Outside the Zhang Estate, twenty tables were set up in Emerald Cloud Lane. Dishes like Roasted Chicken, braised pork shoulder, braised large carp, and sliced meat in clear soup were served like flowing water. The neighbors could sit down and eat immediately. Once a table finished eating, they would leave, and another group of people would take their place to continue eating. This was the origin of the continuous banquet.
Inside the Zhang Estate, the honorable guests were arranged across eight courtyards. Within each courtyard was a long, low rectangular table capable of seating eighteen people, stacked with a Dazzling Display of dishes and Traditional Snacks.
Before the main banquet began, the invited high officials and nobles gathered together, individually offering their congratulations to Zhang Zhuo and Chen Liqin one by one.
Standing side-by-side under a walnut tree in the corner of the courtyard, Chen Ji and Xiaoman watched from afar as Zhang Zhuo and Chen Liqin, like the sun and moon of Luo City, were surrounded and escorted by a cluster of stars.
Xiaoman asked in a low voice, "Young Master, how did you become friends with the Zhang Family? It seems you have an extremely good relationship. In rumors, the Second Miss of the Zhang Family is exceptionally fierce and never gives a good look to outsiders, yet she actually specially wrote you an invitation."
Chen Ji said expressionlessly, "Where do so many questions come from? You never liked to inquire about matters this much in the past."
Xiaoman's eyes widened. "Did Young Master forget? Xiaoman loves inquiring about the Zhang Family's strengths and the Li Family's shortcomings the most. It goes well with meals."
Chen Ji: "...This is not a good habit."
Curling her lips, Xiaoman said, "Auntie also especially loved hearing about the Zhang Family's strengths and the Li Family's shortcomings. I remember when I followed her to check the accounts at the farmstead in the capital suburbs when I was young, she heard a group of old ladies gossiping at the village entrance, so she had someone bring a chair and listened for an entire afternoon."
Chen Ji was confused. "What did they talk about?"
Xiaoman recalled for a moment. "First, they talked about the two old Widowers in the village getting together in the middle of the night. Then they said the wife of a certain family in the village was bought from Tongzhou. They also said whose family didn't have a son, and their relatives would probably eat the family out of house and home. Auntie listened with such great enthusiasm at the time."
Chen Ji opened his mouth slightly, unable to pick up the conversation for quite a while.
Right at this moment, the page outside the doors was heard calling out another name: "General Wang of the Thousand-Year Army arrives!"
The name of the Thousand-Year Army was like a sudden gust of bitter wind, freezing the liveliness and festivity of the Zhang Estate by several degrees. These three words made everyone recall the military disaster that had just recently passed, as if the stench of blood still lingered beneath their noses.
As Chen Ji turned his head to look outside the doors, he grabbed Xiaoman's arm and retreated behind the crowd.
Xiaoman cast a surprised glance at him. "Young Master, what is it?"
Chen Ji said calmly, "It's nothing."
Amidst the voices calling out his name, General Wang walked over, stepping on the red carpet. He was not wearing armor today, but merely a black robe with a large lapel. Wearing a golden beam crown on his head and thick-soled Black Official Boots on his feet, he still exuded a tiger-like, imposing majesty.
Behind General Wang followed several officers and soldiers, fully clad in armor with long sabers hanging from their waists. The guests in the Zhang Estate almost thought the Thousand-Year Army was about to stir up a new military disaster.
Parting the crowd, Zhang Zhuo teased from afar: "Why did General Wang come to attend the banquet at my estate bringing fully armored soldiers? Could it be you are afraid that I, Zhang Zhuo, will plot to murder you?"
General Wang chuckled, his voice rough and grating: "Recently in The Jianghu, there have been lowly scoundrels using martial arts to violate the bans and laws. It's better to be a bit careful."
Chen Ji lowered his head in deep thought. Lowly scoundrels of The Jianghu using martial arts to violate the bans and laws? The other party was heavily guarded, bringing armored soldiers along even for a banquet. Could it be that martial artists from The Jianghu had assassinated him these past few days?
That's right. Although Chen Ji had been defeated and forced to flee after causing an uproar in the military camp that day, the words he shouted inside the camp were ultimately heard by the soldiers of the Thousand-Year Army, and remembered in their hearts.
As the saying goes: Good deeds do not go beyond the door, but bad deeds spread a thousand miles. No matter how strict the Thousand-Year Army's discipline was, the reputation of General Wang betraying Prince Jing had probably already quietly spread among the commoners.
In The Jianghu, there were definitely still righteous individuals who cherished Prince Jing and wanted to avenge him.
