Early morning, before the rooster crowed, the sound of rushing water came from the Ginkgo Garden.

Xiao Man sat on the small chair by the bed, groggily opening her eyes.

Holding the little black cat, she stood up, followed the sound of water, and pushed the door open, just to see Chen Ji, with his sleeves rolled up, lifting a wooden bucket and pouring water into the large vat in the side room.

She rubbed her eyes and exclaimed in surprise, “My lord, you actually went to fetch water? What young master of a noble family fetches water himself? Wouldn’t people laugh if word got out?”

Chen Ji smiled. “I am no young master of a noble family. I’m just a commoner who started as a medical apprentice. I don’t care what others think of me.”

Xiao Man mumbled, “You’re no longer at the medical hall. Please don’t mention your identity as a medical apprentice again. Many people in the capital don’t know about it.”

Chen Ji lowered his rolled-up sleeves and said earnestly, “Xiao Man, being a medical apprentice is my favorite identity. There’s nothing to be ashamed of.”

Xiao Man looked up and carefully probed, “Is it because of the Princess you met there?”

Chen Ji’s hand, which was adjusting his sleeve, paused briefly, then he said frankly, “Not entirely. There’s also my master, my two senior brothers, the heir, Brother Dog, and Brother Cat. Oh, and there’s a young monk who can see into people’s minds. He should be cultivating at Yuanjue Temple right now. We can go visit him when we have time.”

Xiao Man whispered, “My lord, if I may say something unpleasant, the Princess, she…”

Chen Ji interrupted, “Xiao Man, even if you were trapped in Jingyang Palace, I would find every way to save you.”

Xiao Man’s eyes lit up. “Really? My lord isn’t tricking me?”

“Really, really,” Chen Ji said, changing the subject. “By the way, how much silver do I have left?”

Xiao Man calculated carefully: “When you left Guyuan, you had 237 taels of silver. When you became sworn brothers, Second Sister gave you 600 taels as a gift. After returning to the Chen manor, Duanwu Jie paid 100 taels for information about you. Of that, I got 30 taels… no, I got 20 taels, and you, my lord, got 80 taels. That totals 917 taels of silver.”

Chen Ji pondered. Growing one stripe required lighting 720 braziers, which meant 360 old ginseng roots and tens of thousands of taels of silver…

He now had three stripes on his body, requiring 550 braziers…

He would need at least over 40,000 taels of silver!

The Tiger Lord’s Path was too expensive. Where would he get so much silver? Even if he recovered and sold all of his aunt’s properties, it might not be enough to exchange for this much silver.

Moreover, he had one more thing to do that required a lot of silver.

Chen Ji pondered for a moment and asked, “Xiao Man, did Aunt ever teach you about business? Did she ever say what kind of business was most profitable in the capital?”

Xiao Man thought for a moment. “Aunt said that being a merchant isn’t profitable; being a Grand Secretary is the most profitable.”

Chen Ji was astonished. “That makes perfect sense.”

Xiao Man counted on her fingers and said, “Salt, iron, tea, and silver are the most profitable, but they are all controlled by the court. The businesses ordinary people can do are just opening a small inn or a tavern, or doing handicrafts, like being a tailor. Earning a few dozen or a hundred taels of silver a year is already quite satisfying. Not being in debt is a good thing… Oh, and Aunt did mention one very profitable business.”

Chen Ji’s eyes lit up. “What business?”

Xiao Man smiled and said, “Confiscating property. Aunt said confiscating property is the fastest way to make money; it’s pure profit with no capital.”

Chen Ji looked thoughtful.

At this point, Xiao Man added, “But Aunt also said that while how you make money is important, what you use the money for is the most important thing.”

Chen Ji pondered for a moment. “Xiao Man, we need to save money recently. Save a lot, a lot of money.”

Xiao Man was puzzled. “My lord, what do you need so much money for? Is it for a betrothal gift?”

Chen Ji shook his head. “No, you’ll know later. Go back to sleep for a bit. I need to report for duty at the Imperial Guards’ Commandery.”

Xiao Man followed him to the courtyard gate. “Should I bring you lunch at noon? The Chen family’s meals are free. Now that Master and Grand Master have instructed the kitchen, they won’t dare make trouble for me anymore. We should save where we can and spend where we must, but if your colleagues see it, they might laugh at you for being stingy, not even willing to eat out.”

Chen Ji smiled. “It’s fine. Let them think what they want.”

Xiao Man suddenly said, “Oh, this little black cat doesn’t have a name yet. Could you name it? You haven’t even held it yet.”

She held the little black cat in front of him. The little black cat rolled its round eyes, looking around.

Chen Ji didn’t reach out to take it. He just smiled and said, “You can name it yourself.”

