161. The Story of the White Boat
The dark stone steps were silent and windless, and no one knew where they led to.
Chen Ji looked at the deep stone steps and wondered why Prince Jing wanted to take him out? Who was Prince Jing conspiring with?
Is it possible that as long as he passes through this underground passage, many of the mysteries that have puzzled him for a long time will be solved?
Prince Jing walked down the stone steps carrying an oil-slag lamp. Looking back, he saw Chen Ji standing at the entrance of the cave, not moving for a long time. He asked in confusion, "Let's go."
Chen Ji suddenly hesitated: "Your Majesty, where does this secret passage lead to? If I see someone or something I shouldn't see, will I be silenced?"
Prince Jing was at a loss for words. "What have you been thinking about all day? Put your heart back in your stomach. No one wants to silence you. Also, leave that knife in your hand to your master for safekeeping. It's too conspicuous to carry such a long knife without even a scabbard."
Chen Ji pondered for a moment, leaning the Whale Blade against the wall inside the room, and casually asked Old Man Yao: "Master, did you discuss this with Prince Jing in advance before coming to Luo City three years ago?"
Old Man Yao glanced at him and said, "Stop trying to trick me. Get out of here."
Chen Ji: “Oh.”
He lowered his head slightly and followed Prince Jing into the extremely narrow corridor.
In the dim light, only the faint flame in Prince Jing's hand was swaying, stretching Prince Jing's shadow infinitely in the corridor.
Chen Ji became more alert with every step he took.
I'm about to meet that mysterious figure. What kind of person is he? Can he trust me like my master and Prince Jing?
He knew nothing about it.
After walking for about dozens of breaths, Prince Jing climbed the stairs holding the oil residue lamp. Chen Ji took a deep breath and then followed him.
The next moment, he was a little stunned.
There were no important people or followers here, only empty shops.
Chen Ji looked at the surrounding furnishings and felt that they looked familiar. "Your Majesty, is this Wangji Butcher Shop on Anxi Street?"
Prince Jing replied, "That's right. This Wang's Butcher Shop is part of the palace, and business has always been good."
While Prince Jing was not paying attention, Chen Ji touched the candlestick on the table: the wax had not yet completely solidified, which meant that it had just been extinguished. The person who had a secret meeting with Prince Jing had just left.
But since the people in the secret meeting have already left, why is Prince Jing still here?
Chen Ji asked, "Your Majesty, where is the person you want to see?"
Prince Jing was amused: "When did I say I was coming to see someone?"
Chen Ji looked up and saw that Prince Jing had already blown out the oil lamp, opened the door of the butcher shop and walked out onto the street. He was standing in the moonlight and waved back at him: "What are you standing there for? It's almost too late."
He walked towards the door, but before he could go out, he pulled Prince Jing back into the shadows of the butcher shop.
Prince Jing was puzzled: "What's wrong?"
In the dark night, a horse-drawn carriage hurriedly drove eastward, crushing the snow on the road.
The carriage was plain and simple. Prince Jing and Chen Ji saw that Nanny Xitang had lifted the curtain a little and was looking out quietly, urging the coachman to go faster.
As the carriage passed by, Prince Jing stood in the wind created by the carriage and asked with a smile, "Who else do you think is in this carriage?"
Chen Ji did not answer, but he had the answer in his heart: Concubine Yun.
At this moment, Prince Jing was seriously ill, but Concubine Yun quietly left the palace under the cover of night. This matter can be said to be a big deal or a small matter.
Chen Ji observed Prince Jing's expression and said cautiously, "Your Highness, I don't know who is in the car."
Prince Jing was amused: "Playing tricks."
He watched the back of the carriage rushing into the night and chuckled softly: "The generals don't dismount, each of us will pursue our own future.
Well, we have business to attend to."
…
…
Luocheng, Tongji Street, where wealthy businessmen gather, is also the place where Chen Ji assassinated Manager Yuan.
The entire long street has forty-eight courtyards. The first twelve are extremely large, each designed by a landscape architect from the Jiangnan water town. They have pavilions, terraces, and towers, and are nicknamed "Heavenly Kui" by the people. The last thirty-six are much smaller, and are nicknamed "Earthly Kui" by the people.
However, no matter whether it is Tiankui or Dikui, the rise and fall, honor and disgrace of the owner's family change like flowing water, only the pavilions and towers remain unchanged.
At this time, carriages and horses were parked in rows on the bluestone road of Tongji Street. The drivers and servants put their hands in their sleeves and gathered in groups of three or four under the gray tiles and white walls to brag and talk about women.
Today is the wedding day of the eldest son of Mr. Lin, the Tian Kui family. The streets are decorated with lanterns and colorful lights. On the bluestone pavement, a red wedding character is pasted with paste every five steps.
There were many guests in Mr. Lin's courtyard, and there were dozens of tables for the buffet alone.
Prince Jing stood in front of the Lin Mansion, looked up to confirm the plaque, and said to Chen Ji with a smile: "This is it."
After saying that, he raised his leg and was about to walk inside.
Chen Ji grabbed him and whispered, "Your Highness, are you going to walk in so brazenly? There are so many people in the Lin Mansion, what if someone recognizes you?"
Prince Jing said angrily, "What are you afraid of? You're a young man, how can you be more decadent than me? This Mr. Lin runs a brothel and gambling business, and he has a bunch of young men under his command. No one of high rank would lower themselves to attend his wedding. Since there are no high rank officials around, how could anyone recognize me?"
Chen Ji hurriedly said, "That won't work either. If something unexpected happens in this place full of people, how am I going to explain it to Bai Li and the prince?"
Prince Jing walked towards the gate of Lin Mansion and said, "Boy, I have something important to do today. I must go in."
