Green Mountain

Chen Liqin was furious: "Am I acting selfishly? I just don't want to waste my time on the Chen family's trivial matters. Isn't it better to use my talents to benefit the common people?"

"Benefit the common people?" Chen Ji was thoughtful: "Mr. Chen, where were you when the people of Guyuan were on the brink of disaster?"

Chen Liqin opened his mouth, but couldn't speak.

He was hiding on the rooftop of the Dragon Gate Inn.

Chen Ji stared directly at Chen Liqin: "While Mr. Chen was acting prudently in Guyuan, Brother Wenzong dared to denounce the traitors of the Jing Dynasty... Does Mr. Chen still remember the half city of people who died in Guyuan? Does Mr. Chen still remember the thirty-four lives lost to poison at Guyuan Inn of the Chen family? Mr. Chen may have forgotten, but I haven't, and Brother Wenzong hasn't, which is why he locks himself in the garden, studying day and night, refusing to go out."

Chen Liqin hesitated and said, "I didn't..."

Before he could finish, Chen Ji bowed to Chen Liqin: "Take your time, Mr. Chen."

Chen Liqin staggered, and then, with dull eyes, walked out until he returned to his residence at Bamboo Garden, where he finally regained his senses.

Mrs. Liang came out from the main room, instructing the maids to bring hot water.

She dampened a cloth with the hot water: "Did you entertain someone today, my lord? I asked the kitchen to prepare a soup to sober you up with green plums and lotus seeds, it will be served to you shortly."

Chen Liqin looked at her side profile and instructed: "Madam, I'm going to be reassigned to Jinling; pack your things and go with me. When we get to Jinling, we'll find a bigger house, so you don't have to endure looking at people's faces here in Qingzheng Garden."

Mrs. Liang's movements suddenly stopped, her hands soaking in the water as she forgot to wring the cloth.

Chen Liqin loosened his robe collar and asked in confusion: "What's wrong?"

Mrs. Liang lowered her eyelids: "Please go to Jinling yourself, my lord. Wenzong is about to take the Imperial Examination; I need to stay in the Imperial Capital to take care of him."

Chen Liqin said in a deep voice: "He's grown up, he doesn't need your care."

Mrs. Liang raised her head and said softly: "My lord, Wenzong is my only child, the only one I can rely on in this lifetime. I must stay with him. The journey to Jinling is long. I will let the servants prepare your luggage, and the cushions in the carriage need to be thickened, and also bring some books to read on the way..."

Chen Liqin stood dazed for a long time, his arms slowly falling: "Fine, fine, I'll go to Jinling alone, and you all can stay in the Imperial Capital."

He staggered toward the house, and Mrs. Liang tried to help him, but he pushed her away.

Mrs. Liang no longer paid him any attention, she simply stood in the courtyard, watching Chen Liqin enter the house.

With a thud, Chen Liqin heavily closed the door, and Mrs. Liang stood in the courtyard for a long time.

...

...

Silver Apricot Garden.

Chen Ji pushed open the main room door, Xiaoman and the little monk quickly turned their backs, and Xiaoman, from somewhere, grabbed a rag and pretended to wipe the table.

The little monk closed his eyes, holding a string of prayer beads in his hands, silently reciting the Ksitigarbha's Vows.

Chen Ji said irritably: "Enough, stop pretending."

Xiaoman hurriedly tossed the rag aside, saying with a grin: "Young master finally rebuked the Third Elder, you should have done so long ago. Years ago, Aunt said that the Third Elder had great ambitions, and spoke quite eloquently, but inside he was filled with straw."

The little monk opened his eyes.

Before he could finish speaking, Xiaoman scolded: "Close your eyes!"

The little monk obediently closed his eyes again.

Chen Ji, puzzled, asked: "What's going on?"

Xiaoman hesitated: "This monk has telepathy; when he makes eye contact with someone, he can see through their thoughts. It's terrifying. Young master, why did you bring this kind of monk home? Quickly send him back to Yuanjue Temple, or else all of my... your secrets will be seen by him."

Chen Ji broke into a laugh: "It's alright, I'm not afraid. Little monk, you can open your eyes now, it's fine."

