good season

As if struck by lightning, the intense shock spread rapidly from the top of his head to his entire body. Yang Shengqiu's body suddenly became immobile, and his feet seemed to be stuck in the mud, unable to move or pull themselves out.

Why is Lin Xian still alive?

Why is Lin Xian here?
In an instant, countless thoughts flashed through Yang Shengqiu's mind, but none of them could compare to the shock he felt at that glance.

Although it was time to leave the office, the sun had not yet set. The sun was shining brightly overhead, casting long, slanted shadows on the ground, and standing before him were living, breathing people.

"My lord, young master?" With his back to Lin Xian, Xiao Mo could only see his master's face turn deathly pale. In his haste, he changed his address twice.

Yang Shengqiu had not yet recovered from the shock. He stared wide-eyed at the person not far away.

Lin Xian's face held a half-smile; this cheerful and carefree young man had a cold look in his eyes.

He remembered, he remembered everything. He hadn't seen the person's face, but he felt like there was something he had forgotten.

Until three days ago, Xu Bo was scolded by Master Xu again and complained to him: "How can you blame me? Isn't it because he gave birth to me so stupid? If anyone is to blame, it's his own fault, not mine, don't you think?"

At that very moment, it suddenly occurred to him.

Before he was thrown into the ice cave, he heard the murderer say, "You have only yourself to blame. Who told you to come looking for me? Don't blame me, do you think?"

He was on the verge of death, the intense pain making his head spin. The next moment, he was thrown into the ice cave, and those words were forgotten deep in his memory.

More importantly, the bamboo pendant he had worn for ten years disappeared after the incident.

At first, he thought he had dropped it when he was rescued, but then he remembered that the murderer had searched his body and realized that it was at that time that the bamboo plaque was taken away.

It was carved by Yang Shengqiu himself when he was a child. It's worthless, and no one would steal it.

Back then, he gave all the New Year's money he had saved up for a long time to Yang Shengqiu. Yang Shengqiu had nothing of value, so he personally carved this bamboo plaque and gave it to him.

He regarded this bamboo plaque as his most precious memento, and for ten whole years, he never parted with it.

Whenever he touches this bamboo plaque, he remembers that he had a friend who was very good at studying, and they made a pact to become a Xiucai, a Juren, and a Jinshi together!
He remembered that the "young man" he had met at the grilled fish stall had repeatedly asked him who he had seen that day. Yes, he had seen Yang Shengqiu that day.

He also recalled that when they first met, the "young man" told him not to mention the massacre of the Shi family when he met Yang Shengqiu. And when they met for the second time, the "young man" asked him again if he had told Yang Shengqiu about the massacre. He said he had, and he felt he should have said it, after all, it was such a big deal. He also remembered the way the "young man" looked at him, as if he were looking at an idiot!
Yang Shengqiu wanted to kill him because he told him about it. Why?
Because he was an old friend of Yang Shengqiu, he knew Yang Shengqiu from back then, and he knew that Yang Shengqiu had once lived in the Shi family!
Therefore, Yang Shengqiu wanted to kill him!

Lin Xian was in unbearable pain. He had implicated his cousin. He was rescued and survived by chance, but his cousin was nowhere to be found, neither alive nor dead. Even Master Yan could not find his cousin.

My cousin knew he went to see Yang Shengqiu, and when he didn't come back that night, my cousin was worried about him and must have gone to look for Yang Shengqiu, so my cousin disappeared.

For three days now, from the moment he learned the truth until now, Lin Xian has spent the entire three days in agony and self-blame.

He couldn't understand it. His family wasn't wealthy, but they had some money. He was an average student, but he still passed the imperial examination and became a scholar. His family was of modest means, but they were harmonious, his parents were loving, and his relatives helped each other. The biggest setback he had ever experienced was failing the provincial examination.

He couldn't understand why the person who had promised to be his best friend for life had turned out this way.
He couldn't understand why there were such bad people in the world.
Yesterday, the fish stall "young man" came to the Xu residence again, and he couldn't wait to tell him what he had remembered. It was only then that he realized that the person was not a young man, but a little girl.

The little girl didn't laugh at him; instead, she offered to work with him.

He agreed without hesitation. He needed to find his cousin, alive or dead, or he wouldn't have the face to go home and would have let his cousin's family down.

So he came today. Zhao's sister said he just wanted to show his face here.

He saw Yang Shengqiu, who came out of the Ministry of Revenue. Yang Shengqiu was not as glamorous as he had imagined. Instead, he looked like a defeated rooster, dejected and dejected.

