Aoyama

Chapter 314 Bodhisattva
Chen Liqin, dressed in a red official robe, hurriedly crossed Xiaoyingzhou holding Chen Ji's hand.

Xiangtang, Xiangzhou, Hefeng Simian Pavilion, Jianshan Tower, Xiaofeihong, he never stopped, as if there were wolves chasing him. He ignored the looks of the servants and maids, and only heaved a sigh of relief when he returned to the Qinzheng Garden from the Humble Administrator's Garden.

When they returned to Ginkgo Garden, Chen Ji broke free from his pull and said, "Master Chen, I'm at my residence."

Chen Liqin stood there, thinking about how to start the conversation. But with the maids and servants passing by nearby, he never had the chance to speak.

Chen Ji asked tentatively: "If everything is fine, I will go back?"

After the servants had left, Chen Liqin suddenly lowered his voice and said, "Go find Lord Hu and ask him to transfer you to the frontier army... If you don't want to go to the frontier army, that's fine. Taiyuan Prefecture and Xianyang Prefecture are also good places. The steamed buns in Xianyang Prefecture are delicious, and the oil-splashed noodles in Taiyuan Prefecture are also delicious. They are both worth trying. Officials in the capital who are transferred out can generally be promoted one or two levels. Lord Hu is the teacher of your teacher Wang Daosheng. If you want to build a relationship with him, he will not treat you unfairly. I'll prepare some gifts for you. I'll go tomorrow, no, I'll go today!"

Chen Ji asked casually, "Why did Master Chen suddenly chase me away?"

Chen Liqin said in a deep voice: "Don't get involved in the affairs of the first and second houses. There are already too many people involved! Don't think that you are so great just because you built a Xingguan. There are six great Xingguan in the Qinzheng Garden and the Humble Administrator's Garden alone. Their realms are much higher than yours! This is the capital, this is the Chen family, the dragon vein is here, and all the power in the world is gathered here. Xingguan can't do anything!"

Chen Ji shook his head: "I don't understand what Master Chen is saying."

Chen Liqin said anxiously: "Isn't it better to be mediocre? Live your life well, be an official of moderate status, and do things that are worthy of your salary and the people. That overwhelming power may seem glamorous, but it is poison, and it is not something that my third house can fight for!"

Chen Ji remained silent.

Seeing him thinking, Chen Liqin said in a gentle tone: "I will go get you some silver later. Don't go back to the Chen family tonight."

Chen Ji was stunned for a moment: "Where to go?"

Chen Liqin thought for a moment and said, "Let's go to the Eight Great Hutongs. We can visit brothels or go to the Qingyin Opera House to listen to opera. If that doesn't work, I heard that the gambling houses are also very lively at night."

Chen Ji was stunned. How could a father encourage his own children to visit gambling houses and brothels?

He thought for a moment, "Lord Chen wants me to hide my incompetence?"

Chen Liqin said earnestly, "I also know that you have great ambitions as a young man, but you don't need to hide your incompetence outside for long. You just need to wait until the dust settles in the first and second houses. Three years, and then another three years."

Chen Ji sighed softly: "Master Chen, I can't wait that long."

Chen Liqin paced back and forth anxiously: "You are still young and don't understand the danger. Chen Lizun seems to protect you everywhere, but it is just a means to win people's hearts. This morning's incident was just to alienate my third son. Their methods are endless. This is not the first time, and it will not be the last time."

Chen Ji asked casually, "How can I believe what Lord Chen said?"

Chen Liqin paced back and forth in front of the Ginkgo Garden. He thought for a moment and said, "If my guess is correct, when your mother... when your stepmother finds a marriage for you with a small family, they will definitely come out again and find you a truly glorious marriage, give you enough betrothal gifts, and let you remember their kindness. Let me think about it. The Qi family will definitely use you to form an alliance with the Qi family. Qi Zhuozhu's sister is at the age of waiting to be married. They will marry a stepdaughter to a bastard like you. You can only be grateful."

Chen Ji was puzzled: "Master Chen is so sure?"

Chen Liqin said firmly: "Sure!"

Chen Ji asked again: "But why would the Qi family marry their legitimate daughter to a bastard like me?"

Chen Liqin explained: "As long as they agree to adopt you into the eldest wife's name before the marriage and let you take over the Chen family business in the future, how can the Qi family not agree? This is a very profitable deal!"

