Green Mountain
Chapter 286 - 228, Dragon Gate Inn

Chapter 286: 228, Dragon Gate Inn

The sound of horse hooves faded away.

The night in Guyuan was so cold that it seemed like it could freeze the air with a gentle touch. Chen Wenzong, like shattering the ice, ventured alone into the night.

Zhang Zheng stood in the post station’s backyard and exclaimed, "Chen Ji, your Chen family finally has a decent figure!"

Zhang Xia whispered, "A lord changes as a tiger, a petty man reforms his face, and a gentleman changes as a leopard."

Zhang Zheng scratched his head, "What do you mean?"

Zhang Xia smiled and explained, "A king is like a tiger, magnificent and dominant, able to tame power; a petty man is timid, without his own opinions, drifting with the tide; a gentleman is like a leopard, low-key and hidden when unnecessary, but decisive in action when needed."

Chen Ji made a sound of agreement, "My brother truly lives up to the term ’gentleman.’"

As he spoke, the sound of a slap resonated in the courtyard, Mrs. Liang slapped Wang Gui across the face.

Wang Gui in disbelief asked, "Lady, why did you slap me?"

Mrs. Liang said sternly, "If you had gone to the Governor’s Mansion voluntarily earlier, why would Wenzong have to risk his life? You eat better and dress finer than other servants day by day; I’ve cared for you in the Chen family for so many years, yet you’re less loyal than a faithful dog!"

Wang Gui’s expression changed several times, and he finally knelt down: "Lady, please calm down, I will go now and ensure the eldest son’s safety."

Mrs. Liang said harshly, "You ensure his safety? With what right?"

Wang Gui stood up and said, "Lady, the eldest son has his war horse, common villains surely can’t stop him..."

Mrs. Liang angrily said, "Who told you to stand up? Kneel down!"

To her, a husband must be served cautiously as if walking on thin ice. If her husband takes a concubine, she must also consider how to win his favor, thus he isn’t truly the closest person to her.

But her son is different; her son is her greatest future support. Anyone who puts her son in danger should not blame her for turning hostile.

Chen Ji could no longer watch the drama unfold. He took his sword and returned inside the post station, carefully searching the first and second floors to make sure there were no assassins lurking before sitting down at the stone steps with Xiao Man and others.

Mrs. Liang and Chen Wenxiao sat at a stone table in the courtyard, whereas they sat on the opposite stone steps, clearly separated.

"Meow."

Chen Ji, sitting on the stone steps, looked up. Wu Yun was standing on the roof’s eave, cautiously watching the surroundings to prevent the assassin’s return.

With Wu Yun present, he was somewhat relieved.

Chen Ji spoke quietly, "No matter who is behind the assassin, someone daring to poison and eradicate the Chen family must be brutal and ruthless. Dealing with such a person, one needs to be careful to escape unscathed. Just who would be so ruthless to attack the Chen family so soon after their arrival?"

Zhang Xia, sitting to his left, recalled, "Today, nine people passed through the post station. Five were post attendants, all poisoned to death. There were four others: a middle-aged man, two women, and an old man, I will surely recognize them if I see them again."

Chen Ji then asked, "Second Miss Zhang, has the Crown Prince had any conflicts with the border army before?"

Zhang Xia pondered for a moment, "No, this Crown Prince has always been kind and pragmatic. In his early years, His Majesty gave him the deputy position of educational administration, allowing him to oversee the imperial examinations. He helped many scholars from humble families who have now emerged and some even govern entire prefectures. The common scholars greatly admire him."

Zhang Xia continued, "Later, His Majesty ordered him to investigate the private minting of copper coins. He confiscated several million privately minted copper coins, which effectively cleansed the market of underweighted private coins."

Chen Ji thoughtfully asked, "Was the border army involved in the private minting of copper coins incident?"

Zhang Xia shook his head, "No, those he punished were Jin merchants and Zhe merchants. Jin merchants have copper mines and minted their own coins by mining, smelting, and minting in the mountains; Zhe merchants simply bought existing coins from the market, melted down five-zhu coins to make four-zhu coins and profited immensely."

