Lin Zikui did not answer Xiao Zhaoling's question. He turned around silently and turned his back to face him.
It’s not because Lin Zikui didn’t want to. If he didn’t want to, why would he wait for him until midnight? Is it the hour of Yin now? Lin Zikui had his eyes covered and couldn't tell clearly. He indeed felt that he had not slept for long. Although his head was dizzy at the moment, what was clearer was the unrealistic suspicion of Miss Ling.
Is that stubble on his face, or a fake beard he glued on to dress like a man?
That fake beard isn't just superficial and prickly.
Could it be some hair that accidentally stuck to my face? It is possible.
Lin Zikui resisted the urge to reach out and touch his cheek for confirmation, and his entire body fell into chaos.
Xiao Fu saw him turn over and knew what he was hiding from. He half-opened his eyes and looked at the back of his head. This Lin Zikui, he didn't say anything after he found out, he just kept it in his heart, it's really...
Xiao Fu sighed, buried his face in the back of his neck and closed his eyes, his eyelashes gently scraping against Lin Zikui's skin.
It was strange. Xiao Fu clearly couldn't smell much, but he felt that Lin Lang's neck and skin were fragrant, different from other things.
Soon, Xiao Fu fell into a light sleep. The killing of Yuwen Duo seemed to be done in one go, but in fact the whole thing had been secretly planned for three years.
We need to find someone to get close to King Zhao, gain his trust, provide him with insect powder, lure the young prince into the capital, and poison the emperor...
If any one of these links goes wrong, things won't be so perfect.
Almost seamless.
Xiao Fu completely relaxed in his body temperature and breath. Lin Zikui was left with his entire body stiff, not knowing whether to move or not...
The back of his neck felt itchy due to Zhao Ling’s warm breath, and his chest, rising and falling, pressed against Lin Zikui’s back.
Lin Zikui just sat there motionless, thinking silently in his own way.
What if it is just as you think?
Xiao Zhaoling, if you can fool yourself once, you can fool yourself twice.
He hoped so much that it wasn't the case, so much that he was just thinking too much.
Maybe he was just thinking too much. Lin Zikui tilted his head slightly, and Xiao Fu felt it. He retracted his arms in his sleep and hugged him tighter, with one hand still holding Lin Zikui's palm.
Lin Zikui smelled the sandalwood scent on his body after bathing, which was very similar to the incense burned by Xingzhiguan, and made people feel at ease.
On the boat, Mo Liu had just gotten up and went to find something to eat when he saw four young children sitting in a row in a room.
The oldest one looked about the same age as me, and the younger one was a little kid. The older one sat upright while the younger one was concentrating on eating.
Why are there suddenly so many little brats on the boat?
Mo Liu, claiming to be older, walked over and asked, "Are you Miss Xiao's guests?"
"Miss Xiao?" The eldest prince thought, could this boat be owned by a girl from the Xiao family? He nodded and said, "Yes, my brother brought us here. Are you a boatman on the boat?"
Mo Liu saw that there were a lot of food on their table, but he didn't touch it. He felt a little greedy: "Can I sit with you? I'm not a boatman. I came here with my master. Miss Xiao is my master's wife-to-be."
The Highness did not understand the relationship, but said politely: "Please take a seat. If you are hungry, feel free to eat."
Every move they made demonstrated the demeanor of a royal family. Mo Liu could see that these young masters were well-mannered, but he never imagined that these four little brats were princes.
While eating, he said his name and asked them, "Are you four brothers? You look a bit alike. What are your names?"
His Highness was suspiciously silent, remembering the Regent's warning: "I am the boss."
The Second Prince said nothing.
The Third Prince: "My name is Lao San."
The Fourth Prince: "My name is Yuwen... Uh-huh!"
The Third Prince quickly covered his mouth and said, "Our surname is Yun, and this is the Fourth Prince. Excuse me, does your son live on this boat? How long have you been living here? Is there an old gentleman living on this boat?"
The Third Prince also guessed that the Regent must have had a purpose in bringing them here.
See teacher?
What kind of person can make the Regent feel that he must treat him with respect and call him a teacher?
Is it Prime Minister Xue who retired and returned to his hometown?
Mo Liu ate mung bean cake and said vaguely, "We have only been here for two days. Are there any old gentlemen on the ship? It seems not. Oh, yes, there is an old man, a cook. There are very few people on this ship. Boss Yun, do you want to eat too? Come on, don't be polite." He felt embarrassed to eat from other people's tables, so he quickly pulled a few people to eat together. The prince couldn't eat much at all, so he took a bite reluctantly and smiled at him distantly.
