Chapter 582
Advancing and Retreating Together
The sound of a night watchman's drum came from outside Shaojiu Hutong, and the night watchman's drawn-out voice said, "The rooster crows at dawn, so go to bed early and get up early!"
Chen Ji spent the entire night on his bed in the east wing, staring silently at the roof until the rooster crowed outside and the sound of the night watchman's drum echoed from the Jade River Street.
The young monk suddenly sighed beside Chen Ji, "Benefactor, trying to find the sword by marking the boat will ultimately fail you."
Chen Ji stared intently at the roof: "The sword is still the same sword, and the boat is still the same small boat. How could they be different?"
The young monk lay side by side with Chen Ji, staring intently at the roof: "The sword may still be the same sword, and the boat may still be the same small boat from back then. But the small boat has traveled thousands of miles, and the sword has rusted and become dusty in the silt at the bottom of the river... The state of mind is ultimately different."
The young monk turned to look at Chen Ji and said earnestly, “Benefactor, when a sword falls into the river, the most important thing for the people on the boat to do is not to try to find the sword by marking the boat, but to move forward and find a new one… Perhaps you already have a new one by your side, but your obsession has blinded you and you haven’t seen it.”
Chen Ji remained silent this time.
The young monk slowly rose to his feet: "Benefactor, if you encounter two identical trees while climbing a mountain, it's not because the creation of this world is so wondrous, but because you've gotten lost... I'm going to pick some vegetables, otherwise Xiaoman will scold me."
Chen Ji hummed in agreement.
After the young monk left, Chen Ji lay on the bed for a long time until there was a knock on the door, at which point he finally got up.
It was the Gelaohui and Erdao who arrived.
Chen Ji looked at the Qilin-patterned robe hanging in the room, but simply folded it neatly and changed into a black, diagonally collared robe.
He was buttoning his shirt when he heard a boisterous voice from outside the door: "Xiaoman, cook more food, Erdao and I have big appetites."
Xiaoman replied, "Okay!"
Chen Ji pushed open the door and came out, asking curiously, "Plum Blossom Ferry has been taken away. Where did you spend the night last night?"
The man laughed and sat down at the stone table, replying, "Can a living person die from holding in their pee? Do you remember, boss? I sent all the courtesans from the Red Plum Pavilion away before, and now they're inviting me to stay at their place. I can stay at one place for a day, and I can stay at another place for a month without repeating myself."
Erdao mumbled from the side, "He clearly has money to stay at an inn, but he insists on staying at a woman's house."
Chen Ji looked at the Gelaohui: "I'm sorry, I originally said I would leave the Plum Blossom Ferry and the salt permit business to you, but now they're all gone."
The man said nonchalantly, "I've said it before, nothing lasts forever. To win, you must be able to afford to lose. What kind of hero is someone who can't rise again? I'm curious, what are your plans, boss? If you're leaving, Erdao and I won't stay here... Erdao, what do you say?"
Erdao thought for a moment and said, "We can leave today."
Chen Ji fell silent.
He hadn't expected that the Gelaohui and Erdao would actually plan to wander the world with him: "You don't need to wander around. Although you've lost your livelihood, your network of connections is still there. I will recommend you to Lord Zhang Zhuo. He wants to reform the tax system and is in need of capable people. With your talent, you have a lot to offer and will surely become famous throughout the world. I know that's why you came to the capital."
The man slowly stuffed tobacco into his pipe, then lit it with the tinder handed to him by Erdao: "Before I made a name for myself, I thought it was interesting, but I, Chen, have already made a name for myself with two final words. I can try something else... Not only will I be famous, but I might even be remembered for all time along with the Qi family."
Chen Ji sat down at the stone table and asked sincerely, "Are you really willing to leave? If you leave, all your efforts over the past year will be in vain, and you'll have to start all over again no matter where you go."
The man smiled and said, "Boss, when have I ever lied? Erdao and I are penniless now. If we really wanted to leave, we would probably leave even faster than you."
At this moment, Xiaoman came out of the kitchen: "Young master, the little monk and I have discussed it, and we will go with you."
Chen Ji raised an eyebrow: "When did you guys discuss this?"
Xiaoman replied, "Last night...right, little monk?"
