Married to a Villainous Minister - Chapter 139

Lu Jin shook his head and stepped aside.

Yu Qizhe entered the meditation room and saw Master Huijue seated cross-legged on the platform, his expression calm and serene. Only then did Yu Qizhe feel slightly at ease.

He pressed his palms together in a monk’s greeting and respectfully said, “Master.”

Master Huijue smiled at him. Though aged and frail, his features were gentle and kind. “Zhanxing, you’ve come too. Let me check your pulse.”

Zhanxing was the courtesy name Huijue had given Yu Qizhe. Both he and Lu Jin were Huijue’s outer disciples. Lu Jin had lost his parents at a young age and wandered about until he was taken in by the monastery. His Dharma name was Zhanjin. After leaving Fahua Temple, Lu Jin took the “Jin” from his Dharma name as his secular name.

Yu Qizhe stepped forward and extended his wrist. Master Huijue placed his age-spotted hand gently on Yu Qizhe’s pulse and smiled kindly. “The poison in your body has indeed been cleared. I can now pass on peacefully.”

“Master…” Yu Qizhe’s heart tightened.

Master Huijue gave a faint smile. “Don’t grieve. I have felt for some time that my life is nearing its end. Now that your health is restored, you can return to serve the court. With your talent, your path in government will be smooth. In the future, you and Zhanjin must do all you can for the people. I have no more regrets.”

Yu Qizhe was filled with sorrow. Though he was intelligent by nature, had he not studied under Master Huijue in his youth and received his teachings, he might have remained a nobody.

“Master, I brought a physician with me. Though she is a woman, her medical skills are exceptional, it was she who cured me of the poison,” Yu Qizhe said.

Master Huijue gently patted his head and replied with a peaceful smile, “My time has come. There’s no need to force what cannot be.”

Lu Jin’s eyes had already reddened, but he didn’t try to persuade him further. He understood well that Master Huijue had devoted his life to Zen and attained deep spiritual understanding. He had long come to terms with life and death. Now that he sensed the end, he would calmly await his passing.

“Death is not sorrowful, nor is life a joy. All things are impermanent. That which arises, perishes. When both cease, nirvana is bliss.” Seeing the two of them so grief-stricken, Master Huijue recited a Buddhist verse and then instructed, “Zhanjin, though you’re the elder disciple, you are not as steady as Zhanxing. In difficult times, consult your junior more often.”

Lu Jin nodded repeatedly. Hearing the master speak as if giving his final instructions, he knelt on the ground and wept silently.

Yu Qizhe also knelt beside him, fighting back tears. “Master, though life and death are fated, man can sometimes overcome fate. I brought the doctor in case we still have a chance.”

Master Huijue lowered his eyes and looked at him kindly. “Zhanxing, though you are quiet by nature, you tend to get trapped in a single thought. You must remember: arrival is by chance, departure is inevitable. Do what must be done, and follow the flow of nature.”

“Your disciple will remember your teachings,” Yu Qizhe said, pressing his palms together and bowing to Master Huijue.

Master Huijue smiled gently and closed his eyes. “After I pass, there is no need to return to mourn. You two may now go down the mountain.”

“Master…” Lu Jin knelt on the ground, his voice choked with sorrow.

Yu Qizhe gently placed a hand on his shoulder. Since Master Huijue faced death so calmly, he surely wouldn’t want to see them overwhelmed by grief like ordinary people.

The two bowed low and gave Master Huijue three kowtows. In unison, they said, “Disciples Zhanjin and Zhanxing bid farewell to Master.” Only then did they rise and leave the meditation chamber.

Outside the room, Lu Jin wiped the tears from his face with the back of his hand. Despite being a grown man, his expression was filled with sorrow. He pressed his lips tightly and said softly, “Junior brother, I can’t bear to part with Master.”

To him, Master Huijue was more than just a teacher, he was like a father.

Yu Qizhe used his sleeve to wipe the dampness from the corners of his eyes. He spoke gently, “Master wouldn’t want to see us sad. From now on… you still have me.”