Jinzun was sitting under the eaves of the boat outside the door, with one hand on his knee and the back of his head resting on the door, listening to them talk.
The Qinhuai River was calm, with only the quiet sound of flowing water.
Although the news of the emperor's death was blocked, soldiers still came to seal the pleasure boats where music and dancing were played every day, and ordered them to stop singing.
The four princes ate some and waited for a long time, at least it was noon, but the Regent still hadn't come out.
The little prince was sleepy and called for "Mammy".
Since the nanny was not around, he had no choice but to sleep on the table. His father had died, but he didn't seem to have any special feelings about it. No one told him what was going on or what death was.
His mother only told him to respect the Regent as much as he respected her.
Xiao Fu didn't sleep for too long. After waking up, he was still reluctant to get up. Lin Lang was so obedient that he just let him hold him, even though his back was facing away and he couldn't see his face.
Xiao Fu nuzzled the back of his neck with his face, like a cat washing its face, with a lazy and satisfied expression. Lin Zikui was disheveled at the moment, pretending to be asleep, and he rubbed his stubble on his face. Lin Zikui couldn't hold it in any longer: "...Zhao Ling."
"Hey, are you awake?"
Lin Zikui nodded, struggled a little, and sat up by himself: "Is Doctor Xie here? I want to remove the cloth on my eyes. I can't cover my eyes when I go to the Imperial Examination Hall later. I will not be allowed to report for the exam."
Xiao Fu did not tell him that the Imperial Examination Hall had posted a notice to close and postpone the Spring Examination. He replied, "When we go there later, I'll ask my third brother to pick some for you. Try to avoid the sun."
"Yeah." He was still wearing his undershirt. Xiao Fu got out of bed first, took the hanging clothes down for him, and helped him put them on.
Lin Zikui shook his head: "I can do it myself, no need to help me get dressed."
Even though he couldn't see, he was able to dress himself well, putting on his clothes and tying his belt, everything was in order. However, Lin Zikui couldn't find his cotton socks, so Xiao Fu found them in his shoes for him. After thinking for a while, he sat on the bed and grabbed his ankles: "I'll put them on for you."
“No!” Lin Zikui hurriedly tried to pull his foot away, but Xiao Fu pressed his leg: “Zikui, stop moving.”
Lin Zikui's legs and feet were beautiful, slender, and delicate like white porcelain. Xiao Fu's movements became gentle involuntarily.
Just like that, she put one on him, and then two on him. Lin Zikui felt it, and was speechless. He felt sad for no reason: "Zhao Ling, you... don't have to do this."
"What's wrong with putting clothes and socks on you? Although I have never served anyone like this in my life, it is not a difficult task." He did not despise Lin Zikui. He liked Lin Zikui so much. Putting socks on him was just a common thing.
Xiao Fu adjusted his socks and tucked them into his trouser legs: "Well, they're put on. Put your legs down and I'll put your shoes on for you."
"Thank you, I'll do it myself. I can't let you bend down to do this kind of thing for me." He decisively did it himself, and Xiao Fu held his shoes for him: "Get up and have dinner first. Before going to the Imperial Examination Hall, there is one more thing. I brought four children for you to look at. Just take a look at them and see which one you like and which one you are willing to accept as a student? Only one."
"Accepting students?" Lin Zikui had accepted students in Fengtai County before. After he passed the imperial examination, some people sent their children to study with him, without caring whether he had eye problems or not. Lin Zikui symbolically accepted some fruits, vegetables and meat, and taught them without charging a penny.
Now that Xiao Zhaoling had made such a request, he naturally would not refuse. He stood up and said, "Okay, what child? Is it your relative's?"
Xiao Fu: "Well, for relatives, you can test their knowledge, their studies, their character, their courage, and anything about the relationship between a ruler and his subjects.
"What's the point of testing the relationship between ruler and subject?" Lin Zikui asked.
Xiao Fu: "They will inherit their father's career and become officials in the future. What do you value most when you accept students?"
Lin Zikui: "It doesn't matter what you do. As long as you are eager to learn and work hard, that's all."
Xiao Fu: "You need to have talent to study. I don't have that talent. I don't like studying, and I can't study well no matter what."
