Green Mountain-Chapter 710 - 566: Qi Zhaoning

The next day.

The dawn light was stingy, revealing only a faint grayish-white behind the clouds in the east.

In the new residence in Shaojiu Alley, Chen Ji sat by the cold stone table, holding a piece of fine linen cloth, slowly and heavily wiping the Whale Blade over and over again.

There was a sound from the tiles on the roof, and Wu Yun leaped onto his tense shoulder, lightly meowing: "Another sleepless night?"

Chen Ji murmured: "In the past, I slept excessively, hoping to dream more, but recently, I cannot afford to dream; I must figure many things out... Why return only after daybreak, were you visiting the Commandery Princess?"

Wu Yun jumped from his shoulder onto the table, speaking softly: "I feared someone would harm her at the crucial moment, so I watched over her all night."

Chen Ji's hand, which was wiping the Whale Blade, finally stopped: "How is she?"

Wu Yun lethargically lay on the table: "Still kneeling in front of the Three Pure Ones Ancestor Statue, her back straight, yet she's lost so much weight. She hasn't touched the meals provided by the little eunuch, only some removed tribute fruits. Let's get her out, take her to Li Ji to pull the softest Yun Jin, to Tianbao Pavilion for the trendiest hairpin, she loves those clean, white clothes, like freshly fallen snow... Hurry and burn that blue Daoist robe, I never want to see it again."

"Yes, let's get her out," Chen Ji looked up at the sky, a hint of fatigue in his eyes: "I used to feel time flies like an arrow, now it feels frozen, just one day is so hard to endure."

Wu Yun meowed: "Six more days."

Chen Ji sighed: "Yes, six more days."

Wu Yun curiously asked: "How are your injuries?"

Chen Ji's tone was nonchalant, as if discussing someone else: "It's fine."

Ninety imperial punishments, breaking nineteen imperial rods, yet Chen Ji's injuries were lighter than expected. After the first forty strikes, his skin was ripped open, but by the time he dragged Yuan Wang back, he was already healed.

The prestige change brought by creating these two panels on economic governance and people management, and the furnace changes brought by those four striped quenching, allowed him to endure the imperial punishment without even using the stripes.

When he returned to Shaojiu Alley, the new injuries from the fifty sticks were healed overnight.

Wu Yun suddenly said: "By the way, I saw a strange little eunuch tonight. I saw him alone, reading a book at the base of Duixiu Mountain in the northwest corner of the Imperial Garden under the moonlight, for a long time, not moving. When I passed by, he suddenly turned to look at me and even greeted me."

Chen Ji pondered; Wu Yun likely saw Changxiu, who could detect Wu Yun in the night, surely not an ordinary person.

This person must be a confidant of the Prime Minister, now appointed as a thousand-household officer of the Jiefan Guard, seemingly regaining some power of the Jiefan Guard after Lin Chaoqing's incident.

Strange, why is such a person not a zodiac?

At this moment, someone knocked at the courtyard door.

Thud, thud, thud.

Chen Ji looked up at the closed door, slowly wiping the Whale Blade with the linen cloth: "Who is it?"

A voice came from outside: "Chen Ji, it's me."

Qi Zhaoning?

Chen Ji frowned, he picked up the blade and stood up.

He lifted the bar and opened the door a crack.

In the early autumn season, Qi Zhaoning was wearing a long coat of camphor-colored Hangzhou silk with a standing collar, the neckline and cuffs embroidered with a gold weave trim one finger wide. She wore no jewelry today, just a simple white jade hairpin securing her long hair. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Behind Qi Zhaoning was Qi Zhenzhu, still veiled, with the Qi family's carriage waiting far outside Shaojiu Alley.

Chen Ji glanced around for a moment, confirming only these two were outside, then his gaze returned to Qi Zhaoning's face.

Qi Zhaoning looked down at the Whale Blade in Chen Ji's hand, hesitating.

The two stood silent across the threshold for a long while, Qi Zhaoning finally softly asked: "Aren't you going to... invite me in to sit for a bit?"

Chen Ji thought for a moment, then stepped aside to make way.

Qi Zhaoning walked straight in, looking around the small courtyard.

The courtyard was a neat rectangle, paved with blue bricks. Under the western wall, an old pagoda tree spread its sparse branches, while at the eastern wall, a simple grapevine trellis was set up, under which a fine horse stood quietly.

Not exquisite, but not crude either.

Qi Zhaoning looked up at the eaves and slowly said, "My brother said this used to be the residence of Doctor Yao. A few years ago, when the officials of the Imperial Capital fell seriously ill at night, they would be brought here rather than the Imperial Hospital. I've seen Doctor Yao as a child at home; he came to treat my grandfather. Others could not cure the illness, but he managed it in three days. When my grandfather recovered, my father casually said 'Blessed be by Buddha,' and Doctor Yao retorted to my father, 'It was I who cured him, why thank Buddha?'

Saying this, Qi Zhaoning couldn't help but laugh.

