Aoyama

Chapter 444 Turbulent Undercurrents (The End)

Chen Ji stood in the vast shadow outside the Meridian Gate. The shadow cast by the moonlight on the Swallow Wing Tower on the city wall looked like a black gauze hat that covered the sky.

No collection at night.

Governor-General's Imperial Guard.

Neither of these two positions was what he wanted.

He turned around, wanting to look at Jingyang Palace in the distance, but Jingyang Palace was blocked by the bright red palace walls of the Meridian Gate.

At this moment, the palace music from the Imperial Academy had already begun, and the sounds of bells and chimes could be heard from a great distance. It seemed that the Qionglin Banquet was in full swing, with wine cups clinking and lanterns casting shadows on the pavilions.

But this excitement didn't belong to him.

Chen Ji straightened his collar and headed south.

Chen Xu stood in the moonlight outside Chengtian Gate, his hands tucked into his sleeves, and nodded slightly: "Young Master, you have won this round. Master specifically instructed me to congratulate you after you leave the palace."

Chen Ji and Chen Xu stood facing each other: "Just one congratulatory message?"

Chen Xu smiled and took a string of Buddhist coins from his left wrist: "Once your period of mourning is over, the master will open an ancestral hall and adopt you into the eldest branch of the family. Also, here is 12,960 taels of silver. The master said it is to make up for the monthly allowance you have owed as the eldest grandson of the eldest branch over the years."

After saying that, Chen Xu took off a string of Buddhist coins from his right wrist: "This is not from the Chen family. It is a gift from the patriarch to his eldest grandson as a greeting gift. It is 10,000 taels of silver. Please accept it, young master."

Chen Ji looked down at the Buddhist coins in Chen Xu's hands, and taking them was considered an acceptance of his status as the eldest grandson of the main branch of the family.

He accepted the Buddhist coin without any pretense and put it on his left wrist: "Thank you."

Chen Xu smiled and said, "You're too kind. His Majesty's decision to not arrest you that very night, and to dispose of your mourning period, is enough to show His Majesty's favor towards you. When you return to the capital, I'm sure you will be given an important post. I wish you a triumphant return from Chongli Pass."

Chen Ji suddenly asked, "Did Second Master say anything before he died?"

Chen Xu was silent for a moment, then said truthfully, "Before leaving, Second Master asked for a cup of good tea, Longjing tea that had just been picked before the Qingming Festival, with one bud and one leaf. After drinking the tea, he said that there was nothing to complain about in the world of the victors and the losers, that he was simply less skilled than others. He only asked the head of the family to give Chen Wende a way out and send him to sea."

“He was a good son and a good father,” Chen Ji said. Then he asked, “How did Second Master leave us?”

Chen Xu calmly said, "Second Master stood on a chair and threw the white silk ribbon, hanging himself."

"That's respectable enough," Chen Ji said, turning around and continuing south.

……

……

Chen Ji passed through Zhengyang Gate and turned right, eventually arriving at the back gate of Meihua Ferry.

The men here have changed four times and don't recognize Chen Ji.

When the men saw him approaching, they immediately hid their hands behind their waists, touching their daggers warily, and asked, "Where do you come from, sir?"

Chen Ji calmly replied, "From Kunlun Mountain."

The man asked again, "Did you see a white crane fly by?"

Chen Ji gave a thumbs up: "All I could see were five-colored clouds."

The man respectfully clasped his hands in greeting: "So it's you, sir. The brothers are waiting for you at Mei Rui Lou."

A man pushed open the back door and stepped aside to let Chen Ji pass. Chen Ji followed the path to the front of Mei Rui Tower, only to find that all the lights were out and the place was deserted.

The sound of abacuses has disappeared, and so has the accountant.

He pushed open the door and went up the stairs to the top of Meirui Tower, where he saw a member of the Gelaohui (a secret society) leaning against the railing, slowly smoking a pipe.

It's as if they came here specifically to wait for someone.

The fingernails on the gangster's fingers were gone, leaving only bloody nail beds. His black cloth shirt was loosely draped over his body, open at the chest, with white cloth wrapped around his chest and abdomen, and a strong smell of plaster could be smelled from a distance.

