Aoyama

Chapter 292 Lushun
evening.

There are no clouds in the northwest, so the red sun hangs abruptly above the earth, looking exceptionally majestic and lonely.

On the official road, strong winds blew yellow sand into the sky.

Everyone leaned forward on their horses, covering their mouths and noses with their arms, and could hardly open their eyes because of the sandstorm. Chen Ji raised his head and squinted to see the outline of the county town appear on the horizon.

When they arrived at the city gate, they saw that the gate of Tianshui County was closed. They had not yet heard that the battle of Guyuan had ended. When the soldiers on the city wall saw Chen Ji and others approaching, they immediately drew their bows and asked, "Who are you?"

Chen Ji responded from afar: "The Tiance Army has been defeated, we escaped from Guyuan!"

The soldiers on the wall said coldly: "How can you prove it? You can still ride a horse after escaping from Guyuan. Who are you trying to fool? Shoot!"

In an instant, arrows rained down from the city wall. If Chen Ji had not been alert and did not get close, he would have been shot into a sieve.

Li Xuan was about to reveal his identity, but Chen Ji held him down: "Don't tell me!"

Li Xuan was startled: "Why?"

Chen Ji did not answer, but turned around and waved to Qi Chenshen.

Qi Chenzhuo led the horse closer and asked, "What's wrong, Master?"

Chen Ji glanced at him and whispered, "Pass the order. We are merchants fleeing from Guyuan. We lost our goods and are seeking refuge in Taiyuan Prefecture. Before arriving in Beijing, everyone should address His Highness as 'Young Master'. Anyone who reveals His Highness's identity will be punished by military law."

"Yes," Qi accepted the order and turned around to instruct everyone.

Chen Ji frowned as he looked at the closed city gate from afar. The prince asked, "Are you worried that someone will assassinate you on your way back to Beijing?"

Chen Ji bowed and replied: "It may not be true, but it is better to be careful. I hope you will bear with me."

The prince smiled and said, "Yousiwei is thinking about my safety, there is no need to be so polite. Now that I can't enter the city, I don't know what to do?"

"Wait." Chen Ji glanced at the sky and said, "Guyuan has won a great victory. The border troops will definitely send someone to deliver the news. Then the city gate will open automatically."

Qi Chenzhuo muttered to himself, "The defenders of Tianshui County are alert, but what if they refuse to recognize the enemy troops?"

Zhang Xia explained, "Cheating the city gate open has always been an important means of attacking a city, so Tianshui County has to be on guard. But don't worry, the border town has always had a three-level body check method. The first is to hang twelve 'shadow pictures' in the city gate tower. The shadow pictures show the appearance of the border town's general, deputy general, military officer, and nine other military secretaries. One of these twelve people must come; the second is the tiger seal; the third is three questions and three answers agreed in advance. Only when two of these three methods are correct can the gate be opened. If not, the city guard will be executed immediately, and the three clans will be exiled 3,000 miles away."

The prince exclaimed: "Miss Zhang Er is well-informed and knowledgeable, her reputation is well-deserved."

Chen Ji sat down outside the arrow range: "Wait a minute, the border troops won't wait too long."

Everyone sat on the ground in exhaustion, watching the sun set in the west, when a fast horse came from the direction of Guyuan. The soldier passed by Chen Ji and others, drew his bow and shot an arrow at the gate of Tianshui County: "Guyuan was a great victory, the Tiance Army was killed, six hundred miles away, hurry up and verify!"

The guard on the city wall held a torch, hurriedly took off the arrow, unfolded the white paper wrapped on the arrow, and saw suddenly that there was a seal of the general of Guyuan on the white paper!
"Quick, bring us the shadow map," the city guard said hurriedly.

The guard took the photo and compared it with the official seal to confirm that every missing corner was exactly the same. Then he shouted to the people below the city: "When the day ends, how many drums will be sounded to close the gates?"

