Aoyama

Chapter 301 Taking the Stage
The first meeting with the emperor was hasty and ended just as hastily.

When the emperor behind the gauze curtain disappeared into the deep palace, only the golden gauze around the imperial bed was left swaying gently.

The pressure from the supreme imperial power gradually faded away, five hundred and fifty fires were lit one by one, and the ice flow was no longer crazy.

Chen Ji finally let out a long breath, and only then did he feel like looking around at this palace that had cost so much to build.

On the overhead beams, a pattern of cranes and deer in spring is outlined in spiral painting technique. On the east side, there is a black lacquer and gold-plated shrine, which houses a gilded bronze statue of the Three Pure Ones. In front of it is an incense burner with a blue and white cloud and crane pattern, and green smoke is rising from the incense burner.

Amid the smoke, Wu Xiu put away the written imperial edict and handed it to the eunuch beside him: "Send thirty Jiefan Guards to Guyuan to announce the edict. There must be no mistakes."

The young eunuch whispered, "Yes."

Wu Xiu looked at everyone again and said politely, "The emperor has returned to the palace. Please go back, elders. Someone light the lamps and escort the elders out of the palace."

Two rows of young eunuchs holding palace lanterns were lined up outside the door.

When Chen Luchi, the elder Chen, passed by Chen Ji, he just glanced at him and said nothing. On the contrary, when Qi, the elder Chen, stood up and passed by Chen Ji, he suddenly stopped and looked him up and down: "He is quite a handsome man."

Chen Ji was slightly stunned, but he didn't know what the other party meant.

In Renshou Palace, Li Xuan looked at Chen Ji in embarrassment: "You..."

He and Qi Zhuo were about to say something, but Elder Qi said coldly in front of the door: "Don't talk nonsense in the palace."

After hearing this, the two men could only leave a sentence "We'll talk again at the Yulin Army Governor's Mansion tomorrow" and left in a hurry with their heads down.

In the blink of an eye, the once bustling Renshou Palace was empty, and the young eunuchs were holding copper rods and extinguishing the candles one by one.

Zhang Zhuo patted Chen Ji on the shoulder and said, "Let's go."

Chen Ji left Renshou Palace, but saw the prince still waiting outside the palace gate, with no expression of joy or anger on his face.

He was about to say goodbye to the prince, but Zhang Zhuo pulled him away and changed the subject: "Let's go, I have something else to say to you."

Chen Ji took a few steps and looked back, only to see the prince standing outside the gate of Renshou Palace motionless, like a clay sculpture.

The candles in Renshou Palace were extinguished one by one until darkness engulfed everything, even the prince's back dimmed.

……

……

On the way out of the palace, the young eunuchs tactfully carried the palace lanterns and moved away.

Zhang Zhuo stroked his red official robe and walked under the red walls and gray tiles: "Chen Ji, do you know why these young eunuchs consciously stay away?"

Chen Ji walked side by side with him: "I don't know."

Zhang Zhuo wrote lightly: "These are lessons learned at the cost of one's life. If one has no status, the more one knows, the faster one will die. Not only that, the eunuchs in the palace have also summed up a set of survival experience. For example, if one is not promoted to the position of eunuch admiral, it is best not to speak more than ten sentences a day; for example, it is best to retreat behind a screen when listening; for example, secret messages must be delivered at three o'clock in the morning, commonly known as 'three o'clock ear report'; for example, small matters rely on the admiral, medium matters rely on concubines, and major matters rely on imperial power; for example, 'it is better to be a vicious dog than a lone wolf'."

Zhang Zhuo sighed, "Life is not easy anywhere. Chen Ji, in this palace, you must be careful about everything. One wrong step can cost your life."

Chen Ji whispered, "Master Zhang, do you want to say that I was a little rash tonight?"

