“Good hot, good hot!” Xiao Man held a basin of scalded hot noodles and ran in from outside the Ginkgo Garden.

Zhang Zheng hurriedly stood up, took the pottery basin from her hand, anxiously turned around and placed it on the stone table in the middle of the courtyard. The moment the pottery basin was put down, both of them touched their earlobes from the heat.

Xiao Man complained, “The servants of the Chen family are too good at adapting. A few days ago, when they returned to the capital, they were calling me ‘Xiao Man girl’ one after another, very attentive. Today, as soon as they saw me enter the back kitchen, those wet nurses actually secretly hid all the meat dishes, without even a greeting. If I hadn’t been quick-eyed and quick-handed, I’m afraid even the oil, salt, sauce, and vinegar would have been taken by them!

Young Master, what are we doing staying here? Why not buy a small house on Chessboard Street? It would also be convenient for you to go to the Capital Prefecture to report for duty later!”

Zhang Zheng said happily, “Exactly, if we have a small house, Ah Xia and I can come find you without having to look at the Chen family’s faces.”

Chen Ji rubbed his chopsticks and said, “I agreed to stay in the Chen family as a condition with a major figure in exchange for the princess’s life!”

Zhang Zheng was startled. “Who?”

Chen Ji was silent for a moment. “Feng Wenzheng from the Secret Agent Office!”

Zhang Zheng suddenly understood. While picking up noodles and putting them into his bowl, he said curiously, “Why does that person named Feng want you to stay in the Chen family? Does he imagine moving to the Chen family the same way he moved to the Liu family?”

Chen Ji shook his head. “I don’t know either! He only instructed me to get the Chen family’s smuggling account books! But this person speaks very few truthful words. I don’t know if he really wants these account books!”

He pondered and said, “This person sometimes talks and acts in a completely unpredictable way. He takes a winding path while driving and only waits until everything settles down to see clearly what he really wants to do! I once asked him what he wanted to do, but he said he had already told me. However, I couldn’t figure out which sentence he was referring to!”

At this moment, Zhang Xia suddenly stopped silently reciting scriptures and said, “Wenzheng!”

Chen Ji paused for a moment. “What about Wenzheng?”

“It’s not a name, but a posthumous title! Looking through thousands of years of the Yi law, ‘Wen’ is the foremost beautiful posthumous title, symbolizing managing heaven and weaving earth, broad knowledge and strong learning. ‘Zheng’ symbolizes guarding the way without moving, loyal, pure, and unyielding!

Only those who have established merit and virtue can obtain the posthumous title of Wenzheng. Wenzheng is the highest pursuit of literati in this dynasty, only ceasing at death!

Therefore, when he chose an alias for himself, he used the Yi title, wishing to declare his ambition with this!”

Xiao Man said curiously, “So is this Mister Feng a good person or a bad person? Earlier, I heard Zhang Zheng mention him and say he might like to kill people!”

Zhang Xia smiled and patted her head. “Those people are all very complex. Leave it to later generations to judge!”

At this moment, the sound of knocking on the door rang out from outside the Ginkgo Garden!

Xiao Man said vigilantly, “It couldn’t be the Madam coming back to cause trouble again, could it?”

Zhang Xia put down her bowl and chopsticks, smoothed her flat white arrows and robes, and said calmly with steady eyebrows and eyes, “Xiao Man, go open the door. Whoever comes today, we must send them back!”

Xiao Man stood up to open the door. With a creak, a middle-aged couple was revealed outside the wooden door. Behind the couple were several maidservants and young servants holding lanterns with “Chen Manor” written on them!

The front and back thronged, extremely noble!

However, the middle-aged man was pale and beardless, wearing a simple deep blue Confucian robe. If it weren’t for the square flat crown on his head, he would perhaps resemble a simple Taoist even more!

The woman’s face was extremely beautiful. A plain white cross-collared large-front garment matched with a shawl that was also plain. Her thick hair was simply coiled up with a single wooden pin. Without gold, silver, or jade accessories, she was still extraordinarily eye-catching!

Or rather, if gold, silver, or jade were placed on her body, it would give rise to the suspicion of drawing a snake and adding feet!

Chen Ji hesitated. Who were these two people? He had fundamentally not seen these two people!

Was it Chen Lizun from the first branch, or Chen Lizhi from the second branch? Only these two people matched in age!

But if the person opposite was an outsider, Zhang Xia would definitely have given him some reminder!

But now, perhaps even Zhang Xia hadn’t once thought that Chen Ji didn’t even fully recognize his own family members!

