Chapter 151 The True or False Master (8)
8
Nearly a hundred years.
It is enough to renovate Dajue Temple three times.
It is enough to accommodate tens of millions of students coming in and out of the academy.
It is also enough to turn the high-spirited top scholar and the third place scholar into a decrepit old scholar.
The two old masters heard the familiar call from deep in their memories and turned around at the same time.
Their old eyes traveled through time, across mountains and seas, searching among the crowd, and finally fell on the still young Master.
The two people almost suspected that they had seen it wrong.
They stared blankly at the crowd, their hands holding the crutches trembling slightly, and they were unable to stand unsteadily, needing the support of their servants to barely stand steady.
Zhu Qingchen stood on tiptoe in the silent crowd, raised his hand and waved at them vigorously.
It's me! I'm back!
"Brother, I seem to be dying. I saw the Master coming to pick me up."
"Nonsense, I saw that too."
"Then we'll die together."
"If you want to die, go first. I won't die with you. That's clearly..."
The next second, the two old men reacted at the same time.
That's the Master!
They broke away from the support of the servant, leaned on their crutches, pushed through the crowd, and walked quickly towards the teacher.
They automatically made way for him in the crowd. Their steps were hurried, even a little messy, for fear that Master Zhu would disappear in the next second.
Zhu Qingchen also pushed through the crowd and walked towards them.
Teachers and students on both sides of the crowd slowly approached each other, just like two little stars in the sky, who once again intersected again after nearly a hundred years of hasty intersection.
Finally, the two old masters came to Zhu Qingchen, one on the left and one on the right, and held his hands respectively.
Zhu Qingchen looked at the two students who had changed so much that he couldn't recognize them for a moment.
But as soon as they opened their mouths, Zhu Qingchen immediately understood.
"Master..." This aggrieved tone was obviously Pei Xuan's.
Zhu Qingchen still remembered that the left was respected in Yong'an City, so when Pei Xuan stood with his senior brother, he would definitely stand on the right to show respect.
Pei Xuan held the Master's hand tightly and asked pitifully, "Didn't the Master say that he would be back after traveling for a few years? Why did you come back now? My brother and I have been waiting for you for a long time."
Zhu Qingchen's eyes were red. He held his hand and apologized softly: "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it..."
"I thought I would never see Master again in this life..." Pei Xuan pursed his lips and was about to cry.
He forgot that he was old and thought he was still a young student in his twenties who could cry freely in front of his teacher.
Liu An touched him and asked him to wipe away his tears.
"Master." Although Liu An was shocked, he still maintained the last bit of rationality.
He held Zhu Qingchen's arm, called out a few times, and looked around: "Master, this place is not convenient, let's go in and talk."
"Okay." Zhu Qingchen responded, and two students supported him on his left and right, and were about to help him into the mansion.
but……
Zhu Qingchen felt like he had forgotten something.
What did you forget?
Zhu Qingchen scratched his head, and just as he stepped onto the stairs and was about to cross the threshold, an idea suddenly occurred to him.
"Yes, I have another student!" Zhu Qingchen reacted, "You have another junior fellow student outside!"
In his excitement, he almost forgot that he came here to accompany Jingzhe, and almost went home with other students.
Zhu Qingchen turned around and walked out.
Two students, leaning on crutches, strode behind him.
Just as they walked out, the system came back.
"Minister, I found it."
"Um?"
“The small world is constantly evolving. It won’t end when the original book ends or when you leave.”
"You can understand it as a small world, not a point, but a line. Countless small worlds are like countless intersecting lines, and each place you land is a point."
"Now, you have landed at another point on the same line, a few decades after the novice world, so you meet your former students."
"So..." Zhu Qingchen asked, "There was a Zhu Qingchen decades ago, and there is another Zhu Qingchen now. Doesn't that mean I have become an old monster?"
The system said faintly: "You are a little goblin."
"Huh——" Zhu Qingchen had a complicated expression and goose bumps all over his body.
The system finally said: "You'd better hide your identity and don't expose it."
