In the prison cell, the Feilin Army soldier, with disheveled and scattered hair, a dusty face, and even the armor on his body stripped by the jailers, leaving only the sleeveless vest guard underneath, lifted his head and looked at Chen Ji. He wasn’t sure if he had heard correctly and for a moment didn’t dare to speak rashly.

Jin Zhu’s eyeballs rolled. With his hands behind his back, he squinted at Chen Ji: “Chen family boy, you want to play the hero? Do you know what place this is? This is my inner court Zhao prison! Saving one of you is already not easy, and the agreement didn’t mention saving these people. Don’t make things difficult for me.”

Chen Ji cupped his hands and said: “Please, Master Jin Zhu, be generous. I will offer a great reward!”

Jin Zhu looked around at the surrounding prison cells, pointing at the cold-faced generals and soldiers inside, and sneered: “In my secret spy department’s Zhao prison, if you have the ability, you’ve already gotten out. You don’t need me to save you. Those who can’t get out are all useless. What’s the use of saving them?”

After saying that, he looked at the Feilin Army soldier in the front prison cell: “What’s your name, and what does your family do?”

The Feilin Army soldier nervously stood up: “Your humble servant is Lin Yan Chu. My father is a tenant farmer in Fengtai County. My ancestors once served in the Wansui Army as a Wu Zhang!”

Jin Zhu sneered: “A tenant farmer’s son, no wonder you can’t get out!”

He looked at another prison cell: “What’s your name, and what does your family do?”

In the prison cell, the Feilin Army soldier’s ten fingernails had all been pried off by the jailers. He could only softly say: “Your humble servant is Li Guang. My father is a dyer at Wang Ji silk shop in East City. My ancestors once served in the Five Army Camp as a Bai Hu!”

Jin Zhu said disdainfully: “A declining household!”

Li Guang lowered his head!

Jin Zhu squinted at Chen Ji: “Still want to save them or not?”

Chen Ji again cupped his hands: “Master, you also know they are wronged. It’s already an honor for cold-door disciples to enter the Feilin Army. Please, Master Jin Zhu, be generous. For the sake of their ancestors who once served the court, give them a way to live!”

“Who hasn’t served the court like that?”

Jin Zhu coldly chuckled twice: “But since you’ve opened your mouth, I’ll put this debt on your head. You pay it back for them!”

Chen Ji replied: “Good!”

The Feilin Army soldiers in the prison cells seemed to awaken from a dream. One by one, they came to the iron bars and said excitedly: “Thank you, Master Jin Zhu.”

Jin Zhu impatiently waved his hand: “Thank me for what? What use is the thanks of your declining households to me?”

The Feilin Army soldiers changed their words: “Thank you, Master Chen.”

Jin Zhu called the jailers and said with an expression of disgust: “Return their armor to them! Remember to send them out of Taiye Pool. Don’t let them wander around aimlessly in Taiye Pool!”

Chen Ji watched as the Feilin Army soldiers, hugging their armor, hurriedly left, afraid that Jin Zhu would regret it!

Seeing everyone had left, Jin Zhu smiled and patted Chen Ji’s shoulder: “I was worried you were too upright and wouldn’t cooperate with me in pretending to act and winning people’s hearts! Very good, you have Zhang Jin!”

Chen Ji stood in the dim and winding corridor, looking into the dark depths, and softly said: “The road I want to walk is too winding. I’m afraid I can’t go far alone!”

Jin Zhu also suddenly sighed: “Who says not? Someone, bring the files of those twenty-four Feilin Army soldiers just now!”

The secret spy went to Pipating Hall to fetch an account book. Jin Zhu took it and flipped through the pages, smilingly saying: “Take it away!”

“In this world now, most people are ungrateful. You absolutely cannot only bestow favor and not power. Only with both favor and power can you firmly grasp them in your hand!”

“If anyone dares to outwardly agree but inwardly oppose you, the things inside can kill them!”

Chen Ji lowered his head and looked at the account book in Jin Zhu’s hand, silent.

Seeing his silence, Jin Zhu casually said: “What, you feel doing this is too despicable?”

Chen Ji smiled: “No, it’s just that once these things are revealed, others will naturally know that I have secret dealings with Si Li Jian, which will be counterproductive!”

