202. Carrying a thorn stick to ask for forgiveness

Liu Quxing cried for a long time on the long street in the dark night.

It was not until his crying attracted his father that he hurriedly wiped his tears and pulled his mother away.

Chen Ji stood in the darkness of a small alley not far away and watched silently until the long street was empty, then he walked out of the shadows with dark clouds in his arms.

He looked in the direction Liu Quxing left and sighed softly, "Liu Quxing studied medicine very hard. Master once said that he would be able to see patients in a while. I leave Taiping Clinic to him, and the medical books in the clinic are also left to him. It won't be a waste."

Wu Yun: "Why don't you tell Liu Quxing the truth? You've done so much, yet you're still being misunderstood."

Chen Ji: “I can’t say.”

Wuyun was puzzled: "Why can't I say it?"

Chen Ji: "Things are accomplished through secrecy, and are ruined through disclosure."

Wu Yun was stunned: "Fish defeated by crabs?"

Chen Ji explained, "If we want to save the princess, we have to take risks. We will inevitably do something forbidden in the future. If others know that we want to save the princess, everything we do secretly will be linked to us. That's why Bai Long told me to be cunning. Liu Quxing is not good at keeping secrets. Letting him know too much will only bring him disaster."

Wuyun meowed, "But it's really sad to be misunderstood by friends."

Chen Ji walked along the long street in the dark night, holding the dark cloud in his arms, and exhaled a puff of white mist: "It's okay. We don't need anyone to understand what we are going to do."

"oh……"

Chen Ji smiled and said, "We're going to the capital soon, so be cheerful. I heard that the capital's Lantern Festival is the most prosperous. The whole city is decorated with fireworks and golden splendor for six days and six nights, all night long, with lights on. We're going to celebrate New Year's Day and the Lantern Festival in the capital, and I'll take you to see it then."

"Okay." Wuyun was still a little depressed.

When Chen Ji returned to Mingquan Garden, it was already midnight.

He stood outside the yard, looking at the open gate and the lights on inside the house, thinking: "I remember turning off the lights when I came out. Who would come here in the middle of the night?"

Wuyun responded, "It's Chen Wenzong's scent."

Chen Ji walked into the house with confidence, but saw that the charcoal fire had been lit, the windows were ajar for ventilation, and Chen Wenzong was asleep next to the mother-of-pearl tea table in the house.

He walked forward and patted the other person's shoulder gently: "Brother?"

Chen Wenzong woke up with a start and sat up straight. "You're back. Where did you go? Why aren't you in the house?"

Chen Ji evaded the question: "Brother, why are you visiting so late at night?"

Reminded, Chen Wenzong quickly said, "Since you haven't lit a charcoal fire in your room yet, I've ordered some silver charcoal from the Xishan kiln in my room to be brought to you. It's smokeless and odorless, and can be burned warm for up to three hours. It's perfect for keeping warm overnight."

Chen Ji glanced at the brass charcoal basin and said, "Brother, you are so thoughtful."

Chen Wenzong reached into his arms to take something out, but he had beaten Chen Wenxiao with a stick twenty times and Wang Gui with a stick twenty times during the day, and now his arms were so sore and swollen that he could hardly lift them.

He took great pains and tremblingly pulled out a bracelet from his bosom. He said softly, "Chen Ji, today I have detailed the crimes in Wen Xiao's confession. Over the years, he has borrowed 1,700 taels of silver from various gambling houses in your name. As your brother, I cannot let you suffer such an injustice. He has wronged you, so I will withdraw the money from the Chen Mansion's treasury and give it to you as compensation."

Chen Ji looked at the string of Buddhist coins with an ambiguous expression.

Is he short of money?

He lacks.

Now the icy flow from Prince Jing was lingering in his dantian like a violent storm.

He needed silver, a lot of silver, to dissolve the ice flows one by one.

There are 110 fires burning in Chen Ji's body. Perhaps only by lighting the remaining 490 or so fires can he enter the realm of seeking the Tao and become a true great official.

Just when I was worried, Chen Wenzong came to my rescue.

This brother, though a bit rigid and pedantic, could be considered an upright gentleman. Perhaps he was the only one in the Chen family worth associating with.

Chen Ji accepted the Buddhist Tongbao and said with a smile, "Thank you, brother. It's getting late, you should go back and rest early."

