In the night.

Chen Liqin pursued Chen Wenxiao with a raised saber, but no matter how fiercely he lunged, his blade never touched Chen Wenxiao.

Amidst Madam Liang’s cries, six frontier soldiers swarmed forward, pinning Chen Wenxiao to the yellow earth and binding his hands and feet with hemp rope.

Chen Liqin froze, exclaiming, “What are you doing?!”

A frontier soldier, with his foot on Chen Wenxiao, said, “Didn’t Master Chen want to chop him? We’ve got him pinned for you. Please, proceed.”

Chen Liqin’s face flushed. “When did my Chen family’s affairs become yours to meddle with?!”

The frontier soldier sneered, “While we spill our blood on the front lines, this brat conspires with the enemy and betrays our nation. If not for the general’s order to escort him to the capital, he wouldn’t even leave Guyuan City alive!”

With his face pressed to the ground, Chen Wenxiao struggled, shouting, “Let me go! Father, save me! Mother, save me!”

Madam Liang lunged forward like a madwoman, pushing away the soldiers. “We are relatives of the Junior Custodian from the Imperial Household. When did we ever collude with the enemy or betray the nation? Do you have any proof? Don’t make groundless accusations!”

The frontier soldiers looked back at Hu Junxian. They hadn’t been present when Chen Wenxiao allegedly colluded with the enemy, so they indeed had no evidence, relying solely on Xiaoman’s word.

Meanwhile, Xiaoman had quietly slipped away at some point, leaving only Hu Junxian and Zhou You standing by their horses.

Zhou You looked back at Xiaoman, who was gazing up at the stars, appearing completely unconcerned.

The next moment, a soft voice stated, “I testify that Chen Wenxiao colluded with the enemy and committed treason.”

Madam Liang and Chen Liqin whirled around to see Chen Wenzong standing by the brazier, his eyes red but his expression calm.

Madam Liang cried heartbreakingly, “Wenzong, what are you doing? Do you want to kill your brother? Don’t talk nonsense!”

But Chen Wenzong simply recounted in a low voice, “After Chen Wenxiao was captured by the Jing Dynasty bandits, they questioned him about the Dragon Gate Inn incident. To save his life, he…”

“Stop!”

Madam Liang stumbled to Chen Wenzong, whispering plaintively, “Wenzong, you are determined to ace the imperial examinations and be proclaimed at Donghua Gate. But the palace examination is personally endorsed by His Majesty. If Wenxiao is condemned, how can His Majesty appoint the brother of a convicted criminal as the top scholar? You might lose all hope of a scholarly career in this life and waste your potential. Let him go; it’s for your own sake too!”

Tears streamed down Madam Liang’s face. “Wenzong, your mother only has you two brothers to depend on. If something happens to both of you, how can I live? Who else can I rely on?”

If this matter could be downplayed and resolved in Guyuan, it might not reach the capital.

But colluding with the enemy and treason was different. If he were sent to the Ministry of Justice in the capital, Chen Wenxiao would face only one outcome: immediate execution.

A charge warranting immediate execution would be tried by the Ministry of Justice, then referred to the Censorate for review, and finally approved by the Grand Court of Revision. Only after all three agreed would it be submitted to Renshou Palace for His Majesty’s personal approval!

His Majesty would surely know, and no one could save him then!

Chen Wenzong remained silent for a long time. “Mother, if I am to cover for him, it means admitting that all the classics I’ve studied were wrong, and all the essays I’ve written were false… What use would it be to become the top scholar then?”

Madam Liang pleaded sorrowfully, “Haven’t you learned about ‘kin concealing kin’? Confucius said, ‘Fathers conceal their sons, and sons conceal their fathers; uprightness is found in this.’ Kin concealing kin is also the way of a gentleman. Even our Ning Dynasty law states that grandfathers, grandsons, daughters-in-law, a husband’s brothers, and their wives may all conceal each other. This is the utmost principle of Heaven and human sentiment.”

Chen Wenzong stood frozen. He looked at his mother, then at Chen Ji, speechless for a moment.

Madam Liang hadn’t lied to him; the Ning Dynasty law was indeed written that way, and the Sage indeed said that.

Just as Chen Wenzong was caught between a rock and a hard place, Qi Zhenzhuo suddenly ran over, shouting, “The Jing Dynasty bandits questioned him about the Dragon Gate Inn incident, and Chen Wenxiao, to save his own life, betrayed my master, Chen Ji! My master, to protect His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, single-handedly killed a hundred Jing Dynasty men in that inn and nearly died at the enemy’s hands. Chen Wenxiao’s actions are no different from colluding with the enemy and treason!”

At these words, silence fell upon the surroundings.

Madam Liang suddenly collapsed to the ground, her eyes appearing lifeless.