Jin Zhu lightly sighed: “As you wish!”

From his sleeve, he took out an exquisite sandalwood box, pondered for a long time, felt pained for a long time, and finally mysteriously stuffed it into Chen Ji’s hand: “You must cultivate properly.”

“In this capital, sometimes even a Xun Dao realm expert can’t exert their strength. No matter how powerful a Da Xing official is, they can’t withstand a round of salvo from the Shen Ji Camp. Crossbows and crossbow beds can also shoot a Xing official to death!”

Jin Zhu changed the subject: “But with your talent, if one day you can truly reach the Shen Dao realm, even if you ask His Majesty and the inner court ministers for a princess face-to-face, what can they do? At that time, the whole world will give you nine parts of face!”

Chen Ji curiously asked: “Why nine parts and still one?”

Jin Zhu smiled: “You always have to leave one part for people to save face, right!”

Chen Ji lowered his head and opened the sandalwood box, only to see a small Yang Green ring lying inside!

Jin Zhu hurriedly closed the box: “Don’t look here. This is something I, your brother, copied from the Ministry of Works Langzhong’s house a few days ago, and I managed to avoid the search by Jie Fan Wei with great difficulty! Damn, among the Jie Fan Wei, that old boy Lin Chaoqing is the most difficult to deal with. Why did Wu Xiu let him return to the capital?”

Chen Ji held the box in his hand. He had only heard before that Yang Green jade could aid cultivation, but he had never used it himself: “Master, why not give it to Tian Ma?”

Jin Zhu grunted: “He’s at a bottleneck now. If he can comprehend it, he can cross the chasm. If he can’t, jade is useless!”

Chen Ji curiously asked: “What’s the difference between Yang Green jade and ginseng?”

Jin Zhu smiled and said: “A small Yang Green jade ring can have the effect of twenty old ginsengs, but the price is the price of a hundred old ginsengs. Do you know why?”

Chen Ji shook his head: “I don’t know!”

Jin Zhu laughed: “If a Xing official wants to absorb old ginseng, they have to first slice the ginseng and boil it into water for more than ten days to drink. It’s too slow! Yang Green jade is not restricted by this and can instantly increase one’s realm. It is precisely because of this thing that the Xing officials of the world’s families can cultivate faster than others! If that Yu Bin Army Li Xuan didn’t have the support of the Qi family’s jade, how could he possibly enter the Xun Dao realm at the age of thirty?”

“So that’s it.” Chen Ji put the sandalwood box into his bosom. He didn’t plan to use it himself. Exchanging this thing for ginseng would have a higher value!

Jin Zhu reminded him: “After you go out, you have to be careful of the Chen family’s second house!”

Chen Ji lifted his head: “What about Chen Wen Ren?”

Jin Zhu rolled up the account book and stuffed it into his wide robe sleeve: “Chen Li Zhi from the Chen family’s second house went to see Wu Xiu, and Wu Xiu came forward to protect Chen Wen Ren!”

Chen Ji was puzzled: “The crime of dereliction of duty is confirmed, how to protect him?”

Jin Zhu chuckled: “The Chen family handed over a bandit from Taihang Mountain, who had been wanted for a long time, to be executed! They explained that Chen Wen Ren accidentally discovered the trace of this bandit hero that afternoon and delayed his time in order to catch him!”

“Now Chen Wen Ren not only has no crime but has instead become a hero who exterminated bandits! Boy, this is the world’s families. When fighting with them, you must have a plan to kill in one blow, otherwise, they will always revive!”

Chen Ji nodded: “So that’s it. It seems Chen Wen Ren will resume office.”

Jin Zhu lowered his voice: “Li Xuan chopped down Zhao Zhuo Fan, an outer relative of the second house. They can’t deal with Li Xuan, so they naturally want to vent their anger on you! The head of the second house, Chen Li Zhi, is a sinister and vicious master. His two sons, Chen Wen De and Chen Wen Ren, are also not easy to deal with!”

“Now the Chen family’s main house has no offspring. The second house doesn’t know when they will take over the Chen family. At that time, your days will be difficult!”

“Now the head of the Chen family, Chen Pi Chi, belongs to the main house lineage and has only one son, Chen Li Zun. Chen Li Zun has no children!”

