Knock, knock, knock.

Chen Ji stood in front of the door, took a big swig of wine, and then knocked loudly on the main door of the Chen manor.

He knocked on the beast-head ring on the vermilion lacquer door, making a thudding sound.

With a creak, a young servant looked out from the crack in the door. “Third Young Master?”

Chen Ji exhaled a mouthful of wine fumes. “Open the door.”

The young servant, smelling the alcohol, exclaimed, “Third Young Master, just how much did you drink?”

Chen Ji pushed the young servant aside and squeezed through the gap in the door. “Not much.”

He drank to cover his tracks, so that if someone asked where he was tonight, he would have an explanation.

Just as the young servant was about to close the main door, he heard the sound of dense iron hooves galloping from far to near outside Cui Yun Lane. He quietly poked his head out and saw members of the Jie Fan Wei, wearing douli and suoyi, riding past.

The young servant panicked. “Third Young Master, Luo City is going to have military trouble again. Did you see anything when you came back just now?”

Chen Ji, without turning his head, listened to the commotion outside the manor. “Not clear. Go report to the old master and madam quickly.”

With that, he swayed towards Ming Quan Yuan. Before he even reached it, the Chen manor was already in an uproar.

Maidservants from each courtyard, dressed appropriately, rushed out. Young servants, holding torches, guarded every corner of the manor to prevent intruders from climbing over the walls. Chen Ji walked slowly, as various people rushed past him, all looking like frightened birds in the chaotic scene of military unrest.

Chen Ji understood clearly that the death of a fifth-rank Wu Jie General was a huge matter. The Ministry of Military Affairs, Jie Fan Wei, and the Secret Service would surely turn Luo City upside down.

Returning to the entrance of Ming Quan Yuan, before he could knock, the door opened. Xiao Man pulled Chen Ji in and whispered, “Young Master, where did you go? Sister Li Qiu said there’s military trouble outside again. Hurry and sit inside the room, the charcoal basin is already burning. I’ll go pour you some tea to sober up.”

Chen Ji recalled the sudden appearance and escape of Taotie tonight, and carelessly, with a drunken tone, said, “Military trouble… is someone rebelling again? Then let’s run quickly, hurry, hurry and pack our things!”

Xiao Man pulled him back. “Young Master, what’s the rush? What if it’s nothing?”

Chen Ji suddenly sobered up a bit. During the previous Liu family military disaster, countless people wanted to escape the city. The ox carts and horse carts trying to flee could completely block the gates on the southeast, northwest, and northeast sides.

Having experienced the Liu family military disaster, it was a normal thought for ordinary people to pack up and run. Those who didn’t want to run were the abnormal ones, unless… the other side knew beforehand that this wasn’t a real military conflict.

Chen Ji continued to probe. “What if it’s not? Where are there so many ‘what ifs’? Master Chen is also aware of the situation in Luo City, but whenever someone rebels, they definitely won’t let the Chen family go. We must first leave the Chen manor. I’ll take you to hide in an inn.”

Xiao Man was anxious. “Master Chen will be a high official in the East Palace in the future. Who would dare do anything to him?”

Chen Ji said suspiciously, “Xiao Man, are you hiding something from me?”

Xiao Man was startled and quickly explained, “No, no, what could I possibly be hiding from you!”

Chen Ji grunted. “That’s good. Let’s run quickly then.”

Xiao Man bit her lip and watched Chen Ji, drunk and blurry-eyed, enter the room to pack, seeing that he was about to take her with him to escape Luo City.

She thought about it repeatedly, walked behind Chen Ji, raised her hand like a knife, and chopped at Chen Ji’s neck.

Sleep well, Young Master. When you wake up, it will be over.

One breath.

Two breaths.

Three breaths.

Chen Ji slowly turned around, covering his neck, and asked in surprise, “Xiao Man, why did you hit me?”

Xiao Man: “Xin Nan Kuai Le.”

