Chapter 130 Study Tour
In the night of Luocheng, the distant and old voice of the night watchman can be heard: "It's cold, be careful of the slippery roads."

Yinshi is the time to get up.

If they were in the capital, the important officials of the court would have gathered in front of the Wenyuan Pavilion inside the Donghua Gate, breathing out white air, waiting outside the door for orders from the elders.

Chen Ji opened the curtain and looked at the hazy sky and mist outside the car window. He thought that he had to get back to Anxi Street as soon as possible, otherwise he would be late for school again.

He gently lowered the curtain. In the shaking carriage, Jin Zhu was slowly recalling:

"That year, the assassination of the Minister of Revenue caused a sensation. His Majesty gave the Dali Temple seven days to catch the real culprit. If the case could not be solved, all officials above the fifth rank in the Dali Temple would be demoted by three ranks, and all officials below the fifth rank would be dismissed and sent home and never employed again."

"The capital city at that time seemed to be immersed in an ice river. No one dared to breathe when walking on the street, for fear that the cold air would rush into their bodies as soon as they opened their mouths. Unfortunately, the case was not solved in the end. It was not until the news came back that Lu Jin was promoted to a higher position in the Jing Dynasty that everyone knew what had happened... It was really a difficult winter."

As he spoke, he looked at Shopkeeper Yuan with deep eyes: "Back then, so many Dali Temple secretaries, Sizhi, and patrol censors were all unable to find any clues. Now that so many years have passed, it is extremely difficult for us to find out anything."

Manager Yuan said, "Master Jinzhu, if I am lucky enough to become the spy of the Secret Service, I will definitely find out the identity of Lu Jin's sister. I believe she must not have returned to Jing Dynasty, otherwise, with Lu Jin's status and position, she would not have to hide at all."

Jin Zhu laughed happily and said, "Then why do you think she didn't return to Jing Dynasty? Maybe she is dead."

Manager Yuan said, "If she is dead, Lu Jin can naturally find her body with his skills. If she is not dead, then there are only two things that can keep a woman, one is love, and the other is a child."

The Golden Pig clapped his hands with interest: "That makes sense! But so, you don't have any clues or ideas now?"

Shopkeeper Yuan nodded: "Yes."

Chen Ji breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Sir, if nothing happens here..."

Before he could finish, Jin Zhu changed the subject and asked Shopkeeper Yuan: "Let's not talk about Sister Lu Jin for now, let's talk about tonight. I think Shopkeeper Yuan still has some reservations, right?"

Manager Yuan's expression froze: "What do you mean, sir? I have already said everything I need to say."

Jin Zhu smiled and said, "It's true that you sold out all your colleagues in Luocheng, but the highest official you reported was only a minor official in the county. There are still 18,000 taels missing from the account of Luocheng Bailu Pavilion. May I ask, where did this silver go?"

Shopkeeper Yuan sighed: "Master Jinzhu is amazing. He sorted out the accounts of Bailu Pavilion so quickly."

Jin Zhu waved his hands: "It's not that I'm great, but my Silijian has the most powerful accountant in the whole Ning Dynasty."

Manager Yuan pondered for a moment and said, "Sir, change the route and go to Tongji Street."

The Golden Pig patted the wall of the car: "Xifeng, go to Tongji Street!"

But then I heard Manager Yuan say, "Sir, the Military Intelligence Department's internal accounts are the trump card I left for myself after joining the Secret Service Department. They contain evidence and accounts of Bailu Pavilion, Hongxiuzhao, and Mingquanyuan bribing officials from all over Yuzhou, and even high-ranking officials in Luocheng. Now I hand them all over to you, sir, and I hope you can help me more in the future."

Jin Zhu smiled and said, "Okay, okay... By the way, Chen Ji, what were you going to say just now?"

Chen Ji, who had originally planned to say goodbye, sat quietly in the carriage again. He shook his head and said, "It's okay."

High-ranking officials in Los Angeles? There are no more than a handful of high-ranking officials in Los Angeles: Zhang Zhuo, Chen Liqin, and Liu Mingxian.

You can't leave at this time.

……

……

The carriage quietly drove into Tongji Street, where wealthy merchants gathered. Even at this time when dawn was approaching, the sounds of obscene laughter and erotic music could still be faintly heard from some merchants' homes.

The Golden Pig sneered, "We are fighting to the death just to protect a bunch of bastards like these."

The carriage arrived in front of an elegant mansion.