“Chen Lu Ming, from the second house lineage, once served as the Ministry of Revenue Shangshu but was suspended due to Lu Jin’s assassination. His son Chen Li Zhi took over the family business. He has two legitimate sons, one legitimate daughter, and one illegitimate son, Chen Yu! Chen Lu Min, from the third house lineage, died of illness in his early years, leaving behind the Chen Li Qin lineage!”

Chen Ji thought for a moment: “Thank you for the reminder, Master. I will be careful!”

Jin Zhu waved his hand: “Go. Someone is waiting for you outside Taiye Pool. They have been waiting at the gate for a long time!”

When Chen Ji came out of the Zhao prison, it was evening!

The sunset, wrapped in a warm breeze, blew on his face. He subconsciously raised his hand to block the coming soft light, and his eyes felt a burst of sour pain!

Chen Ji rubbed his cheeks and crossed the white jade bridge, walking all the way south!

Outside Taiye Pool, he saw Xiao Man and Zhang Zheng squatting together, not knowing what they were whispering about!

Zhang Xia was standing under the shadow of the red wall and gray tiles beside them, closing her eyes to rest. It was a rare thing; she had actually changed out of her fiery red skirt and put on a white arrow-shaped outfit. The upper part was embroidered with a winding branch and lotus flower pattern, and the sleeves were tightly tied with white cloth strips! Her lower body wore white loose horse pants, and the pant legs were tied tightly below the knees!

She had fewer traces of makeup and more heroism!

Zhang Xia didn’t chat with people. Her mouth moved slightly, as if she was silently reciting something!

Hearing footsteps, Xiao Man hurriedly lifted her head and said joyfully: “Young master, you’re finally out.”

Zhang Zheng rushed forward, pulling Chen Ji up and down to look: “No injuries on your body, they didn’t torture you, right? You’re not from the secret spy department, why did they lock you up until the end?”

Chen Ji smiled: “Something was delayed. How did the court handle the Goryeo envoy group?”

Xiao Man softly mumbled: “Young master is still thinking about the Goryeo envoy group at this time? They made you stay in the ghost place of Zhao prison for a day and a night. For matters in the court, you have to ask second sister!”

Chen Ji looked towards Zhang Xia, but saw that she was still silently reciting something!

Zhang Zheng laughed happily: “Ever since you gave her the cultivation method, she’s been cultivating day and night, unwilling to say an extra word! Before, she could silently recite it twice in the time it takes an incense stick to burn. Now she’s extremely skilled at reciting it and can already do it four times in the time it takes an incense stick!”

Chen Ji thought to himself, he could only recite it once in the time it takes an incense stick to burn, and three out of ten times he would recite the wrong words. If he got one word wrong, all his previous efforts would be wasted!

He calculated Zhang Xia’s cultivation speed: “If with second sister’s reciting speed, reciting for four hours a day, it will take seventy-plus days to recite ten thousand times. I also don’t know if ten thousand times is the innate threshold?”

Zhang Zheng laughed: “How could she only recite for four hours a day? Except for eating and sleeping, she probably recites for eight hours and doesn’t find it bothersome!”

At this time, Xiao Man saw that Zhang Xia still hadn’t finished and shouted loudly: “Young master, don’t bother second sister. Quick, quick, come cross the fire basin!”

Chen Ji turned his head and saw a copper basin placed not far away, filled with ‘straw’!

Xiao Man took out a fire stick and squatted beside the copper basin to blow and ignite the straw!

After the fire burned to its strongest, Chen Ji was pulled by Zhang Zheng to cross over the fire basin!

Under the sunset, Xiao Man clapped her hands and laughed: “City God old master bless, drive away evil and avoid disaster, bad luck quickly go.”

Chen Ji laughed: “Why did you still bring a fire basin?”

Xiao Man widened her eyes: “Young master, what are you saying? This is called for people from the lower nine classes who get out of prison without anyone to receive them. You have a home and brothers and sisters, so of course you need a fire basin to receive you!”

Chen Ji was startled!

