By the window lattice, Chen Ji’s expression was grim.

The Jing Dynasty’s siege was imminent, but the secret passage was merely a front for Dragon Gate Inn’s illicit dealings, leaving no escape route.

At this moment, Xiaoman and Zhang Zheng were still bickering. Zhang Xia, unable to stop them, simply got up and moved further away.

She approached Chen Ji and asked curiously, “What are you thinking about?”

Chen Ji suddenly asked, “Miss Zhang, is there a possibility of a massacre after the Jing Dynasty breaches the city?”

Zhang Xia was silent for a moment. “Jing Yuanzong once personally led an expedition to Guyuan. He was ambushed in Longshan, shot by an arrow, and fled. The arrowheads were poisoned, and even with the monks from Kujue Temple attempting to heal him, it was no use. He died two months later. Before his death, he left a dying wish: ‘If Heaven blesses my son, he shall take full control of Guyuan, search for and kill the remaining populace, build a Jingguan, and ensure their bones cover the fields, turning a thousand li into barren land.'”

Chen Ji’s heart tightened. Even Xiaoman and Zhang Zheng stopped bickering and looked at Zhang Xia anxiously.

Xiaoman looked at Chen Ji worriedly. “Young Master, Guyuan hasn’t fallen in hundreds of years. This time, we should be able to hold it, right?”

Chen Ji did not answer, nor could he.

What happened in Luocheng seemed long ago, yet Prince Jing’s death was like a butterfly flapping its wings across an ocean, stirring up an unknown storm. He didn’t know how many in Guyuan’s border army sought revenge for Prince Jing, or how many were plotting rebellion and colluding with the enemy.

Guyuan had never been breached before, but now no one dared to be certain.

Xiaoman asked softly, “If the Jing Dynasty truly massacres the city, how many people in Guyuan will survive?”

Zhang Xia stood by the window lattice, looking back at her. “One or two out of a hundred, at most.”

Xiaoman asked again, “Is there any way to survive?”

Zhang Xia recalled, “Officials who surrender can live, but they must be tattooed on the face with the character ‘surrender.’ This way, any thought of returning to the Ning Dynasty is cut off.”

Xiaoman wondered, “With such humiliation for officials, who would still be willing to surrender to them?”

Zhang Zheng sneered, “Better a bad life than a good death, I suppose.”

Xiaoman glared at him. “If the Jing Dynasty breaches the city, you’d be the first to surrender! Too bad you’re not an official; they wouldn’t want you!”

Zhang Zheng raised an eyebrow. “This man would rather die than surrender!”

Xiaoman scoffed, “Do you really have the backbone to die rather than surrender?”

Zhang Zheng chuckled, “If I surrendered, my father, that official-obsessed man, would definitely be dismissed and investigated by His Majesty. I can’t put him in that position.”

Xiaoman ignored him, turning to Zhang Xia instead. “If the Jing Dynasty tattoos officials’ faces, aren’t they afraid of those officials seeking revenge later?”

Zhang Xia sighed. “In fact, officials with tattooed faces become even more ruthless when killing their own people than the Jing Dynasty’s soldiers. There was once a tattooed turncoat general in the Jing Dynasty’s Heavenly Strategem Army who killed many Ning Dynasty people. He vanished after the Battle of Quwu Mountain.”

Xiaoman lowered her head, lost in thought.

Seeing the tense atmosphere, Chen Ji smiled and reassured them, “Perhaps it’s just a false alarm? Everyone should get some rest. We have important matters tomorrow. Xiaoman, you take the second half of the night watch.”

“Oh…”

Late into the quiet night.

Xiaoman, on night watch by the window lattice, quietly looked around. Chen Ji and Zhang Zheng were sleeping on the floor in the outer room, while Zhang Xia was sleeping alone on the floor in the inner room, with a curtain separating them.

She turned her head and was suddenly startled. She saw Wuyun, the cat, crouching on the windowsill with its paws tucked, staring coldly at her.

Xiaoman suddenly felt something strange. As Wuyun breathed, its body’s rhythm of rising and falling seemed to fluctuate, sometimes fast, sometimes slow, as if following some kind of rhythm. Its tucked paws seemed to hide a knife.

She shook her head. What was she thinking? It was just a cat.

Xiaoman tiptoed out of the room, careful not to make a sound.

She went down the stairs and saw a candlestick lit on the counter. The innkeeper was using a brush pen to record accounts.

Seeing her come down, the innkeeper asked curiously, “Are you looking for hot water, honored guest? Just find Xiao Wu in the back.”

However, Xiaoman suddenly flipped her palm, revealing a ‘Lantern’ bronze coin. “Innkeeper, have you seen this item before?”

The innkeeper’s eyes narrowed slightly. “If you are a colleague, why did you not speak up earlier when I asked ‘copper coins or silver?'”

Xiaoman went to the other side of the counter and said calmly, “The others are unaware of my identity, so I didn’t reveal myself.”

The innkeeper uttered an “Oh.” “It seems the other three guests have no connection to my ‘Lantern’ organization. Honored guest, since you’ve come to my Lantern Guest House and shown the bronze coin, what is your request?”

Xiaoman asked softly, “Does your inn actually have a secret passage to leave Guyuan?”

The innkeeper hesitated.

Xiaoman asked calmly, “Are you hiding it even from a colleague? Lantern Guest House, show a bronze coin, and all requests are granted!”

The innkeeper smiled, putting down his brush pen. “Naturally, there are. My Dragon Gate Inn has two secret passages. If you pay with silver, you’re merely robbed clean. If you present a bronze coin, you can pass unhindered.”

“Where do they lead?”

“To Jing Dynasty, Xijing Province, Fengsheng Prefecture.”

“Only this one path?”

