A Five Hundred Li Express handwritten edict threw all plans into chaos and disarray.
Zhang Zhuo lowered his head, looking at the Secret Spy Division 'Patrol Ivory Plaque' in his hands. Engraved on it was: "Patrolling and Hunting on Behalf of the Heavens. Major matters request imperial arbitration; minor matters are decided immediately."
He naturally knew this was an Ivory Plaque that only a Gyrfalcon could wear. Further up was the "Court Audience Ivory Plaque" of the Twelve Zodiacs, which allowed one to enter and exit the Forbidden City and the East and West Six Palaces. It was said the Top Three Ranks of the Zodiacs even possessed separate Ivory Plaques, but outsiders had no fate to behold them.
Seeing that there were no outsiders present in private, Zhang Zhuo weighed the Ivory Plaque in his hand, sighing lightly: "Chen Ji, what I told Lord Chen just now were not drunken ravings."
Chen Ji asked in a low voice: "Is Lord Zhang worried about the matter of the Struggle for Succession?"
Zhang Zhuo shook his head: "Relating to the Jin Faction and the Border Army, it is no longer as simple as just the Struggle for Succession. It involves various contradictions between the Imperial Court and the border towns, and the Jin Faction and the Donglin Faction, all intertwined together. Unless you are situated right within it, you will never be able to see it clearly. For matters you cannot see clearly, try your best not to touch them."
Zhang Zhuo continued, lowering his voice: "I have never dealt with the Crown Prince, and I do not know his temperament and character. It's just that everyone says he is kind and benevolent, and praised by prominent Confucian scholars. In this day and age, Benevolence equates to weakness. When this kind of person wants to investigate those murderous brutes of the Border Army, he will only end up getting the people around him killed."
Chen Ji lowered his head, deep in thought for a long while. Finally, he said softly: "I understand all that Lord Zhang has said. It's just that I have reasons why I must go."
"Let it be, then," Zhang Zhuo exhorted. "I have an old acquaintance in Guyuan. I will write a letter for you. If there are matters you cannot resolve, go look for him. He should be able to send you out of Guyuan."
Chen Ji solemnly cupped his hands and bowed: "Many thanks, Lord Zhang."
At the side, Zhang Zheng suddenly spoke up: "Father, I also want to follow Chen Ji..."
Zhang Zhuo said calmly: "Scram."
Zhang Zheng: "Oh."
Pulling Zhang Zheng, Zhang Xia walked toward the Relay Station: "Brother, stop adding trouble and chaos for Father. We still have to rush back to the Capital City for New Year's Eve."
Chen Ji asked: "Second Miss Zhang, we will part ways tomorrow. I shall return Zaozao to you."
Without turning her head back, Zhang Xia waved her hand: "No need, no need! I'll lend her to you first."
Looking at the backs of his children, Zhang Zhuo lamented with emotion: "If only this boy were half as sensible as Ah Xia... Go back and rest early."
Returning to his room, he saw Xiaoman sitting before the Eight Immortals table, propping up her chin with her hands and dozing off.
Hearing the sound of the door opening, she sleepily rose: "Young Master, you finally returned! I'll go call the Relay Station's attendant to fetch a basin to wash up with hot water."
Chen Ji smiled and said: "You shouldn't busy yourself, I can just do it myself. What about Su Zhou, did she eat?"
Xiaoman rubbed her eyes: "She's still hiding inside the chest on the horse carriage. It's said there are Secret Spy Division people behind this Relay Station, and she didn't want to come out and take the risk. She has eaten; I sent her some Traditional Snacks when no one was around."
Chen Ji gave an "Mhm": "Tomorrow, I will follow the Chen Family to proceed together to Guyuan. When the time comes, you follow the Zhang Family to proceed to the Capital City. On the road, listen to Second Miss Zhang's arrangements; do not act on your own authority."
Xiaoman's eyes abruptly widened: "Young Master, you want to drive me away?!"
Chen Ji explained: "I'm not driving you away. It's just that Lord Zhang said the place of Guyuan is a Mixed Bag, not peaceful. Not letting you go is also for your own good."
The light in Xiaoman's eyes spun around a few times: "Then you should bring me along even more so! That way, we can also look after each other, ah!"
Chen Ji said nonchalantly: "A little maid like you, what can you look after? If you were a Practitioner, I would have brought you along, but you aren't one."
Xiaoman was stymied: "I... Either way, someone has to look after you, ah!"
Leaving no room for doubt, Chen Ji said: "You follow along with the Zhang Family, take good care of Su Zhou, and escort her to the Capital City; that will be enough."
