Cheng Chi, who was missed by Zhou Shaojin, had arrived in Tongzhou at this time.
But he did not rush to the capital overnight. Instead, he put on an ink-colored cloak and did not even bring Huaishan, who usually followed him, and walked quietly into a remote inn as if he was familiar with the place.
The shopkeeper was an old man in his fifties, sitting under a small oil lamp, working on an abacus. When he saw someone coming in, he looked up, his eyes were cloudy and lifeless, but when he saw the person clearly, a gleam of light flashed out, and then he quickly lowered his eyelids and said, "Sir, would you like to stay at the inn? There is only one room in the back, fifty cents a night."
Cheng Chi said nothing, but grabbed a handful of coins and threw them on the counter.
The shopkeeper handed him a lamp.
Cheng Chi walked back holding the lamp.
After a while, the shopkeeper came out from behind the counter, muttering "business is bad" while blocking the door of the inn with a door panel.
In the upper room of the inn, Huo Dongting, wearing a patched coarse cotton robe, looked like a failed scholar, sitting at a square table in the hall with his hands folded. Another honest-looking man wore a brown cotton coat, revealing his honey-colored skin with calluses, like an old farmer.
Seeing Cheng Chi coming in, the two of them stood up immediately.
Cheng Chi blew out the lamp and casually placed it on the kang table next to the window.
Someone suddenly rushed out from the corner and threw a punch at Cheng Chi: "Cheng Zichuan, you bastard, if you want to die, die alone. What's the point of dragging our Xiao family down with you..."
Cheng Chiyuan stood there with a solemn expression, his eyes not moving at all. The honest-looking man had stepped forward a few steps and blocked Cheng Chi's way. He blocked the fist that was about to hit Cheng Chi and said with a sneer in his eyes, "Xiao Zhenhai, the Fourth Master only asked you to help manage the Seven Stars Hall. It was you who was unwilling to give up and spy on the Fourth Master. What, are you afraid now? What were you doing in the first place?"
These words made Xiao Zhenhai's face turn red.
Cheng Chi didn't even look at him, he sat down on the big kang by the window and asked Huo Dongting: "The prince is served by experienced eunuchs and maids, how could he fall ill?"
Huo Dongting whispered, "I heard that it was the wife of the Marquis of Cheng'en who came to His Royal Highness the day before the Crown Prince's birthday and cried poor. She also said that the civil and military officials in the court only knew the Earl of Pengcheng, but didn't know there was a Marquis of Cheng'en. The Earl of Pengcheng's family had delicious food and drinks every day, and even bought farms in Daxing, but the Marquis of Cheng'en could only live on salary. She asked His Royal Highness to send the Marquis of Cheng'en's son to the Maritime Customs, and said that the Earl of Pengcheng's son was in Shanglin Garden to take care of flowers, trees and fruit trees. The Marquis of Cheng'en's son was the Crown Prince's biological uncle, so why couldn't he be as good as a fake uncle... Later, he said a lot of nonsense, which made His Royal Highness the Crown Prince so angry that he smashed the teacup in his hand and walked away. The wife of the Marquis of Cheng'en didn't show any reaction at all. She hurried forward to pull His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. Several eunuchs stepped forward to stop her. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was writing in the study for a long time and fell ill that night. A doctor named Wang Youdao from the Imperial Hospital was called into the East Palace overnight - he was the only one called there, and there was no one to carry the medicine box. The prescription was not stored in the Imperial Hospital, and we have not yet found out where the prescription was.
"Nothing happened that night. But early the next morning, the Emperor rushed to the East Palace and visited His Royal Highness the Crown Prince before attending court.
“I’ve also checked Wang Youdao.
"He was originally a famous doctor in Jiangnan. He was recommended to the palace by the late Grand Secretary Hu Zhuoran. The Crown Prince was only seven months old that year. After that, Wang Youdao became the imperial physician of the Eastern Palace, specializing in treating the Crown Prince. Apart from the Crown Prince, even the Empress could not order him to do anything. And he only treated the Crown Prince, and he didn't treat anyone else. He had long caused dissatisfaction among the imperial physicians in the Imperial Hospital, just because the Emperor trusted him so much. Even if someone criticized Wang Youdao, the Emperor would keep him in the palace and not send him off. And Wang Youdao was just a small seventh-rank imperial physician. After a few times, those censors lost interest in him.
"So I guess His Royal Highness the Crown Prince must have been ill that day."
When he said this, he showed shame on his face and his voice became lower: "I didn't realize it at the time. By the time I realized it, all the discarded items in the East Palace had been taken away, and there was no way to verify it..."
Cheng Chi didn't say anything and sat on the armchair with his eyes closed.
Xiao Zhenhai was anxious and angry when he saw this, and said, "Hey, you can't plot against me like this! Even if you want me to die for you, you have to give me some advice! You can't just drag me here like this. Spying on the emperor's will is a capital crime, a capital crime! And it's a capital crime that will bring disaster to the family..."
As he spoke, Cheng Chi suddenly opened his eyes.
A pair of eyes as bright and cold as cold stars said, "It turns out that the Xiao family is a family that has been farming, studying and passing down etiquette for generations!"
Xiao Zhenhai's face turned red with anger.
The Xiao family was originally a group of bandits who occupied the mountains and became the kings. They were engaged in a business with no capital and could not make a living from day to day. Why should they be afraid of having their property confiscated and their family exterminated
Cheng Chi glanced at him coldly and said, "Our family has to take sides!"
Xiao Zhenhai opened his mouth wide, and after a while he pointed at him and said, "You, you..."
But my hands were shaking so badly!
