Aoyama

Chapter 498 The Will of the People
Renshou Palace was quiet, and the court officials looked at each other in bewilderment.

They knew that undercurrents were swirling and many people were unwilling to see peace talks between the two dynasties, including people from the Ning Dynasty and the Jing Dynasty.

Even if the alliance is signed, Yuancheng might not be able to reach Chongli Pass alive. Even if the envoy's party manages to leave Chongli Pass, they might not be able to return to Shangjing alive.

It was reasonable for the Crown Prince to want Chen Ji to die, but it was unexpected that Chen Ji would dare to drag the Crown Prince down with him.

Even at this point, the ministers were not particularly surprised. They had seen this kind of thing many times in the court and it was nothing unusual.

But they never expected that the Chen family would break with the Crown Prince from then on... all because of a son who had been in the capital for less than a year.

The crown prince hadn't expected this either.

The court officials looked at Grand Secretary Chen, and seeing the wrinkles on his face and his drooping eyelids, they suddenly understood.

Grand Secretary Chen is too old.

He was a seasoned veteran, but upon hearing the news of his lifelong rival, Grand Secretary Xu, falling seriously ill, he felt a pang of sorrow and pondered how long his remaining influence could still illuminate the Chen family.

At this moment, Emperor Ning slowly said from his throne, "Draft the decree. This is a matter of great importance for both dynasties and must not be made wrong."

Wu Xiu replied in a low voice, "Yes."

Emperor Ning rose and walked behind the imperial screen. Suddenly, the Crown Prince said loudly, "Your Majesty, the Imperial Guards are depleted. I request that the Jie Fan Guards be dispatched to escort them."

Emperor Ning seemed not to hear, and his figure disappeared behind the imperial screen.

Wu Xiulang said loudly, "Everyone, let's disperse."

Chen Ji slowly rose, the candlelight in Renshou Palace casting his shadow on the Crown Prince: "Your Highness, this journey has been arduous. If there has been any inadequacy in your care, please forgive me."

The Crown Prince took a deep breath, stood up, and said gently, "With the Magistrate of Wuxiang County here, I am at ease."

There was a subtle tension between the two, and they only stepped back to let each other through the palace gates when the courtiers walked out of Renshou Palace.

As Grand Secretary Chen trembled as he passed by the two, the Crown Prince, as if nothing had happened, bowed respectfully and said, "Teacher, I have been confined to Zhongcui Palace recently and have not had the opportunity to visit you."

But Grand Secretary Chen didn't look at the Crown Prince. Instead, he slowly said to Chen Ji, "Let's go home with me."

Chen Ji cupped his hands and said, "Yes."

A young eunuch carrying a palace lantern led the way, and the old man and the young man left the palace one after the other. Grand Secretary Chen's bright red official robe was loosely draped over his body, as if it were covering a scarecrow.

Chen Ji turned around and saw the court officials filing out of Renshou Palace. The eunuchs extinguished the candles with long copper handles, and darkness descended.

Without turning his head, Grand Secretary Chen slowly said, "When I was young, I always walked with a swagger when I entered the palace. My official robes had to be clean and my embroidered patches had to be bright. The first time I put on a peacock patch, I even thought the one issued by the Ministry of Personnel wasn't exquisite enough, so I specially asked Chen Xu to embroider a few new ones at Li Ji's shop."

“Back then, I was just as bold as you. I dared to think and do anything. When Wang Bao was still in power at the Directorate of Ceremonial, I dared to point my finger at him and curse him. I wasn’t afraid when I got home, and I still ate three big bowls of steaming hot stewed noodles.”

“Standing upright in the court, I could see that Duke Qi was timid, Duke Hu was reckless, and Duke Xu was greedy, and none of them were as good as me.”

The jade pendant at Grand Secretary Chen's waist swayed gently, patting against the hem of his robe, its dull sound like the final beat of time.

He gave a dry laugh: "After I entered the Wenhua Hall and finally became a cabinet minister, I looked in the mirror and realized that I was actually not young anymore."

“Chen Ji, I’ve been looking and choosing all these years, but I’m not satisfied with any of them. I think, the eldest brother is law-abiding but can defend the city, while the second brother is extreme and gloomy but can explore and make progress. It’s really hard to choose. I’ve also looked at the side branches. Chen Shu has plenty of vigor but lacks shrewdness, and Chen Lang has plenty of talent but lacks flexibility. After thinking it over, I’m still hesitant.”

"Later I realized that I had been waiting all along, waiting for someone who could beat me, so that I would be willing to hand over the Chen family that I had worked so hard to build." Grand Secretary Chen stopped between the red walls and golden tiles, and slowly turned to look at Chen Ji: "You won the game between the second branch a while ago. You won very narrowly, but courage and wisdom are indispensable... The future of the Chen family is in your hands."

The two were still in the palace, with eunuchs holding lanterns and court officials accompanying them. These words were spoken to Chen Ji, and also to the world: the next leader of the Chen family was decided.

When Grand Secretary Chen passes away, the person in charge of the Chen family ancestral hall will be Chen Ji, not Chen Lizun.

Chen Ji cupped his hands in thanks: "Thank you, Patriarch."

Grand Secretary Chen continued walking forward: "What are you thanking me for? You earned this with your life. If things don't go well on this trip to Chongli Pass, just abandon everyone else and return to the capital. With the Chen family here, as long as you're alive, you can start over."

Chen Ji cupped his hands again and said, "Yes."

Grand Secretary Chen remained silent for a moment, then suddenly said, "I have only one request: stay away from the eunuch faction. The hearts of the scholars in the world are the foundation of the Chen family. To associate with the eunuch faction is tantamount to digging our own foundation."

