Chapter 15
The atmosphere in Lanfeng Pavilion is different from usual these days. The thrush no longer sings, the mynah bird no longer calls Doctor Lin, and the young marquis is... wilted.
His decline was not only physical, but emotional as well. He no longer walks birds, appreciates flowers, or pours wine into a pot. He closes his eyes and relaxes his body. Worldly desires have nothing to do with him.
The servants who stayed in Lanfeng Pavilion all liked their master very much. The young marquis was humorous and generous, and he often found ways to have fun with his servants. As he withered, the yard became more and more depressing, and no laughter or joy could be heard.
Hualu and Huantong are closest to their master and have the deepest feelings. They all agreed that the Young Master and the Young Lord seemed to have had a quarrel and were now ignoring each other.
Huan Tong was certain: "The young marquis must have provoked our young master." According to his observation, the young marquis would occasionally be rude in front of his young master, causing his young master to look at him coldly, and then he would smile and pull the other person's sleeve to apologize, but no one knew what he was trying to do.
Hua Lu sighed: "It is said that couples quarrel at the head of the bed and make up at the foot of the bed. I hope they can make up soon."
Huantong revealed the truth: "The key is that they have never slept in the same bed."
Lin Qingyu knew that Lu Wancheng was very depressed, but he really didn't understand why Lu Wancheng was so depressed. It was his negligence that he did not inform Lu Wancheng of the side effects of the medicines in advance, but if he did not use these medicines, according to his father's original prescription, Lu Wancheng would suffer unbearable pain after taking the medicines. In comparison, impotence is nothing. The most important thing is that even if Lu Wancheng could lift it, it would be completely useless - he himself said that he was too lazy to move.
I hope Lu Wancheng can figure it out soon and cheer up.
It had been drizzling for nearly half a month, and there was a musty smell in the study, which affected people's mood for reading. Lin Qingyu prepared some spices that have the effect of removing moisture and had people light them in each room. He also called a few servants to spread out the moldy books in the bookcase to dry them.
The study was bustling with activity, and Lin Qingyu couldn't concentrate on reading, so he simply cleaned up with the servants. He casually opened a copy of "Lin'an Travel Notes" and saw a row of handwritten notes. He asked, "Is this the young marquis's book?"
Hua Lu came over to take a look and said, "Yes, the young marquis was reading this book last year and told me that he wanted to go to Lin'an to see the scenery of Jiangnan."
Lin Qingyu frowned: "Then this word was also written by him?"
"Definitely."
Lin Qingyu looked closely at the row of gazes, and the more he looked, the more he felt something was wrong.
The handwriting in Lu Wancheng's earlier letter to Wen Guogong was similar to his handwriting last year in form but not in spirit, as if... as if he was deliberately imitating. Of course, the shape of a character can be imitated, but the spirit of a character reflects a person's mood and character. No matter how similar the "shape" is, there will always be some deviation in the "spirit".
Lin Qingyu pondered for a long time and asked, "Is the young marquis awake?"
Hua Lu said, "He got up half an hour ago. The Duke sent a few maids and stewards over. The eldest young master is talking to them in the main room."
Lin Qingyu walked to the door and was about to go in when she heard Lu Wancheng's voice: "You are the people sent by my grandfather, so I trust you. I believe you know what to do without me telling you."
A strange voice said, "Young Marquis, please rest assured. We will do our best to help you."
"You're wrong. You're not sharing my worries, you're sharing Shaojun's worries." Lu Wancheng said in a light tone, "I won't survive next winter anyway. When I'm gone, Shaojun will go back to the Lin Mansion. I hope that when he leaves, he can take most of the Marquis's property with him, and he won't be troubled by the Marquis's wife - do you understand what I mean?"
After a brief silence, several people said in unison: "We are the young marquis, and we will follow your lead."
Lu Wancheng was quite satisfied: "After the matter is done, you will definitely benefit from it."
Lin Qingyu felt a little blocked in his heart and couldn't help but close his eyes and sigh.
Lu Wancheng sent the man away, picked up the teacup on the table and just took a sip of tea when he heard a voice from outside saying "Greetings, Young Master". He paused, pretended not to hear, and sipped his tea.
Lin Qingyu walked in and said, "Young Marquis."
Lu Wancheng said "hmm" modestly. Lin Qingyu called out and then stopped talking, as if he was thinking about his words.
This is a matter of a man's dignity, and Lu Wancheng doesn't want to compromise so quickly. It was already embarrassing enough that he couldn't hug the beautiful woman, but the beautiful woman also took away his dignity as a man. How the hell can you tolerate this?
He didn't blame Lin Qingyu. He knew very well that Lin Qingyu did all this to save him. Maybe you can't say hello to him in advance, it's very scary. He admitted that he was a little lazy, but he was a man after all, so how could he be indifferent to such things?
