Aoyama

There was a time when Chen Ji thought he was very close to that ending.

He entered the Jie Fan Lou and used Lin Chaojing to repay the Prime Minister's first life. Although he failed to capture Lin Chaoqing, there were still more than half a year until the grand Taoist ceremony in April next year, which should be enough time to make up for the second life.

He can finally breathe a sigh of relief, rest for a while, and then wait for the Prime Minister to tell him who he wants to kill.

During this time, you might take Xiaoman and the little monk to stroll through the night market on Qipan Street, or see how the courtesan queen is selected in the Eight Great Hutongs, and see together how magnificent and prosperous the Lantern Festival is in the capital of Ning Dynasty.

But the moment the Annamese envoy arrived in the capital, everything began to take a sharp turn for the worse.

At one point, Chen Ji felt that he had been living a very hurried life since he came to Ning Dynasty, as if no one could bear to let him stop and catch his breath.

Chen Ji waited all night, and the gang members didn't return until dawn.

The man from the Pao Ge gang came upstairs alone, dusted himself off, and said, “It’s not easy to find a leader in the Cao Gang. You can’t find anyone by going directly to their door. So last night I asked Master Qi of the Sanshan Society to act as an intermediary, but Master Qi was unwilling to get involved in this mess and introduce me, so I went to Qian Ping instead.”

Chen Ji asked in confusion, "Qian Ping, the Hutchison Whampoa one?"

The man grinned and said, "That's right. I made a bet with him that my boss could wipe out the Eight Great Hutongs. He didn't believe me, so I made a deal with him that if I won the bet, he would have to work for me. Who would have thought that although I won the bet, he was outmaneuvered by Lord Qi and is now in the Three Mountains Society replacing Princess Qi. In a way, he owes me a bet, so when I asked him to do something, he agreed."

The man picked up the teapot from the table and gulped down a mouthful of tea: "Qian Ping said that someone from the Four Beams and Eight Pillars had just arrived in the capital, so he led me to Chongnanfang to meet one of them, Zhu Xiao. Zhu Xiao didn't dawdle and promised Qian Ping that he would pass on the message to Han Tong before sunset today. As for whether Han Tong would be willing to keep the appointment, he didn't know."

Chen Ji pondered, "It seems that in this capital city, the influence of the Three Mountains Society is still more useful. They even dare to make a promise to deliver the message before sunset, and they're not afraid of revealing that Han Tong is in the capital..."

The gangster explained, "Qian Ping said that Han Tong secretly entered the capital in February this year and has been hiding in Chongnanfang ever since. The secret agents have been looking for him for a long time, but all their efforts have been in vain."

Chen Ji speculated, "Han Tong is probably here for Princess Bai Li as well, and they are also trying to rescue her. Let's wait for Han Tong's reply and see if we can help in any way."

From dawn till dusk, Chen Ji waited and waited at Mei Rui Lou, until he saw the lights of Han Mei Lou across the street come on, but he still did not receive a reply from the Cao Gang. He only received Qian Ping.

Today, Qian Ping was dressed in a brown Taoist robe, his hair simply tied up with a wooden hairpin. After joining the Three Mountains Society, this Master Qian had lost some of his murderous aura and gained more of a refined and scholarly air.

He followed Erdao upstairs and greeted Chen Ji with a polite bow, saying, "Wan An, the magistrate of Wuxiang County."

Qian Ping's left hand is missing his little finger, and he wears a black finger cot over a wooden prosthetic finger. This is the price he paid for swearing a blood oath for Hutchison Whampoa and Fu Rui Xiang, but now, both Hutchison Whampoa and Fu Rui Xiang no longer exist.

Chen Ji cut to the chase: "Master Qian, has the Canal Gang responded?"

Qian Ping corrected him, "If a commoner calls me Master Qian, I will shamelessly accept it. But if a man from Wuxiang County calls me Master Qian, I, a defeated general, would never dare to accept it. You can just call me Qian Ping."

Chen Ji didn't dwell on the matter: "What did the Canal Gang say?"

Qian Ping calmly replied, "Zhu Xiao from the Cao Gang said that Han Tong said, 'Those who walk different paths cannot make plans together. We are not on the same road, so let's not meet again.'"

Chen Ji's heart sank.

Previously in Luo City, Chen Ji used Han Tong to lure away Yun Yang, Jiao Tu, and Jin Zhu, almost causing them to be captured. Chen Ji wasn't sure if they had misunderstood him as having colluded with the eunuch faction and betrayed him; now it seemed Han Tong still didn't trust him.

Qian Ping then changed the subject: "I don't know what the man from Wuxiang County wants with the Canal Gang, but I can tell you that all four pillars and eight key figures have gathered in the capital today, including Zhu Zheng, who rarely shows his face. There must be something big going on. If the man from Wuxiang County has a grudge against the Canal Gang, please return to the inner city as soon as possible. If the man from Wuxiang County is just planning to conspire with the Canal Gang, you should stay away from them for now, so as not to get involved in what they are doing."

Chen Ji asked, "Why does Master Qian want me to stay away from the Canal Gang?"

Qian Ping lowered his eyes: "With all four pillars and eight beams in place, they might be up to a big business of confiscating property and beheading people. No one who gets involved in this will have a good end. Moreover, the Canal Gang has been in decline in recent years. Han Tong is hiding in the streets, and even his hall masters dare to take on taboo business in private. The people in the four pillars and eight beams may not be united. It is possible that some of them have already defected to the imperial court."

Chen Ji lowered his head and pondered: Since Han Tong came to the capital, the canal gang has employed several eunuchs to secretly help Bai Li in the Forbidden City. In addition to providing daily necessities, they should also be discussing how to escape from the Forbidden City.

