102. Sizhu
The whole family gathered around a small round table, each holding a small ceramic bowl in one hand and chopsticks in the other, and it was very lively.
Not far away, the apricot trees were hung with red ribbons, and the symbols of peace, joy, health and longevity swayed gently in the breeze.
"Is this the Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea?"
"right!"
"I've never seen the ingredients here before," She Dengke looked at Chen Ji, "Chen Ji, why don't you eat it? Don't let Liu Quxing eat it all by himself."
Liu Quxing rolled his eyes: "Didn't you eat it? Why do you say I ate it all by myself?"
Chen Ji explained with a smile: "I'm not used to the Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea, let's try something else."
Liu Quxing curled his lips and said, "I'm not lucky. The ingredients for Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea were brought back from the sea by the Cao Gang. Yingxianlou doesn't necessarily buy new ingredients every day. If you want to eat it, it depends on your luck."
Chen Ji smiled and did not refute.
The so-called Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea is a dish made with shark fin, sea cucumber, abalone, fish bones, fish maw, shrimp, asparagus and ham.
For the people of Los Angeles at that time, these ingredients might only be seen once in their lifetime, but Chen Ji had already eaten a lot of them, so he only put a small bowl on the table and gave the rest to others to try.
Liu Quxing suddenly asked, "Hey, what do you think the sea looks like?"
Bai Li raised his hand. "I know my father said the ocean is boundless, the water is all blue, and there are especially beautiful shells and starfish on the shore, pushed to the beach by the waves. The big boatmen along the coast also go out to sea to hunt whales. It is said that the giant fish called whales can be as big as a building."
Liu Quxing's eyes widened: "Are you bragging? Can fish grow that big?"
Bai Li was unhappy: "Who is bragging? That's what my father said!"
Liang Gou'er, holding a jar of Shaoxing Huadiao wine, asked, "Has Your Majesty ever been to the seaside?"
Bai Li hesitated: "...No, but our Ning Dynasty has a fleet that goes out to sea. They have seen it."
The prince excitedly suggested, "How about we make a pact and go to the seaside together sometime? I heard it only takes three months of traveling by car to reach the coast. Then we can find a boatman to buy a boat, go fishing, and cook "Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea" for ourselves right on the boat!"
Everyone looked at each other, their eyes becoming brighter and brighter.
She Dengke couldn't help but ask, "Can we really go to the beach?"
Old Man Yao put down his chopsticks and said slowly, "What's so difficult about seeing the sea? Go and smash the plaque of the Luocheng government office today. After you are exiled to Lingnan next month, you can see the sea every day."
Prince: “…”
Baili: “…”
Chen Ji sighed, "Master, you know how to ruin the atmosphere."
The prince changed the subject and looked at Chen Ji curiously: "By the way, Chen Ji, where did you go last night when you didn't come home? If you have any difficulties, you must tell us. Friends will go through fire and water for each other!"
Chen Ji was silent.
Everyone knew that he didn't want to go back to the Chen Mansion. He was just an apprentice in a small clinic and had nowhere to go, so he really couldn't explain his whereabouts.
He couldn't tell the prince that he was actually the eunuch party that the other party hated the most; he also couldn't tell everyone that he actually went to clear the prince and the princess of suspicion last night.
There is no real confidentiality in this world. The secrets you tell others will always be leaked out unknowingly.
In silence.
Liu Quxing muttered quietly, "Maybe he went gambling again. I saw bloodshot eyes. He must have not slept all night."
She Dengke stepped on his instep under the table. Liu Quxing raised his voice: "Why did you step on me? I was just saying it casually. I believe Chen Ji is not that kind of person!"
At this moment, Bai Li remembered Chen Ji's mysterious side and immediately said, "Alright, stop asking. Everyone has their own secrets. If he needed help, he would definitely tell us. Maybe Chen Ji has a girl he likes and just got a promise of dividends yesterday, so he wants to tell her the good news? Right, Chen Ji."
Liu Quxing was immediately perked up when he heard the gossip: "Really?"
Chen Ji smiled and explained, "I see patients every day in the clinic, so there's no girl I like."
Liu Quxing asked, "Has your family arranged a marriage for you?"
Chen Ji also shook his head: "I haven't heard of it."
