Aoyama

Chapter 212 General Wang

Outside Zhang's house, twenty tables were set up in Cuiyun Lane, and dishes such as roast chicken, braised pork elbow, braised carp, and sliced ​​meat in soup were served in a continuous stream. Neighbors could sit down and eat, and when one table was finished, they would leave and the next table would continue to eat. This was the origin of the flowing banquet.

In Zhang's mansion, the distinguished guests were arranged in eight courtyards. In each courtyard, there was a rectangular low table that could seat eighteen people, and a wide variety of dishes and snacks were displayed.

Before the main banquet began, the invited dignitaries gathered together and congratulated Zhang Zhuo and Chen Liqin one by one.

Chen Ji and Xiaoman stood side by side under a walnut tree in the corner of the courtyard, looking at Zhang Zhuo and Chen Liqin from afar, who were like the sun and moon of Los Angeles, guarded by the stars.

Xiao Man asked in a low voice: "Sir, how did you become friends with the Zhang family? You seem to have a very good relationship. Rumor has it that Miss Zhang is very fierce and never treats outsiders well, yet you even wrote an invitation specifically for us."

Chen Ji said calmly: "Why do you have so many questions? You didn't like to pry into things so much before."

Xiaoman's eyes widened: "Master, have you forgotten? Xiaoman likes to ask about the Zhang and Li families' affairs, just to go with the meal."

Chen Ji: “…This is not a good habit.”

Xiaoman pouted: "Auntie also loves to listen to gossips about the Zhang and Li families. I remember when I was a child, I went with her to the farm in the suburbs of Beijing to check the accounts. She heard a group of old ladies gossiping at the entrance of the village, so she asked someone to move a chair and listen for the whole afternoon."

Chen Ji was puzzled: "What did they talk about?"

Xiaoman recalled: "First, he said that two old widowers in the village had sex in the middle of the night, and that the daughter-in-law of a certain family in the village was bought from Tongzhou. He also said that someone's family had no son and his relatives might be wiped out. My aunt was very excited when she heard it."

Chen Ji opened his mouth but didn't say anything for a long time.

At this moment, the servant outside the door called out his name again: "The thousand-year-old general is here!"

The name of Qiansuijun was like a sudden cold wind, freezing the enthusiasm and jubilation of Zhang's residence. These three words reminded everyone of the war that had just passed, as if the smell of blood was still lingering in their nostrils.

Chen Ji turned his head to look outside the door, while pulling Xiaoman's arm, he retreated towards the crowd.

Xiaoman looked at him in surprise: "Sir, what's wrong?"

Chen Ji said calmly: "It's okay."

As the names were being called out, General Wang walked over on the red carpet. He was not wearing any armor today, but was only wearing a black robe, a golden crown on his head, and thick-soled black boots on his feet. He was still as powerful as ever.

Behind General Wang were several soldiers, all wearing armor and with long swords hanging from their waists. The guests at Zhang's residence almost thought that the Qiansui Army was about to start a new war.

Zhang Zhuo pushed through the crowd and teased from a distance, "General Wang, why did you come to my house to attend the banquet, wearing full armor? Are you afraid that I, Zhang, will murder you?"

General Wang smiled and said in a rough voice, "Recently, there have been some gangsters who have violated the law with force. It's better to be careful."

Chen Ji lowered his head in deep thought. Did the gangsters break the law with force? The other party was on high alert, and even brought soldiers with him to the banquet. Could it be that some gangsters had tried to assassinate him in the past few days?

Yes, Chen Ji caused a big commotion in the military camp that day, and although he was defeated in the end, the words he shouted in the military camp were finally heard and remembered by the soldiers of the Qiansui Army.

As the saying goes, good news doesn't travel far, but bad news travels a thousand miles. Even if the discipline of the Qiansui Army is strict, the reputation of General Wang betraying Prince Jing has probably spread quietly among the people.

There must be righteous people in the world who care about Prince Jing and want to avenge him.

