Green Mountain
Chapter 366 - 302, General Cat

Chapter 366: 302, General Cat

Wu Yun lay on the woman’s warm lap, its bright black eyes scanning around, looking for an opportunity to escape.

But Yuan Jin Aunt never left her side for a moment, so it could only rest its head on the woman’s palm dejectedly, waiting for Yuan Jin Aunt to go to the toilet or change clothes.

Yuan Jin Aunt said by the side, "Madam, let’s go back to the bedroom and rest, it’s getting cold outside."

The woman smiled, "It’s rare for the moonlight to be so beautiful tonight. If I can’t see the great mountains and rivers outside, then looking at the moon will suffice. Yuan Jin Aunt, don’t rush me... I heard from Yuan Yang that today, Princess Yongchun caused a ruckus in Jingyang Palace and nearly offended the Crown Prince?"

Yuan Jin Aunt replied, "The little eunuch who delivered the decree was ignorant. He shouted ’Yulin Army’ at the entrance of Jingyang Palace. Fortunately, Daoist Xuanzhen restrained her, preventing a major disaster."

The woman stroked Wu Yun’s head, gazing at the moon in a trance, and said, "When Princess Yongchun eloped with Zhou Zhuoyuan, I was still very young. When I heard about it, I thought she was incredibly bold. But as I grew older, I realized the late Emperor was so unfeeling. Knowing that Princess Yongchun favored Zhou Zhuoyuan, why did he still arrange another marriage for her? At that time, I thought it was remarkable that she could step onto that southbound ship; at least she had a taste of freedom."

Yuan Jin Aunt said softly, "But she was still brought back by the Cao Guild."

The woman smiled wryly, "Indeed, this cage is far from simple; it cannot be broken."

Yuan Jin Aunt said no more.

The woman asked nonchalantly, "I also heard that Prince Jing’s two daughters are also confined in Jingyang Palace?"

Wu Yun’s ears immediately perked up!

Yuan Jin Aunt lowered her voice, "The Empress Dowager has been making a fuss these days because she wants to visit Zhu Lingyun in Jingyang Palace but can’t even get out of Cining Palace."

The woman sighed lightly, "Zhu Lingyun... The Liu Family didn’t leave behind any male heirs, just this one little girl, yet she’s confined in such a ghostly place as Jingyang Palace. Find a chance to secretly send some clothes and food to Bai Li and Lingyun."

"Madam," Yuan Jin Aunt sternly reminded, "If discovered, it will implicate you."

The woman softly insisted, "That’s why I said to find a chance and do it secretly."

Yuan Jin Aunt shook her head, "No, the Master has been enduring hardships for the Hu Family all these years. If the Young Prince had been made Crown Prince back then, the Master wouldn’t have to... You mustn’t get involved with Prince Jing anymore. If His Majesty finds out, there will be trouble again."

The woman gazed at the moonlight in silence for a long time, "There’s nothing to fear once people are gone... Forget it, it’s boring."

With that, she stood up, holding Wu Yun as she walked towards the bedroom, "Then make some new clothes for Princess Yongchun and send her some pastries."

Yuan Jin Aunt was taken aback, "Why do you care about her?"

The woman said softly, "I pity her."

She stepped over the high threshold and into Kunning Palace, where many lamps were lit, and more than ten female officials greeted her in unison, "Empress."

Wu Yun opened its eyes wide, the Empress!

Kunning Palace was so vast that even with over ten people standing, it still felt empty and desolate.

The Empress then instructed, "Fetch my snack box and the small quilt embroidered with nine cats in the East Warm Pavilion."

The female officials took small steps to the side hall and brought out over ten vermilion lacquered food boxes, laying them out in a row across the long table, then opened the lids.

The Empress, holding Wu Yun, walked past each food box, speaking gently, "See if there’s anything you want to eat?"

Wu Yun stretched its neck to look at the various snacks: date paste cake, lotus seed paste pastry, hawthorn cake, apricot paste cake, green tea pastry, Scholar’s cake, pea pastry... There were over a hundred different kinds; could it really eat all of these?

The Empress placed it on the table, "Go ahead, eat whatever you want."

Yuan Jin Aunt hurriedly said, "Madam, don’t let it ruin the food. If it gets dirty, none of it can be eaten."

