Aoyama

Chapter 289 Going and Staying

"Chen Ji, the world shouldn't be like this."

Chen Ji didn't expect that these words would come from Mr. Feng's mouth.

In the dark night, he turned to look at the scholar in blue clothes beside him, and saw a little bit of frost on his temples. He turned to look at where Mr. Feng pointed, and there was only a long night there, and even the stars were dim.

Mr. Feng put down his arms, looked into the distance, and said calmly: "Don't you think it's absurd? The ministers in the court disregarded the lives of the border troops. Aren't they afraid that if the border troops collapsed, their own lives would be in danger?"

Chen Ji whispered, "I really don't understand."

Mr. Feng walked forward with his hands behind his back. "When I heard those absurd things, I thought I had heard them wrong. In the 22nd year of Jianing, the Jizhou border troops were waiting for their food and wages, and the grain merchants in the city were forbidden to sell them. Two Jizhou border soldiers were so hungry that they stole two chickens from the Jizhou Qi family. These two people were also cowards. They had just killed the chickens and started boiling water, but they were caught by the Qi family servants before they could even eat the chickens... Do you know what happened to those two border soldiers?"

Chen Ji was silent.

Mr. Feng said expressionlessly, "The Qi family made them pay for their lives with the chicken. When the Jizhou border troops heard about this, they mutinied that night. It took the court a full six months to quell the rebellion. The Jizhou general exterminated the three clans."

Chen Ji was stunned. Pay with the chicken’s life?

Mr. Feng continued, “Do you know the reason behind this absurdity?”

Chen Ji shook his head: "I don't know."

Mr. Feng explained slowly, "In fact, it was because someone recommended the Jizhou General to be transferred to the post of Minister of War, which blocked the official career of some people."

He added: "Qing Wentao, the general of the Guyuan frontier army, guarded the border for fourteen years, but in the end he ended up collaborating with the enemy and treason, and was executed by slow slicing. Do you know why?"

When Chen Ji heard the name Qing Wentao, his heart was slightly moved: "I don't know."

Mr. Feng smiled and said, "It was because General Wentao opened trade routes and raised border troops that many merchants gave up their previous trade routes and went to Guyuan instead. As a result, the smuggling trade in Dongying and Qidong dropped by 20%, which made many people unhappy. So someone fabricated evidence of General Wentao's treason and sent him to the execution ground in autumn."

Chen Ji asked, "Who is unhappy?"

Mr. Feng casually explained: "Dongying Port belongs to the Chen family, and Qidong Port belongs to the Xu family. Who do you think is unhappy? What's interesting is that when General Wentao got into trouble, Lord Hu said nothing. But after General Wentao died, the Hu family fought hard to keep this northwest trade route."

and many more.

Chen Ji suddenly fell into deep thought. General Wentao was framed, his sworn sister was missing, Mr. Hu Sanye resigned, the former owner and waiter of Longmen Inn were hanged on the memorial archway, and the Chen family's Minister of Revenue was assassinated. This series of events seemed to be vaguely connected!

At this time, Mr. Feng said calmly: "Chen Ji, every page of history is filled with the bloody word 'interests'. When you can see these two words in every incident, you will truly understand the truth."

Chen Ji bowed and said, "I am just a little Saker Falcon, it's okay for me to be a little ignorant. If you need me to do anything, I will do it, even if it means going through fire and water."

When Mr. Feng heard such a high-sounding answer, he turned to look at Chen Ji with amusement.

He tapped his fingers twice: "You, when did you learn these flattering words? You have just joined the Secret Service and you have been promoted to Hai Dongqing. It is only a matter of time before you become one of the twelve zodiac signs. It will be good for you to see through certain things earlier."

Chen Ji said calmly: "I wonder what kind of merits I need to achieve to be promoted to the Twelve Zodiac Signs?"

Mr. Feng said meaningfully: "When the time comes, you will know it naturally."

Mr. Feng continued to walk towards the city wall. Chen Ji followed behind him and asked curiously, "Sir, are the noble families really not afraid of the consequences of Jing Dynasty's southward march? If the frontier army collapses, where will the hair be attached if the skin is gone?"

Mr. Feng smiled and said, "Why do they care about these? They think that even if the dynasty changes, they can still live a life of luxury with a new master. Except for the Zhu family, no one cares about the surname of the country. But we destroyed the Tiance Army today, which is enough to prevent the Jing Dynasty from provoke border conflicts again within five years. With these five years, we can free up our hands to clean up the old territory..."

At this point, Mr. Feng's face was actually excited, and he pointed to the black iron curtain in the distant sky: "Five years later, when the Jing Dynasty marches south, I will put on my armor, march north, and drink water from the North Sea!"

Do not know why.

Only at this moment, Chen Ji looked at Mr. Feng in front of him and finally felt that the other party was a living person, rather than that powerful and cold political creature.

