162. Cliff
The rooster crows at dawn.
In the dark apprentice dormitory, Chen Ji slowly sat up from the bed.
He turned around and glanced at his friends: She Dengke and Liu Quxing were wrapped tightly in the quilt. Liang Gou'er, who had returned at some point, was drunk and was sleeping soundly with his head resting on Liang Mao'er's belly.
Chen Ji quietly put on his clothes and went out. He stood under the apricot tree, exhaling a light mist, silently looking up at a red cloth tied to the highest point of the branch. After a long time, he turned around and went to his master's main house.
He quietly lifted the heavy cotton curtain and poked his head in to look inside.
Prince Jing was lying on the bed and sleeping soundly.
Old man Yao leaned back in a recliner with his eyes closed, resting as the low stove in the room emitted warm heat.
Chen Ji entered the room through the gap in the door curtain, walked cautiously to the bedside, and reached out to feel Prince Jing's pulse.
However, before he could touch it, Old Man Yao grabbed his wrist from the side.
Chen Ji was startled and almost shouted, "Master, when did you get up? Why didn't you make any sound?"
Old Man Yao said expressionlessly, "What are you doing?"
Chen Ji quickly explained: "I just want to see if the prince is sick!"
Old Man Yao sneered, "You're such a half-witted person, what can you possibly find out by feeling his pulse? The prince just went to bed not long ago, I was just afraid you might wake him up."
Chen Ji thought for a moment and said, "Master, the prince took me to the Lin Mansion on Tongji Street last night to listen to a performance. At the performance, the troupe leader Meng performed "The Story of the White Boat." In the play, the young general worked hard for half his life, but in the end, he did not have a good ending. The person he traveled three thousand miles to save eventually turned against him."
Chen Ji asked curiously, "Master, is the prince the young general in the play?"
Old Man Yao raised his eyebrows and said, "What nonsense! Bai Zhou Ji is a story from over a hundred years ago. How could he be a prince?"
Chen Ji looked at his master: "Master, you know what I mean!"
"Why are there so many questions?"
Old Man Yao grabbed Chen Ji's wrist, dragged him out of the main room, and threw him outside. "The water tank is empty. Go get some water!"
After saying that, Old Man Yao turned back to the house and closed the door curtain tightly.
Chen Ji stood outside the door, looking back at the thick cotton curtain.
He was a little confused. Was Prince Jing sick?
I can't even feel the pulse!
If Prince Jing was not sick, why would Master need to cover Prince Jing's pulse?
The more the master tries to block things out, the more it shows there is a problem.
If Prince Jing is sick, what disease is he suffering from?
He could even faint when he was sick and couldn't hear anyone talking to him.
When you are healthy, you can still walk for an hour to listen to a play?
At this time, the sound of magpies was heard outside the clinic.
Magpies are resident birds. They change into their winter feathers early and build nests. Once winter arrives, they won't leave their nests or sing freely.
Chen Ji realized that this was the signal from the Secret Service's whistle.
He bent down and raised
The shoulder pole and the wooden barrel swayed as they walked towards the door.
When they reached the door, the palace guards brought by Feng Daban crossed their spears and blocked their way.
Chen Ji smiled and said, "Two guards, I'm going to fetch some water. The water tanks in the courtyard are all empty. If it's inconvenient for you to let me out, you can help fetch some water. It will probably take about eight trips to fill the tanks."
The two guards looked at each other, hesitated for a moment, and silently put away their halberds.
Chen Ji walked through the mist on the bluestone road and came to the well. There was already a fat figure rowing the wooden oar at the wellhead.
Golden Pig!
Chen Ji walked to the well calmly.
Without even turning his head, the Golden Pig said in a whisper as soft as a mosquito: "Is Prince Jing really ill or is he faking it?"
Chen Ji whispered, "My master told Concubine Jing that Prince Jing's time is running out."
Jin Zhu cursed softly, "This illness is so timely."
Chen Ji was puzzled: "What's wrong?"
Jinzhu Jinsu said, "The Liu family is frantically mobilizing over ten private armies in Yuzhou. Entering the vast Yuzhou is now strictly prohibited, but leaving is forbidden. The Liu family is planning a rebellion, but we can't get the news out."
Chen Ji asked, "Even Pegasus can't get out?"
The Golden Pig complained bitterly, "The Liu family has been plotting this for a long time. Luocheng only has a few access points, all heavily guarded. The mountains are also full of scouts. Even the Pegasus, no matter how powerful it is, is only at the Dao Seeking Realm. How could an officer at the Dao Seeking Realm dare to fight against a fully organized army?"
Chen Ji said, "If Tianma breaks through the Divine Dao realm, will it be okay?"
