Chapter 665
Departure
Prince Fu rode his horse to the gate of the Zhang residence, climbed the stone steps, and hesitated for a long time, holding the copper ring on the vermilion gate, unsure of how to fasten it.
After a long while, he took a deep breath and pounded on the door.
The vermilion gate opened, and the gatekeeper stood inside the threshold, looking at Prince Fu with suspicion, almost not recognizing him.
Prince Fu's eyes were bloodshot, his imperial robes were tattered, his face was covered in soot and soot, his hands were covered in charcoal ash, and he looked disheveled. He was hardly like a prince.
Only when the gatekeeper saw the golden crown on Prince Fu's head and the entourage behind him did he hurriedly bow and say, "So it's His Highness Prince Fu..."
Prince Fu interrupted, saying, "Please announce my presence. I wish to see Madam Zhang and Miss Zhang the Second."
The gatekeeper opened the door wide: "Madam and the second young lady are both here. Please come in."
Prince Fu shook his head: "I won't go in. I'll wait here."
The gatekeeper scurried into the mansion, and a moment later, Madam Zhang and Zhang Xia arrived upon hearing the news. Madam Zhang looked at Prince Fu and hesitated before asking, "Your Highness, what's wrong?"
Prince Fu bowed deeply: "Today, a thief attempted to assassinate the Qi family. Chen Ji perished in the fire while saving me... I... I cannot distinguish which body is his. I beg Miss Zhang to go and identify it."
Towards the end, Prince Fu's words caught in his throat, and he could barely continue.
As soon as she finished speaking, Madam Zhang's legs went weak, but fortunately Nuanchun caught her so she wouldn't fall.
After catching her breath, Madam Zhang forced herself to remain calm and said, "Quickly, send someone to tell the master...prepare the carriages and horses, I'm going to the Qi family!"
She looked at Zhang Xia: "Xia, you..."
"I don't believe it!" Zhang Xia whistled to summon Zao Zao, then mounted his horse and headed straight for the Qi family.
Before even reaching Fuyou Street, Zhang Xia could see billowing white smoke rising into the sky, and he could smell the ashes in the air even across the street.
Zhang Xia patted Zao Zao: "Zao Zao, faster!"
In front of the Qi family mansion on Fuyou Street, a crowd of people gathered, discussing the matter animatedly.
She rode her horse through the long street and arrived at the Qi family's gate without dismounting. She then urged Zaozao straight up the stone steps and into the Qi family's house, only dismounting in front of the mourning hall.
Zhang Xia looked at the more than ten unrecognizable corpses in front of the mourning hall and stood there for a long time, not daring to go forward.
When Qi Zhaoning saw Zhang Xia under the mourning tent, she was startled: "Zhang Xia, what brings you here?"
Today, Chen Ji sneaked into the mourning hall by blending in with Prince Fu's entourage. When chaos ensued, he perished in the mourning hall along with the tiger's accomplices in just a few breaths. Prince Fu kept the identification of Chen Ji's body a secret.
Qi Zhaoning had no idea what had happened or who had died.
But then Zhang Xia arrived… Qi Zhaoning seemed to realize something and suddenly looked at the corpses: “Chen Ji is in there? Are you sure you’re not mistaken? Speak up!”
Zhang Xia came to her senses.
She ignored Qi Zhaoning and went to the corpses to examine them carefully, one by one, afraid of missing any details.
Zhang Xia walked past more than ten corpses, finally stopping in her tracks. She then threw herself onto a thin corpse and wept bitterly, moving all the onlookers to tears.
Qi Zhaoning collapsed to the ground, muttering, "Li Changge is dead... Li Changge is dead?"
Before long, Prince Fu, Madam Zhang, Zhang Zhuo, Xu Shu, Zhang Zheng, Xiao Man, the little monk and others all arrived. They stood not far away watching Zhang Xia cry her heart out, and everyone stood there dumbfounded.
