Green Mountain-Chapter 726 - 580: Each with Their Own Concerns

Midnight, beside Tianqiao.

A bowl of steaming hot wontons with pepper, sprinkled with cilantro and dried shrimp, was the best late-night snack in the early autumn.

On regular nights, this hour is usually the busiest. Servants and pimps from the Eight Great Hutongs would rub their hands and run over, hand over a few warm copper coins, take a bowl or several bowls of wontons, and then quickly disappear into the alleys leading to the back doors of various establishments.

In another four hours, the sound of clappers will be heard from the Canal Wharf, and the canal workers and porters will come here in the dark. A gulp of hot pepper soup would warm them up instantly before they went on to pull the heavy cargo ships and make a living.

When the Ning Dynasty was first established, pepper was a rare commodity, brought back by maritime trade caravans from distant places, and was said to be worth a tael of gold for a tael of pepper.

In times of treasury deficits, the court even used pepper to pay officials as a substitute for their salary.

However, over the centuries, pepper has become so widespread that even canal workers and porters can enjoy a bowl of inexpensive hot and spicy soup. Yet the court still issued salaries with pepper, much to the officials' suffering.

It wasn't until the eleventh year of the late Emperor Zhengde that a decree was issued to end this chaotic practice.

At this moment, Chen Ji and Bai Li were sitting face-to-face at a small, low elm table by the vendor's stand. The table was polished shiny by countless hands, with residual grime on its corners accumulated over the years.

Two narrow benches accommodated them. Bai Li sat upright while Chen Ji slightly leaned forward with his elbows on his knees, eyes following the elderly man's fluid movements as he waited for the wontons to be ready.

Chen Ji turned his head to Bai Li's slender face and sighed, "You've endured so much hardship."

Bai Li gently shook her head, "It wasn't that hard. With the Empress's care, I never lacked food or clothing. Kunning Palace had seasonal vegetables and fruits daily, and even some rare items not seen in the Prince Mansion. Oh, the An Nan Envoy brought a prickly ugly fruit from the South called 'Sentiment.' The An Nan people hid it in sand carts and transported it to the Imperial Capital. You'd have to cut through its thick skin to eat the flesh inside, but the ugly fruit was already spoiled and smelled terrible when opened. The Empress quickly asked Aunt Yuan Jin to discard it."

Chen Ji raised an eyebrow.

Bai Li continued recalling, "The Empress would send someone to bring me to Kunning Palace daily. We played bridge when we were free. The Empress was quite skilled at cards, and it's said she won a lot of silver from her father… Prince Jing and the Emperor when she was young. She would also take us to the Imperial Garden to watch butterflies. The Empress was very talented, recognizing each type of butterfly. She was kind-hearted, only allowing us to watch them, forbidding the female servants from catching them. She said it takes a butterfly several months to transform, and the most beautiful time of its life lasts around twenty days. When it is at its most beautiful, it should fly in the sky, among the flowers…"

She said softly, "Later, when your newspaper was published, the Empress would ask the palace maids to buy a copy every day. Everyone would repeatedly read the paper; the Empress read it, I read it, and the female servants read it until the bamboo paper edges curled and got holes from wear. Then the Empress would put it away. She really loved the newspaper, reading each issue multiple times, even enjoying the ads at the end."

Bai Li seemed to want to share all the interesting events within the palace with Chen Ji, but unfortunately, there weren't many interesting events in the palace, and she finished recounting them quickly.

She looked up at Chen Ji, "Thank you. The Empress became much happier with the newspaper to look forward to every day. Could you give me some recent newspapers that the Empress hasn't seen yet? I want to burn them as an offering during the memorial."

Chen Ji nodded, "I'll ask Brother Pao to help find some; he probably has copies."

Bai Li hesitated for a moment, "I've also heard many things about you in the palace. The Empress would even send eunuchs to teahouses to inquire about you and then tell me. Have your wounds healed? Do they still hurt?"

Chen Ji suddenly changed the subject with a smile, "By the way, do you remember She Dengke? He took hundreds of taels of silver to seek refuge with relatives. He and Chunhua might buy dozens of acres of land and live a peaceful life. If he's quick, they might already have a child. And Liu Quxing, I left him the deed to Taiping Medical Hall. I wonder if his mediocre medical skills can get the clinic running, though he was the most diligent when we were in Anxi Street…"

Chen Ji continued speaking to himself, "After the Princely Heir was rescued from the inner prison, my master took him, Gou'er, and Brother Cat to the Jing Dynasty. They planned to head south to Yangzhou first, then take a boat to Lushun. I wonder if they would get seasick. Although I haven't heard from him for a long time, with my master looking out for him, he should be fine. Just that my master's sharp tongue probably didn't spare him from some mockery."

Bai Li thought of Old Yao's sarcastic tongue and couldn't help but smile slightly, "The master is cold on the outside but warm-hearted. Do you remember the red ribbons we hung on the apricot tree? He complained that we shouldn't have done it, but when Luocheng had a strong wind, he closed the hall's doors to prevent the wind from breaking the branches."

Anxi Street, Taiping Medical Hall, where the story began.

Looking at Bai Li in front of him, it was as if Chen Ji had entrusted his past in her hands, able to take him through the river of time back to the past whenever he saw her.

Just then, Bai Li curiously asked, "Have you seen my mother since? The Cao Guild has been searching for her but hasn't found her."

Chen Ji's heart skipped a beat, and he froze on the long bench.

Until the old man came carrying two bowls of wontons, interrupting their thoughts, "Guest, the two bowls are ready."

Chen Ji snapped back to reality and gently pushed one bowl in front of Bai Li, "Eat while it's hot."