Jin Zhu picked up the rolled-up wooden barrel and placed it on the edge of the well. "If the Shinto realm is determined to escape, no army can stop it. But the problem is, there are only three Shinto realm masters in the entire Ning Dynasty. It will be extremely difficult for Tianma to break through. Hundreds of Liu family assassins are now searching the city with portraits of Tianma and me, searching for us. We are lucky to have escaped this catastrophe alive."
Chen Ji's heart sank. "Aren't we just going to watch the Liu family rebel?"
Jin Zhu placed the empty wooden barrel into the well and said, "What else can we do? Why don't we sneak over to the Liu family, kill Elder Liu first, and then imprison all the Liu family members! Once the tens of thousands of Liu family's private armies are leaderless, we can break the deadlock."
Chen Ji was at a loss for words. "Why not try a different way of dying? My Lord, if the Liu family is truly prepared, why haven't they taken action yet? What are they waiting for?"
Golden Pig replied, "The Liu family is waiting for a pretext to attack. They want to seize Prince Jing's power, but Prince Jing fell ill at this very moment. His illness threw the entire city of Luo into chaos. Last night, we discovered that Concubine Jing had hurried to the Liu family mansion. She only returned to the palace half an hour ago. Concubine Yun hurried to the East Market and disappeared under the protection of the Cao Gang. She hasn't returned yet."
Jin Zhu continued, "You must keep a close eye on the clinic. Who meets with Prince Jing, what they ask, and what they say are all crucial. If the Cao Gang and the Liu family join forces, things will become even more difficult."
Chen Ji was puzzled: "Cao Gang? What is the relationship between Cao Gang and Concubine Yun?"
Jin Zhu was stunned for a moment: "Don't you know? The Cao Gang is backed by the Luo Tian Sect. Concubine Yun is the only daughter of the previous sect leader. Otherwise, why do you think Prince Jing married her? Your Majesty
When I was young, the government was in turmoil, and the Luo Tianzong took advantage of the chaos to control the Three Rivers Canal. The freight and grain transport between the south and the north were all under their control. This predicament did not gradually improve until Prince Jing married Concubine Yun.
Luotian Sect!
Previously, when Concubine Yun was trading firearms with the Military Intelligence Department of Jing Dynasty, she asked them to go to the Gold Shop in Hongyi Lane to find the brothel owner and tell her the name "Luo Tian".
Chen Ji suddenly asked, "Who is the current leader of Luotian Sect?"
Jin Zhu explained, "The current sect leader is named Han Tong. He is the first disciple of the previous sect leader. He and Concubine Yun have been childhood sweethearts."
Chen Ji's pupils shrank. "Does he have a Buddha tattoo on his wrist?"
Jin Zhu was puzzled: "Have you seen him?"
Chen Ji casually explained: "No. I just heard about it."
At this time, Jin Zhu rolled up the second bucket and placed it on the edge of the well. He sighed and said, "This man's whereabouts are strange. He has been hiding among the Cao Gang's strongmen. It's impossible to catch him. If you see him, report to me immediately."
Chen Ji said helplessly, "Sir, you are now homeless and wandering around. I don't even know how to find you. How can I report to you in the first place?"
Golden Pig lamented, "That's right... Damn it... The Secret Service has been forced to this point, where can we seek justice? Prince Jing, please wake up quickly. If he continues to be ill like this, who knows where the universe will end up!"
"Can Prince Jing quell the rebellion once he wakes up?"
"If he wants to, maybe he can! With Prince Jing's reputation in the Central Plains, if he's willing to step forward and quell the unrest, many of the Liu family's plans will fall apart. Not all of the tens of thousands of Liu family soldiers want to rebel. They're not starving to death! As long as the people still have something to eat, who would be willing to commit the heinous crime of having their heads and nine generations of their family exterminated?"
"But what if Prince Jing also wants to rebel?"
"Then it's all over!"
Chen Ji guessed that Prince Jing should not have participated in the rebellion.
He knew best that if Prince Jing wanted to rebel, they should not have gone to the party last night, but to the Liu family mansion.
Jin Zhu warned, "I'm leaving now. Be careful. Don't go out these days unless it's something important. The Liu family wants to wipe out all the secret agents in Luo City."
Chen Ji responded: "I understand. I will be careful."
At this moment, Jin Zhu pulled out a small cloth-wrapped object from his bosom and placed it in Chen Ji's hand. "This is for you. Practice well!"
Chen Ji was stunned for a moment. He unwrapped the gray cloth layer by layer, and saw five old ginsengs squeezed inside: "Sir. This is..."
The Golden Pig said with reluctance, "I bought this with my own salary. You have a very high talent for cultivation, so please don't waste it."
After saying this, he picked up his shoulder pole and staggered into the mist.
Chen Ji suddenly felt that the entire Luo City was like a speeding carriage, and Prince Jing was like a coachman. In the past ten years, he had been conscientiously tightening the reins and turning the direction of the carriage to drive on the official road.
And now, the driver let go.
He let the out-of-control carriage, carrying everyone on board, rush towards the edge of the cliff.
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