Chapter 131: The Teacher
"Shh, keep it down, keep it down!"

Prince Jing stared with his eyes wide open and put his index finger to his mouth, warning Chen Ji and Bai Li.

He turned around and looked behind him to make sure no one was paying attention to them, then he looked at Chen Ji and Bai Li: "I managed to sneak out in disguise with great difficulty, why are you yelling!"

Bai Li asked in confusion: "Dad, you always teach me and my brother not to climb over the wall, but you climbed over the wall yourself?"

Prince Jing smiled and said, "Look at what you are saying. Your father walked out from the main gate."

Bai Li also smiled and said, "General Wang is on duty at the main gate. I'll go ask him."

Prince Jing quickly grabbed Bai Li's arm and said, "I found it. I found it from the clinic!"

Chen Ji asked in confusion, "Your Highness, you are going on a tour incognito. What if something happens to you? We can't afford it."

Prince Jing smiled and said, "I am just a coachman now. As long as you don't tell anyone, who would embarrass a coachman?"

Chen Ji thought about it and continued to persuade him: "You should bring some guards, or let Feng Da accompany you and take care of your food and daily life."

"No!" Prince Jing raised his voice. "If I let them follow me and tell me every day what I can't eat, what I can't drink, what I can't do, what I can't go, what's the point of going on a secret tour? Besides, this literary gathering is very lively. If I go there as Prince Jing, everyone will be restrained."

Chen Ji sighed: "I was wondering why the prince has such a personality before, it turns out it's up to you."

Prince Jing raised his eyebrows: "Why do I feel like you are scolding me? How is he like me? When I was his age, I had already played those civil servants around!"

Chen Ji said seriously: "Your Majesty, everyone recognizes you. Within this morning, everyone will find out your identity."

Prince Jing waved his hand: "It doesn't matter, by then I will have left Luo City, the sky is high and the sea is vast!"

Chen Ji interrupted, "Your Highness, let's not talk about your incognito tour. You can see that I am not suitable for studying classics, and I have no intention of entering the officialdom. Why don't you let me drop out of school? As for the issue of border army expenditure, how can it be changed because of me? How can the national affairs be treated so lightly?"

Prince Jing was silent for a moment, then said meaningfully: "I don't need to use the interests of the country to kidnap you. How about this? You just need to learn until the beginning of next spring, and I will owe you a favor. If you need anything in the future, as long as it does not harm the Ning Dynasty, I can help you once... How about it?"

Chen Ji did not answer.

He is just an apprentice in a clinic, but now the prefect of Luocheng and the powerful vassal king owe him a favor. It sounds good, but how should he redeem this favor?
After thinking for a while, Chen Ji said, "Then I have a favor to ask of you. It is too dangerous for you to go on a tour incognito, Your Majesty. Why don't you just go back..."

Before he could finish his words, Prince Jing's expression changed and he interrupted him, "Stop! Young man, you are still young and don't even know what you want the most. How can you use this favor so easily?"

At this time, Chen Wenxiao on the cart shouted: "Driver, driver, let's go!"

Prince Jing hurriedly said in a muffled voice: "Here it comes!"

He lowered the brim of his straw hat, walked to the front of the cart and sat down with his back to everyone. He just whipped the ox and the old ox began to pull the cart slowly forward.

Bai Li smiled and stuffed the cloth bundle into Chen Ji's arms: "Everyone knows that my father is a man of his word. You'd better think about how to make good use of this favor... Don't forget to eat snacks!"

After saying that, she caught up with him a few steps, jumped lightly and sat down at the end of the cart, with her legs hanging outside the cart, swaying with the bumps and rises of the cart.

Bai Li patted the prince beside him and said, "Brother, when we go out this time, you must remember what Dad told you. You are not allowed to drink alcohol within a month."

The prince sneered: "Tsk, I've already left Luocheng, how can he still control me?"

