Chapter 628
You Sleep on the Floor
All good things must come to an end. The drinking lasted from noon until late afternoon, and everyone was completely drunk until the thick cotton curtain was lifted.
The wind and snow poured in from outside the door. Someone, with hazy eyes from drinking, squinted and saw light shining in from outside the door, making the figures standing in front of the door only dark outlines, their expressions unclear.
Wearing a straw hat and a raincoat, he relieved his worries and protected himself.
Holding a ochre-yellow imperial edict, Changxiu said with a smile, "Have you all finished drinking? If so, I shall read the imperial edict... Imperial Guards, listen to my decree."
The Imperial Guards lay prostrate on the ground, their armor clattering loudly. Li Xuan announced in a clear voice, "Your subject, Li Xuan, Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Guards, receives your decree."
Changxiu drew out her delicate voice and proclaimed loudly, "By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees..."
The next moment, Changxiu's voice turned cold: "Get out of here and go to Guyuan. So be it."
This was the first time Chen Ji had ever heard such a short imperial edict. Li Xuan, Qi Zhenzhuo, and the others exchanged bewildered glances: "This imperial edict..."
Changxiu smiled and said, "Lord Li, what are you standing there for? Accept the imperial decree."
Li Xuan stepped forward and held the imperial edict in his hands. He carefully unfolded it and glanced at it, then paused, as if he had seen something extraordinary. He quickly closed the edict and stuffed it into his robes.
Duo Bao whispered, "The fewer the words, the bigger the matter. Let's go."
Qi Zhenzhuo hurriedly said, "Yes, yes, let's go quickly."
Li Xuan suddenly exhaled a long breath of stale air: "Wait."
He picked up a bowl of wine: "Drink the last three bowls before you leave."
Having said that, he faced north and drank the first bowl of wine in one gulp: "The first bowl is to honor my deceased brother. Drink it all."
Qi Zhenzhuo and the others also raised their wine bowls: "Drink up!"
Chen Ji picked up the wine jar beside him and took a big gulp.
Li Xuan filled the wine bowl to the brim, then knelt down facing Zhou Chong and the others' parents: "The second bowl is for you, my dear parents, for I did not bring you back alive."
Qi Zhenzhuo and the others were stunned for a moment, then drank their fill, lifted their robes, and knelt down. Chen Ji also took a sip of wine and knelt down.
Zhou Chong and the others' parents wept uncontrollably: "It's good that you can come back on your own. Guyuan is too hard. Take good care of yourselves."
Li Xuan agreed, then stood up, filled the third bowl, and drank it all in one gulp: "This third bowl is to myself. I have wasted more than twenty years in the capital, like a caged bird, living in a daze, unable to see beyond the horizon. Now I have suddenly realized that a fine man should make achievements and die on the battlefield. I will go to Guyuan and never return to the capital until the Jing Dynasty is defeated."
The three bowls of wine were finished.
Suddenly, the member of the gang asked, "Can Erdao and I go to Guyuan with you?"
Chen Ji was taken aback.
Everyone looked over and saw the drunken man grinning and mocking himself: "I thought I was old enough not to act impulsively like a young man, but I still couldn't help myself."
He looked at Chen Ji and said, "Master, the capital doesn't need me anymore. I plan to go with them to Guyuan, that godforsaken place, and see what's good for me. If it's good, I'll stay there; if it's not, I'll come back to you."
Chen Ji was silent for a moment: "Okay."
The man picked up a bowl of wine and drank it all in one gulp, then called out loudly, "Does the shopkeeper have pen and ink?"
Thirteen asked in confusion, "What do you need pen and ink for, sir?"
The gangster laughed heartily: "We can't just drink your wine for nothing; we'll leave you something to go down in history."
Thirteen beckoned to the backyard, and immediately someone brought over pen and ink.
The gangster pushed a table to the white wall of the main hall of Bianyifang and wrote: "Manjianghong".
Li Xuan and Qi Zhenzhuo exchanged bewildered glances, unsure of the Gelaohui's intentions.
The next moment, the brother continued writing: "My hair stands on end in anger, I lean on the railing as the rain subsides. I raise my eyes, look up at the sky and roar, my heart filled with fierce passion."
Li Xuan's expression turned solemn.
But then Thirteen raised the tray high, and the member of the Gelaohui (a secret society) refilled the tray with ink, picked up his brush, and continued writing: "Twenty years of fame and glory are but dust and dirt, eight thousand miles of road are but clouds and moon. Do not idly let your youthful head turn white, only to be filled with empty sorrow!"
Li Xuan stared blankly, then suddenly felt his face wet. He wiped it with his hand, but didn't know when the tears had flowed.
The member of the secret society rolled up his sleeves and continued writing: "The shame of Zhengde has yet to be avenged. The hatred of the subjects, when will it end? I will drive a long chariot and shatter the Qu Wu Mountain pass. With lofty ambition, I will feast on the flesh of the traitors when hungry, and laughingly drink the blood of the enemy when thirsty."
As the members of the secret society wrote, Qi Zhenzhuo and others read it aloud in low voices. When they reached the last sentence, their voices grew louder and louder: "Let's start anew, reclaim our lost lands, and face the imperial palace!"
Li Xuan said, "Good! Let's start anew, reclaim our lost lands, and return to the imperial palace! Let's drink to our hearts' content!"
The Imperial Guards all raised their bowls, then smashed them on the ground.
The Gelaohui wrote the last sentence: "Chen Chong once again puts pen to paper."
He jumped off the table, threw the brush into the tray, and said to Thirteen with a smile, "If anyone asks, just say that Da Ning Cilong Chen Chong wrote this specially for the Imperial Guards."
