Aoyama

Chapter 509 Accounting
The golden pig left, having eaten the mutton hot pot noodles clean, leaving not even a drop of soup.

Chen Ji sat in a corner of Bianyifang, took out the two boxes that Jin Zhu had given him from his pocket, and opened them. Inside were two bright green jade thumb rings, one with a peach engraved on the inner circle and the other with a Bodhisattva engraved on the inner circle.

These must have been birthday gifts from Jing Chaoxun to Yuan Cheng's mother.

He recalled the "friend" the golden pig had mentioned, wondering how much of that word was genuine and how much was false. As for the Imperial Seal of the State that the other party had mentioned, it had nothing to do with him. By the time Mr. Feng found the Imperial Seal of the State, the golden pig would probably have already flown far away.

Chen Ji's gaze swept across the main hall, but he did not see Aunt Ping's figure.

He wanted to wave to the waiter to ask if Aunt Ping was there, but as soon as he raised his hand, he hesitated and put it down.

According to Chen Ji's plan, the mission to escort Princess Li Yang back to Jing Dynasty was to kill Si Cao Gui and then lure out Si Cao Ding. However, Si Cao Gui has now disappeared without a trace, and Si Cao Ding remains inactive.

Chen Ji came to Bianyifang today to ask Aunt Ping if there was any way to lure out Si Cao Ding, and whether Si Cao Gui had gone anywhere or if he would ever return. But when he remembered that Aunt Ping's clothes were soaked with blood from her abdomen that day, he gave up the idea.

Dealing with the Military Intelligence Bureau is a life-or-death situation. Aunt Ping has already helped him twice, so it's really not right to let him put himself in danger again.

You'd better figure it out yourself.

Just then, a sharp-eyed waiter approached and asked, "What else would you like to eat, sir?"

After a moment's consideration, Chen Ji said, "I won't eat anymore. Let's pay the bill."

The waiter smiled and replied, "Two bowls of mutton stir-fried noodles, that'll be fifty-six coins."

Chen Ji took out a piece of silver from his sleeve. The waiter took the silver to the counter, where the shopkeeper picked up a small scale to weigh it and then counted out forty-two coins from the counter to give to the waiter.

The waiter pulled out a rope from behind the counter, strung the forty-two coins together, and returned it to Chen Ji: "Sir, please keep this safe."

Chen Ji got up and walked out of Bianyifang. The midday sun was so bright that it was hard to open one's eyes.

He walked alone along Chang'an Street toward Fuyou Street. Just as he reached the small alleyway next to the side gate of the Chen residence, he saw Chen Xu waiting in front of the gate, dressed in a black Taoist robe.

Chen Ji asked in confusion, "Is Butler Chen waiting for me?"

Chen Xu tucked his hands into his sleeves and bowed slightly: "Young master, we are here to remind you that you no longer need to use the side door; you can enter and exit through the main door."

Chen Ji suddenly realized: "So that's what it is. But I'm still a son of a concubine, so I'm used to going through the side gate, which is closer to Ginkgo Garden."

Chen Xu smiled and said, "It's only a matter of time before the young master is included in the family genealogy as a de facto legitimate son. It's just that the family needs to invite elders from the clan in Luzhou to the capital to preside over this matter, so it has been delayed for some time. The officials and nobles in the capital are sharp-eyed and always watching other people's family affairs. The young master going through the main gate can be seen as setting the record straight, and others will respect you more... Of course, now that the young master has become a young master, it is up to the young master to decide which gate to use."

Chen Ji pondered for a moment: "Let's go through the side door again."

Chen Xu didn't try to persuade him any further: "Then I'll show you around the Qin Zheng Garden."

The side door opened, and Chen Xu and Chen Ji walked in side by side.

In the past, when maids and servants saw him, they would at most nod and bow before passing by. But now, they stand by the roadside, maids performing a curtsy and servants bowing respectfully, calling him "Young Master."

Chen Xu looked at the Qingzhu Garden where Chen Liqin had previously lived: "Young master, do you know that the Chen family was not originally this large? There was no Zhuozheng Garden or Qinzheng Garden. The Chen family on Fuyou Street originally only had this small building. In the eleventh year of Taihe, the family fortunes declined, and they were forced to sell it to someone else. After that, our ancestor returned to Luzhou to devote himself to scholarship, until his son Chen Zhongzi, a genius, returned to the capital, and we bought it back from someone else. By the time the Chen family bought back this building, forty-seven years had passed, and it had changed hands nine times."