Madam Zhang still didn't believe it. With Nuan Chun's help, she stepped forward and repeatedly asked, "Xia, are you sure it's an old relic? Is it really an old relic? Say something to your mother!"
Xiaoman stood beside Zhang Xia, tilted her head back, and wailed, "Young Master!"
Xu Shu, who was watching from the sidelines, was agitated. He suddenly looked at the monks of Yuanjue Temple who were chanting sutras in the distance and roared angrily, "Why didn't you help save them?"
The old abbot slowly raised his eyelids: "Benefactor Xu Shu, accept the consequences of your actions and sever the causes to cultivate your own. We came to the Qi residence only to deliver the souls of the dead, not to put out the fire."
Xu Shu said in a deep voice, "Even if someone dies right before your eyes, you won't save them? Have you all wasted your cultivation!"
The old abbot looked at Xu Shu and said, "Benefactor Xu Shu, haven't you been avoiding karma all these years?"
Xu Shu held his breath, speechless for a long time.
Zhang Xia lay on the corpse and cried for half an hour until Prince Fu sent someone to bring a coffin to put the body inside. Only then did Madam Zhang step forward, put her arm around Zhang Xia's shoulder, and step back a few paces.
Zhang Xia cried so hard she could barely stand, and could only lean against her mother's chest and sob.
Zhang Zhuo couldn't bear to see her cry like this any longer, so he whispered, "Take her away. We can't let her look at Chen Ji's body like this, she'll cry herself to death. Xiao Man, don't mention Chen Ji in front of her these next few days, and take turns keeping her company."
Madam Zhang hurriedly helped Zhang Xia stagger out and into the Zhang family's carriage.
The moment the carriage curtain was lowered, Zhang Xia regained her composure and wiped away her tears: "Chen Ji is not dead."
Just as Madam Zhang and Xiaoman were about to exclaim in surprise, Zhang Xia covered their mouths at the same time.
Zhang Xia calmly said, "Chen Ji's figure is already etched in my mind. Even if he were burned to a crisp, I wouldn't mistake him. He's not there. Don't make a fuss. He went to great lengths to fake his death and escape. We can't let him slip."
She released her hands, and Madam Zhang asked in confusion, "Why did he fake his death to escape?"
Zhang Xia peeked out of the carriage through a crack in the curtain: "He must have encountered a thorny problem that even he couldn't handle. Don't let this get out. The funeral must be held, and it must be done meticulously; no one can see through it." Xiao Man, with tears streaming down her face, asked in a low voice, "Where did the young master go?"
Zhang Xia said in a deep voice, "Head south."
Xiaoman wiped her snot and tears with her sleeve: "Sister Xia, I feel like you're not happy."
Zhang Xia lowered the carriage curtain, and the sunlight streaming in through the swaying curtain flickered across her face, making her expression shift between light and shadow: "I told him not to run away, not to run away, but he still ran away. Don't let me find him, or I'll definitely make him pay."
……
……
In a quiet alley in Chongnanfang, Chen Ji sneezed.
The sneezing was so loud that he looked around to make sure he hadn't disturbed anyone, then relaxed and continued hurrying on his way with his head down.
When Chen Ji passed a well, he took advantage of the fact that no one was around to draw a bucket of water from the well and wash away the soot and scorching marks on his body, which made him feel much more refreshed.
As Chen Ji passed a clothesline, he ducked under it and even pulled a long robe off the bamboo pole as he went.
He took off his tattered long gown and put on the clean clothes he had stolen. He also remembered the name of the family he had taken, so that he could return the money and clothes to them when he came back.
When Chen Ji changed his clothes, the markings on his chest and abdomen were faintly visible. Six of the eight markings faded, leaving only two that were as black as ink.
As he walked further, a dark cloud on the rooftop jumped into his arms and meowed, "Where to now?"
Chen Ji gasped, "The ferry crossing for grain transport departs at noon."
