Outside Zhang Manor, twenty tables were set up in Cuiyun Alley. Dishes like roasted chicken, braised pork hock, braised carp, and sliced meat soup were continuously served. Neighbors could sit down and eat, leave when they finished a table, and then another group would take their place. This was the origin of the “flowing feast.”

Inside Zhang Manor, honored guests were seated in eight courtyards. Each courtyard featured a long, low rectangular table capable of seating eighteen people, laden with an array of dishes and pastries.

Before the main banquet began, the invited dignitaries gathered, offering their congratulations to Zhang Zhuo and Chen Liqin one by one.

Chen Ji and Xiaoman stood side by side under a walnut tree in a corner of the courtyard, watching from a distance as Zhang Zhuo and Chen Liqin, like the sun and moon of Luocheng, were surrounded by a multitude of stars.

Xiaoman whispered, “Young Master, how did you become acquainted with the Zhang family? Your relationship seems excellent. Rumor has it that Second Miss Zhang is quite fierce and never shows outsiders a good face, yet she even wrote a special invitation for you.”

Chen Ji calmly replied, “Where are all these questions coming from? You weren’t this keen on prying before.”

Xiaoman widened her eyes: “Has Young Master forgotten? I love hearing about the Zhangs’ triumphs and the Lis’ troubles—it makes dinner more enjoyable.”

Chen Ji: “…That’s not a good habit.”

Xiaoman pouted, “Auntie also loves hearing about the Zhangs’ and Lis’ affairs. I remember when I was little, I went with her to a farm in the Beijing suburbs to check accounts. When she heard a group of old women gossiping at the village entrance, she had someone bring her a chair, and she listened all afternoon.”

Chen Ji asked curiously, “What were they talking about?”

Xiaoman recalled for a moment: “First, they talked about two old widowers in the village getting together in the middle of the night. Then they said that a certain family’s daughter-in-law was bought from Tongzhou. And they also gossiped about how a certain family had no sons, and their relatives might seize their property. Auntie was absolutely engrossed in listening.”

Chen Ji opened his mouth, but for a long moment, he couldn’t find a response.

Just then, a servant outside the gate announced once more, “General Wang of the Qiansui Army has arrived!”

The name “Qiansui Army” swept through like a sudden cold wind, freezing some of the warmth and festivity in Zhang Manor. Those three words reminded everyone of the recent military disaster, as if the scent of blood still lingered in the air.

Chen Ji turned his head to look towards the gate, while simultaneously pulling Xiaoman’s arm to retreat into the crowd.

Xiaoman looked at him in surprise: “Young Master, what’s wrong?”

Chen Ji calmly replied, “It’s nothing.”

Amidst the announcements, General Wang walked along the red carpet. Today, he was not in armor, but wore a black robe with a wide lapel, a golden-beamed hat, and thick-soled black boots, still exuding a formidable aura.

Behind General Wang followed several soldiers, fully clad in armor with long sabers at their waists. The guests at Zhang Manor almost thought the Qiansui Army was about to unleash another military conflict.

Zhang Zhuo parted the crowd and quipped from a distance, “General Wang, why have you come to my residence for a banquet, still wearing full armor? Are you afraid that I, Zhang, might harm you?”

General Wang smiled, his voice rough: “Recently, some rogue martial artists have been defying the law. It’s better to be cautious.”

Chen Ji lowered his head in thought. Rogue martial artists defying the law? The general was heavily guarded, bringing armored soldiers to a banquet. Had some martial artists tried to assassinate him recently?

Right. Although Chen Ji had eventually retreated after causing a ruckus in the army camp that day, the words he had shouted in the camp had ultimately been heard and remembered by some Qiansui Army soldiers.

As the saying goes, good news travels slowly, while bad news spreads far and wide. Even with the Qiansui Army’s strict discipline, General Wang’s reputation for betraying Prince Jing had likely quietly spread among the populace.

In the martial arts world, there must still be righteous heroes loyal to Prince Jing who sought revenge for him.

As Chen Ji pondered, he pulled Xiaoman and turned his back, not wanting to encounter the general.