Chen Ji glanced at Qi Zhenzhuo, unsure for a moment whether he should acknowledge this apprentice.

In the silence, Hu Junxian spoke again, “Chen Wenxiao groveled before the Jing Dynasty, colluded with the enemy, and betrayed the nation. His crime warrants execution. Our frontier army doesn’t have the authority to execute him, so we will escort him to the Ministry of Justice for trial, to set the record straight. Lift him up and take him to custody.”

Hearing this, Chen Liqin’s spirits sank to rock bottom.

However, at that very moment, Madam Liang suddenly scrambled up from the ground, pulled the hairpin from her hair, rushed to Chen Wenxiao, and plunged it straight into his chest.

Madam Liang wept softly, “Don’t blame your mother; your elder brother cannot be harmed…”

Chen Wenxiao looked down at the hairpin in his chest, then incredulously looked up at Madam Liang, tears and snot streaming down his face. “Mother, my heart hurts so much…”

Before he could finish speaking, his head drooped, and he ceased to breathe.

Madam Liang hysterically looked at everyone. “Is that enough?!”

This sudden turn of events shocked everyone. No one had expected Madam Liang to be so resolute, killing her own son with her own hands.

Chen Ji found it somewhat absurd; it seemed as if everyone in both the Ning and Jing dynasties was pathologically deranged, beyond comprehension.

Then Madam Liang, with bloodshot eyes, glared around. “This matter is settled. If I learn that anyone spreads word of this, my Chen family and Liang family in the capital will never let them go!”

With that, her hair disheveled and her appearance like a vengeful spirit, she glared fiercely at Chen Ji and Xiaoman.

Chen Wenzong stepped forward to help her, but Madam Liang silently pushed him away. She lay slumped over Chen Wenxiao, sobbing softly, not moving for a long time.

Xiaoman, somewhat at a loss, looked at Chen Ji. “Young Master, I didn’t expect…”

Chen Ji said softly, “Don’t be afraid. He brought it upon himself.”

However, it was likely that he and Madam Liang had now become mortal enemies.

Hu Junxian gazed at Madam Liang for a long time, then waved his hand at the frontier soldiers. “Since the criminal has been executed, our frontier army will no longer interfere.”

The frontier soldiers quickly retreated, fearing Madam Liang’s resentment.

Chen Ji, recalling something, suddenly asked, “You were well hidden in the cellar; how were you discovered by the Heavenly Strategy Army?”

Zhang Zheng replied with a grim expression, “We were perfectly hidden in the well, but then someone pursued by the Heavenly Strategy Army, in desperation, jumped into the well and broke through the stacked stones in the well wall!”

Chen Ji frowned. “What happened to that person?”

Zhang Xia replied, “Killed by the Heavenly Strategy Army…”

Before he could finish, a shadow fell over them again. Chen Ji looked up to see Mr. Feng sitting on his horse, smiling at him. “Are you trying to find out if I sent that person?”

Chen Ji was silent for a moment. “Yes.”

Mr. Feng smiled. “No need to guess. It was me.”

With that, he dismounted, handed the reins to Xiaoman, and then said to Chen Ji, “Walk with me. I’m in a good mood today; I might be willing to answer a few of your questions.”

Zhang Xia tugged Chen Ji’s sleeve, shaking his head slightly.

Chen Ji, however, smiled and said, “It’s fine.”

Mr. Feng and Chen Ji walked towards the ruins. They walked for a long time, and Chen Ji remained silent.

Standing in Xumi Lane, Mr. Feng looked at the countless bodies of the frontier soldiers and suddenly asked, “Chen Ji, do you think the frontier soldiers are the most foolish people in this world?”

Chen Ji said softly, “Do you mean, Sir?”

Mr. Feng sneered, “Our Ministry of War has a rule: frontier soldiers are to be paid after one day of encampment. In the spring of the 14th year of Jianing, when the Datong frontier army marched north to meet the invaders, some exceptionally clever civilian officials played a trick. Every time the Datong frontier army set up camp, they were only allowed to stay for one day. The next day, they would be ordered to move their camp. This way, the army never had to be paid.”

Chen Ji was startled. “They could do that?”

At first glance, it sounded fabricated, not like a real event.

Mr. Feng calmly stated, “The foolishness of the frontier soldiers lies in this: even when they were so manipulated, they still bravely fought the enemy when they arrived. Ultimately, the Datong frontier army held off the Jing Dynasty Tiger Guards at Guhu Ridge for over a month, and every single soldier died. When the scouts went to collect their bodies, they cut open their bellies and found only grass roots, tree bark, and leather inside.”

Chen Ji remained silent.

Mr. Feng pointed to the night sky outside Guyuan City. “Chen Ji, the world shouldn’t be like this.”