In front of Room Heaven-C, Chen Ji gently knocked on the door with his knuckles.

The wooden door creaked open, and Xiaoman said delightedly, “Young Master is back!”

As she spoke, she took a handkerchief and dusted off Chen Ji’s clothes. The Crown Prince stood at the doorway, leaning slightly forward, silently observing the floor bedding inside the room and the curtain separating the inner chamber.

Inside the room, a charcoal brazier burned, and a chessboard, pastries, and preserved fruits were laid out on the table. Zhang Zheng and Zhang Xia were seated cross-legged on a floor mattress, whispering to each other.

Chen Liqin hesitated multiple times, wanting to say how improper this was, but for a moment, he didn’t know how to begin.

Chen Ji entered the room and said to Zhang Zheng and Zhang Xia, “Brother Zhang, Miss Zhang, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is here.”

Upon hearing this, Zhang Zheng and Zhang Xia quickly rose and bowed to the Crown Prince at the doorway, “Your Royal Highness.”

The Crown Prince smiled and waved his hand, “No need for formalities. I just learned that all four of you are squeezed into one room, which must be quite inconvenient. So, I’ve prepared two more Earth-series rooms for you, where you can live separately.”

Zhang Zheng paused for a moment, then immediately refused, “Your Royal Highness, we are quite comfortable staying here.”

The Crown Prince looked puzzled, “Both of you are accustomed to luxury at the Zhang Residence. Are you really comfortable sleeping on the floor?”

Zhang Zheng politely replied, “It’s no trouble at all. We feel safer staying together. The two extra rooms can be used to accommodate more Imperial Forest Army soldiers.”

Li Xuan, standing behind the Crown Prince, spoke up, “With the Imperial Forest Army on guard, you need not worry about your safety.”

Zhang Zheng chuckled, “All those Imperial Forest Army soldiers didn’t manage to protect the Commandery Office, did they?”

As soon as he said this, there was a sudden silence both inside and outside the room.

Li Xuan wanted to retort but couldn’t think of how. Someone had burned down the Commandery Office right under the Imperial Forest Army’s nose; it was a grave humiliation.

However, no one expected Zhang Zheng to dare to publicly humiliate the Imperial Forest Army in front of so many people.

At this moment, Zhang Xia subtly tugged at Zhang Zheng’s sleeve.

Zhang Xia smiled and said, “Then thank you, Your Royal Highness. My brother and I will move over now.”

The Crown Prince moved aside from the doorway, allowing the two to exit and go downstairs.

On the stairs, Zhang Zheng quietly complained, “We were living perfectly well there, why change places?”

Zhang Xia was silent for a moment. “Chen Ji wants to get closer to the Crown Prince. Brother, don’t cause him trouble.”

Zhang Zheng was even more confused. “He has the Chen family backing him. Even if the Chen family is unreliable, he still has our Zhang family and the Xu family. Why would he need to beg others for his future?”

Zhang Xia shook her head slightly, “He’s not doing it for his own future.”

Zhang Zheng wondered, “Then what is it for? Has he told you?”

Zhang Xia thought for a moment, “No, but I can guess what he intends to do.”

Zhang Zheng’s eyes darted around. “No matter. The floor mattresses are still in the room anyway. We can just sneak back later.”

In front of Room Heaven-C, the Crown Prince spoke warmly to Chen Ji as if nothing had happened, “You’ve worked hard today. Get some rest early.”

Chen Ji cupped his hands, “Thank you for your concern, Your Royal Highness.”

The Crown Prince led Chen Liqin and Li Xuan into Room Heaven-D. He sat by the octagonal table and asked gravely, “Gentlemen, how do you think we should solve the problem of provisions?”

Chen Liqin pondered for a moment, “Your Royal Highness, I will make a trip to the border army camp tomorrow and surely persuade Hu Junxian to allocate some grain. Your Royal Highness is the Crown Prince of the nation, and Hu Junxian is a scholar. I believe he won’t be as imprudent as Zhou You.”

The Crown Prince tapped his fingers on the table, noncommittal.

Li Xuan poured him a cup of tea and respectfully said, “Your Royal Highness, tomorrow I will dispatch the Imperial Forest Army soldiers to search for grain and buy back all the grain that hasn’t been requisitioned. The Ministry of Revenue has allocated over three thousand taels of silver, which should be somewhat useful for emergencies.”

The Crown Prince sighed, “The price of grain in Guyuan is likely to skyrocket now. Three thousand taels of silver is merely a drop in the ocean.”

Li Xuan whispered, “If the Imperial Forest Army soldiers go to the porridge station for their rations, the grain we buy should still be enough to supply you and Lord Chen’s relatives.”

The Crown Prince hesitated, “That doesn’t seem right. I should also share weal and woe with the Imperial Forest Army soldiers.”

Li Xuan quickly knelt on one knee, “You are of noble birth, how can you go to the porridge station with commoners? If word gets out, it will damage the dignity of the imperial family. If I allowed you to be reduced to such circumstances, how could I face returning to the capital? I would rather die here and have my body wrapped in horse hide.”

Chen Liqin also rose and bowed, saying, “Your Royal Highness, our Chen family will also receive porridge with the Imperial Forest Army soldiers, but Your Royal Highness absolutely must not diminish the dignity of the imperial family.”

The Crown Prince helped Li Xuan up, “Lord Li, there’s no need to speak such emotional words. I will follow your arrangements.”

A moment later, Qi Zhenzhuo brought a map and spread it on the table. Li Xuan pointed at the map and said, “Tomorrow, we must visit all the grain shops in the city and see if they’ve hidden any grain…”

The Crown Prince suddenly asked, “Gentlemen, do you think Guyuan City, cut off from grain supplies, can still hold out? How long will it take for Taiyuan Prefecture to discover that Guyuan is under siege?”

