There were old people and young people on the boat, so Cheng Chi naturally didn't care. He smiled and sat next to Mr. Guo. Because it was a round table, it had a bit of a three-legged tripod feel.
Zhou Shaojin is not a picky eater, so he naturally eats with relish.
The preparations had been going on for the first half of the month. She got up early in the morning. Although she took a rest at noon, Mrs. Guo still felt very tired as she was old. She had no appetite to begin with, but seeing that Zhou Shaojin had such a good appetite, she couldn't help but eat half a bowl of rice.
Cheng Chi looked at it and nodded secretly.
I think it is right to take Zhou Shaojin to Putuo Mountain. Otherwise, with his and his mother's temperaments, he would probably go to Putuo in silence, or his mother would go to Putuo talking to herself and feeling sad.
At night, they stayed at the ferry in Yizhen County.
Zhao Kun, the magistrate of Yizhen County, came to pay his respects to Fang Chengchi.
Zhou Shaojin hid in the cabin and waited for Zhao Kun to greet Mrs. Guo through the curtain and invite Cheng Chi to go ashore for a drink. Only then did Zhou Shaojin go to the cabin to accompany Mrs. Guo.
This time, Mrs. Guo did not drag her to play cards. Instead, after looking at the "Lingyan Sutra" she copied, she began to comment on her shortcomings in writing.
Zhou Shaojin listened carefully and rewrote it word for word according to what Mrs. Guo said.
Seeing that she was very serious, Mrs. Guo was aroused and gave detailed instructions.
One taught and the other wrote, time passed quickly, and when Cheng Chi came back, it was already past the hour of Hai.
Zhou Shaojin was shocked and hurriedly asked Mrs. Guo to go and rest.
Perhaps because she was doing things she liked, Mrs. Guo was in high spirits. Not only was she not sleepy, she asked Cheng Chi, "Why did Zhao Kun think of visiting you? What's the matter?"
Cheng Chi had no official title and was only out for fun. Those who had some connection with the Cheng family would at most send an aide to present a gift. Those who had no connection with the Cheng family could be ignored. Yizhen was a land and water fortress, and there were countless officials passing by every year. If there were so many people coming and going, the magistrate of Yizhen would be exhausted or even die of poverty. This time, Zhao Kun not only visited Cheng Chi in person, but also invited Cheng Chi to dinner and drinks. He must have something to ask for.
"I'm my second brother's classmate." Cheng Chi had changed his clothes and washed up, with his wet hair tied up on top of his head. He said lightly, "I heard that you were passing by, so I came to greet you."
"Stop bluffing me." Old Madam Guo said with a smile, "You have a request for your two brothers, right?"
Cheng Chi smiled and said, "It is said that there is news from the Ministry of Rites that Zhang Junhua, the Minister of Rites and Grand Secretary of Wenhua Palace, is ill and has written to the emperor to retire in September. It is possible that my brother will go to the six ministries."
Now Cheng Jing is the Left Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate and one of the Nine Minor Ministers. If he goes to the Six Ministries, he can only take over the post of Shangshu.
The Shangshu of this dynasty has always been concurrently held by the Grand Secretary of the Cabinet.
In other words, Cheng Jing will enter the cabinet.
Zhou Shaojin felt a little uneasy.
In his previous life, Cheng Jing entered the cabinet after the new emperor ascended the throne.
If things don't change, this time, Cheng Jing might have to continue staying in the position of Zuoduyushi of the Censorate.
She had no choice but to stop talking.
The happy Mrs. Guo didn't notice it, but the careful Cheng Chi discovered it.
When they came out of the cabin, Cheng Chi stopped Zhou Shaojin and asked her, "Did you hear any rumors?"
Zhou Shaojin didn't know whether he should say it or not.