Zhang Zheng, sitting to the right of Chen Ji, hugged his shoulders from the cold and said, "Scholars say the Crown Prince is like an uncut jade, pure and flawless, but I think he’s very shrewd. Anyone with clear eyes knows that prominent families have been privately minting copper coins for a long time. But look, did the Crown Prince ever touch the Xu family, Chen family, Qi family, or Yang family? He knows what he’s doing."

Chen Ji chuckled, "Brother Zhang, you hide your wisdom well; Lord Zhang underestimates you."

Zhang Zheng smugly said, "Exactly!"

Suddenly, Zhang Xia spoke up, "If there really is a connection between the border army and the Crown Prince, it probably involves Prince Fu. Prince Fu is His Majesty’s legitimate eldest son. Years ago, when the crown prince was to be appointed, word spread from the palace that His Majesty initially intended to appoint Prince Fu as the Crown Prince. Somehow, it ended up being the current prince instead. Now, Hu Junxian in charge of the Guyuan City’s military, is Prince Fu’s uncle, and Prince Fu also has another uncle with a high rank—the young chief of the Observatory and the junior uncle from Laojun Mountain Dao Court, Hu Junyan."

Chen Ji curiously asked, "Does Prince Fu intend to fight for the throne?"

Zhang Xia shook her head, "There’s no evidence of that. Prince Fu spends most days indulgently and doesn’t seem eager for the crown. But with royal succession, who can be sure?"

Chen Ji puzzled, "Prince Fu has the Hu family behind him, but who supports the Crown Prince?"

Zhang Xia looked at Chen Ji in surprise, hesitated a moment, then said, "It’s your Chen family..."

Chen Ji: "..."

Seeing Zhang Zheng, Zhang Xia, and Xiao Man shivering in the cold wind, he stood up, took his sword, and moved the charcoal brazier from inside the post station outside.

Chen Ji called for Xiao Man to bring firewood from the kitchen, starting a campfire in the courtyard.

Zhang Zheng was so grateful he wanted to cry, "It’s always better with Chen Ji, never suffering no matter where we go!"

Elsewhere, Mrs. Liang and Chen Wenxiao, seeing the lively campfire and wishing to get warm but unable to shed their pride, remained cold.

At that moment, Wu Yun on the roof suddenly pricked his ears and meowed softly.

Chen Ji immediately stood up, gripping his Whale Blade tightly.

Someone was approaching, but Wu Yun had only heard, not seen, the person.

Seeing Chen Ji stand, Zhang Zheng quickly became tense, he took a half-burned log from the campfire and anxiously asked, "Has the assassin returned?"

Chen Ji did not reply, but slowly pushed the blade cover with his left thumb, revealing an inch of the gleaming blade.

He breathed.

Chen Ji’s breathing slowed from rapid to calm, growing progressively slower.

He did not know how many assassins had come or what their capabilities were, he could only whisper in a low voice, "Stay behind me."

Xiao Man looked at her own young master in surprise, then pulled Zhang Zheng and Zhang Xia, and obediently stood behind Chen Ji.

The post station was eerily quiet, as if nothing had happened.

The next moment, there came a few creaks from inside the post station, like someone prying open wooden windows, exactly in the direction of the bunk room.

Chen Ji then slowly turned around, his hand always on the knife handle, facing the direction of the sound.

It was as if there was an invisible string between his knife handle and that sound, getting tighter and tighter.

Just when that string was about to snap, a piercing scream suddenly erupted from inside the post station: "Brother, there, there, there are so many dead people, with blood and tears!"

Chen Ji was startled, could it be not assassins?!

He immediately rushed into the dimly lit post station, crossed the corridor, and swiped his knife in front of the bunk room door, which burst open!

The moment the door opened wide, Chen Ji’s gaze shot through the wood chips and saw the opposite two windows of the bunk room wide open. Moonlight streamed in, and several children were scared stiff on the ground by the blood-stained bodies. Not far away, a young man with a scarf covering his mouth and nose stood frozen.

It was the thief who instigated children to snatch belongings during the day!

Seeing Chen Ji’s figure, the thief regained his senses: "Run!"

With that, he dove out of the window like jumping into the water.