The soldiers at the city gates responded loudly: "Six hundred and eighty-nine!"

The city guard asked again: "What if there is no night walking talisman?"

The border troops replied: "Twenty-seven lashes!"

The city guard asked again: "What did you eat last night?"

The border troops replied: "Elm tree noodles!"

Qi Chenzhuo widened his eyes and said, "What a mess this is."

Zhang Xia explained: "Three questions and three answers naturally means that we have to agree on questions that others will never be able to answer."

As soon as the words fell, cheers erupted from the city wall: "Guyuan has won, and the Tiance Army has been annihilated!"

"Guyuan wins!"

"I am mighty!"

There was a creaking sound, and the gate of Tianshui County opened. The city guard ran down the wall holding his official robe, excitedly approached the frontier army's warhorse, pulled the other side's reins and asked: "Did we really win?"

Bian Jun said impatiently: "Get lost, Grandpa is waiting for a replacement horse to send us 600 miles in an emergency!"

The city guard shouted twice: "Quick, quick, prepare two pounds of mutton and two pounds of bread for the Guyuan hero, so that he can eat them on the road!"

Chen Ji asked from a distance: "Can we enter the city now?"

The city guard lost his previous enthusiasm and asked coldly, "Where are your passes?"

Chen Ji replied: "It was thrown in Guyuan and burned up in a huge fire."

The city guard sneered and said, "Then wait outside the door."

At this time, the border troops rode back and said to the city guard, "I recognize these people. They escaped from Guyuan this morning. Let them go."

Chen Ji was startled, but saw the soldier on the other side saluted him and Li Xuan from a distance, then galloped towards the city.

……

……

Chen Ji finally entered Tianshui County, and the wind and sand subsided for a while.

Zhang Xia rode his horse through Tianshui City, looked back at the Tianshui City Gate, and asked Chen Ji curiously, "You asked everyone to hide their identities. Are you worried that someone will take advantage of the opportunity to seize the throne, as Lord Chen said?"

Chen Ji nodded, and when he was sure that there were no people around, he recalled, "I had never figured out one thing before, why did Hu Junxian suddenly call me to the city gate tower and tell me about recruiting and offering the city? It doesn't make sense."

Zhang Xia lowered his head and thought: "Mr. Wang's letter arrived before us, but he didn't see you earlier or later, but he saw you the day before the city was surrendered... Moreover, he never thought of recruiting you."

Chen Ji hummed, "That's right. He was actually using me to pass on a message to the Dragon Gate Inn: It's time to start."

Zhang Xia suddenly realized: "But you didn't tell the shopkeeper... Did you borrow the eavesdropping jar from the Longmen Inn?"

Chen Ji nodded: "This time, not only the Imperial Household Department wants the Crown Prince to die, but even the Border Army wants the Crown Prince to die."

Zhang Xia whispered, "Prince Fu."

Chen Ji looked at the prince's back.

He only knew that the fight for the throne was dangerous, but he didn't know where the danger lay.

He had heard of the Xuanwu Gate Incident, the Witchcraft Disaster, Hu Hai's fight for the throne, and the Rebellion of the Eight Kings. He was well aware of the dangers of fighting for the throne, but those stories in the piles of old papers were far less real than facing them head on.

The death of a crown prince in a border town with almost no clear reason was really hard to guard against. If the crown prince died here, the history books would only record that the crown prince died for his country, and would not think that it was related to the fight for the throne.

Perhaps this is the difference between history books and the truth.

At this time, Li Xuan stopped his horse in front of an inn and looked back at the prince: "Sir, shall we stay here today?"

The prince said casually: "This place is too close to the city gate. The soldiers guarding the city are making a lot of noise when they change their guards. Let's go a little further."

Li Xuan remained silent.

The team walked another mile forward, and Li Xuan pointed to an inn and asked, "Sir, where is this place?"

The prince looked straight ahead, as if he was distracted and didn't hear anything.

