By evening, Guizi Street was already bustling. The dancing girls, seemingly unafraid of the cold, had changed into their light, sheer gowns and were leaning against the railings. When guests arrived, they would drop handkerchiefs from upstairs. The perfumed handkerchiefs would land squarely on a passerby’s head. As the person took the handkerchief from their head and looked up, they would see the dancers’ bare midriffs.

Chen Ji galloped out of Dragon Gate Inn. Seeing him, the dancing girls leaning over the balconies quickly threw their handkerchiefs. But Zaobao was too fast; before the handkerchiefs could even fall, it had carried Chen Ji far away. The sheer handkerchiefs missed their target, fluttering down like petals onto the bluestone street.

The madam from the brothel stepped out, bent down, and picked up the handkerchiefs one by one. She grumbled, “Next time, aim properly before you throw! And when you see someone rushing like they’re late for reincarnation, rein in your wild urges!”

Unaware of what was happening behind him, Chen Ji was focused on his urgent journey, leaning forward in the saddle. But beyond Guizi Street, the daytime vendors hadn’t packed up yet. The streets of Guyuan City were so narrow that only one or two people could pass at a time. Even Zaobao, for all its supernatural speed, couldn’t run here.

Chen Ji, riding Zaobao, squeezed through the crowd, passing from Guizi Street to Qiemo Street, and from Gushi Street to Xumi Alley. The blood-red setting sun gradually sank behind the city walls, and by the time he reached the gates of the Ducal Residence, darkness had fallen.

Four large braziers burned in front of the Ducal Residence, illuminating the three gilded characters “Ducal Residence” above the gate, making them gleam brightly. Dozens of border guards armored in mail patrolled around the residence. Seeing Chen Ji approach, they raised their long halberds from afar, shouting, “Dismount, stranger!”

Chen Ji dismounted and, leading his horse by the reins, walked closer. He said to the border guards standing watch at the gate, “Generals, I have urgent matters to report to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince!”

The border guards remained unmoved. One of them slowly lowered his halberd and said grimly, “His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is discussing important matters with the Imperial Forest Army generals. Unrelated individuals are to withdraw.”

Chen Ji took a step forward. Several halberd-wielding guards crossed their weapons in front of him, shouting in unison, “Withdraw!” He frowned, wondering if he should force his way in.

The Ducal Residence was exceptionally significant; it was the headquarters of the Guyuan Border Army. Forcing entry into it was considered conspiring with the enemy and treason. Moreover, with dozens of border guards arrayed in a formation, he doubted he could break through.

Chen Ji scanned his surroundings, considering if he could climb in from the side. Just as he was pondering, he heard someone say, “Oh, why is the Third Young Master Chen here?” Chen Ji looked towards the source of the voice, his entire body tensing abruptly.

The newcomer was none other than the border guard Zhang Xia had previously identified, suspected of poisoning thirty-four members of the Chen family. The scar below the man’s right cheek extended from the corner of his mouth to his earlobe, making it conspicuously visible.

The scar-faced border guard, noticing Chen Ji’s gaze, instinctively touched his scar and explained with a smile: “This scar was left during the decisive battle against the Jing Dynasty’s Heavenly Cavalry Army at Mount Quwu in the 24th year of Jianing. General Zhou was leading us to charge towards the Jing Dynasty bandits’ main banner, when a blade-wielding officer intercepted us. He swung his blade, and if General Zhou hadn’t pulled me back, half my head would have been severed right then.”

Chen Ji cupped his fists and said, “I admire the border soldiers who shed their blood and sacrifice their lives.”

The scar-faced guard waved his hand, “No need to call me General. I’m just a junior lieutenant under General Zhou. Just call me Old Wu. What brings Young Master Chen here? His Royal Highness is indeed discussing important matters with the Imperial Forest Army. If it’s not pressing, I can relay the message on your behalf.”

Chen Ji shook his head, “I apologize, but this matter must be reported to His Royal Highness in person. I must see him today.”

