Green Mountain

Chen Ji grew up in the Ning Dynasty and had never met Lu Jin.

He had imagined that this person, who had once beheaded the Minister of Revenue of the Ning Dynasty and wielded power as the Vice Minister of the Jing Dynasty Military Intelligence Department, should look either imposing or sinister.

But the middle-aged man in a gray robe before him appeared gentle, more like a private tutor invited to a noble’s house, neither smiling easily nor forcing a stern demeanor, yet humble but not servile and firm but not harsh.

Lu Jin.

For a moment, Chen Ji was dazed, but he quickly snapped back to reality. Should he reveal his identity? Lu Jin’s current power in the Jing Dynasty was probably much greater than that of Princess Liyang, only second to Yuan Xiang.

If he had just arrived in this world, perhaps he would have immediately revealed his identity, but now... he needed to think it over.

At this moment, Lu Jin stood still at the door, clasped his hands, and saluted the steward of the Duke Huang Mansion.

The steward hurriedly supported his arm in panic: "Vice Minister, you mustn’t salute a humble servant like me, you flatter me too much."

Lu Jin smiled and said warmly, "This time, what I brought is a product carefully prepared by the Medicine Official Path of the Dao Court of the Southern Dynasty. It nourishes the root and strengthens the foundation. You must remind the Duke to take it daily. Our Military Intelligence Department is still trying to obtain the last Life Feather Pill from the Dao Court, and if we get it, we will send it promptly... I hope the Duke recovers soon."

The steward bowed and clasped his hands in salute: "Thank you for your efforts, Vice Minister."

Lu Jin stepped over the threshold and walked out, Jiang Liuxian and the other two attendants following closely behind him without a glance sideways.

But Lu Jin suddenly stopped, turned his head, and looked at Chen Ji: "Little brother, you originally intended to enter the Duke’s Mansion, right? It was I who blocked your path, my apologies."

Chen Ji did not straighten up nor reply. The gatekeeper beside quickly replied: "Ah, he is a servant of the Duke’s Mansion. You don’t need to be polite to him."

Lu Jin asked, puzzled: "Oh? I saw this little brother remain calm in a critical situation and stand like a sturdy pine, I thought he was one of the elite summoned from Linhuang Prefecture to Shangjing Road by the Duke."

The gatekeeper hastily laughed to explain: "No, no, he’s a new stableman in the Duke’s Mansion, not skilled in fists or weapons."

Lu Jin smiled: "So he’s a stableman. I’ve heard the Duke’s Mansion owns a fierce horse named Zhaolei, untamed by nature. Are you the one taking care of it?"

Chen Ji only felt an undercurrent surging in front of the Duke’s Mansion. He remained silent for a moment, lowered his head, and softly answered: "Yes."

Lu Jin patted him on the shoulder: "Be careful not to let the fierce horse harm the Duke."

He asked no more and walked down the stone steps.

A carriage stopped outside the Duke’s Mansion, plain and unadorned, not spacious enough to fit more than one person snugly. Yet over twenty Hu Ben Army armored soldiers guarded the carriage, leaving no one to underestimate its presence.

On the stone steps, Chen Ji and the gatekeeper still maintained a bowing stance, his expression calm but constantly weighing advantages and disadvantages, recalling past details.

Down the stone steps, someone lifted the carriage curtain for Lu Jin, who bent down to climb inside, and the carriage slowly started to move. Jiang Liuxian followed beside the carriage with a knife. As they were about to leave, he turned his head and gave Chen Ji a puzzled glance.

At the moment the carriage moved, Chen Ji relaxed his body and did not give another glance at the carriage from the corner of his eye, ultimately not recognizing Lu Jin.

The carriage went past the front of the Duke’s Mansion, and suddenly inside the carriage, Lu Jin asked: "What were you looking at just now?"

Jiang Liuxian replied softly: "Reporting to you, sir, I felt that stableman looked familiar, but I couldn’t recall where I had seen him."

Another attendant added: "Normally, the gatekeeper wouldn’t dare to speak up. It seems this person just arrived in the Imperial Capital and hasn’t even met the steward yet, so the gatekeeper feared the steward might speak wrong. Sir, this person’s identity is questionable."

In the carriage, silence lingered for a long time: "Investigate him."

...

...

The carriage traveled far, and the gatekeeper was the first to straighten up.

The steward instructed the gatekeeper to close the main gate, then turned to look at Chen Ji: "Who are you?"

The gatekeeper explained: "Reporting to the Second Steward, this person is Bai Wu, elite subordinate transferred from Dongzhang County in Linhuang Prefecture by the Chief Steward. It is said he was delayed by the wind and snow, only arriving today."

The Second Steward frowned and asked: "Why didn’t you use the side door? Hasn’t Master Xue taught you the rules? A subordinate acting as if he’s the master and daring to use the main entrance."

Chen Ji saluted: "I forgot."

The Second Steward scolded: "Forgot, do you know you almost caused great trouble? What did Master Xue tell you before you came?"

Chen Ji pondered all he saw and heard at the Duke’s Mansion and said in a low voice: "Don’t ask what shouldn’t be asked, don’t look at what shouldn’t be looked at, don’t say what shouldn’t be said."

The Second Steward nodded: "Considering it’s your first offense, nothing will be said this time. Remember, from now on, you are the new stableman of the Duke’s Mansion specially here to tame the fierce horse. No matter who asks, you must answer this way."