Chen Xu did not linger at Qingzhu Garden, but walked along the path, smiling as he looked at Chen Ji: "After that, one by one, my Chen family's neighbors on Fuyou Street left the capital, a place of great fortune. The Chen family then bought their houses one by one, and it took 142 years to become what it is today. As the master said, the Chen family has died eight times, and each time we were brought back from the brink of death, it was a stroke of luck, hard-won."

At this moment, he walked to Yuanxiang Hall, which had been used by the second branch of the Chen family for meetings: "This Yuanxiang Hall was originally the main building in the residence of a certain Minister of Personnel. Do you know how it came into the hands of my Chen family?"

Chen Ji casually replied, "I'd like to hear the details."

Chen Xu pointed to Yuanxiang Hall: "That Minister of Personnel was a cautious man, and he had a famous saying, 'Three things he wouldn't do.' The so-called 'Three things he wouldn't do' were: officials of the third rank and above, officials of the Censorate and the Censorate, and scholars from humble backgrounds. This man acted with perfect composure, neither pleased nor angry, and was nicknamed 'The Buddha of the Capital.' Young master, do you know how such a cautious minister fell from power in the end? It was unfortunate, really. He was already old at that time, and his son was very filial, so he secretly bought five hundred terracotta figurines used for imperial burial, intending to use them for his funeral. As a result, he was accused of treason, and his family was exterminated."

Chen Ji was speechless for a moment.

Chen Xu smiled and said, "Does the young master think I'm going to say his son is dull-witted? No, buying royal funerary figurines is not a big deal. Rather, this Minister of Personnel failed to recognize who his opponent was. Because he acted too cautiously, to avoid criticism, even after bringing down his political enemy, he didn't eliminate him completely, and was ultimately attacked by his political enemy. The reason why the master values ​​the young master is not only because the young master is resourceful and can repeatedly turn danger into safety, but also because the young master is ruthless enough to eliminate all threats."

Standing in front of Yuanxiang Hall, Chen Xu sighed, "My ancestor once said that only those with courage can be ruthless. Many people think that having courage means daring to put oneself in a deadly situation, but in reality, it means daring to put one's opponent in a deadly situation. My ancestor Chen Zhongzi once wrote in his notes that when our Chen family bought this house, passersby hurried past without stopping, and the plaque with the imperial inscription of integrity and uprightness in the house was trampled to pieces by the Jie Fan Guards. Several stray dogs in the hall fought over the food. It was truly a sad sight."

Chen Ji remained calm: "Steward Chen brought me here just to say this?"

Chen Xu smiled and said, "I have only met with you today for three things. First, you can now use the main gate. The clan elders will arrive in the capital within three months, and being included in the family genealogy will be just a formality, so you need not worry. Second, I want to tell you about the past of the Chen family so that you understand that although your previous actions were against the interests of the Chen family, the master did not take them to heart. Third, I want to present you with a gift, which you will see when you return to Ginkgo Garden. Farewell."

Chen Ji watched Chen Xu's departing figure and suspiciously turned back to Ginkgo Garden.

Upon reaching the entrance of Ginkgo Garden, he rubbed his cheeks before pushing the door open and entering: "Xiaoman..."

Before he could finish speaking, he froze on the spot.

A row of middle-aged men, all dressed in silk, were kneeling in the courtyard. Xiaoman sat on a stone bench in front of them, speaking imperiously, "Where were you all this time? Now you know to come looking for the young master... Oh, the young master is back!"

Xiaoman hurriedly got up, looking guilty as she scurried into the side room: "Young master, I'll go boil some water for you."

"Come back." Xiaoman stopped, her back to Chen Ji, and hesitated to turn around.

Chen Ji asked irritably, "What's going on?"

Xiaoman looked down at her toes, slowly turned around, and pointed to a middle-aged man with a goatee, saying, "This is the manager of Gufulou."

She then pointed to another person: "This is the manager of Changping Farm."

Pointing to another person, he said, "This is the manager of Tianbao Pavilion..."

All the shopkeepers of Gufulou outside Donghuamen, Yujingyuan in the Eight Great Hutongs, Changping Tianzhuang, Chenji Grain and Oil Shop, the silk shop outside Gulou, and Tianbaoge, which Liang had promised to give them, were present and knelt in neat rows.

