“Shhh, quiet down, quiet down!” Prince Jing glared, placing a finger to his lips, warning Chen Ji and Bai Li. He glanced back to ensure no one was paying attention before turning to Chen Ji and Bai Li: “It took me great effort to sneak out in disguise, what are you two shouting about!”

Bai Li asked, puzzled, “Father, you always tell my brother and me not to climb walls, but you climbed one yourself?”

Prince Jing chuckled, “What are you talking about? Your father walked out through the main gate.”

Bai Li also smiled, “General Wang is on duty at the main gate right now. I’ll go ask him.”

Prince Jing quickly grabbed Bai Li’s arm. “I climbed out. I climbed out from the infirmary side.”

Chen Ji asked, perplexed, “Your Highness, what if something were to happen to you while you’re traveling incognito like this? We couldn’t bear the responsibility.”

Prince Jing chuckled, “I’m just a carriage driver now. As long as you don’t tell anyone, who would bother a carriage driver?”

Chen Ji thought for a moment and continued to dissuade him, “You should still take some guards. Or have Steward Feng accompany you to look after your daily needs?”

“No way.” Prince Jing raised his voice, “If they follow me, they’ll constantly tell me what I can’t eat, can’t drink, can’t do, and can’t go. What’s the point of traveling incognito then? Besides, this literary gathering is going to be lively. If I go as Prince Jing, everyone will inevitably be restrained.”

Chen Ji remarked with emotion, “I used to wonder why the heir had such a personality. Turns out, he takes after you.”

Prince Jing raised an eyebrow. “Why do I feel like you’re insulting me, young man? How is he like me? At his age, I already had those civil officials wrapped around my finger.”

Chen Ji said seriously, “Your Highness, everyone recognizes you. Within a morning, your identity will be discovered.”

Prince Jing waved his hand. “It doesn’t matter. By then, I’ll be out of Luocheng, free as a bird.”

Chen Ji interrupted, “Your Highness, putting aside your incognito travels, as you’ve seen, I’m truly not suited for studying the classics, nor do I intend to enter officialdom. Why not let me withdraw from school? As for the border army’s military expenses, how can they change because of one person like me? How can matters of national importance be treated as a game?”

Prince Jing was silent for a moment, then said meaningfully, “I won’t use the grand cause of the nation to coerce you. How about this: you only need to study until next spring, and I’ll owe you a favor. In the future, if you have a request, as long as it doesn’t harm the Ning Dynasty or its people, I can help you once. What do you say?”

Chen Ji didn’t answer. He was merely an apprentice at an infirmary, yet now the Prefect of Luocheng and a powerful Prince owed him a favor. It sounded impressive, but how could this favor actually be cashed in?

After thinking, Chen Ji said, “Then I have a request right now, Your Highness. Your incognito travel is truly too dangerous. Perhaps you should return—”

Before he could finish, Prince Jing’s expression changed, and he cut him off. “Stop, young man. You’re still young and don’t even know what you truly want. How can you use this favor so lightly?”

At that moment, Chen Wenxiao called from the flatbed cart, “Driver, driver, let’s go!”

Prince Jing quickly mumbled, “Coming!” He pulled the brim of his straw hat lower, walked to the front of the flatbed cart, sat down with his back to everyone, and with a casual flick of his whip, the old yellow ox began to pull the cart slowly forward.

Bai Li, smiling, slipped a cloth bag into Chen Ji’s arms. “Everyone knows my father’s word is worth a thousand taels of gold. You’d better think about how to make good use of that favor before you ask for it. Don’t forget to eat the snacks.” With that, she took a few quick steps, then lightly leaped onto the very back of the flatbed cart, sitting reversed with her legs dangling outside, swaying with the cart’s bumps and jolts.

Bai Li patted the heir beside her. “Brother, now that we’re out, remember what Father told you: no drinking for a month.”

The heir scoffed. “Heh… I’m out of Luocheng. How can he still control me?”

Bai Li’s eyes sparkled. “Brother, isn’t that bad? What if Father finds out?”

