Chapter 572: The Mandate of Heaven Leaves or Stays, The Hearts of the People Support or Oppose |
The fifth day.
Chen Ji waited in front of the Feathered Forest Army Commander's Mansion early in the morning. It wasn't until the Hour of Mao (5-7 AM) that he finally saw Li Xuan and Qi Zhenzhuo riding their horses side-by-side toward him.
Seeing Chen Ji from afar, Qi Zhenzhuo hurriedly came to the outer gate of the Commander's Mansion and dismounted, "Master, why are you here? Word spread through the capital city yesterday, saying that in order to save the Commandery Princess, you even pawned Gufu Pavilion and Heavenly Treasure Pavilion. Miss Xiaoman said before that Gufu Pavilion was left to you by your mother, and that Heavenly Treasure Pavilion rakes in gold every day. How could you pawn such properties?"
Chen Ji looked at Li Xuan and Qi Zhenzhuo in front of him and said sincerely, "The truth is, the gap needed to save Commandery Princess Baili is too huge, and I have no other options. Coming to find you today is also to ask if you have spare funds on hand. If you do, please lend me some. I will count it as a three percent monthly interest, and I will owe you a favor as well... Of course, if you don't have any, it doesn't matter, just pretend I never came."
Li Xuan and Qi Zhenzhuo exchanged a look, both with astonishment in their eyes. They hadn't expected Chen Ji to come to borrow money.
This friend who had traveled the same road with them from Guyuan had never owed anyone a favor. If you gave him one point, he would return two points to you.
When facing over a hundred Heavenly Strategy Army soldiers at Longmen Inn, Chen Ji didn't look for anyone to help.
When facing over eighty Five Rampant Spectral Soldiers at Fragrant Hills, Chen Ji didn't look for anyone to help either.
Along this journey, no matter how difficult it was, Chen Ji had never opened his mouth to ask them for anything. But now, he was bowing his head to find people to borrow money from.
Li Xuan stood by silently, pressing his lips together tightly, his fists also clenched.
But Chen Ji shook his head, "There's no need. This is between them and me, it has nothing to do with you."
Qi Zhenzhuo said anxiously, "Master, how about you come with me to wait for my grandfather at the Meridian Gate? He actually values you very much..."
Chen Ji smiled and interrupted, "The Qi Family is a noble and uncorrupted family, how could they associate with the Eunuch Faction. Let's not talk about this for now. I only came today to borrow money."
Li Xuan said awkwardly, "You know too, I am strictly managed usually. I don't even have ten taels of silver on me."
Qi Zhenzhuo was also awkward, "Master, I can only receive a monthly allowance of two hundred and twenty taels in the Qi Family usually. But every month I treat my brothers to eat and drink, so there's not much left..."
Chen Ji fell silent for a moment, then beamed with a smile, "It's alright, I'll figure out another way. Thank you regardless."
Qi Zhenzhuo hurriedly said, "Master, don't say that. If it weren't for you, my brother-in-law and I would probably have already died in Guyuan. If we can help you, we definitely will."
Chen Ji let out an "mm", turned, and walked away alone, heading toward the west of Chang'an Avenue.
But he had barely walked ten paces when he heard Qi Zhenzhuo shout, "Master, come again tomorrow morning, my brother-in-law and I will figure out a way today!"
Chen Ji's footsteps paused, then with his back to them, he waved his hand to express his gratitude.
Returning to Liquor Alley, Xiaoman had just finished cooking. Seeing Chen Ji return, she asked in surprise, "Why did Young Master return so quickly... You couldn't borrow the silver?"
Chen Ji gave a "hmm" and walked towards the main room. Xiaoman complained, "I told you those two wouldn't lend it. They're part of the Qi Family. If they help you at a critical juncture like this, how would they establish a footing in the Qi Family in the future?"
Chen Ji stopped his steps and smiled, saying, "Xiaoman, them helping me is out of affection. Even if they don't, there is nothing to resent."