Shopkeeper Yuan said, "This is the place. The account books are hidden inside."

The Golden Pig looked at him silently, then stretched out his hand and casually pushed the door, breaking the bolt from the inside.

However, he did not walk in through the main entrance. Instead, he walked to the side, jumped up lightly, squatted steadily on the eaves of the wall, and looked inside.

There was no plot, no ambush, and the mansion was empty.

Shopkeeper Yuan said with a smile: "Master Jinzhu, now that I have decided to abandon the dark and join the light, I will not do useless things anymore."

The Golden Pig said with a wry smile: "It's better to be safe than sorry. I'm not doubting you, it's just a habit."

"clear."

Golden Pig escorted Manager Yuan into the courtyard. The courtyard was not very big, but it had everything including rockery and a fish pond. There were more than ten koi carps swimming in the pond.

Shopkeeper Yuan limped over, found an iron pickaxe, and smashed it hard on a rockery.

With a clang, the rockery broke apart, revealing a box hidden inside. The box was half a person's height, and Xifeng opened it and saw that it was full of account books.

Manager Yuan said, "Zhang Zhuo, the prefect of Luocheng, gave 4,000 taels of silver, Liu Mingxian, the deputy judge of Luocheng, gave 2,000 taels of silver, and Chen Liqin, the deputy prefect of Luocheng, gave 2,000 taels of silver. In addition, there are also the prefect of Kaifeng and the magistrate of Zheng County..."

Jin Zhu subconsciously glanced at Chen Ji, then looked at Manager Yuan and frowned, saying, "Chen Liqin, the co-magistrate of Luocheng, is a man of integrity. How could he accept bribes from you? Are you wrongly accusing him?"

Manager Yuan laughed, "You are joking, sir. All crows are evil. Looking at the Ning Dynasty and the Jing Dynasty, there are officials who don't accept bribes. But this sir Chen never shows up. He always asks his servants to collect bribes. The account book clearly records when, where, and to whom the bribes were given. The box is also marked with a mark."

Golden Pig winked at Xifeng, who immediately lit a fire in the yard.

Just when Manager Yuan was confused.

Jin Zhu tore off the page about Chen Liqin, threw it into the brazier, and said calmly, "Chen Liqin is an upright and honest person. He has never accepted bribes from you. Do you understand?"

Shopkeeper Yuan was startled, then smiled and said, "I understand, I understand."

But before the yellowed paper fell into the brazier, a thin hand caught it steadily, folded it and put it in the arms.

Chen Ji looked at Jin Zhu and said, "Sir, I'll keep this page."

Jin Zhu thought for a moment, then smiled and said, "Okay, you are more ruthless than I thought. Others are controlled by their fathers, but you, the son, want to control me instead."

Chen Ji looked at the account book in Jin Zhu's hand again: "Sir, the page about Zhang Zhuo..."

The Golden Pig laughed loudly: "When I heard about you and Miss Zhang Er in Yingxian Tower, I really thought it was a rumor, but later I sent an informant to inquire and found out that Master Zhang Zhu was just delaying the war. With such a relationship, of course I have to do you a favor and help cover up a little bit."

As he said this, he actually tore off the page about Zhang Zhu. Chen Ji did not make any excuses and was about to reach out to take it, but Jin Zhu suddenly withdrew his hand and solemnly warned him: "Now we are brothers, I can naturally cover up some things for you, but I have only one request."

"Sir, please speak."

"Practice well," Jin Zhu said seriously, "Only if you become an official sooner can you do more for me sooner."

Chen Ji bowed and said, "Don't worry, sir. I will practice hard when I return."

The Golden Pig coughed and said, "Rest well first, then practice well."

Chen Ji nodded: "I understand."

Jin Zhu slapped the piece of paper into Chen Ji's hand, and Chen Ji calmly threw the paper into the brazier.

The firelight cast a warm glow on his cheek.

He remembered what Zhang Zhuo said in the city gate, "I have great ambitions, can you help me?" This could be considered as helping.

At this time, the night watchman's gong sounded outside the yard: "The morning cock crows, go to bed early and get up early!"

Mao time, sunrise.

A streak of white was rising in the distant sky, and the clouds were dispersing.

Chen Ji asked, "Sir, is there anything else you need me for today?"

The Golden Pig smiled and said, "That's all. Go back and have a good sleep. When you wake up, you can think of a way to start practicing. If nothing important happens in the next few days, I won't come to look for you."

"I'm sorry to say goodbye."

