Green Mountain-Chapter 727 - 581: Advancing and Retreating Together

Outside Shaojiu Alley, drum sounds echoed in the night as the night patrol spoke in a long drawl: "Morning rooster crows, early to bed and rise!"

Chen Ji lay sleepless on his bed in the east wing room, staring at the ceiling until the rooster crowed outside, and drum sounds came from the street by Jade River.

The little monk beside Chen Ji suddenly sighed and said, "Master, searching for a sword that sank with the boat will never bring back the sword of years past."

Chen Ji stared steadily at the ceiling: "The sword is still the same sword; the boat is still the same little boat, how can it be different."

The little monk lay there beside Chen Ji, also gazing fixedly at the ceiling: "Perhaps the sword is the same sword, perhaps the boat is the same boat of years past. But the boat has journeyed thousands of miles, the sword rusts amidst the river's silt...the state of mind has ultimately changed."

The little monk turned his head to Chen Ji and said earnestly, "Master, when the sword falls into the river, what people on the boat should do is move forward and find a new one...Maybe you already have a new one beside you, but your fixation blinds you from seeing it."

This time, Chen Ji said nothing.

The little monk slowly sat up: "Master, if while climbing you find two identical trees, it is not the wonder of creation, but that you are lost...I will go prepare the vegetables, otherwise Xiao Man will scold me."

Chen Ji responded with a hum.

After the little monk left, Chen Ji lay on the bed for a long time until a knock on the door prompted him to finally get up.

It was Brother Pao and Er Dao who arrived.

Chen Ji looked at the Qilin Embroidery hanging in the room, but only tidied it up and put on a black diagonally-collared robe.

As he fastened the buttons, Brother Pao's boisterous voice rang out: "Xiao Man, make more food, Er Dao and I have large appetites."

Xiao Man answered: "Alright!"

Chen Ji pushed the door open and curiously asked, "Meihua Ferry Crossing has been taken, where did you stay last night?"

Brother Pao laughed loudly, sitting by the stone table replied: "Would a living person be impeded by nature's calls? Landlord, do you remember, I sent away the red courtesans from Red Plum Building. Now they've invited me to stay, one family per day, I could be housed for a month without repetition."

Er Dao grumbled beside him: "Clearly you have silver to stay at an inn, yet you prefer to stay at the homes of young women."

Chen Ji looked at Brother Pao: "Sorry, I originally said I'd leave Meihua Ferry and the salt permit business to you, but now they're gone."

Brother Pao shrugged: "I've always said, people don't have good fortune for a thousand days, flowers don't stay red for a hundred; if you want to win, you must be able to afford loss. Those who haven't risen from nothing aren't hero-worthy! I'm rather curious about what the landlord plans next? If you plan to leave, Er Dao and I won't stay around...Er Dao, what do you say?"

Er Dao thought for a moment: "We can leave today."

Chen Ji fell into silence.

He hadn't expected Brother Pao and Er Dao to decide to roam with him: "You don't have to wander about, although the business is gone, your connections still remain. I will recommend you to Zhang Zhuo, Lord Zhang; he wants to reform money and grain taxes, precisely in need of talented people, with your capability great things await, for I know you came to the Imperial Capital for this."

Brother Pao leisurely stuffed tobacco into a pipe and leaned towards Er Dao who offered a fire inch to light it: "Gaining fame before achieving anything felt interesting, yet Mr. Chen already gained fame twice and can play with other things...Not only fame, maybe can even go down in history alongside the Qi family."

Chen Ji sat by the stone table and asked sincerely: "Do you truly wish to leave? Leaving now means a year's effort wasted, wherever you go will require starting anew."

Brother Pao smiled: "Landlord, have I ever spoken false words? I and Er Dao are free of possessions now, truly when saying leave, we might even find it more liberating than you."

At this moment, Xiao Man came out of the kitchen: "Sir, the little monk and I discussed it, we will go with you too."

Chen Ji raised an eyebrow: "When did you discuss this?"