Chen Ji nodded: "I remember."

At this moment, the Second Steward suddenly said: "Raise your head, why talk to people with your head down?"

Chen Ji contemplated for a moment and slowly raised his head.

The Second Steward observed for a moment: "Your appearance is decent enough."

Chen Ji secretly sighed in relief.

The Second Steward then turned to the gatekeeper with an appreciative look: "Good thing you were clever earlier. All right, go to the accounts later and get two hundred coins."

The gatekeeper beamed: "Thank you, Second Steward!"

The Second Steward walked towards the Duke Mansion: "Follow me."

Chen Ji followed the Second Steward, passing through the ceremonial gate.

Above the ceremonial gate hung a plaque, inscribed with gold lacquer "Achievements Shine Like Sun and Moon," with a couplet on either side, the first line reading "Strategy once secured the kingdom," and the second line reading "Poetry and books continue our ancestors’ legacy."

Passing through the ceremonial gate, his vision suddenly broadened.

Yet Chen Ji felt somewhat odd about the Duke Mansion... it seemed too bare, with nothing but black tiles and white walls, devoid of extra color.

The lanterns hanging at the gate also had no inscription of "Duke Mansion," instead adorned with white flowers, resembling a mourning hall.

The Second Steward rambled on with instructions: "Remember, in the main hall, only come if I call you, but in the inner residence, no matter who calls you, you can’t go. Step one foot into the inner residence and you’ll be sent back to Linhuang, and even Master Xue’s pleas won’t save you. Normally, just stay in the backyard; when the Duke goes out, you drive for him. Remember, your hundred lives aren’t as valuable as the Duke’s one life; if you can save the Duke’s life, your parents and siblings will be freed from their low status, and the Duke Mansion will support them for life."

Just then, an elderly person walked out from the main hall, carrying a piece of white porcelain and exiting the main door. From a distance, Chen Ji saw the porcelain inscribed with the characters of ganzhi: gengchen, wuyin, renwu, gengzi.

The elderly person glanced at the sky and then heavily smashed the porcelain on the stone steps of the main hall, shouting: "Duke Huang, deceased!"

The porcelain shattered into pieces on the ground, the elder’s voice echoed through the ceremonial gate, across the screen wall.

Chen Ji froze for a moment; how could it be that as soon as he arrived, Duke Huang was gone?

Was there an assassination?

A frame-up?

He became alert, cautiously watching the silhouette of the Second Steward.

But the Second Steward continued walking, as if nothing had happened.

Chen Ji turned his head again, only to see the elder bending down to pick up the pieces of porcelain.

Maids moved in and out of the main hall, carrying trays, expressionless and devoid of sadness, indescribably eerie.

The Second Steward, without turning his head, said: "Don’t make a fuss, if you hadn’t barged through the main gate today, you wouldn’t have seen these. Remember how Master Xue instructed you, just act like you didn’t see this, if you spread even a word, your parents and siblings will suffer; they’ll skin you all. Also, no saying of dead, decease, passing, demise, perish, mortality, end, completion—any utterance of these words will earn you ten strokes. Forgetting isn’t an issue, a few beatings will make you remember."

Chen Ji agreed, as confused as ever, arriving at the west wing where the stables were located.

The west wing was much smaller than the main courtyard, but it was neat and organized. On the north side was a row of stables, with a long stone trough in front, filled with dried grass.

Seven or eight horses were tied in the stables, all well-fed and spirited, evidently fine warhorses.

On the south side were three small rooms for the stablemen’s residence. Under the eaves hung horse whips, headstalls, and baskets of feed, while in the corner were several large urns, filled with soaked black beans and bran.

In the courtyard was a well, its ropes frozen stiff, covered with a layer of white frost.

The Second Steward stopped before an empty room, pushed open the door: "This will be your lodgings from now on, Bai Liu, you teach him to train and take care of the horses; he will take over your duties."

Chen Ji looked inside the room, there was an earth bed, a wooden table, a bench, and a man lying on the bed with his legs crossed.

Bai Liu rolled out of bed, assessing Chen Ji: "Second Steward, he’s a stableman, what am I supposed to do?"

The Second Steward casually replied: "You first go clean the backyard."

Bai Liu widened his eyes: "Why should I?"

"Because now I’m in charge at the Duke Mansion!" The Second Steward impatiently said: "You ungrateful bastard, don’t think someone backing you means you can shit on me, do you believe I’ll have you thrown out now? Take the job if you want, or get lost!"

Bai Liu sneered, rolled up his bedding, and went to the backyard: "It’s not your turn to be in charge of the Duke Mansion yet. Wait till the Chief Steward returns and then you can be arrogant. Anyway, I won’t teach the horse work, whoever wants to teach can do it."

The Second Steward cursed at Bai Liu’s back for a while, glanced at Chen Ji, and turned to leave: "Mind your own business."

Once the Second Steward was gone, Wu Yun poked out her head and meowed softly: "He’s so verbose."

Chen Ji stood in front of the house, puzzled: "What’s all this about?"

Before he could finish talking, he heard chanting coming from the main hall, as if a ceremony was being conducted. The scent of burnt paper floated far away, like paper money was being burned even in daylight.

Chen Ji muttered to himself: "Is Duke Huang really dead? Even if he is, they shouldn’t be doing a ceremony and burning paper money so quickly."