At this time, a servant came running over and said, "Master, the carriage is ready. You will be late for work."

Chen Liqin glanced at the servant and whispered to Chen Ji, "Whether it is true or not, we will know after we wait and see."

Chen Ji stood in front of the door, watching Chen Liqin's red back disappear into the distance, then turned around and pushed open the door.

Inside the door, Xiaoman was holding the little black cat and listening attentively. When she saw Chen Ji suddenly push the door, she said in a panic, "Sir, hold it. I'll get you some hot water to wipe your face."

Chen Ji didn't answer the little black cat. He just smiled and said, "It's okay to eavesdrop. There's no need to panic."

Xiaoman was relieved: "From what the master said, a lot of things happened in the morning meeting? They didn't make things difficult for you, did they?"

Chen Ji sat on a stone bench under the ginkgo tree, tapping his fingers on the stone table, and answered the question irrelevantly: "I may know who is looking for you to buy my information."

Xiaoman widened his eyes: "Who is it?!"

Chen Ji said calmly, "The eldest branch of the Chen family. They really put a lot of thought into choosing the person to adopt."

Xiao Man suddenly realized: "No wonder. No wonder they can always find someone to pass on the message in Chen's house. No wonder I have been waiting in Xiaoyingzhou for so long, but in a blink of an eye the message was taken away by them. It takes someone who is very familiar with Xiaoyingzhou to be able to do that."

At this point, she cautiously asked, "Sir, are you really going to get married? If you do, what will the princess do?"

Chen Ji smiled and said, "I will reject them all, but before I reject them, I have to see if Master Chen's guess is correct."

Xiao Man was shocked and said, "Reject? Young Master, it's your parents' order and the matchmaker's words, how can you refuse this? At that time, you don't need to agree, the Chen family will naturally arrange your marriage. On the wedding day, you just need to go into the bridal chamber with the bride, it doesn't matter who the bride is."

Chen Ji was silent for a long time.

Then before the wedding, rescue the princess and leave for Jing Dynasty.

As for whether the Chen family and the Qi family would be embarrassed after he ran away, that was not something he considered.

At this moment, Xiaoman suddenly sighed.

Chen Ji looked over and asked, "What's wrong?"

Xiao Man said worriedly, "Although I don't know the princess either...but the Chen Mansion is so complicated, how dangerous must the palace be? What can she do?"

……

……

Jingyang Palace. The morning bells from the Bell and Drum Tower rang from the north, crossing the red palace walls, crossing the golden glazed tiles, and landing in the deserted palace.

The fat Xuan Su stood by the door of the back hall and shouted in a stern voice: "Everyone, get up and attend the morning class!"

She suddenly pushed open the vermilion lacquered door, allowing the cold wind to pour into the hall.

The Taoist nuns got out of their beds one after another, tied their hair into a bun and put on their Taoist robes skillfully, then walked out one after another without saying a word.

When Baili got off the common bunk bed, he avoided the nearby toilet and quietly put on his clothes.

She turned around and saw Zhu Lingyun wearing the Taoist robe crookedly, with her hands raised on her head to tie her hair, but she couldn't figure it out.

Zhu Lingyun pleaded, "Sister, help me."

Bai Li walked forward, stretched out his hand to help Zhu Lingyun with her hair, and said softly: "You have to learn to live on your own quickly, learn how to dress, learn how to wear a bun, learn how to sweep and mop the floor, learn the Taoist scriptures... They are waiting for us to make mistakes."

Zhu Lingyun's eyes were red: "Sister, I can't stand this place anymore, who can save us?"

Bai Li said softly: "No one will come to save us...Okay."

She looked at her sister in front of her and wiped her tears: "Don't cry, the more you cry, the happier they will be."

At this time, Princess Yongchun, with disheveled hair and her Taoist robe open, walked out. Bai Li was stunned for a moment. She gently pulled Princess Yongchun, tied up her Taoist robe, and gathered her hair with a wooden hairpin.

Just as she was done, Princess Yongchun pushed her away and ran out, kicking her shoes: "Brother Zhuo Yuan! I want to go find Brother Zhuo Yuan!"

Zhu Lingyun supported Bai Li who staggered back: "Sister, why are you helping her? She is just a crazy woman."

Bai Li shook his head: "It's okay."