Bai Li's eyes lit up: "Brother, this is not good, what if Dad finds out?"

The prince waved his hand nonchalantly, "So what if he knows? I'm already over 50 years old. Do I need to look at someone's face before drinking?"

Baili let out a long "Oh!" and said, "That's amazing!"

Seeing Prince Jing sitting in the front row, he paused in swinging the whip, then swung it down hard, causing the old cow to moo and quicken its pace.

……

……

The street was bustling with people, an ox cart, a fine horse, and a young man walking.

It was a rare day in winter when the weather was clear and the air was fresh. Chen Ji suddenly thought it would be nice to go out for a study tour, so that he could escape from the worldly affairs and disturbances for a short time.

He followed the ox cart slowly and untied the cloth bundle in his arms. The bundle contained Zheng Xinzhai’s snacks, such as Honey Three Knifes, Golden Ma Su, Peach Su, and Kaikouxiao…

As he was eating, the sound of horse hooves could be heard. Zhang Xia rode beside him, looking down at the snacks in his hand, and asked casually, "You have a very good relationship with the prince and the princess. The princess even prepared snacks for you."

Chen Ji turned his head and looked at her: "I am friends with the prince and the princess."

Zhang Xia was puzzled: "Friend?"

Chen Ji said calmly: "Don't you have any friends?"

Zhang Xia said bluntly: "No. After coming to Luocheng, those who want to be my friends are either asking for some money or asking my father to do something for them. It's better not to make friends with such people."

Chen Ji said casually: "With the Xu family's status, it's not easy to be friends with Miss Zhang Er."

Zhang Xia suddenly said, "My name is Zhang Xia. You don't have to call me 'Second Miss Zhang'."

Chen Ji responded casually: "Okay, Zhang Xia."

At this moment, Bai Li saw Chen Ji walking behind him, turned to Wang Daosheng and said, "Sir, Chen Ji has walked several miles, why don't we let him get in the car?"

Mr. Wang put down the book in his hand and looked at Chen Ji silently.

Seeing that there was something going on, Bai Li quickly added, "You see, he has been punished, so he will definitely not be late again next time. It's still more than 40 miles to Yichuan County. If you walk all the way there, your shoes will be worn out."

Mr. Wang said to Prince Jing, "Please stop for a moment." Prince Jing pulled the reins without looking back, and the ox cart slowly stopped.

Just as Bai Li was about to wave to Chen Ji to get in the car, he saw Mr. Wang jump out of the car and said to Prince Jing, "Let's continue on our journey."

Everyone was shocked: "Sir, what are you doing?"

Mr. Wang brushed off the dust on his body and smoothed out the wrinkles: "Fortunately, the princess reminded me. Since I have received the tuition fee, I am Chen Ji's teacher. If he makes a mistake, I am also responsible and should be punished together. You guys stay in the car, and I will accompany him to Yichuan County."

Chen Ji said, "Sir, you don't have to do this."

Mr. Wang shook his head and said, "This matter has nothing to do with you. I am just following my heart."

Chen Ji was a little ashamed: "Sorry, I won't be late again."

Mr. Wang used a scroll to brush the dust off his shoulders and said, "No, if there is anything more important than studying the scriptures, you still have to do it."

"Ok?"

Mr. Wang said calmly, "What Zhixing Academy can teach you is the principles of being a human being, and this principle is to act according to your heart. The compassion that makes you want to help a beggar when you see him fall to the ground is the heart, and the righteous heart that draws a sword to help when you see injustice is also the heart. Just do it when your heart is there, and there is nothing wrong with that."

Chen Ji was a little confused.

Mr. Wang, who was always serious, smiled rarely: "If you just missed one of my classes, I can teach you again. But some things are missed, and they are missed forever."

Chen Ji took a deep breath and said, "The students understand."

He suddenly felt that this Mr. Wang seemed different from all the literati he had met.