Chen Ji suddenly asked, "Since the history books only mention the word 'benefit', then what do you want to gain from doing these things?"

Mr. Feng looked into the distance: "I..."

He didn't answer. I don't know whether he didn't want to answer or he really couldn't answer at the moment.

After a long while, Mr. Feng smiled and said, "People like me will not be recorded in history books."

Chen Ji was slightly startled. He didn't expect this answer. What was even more strange was why the other party said this to him?
Chen Ji changed the subject: "What does your Excellency need me to do?"

Mr. Feng thought for a moment and said, "Since you have gained the trust of the prince, you should follow him. With this identity, the Chen family will surely look up to you. Within one year, I want a list of all the goods smuggled from the Jing Dynasty by the Chen family, and it would be best if I could get the account book."

Chen Ji whispered, "Sir, the prince was used as bait this time. I'm afraid he has become a mortal enemy with the Imperial Household Department."

Mr. Feng laughed: "What are you afraid of? He's just the prince."

Chen Ji was startled. This Mr. Feng actually didn't take the prince seriously. Where did such confidence come from?

Mr. Feng smiled and said, "Do you really think I can decide the life and death of a crown prince? In the Ning Dynasty, only one person can make this decision."

Emperor Ning.

But the prince had done nothing wrong in the past. Why did Emperor Ning kill the prince he had appointed himself?
Mr. Feng said casually, "Your Majesty is a Taoist who seeks longevity. How can an emperor who wants longevity need a crown prince?"

Chen Ji was shocked. He knew that many emperors sought immortality, but even third-rank officials were excluded from the official system. How could Emperor Ning seek immortality?

However, this world is full of strangeness and he is not sure whether Emperor Ning can really achieve immortality.

At this time, the city wall was in sight.

Chen Ji looked up and saw a burly figure gazing into the distance alone on the ruins of the collapsed city gate tower.

Mr. Feng waved his hand at him and said, "I haven't forgotten what you wanted. Go ahead and do your job well. I will give you an explanation when the dust settles."

Chen Ji bowed and stepped back, watching Mr. Feng climb to the highest point on the brick and stone ruins and stand side by side with Hu Junxian.

After Chen Ji walked away, Mr. Feng asked softly, "Do you still blame the prince?"

Hu Junxian looked out into the night, and the fire in the Tiance Army camp gradually went out: "Don't blame me, you underestimated my Hu Junxian's heart, I never blamed him."

Mr. Feng smiled and said, "The prince chose you to come to Guyuan because he thought you were the most suitable for this place. Now it seems that the prince made the right choice."

Hu Junxian said calmly: "There is no such thing as inappropriate or not. It's just that I accepted the imperial edict and abandoned my cultivation, which made it easier to confuse Jing Chao. But after acting for so many years, I really hate Ning Chao a little bit."

Mr. Feng glanced at Hu Junxian and said, "What are your plans for the future? Let's go back to the capital. It's not too late to start your career as an official. With your talent, you may still be able to reach the threshold of the divine realm."

Hu Junxian stood on the ruins and asked casually, "Who will take care of Guyuan after I leave?"

Mr. Feng replied: "If Wang Daosheng comes, no one is more suitable than him."

Hu Junxian suddenly realized: "No wonder his promotion to Minister of War was blocked. It turns out he was waiting here."

Mr. Feng smiled and said, "How about it? After you go back, you will be given a fourth-rank idle position in the Wansui Army, and be granted 300 acres of good farmland, a dragon robe and a jade belt, and can carry a sword in the palace. This is what His Majesty promised when I left the capital."

Hu Junxian was silent.

He looked at the land he wanted to abandon day and night, and suddenly said: "In this vast country, minor officials are inherited by gentry, senior officials are inherited by aristocratic families, and the throne is inherited by the Zhu family. Only the border troops and Guyuan are not willing to be inherited... I will not leave, just leave me here like a stone. Wang Daosheng has great talents, don't let him come to Guyuan to waste his time like me."

Mr. Feng's expression became serious: "Really?"

Hu Junxian answered irrelevantly: "After eight years of chess, I still feel a little reluctant to give up today. Go back and tell His Majesty that if he really wants to compensate me, Hu, then he should do what he promised, and that will also be considered as fulfilling Prince Jing's last wish."

As he finished speaking, a ray of sunlight pierced through the night sky in the distance, and the long night was finally over.

Mr. Feng slowly rolled up his sleeves and bowed to Hu Junxian: "The character of a patriot is like a green mountain. The general is the backbone of our dynasty. Guyuan, please."

After saying this, he turned his back to the rising sun, turned around and walked down the city wall.

On the ruins of the city wall, only Hu Junxian was left watching the rising sun.

"What a damn patriot," he laughed at himself, bent down, picked up a piece of broken brick from the ground, and weighed it in his hand.

Then throw it into the distance.

(End of this chapter)