Chapter 583
The Long Judgment
"You dare to let me speak with the princess?" Lu Qi looked Chen Ji up and down, seemingly not expecting that Chen Ji would actually dare to let him speak with Bai Li.
Chen Ji slowly sheathed the whale knife: "She is free. It is her freedom to talk to whomever she wants. I will not stop her."
Lü Qi's expression shifted between light and dark: "Do you know what I want to say to the princess? What do you think the princess will think if she knew about the sordid things you've done?"
Chen Ji did not answer immediately.
He glanced back and saw Bai Li standing in front of the grave, looking at him, the contours of her face softened by the sunlight.
Chen Ji withdrew his gaze and remained silent for a long time before replying, "I cannot silence public opinion. Since I have done it, I am prepared to be known by others."
Lu Qi took a deep breath. The four pillars of the Cao Gang had made many plans, such as how to use a feint to lure Chen Ji away, and where to secretly contact Bai Li. Last night, they split into four groups and practiced three times, but now none of them were needed.
He felt somewhat irritable and inexplicably stifled.
Lu Qi looked at Chen Ji and said stiffly, "I would like to ask Viscount Wu Xiang to stay away. My secrets can only be told to the princess."
Chen Ji didn't speak, but retreated ten feet with the whale-shaped blade in his hand. He stood under a withered jujube tree, the hem of his robe fluttering in the wind before falling back down.
Once Lü Qi was sure Chen Ji was far away, he stepped forward and respectfully bowed to the princess, saying, "Greetings to the leader."
Bai Li frowned slightly, seemingly surprised that the other party would address her like that: "Sect Leader?"
Lu Qi said in a low voice, "Before coming to the capital this time, the old gang leader Han Tong was determined to succeed or die trying. He specifically told me that he might not be able to escape unscathed. If something happens to him, you, as the only surviving descendant of the Wen family, will become the leader of the Cao Gang. All 120,000 brothers of the Cao Gang will follow you to the death."
Bai Li didn't rush to reply, but simply looked down at the words on the tombstone, lost in thought.
Lu Qi had already changed his form of address: "Chief, the old chief instructed us that if he were imprisoned, we must not go to rescue him, lest more members die at the hands of the eunuch party's henchmen. Now, six of the four pillars and eight pillars are still lying low in the capital, and they can help you leave the capital tonight. We will leave from Nanshuiguan and arrive in Jinling in seven days by fast boat."
As he said this, he raised his eyelids and glanced quickly at the white carp.
Bai Li's profile was serene. Sunlight fell on her cheeks like a thin layer of old silk, revealing neither sorrow nor joy beneath.
She didn't look at Lü Qi, but said softly, "I have no intention of becoming the leader of this gang, nor do I have the ability to take care of more than 100,000 people. You should find someone more capable."
Lu Qi's eyes widened, and he couldn't help but reveal some of the truth: "The leader of the Canal Gang has always been a member of the Wen family, how can that be changed? You don't know, the old leader is still in prison, and there are already people vying for the position of leader, with no intention of rescuing him... You must step forward to set things right, otherwise the Canal Gang will fall into chaos. If no one goes to rescue the old leader, this huge family business will be destroyed by the eunuch faction."
Bai Li looked into the distance and said, "You all say he is my father, but clearly the one who taught me to read and write, played with me, and cared about my well-being from a young age was not him. I have no intention of blaming him, but simply to express my feelings. The real father in my heart is gone."
Lu Qi grew anxious and stepped forward, saying, "Chief, the old chief also cares about you. In those years, no matter how big the matter was, he would always rush to Luo City on your birthday, but he also had his reasons..."
The white carp said no more.
Seeing that Bai Li remained silent, Lü Qi pondered for a moment, then lowered his voice and tentatively asked, "Does the leader not want to avenge the Empress?"
Bai Li's eyelashes fluttered slightly, and her fingers curled up a little.