The Empress calmly said, "It doesn’t matter."

Wu Yun paced back and forth in front of the food boxes, finally picking up a piece of date paste cake.

The Empress smiled, "You like this, do you?"

In the next moment, Wu Yun brought the date paste cake to her, lowered its head, and placed the cake in her hand.

The Empress was taken aback, "You want me to eat first?"

Yuan Jin Aunt got anxious, "Madam, don’t eat it, it’s been touched by an animal, it’s dirty."

But the Empress ignored her, really eating the date paste cake.

After swallowing a bite, she teased, "Yuan Jin Aunt, mind your words. His Majesty once raised over ten cats. When ’Shuang Mei’ died of old age, it was buried in Wansui Mountain and even posthumously titled ’True Monarch of Loyalty and Filial Piety.’ He’s very fond of cats."

Yuan Jin Aunt immediately fell silent.

The Empress held Wu Yun close, touching her nose to its nose, "When His Majesty visits Kunning Palace again, I’ll ask him to appoint you as the Mouse-catching General. How does that sound?"

Wu Yun suddenly abandoned the thought of escape.

...

...

Fuyou Street, Chen Mansion.

Chen Ji helped Zaozao remove the saddle and bit, letting it step on the clean Suzhou Prefecture kiln green bricks.

Xiao Man moved a small stool to the courtyard, resting her chin in her hands, "Young Master, why don’t you take Zaozao to the stable? There are specialized grooms there, and the food is better."

Chen Ji smiled, "Zaozao is a member of our family; it doesn’t feel right to leave it under someone else’s roof. Besides, being confined in the stable all the time is dull; after coming home, removing the saddle helps it relax."

Zaozao nudged Chen Ji with its head.

"Home," Xiao Man looked at the scene, lost in thought.

Chen Ji curiously asked, "How much would a two-entry house in East City cost?"

Xiao Man calculated, "If it’s from Zhengyang Gate to the drum tower area, where there are many merchants, it would cost about eight hundred taels of silver for a single house; if it’s on Chessboard Street, it would be twelve hundred taels; as for Fuyou Street and Xuanwu Gate Street, those symbolize status, and it’s rare to see anyone selling there."

Chen Ji responded with an "oh."

After buying ginseng in Guyuan, he had just over two hundred taels of silver left on him. Combined with Zhang Xia’s brotherhood gift, it totaled over eight hundred taels.

Xiao Man’s eyes brightened, "Young Master, since we’re back in the Imperial Capital, shouldn’t we go find Mrs. Liang to reclaim Aunt’s properties?"

Chen Ji nodded, "Tomorrow, after I return from my duty at the Yulin Army Commander’s Mansion, I’ll go to her for the house and land deeds."

Xiao Man’s eyes lit up, "You promised that I could be the Shopkeeper at Gufu Building."

Chen Ji laughed and said, "Yes, you will."

He took a brush to groom Zaozao, standing under the ginkgo tree, brushing and waiting for Wu Yun to return.

But he waited under the ginkgo tree in the courtyard all night, until the rooster crowed, and there was no sign of Wu Yun.

Chen Ji frowned.

Did something happen? No, if there had been trouble, he, as the Mountain Lord, would have lost half his life, yet he was still fine.

Did something unexpected occur? But what could prevent Wu Yun from returning home? Strange.

The big rooster in the Chen Mansion crowed three times, and the mansion suddenly became bustling.

Chen Ji opened a crack in the door to look, seeing servants and maids bustling around like at a temple fair.

The servants wore grey tunics and blue head wraps, some sweeping, some sprinkling water, and others carrying water or firewood.

The maids wore light green jackets and skirts, with silver hairpins in their hair, some carrying copper basins with hot water for their masters, others carrying trays with food.

Chen Ji whispered, "So many people."

Xiao Man laughed, "Young Master, why do you look so surprised? The Chen family is one of the top families in the capital; there are over two hundred people in the back kitchen alone."

Chen Ji hesitated for a moment, "Do I need to pay respects?"

Xiao Man explained, "No need; you’re not on the family register. According to Chen family rules, for a bastard to be included, he must attain the Sixth Rank, and then, after a joint discussion by the first, second, and third branches, and confirmation that he is upright and has no serious past offenses, the ancestral temple will be opened, and his name written in the family register."

