Chapter 662
The Day of the Funeral
On the fifteenth day of the twelfth lunar month in the thirty-second year of the Jia Ning era.
Bao Hou was fast asleep in the east wing, while Chen Ji sat in the courtyard of Nianzi Hutong, slowly pushing the knife jaw open and closing it again, then pushing it open and closing it again.
Just as the rooster crowed, a voice came from the rooftop: "I'm back. I didn't see anyone suspicious near the Zhang residence. There were only twenty-four Jie Fan Guards on guard, and Li Dongyan was also personally guarding outside. It seems like this guy doesn't need to sleep."
Chen Ji breathed a sigh of relief.
Now that he and Yao An are both in the shadows, his biggest worry is that Yao An will use the Zhang family to force him to reveal himself. Meanwhile, Jie Fanwei, in his search for him, has inadvertently protected the Zhang family.
As long as he is not caught, Jie Fanwei will always keep an eye on the Zhang family.
A dark cloud leaped from the rooftop onto the table and meowed again: "Zhang Xia, like you, sat in the courtyard of the West Garden all night. Xiao Man walked around in the courtyard. The little monk was sleeping soundly, but he was woken up by Xiao Man not long after falling asleep. Xiao Man made him chant sutras to pray for you. The little monk said he didn't know how to pray, so Xiao Man made him learn quickly..."
The dark cloud meowed again: "Lord Zhang summoned the Zhang family's elite guards to protect the house, and one of them seems quite formidable. Madam Zhang wants Lord Zhang to go to the palace to see the Emperor and clear your name, but Lord Zhang says that we should remain calm and wait for the right moment, and he trusts you to make your own decision. Madam Zhang is angry that he refuses to go to the palace, so she woke up Xu Shu and Zhang Zheng and gave them a good scolding. However, Xu Shu said you'll definitely be fine; you haven't even used the talisman he gave you yet..."
Chen Ji listened silently.
Wu Yun sat at the stone table opposite him: "How long are we going to be gone this time? Will we come back? I quite like the Zhang family."
Chen Ji said softly, "Go back."
At that moment, light footsteps came from outside the door. Wuyun jumped onto Chenji's head, then leaped onto the roof and disappeared behind the ridge.
The small brown door was pushed open, and Madam Lu came in carrying a food box. Seeing him sitting upright at the stone table, she laid out the food in the box in front of him one by one: "Porridge, pickles from Bianyifang, and sauerkraut buns."
Chen Ji put the whale knife back together and leaned it against the side, smiling as he said, "Thank you, Aunt Ping."
Lu sat down opposite him: "Don't thank me yet. The Jiefan Guard issued arrest warrants at dawn and they have been posted in front of all the city gates."
Chen Ji paused in mid-air, holding his spoon: "Does this drawing resemble me?"
Lu pushed the dish of pickles closer to Chen Ji: "It's a bit more similar to the last one, but even the most similar imperial warrants for a manhunt will fall short. We still need household registration, travel permits, and rewards to find the person."
Chen Ji hummed in agreement, and while eating his porridge, he took a moment to ask, "Has Aunt Ping thought of a way to leave the capital?"
Looking at Chen Ji eating, Madam Lu's voice softened a bit: "The ship heading south is ready. It will leave at noon and won't wait for anyone. Go to the Chongnanfang canal wharf. There's a large ship flying a crescent flag there. Its name is Anlan. Once on board, find the 'chief captain' Old Li and tell him that Li Zhu from Chongnanfang introduced you to make a living on the ship. As for when you want to quietly disembark, that's up to you."
At this point, Madam Lu took out the household registration book and travel permit from her sleeve and placed them on the table: "You must memorize everything in the household registration book. You live in Chongnan Ward. Your parents died when you were young, and you have been living with your uncle. From today onwards, you will no longer be called Chen Ji, but Chen Qi. However, poor families generally do not use formal names. If anyone asks about you, you should ask them to call you Jiu Jin, because you were born with a weight of nine jin. Your mother had a very difficult time giving birth to you and almost lost her life."