Liu Quxing said happily: "I have it."
She Dengke was helpless: "Who asked you?!"
Liu Quxing continued, "My mother suggested a marriage proposal for me. The man's father is a scholar, and now he's in charge of lawsuits at the government office. So we're a good match. The two families agreed that once I become an imperial physician and reach a certain rank, we'll marry... someone from the ninth rank."
As he spoke, his eyes kept drifting towards Old Man Yao.
Old Man Yao glanced at him and said, "What about me?"
Liu Quxing quickly said, "No, no."
At this moment, a cat's meow came from the eaves.
Chen Ji looked up and saw that Wuyun had naturally jumped off the eaves and jumped into... Old Man Yao's arms.
Old Man Yao picked up the Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea from his bowl and put it to Wuyun's mouth: "Eat it."
Liu Quxing was stunned: "Master, you're feeding such expensive dishes to cats?"
Old Man Yao glanced at him and said, "He is much more valuable than you."
After saying that, Old Man Yao turned to look at Liang Gou'er: "When
We agreed at the beginning that you can live with me, but the prerequisite is that you have to teach me swordsmanship. Let's get started, don't be lazy."
Liang Gou'er put down the wine jar with a reluctant look on his face. "Alright! Prince, Liu Quxing, She Dengke, come over and practice swordplay!"
Chen Ji watched the prince and others taking horse stance in the yard, while Liang Gou'er pulled Liang Mao'er aside and whispered to each other. Wu Yun didn't even want to eat the Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea, and just squatted obediently on Liang Mao'er's shoulder with his ears perked up.
He looked at Wu Yun, then at Old Man Yao, and suddenly had a ridiculous guess: Is Master helping Wu Yun secretly learn the Liang family sword technique?!
"Master, this is..."
Old Man Yao looked at him and said, "Go to sleep. Don't worry about the dark clouds. Just come back alive every day."
"oh."
Old Man Yao sneered: "You're always putting your head on the line and risking your life. I don't know what you're trying to achieve."
"Master, you said that fate can be changed."
"Um?"
"I'm going to try."
…
…
It's late at night and everyone is asleep.
Chen Ji came out of Qingshan’s dream, breathing slightly.
Liang Gou'er's snoring filled the room, and the smell of alcohol from his breath was so strong that it seemed as if the mere smell of it would make one drunk. If possible, it would be nice to be a carefree, carefree playboy like Liang Gou'er.
Chen Ji looked at the people sleeping in the room, smiled silently, climbed up from the bed quietly, walked to the apricot tree and looked at the red ribbons all over the tree, and suddenly he was lost in thought.
Knock, knock, knock. There was a soft knock on the door, but Chen Ji ignored it.
It was not until he heard a rapid knock on the door that he glanced at the two red cloths at the top of the apricot tree, then turned and walked to the main hall: "Who is it?"
The Golden Pig said, "It's me, open the door."
Chen Ji unlatched the door and opened the two wooden doors. Rong Jinzhu sidled in and asked, "Master Jinzhu, did you get anything?"
The golden pig, wearing a bamboo hat and straw sandals, pretended to be a tenant farmer and said solemnly, "Nothing."
"Oh?" Chen Ji asked curiously, "Is there no movement from the Liu family?"
Jin Zhu frowned. "The old spies who were transferred from the capital have all arrived today. I've ordered them to guard the warehouse of the Craftsmen's Supervisory Office and the Documents Library respectively."
"Then what?"
In the main hall of the clinic, there was only a kerosene lamp flickering above the counter.
In the dim firelight, Jin Zhu stared at Chen Ji. "I can guarantee that no one broke into the Craftsmen's Bureau today, nor did anyone take anything related to firearms from there. Someone in the East Market did buy saltpeter and sulfur, but a closer look revealed nothing amiss... You don't seem to find this strange?"
Chen Ji calmly replied, "Sir, I don't have to show all my emotions on my face."
Jin Zhu circled Chen Ji twice. "Could it be that you are pretending to cooperate with me, but are actually secretly informing the Liu family?"
Chen Ji asked doubtfully, "Sir, overthrowing the Liu family is the most important thing right now. We are almost there, so why should we be suspicious of each other? After you have overthrown the Liu family, it won't be too late to be suspicious of me. I can't escape."
