Green Mountain-Chapter 690 - 546: Longevity Lock

3 AM.

The chaos within the Forbidden City had yet to reach beyond the palace walls, and the Chen Mansion on Fuyou Street remained tranquil and silent.

In his dreams, Chen Ji suddenly felt a piercing cold enveloping him, a massive ice flow surged from his chest, spreading towards his limbs as if freezing his blood within his veins.

The ice flow was so immense that, counting since he began cultivating the Mountain Lord Sect's Scripture, only Prince Jing's could compare. It surged like a flood within his body, pressing down the fire within him which slowly dimmed, much like the flickering Eight Diagrams Lamps within the inner prison.

Just as Chen Ji closed his eyes to contemplate, the ice flow touched a mark between his ribs, and suddenly, like a startled beast, it shrank back into the Dantian, unwilling to emerge again.

In the next moment, Chen Ji lay on his bed and opened his eyes abruptly. He looked at his chest, where a little black cat was curled up silently, using its long black tail to enclose itself, covering its face.

Chen Ji was taken aback: "Wu Yun?"

Wu Yun's tail tip twitched slightly but did not respond, still burying itself like a child hurt during travels.

Chen Ji realized, it was Wu Yun who carried the ice flow from the Forbidden City, but strangely, where did such a massive ice flow come from?

He sat up, embracing Wu Yun: "What happened?"

Wu Yun buried itself within its tail and let out a low meow, and with just that sound, Wu Yun conveyed all it had witnessed and heard, imprinting even the sadness into Chen Ji's heart; the small Wu Yun seemed to have vaguely regarded the Empress as its mother, and then lost her.

The Empress was framed and passed away.

Bai Li was intercepted by Consort Xue and couldn't escape the Forbidden City.

Too much had happened this night, leaving Chen Ji dazed for quite some time before he could unravel the causes and effects. He glanced at Wu Yun, the little black cat still tightly curled into a ball... It seemed to be Wu Yun's first experience with death.

Back in Luocheng City, they had also experienced separations, but those crucial figures in their lives were at least still alive, alive with hope of reunion.

Now the Empress was gone, the dead are like extinguished lamps.

Chen Ji remained silent for a moment, then stepped out with Wu Yun in his arms, climbed to the rooftop and sat, gazing at the distant dark silhouette of the Forbidden City.

Past Li Qiu and the Mid-Autumn Festival, the northern winds started to cool, some people remain forever in the past like the summer of the 32nd year of Jianing, never to return.

Chen Ji did not urge Wu Yun against grieving, he only softly said: "The Empress should have loved the Emperor, but she loved a selfish person who couldn't give her what she wanted. Loyalty, honesty, responsibility, dedication, self-sacrifice—these are the most cherished things in love, requiring a conscience. The conscience is the least valuable, yet most precious." 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

Wu Yun gradually calmed down.

It slightly lifted its tail, showing a small slit in front of its eyes, quietly gazing into the distance with Chen Ji.

Chen Ji stared intently at the night sky and said: "The Empress was a good person; I know you miss her and are sad, but perhaps leaving was a form of liberation for her."

Wu Yun looked up at him.

Chen Ji spoke gently: "In that cold Forbidden City, her joy and sorrow must adhere to etiquette, even her life and death should take into account the greater picture. I suspect the court will not make last night's events public, the history books might note her death from illness, the Ministry of Rites will devise elaborate funeral ceremonies, officials will mourn according to protocol, and the Emperor will hypocritically issue a pardon to the world. Everything will be solemn and orderly, perfectly displaying the dignity and mourning of the Heavenly Family, except for the pain and loneliness belonging to a specific woman which will be wiped away, as if it never existed... But thankfully, she won't have to experience any of it again, she's freed."

Wu Yun crawled out of Chen Ji's embrace, crouched beside him on the rooftop, and let out a low meow: "If the Empress knew what kind of person she was marrying, she surely wouldn't have married him."

Chen Ji sighed: "How was she supposed to know?"

Wu Yun dropped its head again: "I hate the Emperor."

As daylight gradually broke, Chen Ji watched the white light illuminating the golden glazed rooftops of the Forbidden City: "Wu Yun, I despise this era. This era from its roots disregards others' lives; Emperor Ning is like that, Prince Jing is like that, Mr. Feng is like that. I originally thought I might do something for this era, but later discovered that one person dreaming to change an era is like trying to stop a rushing river with bare hands... All I can do is distance myself."

The man and the cat sat on the rooftop, their silhouettes resembling two eave beasts, or like observers detached from this era.

Long after, Wu Yun meowed: "Actually, I had the chance to escape long ago; Aunt Yuan Jin stopped monitoring me later, she's also a good person... But I couldn't bring myself to leave, sometimes while walking, I would turn back again, did it hold you up a lot?"

"It didn't matter," Chen Ji patted its head: "You were forced to leave your mother when you were very young, just months old, you followed me to Guyuan to kill... So, I thought, beside the Empress, perhaps you could spend a carefree time, like a real kitten. You are Heavenly Master Nine Heavens Yingyuan Universal Thunder, not someone's pet, nor anyone's weapon."

