The sound of hooves faded into the distance.

Guyuan’s night was so cold that it felt as though a gentle touch could crystallize ice in the air. Chen Wenzong, as if shattering that ice, ventured alone into the darkness.

Standing in the inn’s backyard, Zhang Zheng exclaimed admiringly, “Chen Ji, your Chen family finally has someone respectable!”

Zhang Xia softly said, “Great men transform like tigers, petty men change their skins, and noble men transform like leopards.”

Zhang Zheng scratched his head, “What does that mean?”

Zhang Xia smiled and explained, “Kings are like tigers, their powerful presence can tame authority; petty people are anxious and indecisive, merely drifting with the current; while noble men are like leopards, staying discreet and low-key when there’s no trouble, but acting decisively when faced with a situation.”

Chen Ji hummed in agreement, “My elder brother certainly lives up to the title of ‘noble man’.”

Just as he finished speaking, a loud *smack* echoed from the courtyard. Lady Liang had slapped Wang Gui across the face.

Wang Gui was incredulous. “Madam, why did you slap me?”

Lady Liang’s voice was sharp. “If you had gone to the Capital Garrison Office just now, would Wenzong have needed to risk his life? You eat better and dress more expensively than the other servants. My Chen family has supported you for so many years, yet you’re less useful than a loyal dog!”

Wang Gui’s expression changed several times before he finally prostrated himself and knelt. “Madam, please calm your anger. I will go now and catch up to the Young Master to ensure his safety.”

Lady Liang’s voice was harsh. “You protect him? What makes you think you can protect him?”

Wang Gui stood up and said, “Madam, the Young Master has a warhorse; ordinary thugs certainly won’t be able to stop him…”

Lady Liang retorted angrily, “Who told you to get up? Stay kneeling!”

To her, a husband required careful, tiptoeing service. If he took a concubine, she would have to ponder how to win his favor, and ultimately, he wasn’t her most intimate person. But a son was different; a son was her greatest reliance for the future. Anyone who endangered her son would face her wrath without mercy.

Chen Ji ignored the drama. He returned to the inn, still clutching his sword, and meticulously searched both the first and second floors, ensuring no assassins were lurking. Only then did he lead Xiao Man and the others to sit on the stone steps.

Lady Liang and Chen Wenxiao sat by the stone table in the courtyard, while Chen Ji and his group sat on the stone steps opposite them, a clear division between the two parties.

“Meow.”

Sitting on the stone steps, Chen Ji looked up. Wuyun stood on the eaves of the second-floor roof, cautiously observing the surroundings to ensure the assassins wouldn’t return. With Wuyun there, he felt a little more at ease.

Chen Ji whispered, “Whoever sent these assassins, daring to poison the entire Chen family, must be a ruthless and cruel person who disregards human life. Dealing with such an individual, it would be hard to escape unscathed without extreme caution. But who would be so vicious towards the Chen family, especially when we’ve just arrived?”

Zhang Xia, sitting to his left, recalled, “Nine people entered the inn today. Five were inn attendants, all of whom died from poison. There were also four others: a middle-aged man, two women, and an old man. If I see them again, I’ll definitely recognize them.”

Chen Ji then asked, “Second Miss Zhang, has the Crown Prince ever had conflicts with the border army?”

Zhang Xia thought for a moment. “No, this Crown Prince has always been benevolent and pragmatic in his actions. Early on, when he first started working outside the palace, His Majesty merely gave him the minor official post of Vice Academic Commissioner, tasking him with overseeing the imperial examinations. He helped many impoverished scholars, and now some of these scholars have distinguished themselves, with some even governing entire prefectures. Common folk universally praise him.”

Zhang Xia continued, “Later, His Majesty ordered him to investigate the counterfeiting of copper coins. He seized millions of privately minted coins, which effectively purged the market of underweight counterfeit currency.”

Chen Ji mused, “Did the counterfeiting of copper coins involve the border army?”

Zhang Xia shook her head. “No, he dealt with a group of Jin merchants and Zhejiang merchants. The Jin merchants had copper mines and would mine, refine, and mint coins themselves in the mountains. The Zhejiang merchants, on the other hand, would simply collect existing copper coins from the market, melt down those weighing five *zhu*, recast them into four *zhu* coins, and spend them, making immense profits with no initial capital.”