The system took a closer look and saw two old men following Zhu Qingchen. Its electronic eyes almost dropped: "No..." It was stunned for a moment: "You have been exposed?" "Yes." Zhu Qingchen whispered, "I saw them in the carriage, I was a little excited, and then I jumped out of the car to recognize them."
"Ah?!" the system screamed, "What should I do? You really turned into a monster!"
"It's okay, I have a way to remedy this."
Zhu Qingchen comforted it with a few words, then stopped, turned around and looked at the two students.
"A Xuan, An'er...ah, no, Master Pei, Master Liu, actually I am not Master Zhu. Master Zhu is my grandfather, and I am his grandson, Zhu Qingchen II."
System toe grip, if it has a toe.
Even Zhu Qingchen himself didn't believe this.
But he had to look serious and solemn.
Zhu Qingchen counted on his fingers: "Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple. Our Zhu family has Zhu Qingchen, Zhu Hongchen, and Zhu Chengchen..."
Pei Xuan and Liu An looked at each other and frowned: "Master, we are no longer children."
They are old people now!
"..." Zhu Qingchen choked.
Finally, Liu An held his hand and whispered, "The master is not willing to reveal his identity, we all know that. Tell others that he is the master's grandson. Pei Xuan and I both know the specific reason."
"Yes." Pei Xuan nodded.
"No." Zhu Qingchen was a little confused and asked in a low voice, "How come you accepted it so easily? Don't you think it's scary? Don't you think it's weird that I've always been so young?"
Pei Xuan said seriously: "The Master is a deity, we all know that."
"Ah?" Zhu Qingchen frowned, "When did I become a god?"
"I knew that the Master was the Wenqu Star from heaven. As long as there are people suffering in the world, the Master will come down to save them." Pei Xuan said seriously, "I am one of those who was saved by the Master."
The logic is self-consistent.
They are all old and have seen a lot of ups and downs.
As long as they know in their hearts that the Master is a good person, that is enough.
Besides, the Master has finally come back to see them, and if they don't treat him well, are they going to drive him out?
impossible!
The problem was solved very smoothly.
Zhu Qingchen brought two students to the carriage of the Earl's Mansion.
The people from the Earl's Mansion, sitting in the carriage, were stunned when they saw this scene.
Who exactly is this Zhu Qingchen? These two old masters were from the same school, and were the top scholar and third scholar in the same year. After passing the imperial examination, they both served in the Dali Temple and were quite famous in Beijing.
It is said that the teacher who taught them back then was named "Zhu Qingchen".
Later, the two retired. According to Zhu Qingchen's previous habit, they helped the students outside to read articles every month. They also opened a private school at home and selected suitable students to teach.
Even for the Earl's Mansion and the Marquis' Mansion, it took a lot of effort to get Lu Jiming and Yi Zizhen into their schools. Even Yi Zizhen was not accepted last year.
They originally thought that Zhu Qingchen was just a teacher living in the mountains who knew a few words and read a few words. He had the same name as Master Zhu in the capital. His claim that he had students in the capital was probably nonsense, and he was trying to get a reward from the Earl's Mansion.
But now...
How come Zhu Qingchen is so familiar with the two famous masters Pei and Liu in the capital?
How could he address the two masters by their names? And let the two old masters come out to greet him personally?
Could he really be some powerful character?
Everyone in the group had their own guesses, only Lin Jingzhe looked confident.
He believed the Master. The Master had said that he had students in the capital, so that meant he really had students. How could the Master lie?
At this time, Zhu Qingchen and Pei Liu appeared in front of them.
Lu Jiming was the first to react. He quickly got out of the carriage and bowed: "Master Pei! Master Liu!"
After he shouted, Yi Zizhen finally came to his senses and quickly got off the carriage: "Master!"
Zhu Qingchen turned to look at his two students.
Pei Xuan and Liu An held their crutches, their expressions unchanged, and nodded slightly: "Well, no need to be polite."
He's quite arrogant.
Zhu Qingchen couldn't help laughing. The two students immediately looked at him and cleared their throats somewhat embarrassedly.
