As for getting married, Lin Zikui actually wanted to wait until after the Spring Examination.
Besides, he felt that Xiao Zhaoling was hiding something from him, and he also hadn't confirmed something from him, but at this time, he couldn't break off the engagement.
Walking back to the boat, Lin Zikui said tentatively: "Zhao Ling, why don't we get married again when the Spring Examination is held again? If you go back to Fengtai County now, you will be the wife of a Juren. When the Spring Examination is held, you will be the wife of a Jinshi. I, I promised you at the beginning that I would let you be the wife of a Jinshi."
Xiao Fu tilted his head and looked at him and said, "Who knows when the Spring Examination will be held again? If it takes a year or two, I will be too old to wait any longer. If you dislike me by then, what should I do?"
"...I will. I swear to God."
"Anyway, I'm already this age, and I still can't get married... well, I can't wait any longer. Lin Lang, you and I have done everything," Xiao Fu bent down and held his hand. He knew that Lin Zikui would marry him. "I must have you."
The more you listen to Xiao Zhaoling's voice, the more it sounds like a man's. When it is high, it is clear; when it is low, it is deep and magnetic.
Lin Zikui's mind was still in a mess.
Xiao Fu returned to the boat and first took out the almanac and looked through it one by one, marking out the suitable dates for marriage: "February 5th?"
Lin Zikui: "It's too fast. I haven't prepared my things yet."
"Then February 18th?" Xiao Fu estimated that he still had a lot to do in the palace. The fact that Emperor Wen Tai had passed away could be kept secret for at most a dozen days. Too many people knew the news and it would leak out.
Lin Zikui didn't say anything. Xiao Fu thought for a moment and said, "Then let's do it in March. Your birthday is on the sixth of March. We will get married on the fifteenth of March. When you are eighteen, I will go back to Fengtai County with you in March and bring the betrothal gifts."
Lin Zikui: "Dowry?"
"...your banknotes, the five hundred taels, and the ancestral property, aren't they my betrothal gifts? I'll add some," Xiao Fu thought about giving him ten kilograms of house deeds, gold and silver were indispensable, "Isn't that enough for my dowry?"
Lin Zikui lowered his head: "You don't need to add to the dowry."
"Add a little more, or will my parents agree?"
"Hmm..." Lin Zikui responded, with a pensive expression on his face, no one knew what he was thinking.
Xiao Fu saw it, but didn't ask.
He returned to the palace, and Lin Zikui stayed by the Qinhuai River. There was no sound of singing, and the river was chilly and desolate in the spring.
Xie Laosan changed the dressing for Lin Zikui and rinsed his eyes: "Actually, your right eye is fine now. Take a look at your eyes. I'll change the dressing for you later and slowly treat you. It's hard to say whether you will fully recover, but it will definitely be better than before."
"Thank you very much, sir." Lin Zikui tilted his head and let him change the bandage on him and cover him with gauze without any struggle or resistance.
Finally, Xie Laosan said: "Okay, you can open your right eye now."
Lin Zikui slowly opened his eyes, which had just been washed and were moist, and he blinked slowly.
Xie Laosan looked down and saw it, and thought that there must be a reason why Ling was so obsessed.
Good-looking, well-educated, and good-natured.
Lin Zikui seemed to have something to ask him, and shouted: "Mr. Xie..."
"Hmm? Do you have anything to say?"
"There is one," Lin Zikui didn't know whether he should ask or not, but he still spoke out after some hesitation, "You are Zhao Ling's senior brother, then he is your junior brother?"
Junior brother.
This is a very euphemistic way of asking.
Xie Laosan didn't dare to answer. He didn't dare to get involved in Xiao Fu's affairs, for he was afraid that if he let the cat out of the bag, Lin Zikui would be scared away, and what would happen if Xiao Zhaoling went crazy?
The reason why he went crazy and wanted to kill Emperor Wen Tai a few days ago was actually because Lin Zikui was about to take an exam.
Xie Laosan didn’t dare to think about what would happen if Lin Zikui ran away.
So he said it tactfully: "He is my master's last disciple, but he was poisoned when he was young, which caused him to lose his sense of taste. This medical practice is not suitable for him, so my master found him another master to teach him martial arts. His martial arts skills are pretty good, and he is also a leader among the younger generation in the vast martial arts world."
Lin Zikui looked at him with one of his dark eyes, his expression dazed.
"He...has no sense of taste?"
"You don't know?" Xie Laosan was shocked to realize that he had let the cat out of the bag.
