Chapter 260 Don't Abandon Xiuzhi
"teacher?"
A gentle and deep voice sounded, full of caution, anxiety and uneasiness.
Lin Lao's eyelids trembled slightly, as if they weighed a thousand pounds. The moment he opened his eyes, they were filled with fatigue and confusion.
His face was too pale, and the veins on his neck were bulging, gently pulsating with his breathing, and every rise and fall seemed to use up all his strength.
Despite this, he still followed the sound and tried to turn his head.
In the dim light, what came into view was a very familiar silhouette. It was the person he was worried about and reluctant to let go before closing his eyes.
"build......"
Mr. Lin moved his lips with difficulty, trying to make a sound, but only a hoarse sound came out of his throat.
"Yes, teacher, it's me!"
Jiang Xun responded so anxiously that he immediately leaned forward and approached the person on the couch.
Elder Lin tried his best to focus his eyes on Jiang Xun, and blinked hard several times before he could barely see the face of the person approaching.
At this moment, he curled the corners of his mouth and revealed a smile that showed great relief.
Now that Xiuzhi can appear here, I think the most difficult hurdle outside... should be over.
And he... is still alive.
"Heh...haha...I am a coward who loves life and is afraid of death. I didn't want to kill myself. Look...haha, I am really lucky."
"That blood letter...did you see the blood letter?"
When Mr. Lin reached this point, he was obviously exhausted and stopped to catch his breath for a long time.
But when he saw from the corner of his eye that Jiang Xun seemed to want to stop him, he immediately continued the conversation:
"Ha... the words written in blood are the culmination of my life-long calligraphy skills. They are so graceful and graceful!"
"Why...why do you still feel a little cold? Xiuzhi, where is your coat? Give it to me to cover myself—"
At this point, Mr. Lin's eyes widened slightly, and he gradually stopped talking in astonishment.
When he spoke again, Mr. Lin's voice was trembling.
"Xiuzhi, why are you crying?"
"Isn't this old man...fine?"
Jiang Xun knelt beside the couch, his light-colored hem scattered on the ground, with red blood stains and dark mud intertwined and deeply folded.
The cold seeped through the four stone walls of the cell, but his forehead was covered with sweat, and the clothes on his back had long been soaked with sweat, wrapped around his body in dampness and coldness.
Even when facing the furious Emperor Sheng, he always kept his back straight, but now his body was hunched, and the hands hanging by his sides were still shaking uncontrollably, revealing his panic and fragility that was difficult to conceal.
Listening to Mr. Lin's deliberately light-hearted jokes, he couldn't help but shed tears.
He had already noticed the bamboo hairpin on the table.
Teachers are always different.
Everyone in the world adorns themselves with gold and jade, but the teacher prefers to wear a bamboo hairpin to tie up his hair, and a loose plain robe. Although he is in a government office, he looks like a free and unrestrained hermit.
But the tip of the bamboo hairpin on the table had been sharpened to an extremely sharp point.
It was stained with dark, almost dried blood, which looked particularly glaring against the plain bamboo color.
According to the law, those who are imprisoned must take off their crowns and clothes.
However, the teacher was of respected status and highly respected, and it is said that when Eunuch Fushun escorted the teacher to the imperial prison, he also specifically instructed not to treat him harshly.
If the teacher hadn't asked me to do so, I probably wouldn't have had to wear this prison uniform.
It had been nearly an hour since he entered the cell.
No one knew how tormented he was, as if he was in purgatory, with fear and despair following him like a shadow.
He had no doubt that the teacher had disregarded life and death since the night he entered the palace, no, even since the initial plan.
And that blood letter...
He knew without even reading that it was a letter from the teacher to the emperor, asking for one life in exchange for another.
Use the teacher's own life in exchange for Jiang Xun's life.
This guess was like a sharp knife piercing his heart.
Especially when I saw the teacher, who was always as lively as a naughty boy, lying so fragilely in this cold place, his life or death uncertain.
"teacher."
"You are...scratching my straight heart."
Jiang Xun spoke in a hoarse voice, tears streaming down his usually resolute face, his eyes and brows filled with fragility and helplessness.
Elder Lin's heart trembled suddenly. At this moment, he vaguely saw the child he first met ten years ago.
That day, in the reception room of Anyang Marquis's mansion, little Xiuzhi came out from the side room at the urging of Anyang Marquis.
He clearly had a pair of very bright eyes and a very decent demeanor, but he could not hide the confusion between his brows.
It was like a little wild deer that knew nothing about the world, or an orphan lost in the wind and rain, falling into the human world without any warning.