Reluctantly and unwillingly, Xiaoman let out an "Oh": "When Young Master goes to Guyuan, remember to go take a look at Auntie's grave and pull out the weeds for her. If possible, you should perhaps personally verify if what Nanny Li said is true or not."
Chen Ji was taken aback for a moment. Madam Lu's grave was actually in Guyuan?!
His thoughts spun like lightning. This Guyuan was a place where Ning and Jing dynasties mingled, a Mixed Bag. Since there was an inn that could send people to the Jing Dynasty, presumably there were also means to send Jing Dynasty people into the Ning Dynasty.
Back then, perhaps Lu Jin and the Lu siblings entered the Ning Dynasty from here, forging their Household Registrations and transforming themselves into people from Guyuan. The Ning Dynasty emphasized falling leaves returning to their roots after death, which was why, after she passed away, Chen Liqin sent Madam Lu back to Guyuan for burial!
Connecting this with the previous rumors of an 'empty coffin', Chen Ji felt both shocked and suspicious. Could it be that Madam Lu truly didn't die back then, but rather seized the opportunity to extract herself in Guyuan and return to the Jing Dynasty?!
But if that was the case, why did Si Cao Gui not know the news that the other party was still alive?
Chen Ji had the mind to ask about the specific location of the grave, but couldn't open his mouth. This was something he originally should have known; if he opened his mouth to ask, he feared it would immediately arouse Xiaoman's suspicions.
Acting as if nothing was wrong, Chen Ji said: "Pitiful how she entrusted herself to the wrong person. Even after leaving, she couldn't be buried into the Chen Family."
Xiaoman sighed with emotion: "Who says it isn't so. However, based on Auntie's personality, she wouldn't have been willing to be buried together with those pedantic and rotten scholars of the Chen Family anyway! If they were buried together, it would be extremely lively; Auntie would be able to point at the noses of the Chen Family ancestors and curse at them every single day underground..."
Wu Yun felt a sense of profound respect: "Fierce, fierce!"
...
...
The next morning, the guest room of the Relay Station was warm and toasty. Sitting on a small wooden stool, Xiaoman dozed off, her drool flowing down to her knees.
Chen Ji got up lightly, not waking her.
He went straight to the stables in the rear courtyard to lead Zaozao out, taking a coarse-toothed comb to comb her hair. Zaozao found it comfortable, arching her head to rub against Chen Ji's shoulder.
From not far away, a voice transmitted over: "Third Brother woke up truly early."
Chen Ji turned his head to look. He saw Chen Wenzong, draped in a white fox-fur cloak, standing on the steps of the Relay Station, looking like a noble young master who walked right out of a storyteller's tale.
Chen Ji cupped his hands in greeting: "Eldest Brother."
A trace of a smile appeared in Chen Wenzong's eyes and brows: "You call Father 'Lord Chen', yet you are still willing to call me 'Eldest Brother'."
Chen Ji smiled: "Eldest Brother's character is noble and precious; you are worthy of being called Eldest Brother."
Chen Wenzong hesitated for a moment: "Actually, Father..."
Before he finished speaking, Chen Ji had already led Zaozao toward the front gates of the Relay Station.
Before the Relay Station, he saw the escort guards waking up early before the sky was even bright. Each holding a bowl of mutton soup, they squatted at the Relay Station entrance. Paired with piping hot baked flatbreads, they took a bite of flatbread and a gulp of soup, drinking until their entire bodies were warm before getting up to harness the oxen and horses with reins, and leading the ox carts and horse carriages out of the courtyard.
Pointing at the ground, a minor official of the Relay Station cursed: "Pick up all the ox and horse dung on the ground for me! Otherwise, the next time you come, you won't even have ox pens to stay in!"
Escort Chief Liang hurriedly smiled apologetically: "We'll pick it up right now!"
Watching the backs of the escort guards, Chen Wenzong sighed with emotion: "The escort guards squatting together early in the morning to drink a mouthful of hot soup and eat a mouthful of baked flatbreads, this kind of commoner marketplace life scene possesses such a strong worldly, lively atmosphere. Watching them eat, I suddenly feel my appetite widen greatly. In the past, when eating fine food and wearing fine clothes at home, I never felt much appetite. Third Brother, do you want a bowl of mutton soup as well?"
Chen Ji teased while combing Zaozao's hair: "Eldest Brother, the escort guards huddled in the ox pens for an entire night! If they don't drink some hot soup in the morning, even the tips of their toes would be freezing cold. And that mutton soup base only has two pitifully thin slices of mutton. If they heard what you just said, I'm afraid they would wish for nothing more than to swap places with you! To sit beneath carved beams and painted pillars, and eat the fine clothes and fine foods you spoke of."