Old Wu looked troubled. “But General Li Xuan specifically ordered that no unauthorized personnel are allowed into the Ducal Residence. Even we border guards aren’t allowed inside; we can only stand guard outside.”

Chen Ji’s heart sank. Not allowing him to see the Crown Prince? Could Old Wu truly be the Jing Dynasty spy who poisoned the thirty-four members of the Chen family, intending to confine the Crown Prince in the Ducal Residence and cut him off from the outside world? He glanced at the sky. There wasn’t much time left.

Chen Ji tried probing, “Old Wu, you know my connection with General Zhou. Please make an exception; I genuinely have urgent matters to report to His Royal Highness…”

Old Wu interrupted, “Is it truly very urgent?”

Chen Ji observed the man’s expression, “Extremely urgent, it concerns the safety of Guyuan!”

After a moment’s thought, Old Wu waved his hand at the guards by the gate, “Let him pass.” The border guards, receiving the order, uniformly raised their halberds, no longer poised for confrontation.

Chen Ji was startled. They just let him through? Old Wu motioned for the border guards to open the main gate of the Ducal Residence. He said somewhat reluctantly, “Since it’s urgent, I’ll make an exception for you this once. It’s not actually us border guards who wish to stop you… Young Master Chen, you’ll understand in a moment.”

Before the gate fully opened, Chen Ji had already stepped over the threshold and strode quickly inside. But as soon as he turned past the screen wall, he was stopped by an Imperial Forest Army guard. The Imperial Forest Army guard frowned, looking at Old Wu behind Chen Ji, and reprimanded him, “Didn’t we tell you that this Ducal Residence is now the Crown Prince’s temporary quarters? No one is to be allowed in without the Imperial Forest Army’s permission! How are you doing your duty?”

Chen Ji instinctively turned to look at Old Wu. So, it wasn’t the border guards intentionally making things difficult for him; it was the Imperial Forest Army that had taken control of the entire Ducal Residence, forbidding outsiders and not granting the border guards the authority to allow anyone in.

At this moment, Old Wu frowned, “Young Master Chen is a relative of Lord Chen. What’s wrong with us letting him in? This Ducal Residence originally belongs to our Guyuan Border Army. General Hu only moved out of respect for the Crown Prince. Do you really think this is your territory now?”

Chen Ji stepped between the two, conciliatory, “Please calm down, Generals. This matter is because of me; blame me if you must. However, I have an extremely urgent matter to report to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, and it cannot be delayed.”

“What extremely urgent matter could you possibly have?” The Imperial Forest Army guard squinted at Chen Ji. “Didn’t you flee earlier? Why are you back now? What, seeing that the Jing Dynasty army didn’t besiege the city today, you’re no longer afraid of being implicated by us? His Royal Highness is discussing important matters and cannot see you. Go back; the Ducal Residence is not a place for you.”

Chen Ji ignored how the Imperial Forest Army might be speaking ill of him behind his back and continued to walk steadily deeper into the residence. The Imperial Forest Army guard drew the long sword from his waist and blocked Chen Ji’s path, “Stop! Didn’t you hear me talking to you?”

However, Chen Ji did not stop. As the sword tip was about to touch his chest, he slightly turned to dodge it, brushing past the Imperial Forest Army guard. The Imperial Forest Army guard exploded in rage, “You wretch! I told you to stop!” With that, he turned and aimed a kick at Chen Ji’s right hip. Chen Ji caught his ankle and with a casual flick of his wrist, the Imperial Forest Army guard stumbled away like a spinning top.

By the time the Imperial Forest Army guard regained his balance, Chen Ji was no longer in front of him. He spun around abruptly and saw Chen Ji charging deeper into the Ducal Residence. The Imperial Forest Army guard tried to pursue, but Old Wu grabbed his wrist and said to Chen Ji, “Hurry!” The Imperial Forest Army guard struggled a few times but couldn’t break free from Old Wu’s iron grip. He immediately roared, “Assassin! Seize the assassin!”

