Chapter 642
New Year Greetings
After Chenshi (7-9 AM), the Zhang residence suddenly became busy.
Madam Zhang greeted guests at the Zhang family's gate, barely having a chance to go back inside to rest. Chen Ji and Zhang Xia were busy collecting New Year's gifts and giving return gifts, keeping them constantly on their feet.
Officials from the Six Ministries, the Office of Transmission, the Six Offices of Censors, the Five City Garrison, the Imperial Household Department, the Hanlin Academy—every yamen in the capital that could be thought of came.
Even the Buddhist and Taoist Registries were no exception.
The guests gradually thinned out by noon.
Chen Ji leaned against the door frame of the ceremonial gate, watching Madam Zhang's back as she chatted with someone not far away, and let out a long sigh: "It must be because the news of Prince Fu's visit to the Zhang family has spread that officials and nobles from the capital came to give us belated New Year's gifts. They were afraid it would be too late if they were even a day late."
Zhang Xia leaned against the other side of the ceremonial gate and hummed in agreement: "Among the thirty-four emperors of the Ning Dynasty, there has never been a disabled person who ascended the throne. The Crown Prince has a leg disability and is no longer eligible for the throne. On the other hand, Prince Fu is working diligently in the south. He is not only the Empress's legitimate son, but also has the Hu family backing him..."
She turned to look at Chen Ji: "After Prince Fu returned to the capital, he didn't go to the palace immediately but came to our house instead. It's hard not to speculate. It's a pity they don't know that Prince Fu didn't come to the Zhang family to pay New Year's respects, but to see you."
Zhang Xia looked at her mother's back again: "Mother will be happier now. Only two vice ministers from the Ministry of Personnel came this morning. She didn't say anything, but she must have been unhappy. Now the house is bustling with visitors. Although it's tiring, this is the dignity she wants."
At this moment, Madam Zhang turned back from the door and saw Chen Ji and Zhang Xia leaning against the door frame. She slowly put away her smile and said calmly, "Old tailor Liu will be here this afternoon. You two should take your measurements. Nuan Chun, go to the storeroom this afternoon and find that bolt of black kesi silk. Cut half of it to make a new robe for your son-in-law. He looks more dashing in black than gray."
Warm spring prompted him to readily agree.
Zhang Xia watched his mother walk into the mansion and teased, "There aren't many pieces of kesi (silk tapestry) in the mansion, and there's only one piece of black kesi, with a dark pattern of cranes and auspicious clouds. My mother originally saved it for my father to make for his everyday clothes when he was promoted to the first rank, but now she's willing to give it to you to use."
Chen Ji smiled and said, "Since it's so valuable, I'll just exchange it for a piece of ordinary cloth."
“Don’t disappoint her,” Zhang Xia straightened up and whistled to Zao Zao, “I have a polo game scheduled for this afternoon…”
Chen Ji asked in confusion, "The snow hasn't melted yet, and you want to play polo?"
Zhang Xia casually explained, "It was arranged a long time ago, and no one expected it to snow these past few days."
Chen Ji asked calmly, "Who did you invite?"
Zhang Xia said nonchalantly, "You wouldn't recognize me even if I told you."
Chen Ji smiled and said, "Those who can play polo with you must be close friends. I'll get to know them sooner or later."
Zhang Xia thought for a moment and said, "The siblings Zheng Zeyi and Zheng Xi from Xingyang, Yang Yang's fifth sister Yang Shu, and the two sisters Li Tuan and Li Yuan from Longxi, are all people I met at the Imperial Academy in my early years."
Chen Ji seemed to be thinking, "Why don't I go with you? I've never played polo before."
Zhang Xia glanced at him: "Do you still remember the three rules we agreed on in Los Angeles?"
Chen Ji was taken aback, then laughed and said, "I remember that day you rode Zao Zao to the door, dressed in red and wearing a red jade hairpin, and said to me, 'I don't care where you want to go or what you want to do in the future.'"
Zhang Xia smiled and said, "It's good that you remember. I don't care where you want to go or what you want to do."
