90. Apricot Red
The prince and Baili took people to gather the strong men.
Only Chen Ji and Chen Wenzong were left standing side by side at the entrance of the kiln factory. One of them was covered in dust, and dust would fall off when he shook his head, making him look like a dirt dog.
A man dressed in white as snow, like the protagonist in all stories.
Chen Wenzong frowned as he looked at the cheerful Chen Ji, not knowing what his half-brother was so happy about. "Chen Ji, I've seen that you arrange things in an orderly manner and have clear ideas. You are actually a very smart person. Why are you willing to get involved in all this mud?"
Chen Ji dusted himself off and replied with a nonchalant smile, "I'm very happy today. You may look down on this shabby kiln factory and this shabby business, but the more I look at it, the more I like it."
Because, this was the first time that Chen Ji had something of his own in this world.
"You want to make some money?" Chen Wenzong misunderstood. "Although a bastard cannot inherit the family business, I will definitely give you some income when the family is divided. As long as you are willing to turn back and study hard and take the imperial examinations, how could I sit by and watch you starve?"
Chen Ji patted Chen Wenzong's shoulder cheerfully, leaving a black handprint on his white robe, and said jokingly, "Brother, you are actually a good person, but I am really not cut out for studying scriptures. I am more suited to down-to-earth work, farming and firing kilns."
Chen Wenzong took a step to the left, but still couldn't avoid the dark palm print. He frowned and said, "The Master said, 'If this is the case, then people from all directions will come here, carrying their children on their backs. What's the point of farming?'"
Chen Ji was stunned for a moment: "What do you mean?"
Chen Wenzong explained, "The Great Sage said that if those in power uphold propriety and integrity, the common people will naturally come to them with their children. Why would we need to farm ourselves? Farming is the worst option. We should set an example for the world through learning, and then people will naturally follow us."
Chen Ji looked at Chen Wenzong in silence. He didn't have a deep understanding of Confucian culture, so he didn't know how to use the classics to refute his brother's ideas.
At this time, Bai Li's voice came from a distance: "Chen Ji, I found someone who can modify the kiln. They said that they built all the kilns in Liujiatun, and they can help us."
But behind Bai Li was a hunchbacked old man with a long pipe on his waist and a tobacco bag dangling from his waist like a purse.
Behind the old man, there were seven strong men.
As they got closer, the hunchbacked old man stopped at the entrance of the kiln factory. While pressing tobacco into his pipe, he looked at Chen Ji and asked, "Are you the one in charge here?"
Chen Ji said calmly: "Yes, I am."
The hunchbacked old man said slowly, "The kilns in Liujiatun were all built by our Liu family. If you want to build a kiln, no problem. First, give us two hundred taels of silver. During the construction period, we will provide you with four pounds of flour, one pound of meat, and two pounds of good wine every day."
"What?" The prince widened his eyes.
The hunchbacked old man looked up at him and said expressionlessly, "This is the rule of doing business in Liujiatun. Apart from us Liu family members, no one else can build a half-downdraft kiln, and we dare not build a kiln for you."
Chen Ji asked doubtfully, "Is Elder Liu from the Liu family?"
Behind the hunchbacked old man, a sturdy man smiled and said, "You have some knowledge."
Chen Ji thought for a moment and said, "Please go back. We really don't have that much money. We have almost used up all our savings to buy this kiln factory."
The hunchbacked old man turned around and left without saying a word: "When you figure it out, you can come find me again anytime."
Chen Ji watched him leave and said, "No wonder Old Zhou was in such a hurry to sell this kiln factory. No wonder there's only a simple rising flame kiln in this broken kiln factory. These days, if you want to make a living, you'll be ripped off by the local tyrants and the government."
Bai Li said in embarrassment: "Then what should we do? I'm sorry, I didn't know they were the local tyrants who were asking for more money here, and I shouldn't have brought them here."
Chen Ji said calmly, "Do it yourself. Without them, we can build the kiln ourselves. He can build a semi-downdraft kiln, so I will build a full-downdraft kiln."
Give them a little shock.
As they walked towards the kiln entrance, he suddenly turned around and looked at Chen Wenzong: "Brother, we are short of manpower, can you give us a hand?"
