In the relay station, there was a tea room. A minor official lit incense, and a faint sandalwood fragrance drifted out from the hollow copper furnace. Chen Ji and Zhang Zheng sat facing each other on a soft couch, a chessboard with the game already in its endgame stage placed between them. Amid the surrounding blue smoke, Chen Ji placed a white piece. Zhang Zheng, sitting opposite him, thought hard for a long time before finally placing a piece. Chen Ji casually placed another piece, and then Zhang Zheng fell into deep thought again.

Zhang Xia sat to the side cracking melon seeds, watching her older brother being defeated utterly without offering any help. Zhang Zheng became anxious and angry, constantly winking at his sister to signal her. Zhang Xia asked curiously, “Brother, what’s wrong with your eyes? Did you get sand in them?”

Zhang Zheng suddenly deflated, “Can you at least give me some pointers on how to play? You can’t just watch me get bullied like this.”

Zhang Xia’s upper and lower teeth closed, lightly cracking open a melon seed. “A true gentleman watches chess without speaking. I won’t do that sort of thing.”

Chen Ji raised his head to look at Zhang Zheng. “Brother Zhang, wasn’t it you who came looking for me to play chess? Your chess skill… doesn’t seem like someone who enjoys playing chess.”

Zhang Zheng was at a loss for words. “I…”

Zhang Xia asked Chen Ji, “What are your plans after arriving in the capital? Are you going to live in the Chen family’s large residence or buy a courtyard for yourself?”

Chen Ji thought for a moment. “I should be living in the Chen family’s large residence.” Bai Long wanted him to return to the Chen family, so he certainly wouldn’t let him be on the sidelines. It was definitely better to be closer to the core.

Zhang Xia asked again, “Will Master Chen go to the Guozi Jian to donate a student status for you? He certainly will, right? But you don’t want to study the classics, so what will you do?”

Chen Ji teased with a smile, “Didn’t Second Miss Zhang reproach me earlier for not being skilled and not studying?”

Zhang Zheng hurriedly explained, “You misunderstand. My sister only looks down on those without capability, but capability doesn’t necessarily refer to the classics. Wait until you arrive in the capital, then you’ll know. She has a big reputation in the capital; all the students in the Guozi Jian fear her.”

“Oh.” Chen Ji became curious. “Why is that?”

Zhang Zheng took advantage of Chen Ji’s eyes not being on the chessboard and, while explaining, secretly placed several black pieces on the board. “You don’t know, the Guozi Jian not only teaches the Four Books and Five Classics but also includes books, mathematics, and law. Our Little Uncle Xu Shu is not only the deputy director of the Tianwen Tai but also concurrently the mathematics doctor at the Guozi Jian.”

Zhang Zheng continued, “Little Uncle is lazy and unwilling to get up at Maoshi to teach, so every few days he calls my sister to substitute. At first, the students in the Guozi Jian saw her as a woman and were completely unwilling, even staging a sit-in protest to the director. Later, my sister posed a problem, and it took them half an hour before one person could answer. After that, they became honest.”

Chen Ji lowered his head to look at the chessboard with the extra pieces but didn’t expose them. He simply placed a white piece to capture the extra black pieces together and then asked, “What problem? It actually took them half an hour.”

Zhang Xia, sitting to the side, laughed and said, “From afar, gaze at a towering pagoda of seven layers, red lights dotted increase doubly. A total of three hundred eighty-one lamps, ask how many lamps are on the pagoda tip.”

Chen Ji, without lifting his head, said, “Three lamps.”

Zhang Xia widened her eyes. “Eh, you’ve heard this problem before.”

Chen Ji smiled. “Mm, I’ve heard it before.”

Zhang Xia picked up a melon seed and stopped at the edge of her mouth, suspiciously examining Chen Ji. “If you’ve really heard it, then I’ll ask you: Now there are beasts, six heads and four feet; birds, four heads and two feet. Above, there are seventy-six heads; below, there are forty-six feet. Ask: How many birds and how many beasts?”