He is indeed gifted. Lin Zikui knows that he only needs to sleep two or three hours, which is equivalent to four or five hours for others. He is full of energy during the day and can enter an almost mysterious state when studying. No one can disturb him in his state.
Lin Zikui used to think that everyone was like this, but after entering school, he discovered that some of his classmates took half a day to memorize a seven-character poem, and they stumbled and forgot it as soon as they finished memorizing. Lin Zikui found this incredible.
He only needs to read it twice before he can memorize it.
When Lin Zikui was having his meal, Xiao Fu sent Mo Liu away and picked up some food for him. Fearing that he wouldn't get enough to eat, he fed him and even took out a handful of cashews from his arms and fed them to him.
Lin Zikui opened his mouth to catch it and stretched out his hand to ask: "Give it to me, I will eat it myself."
Xiao Fu: "Are cashews delicious? I saw others eating them like squirrels, so I knew they must be delicious."
"Yeah, it's delicious. You can try it too." Lin Zikui handed him a handful of food.
Xiao Fu opened his mouth and took a bite. It was still crispy after being left overnight. "I ate it at the family dinner. I brought these for you."
Lin Zikui was thinking about his students and going to the Imperial Examination Hall, so he ate quickly.
Xiao Fu kept asking him to slow down, saying it was still early.
There was a breeze on the boat, and there was a scent of spring coming.
Xiao Fu took him to see the four children and asked them to kneel down: "This is Master Lin, call me teacher."
Lin Zikui said quickly: "No, no need to kneel..."
Xiao Fu shook his head: "You have to kneel. You are the elder, how can you not kneel."
The Second Prince knelt down without saying a word.
The prince glanced at the regent who had suddenly changed, gritted his teeth, and knelt down: "Student greets teacher."
Who is this teacher and why is he blindfolded? Is there blindness? Why is he so highly regarded by the Regent?
As soon as he knelt, the Third Prince followed suit, and then the Fourth Prince also knelt on the ground, calling "teacher" in his imitation, and then burped.
Xiao Fu glanced at him and said, "Xuan'er, why are you eating so much?"
The Fourth Prince covered his mouth and said, "I've eaten a little. Give it to the Emperor... Here, I left some for you." He forgot for a moment what he should call him other than Father the Emperor.
Xiao Fu coughed and said, "Alright, answer whatever the teacher asks you. It's the teacher who agreed to accept you as his students. Brother will reward you."
The eldest prince looked up at Lin Zikui inquiringly. The second prince was still neither humble nor arrogant. Lin Zikui sat down. He didn't know that this was a hidden test. He gently asked the four children: "How old are you? Have you been to school? What have you learned?"
The four princes answered one by one. Lin Zikui was a little surprised that even a two or three-year-old child came to learn lessons. This young master from the Jinling family is different. I learned all the Four Books and Five Classics, as well as the art of war, the tactics of warfare, and even horse riding and archery.
He first took a simple Confucianism test, and the children answered it fluently. It was so simple that even the Fourth Prince knew the answers.
In the mathematics test, the three princes were evenly matched. The fourth prince didn't know, so he shook his head and looked at his father.
Xiao Fu glanced at him and said, "If you can't answer, just tell the teacher."
"I don't know how to calculate..."
Xiao Fu couldn't stand him chewing his fingers, so he said fiercely, "What are you doing chewing them again?"
The Fourth Prince silently put down his hand: "Brother, don't be angry. I will study hard."
"Does the fourth young master like to chew his fingers? Don't scold him, I had this bad habit when I was a kid." At that time, Lin Zikui had no playmates at all. He didn't like to play with the things that children liked to play with, and he felt a bit out of place. He said, "Later, my father caught a rabbit for me and allowed me to play with the rabbit after finishing my homework. Then I got rid of the habit of chewing my fingers. Children need to be taught slowly, Zhaoling, you can't be so harsh on him."
Xiao Fu endured it and said, "...Okay."
The three princes could not hide their shock on their faces.
I became more serious and respectful in dealing with Master Lin's questions.
Lin Zikui's questions gradually escalated, from easy to difficult, from poetry to verses, and then to application questions: "Mount Lu is eighty miles high. There is a grain of rice on the top of the mountain. It only turns three centimeters. How many times does it take to reach the foot of the mountain?"
The Second Prince was very sensitive to numbers and actually answered: "Master, it is 4.8 million revolutions."
Xiao Fu had a headache. He couldn't even understand these questions.