The young monk paused for a moment, then said, "Ah...right, we discussed it last night."
Chen Ji asked in confusion, "You didn't plan to leave before."
“Times have changed,” Xiaoman shrugged. “I used to want to stay and live a better life. After being a maid for several years, I should be a wealthy man now. But now that Auntie’s businesses are all gone, what am I supposed to do here? I have to follow you. You gave away all those businesses, so you have to compensate me… Today I’ll use the remaining silver at home to buy some things, but it’s a bit conspicuous for the young master to swagger around from the capital. We’ll have to prepare them at the Zhang family’s estate outside the capital.”
Xiaoman counted on her fingers, thinking, "If I'm going on a long trip, what should I prepare... what should I prepare again?"
She paused, then suddenly realized she didn't know where to begin, and frantically clutched her sleeve.
The man tapped his pipe: "I'll do it. I've been thinking about this for a long time."
He placed his pipe on the stone table, stretched out one hand, and pressed down with his five fingers in sequence: "We must first prepare the carriages and horses."
Xiaoman hurriedly said, "We have horses. The ten horses His Majesty bestowed are still being kept at the Imperial Horse Stable outside Donghua Gate. We need to bring them out. But ten horses are too many. We'll keep six for the journey and exchange the remaining four for silver. We need to buy two carts, one for people and one for goods. Carts are expensive in the capital. We won't buy them in the city. We'll go to Changping and buy them there, which will save us 30%."
Erdao added, "The axle should be made of elm wood; willow wood doesn't withstand wear."
The man nodded and pressed down his second finger: "Next is winter clothing. Autumn is just around the corner, and it gets colder the further north you go. The official doesn't need to worry about it, but I, Erdao, the little monk, and the princess will definitely each have a thick cotton-padded coat and trousers, with windproof outer layers. Fur coats are too expensive, and we can't afford new ones, so we'll just go to a secondhand clothing store and find a few old ones that will keep us warm."
Xiaoman quickly took out a small notebook and a charcoal pencil from the kitchen to write it down.
The man pressed down his third finger: "Then comes the food: fried noodles, dried meat, and pickled vegetables. The fried noodles are made with oats, which are filling and can be eaten after just adding boiling water. For the dried meat, buy beef; pork doesn't keep as long. The pickled vegetables are made by the old ladies; they're so salty they won't spoil for a year."
Xiaoman nodded in agreement: "Bring plenty of salt, because salt will be very expensive after we cross the border."
The young monk whispered, "Please bring me some vegetarian food..."
The man pressed down his fourth finger: "Then comes the tools."
He glanced at Chen Ji: "Er Dao, Xiao Man, and I each need a short knife for self-defense. As for the whale knife that the boss has, I noticed a crack on the scabbard. There are some very famous scabbard makers in the capital. I'll go find one and finish it in a day." Chen Ji pondered for a moment: "No need. It's still usable."
The man didn't respond to that, and continued on his own: "We can't stay at the post station. We need to prepare two felt tents, one for the men and one for the women. The pots should be small iron pots with handles, so we can cook rice by hanging them over the fire. Each person should have a wooden bowl, so it won't break."
He paused for a moment: "Take a handful of fire-resistant strips and wrap them tightly in tung oil cloth."
Xiaoman finished writing and looked up: "Anything else?"
The man thought for a moment, then pressed down his fifth finger: "The last thing is money... How much is left at home?"
Xiaoman hesitated for a moment: "Eight hundred and forty taels."
The man smiled and said, "That's enough. When Erdao and I first arrived in the capital, we only had two hundred coins on us. Erdao, take out all our belongings and give them to Xiaoman to use."
Erdao didn't speak, but took out a cloth bag from his pocket and placed it on the table. Inside were three strings of Buddhist coins: "Four thousand seven hundred taels. These have nothing to do with Plum Blossom Ferry and Salt Certificates. They are the dividends from the peace money collected over the past few months. They are all here."
Chen Ji looked at the Buddhist ingots on the table, then looked up and glanced at the people in the courtyard. Seeing that no one asked him where he was going, he seriously put aside everything in the past and began to plan for the journey.
