Aoyama

Chapter 178: Separated by a Door

Early in the morning, Chen Ji woke up alone.

The dormitory was empty. Without the smell of Liang Gou'er's alcohol or She Dengke's snoring, the heat was also gone.

He put on his clothes and went out, took a look at the courtyard wall with a ladder on it, then bent down, picked up the shoulder pole and walked into Anxi Street.

The water tank in the yard was full, but Chen Ji still went to fetch water as usual, as if by this stubborn method he could stop time before the war.

There were no pedestrians on Anxi Street, so he stood alone on the edge of the well, slowly turning the oar above the wellhead, and as he rowed he became dazed.

It was not until a guy from the bun shop came to fetch water that he came to his senses, fetched some water, and carried his shoulder pole to Zhixing Academy.

Knock, knock, knock. Chen Ji knocked on the tightly closed wooden door of Zhixing Academy.

After a while, Wang Daosheng opened the door and asked in confusion, "Why are you here?"

Chen Ji smiled and walked sideways into the courtyard: "I am your direct disciple. I live so close to you, so I should help you fetch water and chop firewood."

Wang Daosheng followed him into the yard, looked at him carefully and suddenly said, "You are confused and have questions for me, right?"

Chen Ji paused, he didn't expect that Mr. Wang saw through him at a glance.

He put down the carrying pole and poured the water from the wooden barrel into the jar: "Sir, did the Liu family come to you when they were plotting a rebellion?"

Wang Daosheng stood aside and answered: "I did. Elder Liu promised me a high position and generous salary and hoped that I could plan the war for him, but I refused."

Chen Ji asked, "Didn't the Liu family embarrass you?"

Wang Daosheng shook his head: "The Liu family didn't make things difficult for me. In their eyes, I am just a stinky and hard stone. There is no need to waste time."

Chen Ji was amused: "Why do you describe yourself like this?"

Wang Daosheng said casually: "Others describe me like this."

Chen Ji asked curiously: "Aren't you angry?"

Wang Daosheng thought about it and said frankly: "I will be angry."

Chen Ji asked, "Sir, do you get angry because of other people's opinions?"

Wang Daosheng smiled and said, "There are still many things I haven't figured out."

Chen Ji said "oh" and bent down to pick up another wooden bucket to pour water.

Wang Daosheng said calmly: "You didn't come to Zhixing Academy to ask these questions."

In Zhixing Academy, the only sound left was the splashing sound of water, stirring in the vat.

After a long time, Chen Ji finally told the truth: "Sir, there is such a person now. As long as she is alive, she will be a huge hidden danger to me and many people. The simplest choice now is to kill her with a knife. As long as it is done secretly enough, no one else will know except God, the earth and me."

Wang Daosheng said easily: "That's great, what are you hesitating about."

After Chen Ji finished pouring the water, he looked at him while holding the empty wooden bucket: "But after this knife, there are some people I can no longer face. So I want to ask you, sir, should I kill this person?"

Wang Daosheng smiled and said, "Just do what your conscience tells you to do."

Chen Ji lowered his head and said to himself: "Conscience?"

Wang Daosheng thought for a moment and said, "If you lost a bag of money on the road, would you feel bad?"

Chen Ji nodded: "Maybe a little bit, after all, some valuables were lost."

Wang Daosheng asked again: "What if you saw a beggar on the road who was about to freeze to death, and you only needed to give him five cents to save him, but you didn't save him. The next day you heard that he really froze to death, would you feel a little sad?"

Chen Ji nodded again: "Maybe a little bit."

Wang Daosheng asked, "Why do you feel so bad? You clearly didn't lose anything."

Chen Ji remained silent.

Wang Daosheng tapped his chest and said, "You feel bad because you lost a piece of your heart."

"Ok?"

Wang Daosheng smiled and said, "Actually, this analogy is not accurate. It's just that most people can only see the gains and losses of external things, but not the gains and losses of their own hearts. Before you asked me, you already had the answer in your heart. Just do what your heart says."

"Thank you, sir."

……

……

Chen Ji carried a shoulder pole and walked towards the clinic. There was already a horse-drawn carriage parked in front of the door. The driver was squatting in front of the door, chewing a dry and hard multi-grain cake. This was the carriage he had arranged yesterday.

The driver came over and quickly put the remaining half of the cake into his arms, smiling and saying, "Sir, do you still need to fetch water yourself?"

Chen Ji glanced at the sky and said, "You've arrived quite early. It's not even the time we agreed on yet."