Wuyun thought for a moment and said, "Xiaoman and the others must be very sad."
Chen Ji pondered for a moment: "No, Zhang Xia will definitely be able to see through it."
At this moment, a pedestrian passed by, and Wuyun hurriedly hid in Chenji's arms to avoid him, while Chenji lowered his head and passed by the person.
The closer you get to the canal wharf, the more lively and bustling it becomes.
Chen Ji walked through a hutong and suddenly the view opened up before him. There were rows of rice shops, brokerage shops, inns, restaurants, pawnshops, blacksmith shops, and rope shops. In the dead of winter, boatmen who had no work wore straw sandals and squatted outside the shops with hemp ropes on their shoulders, looking for work.
When someone passed by, the boatmen would all stand up and ask if anyone needed their services. When the person said no, the boatmen would grumble and squat back down.
Chen Ji arrived at the canal wharf and was shocked to see his wanted poster posted on the door: "Criminal Chen Ji, from Shuntian Prefecture, age nineteen, height five feet nine inches, thin as a crane, with a sesame-sized black mole at the corner of his left eye. A reward of ten thousand taels of silver will be given to anyone who can report him."
Boatmen and canal workers gathered in front of the arrest warrant, while the people outside the city were still unaware of the news that Chen Ji was "dead".
Chen Ji walked across the wooden bridge deeper into the dock, searching among the densely packed cargo ships for a large, two-masted ship flying a crescent flag. But the dock was filled with sails, and he couldn't find the ship Aunt Ping had mentioned.
Just when they were at their wits' end, dozens of boatmen followed a middle-aged, rough-looking man toward the dock. Along the way, the man instructed them, "Keep your eyes open. The water is shallow and there are many shoals today. We're going against the current and the wind. The work is heavy, but the pay is good. Once we get to the boat, listen to the captain's instructions."
The boatmen quickly agreed.
Chen Ji's heart stirred, and he followed the group of people into the dock. After walking another hundred steps or so, he saw a large two-masted ship with a crescent flag moored at the end of the wooden bridge. Canal workers were carrying sacks onto the ship, and an old man of about fifty years old was loudly directing something.
While the boatmen were tying the ropes, Chen Ji stepped onto the boat in a sampan, cupped his hands to the old man, and said, "May I ask if you are General Li?"
The old man looked Chen Ji up and down: "Who are you?"
Chen Ji explained, "I was introduced to this ship by Li Zhu from Chongnanfang to make a living. My name is Chen Qi, and my nickname is Jiu Jin."
The old man seemed somewhat disgusted: "Why did you introduce such a frail person? Let me make this clear from the start, I only took you on because of Li Zhu. Running a boat is hard work, if you can't handle it, then get off the boat as soon as possible."
Chen Ji cupped his hands again and said, "I am not afraid of hardship."
The old man gave a nonchalant "hmm" through his nose: "Just call me Old Li. Go and help the canal workers move things, don't be late."
Chen Ji turned to look at the sacks the canal workers were carrying: "Moving things?"
Old Li sneered, "So what if you know a few words? Under me, even a clerk has to do the work. What, you don't like it? If you don't like it, then get out."
Chen Ji smiled and said, "I'd be happy to."
He turned and disembarked, then joined the canal workers in carrying sacks onto the boat. Old Li stood on the deck for a while, and only after seeing that he wasn't slacking off did he go back to directing the boatmen.
At noon, Old Li signaled to the boatmen to raise the two long sails and untie the ropes tied to the dock.
Chen Ji stood on the deck, silently gazing at the capital, lost in thought.
Just as the large ship was about to leave the shore, a thin old man came running from afar: "Wait, wait!"
The old man, though his hair was gray, walked with a sprightly gait. He steadily boarded the boat on the sampan. Once he was on the deck, he glanced around and then swept his gaze across Chen Ji's face before grinning and saying, "Finally made it."
……
Volume 9, Prologue, End. (End of Chapter)