Chapter 98: Awakening

On the Luò City official road.

The old yellow ox, step by step, slowly pulled the flatbed cart into the dusk. Time seemed to slow down with its pace, letting the orange-red sunset light, like a warm tide, engulf everyone.

On the official road, vehicles and horses bustled. Some people drove ox carts to Luò City, while others carried unsold fruits back to suburban counties.

Bái Lǐ sat on the ox cart, waving to an old man carrying a shoulder pole: "Old man, why haven't you sold all your oranges? There are still so many in your shoulder pole."

The old man came to the ox cart's side carrying his shoulder pole: "Handsome young master, the heavy snow a few days ago froze the oranges badly, and no one wants to buy them."

Bái Lǐ asked curiously: "How much are your oranges?"

The old man hurriedly said: "Two wén coins per jīn."

Bái Lǐ smiled and took out a piece of broken silver from her hair bun, handing it over: "Here, give all your oranges to us. It saves you the trouble of carrying them back."

The old man was shocked by her words: "This won't do. The frozen oranges won't keep long. You don't need to buy so many."

Bái Lǐ was in a very good mood: "No harm! Cat Brother, help me get down and use the hem of your clothes to wrap the oranges. We'll share them."

Liáng Māo laughed honestly: "Alright."

Bái Lǐ leaned against the edge of the flatbed cart, reaching over to the old man's shoulder pole to pick an orange and peel it.

After breaking off a segment and putting it in her mouth, she silently handed the orange to Shìzǐ.

Shìzǐ happily stuffed a segment into his mouth, then laughed and handed the remaining orange to Chén Zōng.

Just like this, it was passed peacefully from person to person, finally reaching Liáng Gǒu's hands.

Liáng Gǒu stuffed half a small orange into his mouth: "...Pèh, pèh, pèh, I was wondering why you were all so kind as to peel oranges for me. They're so sour they're making my teeth ache!"

By this time, the faces of the people who had eaten the oranges earlier were contorted, and then they burst into laughter: "Hahahaha, no wonder the old man didn't sell a single orange!"

The laughter echoed far in the sunset. Time with friends was always so happy.

In the bustling crowd, as the playful cart passed by the front of the Gòngyuàn gate again, Shìzǐ subconsciously puffed out his chest and raised his eyebrows, exhaling sharply.

But the Qiūwéi examination wouldn't finish its first session for three more days, so there was no audience today.

Shìzǐ exhaled a mouthful of stale air: "I really want those literati to know what great achievements we've accomplished. Entering the city so silently like this is like wearing embroidered clothes at night! What a pity!"

Bái Lǐ sat on the flatbed cart, hugging her knees and laughing: "Brother, when can you restrain your flashy temperament? If you become the Jīng King later and are still like this, you'll be laughed at."

Shìzǐ waved his big hand: "No harm, our father can at least sit on the king's position steadily for several decades. After several decades, I will definitely become mature and steady."

Bái Lǐ retorted: "But at your age, father was already helping His Majesty suppress the maternal relatives."

Shìzǐ was startled, then suddenly became somewhat discouraged: "What's the use of helping His Majesty suppress the maternal relatives? Now, isn't His Majesty still letting us be suppressed by the eunuch party? The eunuch party is hateful!"

Chén Zōng asked curiously: "Has the eunuch party been suppressing the Jīng King's residence all these years?"

Shìzǐ sneered: "These years, the Dàlǐ Sì has been staring at my father's old subordinates. More than twenty people have been thrown into the inner prison. The Xuānwèi Division has also repeatedly planted spies in the king's residence, monitoring our daily lives. You've also seen Fēng Dà Bàn, he's an inner official, just like this, arranged to be at my father's side, never leaving."

Even Bái Lǐ complained: "The eunuch party is arrogant and overbearing, truly hateful."

Chén Zōng was silent. Although it was not voluntary, he was indeed a member of the eunuch party now. He was caught in the gap between the Jīng King's residence and the eunuch party, not knowing how to navigate the situation.

However, just at this moment, as his gaze fell, he saw a stout figure standing by the street, smiling with narrowed eyes, looking at him.

That figure was like a large bell, ringing and waking him from a beautiful dream.

Just as the rising sun will always set, even the most beautiful dream will always end. Chén Zōng knew when he hid in Liújiā Village that he wouldn't be able to hide for long. What was coming would always come.

Jīn Zhū.

He saw Jīn Zhū in the crowd, smiling with narrowed eyes, waving to him, signaling him to follow. Then, without a word, he turned and disappeared into the crowd.

Chén Zōng hesitated for a moment, then turned his head to Bái Lǐ and said: "County Princess, you all go back first. I just remembered I still have some matters to attend to."

Having said that, he jumped off the flatbed cart and chased after Jīn Zhū's figure.

Liú Qú Xīng sat on the flatbed cart and shouted at Chén Zōng's back: "Hey, this isn't an excuse because you don't want to treat us, is it? We're going to Yíngxiān Building later, come back early!"

But Chén Zōng didn't answer.

His face was calm as he watched Jīn Zhū's back faintly appear in the crowd ahead.

Jīn Zhū's steps never stopped. He led Chén Zōng through who knows how many street corners until the pedestrians gradually thinned out. Then, he stopped in a dead alley and turned around.

Chén Zōng stopped: "Sir, why did you lead me to this dead alley?"

Jīn Zhū looked at him, smiling with narrowed eyes, but didn't speak. The next moment, a horse carriage suddenly stopped at the alley mouth behind Chén Zōng, blocking the entrance tightly.