Zhang Zhuo smiled and said, "You are really confused tonight. The current emperor is very careful in his actions. Whether you betray Hu Junxian tonight or not, the outcome will not change at all. Without you, there will still be Li Xuan and Qi Chenzhuo. Without them, there is still Feng Wenzheng."

Chen Ji remained silent.

Seeing him like this, Zhang Zhuo sighed softly, "Chen Ji, history books only record the ending, not justice."

Chen Ji shook his head: "Sir, I am not doing this for justice. Sacrificing half of the people in Guyuan is not justice. I just don't like to betray anyone."

Zhang Zhuo said jokingly, "If someone offers you a very high price, don't hesitate to sell me out. Everyone has their own price. If you can sell me at a sky-high price, I will be very happy."

"Master Zhang," Chen Ji changed the subject: "Logically speaking, the incident in Guyuan should have been covered up. What caused today's incident?"

Zhang Zhuo pondered and said, "Today, something unexpected happened. A minor official from Guyuan sneaked into the capital with a caravan and beat the drum outside the Meridian Gate, claiming that Hu Junxian had conspired with the Imperial Household Department to kill his family of 17."

Chen Ji frowned: "Something is wrong."

"Of course it's not right," Zhang Zhuo smiled. "There are Yulin troops guarding the Dengwen Drum. How can the people just knock it whenever they want? The Dengwen Drum hasn't been sounded for fourteen years. I thought it would never be sounded again."

Chen Ji asked, "Your Majesty's men?"

Zhang Zhuo was not so sure: "We need to find out who the Yulin soldiers are who are on duty today... But I guess the person who did this would not leave such an obvious flaw. Chen Ji, who do you think is the loser today?"

Chen Ji thought for a moment: "The Hu family? The Hu family lost half of Guyuan."

Zhang Zhuo smiled and said, "Xu, Chen, Qi, the three cabinet ministers are concerned about the Guyuan trade route, Wu Xiu is concerned about overthrowing the prime minister, and your majesty helped Hu Junxian, a loyal minister, and won his heart. Is the Hu family the loser? No, after revealing this matter today, everyone who is slightly smart in the court knows that the prince has become a discarded child. Who will be willing to follow him in the future? In the end, it was Prince Fu who was helped."

At this time, the two finally left the Meridian Gate.

Standing outside the Meridian Gate, Zhang Zhuo turned to look at Chen Ji: "This is the power of your majesty. There are no losers among those present today, all are winners. There are two losers, one is the crown prince and the other is the prime minister. One can't even enter the palace gate, and the other is stuck in Jingtai Mausoleum and can't come back. It's hard to say whether this is an open plot or a conspiracy... Of course, it's too early to draw a conclusion whether the poisonous prime minister is a loser."

Chen Ji asked curiously, "Have you chosen the deputy general and the military officer for Guyuan? Mr. Wang?"

Zhang Zhuo shook his head and said, "It depends on what price the Xu, Qi, and Chen families can offer. Whoever offers the highest price will get the two positions and the Guyuan trade route."

Chen Ji whispered: "Two peaches kill three warriors."

Starting from Luocheng, eliminating the Liu family, the vassal kings, and the Cao Gang, killing three birds with one stone.

When we arrived at Guyuan, we eliminated the Tiance Army and buried Mr. Feng like a knife, waiting for the real purpose to be revealed.

When he came to the capital, Emperor Ning first made the crown prince a figurehead and dispersed his cliques. He also reduced the power of the prime minister to balance the inner court. He then made Hu Junxian practice Buddhism again to win over his people. Finally, he set up the two peaches to kill the three men to induce internal fighting among the three families.

Chen Ji said softly: "So this is the capital, so this is the mind of the emperor."

On the first day in Beijing, he was given a unique lesson about the emperor's mentality.

Zhang Zhuo also sighed and said, "If such an emperor cares about the world, it will be a blessing for the people. But if..."

He did not continue.