Chen Wenzong stood there in silence for a long time. He looked at the dusty group of people in front of him, then at the earthen kiln behind them. He immediately took out a silver ingot from his sleeve and handed it to Chen Ji: "I'm sorry, the Autumn Examination is the day after tomorrow and I can't stay here for too long. I left in a hurry and didn't bring much money with me. I can only give you some money for now. If it's not enough, I'll send some more tomorrow."
Chen Ji stuffed the silver ingot back into Chen Wenzong's hand, stepped back, and said, "Then I wish you all the best in winning the first prize and becoming the highest-ranking official in the imperial examination!"
After saying that, he led the prince and the princess to dismantle the kiln without looking back.
Chen Wenzong looked down at the silver ingot in his hand and wanted to say something for a moment, but he didn't know what to say.
After a long silence, he put the silver ingot back into his sleeve, turned around, left the yard, and mounted his horse. He wanted to apologize when he came here, but he couldn't say it out loud.
Amid the sound of the kiln being dismantled, the white horse returned.
…
…
Liang Mao'er exerted great effort, but he swung the hammer effortlessly, destroying the old kiln with ease. Chen Ji, clearing away the construction waste, exclaimed in admiration, "Brother Mao'er, your appetite isn't in vain!"
Liang Mao'er was a little embarrassed: "It takes a thousand days to raise an army and only a moment to deploy it. At least I can contribute a little."
Chen Ji looked at the prince and the princess: "I am a little curious, why are the prince and the princess willing to do this dirty work? You see, my brother
The leader doesn’t want to get involved in these things.”
The prince laughed cheerfully and said, "It's okay to do it occasionally, but if you really want me to do this every day, I'll have to run away!"
Chen Ji sighed, "I always feel that Prince Jing is very different from other officials and nobles. He seems..."
Princess Baili thought for a moment and said, "Mother said that my father had suffered hardships since he was young, so naturally he was different from other princes."
"oh?"
"I heard from my mother that not long after my father was born, he and his biological mother were driven away to Yueci Temple in the suburbs of Beijing."
Chen Ji was stunned. "Usually, even if a mother makes a mistake and is expelled from the palace, only the mother and the child will be expelled, not both."
Bai Li explained, "The late emperor had seventy-nine sons, and the struggle for the throne was extremely fierce. I don't know exactly what happened, but I do know that many of the princes and their biological mothers were driven out of the inner palace and died outside the palace. My father's biological mother also died mysteriously in Yueci Temple the year after she was driven there. My father was only a little over a year old at the time, and it is said that he barely survived thanks to the secret care of a senior eunuch from the inner court."
"Later, my father grew up in a government office in the Imperial Household Department outside the capital. He toiled alongside the young eunuchs every day, chopping wood, burning charcoal, and washing clothes. He wasn't until he was eight years old that the current Empress Dowager took him back to the palace to live with the current Majesty. My father was three years older than the current Majesty, and the two lived together in the palace for six years, becoming as close as brothers."
"Later, Your Majesty ascended the throne at the age of eleven, and my father was exiled to a feudal vassal at the age of fourteen. The young vassal king formed alliances with the northern aristocratic families of Chen, Hu, and Qi. He spent six years secretly coordinating with the Censor and other upright civil servants to eliminate the relatives of the emperor's wife and assist Your Majesty in ruling the country... Of course, I heard all this from my mother, so it may not be accurate."
"Father has always required us to do many things on our own since we were young. I heard that Prince Fu had someone to feed him and help him dress him since he was young, but we didn't have any of these. Occasionally, when Father was free, we had to go with him to the farm in the countryside to chop wood and make charcoal."
Chen Ji listened silently for a moment, feeling that this short story seemed to contain a lot of important information. Liu was the relative the princess had mentioned, but why did Prince Jing later marry a woman from the Liu family as his concubine?
Is it a political compromise, or is there another intention?
…
…
At night, the moon is bright and the stars are sparse.
Originally, Chen Ji planned to live in the kiln factory, but there was not even a place to sleep in the kiln factory, so he had to go home.
The oxcart swayed slowly on its way back to the city, and everyone on board looked exhausted, almost sleepy. After a day's work, their backs ached and their hands were blistered.