The heir waved dismissively. “So what if he knows? I’ve passed the age of majority. Do I still need to care what anyone thinks to have a drink?”

Bai Li drew out a long “Ohh,” then exclaimed, “That’s so impressive!”

As Prince Jing, sitting at the very front, paused his whip motion, then brought the whip down hard, making the old ox moo and quicken its pace.

The street was bustling with pedestrians. A bullock cart, a swift horse, and a young man on foot followed along. It was a rare clear and refreshing winter day. Chen Ji suddenly felt that going on a study tour wasn’t bad; it offered a brief escape from all the disputes and chaos.

He unhurriedly followed the bullock cart, untying the cloth bag he held. Inside the bag were snacks from Zhengxin Studio: three-cut honey cakes, golden sesame brittle, walnut shortbread, and smiling pastries…

As he ate, the rhythmic clatter of hooves approached. Zhang Xia rode her horse beside him, looking down at the snacks in his hand as she casually asked, “You have a very good relationship with the heir and the princess. The princess even specially prepared snacks for you.”

Chen Ji turned to glance at her. “The heir, the princess, and I are friends!”

Zhang Xia looked puzzled. “Friends?”

Chen Ji calmly asked, “Don’t you have friends?”

Zhang Xia stated plainly, “No. Since coming to Luocheng, anyone who wanted to be my friend either wanted to get some money or wanted me to ask my father for a favor. I’d rather not have such friends.”

Chen Ji casually remarked, “Then, given the prominence of the Xu family, it wouldn’t be easy to befriend Miss Zhang Er.”

Zhang Xia suddenly said, “My name is Zhang Xia. You don’t need to keep calling me ‘Miss Zhang Er’ every other sentence.”

Chen Ji casually agreed. “Alright, Zhang Xia!”

Just then, Bai Li, seeing Chen Ji walking behind, turned and said to Mr. Wang Daosheng, “Teacher, Chen Ji has already walked several miles. Why don’t we let him get on the cart?”

Mr. Wang put down his book scroll and quietly looked at Chen Ji. Seeing a chance, Bai Li quickly added, “You see, he’s already been punished. He certainly won’t be late next time. It’s still over forty miles to Yichuan County. If he walks all the way, his shoes will be worn out.”

Mr. Wang said to Prince Jing, “Please stop for a moment.”

Prince Jing pulled the reins without looking back. The bullock cart slowly came to a halt.

Just as Bai Li was about to wave Chen Ji onto the cart, she saw Mr. Wang jump off. He said to Prince Jing, “Continue on your way.”

Everyone was startled. “Teacher, what are you doing?”

Mr. Wang brushed the dust off his clothes and smoothed out the wrinkles. “It’s a good thing the princess reminded me. Since I’ve accepted tuition fees, I am Chen Ji’s instructor. If he makes a mistake, I also bear responsibility, and we should be punished together. You all stay seated in the cart; I will walk with him to Yichuan County.”

Chen Ji spoke up, “Teacher, you don’t have to do this.”

But Mr. Wang shook his head. “This has nothing to do with you. I am simply following my own conscience.”

Chen Ji felt a little ashamed. “I apologize. I won’t be late again, Teacher.”

But Mr. Wang used his book scroll to brush some dust off Chen Ji’s shoulder. “No, if there is ever something more important than studying the classics, you must still do it!”

“Huh?”

Mr. Wang calmly stated, “What Zhixing Academy can teach you is simply the principles of being human. And these principles are about acting from the heart. The compassion that moves you to help a fallen beggar is your heart; the sense of justice that compels you to intervene when you see injustice is also your heart. When your heart tells you to do something, do it—there’s no mistake in that!”

Chen Ji was a little puzzled.

The usually stern Mr. Wang rarely smiled. “If it’s just missing one of my lessons, I can teach it to you again. But some things, once missed, are gone forever.”

Chen Ji took a deep breath. “I understand, Teacher.” He suddenly felt that this Mr. Wang was different from any other scholar he had ever met.

