177, A Door Away

Early in the morning, Chen Ji woke up alone.

The dormitory was empty. There was no smell of Liang Gou'er's alcohol, no snoring from She Dengke, and the heat was gone too.

He put on his clothes and went out, took a look at the courtyard wall with a ladder on it, then bent down, picked up the shoulder pole and walked into Anxi Street.

The water tank in the yard was full, but Chen Ji still went to fetch water as usual, as if by this stubborn method he could stop time before the war.

There were no pedestrians on Anxi Street, so he stood alone at the edge of the well, slowly turning the oar above the wellhead, and as he rowed, he became dazed.

It was not until a guy from the bun shop came to fetch water that he came to his senses, fetched some water, and carried his shoulder pole to Zhixing Academy.

Knock, knock, knock. Chen Ji knocked on the closed wooden door of Zhixing Academy.

After a while, Wang Daosheng pushed open the door and asked in confusion, "Why are you here?"

Chen Ji smiled and walked sideways into the courtyard: "I am your direct disciple. Living so close to you, it is only natural that I should help you fetch water and chop firewood."

Wang Daosheng followed him into the courtyard, looked him over carefully, and suddenly said, "You're confused and have questions for me, right?"

Chen Ji paused, he didn't expect that Mr. Wang saw through him at a glance.

He put down his shoulder pole and poured the water from the wooden bucket into the vat. "Sir, did the Liu family come to see you when they were rebelling?"

Wang Daosheng, standing aside, replied, "Yes, I did. Elder Liu promised me a high position and generous salary, hoping that I could plan his war, but I refused."

Chen Ji asked, "Didn't the Liu family give you any trouble?"

Wang Daosheng shook his head. "The Liu family didn't make things difficult for me. In their eyes, I'm nothing but a stony rock. There's no need to waste time."

Chen Ji was amused. "Why do you describe yourself like that?" Wang Daosheng casually replied, "Someone else described me like that." Chen Ji asked curiously, "Aren't you angry?"

Wang Daosheng thought for a moment and said frankly, "I'll get angry."

Chen Ji asked, "Sir, do you also get angry because of other people's opinions?"

Wang Daosheng laughed and said, "There are still many things I haven't figured out."

Chen Ji uttered an "oh" and bent down to pick up another bucket to pour water. Wang Daosheng said calmly, "You didn't come to Zhixing Academy to ask these questions."

In Zhixing Academy, the only sound left was the splashing sound of water, stirring in the tank.

After a long pause, Chen Ji finally spoke the truth: "Sir, there's someone right now. As long as she's alive, she's a huge threat to me and many others. The simplest option right now is to kill her with a single blow. As long as it's done covertly enough, no one but God, the earth, and I will know."

Wang Daosheng said calmly, "That's great. What are you hesitating about?" Chen Ji finished pouring the water and looked at him with the empty wooden bucket. "But if I strike this blow, there are some people I can no longer face. So I want to ask you, sir, should I kill this person?"

Wang Daosheng smiled and said, "Just do what's right with your conscience."

Chen Ji lowered his head and muttered to himself, "Conscience?"

Wang Daosheng thought for a moment and said, "If you lost a bag of money on the road, would you feel bad?"

Chen Ji nodded, "A little, after all, I lost some property." Wang Dao Shengyi asked, "What if you saw a beggar freezing to death on the street, and you only needed to give him five cents to save him, but you didn't? The next day, when you heard he had actually frozen to death, would you feel a little sad?"

Chen Ji nodded again, "Maybe a little."

Wang Daosheng asked, "Why do you feel so bad? You clearly didn't lose anything.

Chen Ji remained silent.

Wang Daosheng tapped his chest and said, "You feel bad because you've lost a piece of yourself."

"Um?"

Wang Daosheng smiled and said, "Actually, this analogy isn't accurate. Most people only see the gains and losses of external things, but not the gains and losses of their own hearts. Before you asked me, I already had the answer in my heart. Just follow your heart."

"Thank you, sir."

Chen Ji carried a shoulder pole and walked towards the clinic. A carriage was already parked in front of the door. The driver was squatting in front of the door, chewing on a dry and hard multi-grain cake. This was the carriage he had arranged yesterday.

The driver saw it and quickly handed over the remaining half.

He put the pancake in his arms and said with a smile, "Sir, do you still need to fetch water yourself?" Chen Ji glanced at the sky and said, "You're here quite early. It's not even the agreed time yet."