Chen Ji strode forward a few steps, reaching the thief just as he leaped out, and smacked him on the back with the flat of his blade, smashing him on the floor.

The thief collapsed with a cry, continuously wailing. He tried to get up, but Chen Ji stepped on his neck, pinning him back down to the ground.

Three children pulled knife blades out of their sleeves and held them trembling between their fingers, shouting: "Let go of our brother!"

The thief struggled and screamed at the children: "Don’t move, you’re no match for him...run away!"

But the children didn’t move, only nervously pointing their blades, caught in a dilemma.

Chen Ji looked at the children, then lowered his head to look at the thief on the ground: "The thief from the daytime?"

The thief panted: "Did...did you kill all these people? I admit defeat, but spare those children, don’t kill them!"

Chen Ji, with one foot on the thief’s back, squatted down, staring into his eyes and asked: "What are you here for?"

The thief, with half his face pressed against the floor, responded: "You injured our people during the day, we came here for revenge."

Chen Ji asked further: "How to take revenge?"

The thief answered: "Slash all your clothes and steal all your belongings!"

Chen Ji calmly stated: "You didn’t plan to hurt anyone? You can only fool children with that story."

The thief stayed silent.

Chen Ji softly said: "I ask, you answer, answer well and you might save your life. First question, what major events have recently happened in Guyuan, think carefully before you speak, tell me everything you can remember."

The thief quickly closed his eyes to recall: "The Crown Prince came to Guyuan, brought several hundred trusted aides in silver armor, very imposing. Everyone said he came to investigate the case of misattributing military exploits to innocent people, aiming to doom General Hu."

Chen Ji furrowed his brow: "Misattributing military exploits?"

The thief hastily added: "That’s what they say in the neighborhood, some say the border army slaughtered a village in Jing Dynasty, taking the villagers’ ears as trophies. Others say the County Magistrate of neighboring Tianshui County was looted by bandits, went missing. After two months, the magistrate’s ears were recognized in the military exploits."

Chen Ji nonchalantly said: "Who could recognize the original owner by just an ear? What nonsense."

The thief retorted: "I am not lying, it’s said that the magistrate had a black mole with long hair behind his ear, the person responsible for verifying military exploits happened to be his brother-in-law, who recognized it at first sight! Now his brother-in-law has also disappeared, don’t know if he was killed by the border army or is in hiding."

Chen Ji was startled, the other party spoke with such certainty, with details and logic in place, could it be true?

But how could the Guyuan Border Army be so audacious, not only colluding with bandits to loot the magistrate but also daring to use the magistrate’s ears to account for military exploits?

If true, that audacity would shake the heavens.

Chen Ji drew out his Whale Blade, pressing the cold blade against the opponent’s neck: "What other major events?"

The young man said: "And after the Crown Prince arrived, Governor’s Mansion offered a reward of one hundred silver taels, searching for Jing Dynasty spies and bandit whereabouts. Anyone helping the court catch spies or bandits can claim the money!"

Chen Ji responded indifferently: "Did they catch many?"

"Haven’t heard of anyone being caught..."

While speaking, the sound of iron hooves came from outside the post station, a crisp, cracking sound only made by war horses with iron horseshoes nailed on, presumably reinforcements deployed by Chen Wenzong from Governor’s Mansion.

Chen Ji kept silent for a moment, then straightened up.

He held the Whale Blade upside down, the blade tip hanging in the air above the thief’s Taiyang acupoint: "I can let you go, and let those children go too, but you still need to do a few things for me."

The thief hastily asked, "What things?"

Chen Ji calmly said, "It’s not time to tell you yet, but how can I find you later?"

The thief replied: "Go to Dragon Gate Inn, tell the Shopkeeper to find ’Third Brother Hu’, he will pass the message for you!"

"Dragon Gate Inn?" Chen Ji pondered, "Can I trust you?"

"Of course!" the thief replied urgently, "After all, my Third Brother Hu is a well-known character in Guyuan, he never breaks his word."

"Go then," Chen Ji stood up and lifted his foot, the thief scrambled to his feet using hands and feet, and together with the children, they vanished outside the window in a puff of smoke.