Aoyama

Chapter 515 Fuyou Street

Chen Ji walked toward Wenchang Bookstore, his mind still replaying Zhang Li's words.

Two things in particular gave him pause for thought. One was that the other party had guessed that he was going to leave Ningchao, which was one of his biggest secrets and something he had been planning all along, known only to his closest confidants.

Did Zhang Li calculate it? But Old Man Yao once said that he could no longer calculate his fate, so Zhang Li's fortune-telling skills should be better than Old Man Yao's.

Secondly, there's the Book Without Words. According to Zhang Li, the new story wasn't written by him, but rather by the Book Without Words. Could it be that the moment he wrote his name in the Book Without Words, his life story began to appear on it? This might also be why Zhang Li knew he was leaving Ning Dynasty.

It's not a pleasant feeling to have your secrets exposed, but as Zhang Li said, now that the two of them are in a situation where they are in the same boat, Zhang Li doesn't want anything to happen to him.

But... what benefits can Zhang Li actually get from me?
Like a golden pig?
Just then, Chen Ji heard someone shouting hoarsely from afar: "No one is allowed to read this! This damned Beijing Morning Post is full of lies and rumors. There's absolutely no way Chen Ji and Zhang Xia could be together!"

Chen Ji suddenly looked up, and it was Qi Zhaoning's voice.

He silently turned the corner and saw Qi Zhaoning snatching a newspaper from someone's hand and tearing it to shreds in front of the Wenchang Bookstore. The yellowed paper was scattered everywhere.

The scholars and intellectuals on the street were speechless. One of them shouted angrily, "What are you doing? I bought this!"

Qi Zhaoning beckoned to Qi Zhenzhu: "Give him a tael of silver!"

The scholar whose newspaper had been torn up grew even angrier: "This is the last one. You can't buy one even if you want to now. I don't want your money, I want you to give me another one just like it, or we'll go to the government office to settle this!"

Qi Zhaoning stared intently at the man: "Really?"

A passerby cautiously tugged at the scholar's sleeve: "Don't bother her, this is the third young lady of the Qi family on Fuyou Street."

The five characters "Qi Family, Fuyou Street" were like a hammer, shattering the scholar's anger into pieces.

"Never mind, I won't stoop to the level of a woman," the scholar said after only a slight hesitation, before waving his hand and disappearing into the crowd.

Outside the crowd, someone whispered, "This is the fiancée of the man from Wuxiang County. Now that he has seen what happened between the man from Wuxiang County and Miss Zhang, it is only natural that he is angry."

Qi Zhaoning looked around, and when she saw Chen Ji standing alone at the street corner in the distance, she panicked for a moment, but then calmed down.

She calmly approached Chen Ji: "Do you have anything to explain?"

Chen Ji stared at the woman before him, who wore a pale yellow dress and a jade butterfly hairpin bestowed by the Empress Dowager, its wings fluttering lifelike in the sunlight.

When the other person is silent, she naturally exudes the air of a refined lady, radiant and captivating.

Chen Ji said softly, "Third Miss, there are too many people here. May I speak with you in private?"

Qi Zhaoning was silent for a moment, then smiled and said, "Okay, let's hear what you have to say."

Chen Ji turned and left, with Qi Zhaoning following behind. The two walked to a secluded alley before Chen Ji stopped and turned around, saying, "Sorry."

Qi Zhaoning's anger slowly filled her heart: "Chen Ji, your affair with Zhang Xia has caused quite a stir. Isn't it a bit too late to apologize now?"

Chen Ji said sincerely, "I once discussed this with the Third Miss at the Fragrant Hills Villa..."

Qi Zhaoning stepped forward and asked in a deep voice, "Do you truly admire Zhang Xia?"

Chen Ji shook his head: "This matter has nothing to do with Zhang Xia. Miss, now everyone thinks that I was in the wrong first. Your Qi family will not be blamed for breaking off the engagement. People will only scold me for being unfaithful and heartless. This is the best outcome for you."

Qi Zhaoning said in a deep voice, "Chen Ji, what the best outcome is isn't up to you, it's up to me. My grandfather told me since I was little that I am the apple of the Qi family's eye, and therefore deserve the best of everything in this world. The best things in this world must be mine, and they must be mine. Even if they aren't mine, they can't belong to anyone else!"

Chen Ji remained silent.

Qi Zhaoning retreated step by step towards the alleyway: "Chen Ji, do you know, I'm not sad at all, because you're nothing but an ignorant and incompetent martial artist. To put it bluntly, you have no hope of ever entering the cabinet. In terms of official rank, you can't compare to Li Xuan, and in terms of talent, you can't compare to Lin Chaojing. Just you wait and see, I'll make you a laughing stock in the capital. Is that damn morning newspaper run by Zhang Xia? What is she trying to do? Show me what she can't do? Try to make me back down? Let her give up on that idea. What I can't have, she can't have either. And that damn morning newspaper can forget about going on!"

Qi Zhaoning suddenly turned around at the entrance of the alley and walked away without looking back.

……

……

Upstairs in Meirui Tower, a member of the Gelaohui faction leaned against the railing, his black cloth shirt loosely draped over his shoulders, holding a pipe in his hand and taking small puffs.

He looked down at Zhengxi Ward and watched as yellowed morning newspapers were passed around the outer city. In just three hours, the bamboo paper that was being passed around was already tattered and worn out.

Like Chen Ji, they were all strangers in a foreign land.

