Chapter 604
Imprisonment
Uncle Hu stood at the kitchen door, with a pot of boiling mutton soup behind him and firewood crackling in the stove.
He carefully examined Chen Ji; the other person stood calmly in the courtyard, as if nothing had happened.
But this wasn't the first time Master Hu had dealt with Chen Ji. He knew that the calmer the other party was, the bigger the matter was: "I haven't heard of any major incident in the capital. Why are you making arrangements for your funeral... because of the Qi family? I've also heard about the Qi family smearing you, but it doesn't matter if you have a little dirt on you. Everyone will forget about it in a few years."
Chen Ji smiled and said, "Third Master, don't guess. We've wanted to leave for a long time, but something kept us from leaving."
After a moment's thought, Uncle Hu said, "The sooner the better?"
Chen Ji hummed in agreement.
Uncle Hu asked no more questions. He went inside, put on his fur coat, picked up his nine-ringed sword and slung it at his waist: "Then let's go now. I'll personally escort you out of the city."
This time it was Chen Ji's turn to be surprised: "So fast?"
Old Master Hu sat on a stone bench in the courtyard, bending over to wrap his leg wraps: "We already had a batch of goods to be shipped out, so it wouldn't be a problem to go a day earlier. However, we can't go south as you suggested; we have to go north to Changping. With Zhao and Xiao Jiu there, they can take care of us if anything happens."
Chen Ji thought about it and agreed that this was indeed more thorough: "Okay... thank you."
Old Master Hu grinned, stood up, stamped his foot to make sure his leg wrappings were properly secured, and then said, “I know you never owe anyone favors, but you and Deng Huo have a life-or-death bond, so thank you for being so polite. Go and pack your things. Around noon, a caravan of mule carts will pass by outside Shaojiu Hutong. The caravan will not stop. The last cart will be empty for you. Just get on and don’t say a word.”
Chen Ji nodded: "Okay."
Just as he was about to leave, Third Master Hu grabbed his wrist.
Chen Ji turned around and asked, "What's wrong?"
Old Master Hu stared at him with the murky white of his eye: "Don't carry everything on your own. At home, you rely on your parents; outside, you rely on your friends. If you owe me a favor today, you'll have to repay me tomorrow. That's how everyone in the underworld has gotten by."
Chen Ji was silent for a moment, then smiled and said, "I know."
……
……
Chen Ji didn't go back to Shaojiu Hutong, but instead found a teahouse on Qipan Street and sat in a corner.
The teahouse was small, with seventeen or eighteen tables, all of which were packed.
A coal stove stood by the door, stuffed with honeycomb briquettes. A kettle of boiling water bubbled and steamed, while a waiter carried a tea tray and moved among the people, calling out, "Excuse me, excuse me."
Chen Ji ordered a pot of sorghum liquor and a plate of melon seeds. The waiter brought over a large copper kettle, poured boiling water into the bowl, and a jasmine fragrance filled the air.
He picked up the teacup and brought it to his lips but didn't drink. Instead, he listened to the sounds around him through the rising steam.
"Let me tell you, the Liang family's swordsmanship is truly amazing," a middle-aged man in a gray cotton robe slammed his hand on the table, spitting as he spoke. "My great-uncle saw Master Liang in action back in Luocheng. His swordsmanship could kill people from a distance. The head of the thief who was blocking the shipment flew off, and his body even took two steps forward before collapsing."
The young man at the table listened intently, leaning forward and asking, "That's amazing?"
The middle-aged man picked up his teacup, took a sip, and wiped his mouth with his sleeve: "How could it be fake? The Liang family's swordsmanship has been passed down for so many generations, and every generation has produced masters. It's a pity..."
He deliberately dragged out his words, leaving everyone in suspense.
The young man grew impatient: "What's a pity? Just tell me!"
The middle-aged man lowered his voice and said mysteriously, "It's a pity that Liang Gou'er and Liang Mao'er ran away with the heir of the Jing Prince's mansion. I heard that an old imperial physician from the Jing Prince's mansion was also with them."
