CHAPTER 50: 48, JIN ZHU

In the noodle shop, a gigantic pot sat atop the enormous stove, billowing with white steam.

The noodle chef held the dough on one shoulder, while with the other hand, he used a knife to shave off noodles without stop, resembling a swordsman from the jianghu hidden among the common folk.

Strips of noodles flew into the pot, their thickness just right.

Noodles scooped into a bowl, then he ladled out a spoonful of tender beef and broth, simple yet delicious.

The flames and the smoke from the stove were the most unpretentious spectacles of the market’s lively atmosphere.

The Princely Heir waved to the noodle shop waiter, "Waiter, bring me a bowl of shaved noodles."

The waiter recognized him and immediately smiled, "Right away, Your Highness, please wait a moment, it’s coming right up!"

Chen Ji was surprised, "Your Highness, the waiter here recognizes you?"

The Princely Heir took a seat beside a wooden table in the noodle shop, casually wiping the table with his finely spun sleeve, "I used to come here often before attending Donglin Academy. When at academy, I often craved these noodles."

"Why would you, a princely heir, come to this humble noodle shop to eat?"

The Princely Heir pulled a pair of chopsticks out of the bucket on the table, "In the Prince Mansion, food has to travel all the way from the kitchen to your room, taking a full thirty minutes; it’s cold by the time it reaches you. When I was little and said I wanted to eat in the kitchen, they said I was being improper... Not like here, where the noodles are still steaming hot when served to you. Add some vinegar, break a few cloves of garlic, and it’s a comfortable meal."

"Seems like the waiter doesn’t care much about your status as Princely Heir either."

"Haha," the Princely Heir said, proud, "My father taught us to be kind to others and not to act superior because of our status. Haven’t you noticed how much the neighbors like me? This is the reputation my father has built up in Luocheng City over more than a decade!"

Chen Ji didn’t ask further; such a Princely Heir and Prince Jing in a world where people were stratified were indeed unusual.

The waiter served the Princely Heir’s shaved noodles, and he rubbed his chopsticks together, pouring vinegar into his bowl while turning to Bai Li, "Bai Li, give him ten silver taels, and that half line of poetry is mine... Bai Li?"

Snapping back to reality, Bai Li asked, "What’s up?"

The Princely Heir was curious, "What were you thinking about just now? You were totally lost in thought."

"Oh," Bai Li responded, "I was thinking about that half line of poetry Chen Ji just recited... I can’t quite say what’s good about it, but I find it very evocative."

The Princely Heir chuckled, "We’re the same then, I also think it’s good, but can’t pinpoint why. Go ahead and pay."

Commandery Princess Bai Li glanced at Chen Ji and this time, without reluctance, she briskly opened her purse and took out a golden melon seed, "Here, pure gold and full weight, it can be exchanged for ten silver taels at the bank."

Chen Ji found it amusing; the purse of Commandery Princess Bai Li only contained gold melon seeds or silver peanuts, all edible in form.

The Princely Heir looked at him, curiously asking, "Do you have any other poetry? Bring it all out and sell it to me, for future use."

"Why do you need so many?" asked Chen Ji, puzzled.

The Princely Heir laughed, "You don’t understand, do you? One line at a time isn’t satisfying enough; I need ten lines at a time, a hundred lines at a time, to shock those scholars."

Chen Ji thought for a while, "Fine verses come naturally, and inspiration is sporadic; composing poetry isn’t that easy. You’ll have to wait."

To recite a full poem, he knew few like "Goose, goose, goose," "Quiet Night Thoughts," "The Farmer’s Toil"... But half-lines, there were plenty.

Having gone through nine years of compulsory education, who wouldn’t know dozens of lines?

But he couldn’t reveal too much at once; if he did, they would become worthless...

The Princely Heir grew impatient, "You must have some leftovers from what you’ve written before, sell them to me!"

Surprisingly, Commandery Princess Bai Li sided with Chen Ji, "Brother, composing poetry is not so easy. Let’s wait for him to come up with good lines. Forced poems aren’t enjoyable."

"Fine then," the Princely Heir said, still unsatisfied as he recited under his breath, "As people walk this earth, they rush as if travelers from afar," savoring the line more and more.

Thinking that this line of poetry would soon be his, he immediately took a silver peanut from Bai Li’s purse and slapped it on the table, declaring loudly, "Owner, I’m in good spirits today, and anyone eating noodles in your shop is on me!"

Chen Ji raised an eyebrow, why had he never seen the Princely Heir pay himself? It was always Commandery Princess Bai Li footing the bill.

No wonder the Princely Heir always brought along Commandery Princess Bai Li. Perhaps Prince Jing feared he would pick up bad habits, so he didn’t give him spending money, and he then relied on his sister’s small treasury?

Possibly, very possibly!

Looking at it this way, the Princely Heir pretended to be a big spender, but Commandery Princess Bai Li was the real little rich lady!