Arriving in this unfamiliar world, you have to carry steamed buns on palm leaves, wipe your bottom with bamboo strips, travel by walking, and shout to call for help. There's no air conditioning in the summer and no heating in the winter.

Even in this bustling and prosperous capital, there were always people urinating and defecating indiscriminately. The smell of urine was always strong at the base of the wall outside Plum Blossom Ferry, which angered the local gang so much that they sent people to guard the area. It seemed that the world was constantly reminding them, in its own way, that they did not belong here.

It's like a sharp-edged stone being thrown into a millstone; every incongruous spot is painfully poked.

Only when things belonging to their own world appeared here did the Gelaohui feel that they had truly arrived and begin to change.

This is a unique sense of accomplishment for time travelers.

The salt exchange only counts as half of his existence; the newspaper is what gives him a sense of self-worth.

The clattering of abacuses echoed from Mei Rui Lou behind him as someone gracefully ascended the stairs to stand behind the Gelaohui (a secret society).

The member of the gang, without turning his head, said, "I'm sorry, I offended you."

Zhang Xia stood by the railing, looking into the distance: "The Brotherhood wrote this front page not just to grab attention, right?"

The man smiled and answered irrelevantly, "Miss Zhang, Chen Ji is a man who keeps everything to himself. He wants to make proper arrangements for his affairs after his death, but I'm worried about that. I need to find something to keep him occupied."

Zhang Xia was silent for a moment: "Are the brothers very worried about him?"

The man gently exhaled a puff of smoke and slowly said, "Miss Zhang, you are actually worried about him, but he has survived so many close calls that you may think he is certain of victory in everything he does, and gradually forget that his determination to do things is always reckless, regardless of life or death. But I am different. I will not forget... because he has already died once before my eyes."

Zhang Xia stood there, stunned.

The man chuckled and said, "Miss Zhang is a very sensible person. Even though she guessed that we didn't belong here, she never asked any questions. But I bet you've been keeping it to yourself for a long time."

Zhang Xia said calmly, "Chen Ji will speak when he wants to."

The man tapped the cigarette ash on the sole of his foot: "Chen Ji is stubborn; he's determined to make things happen. But like Xiao Man, I don't understand Princess Bai Li. We only see you sharing life and death with Chen Ji. Although it's a bit unfair to the princess to say that, we all hope you can make Chen Ji change his mind and stop him from going to his death."

Zhang Xia shook his head: "Since the brother knows Chen Ji, he should know that he won't turn back before rescuing the princess. Let's get down to business. The first batch of newspapers has sold out, so it's the perfect time to strike while the iron is hot. Should we print more?"

The Gelaohui (a secret society) member denied this, saying, "We cannot print more."

The first time the Gelaohui (a secret society) published a newspaper, only 1,200 copies were printed. It wasn't that they couldn't print more; they were simply testing the limits of the imperial court with great restraint.

The gangster lamented, "Miss Zhang, in the Ning Dynasty, the tabloids run by ordinary people are naturally enemies of the court, because it should be the court that decides who is right and who is wrong. Now you also have the right to speak, and the truth is no longer solely in the hands of the court."

Zhang Xia murmured, "Truth..."

It was the first time she had ever heard the word "truth," a word that felt both new and fitting.

The man continued, "When Chen Ji proposed starting a newspaper, he knew it would eventually be taken over by the court, and then it would become a powerful weapon for Lord Zhang to implement his new policies. But before that, Chen Ji probably intends to use it to do something earth-shattering... Before Chen Ji does this, we can only carefully avoid those beasts and ensure the newspaper survives. So we can't be too greedy, and we can't let the beasts preemptively set their sights on this thing."

Zhang Xia nodded: "Understood. Then we will keep the daily print run under three thousand, and we will not write about palace secrets, the appointment and removal of officials, or anything related to the court."

The man from the paoge laughed and said, "That's right, that's what I mean."

Zhang Xia suddenly said, "It's not wrong for the Gelaohui to be cautious, but they've underestimated the capital. First of all, getting past Qi Zhaoning will be difficult."

The man raised an eyebrow: "What do you mean?"

Just then, a commotion arose in the distance. The gang leader looked up but couldn't see what was happening.

A moment later, heavy footsteps echoed down the stairs of Mei Rui Lou. Er Dao walked over and said in a muffled voice, "Brother, the people from the Five Cities Military Command suddenly came and arrested a lot of brothers. They're collecting newspapers all over the streets, saying we're spreading rumors and rebelling."

The man scratched his head with his little finger: "The reaction was too fast. This is not something I can handle. I need to find the traces."

Zhang Xia shook her head: "No need."

The man in question asked in confusion, "Hmm?"

Zhang Xia said with a smile, "Brother Pao Ge underestimated Chen Ji. He is no longer the penniless young man you knew. He is Chen Ji of Fuyou Street."

Just then, the gangsters saw a group of men dressed in black cloth shirts suddenly pour into the Eight Great Hutongs. They were none other than the men who had been arrested by the Five Cities Military Command earlier.

When the stick-wielding man arrived at the foot of Mei Rui Tower, the gangster asked curiously, "Why are you back so soon?"

Ba Gun was also completely bewildered: "We had just been arrested and taken to the Five Cities Military Command when a man named Chen Xu came. He only said two words, 'Release us,' and the Five Cities Military Command released us."

The gangster sneered at Zhang Xia, "I never expected that I would be clinging to such a powerful patron."

(End of this chapter)