Winter, the 28th day of the twelfth lunar month, in the 31st year of Jianing.

Outside Guyuan, strong winds whipped yellow dust into the sky, which then drifted gently down, creating a rustling sound like rain as it landed on people.

On Guyuan’s city wall, a soldier, with a grey cloth scarf wrapped around most of his face, leaned against a crenellation, dozing.

From afar, the sound of camel bells drifted.

The soldier pulled his scarf down, looked up, and gazed out of the city. Along the dusty official road, stretching as far as the eye could see, a long camel train was approaching from a distance.

The roads here were rugged; even the official thoroughfares were full of potholes. Carts and ox-carts could not pass, requiring wheel changes every few dozen li. All merchants coming from the Central Plains had to switch to camels or mules in Taiyuan Prefecture to continue their journey.

The soldier squinted, observing, and muttered softly, “The New Year is almost here. Who would come to such a godforsaken place? Huh, officials?”

He saw a servant leading the way, holding the reins, while the people behind were completely covered and seated on the camels’ backs.

If it were a merchant caravan, the traders would surely want to load every possible item onto the camel humps and would never occupy a riding spot themselves. Only officials would travel this way.

Soon, the camel train arrived below the city wall. A soldier, hand on his saber, shouted loudly, “Who goes there?”

A servant, gripping the reins, cupped his hands and saluted, “My lord is Chen Liqin, a fourth-rank Junior Academician from the Hanlin Academy, here by the Crown Prince’s command! Open the gates at once!”

“Oh, so it’s the Crown Prince’s people,” the soldier’s expression slowly darkened. He said dismissively, “Wait, I’ll go report.”

The camel train waited in the wind and sand for a full half-hour, but the city gates remained closed. No matter how the servant called from below the wall, no one paid him any heed.

At the back of the camel train, Zhang Xia, Zhang Zheng, Chen Ji, and Xiaoman had their mouths and noses wrapped in red scarves. Despite the layers of scarves piled on their necks and shoulders, they still couldn’t fend off the biting cold.

Zhang Xia sat on his saddle, half his face hidden by his scarf, and whispered, “Something’s not right. How can a remote borderland like Guyuan disrespect a fourth-rank imperial official? Especially one who is also a subordinate of the Eastern Palace.”

Chen Ji hummed in agreement, looking up to survey the fortress. It was extremely tall, making his neck ache from craning. The green bricks of the city wall, eroded by wind, had clearly stood for countless years.

Ancient and magnificent—that was Chen Ji’s deepest impression of the Guyuan military garrison.

Guyuan was flanked by mountains on both sides. The city seemed to be built within a massive valley, blocking the southward path of Jing Dynasty cavalry.

With a creak, the city gates slowly opened.

Two squads of armored soldiers, holding long halberds, marched out in formation, subtly surrounding the camel train.

Chen Liqin cast a weary glance, asking, “What is the meaning of this?”

Wang Gui, who was holding his reins, offered solicitously, “My lord, shall I go ask?”

“Go ahead.”

Wang Gui was tireless. He wasn’t yet a steward, so he didn’t necessarily have to concern himself with such matters. However, if he didn’t proactively seek out tasks, he might never regain his position as a steward.

Wang Gui stepped forward and asked, “Generals, why are you surrounding our camel train? We are the entourage of Junior Academician Chen Liqin.”

An armored deputy general smiled, “Please do not be alarmed. Guyuan is a vital military stronghold. Recently, Jing Dynasty spies have infiltrated to gather intelligence. To prevent any oversight, we must inspect your luggage.”

Wang Gui’s expression changed. “The Crown Prince’s decree and our travel permits are all in order. How dare you search our luggage?”

The deputy general, with his right hand on his saber, sneered, “We border soldiers shed our blood here. We only care about killing enemies and catching spies, regardless of whether they are third-rank or fourth-rank officials. Even if the Minister of War or a Grand Secretary of the current court were to come, they would be searched all the same!”

Wang Gui was speechless. From the capital to Luocheng, he was accustomed to being flattered, but he never expected these border troops to show no respect even for a fourth-rank official!

