Chapter 647
Treasure Monkey
The bright rabbit and the cloud sheep have gone to deliver the message.
The monkey crawled into the carriage and covered the curtains completely.
No one objected to Chen Ji's arrangements, as if it were all perfectly reasonable, and everyone went about their own business.
Chen Ji took the whip from the driver, stuffed the whale knife into the carriage, leaving only the hilt exposed so he could draw the knife at any time.
Just as Zhang Zhuo was about to step down the steps, Madam Zhang tugged at his sleeve and whispered, "You knew all along, didn't you?"
Zhang Zhuo turned around and teased, "Why does Madam act like she's only just met him? He was the one who jumped out of the city to quell the civil unrest in Luocheng, he was the one who dared to break the prison for the Crown Prince and the Princess, he was the one who killed more than a hundred Tian Ce soldiers in Guyuan, and he was the one who shielded me from the stigma of pandering to the enemy and seeking peace. Your husband was able to be promoted to Minister of Personnel and enter the cabinet because he brought down the Crown Prince and the second branch of the Chen family. This is the bargaining chip His Majesty obtained from the Qi and Chen families."
Madam Zhang frowned: "But I didn't know his identity as the Sick Tiger..."
The Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs, not to mention the Poisonous Minister in the Jie Fan Lou, or even the White Dragon and the Heavenly Horse, just the two most inconspicuous zodiac animals, the Bright Rabbit and the Cloud Sheep, have already made half of the martial arts world breathless.
The twelve zodiac animals of the Secret Service are all frequent characters in storytellers' tales and tales.
Madam Zhang wondered, how could Chen Ji, a mere nineteen-year-old boy, become one of the top three sick tigers in the Secret Service's zodiac? Even if he was favored by the Poisonous Minister, how could he win over the masses?
In this world, many favored officials temporarily occupy high positions, but if their virtue does not match their position, those in lower positions will inevitably outwardly comply while inwardly resisting. But how could the Jade Rabbit, Cloud Sheep, and Precious Monkey outwardly comply while inwardly resisting? They were clearly convinced.
Zhang Zhuo patted his wife's hand and said gently, "Madam, his identity doesn't matter. He's just a child without a home."
Madam Zhang was startled and turned to look at Chen Ji, a frail figure beside the carriage.
Zhang Zhuo walked down the steps, grabbed the memorial, and climbed into the car: "Let's go, Donghua Gate is about to open."
Chen Ji turned to Madam Zhang and said with a smile, "Mother, don't worry, Father-in-law will be fine."
The carriage moved slowly, leisurely heading towards Donghua Gate.
On the way, Chen Ji encountered a man from the Sanshan Society selling morning newspapers. He waved and bought a newspaper for ten copper coins.
Inside the carriage, Zhang Zhuo looked down at the memorial to the emperor.
Bao Hou stared intently at Zhang Zhuo, and an aged voice came from behind the mask: "Lord Zhang, if you want to become the Grand Secretary, diligence alone is not enough."
A woman behind the mask sneered, "Trying to show off?"
A shrill voice mocked, "A worthless dog like you dares to pontificate? Lord Zhang is the Minister of Personnel, a cabinet minister, and what are you?"
The deep voice boomed, "Lord Zhang is a man of great talent; he will one day become the Grand Secretary."
Zhang Zhuo had a photographic memory, and he would never forget a voice he had ever heard. He slowly raised his head, seemingly lost in thought, and said, "Liao Zhong? Yu Yuan? Chang Sheng? Qi Xiao?"
The carriage suddenly fell silent.
After a long while, the woman named Yu Yuan asked softly, "How does my lord remember my voice?"
Zhang Zhuo put down the memorial in his hand and smiled: "In the Mid-Autumn Festival of the twenty-seventh year of Jia Ning, the selection of the most beautiful courtesan in the Eight Great Hutongs was an unprecedented event. I was also dragged by Xu Shu to join in the fun and had the good fortune to hear Miss Yu Yuan sing 'Xi Jiang Yue'. Her voice was as melodious as a lark, and the echo lingered in the air. I dreamt of her voice at night."