Zhang Zhuo patted Chen Ji on the shoulder and said, "Don't be discouraged. It's a good thing that His Majesty didn't give you the position of Right Guard. This shows that you have caught His Majesty's eye. First, you can be a small flag officer in the Yulin Army, so you don't have to get involved in political disputes so early, so you don't have to suffer from unexpected disasters, and you can practice in peace; second, you are not allowed to become a descendant of the crown prince, maybe he will use you in the future."

Chen Ji was puzzled: "Since Lord Zhang knew clearly that the Crown Prince had lost power, why did he speak up for me in front of the Emperor?"

Zhang Zhuo smiled mysteriously and said meaningfully, "I knew that His Majesty would not give you the Right Guard, but I have to let the elders know that you are my man. In this way, if someone touches you, they will have to think twice before offending the future Prime Minister of the Cabinet."

Chen Ji sighed: "Master Zhang is a real madman."

It's so crazy.

Zhang Zhuo laughed loudly: "Remember, in this capital, right and wrong are not important, and strength below the divine realm is not important. What matters most is who you are. Only this one thing can determine your life and death, success and failure."

Chen Ji bowed and said, “Thank you for your advice.” At this time, the ministers had already got on their sedan chairs and returned home.

Zhang Zhuo's servants and sedan chair were also waiting in the distance, and everyone was surrounded by people. Only Xiaoman was alone, holding Wuyun and holding Zaozao, squatting in the distance and taking a nap.

But Chen Ji moved his gaze away from Xiaoman and looked at another person outside the Meridian Gate.

Zhang Zhuo followed his gaze and saw Bai Long, dressed in snow-white clothes and wearing a dragon-patterned mask, standing outside the Meridian Gate. He bowed to Chen Ji and Zhang Zhuo from a distance.

Bai Long? Or Mr. Feng?

Zhang Zhuo didn't want to have anything to do with Bai Long, so he whispered to Chen Ji, "The Ministry of Personnel will be waiting for you tomorrow. Don't forget to bring your household registration documents and take away your imperial edict and seal. This step is called 'Tangpan'. Then you need to go to the Censorate to get a copy of 'What to Know' before you can go to the Yulin Army Commander's Office."

Chen Ji said goodbye to him: "Got it, Master Zhang, go to bed early."

After Zhang Zhuo left, Chen Ji walked straight towards Bai Long and said, "Thank you, Lord Bai Long, for helping me this afternoon."

Bai Long smiled and replied, "No need to be polite, it's just a small favor."

At this moment, Chen Ji was certain that the white dragon in front of him was no longer the same one from the afternoon.

The voice, shape and height are the same, but Bai Long did not save him in the afternoon. He just helped him go to Jingyang Palace to meet Bai Li.

And the white dragon in front of him had not even had the time to hand over the matter to Mr. Feng.

But why are the voices, body shapes, and heights all the same? Chen Ji's eyes slowly moved to the dragon-patterned mask. Could it be this thing that caused this?

Is Mr. Feng a puppet controlled by the art of exorcism?

Not at all.

All magic in Renshou Palace is suppressed by the supreme imperial power, and the art of exorcism cannot be performed, so Mr. Feng is Mr. Feng, not a puppet.

Who is this Bai Long in front of us? How many people are hiding under Bai Long's mask?
If he could defeat him, Chen Ji would really like to take off the mask to see what is underneath.

Chen Ji wanted to test his words a little more, but Bai Long didn't seem to want to talk to him anymore. He waved his hand and said, "I still have to guard the palace today. If you have nothing else to do, go home early."

Chen Ji saluted: "Yes."

He turned and came to Xiaoman: "Let's go home."

Xiao Man looked up in confusion, and seeing that it was Chen Ji, she was immediately surprised and said, "Sir, you finally came out. How is it going? Have you found a position as a sixth-rank official?"

Chen Ji whispered a few words.

Xiaoman hugged Wuyun and said indignantly: "Why? How can you not keep your promise?"

Wuyun meowed, "That's it!"