However, just as Zhang Zhuo was about to lead General Wang inside, General Wang walked past the walnut tree where Chen Ji stood, took two steps, then retreated two steps.

He looked at Chen Ji’s back and said in a deep voice, “Turn around.”

Chen Ji was silent for two breaths, then turned around to meet the general’s gaze directly: “General Wang, it’s been a long time.”

General Wang said in a deep voice, “You actually dare to appear before me.”

Chen Ji hadn’t expected the general to preempt him.

He pondered for a few moments, then smiled: “What are you talking about, General Wang? Why wouldn’t I dare appear before you?”

General Wang spoke gravely: “The Prince treated you well. The Crown Prince and the Princess were even close friends and confidants with you. But what did you do? If you hadn’t given evidence to the eunuch faction, how could the Prince have been framed by them, and how could he have died unjustly in prison?”

As these words were spoken, Zhang Manor suddenly fell silent, and guests all turned their gazes towards them.

Chen Ji stood amidst the gazes of dozens of people, as if facing dozens of stabbing spears. It was as if he was back on that night in Dragon King Village, with autumn leaves falling from the branches, and enemies behind every leaf.

In the crowd, Chen Liqin also looked towards Chen Ji. He hadn’t expected Chen Ji to be involved in Prince Jing’s rebellion case, let alone be suspected of betraying Prince Jing. Although Prince Jing had been charged with treason, given his reputation, countless people, from the imperial court to the martial arts world, sided with him, believing his death was due to the eunuch faction persecuting loyal officials.

If the Chen family were to bear the reputation of betraying Prince Jing, they would likely be scorned by the world. Chen Liqin deliberated for a long time, ultimately choosing to remain silent.

Zhang Zhuo, however, sobered his smile and calmly asked, “General Wang, this is a guest invited by my Zhang Manor. Why do you say such things? What connection does he have to Prince Jing’s case?”

General Wang snorted coldly: “Let him speak for himself!”

Chen Ji frowned slightly.

This General Wang was clearly worried about being sought for revenge by righteous martial artists, which was why he wanted to preemptively discredit Chen Ji in public and dump all the blame on him.

But what was strange was that General Wang had already pledged allegiance to White Dragon. Did he not know that Chen Ji needed to conceal his spy identity and infiltrate the Chen family? How dare he reveal such a secret in public?

Wait, the general was not White Dragon’s confidant and didn’t know everything. From General Wang’s perspective, Chen Ji was merely a Taiping Medical Hall apprentice who had once tried to save Prince Jing. The general didn’t even know that Chen Ji was also an agent of the Secret Service.

That day, Chen Ji hadn’t revealed where the blood letter came from, nor had he disclosed his spy identity. And White Dragon had always intended for him to infiltrate the Chen family, which was why he kept recruiting him, so he naturally wouldn’t tell General Wang too much.

General Wang didn’t know that Chen Ji had also joined White Dragon’s ranks.

Realizing this, Chen Ji casually asked, “General Wang, why do you say I betrayed the Prince? What evidence did I give to the eunuch faction?”

General Wang sneered, “I don’t know the specifics, but an insider told me that the Prince, trusting you, entrusted you with a blood letter he wrote himself, to be given to me. But you, being ungrateful, handed that blood letter to the eunuch faction instead!”

Someone gasped: “The Prince’s blood letter?! Why have we never heard of it?”

“What was written in the blood letter? Was it evidence of the Prince’s guilt?”

“The Prince served the country and its people his entire life, yet he was harmed by the eunuch faction. Who would have thought that a scoundrel would betray him!”

“Such a faithless and treacherous person deserves to be punished by all!”

The crowd grew agitated, and Chen Ji became the target of a thousand accusations.

General Wang wore a cold sneer, while Chen Liqin simply retreated into the main hall of Zhang Manor.

Zhang Zhuo closed his eyes in contemplation, trying to find a way to resolve the situation, but for a moment, he couldn’t think of how to clear Chen Ji’s name. Zhang Xia tugged at his sleeve, urging him to quickly come up with a solution, but at this moment, it seemed there was no way out.

At this moment, Xiaoman’s face was flushed with anger. She tugged at Chen Ji’s sleeve: “Young Master, say something! You’re not that kind of person.”