Chen Ji walked outside, and when he was out of the yard, he suddenly ran wildly.

……

……

There was an ox cart parked in front of Zhixing Academy on Anxi Street. A driver wearing a straw hat was bending down to grab a handful of grass and feeding it into the mouth of an old ox.

There were some luggage on the long cart, as if the car was going on a long journey.

Next to the ox cart, Bai Li stood on tiptoe and looked towards the end of the long street, looking for a familiar figure.

The prince leaned against the door frame and said lazily, "You can see the end of Anxi Street at a glance. You can't see any farther even if you stand on tiptoe."

Bai Li said angrily, "Liu Quxing said that Chen Ji went out yesterday afternoon and hasn't come back yet. Aren't you worried that something might happen to him?"

The prince yawned. "I'm used to this kid being mysterious all the time. With his skills, even ordinary spies can't do anything to him. What can happen to him? Don't worry, he will be here soon."

Bai Li said, "The key is that he hasn't received the news that Mr. Wang is going to take us to Luhun Mountain Villa for study tour, and the luggage hasn't been prepared yet."

While the two were talking, Zhang Xia came out of the academy and asked curiously, "Is Chen Ji late again?"

Bai Li rolled his eyes at her and said, "He must have been delayed by something."

Chen Wenxiao also walked out the door: "He had something to do yesterday, and he has something to do today. He is an apprentice in a clinic, how can he have important things to do every day? As a friend, you should also advise him. Since he has the opportunity to study with Mr. Wang, he should cherish it."

Mr. Wang, dressed in a blue scholar's robe, walked out slowly from the door and asked calmly, "Is Chen Ji not here yet?"

Bai Li was a little embarrassed: "Reporting to you, sir, Chen Ji must have been delayed by something. He definitely wasn't late on purpose."

Chen Wenxiao bowed and said, "Sir, if not, let's not wait for him. With the speed of the oxcart, if we delay for too long, we may not be able to stop in Yichuan County before sunset. Besides, this boy is stubborn and unrepentant, so you don't need to waste time on him."

Chen Wenzong frowned: "Shut up!"

Mr. Wang's expression did not change. He just said calmly, "As a teacher, I am always teaching. How can I give up on my student just because he is naughty for a while? Let's wait a little longer."

After saying that, he put his hands behind his back and waited quietly.

There was a sound of running in the distance. Everyone looked and saw Chen Ji appear at the end of the long street, running wildly all the way.

When Chen Ji arrived at the gate of the academy, he bent over with his hands on his knees, panting heavily and said, "Sir, I'm sorry, I'm late."

Mr. Wang did not question him immediately, but said to Bai Li, "Go, get him a glass of water."

Bai Li ran into the backyard like the wind, and when he ran out, he held a wooden cup in front of Chen Ji and said, "Hurry up and drink some water."

Mr. Wang said casually, "You were running so fast just now, don't drink it directly, just rinse your mouth and it will be fine. When I was suppressing a rebellion in Jiangzhou in the early years, a soldier under my command died after drinking water during a rapid march."

Chen Ji stood up straight and rinsed his mouth.

Mr. Wang didn't ask anything this time, he just said, "The rest of the people take the car, you walk and follow behind."

After saying that, he got on the ox cart without looking back.

Chen Ji looked at Bai Li and asked in surprise: "Where are we going?"

Bai Li explained, "Songxian Luhun Villa is going to hold a literary gathering. The high monks of Tuoluo Temple, Taoist priests from Laojun Mountain Taoist Temple, and some literati from the south will all attend. Mr. Wang wants to take us to see what they have to offer."

She took out a small cloth bag from her luggage and handed it to Chen Ji: "You haven't had breakfast yet, right? Here are the snacks I brought. Hurry up and eat. We have to walk more than 40 miles to Yichuan County today, and we can't go hungry."

Chen Ji thought for a moment and said, "I have to tell Mr. Wang that I may not be able to study with him anymore."

Bai Li was stunned for a moment: "...That's fine. If you really don't like studying the scriptures, then you don't have to study."

Chen Ji walked towards the oxcart, but the driver suddenly stepped forward and pulled him aside: "Boy, hold on a little longer, the Ministry of Revenue will approve the money soon! When the border troops have cotton gloves, it won't be too late for you to drop out of school!"

Chen Ji and Bai Li only then saw the driver's face under his straw hat and asked in astonishment, "Dad?"

"Your Majesty?!"

(End of this chapter)