Why would they go so far?

Seeing that negotiation was futile, Chen Liqin, assisted by a servant, dismounted his camel. “General, have we inadvertently offended you? If so, I apologize on behalf of my subordinates.”

The deputy general offered a cold, mirthless smile. “Lord Chen, you speak too seriously. We are merely performing our duties. Look at this pass behind me; if it were seized by the Jing Dynasty, the people of Ningzhou and Shaanxi provinces would suffer greatly, wouldn’t you agree?”

Madam Liang wrapped herself tightly in her scarf. She gave Wang Gui a look, and Wang Gui immediately took a silver ingot from his sleeve and discreetly slipped it into the deputy general’s hand. “My lord understands the hardships of border soldiers. Please be accommodating.”

“What do you take us border soldiers for?” The deputy general threw the silver ingot onto the yellow dust. “We are merely acting on orders. If you resist further, you will all be arrested as Jing Dynasty spies! Search them!”

Wang Gui became anxious. “Hey, stop that!”

He stepped forward and grabbed a soldier’s arm, but the border soldier, radiating fierce intent, directly drew his saber with a clang. “Get lost!”

Wang Gui, seeing the gleaming saber, sheepishly retreated a few steps.

At the back of the camel train, Zhang Zheng said cheerfully, “Good thing we don’t have any luggage; we don’t have to worry about being searched.”

Chen Ji chuckled, “Brother Zhang is naturally optimistic; he lives a happier life than others.”

Zhang Zheng, pleased by the compliment, said gleefully, “Indeed! When we go back, I must tell my father never to come to the borderlands, or he’ll have to endure this humiliating search.”

Zhang Xia shot his brother a glare, then turned to Chen Ji and whispered, “I wonder what the Crown Prince has done in Guyuan to provoke such widespread anger. My father once said that ever since General Wentao was executed by lingchi, the border army has been plagued with problems. There have even been occasional instances of border troops leading their men to defect to the Jing Dynasty…”

Chen Ji asked, puzzled, “Lingchi? What was the charge?”

“Collusion with the enemy.” Zhang Xia glanced at the border soldiers not far away and whispered, “In previous years, some people in Ningzhou secretly erected shrines for General Wentao, but the imperial court discovered them and had them all torn down. At that time, some border troops mutinied, coinciding with the Jing Dynasty cavalry advancing south. If not for Mr. Wang, who was appointed in a time of crisis and led troops to quell the rebellion, a great disaster might have already occurred.”

Zhang Zheng chuckled, “I heard about that. They say a thousand-household unit mutinied, and Mr. Wang, a civilian official, entered the unit alone on horseback and quelled the rebellion overnight. Later, Mr. Wang was promoted to Garrison Commander, leading five thousand-household units in a surprise attack on Jing Dynasty supplies, forcing their cavalry to retreat. He became a renowned scholar-general known throughout the capital… My father originally thought Mr. Wang would be transferred to the Ministry of War this time, but unfortunately, the imperial approval was somehow blocked. My father said that if Mr. Wang were at the border garrison, it would ensure twenty years of peace and stability, allowing him to focus on many other matters.”

Chen Ji realized, no wonder Lord Zhang had seemed so dejected in Luocheng when he didn’t see Mr. Wang’s promotion papers.

At this moment, the border soldiers took Chen’s family luggage off the camel humps, opened each piece to search, and scattered gold, silver, and valuables all over the ground. They weren’t meticulously examining the contents; they simply wanted to tear things open and throw them down.

This was not a search for Jing Dynasty spies; it was clearly meant to give the Crown Prince’s subordinates a harsh warning.

When the soldiers searched Chen Ji, one of them noticed the long, cloth-wrapped whale knife lying across his saddle. He immediately asked in a cold voice, “What is this? Is it a weapon?”

Chen Ji did not answer.

The soldier called to his comrades, “Come here, this man has a weapon on him! Seize all these riders and send them to the general for disposition!”