"I thought he was picky about food and didn't like to eat, so I always thought about buying him some delicious food." Lin Zikui's voice dropped, his expression stunned, as if he suddenly understood why Xiao Zhaoling always only ate one or two bites of everything. Why did he smile so happily when he kissed himself that day and said he knew what sweetness was? I have never even thought about it in this regard.
"...Then don't say that I told you." Xie Laosan said quickly.
"Yes, I know."
Xie Laosan: "Zhao Ling has a bad temper, although it's very strange..."
Lin Zikui replied: "It's not strange."
Xie Laosan: "Uh, okay, no blame." Lin Zikui is indeed half-blind, he can even say such words.
Xie Laosan continued: "He is really good to you."
Lin Zikui nodded. Xiao Zhaoling’s kindness was everywhere. That was why Lin Zikui didn’t dare to ask him, but instead asked indirectly from Master Xie Sanye.
He was afraid that if he asked, everything would change.
Lin Zikui couldn't help but sigh, feeling a little unsure of what to do.
Xie Laosan packed up his medicine box and went out. Before he left, he said, "Master Xiaolin, if you want to hide from him, it's best not to let him find you in this life. Hide your real name. If he finds you, you can't hide. Just forget what I said."
"…Thank you for your warning, sir."
Mr. Xie closed the door and went out. Lin Zikui sat silently beside the couch until Mo Liu came in and said, "Sir, why is the Imperial Examination Hall closed? I saw the notice!"
"Well, it's closed, which is a good thing," Lin Zikui sat up straight, "The Spring Examination has been postponed. Prime Minister Xue resigned and returned to his hometown. I will also go back to Huainan to learn from him."
Mo Liu became happy: "Are we going back to Fengtai County? When are we going back?"
"Just... these few days. When Zhao Ling comes back, I'll tell him that I'm going back home first."
Mo Liu nodded and began to pack up: "Remember when we came to Jinling, we were penniless and had to live frugally. As a result, now our luggage has a lot more, all given to you by Miss Xiao, clothes, small windmills, chess sets, hair crowns, jade hairpins, guqin music, there is no room for all of this..."
Yeah, too many.
Lin Zikui said softly, "Keep it. We don't need to take it anymore. We have to go back to Nanjing."
Mo Liu said, "Oh," "That makes sense. I'll pack up the books first..." Just as he was about to do it, Lin Zikui suddenly remembered something and stood up to stop him, "Wait, Mo Liu, let me do it. I just... have nothing to do."
He remembered that Xiao Zhaoling had left a few obscene books with him, and he must not let Mo Liu see those books.
Xiao Fu only heard the news when he returned to the palace.
Eunuch Liang said, "Father, when the King of Zhao heard that the King of Yunnan had sent 30,000 troops, he returned home. But he sent someone to the late emperor with a letter, asking him to send a letter back to him."
Emperor Wen Tai died. Xiao Fu opened the letter and read it. As he expected, it asked Yuwen Duo to help him find Prince Zhao.
He also said: "My son is in the hands of Marquis Dingbei, and his life or death is unknown. Marquis Dingbei intends to use my son to threaten me. I came here with the troops to rescue my son. I have retreated to Tongmu Pass. When Your Majesty rescues my son, I will return to my fiefdom immediately. I will never break my promise!"
King Zhao wanted the throne, but his son was equally important to him.
After reading it, Xiao Fu found a large pile of memorials with Yuwen Duo's handwriting from the pile of memorials in the imperial study.
"Liang Hong, go find some Hanlin scholars."
Eunuch Liang replied yes and went down immediately. Xiao Fu sat down, found some paper and pen, called the eunuch to grind ink, and wrote:
"Prince Zhao, I have taken note of the young prince's matter. You must return to your fiefdom within three days. If you don't, you will die."
Soon the Hanlin came, and Xiao Fu took out the memorial and threw it to them: "Write it as it is."
Several old men in the Hanlin Academy were trembling and no one dared to write. Xiao Fu had them dragged out and told to go back to the Hanlin Academy.
He wrote the rest reluctantly. There were some words he didn't recognize in the middle, so he asked Xiao Fu, "Qian Sui, what word is this?"
"You can't read, so you should be given a fief."
It was written so ugly that Hanlin couldn't recognize it at first.
After they finished writing, Xiao Fu showed it to Liang Hong: "Eunuch Liang, which one looks most like Yuwen Duo's handwriting?"
The Regent was so decisive in his actions that Liang Hong was shocked. If Xiao Fu wanted the throne, wouldn't it be easy for him to get it?
Liang Hong chose one and said, "Your Majesty, this is a bit unlike the tone of the late emperor." How could Yuwen Duo be so straightforward in saying that Prince Zhao should be killed.