Xuan Su leaned against the door and sneered, "You can't even take care of yourself and you still want to help others? Help yourself first."

Bai Li stood in front of the door and asked calmly, "We haven't offended you, why do you keep making things difficult for us?"

Xuan Su sneered, "I'm not trying to embarrass you, I'm just teaching you the rules of the palace. You feel uncomfortable sleeping next to the toilet, who doesn't sleep there when they first come in? Who doesn't sweep and mop the floor when they first come in? Who doesn't have a prominent status before coming in? This is the East Six Palaces, if you don't temper your temper, you'll probably make big mistakes in the future!"

Bai Li took Zhu Lingyun out and ignored her.

When they arrived at the main hall of Jingyang Palace, Xuan Zhen was sitting cross-legged on a cushion, his temperament transcendent and ethereal, just like a highly respected preacher.

There were cushions placed in the hall, and Princess Yongchun had unexpectedly sat cross-legged on one of them, waiting for morning lessons.

After everyone was seated, Taoist Master Xuan Zhen waved his whisk with his right hand and struck the bell with his left hand until he had struck it 108 times. Then he said in a clear voice: "The Tao can be spoken of, but it is not the eternal Tao..."

Everyone followed suit and recited until the hour of Chen.

Xuan Zhen didn't look at the crowd. She stood up calmly and led everyone to perform the ceremony of three kneelings and nine kowtows to the Three Pure Ones, and then went to the side hall where she lived alone.

At this time, four young eunuchs came in carrying eight vermilion lacquered food boxes. They put the food boxes in the hall and turned around and left, fearing to stay a moment longer.

Xuan Su carried a food box and delivered it to Xuan Zhen alone. When she came out again, she led a group of Taoist nuns back to the side room of the back hall, where they sat around three tables to eat.

Bai Li and Zhu Lingyun also wanted to sit down, but the nuns didn't give them any room to sit down. Bai Li saw an empty seat at the table and was about to sit down, but Xuan Su winked at the other nuns, who immediately moved their seats to block the empty seat.

Bai Li searched around the table for a long time, and finally stood aside, not wasting any more time.

Zhu Lingyun was about to step forward to argue angrily, but Bai Li held her back and whispered, "Be patient, it will be fine after this period."

Xuan Su took a bite of the steamed bun and said with a smile: "Princess Baili is older than Princess Lingyun, and more mature and stable. Don't worry, you won't be hungry. After we finish eating, you will have a bite to eat."

After an incense stick of time, the nuns dispersed, leaving only Bai Li, Zhu Lingyun and Princess Yongchun. There were only leftovers on the table. Every steamed bun was deliberately left half eaten, and not a single complete one could be found.

Zhu Lingyun said angrily: "I won't eat anymore!"

Bai Li was silent for a long time, then walked forward, picked up half of the steamed bun, and broke off the bitten parts bit by bit.

She handed half of the steamed bun to Zhu Lingyun and said softly, "I didn't believe that there was any senseless evil in this world before, but now I do. But we have to live on. As long as we are alive, there may still be hope."

Zhu Lingyun was stunned for a moment and just as she was about to reach out her hand, Princess Yongchun snatched the bun away and stuffed it into her mouth.

She pretended to hit Princess Yongchun: "You crazy woman!"

Bai Li quickly pulled her back and said, "I'll just break another one for you."

Zhu Lingyun said angrily: "Sister, what are you doing for her?"

Bai Li picked up another steamed bun soaked in vegetable soup from the table and carefully broke off the edge: "It doesn't matter whether you help or not, they are all poor people."

Princess Yongchun pointed at Baili and said foolishly, "Haha, Bodhisattva! Living Bodhisattva! Bodhisattva, can you help me find Brother Zhuo Yuan?"

Bai Li shook his head: "Sorry, I can't help you."

Princess Yongchun ate her steamed buns and turned away: "Then you are not a Bodhisattva."

Zhu Lingyun wiped her tears with the back of her hand: "Sister, how long do we have to endure? Think of a way to find the Queen Mother. She is from our Liu family and will definitely help me. Then I will take you to the Cining Palace. Even if you can't leave the palace for the rest of your life, it's better than staying here."

Bai Li picked up half of the steamed bun and took a bite. She leaned against the door frame of the ear room and looked up at the sky: "The Queen Mother may not be able to save herself... She has to endure it for a few more decades."

(End of this chapter)