Xiao Man responded: "Last night...right, little monk?"

Little monk was caught off guard for a moment: "Ah...yes, we discussed it last night."

Chen Ji queried doubtfully: "You hadn't planned to leave earlier."

"Times change," Xiao Man shrugged: "I used to want to stay and enjoy life, having been a Maid for years, it's time to become a landlord. But now the businesses Aunt handled are all gone, why stay? I must follow you, you sent away those businesses, you owe me. Today, I'll use the silver left at home to buy stuff, but for you to leave from the Imperial Capital in broad daylight is too conspicuous, things must be prepared at Zhang's Farm outside the city."

Xiao Man counted on her fingers: "For a long journey, what should be prepared..."

She paused, suddenly realizing she didn't know where to start, furiously tugging her sleeves.

Brother Pao tapped his pipe: "Let me do it, I've thought about this for some time."

He placed his pipe on the stone table and extended a hand, pressing his fingers one by one: "First, prepare the carriage and horses."

Xiao Man promptly said: "We have horses, Your Majesty gifted ten horses cared for at the Imperial Stables outside Eastern Hua Gate, we need to lead them out. But ten is too many, keep six for the journey, trade the other four for silver. We should buy two carts, one for people, one for goods. The city carts are expensive; we won't buy in the city, instead shop at Changping outside, save thirty percent."

Er Dao added: "The axles should be elm, not willow which wears easily."

Brother Pao nodded, pressing the second finger down: "Next are winter clothes. It's nearing autumn, colder heading north. The Executive Officer doesn't require care, but I, Er Dao, little monk, the Commandery Princess, each should have thick cotton coats, pants with wind-proof outer layers. New fur coats are too pricey, scouring secondhand will do."

Xiao Man hurriedly took out a notebook and fetched a charcoal pencil from the kitchen to jot down notes.

Brother Pao pressed the third finger down: "Then there's food, stir-fried noodles, dried meat, pickled vegetables. Stir fry yam noodles, filling, just add hot water. Buy beef jerky, it keeps, pork doesn't. For pickles let the old women make them so salty, they last all year."

Xiao Man nodded in agreement: "Bring extra salt, it's expensive outside the pass."

Little monk whispered: "For me, some vegetarian meal..."

Brother Pao pressed the fourth finger down: "Finally the equipment."

He glanced at Chen Ji: "Er Dao, Xiao Man, and I each need to have a short knife for self-defense. The Whale Blade in the landlord's possession, I noticed a crack on the scabbard. In the Imperial Capital, there's a renowned scabbard craftsman. I'll seek one out and hopefully, it can be fixed in a day."

Chen Ji pondered for a moment: "No need, it's still usable."

Brother Pao didn't pick up on this, and continued speaking to himself: "We can't stay at an inn. We'll need two woolen tents, one for the men and one for the women. We'll need small iron pots with handles that can hang over the fire for cooking. Each person needs a wooden bowl, to prevent breaking."

He paused: "Bring a dozen fire inches, wrapped tightly in tung oil cloth."

Xiao Man, after finishing writing, looked up: "Anything else?"

Brother Pao thought for a moment, then pressed down the fifth finger: "Lastly, silver coin... How much do we have left at home?"

Xiao Man hesitated: "Eight hundred and forty taels."

Brother Pao smiled: "That's enough. When Er Dao and I first arrived in the Imperial Capital, we only had 200 cents on us. Er Dao, take out everything we have and give it to Xiao Man to manage."

Er Dao said nothing, took out a cloth bundle from his arms and placed it on the table, containing three strings of Buddhist Treasure: "Four thousand seven hundred taels. These have nothing to do with Meihua Ferry Crossing or the salt permit; they're the dividends from Poor's Money collected over the past few months, all here."

Chen Ji looked at the Buddhist Treasure on the table, then glanced around the courtyard at the few people who hadn't asked where he planned on going, now so earnestly setting aside all their past concerns to start planning for the journey ahead.

