In the inn’s main hall, the Imperial Guards stood with swords drawn, surrounding the area. Zhou You stood alone in the center, speaking clearly and forcefully.

Li Xuan looked around, then turned back to the Deputy Commander of the Border Army. “Commander Zhou,” he began, “it’s certainly admirable that you share meals and lodging with your soldiers. However, the fact that Jing Dynasty spies could set fire to the grain right under the noses of your border army means you can hardly avoid responsibility. Without an insider within your ranks, the Jing Dynasty spies would never have succeeded.”

Zhou You’s eyelids twitched slightly, then he slowly replied, “We will investigate this matter ourselves; there’s no need for Commander Li to concern himself.”

Li Xuan finally could not help but explode in anger. “You’ll investigate it yourself? Commander Zhou, I suspect you are the Jing Dynasty’s insider! If the grain you’ve taken is burned again, then Gu Yuan City will truly be beyond saving!”

Zhou You, in his armor, sneered as he looked around. “What, does Commander Li intend to detain me for interrogation? Let’s see if your Imperial Guards possess such capability! I joined the border army in the 11th year of Jianing, risking my life. In over twenty-one years, I have personally beheaded three hundred and nineteen Jing Dynasty rebels on the battlefield. It is not for a group of capital officials to accuse me of being a Jing Dynasty insider!”

The Crown Prince spoke in a gentle tone, “Commander Zhou has rendered invaluable service guarding the border, and we are not questioning that. However, regarding the destruction of the border army’s granary, does the border army not owe the imperial court an explanation?”

Zhou You brushed dust from his armor and said arrogantly, “If I survive this battle, I will naturally provide an explanation to the court. Men, move all the remaining grain from this Dragon Gate Inn and transport it to the border army camp!”

Outside the inn, someone abruptly tore down the cotton curtain at the entrance. Men in rattan armor then rushed into the inn’s backyard, carrying away all the grain they could find.

Qi Zhenzhuo moved to draw his sword, but Li Xuan firmly restrained him. “Hold back,” Li Xuan urged. “Zhou You seems to have come specifically to provoke us. A moment of impatience can ruin a great plan!”

Qi Zhenzhuo was so enraged his teeth nearly shattered, but he slowly loosened his grip on the sword.

After the border army departed, a cold wind howled into the inn, leaving everyone inside looking at each other blankly.

Xiao Wu and Xiao Liu picked up the cotton curtain from the floor, now covered in countless footprints, and turned to the innkeeper. “Innkeeper, what should we do?” they asked.

The innkeeper calmly replied, “What else can be done? Sew it up, then nail it back to the doorframe. Do you need to ask me about such a thing?”

Xiao Wu scratched his head. “I mean, our inn’s reputation has just been trampled like this. Aren’t we going to do something? How dare Zhou You…”

“Silence,” the innkeeper said coldly.

At that moment, Li Xuan and Chen Liqin both wore troubled expressions.

Li Xuan whispered, “Now that all the grain in the city has been taken by the border army, what should we do? If we were to truly instruct His Highness to fetch porridge from a public stall, we would have to atone with our lives.”

Chen Liqin sighed. “May I ask how much silver His Highness brought with him to Gu Yuan this time?”

Li Xuan replied, “The Ministry of Revenue allocated four thousand taels of silver; that’s the official amount. How much the Crown Prince brought privately, I cannot inquire.”

Chen Liqin silently calculated, “In normal times, four thousand taels of silver would be enough to buy eight thousand *shi* of grain, and one *shi* of grain is enough to feed an Imperial Guard soldier for thirty days. But now the entire city is short on grain. Even if there are merchants secretly hoarding it, they’ll sell it at exorbitant prices.”

At this time, it would be fortunate if four thousand taels of silver could even buy eight hundred *shi* of grain. Forget eight hundred; just finding grain would be a blessing. If they only had a dozen or so people to feed, he might still find a way, but there were five hundred Imperial Guards here waiting to eat.

Chen Liqin already regretted not heeding Zhang Zhuo’s advice. If he had ignored the urgent 500-li dispatch earlier and instead proceeded to the Ministry of Personnel in the capital to take up his post, he would not be in this troublesome situation now.

He looked at Li Xuan. “Commander Li, do you have a plan?”