She let out a gasp and said in a panic, “Young Master, there was an insect on you just now. I wanted to help you kill it.”

Chen Ji was startled and quickly shook his body. “Did you kill it? Where is the insect?”

Xiao Man made a gesture of grabbing something from Chen Ji’s shoulder, pretending to have already caught the insect in her hand, and fled in a panic. “Caught it, caught it! You sit in the room first, I’ll go boil some water for you!”

Inside the room, Chen Ji’s eyes calmed down. Taotie was definitely related to Xiao Man. Even if Xiao Man wasn’t the one controlling it, she definitely knew who was, and she definitely knew what happened tonight.

What should he do next? Quietly distance himself from Xiao Man, or pretend not to know and keep her by his side?

If Xiao Man was a ‘walking official’, then who passed down her cultivation method? Who arranged for her to be by his side, and what was her mission? Chen Ji’s mind was full of questions.

She thought about it repeatedly, walked behind Chen Ji, raised her hand like a knife, and chopped at Chen Ji’s neck.

Sleep well, Young Master. When you wake up, it will be over.

One breath.

Two breaths.

Three breaths.

Chen Ji slowly turned around, covering his neck, and asked in surprise, “Xiao Man, why did you hit me?”

Xiao Man: “Xin Nan Kuai Le.”

She let out a gasp and said in a panic, “Young Master, there was an insect on you just now. I wanted to help you kill it.”

Chen Ji was startled and quickly shook his body. “Did you kill it? Where is the insect?”

Xiao Man made a gesture of grabbing something from Chen Ji’s shoulder, pretending to have already caught the insect in her hand, and fled in a panic. “Caught it, caught it! You sit in the room first, I’ll go boil some water for you!”

Inside the room, Chen Ji’s eyes calmed down. Taotie was definitely related to Xiao Man.

Even if Xiao Man wasn’t the one controlling it, she definitely knew who was, and she definitely knew what happened tonight.

What should he do next? Quietly distance himself from Xiao Man, or pretend not to know and keep her by his side?

If Xiao Man was a ‘walking official’, then who passed down her cultivation method? Who arranged for her to be by his side, and what was her mission?

Chen Ji’s mind was full of questions.

“It’s rumored that General Wang has betrayed us. They must have come for revenge.” Chen Ji looked at the soldiers behind him. “Are these soldiers led by Master Chen…?”

Chen Li Qin said, “Oh,” and turned to look at the soldiers of the Ministry of Military Affairs holding torches behind him. “They are here to guard the residence. No need to be afraid. With them guarding the Chen family, you can all sleep peacefully.”

One of the soldiers said respectfully, “Third Young Master, we will leave six soldiers here for you. You can call them if you need anything.”

Chen Ji felt relieved and politely returned the gesture. “Thank you for your hard work, brothers.”

Chen Li Qin waved his hand. “Go back and rest. Tomorrow, pack your things and prepare to return to the capital. Leave this troubled place as soon as possible.”

“Yes,” Chen Ji slowly retreated back into Ming Quan Yuan, tightly closing the courtyard door and bolting it.

When he turned back to the room, he gradually stopped in his tracks. When he went out just now, the hall door was open. Now, not only was it closed, but the chattering Xiao Man was nowhere to be seen.

Chen Ji became more and more certain that Taotie was controlled by Xiao Man. Seeing so many soldiers from the Ministry of Military Affairs, she must have felt guilty and was hiding in the room.

He pushed the door open and entered the room, but stood rooted to the spot, a layer of fine cold sweat suddenly breaking out on his back. His drunkenness had vanished!

Su Zhou!

He saw, in the dim candlelight, Su Zhou covered in blood, sitting weakly on the edge of the bed, holding Xiao Man with an Emei stab. The sharp blade of the stab was pressed against Xiao Man’s chin, and she stared coldly at Chen Ji.

Xiao Man sat weakly on the edge of the bed, looking eagerly at Chen Ji. “Young Master.”