Xiao Man looked at him: "Young master, before you leave, do you want to have a meal with Sister Axia? After all, you won't be able to see her afterward..."

At this moment, the door to the main hall was gently pushed open, and Xiao Man's words came to an abrupt halt.

Bai Li was still wearing that Daoist robe, looking toward the little monk, then averting her gaze.

Xiao Man asked curiously: "Commandery Princess, why aren't you wearing the clothes I prepared for you?"

Bai Li gently replied: "Thank you, Xiao Man, but I'm used to wearing the Daoist robe... Are you discussing something?"

Xiao Man's gaze wavered.

Chen Ji interrupted: "Let's eat first, after eating Xiao Man will go shopping, Brother Pao and Er Dao will accompany the Commandery Princess and me to the Yizong."

...

...

After the meal, Xiao Man left with a small notebook in hand.

Chen Ji returned to the east wing and took the Whale Blade off the rack.

He pushed the thumb to reveal the blade, which reflected half of his cheek. The crack was three inches down from the guard of the scabbard; without Brother Pao's attention, he would have missed it.

He took a deep breath and said to everyone as he walked out the door: "Let's go."

They rented a cart, which had a few jars of wine and stacks of paper ingots and white paper money. The cart traveled north, out through Anding Gate, and continued northward.

Upon reaching Yizong, Chen Ji first sought out the gravesite of the fallen Yulin Army soldiers, pouring several jars of wine in front of their headstones.

He lit a bonfire in front of the graves, tossing in paper money and ingots, murmuring: "I don't know if I'll have the chance to come back to see you all again. If not, don't hold it against me; let's consider this a farewell."

Once he finished burning the paper money, he and Bai Li headed towards the mortuary within Yizong, where unclaimed bodies were stored, along with walls of cremation urns.

Bai Li searched among rows of urns: "The Empress asked someone to mark Princess Yongchun's urn, hoping to bury her with Zhou Zhuoyuan... Strange, why is it missing?"

Chen Ji pondered for a moment: "Could she have already been taken away by the Empress's people, which is why it's not here?"

Bai Li started walking out: "We need to check Zhou Zhuoyuan's grave."

Chen Ji inquired: "Where is Zhou Zhuoyuan buried?"

"Further north, at the far north end of Yizong. After he died in Lingnan, the Zhou family secretly had his body shipped back at their own expense. I've heard there was no name carved on the tombstone out of fear."

When the two reached the north end of Yizong, they found a brand-new headstone standing alone, the mound was newly dug with not a single blade of grass present.

The headstone bore a simple inscription: "The grave of Zhou Zhuoyuan, Yulin Army Commander, and his wife, Princess Yongchun, Zhu Chunxin."

The words had been freshly carved, with stone dust still clinging in the crevices of the strokes. Beneath the headstone lay a dry sprig of artemisia, bound with a faded red string.

"It's Aunt Yuan Jin. She has already assisted in burying Princess Yongchun here," Bai Li said, crouching by the tombstone, tracing the strokes for "Princess Yongchun" with her fingers: "With Lord Zhou protecting you now, no one will dare to bully you."

A breeze swept over the barren slopes to the north of Yizong, lifting the ashes of the paper money from Zhou Zhuoyuan's old tomb, adhering them to the sprig of artemisia for a moment before they gently drifted away again.

Bai Li stood up: "Let's head back..."

However, at that moment, a rustle came from the bushes further north, and Chen Ji instinctively drew his knife and charged forward, the blade's edge halting at a man's throat: "Was it you following us yesterday?"

The man crouched in the bushes showed no fear, slowly rising with the knife edge at his throat: "It was me. I'm not here to follow you, but to follow the Commandery Princess."

Chen Ji looked directly at him: "A member of the Cao Guild?"

The man replied with calm dignity: "Cao Guild's Yangzhou Incense Hall Master, Lü Qi. I have something to say to the Commandery Princess... Does Marquis Wu Xiang dare allow me to speak with her alone for a few moments?"

Chen Ji remained silent for a long time: "I'll give you thirty minutes."