Lü Qi continued, “The Empress treated you like her own daughter, and we know you must want to avenge her. But the one who drove her to her death wasn't Consort Xue; the one who truly wanted the Empress dead was that person in Renshou Palace. Our Cao Gang has men and money. Once you've gathered the old leader's former followers, we can go south to win over the hearts of the people, recruit soldiers, and wait for the Jing Dynasty to launch a major southward invasion. Then we'll rise up and overthrow the Zhu family's empire. At that time, we'll hang the Emperor's head above the Meridian Gate to pay tribute to the Empress…”
The white carp turned its head and looked at the withered jujube tree ten feet away.
Chen Ji stood there, the wind lifting the hem of his robe, then letting it fall back down.
He did nothing, nor did he eavesdrop; he simply stood there, neither sad nor happy, as if allowing everything to happen.
Following Bai Li's gaze, Lü Qi immediately whispered, "Chief, don't be fooled by this scoundrel. He joined the eunuch faction in Luocheng and once put the old chief in danger. This time in the capital, Zhu Xiao, one of the four pillars and eight pillars, died at the hands of this scoundrel, and the old chief was also personally arrested and imprisoned by him. This scoundrel is vicious, so please be very careful."
Bai Li shook his head and denied it, saying, "Impossible, there must be a misunderstanding. You have never been with him, yet you only look at him with worldly eyes, and you condemn him by labeling him as a member of the eunuch faction."
Seeing her disbelief, Lü Qi recounted the events that had transpired: "A while ago, Chen Ji wanted to see the old gang leader, so he asked Qi Gong of the Three Mountains Society to act as an intermediary. The old gang leader made a deal with him: if he could kill Consort Xue, the old gang leader would go to see him. That night, Consort Xue died suddenly in the palace. The old gang leader, as promised, sent Zhu Xiao to fetch him, but on the way, he discovered traces of the eunuch faction. The old gang leader took the opportunity to ask him how he killed Consort Xue, but he couldn't answer. The old gang leader suspected that he was colluding with the eunuch faction, and that Consort Xue's death was also a long-term scheme by the eunuch faction to catch a big fish, so he simply didn't meet with him."
Lu Qi took a deep breath: "This lad is incredibly skilled. He managed to deduce the old gang leader's hiding place from the slightest clues. That very night, he led a group of eunuchs, including White Dragon, Golden Pig, Heavenly Horse, Black Serpent, Treasure Monkey, Bright Rabbit, and Cloud Sheep, to the gate of Chongxing Temple and arrested the old gang leader. His collusion with the eunuchs is beyond doubt. Gang leader, this is not something I made up; everyone in the city knows about it. The Three Mountains Society has also severed ties with him because of this incident and removed him from the martial arts world."
The white carp frowned and remained silent.
Thinking he had persuaded her, Lü Qi pressed his advantage, saying, "The old gang leader has been searching for your mother's whereabouts for the past year. They had originally agreed on seven escape routes, and the old gang leader sent us, his trusted confidants, to wait along those routes, but we still haven't seen her."
Lu Qi glanced at Bai Li: "The old gang leader suspects that your mother may have also fallen into the hands of the eunuch faction, and may be imprisoned in some inner prison... or even have unfortunately died, otherwise she wouldn't have remained missing. The traitor Chen Ji had too much contact with the eunuch faction when he was in Luocheng, and may know something. In three days, on the Double Ninth Festival, the gang leader can lure Chen Ji to Chongnan Ward, and we can capture him and torture him to find out your mother's whereabouts."
Bai Li instinctively said, "No."
Lu Qi asked in confusion, "What?"
Bai Li's eyelashes trembled slightly. Her voice was soft, yet like a fine needle, piercing Lü Qi's words into silence: "I said, no."
Lu Qi stepped forward and said urgently, "Chief, if you don't believe me, you can go to the marketplace and ask around. I have not uttered a single falsehood. Otherwise, call him over now for a face-to-face confrontation, and I'll hear what he has to say!"
Bai Li said decisively, "That's enough."
Lu Qi was too close, and Bai Li's originally slightly curled hand suddenly opened, unleashing an invisible force that pushed Lu Qi back more than ten steps before he could regain his footing. Lu Qi hesitated for a moment, then stepped forward and bowed, saying, "It was my presumption. But when did you establish the official gate?"
……
……
Chen Ji stood silently under the jujube tree, waiting.
He watched from afar as Lü Qi sometimes whispered and sometimes became agitated. He could guess what Lü Qi was going to say, but his heart remained unmoved.