"I'll walk too," Bai Li pushed the cart with both hands and jumped off neatly, walking side by side with Chen Ji. The red jade carp pendant on his collar button was like a plum blossom in winter.

The prince hesitated for a moment, then reluctantly jumped off the cart, complaining, "You're walking on a nice ox cart instead of sitting in it. Are you all crazy?"

Chen Wenzong was about to stand up, but was held back by Chen Wenxiao: "Brother, what are you going to do? He made a mistake and he should take the consequences. Why should we be punished together? We have walked all the way to Yichuan County, and our feet are about to be blistered!"

Chen Wenzong sighed and finally sat back down.

Zhang Xia looked at the people walking, suddenly jumped off the horse, and walked with Bai Li holding the reins.

Bai Li glared at her: "What are you doing here?"

Zhang Xia said carelessly: "We are all classmates, we share happiness and difficulties together!"

The prince gave a thumbs up: "Children of the Jianghu!"

……

……

The ox cart slowly moved out of the South City Gate.

I saw many refugees gathered outside the city, living in shacks and relying on porridge distributed by the government to survive every day.

The prince asked, "Have you heard that there was almost a civil uprising outside the West City Gate the night before yesterday? In the end, Lord Zhang Zhuo delivered the food in time and arrested the criminals who planned to incite the uprising from the disaster victims, which calmed the situation down."

Chen Wenzong sat at the end of the ox cart, looked at the prince and replied, "I heard my father mention it. He said that the disaster was imminent that day, and the victims were about to rush into Luocheng to burn, kill and loot."

The prince said, "It is said that a masked man wearing a bamboo hat went outside the city as a hostage that night and promised that food would be delivered at 11:00 a.m., which was how he held the victims hostage for more than two hours. In the past two days, storytellers in teahouses have been outside the city, asking victims about what happened that night, and planning to make a story about the masked man."

Zhang Xia held the reins and said admiringly, "My father said that he was a young hero. He was calm and fearless in the face of danger. He could be a general. At that time, he not only suppressed the victims and delayed time, but also found the assassins that the Liu family had planted among the victims. He was very powerful."

Bai Li subconsciously glanced at Chen Ji.

The day before yesterday, wasn’t that the day Chen Ji was late?
She didn't know why she thought of Chen Ji. There was not a single word about Chen Ji in these words, nor was there any evidence to say that the person was Chen Ji.

But in her deepest impression, Chen Ji was also masked, and remained calm and fearless in the face of danger.

Chen Wenxiao suddenly said disdainfully: "What young hero? He is a eunuch."

Zhang Xia glared and said, "What's wrong with the eunuch party? The eunuch party also saved people."

Chen Wenxiao retorted: "How can we call the eunuchs heroes just because they occasionally did a good thing? Do they deserve it? My father said that if anyone in the Chen family associates with the eunuchs, their legs will be broken!"

Bai Li suddenly felt that the man outside the city should not be Chen Ji, because the night Chen Ji saved her, he killed six spies from the Imperial Household Department.

How could the people who killed the eunuchs be from the eunuch party?

Mr. Wang, who was standing by, ignored their arguments and walked to the porridge stall. He said to the official from the Luocheng government office, "We will go and register today. Among the disaster victims, those with children can get an extra half portion of porridge. If a child is missing, no one in this family will be allowed to get porridge anymore."

The officer said impatiently, "Who are you? Get out of the way. Is it your turn to give orders? I can do whatever I want!"

Mr. Wang was not angry, but said politely: "Just tell Zhang Zhuo that this is what Wang Daosheng said, and he will understand."

Zhang Xia asked curiously, "Why is it that if a child is missing, the whole family is not allowed to receive porridge?"

Chen Ji explained casually: "Perhaps it is to prevent people from eating their own children."

Zhang Xia was horrified: "Eating their own children? How could parents do such a thing?"

Chen Ji said calmly: "In the year of great disaster, there are only strong and weak."

(End of this chapter)