Wu Yun praised: "Chen Ji, you are a good person."

Chen Ji smiled a little: "Someone once said that in youth you should travel far, love wholeheartedly, because inadequacies then are few, each one etching deeply into memory. So don't live too greedily, the cultivation of the Mountain Lord can be set aside for now, whether you gather information isn't that crucial."

Wu Yun curiously asked, "Who said that?"

Chen Ji looked into the distance, his voice softening, "My mother."

...

...

Wu Yun suddenly asked, "I don't understand, why did that Wang Wenbiao turn into another person?"

"It's a path for an Executive Officer called 'Colorful Face,'" Chen Ji's voice gradually grew solemn, "Others might not know, but I've dealt with this officer several times. Manager Yuan, Lin Chaoqing, they've all relied on this person to change their appearances. He's with the Jing Dynasty Military Intelligence Department."

Wu Yun let out an astonished meow, "The Jing Dynasty Military Intelligence Department is involved?"

Chen Ji hummed, "Strange, this person should be an Earthly Branch spy, yet now Si Caogui and Si Caoding have both left, why is he still active in the Imperial Capital? What's his identity? And, when did he connect with Consort Xue?"

Wait.

He knows of someone who both has the opportunity to contact the Military Intelligence Department and the motive to collude with the Jing Dynasty.

Chen Ji wondered again, "According to Aunt Ping, if the Colorful Face Path wants to completely change one's appearance, it needs the full blood of a beloved person. If he's changed the appearance for three people, that means he's killed three beloved people... Does he have that many beloved people? Or, is there more than one officer in this path? How is 'beloved' defined, is it someone who loves him, someone he loves, or must they be in love? Moreover, this person must have been in Luocheng City earlier, and now they're in the Imperial Capital."

Finding this person might allow revenge for the Empress, and eliminate many people in the Military Intelligence Department at once. But there's no clue about this person, not knowing where to start searching.

At this moment, the sky gradually brightened.

The rapid sound of carriage and footsteps of porters echoed on Fuyou Street, all heading towards the Meridian Gate.

The Forbidden City opened its palace gates, and news of the Empress's death spread outside the palace.

Officials from various government offices rushed to their respective places, while those eligible to enter the palace and meet the Emperor all waited outside the Meridian Gate, fearing they wouldn't be found when summoned from inside the palace.

Chen Ji jumped down from the roof with Wu Yun in his arms, "Once they're done, someone will probably come looking for you. I need to disguise another little black cat as you and send it back."

The reason he didn't name the other little black cat is because he knew, sooner or later, he would send it away. Old Yao had said, a person shouldn't randomly form ties with anyone in their lifetime, it's all karma.

Moreover, in his lifetime, he would only have one cat, no others.

As he spoke, Chen Ji looked at the longevity lock hanging around Wu Yun's neck, "This also needs to be transferred to the other cat, as long as it's wearing the longevity lock, it will be you."

Wu Yun hesitated, "This was given to me by Her Majesty. She melted a golden hairpin brought into the palace when she married and forged it, saying she wished me peace, safety, and a long life..."

Chen Ji fell silent.

People in this era die easily, from plagues, smallpox, tuberculosis, tetanus, each can cost lives. Perhaps just a small cut on the hand could cause death.

When a child is a month or a hundred days old, people beg one cent from each neighborhood household to forge a lock to protect the child's safety, hence longevity locks are also known as hundred-family locks.

Implying the blessings and fortune of many families are with the wearer, granting peace, safety, and a long life.

Longevity locks come in various shapes like Ruyi, ingot, Qilin, butterfly, often engraved or embossed with characters and patterns. Chen Ji examined the longevity lock on Wu Yun's neck, its style was a common Ruyi shape, with 'longevity and long life' on the front, and 'blessing, longevity, health, and peace' on the back.

"You get a good sleep at home, I'll think of a way," Chen Ji turned and left the Chen Mansion alone.

In one day, from the inner city to the outer city, he browsed all the jewelry stores in the Imperial Capital to find a similar longevity lock. Ruyi shapes are common, so are 'longevity and long life', and 'blessing, longevity, health, and peace', yet putting them together wasn't easy to find.

Even the new longevity lock Chen Ji found was half a circle larger than the one the Empress tailored for Wu Yun, but Chen Ji didn't have time to find an artisan to craft an identical one.

When he returned to the Chen Mansion, Wu Yun was astonished at seeing the longevity lock, "You really went and found one just like it? Actually, using my longevity lock would be fine..."

Chen Ji petted its head, "That's the one the Empress gave you, even if you can't wear it around your neck, you can occasionally take it out to look at. Go on, carry the other little black cat and send it to the palace, put it in a corner of Fengxian Hall or Jianji Hall, it will be found by tomorrow morning. The Emperor likes cats, someone will take good care of it."

Wu Yun suddenly asked, "But what about the Commandery Princess?"

Chen Ji stood there silently for a long time, "Don't worry, I have a plan."