Chen Ji: “…”

Su Zhou said in a cold voice, “Don’t make a sound.”

Before she finished speaking, with a creak, Chen Ji closed the door and went out.

Su Zhou’s mouth fell open. She looked at the closed door, then lowered her head to look at the weak Xiao Man on the ground. For a long time, she couldn’t say a word.

He just ran away like that?

Su Zhou laughed coldly. “Your Young Master is quite righteous.”

Xiao Man frowned and said, “He must have gone to get soldiers to save me. Hurry and let me go! Just now, I was careless and fell for your sneak attack, otherwise, I would never have let you succeed! If you have guts, put away your weapon and see how I beat you flat!”

Su Zhou heard Xiao Man’s words and couldn’t help but laugh.

But as soon as she laughed, she pulled at her wound and coughed violently, spitting out a mouthful of blood onto Xiao Man’s shoulder. Xiao Man glanced at it sideways and grunted in disgust.

The door was pushed open again, then closed again. Chen Ji, looking shaken, leaned against the door. “Are the soldiers outside here to catch you?”

Su Zhou carefully sized up Chen Ji. “Why did you come back? I thought you went to get soldiers to save me. Why didn’t you call anyone?”

Chen Ji explained, “If I got soldiers, this maidservant definitely wouldn’t survive.”

Su Zhou was startled.

Chen Ji continued to ask in a low voice, “Who exactly are you?”

Su Zhou did not answer.

Chen Ji asked again, “I just heard that someone killed General Wang to avenge King Jing. Was that you?”

Su Zhou thought for a moment, then slightly curved the corner of her mouth. “It was me. If you hand me over to the eunuch party now, it would be a great merit.”

Chen Ji was silent for a long time. “Let Xiao Man go. I’ll let her bring hot water for you to clean your wound. Don’t worry, I will absolutely not report you to the authorities.”

Su Zhou examined him. “Why won’t you report me?”

Chen Ji explained, “I am very close to the Crown Prince and the Princess. You helped King Jing get revenge. How could I report you? It’s just… why did you come to me?”

Su Zhou’s eyes shifted. “Before King Jing died, he entrusted someone to send a letter saying that if I encountered danger, I could trust you. Now I am severely injured, and Luo City is sealed by the eunuch party. I need you to send me out of the city. Do you dare?”

Of course, Chen Ji didn’t believe what this woman said. An hour ago, she was still saying she wanted to kill him too. However, if she wanted to kill him, she shouldn’t have held Xiao Man hostage when she snuck in just now. She should have directly waited for a chance to kill him. He wondered why she didn’t kill him. Perhaps she had doubts about framing General Wang and didn’t want to wrongly kill an innocent person.

Looking at it this way, the other side wasn’t completely crazy and was testing him.

Thinking of this, Chen Ji said seriously, “Don’t worry. Since it was King Jing’s entrustment, I will definitely find a way to send you out of the city. First, let Xiao Man go and let her handle your wound.”

Su Zhou thought for a long time, gradually withdrew the Emei stab, and stared straight at Chen Ji.

Xiao Man felt the icy coldness on her neck disappear and quickly stood up, ran to Chen Ji’s side, grabbed his arm, and poked her head out. “Young Master, let’s quickly report her!”

Chen Ji patted Xiao Man’s arm. “Don’t panic. Go boil water now. Whatever you do, don’t alarm the Ministry of Military Affairs outside the courtyard.”

“Ah?” Xiao Man’s eyes widened. “Young Master, I feel like she wants to kill us!”

Chen Ji comforted her, “It’s alright, go quickly.”

Su Zhou’s body tensed up, her grip on the Emei stab tightened, but she said with interest, “I’ve already let your little maidservant go. Are you really not planning to report me?”

Chen Ji said seriously, “I said, since it was King Jing’s entrustment, I will certainly not fail you. Wait a moment in the room, I’ll be right back.”

Su Zhou replied without changing her expression, “Go.”