Duke of Zhenguan

Chapter 111 Roll

On the 28th day of the twelfth lunar month, the weather suddenly cleared up.

Early in the morning, Er Ya ran to Lin Chuan's bedroom in the east wing and called out, "Brother, there's a Buddhist ceremony at Guangming Temple today. I made plans to go with Sixth Sister. Are you coming?"

Since Sixth Sister is going, Lin Chuan naturally has to go too!

He quickly got up, ate a quick breakfast, and took Er Ya out to the Yan family to find Yan Liu Niangzi.

Upon arriving at the Yan family home, they first visited Prime Minister Yan and Madam Yan.

The official announcement of Yan Xiangshi's title would not be made until the grand court assembly on New Year's Day. Although the Yan family did not care about a title, they did care about the contribution of movable type printing.

The movable type printing technology of the Gewu Research Institute was still being improved, and naturally many books were printed during this period, including Yan Xiangshi's commentary on the Book of Rites and Yan Shigu's commentary on the Book of Han, totaling several hundred copies.

Aside from sending some to the palace, the rest were all sent to the Yan family.

In the past few days, people have been coming to the Yan family every day to ask for books. Some are old friends of Yan Shigu and Yan Xiangshi, while others are friends of the younger generation of the Yan family.

News of movable type printing naturally spread, and although the Yan family repeatedly emphasized that movable type printing was the achievement of the imperial court and Lin Chuan, the Yan family's prestige still rose to a new level.

Therefore, when Yan Xiangshi saw Lin Chuan, his attitude was exactly the same as before, and even showed some intimacy.

As for Madam Yan, she already regarded Lin Chuan as her grandson-in-law and was increasingly satisfied with him.

After chatting with Yan Xiangshi for a while, Er Ya and Liu Niangzi came to the front yard, and Lin Chuan left the Yan family with the two little maids amidst Yan Xiangshi's laughter and scolding.

Guangming Temple is located next to the West Market. Because it holds a large-scale Dharma assembly for two or three days every year, the area in front of the temple is already very lively early in the morning.

Not only were there many vendors, but there were also performers of acrobatics and various other entertainments, making it resemble a temple fair.

Lin Chuan was dressed in a brocade robe with a cloak over it. Er Ya and Yan Liu Niangzi were dressed similarly. Xu Laosan and several guards surrounded the three of them, preventing any idlers from getting close.

Although it lacked some of the fun, it was still an extremely happy thing for Er Ya, who rarely gets to go out.

Seeing Yan Liu Niangzi and her brother exchanging glances, Er Ya tactfully said to Lin Chuan, "Brother, you and Liu Niangzi go sightseeing. I'll go look around elsewhere. We'll meet up at Guangming Temple later!"

"Okay! Be careful!"

Lin Chuan nodded and told Zhao Fu and Zhao Gui to go with him.

After Er Ya left, Lin Chuan smiled and asked Yan Liu Niangzi, "Has Yu'er been here before?"

"Yes, ever since I can remember, I've come here with my grandmother every year to pray for blessings!" Yan Liu Niangzi said softly.

Lin Chuan reached out and took Yan Liu Niangzi's hand, saying with a smile, "From now on, I'll come with Yu'er every year!"

Holding hands with Lin Chuan in public, Yan Liu Niangzi's face flushed crimson. She quickly pulled away and whispered to Lin Chuan, "Lin Lang, there are so many people here—"

"What are you afraid of with so many people around? Look, they're even holding hands!"

Lin Chuan awkwardly pointed to the two people holding hands in front of him and said softly.

When Yan Liu Niangzi saw them, her face flushed even more; they were clearly two men.

She glared at Lin Chuan with embarrassment and anger, and stopped walking alongside him, sulking as she fell half a step behind.

Lin Chuan did not force her. Although the atmosphere in the Tang Dynasty was open, holding hands in public was indeed a bit out of line for Yan Liu Niangzi, who came from the Yan family.

It's better to stay at home. At most, Yan Liu Niangzi will scold him a couple of times with a red face, but in the end, she will let him do as he pleases.