Chen Ji looked at Xiao Man: "Why are you all kneeling?"

Xiaoman quickly said, "It wasn't me who made them kneel, it was Chen Xu who made them kneel. They knelt down with a thud as soon as they came in, it gave me a big fright. Little monk, isn't that right!"

The young monk chanted Amitabha, "Yes. But when they tried to get up, Miss Xiaoman wouldn't let them."

Xiaoman pinched the flesh on his waist and gritted her teeth, saying, "Did I tell you to say so much?"

She looked at Chen Ji: "Young Master, these people were all villains who helped the Liang family seize your property back then. If Chen Xu hadn't spoken up, they wouldn't have come to see you. We must not let them off so easily!"

At this moment, the manager of Gu Fu Lou picked up the box in front of him and crawled forward on his knees: "Young master, I have brought Gu Fu Lou's account books. Please verify them."

Chen Ji walked past him and sat on a stone bench in the courtyard: "Get up and speak. You don't have to kneel like this."

The shopkeepers looked at each other, unsure whether Chen Ji was telling the truth or not, and secretly turned their gazes toward Xiaoman.

Xiaoman angrily said, "Young Master already told you to get up, why are you looking at me? Are you trying to frame me!"

The shopkeepers quickly got up.

Chen Ji casually asked, "What did Chen Xu tell you?"

The shopkeepers hurriedly replied, "Steward Chen sent someone to tell us that the Chen family will henceforth belong to you."

Chen Ji was taken aback: "It's that simple?"

The shopkeepers lowered their heads and remained silent.

Chen Ji pointed at the manager of Gu Fu Lou and asked, "How much silver has Gu Fu Lou earned over the years, and how much silver is left in the account?"

The manager of Gu Fu Lou looked distressed: "To tell you the truth, Gu Fu Lou has been struggling all these years and hasn't made much money."

Chen Ji frowned slightly.

Xiaoman, hands on her hips, hissed, "Nonsense! With such a thriving business, how could Gu Fu Lou not have made much money?"

The innkeeper complained, "You don't know, Mr. Gu Fu Lou's original intention was good, but the accounts from those years were all taken away by Madam Liang. Later, Bianyi Fang opened on Qipan Street, and the business of other taverns and restaurants in the inner city became difficult, as they all took away their business. If you don't believe me, you can go to Gu Fu Lou later and see for yourself. Apart from a few regular customers, the rest have all gone to Bianyi Fang."

Chen Ji was stunned, never expecting that his business had been snatched away by Aunt Ping and her group.

The manager of Changping Estate said, "Our estate does have a surplus every year, about 1,200 taels of silver, but last year's was taken by the Liang family."

Chen Ji looked at the manager of Tianbao Pavilion: "Tianbao Pavilion should be making money, right?"

The manager of Tianbao Pavilion hurriedly said, "Young master, Tianbao Pavilion is profitable, but after the Liang family promised to give Tianbao Pavilion to you, they would withdraw all the money in the account every month. Now, Tianbao Pavilion doesn't even have money for inventory, and we haven't paid the money owed to the master craftsmen in the palace. Today, we would like to ask you to transfer some money to our account..."

Chen Ji's face darkened: "How much do you need?"

The manager of Tianbao Pavilion discreetly observed his expression: "Five thousand taels... three thousand taels will suffice for now."

Chen Ji sighed softly. This Liang family member really left behind some obstacles even after leaving.

He looked at all the shopkeepers: "Are you all like this?"

The shopkeepers all nodded in agreement.

Chen Ji pondered in silence. He had no interest in any of the restaurants, estates, silk shops, grain and oil stores, or jewelry shops. The money had already been taken; it was likely all taken to Jinling by Chen Liqin and would be difficult to get back.

“Wait a minute,” Xiaoman suddenly turned to Chen Ji, “Young Master, there’s still one person missing. The Liang family originally promised to give you Baoxiang Bookstore as well, but the bookstore manager didn’t come today.”

Chen Ji's heart skipped a beat: "Why didn't he come?"

The manager of Gu Fu Lou muttered to himself, "He hasn't been paid any money, but he hasn't earned much money in the past few years either. He was squeezed out of business by Wen Yuan Bookstore long ago. I guess he thinks he doesn't need to come and can just wait to be kicked out."

(End of this chapter)