Since there is such a rumor, it means that Cheng Jing is certainly one of the people that the cabinet is paying attention to. If the Cheng brothers had planned early, maybe Cheng Jing could have entered the cabinet earlier. The officialdom has always been about seniority. The sooner Cheng Jing can enter the cabinet, the sooner the Cheng family's power will be strengthened. If she doesn't say it, Cheng Chi has already noticed her abnormality, so she has to find an excuse to cover it up. If she says it, how can she say it so that Cheng Chi will not be suspicious? The biggest problem is that she really wants to tell Cheng Chi.
She hoped that Cheng Jing could enter the cabinet as soon as possible. The closer the Cheng family was to the core circle, the more information they could get that others could not, and the greater their chances of escaping the fate of their previous life.
But Cheng Chi didn't think so.
Seriously speaking, he and Zhou Shaojin had a close relationship, so even if Zhou Shaojin heard something or knew something, it was natural for him to hesitate whether to tell him. However, he always observed things in detail and caught Zhou Shaojin's subtle expressions unintentionally, so that Zhou Shaojin was in a dilemma.
He thought for a moment and said, "Don't worry. I won't ask you about the source of the information, nor will I inquire about how you knew it. You just need to tell me the result of the matter."
Zhou Shaojin's heart was pounding.
If she could get along well with Uncle Chi like she does now, when she is about to tell him the news that the entire Cheng family will be executed, will Uncle Chi also be like he is now, asking only the result instead of the reason
She would give it a try no matter what.
This way she wouldn't have to make up lie after lie to cover up the incredible things that were happening to her.
Despite this, Zhou Shaojin was still a little uneasy.
She stammered, "I... just heard... it might be Huang Li!"
In her previous life, she didn't care about these things.
In her opinion, Cheng Jing's career was smooth sailing.
Later, she heard that Huang Li and Cheng Jing had an old grudge, which could be traced back to when they were both junior officials. But when Huang Li's mentor retired, he personally asked the then cabinet chief to let his disciple enter the cabinet. Later, Cheng Jing also entered the cabinet, but ranked after Huang Li. Even when she went out with Ah Zhu on the Ghost Festival last year, Ah Zhu mentioned what happened between Cheng Jing and Huang Li, she didn't think about it... Until just now, when Cheng Chi mentioned that Cheng Jing might enter the cabinet, she figured out that the Huang Li she heard about in her previous life was the cabinet minister who served as the Minister of Rites and the Grand Secretary of the Eastern Pavilion, suffered at the hands of Cheng Jing, and then fell out with Cheng Jing.
Cheng Chi believed what Zhou Shaojin said.
She was just a 13-year-old girl, born in Jinling and raised in a boudoir. No matter how smart she was, she couldn't have made up a bunch of nonsense without knowing the situation in the court. What's more, her words made a lot of sense.
No one knows better than him how Cheng Jing got the position of Left Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate!
Now Cheng Jing and Huang Li are only one of the Nine Ministers, and there are several big men above them. No matter what Huang Li thinks of Cheng Jing, in order to show his magnanimity and far-sightedness, he can't let people see his true attitude towards Cheng Jing at this time. And the last time Huang Li suffered a great loss at the hands of Cheng Jing, his mentor Shen Minzhi had already retired, and when he retired, he recommended Yuan Weichang to succeed him as the Prime Minister. If Shen Minzhi ran around for Huang Li, as a reward, Yuan Weichang would not stand on Cheng Jing's side this time. Huang Li has always clung to Shen Minzhi's thigh. Shen Minzhi had wronged Huang Li before, and this time he had to send Huang Li off no matter what, otherwise Shen Minzhi's colleagues and students would be heartbroken.
The most important thing is that Shen Minzhi retired. His grandson had just passed the imperial examination and entered the Shujishiguan two years ago and was observing government affairs in the Ministry of Justice. If he doesn't make use of his remaining energy and leave some influence for others, why should others take care of his grandson
It seems that Yuan Weichang has made up his mind to repay Shen Minzhi's kindness!