I don’t know whose stomach rumbled first, but soon everyone’s stomach started growling.
Everyone looked at each other, then burst into laughter: "I wonder if there are any noodle stalls open in the city?"
"It's definitely gone!"
Liang Maoer said, "When we get back to the clinic, I'll make noodles for everyone. Garlic noodles, please?"
"Anything is fine. I'm so hungry now that I could eat a cow!"
"I can eat two!"
Liang Maoer said shyly, "I can eat three."
"I don't think Brother Cat is joking."
"Ha ha ha ha."
Return to the door of Taiping Medical Clinic.
With a creak, the prince quietly pushed open the door and led everyone to the backyard, crouching down. "Everyone, keep your voices down. Don't disturb Imperial Physician Yao. If we wake him now, I'm afraid his venomous mouth will scold us until we cry."
"Oh? Really?"
Everyone was startled and looked up into the darkness of the main hall of the clinic, only to see Old Man Yao lying on a bamboo chair with a small black cat in his arms.
He slowly stood up and asked leisurely, "Sir, please tell me, how did my mouth become poisoned?"
The prince's smile was uglier than crying: "You must have heard it wrong, it was Liu Quxing who just said that!"
Old Man Yao didn't argue with him and just turned and walked towards the backyard: "There are noodles rolled out on the chopping board in the kitchen. If you want to eat them, just cook them yourself."
The prince swallowed his saliva and said, "Doctor Yao, you are a living Bodhisattva!"
A moment later, a group of local dogs squatted in a row in the backyard. A man was holding a large bowl and slurping noodles, his chopsticks constantly shoveling into his mouth.
When the prince looked up, he saw Doctor Yao standing next to the bare apricot tree, looking at them with disgust.
The cat in Doctor Yao's arms also looked at them with disgust.
The prince hesitated and said, "Doctor Yao, it seems like it looks down on us?"
Doctor Yao sneered, "Given the way you eat, I allow it to look down on you."
Prince: “…”
Chen Ji: “…”
Doctor Yao looked at them with pity and said, "Eight people went out in the morning, and eight dogs came back in the evening. Those who knew you would think you were going to make new things, but those who didn't would think you were revealed by the magic mirror."
He hugged Wuyun and turned back to the house: "I'm going to sleep. After dinner, remember to clean up the kitchen."
After finishing his noodles, the prince slumped down on the ground and sighed, "Chen Ji, can we take a day off?"
Bai Li quickly said, "No, he has signed a military order with father. If he fails to complete it, father will really send him to exile in Lingnan."
The prince was speechless, and finally muttered quietly: "You are more active than him."
At this time, Bai Li was standing in front of the apricot tree in the yard, wondering what he was thinking.
Chen Ji sat on the ground holding a bowl
He looked up and asked curiously, "What's wrong?"
Bai Li suddenly said, "The apricot tree has lost all its leaves. It doesn't look good... Wait for me."
After saying this, she hurriedly climbed the ladder and climbed over the wall into the palace. After a while, she came back, pulling a piece of red cloth.
Princess Baili cut the red cloth into long thin strips, wrote words like peace, joy, success and worry-free on them, and tied them to tree branches.
She also wrote a separate piece of red cloth and brought a ladder to hang it at the top of the apricot tree.
Seeing her clumsy way of carrying the ladder, Chen Ji kindly said, "Princess, can I help you hang it?"
Bai Li said urgently: "No, I will die by myself!"
Not only that, she also wrapped the cloth strips around the branches a few more times, so that you couldn't see what was written when standing under the tree.
Bai Li slowly stepped down the ladder and greeted everyone with a smile: "Come and write something too."
Everyone looked at each other in confusion: "What to write?"
Bai Li smiled so hard that his eyes curved up: "Just write down your wishes!"
Liu Quxing said, "I know what to write!"
But he picked up the pen, dipped it in ink, and wrote "Master, may you live a long and healthy life" on the red cloth. She Dengke angrily scolded the flatterer, and then wrote "Master, may you live a long and healthy life."
Liang Gou'er wrote about having wine to drink every day, and Liang Mao'er wrote about buying a few acres of good farmland.
The prince hesitated for a moment, then followed Baili's example and secretly wrote a line, which he tied to the highest point of the apricot tree so that no one could see it.