Chen Ji remained silent.

Xiaoman then angrily turned to General Wang: “Don’t slander my Young Master! I’ve served him for many years; he is kind and absolutely not the treacherous person you claim him to be!”

General Wang calmly said, “You can know a person’s face, but not their heart. Perhaps the Prince also thought he was kind, which is why he entrusted the blood letter to him. Little girl, you are still young and not discerning enough about people.”

Xiaoman fumed for a long time: “…You’re spouting nonsense!”

As Xiaoman spoke, Chen Ji’s mind raced: The immediate priority was to clear his name, but how should he refute the accusation?

Could he reveal everything? No, if he did, his spy identity would be exposed, and he wouldn’t be able to stay with the Chen family. White Dragon valued him precisely because of his Chen family status. If he became useless, it would probably be difficult to save Bai Li.

Could he then shift the blame back onto General Wang? Also no.

If he were to say that the blood letter was given to the Secret Service by General Wang, others would question how he, a mere apprentice, could know such a thing.

Furthermore, General Wang was a Qiansui Army general who had always been loyal to Prince Jing, while Chen Ji was just a small apprentice from a medical hall. Whose words would people believe?

Moreover, the general had clearly come prepared, and it was possible he had already made arrangements for this matter. Counterattacking from this point might lead him into the general’s trap.

He had to find an alternative approach, something General Wang couldn’t refute.

Amidst the clamor, Chen Ji thought for a long time before finally speaking: “General Wang, how did you come to know about this blood letter?”

General Wang crossed his arms over his chest: “Don’t concern yourself with how I know. Just tell me, did such a thing exist?”

Chen Ji replied, “There was indeed a blood letter from the Prince.”

General Wang breathed a sigh of relief.

Inside the main hall, Chen Liqin paced back and forth, pondering how to prevent the Chen family from getting embroiled in this matter.

Outside the main hall, the officials and nobles grew noisy: “What was written in the blood letter?”

“How could that scoundrel betray Prince Jing and side with the eunuch faction?”

Chen Ji slowly began, “The blood letter indeed exists, but the situation is different from what General Wang described.”

General Wang raised an eyebrow: “Where did this blood letter come from?”

Chen Ji carefully considered whether his words had any flaws, then slowly began: “That day, my master, Prince Jing, the Crown Prince, and the Princess, along with myself, were all placed under house arrest by the eunuch faction in the Liu family’s grand mansion. Later, because my master had once treated the Inner Prime Minister’s leg ailment, the eunuch faction released the two of us. Before we left, the Prince secretly gave me a blood letter, asking me to deliver it to His Majesty in the capital.”

General Wang was somewhat surprised. He had been waiting for Chen Ji to reveal everything so he could refute it with witnesses. He hadn’t expected Chen Ji to not counterattack him, but instead invent a new story.

And the people Chen Ji mentioned in his account could not be corroborated.

He frowned and asked, “Then why did this blood letter end up in the eunuch faction’s hands?”

Chen Ji explained, “It was confiscated by the eunuch faction when my master and I left the mansion.”

General Wang sneered, “How do I know you didn’t willingly hand over the blood letter in exchange for wealth and glory?”

Chen Ji calmly stated, “Because that blood letter could not, in itself, serve as evidence of Prince Jing’s rebellion. Handing it over wouldn’t have brought me wealth or glory.”

Zhang Zhuo recovered his composure: “What exactly was written in the blood letter?”

Chen Ji was about to speak when General Wang interrupted: “Wait. Are we supposed to believe whatever he says? None of us know the content of the blood letter, so isn’t he just fabricating it out of thin air?”

Chen Ji thought for a moment and said, “The Prince wrote a poem. I’ve memorized most of its content. As for whether it’s fabricated or if it can be considered evidence of the Prince’s guilt, I leave that for you all to judge.”

Zhang Zhuo waved his hand: “Bring ink and brushes!”

Zhang Zheng frantically ran into the house and returned with Zhang Xia, carrying a study desk.

Zhang Zhuo pointed at the xuan paper on the table: “Write it down.”