Chen Wenzong was taken aback. A moment later, he said sincerely: "I have received your teachings... Third Brother, these past two years outside, you must have suffered a lot of hardships, right? It's a good thing you returned home."
Chen Ji cast a glance at him: "Not really."
Right at this time, Chen Liqin and Madam Liang had already led Chen Wenxiao into the horse carriage, avoiding meeting Zhang Zhuo again.
Standing before the gates, Chen Ji called Zaozao over. Grabbing a handful of soybeans from the saddlebag, he fed them to her mouth. Wu Yun drilled out from Chen Ji's embrace and nestled onto Zaozao's head, and Zaozao also didn't get angry.
Waiting until the Chen Family's convoy was already on the road, Chen Ji did not show any urgency to mount the horse and set off.
He said in a low voice to Zaozao: "Let's wait a bit longer. We'll leave after your master bids you farewell. Otherwise, if she doesn't see you for over a month, she definitely won't be able to bear parting."
Chen Ji knew that Second Miss Zhang treated Zaozao as a friend, so she would definitely come say goodbye.
It was just that he waited and waited. Seeing the Chen Family's convoy already traveling far away, he still hadn't waited for the person to arrive.
"Not good!" As if thinking of something, Chen Ji mounted his horse and spurred his horse to chase toward the Chen Family's convoy!
Arriving beside the Chen Family's convoy, he urged Zaozao to inspect back and forth, but on the ten-odd carriages, there were absolutely no figures of Zhang Xia or Zhang Zheng!
Chen Ji shouted toward a maid named 'Hanlu' on an ox cart: "Open the chests! See if there are people hiding inside!"
Hanlu was completely confused: "What is Third Young Master saying? The chests are full of our family's belongings, how could they hide people?"
Chen Ji insisted: "Open it and take a look!"
Hanlu did as instructed, but just as she lifted the chest open slightly by a crack, a hand reached out from inside, shutting the lid tightly again...
Chen Ji: "?"
Hanlu let out a scream: "What thing is that?!"
Before they could open the chest to check again, the sound of horse hooves transmitted over from a small alley by the side of the road.
Chen Ji turned his head to look. He saw precisely Zhang Xia and Zhang Zheng spurring their horses to catch up!
He asked in confusion: "What are you two..."
Zhang Zheng said carelessly: "After staying in Luo City for two years, our Mother doesn't allow the two of us siblings to travel far; we were almost bored to the point of suffocating a fart! On normal days, she doesn't bother managing Eldest Brother or Eldest Sister, so on what basis does she always manage us two?! So, I sneaked my younger sister out, requested two fine steeds from the Relay Station, and came along with you to take a look at Guyuan!"
Chen Ji frowned: "This absolutely will not do."
Zhang Zheng laughed 'haha': "You're not our mother! You can't manage us siblings!"
Chen Ji knew in his heart that Zhang Zheng made sense; he truly had no reason to restrain the other party. He could only let it be: "Second Miss Zhang, since you've come out, then let's swap horses; I will return Zaozao to you."
Zhang Xia said boldly and straightforwardly: "No need! I see Zaozao quite likes you as well, so I'll lend her to you first! You need her more than I do!"
Chen Ji expressed his thanks. Immediately following that, he suddenly remembered the hand inside the chest...
Since Zhang Zheng and Zhang Xia were here, then who was inside the chest?!
Chen Ji spoke calmly toward the chest: "Come out yourself!"
The chest slowly opened. Holding up the chest's lid with her right hand, Xiaoman was seen squatting inside, smiling radiantly: "Young Master! Surprise?!"
Chen Ji said crossly: "Why didn't you listen to my instructions?"
Seeing that his expression was off, Xiaoman hurriedly explained: "But you truly need someone to look after you on the road, ah! Whose Young Master doesn't bring a maid? Is a Young Master who doesn't bring a maid still a Young Master?"
Chen Ji felt a sense of foreboding in his heart. Xiaoman stealthily following along was already a foregone conclusion. But what about Su Zhou?! The reason Su Zhou insisted on hiding in the Chen Family's convoy was to observe if he was the one who betrayed Prince Jing's Estate! But now, he and Xiaoman had both left...
Didn't that mean Su Zhou was the only one left on that horse carriage?!
At this very moment, a coachman was driving Chen Ji's horse carriage, trailing far behind the Zhang Family's convoy.
Amidst the swaying and rocking, a faint voice transmitted out from the wooden chest inside the carriage, asking: "Can I come out now? It's stiflingly hot inside."
"Can I come out now?!"
"Can you at least give me an answer?!"
"Say something, you wretched girl!"
(End of this chapter)