163. Entrust an orphan to someone else
On the bluestone road of Anxi Street, Chen Ji walked back alone, carrying a shoulder pole.
Two wooden barrels filled with water pressed down on the shoulder pole and swayed up and down, but not a drop of water spilled out.
As he pondered the information provided by the Golden Pig, he felt as if a layer of gloom was hanging over Los Angeles, making it hard to breathe.
If the Liu family really rebelled, the first thing they would probably do would be to sacrifice the "eunuch party" of the Imperial Household Department, and he, a small secret agent under the Imperial Household Department, would inevitably bear the brunt of the attack.
This time, many people will die.
As soon as he returned to the clinic, he saw Princess Baili, dressed in clean white clothes, sitting on the top of the wall. She smiled and waved at him, "Chen Ji, Chen Ji, please help me pass the ladder."
Chen Ji bent down, put down his carrying pole, and moved the ladder over.
Bai Li came down the ladder and asked curiously, "Did you help clean the tiles on this wall? There's not a speck of dust left."
Chen Ji held onto the ladder and hummed, "I noticed your white clothes were getting dusty when you were climbing over the wall, so I wiped them off."
Bai Li glanced down at his clean pants, then looked up and said with a smile, "Thank you!"
When the prince's head popped out from the top of the wall, Chen Ji asked curiously, "I haven't seen the little monk for a long time. Where is he?"
The prince said proudly, "Father said that if he stayed in Luocheng, he would learn bad things from me, so he sent him to the Imperial Observatory in the capital to practice with the deputy director Xu Shu."
Chen Ji said helplessly, "What on earth is the prince so proud of... Why did the prince and the princess come so early?"
The prince slid down the ladder and said, "I came to learn swordsmanship from you, Chen Ji. Can you teach me swordsmanship?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Prince Jing opened the door curtain with a weak look and said, "He is just a small apprentice. What's the point of learning from him?"
Chen Ji wondered why Prince Jing suddenly felt such strong resentment towards him.
Strange, where does this resentment come from?
At this moment, Bai Li's eyes widened: "Dad, why do you say that about Chen Ji?"
Prince Jing also widened his eyes: "That's what I wanted to say, is that not okay?"
Bai Li was puzzled and asked, "Father, why do you suddenly dislike Chen Ji? You were praising him before."
Prince Jing said angrily, "This is a different time. My son and daughter came today, but instead of visiting me first, they started chatting with him first. I'm afraid you've forgotten that your father is still sick!"
Bai Li hurriedly brought out a bamboo chair from the house and awkwardly helped Prince Jing sit down: "Dad, we came here early this morning to visit you."
Prince Jing said slowly: "You know who you are here to see..."
Bai Li quickly lowered his voice and said, "Dad, please stop talking. Of course I'm here to see you."
Chen Ji looked at Prince Jing and asked curiously, "Your Highness, Xu Shu is the deputy director of the Imperial Observatory. Who is the director?"
Bai Li explained, "I know that the Junior Supervisor of the Imperial Observatory is Hu Junyan, the Junior Master of the Laojun Mountain Taoist Temple."
"This name sounds familiar," Chen Ji tried to recall. "Wait...someone told me before that in the winter of the eighth year of Jianing, the eldest grandson of Hu Gelao was abducted by the Beggars' Gang during the Lantern Festival, and was later found by the Hu family. Was it him?"
Bai Li stood beside the bamboo chair, massaging Prince Jing's shoulders. "It's him, it's him. Mother told me there was quite a stir back then. After he was found by the Hu family, Cen Yunzi, the headmaster of the Laojun Mountain Taoist Temple, personally went to the capital to recruit disciples on his behalf, and accepted Hu Junyan into the Taoist sect. So, this Hu Junyan is considered Cen Yunzi's junior fellow apprentice, and Taoist Master Zhang Li's uncle."