Chen Ji picked up the brush and wrote on the xuan paper: “Drunk, I trim the lamp to gaze at my sword; in dreams, horns sound from endless camps. Eight hundred li of roasted meat shared with my troops, fifty strings playing frontier tunes, a drill in autumn on the battlefield.”

These thirty-one characters vividly depicted the heroic, drunken spirit of a general on the battlefield.

A scholar exclaimed in surprise: “This is a ‘Po Zhen Zi’? It certainly matches the Prince’s mindset when he led troops back then. An ordinary young man would likely not be able to write something like this.”

“Drunk, I trim the lamp to gaze at my sword; in dreams, horns sound from endless camps… What a masterful line, ‘Drunk, I trim the lamp to gaze at my sword,’ what a masterful line, ‘in dreams, horns sound from endless camps!'”

“This young man’s handwriting is extremely ugly, lacking style and order. He doesn’t look like someone who could write poetry.”

Chen Ji remained impassive, offering no response.

The next moment, someone among the guests urged, “Quick, what’s the next couplet of this ‘Po Zhen Zi’?”

Chen Ji continued to write with the brush: “To settle the world’s affairs for the sovereign, to earn a name remembered in life and after death, alas, white hairs have appeared.”

Zhang Zhuo sighed with emotion: “What a line, ‘alas, white hairs have appeared.’ This poem, at first glance, speaks of a general’s grand ambition. But on second reading, it conveys the pain and regret of a dream awakening. This is a poem the Prince wrote to His Majesty to express his true feelings, likely hoping to recount the hardships of leading troops to quell rebellions and to elicit the Emperor’s compassion.”

General Wang said in a deep voice from the side, “How do you know this wasn’t written by Chen Ji himself?”

Zhang Zhuo scoffed, “General Wang is a military man; he probably doesn’t realize how profound this poem is, nor can he discern the weariness within it. It’s simply impossible for it to have been written by a young man.”

Other scholars nearby also chimed in: “The literary talent in this poem is beyond our reach. General Wang, do not be so suspicious. It must have been written by the Prince, moved by deep feelings.”

“Given the scope and breadth of this poem, it must undoubtedly have been written by the Prince.”

General Wang was bewildered.

He looked at the poem, then at Chen Ji, but could only suppress his thoughts.

If he were to say, “No, the blood letter clearly ordered the Qiansui Army to break into the prison,” Chen Ji would ask him how he knew, and he wouldn’t be able to explain, because he had already stated he hadn’t seen the blood letter.

Now, General Wang had no choice but to accept the content of this blood letter!

“No, no,” General Wang said angrily, looking at Chen Ji: “Have you ever written poetry? What if he possesses extraordinary poetic skill and just happens to be able to write such a poem?”

Chen Ji lowered his gaze: “General Wang, I have never written poetry and know nothing about it.”

Numerous scholars also exchanged glances: “If this medical hall apprentice named Chen Ji possessed the literary talent to write such a ‘Po Zhen Zi,’ he should have been famous in the poetry world long ago. But none of us have indeed heard of him.”

Zhang Zhuo chuckled heartily: “Ah, Chen Ji, I know him. He’s the third son of the Chen family. Years ago, I heard that because of his excessive gambling and aversion to studying, Master Chen sent him to Taiping Medical Hall. You’ve probably all heard of his reputation. If he had such literary talent, would Master Chen have kept it hidden? He would have sent him to participate in the imperial examinations long ago; at the very least, he’d be a government student.”

Someone’s eyes lit up: “I actually have heard about that. So, it’s certain that this ‘Po Zhen Zi’ couldn’t have been written by him.”

Chen Wenzong stepped forward and bowed, cupping his hands: “I hope General Wang will stop slandering my younger brother.”

“Wait,” someone called out loudly.

Chen Ji frowned and looked over: “What is it?”

The person asked, “Why is one stanza missing from this ‘Po Zhen Zi’?”

Chen Ji softly said, “I forgot.”

The scholar became agitated: “How could you forget such an important poem?”

Chen Ji explained, “The incident happened so suddenly; it was already fortunate that I could remember most of it. The missing stanza, I truly cannot recall.”