While Chen Ji was thinking, he pulled Xiaoman and turned his back, not wanting to meet the other party.

But when Zhang Zhuo was about to lead General Wang inside, he saw General Wang pass by the walnut tree where Chen Ji was, took two steps forward, and then took two steps back.

He looked at Chen Ji's back and said in a deep voice, "Turn around."

Chen Ji was silent for two breaths, then turned around and looked the other person in the eye: "General Wang, long time no see."

General Wang said in a deep voice: "How dare you appear in front of me."

Chen Ji didn't expect that the other party would take the lead.

He thought for a few breaths and smiled: "What is General Wang talking about? Why don't I dare to appear in front of General Wang?"

General Wang said in a serious tone: "The prince treated you well, and the prince and the princess were close friends with you. But how did you do it? If you hadn't given the eunuchs evidence, how could the prince be framed by the eunuchs, and how could he have died unjustly in prison?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the Zhang residence suddenly became quiet, and the guests all looked over.

Chen Ji stood in the gazes of dozens of people, as if facing dozens of spears. It was as if he was still in Longwangtun that night, when autumn leaves fell from the branches, and behind the autumn leaves were enemies.

In the crowd, Chen Liqin also looked at Chen Ji. He didn't expect that Chen Ji was involved in the rebellion of Prince Jing's mansion and was suspected of betraying Prince Jing. Although Prince Jing was now charged with treason, with his reputation, countless people from the court to the underworld stood on his side, all believing that his death was caused by the eunuch party persecuting loyal officials.

If the Chen family was accused of betraying Prince Jing, they would be despised by the world. Chen Liqin thought about it again and again, and finally chose to remain silent.

Zhang Zhuo, on the other hand, stopped smiling and asked calmly, "General Wang, this is a guest invited by my Zhang Mansion. Why do you say this? What does he have to do with the case of Prince Jing?"

General Wang snorted coldly: "Let him speak for himself!"

Chen Ji frowned slightly.

It was obvious that General Wang was worried about being sought for revenge by chivalrous heroes, so he wanted to take the initiative in public and have all the dirty water thrown on himself.

But the strange thing is that General Wang has surrendered to Bai Long. Doesn't the other party know that he has to hide his identity as a spy and lurk in Chen's mansion? How dare the other party reveal the secret in public?

Wait, the other party is not Bai Long's confidant, and does not know everything. In General Wang's perspective, he is just an apprentice of Taiping Medical Clinic who once tried to save Prince Jing, and the other party does not even know that he is also a spy of the Secret Service.

He did not say where the blood letter came from that day, nor did he reveal his identity as a secret agent. Bai Long had always planned to have him lurking in the Chen family and was recruiting him, so he would not say much to General Wang.

General Wang didn't know that he had already joined Bai Long's army.

Chen Ji figured it out and said nonchalantly, "Why did General Wang say that I betrayed the prince? What evidence did I give to the eunuch party?"

General Wang sneered: "I don't know the specific details, but someone who knows the situation told me that the prince trusted you and asked you to hand me a letter written in blood. But you were ungrateful and handed the letter to the eunuch party!"

Someone gasped: "The prince's blood letter?! Why have we never heard of it?"

"What is written in the blood letter? Is there any evidence of the prince's guilt?"

"Your Highness has devoted his life to the country and the people, but he was harmed by the eunuch party. I never thought that he was betrayed by a villain!"

"Such treacherous people must be killed by everyone!"

The crowd was outraged and Chen Ji was criticized by everyone.

General Wang sneered, while Chen Liqin simply hid in the main hall of Zhang's mansion.

Zhang Zhuo closed his eyes and thought, trying to find a way out, but he couldn't think of a way to clear Chen Ji's name. Zhang Xia pulled his sleeve, signaling him to think of a solution quickly, but it seemed that there was no way out.

At this moment, Xiao Man was so angry that her face turned red. She pulled Chen Ji's sleeve and said, "Sir, please say something. You are not that kind of person."

Chen Ji remained silent.