Chen Ji suddenly felt puzzled as to why Cen Yunzi suddenly showed up to accept him as a disciple, turning Hu Junyan into the junior master of the Taoist temple.
Chen Ji asked curiously, "How old is he?"
Bai Li counted on his fingers: "Twenty-seven years old?"
Chen Ji sighed, "At the age of twenty-seven, he's already the fourth-rank Director of the Imperial Observatory."
Bai Li smiled and said, "You can do it too."
Prince Jing changed his posture and curled his lips, saying, "Him? He's dreaming!"
Chen Ji listened silently without saying anything back.
As he was speaking, the guards at the door of the clinic came in a respectful voice: "Madam Jingfei, Feng Daban has instructed that except for the imperial physicians and apprentices, no outsiders are allowed to enter or leave the clinic at will."
There was a crisp slapping sound.
Aunt Chunrong said fiercely, "You said my wife is an outsider? Who taught you to do things like this? Get out of here."
Concubine Jing gently soothed her from the side, "Chunrong, they are just following orders, don't blame them. But I would still like to ask the generals to move aside. I am the prince's concubine, how can you stop me?"
In the courtyard, Prince Jing heard Concubine Jing's voice and hurriedly got up and returned to the main house. Before entering the house, he said to Chen Ji, "Stop her later. I don't want to see anyone today."
Chen Ji hesitated for a moment: "Madam Jingfei is coming with such force, I'm afraid I can't stop her."
Prince Jing said ruthlessly: "Even if we can't stop it, we have to stop it."
After entering the house, he leaned against the window and listened quietly to the movement outside the door.
While listening, he whispered to Old Man Yao, "Do you think your disciple will get slapped too?"
Old Man Yao asked slowly, "Does the prince want him to take this slap, or does he not want him to take this slap?"
Prince Jing thought for a moment and said with a smile, "I quite hope so."
Old Man Yao casually said, "Because of the princess?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Chen Ji was heard outside the house saying, "Madam, my master is giving the prince acupuncture. It will be over soon. Please wait for a moment."
Prince Jing's face darkened.
He slowly looked at Old Man Yao, only to see that Old Man Yao had silently taken out a set of silver needles and motioned him to lie on the bed.
Prince Jing reluctantly lay down, letting Old Man Yao give him acupuncture while he complained in a low voice, "Why is this kid so vindictive?"
Old Man Yao laughed cheerfully and said, "Isn't it the same for the prince?"
After a moment, Old Man Yao lifted the door curtain and said to the outside, "Princess Jing, please come in."
Chen Ji leaned over to the window, quietly eavesdropping on the conversation inside. However, the voices were so low that they could only hear intermittently what Concubine Jing said, "I met with my father and discussed the prince's illness. He said he and Taoist Cen Yunzi were old acquaintances, that they had been together... I will definitely help the prince obtain the Shengyu Pill..."
In less than an incense stick of time, Concubine Jing left in a hurry with red eyes.
The room was filled with silence for a long time, like a chess player sitting with his chess pieces, lost in deep thought.
Suddenly, Prince Jing whispered, "The Liu family can't wait any longer."
The next moment, he said calmly from inside the house: "Chen Ji, come in for a moment."
Chen Ji glanced at the prince and Bai Li in the courtyard, then lifted the curtain and went in. He saw Prince Jing sitting up from the bed, with a dark face, pulling out the silver needles one by one: "I need to go out for a while, you come with me."
Chen Ji was stunned. "Your Highness, are you going out during the day? What if Concubine Yun and Feng Daban come to visit you?"
"Don't worry, they are too busy to take care of me."
…
…
Los Angeles, East Market, Anle Street.
This is the busiest place in Los Angeles at noon. Teahouses and restaurants are everywhere on the long street.
The idle gentlemen in the city like to sit in the teahouse, order a pot of tea, a bowl of melon seeds or fennel beans, listen to the storytelling, and
Day to night.
