Chen Liqin, dressed in a red official robe, hurried Chen Ji through Little Yingzhou.

Fragrance Hall, Fragrance Continent, Lotus Wind Four Sides Pavilion, See Mountain Building, Small Flying Rainbow, they didn’t stop for a moment, as if a wolf was chasing them. He didn’t care about the gazes of the servants and maids until they returned to Diligent Politics Garden from Humble Politics Garden, only then did he let out a long sigh of relief.

Back in front of Ginkgo Courtyard, Chen Ji struggled free from his grasp, cupped his hands and said, “Master Chen, I’ve arrived at my residence.”

Chen Liqin stood rooted to the spot, pondering how to speak. But with servants and maids coming and going nearby, he couldn’t find an opportunity to open his mouth.

Chen Ji tentatively said, “If there’s nothing else, I’ll go back now.”

Waiting until the surrounding servants had left, Chen Liqin suddenly lowered his voice and said, “Go find Hu Ge Lao, beg him to transfer you to the border army. If you don’t want to go to that difficult place, the border army, that’s okay too. Taiyuan Prefecture, Xianyang Prefecture are also not bad places. The steamed buns in Xianyang Prefecture are very delicious, and the oil-splashed noodles in Taiyuan Prefecture are also very delicious, both worth trying! Officials transferred from the capital generally get promoted one or two levels. Hu Ge Lao is your teacher Wang Dao Sheng’s teacher, think about this connection, he won’t treat you badly! I’ve prepared several gifts for you, go tomorrow… no, go today.”

Chen Ji casually asked, “Why are you suddenly driving me away, Master Chen?”

Chen Liqin said in a deep voice, “Don’t get involved in the matters of the big house and the second house anymore. Too many people have fallen into it. Don’t think that cultivating to Xing Official is so great. Just in this Diligent Politics Garden and Humble Politics Garden, there are six great Xing Officials raised. Their realms are much higher than yours, who knows where. This is the capital, this is the Chen family. The dragon vein is here, all the power under heaven converges here. Xing Official cannot overturn the sky.”

Chen Ji shook his head, “I don’t understand what you’re saying, Master Chen!”

Chen Liqin urgently said, “Isn’t it good to be a bit mediocre? Live your own life well, be an official who is neither big nor small. Just do your job in a way that is worthy of your salary and worthy of the common people! That towering power seems glamorous, but it’s poison, not something our third house can strive for.”

Chen Ji remained silent!

Seeing him pondering, Chen Liqin’s tone softened, “I’ll get some silver for you in a while. Don’t return to the Chen family tonight!”

Chen Ji was slightly startled, “Where should I go?”

Chen Liqin thought for a moment, “Go to the Eight Great Alleys, strolling through brothels is fine, or going to Qingyin Small Class to listen to opera is also okay. If it’s really not good, I hear the gambling house is also very lively at night!”

Chen Ji was astonished; which father encourages his own child to stroll through gambling houses and brothels?

He seemed to have an idea, “Master Chen wants me to deliberately act foolish and hide my talents.”

Chen Liqin said with heavy words, “I know you have great ambitions at a young age, but you don’t need to hide your talents outside for long. Just wait until the dust settles on the big house and the second house, that’s all. Three years, wait another three years!”

Chen Ji lightly sighed, “Master Chen, I can’t wait that long!”

Chen Liqin anxiously paced back and forth, “You’re still young, you don’t understand the dangers within. That Chen Li Zun seems to be protecting you everywhere, but that’s just a means to win hearts! This morning’s commotion was nothing more than trying to alienate our third house father and son! Their methods are endless, this isn’t the first time, and it won’t be the last!”

Chen Ji casually asked, “How can I believe what you said, Master Chen?”

Chen Liqin paced back and forth in front of Ginkgo Courtyard. He thought for a moment and said, “If I’m not mistaken, when your mother, when your birth mother seeks a marriage from a small family for you, they will certainly jump out again and find a truly glorious marriage for you, giving full betrothal gifts, making you remember their kindness!”

Furthermore, let me think, the Qi family, they will certainly use your marriage to the Qi family. Qi Jianzhe’s sister is exactly at the age to be married. Marrying a direct daughter to you, an illegitimate son, you’ll only have gratitude!

Chen Ji doubted, “Are you so certain, Master Chen?”

Chen Liqin said with certainty, “Certain.”

Chen Ji asked again, “But why would the Qi family betroth their direct daughter to me, this illegitimate son?”