Yu Yuan exclaimed in delight, "Really? Then I'll sing it for Lord Zhang when I have time. Which ci poem title does Lord Zhang like to hear? I can sing Linjiangxian, Xijiangyue, Dielianhua, Zhegutian, Busuanzi, Pusaman, and Suonanzhi. Among them, I sing Xijiangyue and Busuanzi the best."
Zhang Zhu laughed heartily: "No, no, if Madam finds out, she'll be furious again."
A shrill voice named Changsheng sneered, "When you were young and beautiful, people wanted to listen to you sing. Now that you're hiding under this wooden monkey mask, without your looks and figure, what's the use of singing so well?"
Yu Yuan chuckled and asked, "Then I'll sing it for you, will you listen?"
Changsheng: "Listen."
Yu Yuan snorted coldly: "I'm not going to sing for you, you rootless person."
After a long pause, Changsheng turned to Zhang Zhuo and said, "When I was the commander of the Jiefan Guard, I only met you once, Lord Zhang. I didn't expect you to still remember my voice."
Zhang Zhuo cupped his hands in greeting: "Lord Changsheng guards the important Xihua Gate, which is something we should remember, but unfortunately..."
The middle-aged man behind the monkey mask sneered, "Lord Zhang, those whose faces I've taken are either against the court or against the Grand Chancellor. There's nothing to regret. Yu Yuan is a spy from the Jing Dynasty, hiding in the Eight Great Hutongs to gather intelligence on our dynasty; Chang Sheng accepted money from foreign officials and leaked palace secrets; Qi Xiao wanted to kill my Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs, who was being sent to a post outside the capital. No matter how you look at it, none of them are innocent; they all brought it upon themselves."
Qi Xiao's heavy voice said solemnly, "That's all in the past, why bring it up? What makes you any better?"
Yu Yuan tried to smooth things over: "Now that we're all neighbors, what's there to argue about?"
Chen Ji could hear the lively sounds coming from behind the monkey mask through the carriage curtain.
He pondered to himself, these people must all be fellow cultivators whose faces were stolen by the precious monkey... Qi Xiao, Qi Zhong, could this Qi Xiao also be one of the Qi family's death warriors?
But who is the real Monkey King?
An assassin from Wunian Mountain?
At this moment, Liao Zhong spoke again: "Lord Zhang, His Majesty selects the Grand Secretary based on two things: people and money. Your new policies will indeed replenish the national treasury, but they have offended all the civil and military officials, as well as the local gentry and powerful families. Without the Xu family's support, I'm afraid the new policies will not be able to be implemented. If they cannot be implemented, you will naturally not be able to become the Grand Secretary." Zhang Zhuo smiled: "Please enlighten me, sir."
Liao Zhong thought for a moment and said, "Qi Zhen is going to the capital. He was defeated by the Poisonous Minister in his early years and resigned to live in seclusion, which allowed Qi Xianzhun to take over as Left Censor-in-Chief. Now that he has been reinstated and is returning to the capital, I'm afraid he will take over the position of Grand Secretary Qi. The Qi family is in turmoil, and they have lost the Three Judicial Offices. If they don't want to follow in the footsteps of the Liu family, they will have to seek help in the court... They are just right to be Lord Zhang's ally."
Changsheng said softly, "Then why didn't he choose the Hu family or the Chen family? Or perhaps the Xu family of Jinling or the Xu family of Huqiu?"
Liao Zhong smiled and said, "He wouldn't dare. The Hu and Chen families are powerful; choosing either of them would be like asking a tiger for its skin—we'd be devoured sooner or later. The Xu families of Jinling and Huqiu are just good-for-nothings, barely able to protect themselves. Only Lord Zhang enjoys the Emperor's favor and is exceptionally capable, yet he lacks the foundation to swallow up the Qi family. Who else would he choose if not Lord Zhang?"
Yu Yuan asked in confusion, "But just a few days ago, Lord Binghu and Miss Zhang made the Qi family look bad."
Liao Zhong said calmly, "Stepping into the capital means abandoning all sentimental attachments. This is a truth that everyone must understand before entering the capital. Which cabinet minister or minister in the Wenhua Hall doesn't have the ability to swallow insults? If Grand Secretary Qi could still manage the overall situation, the Qi family wouldn't have come to this."
