Aoyama

"Han Tong has a daughter?" Qi Gong asked in astonishment. "Rumor has it that Han Tong has never married and even turned down a job offered by the Xu family. Where would he get a daughter?"

Chen Ji asked in confusion, "The Xu family recruited them?"

The man from the Gelaoge leaned against a pillar in the pavilion and said, "I know about this. Xu Bin's father from Wenyuan Bookstore has always wanted to marry his second daughter to Han Tong, but Han Tong has been avoiding him. He even sent a message to the Xu family saying that he has converted to Buddhism, will devote his life to the Buddha, and will never marry."

Chen Ji was even more puzzled: "Why would such a behemoth as the Xu family form a marriage alliance with the Canal Gang?"

Qi Gong slowly said, "The Xu family offended the Johor royal family in Southeast Asia in their early years. Later, the Johor royal family controlled the Strait of Malacca and never allowed the Xu family's merchant ships to pass through. In order to open up trade routes in Southeast Asia, the Xu family took advantage of Han Tong's connections in Southeast Asia."

Chen Ji asked calmly, "What connections does Han Tong have in Southeast Asia?"

Qi Gong sat down in the pavilion: "Han Tong has a sworn brother named Lin Daoqian. This man has a very close relationship with the Johor royal family, so the Xu family wants to use Han Tong's help, with Lin Daoqian taking the lead, to open up the trade route through the Strait of Malacca."

Chen Ji tapped his fingers on the table: "And who is Lin Daoqian?"

Qi Gong smiled and said, "He's from Chaozhou, a pirate who rebelled against the Xu family. After falling out with the Xu family, he went to Siam to establish himself. After being recruited by the Siamese royal family, he led troops to resist the invasion of Hong Sawaidy. This Lin Daoqian is also a remarkable figure. After bringing his family to Siam, he frequently intermarried with Siamese nobles. In just twenty-seven years, he became a powerful figure, gradually rivaling the Siamese royal family, until the King of Annam captured the King of Siam alive... You all don't really think that Annam's eight thousand elite troops are that powerful, do you? If Lin Daoqian hadn't rebelled in the south of Siam, the King of Annam might not have been able to capture the King of Siam. It's just that the court can't bring Lin Daoqian up in public."

The member of the gang exclaimed, "If it weren't for Master Qi mentioning it, we wouldn't have known that Southeast Asia was so wonderful."

Chen Ji pondered silently: Could Lin Daoqian be involved in the Prime Minister's years-long manhunt for Han Tong? Did the Prime Minister also want to open up trade routes to Southeast Asia?
uncertain.

Zhang Zhuo once taught him that if he couldn't understand why something happened, he should speculate from the perspective of self-interest.

For example, ordinary people didn't understand why Emperor Ning valued Zhang Zhuo so highly, nor did they understand why Emperor Ning had valued Grand Secretary Xu for nineteen years. But Zhang Zhuo made it very clear: in this court, whoever is best at making money and whoever has the ability to get officials to do things will become the Grand Secretary.

The intrigue and treacherous dynamics of the imperial court over the centuries are, in essence, quite simple.

However, Chen Ji could not use this method to fathom the inner workings of the matter.

The other side doesn't want methods to increase the yield of fertile land, doesn't want to alleviate the problems of salt permits, and doesn't even want the formula for improving firearms. It seems that the other side has no concern for the country and its people, but rather has other plans.

At this moment, Chen Ji folded the Xuan paper on the table and stuffed it into his sleeve. He looked up at Qi Gong and said, "Qi Gong, you only need to act as the middleman and don't need to worry about anything else. If you are not comfortable with the garlic extract I mentioned, you can prepare it and try it immediately. But I can only wait seven days. If the Three Mountains Society cannot act as the middleman within seven days, I will think of another way."

Seven days.

There were only seven days left before the Queen's funeral, during which the King of Annam could no longer bring up the marriage alliance. At one point, Chen Ji wondered if these seven days were a deliberate delay by the Queen to save Bai Li.

We can't wait any longer to see the traces of the past.

The next moment, Qi Gong turned and walked out: "Although the men of my three Imperial Guards don't like the man from Wuxiang County, they still know his abilities. You say that garlic is useful, so I'll take it as useful; you say it can save lives, so I'll take it as life-saving. As for giving it to Han Tong, I'll go there myself. I think the Canal Gang won't refuse me that."

Chen Ji bowed and clasped his hands in thanks: "Thank you for your trouble."

After taking a few steps, Qi Gong turned back with his hands behind his back and asked, "Man of Wuxiang County, I have a question."

Chen Ji calmly said, "Please speak, Lord Qi."

Lord Qi asked, "Wu Xiang County native comes from the Chen family of Fuyou Street. He was originally a man of both literary and martial talents with a promising future. Why did he go astray and send Yuancheng back to Jing?"

Chen Ji shook his head: "Lord Qi, you flatter me. I am just a peasant and a commoner, and I have never thought about my own future."

Qi Gong chuckled: "The man from Wuxiang County is unaware of his own limitations. You have trained the Imperial Guard into an elite force and made a name for yourself in Xiangshan. With the Prince of Fu leading your horse and the top scholar writing poetry behind you, even if you don't take the imperial examination route, you can still achieve great things in the army. Yang Yang recommended you to Lu Wuyai, the commander-in-chief of the Wansui Army, and Hu Junye, the eldest son of the Hu family, also said that as long as you go to Taiyuan Prefecture, he will guarantee you a meteoric rise in your career."

Chen Ji remained silent.