Even if you are in your seventies or eighties, you are still a child in front of the Master.
Zhu Qingchen turned around and waved to Lin Jingzhe who was standing behind him: "Jingzhe, come here."
"Hey." Lin Jingzhe hurried forward and called out softly, "Master."
"These two are yours..." Zhu Qingchen paused.
Senior brother?
The master is in his twenties, the senior brother is in his seventies or eighties, and the junior brother is fourteen years old.
The age span is too large.
Zhu Qingchen thought about it and changed his words: "Your elders, Master Pei and Master Liu."
Lin Jingzhe greeted politely: "Hello, both teachers."
Pei Xuan asked: "Are you Master Zhu's... new student?"
"Yes." Lin Jingzhe nodded, "The teacher said that the students he has are as countless as the stars in the sky, and I am just one of them."
Upon hearing this, Pei Xuan immediately looked at Zhu Qingchen seriously.
Master, you still say you are not a deity! You have accepted the stars as your disciples, so you must be a deity!
Zhu Qingchen touched the tip of his nose and turned his head away.
Pei Xuan asked Lin Jingzhe again: "Are you in Beijing for something?"
Lin Jingzhe replied: "I want to go to Beijing to look for my relatives."
"Have you found it? Do you need help?"
"I have found it. Thank you, Master Pei."
At this time, Liu An glanced at Lu Jiming and Yi Zizhen standing aside, and whispered: "There have been rumors in the capital a few days ago that the Earl of Changping is going to adopt a child from a relative's family. It seems to be him."
What? Adoption? A relative's child?
Lin Jingzhe was stunned. How could there be such a rumor? He was not a relative's child, he was the Earl's child!
He looked at the Master in disbelief.
Zhu Qingchen shook his hand and said to Pei Liu and the other two students, "I have to accompany Jingzhe to the Earl's Mansion first. You two should go back and pack up. I should be staying in the capital for a while."
"Do you need to send someone to accompany the Master?"
"Two please."
"yes."
Pei Xuan and Liu An quickly turned around and said to the servant behind them, "Go call Pei Zhen and Liu Yun, and ask them to bring a few servants. Quick! Now!"
Pei Zhen and Liu Yun are their little grandsons, only a few years older than Lin Jingzhe, two young boys.
Zhu Qingchen thought that he looked a bit like the young Pei Xuan and Liu An.
Pei Liu and the others told them to take good care of Master Zhu, take him to the Earl's Mansion, and then bring him back. If anyone dared to be disrespectful, they would be arrested immediately!
"Yes." The two grandsons nodded and agreed seriously.
Zhu Qingchen took the two children away and got back on the carriage.
Pei Liu and the other man stood there, leaning on their crutches, and watched the teacher leave.
After the Master left, the two men turned around and walked back at full speed, competing with each other just like they had done decades ago.
"Master, please stay in my house. I will go back and pack my things right away."
"It's too much trouble for you to go back, Master, it's better for you to stay in my house. Go and inform the other brothers."
"How dare you disobey my senior brother?"
*
On the other side, Zhu Qingchen was completely relaxed, leaning against the wall of the carriage.
Originally he was a little worried about how to deal with the Earl's Mansion.
Now, his students are all here.
He remembered that he had accepted more than two students, Pei Liu, but more than ten others. He estimated that they were now the most influential people in the capital.
Playing at home, no fear at all!
The system said faintly: "As expected of you, Chenchen, the white moonlight of the entire capital."
"Of course." Zhu Qingchen said confidently.
Lin Jingzhe sat next to him and looked at him seriously. The teacher was so awesome!
Pei Zhen and Liu Yun looked at him equally seriously. How come this Master Zhu looked exactly like the Master Zhu their grandfather had talked about?
Soon, the carriage stopped in front of the Earl's Mansion.
As soon as the carriage stopped, Yi Zizhen and Lu Jiming came forward impatiently, stretched out their hands to Zhu Qingchen, and wanted to help him get off.
The two people hesitated to speak: "Master Zhu, you and the two old masters are..."