The driver said with a cheerful smile: "The early bird catches the worm. I work so hard to make a living, so I have to come early, in case the official has to advance his trip and there is no car available."

Chen Ji said: "Wait a moment, I'll put the things down."

He went into the clinic, put down his carrying pole, took out the Zhengxinzhai snacks and a jar of Nv'erhong that he had bought yesterday, and then got into the car.

The carriage wobbled out of the city. The driver sat in the front and turned around to ask, "Sir, are you sure we can leave the city? Yesterday, a customer hired me to leave the city, but I was stopped by the soldiers at the city gate. I don't know what's going on these days. The boats at the dock are not allowed to leave, and the city gates are not allowed to leave. The guests coming and going are so anxious that they are scratching their heads."

Chen Ji smiled and said, "Don't worry, I won't let you make a wasted trip."

Half an hour later, the carriage arrived in front of the South City Gate. Three layers of chevaux de frise were erected in the city gate, and dozens of soldiers in armor blocked the way: "Who is in the carriage?"

Chen Ji lifted the curtain and stepped down, taking out the Secret Service badge from his sleeve: "Secret Service."

A lieutenant slowly walked up to him and looked him up and down. "So you are the master from the Secret Service. Where are you going?"

Chen Ji put away his badge and said, "Go to the Liu family mansion for official business."

The lieutenant general did not ask too many questions, but just clasped his fists and saluted: "According to the rules, I have to search your car."

Chen Ji asked in surprise, "My car is also to be searched? Even the Forbidden City can be entered and exited by badges in our Secret Service, so why is the South Gate of Luo City more valuable than the Forbidden City?" The lieutenant general hurriedly explained, "This is not a rule set by me, I have no say. My general has ordered that all vehicles entering and leaving must be carefully checked, and no mistakes can be made. Those who violate the order will have their property confiscated, beheaded, and their entire family will be punished."

Chen Ji raised his eyebrows: "What if I refuse to allow inspection?"

The lieutenant was stunned at first, and then slowly retreated.

He took a long halberd from the soldier and said in a serious tone: "Sir, please don't embarrass me. I am also following orders."

After that, dozens of soldiers slowly surrounded the door, and the driver was so scared that his calves were shaking.

Chen Ji smiled and said, "Don't get excited, General. I'll let you search."

He stepped aside and let the soldiers lift the curtain of the carriage, but there was nothing inside and the end could be seen at a glance. The lieutenant general squatted down to check the bottom of the carriage and was relieved when he confirmed that there was nothing unusual.

The lieutenant general clasped his fists to Chen Ji and said, "My lord, I am sorry for the offense."

Chen Ji's face was solemn, and he continued: "This is the first time that my Secret Service's car has been searched. General, we will meet again in the future."

The lieutenant general said nothing, turned around and waved to the soldiers: "Let them go!"

Seeing the soldiers carrying the wooden barriers to the side of the road, Chen Ji lifted the curtain and sat back in the car, letting out a long sigh.

He hired this carriage to see if he could enter and leave the city with the badge. Now, entering and leaving the city was not a problem, but it was undoubtedly a pipe dream to send Concubine Yun away with just the badge.

If this is the case, it would be better to let Concubine Yun hide in the city and wait for a better opportunity.

Chen Ji slowly fell into deep thought until the carriage stopped again and the driver called out from outside the carriage: "Sir, we're here."

"You wait for me in front of the door, and then you have to take me back to the city," he got out of the car with snacks and wine jars, picked up the animal head ring on the Liu family's vermilion lacquered gate and knocked on it.

The red lacquered door was slowly opened from the inside. Through the crack in the door, the golden pig's eyes lit up: "Why are you here?"

As Chen Ji walked inside, he asked in confusion: "Master Jinzhu, why are you guarding the gate?"

Jin Zhu's chubby face was filled with bad luck. "Damn it, Bai Long's grandson was trying to make things difficult for me. I was sleeping soundly, but he insisted that the Liu family mansion was extremely important and that an expert had to guard it, and he dragged me here."

Chen Ji asked curiously: "Can't you let Master Tianma speak for you?"

Jin Zhu said unhappily, "Tian Ma has already left Luo City. The Minister of Internal Affairs has other things for him to do. Now in Luo City, Bai Long is the highest-ranking official in our Secret Service. Forget it, after this matter is over, I will avoid him! If I can't afford to offend him, can I avoid him?"

After that, he muttered quietly, "Strange, why does this grandson always target me? Did he hear me saying bad things about him behind his back?"