Chen Ji could only bite the bullet and quickly catch up.
When they arrived at the door, the butler who greeted them stood at the high threshold and bowed to them with a smile. "I'm unfamiliar with you two guests. Excuse me, do you have an invitation from my master?"
Prince Jing said casually, "We are two merchants passing by. We saw that the party was going on here, so we came to express our congratulations and get some drinks."
The butler was stunned. He had never seen anyone who ate for free so confidently.
He glanced at the empty hands of Prince Jing and Chen Ji and casually replied, "You two, today is a big day for our Lin family, and we've only invited some relatives and friends..."
Prince Jing interrupted with a smile, "Please forgive me, Master, for arriving in such a hurry that we didn't have time to prepare a small gift. However, today is a great day for the Lin family, so we would like to offer thirty taels of silver as a token of our congratulations."
After saying that, Prince Jing looked at Chen Ji and said, "Give it to the butler."
Chen Ji: “?”
Seeing Chen Ji hesitate to move, Prince Jing urged him again, "Thirty taels."
Chen Ji was inexplicably shocked: "Thirty taels, I give it to you?"
Prince Jing said gently, "Didn't you bring it with you? Take it out quickly, don't make this steward wait anxiously."
Chen Ji expressionlessly took out three small silver ingots from his sleeve and handed them to the butler. The butler smiled slightly and put the silver ingots into his sleeve: "Please come in, my two distinguished guests. A servant will show you the way."
After entering the door, a servant led the two into the courtyard.
Chen Ji said in a serious tone: "You do the work and I pay for it, isn't this inappropriate?"
Prince Jing chuckled cheerfully, "How much has Baili spent on you? Why wouldn't I let you spend thirty taels of silver? Do you want me to give you a detailed account?"
Chen Ji suffered a loss.
He was silent for a long time before he asked in a low voice: "You said thirty taels of silver without asking me before
What if I don’t bring that much? Please discuss it with me next time.”
Prince Jing put his hands behind his back and said slowly, "No need. Your master said that you should carry thirty taels of silver with you for emergencies."
“Okay, okay…”
The servant led the two of them and arranged a seat at the very edge of the stage in front of the hall.
There were leftovers on the table, but Prince Jing didn't mind. He picked up some food for himself while stretching his neck to look at the stage.
Chen Ji followed his gaze towards the stage and asked, "Is the person you are going to meet secretly later on the stage?"
Prince Jing gave him a strange look. "Secret meeting? What secret meeting?"
Chen Ji was puzzled: "Didn't you say you had something important to do?"
Prince Jing patiently said, "Mr. Lin is hosting a banquet today, and he's specially invited the Northern Variety Show's Master Meng to sing 'The Story of the White Boat.' You know, Master Meng was a renowned actor in the capital back in the day. It's not easy to hear him sing a single scene, and I'm here just to listen."
Chen Ji: "Ah? So the important thing you mentioned earlier was to listen to an opera?"
Prince Jing cast his gaze towards the stage and said without turning his head, "I've been busy serving others all my life. It's not too much to listen to a play I like before I die, right?"
At this moment, the Liu family was planning, Concubine Yun was planning, Concubine Jing was planning, and the Imperial Household Department was planning. Everyone was trying hard to win something in the changing situation.
But you, who are at the center of the vortex, sneak into other people's performances and listen to the show as if nothing happened?
Just as Chen Ji was about to say something, Prince Jing suddenly said, "Don't say anything. This act is about to begin."
The young man suddenly turned his head to look at the dimly lit stage. On the red stage, a drum began to beat, and an actor with a heavily painted face ran onto the stage: "The summer night is long, the summer night is long. I flew across the border and rushed to the wilderness. I wasted my youth in the capital in the world of mortals..."
Chen Ji turned his head to look at Prince Jing, but saw that this prince with gray hair was sitting upright, but his eyes were no longer in the play, and his mind was nowhere to be found.
In the play, a young man is ordered to go to the battlefield in a time of crisis.
He beheaded treacherous ministers, killed bandits, and pacified the northern border, and in the blink of an eye, his hair turned white. But before he could return to Beijing to be appointed prime minister, he was suspected by the emperor and thrown into prison.
It is said that peace is originally determined by the general, and the general is not allowed to see peace.
It seemed as if it was difficult to distinguish between the sad and happy events on stage and the ridiculous things happening off stage.
A young general, the emperor's suspicion... I don't know whether Prince Jing really likes this scene or sees himself in it.
I don’t know how long it took, but the show was over.
Prince Jing looked at Chen Ji and smiled, "Why are you looking at me like that?"
Chen Ji was heartbroken and said, "You risked your life to go out tonight just to listen to this play?"
Prince Jing jokingly said, "Can't we just listen to the opera? Who says we have to do something important every day to save the country and the people? That would be so tiring."
Chen Ji was speechless.
Prince Jing laughed heartily. "Years ago, when the Northern Variety Show was still flourishing, the Empress Dowager summoned Troupe Leader Meng to perform in the palace. He performed the play 'The Story of the White Boat'. At that time, I was crowned king at the age of twenty-one, and Troupe Leader Meng was renowned. Now that Southern Kunqu Opera has replaced Northern Variety Show, Troupe Leader Meng has fallen to performing in the homes of merchants who need him for sex. And I, too, am almost dead."
Prince Jing looked at the now empty stage and said with a smile, "These are all famous actors from the old days who are about to retire. This play, every time you listen to it, there will be one less."
Chen Ji asked, "Your Highness, the show is over. Where are we going now?"
Prince Jing stood up and walked out: "Go home."
This powerful prince who had been busy all his life secretly ran away, really just wanting to steal some time for himself.
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