With that, he turned and walked along the green brick path, exiting through the side gate of Qin Zheng Garden.

The Chen family’s residence was the second house on Fuyou Street. In front of the gate was a clean path of green bricks, with carvings of plum blossoms, orchids, bamboo, and chrysanthemums on them.

Just as he stepped out, he saw Li Xuan waiting at the gate. Qi Zhenzhuo was leaning against the side gate, haphazardly kicking the stone lion in front of the Chen family gate.

Seeing Chen Ji emerge, he quickly wiped the footprints off the stone lion with his sleeve. “Master, you’re finally out.”

Chen Ji asked, puzzled, “Why are you also reporting for duty so early? I thought you’d be sleeping in.”

Qi Zhenzhuo sighed. “My family finally managed to get me out of the Imperial Prison. Shouldn’t I be diligent now? If that poisonous minister catches me again, my father might break my legs.”

Chen Ji looked at Li Xuan. “Why are you two waiting for me here?”

Qi Zhenzhuo quickly explained, “The Qi family lives in the first house on Fuyou Street, and your Chen family is the second, so aren’t we just going the same way? Besides, Zhao Zhuofan, under Chen Wenren, was chopped down, and he’s probably plotting revenge. That guy has no real talent, but he’s full of petty tricks. What if he sends someone to intercept you halfway and you miss your duty call? It’s safer to walk together.”

Chen Ji grunted in acknowledgment.

Qi Zhenzhuo quickly added, “It’s not that I’m looking down on you, Master; we all know your abilities. But the Chen family’s second branch has several powerful officials under their wing. If that kid instigates those officials to cause you trouble, it’ll be hard to guard against.”

Chen Ji smiled and said, “No need to explain. Thank you.”

The three walked together across the Taiping Bridge, made of white marble. On the other side of the bridge, there were no longer the grand mansions of noble families, but small alleyways with cooking smoke rising from them.

As they passed through the alleys, the sky was still dusky.

On the coal stove at the alley entrance, steamers were stacked taller than a person. An old man in a short jacket tapped the rim of a pot with an iron spoon and called out clearly, “Fried dough rings! Sweet oil cakes!”

A few small tables and stools were set up in front of the stall. Temporary laborers eating breakfast together mumbled, “Who won the wrestling match at Tianqiao yesterday? I was in a hurry to deliver food to the Hu family, so I didn’t dare stop to watch.”

The stall owner laughed heartily. “It must have been Heji. Heji has been winning for seven years. They’ve completely suppressed Ruifuxiang, leaving them no chance.”

By a small table, a man said mysteriously, “I was watching at Tianqiao yesterday. I almost missed the gathering at Assistant Minister Li’s house… Heh heh, but this time, Heji really didn’t win!”

“Quick, tell us, what happened?”

“Ruifuxiang found a new stick master from somewhere, nicknamed ‘Robe Brother.’ His skills are incredible; he threw Heji’s Wang Kui so hard he couldn’t find his bearings!”

“Whoa! That amazing?”

Chen Ji stopped. Li Xuan turned back, puzzled. “What’s wrong? These are just some low-class ruffians from the East City, always wrestling, fighting, and seizing territory. The authorities have a real headache with them. We don’t know who’s backing them, but no one has touched them for so many years.”

Chen Ji thought for a moment. “It’s nothing. Let’s go.”

The three walked along West Chang’an Avenue until they reached the military camp gate. Over two hundred Imperial Guards were already on the training ground.

Chen Wenren, who was giving a speech, saw them enter, turned and gave them a sidelong glance, then resumed speaking: “From today onward, all Imperial Guards will take turns on duty. If anyone is late for duty again, don’t blame this commander for being ruthless…”

Qi Zhenzhuo, with a smile, pulled Chen Ji forward, interrupting Chen Wenren. “Let me introduce to all colleagues: This is Chen Ji, our Imperial Guard instructor. From now on, he will teach us weapon skills. Brothers who returned from Guyuan with us know his capabilities. For those who haven’t been to Guyuan, it doesn’t matter if you don’t know yet; you’ll find out sooner or later…”

Before he finished speaking, Chen Wenren sneered, interrupting Qi Zhenzhuo in turn. “I’ve read the Ministry of War’s document. It only promotes him to Little Banner Officer; it doesn’t say anything about him being an instructor. Is there an official rank lower than Little Banner Officer among us Imperial Guard brothers?”

After he spoke, the Imperial Guards beside him burst into laughter, making the white pheasant feathers on their helmets shake.

The Imperial Guard was a place for sons of officials to gain experience and status.

In the Divine Machine Camp, Ten Thousand Years Army, and Five Army Camps, ranks from top to bottom were General Commander, Deputy Commander, Military Advisor, Commander of a Thousand, Commander of a Hundred, Banner Officer, Little Banner Officer, and Soldier.