Xiaoman stomped her feet in anger, "Young Master has helped them several times! You fished them out of the Inner Prison twice! Without you, how could Qi Zhenzhuo have been promoted to Commander? Without you, on what basis could Li Xuan become the Commander of the Feather Forest Army? I know the principle is exactly as Young Master says; in this world, no one is obligated to help anyone else. But human hearts are made of flesh, and I just can't stand seeing other people be so ungrateful... You speak so magnanimously, making it seem like I'm the only petty person, it's infuriating!"
Chen Ji didn't reply, but simply returned to the main room and closed the door.
...
...
The dawn of the sixth day.
Before the sky brightened, Chen Ji left Liquor Alley.
He walked along Chang'an Avenue toward Chengtian Gate, absentmindedly thinking about things.
Before he reached the Feathered Forest Army Commander's Mansion, Chen Ji saw from afar that in front of the outer gate, there were over a hundred dense, dark figures standing and whispering privately. There were also many people squatting on the ground, eating freshly bought steamed buns or deep-fried dough sticks.
When Chen Ji appeared, the dense, dark figures turned their heads in unison and stopped talking. Over a hundred men rested their hands on their sword hilts at their waists, and under the hazy gray sky, a sense of oppression rushed towards him.
The next moment, someone among the dark figures waved a hand, "Master!"
The sound of armor rubbing against each other travelled over. Over a hundred men pressed forward toward Chen Ji. Under the dim daylight, the faces of the black figures became increasingly clear—one hundred and thirty-five Feather Forest Army soldiers had arrived in full force.
This massive commotion alarmed the Six Ministries' officials who were arriving to report for duty nearby, and they stopped to watch in succession.
Qi Zhenzhuo came right in front of Chen Ji and pulled out two strings of Buddhist Prayer Beads Currency from his robes, "Yesterday, I begged my mother to secretly give me some silver, and I also borrowed some from my second sister, Zhao Yun. This totals two thousand taels of silver. Take it first. I will go ask my childhood friends to borrow some more today. It just means they'll go to the Eight Great Hutongs a few fewer times."
Li Xuan also brought out a string of Buddhist Prayer Beads Currency and stuffed it into Chen Ji's robes, "This is four hundred taels of silver."
Chen Ji was puzzled, "Where did you get this four hundred taels of silver from?"
Li Xuan gave a self-deprecating smile, "I pawned my ancestral Flying White Sword. Only when I got to the pawnshop did I realize that the Flying White Sword, cherished like a treasure by generations of my Li Family, is merely worth four hundred taels of silver in the eyes of others."
Chen Ji looked at the Buddhist Prayer Beads Currency in his hand and said softly, "The Flying White Sword is an ancestral inheritance, how could you pawn it?"
Li Xuan patted his shoulder and sighed, "It's not of any use anyway in the capital city. The family precept of my Li Family is the four words 'Loyal Heart and Righteous Courage'. Using the Flying White Sword to help a friend doesn't count as disgracing it, helping is helping."
At this moment, Duo Bao took out a pure gold longevity lock from his robe and handed it to Chen Ji, "My Lord, I wore this when I was a child. Take it and exchange it for silver..."
Li Cen stepped forward and handed over a string of Buddhist Prayer Beads Currency, "My Lord, I pawned the mink vest my father gave me the year before last... Also, I secretly sold a rare edition of the Thirteen Commentaries on the Classics from home. No one reads it anyway, but I just didn't expect Wenyuan Bookstore to only give fifty taels."
"My Lord, this is my saved military pay, sixty taels."
Li Guang suddenly shouted loudly, "I also saved some, four hundred and twenty taels!"
Everyone looked sideways at him and exclaimed, "Li Guang, I remember you said your father was a dyer at a silk shop, and you only got into the Feather Forest Army using the fact your ancestors once served in the Five Armies Camp. Kid, your monthly salary is twenty-four taels of silver, how could you save so much?"