Chen Liqin explained, “As long as they discuss it properly, before the marriage they will adopt you into the big house’s name and you’ll become an adopted direct son, and the future Chen family estate will all be entrusted to you. How could the Qi family not agree to this surefire profit!”

At this moment, a servant ran over, “Master, the carriage is ready. You should attend court, you’ll be late!”

Chen Liqin glared at the servant, and lowered his voice to admonish Chen Ji, “Whether it is or not, we’ll know when we wait and see.”

Chen Ji stood in front of the door, watching Chen Liqin’s departing red figure disappear from view, then turned and pushed open the door!

Inside the door, Small Full was just hugging a small black cat and listening intently. She saw Chen Ji suddenly push the door open and said in a panic, “Young Master, you hold it. I’ll go get you hot water to wipe your face!”

Chen Ji didn’t take the small black cat, just smiled and said, “If you’re eavesdropping, then eavesdrop. No need to be so panicked!”

Small Full relaxed, “Listening to Master’s meaning, the morning court discussion brought up quite a few things. They didn’t make things difficult for you, right?”

Chen Ji sat on the stone bench under the Ginkgo Tree, tapping his fingers on the stone table, answering the question indirectly, “Perhaps I know exactly who is trying to buy information about me from you!”

Small Full’s eyes widened, “Who?”

“The big house of the Chen family! They’ve really put in a lot of effort to choose an adopted person!” Chen Ji said calmly.

Small Full suddenly realized, “No wonder! No wonder they can always find someone in the Chen mansion to transmit news. No wonder I’ve guarded Little Yingzhou for so long, and the news is taken away by them in an instant. It must be someone very familiar with Little Yingzhou!”

Speaking of this, she cautiously probed, “Young Master, do you really want to get married? If you get married, what will Master do?”

Chen Ji smiled and said, “I’ll refuse together, but before refusing, I have to see if Master Chen guessed correctly!”

Small Full was surprised, “Refuse, Young Master? Parents’ orders, matchmaker’s words, how can you refuse this! At that time, you don’t need to agree, the Chen mansion can naturally arrange your marriage. On the wedding day, you just need to honestly enter the bridal chamber with the bride, it doesn’t matter who the bride is!”

Chen Ji was silent for a long time!

Then, before the wedding, save County Princess and go to Jing Dynasty!

As for whether the Chen family and the Qi family will lose face after he runs away, that’s not something he considers!

At this moment, Small Full suddenly let out a light sigh!

Chen Ji looked over, “What’s wrong?”

Small Full said worriedly, “Although I don’t know County Princess either! But if one Chen mansion is so complex, how dangerous will the palace ban be? What will she do?”

Jingyang Palace!

The morning bell from the Bell and Drum Tower swung from the north, crossing over the red palace walls, crossing over the gold-glazed tiles, falling within the cold palace ban!

Fat Xuan Su stood at the edge of the back hall door, sternly pulling her throat, “Everyone get up for early class!”

She suddenly pushed open the vermilion lacquer big door, letting the cold wind pour into the hall!

The Daoist nuns all scrambled out of their quilts, skillfully tied up their hair buns, put on their Dao robes, and filed out without a word!

White Carp got down from the bunk, avoided the nearby chamber pot, and quietly put on her clothes!

She turned back and saw Zhu Lingyun wearing her Dao robe crookedly, and both her hands were raised above her head to coil her hair, but she couldn’t coil it properly!

Zhu Lingyun begged, “Sister, help me!”

White Carp walked forward, while reaching out to help Zhu Lingyun coil her hair, she softly said, “You have to quickly learn to live for yourself, learn to wear clothes, learn to wear hair buns, learn to sweep the floor, mop the floor, learn the Dao scriptures. They are waiting for us to make mistakes!”

Zhu Lingyun’s eye sockets were red, “Sister, I can’t stand this place anymore, who can save us!”

White Carp softly said, “No one will come to save us!”

She examined her sister in front of her, wiping her tears, “Don’t cry, the more you cry, the happier they will be!”

At this time, disheveled Yongchun Princess opened her Dao robe and walked out. White Carp was startled for a moment, she gently pulled Yongchun Princess, tied her Dao robe properly, and then gathered her hair with a wooden pin!

Just as she finished gathering, Yongchun Princess pushed her away and kicked off her shoes, running outside, “Brother Zuo Yuan, I want to find Brother Zuo Yuan.”

“Sister, why are you helping her? She’s just a crazy woman!”

Zhu Lingyun supported the staggering White Carp.

White Carp shook her head, “It’s nothing!”