This test lasted for about half an hour. Lin Zikui was very patient because the Fourth Prince didn't know many things. He could only recite a few dozen Tang poems. Lin Zikui comforted him and finally pulled him over: "Did your brother glare at you?"
“Brother didn’t…” The emperor’s father glared.
Lin Zikui held the little hand of the Fourth Prince, and was surprised to find that he was really small, so he held him on his lap and sat him down: "It's okay, the Fourth Prince is still young, just listen carefully to your brothers' answers."
Xiao Fu looked over and found that Zikui liked children so much.
Lin Zikui was thinking in his heart, why do these children call Xiao Fu brother?
This question seems to have an answer, but it doesn't.
Lin Zikui didn't think about it further and ended the Q&A session.
At the end, the prince was sweating, wondering whether his performance was good or not. Finally, he complimented Master Lin, praising his teacher as a scholar with great achievements and talent for governing the world.
Xiao Fu sent the four princes to continue eating mung bean cakes, took Lin Zikui back to the room, closed the door and asked him: "Who do you want to take as a student?"
"In terms of knowledge, the eldest son, the second son, and the third son are all good."
"...You're being very fair in holding a bowl of water. What if I just ask you to choose one?"
Lin Zikui could only say: "... the eldest son is well-versed in poetry and literature, the second son is smart and studious, and has both talent and learning, the third son has not read as many books, but he is quick-witted and knows how to draw inferences from one example. Among them... in terms of knowledge, the second son should be better."
Xiao Fu did not comment, and asked: "Virtue is more important than talent. Who do you think has the best virtue among them?"
"They are all children, there is no such thing as good or bad..."
They are all good kids, but...
Lin Zikui said, "I asked a question before. I wonder if you were listening carefully while you were here."
Xiao Fu: "I listened to it, very seriously."
Lin Zikui curved her lips, and a small dimple appeared on her cheek: "I only heard you yawn, so I wanted you to go back to sleep."
Xiao Fu had to say: "When you were talking about math problems, I admit that I was sleepy."
Who cares how a grain of rice rolls down from Mount Lushan and how many times it rolls.
I give up. Who wouldn’t feel sleepy after hearing such a stupid question?
Lin Zikui shook his head slightly and said, "Just now I asked, the enemy has 5,000 troops at the foot of the mountain, there is a granary, and they are going to attack the mountain. Our army has 1,000 troops on the mountain, this place is easy to defend but difficult to attack, but we have run out of ammunition and food. Another 500 of our soldiers are dead or wounded, and they are captured and trapped at the foot of the mountain. There is a reservoir at the foot of the mountain, and there is a village behind the mountain. There are 800 old, weak, sick and disabled people, and there is no food left, and they are starving to death. Ask, how can our army win?"
Xiao Fu remembered the answers of the four princes.
"The eldest son said, 'First send one team to transport the food, and the other team will attack at night, change into the enemy's clothes, break into the enemy's interior, burn the enemy's main camp, and transport the food.'"
"The second young master said, 'Kill the soldiers guarding the dike, open the gates to release the water, let the floodwaters burst through the dikes and flood the enemy camp, and then take the opportunity to attack from both wings.'"
"The third son said, 'Why don't you go find reinforcements? Five hundred of our soldiers were captured. We must save their lives. Opening the sluice gates to release the water is too cruel. There is a reservoir at the foot of the mountain. Is that the Hun River? I've read travel notes. There is a training camp 80 miles from the Hun River. There should be thousands of soldiers and weapons. Send someone to rush there. It will take less than a day.'"
The Second Prince also refuted, saying: "Victory and defeat are common in the military. Third brother, you know that the Hunhe River Basin is difficult and dangerous. The people you sent may be captured before they arrive, or die on the way. Time waits for no one. If you delay for a quarter of an hour, one more civilian will starve to death."
The Third Prince almost stood up and said, "So Second Brother is going to use the lives of 500 of our soldiers to exchange for that?"
The Second Prince remained calm: "Third brother, you know that the battle is over. Even if our army invites reinforcements, those prisoners will still be killed before the enemy escapes or surrenders. Their chances of survival are very slim."
The Third Prince: "Even if it's insignificant, it shouldn't, it shouldn't..."
Second Prince: "Are the lives of the people not lives? How can there be a perfect solution in the world?"