Zhu Qingchen held onto the carriage pillar and said calmly, "I am the descendant of Master Zhu."
"I see."
Upon hearing Zhu Qingchen's background, the two looked at each other with surprise flashing in their eyes.
After all, Lu Jiming only entered the academy last year and received instruction from two old masters, who were not particularly satisfied with him.
But Yizi was not chosen and did not get in. He spent half a year polishing an article and planned to try again this year.
Seeing their attitude towards Zhu Qingchen just now, he became interested. If he could ask Zhu Qingchen to say a few words for him, he would definitely be able to go in and study.
Zhu Qingchen probably guessed that these two people had something to ask of him, so he pretended not to know and took Lin Jingzhe into the Earl's Mansion.
"Let's go, I'll send Jingzhe in first and see what to do next."
Mrs. Yi also saw what happened just now.
She was more stable after all, and replied with a smile: "Yes, let Jingzhe and Master Zhu settle down in the mansion first."
As long as Zhu Qingchen stays, nothing will be difficult to handle.
Mrs. Yi smiled gently and extended her hand towards Lin Jingzhe.
However, Lin Jingzhe was still a little depressed because of the rumors about the "relative's child". He didn't want to go up, but Yi Zizhen pushed him, and he went forward and took his mother's hand.
The group crossed the threshold, passed through the corridor, and finally entered the Earl's Palace.
Since they were coming back, Mrs. Yi sent someone back early to inform them.
In the main hall, a tall, thin, middle-aged man with a goatee was sitting in the main seat, holding a teacup.
I think this person must be the Earl of Changping, Master Yi.
Seeing someone coming, he put down the teacup, raised his eyes slightly, first glanced at Madam Yi and Yi Zizhen, and finally his sharp gaze fell on Lin Jingzhe.
He said coldly: "Ken is back?"
Mrs. Yi wrote to him and told him all those things.
Like Mrs. Yi, he regarded Lin Jingzhe's request for his relatives to pick him up and for a blood test to be done before he would come back as a way of putting on airs.
Madam Yi pushed Lin Jingzhe and said softly, "Hurry up, go and say hello to your father."
Master Yi had a serious look on his face, without a trace of smile on his face, and Lin Jingzhe felt a little scared just looking at him.
But his mother pushed him, so he could only take a step forward, bow, and carefully call out, "Father."
Master Yi had never had a good impression of him in the first place, and now seeing how nervous he was, he found him even more unpleasant.
He made up his mind to teach Lin Jingzhe the rules, otherwise he would be embarrassed in the future. What should he do?
Master Yi snorted coldly: "I asked Master Lu to pick you up, why don't you want to come back with him?"
Lin Jingzhe tried to calm down and said seriously, "Father, please forgive me. I didn't recognize Mr. Lu at the time, and Mr. Lu didn't produce any evidence to prove anything. I was cautious, so I didn't follow him back to the capital."
Lin Jingzhe had rehearsed these words many times on the road, so he spoke them fluently.
He didn't want to stutter in front of his father.
But in the eyes of Master Yi, his fluency was just sharp-tongued and deliberate disobedience.
Master Yi couldn't get angry, so he found another excuse: "Where is your adoptive father?"
Lin Jingzhe responded: "He has passed away."
"What about his tablet?"
"Stayed in Linjia Village."
When Master Yi heard this, he immediately got angry as if he had caught something wrong.
He said sternly, "My dynasty governs the world with filial piety, and my Earl's Mansion also governs the family with filial piety. Although he is not your biological father, he has raised you for more than ten years after all. How can you leave his tablet there? And not bring him back?"
Lin Jingzhe raised his head suddenly and tried to explain: "I asked my mother, and she said I could stay..."
"Don't use your mother as an excuse. Doesn't your mother favor you? You even forgot about loyalty, filial piety, courtesy, and righteousness."
"But he is not nice to me. He often beats and scolds me!"
"How dare you talk back?" Master Yi was so angry that he trembled slightly on the armrest. "You are indeed a child who grew up in the countryside. You have no manners at all!"
