On the long street in the dark night, Liu Quxing cried for a long time.
It wasn't until his cries drew his father out that he hurriedly wiped his tears and pulled his mother away.
Standing in the darkness of an alley not far away, Chen Ji watched silently. It wasn't until the long street was completely empty of people that he carried Wu Yun out from the shadows.
Gazing in the direction Liu Quxing had left, he signed softly, "Liu Quxing studied medicine with great diligence and painstaking effort. Master once said he would be able to sit and consult patients in just a little while longer. Leaving the Taiping Medical Clinic to him, and leaving the Medical Books in the clinic to him, is not considered a waste."
Wu Yun asked, "Why didn't you tell Liu Quxing the truth? You clearly did so much, yet you still let him misunderstand you."
Chen Ji: "I can't tell him."
Wu Yun was puzzled. "Why can't you tell him?"
Chen Ji: "Matters are accomplished through secrecy, and fail through leaked words."
Wu Yun froze for a moment. "Fish fail because of crabs?"
Chen Ji explained, "If we want to rescue the Commandery Princess, we have to take huge risks out of desperation. In the future, we will inevitably have to commit some taboo, law-breaking acts. If we let others know we want to rescue the Commandery Princess, people will connect all those things we do secretly back to us. That is why Bai Long instructed me to have a deep mind and shrewdness. Liu Quxing is not someone skilled at keeping secrets. Letting him know too much will only bring about fatal disasters upon him instead."
Wu Yun meowed. "But being misunderstood by a friend truly makes one very sad, ah."
Carrying Wu Yun, Chen Ji walked along the long street in the dark night, exhaling a puff of white mist. "It's fine. The things we are going to do don't require anyone to understand."
"Oh..."
Chen Ji said with a smile, "We'll be heading to the Capital City soon, so be a bit happier. I heard people say that the Lantern Festival in the Capital City is the most bustling and flourishing. The entire city is decorated to be Brightly Lit with fiery trees and silver flowers, brilliant and resplendent in gold and jade. For six days and six nights, it stays open from night till dawn, Brightly Lit. We'll be spending New Year's Day and the Lantern Festival in the Capital City; when the time comes, I'll take you out to see it."
"Alright." Wu Yun was still somewhat depressed and unhappy.
By the time Chen Ji returned to the Mingquan Courtyard, it was already midnight.
Standing outside the courtyard, he looked at the wide-open courtyard doors and the lit lamps inside the room, deep in thought. "I remember I extinguished the lamps when I went out. Who would come here in the middle of the night?"
Wu Yun responded, "It's Chen Wenzong's scent."
Feeling reassured, Chen Ji walked into the room, only to see that charcoal fires had already been lit inside. The windows were cracked open a sliver for ventilation, and Chen Wenzong was curled up sleeping beside the mother-of-pearl inlaid tea table in the room.
He stepped forward and gently patted the other party's shoulder. "Older Brother?"
Jolted awake, Chen Wenzong immediately sat up straight. "You've returned. Where did you go just now? Why weren't you in your room?"
Avoiding the question, Chen Ji asked, "Why has Older Brother visited deep into the night?"
Reminded of his purpose, Chen Wenzong hurriedly said, "Thinking that you hadn't lit the charcoal fires in your room yet, I ordered someone to bring over the Silver Wire Charcoal from the Western Mountain Kiln in my room for you. This item is smokeless and odorless, and can burn with a warm, steady heat for up to three shichen. It couldn't be better for keeping warm through the night."
Chen Ji glanced at the brass charcoal basin. "Older Brother is too thoughtful."
Chen Wenzong reached into his robes to fish for something, but having delivered twenty heavy staff blows to Chen Wenxiao during the day, and then another twenty to Wang Gui, his arms were now swollen, sore, tight, and painful, almost unable to be lifted.
Expending a great deal of effort, he finally managed to tremblingly pull out a string of bracelets from his robes. He said warmly, "Chen Ji, today I carefully counted the items listed on Wenxiao's confession statement again. Over these past years, using your name, he has racked up a total of one thousand seven hundred taels of silver in debt across various gambling houses. As your older brother, I cannot allow you to bear such unjustified grievances and false accusations in vain. Since he falsely charged these debts to your name, I have withdrawn the equivalent amount from the Chen Estate's public funds for you, counting it as compensation."
Looking at that string of Buddhist Prayer Beads Currency, Chen Ji's expression was indiscernible.
Did he lack silver?
He lacked it.
Currently, the Ice Flow originating from Prince Jing was hovering and lingering within his dantian like a violent storm of Heavy Rain.
He needed silver; he needed a large amount of silver to dispel and resolve the Ice Flow one by one.
Within Chen Ji's body, there were currently exactly one hundred and ten Furnace Fires burning brightly. Perhaps only by igniting the remaining four hundred and ninety-plus lamps could he step into the Path-Seeking Realm and become a true Grand Guild Agent.
Just as he was worrying over this, Chen Wenzong delivered a timely rain.
This older brother, although somewhat rigid, dogmatic, and pedantic, could actually be considered an upright and honorable gentleman. Within the Chen Estate, perhaps he was the only one worthy of befriending.
Accepting that string of Buddhist Prayer Beads Currency, Chen Ji broke into a smile. "Thank you, Older Brother. The hour is late; Older Brother should also return early to rest."