Li Xuan was silent for a moment. “Commander Chen, I am the Left Division Guard of the Eastern Palace, solely responsible for ensuring His Highness’s safety. Matters of provisions and fodder are not within my humble duties.”

Chen Liqin’s heart sank.

At this moment, the innkeeper bowed to the Crown Prince. “Honorable guests, will you be staying at the inn?”

The Crown Prince’s gaze returned from the doorway, and he smiled. “Yes, please trouble the innkeeper to arrange rooms for us.”

The innkeeper opened the ledger beside him, then glanced back at the ‘room availability board’ hanging behind him. “Guests,” he said, “who will take the only remaining Heaven-Grade room?”

Li Xuan quickly said, “Of course, my young master will stay there.”

The innkeeper took out a ‘room occupied’ tag, hung it on the wall behind him corresponding to Heaven-Grade Room D, then continued, “And for the ten Earth-Grade rooms, who will be staying in those?”

Before Li Xuan could answer, Chen Wenxiao, who was standing nearby, asked, “Can’t the guests in the Heaven-Grade rooms free up a few more?”

The innkeeper smiled. “No matter who it is, once they stay in my inn, they are my esteemed guests. What kind of business chases people away? A few guests are leaving the day after tomorrow; it won’t be too late for others to move into those rooms then.”

Chen Wenxiao was about to say more, but Chen Liqin placed a hand on his shoulder.

Chen Liqin pointed at Chen Ji and politely told the innkeeper, “We don’t need a Heaven-Grade room; a room next to his will suffice.”

The innkeeper raised an eyebrow. “Guest, that cannot be arranged. Young Master Chen is staying in Heaven-Grade Room C, and there are no vacant rooms next to his.”

Chen Liqin paused, slightly taken aback.

Chen Wenxiao’s eyes darted around, and he loudly declared from the side, “Chen Ji, give your Heaven-Grade room to Father and Mother. You and I can simply stay in Earth-Grade rooms.”

Even Chen Wenzong whispered to Chen Ji, “You and I can stay in Earth-Grade rooms. Our dynasty highly values filial piety; if you don’t switch, I fear it might affect your future in the Eastern Palace.”

Chen Ji glanced sideways at Chen Wenzong, understanding that the other man was also considering his future. He pondered for a moment and then said, “Innkeeper, please help us switch rooms and let Commander Chen stay in the Heaven-Grade room.”

To their surprise, after the innkeeper clearly understood Chen Liqin’s identity, his expression immediately soured. “No, you cannot switch,” he declared.

Chen Wenxiao exclaimed in surprise, “We ourselves agreed to switch; why won’t you allow it? We paid for the room; we decide who stays in it!”

The innkeeper scoffed. “This Heaven-Grade Room C was a gift from me for Young Master Chen to stay in, without even charging him room fees. I can let whoever I want stay there, can’t I?”

This time, even Chen Ji was surprised, unsure of the innkeeper’s intent.

During the standoff, the Crown Prince observed silently. He was puzzled by the innkeeper’s sudden change in attitude. How could an innkeeper have the confidence to defy a fourth-rank official? And why would he choose to do so?

Furthermore, he was even more perplexed by Chen Ji’s special standing within the inn. At this point, even if someone told him that Chen Ji owned the inn, he would believe it.

Chen Liqin asked, puzzled, “Why can Chen Ji stay here for free?”

The innkeeper leaned his elbow on the counter, rolled his eyes, and retorted, “Is it any of your business?”

Chen Liqin, his anger flaring, sputtered, “You!”

The innkeeper sneered mockingly, “You ‘you’ what?”

Wang Gui stepped forward and sternly announced, “My master is a Junior Grand Secretary of the Grand Secretariat, a fourth-rank imperial official. Speak with more respect!”

The innkeeper was silent for a moment, then scoffed, “A fourth-rank official? Before I left office, I was a full fourth-rank. I didn’t care for full fourth-rank officials back then, so what exactly is a mere fourth-rank?”

Wang Gui’s eyes widened. “You were a full fourth-rank? Spreading such lies is a punishable offense!”

The innkeeper stated with a serious expression, “In the 14th year of Jianing, I served as Deputy Commander of Gu Yuan, and was granted a Qilin Robe by the current Emperor as a commendation!”

With that, he actually pulled out a jade-encrusted belt from under the counter and casually tossed it onto the surface.