Pure and clean, it is a real unpolished gem.
"Xiu Zhi, everyone... everyone is destined to die. In this matter... you are obsessed with it. Teacher... Teacher is already over 60 years old, so you can be said to have lived a long life."
Mr. Lin felt his eyelids were very heavy, and a feeling of fatigue emanated from his bones, almost taking away all the heat from his body.
He felt very cold and wanted to rest.
But he was also afraid that this would be the last time he would open his eyes and the last time he would see Xiuzhi, so he used all his strength to open his mouth again and again.
Jiang Xun had already noticed that Elder Lin was tired. He raised his sleeve to wipe the tears from his face and said in a hoarse voice:
"Teacher, you are now exhausted, you need to rest well and don't waste your energy talking."
"Imperial Doctor Zhang has gone to make the medicine. Please wait a little longer. Xiuzhi will be able to take you out soon."
But Mr. Lin shook his head and continued stubbornly in a rough and hoarse voice:
"No, Xiuzhi, the lesson of life and death...the teacher should also teach you."
"If the teacher leaves one day, sooner or later, it doesn't matter. In thousands of lives, the teacher will continue to travel and come back to your side."
"Be your good friend, be the breeze that blows past you, be the branches that touch your shoulders, be the weeds on the roadside that look at you..."
“And when you find your good friend, face the wind, touch the branches and leaves, and look back at the wilderness, it is you and your teacher who meet again and again in this vast world.”
"When girls of your age talk about your teacher, use pen and ink to describe your teacher, and repeatedly recall your teacher, it means that your teacher has always been by your side and has never left."
"To be upright, this... is the true meaning of life and death. If you always remember, always be present, and always let go, the living will be happy and the dead will be at peace."
Old Lin tilted his head and spoke as he lay on the rough wooden board in this dim cell. Even though his face was pale and his breath was weak, he still couldn't hide his wisdom and open-mindedness.
The young man who was full of vigor and stunning beauty back then, even though he is old and even a prisoner, he still cannot hide his unparalleled charm.
And his eyes are as bright as stars.
Especially when she looked at Jiang Xun at this moment, her eyes were full of tenderness and love, as if they were her own son.
But Jiang Xun, who was such a clear-headed person and always gave in to Lin Lao in quarrels in the past, was acting out of character today and shook his head solemnly.
"Teacher, this is different. You are different from others. You must live a long life."
Old Lin seldom heard such childish words from Jiang Xun and couldn't help laughing.
He was about to shake his head when he suddenly heard Jiang Xun soften his voice and said in a low voice:
"Teacher, the bamboos in Songbai Courtyard have grown tall and straight, and the chessboard in the courtyard has been carved by a skilled craftsman."
"There are fish in the pond, a pavilion built beside the pond, tea from Minzhou and chefs from Yangzhou."
"Also, my future child... Sui Sui and I."
"Teacher, I don't want separation or death. I want an open-minded life. What I want is to be together year after year, to have fun together every year, and to have a family reunion."
"Teacher, please...please don't abandon Xiuzhi..."
Jiang Xun said this, his voice choked with sobs.
His body was trembling slightly, and at this moment, he slowly leaned over like a child, with his head resting on Mr. Lin's arm.
He wanted to hide his vulnerability, but dependence and pleading had already overflowed from his words.
When Mr. Lin heard this, his heart trembled, his eyes became sore, and his heart was almost crushed.
He walked alone through all his life through wind and rain, and was not able to stay with the one he loved, let alone have children to take care of him.
But that poem ten years ago led him to Xiuzhi.
From then on, the master and the disciple shared the same desk and seat, and studied the ancient and modern classics, history, and literature, the profound teachings of sages, and the exquisite etiquette and system between the morning bells and evening drums, and the beautiful scenery of mountains and rivers.
Then they talked about people's livelihood, the government and the world, and lived together day and night, with a relationship like that of father and son.
How could he bear to leave?
Seeing that Mr. Lin remained silent for a long time, Jiang Xun couldn't help feeling anxious and worried, and he wanted to look up eagerly.
But the next moment, a trembling hand gently placed on his head. The palm was cold, but it was filled with endless love and reluctance.
"Teacher, just listen to Xiuzhi and live a long life, okay?"
His tone was so gentle, just like back then, he also touched little Jiang Xun's head like this, and asked with a smile:
"I will accept you as my last disciple, okay?"
Jiang Xun was shocked and slowly raised his head. He quickly wrapped his warm hands around Lin Lao's cold fingertips, smiling with tears in his eyes, just like he did back then:
"Disciple - I couldn't ask for more."
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