The sudden arrival of Zhu Xiao and his close associates in the capital was likely due to their hearing about the marriage alliance and their desire to rescue Bai Li ahead of time... The Empress's help was probably also involved in all of this.

So, Han Tong has joined forces with the Empress?

uncertain.

Chen Ji cupped his hands to Qian Ping and said, "Thank you for the reminder, Master Qian. The Red Gate will surely reward you handsomely."

Qian Ping shook his head slightly: "No need. So-called grudges between the martial arts world are settled. Last time I owed the Red Gate a favor, and this time I'm repaying it. The cause and effect are now resolved. From now on, the Red Gate is the Red Gate, and the Three Mountains Society is the Three Mountains Society. We will keep to ourselves and have no further dealings with each other."

Chen Ji nodded: "Okay."

Qian Ping cupped his hands in farewell again. Chen Ji watched as Er Dao led Qian Ping away. At that moment, a song drifted from the Hanmei Tower, a new lyric for the night, "Shuidiao Getou," melodious and sorrowful. Chen Ji listened quietly until the singer finished the last line.

He took a deep breath. If he waited a little longer, things might still turn around.

Chen Ji stood atop the Plum Blossom Pavilion, gazing into the distance, his eyes seemingly trying to pierce through the majestic Zhengyang Gate and Meridian Gate to reach the Jingyang Palace within the Forbidden City.

……

……

Jingyang Palace.

A palace maid, carrying a palace lantern in her left hand and a food box in her right, came to the palace gate and called softly, "Princess, it's time to go to Kunning Palace. Her Majesty the Empress has prepared a belated banquet in the palace today."

The figure of Bai Li slowly emerged from the main hall, followed by the plump Xuan Su.

She approached the maid and said, "Sister, you must not call me Princess anymore. If outsiders hear this, I'm afraid there will be trouble again."

The maidservant laughed and said, "Who dares to gossip?"

Xuan Su quickly chimed in, "We won't say anything out of line."

Bai Li stopped arguing. She took the food box from the maid and handed it to Xuan Su, whispering, "Inside are two roast geese and some mooncakes bestowed by Her Majesty the Empress. Take them to the back hall and share them with everyone... We are all suffering people, we must not bully others anymore."

Xuan Su, who was blind in one eye, chuckled and said, "Your Highness is right. Jingyang Palace has finally seen some good days. Anyone who doesn't cherish them is blinded by greed. Don't worry, even if I don't eat a single bite, I'll make sure everyone gets to eat."

Bai Li nodded: "Then I'll go to Kunning Palace and be back before 9 PM."

After Bai Li left with the maid, Xuan Su returned to the inner hall with the food box. The nuns gathered around and smelled the enticing aroma of meat even before they opened the food box.

Xuan Su placed the food box on the communal bed and said coldly, "Don't fight over it. The princess ordered that everyone should have a share."

The female priests watched enviously as Xuan Su tore off pieces of goose meat and distributed them to everyone, while they themselves were left with only the goose breast carcass, devoid of meat, to slowly gnaw on.

Du Miao held up her goose leg and stepped forward, saying, "Manager, please have mine."

Xuan Su said expressionlessly, "You eat yours, don't try to curry favor. I said yesterday that the tribute fruit is for everyone to eat in turn. Whether you try to please me or offend me, this rule will not change, so don't worry about it anymore."

Du Miao retreated sullenly: "My good intentions are wasted. I'm doing this for your own good, why don't you appreciate it?"

Xuan Su picked at a small piece of meat from the goose breast, saying nonchalantly, "Think about how you've lived like a pig or a dog for the past thirty-odd years, and then think about how you're living now. You're always thinking about how good the princess is to you. Stop scheming and don't try to use your tricks on me. They won't work. If you make a scene again, you might not even get any goose meat."

Du Miao pouted and whispered, "Look at you, acting like a lapdog. You're eating goose meat here, while the princess is going to Kunning Palace to eat the Empress's formal banquet. You're so loyal, why doesn't the princess take you with her? Don't forget who blinded you in that eye."

Xuan Su looked up at her: "The root of everything in Jingyang Palace lies with Xuan Zhen. If it weren't for the princess showing mercy back then, I'm afraid I would have died at your hands. If you say another bad word about the princess, I'll tear your mouth apart."

At this moment, Bai Li followed the maid, silently passing through the quiet palace corridors. Each corridor was guarded by Jie Fan Wei, who patrolled every quarter hour, yet they were accustomed to Bai Li's journey to Kun Ning Palace and turned a blind eye to it.

Upon arriving at Kunning Palace, she could see from afar the Empress holding Wuyun in her arms, standing on the threshold of the main hall waiting for her. The weather was hot, and Wuyun was no longer wearing her undershirt today, only a pure gold longevity lock hanging around her neck.

Seeing that the Empress was waiting for her, Bai Li quickly took two steps forward. Wu Yun nimbly slipped out of the Empress's arms and landed on the ground, then jumped into her arms in a few steps.

The white carp lowered its head and touched the tip of the black cloud's nose with its own.

The Queen feigned jealousy and said angrily, "Why is Shan Jun so close to you? As soon as you arrive, he doesn't even glance at anyone else and immediately snuggles into your arms. You're just pretending to coax me all this time, aren't you?"

The dark cloud meowed sweetly at the Queen.

Bai Li smiled and explained, "Your Majesty has misunderstood Wu Yun..."

The Empress pulled her arm and teased, "Alright, alright, no need to defend this little thing. Come and eat. Tonight's meal is to send you off. After tonight, I don't know if we'll ever have the chance to see each other again. When you leave this Forbidden City, don't forget me."

Bai Li then noticed that Kunning Palace was unusually empty today; apart from the Empress's usual confidantes, all the palace maids had been sent away. (End of Chapter)