Green Mountain-Chapter 562 - 423: Eighty-Two Bowls of Wine

At this moment, the sound of eight hundred evening drums stopped, the sound of iron chains winding echoed atop the city walls, and the city gates slowly closed, as if intent on leaving Chen Ji outside.

Chen Ji nudged his horse’s belly, charging into the city against the chilling glint of spears.

The infantry, fearing to accidentally harm him, quickly retracted their long halberds and withdrew!

The Vice General angrily proclaimed, "This is the critical area of the Capital, how can it allow reckless intrusions? Those who retreat again will face military discipline..."

There was no time.

The common people inside the city just watched as Chen Ji rode into the shadow of the gateway, pressing the infantry back into the city, the gate closing slowly behind him, shutting the last light of dusk outside.

...

...

Chen Ji finally stopped at the front of the formation, he remained still, and the Wu City Military Department did not act rashly. They could only block the street, not allowing Chen Ji to pass through.

They faced off with each other.

Chen Ji, from his elevated position, looked at the Vice General: "You can’t make the decision, bring someone who can."

The Vice General remained silent, and a middle-aged man in scholar’s attire descended from the city tower.

Chen Ji turned his head to look, it was unexpectedly the Executive Officer, Chen Xu, who stayed by Official Chen’s side.

Chen Xu approached Chen Ji’s side, speaking politely in a voice only audible to the two of them: "Third Young Master, on the orders of the Family Head, I came to ask you, can you spare the Crown Prince this time?"

Chen Ji laughed, he was merely a Sixth Rank Common Households officer of the Yulin Army, yet the other side asked him to spare the Crown Prince?

Indeed, Official Chen is the Crown Prince’s mentor, the Chen family has always been the Crown Prince’s greatest ally, and now the Chen family has pushed the Crown Prince into a dead end, making a huge joke.

Chen Ji calmly stated, "When the Crown Prince wanted to kill me, did the Chen family ever ask him to spare me?"

Chen Xu humbly replied, "The Crown Prince did not discuss this matter with Official Chen, the family was unaware."

Chen Ji looked down at Chen Xu: "Then this time the Chen family should also feign ignorance."

Chen Xu murmured, "Young Master, this is not only the Family Head’s Chen family, it is also your Chen family. The world believes my Chen family is as solid as a rock, as stable as Mount Tai, but in my thousand-year Chen family, it has been a thousand years of storms, never a day of peace."

Chen Xu earnestly said, "Young Master, the Family Head has said, if you spare the Crown Prince, in decades, you will be the most powerful person in the Ning Dynasty. Whatever you want, money or power, the Chen family can give you, please consider the bigger picture."

Chen Ji exhaled a long breath of impure air: "What if I don’t want money or power?"

Chen Xu slightly furrowed his brows: "Then what does the Young Master want?"

Chen Ji turned his head to see a tavern flag fluttering by the street and smiled: "I want strong winds and fiery wine."

Without waiting for Chen Xu to respond, he waved to a shopkeeper peeking through the door to watch the commotion: "Shopkeeper, I’m thirsty, bring wine."

Everyone turned their gaze to the shopkeeper, who instinctively stepped back a few paces, offering an excuse: "Sir... Sir, the wine in my shop is all sold out."

Chen Ji regretted: "What a pity."

The Vice General behind the military line coldly said: "Young man, arrogant."

Chen Ji turned his head to gaze at him: "What’s wrong with being arrogant? What’s wrong with being reckless?"

Chen Xu gently sighed: "Young Master, youthful arrogance is a good thing, after all, this world will be yours in the future... but not now."

As soon as he finished speaking, someone strode quickly from the back of the crowd: "I’ll get you wine!"

Chen Ji looked up, to his surprise, it was Yangyang from the Longevity Army striding towards him, who turned into a street-side tavern: "What kind of wine do you want? Grape wine, bamboo leaf green..."

Chen Ji laughed heartily: "The strongest one!"

"With a big bowl or a small bowl?"

"A big bowl!"

Yangyang, carrying a wine jar with his left hand and a pottery bowl with his right, walked like a giant to the Wu City Military Department’s formation: "Make way!"