Li Xuan replied, “Fifteen days at most. After the Lantern Festival on the fifteenth day of the first month, if Taiyuan Prefecture still hasn’t seen any passing merchant caravans, they will definitely become suspicious. By then, it will only take another fifteen days for Taiyuan Prefecture’s troops to arrive as reinforcements. We just need to hold out for a month.”

The Crown Prince breathed a slight sigh of relief, “Then there is still hope.”

As they spoke, footsteps were heard from outside the door.

The Crown Prince stopped speaking, listening quietly as the footsteps halted in front of the adjacent Room Heaven-C. Then, someone gently opened the door and welcomed the newcomers inside.

Li Xuan and the others looked at Chen Liqin. The Crown Prince smiled and said, “I used to hear that the Chen family and the Zhang family always disagreed politically. It seems those were just rumors. The Chen family values its reputation most, yet I didn’t expect them to get along so well with Lord Zhang.”

Chen Liqin quickly explained, “This humble official’s principles are different from Zhang Zhuo’s; we do not collaborate.”

“Oh?” The Crown Prince changed the subject. “I heard that Miss Zhang once served as a scholar and tutor in the Imperial Academy and possesses an eidetic memory. Is this rumor true?”

Chen Liqin sighed with emotion, “That is indeed true. Miss Zhang is quick-witted and has an eidetic memory. When she was in Luocheng, ordinary scholars and literati were no match for her in debates, and she was excellent at auditing accounts. It’s a pity she’s a woman; otherwise, winning first place in the provincial examinations would be effortless for her.”

The Crown Prince asked curiously, “Lord Chen and Lord Zhang were colleagues in Luocheng for three years. Did you never consider an alliance by marriage with Lord Zhang through Miss Zhang?”

Chen Liqin repeatedly waved his hands, “How could my Chen family get involved with the Zhang family?”

The Crown Prince picked up his teacup, took a small sip, and then softly said, “Is that so? What a pity. Although Lord Zhang is unconventional, he possesses great strategic talent, and the Emperor highly values him.”

Inside Room Heaven-C, Zhang Zheng sat cross-legged on the floor bedding, complaining loudly, “We were living perfectly well together. The Crown Prince insisted on separating us; he’s so thoughtless.”

Xiaoman rolled her eyes, “I was hoping my Young Master could finally sleep in a proper bed, but then you came back.”

Zhang Zheng flopped onto the floor mattress like a scoundrel, “How boring it is when there’s no one to bicker with!”

Zhang Xia ignored the two and turned to Chen Ji, “Was Guyuan City’s granary really burned down?”

Chen Ji nodded, “Yes.”

Zhang Zheng sat up again, worried, “When will reinforcements arrive?”

Chen Ji shook his head, “Hard to say.”

Zhang Xia calculated, “Taiyuan Prefecture will probably notice something if they don’t see any merchant caravans after the Lantern Festival, right?”

Chen Ji was silent for a moment. “If I were the Grand Commander of the Jing Dynasty’s Imperial Strategy Army, I would definitely send soldiers disguised as merchants to Taiyuan Prefecture to report safety. Every day we keep it hidden gives us another day’s advantage.”

Zhang Zheng’s eyes widened, “So, we might not get reinforcements for a whole month?”

Chen Ji reassured him, “The border army isn’t incompetent. Perhaps a high-ranking official has already secretly left Guyuan to send word to Taiyuan Prefecture. If all goes well, the official could reach Taiyuan Prefecture within ten days.”

Zhang Zheng sighed, “Even so, we’d still have to hold out for over half a month.”

Chen Ji smiled, “Fortunately, Xiaoman bought a grain store in advance. There are still two thousand *shi* of grain hidden in the cellar, so we won’t starve. Xiaoman, are those provisions well-hidden? Will the border army find them?”

Xiaoman thought for a moment, “They’re hidden in the cellar by the wellhead. The border army probably won’t find them; that spot is very secluded and was originally used to hide smuggled goods.”

Chen Ji praised, “Xiaoman, you’re indeed good at business. If we reclaim Auntie’s properties in the capital, I can entrust them to your care.”

Xiaoman’s eyes lit up, “Really?”

Zhang Zheng also gave a thumbs-up, “Xiaoman is much better than that bunch the Crown Prince brought. They’re scratching their heads over grain right now. If five hundred Imperial Forest Army soldiers starve to death in Guyuan City, it would be an enormous joke.”

Xiaoman exclaimed, then became shy, “This was all taught to me by Auntie. She used to say that doing business is about seizing opportunities. If you can see three days ahead, you can be a peddler; if you can see six months ahead, you can be a good merchant; if you can see the fate of a nation, you can be an influential official-merchant… I merely guessed what would happen a few days later, it’s nothing significant.”

Zhang Zheng looked at Chen Ji, “Do you think the Imperial Forest Army can acquire grain?”

Chen Ji shook his head, “It will be difficult. Everyone knows how vital grain is right now; a handful of grain is worth a gold coin.”

Xiaoman looked at Chen Ji, “Young Master, what should we do with that batch of grain? We can’t eat all of it. If we wait a few days to sell it, we could probably make ten times the profit.”

Chen Ji looked out the window. The large fire in Guyuan City in the distance had not yet extinguished, as if the flames of war had spread from outside the city to within.

He calmly replied, “No rush. I have a significant use for this batch of grain. Tomorrow, we’ll go out and check the grain market.”

In this chaotic era, things usually considered worthless could be as precious as gold, while ordinarily expensive items, like ginseng, were ignored.

Since absorbing King Jing’s Ice Flow, Chen Ji hadn’t found a suitable opportunity to convert the silver he held into cultivation realm. Now, that opportunity had finally arrived.