After watching the acrobatics outside for a while, Lin Chuan accompanied Yan Liu Niangzi into Guangming Temple. Yan Liu Niangzi knelt devoutly before the Bodhisattva to pray for blessings, while Lin Chuan watched from the doorway.

After praying for blessings, Yan Liu Niangzi took some incense money from her purse and put it into the donation box.

Following Lin Chuan out of the main hall, he asked curiously, "Young Master Lin doesn't believe in Buddhism?"

"I don't believe it!" Lin Chuan nodded.

"I don't believe it either, but my grandmother said that we don't pray for the protection of Buddha and Bodhisattvas, but for the blessings of our relatives, so I thought I'd come and offer my prayers!" Yan Liu Niangzi said softly.

"It's alright. Although I don't believe it, I don't dislike it either!" Lin Chuan said with a smile.

"Brother!"

After searching the temple for a while without finding Er Ya, the two stood under a big tree at the temple entrance and waited.

A moment later, Er Ya rushed into the temple, looking somewhat panicked as she ran towards Lin Chuan: "Brother!"

Lin Chuan frowned and turned around. He saw Er Ya running up to him with a panicked look on her face, and asked Zhao Fu, who had followed him in, "What happened?"

"My lord, an old man claiming to be the Marquis of Leping County just stopped the lady!" Zhao Fu said awkwardly.

Just as Zhao Fu finished speaking, an old man in a brocade robe walked into the temple. His eyes swept around the courtyard, and when he saw Er Ya, his cloudy eyes lit up. He strode towards Er Ya.

Lin Chuan coldly looked at the old man walking over, and some unpleasant memories surfaced in his mind.

Although Lin Chuan didn't speak, Zhao Fu and Zhao Gui could still sense his displeasure from his face, and silently stepped forward to block the old man.

Li Cang, after all, had obtained his title through flattery and sycophancy, so he did have some skill in reading people. Looking at the Zhao brothers, Zhao Fu and Zhao Gui, he smiled, cupped his hands in greeting to Lin Chuan, and asked, "I am Li Cang, the Marquis of Leping County. And this young gentleman is?"

Lin Chuan had almost forgotten what happened a year ago. If he hadn't heard the name Li Cang, the Marquis of Leping County, again, he probably would never have remembered it.

In fact, Li Cang played a part in his affair with Cheng Churou.

Having confirmed that the old man before him was indeed the Duke of Leping County from his memory, Lin Chuan's face revealed undisguised disgust as he coldly asked, "I am Lin Chuan. May I ask what brings you, Marquis Li?"

"Lin Chuan?"

Li Cang was stunned for a moment, and the smile on his face vanished instantly, replaced by undisguised killing intent.

Ever since he was frightened into a serious illness by Cheng Yaojin and had his title stripped by Li Shimin, he hated Lin Chuan to the bone and naturally paid close attention to him. He just never expected to see Lin Chuan under such circumstances.

Thinking of Li Shimin's high regard for Lin Chuan, while he himself had pleaded with Li Yuan countless times yet remained a county marquis, while the peasant boy before him, barely a few years old, was already a county earl—

He wanted to turn around and leave, but when he saw the little girl next to Lin Chuan, he couldn't bear to part with her.

After hesitating for a moment, Li Cang forced an awkward smile, cupped his hands towards Lin Chuan, and said softly, "Lord Lin, what happened before was all done by my servants. It was all a misunderstanding. I have always greatly admired Lord Lin."

"Why is Lord Li so hypocritical? Just say what you have to say!" Lin Chuan interrupted Li Cang impatiently.

Li Cang's expression changed, but he ultimately suppressed the anger rising within him. Pointing at Er Ya, he awkwardly said to Lin Chuan, "Lord Lin, I find this girl quite pleasing to the eye. I wonder if Lord Lin would be willing to part with her?"

Lin Chuan stared at Li Cang for a long time, then coldly cursed, "Shameless old beast, get out!"

"brush!"

As soon as Lin Chuan finished speaking, the four guards behind Li Cang drew their swords and pointed them at Lin Chuan.

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