However, in the Imperial Guard, the ranks were Commander, Commander of a Hundred, Banner Officer, Little Banner Officer, and Soldier. The strange thing was that ninety percent of the Imperial Guard members were Little Banner Officers, meaning there were more officers than soldiers.

Qi Zhenzhuo pointed at a person next to Chen Wenren and said, “Li Bing, don’t think I don’t know how you got your Little Banner Officer promotion. Wasn’t it because your family bought a few bandits for you to capture and claim as achievements? How dare you brazenly laugh?”

Li Bing’s expression changed. “Qi Zhenzhuo, are you saying your own ass is clean? Do you think I don’t know how you became Deputy Commander?”

Qi Zhenzhuo was speechless.

He hesitated for a long time. “This gentleman has turned over a new leaf now!”

The Imperial Guards opposite burst into laughter. “Your words are like farts; you’ve ‘turned over a new leaf’?”

Chen Wenren said coldly, “All of us brothers in the Imperial Guard know each other inside out. No one needs to pretend to be a big shot. Besides, seventy percent of our Imperial Guard brothers already possess the skills of a martial official, why would they need him to teach them?”

Duo Bao, who had returned from Guyuan with them, squinted his eyes. “Are the skills of a martial official so great? We all have some skills. You’ll understand when you’ve been on a battlefield: when the Jing Dynasty’s iron cavalry charges towards you, even a martial official is just a target.”

Chen Wenren chuckled and pointed at Chen Ji. “Alright, since he wants to be this instructor, I’ll find someone to spar with him. If he wins, I’ll let him be the instructor. If he loses, he can just honestly remain a Little Banner Officer. Wang Fang, you try him. If you win, you’ll be the instructor of our guard post.”

The Imperial Guards moved aside, revealing a burly man within.

Qi Zhenzhuo whispered to Chen Ji, “Master, don’t worry. Although Commander Wang Fang always says he has one foot in the Dao-Seeking Realm, he’s probably just a show-off. He hasn’t actually fought anyone. With your skills…”

Before he finished speaking, Chen Ji had already spoken. “I can’t beat him. No need to try.”

Qi Zhenzhuo was stunned.

Chen Ji walked towards the Commandery, saying casually as he went, “The Imperial Guards are all martial officials. Everyone here has extraordinary skills. They won’t learn anything from me. Don’t listen to Qi Zhenzhuo’s nonsense. I was just lucky in Guyuan; I don’t have any real skills.”

Chen Wenren froze. He had originally prepared a bunch of schemes, but he hadn’t expected Chen Ji to have no intention of seizing power, leaving him at a loss for what to do.

Qi Zhenzhuo followed closely behind Chen Ji, whispering, “Master, why did you say that? Killing hundreds in battle can be just luck?”

Chen Ji turned to look at him, asking in puzzlement, “What benefit would I gain from teaching these people?”

Qi Zhenzhuo said as if it were obvious, “Imperial Guard instructor! How impressive does that sound?”

Chen Ji then asked, puzzled, “Is the Imperial Guard a very powerful and renowned army?”

Qi Zhenzhuo opened his mouth, but hesitated to speak.

Chen Ji entered the Commandery, took out his armor from a cabinet and put it on. Li Xuan said from the side, “It doesn’t matter if you don’t want to fight for this instructor position, but the brothers who returned from Guyuan all want to learn some weapon skills from you.”

Chen Ji lowered his head, fastening his armor, and remained silent.

Qi Zhenzhuo, unsure whether Chen Ji was willing to teach or not, grew anxious, scratching his ears and cheeks. “Master, say something!”

Chen Ji remained silent.

At this moment, Li Xuan suddenly remembered something and whispered to Qi Zhenzhuo, “Dragon Gate Inn.”

Qi Zhenzhuo was puzzled. “Dragon Gate Inn? Brother-in-law, why bring up Dragon Gate Inn now? Don’t mention that place; my nightmares are all set there now.”

Li Xuan whispered, “Did you forget why he went to Dragon Gate Inn by himself earlier? To trade information about His Highness.”

Qi Zhenzhuo snapped awake, immediately turned to Chen Ji and said, “Master, if you teach me weapon skills, I’ll pay fifty taels of silver a month!”

Chen Ji, having put on his armor, smoothed the gleaming breastplate with his hand, and looked up, saying, “Deal.”

He then turned to Li Xuan. “Does Master Li want to learn?”

Li Xuan: “…Yes, but my wife manages the money, and I can’t afford that much.”

Chen Ji comforted him gently, “It’s alright. Any amount shows sincerity, and sincerity works wonders.”