Under the soft light of the lanterns in the evening, he saw the middle-aged scholar sweep a glance at the stone table and say gently, “Why is the food so simple? Didn’t the back kitchen of Diligent Politics Garden prepare a meal for Ginkgo Garden?”

Chen Ji stood up unmoving and cupped his hands, saying, “We returned late, so we didn’t disturb the back kitchen again!”

The middle-aged person smiled and said, “It doesn’t matter, the back kitchen has been specially instructed. They often prepare immortal family wine-stewed Poria cocos, and also have ten mouths of warm tripods stewing Qilin fetus and Xishi tongue. Just tell them to send it over, it’s no trouble! Aren’t you inviting us in to sit?”

Chen Ji cupped his hands and said, “Please enter!”

The middle-aged person came to the front of the stone table and looked into the pottery basin. “I just returned late from the yamen and only ate one bowl of stewed Poria cocos. Can you also serve me a bowl of these scalded hot noodles?”

Before Xiao Man could react, Zhang Xia had already stood up to serve the noodles, and then stood to the side!

By the edge of the stone table, only Chen Ji and the middle-aged couple were seated. The young servants and maidservants waited far away and did not approach!

The middle-aged person took a shallow taste of the scalded hot noodles, then put down his bowl and chopsticks and smiled. “It’s not bad. Qing Gui, how could you not come to see me when you returned to the capital from Luo City! When you were locked in the imperial prison, your friends beside you should have come to find me first! Today, when I heard you were locked in the imperial prison, I immediately went to the Directorate of Ceremonial. Only when I got there did I know that you were already out!”

The woman smiled and said, “Old Master, Chen Ji is already an adult now, and he has made great contributions in Guyuan. You cannot call him Qing Gui anymore, you have to call him by his formal name!”

Who was Qing Gui?

Chen Ji reacted after a few breaths and only realized that this was his milk name, and this milk name wasn’t even used by Chen Liqin! Strange, which family did this middle-aged person belong to? Why was he so intimate with him?

The more Chen Ji listened, the more he felt something was wrong. He said vaguely, “Thank you for your concern!”

The middle-aged person said warmly, “No need to be polite with me. Initially, when your father went to Luo City, I just told him that it would be fine for you to stay in the capital and I would look after you myself. But he wouldn’t agree no matter what. Later, he took you to Luo City, and then sent you to a medical hall as a young servant apprentice. It truly makes me wonder what to say about him! Or you should still move to Humble Administration Garden to live. I know you like brocade carp the most. The pond in Brocade Carp Garden always has a special person looking after it!”

Humble Administration Garden? This was the main residence of the first branch of the Chen family, belonging to the Left Vice Minister of the Board of Revenue, Chen Lizun!

And the woman beside him should be Chen Lizun’s principal wife, Lady Liu!

But the strange thing was, according to the case records of the Secret Agent Office, the first branch of the Chen family was not close to the third branch and often had arguments. Yet, the person opposite him was treating him so gently?

Chen Ji’s heart stirred. He replied, “Reporting to the Eldest Grand Master, Ginkgo Garden is quite good to live in. It is close to the side door, which makes it more convenient to enter and exit!”

Chen Lizun did not force him. “Whatever makes you happy!”

Lady Liu asked earnestly, “How were things in Luo City? In the past three years, we haven’t even received a letter from you. Your eldest uncle was still thinking about you last year on his way south to Jinling. He stopped in Luo City for a while, but the autumn harvest was at hand, so he ultimately prioritized public matters!”

Chen Ji said in a low voice, “It’s alright, I was doing quite well in Luo City!”

Lady Liu asked again, “Were you ever injured in Guyuan?”

Chen Ji shook his head. “No injuries.”

Lady Liu breathed a sigh of relief. “It’s good that you weren’t injured. It’s good that you’ve now entered the Feathered Guard Army. That’s a leisurely yamen, so you don’t need to worry about being in danger again! Right, in a few days, I will ask the shopkeeper of Wang Jicheng Cloth Shop to come to the manor and have several sets of clothes made for you. Look, all your clothes are old!”

As she spoke, she reached out to pull Chen Ji’s sleeve. Chen Ji subconsciously retracted his left hand! Lady Liu was startled for a moment, then smiled to cover the awkwardness. “In a few days, when that shopkeeper comes, I will ask a young servant to lead him to find you!”

Having finished speaking, she looked towards Zhang Xia, who was standing to one side. “This one must be Miss Zhang. Truly full of heroic spirit! Your mother and I are old acquaintances. When we were young, we even played polo together. She played much better than me. I only followed behind her eating dust!”