Thirteen beamed: "With this poem, 'Man Jiang Hong,' I'm afraid the threshold of my Bianyifang will be worn down by the crowds. I wish all the generals a resounding victory!"
Changxiu clicked his tongue in amazement, then walked over to the Pao Ge, took out two finger-length jade slips from his sleeve and handed them to him: "This is a gift from the Inner Minister. He originally instructed me to give it to you privately as compensation for your involvement, but now it seems I have to give it to you directly. The other one is for this Brother Erdao."
Chen Ji knew that the other party was referring to the matter of exonerating Prince Jing, and that the Pao Ge and Er Dao were also affected by this.
The man took the jade slip and scratched his head with his little finger: "What is this?"
Changxiu said meaningfully, "The path to officialdom is 'The Literary Mind and the Carving of Dragons'... I'm afraid the Gelaohui (a secret society) is writing its final work a bit too early."
The gangster laughed heartily: "No problem, no problem, I can still write dozens more times."
“Let’s go,” Li Xuan said, walking towards the door, his white cloak opening and closing like a fan behind him. At that moment, Chen Ji called out to them from behind, “Wait a minute!”
Li Xuan turned around in confusion: "What?"
Chen Ji took a deep breath: "Wait for me... Xiaoman, get me five hundred taels of silver."
Xiaoman gave an "oh," obediently took a string of Buddhist coins from her wrist and handed it over: "What does young master need..."
Before he could finish speaking, Chen Ji ran wildly into the snow. When he returned, he was holding the Li Family Flying White Sword, which he had just redeemed from the pawnshop.
Li Xuan stared blankly at the Flying White Sword: "Didn't I tear up the pawn ticket?"
Chen Ji smiled and said, "I kept the pieces you tore in half that day. How can I go to Guyuan without a suitable weapon?"
Li Xuan took the Flying White Sword, pushed the blade aside with his thumb, and stared at the sliver of cold light.
He exhaled a breath of alcohol: "I originally thought I would never use this family heirloom Flying White Sword again, but I never expected to get it back. Thank you."
Chen Ji patted his arm: "You originally pawned the Flying White Sword to help me, so it's only right that I redeem it for you."
Li Xuan stared at Chen Ji: "This year, I'm so glad I met you, otherwise I would have continued to live in a daze... Why don't you come with us? With you in Guyuan, we feel more at ease."
Chen Ji subconsciously glanced back at Zhang Xia, then smiled and shook his head: "I can't leave yet."
Li Xuan smiled knowingly: "Then, come visit us in Guyuan when you have time. By then, we'll be old-timers in Guyuan, so let's do our best to be good hosts."
Chen Ji extended his hand: "It's a deal."
Li Xuan shook his hand: "It's a deal."
The Imperial Guards led their warhorses from the stables, and Li Xuan shouted, "Mount up!"
Amidst the clatter of armor, the Imperial Guards mounted their horses in unison. Li Xuan sat upright on his horse, letting the heavy snow fall onto his shoulders.
He clasped his hands in a fist salute to Chen Ji and said, "Take care! This journey will take you thousands of miles through the yellow sands, and I do not ask when I will return!"
Chen Ji stood in the heavy snow, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and said, "Take care."
Li Xuan turned his horse and rode off: "Let's go!"
Qi Zhenzhuo spurred his horse to catch up, turning back reluctantly: "Take care, Master. We'll meet again someday with fame and fortune, and I'll never let you look down on me again!"
Chen Ji stood there, watching the Imperial Guards gallop into the snow, and whispered, "Take care."
……
……
As the sun set and the guests departed, only a long, white street remained.
Xiaoman quickly pulled the little monk westward: "Young master, you and Sister Xia should go home. We'll go back to Shaojiu Alley tonight to pack our things, and then go to the Zhang residence tomorrow."
Chen Ji raised his hand to stop him: "Hey..."
Before she could finish speaking, Xiaoman had already pulled the others away and disappeared.
Like anyone who has experienced a great deal of noise, Chen Ji was at a loss, not knowing where to go.
Zhang Xia led Zaozao from the stable and glanced at him: "Come with me."
"it is good."
Neither of them rode horses, nor did they speak. They simply led Zaozao out of Qipan Street and turned into Xuanwumen Street. The Xu family's Zhenyuan Garden was located on this street, and the Zhang family's residence was adjacent to it.
Zhang Xia walked to the front of the Zhang residence, picked up the copper ring, and struck it, but the gate remained closed for a long time.
After waiting a while, the vermilion gate finally opened, and Madam Zhang stood inside, glancing at the two of them sideways: "Come in."
Along the way, the servants and maids of the Zhang family bowed and greeted the young lady and her husband.
This was the first time Chen Ji had ever heard someone address him like that, and he didn't react for a moment.
Madam Zhang led the two through the long courtyard. Chen Ji had no interest in looking around the Zhang residence until Madam Zhang stopped at a small garden: "From now on, you two will live here. The east and west wing rooms are still empty, you can arrange them as you like."
After saying that, Madam Zhang left without looking back, not in the mood to say another word.
Zhang Xia went inside first, pushed open the main room door, and saw that everything inside had been changed to red silk, and the candles had also been changed to red. On the octagonal table facing the main door, there were two cups and a pot of nuptial wine.
The two sat down at the octagonal table and remained there for almost half an hour, until the red candles were nearly burned out, without either of them speaking first.
The red candle suddenly went out, and in the darkness, Chen Ji spoke: "You..."
Zhang Xia: "You..."
Chen Ji quickly said, "You go first."
Zhang Xia remained silent for a long time before saying, "You sleep on the floor."
Chen Ji opened his mouth but couldn't speak for a long time before finally replying, "Okay."
……
……
Volume 8, The Moon and the Sun, Complete. (End of Chapter)