Hearing footsteps, the man in the robe said without turning his head, "I had Erdao distill the wine several times, but I still couldn't get the alcohol I wanted. I don't know if it can kill bacteria and reduce inflammation... I was only focused on making money before, and I still suffered from my lack of education. In the end, I had to ask him to go to the pharmacy and buy me the best wound medicine."

Chen Ji came to his side and looked out from the high building at the bright lights of the capital city: "I heard you didn't say anything."

The man chuckled and took a deep drag on his cigarette: "I got beaten up pretty badly back in my hometown. I thought I was mentally prepared, but I still almost couldn't take it. Now that I think about it, those who can withstand torture are really amazing."

Chen Ji smiled and asked, "Do you blame me?"

The man sighed, "It would be a lie to say I have no resentment at all, after all, you deliberately handed me over to the other side."

The sounds of sheng, xiao, and bells in the Eight Great Hutongs suddenly ceased, as if leaving a quiet night for the two to speak frankly.

On that day, Chen Ji knew that the second branch of the Chen family would search for him frantically, but he did not warn the Gelao Ge to be careful. Therefore, the Gelao Ge knew that this was a test prepared by Chen Ji for him.

The man tapped his cigarette ash outside the wooden railing and casually said, "I know you're a cold-hearted person who doesn't easily trust others, so you'll have to get through this sooner or later. But if you don't, you'll never be one of us. I also know you deliberately left a loophole so that the second branch of the Chen family could capture me. You told me where the Zhang family's assassins were hiding because you wanted to test whether I would reveal that place."

Chen Ji remained silent.

Just as the Pao Ge suspected, he did it intentionally.

The man chuckled: "If an ordinary person were to be schemed against by their own family like you have, they would react the same way. I've already been through it, so I understand why you did this. You don't need to worry that I'll hold a grudge. I'm just curious, what kind of big thing are you planning to do that requires someone you can completely trust?"

Chen Ji leaned on the railing and let out a long sigh: "I must save Princess Bai Li."

The man relaxed: "Finally, they're one of our own. It feels pretty good... You mean Princess Bai Li, who's under house arrest in Jingyang Palace? I've heard your story. A while ago, some distinguished guests from the Ministry of Rites came to Plum Blossom Ferry and sent several invitations to the Danbi Grand Music Hall of the Imperial Music Bureau to Director Liu. She invited me and Erdao to see the Four Dreams of Bianliang, and she cried her eyes out."

Chen Ji remained silent.

The man continued, "When I watched that play, I thought to myself, 'Your life in this world is much more exciting than mine.'"

Chen Ji said with a smile, "It's all an act."

The man asked curiously, "How do you plan to save him? I heard that Prince Jing committed a serious crime of treason. Although I don't understand the laws of the Ning Dynasty, I know that this matter has never been easy to overturn."

Chen Ji calmly said, "The Crown Prince told me a few days ago that Renshou Palace is no different from places like the Six Livestock Farm where people are bought and sold. As long as you can offer enough bargaining chips, you can get everything you want."

The man nodded: "Understood. What should I do?"

Chen Ji instructed, "Three things."

"The first one?"

"Let the private salt dealers in the south know that we are selling salt permits, and attract more people to come."

"That's not difficult. What's the second one?"

"Find a way to place people into the canal gang."

The man adjusted the robe draped over his shoulders: "It's difficult to place people in the Grand Canal Gang, but they have their own methods for selecting people. Their organization is tight, and they're not much worse than us..."

At this point, the member of the secret society suddenly said confidently, "But don't worry, give me six months, and I'll definitely find out the secrets of the Grand Canal Gang for you. The third thing?"

After pondering for a moment, Chen Ji took off the Buddhist coin he had just received from Chen Xu and tossed it to the gangster: "This is 22,960 taels of silver. Put it in the account. We'll earn as much silver as we can before next spring."

The gangster grinned and said, "Finally, we're talking about what I'm best at. But aren't you afraid I'll run off with the money? You've got some nerve, kid."

“Some say I have severed my greed and anger, and thinking about it, there’s some truth to that,” Chen Ji turned and walked into Mei Rui Tower. “Once I rescue the princess, I will fly away, and everything in Ning Dynasty will be yours. But brother, remember this: our relationship is just business. If you are in dire straits, I will not risk my life to save you, and if I am in dire straits, you don’t have to risk your life to save me.”

The gangster whistled, "This deal is a good one, transaction!"