The look on Jinzhu's face as he looked at Chenji didn't seem fake.
He waited from morning to evening, and from evening to late at night, watching his hopes gradually dashed and finally turning into anger.
Last night, he almost thought that he was only one step away from bringing down the Liu family, but today he felt that that one step had once again become a chasm.
But Jin Zhu knew that Chen Ji was right about one thing: the apprentice in the medical clinic could not escape, and it was never too late to deal with him.
His expression softened as he patted Chen Ji's shoulder and said with a smile, "Don't worry, Doctor Chen. Our Secret Service has had traitors more than once or twice. All of us at Haidongqing spend almost half our time purging our ranks to prevent the Jing Dynasty's thieves from infiltrating. This is just a suspicious habit I've developed over the years. I don't mean any harm."
Chen Ji, in turn, consoled him: "It is understandable that Lord Jinzhu is bent on revenge."
Jin Zhu analyzed, "There are two possibilities now. The first is that Liu Mingxian has reestablished contact with the Jingchao thieves, and he confirmed our identities with them and discovered that we were faking it. The second is that time is too short, and Liu Mingxian doesn't have the courage to take the risk, so he didn't take action today."
He looked at Chen Ji: "Which one do you prefer?"
"Have you sent anyone to keep an eye on the Liu family?"
"The three people around Liu Mingxian are all masters of operatives. Ordinary spies can't keep an eye on them at all."
Chen Ji thought for a moment and said, "Sir, let's go to Mudan Bridge and see for ourselves. We have to verify it before we can know."
Jin Zhu looked at Chen Ji deeply and said, "Then let's go and take a look."
The two of them went out, and Chen Ji turned around and closed the door. The wind outside caused the kerosene lamp on the counter to sway.
…
…
"Master Jinzhu, what is the origin of the old man who played with copper coins last night?" Chen Ji sat at the door of the carriage, lifted the curtain, and asked Jinzhu who was driving.
"The old man's name is Zhang Guo'er, and the copper coins in his hand are called 'Mountain Flower Ghost Coins,'" Jin Zhu replied casually. "He was once a member of the Beggars' Sect, but later disappeared. The court searched for him for a long time, and it turns out he fled to the Liu family."
"escape?"
Jin Zhu sneered: "During the winter of the eighth year of Jianing, during the Lantern Festival, Hu Junyan, the grandson of the Hu family, secretly went to the temple fair, but he did not
Shen was abducted by members of the Beggars' Sect. The Hu family, enraged, turned the capital upside down, only to recover Hu Junyan. Several of the Beggars' Sect's most important members, including Zhang Guo'er, escaped under different names.
Chen Ji frowned: "The Beggars' Gang is trafficking people?"
The Golden Pig sneered, "Do you think the Beggars' Gang lives by begging and fighting for justice like in the storytellers' stories? They are nothing but a collection of extremely vicious people. They not only kidnap and sell people, but also blind and maim the children they kidnap but cannot sell, and then beg for money. They make as much money as the brothels."
The Golden Pig continued, "The Mountain Flower Ghost Coin was originally a thunder talisman used by Taoists to ward off evil spirits. However, some evil cultivator somehow transformed it into a sinister spiritual practice. Practitioners of this practice must remain virgins, trick women into falling in love with them, and then, on the night of their wedding, kill them and store their souls within the Mountain Flower Ghost Coin for nourishment."
Chen Ji felt a chill in his heart.
Golden Pig laughed and said, "You're not going to talk anymore? There are even more strange ways in the southwest. I've even seen people using skulls and leg bones as magical tools."
Chen Ji was silent for a moment and asked, "Why do you know so much about Shanhua Ghost Money?"
Golden Pig cheerfully replied, "This method has been practiced by more than one person. Our Secret Service alone has killed two. Hidden in the secret chamber beneath the Jiefan Building of our Secret Service are two mountain flower ghost coins that have been nurtured for hundreds of years. The longer they are nurtured, the redder they become. The one in our Jiefan Building...tsk, tsk, it's practically blood-red. If you're interested, when you're promoted to Hai Dongqing, I'll ask the Minister of Internal Affairs to grant you this method."
