Green Mountain
Chapter 134 - 98, Wake Up

Chapter 134: 98, Wake Up

On the official road of Luocheng City.

An old ox stepped slowly, pulling the cart into the dusk. Time seemed to slow along with its pace, allowing the warm, orange-red sunlight to engulf everyone like a tide.

The road was bustling with traffic; some people were driving ox carts toward Luocheng, while others carried unsold fruit back to the suburbs.

Bai Li sat on the ox cart and waved to an old man carrying a shoulder pole: "Old man, why haven’t your oranges sold out? There are still so many left in your pole."

The old man approached the ox cart: "Young and handsome sir, the oranges were damaged by frost during the snow a few days ago. No one wants to buy them."

Bai Li asked curiously, "How much are you selling the oranges for?"

The old man hurriedly replied, "Two coins per pound."

Bai Li smiled and took out a piece of broken silver from her hair, handing it over: "Here, we’ll take all your oranges so you don’t have to carry them back."

Surprised, the old man said, "That won’t do; the frost-damaged oranges won’t last long. You don’t need to buy so much."

Bai Li was in high spirits: "No harm! Brother Mao’er, help me get off the cart and use the hem of my garment to hold the oranges. We’ll share them."

Liang Mao’er laughed heartily: "Alright."

Bai Li leaned on the edge of the cart and reached for an orange from the old man’s pole to peel.

She took a piece of the orange and put it in her mouth, then silently handed the orange to the Princely Heir.

The Princely Heir stuffed a segment into his mouth with a gleeful expression, then giggled, passing the remaining orange to Chen Ji.

And so, it quietly passed from one to the other, until it finally reached Liang Gou’er’s hands.

Liang Gou’er stuffed nearly half of the orange into his mouth: "... Pah, pah, pah, and you all were being so kind peeling oranges for me, it’s sour enough to ruin one’s teeth!"

Only then did everyone who had eaten the orange earlier start to twist their faces and then burst out laughing together: "Hahaha, no wonder the old man couldn’t sell a single orange!"

Laughter traveled far in the sunset; those times spent playing pranks on friends were always so joyful.

Amid the bustling crowd, as the playful cart passed in front of the Imperial Examination Hall again, the Princely Heir subconsciously straightened up and puffed out his chest.

But the Autumn Imperial Examination wouldn’t finish its first phase for another three days, and there were no onlookers today.

The Princely Heir let out a sigh: "I wish those scholars knew what great deeds we have accomplished, silently entering the city like this, as if moving stealthily! What a pity!"

Bai Li, sitting on the cart, laughed with her knees hugged: "Brother, when will you tone down your flamboyant nature? If you become Prince Jing one day and still act like this, people will laugh at you."

The Princely Heir waved his hand dismissively: "No harm, our father can still securely sit on the throne for many decades, and I will definitely have matured by then."

Bai Li retorted: "But when Dad was your age, he had already helped His Majesty suppress the external relatives."

The Princely Heir was taken aback, then suddenly felt somewhat disheartened: "What use is it to help His Majesty suppress external relatives when His Majesty still allows us to be oppressed by the Eunuch Party? The Eunuch Party is detestable!"

Chen Ji asked curiously, "Has the Eunuch Party been suppressing Prince Jing Mansion all these years?"

The Princely Heir scoffed: "These years, the Criminal Justice Department has been constantly monitoring my father’s old subordinates, with over twenty of them arrested and sent to the inner prison. The Spy Department has also repeatedly placed spies inside Prince Mansion to monitor our daily lives. You’ve seen Feng Da, he’s also one of the Prime Minister’s men, arranged to stick close to my father."

Even Bai Li complained: "The Eunuch Party is arrogant and detestable."

Chen Ji fell silent. Although not willingly, he was indeed a part of the Eunuch Party himself. Caught between the Prince Jing Mansion and the Eunuch Party, he was at a loss on how to navigate his conflicting allegiances.

However, at that moment, his gaze landed across the street, where a chubby figure stood, smiling and observing him.

That figure, like a Hong Bell, awakened him from a beautiful dream.

Just as the rising sun must set, and as all beautiful dreams must come to an end, Chen Ji knew when he hid in Liu Family Village that he couldn’t avoid it for long. What was destined to happen would come.

Jin Zhu.

He saw Jin Zhu in the crowd, smiling and beckoning him to follow, then unceremoniously turned and disappeared into the throng.

After hesitating for a moment, Chen Ji turned to Bai Li and said, "Commandery Princess, you all go back first; I just remembered I still have some things to take care of."

With that, he jumped down from the cart and followed Jin Zhu’s silhouette.

Liu Quxing, sitting on the cart, shouted at Chen Ji’s retreating figure: "Hey, you’re not making up excuses to avoid treating us, are you? We’re still going to Yingxian Building later, so come back soon!"

But Chen Ji did not answer.

His face was calm as he watched Jin Zhu’s silhouette, appearing and disappearing in the crowd.

Jin Zhu never stopped walking, leading Chen Ji through countless streets until the passersby gradually thinned, and then he paused and turned around in a dead-end alley.

Chen Ji stopped, "Sir, what are you bringing me to this dead-end alley for?"

Jin Zhu just smiled at him without speaking. The next moment, a carriage suddenly stopped behind Chen Ji in the mouth of the alley, sealing it tightly.

The wind howled, and before Chen Ji could react, someone struck his neck with the flat side of a blade, knocking him unconscious.

...

...

Chen Ji had a dream.

He dreamt of sitting on that old ox cart under the gorgeous evening sky, his friends still beside him.

Everyone was eating sweet oranges, and an orange-red breeze ruffled everyone’s hair as Bai Li sang a ballad softly with a smile.

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

They stood firm, turned around, bowed, and said with a smile to Chen Ji on the cart: "We’ll meet again."

The cart did not stop, and Chen Ji could only watch his friends disappear into the night behind him.