Xiao Man turned to General Wang and said angrily: "Don't slander my son. I have served him for many years. He is a kind person and is definitely not the treacherous person you say he is!"

General Wang said calmly, "You can only know a person's face but not his heart. I'm afraid that the prince also thinks that he is kind, so he entrusted the blood letter to him. Little girl, you are still young and don't know how to judge people."

Xiaoman held it in for a long time: "...You farted!"

Zhang Xia took over the conversation and said in a deep voice: "General Wang, I am Chen Ji's friend. I know that he is more sad than anyone else about the incident in Prince Jing's Mansion. You should not throw dirty water on him, especially the dirty water of betraying Prince Jing's Mansion. He..."

Before he could finish his words, he heard a woman's voice in the main room shouting, "Xia'er, come back." Zhang Xia opened his mouth, but finally walked into the house unwillingly.

Chen Ji’s mind raced: The most urgent task at this moment is to clear himself of the charges, but how should he defend himself?

Can I tell the whole story? No, once I tell the whole story, I can't hide my identity as a spy, and I can't stay in the Chen family. The reason why Bai Long values ​​me is because of my identity in the Chen family. If I am useless, I am afraid that Bai Li will be hard to save.

So, can I throw the dirty water back on General Wang? No, I can't.

If I said that the blood letter was given to the Secret Service by General Wang, others would also ask me, a little apprentice, how I knew about this.

Moreover, General Wang is a general of the Qiansui Army who has always been loyal to Prince Jing, and I am just a small apprentice in a clinic. Who will everyone believe?
Besides, the other party came prepared and might have been prepared for this matter. If I counterattack from here, I might fall into their trap.

We can only find another way and find something that General Wang cannot refute.

Chen Ji pondered for a long time amid the din of people, and finally said, "Where did General Wang know about the blood letter?"

General Wang crossed his arms over his chest and said, "Don't worry about how I found out. Just tell me if this happened or not."

Chen Ji said: "There is indeed a letter written in blood by the prince."

General Wang breathed a sigh of relief.

Chen Liqin paced back and forth in the main hall, thinking about how to prevent the Chen family from being involved in this matter.

The officials outside the main hall started to make noises: "What's written in blood?"

"How could a boy betray Prince Jing and join the eunuch party?"

Chen Ji slowly said, "The blood letter is true, but the situation is different from what General Wang said."

General Wang raised his eyebrows: "Where did the blood letter come from?"

Chen Ji thought carefully about whether there were any mistakes in his words, and then slowly said: "Back then, my master, Prince Jing, the Crown Prince, the Princess and I were imprisoned in the Liu family mansion by the eunuch party. Later, because my master had treated the leg disease of the internal minister, the eunuch party released us. Before leaving, the prince stuffed a letter written in blood into my hand and asked me to deliver it to the capital to His Majesty."

General Wang was a little surprised. He had been waiting for Chen Ji to tell the whole story so that he could refute it with witnesses. But he didn't expect Chen Ji to fight back and instead made up a new story.

However, there is no evidence to support the people mentioned in Chen Ji's words.

He frowned and asked, "Then why did this blood letter fall into the hands of the eunuch party?"

Chen Ji explained: "When my master and I went out, the eunuchs searched and took it away."

General Wang sneered: "How do I know that you didn't hand over the blood letter voluntarily in order to seek wealth and glory?"

Chen Ji said calmly: "Because the blood letter cannot be used as evidence of Prince Jing's treason, and handing it in will not bring wealth and honor."

Zhang Zhuo came back to his senses and asked: "What exactly is written in the blood letter?"

Just as Chen Ji was about to speak, he heard General Wang interrupt him, "Wait a minute, are we going to believe everything he says? Now none of us knows the contents of the blood letter, so isn't it just something he made up out of nothing?"

Chen Ji thought for a moment and said, "The prince wrote a poem. I have memorized most of the content of the poem. As for whether it is fabricated and whether it can constitute a crime for the prince, it is up to you to judge."