Zhang Zheng pulled him towards Qipan Street: “Walk, walk, walk. After crossing the fire basin, we still need to treat ourselves. Let’s go to Li Ji on Qipan Street and eat a bowl of hot pig’s trotters noodles. This is called [washing feet and going ashore]!”

Xiao Man glared at him: “Can you speak properly? My young master was wronged. What washing feet, what going ashore?”

“I want to eat pearl white vegetable tofu soup, clear and clean.”

Zhang Zheng thought: “Then let’s go to ‘Pianyi Fang’.”

At this time, an abrupt voice sounded beside them: “Jiao Tu led people to search the Huitong Hall, and they found ink ingots made from Strychnos nux-vomica again in the Goryeo prince’s luggage. The human evidence and material evidence are all complete! Now the court orders the Goryeo envoy group not to leave Huitong Hall by half a step. The cabinet elders are discussing how to handle them. They dared to plot against the heavenly dynasty and must be severely punished. But the matter of sending aid soldiers to Goryeo also seems to be put on the agenda. After all, our dynasty needs Goryeo to restrain the Jing dynasty from the side, and we can’t really sit and watch them lose their country!”

Chen Ji, Xiao Man, and Zhang Zheng turned their heads to look. It was Zhang Xia who had finished reciting and answered Chen Ji’s initial question.

Zhang Zheng laughed heartily: “At this time, don’t think about that troublesome Goryeo envoy group. They brought it upon themselves! Walk, walk, walk, let’s go to Pianyi Fang to eat pearl white vegetable tofu soup!”

Zhang Xia suddenly said: “Don’t go to Pianyi Fang, go to the Chen family to eat!”

Zhang Zheng was puzzled: “Go to the Chen family to do what?”

Zhang Xia firmly said: “Just go to the Chen family!”

Under the night, the four people passed through Fuyou Street and knocked on the Chen residence’s side door, but they waited for a long time and no one responded!

Zhang Xia lifted her hand and pointed at the door crack. A wisp of invisible sword qi passed through, actually cutting off the door bolt from the door crack!

Xiao Man widened her eyes: “Second sister has only cultivated for a few days.”

Zhang Xia casually explained: “Now the sword qi recovery is a bit slow. I can only use this once a day. Perhaps it will be better when I reach the innate realm!”

She pushed open the door, only to see a young servant sitting on a chair inside the door, looking at Chen Ji and the others in a daze: “You, how can you force your way in?”

Zhang Xia walked directly towards Qinzheng Garden, saying with killing intent: “The Chen family’s people have returned to their own home, and the servants guarding the door don’t open it! Xiao Man, slap him!”

Xiao Man gasped!

She stepped forward, grabbed the young servant’s collar with her left hand, and slapped him left and right with her right hand, making the young servant dizzy!

Zhang Xia walked inside along the stone path, saying without turning her head: “Xiao Man, which courtyard do you live in?”

Xiao Man let go of the young servant and hopped to lead the way for Zhang Xia!

Chen Ji and Zhang Zheng looked at Zhang Xia’s murderous appearance and exchanged glances. This was not coming to eat. When they arrived at Chen Ji’s residing Ginkgo Garden, Zhang Xia sat on the stone chair facing the courtyard gate!

Chen Ji doubted: “What are you doing?”

Zhang Xia calmly said: “Waiting for people!”

After half an incense stick, they heard noisy footsteps outside the door!

With a bang, someone kicked open the courtyard door and loudly scolded: “All of you get out!”

The person who kicked the door was a woman in gray cloth clothes. She lifted her head and saw Zhang Xia in the courtyard. Her momentum suddenly faltered: “Who are you?”

Zhang Xia sat on the stone chair and said coldly: “Who are you? As a servant of the Chen family, you dare to kick open the master’s door?”

The woman subconsciously looked behind her, making way for the woman behind her who had a composed demeanor!

The woman wore an apricot yellow duijin silk shirt. On her head, she wore a gold and silver thread woven hair cover, covering a false chignon. A green jade hairpin was inserted into the chignon!

She slowly walked into the courtyard. Two young servants carried an embroidered stool and placed it in the courtyard. She then leisurely sat down and spoke: “Second Miss Zhang, I saw you at Xu Ge Lao’s birthday, but I don’t know you are visiting my Chen residence today. Do you have a visiting card?”

