Qi Zhenzhuo found a set of silver armor and helped Chen Ji put it on.

As he helped Chen Ji fasten the armor, he mumbled softly, “Master, it would be so much better if we just waited to see Chen Wenren make a fool of himself. Why do we have to help them? And why do I feel like you look so awkward in this silver armor?”

Chen Ji was startled. “Awkward?”

Qi Zhenzhuo frowned as he examined him. “I can’t quite put my finger on it, but it just doesn’t seem to suit this silver armor.”

Li Xuan looked over upon hearing this and immediately hit the nail on the head: “Chen Ji isn’t suited for such flamboyant Imperial Guard armor. This armor is too dazzling. He’s suited for black armor.”

Qi Zhenzhuo clicked his tongue. “It really does seem that way! Brother-in-law, how could you tell at a glance?”

Li Xuan was silent for a moment. “Because I’ve seen him in the black armor of a Divine Marksman of the Tiance Army.”

Qi Zhenzhuo was puzzled. “I’ve seen it too; he was wearing that black armor after the big battle.”

Li Xuan shook his head and said softly, “Not after the big battle.”

He recalled the night of the decisive battle at Guyuan, when Chen Ji stood in the darkness, holding a powerful bow, outwardly calm, yet seemingly concealing rolling thunder.

The most formidable hawk never appears in the prey’s sight.

The three of them went out.

On the drill ground, Zhao Zhuofan was frantically shouting, “Who will go to Bada Hutong now to deliver a message to Commander Chen? There’s a heavy reward: two hundred taels of silver!”

No one on the drill ground responded.

“You don’t want to earn two hundred taels of silver just by running an errand?” Zhao Zhuofan grabbed an Imperial Guard and ordered, “You go!”

The Imperial Guard stepped back, pulling free from Zhao Zhuofan’s grasp. “It’s definitely too late now. Going to Bada Hutong and back, even on a fast horse, will take half an hour. We’ll surely miss the important business at Shenshi (3-5 PM). When the Directorate of Ceremonial holds us accountable, Your Excellency might have the Chen family to vouch for you, but I, your humble subordinate, will certainly be dismissed and investigated.”

Zhao Zhuofan swore angrily, then turned to an Imperial Guard who had just been feeding a horse. “I’ll give you five hundred taels of silver! You go!”

But that Imperial Guard didn’t respond either.

Zhao Zhuofan was furious. “Your old mother is seriously ill and needs money for treatment! Your wife usually can’t even afford a box of rouge! If you take this money, you’ll have everything!”

Qi Zhenzhuo scoffed from the side. “Five hundred taels of silver is only two years’ salary for him. Liang Dongcheng only just managed to get selected into the Imperial Guard; how could he jeopardize his proper duty for your paltry sum? According to our Great Ning laws, what crime is it to abandon one’s post…?”

Zhao Zhuofan glared angrily. “You!”

This was not the time to bicker with Qi Zhenzhuo. He turned to other commoner soldiers. “Who is willing to earn these five hundred taels of silver? No, eight hundred taels!”

No one responded.

Qi Zhenzhuo became playful. “Young Master Zhao, backed by the Chen family, how can you only offer eight hundred taels of silver to send someone? If you offer five thousand taels, I’ll run the errand for you.”

Zhao Zhuofan ignored him, looking only at the commoner soldiers, and sneered, “Alright, alright, alright. Normally, I treat you well, and never withheld your military pay and rations. When this matter is over, you won’t need to stay in my guard post anymore!”

An Imperial Guard heard these words, gritted his teeth, and took a step forward. “One thousand five hundred taels, and I’ll go deliver the message to the Commander.”

Zhao Zhuofan pondered for two breaths. “Good!”

That Imperial Guard soldier mounted his horse and left, heading towards Bada Hutong.

As he went out, a young eunuch stood outside the gate, holding up a high-ranking official’s handwritten decree: “Imperial Guards, listen to the order! Report immediately to the Meridian Gate to await the decree. If no one is seen within the time it takes an incense stick to burn, forty lashes and dismissal from service!”

“Hurry, hurry, hurry,” Zhao Zhuofan said irritably. “It’s like they’re rushing us to our deaths!”

Chen Ji suddenly remembered what Zhang Xia had said: “Rules are meant to devour people.”

He turned and asked Qi Zhenzhuo, “How many people in the Imperial Guard come from humble families?”