The driver chuckled cheerfully, "The early bird catches the worm. Since I work so hard to make a living, I naturally have to come early, just in case the official has to advance his journey and find himself without a carriage."

Chen Ji said, "Wait a moment, I'll put my things down." He went into the clinic, put down his shoulder pole, and took out the Zhengxinzhai snacks and a jar of daughter's red wine he had bought yesterday, then got into the car.

The carriage wobbled out of the city. The driver, sitting in the front, turned and asked, "Sir, are you sure we can leave the city? Yesterday, a customer hired me to leave, but I was stopped by the soldiers at the city gate. I don't know what's going on these days. The boats at the docks won't leave, and the city gates won't let you leave. The travelers are frantic."

Chen Ji smiled and said, "Don't worry, your trip won't be in vain."

Half an hour later, the carriage arrived in front of the South City Gate. Three layers of barricades were erected in the gate, and dozens of soldiers in armor blocked the way. "Who's in the carriage?"

Chen Ji lifted the curtain and stepped down, pulling out the Secret Service badge from his sleeve: "Secret Service."

A lieutenant slowly approached him and looked him up and down. "So you are from the Secret Service. Where are you going?"

Chen Ji put away his badge and said, "I'm going to the Liu family mansion for official business."

The lieutenant general didn't ask any more questions, but simply clasped his fists and saluted: "According to the rules, I will search your car."

Chen Ji asked in surprise, "My car is being searched too? Even the Forbidden City is accessible through our Secret Service with badges. How come the South Gate of Los Angeles is more valuable than the Forbidden City?"

The lieutenant general hurriedly explained, "This isn't a rule I set. I have no say in it. My general has ordered that all vehicles entering and leaving the carriages be carefully inspected. No one should be overlooked. Anyone who violates this order will have their property confiscated, beheaded, and their entire clan executed."

Chen Ji raised his eyebrows: "What if I refuse to allow inspection?" The lieutenant general was stunned at first, and then slowly retreated.

He took a long spear from the soldier and said in a serious tone, "Sir, please don't embarrass me. I am only following orders."

After that, dozens of soldiers slowly surrounded the door, and the driver was so scared that his legs were shaking.

Chen Ji smiled and said, "Don't get excited, General. I'll let you search."

He stepped aside and let the soldiers lift the curtain of the carriage, but it was empty inside and the end was visible at a glance. The lieutenant general squatted down and checked the bottom of the carriage, and only breathed a sigh of relief after confirming that there was nothing unusual.

The lieutenant general clasped his fists towards Chen Ji and said, "My lord, I'm sorry."

Chen Ji's face was solemn as he continued, "This is the first time my Secret Service's car has been searched. General, we will meet again in the future."

The lieutenant general didn't say anything, but turned around and waved to the soldiers: "Let them go!" Seeing the soldiers carrying the wooden barriers to the side of the road, Chen Ji lifted the curtain and sat back in the car, letting out a long sigh.

He hired this carriage to test whether he could enter and exit the city with a badge. Now, entering and exiting the city was not a problem, but it was undoubtedly a pipe dream to send Concubine Yun away with just a badge.

If this is the case, it would be better to let Concubine Yun hide in the city and wait for a better opportunity.

Chen Ji slowly fell into deep thought until the carriage stopped again and the driver called out from outside, "Sir, we're here."

"You wait for me in front of the door, and then you have to take me back to the city." He got out of the car with snacks and wine jars, picked up the animal head ring on the Liu family's vermilion lacquer gate and knocked on it.

The vermilion lacquered door was slowly opened from the inside. Through the crack in the door, the golden pig's eyes lit up: "Why are you here?"

As Chen Ji walked inside, he asked in confusion, "Master Jinzhu, why are you guarding the gate?"

Jin Zhu's chubby face was filled with bad luck: "Damn it, that grandson of Bai Long is giving me a hard time. I was supposed to be sleeping soundly, but he insisted that the Liu family mansion was extremely important and needed an expert to guard it, and he dragged me here.

Chen Ji asked curiously, "Can't we ask Tianma-sama to help you?"

"Tianma has already left Luocheng," the Golden Pig said angrily. "The Minister of Internal Affairs needs him for other matters. Right now, in Luocheng, Bailong is the highest-ranking spy among our secret services. Forget it, once this matter is over, I'll avoid him! If I provoke him, can't I just avoid him?"

After that, he muttered softly:

"Strange, why does this grandson always pick on me? Did he hear me say bad things about him behind his back?"