He climbed down the ladder and looked at the bald man beside him: "Little monk, what is your wish?"
The young monk was a little embarrassed: "I can't make wishes casually. I have to fulfill my great aspirations. This is closely related to spiritual practice."
"Well, you don't have to write it!"
Red ribbons hung on the branches of the apricot tree, looking like red flowers blooming.
The yard where a group of grown men live suddenly has a touch of gentleness and elegance.
Bai Li stood in front of the apricot tree with his hands behind his back, head tilted upwards, and admired his masterpiece with a smile on his face.
She turned to look at Chen Ji: "Chen Ji, what are you going to write? You haven't written it yet."
Chen Ji pondered for a moment and picked up the pen. Bai Li leaned over to take a peek, but saw that the boy had only written four simple words: "Tuan Tuan Yuan Yuan".
Bai Li muttered quietly, "I thought you would write something like 'Ten Thousand Pieces of Gold'. Are you looking forward to reuniting with your family? But your family members..."
Chen Ji smiled without explaining. When he wrote "reunion", he was not referring to his family.
Bai Li looked at the red prayer cloth on the tree branch with a peaceful expression: "Sometimes I envy the lives of ordinary people. I know it's a bit like being ungrateful for what you have, but I still hope that my home can be warmer and we can have more reunions."
When Chen Ji heard this, he suddenly asked tentatively, "I see that Madam Yunfei gives the princess a lot of money every month, and the prince is not living as well as the princess. Why do you say that?"
Bai Li also smiled. "As for girls, in the eyes of their parents, as long as they grow up well, they don't need to be good at studying, as long as they can marry according to their wishes. My parents don't have such strict expectations of me, so they are naturally more tolerant and indulgent. My mother has always wanted to have another brother. Look, when my father finally returned home, she immediately sent people to clean up the entire Anxi Street and distributed Yanmen dates to all the neighbors."
Chen Ji was stunned. It turned out that distributing Yanmen dates had a meaning, but it couldn't be too obvious, so he didn't give out peanuts, longans, or lotus seeds to his neighbors...
He suddenly asked, "Princess, that persimmon tree in Feiyun Garden..."
Bai Li smiled and replied, "My mother wanted to cut it down and replace it with a pomegranate tree, but I stopped her because I think persimmons look better than pomegranates."
"Then why don't we pick the persimmons hanging on the branches?"
"We need to leave some food for the magpies that are overwintering."
"So it was the princess's kindness..."
Chen Ji only felt a chill spreading along his spine to his neck. The Yanmen dates meant early birth of a son, and the pomegranate tree meant many children and good fortune. Concubine Yun’s desire to have a son was almost obvious.
But can a son inherit the title of Prince Jing? No, there is still a legitimate brother, the Crown Prince, unless the Crown Prince died in the inner prison!
Until this moment, Chen Ji's speculation had formed a reasonable logical chain. Concubine Yun hoped that the prince would die in the inner prison. As for whether Bai Li would be implicated, she didn't care at all...
Or maybe, Concubine Yun's original intention was to send Bai Li to the inner prison as well, so that no one would doubt her anymore.
Chen Ji looked at Bai Li with a complicated expression. He wanted to remind him, but he didn't know where to start.
In front was Liu Mingxian who killed his grandfather with his own hands, and in the back was Yun Fei who was vicious and ate her own child. Compared with these two, Chen Ji suddenly felt that his father in the Chen Mansion seemed a little merciful by only sending him to Taiping Medical Clinic as an apprentice.
This world.
Chen Ji said softly, "Princess."
"Um?"
"Your kindness will be rewarded."
"Really? I think so too! Let's go, we have to clean up the dust when we get home. See you tomorrow morning!"
"See you tomorrow morning. Tomorrow we'll call some helpers from the city to go and fix the kiln together."
Chen Ji looked up at Baili as he climbed over the courtyard wall and disappeared into the darkness. He turned back to look at the gentle and graceful red apricot tree and remained silent for a long time.
At a certain moment, he wanted to tear open the red cloth strip at the highest point to see what wishes the prince and Bai Li had written, but he felt that it was not good to pry into other people's privacy, so he just smiled and gave up.
(End of this chapter)
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