Lin Xian looked at Yang Shengqiu, and Yang Shengqiu was also looking at him. He saw shock and fear in Yang Shengqiu's eyes. Haha, that handsome and elegant scholar Yang, when he was afraid, was just like an ordinary person.

Lin Xian didn't say anything. He turned around, got into a magnificent carriage, and drove away.

Yang Shengqiu only snapped out of his shock when the carriage disappeared from sight.

He grabbed Xiao Mo's wrist and asked in a trembling voice, "Did you see that? There was a carriage stopped there just now!"

Xiao Mo looked in the direction he pointed, puzzled: "That's where carriages are parked. The officials from the Six Ministries all park their carriages there."

"No, it's a very luxurious carriage!"

Yang Shengqiu was excited. This was the Six Ministries. From the Minister to the lowest official, everyone was very low-key when going to the government office. Whether it was a carriage or a sedan chair, everyone had to abide by the regulations of rank and would never overstep the bounds.

The carriage we just saw was inlaid with gold and jade, clearly from a royal or noble family.

He was so shocked that he didn't even notice the insignia on the carriage.

Why is Lin Xian riding in such a carriage? Who brought him here?

Why did we come here?
Just so he could see it?

What's even more terrifying is that Lin Xian is not only still alive, but also has a powerful figure standing behind him.

Xiao Mo was completely baffled as to why his young master had lost his composure. He said, "Please wait a moment, I'll go and find out."

Yang Shengqiu took two deep breaths to calm himself down.

He sat in the sedan chair expressionlessly, and Xiao Mo rushed off to inquire.

A moment later, Xiao Mo returned and shook her head at Yang Shengqiu. No one had seen the magnificent carriage that the young master had mentioned. Xiao Mo even suspected that there was no such carriage at all, and that the young master must have been too tired and his eyes were playing tricks on him.

"Young master, I've heard that lamb liver can improve eyesight. I'll go buy some for you to nourish your eyes."

Yang Shengqiu looked at the spot where Lin Xian had stood; it was empty, without even a fallen leaf.

Perhaps I'm just seeing things?
Yang Shengqiu slowly shook his head. Impossible, how could he be seeing things?
Lin Xian returned to the carriage, where three people were seated: Hero Yan, Little Sister Zhao, and the young master he had met for the first time that day. This young master was stern and aloof, but kind; he had even bought candy for Little Sister Zhao, and of course, Lin Xian received some as well. Lin Xian felt that there were still many good people in the world, such as Hero Yan, Lord Xu, Xu Bo, Little Sister Zhao, and of course, the two brothers who had saved him. Now, his list of good people had grown to include this aloof young master whose name he didn't know.

"Master Yan, when will you arrest Yang Shengqiu and make him reveal my cousin's whereabouts?"

Yan Xia said, "No rush, let's wait a bit longer."

Although Lin Xian was certain that Yang Shengqiu was the murderer, the evidence was too weak in court. If Yang Shengqiu denied it, the evidence would be invalid.

Zhao Shiqing comforted him: "Yang Shengqiu has other secrets. We'll wait for him to show his true colors. Don't worry, he'll get his comeuppance, it's just not the right time yet."

Lin Xian hurriedly asked, "Then what about me? What else can I do?"

Yan Xia said, "Let's talk about your accommodation first. Are you still staying at the Xu residence, or are you coming home with me? I think you should come home with me. Xu Bo talks too much, which will affect your studies."

Not to mention Lin Xian, even Xu Bo's older brother, who was ranked second in the imperial examination, was extremely annoyed by this younger brother, who used the guise of compiling books to live in the Hanlin Academy and never went home.

Lin Xian didn't think so. On the contrary, he got along quite well with Xu Bo. He even wanted Xu Bo to study at Huiwen Academy so that they could see each other more often. However, Huiwen Academy was a small academy, and even if Xu Bo wanted to go, Master Xu probably wouldn't let him.

"Master Yan, is your home quiet? Is it suitable for studying?"

Yan Xia nodded: "Perfect, perfect. My study is huge, three times the size of Master Xu's. Currently, only my younger brother uses it. You can keep him company. Also, you don't need to audit classes at Huiwen Academy. We have a tutor at home. He's free anyway, so let him teach you."

Mr. Wang spends all his time fishing; he's caught all the koi in the lake. Now it's good to find him something to do.

Zhao Shiqing's lips twitched. "Master Yan, do you have some misunderstanding about An Jing?"
However, Zhao Shiqing knew the tutor that Master Yan mentioned.

This Master Wang was a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations). When he returned to his hometown with his son to pay respects to his ancestors, a relative became jealous and set fire to the house. Master Wang's son was burned to death. Although he was lucky enough to survive, his appearance was disfigured, and his career was interrupted. His wife was shocked to hear the bad news and, unable to bear the blow, committed suicide by hitting her head against a wall.