Chen Ji hummed in agreement: "Nine catties... I've got it."
Madam Lu then took out a piece of paper from her sleeve: "These are the place names and local customs of Chongnanfang. You must memorize them so that you can answer them if someone asks you."
Chen Ji nodded: "Okay."
Still not entirely at ease, Madam Lu continued to remind him, "You're worth ten thousand taels of silver now, so don't give yourself away. The Jie Fan Guard isn't what it used to be under Li Dongyan's control; just think of it as another raid on Bai Da Dan City."
Chen Ji suddenly said, "If things go smoothly today, perhaps Jie Fanwei won't look for me anymore."
Lu asked in confusion, "What do you mean?"
Chen Ji picked up a steamed bun, took a bite, and changed the subject: "Is traveling by water a good option?"
Madam Lu stared at him for a moment: "Have you washed your hands?"
Chen Ji was taken aback, then quickly explained, "I washed it."
Madam Lu said slowly, "This time, you're not being assigned a ship by the Grand Canal guild, but a cargo ship heading south to Jiaozhi. Once you board, you won't be a guest, but a clerk introduced by an acquaintance. When we dock, you'll need to prepare documents for the 'Grand Canal Inspector' and 'Grand Canal Transport Supervisor' along the shore. But don't worry, we're only sending you because you can read, not because you've worked as a clerk on a Grand Canal ship before. Someone will teach you."
Chen Ji silently noted it down.
After thinking for a moment, Madam Lu added, "As the saying goes, even innocent people like cart drivers, boatmen, innkeepers, and spies should be killed. The world of martial arts is treacherous; the middle of the river is like the gates of hell. At night, many murders and robberies occur while boats are on the move. Now, things are in chaos in the south, and river bandits are rampant..."
She kept nagging, still worried, and by the time she woke up, she had been talking to Chen Ji for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.
After a moment of silence, Madam Lu said, "You've seen your share of storms. All I've said seems like I'm underestimating you. Just be careful."
Chen Ji put down his chopsticks and smiled: "It's alright. They say a mother worries when her son travels a thousand miles... It's better to have someone who cares than no one at all."
The courtyard fell silent. Madam Lu remained silent, while Chen Ji continued to drink his porridge with his head down.
After a long while, Chen Ji finished his congee and handed the whale knife to Madam Lu: "Aunt Ping, the whale knife hurt my eye. Please pass it on to Xia for me afterward."
Lu took the whale knife: "Remember, the ship leaves at noon, it won't wait for anyone."
Chen Ji agreed and got up to walk outside.
Reaching the doorway, he stopped, turned around, and solemnly said to Madam Lu, "Aunt Ping, thank you."
…… ……
Inside the Dongyuan Timber Factory.
A carriage was parked in the courtyard, inside which was a coffin measuring twelve feet long, four feet wide, and three feet high, carved with images of the sun, moon, dragon, phoenix, tiger, tortoise, and jade pendant.
Four tiger-herds wiped around the carriage, making the vehicle and coffin shine.
A moment later, a tiger's henchman walked towards the main room. He pushed open the door, cupped his hands, and said, "Mountain Lord, everything is ready. We are just waiting for the Jie Fan Guard to deliver the decree."
Yao An sat in a dark armchair with his eyes closed, resting: "Zhao'er, do you miss your wife and children?"
Tiger's accomplice knelt on the ground: "I want to."
Yao An casually said, "Once this matter is settled, you will be allowed to go home to visit your wives and children and then be freed from your burdens."
Tiger's accomplice lay on the ground, his pupils slightly constricted, remaining silent.
Yao An opened his eyes, smiled, and said, "What, you don't believe me?"
Tiger's accomplice still dared not speak.
Yao An slowly stood up, stood beside Hu Chang, and looked into the courtyard: "Being able to go home is a good thing; we should be happy."