At this moment, the carriage arrived outside Donghua Gate. Zhang Zhuo lifted his clothes and got out of the carriage: "Thank you for your guidance, sir. I have my own plan."
Before the Donghua Gate even opened, many officials were already waiting in front of it. When Zhang Zhuo got out of the carriage, only a few people bowed and greeted him, while the rest turned their heads away and ignored him.
When the water clock on the city tower had run out of drips, the gate slowly opened.
Changxiu stood smiling inside the door, bowing respectfully to the officials before her: "My lords, please. Charcoal braziers and hot water have been prepared in the Wenhua Hall. Please go and warm yourselves up..."
As he spoke, his gaze swept through the crowd and landed on Chen Ji in the back. His eyes lit up: "What brings Lord Chen here today?"
Chen Ji raised the reins in his hand: "Drive the carriage for Lord Zhang."
The officials in front of Donghua Gate exchanged glances, and one of them whispered, "Just a few days ago he was a Viscount of Wuxiang, and now he's been reduced to a coachman for the Zhang family. The Zhang family is really humiliating."
"He brought it on himself..."
Ignoring the discussions, Chen Ji calmly inquired of Chang Xiu, "This is my first time traveling by carriage to Donghua Gate. Where do you stop the carriage?"
Changxiu smiled and pointed to the north: "The carriage should be taken to the 'riverside office' to wait. Hot water is provided for the coachman and sedan chair bearers in the office, so you can wait there. When Lord Zhang comes out, someone will go to inform him, and then you can take the carriage to pick him up."
Just then, the Chen family's carriage arrived and came to a steady stop in front of Donghua Gate.
Chen Xu drove the carriage, placed a footstool beside it, and then helped Grand Secretary Chen down from the carriage. Grand Secretary Chen was trembling and frail, like a candle flickering in the wind.
He saw the traces when he got off the car, but then pretended not to see them and walked unsteadily into the Donghua Gate.
Chen Lizun also climbed out of the car. He was taken aback when he saw Chen Ji and asked in a deep voice, "The Zhang family arranged for you to be Zhang Zhuo's driver? This is outrageous! You're not really a son-in-law!"
Chen Ji simply explained, "Lord Chen, please calm down. I came here of my own accord."
After saying that, he led the carriage slowly into the alley and never looked back.
Outside the Donghua Gate, numerous government offices of the inner court stood, including the Bathhouse, the Funeral Ornaments Factory, the Imperial Kitchen, the Southern Kitchen, and the Inner Transport Warehouse, all situated here, with a narrow palace path sandwiched between them and the vermilion palace walls.
Chen Ji headed north to find the main house. When he arrived at the door, he heard the sedan chair bearers and coachmen joking, gambling, and bragging inside. After thinking about it, he decided not to go in.
He tied the horses to the stable, leaned back in the carriage, and held Wuyun, lost in thought.
Inside the carriage, Baohou's voices were still arguing, like neighbors in a small alley arguing about "who's blocking whose road."
But as they argued, Changsheng's shrill voice suddenly cried out "Oh no!" and all the sounds stopped abruptly, as if everyone had been choked.
Chen Ji turned around in confusion, his hand also resting on the hilt of the whale-shaped blade.
The next moment, the carriage curtain was lifted a little, and the wooden monkey mask timidly looked at Chen Ji from behind the gap.
Chen Ji asked calmly, "Who are you?"
Beneath the wooden monkey mask, a little girl's voice asked, "Brother Chen Ji, where are we?"
Chen Ji was stunned. It was this voice that had drowned out all other voices.
This was the first time he had heard this voice from Bao Hou; it seemed the other party recognized him.
Chen Ji pondered for a moment: "Let's wait outside Donghua Gate for Lord Zhang Zhuo to finish his shift."
The little girl asked curiously, "How long will it take?"
Chen Ji grunted, "I'm afraid it will be a long wait; he won't come out until noon."
The little girl gave a soft "oh," and said, "Then can you tell me a story?" (End of Chapter)