: "Master, won't you come with me?"
He turned his head and said to Madam Yi, "Mother, Master Zhu has been very kind to me. If it weren't for Master Zhu, I would have been beaten to death by Lin Lao San. Master Zhu took care of my food and clothing and taught me to study. Now that I have found my relatives, I can't abandon Master Zhu, I..."
Mrs. Yi frowned slightly, but asked, "What book are you reading recently?"
"What?" Lin Jingzhe was puzzled, but soon realized, "The teacher is teaching me the Jijiupian and talking to me about Journey to the West."
Madam Yi's frown deepened: "Master Zhu doesn't seem to have any real talent or knowledge?"
Lin Jingzhe said hurriedly: "No, I just started learning from Master Zhu a few days ago. I have only been learning for less than half a month. It is my fault that I did not learn well, not Master Zhu's fault for teaching."
Madam Yi said, "When we return to the capital, I will find a better teacher for you to study with Zizhen. The famous Master Pei or Master Liu in the capital have opened private schools, and Zizhen is studying there. You can study with him..."
Wait a minute, Pei? Liu?
Zhu Qingchen sat up straighter. Why did these two surnames sound so familiar?
No way?
Zhu Qingchen thought for a moment and immediately made a decision. He said calmly, "Madam, you don't know that Jingzhe has only been learning from me a few days ago. He doesn't even recognize a few commonly used characters. If I put him in the academy of the great scholar in the capital, I'm afraid he won't be able to keep up."
"It just so happens that I have a few students in the capital, and I want to go see them too. How about this, I will accompany Jingzhe to the capital. As for whether to hire me to continue teaching Jingzhe, Madam can go back and discuss it with the uncle before making a decision."
"What did the lady say?"
There was nothing missing in what he proposed, and Mrs. Yi had no reason to refuse.
"In this case, let's follow Master Zhu's advice."
*
Zhu Qingchen and Lin Jingzhe simply packed their luggage.
Before leaving, they said goodbye to the villagers. Zhu Qingchen asked them to take care of his and Lin Jingzhe's house from time to time, as they might come back to live there in the future.
Then Zhu Qingchen bought some snacks, paper and pens for the students in the village, and told them to review well, as he would come back to check after a while.
After doing these things, they boarded the carriage to Beijing.
Zhu Qingchen was in a carriage alone, Lin Jingzhe was in a carriage with his mother, and Yi Zizhen.
The two sons sat beside Madam Yi and surrounded her, which made her very happy.
Lin Jingzhe sat next to his mother and asked in a low voice: "Mom, what kind of person is father?"
Madam Yi stroked his hair and said gently, "Your father is the Earl of Changping. He is a very dignified and serious man."
"That……"
"Don't worry, your father is very good to his son and will be very good to you too."
"Yeah." Lin Jingzhe snuggled up to his mother like a little animal.
Yi Zizheng smiled and went forward.
Madam Yi stroked his hair and said, "Don't worry, Zizhen. Your parents will treat you the same as before."
"No need." Yi Zizhen shook his head, "I have monopolized my parents for so many years, they should compensate Jingzhe a little more."
"What are you talking about?" Madam Yi said with a smile, "Dad and Mom are not partial. From now on, if there is a share for Jingzhe, there will be a share for you."
She turned her head and told Lin Jingzhe: "This matter is not Zizhen's fault, and you should not hate him. You should treat him as your brother. If there is anything you don't understand, let your brother teach you." Lin Jingzhe felt that something was wrong. He met his mother's slightly serious eyes and finally nodded: "Yes."
Lin Jingzhe knew in his heart that his mother was right. Yi Zizhen was just a newborn baby at the time. It was not him who switched them, so it was not his fault.
Moreover, he has been with his mother for so many years. His mother has watched him grow up and must have feelings for him.
So he tried hard to overcome the little knot in his heart, not to hate Yi Zizheng, and not to force his mother to make a choice.
He chose to bear it silently.
But Madam Yi didn't seem to notice his responsibility, and continued, "You should respect your brother, don't be jealous of him, and be more open-minded."
Lin Jingzhe lowered his eyes: "I...I understand."
He always felt that something was wrong, but he couldn't tell what it was.
He secretly went to the teacher and told him these words. The teacher poked his head and said: "You are too wronged."
