In the inn’s main hall, Wang Gui held a steaming basket of yellow corn buns, his back resolutely turned to Chen Ji.

He pondered what excuse he would use to dismiss Chen Ji if he came over to ask for a bun.

However, Chen Ji paid no attention to Wang Gui, walking directly towards the staircase on the left. With each step Chen Ji took, Wang Gui slowly turned his body, listening to the footsteps, ensuring he always kept his back to Chen Ji.

At that moment, Chen Wenxiao stood at the second-floor landing, calling out loudly, “Wang Gui, what’s taking you so long? Isn’t dinner ready…”

The instant he saw Chen Ji, his voice stopped abruptly, and he turned to walk back into the room.

Everyone waited for Chen Ji to go upstairs. Only after Chen Ji disappeared around the staircase corner did Wang Gui finally let out a long sigh of relief.

Behind the counter, the innkeeper, dressed in a black cloth shirt, squinted at Wang Gui. “Isn’t Chen Ji also a member of your Chen family? Why are you all avoiding him as if he were a thief?”

Wang Gui glared fiercely at the innkeeper. “Is the Chen family’s business any of your concern? We barely managed to buy this bit of grain; even the legitimate young master might not get enough to eat. How could it be his turn?”

The innkeeper sneered, “The Chen family, a renowned lineage, yet they engage in such unsavory dealings. The master is like this, and so are the dogs tied up in the household.”

Wang Gui narrowed his eyes slightly. “The Chen family has been a line of high officials for generations; your opinion, a mere country bumpkin’s, is not needed. If you want to champion him, why don’t you share your own food? But with this siege by the Jing Dynasty, who knows how long it will last? Don’t feed others until they’re full and starve yourself.”

As they spoke, the cotton curtain was pushed aside again.

Qi Zhenzhuo and an Imperial Guard, both in civilian clothes, each carried a light cloth bag. It was clear at a glance that there wasn’t much grain inside.

Qi Zhenzhuo’s eyes lit up when he saw the steamed buns in Wang Gui’s hand.

This young master of the Qi family stepped forward and, without asking, grabbed two buns from the tray, stuffing one into his own mouth and the other into his comrade’s.

Chewing the bun, he mumbled indistinctly, “I’m starving!”

Wang Gui’s face paled in shock. He reached out to snatch the bun from Qi Zhenzhuo’s mouth. “What are you doing? This is grain I painstakingly collected from the common folk!”

Qi Zhenzhuo tilted his head back, dodging Wang Gui’s outstretched hand, and grumbled, “What’s yours and what’s mine? We’re all in the same boat now. If there’s food, share it! Come on, I’m taking two more. My brother-in-law hasn’t eaten since morning!”

“Absolutely not!” Wang Gui, startled, turned and ran upstairs.

Qi Zhenzhuo looked crestfallen. He glanced at the half-eaten bun in his hand, then gritted his teeth and stopped eating, intending to save it for Li Xuan.

The innkeeper, from behind the counter, observed Qi Zhenzhuo. “Having trouble collecting grain, officer?”

Qi Zhenzhuo sighed. “All the grain shops have been thoroughly searched by the border army. We can only scrounge a bit of grain from the nooks and crannies of people’s homes, and we have to pay exorbitant prices for it. The silver I spent on this small half-sack of grain would be enough for a night of revelry in the Eight Great Hutongs!”

The innkeeper said nonchalantly, “Eat sparingly. The days of hunger might still be long.”

Qi Zhenzhuo’s eyes darted around. “Innkeeper, you’ve been in the main hall all this time, have you seen how much grain the Chen family bought?”

The innkeeper smiled. “Just that small amount. They steamed it all into buns in one go.”

Qi Zhenzhuo asked again, “What about Chen Ji? Did he bring back any grain?”

The innkeeper glanced at him. “No.”

Wang Gui carried the buns upstairs, his footsteps heavy. He knocked on the door of Room Earth-B. Chen Wenxiao opened it, frowning as he looked at the tray. “Is this all there is? Not even braised beef? How am I supposed to eat this?”

Wang Gui patiently explained, “Second Young Master, I barely managed to buy this from the common folk.”

Chen Wenxiao hesitated for a moment, then finally took the tray.

Just as Wang Gui was about to follow him in, the door swung forcefully shut in front of him. Wang Gui froze for a moment, wanting to say that he hadn’t eaten yet, but he couldn’t find the words. His expression gradually darkened.

Inside the room, Chen Liqin and Chen Wenzong stood by the window, their brows deeply furrowed.

Madam Liang took the tray from Chen Wenxiao. “My lord, Wenzong, come have something to eat.”

However, Chen Liqin and Chen Wenzong did not immediately come to eat. Instead, they stood observing the movements within Guyuan City from above.

Outside Guyuan City, mountain fires raged, sending up thick plumes of smoke.

Chen Wenzong said gravely, “Father, Guyuan is in danger. The city’s grain reserves won’t last a month, perhaps not even half a month.”

Chen Liqin sighed heavily. “How can I still worry about Guyuan City? If we can’t buy more grain, the Imperial Guards will go hungry tonight! When those soldiers start acting up, who knows what trouble they’ll cause.”

Chen Wenzong hesitated. “But the Imperial Guards also have military discipline.”

