Zhu Men Ji Shi

Chapter 23 Last Words
The moon is in the sky, and the night breeze is cool.

There was a person sleeping on the bed in the West Wing of Xiyuan. Her body was thinner than the average person's. She was so thin that only a skeleton was left. Her face was bloodless. If she wasn't still breathing, she would really be no different from a dead person.

Standing beside her bed was a young man wearing a stone-blue brocade robe. His tall and straight figure blocked the candlelight beside him, and his deep facial features left shadows of different shades on his angular handsome face, revealing a little The color of melancholy.

There was a strong smell of medicine in the air, and just smelling it made me feel bitter.

Qin has been ill with this disease for a long time, so there is always a lingering smell of medicine in the room.

The bead curtain on the door was lifted slightly, and Li Shi and the others walked in slowly. When he saw him standing there motionless, he was slightly startled: "Jintang, why are you here?"

Zhu Jintang withdrew his gaze, turned to look at the person who came, bowed and saluted and said, "Mother, Fu'an, my son just wanted to come and have a look."

Li Shi had just come from his ancestors, his face was full of tiredness, his eyes were reddish, and he looked preoccupied and hadn't had time to clean up.

Seeing her like this, Zhu Jintang couldn't help frowning slightly, knowing that it must be for his own business again.

During these days, although he was not at home often, he knew that his family was looking for a suitable candidate for his successor, and, I heard that he had already been selected, and she was a lady from an official family.

"It's getting late, let's go back and rest. Don't you have to go out early tomorrow morning?" Li Shi lowered his voice, urging him to leave quickly.

Ever since Qin Shi fell ill, Li Shi didn't like to see him coming here, for fear that he might get sick or something.

Zhu Jintang had a complicated expression on his face, and said lightly, "It's because I'm leaving that I want to come and see her." This trip to the capital, at least half a month, at most a month will not come back, he doesn't know his Can the wife persist until then.

Li Shi sighed, walked to his side, and comforted him: "Go back, there is a mother watching over here."

Zhu Jintang was pushed out by his mother, Li Shi, who persuaded her hard, "She is dying, and she is sick all over her body. If you go to see her, it will only make her feel more uncomfortable. Better not to……"

How did Zhu Jintang manage to get away? Standing by the window, looking at his wife Qin’s room through the window paper stained by light, the window paper reflected a blurry figure, but there was no sound. The whole yard was deadly silent, even the cicadas The beeps are gone.

The cool breeze blew on his face, but it couldn't blow away the thousands of melancholy in his heart.

After a while, a soft sobbing sound suddenly came from the room, and Zhu Jintang knew that it was his mother crying.Qin Shi has been ill for a long time, and now he doesn't even have the strength to cry.

Zhu Jintang has been standing by the window without leaving, and the two servant girls behind him have been waiting behind them with lanterns, silent.

Although only separated by a window, it seems like two worlds.

After a while, Li's crying became louder, and he whimpered and called out: "My child, my child, open your eyes and look at me?"

Accompanied by her voice, the room immediately heard one after another crying.

Zhu Jintang's heart sank, and he felt that a piece of flesh had been gouged out from the bottom of his heart, revealing a big bloody hole.

Before he had time to move, a maid came out from the room crying out of breath to report: "Master... grandma has already gone..."

Zhu Jintang felt a slight pain in his heart, hurried back to the room, looked up and saw his mother Li Shi was sitting next to the bed, crying so much that she couldn't make a sound, because with her, Zhu Jintang didn't see his wife lying on the bed. A pale little hand hangs down from the quilt feebly, fingers slightly bent, as if trying to grab something.

Li Shi couldn't help crying, she started crying for Qin Shi, crying for her misery, crying for her misfortune, but crying and crying, she became crying for herself, crying for her son, the suppressed sadness in her heart All the grievances came out in one brain, and I cried more and more sadly.

Zhu Jintang silently walked to Qin's bedside, his eyes swept across her thin and pale face.I saw that she kept her eyes open until she died, staring blankly and steadily towards this side. There was no resentment or sorrow in her eyes, as if she couldn't see anything, and it seemed as if she could see everything, penetrating to the bottom of people's hearts.

He hesitated a lot before stretching out his hand to feel her breath. Seeing that she was really out of breath, he couldn't help being silent for a while, then gently closed her eyes for her, and sighed: "I'm sorry, I'm sorry after all. you……"

If he hadn't been born with a lonely fate, maybe she wouldn't have died... She had given birth to a son, but she couldn't watch him grow up... She had come here, but she didn't see the last side... Li Shi suddenly got up and looked at The son said with a slightly excited expression: "All this is fate, what has it to do with you! Don't think about it, don't think too much about it! She's just a fate, it has nothing to do with you..."

It has nothing to do with me, he always hears this sentence from his mother whenever someone has an accident because of him.

Once upon a time, I remember that on such a quiet summer night, Qingqing left him, and took the child in her belly with her. Now, the Qin family also left him, just to do their best to leave him a son .

Zhu Jintang felt that his head was hurting again, he pondered for a moment, and then said: "Does she have anything to say?"

Li Shi nodded with tears in her eyes: "She wants me to take Brother Daming personally."

Qin Shi is a smart woman. Although she is in poor health, she has everything clearly in her heart.