Li Guang said disdainfully, "When we go out drinking on ordinary days, when have I ever paid silver myself?"
The Feather Forest Army soldiers were furious, pinning him to the ground and getting ready to beat him up, "How can you speak so righteously about being stingy."
Li Guang hurriedly shouted begging for mercy, "I'm saving this to marry a wife! You all have family backing, but I don't. If I didn't save some silver myself, when I stay a bachelor, will you guys live out my days with me?"
Duo Bao chuckled, "That's not exactly impossible."
The spectating scholars and Officials of the Six Ministries just watched from the sidelines. One after another, the Feather Forest Army soldiers stepped forward, stuffing the silver they had raised into Chen Ji's hands. There was Buddhist Prayer Beads Currency, and there was also broken silver; some had hundreds of taels, some had only tens of taels.
Someone had pawned a family heirloom jade bracelet, but the pawnshop said it was old jade of no value, and only gave ten taels.
Someone pawned the saber his grandfather had given him at his coming-of-age ceremony; the saber hilt was inlaid with a tiny ruby. The pawnshop's old appraiser pried out the gem, said the saber was worthless, and gave eight taels for the gem.
There was someone even more extreme, who asked his family for money and was severely scolded, and then actually ran straight to the Eight Great Hutongs to find an intimate Pure Courtesan from the past, stammering to borrow money. The girl was stunned for a long while, then returned to her room and took out a small wooden box. Inside was the silver the girl had saved for three years to redeem her own freedom, altogether six hundred and seventy taels, and she gave it all to him.
Gradually, Chen Ji's arms could hold no more, so he had to use the hem of his clothes as a pocket. And after that, it was so heavy that even the hem couldn't hold it, so it could only be piled on the ground.
The Official watchers from the Six Ministries, who had been excitedly discussing the spectacle, gradually grew silent.
In the distance, on top of the Chengtian Gate watchtower.
Chang Xiu leaned on the railing, taking this entire scene into his view.
Pinching half a steamed bun in his hand, he tore at it methodically and ate it.
A Trouble-Resolving Guard beside him whispered, "My Lord, should we..."
"No need," Chang Xiu shoved the last bite of the steamed bun into his mouth, clapped the crumbs off his hands, and smiled, "In the Renshou Palace, I often hear the department heads say that Viscount Wuxiang is still young and acts quite immaturely in political affairs, and cannot be assigned a real post, needing to experience more tempering first. They think Lord Chen lacks depth and want to suppress him further, but they didn't anticipate that this is exactly the power they dream of."
Chang Xiu squinted at the dense crowd of dark figures in front of the Feathered Forest Army Commander's Mansion, and suddenly sighed emotionally, "Someone from the Eunuch Faction being able to make the spoiled heir soldiers of the Feather Forest Army pour out their hearts and scrape together silver... Today's matter is more interesting than what I've read in books... Eh?"
At this moment, he saw from afar Wang Daosheng walking out of the Ministry of War Office, pulling two ingots of silver from his sleeve, and handing them into Chen Ji's hands.
He immediately praised, "Even an uncorrupted high official like Master Wang has come to help the Eunuch Faction. It seems Lord Chen hasn't toiled in vain all this way. Justice lies in the hearts of the people. However, if even Master Wang gave one hundred taels of silver, what about Lord Zhang Zhuo? Lord Zhang making a move will probably make the Qi Family feel awful."
The Trouble-Resolving Guard behind Chang Xiu saw a red figure come out of the Ministry of Personnel and stride toward the Feathered Forest Army Commander's Mansion, and quietly reminded Chang Xiu, "My Lord, Lord Zhang is here."
Chang Xiu squinted, "How much silver do you guess Lord Zhang can give Lord Chen?"
The Trouble-Resolving Guard thought about it, "Ten thousand taels?"
Chang Xiu laughed heartily, "Looking down on Lord Zhang, aren't you? I guess forty thousand taels!"
...
Third release (End of Chapter)