Qi Gong sighed, “But now, Yang Yang and Hu Junye both keep quiet about the past, simply because Yang Yang’s master died at Yuan Cheng’s hands, and Hu Junye’s eldest son also died at Yuan Cheng’s hands… The magistrate of Wuxiang County has ruined his future. The three Imperial Guards can no longer tolerate you. What’s the point?”

Chen Ji finally spoke: "Lord Qi, you have your path, and I have mine. That's all."

Lord Qi did not try to persuade him further: "That's enough. The magistrate of Wuxiang County should take care of himself. I'm leaving now. You two can wait for news at my Baiyu Garden."

Chen Ji and the Pao Ge sat in the pavilion waiting, from Chen Shi (7-9 AM) to Shen Shi (3-5 PM), during which time Bai Yuyuan didn't even give them a sip of water.

It wasn't until the sun had set behind the city that Lord Qi slowly returned, carrying a small leather wine pouch in his hand.

Chen Ji stood up and asked, "How is it?" Qi Gong hesitated for a moment, "Han Tong is willing to see you, but he doesn't think you have the ability to save his daughter... If you want him to believe you, first kill the person who intercepted his daughter and prove it to him. Kill this person within three days, and he will come to see you on his own."

Chen Ji frowned slightly.

Who is the person Han Tong is referring to? Consort Xue.

Chen Ji said he had a way to save Bai Li, but Han Tong didn't believe him. The other party wanted him to prove that he was worth forming an alliance with.

If Chen Ji couldn't even find out what was happening inside the palace, or if he didn't have the ability to kill Consort Xue, then it would prove that he didn't have the ability to turn the impossible into the possible, and Han Tong would never risk coming to see him.

But Consort Xue's Yikun Palace is deep within the palace, and it is guarded by more than twenty Jiefan Guards. How can I kill her?

Qi Gong looked up at him and said, "I know what you're doing is something that could cause a huge uproar. Let me make this clear from the start: if you get into trouble, don't implicate the Three Mountains Society. There are still a lot of survivors who rely on the Three Mountains Society to make a living."

Chen Ji promised, "Don't worry, Lord Qi."

Lord Qi continued slowly and deliberately, "I have said everything that needs to be said. Now, let's swear an oath in blood. If you fail to fulfill his demands, then so be it; but if you do, and he still does not come to see you, then he has broken his promise to you. No matter what you do, you must not betray him to the court."

After saying this, Duke Qi opened the leather wine bag he had brought back and poured the wine into a white porcelain bowl on the table.

Chen Ji then noticed that the contents were wine tainted with blood: "What is this?"

Qi Gong drew a short knife from his sleeve and handed it to him: "Inside is Han Tong's blood. He has already bled and sworn an oath, now it's your turn. To be honest, the old custom of swearing blood oaths is no longer popular in the martial world. After all, no one has been struck by lightning in all this time. But don't think it's too much trouble, sir of Wuxiang County. The martial world is still alive because of these old customs. If even this is gone, then the martial world of us old bones will also be gone."

Chen Ji remained silent for a moment, then took the dagger, cut open his palm, and dripped the blood into the bowl.

Qi Gong stared directly at Chen Ji: "I swear. We will weather the storms of life together, and judge right and wrong in the world together."

Chen Ji repeated: "We share the trials and tribulations of the world, and we judge right and wrong together."

Lord Qi then said, "If I break this vow, I will be condemned to eternal damnation in the Avici Hell."

Chen Ji's eyes seemed to hold a dry well: "If I break this vow, may I be condemned to eternal damnation."

Lord Qi picked up the bowl, drank the blood wine in one gulp, and said solemnly, "By acting as your intermediary, I have guaranteed your relationship. Regardless of whether this succeeds or fails, I hope that neither of you will betray our promise, otherwise no one in the capital will believe a single word of yours. Those who break this oath will be pierced by ten thousand arrows in life and their graves will be dug up and their corpses mutilated after death!"

"I know," Chen Ji said, pulling a folded piece of Xuan paper from his sleeve and handing it to Qi Gong before leaving Baiyu Garden without looking back.

……

……

Chen Ji returned to Mei Rui Tower and watched the last rays of twilight disappear behind the city walls. The night wind blew through his hair as he seemed lost in thought.

The man leaned against the railing, chuckling as he stuffed tobacco into his pipe: "I don't know if anyone else has seen the look in your eyes when you were talking to Master Qi, but I certainly have."

Chen Ji remained silent.

The man smiled and said, "When you signed the mortgage contract with me, your eyes were exactly the same as today. You put a lot of pressure on your pen when you signed that day. At first, I thought, 'Why are you being so serious about signing a contract?' But when I thought back, I realized that you were holding the pen like you were holding a knife."

He looked out from the railing. During the mourning period, the Eight Great Hutongs were eerily quiet, with all the lights off and the world silent. "You lied to me back then, saying you would pay me back as soon as possible. Today you lied to Master Qi because you never intended to keep your promise. Master, have you thought this through? There's no turning back once you take this step."

Chen Ji calmly said, "A person who is unwilling to lose anything can change nothing."

The man paused for a moment, then lowered his head and lit his pipe.

He brought the burning stick close to the tobacco, took a deep drag, and the tobacco instantly curled and withered in the fire, the faint light illuminating his resolute expression.

The gangster exhaled a puff of grayish-white smoke towards the outside of the building: "What can I do?"

Chen Ji glanced at the Gelaohui: "I told you to secretly collect ginseng earlier."

The man grinned and said, "Everything was prepared long ago." (End of Chapter)