He watched Chen Ji walk down the stairs until the thumping sound of his footsteps on the wooden stairs faded into the distance.

A moment later, Erdao ran upstairs: "Brother, he's already sold you out, and you're still willing to risk your life for him?"

“What do you mean by risking your life? It’s all business,” the brother said, turning to look into the distance. “Erdao, this man always has a backup plan. He dared to sell me to the second branch of the Chen family because he was certain I wouldn’t die. Either he knew where I was taken and that his people were among those who kidnapped me, or he was certain that the head of the Chen family would do him a favor.”

Erdao scratched his bald head: "Is it really that mysterious? But I think this kid is ruthless and doesn't seem like a good person."

The man scoffed, "You figured it out again? Then do I look like a good guy?" Erdao said earnestly, "Brother, you are a good guy."

The man paused, took a deep drag of his cigarette, and blew it out towards the outside of Mei Rui Tower: "If this kid weren't a good person, he wouldn't have saved that princess. He told me so much today, but he just wanted to tell me one thing: if he were in dire straits, I shouldn't risk my life to save him... Erdao, this kid is going to risk his life again; he's afraid of implicating us."

The man bowed his head and used the sole of his shoe to knock off all the cigarette ash: "But this is a good thing, he only risks his life when he is confident."

Erdao asked in confusion, "What do you mean?"

The man smiled and said, "It means he has figured out how to save people."

……

……

Chen Ji walked out of the back gate of Plum Blossom Ferry and headed alone towards Chessboard Street.

At this time, Qipan Street was bustling with activity, with pedestrians shoulder to shoulder, all heading to Bianyifang to enjoy the Zhuangyuan Banquet.

Shen Ye of Andingmen made an agreement with Bianyifang, and Bianyifang kept its word. The owner spent a fortune to prepare a banquet with eighty-eight tables, inviting everyone from all over the world to eat, including beggars, women, and children, promising everyone a chance to get drunk on wine.

According to the agreement between merchants in the capital, once Bianyifang hosted a banquet for the top scholar, for the next three years, no other tavern could sell the dishes listed on the first eight menu boards behind the counter.

Once, a tavern managed to predict the top scholar in the imperial examination, and on the eight water signs, it listed eight common dishes such as hot and sour cabbage, twice-cooked pork, and pan-fried tofu, causing great distress to all the taverns in the capital.

This time, however, the first eight signs at Bianyifang were completely empty, with nothing displayed.

The owners of famous taverns in both the inner and outer city came together, not only presenting congratulatory gifts but also shouting in unison, "The owners are benevolent and righteous!"

When Chen Ji arrived, there was a long queue outside Bianyifang.

However, just as he was walking ahead, a figure wearing a straw hat followed behind, the two seemingly connected by a line, maintaining a distance of exactly ten steps.

Chen Ji went left, so he went left as well.

Chen Ji went to the right, so he went to the right as well.

The two of them acted as if no one else was around.

Chen Ji didn't go to Bianyifang, but instead went to the tavern next door.

He beckoned to the waiter: "Two bowls of noodles."

The waiter responded loudly, "Alright, sir, please have a seat!"

Chen Ji chose a corner to sit down, reached into the bamboo tube on the table, pulled out some chopsticks, and rubbed them together.

Many people in the tavern were already drunk and shouting loudly. At the next table, people were enjoying their drinks and chatting about Bianyifang liquor, about how the young master of the Chen family had bumped into the Imperial Guards during the day's imperial scholar's parade, and about the poem the scholar had written for the head of the Plum Blossom Ferry.

Little did they know, the culprit was sitting right next to them.

“I heard from my cousin that the young master of the Chen family on Fuyou Street who bumped into the ceremonial procession today has a personal grudge against the top scholar Shen Ye and wants to compete for the courtesan Liu Su of Plum Blossom Ferry.”

"Your cousin? Your cousin is a high-ranking official? I've never heard you mention him."

"My cousin is the coachman for the Li family on Qipan Street..."

The traces of the past are both laughable and pathetic.

The scallion oil noodles were ready very quickly.

Chen Ji lowered his head and ate his noodles. There was another bowl of noodles sitting opposite him, steaming away, but he didn't care at all.

A moment later, someone sat down opposite him: "Not hiding anymore?"