Zhang Zhuo waved his hand: "Bring me some writing brush and ink!"

Zhang Zheng ran into the house in a hurry, and came back with Zhang Xia carrying a study desk.

Zhang Zhuo pointed at the rice paper on the table and said, "Write it down."

Chen Ji picked up the brush and wrote on the rice paper: "I look at my sword under the lamp while drunk, and dream of blowing the horn in the camp. Eight hundred miles of roast meat is distributed to the subordinates, fifty strings play the music from the frontier, and the soldiers are inspected on the battlefield in autumn."

In just thirty-one words, the drunken passion of a general on the battlefield is brought to life.

A scholar was surprised and said, "Is this the first battle formation? It fits the prince's state of mind when he led the army. I'm afraid an ordinary young man can't write it."

"I look at my sword while drunk and dream of blowing the horn in the camp... What a dream of blowing the horn in the camp while drunk and dream of blowing the horn in the camp!"

"This young man's handwriting is extremely ugly, without any rules or pattern. He doesn't look like he can write poetry at all."

Chen Ji remained calm and did not respond.

The next moment, someone among the guests urged, "Quick, what is the content of the last couplet of this broken formation?"

Chen Ji continued writing: "I have completed the affairs of the king and the world, and won a good reputation in life and after death. It's a pity that my hair has turned white."

Zhang Zhuo sighed, "What a 'pitiful white hair'. This poem, at first glance, is about the lofty ambition of leading troops, but at second glance, it is the pain and regret of waking up from a dream. This is a poem written by the prince to express his feelings to Your Majesty. I'm afraid he wants to tell the hardships of leading troops to quell the rebellion, hoping to arouse Your Majesty's sympathy."

General Wang said solemnly, "How do you know this wasn't written by Chen Ji himself?"

Zhang Zhuo sneered, "General Wang is a warrior. I'm afraid he doesn't know how high the realm of this poem is, and he can't appreciate the vicissitudes of life in this poem. It's impossible for it to be written by a young man."

A scholar on the side also echoed: "The literary talent of this poem is far beyond our reach. General Wang, please stop being suspicious. It must be that the prince was inspired to write it down."

"The pattern and breadth of this poem must have been written by the prince."

General Wang was confused.

He looked at the poems and then at the old traces, but he could only keep his temper.

If he said, "No, the content of the blood letter clearly states that the Qiansui Army is asking for a prison break," and Chen Ji asked him how he knew that, he would not be able to explain it clearly, because he said that he had never seen the blood letter.

Now, General Wang has no choice but to accept the contents of this blood letter!

"No, no," General Wang said angrily. He looked at Chen Ji and said, "Have you ever written poetry? What if he is so proficient in poetry that he can write such a poem?"

Chen Ji lowered his eyes and said, "General Wang, I have never written poetry and I know nothing about it."

Many scholars looked at each other in bewilderment: "If this apprentice from the medical clinic named Chen Ji had the literary talent to write this poem, he would have been famous in the poetry world long ago, but we have never heard of him."

Zhang Zhuo laughed and said, "I know this Chen Ji, the third son of the Chen family. I heard that he was sent to the Taiping Medical Clinic by Master Chen a few years ago because he was addicted to gambling and didn't like studying. I'm sure you all have heard of his reputation. If he had such literary talent, would Master Chen still have kept him hidden? He would have been sent out to take the imperial examination a long time ago, and at least he would have been a student on government stipend."

Someone's eyes lit up: "I've heard of this before. So, Po Zhen Zi definitely wasn't written by him."

Chen Wenzong took a step forward, bowed and said, "I hope General Wang will not frame my brother again."

"Wait," someone shouted.

Chen Ji frowned and looked over: "What's wrong?"

The man asked, "Why is there a missing verse in this Pozhenzi?"

Chen Ji said softly: "Forgot."

The scholar was anxious: "How could you forget such an important poem?"

Chen Ji explained: "It happened so hastily that I was lucky enough to remember most of it. I really can't remember the missing part."

(End of this chapter)