Qi Zhenzhuo shook his head. “Not many. The selection for the Imperial Guard is extremely strict; one’s ancestors must be clean for three generations. There are only about twenty-five or six such commoners in the Imperial Guard; most of the others have connections.”

Chen Ji was thoughtful.

Two hundred Imperial Guards, with hands on their long swords at their waists, passed through the Gate of Heavenly Succession and lined up in front of the Meridian Gate.

Zhao Zhuofan paced back and forth in front of the Meridian Gate, anxiously looking towards the Gate of Heavenly Succession.

Just then, Chen Ji saw a familiar figure emerge from the right side of the Meridian Gate. The person was dressed in white, wearing a dragon-patterned mask, with hands clasped casually behind their back, silently scrutinizing the Imperial Guards.

White Dragon.

Chen Ji carefully observed the person, wondering which of the White Dragons he had encountered before this one was.

The one from Luocheng?

Or the one from within the imperial palace? Or neither.

After a long while, White Dragon gazed at Zhao Zhuofan. “What kind of conduct is it for imperial guards of honor to pace back and forth in front of the Meridian Gate?”

Zhao Zhuofan was so intimidated by the inexplicable aura that he didn’t dare to look directly at him.

White Dragon scrutinized the Imperial Guards and said without a ripple of emotion, “There are five hundred and thirty-eight registered Imperial Guards, yet here, you can’t even gather three hundred and sixty. Very good.”

No sooner had he spoken than drum sounds echoed from the Quetong Pavilion on the Meridian Gate tower. White Dragon immediately said, “Form ranks! Go to the Gate of Heavenly Succession to welcome them!”

The Imperial Guards divided into two columns and marched neatly towards the Gate of Heavenly Succession to greet them.

Chen Ji asked in a low voice, “Aren’t they supposed to be welcomed at the Meridian Gate?”

Qi Zhenzhuo chuckled. “Goryeo is a vassal state of our Ning Dynasty. How can the suzerain state wait for him? He has to dismount outside the Gate of Heavenly Succession and walk to the Meridian Gate.”

Upon reaching the Gate of Heavenly Succession, they saw on East Chang’an Street officials from the Court of State Ceremonials and over thirty envoys surrounding a palanquin, slowly approaching. Around them, secret agents in civilian clothes moved back and forth, guarding them.

After the palanquin was set down, the Goryeo Crown Prince inside did not disembark, and White Dragon did not urge him.

He merely stood with his hands clasped behind his back, quietly looking outside the gate, as if there was still another guest arriving from afar.

Chen Ji found it a bit strange. What was White Dragon waiting for?

After the time it takes an incense stick to burn, he was slightly startled to see on West Chang’an Street another procession of Court of State Ceremonials officials and envoys surrounding an identical palanquin.

Even the number of envoys was exactly the same.

After the palanquin was set down, Jin Zhu, wearing a conical hat, flashed out from the roadside and came before White Dragon, cupping his fists. “My lord, fortunately, I did not fail the mission; they have been safely delivered.”

White Dragon casually asked, “Nothing happened?”

Jin Zhu stated with certainty, “Nothing happened.”

White Dragon smiled. “Then please invite the Crown Prince to come out.”

The Goryeo envoys simultaneously lifted the curtains of both palanquins. The person who emerged from the left side was dressed in scarlet silk robes with embroidered Yi and Zao patterns, wearing a five-beamed coronet, holding an ivory tablet, and a jade belt at the waist—all in the style of a Ning Dynasty vassal official.

The person who emerged from the right side was dressed exactly like the Goryeo Crown Prince, also wearing scarlet silk robes and a five-beamed coronet.

Both individuals were of the same height and build, and both had their faces veiled with thin gauze.

A double!

White Dragon asked the young man on the right, “Is the Crown Prince well? You may remove your veil now.”

The Goryeo Crown Prince removed his veil and bowed humbly. “Reporting to Your Excellency, I am well.”

This Crown Prince actually spoke fluent Ning Dynasty official language.

At this moment, White Dragon explained lightly, “To ensure absolute safety, we went through this trouble, and I hope the Crown Prince will forgive us.”

The Goryeo Crown Prince hurriedly replied, “No problem, no problem. The Jing Dynasty bandits have attempted to assassinate me several times, and Your Excellency is also considering my safety. I should be grateful.”

Chen Ji’s heart tightened. In this capital city, had the open and secret struggles between the Jing Dynasty’s Military Intelligence Bureau and the Ning Dynasty’s Secret Service reached such a degree?

But this was right under the imperial city!

