Late at night.

The night watchman had already beaten the drum for the second watch.

Chen Ji rubbed his face in front of the gate of Yin Xing Yuan before pushing it open and entering.

In the courtyard, Xiao Man was dozing off on a stone table, holding a black cat, while the young monk sat beside her, chanting scriptures with his eyes closed.

Hearing the sound of the door opening, the young monk opened his eyes and met Chen Ji’s gaze. A ripple seemed to stir in his eyes, like a pool of water, looking directly into Chen Ji’s heart.

The moon-white kasaya draped over him was as gentle as the moon.

Seeing his gaze, Chen Ji was silent for a moment, then laughed casually, “Why are you looking at me like that?”

The young monk lowered his head, his hands pressed together, “Benefactor, do not mistake ‘self-attachment’ for your true heart. Attachment is the root of烦恼 (fánnǎo, vexations); one should abide nowhere, yet let the mind arise… Benefactor actually knows his own mind.”

Chen Ji leaned against the doorframe and sighed, “I don’t even know my own mind, yet you seem to know it better than I do…”

The young monk gazed into his eyes, “Benefactor, my Buddha said, see oneself, see all beings, see heaven and earth. When seeing heaven and earth, be humble; when seeing all beings, be compassionate; when seeing oneself, be clear-headed.”

Chen Ji retorted, “How does one become clear-headed?”

The young monk earnestly said, “You might as well look beyond your past and then look at the present.”

Chen Ji smiled and asked again, “Without a past, how can there be a present?”

The young monk sighed, “Benefactor, with no attachments in the mind, there is no fear, far removed from upside-down dreams, ultimately reaching nirvana. There are many deluded people in the world, but in the end, it’s just a grand dream, like flowers in a mirror or the moon in water. Perhaps what you cling to is only what you see in the mirror or water; once you truly touch it, it shatters.”

Chen Ji smiled and said, “We’ll see when I touch it.”

The young monk’s expression gradually became solemn, “Benefactor, greed and hatred have been severed, why does痴 (chī, delusion) linger?”

Chen Ji walked into the courtyard, casually patting the young monk’s smooth head, “If I had that ability, wouldn’t I have long ago severed痴? I don’t even know how I severed greed and hatred; you’re just spouting nonsense.”

The young monk quickly said, “This humble monk is not spouting nonsense.”

Xiao Man woke up at the sound, her eyes blurry with sleep, “What are you talking about… Has young master eaten?”

Chen Ji replied without turning his head, “Yes, I’ve eaten. I’m going to rest first; you two should also go to bed early. Xiao Man will live in the East Wing, the young monk in the West Wing, and I’ll have a room to myself.”

Xiao Man was slightly stunned, “How can that be?”

No sooner had she spoken than the door of the main house closed tightly.

Xiao Man turned to the young monk, “What were you and young master talking about? He just received a peerage, why does he seem unhappy?”

The young monk answered her question with another, “Xiao Man girl, among birth, old age, sickness, death, not getting what one desires, separation from loved ones, meeting those one hates, and the five aggregates ablaze – which is the most苦 (kǔ, suffering)?”

“Not having silver is the most苦!” Xiao Man rolled her eyes, “If you don’t speak human language again, I won’t cook for you.”

The young monk put his hands together, “Amitabha, Xiao Man girl is right.”

Xiao Man’s face brightened with a smile, “Young master received a peerage today, I’m happy, so tell me, what do you want for breakfast tomorrow?”

The young monk thought earnestly, “Scallion pancakes, red bean paste buns, fried sugar cakes, fried tofu skin…”

Xiao Man slowly retracted her smile, “If you want to eat so much, this girl won’t be happy.”

The young monk: “…”

Chen Ji took off his clothes and lay on the bed, quietly looking at the silk above the canopy bed, finally able to breathe.

He lay there with his eyes open, unable to sleep for a long time.

Xiang Shan, Chang Ping Xian, An Ding Men, Ren Shou Gong, Wen Dan Tang…

The engagement.

Everything that had happened in the past few days, like autumn leaves, was stirred up by a strong wind, and the once dormant leaves flew into the sky, chaotic and complex.

Had the dust settled?

Not yet.

In Wen Dan Tang today, the words spoken by Chen Ge Lao and Chen Li Zhi were undoubtedly an attempt to reconcile with the Second Branch. But given Chen Li Zhi’s temperament, reconciliation was impossible.

