Chapter 660
Departure
At dawn, the sky was still dark.
The night watchman walked cautiously down the street, keeping his head down to avoid the lingering guards of the Five City Garrison and the Jie Fan Guard. Even the sounds of his gong and watchman's call were much quieter: "The rooster crows at dawn, early to bed and early to rise..."
Suddenly, he heard footsteps in the alley. He quickly shrank back, turned his head to the other side, and closed his eyes tightly: "I didn't see anything, I didn't see anything!"
He trembled for a long time until he could no longer hear any sound, then squinted and felt his way away from the base of the wall.
In the dimly lit alley, Chen Ji and Bao Hou walked briskly one after the other.
Chen Ji didn't say where they were going, and Bao Hou didn't ask any further questions. Only Chang Sheng muttered from behind, "We haven't eaten all night, sir. Let's find a tavern and steal something from the kitchen. Maybe there are leftover buns, cornbread, or flatbread..."
Qi Xiao chimed in, "I'm hungry too."
Yu Yuan said irritably, "Isn't that obvious? If we're all hungry, we'll all be hungry together."
“We’ve arrived,” Chen Ji said as he approached a house in Nianzi Hutong. There was a brass lock on the door.
Chen Ji led Bao Hou into the courtyard, which belonged to Master Hu.
On the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, Master Hu led his caravan to Guyuan to avoid trouble. The chopped firewood was piled up in the corner of the courtyard, and the saddle and lance that were originally placed on the ground were taken away with it.
Chen Ji went into the kitchen and took a look. There was cured meat and salted vegetables hanging from the rafters, and there was still a lot of rice and flour in the porcelain jar. He turned to Bao Hou and said, "Wait a moment, I'll cook."
He sat in front of the stove, silently starting a fire and cooking.
The crackling sound of the burning straw and firewood in the stove, like a gentle breeze, gradually eased his brow.
Ever since he used the sword technique outside Chongli Pass, the shadow of rivalry between different sects has always loomed over his heart, and beyond this shadow lies an insurmountable mountain, the mountain chief Lu Yang.
A titan of the world.
Chen Ji knew the other party would definitely come looking for him, but he didn't expect it to be so soon.
No, the person who met his gaze yesterday might not have been Lu Yang. If it had been Headmaster Lu Yang, the other party could have easily killed him with a single sword strike and then swaggered away from Ning Dynasty...
Unless Lu Yang also happened to meet him, and the other person, like him, was unsure of who he was looking at.
Another possibility is that the other party is the sword seed successor that Jing Chao is also looking for. The other party is unaware of his own strength and level, so he did not dare to make a move.
However, anyone who dares to seek out the successor of the Ning Dynasty's sword lineage must be at least at the Dao Seeking Realm, otherwise how could they dare to come here to kill?
Chen Ji sat in front of the stove and let out a long sigh. Thinking so much was useless. Even without the threat of the Sword Seed Official, there was still his uncle Lu Jin.
Senior brother Yao An forced Jie Fanwei to arrest him throughout the city, leaving him unable to return home.
If Lu Jin, the uncle, were to make their relationship public, not only would he be in trouble, but the entire Zhang family would also be implicated.
Chen Ji rubbed his cheeks and muttered to himself, "This is hellish difficulty... Let's deal with my senior brother first."
He rubbed his cheeks until they were red, muttering, "Senior brother, what exactly is the Military Intelligence Bureau planning this time?"
Yao An's targeting of him stemmed from personal grudges, but the Military Intelligence Bureau must have a bigger objective. Today, Yao An seemed to have used all his gunpowder in Shaojiu Alley, but Chen Ji felt something was amiss. To raze a small house, thirty catties of gunpowder would be enough.
Chen Ji took half a piece of charcoal from the stove and wrote many names on the ground: Emperor Ning, Grand Chancellor, Grand Secretary Hu, Grand Secretary Chen, Zhang Zhuo, the Crown Prince, and Prince Fu. These could all become targets for assassination by the Jing Dynasty's Military Intelligence Bureau.
Chen Ji wrote three more names on the ground, all of which seemed to be related to Jing Chao. After writing them, he hesitated for a moment and then added another name.
Qi Zhenzhu.
At this moment, Baohou stood outside the kitchen, and Yuyuan gently reminded him, "Master, it's time to add firewood."
Chen Ji snapped out of his daze, smeared the words written on the ground with his foot, and added a few pieces of thick firewood to the stove. Bao Hou then fetched a bucket of water from the side room, poured it into the pot, and went to wash the rice by himself.
……
……
Suddenly, the sound of a lock being opened came from outside the courtyard.
Chen Ji suddenly stood up, and Bao Hou also looked up warily at the main gate.
The next moment, the small brown door was pushed open, and Aunt Ping, dressed in black and wearing a black veiled hat, silently looked around the courtyard.
Bao Hou looked at Aunt Ping as if facing a formidable enemy, but Chen Ji breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing her: "Why is Aunt Ping here?"
Aunt Ping casually explained, "The third brother went to Guyuan, and the smell of burning firewood wafted from his house, so naturally I had to come and see if he had been robbed."
Chen Ji was a little embarrassed: "I just found a place to stay temporarily, I didn't expect to bother Aunt Ping."
Aunt Ping glanced at Chen Ji, then at the kitchen, and decisively rolled up her sleeves: "I'll cook for you."
Chen Ji hurriedly refused, "No need, no need..." Before he could finish speaking, Aunt Ping had already pushed him aside and walked straight into the kitchen.