The infantry of the Five Cities Military Department looked at each other, unsure what to do.

They looked at the Vice General, who was also uncertain and thus could only look to Chen Xu.

Yangyang calmly said: "Since when does the Five Cities Military Department dare block my Longevity Army’s path? Move."

Chen Xu was silent for a moment, then nodded to the Vice General, and the infantry immediately made way, allowing a person to pass.

Yangyang approached Chen Ji, handing him the pottery bowl.

Chen Ji quietly accepted the bowl.

Yangyang broke the mud seal and poured the clear wine into the bowl: "Drink up!"

Chen Ji raised the bowl and drank it all in one go, a fiery line burned through his innards: "First bowl."

He handed the empty bowl back to Yangyang: "Again."

Yangyang grinned: "Unfazed, you can hold your liquor well!"

But this time, Chen Ji did not drink, he raised the bowl towards the North before slowly pouring the wine onto the ground.

Yangyang asked softly: "Now is the time to find a way into the palace to clear your grievances, what’s the point of drinking? Once the dust settles, I’ll drink with you to your heart’s content."

Chen Ji whispered: "I’m afraid they can’t wait."

Yangyang was stunned, who are "they"?

Chen Ji handed the pottery bowl back to Yangyang: "Why are you here?"

While pouring wine, Yangyang explained: "Ah... Zhang Xia sent a message saying that Lord Zhang heard someone reporting to Your Majesty in Renshou Palace that Bai Long had sent a homing pigeon from Changping County, saying you would return to the capital from Changping today, bringing Liao Zhong with you... damn, you have guts, doing what us men dare not do, drink up!"

Chen Ji drank it all again: "Second bowl."

Yangyang muttered: "How many bowls are you planning to drink?"

Chen Ji replied: "Eighty more."

Yangyang couldn’t help but laugh: "Aren’t you afraid of stretching the truth!"

Chen Ji also laughed: "It’s okay, drink slowly, it’ll get finished."

The sky gradually darkened.

Chen Ji drank one bowl after another, Yangyang poured one bowl after another.

He silently counted to himself, drinking to the ninth bowl, his eyes drunkenly glazed as he handed the pottery bowl out again.

While pouring wine, Yangyang asked: "Are you just going to drink here and not move? Today’s key point is to enter the palace to clear your name, when will you drink?"

Chen Ji hiccuped: "No rush, let’s wait a bit."

Yangyang was puzzled: "Wait for what?"

Chen Ji casually replied: "Wait to see who is the enemy, who is the friend."

As his words fell, the sound of horse hooves echoed from the end of Andingmen Avenue, and everyone turned to see Prince Fu in his black official robe riding forward.

The black robe embroidered with emblems, crowned with a gold silk cap of two dragons playing with a pearl, his face handsome, stature tall.

Prince Fu dismounted before the Five Cities Military Department’s formation, casually pushing the infantry aside: "No vision? This Prince has arrived and you still don’t move!"

The infantry responded meekly: "Greetings, Prince."

Prince Fu moved through the crowd toward Chen Ji’s horse, sizing him up with interest: "Today you actually look a bit like a powerful minister... how many injuries sustained?"

Chen Ji casually answered: "Four places."

Prince Fu asked again: "How many people killed?"

Chen Ji replied, "How could I remember that?"

The next moment, Prince Fu surprisingly took the bridle of Chen Ji’s warhorse, turning to walk inside the city: "Stop drinking, let’s go, I’ll take you to see Father Emperor."

The Five Cities Military Department Vice General blocked the way: "Prince..."

Prince Fu said expressionlessly: "Stand down."

In the tavern’s second floor facing the street, countless people watched silently as the young Prince wore his crown with dignity, commanding authority without anger.

The Vice General stepped back in fear, letting him lead Chen Ji’s horse through the Jianghu and crowds.

On the cobbled road, Prince Fu suddenly turned back and teased Chen Ji: "Me leading your horse is a blessing earned through several lifetimes, won’t you give a word of thanks?"

Chen Ji drunkenly looked down at him: "I saved Your Highness’s life, it should be this way."

Prince Fu was momentarily stunned, then burst into laughter: "Good, good, very good, it should be this way indeed!"