Chen Wenzong shook his head. "I still have some things to ask you."
"What things?"
Chen Wenzong asked abruptly, "The Master said: 'He who exercises government by means of his virtue may be compared to the north polar star, which keeps its place and all the stars turn towards it...' How do you interpret this line?"
Chen Ji was dumbfounded. "What in the world?"
Chen Wenzong sighed. "It seems that during these two years in the medical clinic, you have completely neglected the study of Confucian classics. But it doesn't matter; starting tomorrow, as your older brother I will begin guiding you to review them. Since you are going to walk the path of the Imperial Examination, you can no longer slack off."
Chen Ji's expression changed, and the candlelight in the room flickered along with it. "Older Brother, isn't this a bit inappropriate? I just got back."
Chen Wenzong pulled a long face. "The departed flow on like this, not ceasing day or night. In three years, you will be taking the Provincial Examination. How many days do you have left to delay and waste? Don't resist, or don't blame your older brother for turning hostile and ruthless. Since I could cane Wenxiao, I can naturally cane you as well."
Chen Ji: "Ah?"
Chen Wenzong walked outside. "Rest early."
Looking at Chen Wenzong's back, Chen Ji said blankly, "Wu Yun, tell me, could this older brother of mine be addicted to caning people?"
Wu Yun was shocked. "Fierce and ruthless!"
...
...
Meanwhile, the lamps in the Chen Estate's Buddhist hall remained unextinguished.
Faint green smoke drifted out from the openwork hollowed copper censer in the room, the scent of sandalwood dispersing along with the smoke.
Having removed her luxurious headdresses, Madam Liang knelt respectfully on the futon before the Bodhisattva. Fingering the Buddhist prayer beads in her hand, her lips parted and closed as she silently recited Buddhist sutras.
Watching through the window for a moment, Chen Liqin originally wanted to find an excuse to reprimand and lecture her again. But seeing her repenting so piously and devoutly, he could only shake his head and walk away.
Hearing the departing footsteps, Madam Liang slightly raised her eyes to look through the cracks in the window, then calmly and collectedly continued reciting Buddhist sutras.
"Madam, please save me!"
Hearing someone calling from outside the doors behind her, Madam Liang stood up to open the doors.
In the dark night, Wang Gui knelt on the icy cold bluestone slabs, pleading piteously, "Madam, save me."
Madam Liang said calmly, "You aren't dead yet, what is there to talk about saving or not saving? Having just been caned by Wenzong during the day, instead of resting properly to heal your injuries, why have you come looking for me?"
Kowtowing on the ground, Wang Gui said, "Master just came to tell this lowly one that he wants this lowly one to stay in Luo City to look after the properties and industries here in the future, forbidding this lowly one from returning to the capital. I implore Madam to take pity on this lowly one's elderly mother whose years are already high; please help put in a good word. This lowly one still needs to return to the capital to take care of her, ah."
Looking down at Wang Gui, Madam Liang said, "Why seek me to plead for you? Just like you, I am currently reflecting on my mistakes."
Wang Gui hurriedly said, "This lowly one knows that the reason you protected this lowly one today is precisely because this lowly one has already formed a mortal enmity with Chen Ji. That is why you kept this lowly one's life; it is useful to you."
Madam Liang's two slender willow-leaf eyebrows perked up slightly. "That is the Third Young Master of my Chen Estate; why would I keep someone with an enmity against him? Trying to be clever."
Even after being rebuked, Wang Gui didn't change his words. Lowering his head, he said, "Madam, the arrival of the two Zodiacs, Yun Yang and Jiao Tu, at the Chen Estate cannot be a coincidence. Zhang Zhuo and Zhang Xia coming to the Chen Estate also cannot be a coincidence."
Madam Liang remained silent.
Wang Gui continued, "The Zhang Family can be ignored. Once we arrive in the capital and enter the Chen Family's grand mansion, they can't possibly visit the Chen Estate every single day. As for those two Zodiacs, this lowly one also has some close friends and relatives in the capital, and this lowly one's mother also has some connections in the imperial palace. I will definitely help you investigate and clarify the sequence of events. If Chen Ji is involved with the Eunuch Faction... Master hates the Eunuch Faction the most in his life; he will absolutely not tolerate him."
Madam Liang remained silent for a while. "Wang Gui, you asked the wrong person. The one you offended is Chen Ji. As long as his anger doesn't subside, Master's anger won't subside either. If you are clever enough, you will know what to do; if you aren't clever enough, then just stay behind and look after the properties."
Pondering slightly, Wang Gui struggled to stand up. "This lowly one understands."
Dragging his injured and disabled body, he arrived at the woodshed. Taking off his upper garments to reveal the wounds on his back, he gritted his teeth and bound thin pieces of firewood tightly onto his mangled, bloody back one by one. Then, he walked toward the Mingquan Courtyard.
Arriving at the Mingquan Courtyard, Wang Gui knocked on the courtyard doors and knelt straight outside.
His lips were purple from the cold, and his entire body trembled as he yelled loudly, "Third Young Master! This lowly one has offended you greatly in the past. Having been taught a lesson by the Eldest Young Master today, I have thoroughly realized my errors and repented. Knowing my sins are deep and grave, this lowly one implores the Third Young Master to punish me. Even if the Third Young Master beats this lowly one to death today, this lowly one will not hold the slightest resentment."
(End of this chapter)