She Dengke reminded, "Chen Ji, we should head back now. It’s getting late and the master won’t be able to cope alone."

"Okay," Chen Ji stood up to bid farewell to the Princely Heir and others: "Princely Heir, Commandery Princess, we’ll be going back first, we’ll prepare the ladders for everyone in advance tonight."

Princely Heir: "... A tunnel, people of Jianghu!"

After Chen Ji and the others had left, Princess Bai Li turned to the Princely Heir: "Brother, I’m getting more and more convinced that he’s not a gambler."

"Indeed, he doesn’t seem like one." The Princely Heir turned towards a little monk who was silently reciting scriptures: "Little monk, my father said you possess the divine skill ’mind reading,’ what do you think?"

The little monk smiled and said: "Donor Chen Ji has a gambling nature, a rather big one at that, but what he gambles on is not money, but life. Such a person is born to tread on the edge of a knife."

Princess Bai Li muttered: "The more you talk, the more mysterious it gets, little monk, you should change your habit of being cryptic!"

The little monk helplessly replied: "I’m not being cryptic, I just don’t know how to describe it to you."

Princess Bai Li paid him no more mind and turned back to the Princely Heir: "Brother, why did you also come out?"

The Princely Heir swallowed a mouthful of noodles, bit into a clove of garlic, and mumbled unclearly: "Nothing much, I just followed to have a look."

...

...

In the dead of night, what was originally a spacious shared sleeping area became somewhat cramped because of Liang Gou’er and Liang Mao’er.

Chen Ji got up quietly, took a bamboo tube and a bamboo slip, and went to the courtyard, scraping off layer after layer of white frost from the wall.

The accumulated wall frost of this small courtyard alone could fill half a bamboo tube; one could only wonder how much gunpowder could be produced from the vast area of Luocheng City...

Tonight was the day Consort Yun and the Jing Dynasty Military Intelligence Department were to trade goods, and Chen Ji had already passed the intelligence to Si Cao in the back courtyard of Bailu Pavilion when he went to East Market to buy clothes this morning.

Whether their trade would be successful was no longer Chen Ji’s concern.

With Yun Yang and Jiao Tu locked in prison, and the new head of the Spy Department not yet arrived, Chen Ji had some rare leisure time.

Practicing swordplay, making explosives, living a comfortable life like an ordinary person.

As Chen Ji was scraping saltpetre off the wall, there came a slight knocking at the door.

He frowned. Could it be people from Jianghu waiting for the Princely Heir to go out and play? But the Princely Heir had not yet come.

Chen Ji hid the bamboo tube behind the water vat and approached the door quietly: "Who is it?"

A voice from outside spoke amiably: "Jin Zhu."

A chill went through Chen Ji.

The Spy Department’s Twelve Signs, Jin Zhu?

How did he arrive so quickly!

Originally, he thought that the new head of Luocheng City would arrive at least a month later, giving him a month to slowly prepare.

But Jin Zhu’s arrival was too swift, not only beyond his expectations but likely also beyond those of the Military Intelligence Department and the Liu Family!

After pondering for a moment, Chen Ji took a deep breath, slowly pushed open the Medical Hall’s door, and greeted with a smile: "May I have the honor of addressing Lord Jin Zhu of the Spy Department?"

Standing outside was a plump young man, wearing straw sandals, a sun hat, and dressed in coarse cloth, looking like a tenant farmer who had just entered the city from a rural estate.

The man’s smile was warm, showing none of the sinister killing intent of Yun Yang and Jiao Tu: "Yes, I’m from the Spy Department, Jin Zhu, my name is Song Qian. The first thing I did upon arriving in Luocheng City was to find you."

Chen Ji nonchalantly stepped aside: "Why has Lord Jin Zhu come, what about Lord Yun Yang and Jiao Tu?"

Logically, as a Medical Hall apprentice, he should not know that they were captured by the Criminal Justice Department, so he had to totally commit to the act.

Jin Zhu entered the Medical Hall, surveying the environment of the main hall while responding with a smile: "Yun Yang and Jiao Tu committed a grave crime, and they are now locked in prison... Hasn’t anyone informed you?"

"No," Chen Ji shook his head: "Lord Yun Yang and Jiao Tu treated me well, why were they imprisoned?"

Jin Zhu shook his head: "You’ve misunderstood Yun Yang and Jiao Tu, I’m afraid you don’t know they claimed your credit. Don’t worry, now that I’m here, no one will take your credit."

Chen Ji probed: "Is Lord Jin Zhu from the Imperial Capital?"

"No, I was already at the Jiefan Guard’s Mengjin Camp outside of Luocheng when Yun Yang and Jiao Tu came to the city. You know, the yellow river carp from Mengjin really is delicious, especially the local braised fish head, very fragrant indeed."

Chen Ji surprised: "Lord Jin Zhu has been in Luocheng all along?!"