In front of the Fulou Teahouse, Prince Jing stood with his hands behind his back, looked up to confirm the sign, then stepped over the threshold and led Chen Ji to find a corner to sit down.
The waiter in the teahouse was sweeping up the sunflower seed shells on the floor with a white towel draped over his shoulder. Seeing the two of them approach, he immediately came forward with a smile and asked, "What would you like to drink, gentlemen?"
Prince Jing casually said, "A pot of Maojian tea, a plate of melon seeds, a plate of fennel beans, a plate of candied fruit, and a plate of tamarind seeds. By the way, what's the storytelling about today?"
The waiter beamed. "Sir, Mr. Zhou just told us a story about the Master becoming a saint and slaying demons. It was a wonderfully updated version of an old story. Next, he said he'd like to tell us something more current. It seems to be a new story about the Buddhist and Taoist debates at Luhun Mountain Villa, about our Prince Jing."
Prince Jing's eyes lit up: "This is interesting, I have to listen to it!"
After the waiter left, Chen Ji sat at the Eight Immortals Table and couldn't help asking, "Your Majesty, the serious business you're talking about isn't just listening to storytelling in a teahouse, is it?"
Prince Jing asked in reply, "Who says that only family and national affairs are serious matters? Listening to storytelling isn't serious business?"
Chen Ji asked curiously, "Then what is considered a serious matter?"
Prince Jing tapped the table with his fingers: "Happiness is the most important thing!"
It's no wonder that Chen Ji was confused. This powerful vassal king had taken him to watch a play yesterday, and today he took him to a teahouse to listen to storytelling. Seeing that Yuzhou was about to be in chaos and war was sweeping across the country, the other party was not in a hurry at all.
Chen Ji thought about it again and again, and finally said in a low voice: "Your Majesty, are you really going to let go of the Liu family's rebellion?"
Prince Jing, however, looked at the storytelling platform and slowly said, "When I was crowned king at the age of twenty-one, I wore a black robe embroidered with a four-clawed golden dragon. I was second only to the emperor and above all others."
"That year, I was appointed to a position of power in a time of crisis. Aristocratic families seized farmland, gentry controlled the county, and salt and iron taxes failed to materialize. Looking around, it seemed as if the entire world was my enemy. So, I rose at three in the morning every day to handle government affairs, daring not to make any mistakes or waste any time, my only concern being unifying the country and ensuring a peaceful life for the people. But later, I discovered that the court's chronic illnesses were deeply rooted and could not be eradicated in a single day."
"Now I'm forty-five, and my time is numbered. It just occurred to me that I've always heard people tell interesting stories in teahouses, but I've never had the time to sit down and listen."
"Tell me, what is the real thing in life?"
Chen Ji remained silent. It seemed that Prince Jing had a lot to say today, but he didn't know why he wanted to say it to him.
At this moment, Prince Jing looked at him calmly across the table: "The house on Tongji Street yesterday did not belong to Mr. Lin. He rented it from me. The title deed is with me."
"This Fulou Teahouse is also mine, and half of the properties on Anle Street are mine."
"Thirty-one shops in the capital, twelve hundred acres of fertile farmland in the suburbs... None of these are in the palace's accounts, and no one knows they are the palace's assets. I will leave them all to Bai Li."
Prince Jing stared at Chen Ji and said, "Chen Ji, if the Dragon King hadn't stationed his troops there and you hadn't risked your life to save Bai Li, this lucky opportunity would never have fallen upon you. Let me ask you, if I died one day, would you protect Bai Li?"
Chen Ji looked up suddenly, and he finally understood what Prince Jing was going to do today... entrust his son to someone else.
The two of them were silent, ignoring the hustle and bustle of the teahouse.
After considering for a long time, Chen Ji finally said "hmm".
Prince Jing said solemnly, "I want you to say it yourself that you will protect her. How can you not even agree to the small request of a dying person?"
"Don't worry, Your Majesty, I will protect her."
(End of this chapter)
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