Chen Ji said casually, “Eight beasts, seven birds.”

Zhang Xia was startled. “You’ve heard this one too.”

Chen Ji laughed heartily. “Also heard it.”

He changed the subject. “So, Second Miss Zhang relies on mathematics to be invincible in the Guozi Jian.”

Zhang Zheng laughed happily. “Also relies on her sharp tongue. Those students haven’t passed the imperial examination for many years, they’re frustrated and unsuccessful. After drinking some wine, they like to talk nonsense and scold people. One of them got drunk and went to find my sister for trouble, saying his failure in the imperial examination was all because of the women in the Guozi Jian, cursing loudly facing my sister’s study room.”

Chen Ji remained calm. “Then what?”

Zhang Zheng said, “Then my sister gave him a problem.”

Chen Ji doubted. “What problem?”

Zhang Zheng picked up the teacup in his hand and drank the tea in one gulp. “My sister asked him, ‘Your mother and ten rabbits are locked in a cage, why are there only forty feet?’ That student thought for a hundred possibilities and said ten rabbits originally have forty feet, ah, why when adding your mother are there still only forty feet?”

Zhang Zheng put down the teacup. “My sister answered him, ‘Because you don’t have a mother.'”

Chen Ji looked at Zhang Xia in astonishment. Such strong attack power.

Zhang Xia lightly coughed once, somewhat embarrassed, and lowered her head to drink tea to cover up. At this time, a wave of noisy sounds came from the hall not far away. The officials there were toasting and drinking, having a very good time.

Chen Ji looked towards Zhang Xia. “Who is over there?”

Zhang Xia poured the melon seed shells in her left palm into the dish and patted her palm. “The gentry and prominent families of Mengjin county city have gathered to pay respects to my father. My father is drinking with them now.”

Chen Ji asked curiously, “Master Zhang is about to be promoted to Zu Shilang of the Libu, still needs to socialize with the gentry of a small county city?”

Zhang Xia explained from the side, “The so-called imperial power does not reach below the county. In the nine counties of Luoyang, human relationships are intricate and complex. If you are not close to these gentry, Father can’t even collect the autumn taxes. The gentry in this big county live more comfortably than the wealthy in the capital or Jinling. They are the real local emperors.”

Weak mothers produce merchants, strong fathers become Shilang, prosperous ancestors stay in their original place, poor families go to other places. In the concept of the Ning dynasty people, unless one goes out to be an official, otherwise, those without prospects need to go far away to suffer hardships.

As they spoke, urgent horse hooves sounds came from outside the relay station. When they got closer, they saw a soldier on horseback shouting, “Wu Baili Urgent!”

Chen Ji and the others rose to go out. Zhang Zhuo and the others, who were in the middle of toasting, also put down their wine cups and hurried out to welcome them. In the relay station, urgent levels were divided into Sibailli Urgent, Wu Baili Urgent, and Liubaili Urgent. If it wasn’t a military important matter, these three levels were absolutely not allowed to be used.

The soldier carried a bamboo tube sealed with red lacquer to the vicinity and jumped down from his horse. “Where is the relay chief of Mengjin Relay Station?”

“Here!” A middle-aged relay chief with a hanging beard stepped forward. “I am.”

The soldier untied the bamboo tube on his back and took out an envelope from his bosom. “Inside is the Ministry of War’s fire voucher. Prepare a meal and a top horse for me. I’ll eat and then go back to report for duty!”

The relay chief took the bamboo tube and saw the black words branded on it: “Opened by Assistant Magistrate of Luoyang, Chen Liqin. Private opening will be punished according to law!”

Zhang Zhuo said in surprise, “Actually for Master Chen’s… this younger brother, who sent this Wu Baili Urgent?”

The soldier glanced at him and said arrogantly, “The Crown Prince!”

No wonder this soldier was so haughty, not even putting the relay chief in his eyes. He originally came on the Crown Prince’s order.