Zhu Qingchen frowned, strode forward, and stood in front of Lin Jingzhe: "My Lord is biased."
Master Yi said, "This should be Zhu Qingchen, Master Zhu, right? He is Jingzhe's teacher whom Ji Ming mentioned to me. May I ask how you taught Jingzhe? How did you make him like this?"
Yi Zizhen, who was standing next to him, saw that the situation was not good and hurried forward to interrupt: "Dad, don't be so fierce..."
If it was before, he would not speak.
But now, Zhu Qingchen obviously has a good relationship with both Master Pei and Master Liu, so how could they offend Zhu Qingchen?
He was about to speak when he was interrupted by Master Yi: "Zizhen, Dad knows you are kind-hearted, you don't have to plead for them. Now that they have returned to the capital and are going to enjoy the fine clothes and delicious food of the Earl's Mansion, they should also understand the rules."
Mrs. Yi also wanted to persuade him, but was directly blocked by Mr. Yi.
Master Yi called out, "Lin Jingzhe."
Lin Jingzhe was trembling all over. He stood beside the teacher and looked at him neither servile nor arrogant. He even stopped calling his father: "What's the matter?"
"You are not worthy of being the son of my Earl's Mansion yet. I will tell others that you are a relative's child. Once you learn the rules, I will allow you to enter the Earl's Mansion's family tree. In addition, I will send someone to bring back your adoptive father's tablet. You should stay in your room and observe mourning for him for two years."
So this is what my father planned, and it turns out the rumors were not false!
"I don't want to!" Lin Jingzhe shouted, "I don't want to mourn for him!"
"How dare you!" Master Yi didn't expect him to be so presumptuous. He picked up the teacup on the table and smashed it hard at his feet. He stood up suddenly and pointed at Lin Jingzhe and cursed, "How did you grow up? How did you grow up like this?"
Lin Jingzhe couldn't hold back any longer and started to cry unconsciously: "I grew up eating at many people's homes! I grew up suffering hardships and being beaten! So I grew up like this, are you satisfied?!"
Zhu Qingchen clenched his fist and said, "Master Yi, what you said is too biased."
He held Lin Jingzhe's hand and pulled up his sleeve, revealing Lin Jingzhe's thin arm and the scars on it.
The old injuries and the new injuries caused by fighting a few months ago overlapped with each other, which was shocking to see.
Zhu Qingchen said seriously: "This is his adoptive father, Lin Lao Er, who beat him up."
"Jingzhe followed Lin Laoer, not only did he not have enough food to eat and warm clothes to wear, he also had to work in the fields and go hunting and chopping wood in the mountains since he was young, and exchange the money for Lin Laoer to gamble. If he couldn't pay, he would be beaten up by Lin Laoer. If Lin Laoer didn't want him to continue making money, he would have been beaten to death by Lin Laoer long ago!"
"Jingzhe was raised by the villagers of Linjia Village. I would like to ask how Lin Laoer has done for him? Jingzhe is able to put aside past grudges and help Lin Laoer hold a funeral that is similar to the present. This is already extremely kind and righteous!"
"You actually want him to observe two years of mourning for Lin Lao Er? Do you want him to constantly recall the pain he's suffered these years?"
Master Yi was stunned for a moment, unable to refute, and stammered: "But he is after all... my dynasty..."
These two sentences are repeated over and over again.
Zhu Qingchen asked, "Since Lord Bo is so wise, what about Yi Zizhen? How does Lord Bo plan to deal with him?"
Master Yi said, "You are really at the age to study. You will go to the school taught by Masters Pei and Liu this year. You can't delay. Besides, my wife and I haven't done anything yet. If you really observe mourning, how will we deal with the rumors in the city? Just let Lin Jingzhe observe for two years."
Yi Zizhen just felt that it was over, and wanted to stop his father from saying these words, but his father held his hand: "Zizhen, don't worry."