Chen Ji looked strange: "My Lord, please say less."

At this time, Jin Zhu looked down at the snacks and wine jar in his hands and asked curiously, "Is it for me?"

Chen Ji smiled and handed him the wine jar: "This is for you, not the snack."

The Golden Pig smacked his lips and said, "Alright, I knew you wouldn't come all the way to see me."

He called Xifeng: "Take your men to guard the door, I will take Chen Ji in."

Jin Zhu led Chen Ji through the long blue brick alley. The white mourning banners under the eaves had been torn away, and the corpses on the ground had been dealt with. Only the blood mud in the cracks between the bricks had dried up and turned into a deep purple-black color.

Arriving at the gate of a small courtyard, Jin Zhu waved to the spy in front of the gate and said, "Go and rest for a while."

The spy guarding the door bowed and left. Just as Chen Ji was about to push the door open, Jin Zhu grabbed his wrist and said solemnly, "I know you have a close relationship with Prince Jing's Mansion, and I also know you have a close relationship with the Crown Prince and the Princess...but the situation has changed now."

Chen Ji said calmly: "How did it change?"

Jin Zhu lowered his voice and said, "Do you know what Bai Long is doing now? He is looking for evidence to convict Prince Jing of treason! This must be the secret instruction of the Prime Minister, who wants to kill three birds with one stone."

"Three birds?" Chen Ji was puzzled: "Besides the Liu family and Prince Jing, who else is there?"

Jin Zhu said, "Bai Long wants to capture Concubine Yun and pin the crime of treason on Prince Jing's Mansion. Concubine Yun's background is not simple either. The Luo Tian Sect behind her has been secretly controlling the shipping of the two rivers and one river for so many years, and has long been a thorn in the eyes of His Majesty and the Minister of Internal Affairs. Bai Long captured Concubine Yun not only to convict Prince Jing, but also to use her crime to eliminate the Luo Tian Sect."

Chen Ji was silent.

This internal minister was greedy enough to swallow so many things in one breath.

Jin Zhu reminded in a deep voice: "As long as the Minister wants to do something, there is nothing he can't do. Today, Prince Jing is still Prince Jing, and the Princess is still the Princess, but tomorrow they may become prisoners. You must not have any contact with them again, or you will waste your future. I have made it clear, think about it yourself, do you still want to go in and see them?"

Chen Ji said softly, "Master Jinzhu, thank you for your kind reminder, but since the snacks have been bought, they must be sent in, otherwise it will be wasted."

Jin Zhu carefully observed Chen Ji's expression, and finally sighed: "You are young and don't know the importance of things! Today I will let you in and talk to the princess and the prince. Don't come to the Liu family mansion again in the future. Practice in the clinic with peace of mind. With your practice speed, you will become a zodiac sooner or later."

After saying that, he pushed open the gate and stepped aside.

Chen Ji turned around and was shocked to see Bai Li standing in front of the door, staring at him intently.

He wanted to go in, but Bai Li blocked his way and hesitated to move. He just said coldly: "Go back."

Chen Ji smiled, pushed her arm aside and walked inside: "Princess, I have something to ask the prince. This is the snack from Zhengxinzhai, you and the prince..."

However, Bai Li snatched the snack from his hand and threw it out the door. The hemp rope wrapped around the snack broke, and the snack was scattered all over the floor.

Bai Li said coldly: "Chen Ji, you are just a greedy apprentice. If I didn't see that you are poor and pitiful, I wouldn't be so kind as to pay for your travel expenses, let alone get to know you. Who are you? Who am I? Why do I need you to bring me snacks? Get out!"

As he spoke, Bai Li slammed the gate shut and bolted it.

Bai Li inside the door leaned against the door, pursed his lips and lowered his eyes. Chen Ji outside the door looked down at the snacks on the ground for a long time without saying a word.

A door separates us like a thousand miles.

At this moment, Xifeng came running over with a piece of letter in his hand. "Sir, Bailong sent someone to deliver a warrant, saying that he captured Yun Fei's personal nanny Xitang in the East Market of Luocheng, and learned Yun Fei's approximate hiding place. He asked us to gather our men and horses and go into the city to search for her!"

The Golden Pig took the letter, looked at it, and walked out: "Hurry, hurry, don't let the Cloud Sheep and the Bright Rabbit take away the credit!"

Chen Ji followed him out, and when he reached the corner, he suddenly stopped and looked back at the closed door at the end of the path.

The Golden Pig turned around and urged, "What are you doing? Hurry up!"

"coming."

(End of this chapter)