“I’m walking too!” Bai Li braced herself with both hands on the flatbed cart, then leaped down nimbly, walking alongside Chen Ji. The red jade carp pendant on her collar button resembled a plum blossom in winter.

The heir hesitated for a moment, then reluctantly jumped off the cart, grumbling, “Why walk when there’s a perfectly good bullock cart? Are you all crazy?”

Chen Wenzong was also about to get up but was held down by Chen Wenxiao. “Brother, what are you doing? He made a mistake, so he should bear the punishment himself. Why should we all be punished? Our feet will be covered in blisters walking all the way to Yichuan County.”

Chen Wenzong sighed and ultimately sat back down.

Zhang Xia watched those walking, then suddenly dismounted, leading her horse and walking alongside Bai Li.

Bai Li glared at her. “What are you doing down here?”

Zhang Xia casually replied, “We’re all classmates. We share good fortune and bad.”

The heir gave a thumbs-up. “Spoken like true wanderers of the jianghu!”

The bullock cart slowly exited the South City Gate. Outside the city, many refugees were gathered, living in makeshift shelters. They survived daily by relying on gruel provided by the government.

The heir asked, “Did you hear that the night before last, a riot almost broke out outside the West City Gate? Fortunately, Minister Zhang Zhuo delivered grain in time and also caught the criminals who were plotting to incite the rebellion among the displaced. That’s how the matter was quelled.”

Chen Wenzong, sitting at the back of the bullock cart, looked at the heir and replied, “My father mentioned it. He said that day was on the brink of disaster, and the refugees almost stormed into Luocheng to burn, kill, and plunder.”

The heir said, “It’s rumored that night, a masked man wearing a bamboo hat went outside the city and acted as a hostage, promising that grain would arrive by the hour of Mao (5-7 AM). This managed to keep the refugees calm and delayed them for over two hours. These past two days, storytellers from various tea houses have been outside the city, asking the refugees about what happened that night, planning to weave this masked man’s story into a narrative.”

Zhang Xia, leading her horse by the reins, said admiringly, “My father said he was a young hero, unflustered by change, fearless in danger, someone who could be a great general. At that time, he not only held back the refugees and bought time but also uncovered the assassins planted among them by the Liu family. He was really amazing.”

Bai Li subconsciously glanced at Chen Ji. The day before yesterday, wasn’t that the day Chen Ji was late? She didn’t know why she thought of Chen Ji, nor did she have any evidence to suggest that person was him. But Chen Ji, in her deepest memories, was also masked, and also remained calm amidst changes, fearless in danger.

Chen Wenxiao suddenly said dismissively, “What young hero? That’s a eunuch faction member.”

Zhang Xia glared. “What’s wrong with eunuch faction members? They genuinely saved people too.”

Chen Wenxiao retorted, “How can you call them heroes just because a eunuch faction member occasionally does something good? Are they even worthy? My father said that if anyone in the Chen family associates with the eunuch faction, their legs will be broken.”

Bai Li suddenly thought again that the person outside the city couldn’t be Chen Ji, simply because on the night Chen Ji saved her, he had killed six secret agents from the Directorate of Ceremonial? How could someone who kills eunuch faction members be a eunuch faction member himself?

Mr. Wang, who had been standing by, ignored their argument. He walked under the gruel tent and said to the Luocheng Prefecture officer, “Today, register everyone. Among the displaced, households with children can receive an extra half portion of gruel. In the future, if a child goes missing, that entire household will not be allowed to receive any more gruel!”

The officer said impatiently, “Who are you? Get out of here. Is it your turn to tell us what to do? We’ll distribute it however we want.”

Mr. Wang was not annoyed; he simply said politely, “Just tell Zhang Zhuo that Wang Daosheng said this. He will understand.”

Zhang Xia asked curiously, “Why would an entire family not be allowed to receive gruel if a child goes missing?”

Chen Ji casually explained, “Perhaps it’s to prevent people from exchanging children to eat them!”

Zhang Xia was horrified. “Exchange children to eat them? How could parents do such a thing?”

Chen Ji calmly stated, “In a year of great disaster, there are only the strong and the weak!”