However, at that moment, Chen Ji stretched out a hand in front of Zhang Xia.
Zhang Xia, holding Zao Zao's reins, asked in confusion, "What are you doing?"
Chen Ji said matter-of-factly, "You said it yourself that day: as long as I don't go to brothels or gambling dens, you'll give me money to spend every month."
Zhang Xia's eyes widened: "How can you remember so clearly?"
Chen Ji smiled and said, "You have to keep your word. Give me the money."
Zhang Xia reluctantly took a string of Buddhist coins from her sleeve and stuffed them into Chen Ji's hand: "This is the six hundred taels of silver that Mother gave me a few days ago."
Chen Ji wore it on his wrist: "A man of his word, I admire you."
Zhang Xia rolled his eyes, mounted his horse, and left through the side gate of the Zhang residence.
Chen Ji watched silently, and as soon as Zhang Xia's figure disappeared from sight, he immediately chased after her through the side door.
He stood outside the side gate, listening to the direction the horse's hooves were heading... south.
There are only four places in the capital to play polo: Tianshi'an Grassland, Licaolan Grassland, Zhongfu Grassland, and Mingzhifang Grassland, all located in the east of the inner city.
However, Zhang Xia did not head east after leaving the Zhang residence; instead, he headed south.
wrong.
This isn't the direction to play polo.
……
……
Chen Ji didn't follow too closely.
Zhang Xia's horse was fast, but Zaozao was tall and large, and the horseshoes on its hooves were also larger than those of ordinary horses, making it very easy to spot in the snow.
Chen Ji followed the hoofprints through the Xuanwu Gate. He had just stepped out when he took a step back and retreated into the shadows of the gate.
Zaozao was found tied up in front of Li's donkey meat sandwich shop, but Zhang Xia was nowhere to be seen.
Chen Ji waited silently until he saw Zhang Xia leave with a donkey meat sandwich.
strangeness.
Chen Ji peered at the donkey meat sandwich shop from afar. Was it really that delicious? This time, as soon as Zhang Xia stepped out, he urged Zao Zao to gallop away, continuing south.
Chen Ji waited a while longer before chasing the hoofprints for two blocks. Just then, a carriage carved with hibiscus flowers came from the opposite direction and ran right over Zao Zao's hoofprints.
The carriage was extremely fast, and the driver was very domineering. He didn't even try to avoid Chen Ji when he saw him from afar, but just shouted, "Get out of the way!"
Chen Ji turned to the side, and the carriage drove past him.
After the carriage left, he frowned and chased after it again, all the way to Mule and Horse Market Street. However, the endless stream of carriages and horses in the outer city had already turned the snow into slush, making it impossible to recognize Zaozao's hoofprints.
Chen Ji stood on Luomashi Street, looking east and west repeatedly. Ox carts and pedestrians kept passing by, but he could no longer see that red figure.
We lost them.
Chen Ji remained in the same spot, lost in thought.
If he wanted to shake off his pursuers after the heavy snow, he would definitely choose to go this way.
But this is not Zhang Xia's destination. After shaking off her tailers, she will definitely return to where she originally wanted to go... Where will she go?
Upon realizing this, Chen Ji immediately returned to the inner city through Xuanwu Gate and headed straight for the Taiye Pond.
He stood in Shibei Hutong, opposite Taiye Pond, found a noodle shop with a view of Taiye Pond, and sat down by the window: "Waiter, a bowl of vegetarian noodles, please."
The shop assistant replied, "Please wait a moment, sir."
Chen Ji rubbed his chopsticks while looking towards Taiye Pond.
Inside the noodle shop, someone was saying excitedly, "Don't be fooled by the arrogance of Viscount Chen Ji of Wuxiang before. Now that he's fallen on hard times, he can only be a live-in son-in-law in the Zhang family, and his children will have to take the Zhang family's surname."
The middle-aged man opposite him sneered, "So this is what they mean by karma. Just you wait and see, he won't stay in the Zhang family for long."
Suddenly, someone in the corner chimed in, "I don't think so."