“Only this one.”

Xiaoman suddenly sighed in relief. “How much is the toll?”

The innkeeper picked up a bamboo stick, brightened the lamp wick, and then slowly said, “Two bronze coins per person.”

Xiaoman hesitated. She only had two bronze coins, but there were four people who needed to leave.

The innkeeper put down the bamboo stick and asked with a smile, “When do you plan to leave, honored guest?”

Xiaoman was silent for a moment before asking, “I only have two bronze coins. One bronze coin is worth two hundred taels of silver. Can I pay twelve hundred taels to buy passage for three more people to leave Guyuan via the secret passage?”

“There’s no such rule,” the innkeeper said, eyeing Xiaoman suspiciously. “Are you truly one of ‘Lantern’s’ people? How do you not even know these rules? Where did you get this bronze coin?”

Xiaoman quickly said, “Why are you asking all this…? Can I then give this Lantern bronze coin to someone else to use?”

The innkeeper said meaningfully, “Honored guest, how can another’s life be more important than your own? You are willing to spend two Lantern bronze coins to buy passage for others, but in their eyes, are you worth those two coins? In today’s jianghu world, if one isn’t for themselves, Heaven and Earth will destroy them.”

Xiaoman paused, slightly stunned. “You have a point.”

The innkeeper smiled faintly. “You can use the secret passage at any time, but you must remember not to tell anyone else about this, or ‘Lantern’ will not tolerate you.”

“I know the rules!”

With that, Xiaoman, holding up her skirt, clattered up the stairs. Only after entering the room did she lean against the closed door, letting out a long breath.

A moment later, she composed herself and tiptoed to the wardrobe, quietly searching through Chen Ji’s clothes. The next moment, she pulled out two strings of Buddhist coins from the wardrobe. This was all of Chen Ji’s worldly possessions.

She bit her lower lip, seemingly struggling. She looked first at the Buddhist coins in her hand, then at the sleeping Chen Ji on his makeshift bed, unsure of what she was hesitating about.

Finally, Xiaoman let out a soft sigh and tucked the Buddhist coins back into Chen Ji’s sleeve.

In the early morning, there was no dog barking, no rooster crowing.

Guyuan’s nights were restless, with courtesans and dancers flaunting their charms and bustling crowds. But the mornings were quiet, as if the thin morning mist blocked out distant sounds.

In the Tianzi Jiahao Room, the residual warmth of the charcoal fire lingered.

Chen Ji sat up from his makeshift bed and turned to look at Xiaoman, who was on night watch by the window lattice.

At this moment, Xiaoman’s face betrayed her inner thoughts, and she was muttering something unintelligible.

Chen Ji glanced at Zhang Zheng and Zhang Xia, who were still sound asleep, and asked quietly, “Xiaoman, what are you muttering about?”

Xiaoman was startled by his voice. “Oh, Young Master, you’re awake? I… I… I wasn’t muttering anything.”

Chen Ji eyed her suspiciously. “If you weren’t muttering, why are you flustered?”

Xiaoman quickly straightened up, her neck stiff, and said, “I’m not flustered.”

Chen Ji smiled, not exposing her.

Xiaoman pursed her lips, hesitating for a moment. “Young Master, are you going to sell the news of the Jing Dynasty’s siege today?”

Chen Ji hummed in affirmation.

Xiaoman looked directly at Chen Ji and asked, “Can you give me a thousand taels of silver? No, no, five hundred will do.”

She secretly observed Chen Ji’s expression. Seeing him unmoved, she changed her mind again. “If not, four hundred taels would also be fine.”

Chen Ji asked curiously, “What do you need so much silver for?”

Xiaoman whispered, “It’s nothing. Just assume I spoke foolishly in a moment of confusion.”

With that, she lowered her head and started to leave. “I’ll go find a servant to get you hot water to wash up. Please wait a moment, Young Master.”

Chen Ji called out to her, “Xiaoman.”

Xiaoman turned back, puzzled. “Hmm?”

Chen Ji thought for a moment, then pulled out a string of Buddhist coins from his sleeve. “This is eleven hundred taels of silver.”

Xiaoman froze in place. “Young Master, you dare to give me so much silver? Aren’t you afraid I’ll run away?”

Chen Ji got up, and while tidying his clothes, casually said, “Guyuan City is sealed off. Where could you possibly run to?”

Xiaoman looked at the Buddhist coins in Chen Ji’s hand, her eyes flickering. “But what if I really did run away?”

Chen Ji thought for a moment and replied, “I promised you before that when we reach the capital, I’d get your indenture from Madam and prepare a dowry for you. If you run away, consider this your dowry prepared in advance.”

Xiaoman smiled so widely her canine teeth showed, yet she still grumbled softly, “Even if you’re preparing a dowry for me, Young Master, you don’t need to give so much! Other wealthy families might give a maid fifty taels of silver as a dowry and be considered extremely generous. For you to give over a thousand taels at once—you don’t know how to manage money, you spendthrift!”

Chen Ji feigned taking back the Buddhist coins. “If you don’t want them, forget it.”

“I want them, I want them!” Xiaoman reached out and snatched the Buddhist coins, then turned and took her light green, front-opening padded jacket from the wardrobe to put on.

Chen Ji asked curiously, “Are you going out?”

“Yes.”

Chen Ji was puzzled. “Where are you going?”

“You’ll know later,” Xiaoman said mysteriously. “Young Master, please don’t open the forum to sell information before I return. You absolutely must wait for me!”

With that, she left without looking back.

But as soon as the door closed, Xiaoman pushed it open again, poking her head in from outside. “Young Master, you absolutely must wait for me to come back! Promise me!”

Chen Ji said impatiently, “Go on, hurry up and do whatever you need to do.”