Zhang Zheng, sitting to Chen Ji’s right, was hugging his shoulders against the cold as he said, “The great scholars all say the Crown Prince is like an unblemished jade, pure and flawless. But I think he’s quite shrewd. Any discerning person knows that aristocratic families have been privately minting coins for a long time, but have you seen the Crown Prince touch the Xu, Chen, Qi, or Yang families? He knows what he’s doing.”

Chen Ji chuckled, “Brother Zhang, you have great wisdom that appears as foolishness. Master Zhang has underestimated you.”

Zhang Zheng said smugly, “Indeed!”

Zhang Xia, who was nearby, suddenly interjected, “If there’s any connection between the border army and the Crown Prince, it would likely involve Prince Fu. Prince Fu is His Majesty’s eldest legitimate son. Years ago, when the Crown Prince was being chosen, rumors circulated in the palace that His Majesty originally intended to make Prince Fu the Crown Prince, but somehow, the current one was chosen instead. And currently, Hu Junxian, the General-in-Chief of the Guyuan Capital Garrison Office, is Prince Fu’s maternal uncle. Prince Fu also has a much younger maternal uncle of very high standing: the junior martial uncle of Mount Laojun Daoist Temple and the young Supervisor of the Imperial Astronomy Bureau, Hu Junyan.”

Chen Ji asked curiously, “Does Prince Fu intend to contend for the position of heir apparent?”

Zhang Xia shook her head. “I haven’t observed that. Prince Fu typically indulges in pleasures and doesn’t seem like someone vying for the succession. But when it comes to the imperial heir, who can truly say?”

Chen Ji asked, puzzled, “Prince Fu has the Hu family behind him, but who is behind the Crown Prince?”

Zhang Xia looked at Chen Ji with surprise, then hesitated for a moment before saying, “It’s your Chen family…”

Chen Ji was speechless.

Seeing Zhang Zheng, Zhang Xia, and Xiao Man shivering in the cold wind, he stood up, took his sword, and went into the inn. He used tongs to bring out the charcoal brazier from inside.

Chen Ji called Xiao Man to bring firewood from the back kitchen, and they lit a bonfire in the courtyard.

Zhang Zheng was so happy he almost cried. “It’s always best to be with Chen Ji; you never suffer anywhere!”

Meanwhile, Lady Liang and Chen Wenxiao saw the roaring bonfire and wished to warm themselves, but their pride prevented them. They could only endure the cold.

Just then, Wuyun on the roof suddenly perked up its ears and let out a soft meow.

Chen Ji abruptly stood up, his Whale Blade tightly gripped in his hand.

Someone was approaching, but Wuyun had only heard sounds, not seen anyone.

Seeing Chen Ji stand, Zhang Zheng nervously grabbed a half-burnt piece of wood from the bonfire and anxiously asked, “Have the assassins returned?”

Chen Ji did not answer. He merely used his left thumb to slowly push open the blade guard, revealing an inch of the gleaming blade.

Breath.

Chen Ji’s breathing went from rapid to calm, growing steadily slower.

He didn’t know how many assassins there were or what their strength was, so he could only whisper a warning, “Get behind me.”

Xiao Man looked at his young master with surprise, then pulled Zhang Zheng and Zhang Xia, and obediently stood behind Chen Ji.

The inn was silent, as if nothing was happening.

The next moment, a few creaking sounds came from inside the inn, as if someone was prying open a wooden window, precisely in the direction of the dormitory room.

Chen Ji slowly turned, his sword hilt always facing the source of the sound.

It was as if an invisible thread connected his sword hilt to the sound, growing tighter and tighter.

Just as that string was about to snap, a piercing shriek suddenly erupted from inside the inn: “Big Brother, this, this, there are so many dead people here, weeping blood!”

Chen Ji was startled. Not assassins?!

He immediately rushed into the dimly lit inn, through the corridor, and swung his sword at the door of the dormitory room. The previously closed door burst open!

The moment the door burst open, Chen Ji’s gaze cut through the flying wood splinters. He saw the two windows opposite the common bunk beds were wide open. Moonlight streamed in, illuminating several children collapsed on the floor, terrified by the blood-weeping corpses. Not far away, a young man with a scarf covering his mouth and nose stood frozen. It was the thief who had instigated the children to steal earlier today!