Chen Ji's face was quizzical. "Sir, please be quiet." At this moment, Jin Zhu looked down at the snacks and wine jar in his hands and asked curiously, "Is this for me?"

Chen Ji smiled and handed him the wine jar: "This is for you, not the snack."

The Golden Pig smacked his lips and said, "Alright, I knew you wouldn't come all the way to see me."

go. "

He called Xifeng, "Take your men and guard the door. I'll escort Chen Ji inside." He led Chen Ji down the long, blue-brick alley. The white mourning banners under the eaves had been torn away, and the bodies on the ground had been cleared away. Only the blood and mud in the cracks between the bricks had dried, turning a deep purple-black.

Arriving at the gate of a small courtyard, Jin Zhu waved to the spy at the gate and said, "You two should go and rest for a while."

The secret agent guarding the gate bowed and took his leave. Chen Ji was about to push the door open when Jin Zhu grabbed his wrist and said solemnly, "I know you have close ties with Prince Jing's Mansion, and I also know about your connections with the Crown Prince and the Princess... but the situation has changed now."

Chen Ji said calmly, "How did it change?"

Jin Zhu lowered his voice, "Do you know what Bai Long is doing now? He's searching for evidence to convict Prince Jing of treason! This must be the result of the Minister's covert instructions, hoping to kill three birds with one stone."

who? "

"Three birds?" Chen Ji wondered. "Besides the Liu family and Prince Jing, there's also the Golden Pig." "Bai Long wants to capture Concubine Yun and pin the crime of treason on Prince Jing's Mansion. Concubine Yun's background is not simple either. The Luo Tian Sect behind her has secretly controlled the canal transportation along the two rivers and one canal for many years, making her a thorn in the side of His Majesty and the Minister of Internal Affairs. Bai Long is capturing Concubine Yun not only to convict Prince Jing, but also to use her crimes to eliminate the Luo Tian Sect."

Chen Ji was silent.

The Minister was so greedy that he swallowed so many Dongjin pigs in one go. He solemnly warned, "Whatever the Minister wants to do, there's nothing he can't accomplish. Today, Prince Jing is still Prince Jing, and the Princess is still the Princess, but tomorrow they could be prisoners. You absolutely must not have any further dealings with them. You're wasting your time. I've made it clear. Think for yourself: do you still want to see them?"

Chen Ji said softly, "Master Jinzhu, thank you for your kind reminder, but since the snacks have already been bought, they must be delivered, otherwise they will be wasted."

Jin Zhu carefully observed Chen Ji's expression, and finally sighed, "You are young and ignorant! Today, I will quietly let you in to speak with the princess and the prince. Don't come to the Liu family mansion again. Focus on your training in the clinic. At your rate of training, you will become a zodiac sign sooner or later."

After saying that, he pushed open the gate and stepped aside.

Chen Ji turned around and was shocked to see Bai Li standing in front of the door, staring at him intently.

He was about to go in, but Bai Li blocked his way and hesitated to move. He just said coldly, "Go back."

Chen Ji smiled, casually pushed her arm away and walked in: "Princess, I have something to ask the prince. This is the snack from Zhengxinzhai, you and the prince

However, Bai Li snatched the snack from his hand and threw it out the door. The hemp rope wrapped around the snack broke, and the snack was scattered all over the floor.

Bai Li said coldly, "Chen Ji, you're just a greedy apprentice. If I hadn't seen how poor and pathetic you are, I wouldn't have been so kind as to pay for your travel expenses, let alone get to know you. Who are you? Who am I? Why would you need to bring me snacks? Get out!"

As he spoke, Bai Li slammed the gate shut and bolted it.

Bai Li inside the door leaned against the door, pursed his lips and lowered his eyes. Chen Ji outside the door looked down at the snacks on the ground for a long time without saying a word.

A door separates us, but it feels like a thousand miles.

At that moment, Xifeng came running over, clutching a piece of paper. "Sir, Bailong has sent a warrant, saying that Yun Fei's personal nanny, Xitang, has been captured in the East Market of Luocheng. He has revealed Yun Fei's approximate hiding place. He wants us to gather our troops and enter the city to search for her!"

Golden Pig took the letter, glanced at it, and walked out: "Hurry, hurry, don't let Cloud Sheep and Bright Rabbit steal the credit!"

Chen Ji followed him out, and when he reached the corner, he suddenly stopped and looked back at the closed door at the end of the path.

The Golden Pig turned around and urged, "What are you doing? Hurry up!" "I'm coming."