Aoyama

Chapter 495 is far from it.

The carriage stopped in front of the meeting hall.

Chen Ji jumped off the carriage and said to Li Xuan and Qi Zhenzhuo, "You two take turns on duty on the roof. If anyone gets close, immediately give the warning."

Li Xuan nodded: "I will guard the first half of the night, and Qi Zhenhuo will guard the second half."

Chen Ji glanced at Madam Lu: "Aunt Ping is guarding the carriage; I'll go in and take a look."

He led the Imperial Guards into the meeting hall, inspecting every corner before returning to the first floor. He nodded to Xiaoman, "Send her upstairs to rest, and stay by her side... But if the people who come are too powerful, we can abandon her and run away."

Xiaoman nodded: "I know."

She carried Princess Liyang up to the second floor of the meeting hall. No one covered her mouth, and Princess Liyang said drunkenly, "I'm not drunk! I still want to go to the brothel to see the Four Dreams of Bianliang!"

But no one here cares about the princess's requests; everything is done according to Chen Ji's arrangements.

Chen Ji watched Xiao Man's figure disappear at the top of the stairs before sitting back in the carriage and leaning against the carriage to let out a slow sigh of relief.

Dongjiang Rice Alley has quieted down.

Madam Lu sat beside him, turned to look at him, and asked in an aged voice, "What are you thinking about?"

Chen Ji looked up at the eaves across the alley and casually replied, "I was wondering if many peonies will bloom in Luocheng next April, if the forsythia along the Luo River will have already withered, if the sea is calm, and what the other side of the sea looks like now... Just daydreaming."

Madam Lu was somewhat taken aback, her thoughts failing to keep up with Chen Ji's sudden change of pace. After a long pause, she asked in confusion, "You want to leave?"

Chen Ji's heart tightened. He had only said it casually, yet the other party had guessed his intention to leave.

Madam Lu smiled and said, "Don't be nervous. Where you go is none of my business. I'm just a little curious. I heard a few days ago that you went through all sorts of trouble to overthrow the second branch of the Chen family in order to be adopted into the main branch. You finally succeeded, and with wealth and glory within reach, you'll have to wait another thirty years for everything in the Chen family to be yours. Are you really willing to leave?"

Chen Ji replied with a smile, "Aunt Ping, wealth and glory are indeed tempting, and I like them too, but the most important thing in this world is not wealth and glory, there are things more important than that."

“You’re not greedy at all,” Madam Lu said calmly, “but now everyone in the city is jealous of you. They all say you’re a wolf cub who will do anything to get ahead.”

Chen Ji shook his head: "It's not important."

Lu continued, "Even if so many people point their fingers at you and call you a lackey of the Jing Dynasty, it doesn't matter?"

Chen Ji turned to look at her: "Aunt Ping, I once saw a sentence."

"What?"

Chen Ji smiled and said, "Our goal is to cross the swamp in front of us, not to deal with every python in the swamp."

Lu seemed to be deep in thought.

Chen Ji shifted his position and leaned against the carriage: "So, there's no need to rush to defend yourself to everyone you meet, because compared to what you're doing, nothing else matters."

Lu looked at Chen Ji quietly: "You are much stronger than I imagined."

"Hmm?" Chen Ji noticed the unusual tone in Lu Shi's voice and looked at her with some confusion: "What?"

Madam Lu turned her gaze away and looked out into the alley: "I think I know what you're going to do... Is there nothing left for you in the Chen family?"

Chen Ji calmly said, "Aunt Ping should have investigated me, so she should know about my relationship with the Chen family. It has only recently eased up a bit."

Suddenly, Madam Lu asked, "Do you miss your mother?"

Chen Ji's eyes softened: "I think about it, I dream about it all the time. After becoming a military officer, I don't actually need to sleep that long every day, an hour is enough. But I still want to sleep a little longer every day, because there are some people I can only see in my dreams. The night I returned from Chongli Pass, I dreamed that my mother told me to eat on time, not to take cold showers anymore, not to fight with people anymore, and not to go to dangerous places."

After a long silence, Madam Lu said, "Go and get some sleep in the carriage. I'll keep watch for the first half of the night and wake you up for the second half."

Just as Chen Ji was about to say something, Madam Lu said firmly, "Go quickly."

……

……

At dawn, the sound of the bronze bells from the Bell and Drum Tower echoed through the air.

Chen Ji opened his eyes in the carriage and hurriedly lifted the curtain to check, afraid that something might have gone wrong.

Lu remained leaning against the car and said, "Don't worry, nothing will happen tonight."

Chen Ji asked in confusion, "Why didn't Aunt Ping wake me up?"

Madam Lu smiled and said, "I am an official of the Seeking Dao Realm. I can go three days and three nights without sleep without any problem. You don't need to compare yourself with me. Hurry up and prepare. Princess Liyang is going to the palace for peace talks as usual today."

Chen Ji nodded and went upstairs to the second floor. He knocked on the door and asked, "Xiao Man, is Her Highness awake yet?" Xiao Man replied from inside, "I'll wake her up right away."

The next moment, Princess Liyang exclaimed in surprise, then complained, "Is this how you Southern Dynasty treats your guests? I barely ate any food last night! I'm not going to negotiate today. Anyway, your damned Crown Prince is deliberately delaying and insists on using the surrender document as an excuse. I'd rather go wander around somewhere else. If this drags on for ten days or half a month, he'll be the one who gets anxious."

Chen Ji said in a deep voice from outside the door, "No, we must go. Doesn't His Highness also want to bring Yuan Cheng back to Jingchao as soon as possible? Why care about the Crown Prince's attitude yesterday? Perhaps he will change his mind today."