Chen Ji marveled, "So strict."

Xiao Man cheerfully added, "After entering the family register, any serious offense would implicate the whole family."

Chen Ji chuckled, "It’s just as well they don’t put me in the register. I’m going out; you rest at home."

Xiao Man lifted the saddle to put on Zaozao, but Chen Ji stopped her, "No need, I’ll walk."

Chen Ji left the house, looking towards the depths of the Chen Mansion. The vast mansion extended like a forest, endless. They were currently only on the outskirts.

Chen Liqin’s third branch of the Chen family seemed unwelcome.

...

...

When only Xiao Man was left in the courtyard, she twirled around, holding her skirt, in the clean courtyard.

Suddenly, someone knocked at the door.

She opened a small crack and cautiously peered out to see an older maid standing outside.

Xiao Man was overjoyed, "Sister Duanwu."

Duanwu feigned annoyance, "You’re finally back in the capital, why didn’t you come find me?"

Xiao Man quickly explained, "Our Young Master left the palace very late last night; I was afraid of disturbing your rest."

Duanwu tapped her on the forehead, "Alright, alright, I know your Young Master met the Emperor, no need to show off."

Xiao Man, embarrassed at having her thoughts exposed, changed the subject, "Which garden are you working in now, Sister Duanwu? Zhuozheng Garden or Qingzheng Garden?"

Duanwu laughed lightly, "I’m still killing time in Zhuozheng Garden; perhaps I’ll marry and leave the estate soon... Do you want to make some money?"

Xiao Man casually asked, "How much money?"

Duanwu squeezed inside and lowered her voice, "This time it’s a lot, twenty taels, just to write down what your Young Master saw and did in Guyuan, especially who he met."

Xiao Man wondered, who is pursuing the Young Master so persistently? They targeted him as soon as he returned to the Chen Mansion in Luocheng, and now again upon his return to the capital.

She scrutinized Duanwu, deciding whether to capture and interrogate her.

No.

Xiao Man thought for a moment, "My Young Master is now an official who met the Emperor, twenty taels is too little; you should return, I’ll visit you in Zhuozheng Garden in a few days."

She began pushing Duanwu out.

Duanwu quickly said, "If it’s too little, we can negotiate; thirty taels? Fifty taels?"

Xiao Man remained unmoved.

Just as Duanwu was nearly pushed outside, she gritted her teeth, "One hundred taels!"

Xiao Man was surprised, "They’ll pay that much? Who’s after our Young Master’s information?"

Duanwu, annoyed, adjusted her disheveled clothes, "It’s not your first time doing this; why ask so many questions. It could be the Qi family, the Hu Family, or the Xu Family probing for information, or maybe the Eunuch Party or some Prince. We servants just take the money."

Xiao Man held out her hand, "Silver."

Duanwu took out a string of Buddhist Treasure coins from her pocket and slapped them into Xiao Man’s palm, "Quickly and accurately, or you won’t make this kind of easy money again."

Xiao Man dodged the issue, "Got it, got it."

After Duanwu left with a waft of perfume, Xiao Man returned to the East Wing to grind ink, carefully considering before writing down everything that happened in Guyuan, except Chen Ji’s dealings with Third Master Hu and the Innkeeper.

She folded the Xuan paper and left the courtyard, head down, along a winding path through Qingzheng Garden.

The Chen Mansion consisted of two gardens, the northern Zhuozheng Garden for the first branch and the southern Qingzheng Garden for the second and third branches, connected by a water-linked garden named "Little Yingtai," accessible from both sides.

Little Yingtai was filled with many Taihu Stones transported from Suzhou, the most towering being "Crown Cloud Peak," over three zhang high, whose transport to the capital must have cost a lot of resources.

Xiao Man snuck into Little Yingtai and tucked the paper into the third hole on the southern side of Crown Cloud Peak, then squatted in the nearby bushes to watch.

She crouched there for two hours, waiting until her legs were numb, but no one came to retrieve the message.

By mid-morning, Xiao Man couldn’t hold back and went to the toilet.

From leaving to returning, it took less than fifteen minutes.

But when she finally went to check Crown Cloud Peak, the Xuan paper with the message was gone.