Zhang Zhuo handed the bamboo tube to Chen Liqin. “Open it and see.”

Chen Liqin exhaled a breath of wine, removed the red lacquer, and poured out a letter covered with a red seal from inside. After reading it, he frowned for a long time without speaking.

Zhang Zhuo doubted, “What did the Crown Prince say? You look worried.”

Chen Liqin looked at him. “The Crown Prince ordered me not to return to the capital but to go directly to Guyuan to meet with him.”

Zhang Zhuo subconsciously said, “You can’t!”

“Mm.” Chen Liqin was puzzled. “Master Zhang, what do you mean by this?”

Zhang Zhuo pulled Chen Liqin to one side and, using the excuse of being drunk, said, “Master Chen, I’m telling you this because we’ve been partners for three years. If you feel it’s not right, just take my words as drunken nonsense. Guyuan is one of the nine border areas, originally a mixed place of fish and dragons. In recent years, the Jin party’s border army has repeatedly disobeyed the court, deducting rations, and committing atrocities like killing good people for merit have emerged endlessly. Only all of this has been suppressed by the Cabinet. The Crown Prince going to Guyuan at this time must not be simple. Don’t go and stir this muddy water. Be careful not to lose your family and life!”

Chen Liqin hesitated. “But I am an official of the Donggong, an assistant compiler at the Hanlin Yuan. How can I refuse?”

Zhang Zhuo scolded, “You haven’t even gone to the Libu to report yet, and according to the laws and regulations, before taking office, you still need to go to the Chenghuang Miao to fast for three days and worship all the gods. Just use this reason to decline!”

Chen Liqin shook his head. “Since I am already an official of the Donggong, I should naturally assist the Crown Prince wholeheartedly. If I don’t go for the Crown Prince’s Wu Baili Urgent, how can I stay in the Donggong later? How can the Crown Prince trust me?”

Zhang Zhuo widened his eyes. “Must you be this follower of the dragon? Don’t be fooled by the pie falling from the sky. If he doesn’t trust you, at most he’ll replace you, and then you just change to another official position. It’s not to the point of losing your life!”

Chen Liqin’s face became stern. “Master Zhang, no need to say more. I am different from you. I don’t have so many clever self-preservation thoughts. Ruler is ruler, minister is minister, father is father, son is son. If the ruler wants the minister to die, the minister has to die. The Crown Prince is in need of people now. How can I not go? I, Chen Liqin, am not a coward who fears death!”

Zhang Zhuo laughed in anger. “Good, good, good. You go to your death. Your family, wife and children, will follow me. I will escort them to the capital.”

Chen Liqin’s face grew darker. “Master Zhang, don’t be an alarmist. The Crown Prince is in Guyuan, which is under the control of our Ning dynasty, with over two hundred thousand troops. What danger is there?”

Zhang Zhuo thought for a moment. “I don’t care about others, Chen Ji must follow me.”

Chen Liqin angrily flicked his sleeve and left. “Absurd!”

Zhang Zhuo looked at Chen Liqin’s back and sighed. He cupped his hands to the gentry. “It seems we cannot continue drinking. Everyone, please return.”

The crowd said their farewells, and he looked at Chen Ji again. “You don’t need to mind Master Chen. He goes to his Guyuan, and we go to our capital. By then, you can just spend the New Year in the Zhang residence. When it’s the Shangyuan Festival, I’ll give you all six hundred taels of silver as lucky money, visit the Chenghuang Miao, enjoy the lantern festival, drink hua jiu, and play however you want. Young people, it’s fine to play and make noise. No need to worry about those state affairs.”

Chen Ji was silent for a moment, then took out his Secret Agent Office waist card from his sleeve. “Master Zhang, with this waist card, I can pass unimpeded.”

Zhang Zhuo still wanted to persuade, but Chen Ji stopped him. “I know your good intentions. Please help me take Xiaoman along. Lead her to the capital first to temporarily live in the Zhang residence… I must follow the Chen family to Guyuan.”