As soon as the little monk opened his eyes, Xiaoman shut her eyes, fumbling her way towards the door: "Young master, I'll go heat water for you to wash your face... oh!"

With her eyes closed, Xiaoman tripped over the threshold, nearly falling.

"Are you alright?" the little monk ran over with an innocent look to help Xiaoman.

Xiaoman frantically escaped to the side room: "Ah, don't come over!"

Once the room quieted down, Chen Ji wondered: "Are you teasing her?"

The little monk pressed his hands together, a pious expression on his face: "Amitabha Buddha, I've been teasing her all day."

Chen Ji: "… You're not an easy one either."

At the third watch of the night, Chen Ji woke to see Xiaoman sitting by his bed, holding the Little Black Cat, nodding off to sleep, while the little monk was banished by Xiaoman to the east chamber.

He quietly got up, stealthily leaving Silver Apricot Garden, arriving beneath the side wall of Qingzheng Garden.

Chen Ji leapt up gently, hooked a single hand onto the eaves, silently crouching atop the side wall's gray tiles, silently observing outside. After confirming there was no one around, he headed towards Anding Gate.

He needed to scout ahead.

The Ancestor Silkworm Altar was located outside the Imperial Capital, three miles from Anding Gate.

At that time, the Yulin Army would hold ceremonial duties, the Jiefan Guard would safeguard the center, and the Five Cities Military Department would disperse along the streets, clearing pedestrians. Empress would exit the Imperial Palace from Beian Gate, pass through the drum tower, turn into Shuntian Prefecture Street, and then onto Anding Gate Street to exit the city.

Chen Ji pondered whether there would be a chance to swap the Commandery Princess along this route, or if there was a way to create chaos and take her away, hiding her outside the city?

Han Tong was the Commandery Princess's biological father; would he risk being beheaded to send the princess away?

Chen Ji observed the route for a long time, ultimately dismissing the idea. The Anding Gate was too close to the Imperial Palace, hardly two miles away. If there was an intention to create chaos with firearms, the nine gates of the inner city would likely shut immediately, Dongzhi Gate, Xizhi Gate, Chaoyang Gate, Desheng Gate, Anding Gate, Xuanwu Gate, Chongwen Gate...

There was simply no time to escape the inner city.

At that point, all the Imperial Palace officials would be drawn in, the Jiefan Guard and the Spy Department would madly scour the inner city, and neither the Chen family, Qi family, Hu Family, nor Xu Family would have any reason to stop the Inner Court's search—anyone who did would be deemed an accomplice.

Moreover, Chen Ji wasn't sure how much risk Han Tong was willing to take for the Commandery Princess.

He turned back.

As he passed Chessboard Street, a carriage approached, and Chen Ji ducked into the shadow of a roof eave, quickly leaving.

The carriage slowly stopped in front of Bianyifang Restaurant. The person inside didn't get off but quietly lifted the curtain, watching as Chen Ji's departing figure gradually disappeared into the distance.

Once Chen Ji was completely out of sight, the person inside lowered the curtain.

The coachman went to knock on Bianyifang's door, and someone inside opened it, stepping out to greet the carriage: "The landlord has finally returned to the Imperial Capital."

The coachman lifted the curtain with a bamboo stick, revealing a woman in black inside the carriage.

The woman wore a black veil hat and calmly asked: "Any important matters recently?"

The man standing below the carriage replied nervously: "Reporting to the landlord, Little Nine was blinded by silver coins and carelessly lost forty thousand border salt tokens. Chen Yue of the Chen Family Salt Shop promised him the use of forty thousand salt tokens, to be returned in full after the matter was handled, with a commission of twenty thousand taels of silver. However, the Chen Family Salt Shop didn't accomplish the task, and the salt tokens sold cheaply can't be retrieved."

The woman asked indifferently: "What about Little Nine?"

The man reported with his head lowered: "He's currently being hanged from the beam and beaten by the Third Elder."

The woman lifted her skirt and got off the carriage, heading into the Bianyifang: "What's the use of beating him? Getting back those forty thousand salt tokens is the main thing; I've never done a losing business in my life."