The wind howled. Before Chén Zōng could react, someone struck his neck with a hand, knocking him unconscious.

Chén Zōng had a dream.

He dreamed that under the gorgeous evening sunset, he was still sitting on that dilapidated old ox cart, with his friends beside him.

Everyone was eating fragrant, sweet oranges. The orange-red breeze blew across their faces, moving their hair. Bái Lǐ smiled and hummed a folk song.

But as the sky gradually darkened, two people jumped off the ox cart.

They stood firm, turned around, bowed with cupped hands, and laughed towards Chén Zōng on the cart: "See you later."

The cart didn't stop. Chén Zōng could only watch as his friends who had gotten off the cart disappeared into the night behind him.

When those two people were no longer visible, three more people jumped off the cart, cupped their hands, and laughed: "See you later."

Friends jumped off the cart one by one, saying goodbye, like the end of a play, with the audience dispersing.

Chén Zōng wanted to remember their appearances, but the faces of those friends were covered in the black night, always unclear.

He asked the person beside him: "Where are they going?"

No one answered.

Chén Zōng looked left and right in surprise, only to discover that on this swaying ox cart, only he was left, alone.

At this moment, a basin of cold water descended from the sky, splashing and waking him from this long dream.

Chén Zōng slowly opened his eyes and lifted his head. Both his hands were tied and hanging from the top of the inner prison cell. The ice-cold iron chains on his wrists were painful.

He lowered his head again and saw that his whole body was dripping wet. Water was still dripping from his messy hair and chin.

His ice-cold clothes clung to his body, and the cold pierced to the bone.

Inner prison.

This was the inner prison of the Xuānwèi Division.

In the dim inner prison secret room, the flame of the Baguà formation lamp on the wall flickered unsteadily, but there was not a bit of warmth.

Jīn Zhū put down the water bucket and sat beside the dark red Eight Immortals table in front of him. He used chopsticks to gently pick up a piece of tender meat from the fish cheek: "Awake?"

Chén Zōng said in a low voice: "I am."

Jīn Zhū closed his eyes and ate that piece of tender meat, savoring it, and praised: "Tender and fresh!"

He opened his eyes and again smiled with narrowed eyes, picking up a piece of meat from the fish belly with chopsticks. He stood on a chair and fed it to his mouth: "Eat, swallow it all down."

The fish bones in the fish belly were not removed. Chén Zōng chewed and crushed the fish bones along with the meat, swallowing them. The crushed fish bones in his throat were painful.

Jīn Zhū stood up and gave a thumbs up: "You ate it without a sound, you're tough!"

He sat back in front of the Eight Immortals table and asked curiously: "Little Doctor Chén, did you want to hide from me?"

"Yes."

Jīn Zhū used his chopsticks to tear open the fish head and then picked out another chopstick of tender meat to put in his mouth: "Why aren't you hiding this time? Even if you hide in the Jīng King's residence, I wouldn't dare do anything to you, right?"

Chén Zōng calmly responded: "Sir Jīn Zhū has iron wrists. If you couldn't find me, I thought you would take it out on the other people in the medical hall."

"Smart..." Jīn Zhū said with confusion: "But since you're so smart, why can't you see that I sincerely want to promote you? If you also become one of the Twelve Zodiācs, you and I, Tiān Mǎ, can look out for each other within the Xuānwèi Division, wouldn't that be wonderful?"

Chén Zōng replied: "That night, when Xi fēng and I investigated the people of the rivers and lakes, we discovered that the person who silenced them came from the Nèi Tíng of the Sījǐ Jiàn. I felt this matter was too dangerous and didn't want to participate anymore."

Jīn Zhū sighed: "Yes, now that you're relying on the Jīng King, you can indeed stay far away from trouble. But how can the Xuānwèi Division be a place you can enter and leave as you please?"

Saying that, he picked out all the fish meat from the plate and then stood up, handing the entire fish bone frame to Chén Zōng's mouth: "Eat, it will supplement your hard bones. Eat it and then speak."

Chén Zōng didn't hesitate, opened his mouth, and chewed and crushed the fish bones, swallowing them raw and hard.

Jīn Zhū stood on the chair, his hands behind his back, facing him: "Although those several people from the rivers and lakes were skinned, I still managed to find out that several of them once mixed and drank with the Jīng King's Shìzǐ. The silver on their bodies was also a gift from the Shìzǐ. You weren't willing to investigate further, was it because you didn't want the Shìzǐ to be involved in this major rebellion case?"

Saying this, Jīn Zhū's voice and expression became severe: "What are you trying to cover up for the Shìzǐ?"

Chén Zōng looked straight into Jīn Zhū's eyes: "The Shìzǐ couldn't have participated in this matter. If he really participated, he wouldn't have left so many clues. Someone who dares to conspire with rebels against the Níng Dynasty, how could they so easily let you find out that he once mixed with these people from the rivers and lakes? Sir Jīn Zhū is also a smart person, you must understand this logic."

Jīn Zhū's expression eased slightly.

He jumped off the chair and slowly sat back in front of the Eight Immortals table, picked up a cup of wine, and drained it in one gulp: "Chén Zōng, I'm telling you so much because I want you to help me. I don't trust the secret spies in Luò City now, and I don't trust the Luànwèi either. I need a smart person like you. As long as you help me, I will definitely risk my life to help you seize a Zodiac position, helping you rise to the top and have a bright future."

"I've waited for this day for too long. Whoever hinders me, I will kill. Whoever doesn't help me, I will also kill one by one."

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