Chen Ji cupped his hands: “I invited them to come, no need for a visiting card!”

The woman smiled with an arrogant expression: “When did my Chen family’s illegitimate son have the right to invite outsiders to come home as guests? How come I don’t remember this rule?”

Zhang Xia said unhurriedly: “Second Madam, in the 21st year of Yide, the cabinet first assistant Qi Yan was an illegitimate son. Emperor Xuan De once praised him for his diligence in politics, saying that reason is not beyond human feelings! If a legitimate son is not filial and an illegitimate son is capable, the family business should be handed over to the illegitimate son to complete the clan!”

“Second Madam…” Wang Shi also quoted scriptures: “Ning Shen Zong wanted to establish the favored concubine Zheng Gui Fei’s illegitimate son as crown prince and suffered the admonition of first assistant Qi Yan: ‘Ancestral family law is to establish the legitimate and the eldest! The imperial eldest son should be the proper heir. Although Gui Fei is virtuous, she cannot disturb the order!'”

“This is what Qi Yan Qi Ge Lao himself said. I think he also knows that legitimate and illegitimate are different!”

Zhang Zheng and Xiao Man had serious expressions. Tough opponent!

Zhang Xia’s expression remained unchanged: “My Da Ning law has it that legitimate and illegitimate sons, when dividing family wealth and fields, regardless of whether they are born of a wife, concubine, or maid, should all divide equally according to the number of sons!”

Wang Shi laughed again: “Da Ning law’s household law also has it that an illegitimate son who steals a title will be caned eighty times and have his title seized. If a legitimate wife over fifty years old has no son, then an illegitimate son can be established as a substitute!”

One person talked about inheriting family property, and the other talked about inheriting a title!

Both were experts proficient in the rules. They met move with move, and neither could gain the upper hand. If they continued to debate, they probably wouldn’t reach a conclusion until tomorrow morning!

Wang Shi gently said: “Second Miss Zhang, why bother to wade into this muddy water?”

Zhang Xia calmly said: “Second Madam, the first emperor was an illegitimate son of a藩 king!”

Wang Shi’s face changed!

She picked up her handkerchief to wipe the corner of her mouth: “I’ve long heard that Second Miss Zhang is extraordinarily intelligent, and seeing you today, you are indeed different! But, you come to judge for me, my son Chen Wen Ren was delayed while arresting bandits, yet he was whipped a hundred times without asking right or wrong. What is the reason for this? Chen Ji, as the Chen family’s illegitimate son, doesn’t help his own brother but helps outsiders from the Qi family. What is the reason for this? So-called brotherly affection is natural. Is Chen Ji’s act not against human ethics and nature?”

Zhang Xia seriously said: “The Taihang Mountain bandit Chen Feng once gathered five hundred bandits, controlled official roads, burned, killed, and plundered, doing all sorts of evil! Later, he suffered encirclement by the Wansui Army and changed his name and surname. In the 27th year of Jianing, he quietly entered the capital and hid in Nianzi Hutong! Second Madam, may I ask who gave him the one thousand three hundred taels of silver to buy a residence? In addition, after he entered the capital, who gave him household registration?”

Wang Shi subconsciously clenched the handkerchief in her hand, but her face was as if nothing had happened: “How would I know this?”

Zhang Xia said again: “In the winter of the 29th year of Jianing, Chen Feng secretly met a man surnamed Wang outside the City God Temple. That night, he then sneaked into the home of Zhou Yuanwai in East City and killed fourteen people in the Zhou family. Does Madam want to know who he secretly met?”

Wang Shi’s face changed again. She stood up and left: “Second Miss Zhang is backed by the Xu family, truly formidable!”

The young servants and women looked at each other. They came with aggressive momentum but left with a hasty end!

Xiao Man was stunned: “They just left like this?”

Zhang Xia explained: “She’s urgently sending people to kill and silence them!”

Zhang Zheng looked at their retreating backs, then turned to Zhang Xia: “So you originally anticipated that the Chen family’s second house would make things difficult for Chen Ji, which is why you had to come to the Chen family to eat.”

“Xiao Man, cook. I’m hungry.” Zhang Xia closed her eyes, then her lips moved, silently reciting scriptures!