Tiger's entourage forced a stiff smile, revealing an ugly grin: "Mountain Lord is right."
Yao An exhaled a puff of white breath in the cold wind: "I've been wandering for twenty years, longing to go home day and night, but now that I'm actually back, why can't I be happy? My junior brother is right, home is where family is. He thinks I don't understand, but I've understood it for a long time. Didn't I figure out the Tiger's Lackey's way just to keep Master by my side? Don't you agree?"
Tiger's body stiffened: "Mountain Lord is wise."
Yao An exclaimed, "If I could also make my junior brother into a tiger companion to keep by my side, that would be even better. Not only would I be happy, but Master would also be happy."
At that moment, someone knocked on the door: "Open the door."
Hearing the knocking on the door, Yao An retreated step by step into the darkness: "Go, and bring back the dynasty's fortune for me."
Tiger's entourage got up, strode to the front door, and lifted the bolt. Two guards outside walked straight in, went to the coffin, opened it to inspect it, and then tapped the coffin wall with the hilt of their swords. After confirming that there was nothing amiss, they looked at one of Tiger's entourages and asked, "Are the funerary objects ready?"
Tiger's entourage cupped their hands and said, "It's all settled, let's go."
The words had barely left his mouth when the lumberyard fell silent. The two guards exchanged a glance, their right hands slowly reaching for the hilts of their swords: "Shall we go?"
Hu Chang hurriedly explained, "I made a mistake."
The two guards slowly approached: "As craftsmen of the Eastern Garden, how could you be so careless about taboo words?"
There are many taboo words associated with the death of officials. The "Da Ning Hui Dian" (Collected Statutes of the Great Ning Dynasty) lists a list of words that are forbidden during funerals, including words such as "overturn," "overturn," "fall," "tilt," "collapse," "break," "extinct," "break," "end," "lonely," "widow," "sink," "trap," "bury," "fall," and "drop."
In addition, there are also established folk customs that prohibit the use of the words "walk," "go," "leave," "scatter," "drift," and "wander."
Ordinary people might not understand, but the craftsmen of Dongyuan, who dealt with officials' funerals year after year, could not possibly be unaware of it.
Just then, Yao An sighed from inside the main room: "Drag him in."
The two guards suddenly drew their swords and looked at the dark main door: "Who goes there?"
Before they could react, two henchmen darted behind them, covered their mouths, and dragged them into the main room. Jie Fanwei struggled desperately, but the arms holding them were as hard as cast iron.
Upon entering the main room, they saw Yao An slowly removing his outer garment, revealing his thin, bony upper body. His bare upper body had eight markings, four as black as ink and four as pale as charcoal ash.
Tiger's accomplice dared not look directly at the striped pattern, and only threw the two guards into the main room, but did not dare to step inside.
A mournful howl and the sound of chewing came from inside the house. The tiger's accomplices knelt silently outside the main house, not daring to breathe. The two warhorses in front of the chariot paced restlessly, wanting to move away from the main house, but their reins were tied to the posts, preventing them from moving.
After an unknown amount of time, the chewing sounds in the darkness gradually ceased.
A tiger's henchman cautiously looked up and saw Yao An's figure slowly emerge from the darkness.
As he put on his outer robe, he walked towards the door. With the movement of his robe, two of the freckles on his upper body had faded, and the color had also faded from his face, making him as pale as if he had been soaking in water for several hours.
The next moment, two guards followed Yao An out of the darkness with expressionless faces, showing no sign of anything amiss.
Yao An stood before the threshold, put on his Taoist robe, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and said calmly, "A single oversight has cost me more than 20% of my fortune. Today, for the sake of the greater good, I will not punish you. Go and retrieve the dynasty's fortune."
Tiger's entourage knelt down again: "Yes."
Two bodyguards behind Yao An clasped their hands in greeting: "Yes." (End of Chapter)