Those complex feelings seemed to have been carried away by time, and he was just waiting for a verdict that was nine months in the past.
When Bai Li used the official gate to refuse Lü Qi's entry, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes. Wu Yun had indeed said that Bai Li seemed to be cultivating. He thought that the Empress had found an ordinary official gate for Bai Li to rely on, but he did not expect it to be so extraordinary, nor did he expect that the other party's cultivation progress would be so fast.
After an unknown amount of time, Lü Qi hurriedly left, and Bai Li stood there for a long time. Chen Ji did not approach, but waited for her to make a decision.
He quietly watched the white carp; the two were only ten feet apart, yet they seemed worlds apart.
The next moment, the white carp walked towards him.
The two stood facing each other, and this time it was Bai Li who broke the silence first: "Can you take me to see the Tianqiao Bridge? When I was a child in the Prince's Mansion, my mother didn't allow girls to go out and hang out. I always heard my brother say that the Tianqiao Bridge was very lively, but I never had the chance to see it."
Chen Ji was somewhat surprised, but agreed: "Okay."
They drove the oxcart back to the capital. No one spoke a word along the way. Erdao dozed off, while the Gelaohui member smoked his pipe.
The sun was already setting when the oxcart entered the city.
The gang leader drove the cart to a side alley south of the overpass and reined it in: "Boss, it looks like we should be leaving soon. Erdao and I need to go and tell the gang members something. We'll meet in Shaojiu Alley three days from now on the Double Ninth Festival."
Chen Ji nodded and jumped off the cart. Bai Li followed him down and stood at the alley entrance, looking out.
The overpass was more bustling than she had imagined.
The variety show stalls stood side by side, with performers outside banging gongs and shouting, "Those with money, please support us financially; those without, please support us with your presence!" Food vendors carrying loads of food weaved through the crowd, people jostling and bumping into each other.
The white carp stood there, staring blankly for a long time.
Chen Ji walked to her side: "Where do you want to start?"
Bai Li thought for a moment, then pointed to a circle of people not far away: "That one."
Looking over, Chen Ji saw that it was a candy seller.
A middle-aged man sat on a small stool in front of him, with a charcoal stove in front of him and a copper pot on the stove, where golden syrup was simmering. He held a bamboo skewer in his left hand and used a copper ladle in his right hand to scoop up the syrup. With a flick of his wrist, the syrup fell onto the stone slab in front of him, forming thin threads.
It's a drawing of a little tiger.
He used sugar threads to outline the tiger's shape on the stone slab—ears, nose, eyes, and then a long tail. Finally, he pressed it up with a bamboo skewer, gently pried it open with a spatula, and a transparent sugar tiger stood upright.
The white carp stood beside it, watching intently.
The sugar figurine maker looked up at her: "Young lady, would you like one?"
Bai Li thought for a moment and asked, "How much is this?"
The sugar figurine maker smiled and said, "Fifteen coins."
Bai Li had no money on him, so he opened his palm to Chen Ji: "Give me money. Give me back the toll money you swindled from me back then."
Chen Ji was slightly taken aback. In that instant, he felt as if he had returned to that bright afternoon in Luo City, and to the East Market outside White Robe Alley.
He smiled and took a silver ingot from his sleeve, placing it in her palm: "Do you remember how many taels of silver I cheated you out of?"
Bai Li took the silver and handed it to the sugar figurine maker, pouting, "I don't remember, but it was a lot."
She took the sugar tiger from the sugar sculptor and held it up to her eyes for a long time. Sunlight filtered through the sugar syrup, turning the tiger's outline a transparent amber color. After looking at it for a long time, she turned and handed the tiger to Chen Ji: "Here you go."
Chen Ji was stunned for a moment: "I don't want to."
Bai Li didn't pull his hand back; he just held it up like that.
Chen Ji looked at the candy tiger and finally took it. The candy tiger felt almost weightless in his hand: "Aren't you going to eat it?"
"I don't have any appetite right now," Bai Li said, looking down at the tips of her shoes. After a while, she looked up and smiled, saying, "Let's go, let's wander around somewhere else. We can go back when we're tired." (End of Chapter)