Cheng Chi didn't even look at him.
Xiao Zhenhai rubbed his face fiercely and said, "Cheng Zichuan, let's do it! I'm going to fight you! If we don't succeed, we'll die! You can lead the Seven Stars Hall to turn the world upside down, and I will definitely not suffer any loss if I follow you! Tell me, what do you want me to do?"
Cheng Chi hummed and closed his eyes.
Xiao Zhenhai stood in front of Cheng Chi eager to try.
After a long time, Cheng Chi opened his eyes.
Xiao Zhenhai rubbed his hands excitedly, and heard Cheng Chi say to Dong Ting: "The prince lives in the East Palace, second only to the emperor. It is easy to alert the enemy if we inquire about his news. Tell the people over there not to move. You go back to the capital now and see if the fourth prince has made any moves during the two days when the prince was ill..."
He needs to know whether the Fourth Prince knows about the Crown Prince's illness!
If you knew, it would be easy to kill the prince!
If we don't know, based on what Shao Jin said, the prince might have really died of illness.
However, as a result, the Cheng family's confiscation plan hit a dead end.
He always felt that with the Cheng family's current reputation in the literati circle, the emperor would not have raided the Cheng family's home so hastily unless it involved treason.
But if the Cheng family really was plotting treason, and no one from the Cheng family could become the emperor, which prince was the Cheng family colluding with
Cheng Chi thought of Zhou Shaojin.
I don’t know whether the little maid has fallen asleep or not.
The image of Zhou Shaojin sleeping appeared in his mind.
The jet-black hair covered the bright red lotus pillow, the pink little face was radiant and sparkling, the calm expression was peaceful and quiet, making people's hearts calm down when looking at it.
Cheng Chi suddenly wanted to go back.
He wanted to return to the capital city regardless of anything, wanted to see that little girl, wanted that little girl to bury her head in his arms shyly and not dare to raise it.
The hot blood rushed down to my body.
Cheng Chi smiled bitterly.
He actually started clamoring at this moment and under this situation.
Cheng Chi took a few deep breaths, and his body slowly calmed down. However, his heart felt empty as if a piece of it had been cut out, and he felt anxious.
"Then it's settled!" He stood up and walked out, saying, "We'll meet in the capital. Same place, same time. Be careful, don't let anyone catch you. Don't mistake the constables in the capital for the constables in the remote countryside!"
Hua Ting and the honest-looking man bowed and respectfully saw Cheng Chi off.
Cheng Chi lifted the curtain without hesitation and was about to go out.
"Wait a minute, wait a minute." Xiao Zhenhai couldn't believe his eyes. He just said that he and Cheng Zichuan would do something big together, but Cheng Zichuan turned around and left him here. He became anxious and said, "What should I do? You have to assign me a job!"
Cheng Chi did not stop, but continued to walk forward and said, "Didn't I arrange for you to help Hua Ting clean up the news in the martial arts world?"
"What?!" Xiao Zhenhai said in a daze, "Didn't you ask me to do this before?"
"Yes!" Cheng Chi lifted the curtain and said. "Just keep going!" After that, he left the guest room.
Xiao Zhenhai was stunned for a while, then he came to his senses and chased after him.
"Cheng Zichuan, Cheng Zichuan," there was still curfew outside, he didn't dare to speak loudly, and rushed out of the guest room, saying, "You can't fool me like this! Every day I help you urge those people to report the trivial things they hear and see to Huating..."
I don't know when it started snowing heavily outside.
In the snow-filled sky, Cheng Chi's figure had disappeared.
Xiao Zhenhai couldn't help but stamp his feet.
Cheng Chi knew there was a place where he could enter the city without being able to see the soldiers guarding the city, but he wanted to keep that road for use at a critical moment.
He stood in front of the window of the guest room of the post station, watching the heavy snow slowly dye the ground white, watching the night watchman passing by the post station, watching the movement in the yard, and the people feeding the horses, sweeping the snow, and making fires and cooking gradually increased... He ordered Huaishan: "Let's go into the city!"
Huaishan also did not sleep all night.
He was taking a nap nearby, but he immediately stood up upon hearing this and replied with a “yes”, with no trace of sleepiness in his eyes.
Cheng Chi smiled slightly, rode his horse straight to Chaoyang Gate without having breakfast.
When I got home, the sky was just beginning to lighten.
The gate of the Cheng family's house in Chaoyangmen was closed, and the whole yard was quiet and still immersed in the night.
Cheng Chi tiptoed back to the inner room.
The Spring Festival Gala attendant on duty was sleeping soundly on the big kang in the banquet room.
The lacquered bed curtains were hung low, and Zhou Shaojin huddled in the bright red quilt with a slightly frown on his face, sleeping very uneasily.
A head of black hair scattered all over the pillow.
He leaned over and slowly gathered her black hair behind her head.
It seemed as if Zhou Shaojin felt there was someone in the room even in her sleep, and she hid in the quilt uneasily.
Only then did Cheng Chi realize that she was holding something in her arms.
He hesitated for a moment and gently lifted the corner of the quilt.
Zhou Shaojin hugged the pillow he used to sleep on at home.
Hold it tightly in your arms, as if it were a treasure.
Cheng Chi suddenly felt that it was such a wonderful thing that he still rushed back despite the heavy snow.
He gently called Zhou Shaojin's maiden name and kissed her on the forehead.
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Hey guys, today's update.
O(∩_∩)O~
PS: Tomorrow’s update will be around 12 o’clock.
I found myself being kidnapped by writing, and I don’t want to do anything that conflicts with writing…
※(To be continued)