Chen Wenzong shook his head: "I still have something to ask you."

"What's up?"

Chen Wenzong suddenly said, "The Master said, 'Governing with virtue is like the North Star, which stays in its place while all the other stars revolve around it...' What does this mean?"

Chen Ji was stunned: "What is that?"

Chen Wenzong sighed, "It seems you've completely forgotten all about the classics during these two years at the clinic. But it's okay. I'll start reviewing with you tomorrow. Since you're planning on taking the imperial examination, you can't slack off any longer."

Chen Ji's expression changed, and the candlelight in the room flickered: "Brother, this is not good, I just got back."

Chen Wenzong's face darkened. "Time flies by, never ceasing day or night. In three years you will take the provincial examination. How much time do you have left to delay? Don't resist, or else I will be ruthless. If I can punish you for your filial piety, I can also punish you."

Chen Ji: “Ah?”

Chen Wenzong walked out: "Rest early."

Chen Ji looked at Chen Wenzong's back and said in a daze, "Wuyun, do you think my brother is addicted to beating others with a stick?"

Wuyun was shocked: "Very fierce!"

…

…

At the same time, the lights in the Buddhist hall of Chen Mansion were still on.

A faint green smoke wafted out of the hollow copper stove in the house, and the scent of sandalwood spread along with the green smoke.

Liang took off her luxurious headgear and knelt respectfully on the cushion in front of the Bodhisattva, fiddling with the Buddhist beads in her hand and silently reciting Buddhist scriptures with her lips.

Chen Liqin watched her through the window for a moment, wanting to find a reason to reprimand her again, but seeing how sincerely she repented, he could only shake his head and walk away.

Hearing the footsteps of the departing person, Liang raised her eyes slightly to look towards the window, and continued to recite Buddhist scriptures calmly.

"Madam, please save me!"

Liang heard someone calling her from outside the door behind her and got up to open it.

In the darkness of the night, Wang Gui knelt on the cold bluestone and begged, "Madam, save me."

Liang said calmly, "You're not dead, so why bother saving me? You were just punished by the Zongzhang this morning. Why are you looking for me now instead of resting and recovering?"

Wang Gui kowtowed on the ground and said, "My master just came to tell me that I should stay in Luocheng to look after the property and not return to the capital. I also ask Madam to be considerate of my elderly mother and help to intercede for her. I have to return to the capital to take care of her."

Liang looked down at Wang Gui and said, "Why did you come to me to plead for mercy? I am just like you, reflecting on my past."

Wang Gui hurriedly said, "I know that you saved me today precisely because Chen Ji and I are mortal enemies, so it would be useful for you to spare my life."

Liang's two thin willow-shaped eyebrows raised slightly: "That's the third son of my Chen family. Why would I keep someone who has a grudge against him? You're being too clever."

Wang Gui did not change his words after being reprimanded. He lowered his head and said, "Madam, it is no coincidence that the two zodiac signs of Yunyang and Jiaotu came to the Chen Mansion. It is also no coincidence that Zhang Zhuo and Zhang Xia came to the Chen Mansion."

Liang said nothing.

Wang Gui continued, "Don't worry about the Zhang family. Once we arrive in the capital and move into the Chen family mansion, they won't be able to come to the Chen Mansion every day. Besides, as for these two zodiac signs, I have some close friends in the capital, and my mother also has some connections in the palace. She will definitely help you find out the whole story. If Chen Ji is involved with the eunuch party... the master hates the eunuch party the most in his life and will not tolerate him."

Liang was silent for a moment. "Wang Gui, you've asked the wrong person for help. You've provoked Chen Ji, and as long as he's angry, the master won't be angry either. If you're smart, you'll know what to do. If not, then stay and look after the property."

Wang Gui pondered for a moment, then struggled to his feet. "I understand."

He dragged his injured body to the woodshed, took off his shirt, and exposed the wound on his back. Then, he gritted his teeth and tied thin pieces of firewood to his bloody back and walked towards Mingquan Garden.

When he arrived at Mingquan Garden, Wang Gui knocked on the gate and knelt outside.

His lips were purple from the cold, and he was trembling all over as he shouted, "Third Young Master, I have committed many offenses in the past, but today, after being taught by the First Young Master, I have repented. I know my sins are grave, and I beg for your punishment. Even if you kill me today, I will have no complaints."