The case was solved by Yan Xia, the criminals were brought to justice, and Mr. Wang's family was destroyed, his career was ruined, and he was heartbroken.

Yan Xia then invited him to be a tutor at the Duke of Wei's mansion. After all, the Yan family didn't have much else, but they had the most students, more than a dozen of them, so there were plenty of people to teach.

Unfortunately, the idea was very ambitious, but the reality was quite different.

The Yan family had more than a dozen brothers, yet they managed to keep Master Wang idle every day. He lived in the Duke of Wei's mansion for three years, and except for the first three months, he was very free the rest of the time.

Those three months were because Madam Yu stood guard at the study door with a whip.

Upon hearing that Lin Xian was going to the Duke of Wei's mansion, Xu Bo was not reluctant to see him go. On the contrary, he was very excited. He wanted to go too, so that he could see his most admired hero, Yan Daxia, every day.

Xu Bo had packed all his things, but unfortunately, he was stopped by Lord Xu and locked in a dark room. He cried his eyes out and doubted for the 295th time that he was not his biological son, but an adopted child.

Yang Shengqiu spent a sleepless night in fear.

The next day, he went to the government office with dark circles under his eyes.

After leaving the office, he saw Xiao Mo rushing over: "Have you found out?"

Xiao Mo hurriedly said, "I went to Huiwen Academy. The people there said that Lin Xian, the scholar, hasn't been to the academy since after the New Year. I also went to where Lin Xian lived and met the landlord. The landlord said that Lin Xian pays his rent every three months. He paid it once at the beginning of February and again a few days ago. The landlord was very happy and praised Lin Xian for being so considerate, always paying in advance without needing to be urged."

"Who pays the rent? Is it Lin Xian himself?" Yang Shengqiu asked.

"Yes, the landlord said that Lin Xiucai seems to have made it big. He's wearing Hangzhou silk, whereas before he just wore ordinary scholar's robes. However, although he paid the rent, he hasn't gone back to live there. The house has been empty. The landlord asked Lin Xiucai, and Lin Xiucai said that he's currently staying at a friend's house, but houses near the academy are hard to rent. He'll move back later, so he won't cancel the lease," Xiao Mo said.

The hairs on Yang Shengqiu's body stood on end.

Lin Xian is indeed still alive.

Yang Shengqiu remembered clearly that when he last saw Lin Xian, although Lin Xian was dressed appropriately, he was only wearing the most ordinary clothes.

Even Yang Shengqiu himself, before coming to the capital, only had one Hangzhou silk robe, which was provided to him by Lord Lang, and he only wore it on important occasions.

Now the landlord says that Lin Xian is wearing Hangzhou silk and is staying at a friend's house. Houses near the academy are not cheap, but he can pay rent but not live there.

Based on the magnificent carriage he had seen yesterday, Yang Shengqiu became even more certain that Lin Xian must have pledged allegiance to some important figure.

What's even more terrifying than seeking refuge is that Lin Xian was actively recruited by a powerful figure.

Thinking of this, Yang Shengqiu felt a chill run down his spine. For several days in a row, although Yang Shengqiu did not see Lin Xian, he always felt that he was being watched. The feeling of being watched was very bad, like countless insects crawling on his feet, which was both painful and itchy, but he could not kick them away or shake them off.

On this day, he finally lost his temper. After leaving his post, he did not go home, but went to the Purple Bamboo Temple again.

After Master Feng passed away, the Feng family kept a low profile, and Feng Yalan went to the Zizhu Temple in a small sedan chair to become a lay Buddhist.

Originally, Feng Yalan wanted to become a nun, but Feng Ke ultimately did not agree.

Among his many children, Feng Ke still favored Feng Yalan. This illegitimate daughter was not only well-educated and polite, but also calm and sensible. If it weren't for the incident of falling into the water, she would have been a good candidate for marriage.

The Zizhu Temple housed not only the Emperor Emeritus's concubines but also Princess Jiarou.

Princess Jiarou was different from the other concubines. She was the youngest daughter of the retired emperor and the younger sister of Emperor Yongjia. She was able to enter the palace and attend important occasions with other princesses.

Although she was just a princess who was dispensable, Feng Ke did not want to waste her, and even more so, he did not want to waste his daughter Feng Yalan.

Feng Yalan stayed by Princess Jiarou's side for a year or two, until that incident was forgotten, and was able to continue serving the family.

Although the engagement was off, Yang Shengqiu had been keeping track of Feng Yalan's whereabouts. Today, he finally made up his mind and came to Zizhu Temple. (End of Chapter)