At these words, a single stone caused an uproar. A dense sound of footsteps and the clanking of armor arose. Imperial Forest Army guards converged from rooms and corridors on all sides. Seeing more and more Imperial Forest Army guards blocking his path, the next moment, Chen Ji leaped onto the covered walkway, running furiously across the grey roof tiles towards the White Tiger Hall.

Chen Ji ran along the eaves above, while the Imperial Forest Army guards moved parallel to him below. One of the Imperial Forest Army guards roared, “Send me up!” In an instant, a comrade in front of him crouched down. As his black boots stepped onto his comrade’s shoulder, the comrade below suddenly stood up, launching him into the air. The Imperial Forest Army guard drew his sword mid-air. His white cloak billowed behind him as he roared, “Die!”

A brilliant flash of sword light descended, cutting across Chen Ji’s path. Chen Ji abruptly halted, crushing five or six grey tiles as he stopped himself. The sword light sliced down inches from his nose. The Imperial Forest Army guard was startled; he hadn’t expected Chen Ji to evade that strike. At this moment, Chen Ji, capitalizing on the Imperial Forest Army guard’s exhausted swing, seized his wrist, swung him in a full circle, and threw him back into the crowd below, causing the Imperial Forest Army guards to fall over each other.

By the time the Imperial Forest Army guards helped up their fallen comrade, Chen Ji was already nearing the White Tiger Hall of the Ducal Residence! From afar, Chen Ji saw the Crown Prince seated at the head of a long table in the hall, with Li Xuan and Chen Liqin seated on either side, seemingly discussing something. An Imperial Forest Army guard roared from behind him, “Assassin! Protect His Royal Highness!” The sound startled the people inside, who all looked towards the roof but couldn’t see clearly in the dark.

Li Xuan immediately stood up, his hand on the long sword at his waist, and stepped out of the White Tiger Hall, “Protect His Royal Highness!” Qi Zhenzhuo led over twenty Imperial Forest Army guards to form a military formation in front of the hall, all drawing their long swords and shouting, “Kill!”

Chen Ji leaped down from the roof, looking at the Imperial Forest Army’s formation but not daring to charge directly. The battle-hardened formation allowed these twenty-odd Imperial Forest Army guards to connect their energies, covering each other’s vulnerabilities, making them invulnerable.

Chen Ji didn’t look at the swords, which stood like a forest. He walked forward step by step, his gaze past the Imperial Forest Army towards the White Tiger Hall: “Your Royal Highness, I, Chen Ji, your humble subject, have urgent matters to report!”

Upon hearing this, Chen Liqin suddenly stood up and looked outside. He quickly walked a few steps, holding the hem of his official robe, and stood on the steps, angrily rebuking, “Chen Ji, what nonsense are you up to? What crime is it to disturb His Royal Highness?”

Chen Ji ignored him and continued to speak loudly: “I found a piece of information in the market: someone is secretly seeking scavengers to collect ‘golden liquid’ (feces), with more than ten large jars already. I suspect it’s a Jing Dynasty spy trying to pollute the city’s wells, acting as an inside agent for the Jing Dynasty’s Heavenly Cavalry Army during a siege!”

What was cut off first during a siege in this era? Water sources and supplies! Some armies would bury cattle and sheep carcasses upstream in rivers; it only took seven days to pollute a city’s river water. Others would throw poisons into wells, destroying a city’s water supply. But what was the most convenient substance to use for contamination? Not poison, but feces.