Everyone looked closer and confirmed that what lay on the counter was indeed the jade belt of a Qilin Robe. The cloth belt, inlaid with white jade, was subtly patterned with a dragon’s head, a musk deer’s body, and a lion’s tail.

Normally, officials who received such a distinguished honor would meticulously enshrine and care for the Qilin Robe at home. Yet, this innkeeper casually tucked the jade belt under the counter, only to casually toss it back onto the counter, as if he held no regard for it.

Chen Liqin and Li Xuan exchanged glances, both surprised to find such hidden talent in this small inn.

Li Xuan cupped his hands. “I had long heard that this inn was opened by General Wentao’s former subordinates,” he said. “I thought it was merely a rumor, but it turns out to be true.”

The innkeeper lazily put the jade belt back under the counter. “It’s nothing, nothing; those are all things of the past,” he said. “If no one comes here to show off, I wouldn’t need to bring this jade belt out. Nowadays, I hold no official rank; I just manage this small establishment. Even if Hu Junxian, a full second-rank official, were to come, if I told him to stay in an Earth-Grade room, he would have to obey.”

“What nonsense are you spouting?” Chen Wenxiao scoffed. “Even if you once held an official position, you are now merely a commoner. Hmph, we won’t be staying here!”

The innkeeper’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Once you step out that door,” he warned, “any guest my Dragon Gate Inn refuses to accommodate, no one in all of Gu Yuan City will dare to take in.”

Chen Wenxiao pointed at the innkeeper’s nose. “Just a moment ago, you said you were open for business, but now you have this attitude… Chen Ji, did you instruct him?”

Chen Wenzong slapped his brother’s hand away, angrily retorting, “When have you ever seen Chen Ji instruct the innkeeper?”

Chen Wenxiao grew agitated. “Brother, why do you always speak in his favor? You and I are true blood brothers!”

Chen Wenzong calmly stated, “I only speak logically. Furthermore, in our dynasty, there is no distinction of closeness or status between legitimate and illegitimate brothers. Do not mention those words again, or you will receive ten strokes of the rod to teach you a lesson.”

Chen Wenxiao opened his mouth, but for a long moment, no words came out.

A moment later, the Crown Prince smiled and intervened to ease the tension. “Everyone,” he began, “let Chen Ji stay in Heaven-Grade Room C. He is now my Right Division Guard, and it is fitting for him to reside next door to ensure my safety.”

The inn suddenly fell silent. Seeing that the Crown Prince was no longer concealing his identity, everyone immediately cupped their hands and said, “As Your Highness commands.”

The Crown Prince, having revealed his identity, turned to look at the innkeeper. He had expected a change in the man’s demeanor, but the innkeeper, as if nothing had happened, simply walked towards the backyard, calling out to Xiao Wu and Xiao Liu, “Go, take people and clean all the rooms!”

The Crown Prince smiled, lifted the hem of his robe, and ascended the stairs.

As he walked, he asked curiously, “Chen Ji, which room are Young Master Zhang and Second Miss Zhang staying in? Since I’ve also moved in, I should pay them a visit.”

Chen Ji hesitated for a moment. “Reporting to Your Highness,” he said, “they both reside with me in Heaven-Grade Room C.”

The Crown Prince, halfway up the stairs, turned back in astonishment. “You all share one room?”

Even the Chen family members behind them were utterly astonished. Chen Liqin frowned, “How can you be so disregardful of propriety? If this news reaches the capital, how will Second Miss Zhang maintain her reputation?”

Chen Ji pondered, noting that this wasn’t the first time the Crown Prince had brought up Zhang Xia. What was his intention?

He thought for a moment before explaining, “Gu Yuan is not peaceful. The four of us are alone and must be extra vigilant. So, we simply sleep on the floor in the same room, separated by sheets, which makes it convenient for taking turns on night watch.”

The Crown Prince smiled broadly. “I see,” he said. “You truly had a difficult time before. Now that the Imperial Guards are guarding the area, you can live separately. Clear out an Earth-Grade room specifically for Second Miss Zhang, so as not to compromise her reputation. I will also instruct the Imperial Guards that no one is allowed to reveal this matter; violators will be dismissed from office and never rehired.”

Chen Ji calmly replied, “Thank you for Your Highness’s concern. It is certainly good to have extra rooms. I will go ask them now.”