Haha, he is already weak anyway, why bother to coax such a beautiful woman? The beauty should be left to the male protagonists who can have sex seven times a night. He should just lie down and wait for death.
Lu Wancheng put down the teacup and said, "If you're here to apologize, then there's no need."
Lin Qingyu said: "You think too much, I'm not here to apologize."
Lu Wancheng: “…” Okay, very strong.
Lin Qingyu pondered and said, "Why don't we become sworn brothers?"
Lu Wancheng was stunned, then laughed angrily: "I was castrated by you, and I am still sworn brothers with you? Am I a slut?"
Lin Qingyu said patiently: "I didn't castrate you. Your disability is only caused by the drugs. I will give you a few injections and you will be fine."
Lu Wancheng was comforted, but sneered: "No need to change, I think this prescription is good. After all, I can't use it, so I don't need to care."
"Stop it." Lin Qingyu came closer, his voice soft and gentle, "Haven't you always wanted to be my brother?"
The word "brother" made Lu Wancheng raise his eyes and look at the beauty in front of him who was as beautiful as the snow and the plum.
If Lin Qingyu could call him "brother" all the time, it would be okay to be a bit servile, right?
Lu Wancheng held his chin and raised his eyebrows: "Are you serious?"
Lin Qingyu nodded: "A gentleman's word is his bond."
Lu Wancheng covered his lips and coughed, saying, "Then... let's get married again."
Neither of them had experience of sworn brotherhood, so Lu Wancheng followed what he had seen in the storybooks and asked Huantong to prepare an incense burner, a dagger, apricot blossom wine, and a futon. He also placed a square table under the eaves and arranged the items symmetrically.
Hua Lu had never seen such a scene before, and asked curiously, "What are the young master and young master doing?"
Huan Tong said cheerfully: "Can't you tell? They are sworn brothers."
Hualu suddenly widened her eyes and asked in horror, "What are you praying for?"
"Swear brotherhood - the kind where you say 'finish this glass of wine and let's go together, brothers.'"
Hualu's big eyes were filled with even greater confusion: "But, they are already married!"
Lu Wancheng picked up the dagger and said hesitantly: "The book says that we must swear an oath of blood to be sworn brothers..."
Lin Qingyu, with the mentality of playing house with his younger brother, said: "The body and hair are given by our parents. As long as there is sincerity, it doesn't matter whether or not you swear an oath of blood."
"You're right." Lu Wancheng lit three incense sticks and inserted them into the incense burner. "Let's just worship."
Both of them held wine in their hands and knelt down on the mat. Lu Wancheng said in a serious tone, "The Heaven is above, and the Earth is my witness. Today, I, Lu Wancheng, and Lin Qingyu have become brothers with different surnames. We do not ask to be born on the same day, month, and year, but..." Lu Wancheng paused for a moment, then smiled and changed his words, "We will have a long future together. We can help each other and chew on stones. Working together, we can break iron and steel, and we will be happy even if we drink a cup of water."
Lin Qingyu: “…”
The two drank the sworn brotherhood wine together. Lin Qingyu called Huantong over and helped Lu Wancheng to stand up. Seeing Lu Wancheng's smiling face, Lin Qingyu said coldly: "Are you happy now?"
Lu Wancheng raised the corners of his lips with a sly smile: "Of course I'm happy to have a new good brother. What about you, brother Qingyu?" After saying that, he looked at Lin Qingyu with anticipation.
Lin Qingyu said calmly: "I'm fine, Brother Wancheng."
Lu Wancheng's smile froze on his face: "No, no, no, I call you 'Brother Qingyu', you should call me 'Brother Wancheng', this is fair."
"'Call each other brothers', what else can we call them other than 'brother'?"
Lu Wancheng was struck by lightning: "...Lin Qingyu, you have no heart."
Lin Qingyu said with a smile: "You have been making trouble for so long, calm down a bit. Go back and drink the medicine, and then I will give you acupuncture and take back your dignity as a man."
In mid-April, the rain finally stopped. The sky is clear and cloudless, and a gentle breeze blows into my sleeves. It is a good day for a trip. Lin Qingyu did not delay any longer and prepared to set off for Changsheng Temple.
Before leaving, he went to see Lu Wancheng. Lu Wancheng was actually awake. He was lying on the bed, not knowing what he was thinking about. He seemed to be in a good mood and said good morning to him lazily.
Lin Qingyu understood and said with a half-smile: "Young Marquis is in high spirits because of the good news. It seems that the acupuncture is effective."
Lu Wancheng: “…Uh.”
"That's great. Let me see it."
Lu Wancheng was stunned and wrapped himself tightly in the quilt: "What do you want to see?"
"You told me what I want to see." Lin Qingyu said calmly, "People who study medicine have seen everything. You don't have to be shy."