Zhang Xia said politely, “Thank you for your praise, Aunt. Mother also mentioned you. She said that no matter how well she played polo, it couldn’t cover up your style! All those literati went to watch you!”

Lady Liu was silent for a moment, with no expression of joy, only a light voice in reply, “Those are all things of the past!”

Chen Lizun looked at the several people, stood up, and said to Chen Ji, “Since you and a few friends are having a small gathering, your aunt and I won’t disturb you much! I still have to go to Tangjie tomorrow. I will come to see you again when I return to the capital!”

Chen Ji cupped his hands and bowed. “Eldest Uncle, walk slowly!”

Chen Lizun and Lady Liu turned around and left the door. Young servants held lanterns and served them on the left and right, leading them through Small Yingzhou and back to Humble Administration Garden!

When Ginkgo Garden became quiet again, Zhang Xia suddenly said, “I know why Mister Feng wanted you to definitely return to the Chen family!”

Chen Ji was silent and did not speak!

Zhang Zheng and Xiao Man were confused. “Why?”

Zhang Xia said with certainty, “He hopes that Chen Ji will return to the Chen family, be adopted into the first branch of the Chen family, and inherit the Chen family’s business!”

Xiao Man’s eyes widened. “Ah, I never heard anyone mention that before! The servants in Diligent Politics Garden all say that the illegitimate son from the second branch, Chen Yu, is to be adopted by the Eldest Grand Master. The Eldest Grand Master also often says he wants to adopt Chen Yu!”

Zhang Xia said in a low voice, “According to what I know, the first branch of the Chen family controls eighty percent of the Chen family’s industries. The second branch has always coveted this. Naturally, Chen Lizun would rather adopt from the third branch, which doesn’t compete with the world.”

Xiao Man said doubtfully, “No wonder the adoption matter has been discussed for so many years, and it hasn’t actually happened! Since the first branch favors our Young Master, why haven’t they adopted him all these years?”

Zhang Xia thought for a moment and said, “It seems the second branch is causing obstruction. Perhaps three years ago, when Master Chen Liqin from the third branch was transferred to Luo City, it was the second branch that found a way to separate the third branch!”

Xiao Man looked at Chen Ji with shining eyes. “Young Master, go live in Politics Garden! If you are adopted, you can enter the family genealogy, and the Chen family’s future will also be yours! If we use Aunt’s words, this is a huge business with no capital and ten thousand good profits!”

Zhang Xia smiled. “Let your Young Master consider it himself! After all, even if he is adopted, he still has to wait until the Chen family master and the master of the first branch, Chen Lizhi, are all dead. Then it will be the turn of the Chen family’s Young Master to have a say. He will have to be a son to others for decades. Your Young Master might not be the kind of person who can endure anger and swallow his voice!”

Xiao Man’s eyes rolled. “Then after being adopted, if he kills them all, won’t the Young Master be able to inherit the Chen family?”

Zhang Zheng’s face changed. “You!!!!!”

Before he finished speaking, a meow sound came from inside the room!

Chen Ji turned his head to look inside the room!

Xiao Man exclaimed, “I forgot about it!”

She ran into the room and hugged out a small black cat!

Chen Ji was doubtful. “This is?”

Xiao Man explained, “The day Young Master was arrested and taken into the imperial prison, Second Sister gave it to me and told me to keep it at home so people wouldn’t suspect anything!”

Chen Ji looked at Zhang Xia. Zhang Xia explained, “Father said that the one the Empress held in her bosom was Black Cloud. Many people know that you have a black cat beside you. If it suddenly disappeared, he feared it would arouse suspicion, so he told me to go to the six livestock field quickly to buy a similar one and send it over!”

Chen Ji sighed. “Thank you!”

Zhang Xia hummed and stood up, saying, “It’s getting late. I will go back to rest with Big Brother!”

She walked to the front of the door and turned her head to look at Chen Ji. “If you can be adopted into the first branch, then you will be an ‘adopted legitimate son’ who can host sacrifices and inherit the family business! If you want to save the princess, having this layer of identity will definitely make things much easier, and even cultivate path can get a lot of help! You just need to be careful. The world of family replacement, dangerous places are no less than the imperial family seizing heirs. The second branch will not give up easily!”

Chen Ji nodded. “I understand!”

Zhang Xia sighed lightly. “I also don’t know how the princess is doing in Jingyang Palace. The Chen family definitely has confidants planted in the palace as inner officials. If you can get the Chen family’s help, the princess’s days in the palace might also be better!”