Using arsenic would naturally be faster-acting, but to achieve a disabling dose for a well, at least two to three catties of arsenic would be needed per well. The cost of extracting arsenic and similar arsenical drugs is extremely high, and the process creates a lot of commotion, making it difficult to cover the hundred-plus wells in Guyuan City. If feces were used for bacterial contamination, it would not only save time, effort, and money, but the E. coli in feces could survive even at 100 degrees Celsius for five to ten minutes. Even if temporarily inactivated by high temperatures, once the water cooled, the microorganisms would rapidly re-proliferate, causing illness. Therefore, city defenders would boil feces into “golden liquid” and pour it from the city walls. Any attacking soldiers who were scalded would inevitably suffer wounds that festered and could not heal. Extremely malicious. Extremely disgusting.

An Imperial Forest Army guard looked at Chen Ji sternly, “What nonsense are you spouting? You heard some random rumor from the market and dare to disturb His Royal Highness? What crime is this? Moreover, do you think the Guyuan Border Army is foolish? Every well in this city is guarded by two soldiers. How could the Jing Dynasty bandits possibly pollute the wells?”

Chen Ji retorted, “Since the Jing Dynasty bandits are making such preparations, they must have official collaborators assisting them. Are the border guards supposed to deploy hundreds of officials to guard the wells?”

Qi Zhenzhuo sneered, “This is the White Tiger Hall, not a place for a child like you to boast!”

As they spoke, the Crown Prince slowly walked out of the White Tiger Hall. Li Xuan moved to drape a pure white fox-fur cloak over him, but the Crown Prince stopped him with a raised hand. The moment the Crown Prince stepped out of the White Tiger Hall, Chen Ji vaguely felt a throbbing in his brow. It seemed as if a murderous intent from a side room had locked onto him, waiting for an opportunity to strike. He didn’t look at the side room, but his heart filled with alarm and suspicion. Could there be officials hidden in the side room guarding the Crown Prince? Who could it be? Assassins from the Eastern Palace?

At this moment, the Crown Prince stood on the steps, observing Chen Ji, who faced the military formation undaunted, a peculiar glint in his eyes. He gently advised, “I know Young Master Chen means well, and I believe your words. If the Jing Dynasty bandits truly have official collaborators planning this, then the border guards guarding the wells might indeed find it hard to stop them. However… this is the duty of the border army, and it’s not appropriate for me to overstep.”

Chen Ji calmly replied, “Your Royal Highness came with an imperial decree to investigate the ‘slaughtering commoners for military achievements’ case, but there has been no progress. If the border army has already silenced the scribe who wrote the memorial, this matter might become an unsolved case. At that time, if Your Royal Highness does not achieve a remarkable feat, how will you return to court? And how will His Majesty view you? Now that there’s a clue about Jing Dynasty spies, why not give it a try?”

A flicker of panic crossed Chen Liqin’s eyes. “Silence! Is this something you can comment on?” After speaking, he hastily cupped his hands to the Crown Prince, “Your Royal Highness, please don’t listen to his nonsense. You will certainly be able to clarify the case of slaughtering commoners for military achievements.”

However, the Crown Prince remained silent, lost in thought. Silence fell before the White Tiger Hall. The Crown Prince gazed at Chen Ji, standing steadfastly before the Imperial Forest Army at the foot of the stone steps, and suddenly asked, “You have an old acquaintance with Deputy General Zhou, why didn’t you go tell him?”

Chen Ji had his reasons, but he couldn’t state them directly… He cupped his hands to the Crown Prince and said, “The Chen family are retainers of the Eastern Palace. When something happens, it is proper to report to Your Royal Highness, not to others.”

The Crown Prince smiled faintly, then turned to Li Xuan and ordered, “General Li, prepare the horses. Let’s go see if the information this young man speaks of is true.”

Li Xuan quietly asked, “Your Royal Highness, do you believe what he said?”

The Crown Prince hummed, “I believe it eighty percent. If it were just baseless rumors, he wouldn’t dare risk trespassing into the White Tiger Hall. Furthermore, so many of you couldn’t stop him, allowing him to burst in front of me. Doesn’t that prove his capability?”

Li Xuan looked ashamed. He turned and gave Chen Ji a deep look. Then, leading the Imperial Forest Army, he walked outside, “Prepare the horses!”