Lin Jingzhe said, "I am willing to do so. As long as I can be with my mother, I am willing to suffer a little. Besides, it's not that my mother doesn't like me, she just wants to give half to Yi Zizhen. I will be satisfied with half."
Zhu Qingchen looked at the students who were laughing foolishly and sighed.
After all, the master could not replace his mother. Lin Jingzhe was still young and had just met his mother. He longed for maternal love. Even if there was only half of it left, even if there was only a little bit left, he would rush to it like a moth to a flame.
There is no other way but to let him see clearly slowly.
Five days later, the group arrived in the capital.
When approaching the capital, Zhu Qingchen suddenly found that the surrounding scenery and buildings looked familiar.
He opened the window curtain and couldn't help but stick his head out to look.
"System, I really feel like I've been to this place before!"
"It looks familiar. I know there should be a pavilion in front! Look, there really is one!"
"There's a temple ahead with a lot of incense. I must have been there to burn incense. I remember it very clearly..."
The next moment, a corner of the temple's roof appeared from behind the trees.
The system was shocked: "Chenchen, have you sleepwalked here?"
"I shouldn't be sleepwalking. I should be..."
The next moment, the carriage passed in front of the temple, and the temple's plaque came into view -
Dajue Temple!
"System, Dajue Temple!" Zhu Qingchen remembered everything, and he was a little incoherent, "Dajue Temple... the vegetarian food in Dajue Temple, wild vegetables mixed with rice, plus wild plum sauce, it's delicious!"
"You only remember what to eat?" The system urgently turned on the electronic screen and began to search for what was going on.
"In the first world, my students were going to take the imperial examination. The old school official said that this temple was very powerful, but they all lied to me. They said they would not come to worship. But when I came, they all came secretly! They...they..."
"In the end, one of my students got first place in the imperial examination, and another got third place. They were so angry that they surrounded me and beat me up!"
This was the first world where Zhu Qingchen started his mission, and he was deeply impressed.
All the memories belonging to the novice world came back to him, and he remembered everything!
No wonder, no wonder Lu Que said before -
"The emperor and officials in the capital are all okay, because they all have a good teacher."
So…so…
He is the teacher!
Zhu Qingchen was extremely excited. Just at this moment, a carriage drove into the city gate and entered the city.
Jingcheng is a colloquial name, and the Jingcheng here is actually called Yong'an City!
The plaque on the city gate also has the two big characters "Yong'an" engraved on it.
The buildings in the city were no different from what he remembered, except for some minor renovations.
The carriages rumbled along Xuanwu Street.
Suddenly, Zhu Qingchen saw a group of young students gathered outside the mansion in front.
This group of students, wearing coarse linen clothes, were crowded together, holding their articles high in their hands, expecting to get guidance from the teacher.
This scene seems familiar.
But back then, the teacher who taught the students was Zhu Qingchen.
Who is it now?
In another carriage, Madam Yi introduced Lin Jingzhe, "Master Pei and Master Liu in the capital help poor students read articles every month. Of course, you and Zizhen don't have to squeeze in with them. The two masters have opened a private school at home. If you want, you can go to class with Zizhen."
Lin Jingzhe looked at this scene and suddenly felt excited.
On the other side, Zhu Qingchen was stunned for a moment, and finally reacted, and hurriedly said: "Stop the car! Please stop the car!"
The driver pulled the reins and stopped the horse.
"Thank you." Zhu Qingchen jumped off the carriage and ran forward quickly.
In front of the mansion, two old teachers were standing inside the door, leaning on their crutches, looking at the students.
Two or three book boys, holding bamboo baskets, shouted, "Please put your essays in the bamboo baskets. The two teachers will review them and return them to you in three days."
The crowd was surging like a solid wall. Zhu Qingchen tried hard to squeeze in but kept circling outside.
He stood on tiptoe and jumped up on the spot, trying to see it more clearly.
But at this time, there were too many people, and the two old masters turned around and wanted to go back, leaning on their crutches.
Zhu Qingchen was a little anxious and shouted loudly: "Pei Xuan! Liu An! I... I'm back!"
The next moment, the crowd fell silent and turned to look at him.
How dare this man call two old masters by their first names? Is he crazy?
Zhu Qingchen ignored the confused looks from others, stood on tiptoe, put his hands on his hips, and straightened his chest.
I! It’s me! Your most beloved teacher!
The two old masters turned their heads suddenly, their eyes looking across the crowd to the young master.
This glance was separated by a hundred years.
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