Now Si Cao Gui had completely disappeared. If this person was convinced that he had defected, he wouldn’t even need to act personally; simply revealing his relationship with Lu Jin and his collusion with the Jing Chao would be enough to put him to death.

At that time, not only would he die, but Xiao Man would also hardly escape.

He gazed at the bed curtain above him…

It’s better not to drag others down.

He lay on the bed for an unknown amount of time, until the crowing of roosters came from afar.

Chen Ji turned over, got up, dressed, and walked out.

He didn’t go to fetch water, but instead walked south along the bluestone path, arriving outside the Chen family stables, quietly looking inside.

The coachmen were already up and working; some were carrying hay into the feeding troughs, others were using bamboo rakes to clear horse manure. There were thirteen coachmen in gray clothes, and Si Cao Gui was not among them.

A coachman saw Chen Ji standing at the door and quickly put down his work, bowing and cupping his hands, “Young master, what are your orders?”

Chen Ji casually said, “I need to go out today; arrange a carriage.”

The coachman responded, “Please rest assured, young master, the carriage will be waiting for you at the side gate shortly.”

Chen Ji’s gaze swept across the stables, “Where is the coachman who used to drive for me? I haven’t seen him.”

The coachman was slightly startled, “Him? After you went on the spring hunt last time, we haven’t seen him since. It’s strange, his clothes are still in the horse shed. Logically, he should have taken them even if he quit.”

Chen Ji instructed, “Take me to see.”

The coachman led Chen Ji to the side of the stables, cautiously asking, “Young master, did that fellow commit some wrongdoing?”

Chen Ji remained expressionless, “Let’s see first.”

They arrived at the horse shed, which only had a communal bed. All the coachmen slept on the same bed.

The coachman pulled out Si Cao Gui’s belongings. Chen Ji felt through them, finding nothing: Si Cao Gui was a cautious person and probably wouldn’t leave anything in the horse shed.

Chen Ji turned to the coachman, seemingly displeased, “Who hired such an unreliable person who left without a word?”

The coachman whispered, “To answer young master, it was Wang Gui, the butler of the Third Branch…”

Wang Gui.

It was Wang Gui again.

First conspiring with the Chen family’s Second Branch, then colluding with the Jing Chao’s Military Intelligence Bureau, such a small figure had become the crux of the matter today.

Chen Ji recalled Zhang Xia once saying that when they hid in the well in Gu Yuan, Wang Gui was the first to be pulled up. It took about dozens of breaths before the second person was pulled up.

Pulling Wang Gui out of the well shouldn’t have taken so long, as the Jing Chao Tian Ce Jun wouldn’t need to waste time on a small figure.

Unless Wang Gui’s identity was suspicious.

No wonder so many people died under the Tian Ce Jun’s iron hooves, yet Wang Gui, an ordinary person, could return alive to the capital.

Chen Ji walked out, casually instructing, “Arrange the carriage and wait for me at the side gate.”

The coachman bowed repeatedly, “Alright!”

Chen Ji headed straight for Qing Zhu Yuan.

Qing Zhu Yuan was surrounded by green bamboo, and even the bluestones in the courtyard were carved with bamboo joints, symbolizing humility and integrity.

Qing Zhu Yuan was larger than Yin Xing Yuan. Yin Xing Yuan only had a single-story main house, while Qing Zhu Yuan had a two-story covered building.

Normally, by this time, maidservants would already be waiting in the building with basins of water and food boxes, serving Chen Li Qin and Liang Shi as they dressed and washed. But now they were idle, a dozen or so leaning against the covered bridge, worried and whispering.

A young maidservant whispered, “Now that master has gone to Jin Ling, madam has passed away, the eldest young master has returned to Lu Zhou to observe mourning, and the second young master has died young… will we be sold by the main family?”

An older maidservant, head down, nervously clutched her handkerchief, “That depends on who makes the decision. If it’s Madam Liu of the First Branch, she will naturally choose people from among the shopkeepers, deputy shopkeepers,柜头 (guìtóu, head of a counter), and warehouse supervisors of the Chen family’s various businesses to marry us off as official wives, to live a stable life. Then we might even have a good life, without having to serve people, and can even put on airs as a legitimate wife.”

The young maidservant curiously asked, “What if it’s the master of the Second Branch who makes the decision?”

The older maidservant scoffed, “How would master concern himself with such matters? It’s all handled by Butler Wang Duo. If he makes the decision, he’ll give all of us to the Second Branch’s trusted servants as concubines, to continue being subservient.”