Lu Jin leaned against his shoulder and silently wept.

Yu Qizhe raised a hand and gently patted him on the back. Though he was also grieving deeply, he wasn’t one to show his emotions. Compared to Lu Jin, he was younger but more mature.

Outside in the courtyard, Yu Fuling had been sitting on a stone bench for a while when the Wishing Turtle Pond caught her attention. She pulled Yu Jiao over to the pond to watch people tossing coins and making wishes.

But very few could actually get a coin into the mouth of the stone turtle at the center of the pond. Watching others toss their coins, Yu Fuling grew more and more anxious for them.

When Lu Jin had calmed down, he finally lifted his head from Yu Qizhe’s shoulder. Seeing the damp patch there, his handsome face showed an embarrassed expression.

Yu Qizhe didn’t tease him. Instead, he asked, “Since Master has sent you down the mountain, will you return to the capital now or find a place to stay for a few more days?”

Lu Jin turned to look back at Master Huijue’s meditation room, his face showing reluctance. He sighed, “I want to stay a little longer.”

“That’s fine. Why don’t you come stay at my home?” Yu Qizhe said with concern, noticing how red his eyes still were.

Lu Jin was somewhat familiar with the Yu family’s situation. Not wanting to trouble them, but still wishing to stay close to the monastery, he shook his head. “I’ll go down the mountain with you and find a household in the village below to stay with. If you need anything in the next few days, come find me.”

As the two walked out of the back courtyard, Yu Qizhe noticed that Yu Jiao and Yu Fuling weren’t by the stone table. After looking around, he finally spotted them by the Wishing Turtle Pond and led Lu Jin over.

Yu Fuling was watching intently as someone tried and failed to toss a coin into the turtle’s mouth, a look of disappointment on her face. Yu Jiao turned and saw Yu Qizhe approaching. She asked, “How is Master Huijue?”

Yu Qizhe didn’t answer directly. Instead, he introduced, “This is Lu Jin, a good friend of mine… and of Master’s.”

Seeing an unfamiliar man, Yu Fuling straightened up and greeted him politely. “Good day, Young Master Lu.”

“This is my older sister, Yu Fuling,” Yu Qizhe said. Then he turned to the other girl. “And this is… my younger sister, Yu Jiao.”

Lu Jin recognized Yu Fuling. He had trained in martial arts from a young age and had snuck into the Yu residence a few times. He was somewhat familiar with the Yu family members, though he had never seen Yu Jiao before. 

Hearing Yu Qizhe refer to her as his sister, he recalled the petite girl he saw sleeping in Yu Qizhe’s bed the other day. Nodding with a smile, he said, “Qizhe and I are like brothers. No need for formality, sister Fuling, just call me by name.”

Then he turned to greet Yu Jiao. “Little sister Yu Jiao.”

Yu Jiao gave him a slight nod in return, acknowledging the greeting. Internally, she was trying to guess this man’s identity. Yu Qizhe had said he was very close to Master Huijue, and after meeting the master, he brought this man out… Could he be Master Huijue himself?

“Sister Fuling, would you like to toss a coin and make a wish?” Lu Jin asked, quite naturally inserting himself into their conversation.

Yu Fuling quickly shook her head. But Lu Jin had already pulled out three or four coins from his sleeve and handed them to Yu Fuling and Yu Jiao. Neither girl reached out to take them.

Yu Qizhe accepted the coins and placed them into their hands. “No need to be polite, Lu Jin isn’t an outsider.”

Hearing him say that, Yu Fuling no longer hesitated and accepted the coins. She had been watching for a while and was itching to try. Pulling Yu Jiao along, she eagerly stepped forward to toss the coin.

A person nearby who had just missed gave up their spot. Yu Fuling focused intently on the stone turtle’s mouth in the center of the pond and tossed the coin with all her might, only to miss. Disappointment showed clearly on her face.

She stepped aside and said to Yu Jiao, “You try.”