Until Chen Ji pointed to an inn and asked the prince: "Sir, how is this place?"

The prince said gently, "Okay."

Chen Ji asked the Yulin Army to lead the horses into the stables, and then told Li Xuan: "Master Li, take people to buy water bags and food. We will continue our journey tomorrow morning... Remember to arrange night guards. If anyone approaches the inn rashly, kill them first."

"Okay," Li Xuan asked in a low voice, "Do you want to hire a carriage for His Highness?"

"No," Chen Ji shook his head, "You can only change carriages after you leave the territory of Shanzhou. If someone comes to kill us, the carriage will not be able to move fast."

Li Xuan didn't ask any more questions.

Chen Liqin saw the two men discussing something in a low voice, so he came over. When he was about to ask, Li Xuan had already left in a hurry with his men.

He looked at Chen Ji again, wanting to ask what he was going to do next. But Chen Ji didn't even look at him, and went into the inn, using the silver the prince had given him to rent the entire inn.

Liang was observing silently at the end of the team. She saw that in less than an hour, the officials of the Eastern Palace completed the power transfer.

Wang Gui whispered, "Madam, you are obviously the highest-ranking official, how can you tolerate Chen Ji taking over the reins?"

Liang said calmly, "This is the rule of the Heavenly Family. Regardless of the high or low official position, regardless of the noble or humble status, whoever the Emperor favors will have the power."

She crossed the threshold and waited for her room in the main hall of the inn.

When the shopkeeper arranged the guest rooms, Chen Ji originally planned to let several people stay together, but the prince suddenly said, "Yousiwei has been working hard these days, and it's time to rest well. Let him stay in a separate room."

Chen Ji thought for a moment, then nodded and said, "Yes."

Liang's eyes moved slightly. She looked at the prince, and then turned her gaze to Zhang Xia.

……

……

late at night.

Chen Ji sat alone in Room No. 1, Tianzi, silently reviewing what happened in Guyuan and trying to remember if there was anything he had overlooked.

The door creaked open. Xiaoman rolled up her sleeves and came in with a wooden basin: "What are you thinking about, young master?"

Chen Ji came back to his senses: "I didn't think about anything."

Xiaoman said, "Sir, wash your feet to relieve your fatigue."

As she spoke, she squatted in front of Chen Ji and reached out to help Chen Ji take off his boots.

Chen Ji quickly retracted his foot: "No, I can do it myself."

Xiaoman wondered, "Sir, what did I do wrong?"

Chen Ji said softly: "You didn't do anything wrong, but you don't have to do these things again in the future."

Xiaoman's eyes widened: "Sir, what nonsense are you talking about? What else can a maid do if not do these things... Are you going to chase me away?"

Chen Ji smiled and said, "Xiao Man, if you had not been sold as a maid since childhood, what would you most like to do?"

Xiaoman squatted in front of the wooden basin, holding her chin with both hands and thinking for a long time, then lowered her head and whispered: "If I hadn't been a maid when I was nine years old, I would have stayed at home waiting to get married. My parents would have found a family for me, either a butcher or a tenant, or sold me to someone as a concubine, it doesn't make any difference anyway."

Chen Ji's smile slowly faded. He was silent for a moment and then asked, "Let's not talk about the past. What about now? What do you want to do most?"

Xiaoman thought for a while and said, "I want to help you marry a daughter of a rich family...Sir, what do you think of Miss Zhang? She is pretty, smart, and..."

Chen Ji interrupted: "It's not about what you want to do for me, but what you want to do yourself."

Xiaoman was stunned for a long time, and then whispered: "Why think about these things? These are things that only officials think about. We maids don't need to think about these things. Sister Liqiu said that maids can't think about these things. If you think too much, you will feel that life is hard. If you don't think about it, it's fine."

Chen Ji said seriously: "You can think about it now."