"Ran away? Where did they go?"
The middle-aged man shrugged: "How would I know? Anyway, I went with Chen Ji to break into the prison, and then I disappeared without a trace."
Chen Ji took a small sip of tea.
He is now certain that the news must have leaked from She Dengke.
After the prison break, the Secret Service did not issue any arrest warrants. Outsiders should not have known that Liang Gou'er and Liang Mao'er were involved, nor should others have known that Old Man Yao was also among those who went with them.
However, it is unclear how these messages were leaked and how they reached the capital.
At this moment, the young man beside him asked the question that had been bothering him: "Where did you hear these rumors from?"
The middle-aged man picked up his teacup to moisten his throat: "It is said that after She Dengke broke into prison last year, he took several hundred taels of silver and a girl with him to seek refuge with relatives."
Chen Ji paused slightly in the hand holding the teacup.
The middle-aged man continued, "That She Dengke took his silver to stay with relatives, but his wealth was exposed. His relatives conspired with the villagers to set a trap for him on New Year's Eve last year. They first invited him to drink, and then they gambled with him. That silly boy She Dengke had never seen anything like that before. After a few rounds, he lost all of his hundreds of taels of silver."
A collective sigh rippled through the teahouse: "Several hundred taels of silver, lost just like that?"
The middle-aged man sighed, "He lost all his money. The girl argued with him, saying he was useless. He had planned to use the money to buy a dozen acres of land, but he gambled it all away. Later, the two of them struggled financially and argued every day. In the end, the girl left." Chen Ji lowered his head, looking at the tea leaves floating in his bowl, unsure whether the news was true or false.
Someone came over and asked, "Where did the girl go?"
The middle-aged man shook his head: "Who knows? Anyway, She Dengke searched for a long time but couldn't find him, so he went back to Luocheng to perform at banquets with his father and brothers. Once, he got drunk and someone at the banquet mentioned Chen Ji's affairs in the capital. He then bragged to people about how powerful he used to be, how he followed Chen Ji to break out of prison, save people, and see big scenes."
The young man asked curiously, "Is that how the story of the prison break started?"
The middle-aged man glanced around and lowered his voice: "The things he told were so detailed and convincing. How Chen Ji tricked his way into opening the inner prison gate, how he brought people out... He told it all as if it were the truth. If he hadn't experienced it firsthand, how could he have made up such a detailed story?"
The young man asked, "If Chen Ji's prison break is confirmed, what crime would he be charged with?"
The middle-aged man thought for a moment: "According to the laws of our Great Ning, anyone who breaks a prisoner's life, regardless of whether they are the ringleader or a follower, shall be beheaded. But Chen Ji's crime is not a simple prison break, but rather his involvement in Prince Jing's rebellion, which would mean the extermination of his entire family, including the Chen family. Moreover, many people will be implicated in this. It is said that when Prince Jing's heir escaped from Luoyang, he was helped by powerful figures... I heard it was the Zhang family. Zhang Zhuo was the prefect of Luoyang at that time."
Upon hearing this, Chen Ji downed his tea in one gulp, tossed a piece of silver on the table, and got up to leave.
When he returned to Shaojiu Hutong, the aroma of food wafted from the house. Pao Ge and Erdao had also returned and were packing up tents in the courtyard.
Xiaoman was humming a little tune as she cooked in the kitchen. Hearing the door open, she poked her head out with a spatula in her hand: "Young master, please wash your hands. Zhang Zheng and Sister Xia will be here soon after they pack their things. They're coming with us to Luocheng. Zhang Zheng said there are still many places in Luocheng that we haven't visited yet, and he'll take us there to play."
Xiaoman chattered on, "When we get to Luoyang, we can stay at the Zhang family's mansion instead of staying at an inn. The Zhang family also has properties in Jinling; I heard it's a very large garden right by the Qinhuai River..."
After listening for a long time, Chen Ji suddenly interrupted, "Let's not wait for them. Let's leave now. Deng Huo's mule cart will be here soon."