The thief, seeing Chen Ji, immediately snapped back to reality. “Run!”

With that, he launched himself through the window as if diving.

Chen Ji took a few quick steps, reaching the thief just before he could leap out. He struck the thief’s back with the flat of his blade, sending him sprawling onto the floor.

The thief collapsed with a whimper, groaning incessantly. He tried to push himself up, but Chen Ji stepped on his neck, pinning him back down.

Three children pulled blades from their sleeves, clutching them between their fingers, and trembled as they cried, “Let go of our Big Brother!”

The thief struggled, shouting at the children, “Don’t move, you’re no match for him… Get out of here!”

However, the children did not move. They merely held up their blades nervously, caught between a rock and a hard place.

Chen Ji looked at the children, then down at the thief on the ground. “The thief from earlier today?”

The thief gasped, “These… these people, you killed them all? I admit defeat, but please spare the children, don’t kill them!”

With one foot still on the thief’s back, Chen Ji crouched down, gazing into his eyes. “Why are you here?”

With half his face pressed to the floor, the thief replied, “You injured our people earlier today, so we came to get revenge.”

Chen Ji asked again, “How did you plan to get revenge?”

The thief answered, “Cut up all your clothes and steal all your valuables!”

Chen Ji calmly said, “You weren’t planning to hurt anyone? You can only fool children with that lie.”

The thief remained silent.

Chen Ji said softly, “I ask, you answer. Only by answering truthfully can you live. First question: What major events have occurred recently in Guyuan? Think carefully, and tell me everything you can remember.”

The thief quickly closed his eyes, recalling. “The Crown Prince came to Guyuan with several hundred personal guards, all wearing silver armor and looking very imposing. Everyone says he’s here to investigate the ‘killing innocents for merit’ case and wants to execute General Hu.”

Chen Ji frowned. “‘Killing innocents for merit’?”

The thief quickly explained, “That’s what everyone in the market says. Some say the border army massacred a village in Jing Dynasty territory and cut off the villagers’ ears as military achievements. Others say the county magistrate of neighboring Tianshui County was robbed by bandits and disappeared. Two months later, the magistrate’s ear appeared among military merits and was recognized.”

Chen Ji said dismissively, “Who could recognize someone just from an ear? What nonsense.”

The thief retorted, “I’m not lying to you! It’s said that the magistrate had a hairy black mole behind his ear, and the person responsible for verifying military merits happened to be his younger brother-in-law, who recognized it at first glance! Now his brother-in-law has also disappeared; no one knows if he was killed by the border army or is in hiding.”

Chen Ji was stunned. The other person spoke with such certainty, with details and logic, could it be true? But how could the Guyuan border army be so bold as to conspire with bandits to rob a county magistrate and then use his ear as a military merit? If true, their audacity would be heaven-defying.

Chen Ji drew his Whale Blade and pressed the cold edge against the thief’s neck. “What other major events?”

The young man quickly said, “Also, after the Crown Prince arrived, the Capital Garrison Office offered a reward of one hundred taels of silver for information on the whereabouts of Jing Dynasty spies and bandits. Anyone who helps the court capture a spy or a bandit can claim the money!”

Chen Ji calmly asked, “How many have been caught?”

“I haven’t heard of anyone being caught…”

As he spoke, the sound of iron hooves echoed from outside the inn—a crisp, explosive sound that only warhorses with iron shoes could make. Without a doubt, it was likely the reinforcements Chen Wenzong had brought from the Capital Garrison Office.

Chen Ji was silent for a moment, then straightened up.

He held the Whale Blade upside down, its tip hovering in the air just above the thief’s temple. “I can let you go, and the children too, but you must do a few things for me.”

The thief quickly asked, “What things?”

Chen Ji calmly replied, “It’s not time to tell you yet. How do I find you later?”

The thief answered, “Go to the Dragon Gate Inn, tell the innkeeper you’re looking for ‘Brother Hu San’, and he’ll pass on your message!”

“Dragon Gate Inn?” Chen Ji mused. “Can I trust you?”

“Of course you can!” the thief said frantically. “My Brother Hu San is a person of some repute in Guyuan, after all. He never breaks his word.”

“Go,” Chen Ji said, standing and lifting his foot. The thief scrambled to his feet, using both hands and feet, and with a call to the children, they vanished through the window in a flash.