Xuan Su leaned on the door frame and coldly laughed, “You can’t even take care of yourself, and you still want to help others? Help yourself first!”

White Carp stood still in front of the door and calmly asked, “We haven’t offended you, why do you want to make things difficult for us everywhere?”

Xuan Su mocked, “I may not be making things difficult for you, but teaching you the palace rules. Sleeping by the chamber pot is uncomfortable, who hasn’t slept there when they first came in? Who hasn’t swept the floor, mopped the floor when they first came in? Who hasn’t had some prominent identity before coming in? This is the East Six Palaces, if you don’t temper your personalities a bit, you’ll only be afraid of making big mistakes later.”

White Carp led Zhu Lingyun out and ignored her!

When they arrived at the main hall of Jingyang Palace, Xuan Zhen sat cross-legged on a cushion, appearing detached from the world, like a virtuous and respected preacher!

In the middle of the hall were cushions, one by one. Yongchun Princess unexpectedly also sat cross-legged on a cushion at some point, waiting for the early class. When everyone was seated, Xuan Zhen preached, waving her dust whisk in her right hand, and knocking a bell with her left hand. It wasn’t until she had knocked one hundred and eight times that she loudly said,

“The Dao, can be Dao… non-constant Dao mountain…”

The crowd followed in recitation until the Chen hour before stopping!

Xuan Zhen didn’t look at the crowd, her expression calm. She got up and led the crowd in performing three kneelings and nine kowtows to the Three Pure Dao Ancestors, after which she went to the side hall where she lived alone!

At this time, four small eunuchs carried eight vermilion lacquer food boxes in, placed the food boxes inside the hall, and turned to leave, afraid to stay for even another moment!

Xuan Su carried one food box to send to Xuan Zhen alone. When she came out again, she led a group of Daoist nuns back to the side room of the back hall and divided into three tables to eat!

White Carp and Zhu Lingyun also wanted to sit down, but the group of Daoist nuns simply didn’t give them seats!

Seeing empty seats by the tables, they wanted to sit down, but Xuan Su gave a signal to the other Daoist nuns, who immediately moved their bottoms to block the empty seats!

White Carp searched around the tables for a long time, and finally stood to the side, no longer wasting time!

Zhu Lingyun angrily rushed up to argue, but was pulled back by White Carp, who said in a low voice, “Endure a bit, just get through this period!”

Xuan Su bit into a steamed bun and said with a smile, “White Carp County Princess is indeed older than Lingyun County Princess, more mature and steady. Don’t worry, you won’t starve, after we finish eating, there will naturally be a mouthful for you to eat!”

An incense stick later, the Daoist nuns dispersed, leaving only White Carp, Zhu Lingyun, and Yongchun Princess. Only leftovers remained on the table, every steamed bun was deliberately eaten in half, not one complete one could be found!

Zhu Lingyun said sullenly, “I won’t eat.”

White Carp was silent for a long time, stepped forward and picked up half a steamed bun, breaking off the part that had been bitten bit by bit. She handed the small half of the steamed bun to Zhu Lingyun, and softly said, “I didn’t believe there was such unreasonable evil in this world before, but now I do! But we still have to live on, as long as we are alive, perhaps there is still hope!”

Zhu Lingyun was startled for a moment, just about to reach out, but the steamed bun was snatched away by Yongchun Princess and stuffed into her mouth!

She made a gesture to hit Yongchun Princess, “You crazy woman!”

White Carp quickly pulled her back, “I’ll break off another one for you!”

Zhu Lingyun said angrily, “Sister, why are you helping her?”

White Carp picked up another steamed bun with vegetable soup from the table and carefully broke off the edge, “It’s nothing, whether I help or not, they are all pitiful people!”

Yongchun Princess foolishly giggled, pointing at White Carp and saying, “Hehehehe, Bodhisattva, living Bodhisattva, Bodhisattva, can you help me find Brother Zuo Yuan?”

White Carp shook her head, “Sorry, I can’t help you!”

Yongchun Princess ate the steamed bun and turned to leave, “Then you’re not a Bodhisattva!”

Zhu Lingyun wiped her tears with the back of her hand, “Sister, how long do we have to endure? Think of a way to find the Empress Dowager. She is from our Liu family, she will definitely help me. At that time, I’ll take you to Cining Palace with me. Even if we can’t leave the palace for a lifetime, it’s better than staying here!”

White Carp casually picked up half a steamed bun and bit into it. She leaned on the door frame of the side room and looked up at the sky, “Perhaps the Empress Dowager is also struggling to protect herself. Endure a bit longer, we still have to endure several decades!”