The Zhu family valued offspring so much, they would definitely let Zhu Jintang marry another woman.And her son will become a stepson at that time, and his fate will change accordingly, so she wants to find a safe support for her child so that he can grow up safely.

Although Mrs. Zhu has ambitions, she is old and unable to do what she wants. Li Shi is undoubtedly the most suitable candidate.

Zhu Jintang calmed down slowly, and said lightly: "Just do as she wants."

Li Shi immediately said: "Let the outsiders prepare for the funeral, come and go, you write an obituary and send it to the Qin family."

This kind of matter cannot be handled by the subordinates, so as not to lose the dignity between the two families.

Zhu Jintang nodded: "My son understands." After finishing speaking, he leaned down, put Qin's hand that had fallen from the quilt, and covered it again, with indescribable tenderness and reluctance.

Her palms were still warm, but the knuckles were slightly stiff, not as soft and delicate as usual.

Seeing this, Li couldn't help turning her back, cried a few times, and then turned to remind him: "Go quickly, the funeral is important, don't waste the time."

After going to the Zhu Mansion, Shen Yuechen clearly felt her position and situation in the Shen family, and began to improve and improve.

However, her heart is still calm, and she is still as usual. Except for morning and evening meditation, she rarely leaves her yard every day, and stays peacefully in the house to read books and practice calligraphy.However, the southern courtyard where she lives is no longer as deserted as before. The people in the kitchen will bring her nourishing chicken soup every morning and evening. Such exquisite snacks are so exquisitely crafted that people can hardly bear to eat them.

Shen Yuechen didn't like sweets, Cui Xin followed suit, holding a piece of pastry in one hand, stuffing her cheeks bulgingly, eating deliciously.

Shen Yuechen looked at her satisfied face and smiled thoughtfully.

Tomorrow is the anniversary of Lin's death. She is going to Ciyun Temple to offer incense and pray for her deceased mother. By the way, she will meet Master Mingran and get back all the things that have been left in his place.

In the early morning of the next day, before it was bright outside, Mrs. Shen ordered the concierge to prepare the carriage in advance, and asked someone to knock out a few pieces of ice from the ice cellar to make an ice basin.

The greetings in the morning went very smoothly, even breakfast was eaten with the old lady, the kitchen who got orders prepared Shen Yuechen with longevity noodles, the soup was clear, and the noodles were slender, like the long beard of a white dragon.

Because she was going to the temple to pray, Shen Yuechen couldn't wear brightly colored dresses, so she only wore a light white dress with a silver hairpin pinned to her head, other than that, she didn't wear any jewelry on her body.

Seeing her clean and frail appearance, the old lady suddenly felt sour when she remembered that she had lost her mother since she was a child and was being fostered outside. Before leaving, she took her granddaughter's hand, explained a few words kindly, and gave her a dress The big purse of silver ingots, let her add some sesame oil money when the time comes.

Shen Yuechen took it in his hand and felt it was heavy, at least 20 taels of silver.

It was rare for the old lady to be so generous, Shen Yuechen thanked her with a smile, Li Nanny then handed over a small bamboo basket and said with a smile: "These snacks are all made by the old slave himself, the young lady brought them and saved them for eating on the way."

Shen Yuechen was used to being mean by them before, facing this sudden thoughtfulness, she felt a little uncomfortable for a while, but she still thanked them respectfully.

An ice basin had already been prepared in the carriage, and it was an early morning departure, so the road was cool and not stuffy at all.

After walking for about an hour, Wu Ma's forehead began to sweat slightly, and she hurriedly took out a handkerchief and dabbed some ice water on her face.

Cui Xin was beside her, fanning lightly while peeping out through the crack of the curtain, full of curiosity.

Ciyun Temple is located in the western suburbs of Dezhou. It is not remote, but it is very deserted.

Ciyun Temple is located on the hillside, and the mountain road is rugged and difficult to walk. In addition, it is now summer and the weather is unbearably hot. Pilgrims are even more reluctant to come here to suffer.

The reason why Shen Yuechen enshrined Lin's memorial tablet here was firstly because of his master, and secondly because this place was a quiet place where outsiders rarely disturbed him.

Shen Yuechen walked up the mountain with Wu Ma Cuixin, followed by a Lifu carrying a basket.

Outside the gate of Ciyun Temple stands a stone tablet engraved with "Namo Amitabha Buddha". A young monk in coarse cloth is holding a broom and gently sweeping the stone steps under his feet.

Seeing someone coming from a distance, the little monk immediately threw the broom on the ground, turned around and walked to the courtyard with the wide open gate of the temple, shouting loudly: "Master, master, someone is coming."

Shen Yuechen looked in the direction he was running to, and saw a benevolent old monk walking towards him, patted the abrupt young monk lightly on the head, and said: "Refrain from anger, loud noises are not allowed in the Buddhist Pure Land, Why are you always disobedient?"

The little monk was reprimanded by the teacher, but he was not afraid. He just turned around and looked at Shen Yuechen with a giggle, and put his hands together and said, "Amitabha, is this female benefactor here to offer incense and make a wish?"

Shen Yuechen looked at him and nodded, then bowed to the teacher and said: "I am Shen Yuechen, and I came to your temple to recite scriptures for my dead mother. Excuse me, is Master there?"

(End of this chapter)