Chen Ji paused for a moment with his chopsticks, but did not turn his head.
The one who answered was an old man wearing a gray cotton-padded jacket, with gray hair, and in front of him was a bowl of plain noodles and a small dish of pickled radishes.
He slowly picked up a slice of radish: "Do you know how many families no longer have to sell their children after Li's Pawnshop went bankrupt?"
The young man disagreed: "Even if he did the right thing, it doesn't change the fact that he's a member of the eunuch faction. Colluding with the corrupt prime minister and Wu Xiu, helping the eunuch faction frame loyal officials, that's a done deal, isn't it? The three judicial departments have already sentenced him."
The old man finally looked up at him and asked, "Young man, who is this loyal and virtuous man you're talking about?"
The young man said confidently, "It must be Qing Wentao and Prince Jing."
The old man picked up another slice of pickled radish: "Prince Jing was exonerated, and General Wen Taoqing was also exonerated. But on the day Prince Jing was exonerated, who stood up in the Ministry of Justice to confess? It was Wu Xiu from the eunuch faction. Wu Xiu used his own life to overturn the wrongful convictions of Prince Jing and General Wen Taoqing. Chen Ji was stripped of his title because he broke into the inner prison in Luocheng, specifically the one where Prince Jing was imprisoned. If he wanted to frame Prince Jing, why would he break into the prison... Don't you agree?"
The young man and the middle-aged man exchanged a glance, and the middle-aged man pondered, "That makes some sense."
The young man looked at Chen Ji: "Hey, young man, what do you think?"
Chen Ji smiled and shook his head: "I don't know."
The waiter brought the noodles over, and Chen Ji lowered his head to eat, as if the people in the noodle shop weren't talking about him, and that those past events had long been a thing of the past after he married Zhang Xia.
Chen Ji would occasionally look up at Taiye Pool, where spies would frequently come and go. He even saw Jiao Tu and Yun Yang go in and then hurriedly come out after about two incense sticks' worth of time.
Chen Ji then saw Xuan She leading more than twenty spies out of Taiye Pond and leave in a hurry.
Immediately afterwards, he saw the twenty-four wolf cubs that Qiushu had led out of Wunian Mountain, escorting more than ten people into Taiye Pond.
strangeness.
What happened in the capital today? The Eagle House and the Inner Prison in Taiye Pond seem unusually lively.
Chen Ji waited until late afternoon, until the noodle shop was empty, but he still couldn't see Zhang Xia.
I didn't see the white dragon either.
He tossed ten copper coins on the table to pay for his noodles and was about to get up and leave when he saw Bailong and Baohou step into the noodle shop and brush off the snow.
Chen Ji paused for a moment, then sat back down on the stool: "Lord White Dragon and Lord Treasure Monkey, are you here to eat noodles too? I'm afraid it's inconvenient for you two to be wearing masks."
Beneath the monkey mask, a woman's gentle voice said, "What kind of noodles would you like, Lord Chen? We've come here specifically to find you."
Chen Ji pushed the bowl of noodles aside and said casually, "How did you two know I was here?"
Beneath the comical wooden monkey mask of Bao Hou, a hoarse voice sneered, "This spot is perfect for keeping an eye on the Secret Service's movements. Did you think just anyone could open a noodle shop here, Lord Chen? This was originally a loophole left for the Military Intelligence Bureau, but I didn't expect to find you here."
Chen Ji turned to look at the shopkeeper and the waiter, only to see the two of them politely clasp their hands in greeting.
He smiled and asked, "What brings you two here?"
Bai Long sat down opposite him, took a morning newspaper from his sleeve, and threw it on the table: "A batch of firearms destined for the Shenji Camp has been stolen. The Secret Service is looking for the culprits, but they haven't caught them yet. Take a look at the newspaper, the last page, the one at the top."
Chen Ji picked up the newspaper, flipped to the last page, and used the fanqie method to translate the information hidden in the advertisement: "Military Intelligence Division Tianzhi wishes everyone a Happy New Year."
He raised an eyebrow and looked up at Bai Long: "So arrogant?" (End of Chapter)