"I see, I see." Zhu Qingchen was almost amused by him. "So this is what Uncle meant by 'ruling the family with filial piety'. Adopted sons need to observe filial piety, but biological sons don't. I don't think this is 'ruling the world with filial piety', but 'ruling the family with likes and dislikes' or 'ruling the family with selfishness'!"
"Master, you are not teaching Jingzhe the rules. You are just worried that Jingzhe will grow up in the village and lose face if you take him out. So you just found an excuse to keep him at home and not let him go out!"
Master Yi was hit on the head by what he said, and he immediately jumped up in anger, pointed outside the door, and said sternly: "Master Zhu, don't interfere in the family affairs of my Earl's Mansion. Lin Jingzhe has been sent here, so please leave, Master Zhu."
"Of course I have to leave." Zhu Qingchen held Lin Jingzhe's fist, "I have to take my students with me."
"You!" Master Yi said sternly, "Lin Jingzhe is the child of my Earl's Mansion!"
"Didn't the Earl say that he was a relative's child? Since the Earl's Mansion can't accommodate him, then if I take him away, wouldn't that be in line with the Earl's wishes?"
"He has entered my Earl's Mansion. What will it look like if you take him out again? Won't he be laughed at to death by the people in the capital? You leave him here!"
Zhu Qingchen stood in front of Lin Jingzhe and said sternly, "I can't leave him here. He is not a relative's child, nor is he a child you left behind out of kindness. He is a child you lost because of your poor supervision and you are unworthy parents!"
"Not only did you not compensate him, but you also wronged him. This is simply a huge joke. You want Lin Jingzhe to come back, but you don't want to correct the wrongs, and you still want a good reputation. There is no such good thing in the world!"
"When Master Bo has figured out the identity and status of my student, then he will come to pick him up in person with a sedan chair and drums and gongs!"
Master Yi was so angry that he stamped his feet and slammed his hands on the table. "You... do you know where this is? Who am I? How dare you talk to me like that? It's totally rude! Someone, send him to the government! I want to sue him for humiliating an official of the imperial court!"
Zhu Qingchen said, "Of course I know. I'll also tell you by the way, before you think it through, Jingzhe and I will be staying at Master Pei's and Master Liu's houses, and we may take turns staying there. If you come to pick us up in a sedan chair, remember to ask where I'm staying tonight!"
After saying this, Zhu Qingchen pulled Lin Jingzhe away.
Madam Yi hurried forward to stop him and grabbed Lin Jingzhe's hand: "Jingzhe, father is just being stubborn for a moment. Please persuade the teacher not to be angry. The room has been cleaned up, and it will be troublesome to move around. Just stay at home."
Lin Jingzhe hesitated for a moment, and finally pushed her hand away: "Mother, I don't want to be someone else's child, and I don't want to mourn for Lin Lao Er. The teacher is speaking for me, how can I go back and persuade the teacher to stay?"
"this……"
"I'll be back in a few days."
Zhu Qingchen was quite satisfied with his performance.
Zhu Qingchen pulled him out of the main hall and said to Pei Zhen and Liu Yun who were waiting outside the main hall: "Let's go back to your home."
At first, Master Yi didn't understand what Zhu Qingchen meant by his last words.
It was not until Zhu Qingchen spoke that he saw two young masters standing in the hall. They were the young masters of the Pei and Liu families.
He was a little doubtful.
What's going on? Why are they here?
As soon as Zhu Qingchen walked out of the main hall, Yi Zizhen couldn't help but yelled, "Dad, what are you doing?"
Master Yi stiffened his neck and said, "He just came back. I have to teach him some rules and give him a warning, so that he won't bring shame to our family. Besides, how could I know that he has such a bad temper? He is simply spoiled. If he doesn't come back, then don't come back. Just treat him as dead!"
"You teach Lin Jingzhe the rules, so you teach Lin Jingzhe. Why are you arguing with Master Zhu?" Yi Zizhen shouted, "Master Zhu is an old friend of Master Pei and Master Liu! They have a very good relationship! They met on the way back!"
Yi Zi was so anxious that he was about to cry: "How can I go to study with Master Pei and Master Liu? You are killing me!"
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