Xiaoman looked at him: "Young master, would you like to have a meal with Sister Xia before you leave? After all, we won't see each other again..."
At this moment, the door to the main room was gently pushed open, and Xiaoman's words came to an abrupt halt.
Bai Li was still wearing that Taoist robe. She looked at the little monk, then avoided his gaze.
Xiaoman asked curiously, "Why isn't the princess wearing the clothes I prepared for you?"
Bai Li said softly, "Thank you, Xiaoman, but I'm just used to wearing Taoist robes... Are you discussing something?"
Xiaoman's eyes darted around uncertainly.
Chen Ji interrupted, "Let's eat first. After we finish eating, we'll go get some things ready. Brother Pao and Erdao will accompany me and the princess to the cemetery."
……
……
After the meal, Xiaoman went out with her notebook in her pocket.
Chen Ji returned to the east wing and took the whale knife down from the shelf.
He pushed the blade open with his thumb, revealing half of his face reflected in the blade. The crack was three inches below the scabbard's guard; he hadn't even noticed it himself if the gang member hadn't pointed it out.
He took a deep breath, went outside, and said to the crowd, "Let's go."
The group hired an oxcart, on which were placed several jars of wine, neatly folded paper ingots, and stacks of white paper money. The oxcart traveled north, continuing north after exiting Anding Gate.
When they arrived at the cemetery, Chen Ji first found the graves of the fallen soldiers of the Imperial Guard and poured several jars of wine in front of the tombstones.
He lit a bonfire in front of the grave, throwing paper money and ingots into it as he whispered, "I don't know if I'll ever have the chance to come back and see you again. If not, please don't be upset. Consider this my farewell."
After he finished burning the paper money, he and Bai Li went to the mortuary in the cemetery, where some unclaimed corpses were kept, and the walls were covered with urns containing ashes.
Bai Li searched through the rows of urns containing ashes: "Her Majesty the Empress had someone mark Princess Yongchun's urn, so she must have wanted Princess Yongchun to be buried with Zhou Zhuoyuan... Strange, why can't I find it?"
Chen Ji pondered for a moment: "Could it be that they've already been taken away by the Empress's people, which is why they can't be found?"
Bai Li walked outside: "I need to go and take a look at Zhou Zhuoyuan's grave."
Chen Ji asked, "Where is Zhou Zhuoyuan buried?"
"Further north, at the northernmost part of the cemetery. After he died in Lingnan, the Zhou family secretly brought him back with money. It is said that they did not dare to carve his name on the tombstone."
When the two arrived at the north side of the cemetery, they saw a brand-new stone tablet standing alone, and the grave mound was made of freshly turned soil, without a single weed.
The inscription on the stone tablet reads: "Tomb of Zhou Zhuoyuan, Commander of the Imperial Guard, and Princess Zhu Chunxin, wife."
The characters were newly carved, with stone powder still embedded in the gaps between the strokes. At the foot of the stele, a withered wormwood was pressed down, wrapped with a faded red rope.
“It’s Aunt Yuanjin. She has already buried Princess Yongchun here,” Bai Li squatted down in front of the tombstone and traced the strokes of “Princess Yongchun” with her finger. “From now on, with Lord Zhou guarding you, no one will dare to bully you.”
A breeze blew across the barren slope north of the cemetery, carrying ashes from Zhou Zhuoyuan's old grave. The ashes clung to the withered wormwood branch, lingered for a moment, and then drifted away gently.
Bai Li stood up: "Let's go back..."
Just then, a rustling sound came from the bushes further north. Without hesitation, Chen Ji drew his sword and rushed forward, the blade slicing through the bushes and stopping at a man's neck: "Were you following us yesterday too?"
The man lying in the bushes was not afraid. He slowly stood up, the blade still on his neck: "It's me. I'm not following you, I'm following the princess."
Chen Ji looked the other person in the eye: "The Grand Canal Gang?"
The man said neither humbly nor arrogantly, "Lu Qi, the head of the Yangzhou Xiangtang branch of the Cao Gang, has something to say to the princess... Viscount Wu Xiang, would you dare to let me speak a few words with the princess alone?"
Chen Ji remained silent for a long time: "I'll give you the time it takes for an incense stick to burn." (End of Chapter)