Bai Li softly said thank you, her fingers touching the warm bowl wall before she picked up the spoon, carefully blew on it, and sent a bit of soup into her mouth.

The spicy aroma of pepper, the rich bone broth, the freshness of shrimp and cilantro spread in her mouth, and her slightly stiff back relaxed a little, "It's really delicious."

Chen Ji lowered his head, stirring the bowl with a spoon, and after deliberating for a while, finally answered, "Since Prince Jing passed away, I haven't seen Consort Yun."

Bai Li acknowledged softly, "Mother came from Jianghu, so she likely has her own ways to hide."

Chen Ji suddenly said, "There might still be people watching these days, so we can't leave yet. But after three days, on the Double Ninth Festival, when the An Nan Envoy bids farewell to the court, the ban on alcohol in the market will be lifted. It'll be more lively then, and leaving that day will ensure nothing goes wrong…Where do you want to go? Whether it's far overseas or north to the Jing Dynasty, anywhere is fine."

Chen Ji continued outlining his plan, "If you choose to go overseas, you'd first have to take a boat to Jinling and stay a while to find a way to set sail. There are two routes to take. The first route would involve tagging along with merchants heading to Siam. The advantage of Siam is that many Ning Dynasty people are there, and a lot of customs were brought over from our Guangdong and Guangxi. The second route would involve Zhang Family's Death Soldiers arranging a large ship to set sail from Tongzhou. I'm sure there are many interesting places overseas; beyond the Ning Dynasty lies a vast world with many fair-haired and blue-eyed people speaking entirely different languages from ours…"

"If you are heading north to the Jing Dynasty, you should go through Taiyuan Prefecture to Guyuan and disguise yourself as a merchant to leave the pass. My original intention was to go to the Jing Dynasty because the Princely Heir and Master are there, and Princess Liyang might also be able to provide some help in creating household registration for us... By then, we would first meet with the Princely Heir and Master, and then go live at the foot of Changbai Mountain in the Jing Dynasty, where I can teach you how to hunt, fish and catch frogs in the summer, and trap hibernating bears in the winter... Only after leaving the Ning Dynasty will you truly be free."

But this time, Bai Li lowered her head, stirring her bowl of wontons: "Chen Ji, I cannot leave yet, I still have things to do."

Chen Ji was stunned for a moment: "What things?"

After a long silence, Bai Li said in a low voice, "I mean, accompany me to the Yizong outside the city tomorrow, Princess Yongchun is buried there, and I want to bury her together with Zhou Zhuoyuan. Also, I need to see Aunt Yuan Jin; can you find out where she is for me? After the Empress passed away, she left the Forbidden City."

Chen Ji thought for a moment: "Alright."

...

...

It took nearly an hour to eat a bowl of wontons. When standing up, Chen Ji looked at the shadows in the distance, where figures seemed to be moving. As soon as his gaze swept over, the figures immediately retreated into the darkness.

Chen Ji casually took out a piece of broken silver and tossed it on the table, got up and walked north with Bai Li. He glanced back several times, and could see figures quietly following from a distance.

When passing through Shipboard Alley, Chen Ji suddenly pulled Bai Li's wrist to hide around the corner. He shielded Bai Li by his side, silently listening to the footsteps outside the alley getting closer and closer.

Chen Ji held his breath, ready to catch the person, to see which force was spying on them.

Bai Li stood by Chen Ji's side, quietly looked up at Chen Ji's profile, watching how the other party had shed almost all his boyish innocence and awkwardness in less than a year.

It turns out that the other party had always lived in anxiety.

At this moment, the footsteps stopped five or six zhangs away, and after waiting for a long time without seeing them getting closer, Chen Ji pondered for a moment and darted out from the corner, but there was no figure outside the alley.

Bai Li asked curiously: "Was someone following us?"

Chen Ji shook his head: "Nothing."

He was sure someone had been following them just now, but the person spying was so vigilant; was it the Spy Department, the Cao Guild... or the Military Intelligence Department?

Chen Ji let out a long breath: "Let's go home."

Returning to Shaojiu Alley, both had more on their minds.

Xiao Man and the little monk were sitting in the courtyard, supporting their chins with their hands, dozing off.

Upon hearing the door opening, Xiao Man quickly got up and rubbed her eyes: "Where did you go, young master? Why are you back so late... Princess Bai Li."

Xiao Man appeared a bit awkward seeing Bai Li: "Have you eaten? There are cured meat and eggs in the kitchen, I can quickly prepare a couple of dishes."

Chen Ji smiled and said: "Don't bother, we are not hungry."

Xiao Man immediately pushed Chen Ji and Bai Li towards the back: "Then rest early, everything inside is prepared, and the bedding is freshly changed."

As he pushed open the main room, what greeted the eyes were two red candles. On the table was a jug of wine and two ladles, clearly tools for drinking nuptial wine.

Chen Ji hurriedly went forward and blew out the red candles, lowered his voice, and glared at Xiao Man: "Why did you set this up?"

Xiao Man was stunned: "Ah, me? Ah, you two?"

Chen Ji threw a quick "rest well, tomorrow I will accompany you to Yizong" to Bai Li, then hastily pulled Xiao Man and the little monk out of the main room.

Xiao Man scrutinized Chen Ji: "Young master, you..."

Chen Ji pinched her lips: "Stop talking nonsense, go to your West Wing Room to sleep."

Once Chen Ji released his hand, Xiao Man incredulously said: "Then what about you, young master?"

Chen Ji glanced at the East Wing Room: "I will sleep with the little monk in the East Wing Room."