Bai Long stood in front of the Meridian Gate, quietly watching Chen Ji and Zaozao walk into the darkness of the capital, and then turned and walked towards the Taiye Lake on the west side of the palace.

The Taiye Lake is divided into the North Sea, the Middle Sea and the South Sea, with Wansui Mountain, Qionghua Island and Ziguang Pavilion in the middle. It was a place for naval training in the early years, but now this huge Taiye Lake has become a restricted area of ​​the palace, and only important court ceremonies will allow outsiders and courtiers to enter and exit.

Bailong walked with his hands behind his back from south to north, crossed the white jade bridge, and arrived at Qionghua Island.

After entering the island, I came to a rockery and knocked on a heavy iron door.

The iron door slowly opened, revealing a spy sitting inside, and behind the spy there was a larger and heavier iron door.

The spy glanced at Bai Long and said, "Waist badge."

This imperial prison only recognizes badges and not people. Even if the three zodiac signs above come, it won’t work.

But then Bailong took out an ivory waist plate from his sleeve. There was no word on the plate, only three hexagrams: Death Gate, Shock Gate, and Injury Gate, the three evil gates.

When the spy saw the badge, he immediately knocked on the second door respectfully, eight times in total, some lightly and some heavily, some fast and some slow.

The second iron door of the imperial prison slowly opened.

The spy turned sideways and said, "Please, sir. Lord Prisoner Mouse has gone to Luocheng and has not returned yet."

Bai Long walked down the stone steps. This imperial prison in the capital was much better than other places. It was clean, tidy, spacious and bright, with the eight-diagram lamps on the wall always lit.

Only the gusts of cold wind made people's hair stand on end.

Bai Long passed through a long corridor where more than a hundred secret agents were on duty, and none of them was lazy.

When he reached the deepest point, he dispersed the spies nearby.

In a solitary cell, Mr. Feng was wearing a white prison uniform, sitting under a solitary lamp, reading a book. Hearing footsteps, he looked up and asked with a smile, "Did Chen Ji suspect you?"

Bai Long hummed.

Mr. Feng smiled and said, "That kid is very alert. You have to be careful."

Bai Long said calmly: "Are you used to being locked up here?"

Mr. Feng didn't care at all: "It doesn't matter. I haven't had a day off for so many years. Now I can take a break from my busy schedule to read a book or write. It's a blessing in life."

Bai Long suddenly asked: "Will you die?"

Mr. Feng raised his eyebrows, casually took off his head and held it in his hand, then switched from his left hand to his right hand, still smiling: "You mean like this?"

After that, he put his head back on his neck and laughed loudly: "Little trick, sorry for the joke."

Bai Long asked again: "Where will you go after faking your death?"

Mr. Feng came to the edge of the iron railing and said with a smile: "The place I'm going to is very far away, so far that I can't fly back even in my dreams. But when we meet again, it will be the day to rebuild the world. Believe me, that day will not be far away."

Bai Long was silent for a long time: "Take care."

Mr. Feng laughed out loud: "I don't have to take care of myself. It's you who have to take care of yourself. Go back. This is not the place for you."

Bai Long turned and walked out. Mr. Feng stood inside the iron bars, watching his back getting farther and farther away.

There are rules on the stage.

There are two doors on the stage, the left door is "Out of the General" and the right door is "Into the Prime Minister". When the actors enter the stage from the "Out of the General" door, it is like going to the battlefield; when they leave the stage from the "Into the Prime Minister" door after the performance, they are like triumphant heroes.

At this moment, Mr. Feng was looking at Bai Long's back, as if he was watching him enter the door called "Out of the General" and step onto the stage. As for whether he could return victorious, he didn't know.

The sound of an iron door slamming shut came from the long corridor. Mr. Feng calmly turned around and sat back under the solitary lamp, picking up the book.

The joys and sorrows of the play are all there, but I am the only one not on the stage.

(End of this chapter)