Cheng Chi thought about it, nodded slightly to Zhou Shaojin, and said, "Thank you for telling me this. I owe you a favor this time! You can ask me to do something for you in the future." He paused and emphasized again, "Anything is fine! But if you want to be an empress like Empress Wu Zetian, I'm afraid I can't do anything! What you want me to do must be something I can do."
Zhou Shaojin laughed and his heart beat even faster.
She couldn't ask Cheng Chi at this time to help her convey a message to Cheng Jing, saying that the Cheng family would be confiscated and exterminated in twelve years!
Fortunately, she controlled herself and didn't say anything when the words came to her lips.
“No, no.” Zhou Shaojin waved his hands repeatedly and said, “You have saved me several times before, and I have never repaid you properly. This time, I will repay you for saving me.”
Cheng Chi didn't think much when he said this, and Zhou Shaojin didn't know the weight and significance of "anything" he promised.
If he hadn't intended to leave, he would definitely not have let it go so vaguely, but he had already decided to leave and would no longer care about the Cheng family's affairs. This promise would only be valid for two years at most for Zhou Shaojin... He might as well help her a few times depending on the situation, which would be more cost-effective for Zhou Shaojin.
He made up his mind, smiled, and parted ways with Zhou Shaojin at the side of the boat.
Zhou Shaojin was extremely excited. Even after he washed, changed his clothes and went to bed, the smile on his lips was still as bright as the summer sunshine.
She finally helped Uncle Chi once.
Uncle Chi would definitely not think she was useless anymore.
As long as this can last for a long time, her relationship with Uncle Chi will definitely improve greatly.
Cheng Chi was writing a letter to Cheng Jing at this time.
Nothing is final until the coffin is closed. He said nothing, but reminded his elder brother in the letter to pay attention to the relationship between Shen Minzhi and Yuan Weichang, and to pay attention to the gap between him and Huang Li.
He believed that his elder brother should understand what he meant.
Although he has decided to leave the Cheng family, as long as he has not left, he is still a disciple of the Cheng family.
Cheng Chi put down his pen, stood up and opened the boat window.
The crescent moon hung in the sky, with a few twinkling stars dotted beside it. It was quiet all around, with only the big red lanterns hanging on the mast reflected on the lake, adding a little warmth to the cold night.
Cheng Chi called Huaishan and said, "Hurry up and deliver this letter to the master."
Huaishan left immediately.
Cheng Chi stood alone by the window for a long time before closing it.
The swaying painted boat is like a cradle.
Zhou Shaojin fell asleep quickly and had no dreams all night until dawn.
The boatman's shouts, the sounds of people splashing water, cooking and playing on the boat, the rustling sounds of people walking on the deck... all woke her up.
After a moment of trance, Zhou Shaojin remembered that he was on a painting boat going to Zhenjiang.
She kept shouting "Spring Festival Gala" and got out of bed in her slippers.
Chunwan and two maids came in carrying water.
"Second Miss, you're awake." She instructed the maid to put the water next to the mirror table while helping Zhou Shaojin hang up the curtains. She said, "Qingfeng said we can reach Zhenjiang tomorrow afternoon. Then we can change to a sand ship to go to Hangzhou Prefecture."
Zhou Shaojin asked: "Have you seen Jiying?"
She hasn't seen Jiying since she got on the boat.
※
Thank you to Qin Ruofan and Yike CJ's Dabaicai for the two He Shi Bi each, and to the He Shi Bi from the book fans of the other side, Black Oolong Tea, Pangpang945, SUSULU, Shuihualing, JOJO819, and Angel Bing'er, as well as the amulets, sachets, and peach blossom fans that everyone gave as rewards. I received a lot of gifts this month!
Thank you everyone!
Thank you very much.
O(∩_∩)O~
PS: Sisters, my parents are back and there are a lot of things to do. Plus, my father has a cold and I have to accompany him to get an injection. The update will be around 11 o'clock in the evening. Please bear with me!
※(To be continued)