Xiao Fu listened to their debate and had an idea in his mind. It seems there is no need to ask the old Taoist priest for advice, as Lin Zikui has already found the answer for him.
Lin Zikui also said: "The fourth young master said that we should let these 1,000 people go to look for food. If they can't find any, they should go to plant crops. There are reservoirs for irrigation. Everyone should eat enough so that they won't starve to death and have the strength to fight... The childish words actually reveal the essence. Although the fourth young master is young, he is very smart."
Xiao Fu: "So who are you going to accept as your student?"
"They all want to be my students. Why?" The reactions of the four children just now showed that they were extremely respectful to him, too much so.
Lin Zikui noticed it all and asked back, "I think the four young masters must have had a good teacher, and there must be more than one. Why did they come to me? I have no official title yet, I am just a scholar."
Xiao Fu laughed when he heard this: "My Lin Lang is the first place winner in Huainan Prefecture, and will soon be the first place winner. It's better to become your disciple now. When you win the first place, how can they still be able to marry you?"
Xiao Fu did not answer the question directly. Lin Zikui was very careful in everything. Even though he had no eyes, he was very observant. However, he was indecisive when it came to himself. The road ahead was difficult and he had to keep going...
In the end, Lin Zikui did not say who he would accept as a student. The three older children were quite mature. The third child was still okay, but the second child's mind was no longer like a child. As for the fourth child, Lin Zikui had only two words to describe him: "Cute."
Such a cute child, call Xiao Zhaoling Brother.
Xiao Fu had no intention of returning to the palace, so he sent Yuan Wu and the guards to send the four people back to the palace. Then Xiao Fu took Lin Zikui off the boat and went to the Imperial Examination Hall.
When everyone arrived, Lin Zikui suddenly remembered: "Wait, I need to remove the bandages from my eyes. I need to go back to see Dr. Xie. I forgot about this..."
"Don't leave. The Imperial Examination Hall is closed."
Lin Zikui: "Eh? I remember it was closed at twilight hour, what time is it now?"
"It's almost the evening hour, but the notice has been posted. Um... let me see what's going on." Xiao Fu pretended to take a look at the notice and asked Shangshu Pang to deal with it. Shangshu Pang was really an expert. He made up a story that the chief examiner had lost the test paper by mistake. In order to ensure the fairness of the examination, he had to change the examiner and set the questions again. As for when the spring examination would be held again, that would be arranged separately.
The students around were talking about it: "The Imperial Examination Hall is closed. It doesn't even mention when the Spring Examination will be held. When has such a thing ever happened?"
"Fortunately, it was written on the notice that students preparing for the exams would be given a subsidy of silver to stay in the various prefectures' guild halls for free. Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to wait any longer in Jinling!"
"Hey! Let's go! Forget it, the court pays for it, and I can review for a few months, which is a good thing..."
Lin Zikui had almost heard it all and muttered to himself, "Why not try it again... It should take a month or two to come up with a new question."
Xiao Fu: "How many months do you want?"
"Of course I want to wait until my eyes are better before taking the exam, so that there will be no risk... However, this should be impossible. No matter how long the examiner takes to set the questions, it cannot be more than three months." Lin Zikui did not expect that the Spring Examination would be postponed. Such a thing was unheard of. He felt a little inexplicably uneasy, but also relieved.
If his eyesight improves after a while, Lin Zikui will have a full chance of passing the imperial examination. As for what place he will get, whether he can get the first place or become the number one scholar, that depends on the emperor's mood that day and whether he likes him or not. According to examples from past dynasties, the top three in the first class were all elegant young men, and the emperor has always considered their appearance.
Lin Zikui thought that he should be pretty good.
Becoming a first-class Jinshi...is also possible.
Xiao Fu smiled and said, "That's great. The spring exam has been postponed. If Lin Lang waits until his eyes are better before taking the exam, it will be safe. There are still a few months left anyway. Otherwise..."
Lin Zikui turned his head: "Hmm?"
Xiao Fu stood in front of him, his voice as soft as a spring breeze: "How about Lin Lang take me back to Fengtai County and marry me?"
"Zhao Ling, you..." Lin Zikui, who was always sincere, hesitated at this moment, "Do you really want to marry me?"
Xiao Fu narrowed his eyes slightly: "Are you going to regret the engagement?"
Lin Zikui was silent, and no one knew his inner struggle at the moment. Thinking about the past, he did not hesitate for too long and shook his head: "No, I don't regret it. I will marry you."
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