Chen Ji was momentarily dazed; it indeed sounded like something his master would say. He turned again to scrutinize the small courtyard, only now realizing that Emperor Ning had gifted him his master's former residence.

Qi Zhaoning curiously asked, "What kind of person was Doctor Yao?"

Chen Ji looked at Qi Zhaoning's back, "Just a mean old man... Third Miss Qi visiting this early is to advise me not to go to the Imperial Music Bureau in six days?"

Qi Zhaoning didn't answer, just gestured for Qi Zhenzhu to bring a small white porcelain bottle, "This is the injury medicine sent to our Qi family every year by Laojun Mountain Dao Court. For ordinary injuries, it heals in a day, more serious ones in three. Does your injury from yesterday... still hurt?"

Chen Ji stood still, not taking the bottle, but instead bowed and said, "It's nothing serious, thank you, Third Miss Qi."

Seeing he did not wish to take it, Qi Zhaoning placed it on a stone table nearby, lowering her eyes, "Chen Ji, don't touch Feng Xi."

Chen Ji was somewhat surprised, "Why?"

Qi Zhaoning sincerely said, "I heard from my uncle and brother that they summoned Qi family officials to the Imperial Capital last night. They are just waiting outside Honglu Temple for you to arrest Feng Xi today. Feng Xi is tainted, but the witness and material evidence are in our Qi family's hands and can be destroyed at any time. They plan, if you beat Feng Xi to death, to destroy all evidence and thereby convict you. At worst, you'll be exiled to Lingnan, at worst killed after the autumn."

Chen Ji somberly said, "Third Miss Qi is from the Qi family, why tell me this?"

Qi Zhaoning stared into his eyes, "Today I'm not from the Qi family, I'm just Qi Zhaoning."

Chen Ji was silent.

Qi Zhaoning smiled softly and said in a low voice, "At first I was obsessed with the Four Dreams of Bianliang, always imagining you as Li Changge, hoping you would treat me like the Commandery Princess in the story. Later, when you and I were betrothed, I listened to the Imperial Capital's girls talk about you, admire you, I would secretly rejoice, you're not theirs, you're mine."

Chen Ji said nothing, just quietly listened.

Qi Zhaoning sighed softly, "But later I realized, you're not Li Changge, nor mine, you belong to others. I see you buy hairpins for Miss Bai Li and feel jealous as if cats were scratching inside me. When I see in the papers that you and Zhang Xia were at each other's side outside Chongli Pass, nine deaths yet alive, I felt jealous, insane with jealousy, but knew madness was useless."

"I thought I hated you, but when I heard you were suffering imperial punishment, I couldn't help worrying. As a child, listening to opera, I often struggled to understand the stories, why some love seemed like hate, why some hate seemed like love. Only experiencing it myself did I understand, life is like this, saying you love is too absurd, saying you hate is too absolute, they are entwined together."

Qi Zhaoning looked up at Chen Ji, "But you and I are betrothed, destined to stay together; I know you don't like me, but that's how our ancestors did it. Initially, they didn't like each other, but they lived their lives and grew accustomed. My grandfather didn't like my grandmother, but now they show mutual respect and grow old together. You've become part of the Eunuch Party, many curse you, my father, second uncle, brother curse you, officials and generals curse you, but I don't mind. If you agree to one thing, I'll immediately ask them to stop troubling you, stop pushing you..."

Chen Ji asked, "What is it?"

Oh, there was a hint of plea in Qi Zhaoning's voice, "Chen Ji, don't go to the Imperial Music Bureau, will you? We are still betrothed, if you go there to redeem a criminal after such fanfare, where does that leave the Qi family? If you really love Miss Bai Li, then I'll go to the Imperial Music Bureau and buy her in six days. But you still can't see her, wait until peace returns to the Imperial Capital, until we have children, then, she can be your concubine. By then, I won't send her to Jinling, she'll stay by your side, okay?"

The courtyard fell silent, Chen Ji quietly watched Qi Zhaoning standing before him, for the first time seeing her lower herself so. But he couldn't accept what she said.

Eventually, Chen Ji sighed, "Sorry, Third Miss Qi."

Qi Zhaoning turned away, wiping her cheek with the back of her hand, "Must it be this way? Even with such concessions, it won't do?"

Chen Ji replied with a hum.

Qi Zhaoning seemed to make a decision suddenly, turned back, and stared into Chen Ji's eyes, "I know your heart is solely for her now, only wishing to be with her forever, but you have no silver anymore. In six days, I'll go to the Imperial Music Bureau and buy her, then keep her by my side, and you'll only be with me. What I want must be mine!"

Having said that, Qi Zhaoning brushed past Chen Ji without turning back and walked away.

Wu Yun meowed once, "What to do?"

Chen Ji shook his head, "Stick to the original plan, I'm heading out, you have a good rest at home."

He smoothed out the folds on his Qilin Embroidery and led his horse out of Shaojiu Alley.