White Dragon looked at the two and said with a smile, “Crown Prince, according to etiquette, we need to inspect the ‘Sadae Pyeonmun’ once more.”

The Goryeo Crown Prince took out an exquisite memorial from his sleeve. The memorial was bound with red cord.

He handed the memorial to White Dragon with both hands. “This is my father’s handwritten ‘Memorial Requesting Aid Against Jing.’ Please examine it. This time, we’ve brought three hundred ginseng roots, three hundred sable furs, twenty high-quality breeding horses, three hundred taels of gold, eight hundred taels of silver, and sixteen pairs each of gold and silver artifacts as tribute. The list of all items is included within.”

White Dragon untied the red cord, carefully read through the document, then handed it to an official from the Court of State Ceremonials. “Send the horses to the Imperial Stables, the ginseng to the Imperial Pharmacy, and the gold and silver to the Inner Treasury.”

The official from the Court of State Ceremonials politely took the memorial. “Yes.”

White Dragon then looked at the Goryeo Crown Prince. “According to Chapter 15, Customs and Passes, of our Great Ning Code, the Crown Prince, without accompaniment from officials of the Court of State Ceremonials or our Secret Service, may not freely enter or exit the Guesthouse, may not privately create maps, and may not converse with our subjects. The Crown Prince shall be provided with three *sheng* of rice and one *jin* of meat daily, while his attendants shall receive half that amount. Do you have any objections?”

The Goryeo Crown Prince bowed respectfully. “No objections.”

An official from the Court of State Ceremonials cupped his hands and asked, “Lord White Dragon, may we now enter the palace?”

White Dragon calmly replied, “The eight hundred drumbeats from the Quetong Pavilion have not finished yet. Wait.”

Having said that, he no longer spoke, but simply stood quietly with his hands clasped behind his back.

The majestic drumbeats from the Quetong Pavilion on the Meridian Gate tower in the distance were still continuing.

The official from the Court of State Ceremonials was stunned. According to Ning Dynasty etiquette, it was indeed proper to wait for the drumbeats to cease before entering the palace. But in the past, no one took this etiquette seriously; they all entered the palace before the drumbeats stopped.

But this White Dragon was unwilling to do even the slightest thing out of line.

Not until the drumbeats ceased.

Only then did White Dragon smile and say to the Goryeo Crown Prince, “Crown Prince, ‘Is it not delightful to have friends coming from afar!’ Please!”

The Imperial Guards formed ranks and cleared the way, leading the Goryeo Crown Prince through the Meridian Gate and towards the Jianji Hall.

The Goryeo Crown Prince looked up at the Meridian Gate, his expression solemn.

The Meridian Gate is called a gate, but it is actually a city gate.

Outer city, inner city, imperial city—layer by layer, progressing inwards, the Meridian Gate is the most crucial, final ‘city gate’ of the capital region.

The grand red Meridian Gate, with its tall and wide gate tower, seemed as if someone had draped the city wall in the scarlet official robe of a Grand Secretary, sitting in solemn authority. Anyone who came before the Meridian Gate for the first time would surely be awed by its solemn and majestic presence, and feel a sense of reverence.

After the Goryeo Crown Prince entered the Meridian Gate, White Dragon heard hurried footsteps behind him.

He turned to look, and it was indeed Chen Wenren leading a group of Imperial Guards, rushing over, sweating profusely.

Chen Wenren came closer and gasped, cupping his fists, “Your humble subordinate is late.”

White Dragon said indifferently, “According to Article 9, Chapter 2 of our Great Ning Code, any official who abandons their post without cause shall receive forty strokes of the cane. Those in charge of guarding imperial palaces or storehouses shall receive eighty strokes of the whip and be dismissed from service.”

Chen Wenren’s expression changed.

White Dragon waved his hand at Jin Zhu. “Our Secret Service has the duty to supervise all officials. Major matters are decided by imperial decree, minor matters are decided immediately. Drag him away for eighty lashes, then hand him over to the Ministry of War for disposition.”

The secret agents swarmed forward and dragged Chen Wenren and the other Imperial Guards out of the Meridian Gate.

Chen Wenren roared, “Eunuch faction! How dare you touch me! My Chen family has been prominent officials for generations, living in luxury. How can you, a mere eunuch faction, touch us?”

White Dragon turned and walked into the deep, dark archway of the Meridian Gate. “One hundred lashes.”

Chen Ji looked back. This White Dragon now was completely different from Mr. Feng.