Chen Ji lowered the curtain and said, "Thank you for your kindness, Master Jinzhu. It's not necessary."
"arrive."
Jin Zhu parked the carriage in a small alley a mile away from the Mudan Bridge. The two men put on ox and tiger masks and slowly walked onto the Mudan Bridge.
Just as the two of them arrived, a carriage slowly approached from a distance.
There was clearly no one sitting in the coachman's seat, but the reins moved automatically without wind.
Jin Zhu narrowed his eyes slightly. Liu Mingxian had come again? He had thought he wouldn't come. "It seems we can rule out the first possibility. If Liu Mingxian had reestablished contact with the Jingchao villain, he shouldn't have come tonight."
However, the person who got off the car was not Liu Mingxian, but the old man who was playing with the mountain flower ghost money.
The next moment, the old man opened the car curtain and jumped out with a sackcloth bag in one hand.
There was a thick hemp rope wrapped around the pocket of the burlap bag. When the old man jumped out of the car, the burlap bag suddenly struggled and shook violently!
The old man walked onto the bridge, chuckled, and threw the sack on the ground. He looked at the Golden Pig and Chen Ji while untying the hemp ropes on the sack: "I've brought the goods you asked for."
The sack was opened, revealing the terrified face of a middle-aged man.
Jin Zhu moved slightly as if he was about to take action, but Chen Ji suddenly grabbed his wrist and said, "This is not what we want."
The old man knocked the middle-aged man unconscious, stroking the mountain flower ghost money on his waist and said with a smile: "In an emergency, we have to make decisions. The Secret Service is keeping a close eye on us. You can't steal what you want from the Craftsman's Supervisor."
As he spoke, he tapped the middle-aged man's head with his finger and said, "But everything you want is in his head. He is the deputy chief of the Craftsmanship Supervisor. If you have the ability to transport him back to Jing Dynasty, you can make anything you want."
The bridge became quiet, and the moonlight was shrouded by clouds.
Chen Ji took a deep breath behind the mask. Neither he nor Jin Zhu had expected Liu Mingxian to be so bold. Instead of taking action in the Craftsmen's Supervisory Office, he found another way and abducted the deputy supervisor who had returned home on vacation!
Jin Zhu said in a serious tone, "It's a thousand miles to Jingchao, with a total of seventeen checkpoints. It would be as difficult as climbing to the sky to transport a person out!"
The old man chuckled and said, "That's not something we can control."
Jin Zhu thought for a moment and then asked, "Where is Lord Liu? Is he in the carriage? Please ask him to come down and have a chat."
The old man replied, "Master Liu? What Master Liu? This was done by me, Zhang Guoer, alone. I don't know any Master Liu. Besides, I have already done what your company asked me to do. When can I see you, Master?"
Just as Jin Zhu was about to answer, Chen Ji spoke first, "We need to transport the person to Kaifeng Prefecture first. We'll meet at Mudan Bridge again in three days. However, you won't have the final say by then. Call someone who can take charge."
Zhang Guoer cupped her hands and said, "I understand. I'll take my leave now."
Golden Pig gazed at the receding carriage and sighed softly, "I misunderstood you earlier. It wasn't you who leaked the information that caused Liu Mingxian to not take action against the Craftsman Supervisor. It was really... that man was too bold."
Chen Ji said softly, "Those who are not brave enough would not dare to commit treason."
Golden Pig turned around and walked down the bridge, waving towards a small alley, but saw Xifeng in black clothes flash out.
Chen Ji looked closely and saw that there were many spies hiding in the alley with their hands on their swords.
He asked doubtfully, "Sir, this is..."
Golden Pig sighed, "I had originally planned to arrest Liu Mingxian and interrogate him in the inner prison tonight, but I haven't even seen him yet. What should I do now?"
Chen Ji wore a mask and lowered his head in thought.
When he looked up again, he looked at the Golden Pig: "Sir, can these spies be trusted?"
Jin Zhu said confidently, "It's credible. I've carefully selected these people time and time again, and even spent a lot of money to have Meng Ji interrogate them. There won't be any problems."
Chen Ji looked at Xifeng and said, "From today on, you will be the head of the Military Intelligence Department."
Xifeng: "Ah? Me?"
(End of this chapter)
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