Xiaoman stood there, stunned, her spatula frozen in mid-air: "Didn't we agree to leave around 3 PM?"
As she spoke, she grew a little anxious: "I've already told Sister Xia that we're going to Luocheng together, how can we not wait for them? They'll be here soon, waiting a little while shouldn't be a problem. Young master, since the princess has left, and you and Sister Xia have already been married at Chongli Pass, perhaps..."
Just then, the sound of horses' hooves came from Shaojiu Hutong, and Wuyun meowed from the eaves.
Chen Ji lowered his eyes and said calmly, "Xiaoman, at Chongli Pass, Zhang Xia and I were just trying to cover our tracks; there was no romantic feeling between us. She didn't like me at first either. It was only after I saved her twice that she changed her mind. But gratitude is not love. Now I don't owe her anything, and she doesn't owe me anything. Don't try to match us up."
Chen Ji looked up at Xiao Man: "Have you forgotten? We are sworn brothers and sisters."
The sound of horses' hooves outside the door stopped, and Zhang Xia and Zhang Zheng stood side by side, leading their horses.
They were separated by only a gray-tiled roof and a white wall, yet it felt like there was a chasm between them.
Zhang Zheng was about to rush into the courtyard to argue with Chen Ji, but Zhang Xia grabbed his wrist tightly and held him in place. The next moment, Zhang Xia took Zaozao's hand, turned around and left, jumping off the horse and galloping away into the distance.
Hearing the sound of horses' hooves, Xiaoman hurriedly chased after them out of the courtyard, shouting, "Sister Xia!"
In the courtyard, the young monk looked into Chen Ji's eyes, put his hands together, and said, "Amitabha."
Chen Ji looked at him and said, "Don't say anything, just pack your things."
After saying that, he went into the main room alone and closed the door tightly.
The young monk looked to the gangster for help: "Benefactor Chen Chong, please persuade Benefactor Chen Ji."
The man stopped what he was doing, dusted off his hands, and sighed, "This boss is the kind of person who never wants to owe anyone anything. He needs someone who can't be pushed away or broken up; no one else can persuade him otherwise."
Just then, the sound of armor and chaotic footsteps approached from afar, surrounding the area near Shaojiu Hutong.
Before the gang members could react, the Five Cities Military Command stormed into Shaojiu Alley. A Vice Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, holding a warrant, led a group of Five Cities Military Command infantrymen, shoving and pushing Xiaoman into the courtyard.
The Vice Censor-in-Chief announced loudly, "By order of the Censorate, we are to apprehend the wanted criminal Chen Ji. No one is to act rashly."
More than twenty soldiers surrounded the gang members, leaving no room for them. Xiaoman said in a deep voice, "This is the residence of Viscount Wuxiang. What right do you have to barge in?"
The Vice Censor-in-Chief didn't even glance at her, his gaze fixed on the tightly closed door of the main room: "Viscount Wu Xiang, regarding the case of the prison break in Luocheng, there are witness testimonies here. The Right Vice Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate has already informed His Majesty, and I am here on the orders of the Censorate to arrest you and bring you to trial by the three judicial departments."
There was no sound from the main room.
The courtyard fell silent, save for the breathing of the soldiers from the five cities. The Vice Censor-in-Chief, growing impatient, waved his hand: "Break down the gate!"
Just as the two soldiers were about to step forward, the door to the main room suddenly opened.
Chen Ji stood at the door, still wearing that single layer of clothing.
He glanced at the crowded foot soldiers in the courtyard, then at the travel permit in the Vice Censor-in-Chief's hand, and finally fixed his gaze on the Vice Censor-in-Chief: "Let's go."
The Vice Censor-in-Chief was taken aback; he hadn't expected Chen Ji to agree so readily.
Chen Ji walked out without looking back. As he exited the alley, he saw Qi Zhenzhuo sitting on his horse, wearing the armor of the commander of the Five Cities Garrison, looking at him with a complicated expression.
In a secluded corner, unnoticed, a dark cloud, carrying a newly written letter, leaped onto a rooftop and strode westward across the tiles. (End of Chapter)