Chen Ji wiped his mouth and looked up at the person opposite him: "Lord Si Cao, when have I ever dodged anything? Have some hot soup noodles to warm yourself up."

Si Cao Gui didn't touch the noodles on the table, his face under the bamboo hat expressionless: "How did you become a regional official?"

Chen Ji casually replied, "It was taught by Physician Yao from Taiping Medical Hall."

Si Cao Gui said in a deep voice, "So, it's true that the Crown Prince's memorial said you killed more than a hundred Tian Ce soldiers? Did you think that just because you chose a noisy tavern, I wouldn't dare to kill you?"

Chen Ji countered, "Lord Si Cao, can an officer at the Innate Realm kill so many Tian Ce soldiers?"

This moment was bound to come sooner or later, so instead of hiding from it, we should find a way to deal with it.

Chen Ji had prepared a whole host of explanations and justifications, but Si Cao Gui calmly said, "Of course, someone at the Innate Realm cannot be killed. I believe you... Now there is another important matter to attend to."

Chen Ji felt a chill run down his spine.

wrong.

Si Cao Gui is not someone who easily gives up on his doubts, yet now the other party has chosen to believe his casual explanation?

The other party didn't believe it, but had reasons to keep their own.

Was it because of his uncle that Si Cao Gui dared not actually kill him, or was it for some other reason?

Chen Ji asked calmly, "What important matter?"

Si Cao Gui calmly said, "The Jing Dynasty envoy has probably already set off from the capital, carrying a generous offer to exchange for Yuan City. We must not let Yuan City leave alive. Either kill the envoy or kill Yuan City."

Chen Ji realized that Si Cao Gui was unaware of his plan to leave Chongli Pass that night, and that Chang Jing probably hadn't even had time to leave the palace yet.

He thought for a moment and said, "Today I was demoted to a border town as a night watchman because of my offense against the imperial procession. I'm afraid I won't be of much help."

"Not at night?" Si Cao Gui pondered. "That's perfect. Find a way to intercept and kill the envoy outside Chongli Pass."

Chen Ji frowned: "How could I, a mere official at the Innate Realm, possibly kill an entire envoy's party? There must be experts at the Seeking Dao Realm among them."

Si Cao Gui stood up and said meaningfully, "Since you came back alive from the Five Witches' army, you must have a way."

Having said that, he didn't give Chen Ji a chance to object, turned around and walked out of the tavern, merging into the crowd outside.

Chen Ji picked up the untouched noodles from the other side and devoured them in a few bites. As he stood up, he saw Huang Que drinking alone in another corner. This scholar from the south, having refused to marry into the Qi family, had unsurprisingly failed the imperial examinations for the third time.

It seems to echo the first half of the poem Shen Ye wrote on Andingmen Street: "Twenty years of studying the classics, thirty years of wasted time. The sound of the evening drum is still hoarse, three thousand miles of vain travel, so many useless scholars."

Huang Que, his eyes bloodshot, lay sprawled on the table, muttering to himself. Chen Ji shook his head and went out.

After an unknown amount of time, Huang Que lay on the table and murmured, "It was my foolishness that led me astray; the favor of the wealthy has always been a double-edged sword..."

Those were the words from the Four Dreams of Bianliang, which he still remembers to this day.

As he was murmuring, a person lightly sat down in front of him, pushed a brocade box in front of Huang Que, and said slowly, "Young Master Huang Que, someone sent me to give you this, saying it will be useful to you."

Huang Que, his eyes still blurry with drunkenness, said, "Did Zhao Yun send you? No, no, she's going to be a princess, she can't have anything to do with someone as worthless as me."

The person across the table chuckled, "Young Master Huang Que, Miss Qi Zhaoyun can't get rid of me. I'm leaving."

Huang Que opened the brocade box in a daze, only to find a blue book inside with the words "human sacrifice" written on it.

He casually flipped through a few pages, and after reading the contents, he suddenly sobered up.

When he looked up to find the person who had given him this path to cultivation, there was no one on the other side of the table.
Huang Que chased after him out of the tavern and stood on the long street, looking him up and down.

But between these bluestone streets and buildings, only the prosperity and hustle and bustle of the capital city remain; the undercurrents beneath the lamplight are no longer visible.

……

……

Volume 6, The Curtain, The End.

(End of this chapter)