"You are not here to make fun of me, are you? Tell me, what do you want from me?"
Zijian touched his nose and said uncertainly:
"There seems to be something wrong with Emperor Orikawa's reincarnation."
"What?"
Mu Lin frowned slightly, suspecting that he had heard something wrong. He digested it for a while before asking in confusion, "What's the problem?"
What could go wrong with an immortal’s reincarnation
"I do not know either."
"…Are you fooling me?"
"No, I need your help. When you come into contact with the Emperor's reincarnation, you should be able to sense what the problem is."
Mu Lin felt that Zi Jian was joking. As the King of Hell, he couldn't see any problem. How could she, a mortal being, tell with her naked eyes
"Your Majesty Pluto, you should be able to see it, right? I am Princess Jingsheng now, and my master was reincarnated into the Tianlan royal family. The two countries are hostile, so how can I have any intersection with him? What's more, you asked me to do something, but you didn't help me." Mu Lin smiled wryly.
Zijian also smiled wryly, "Don't you have a jade token of love? Isn't it easy for you to meet as an engaged couple?"
Mu Lin shook his head without even thinking, "This identity cannot be made public."
If Emperor Ming knew about the marriage contract with the enemy's royal family, he would definitely cancel it without saying a word. When the master's engagement was broken off, he would probably find a new fiancée and return to the right track of fate, repeating the tragedy of falling in love with his fiancée and then having her taken away.
"Just because it's not possible now doesn't mean it won't be possible in the future. Lin'er, believe in the story written by Jingchen... No, it's fate."
Why is it that after hearing this, she is even more unconvinced
Mu Lin knew that he could not get any practical help, so he was too lazy to continue paying attention to Zi Jian, so he turned around and left.
Zijian watched her figure leave, and the smile on his lips disappeared in an instant. Under the cold moonlight, the man was wearing thin green clothes and was tall and slender.
Another lonely person.
"The Book of Rites: Monthly Ordinances" mentions: "The sun reaches its limit, the moon reaches its limit, and the stars return to the sky. The numbers are about to end, and the year is about to begin again." The year's plan begins with the Spring Festival.
On the first day of the first lunar month, the emperor meets with civil and military officials, who offer their congratulations to the emperor. This is called the New Year's Day Court Meeting. The dress, seating, banquets, and music of the court meeting must all comply with prescribed etiquette, making it a very festive and grand occasion.
Mu Lin stopped appearing after attending several grand events. She rarely had time to relax, so she spent the whole day playing with her younger brother, teaching him to read and write, playing chess and discussing politics with her father, and even taking a tour of Kyoto.
On the seventh day of the Lunar New Year, we set out to return to Baihu Academy.
Emperor Ming was reluctant to let her go and gave her a token with a dragon pattern.
"Take it. From now on, you can command all of Jingsheng's seventy-eight spies in Bailuzhou."
Mu Lin held it in his palm, "Thank you, father."
Bailuzhou is located at the junction of the three kingdoms. Whoever can take it will have the initiative. Mu Lin has always suspected that Jingsheng has planted spies in Bailuzhou, and getting this token is confirmation. If her guess is correct, the other two empires also have plans for Bailuzhou, and there should be no shortage of spies.
The seemingly peaceful paradise is actually a place where undercurrents surge and various forces compete with each other.
Once the war breaks out, the border fortresses will be filled with smoke, and the number of places ravaged by war may be far beyond her imagination.
The Qin Empire was eyeing the north, Tianlan had just completed the transition of power, and Jingsheng was still recuperating after years of civil strife. Mu Lin knew that he might not be able to stay in Baihu Academy for a few years this time.
Her father was in poor health and her younger brother was not yet grown up. Although she did not need to inherit the throne, she still needed to take responsibility for the country.
This is the disadvantage of losing offspring, Mu Lin sighed.
For an emperor, infatuation is the original sin.
As soon as Mu Lin arrived in Bailu Prefecture, he immediately met with the spy leader, Bai Qi.
Mu Lin and General Bai were old acquaintances. Only then did she know that he was a third-rank general of Yunhui. During the war, he was ordered to protect the Crown Princess who left the capital. He watched her being born. After the mother and daughter returned to the palace, Bai Qi was sent to do the spy work that he was best at, and he thrived in Bailu Prefecture.
Now Baiqi is her direct subordinate, who can be moved around by token and obey all her orders.
Mu Lin understood the locations and movements of the spies and determined the method of contact arrangements, and still let them perform their duties and act cautiously.
Before leaving, Bai Qi hesitated, "Your Highness, I have something to tell you, but I don't know if I should tell you."
"It's okay to speak frankly."
"Last year, when you left Baihu Academy, two spies followed you secretly. When they reached the Imperial City, His Majesty ordered them to be dealt with."
"Do you know where to come from?"
"Daqin secret agent."
Mu Lin nodded, his eyes like a frozen mountain stream on a cold night.
"I understand. If something like this happens again, kill first and then report."
"yes."
"Also, contact the spies in Daqin and do your best to secretly investigate Qin Zishu's background."
Her good senior brother might bring unexpected surprises.
"Yes, I will do it immediately."
Mu Lin stayed in the inn until the next day. He strolled around Zhuangyuan Street and bought some writing brushes, inkstones, and snacks before heading back to the academy... to finish his homework.