As Aunt Ping added firewood to the stove, she asked, "You've only been married a few days, why are you here? Did the Zhang family mistreat you? That Madam Zhang is not easy to deal with; she even returned all the betrothal gifts that Deng Huo had given you."
Chen Ji quickly explained, "No, Mother is a good person, she just has a sharp tongue but a soft heart."
Aunt Ping paused, "Mother?"
Chen Ji leaned against the door frame and said slowly, "I haven't seen my mother in a long time. It's good to finally have a home. My mother isn't as harsh as people say. On my birthday, she even got up early and cooked longevity noodles for me herself."
Aunt Ping was silent for a moment, then scooped out a few spoonfuls of flour from the flour jar, mixed it with water, and started kneading the dough: "I'm also good at making Northwest-style noodles. Since you like noodles, then don't drink porridge. I'll cook you two a bowl of noodles."
Chen Ji smiled and said, "Okay."
While kneading the dough, Aunt Ping asked, "You still haven't answered me. What are you doing here?"
Chen Ji explained, "There are dozens of Jie Fan Guards guarding the Zhang family's gate, so we can't go back."
Aunt Ping said, "So, the person the Five Cities Garrison and the Jiefan Guard are looking for is you? I just rushed back from Changping and don't know what happened yet."
Chen Ji leaned against the door frame and hummed in agreement: "It's nothing serious. I was framed, and it's hard to explain right now."
Aunt Ping then asked, "What are you planning to do? Let me see if there's anything I can do to help you."
Chen Ji shook his head: "This matter involves far-reaching issues and should not implicate Aunt Ping."
Aunt Ping said in a deep voice, "This is no longer just my business. If you help Deng Huo find Si Cao Ding, Deng Huo will owe you a favor. Tell me, what do you need me to do?"
Chen Ji remained silent.
Aunt Ping, seeing him dawdling, grew a little annoyed: "Speak!"
Chen Ji glanced at Bao Hou and said in a low voice, "I need to leave the capital in a few days to do something. If you have the means, Auntie, you can send me out of the city."
Aunt Ping pondered for a moment: "You're leaving in a few days? I just came back from Changping this morning. Every gate is heavily guarded by the Five City Garrison, and they are checking things carefully. It won't be easy for me to leave the capital now."
Chen Ji asked curiously, "Can't Aunt Ping do anything about it? It's alright, I'll think of something myself."
Aunt Ping was silent for a moment, then said, "Yes. Go wash your hands and wait for your noodles. I'll think of something."
Chen Ji sat down at the stone table, and Bao Hou leaned over and whispered, "My lord, Lord Bai Long said that this woman is very dangerous, and we should not associate with her too much."
Yu Yuan said in a low voice, "I don't think we need to be too wary. This woman doesn't seem to have any hostility towards you. Look, she even cooked noodles for you."
Chang Sheng’s voice was high-pitched: “You can know a person’s face but not their heart. Even our secret service can’t find out where this woman came from. Who knows who she is?”
Qi Xiao said in a muffled voice, "Me too..."
Hearing the noise around him, Chen Ji suddenly sighed and turned to the wooden monkey mask, saying, "Zhu Sha, shall I continue telling you the story of the little monkey?"
Changsheng exclaimed in alarm, "Oh no!"
As soon as she finished speaking, the noise stopped abruptly. Zhu Sha took off the wooden monkey mask, revealing her porcelain doll-like face, and said expectantly, "Really? Last time we talked about it going to the Fangcun Mountain Slanting Moon Three Star Cave."
Chen Ji smiled and said, "Then continue."
When he told the story of how the little monkey was driven down the mountain by Bodhi Patriarch for showing off his skills, Aunt Ping came out carrying two steaming bowls of noodles. She was also taken aback when she first saw Zhu Sha, who was holding a large bowl that was bigger than her face and said obediently, "Thank you, Auntie."
Aunt Ping sat down at the stone table and asked curiously, "Is this the precious monkey?"
Chen Ji shook his head: "I don't understand what's going on either."
As they were speaking, the roof tiles rattled. Chen Ji looked up and saw that it was the dark cloud that had returned, meowing on the roof.
Chen Ji was startled upon hearing this and turned to Aunt Ping: "Aunt Ping, if a high-ranking official in the court were to pass away, what would be the procedure for his funeral?"
"You mean Grand Secretary Qi?" Aunt Ping pondered. "On the first day of the initial mourning period, he should be bathed, his hair combed, and dressed in his personal burial clothes for a temporary rest. His family should inform the court and relatives of the death. When a first-rank official dies, the court should suspend court for a day and not ring the bells or drums."
"The second day was the minor encoffining, and the body was wrapped in cloth bestowed by the emperor. A bier was set up in the mourning hall, and the family worshipped it morning and evening."
"On the third day, the encoffining took place. At dawn, the craftsmen of Dongyuan used a palanquin to escort the imperial-bestowed coffin from Dongyuan to the Qi family, where the body was placed inside, the coffin was closed, and the nails were driven in."
"On the fourth day, it is time for outsiders to offer condolences. Relatives within five degrees of kinship wear mourning clothes and carry walking sticks, waiting for the mourners to come to the coffin one by one to wail..."
Chen Ji interrupted, "Who are the officials from the imperial court who will be going?"
Aunt Ping thought for a moment: "If it were Grand Secretary Qi, all the officials in the court would go. His Majesty probably wouldn't go, but he would send the Crown Prince and Prince Fu to offer condolences on his behalf." (End of this chapter)