The young maidservant was still worried, “But I heard some people might be sold to brothels.”

The older maidservant leaned against the covered bridge and shook her handkerchief, “Little girl, rest a hundred percent assured, the Chen family are respectable people, they wouldn’t do that. It’s not that the Chen family cares so much about their servants, but they don’t want to bear a bad name. Think about it, if they sell you to a brothel, the procuress will tell everyone you came from the Chen family. Those stinky men patronize you once, and the Chen family loses face once. It’s better to just kill you directly; anyway, the Chen family isn’t short of those few taels of silver.”

The young maidservant tentatively asked, “Is there a better way out? I really don’t want to marry those warehouse supervisors and柜头 (guìtóu) with their sweaty bodies and yellow teeth.”

The older maidservant mused, “A better way out, naturally, is…”

Just then, someone coughed lightly behind them.

The older maidservant turned around and saw Chen Ji standing at the door.

She quickly pulled the others, and they all came before Chen Ji, lowering their eyes and respectfully greeting, “Third young master.”

Chen Ji got straight to the point, “When did Wang Gui disappear?”

The older maidservant recalled, “The day before the spring hunt, he scheduled himself for the next day off and went home, and hasn’t returned since… Wang Duo, the butler of the Second Branch, the official by the Second Master’s side, and Chen Xu, the steward of the First Branch, also came to inquire about this. They even searched the entire Qing Zhu Yuan and went to Wang Gui’s residence outside the manor… This servant, Bai Lu, is a first-class maid in the manor.”

The other maidservants were slightly surprised, secretly glancing at her, but her expression remained unchanged.

Chen Ji calmly said, “How do you know they also went to Wang Gui’s residence outside the manor?”

Bai Lu lowered her head and replied, “On the night of the spring hunt, this servant secretly saw them apprehend Wang Gui’s wife. The woman was crying uncontrollably when she was brought back, saying repeatedly that she didn’t know where Wang Gui had gone.”

Chen Ji pondered silently for a moment, then suddenly asked, “Has Qing Zhu Yuan lost any valuable items recently?”

If Wang Gui had long harbored thoughts of escaping, he would certainly try to acquire more personal wealth. To acquire these assets, he would definitely need to find a way to convert them into Fo Men Tong Bao (Buddhist currency) to leave no trace; large amounts of gold, silver, and valuables would not pass the Five City Patrol Division’s checkpoint.

Bai Lu shook her head, “After Madam passed away, we checked all the gold, silver, and valuables according to the ledger, and none were missing.”

Chen Ji pondered for another moment, “Did master or madam ever reward him with valuable items?”

Bai Lu recalled for a long time, “In Jia Ning twenty-five, master rewarded him with a mutton-fat jade thumb ring, which he couldn’t bear to wear. In Jia Ning twenty-six, madam rewarded him with a few pairs of boots, but those were from Wen Xiao Gong… Chen Wen Xiao, which he no longer wore. Later, when master went to Luo Cheng, this servant is not clear.”

Chen Ji thoughtfully said, “Has the manor lost anything valuable before?”

Bai Lu shook her head, “No… Wait, yes!”

Chen Ji looked up sharply, “What?”

Bai Lu quickly said, “Master and madam took many valuable items with them when they went to Luo Cheng earlier, including madam’s favorite jewelry. But when master and madam returned to the capital, a batch of items was missing. I heard they were caught in warfare in Luo Cheng, and a whole box of valuable items was intercepted by Liu family’s soldiers amidst the chaos.”

Chen Ji frowned slightly. When the Hu Jia Tie Qi searched the Chen and Zhang residences, he was also present, mixed in with them, wearing a Hu Jia Tie Qi iron mask.

He was certain that Liu family’s soldiers had not touched the valuables of the Zhang and Chen families; they had taken the relatives and gone straight to Jing Wang Fu.

That box of items could not have been intercepted by Liu family’s soldiers.

Chen Ji calmly said, “Were there any special items among the lost valuables?”

Bai Lu pondered, “There were two jade hairpins, a top hairpin inlaid with Eastern pearls, a gold-inlaid jade butterfly and flower啄针 (zhuózhēn, a type of hair ornament), Young Master Wen Xiao’s longevity lock from when he was a child… too many, I can’t remember them all.”

At this moment, the young maidservant beside her said, “And! And Madam’s favorite phoenix crown with blue花钿头面 (huādiàntóumiàn, forehead ornaments)!”

Chen Ji turned and walked out, “Thank you.”