"It doesn't matter if he doesn't think so," Xiao Fu didn't care. "Let him guess. He is such a suspicious person, won't he be unable to sleep because of guessing? If he goes to Nanjing, it would be a rebellion, so we can just kill him. If he doesn't dare to go in, just go back home."
Liang Hong: "But what if the King of Zhao...returns to his fiefdom to raise an army?"
Xiao Fu said coldly: "Rising up a rebellion? I will kill his son first and offer sacrifice to the heaven."
At this time, King Zhao was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan.
The palace is so impregnable that not even a mosquito can fly in.
The spy that King Zhao had planted in the palace was found out and executed last night. Xiao Fu would rather kill someone by mistake than let one go. The palace was filled with a strong smell of blood.
Until now, there was no news from King Zhao. Seeing the city gates blocked and dark clouds looming over the city, King Zhao was worried and guessed several situations.
1. Xu Hui succeeded and Emperor Wentai died.
Second, the matter was exposed and Xu Hui confessed.
Third, Xu Hui betrayed him. This was an empty city plan, deliberately luring him into the city and then closing the door to attack him.
Now he could neither retreat nor advance, and he was worried that his son would be caught by Marquis Dingbei and tortured, and suffer.
It was late at night, but Xiao Fu still had many things to deal with.
When she was outside the palace, Empress Dowager Xiao was heartbroken and issued an imperial decree requiring Xu to be buried with Emperor Wen Tai! Give her three feet of white silk. Xu's son Yuwen Xuan was imprisoned in the cold palace and sentenced to three years of confinement, and was not allowed to go out!
The imperial decree had already been issued, and Xiao Fu asked, "Where is the Second Prince?"
Eunuch Liang stole a glance at Xiao Fu's face and said, "Maybe... she has been moved to the cold palace."
"Where is Xu? Is she dead?"
"I think so."
Xiao Fu thought for a moment and said, "Liang Hong, go and take a look. If Xu is still alive, secretly send her to Ningguta and have someone look after her."
Eunuch Liang was shocked.
Ningguta has always been a place for exile of criminals. How could the Regent want to spare Xu's life?
Eunuch Liang has been with the emperor for many years. As the saying goes, serving the emperor is like serving a tiger. He has also been promoted to the chief steward of the emperor. Eunuch Liang has always been the best at observing people's words and expressions, but he only watches and does not say anything. He tries to guess what the regent means. Could it be that he intends to make the Second Prince the emperor?
As expected, Xiao Fu asked again: "The Second Prince is in the cold palace, is there anyone to serve him?"
"There is only one eunuch from the cold palace serving you. How about I send two palace maids to serve you?"
"No need," Xiao Fu didn't look up, "Let him suffer this pain."
In the second half of the night, Xiao Fu had not yet slept. He sat at his desk reading the unprocessed memorials. He was fed up with reading them. This emperor was truly not something that ordinary people could be.
The little eunuch standing before the emperor was already nodding his head and yawning secretly.
At 4:00 pm, Xiao Fu left the palace and told Liang Hong, "I will return to the palace tomorrow afternoon at 5:00 pm. Bring the First Prince, the Third Prince, and the Fourth Prince to the archery range. I will test their martial arts skills."
The carriage sent him back to Qinhuai River. As soon as Xiao Fu got on board, Jin Zun woke up when he heard the noise. He opened the door in his middle clothes and looked up at the clear moonlight: "Why did the Marquis come back at this time?"
"What do you think?" Xiao Fu untied his fur coat, and the cool breeze from the river water blew over him. "What time did Master Lin play chess with you tonight?"
"If you didn't let me get off, I wouldn't go with him until 11:30, and I wouldn't go off until 12:00. Then Master Lin was reading in bed by lamplight."
"Didn't he ask his servant to read to him? Why is he reading in bed?" Xiao Fu was surprised. "What is he reading? The Book of Songs again?"
"No, it's a storybook."
"A storybook?" Xiao Fu stopped and turned around. "What storybook? One with words or pictures?"
"It's..." Jin Zun didn't understand. He probably knew what it was, but he didn't understand this aspect. He said, "Mr. Lin put the book back after reading it. I saw it. It was drawn by the gentleman that Brother Wu caught earlier. There were two people, like this and like this."
He gestured with both hands, and Xiao Fu raised his hand and pressed it down: "Okay, stop gesturing, I know what it is."
This Lin Zikui.
The lanterns hanging under the eaves swayed gently, casting Jiang Bo's shadow. Xiao Fu shook his head, smiled, and asked again, "How long has he been watching?"
Jinzun said truthfully: "I looked at it in bed for less than half a quarter of an hour, then put it back and opened it to look at it a few more times. He also said... that it was insulting, and then he buried himself in the bed."
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