Chen Ji was slightly taken aback: "Yes."

……

……

The next morning. As the morning bell rang, Chen Ji, who was guarding outside the meeting hall, opened his eyes. He sat in the carriage, stretching his limbs, and heard crackling sounds coming from his body.

He looked up at the roof and saw Li Xuan scanning the surroundings with keen eyes. Seeing him coming and going, Li Xuan gently shook his head: There was nothing unusual.

Chen Ji sighed inwardly. Princess Li Yang was under too much guard, and Si Cao Gui and Si Cao Ding had probably given up on making a move in the capital.

He had always had a question: given that Wang Daosheng had captured Yuancheng and brought him back to Ningchao, Si Caogui should have doubted his loyalty long ago.

But ever since he returned from Changping, Si Cao Gui seems to have suddenly become dull-witted and has been neglecting him... Why?
At this moment, footsteps came from inside the meeting hall. Chen Ji turned around and saw Princess Li Yang stepping out of the threshold: "Lord Chen, let's go."

Princess Liyang had lost her previous liveliness and seemed to have become much more subdued overnight.

Chen Ji lifted the carriage curtain for her: "We are leaving the capital today. If we take a carriage, it will probably take half a month to reach Chongli Pass. After we pass Changping, you will probably have to abandon the carriage and switch to horses. That way, we can arrive in four days, to avoid any unforeseen circumstances."

Princess Liyang climbed into the carriage: "Don't worry, I know what's important."

Chen Ji lowered the carriage curtain and waved to the Imperial Guards.

The ceremonial guard slowly left Dongjiangmi Lane and headed towards the Meridian Gate. Just after passing through Chengtian Gate, they could see the Crown Prince standing in front of the Meridian Gate in a white arrow-patterned robe.

Beside the crown prince, a young eunuch was leading his horse, while behind him, the Jie Fan Guards escorted a man wearing a black hood, dressed in a white prison uniform, with a hunched back.

Yuancheng.

Li Xuan rode alongside the carriage and sighed, "Just by looking at him, how could anyone tell that this was a great figure who once dominated the Jing Dynasty? When he fell on hard times, fame and fortune vanished in the blink of an eye, leaving him with no dignity whatsoever."

Princess Liyang said from inside the carriage, "Once we return to Jing Dynasty, he will once again be the high-ranking Privy Councilor. So the most important thing in a person's life is to be useful. Only by being useful can one be saved."

The ceremonial guard stopped in front of the Meridian Gate. The Jiefan Guard escorted Yuan Cheng to the carriage, and then hurriedly returned to the Meridian Gate as if avoiding a plague, for fear of getting involved in any trouble.

The prince took the reins from the eunuch and mounted his horse.

Instead of looking at Chen Ji, he looked at Li Xuan and said, "Lord Li, this scene reminds me of our trip to Guyuan. It's just a pity that last time there were many people seeing us off, and they only left after we were escorted to the Plum Pavilion ten miles away. This time, however, we are all alone."

Li Xuan replied politely, "Your Highness, we have acted with a clear conscience and do not need the applause of others."

The Crown Prince smiled and said, "It's been a while since we last met. Lord Li is much more mature and composed than before. Thank you for your help along the way."

Li Xuan remained polite: "Your Highness is too kind. I will certainly do my duty."

The Crown Prince looked at Li Xuan before him, then his gaze swept over the hundreds of Imperial Guards. Unlike last time, some of them had pledged their loyalty before the march, and they were fawned over along the way.

The other party still speaks respectfully, but their expression reveals a distance.

The Crown Prince was not discouraged and still smiled as he said, "This time, we will leave everything to Lord Li to decide on our journey to Chongli Pass. Which official road do we plan to take, and how many days will it take to reach Chongli Pass?"

Upon hearing this, the Imperial Guards realized that the Crown Prince had been laying the groundwork for so long in order to promote Li Xuan and share power.

Li Xuan held the highest rank in the ceremonial guard and was also the commander of the Imperial Guard. If Li Xuan and Chen Ji had a disagreement, the Imperial Guard should listen to Li Xuan, not Chen Ji.

But Li Xuan did not answer the Crown Prince directly. Instead, he looked at Chen Ji and asked, "Lord Chen?"

Chen Ji sat in the carriage and looked at the Crown Prince: "Your Highness, we have already been to Chongli Pass once. Just come with us, there is no need to ask too many questions."

The Crown Prince stared intently at Li Xuan: "Does Lord Li also mean this?"

Li Xuan calmly replied, "Exactly."

The Crown Prince's expression gradually turned indifferent: "The man from Wuxiang County is quite capable. In just a few months, he has managed to make the Imperial Guards follow his lead."

Chen Ji said calmly, "Your Highness, since ancient times, people have prospered through sincerity. Whether one stays or leaves the world, whether one's heart is on the right or wrong, all depend on this. Your Highness should study this carefully and observe it closely."

Before the crown prince could speak, the sound of horses' hooves came again from outside the Meridian Gate.

Everyone looked over and saw Zhang Xia riding a chestnut horse, stopping in front of the Meridian Gate, and throwing the whale knife and the Yang family's hard bow from a distance.

Chen Ji took it and asked curiously, "I asked Xiaoman to bring it over, why did she slack off?"

Zhang Xia explained with a smile, "I'm friends with Princess Liyang, so I should come to see her off. That's why I brought this for you... Take care on your journey."

After saying that, she turned her horse around and galloped away. Princess Liyang had just lifted the curtain, but could only watch her departing figure.

Chen Ji took a deep breath: "Let's go."

(End of this chapter)