Upon hearing that someone was carrying a weapon, over a dozen soldiers surrounded them, uniformly pointing their halberds at Chen Ji and his companions. Zaodao stomped restlessly on the yellow earth, snorting white steam.

The shouting woke Xiaoman, who had been dozing on her pony. She gripped the reins tightly and quietly asked, “Young Master, what should we do?”

Wuyun stood up from Zaodao’s head, staring coldly at all the soldiers.

Chen Ji said softly, “Don’t act rashly.”

As his words fell, hoofbeats echoed from the city gate arch. A man galloped forth on horseback, with sharp eyebrows, bright eyes, clad in silver armor, and a white pheasant tail plume rising high from his helmet, looking extremely valiant.

Seeing the scattered gold, silver, and valuables on the ground, the man shouted, “How dare you! These are the Crown Prince’s subordinates; how dare you make trouble for them?”

The border army’s deputy general at the city gate sneered, “Lord Li, what is wrong with us investigating Jing Dynasty spies? Perhaps, having enjoyed a life of ease by the Crown Prince’s side, you do not realize how serious the consequences are if Jing Dynasty spies are allowed in.”

Lord Li, in silver armor, retorted angrily, “You’ve let so many merchants in; Jing Dynasty spies have long since blended among them. The Crown Prince ordered you to conduct your own investigation into Jing Dynasty spies, yet you choose to start with the Crown Prince’s own subordinates. What kind of behavior is this?”

The border army’s deputy general said unhurriedly, “His Royal Highness the Crown Prince said there are many Jing Dynasty spies in our Guyuan military garrison. So, we will investigate according to his instructions. As for where to begin the investigation, that is up to us.”

Lord Li fumed, “You!”

The border army’s deputy general gripped his saber. “What, the Crown Prince’s subordinates cannot be investigated? Not only will they be investigated, but they will be thoroughly investigated. The New Year is the day after tomorrow; what respectable person would be coming to Guyuan at such a time?”

At this moment, amidst the bristling halberds, Chen Ji slowly rode forward as if no one else was present. He cupped his hands and saluted, “General, may I have a word with you aside?”

The border army’s deputy general sneered, “Say whatever you want right here. Do you intend to bribe me?”

Chen Liqin, standing nearby, frowned at Chen Ji. “This is not your place to speak. Step back.”

However, Chen Ji did not look at him. Instead, he dismounted his horse and cupped his hands to the deputy general, saying, “General, I am a personal disciple of Mr. Wang Daosheng. I wonder if you could make an exception?”

The border army’s deputy general paused slightly. He scrutinized Chen Ji, then glanced at the unusually spirited Zaodao. “You are Mr. Wang’s disciple?”

The soldiers exchanged glances, their halberds involuntarily lowering slightly.

The deputy general pondered for a moment. “Young man, you cannot speak carelessly. If I find out you’re lying, it won’t be as simple as a search. I ask you, do you have any token to prove your identity?”

Chen Ji shook his head. “No token. Mr. Wang is observing mourning at home. I studied with him. At Luhun Villa, Mr. Wang publicly acknowledged me as his personal disciple in front of over a hundred scholars. This is not false.”

The deputy general said gravely, “Without a token, how can I believe you? We are far away in this border region; we haven’t heard of any Luhun Villa.”

Chen Ji lowered his head in thought. When he looked up again, he said, “General, Mr. Wang once gifted his personal sword to the Deputy Commander of the Guyuan military garrison. Outsiders do not know of this matter; you may go to the Deputy Commander to verify it.”

The deputy general’s eyes lit up. He turned, called for his warhorse, and galloped away.

After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the deputy general galloped back, his eyes showing joy. Seeing the soldiers still holding their halberds, he immediately waved his hand. “Quickly put down your halberds… Why are you still standing there? Didn’t you hear what I said?”

Coming closer, he dismounted, and with a hearty laugh, cupped his hands in salute to Chen Ji. “So it truly is Mr. Wang’s disciple. My apologies, my sincerest apologies!”

With that, he turned and waved to the soldiers. “Let them pass!”