Lu Wancheng said faintly: "Qingyu, I find that you are getting worse and worse."
Lin Qingyu's lips curled up: "Didn't the young marquis say that he liked me doing bad things the most?"
Lu Wancheng's eyes gradually darkened, and he chuckled, "Indeed. If Doctor Lin wants to see it, of course I will give it to him. But I'm too lazy to move, so please come and see it yourself."
Lin Qingyu then joked: "Forget it, there's nothing to see anyway."
Lu Wancheng wanted to fight back, but was interrupted by Huantong: "Master, the carriage is ready."
Lin Qingyu looked out the window. It was springtime and the sun was shining brightly. He asked, "Young Marquis, do you want to go out and relax?"
"Where are you going?"
"Changsheng Temple."
Lu Wancheng thought about it and said with a smile, "Okay." He just wanted to meet someone.
So, Lin Qingyu took Lu Wancheng and Huantong and took a carriage to Changsheng Temple in the suburbs of Beijing.
Changsheng Temple is the number one temple in this dynasty. It is quiet and solemn inside, with complete Zen pavilions and a constant stream of pilgrims. Ordinary people could only burn incense and worship Buddha in the front hall, and the backyard was a place specially used to receive the rich and powerful. One of Lin Qingyu's enemies, the National Master Dayu who wrote down his birth date for the Nan'an Marquis Mansion, practiced here with his hair uncut.
Lin Qingyu had always wanted to ask the Imperial Master how he had calculated that his birth date and horoscope would be favorable to Lu Wancheng. Is it God's will or is it deliberate? Did the Imperial Master know that one line of his words almost ruined the life of an innocent person?
Unfortunately, the Imperial Preceptor has been in seclusion all year round. Apart from the Emperor, it is not easy for anyone else, not even the Empress and the Crown Prince, to see him, let alone him, a mere wife of a marquis.
After the monk who received them knew the identities of Lin Qingyu and the others, he said respectfully, "So you are the young marquis and the young master. Please follow me. The ever-bright lamp lit by the marquis is burning in the side hall."
Lin Qingyu said, "Young Marquis, you can go and see the ever-bright lamp. I will burn incense and pray for blessings in the front hall."
Lu Wancheng said indifferently: "Okay."
Lu Wancheng's illness was temporarily suppressed, but he was still a weak man and needed someone to be around him. Lin Qingyu asked Huantong to accompany him.
Lin Qingyu walked to the Buddha statue and asked the monk for three incense sticks. After lighting the incense, he knelt on the cushion, closed his eyes and meditated, all he thought about was his family.
Later, when he inserted the incense into the burner, he suddenly remembered the farce of sworn brotherhood a few days ago, and inexplicably felt like laughing.
It seemed like it would take quite a while from Lu Wancheng's end. There were people coming and going in the front hall, so the monk asked him to wait in the back yard. Lin Qingyu followed a young monk to the back room. Compared with the front room, this place was less popular, with winding paths leading to a secluded, elegant and peaceful environment.
Lin Qingyu has always liked quietness, so at this moment he couldn't help but want to walk alone and calm his mind. He asked the young monk to leave first, and he walked aimlessly along the path. Unexpectedly, at the end of the path was a peach forest in full bloom.
Amidst the faint fragrance and sparse shadows, there was a stone table, and two men were sitting opposite each other. The handsome young man in crimson was Lu Wancheng, and the other one was a man in a green shirt with an extraordinary temperament, fresh and handsome. Lin Qingyu had a feeling that this man should be the National Master of Dayu, Xu Junyuan.
Xu Junyuan is indeed a rare handsome man, but Lu Wancheng is not only not inferior to him, he even has the upper hand.
But he was seen sitting under the peach tree in a lazy and casual posture, with petals falling like rain behind him. He was indeed a handsome and elegant man in this world, as bright as a jade tree in the wind.
Clearly, he was lying on the bed like a stranded salted fish an hour ago.
This person is really good at pretending. Whenever there are outsiders around, Lu Wancheng always seems to be the most dazzling one, like a dazzling gem, reflecting all the light.
But she was not serious in front of him.
Lin Qingyu couldn't help but think, if Lu Wancheng was one-tenth as thoughtful as he is now, he would save himself a lot of worry.
Xu Junyuan lifted his sleeves and personally made a cup of tea for Lu Wancheng: "I don't know why Young Marquis Lu came here despite being ill."
Lu Wancheng nodded lightly, and smiled politely and distantly: "I have something I want to ask the Imperial Master for his opinion."
Xu Junyuan smiled and said, "Young Marquis, please feel free to ask."
Lu Wancheng said slowly, "In this world, is it possible to be resurrected from the dead, or... to have one's soul change into another body?"
The author has something to say:
Some noblemen look glamorous, but in fact they have been drugged by their wives and become impotent (dog head
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