Chapter 923 - 766: Family Letter (Part 3)

The eighth edition described the hustle and bustle of Sanshan Street: "Sanshan Street is an important crossroads in Jinling, with bookstores, paste shops, and confectioneries, crowded with arcade houses. Scholars and literati pause at the bookstore’s entrance, while greedy maids linger in the confectioneries, reluctant to leave..."

Yuan Xing and the others were absorbed in watching beside Chen Ji, but Yuan Xi suddenly realized something was amiss: "Godfather, this Wuxiang Morning News is supposed to be sold to the people of Jinling. Everyone here should have been to Chaotian Palace and Sanshan Street. Why is this damned newspaper telling the locals about Jinling’s customs and practices?"

Chen Ji did not answer.

Today’s seventh and eighth editions were written for him, as if leading him on a trip to Chaotian Palace, followed by a visit to Sanshan Street to watch Xiao Man enjoy herself, reluctant to leave.

Chen Ji unconsciously smiled and tucked the newspaper into his coat. Zhou Chang urgently said, "Godfather, wait a moment, we haven’t finished reading yet."

Without looking back, Chen Ji walked toward the city: "If you want to see it, buy it yourself."

The next day, when the evening drums of the county town resounded, Chen Ji as usual came to the pier waiting for the ferry.

After purchasing the newspaper, he first sneakily took a look at the front page. Seeing that today’s front page was about the marriage between Prince Fu and the Qi family, he then handed the newspaper to Yuan Xing and the others to read.

He himself found a spot by the pier’s edge, blowing the slightly cool river breeze, silently reading the seventh and eighth editions.

Today, the seventh edition talked about the Ten-mile Qinhuai: "At night, the shadows of oars and lanterns on the Qinhuai River seem like the Milky Way falling onto the black river surface. Painted boats sail by, songs echo. If a young and handsome monk sits on the boat, it will inevitably attract the teasing and jesting of passing songstresses, causing the young monk to blush furiously, murmuring Amitabha Buddha repeatedly..."

Chen Ji couldn’t help but laugh out loud at the thought of the little monk being teased by the songstress.

Yuan Xing and the others were reading the newspaper when they suddenly heard Chen Ji’s laughter, exchanging glances they gathered around him. Yet, no matter how they looked, they couldn’t understand what was so funny about the songstress teasing the monk.

The eighth edition described the Confucius Temple and the Imperial Examination Hall: "The Imperial Examination Hall has twenty-one thousand rooms, and passing by, one hears the clear reading sounds like Buddhist chants reverberating around. Do some women secretly wish they could also participate in the imperial examinations upon hearing these reading sounds..."

Chen Ji remained silent, folding the newspaper and tucking it into his coat, gazing at the undulating waves of the Yangtze River, flowing eastward.

He understood Zhang Xia’s discontent, discontent that most people of this era could not comprehend. But he could understand, and the other side knew he could understand too.

Just then, the sound of hooves came from afar, and everyone turned to look, only to see Jiang Chai on horseback returning.

Yuan Xing stood up, looking at his muddy self, then at Jiang Chai who was clean and tidy, was immediately furious: "You better have brought useful news, or else you must have been slacking off hiding somewhere."

Jiang Chai pulled on the reins in front of the pier, loudly calling to Chen Ji: "Godfather, it’s about time."

Yuan Xing suspiciously asked, "What do you mean it’s about time?"

Chen Ji stood up, calmly asking, "How many people?"

Jiang Chai counted: "In Guangling County, the Fang, Li, and Wang families have all recruited full companies of soldiers, others are lacking; Quxia Village has recruited one hundred thirty-one, Huangqiao Town ninety-two, Gushan Town sixty-seven, Maqiao Town eighty, Dongxing one hundred twenty-seven, Xinqiao ninety, Jishi Town forty-four, a total of nine hundred thirty-one people."

Chen Ji bent down to straighten his pants, Jiang Chai excitedly said: "Godfather, which family should we deal with first? How about we first pick Jishi Town, this soft target?"

"No," Chen Ji stood up straight, dusting himself off, "we’ll head to Guangling County overnight and tackle the tough bones first."