The next moment, he pulled out a yellow paper from his sleeve: "I promised you that if I could leave Guyuan alive, I would help you get your indenture back. Xiaoman, you are no longer a maid, you don't have to do things in a humble manner anymore, you can have your own life."

Xiaoman was stunned at first. Her own life? Why did the young master speak so strangely? He had never said that before.

Then, she suddenly took the indenture with joy and said, "Oh, when did you get it back, young master?"

Chen Ji explained: "I went back to Longmen Inn to pick up my luggage before you did, and I wanted to take this from Liang's luggage."

Xiaoman was overjoyed: "I didn't expect that the young master still cared about me."

Chen Ji shook his head: "I didn't come here specifically to get your indenture. I was worried that after Chen Wenxiao died, Liang would regret it, so I went to look for the house and land deeds left by my aunt, but I didn't expect that she didn't have them with her."

Xiao Man muttered, "Those things are locked up in the capital, they will definitely not be brought with them. Moreover, the land deeds and house deeds must be witnessed by the elders of the clan and the head of the village before they can be exchanged at the government. It's useless even if I bring them back... But, where should I go in the future?"

She had been longing for this for many years, and now that she was finally free, she suddenly felt at a loss.

Chen Ji thought for a moment and said, "When we return to the capital, and when I take back my aunt's property, you will become the shopkeeper. If you want to go to Gufulou, go to Gufulou. If you want to go to Yujingyuan, go to Yujingyuan."

Xiao Man pretended to be angry and said, "Young Master, you are really a joker. Yujing Garden is a place of entertainment in the Eight Great Hutongs. How can a little girl like me be in charge? If I have to go, I will go to Gufu Tower."

Chen Ji said sincerely: "Then go and be the shopkeeper of Gufulou."

Xiaoman looked at him, then lowered her head again: "If I go, who will take care of you? You will blame me if you don't have enough food to eat or clothes to wear."

Chen Ji teased, "If you don't want it, just give it back to me."

Xiaoman hurriedly said: "No, no!"

At this time, Zhang Xia and Zhang Zheng pushed the door open and walked in.

Xiaoman hurriedly carried the wooden basin and walked out in a hurry, almost bumping into Zhang Zheng.

Zhang Zheng turned around and asked, "Why are you in such a hurry?"

……

……

Xiaoman went out and wandered in the corridor holding the wooden basin. For a moment, he didn't know where to go.

She put down the basin, unfolded her body contract again and examined it carefully.

However, it said "Yao Man, the clerk who is hereby enlisted to serve in the army, and his descendants shall go to serve in the army when called by the master surnamed Chen, and shall not delay or disobey. If there is any resistance, the master shall deal with it and this document shall prevail."

Yao Man.

She almost forgot her original name.

Xiaoman looked at her indenture and suddenly wanted to leave. From then on, she would be free from all constraints. She was an official and had the money she had saved over the years. She could live a good life wherever she went!

but……

Xiaoman looked back at Chen Ji's tightly closed door. She couldn't just leave like that. That would be too heartless.

After a moment, she rolled her eyes and said, "It's not heartless to help the young master do something before leaving!"

She quietly moved towards the guest room where Wang Gui was staying. When she reached the door of Room No. 1, she took out a dagger from her sleeve and inserted it into the crack of the door, trying to pry open the bolt.

But strangely, the door was not closed.

Xiaoman sensed something was wrong and immediately opened the door, but there was no sign of Wang Gui inside.
She held the dagger in her backhand and walked around the room murderously. The bed was not moved, and the cups on the table were not touched. It didn't look like anyone had ever lived here!

Xiaoman frowned and went downstairs to find Qi Chenzhuo who was on duty: "Hey!"

Qi Zhuozhu turned around and saw that it was Xiaoman, and hurriedly said with a smile: "Miss Xiaoman, did the master call me?"

Xiao Man said angrily: "I've already told you that my master doesn't recognize you as his disciple! Let me ask you, have you ever seen Wang Gui?"