Chen Liqin sneered. “The Imperial Guards do have discipline, but when people are desperate with hunger, they’ll do anything. I’m afraid they’ll snatch food from the common folk and be arrested by the border army for military punishment. The Imperial Guards were personally led by His Highness. If their reputation is ruined, His Highness’s reputation will also be ruined. At that point, whether he can even retain his position as Crown Prince will be a question.”

Chen Wenzong’s pupils contracted. “With such a formidable enemy before us, how could it come to this?”

“You’re still young; you don’t understand the dangers of court politics,” Chen Liqin explained slowly. “Hu Junxian is the maternal uncle of Prince Fu. Prince Fu appears harmless and uncontentious, but who knows what he does in private? I haven’t even seen a shadow of the Jing Dynasty’s Celestial Strategy Army. The city walls are quiet. I even suspect that all of this was fabricated by the border army, solely to make the Imperial Guards make a mistake and to seize the throne!”

Chen Liqin continued, “Think about it: the Governor’s Office, grain depots, and armories have always been heavily guarded. How could the Jing Dynasty’s bandits set them on fire? It must have been the border army stealing from their own posts!”

Chen Wenzong murmured, “But they went to all this trouble, causing such a huge commotion, just to frame the Crown Prince? If the Imperial Guards don’t make a mistake, will the entire city’s population just keep starving like this?”

Chen Liqin shook his head. Seeing that his eldest legitimate son still didn’t believe him, he could only explain patiently, “To seize the succession is to seize the entire realm. Compared to that dragon throne, what are the lives of a city’s people?”

Chen Wenzong said anxiously, “Then what should we do? Father, let’s go look for grain!”

Chen Liqin frowned deeply. “Where? We’ve already searched everywhere we can think of!”

Chen Wenzong’s eyes suddenly lit up. “Let’s find Chen Ji. He’s full of ideas; he might have a solution!”

Chen Wenxiao, chewing a bun nearby, scoffed, “Brother, are you treating him like a deity? If five hundred Imperial Guards can’t find grain, how could he? If he can find it, I’ll walk on my hands every time I see him!”

Chen Wenzong said coldly, “Instead of wasting time on sarcasm, you should be thinking about how to ease His Highness’s and Father’s worries!”

Madam Liang pulled his arm, getting him to sit at the table, and mediated, “Wenzong, quickly eat something. You haven’t eaten all day.”

Chen Wenzong picked up a bun, hesitating for a moment. “Mother, have you sent any food to Chen Ji’s room?”

Chen Wenxiao scoffed, “You’ve already said he’s resourceful and powerful, so why would he need us to send him food? Brother, aren’t you contradicting yourself?”

However, the next moment, Chen Wenzong stood up, tucked four buns into his clothes, and headed out. “I’m going to see him.”

Madam Liang grew anxious. “What are you doing? I… I’ve already arranged for Wang Gui to send him four buns. You just eat yours!”

Chen Wenzong looked suspicious. “Really?”

Madam Liang said indignantly, “Are you going to doubt your mother now? That would be unfilial!”

Chen Wenzong quickly explained, “It’s not that I doubt you, Mother… Since you’ve made arrangements, that’s fine.”

In front of Room Heaven-C, Chen Ji gently knocked on the door with his knuckles. “It’s me.”

With a creak, Xiaoman opened the door.

Chen Ji saw Zhang Zheng pacing back and forth in the room, agitated like an ant on a hot griddle.

He looked around the room, frowning as he asked, “Where’s Second Miss Zhang?”

Zhang Zheng took a few steps forward and said urgently, “After you left with Old Wu, my sister said you’d surely want to know where those two Luocheng men went, and she insisted on following them. I disagreed, but she slipped away when Xiaoman and I weren’t looking and followed them somewhere!”

Chen Ji felt a bad premonition and turned to go out and look for her.

But just as he stepped out, he saw Zhang Xia coming up the stairs, who asked curiously, “Where are you going?”

Chen Ji immediately felt relieved. “I thought you had fallen into the hands of those people from Luocheng.”

Zhang Xia smiled. “I’m not that foolish; I wouldn’t let them spot me. Come on, let’s talk inside.”

Chen Ji looked left and right down the corridor, then closed the door. “Where did you follow them?”

Zhang Xia leaned by the window and explained in detail, “I didn’t dare get too close, so I don’t know who else they met along the way. I only know that they eventually went to Taohuai Alley and then entered the home of a wealthy man named Li.”

She continued, “I quietly found a few children to ask, and one of them said that this wealthy Mr. Li was a businessman and quite rich. Every New Year and festival, he would give gifts to his neighbors, with something for every child. They seemed like a very kind family.”

Chen Ji pondered for a moment. “What kind of business does this wealthy Mr. Li’s family run?”

Zhang Xia thought for a moment. “I didn’t ask that… Wait, there was a strong smell of sulfur on that street. Perhaps they deal in sulfur?”

Chen Ji was suddenly alarmed. “Sulfur!”

Zhang Xia asked, puzzled, “Isn’t sulfur just a medicinal ingredient? Why such a strong reaction?”

Chen Ji remained silent.

Only he knew that sulfur was one of the main ingredients for making firearms, but he couldn’t let anyone else know that he possessed the formula for firearms!