Princess Liyang sneered through the door: "Your crown prince just wants to stall for time so that your Southern Dynasty civil officials can continue to pressure the emperor, or use the Military Intelligence Bureau to get rid of you. Going there today won't change anything. Although I'm in a hurry to go back, the more anxious I am about negotiations, the less I can show it."

Chen Ji frowned: "Your Highness should prioritize the overall situation."

After saying that, he pushed open the door and prepared to forcibly take Princess Liyang into the palace, but Princess Liyang exclaimed in surprise from inside the room: "I am not dressed yet!"

Chen Ji quickly took a step back and closed the door again.

Princess Liyang inside burst into laughter: "Lord Xiaoman, I never would have guessed that your young master, who kills without blinking an eye, is actually a gentleman. Lord Chen, please wait outside. I still have a headache and need to sleep a little longer. Also, I'm going to the brothel to watch a play today. If you send any more experts to get me drunk, I have many more tricks up my sleeve."

Xiaoman said angrily, "If you keep doing this, I'm going to beat you up!"

Princess Liyang said nonchalantly, "That was a momentous event that shook two dynasties."

"Never mind, Xiaoman, there's no need to force her," Chen Ji frowned as he left the meeting hall, only to see Madam Lu hand him a pancake wrapped in a palm leaf: "What, does Princess Liyang not want to enter the palace?"

“She’s angry that I got her drunk yesterday, but it’s alright, she can vent her anger now,” Chen Ji said, taking a bite of the pancake. “However, now that the Crown Prince is stalling for time, she’s also stalling for time, which is a bit troublesome.”

Lu asked in confusion, "Why is she stalling for time?"

Chen Ji said calmly, "She wants to give the Military Intelligence Bureau more time to prepare, and then use Ning Chao to eliminate all the people in the Military Intelligence Bureau who are helping Lu Jin, and then promote her own people to the top. We need to keep an eye on her these days, her people will definitely try to get close to her."

It wasn't until evening that Princess Liyang emerged from the meeting hall, still dressed in her purple men's robes, and said with a beaming smile, "Come on, Lord Chen, take me to see your Southern Dynasty's Jiaofangsi. I've heard that the musicians and actors there are unparalleled in the world, even surpassing those of the Qinhuai River. I've also heard that the best storybooks are first performed there; any storybook that doesn't make it into the Danbi Grand Music Hall of the Jiaofangsi can't be considered a good storybook."

Chen Ji lifted the carriage curtain for her: "Your Highness, the Jiaofangsi is not as magical as you've heard. In the end, it's just a place that torments the unfortunate."

Princess Liyang, who was about to board the carriage, paused slightly: "I didn't expect Lord Chen to be so compassionate. You didn't hold back at all when you killed my Jing Dynasty soldiers."

Chen Ji casually replied, "It's different. The people from the Jiaofangsi (Imperial Music Bureau) have no choice, but the soldiers of the Jing Dynasty do."

Princess Liyang smiled gently: "That may be true, but I will probably only come to Ning Dynasty once in my life. I would be unwilling to leave without taking a look. Let's go."

The ceremonial procession slowly began to move. Yanle Hutong, where the Jiaofangsi (Imperial Music Bureau) was located, was not far from the Huitongguan (Meeting Hall), and it would take only the time it takes for an incense stick to burn to arrive.

Li Xuan asked in a low voice, "Today we are re-performing the Four Dreams of Bianliang. The Danbi Grand Music Hall is very crowded. Should we clear the hall?"

Chen Ji shook his head: "No need."

He lifted the carriage curtain, and Xiao Man, his face dark, helped Princess Liyang out of the carriage. They then walked with the procession into the Danbi Grand Hall.

The Grand Hall was bustling with people, all waiting for the performance of "The Four Dreams of Bianliang" to begin.

The moment Chen Ji stepped into the Grand Hall, it was as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over him, silencing the entire music and dance academy.

Chen Ji glanced at everyone, then casually walked to an empty table in the corner: "Your Highness, please sit here. Don't push your way forward."

Princess Liyang was not picky and readily agreed.

But the next moment, someone in the front row stood up, lifted her skirt, and came to Chen Ji and Princess Li Yang's table with a fragrant breeze: "Chen Ji, you've come too."

Chen Ji looked up and saw Qi Zhaoning leading Qi Zhenzhu.

Princess Liyang looked curiously at Qi Zhaoning, then at Chen Ji.

Before Chen Ji could speak, Qi Zhaoning said, "Chen Ji, your father and brother have been very disappointed in you lately. They both feel that you shouldn't have ruined your reputation and future because of this Jing Dynasty envoy. Why don't you just stop worrying about this damned Jing Dynasty princess?"

Princess Liyang raised an eyebrow: "And who is this?"

Qi Zhaoning quickly said, "I am his betrothed wife, whom he has taken as a bride price."

Nacai is the act of proposing marriage, Naji is the act of betrothal, and Nazheng is the act of presenting betrothal gifts. Once you reach this stage, all that's left is to welcome the bride and hold the wedding ceremony.

Princess Liyang was genuinely taken aback this time. The tacit understanding between Chen Ji and Zhang Xia earlier was not something anyone could fake: "Lord Chen, I thought you and Miss Zhang were a couple!"

Qi Zhaoning angrily said, "What nonsense are you spouting, you traitor from the Jing Dynasty?"

Princess Liyang turned to Qi Zhaoning and smiled, "Miss, if I may be fair, you are far inferior to Miss Zhang."

(End of this chapter)