Qi Chenzhuo recalled, "Yes, he did. As soon as we arrived, he took a horse out and said he wanted to buy some things for Madam Chen."

Xiaoman asked in a deep voice: "When did you leave?"

Qi replied thoughtfully, "I'm afraid it's been more than an hour."

Xiaoman thought to herself, "Oh no! This evildoer is so alert and ran away early!"
"This scourge will last for a thousand years!" Xiaoman returned to the guest room angrily.

Seeing her like this, Chen Ji asked in confusion: "Where did you go when you went out? Who offended you?"

Xiaoman sat on a small stool, sulking, and said in a muffled voice, "I'm fine."

After saying that, she moved her butt, turned her back to Chen Ji and the others, and thought about how to get rid of Wang Gui after returning to Beijing.

As he was thinking, Xiaoman suddenly stood up and put the indenture back into Chen Ji's hands: "Please keep this for me first. When I need it, you can give it to me."

Chen Ji was confused and had to put the indenture away again: "What happened to you?"

Xiao Man muttered, "Why is Wang Gui so hard to kill? So many people died in Guyuan, but he survived. I just wanted to kill him, but he escaped."

Chen Ji was startled: "Run away?"

Xiaoman hummed, "Too cunning."

After Xiaoman mentioned this, Zhang Xia also frowned and said, "All the servants in the Chen Mansion died, and he was the only one left. He has some extraordinary qualities. He was captured by the Tiance Army before, but he didn't die."

Chen Ji's mind moved, and he suddenly asked, "After you were caught hiding in the cellar, did the Tiance Army isolate you and try to persuade you to rebel?"

Zhang Xia shook his head: "No... No, Wang Gui was the first one to be captured. It took about ten breaths before the second person was captured. Ten breaths were not enough to do anything."

Chen Ji hummed: "Don't think about it for now, let's get back to the topic just now."

Zhang Xia said to Chen Ji, "From Guyuan to the capital, via Qingyang, Tongchuan, Yuncheng, Taiyuan, and Huolu, it is a total of 2,600 miles. It is the first month of the year now, and it will probably take us until the second month to reach the capital. Lord Chen urged the prince to leave quickly because he was worried that if he stayed any longer, he would miss Chen Wenzong's imperial examination."

Chen Ji was stunned when he calculated the time.

Zhang Xia continued, "During this journey, I saw that Liang and Wang Gui were plotting something. You might as well move out of the Chen Mansion after you return. Either live in my Zhang Mansion, or buy a small house. It's better than staying in the Chen family..."

Seeing that Chen Ji was distracted, she asked curiously, "What are you thinking about?"

Chen Ji came back to his senses and said with some disappointment: "I just thought that Master should have arrived in Lushun. I wonder if they are doing well."

……

……

In the dark night outside the Port of Lushun, a large two-masted ship was approaching the port in the waves.

An old man stood at the bow, with his hands behind his back, letting the sea breeze howl.

The sailors on the ship were furling the sails and shouting slogans.

Amid the hustle and bustle, the old man silently looked at the dark sea and the port that was getting closer and closer, then turned around and went back to the cabin.

Inside the cabin, Liang Gou'er was lying on the bed and snoring. Liang Mao'er was watching Zhu Yunxi swinging the wooden sword again and again in the narrow cabin, sweating profusely.

Old man Yao glanced at the three of them and said, "We are ready to disembark. The military strategy department will meet us on the shore to take us to the capital of Jing Dynasty. Prince, I will ask you one last time, do you regret it? If you do, don't worry about the floods in the world or the great cause of the dynasty. Just be selfish and stay on the boat. It's not too late."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yunxi slowly put down the wooden sword in his hand and wiped the sweat from his forehead: "No regrets."

Old Man Yao stopped trying to persuade him: "Then remember why you came to Jingchao. Only by forbearance can you succeed. Let's go. There is no turning back."

(End of this chapter)