Yes, she didn’t bring any winter vacation homework back at all!
On the 14th day of the first lunar month, I rushed back to the academy to finish my homework. The teachers adjusted the amount of homework according to the academic level. Mu Lin, who had all A grades, had very little homework. But Master Xin taught her according to her aptitude. He thought that she was young and easily impetuous, so he assigned her a lot of copying homework...
Mu Lin smiled and said: Thank you so much, Master!
Mu Lin wrote from noon to midnight and slept for two and a half hours. At the dawn, when it was still dark, he got up and continued writing. School would start on the 16th of the first lunar month. If he wrote quickly, he could spare an hour or two to attend the Lantern Festival in Fengyan Town tonight.
At this time, the door of the main house was pushed open.
Qin Zishu walked in wearing a black cloak and looking cold. He stared at Mu Lin's silent figure sitting by the lamp at night, and there was a moment of daze on his handsome face.
"Brother, you're back?" Mu Lin was also surprised, but she didn't stop writing and continued copying at the same time.
After all, we can reminisce about the past anytime, but if we don’t finish our homework, then it’s all over!
Qin Zishu obviously noticed that she was doing her homework, and said helplessly: "Come here, I'll help you with it later."
"Good! Senior brother is the best!"
Mu Lin quickly agreed, shook his sore wrist, and walked forward diligently to untie his senior brother's cloak and put it on his arm.
Qin Zishu let her do what she wanted, his eyes dim.
When Mu Lin turned around to look for a clothes hanger, a pair of strong arms wrapped around her waist from behind, and her back leaned against the boy's chest.
"Yizhen, do you miss your brother?"
The cold air made her shiver, but she was held by the waist and couldn't break free.
"… A little bit." Mu Lin said dryly.
"Brother misses you very much. I think about you every day."
When he thought of what she said before she left, that she would come back on the 14th day of the first lunar month, he was eager to go home. He quickly set up the plan and rode back as fast as he could.
Fennel guarding outside Xinyi Residence, the warm light on in the main room, the little girl writing furiously at the desk... When the little girl came forward with sparkling eyes to change his clothes, Qin Yuan suddenly felt fulfilled.
He had been through many hardships in his life, and his heart of stone was unshakable even by schemes and intrigues, but he fell at this moment. When the soft little girl came into his arms, he felt as if he owned the whole world.
Mu Lin didn't think much about it. How could a thirteen-year-old boy have feelings for a child under ten? Moreover, he didn't know that he was a girl.
I couldn't help but tease him, "Brother, why are you as sentimental as a little girl? Let me go, I'll make the bed for you."
"Okay." Qin Zishu's reply was gentle, and his smile was also gentle.
Finally escaping from the shackles, Mu Lin took two steps forward, then turned around and looked at him inquiringly. She suspected that there was something wrong with Qin Zishu's brain.
After making the bed, she found Qin Zishu still looking at her. She pulled his sleeve and said coquettishly, "Brother, I don't want to write the essay that Master Xun assigned. Can you help me write it?"
"good."
My brother's brain is broken...
"The handwriting is somewhat similar. I still have ten of the twenty large characters to finish..."
"Okay." Qin Zishu agreed immediately.
"Brother is the best!"
It's broken, so be it. I hope that my senior brother's head will continue to be broken! Mu Lin raised a bright smile at the corner of his lips, his eyebrows curved like crescent moons.
"Yizhen, when is your birthday?"
"February, no, on the fifth day of May." He was so proud of himself that he almost let out his birthday.
Mu Lin made small talk: "I'm one year older after the Chinese New Year. I'm ten now. How's my senior brother?"
"I am four years older than you, fourteen in lunar age. In our Great Qin, noble men can marry at the age of sixteen."
Qin Zishu looked at her meaningfully, and Mu Lin understood what he meant, clapped his hands and laughed:
"Congratulations, Senior Brother. You will be able to marry a new sister-in-law in two or three years! Yizhen will definitely bring gifts and congratulate you, and ask for a glass of wedding wine..."
Qin Zishu's smile faded, and he asked tentatively:
"Have you really never considered marriage?"
"According to our Jingsheng customs, it is not too late for a man to get married when he reaches the age of twenty."
Besides, Tan Yizheng will never be able to marry and have children in this life because he died at the age of three.
"Do you really have an engagement?"
"Yes." Mu Lin answered decisively. It was a childhood marriage arranged between the Princess of a County and the wife of a censor, but Tan Yizhen was unable to fulfill it, so the two families quietly cancelled the engagement.
"What about you, Senior Brother? Are you engaged? Or what kind of woman do you want to marry?"
"It would be great if Yizhen really had a sister, then we could become even closer."
"That's really a pity..." Prince Yan has only three sons, two legitimate sons and one illegitimate son.
"No regrets. Do you really believe that no matter what her identity is, the woman I love will eventually marry me." Qin Zishu looked at her and said slowly.
"Believe me, with your appearance and character, you will definitely find a good match."
Junior brother, please find a woman to admire, preferably one who is gentle, kind, and docile, and can fully satisfy your desire for control. Stop staring at this poor junior brother every day...
"Then, I'll borrow your words to express my good wishes."
Qin Zishu stared at him, a trace of determination in his eyes.