As Chen Ji pondered, he pulled Xiaoman to turn their backs away, not wanting to come face-to-face with the other party.
However, just as Zhang Zhuo was about to lead General Wang inside, General Wang suddenly walked two steps past the walnut tree where Chen Ji was, then took two steps back.
Looking at Chen Ji's back, he said in a deep voice: "Turn around."
Chen Ji remained silent for two breaths, turning around to squarely meet the other party's gaze. "General Wang, long time no see."
General Wang said in a deep voice: "You actually still dare to appear in front of me."
Chen Ji hadn't expected the other party to seize the initiative through a show of strength and voice first.
He pondered for a few breaths, then smiled: "What words is General Wang speaking? Why wouldn't I dare to appear in front of General Wang?"
General Wang's voice thickened with intensity: "The Prince treated you well, and the Prince Heir and Commandery Princess were even close friends with you, considering you a confidant. But what did you do? If you hadn't given evidence to the Eunuch Faction, how could the Prince have been framed by them, and how could he have died unjustly in prison?!"
As these words came out, the interior of the Zhang Estate suddenly fell dead silent. The guests all turned to look sideways.
Standing amidst the gazes of dozens of people, Chen Ji felt as though he was directly facing dozens of piercing Spears. It was as if he was back on that night in Longwang Village, where autumn leaves fell from the branches, and behind the autumn leaves were all enemies.
In the crowd, Chen Liqin also looked toward Chen Ji. He hadn't expected that Chen Ji was actually entangled in the Prince Jing's Estate's rebellion case, and even suspected of betraying Prince Jing! Although Prince Jing was now pinned with the grave crime of rebellion, given Prince Jing's prestige, from the imperial court to The Jianghu, an unknown number of people stood on Prince Jing's side, all believing Prince Jing's death was caused by the Eunuch Faction persecuting loyal and good officials.
If the Chen Family bore the reputation of betraying Prince Jing, they would likely be spurned by the world. Pondering over and over again, Chen Liqin ultimately chose to remain absolutely silent.
Instead, it was Zhang Zhuo who wiped the smile off his face, calmly asking: "General Wang, this is an invited guest of my Zhang Estate. Why do you speak such words? What connection does he have with the Prince Jing case?"
General Wang snorted coldly: "Let him speak for himself!"
Chen Ji frowned slightly.
This General Wang was clearly worried about righteous individuals from The Jianghu seeking revenge on him, so under the watchful eyes of the public, he struck first to gain the upper hand, pouring all the dirty water completely onto him!
But what was strange was that General Wang had already submitted and surrendered to Bai Long. Could it be the other party didn't know he was meant to conceal his Secret Spy identity and lie dormant in the Chen Estate? How could the other party dare to uncover such secret information in broad daylight under the public gaze?!
Wait. The other party was not Bai Long's trusted aide, and didn't know everything. From General Wang's perspective, he was merely an apprentice of the Taiping Medical Clinic who had once attempted to save Prince Jing; the other party didn't even know he was also a Secret Spy of the Secret Spy Division!
He hadn't mentioned where the blood letter came from that day, nor had he revealed his Secret Spy identity. And since Bai Long originally planned for him to lie dormant in the Chen Family, which was why he kept trying to recruit him, Bai Long naturally wouldn't have said much to General Wang either.
General Wang did not know that he had also already submitted under Bai Long's banner!
Having figured this out, Chen Ji asked nonchalantly, "Why does General Wang say it was I who betrayed the Prince? What evidence did I give the Eunuch Faction?"
General Wang laughed coldly: "I am unaware of the specific details! Merely, someone in the know told me that because the Prince trusted you, he entrusted you with a blood letter written by his own hand to deliver to me. Yet you, forgetting favors and violating Righteousness, gave the blood letter to the Eunuch Faction!"
Someone gasped, sucking in a breath of cold air: "The Prince's blood letter?! Why have we never heard of this?!"
"What was written on the blood letter? Was it evidence of the Prince's crimes?"
"The Prince dedicated his whole life to the country and the people, yet was harmed by the Eunuch Faction. To think, unexpected indeed, that he was actually betrayed by a vile scoundrel!"
"A person who breaks Trust and betrays Righteousness like this, everyone has the right to execute him!"
The crowd was impassioned and filled with righteous indignation, pointing a thousand accusing fingers at Chen Ji.
A cold smile surfaced on General Wang's face. Meanwhile, Chen Liqin simply retreated into the Zhang Estate's main hall to avoid the situation entirely.
Zhang Zhuo closed his eyes in deep thought, wanting to find a method to break out of this situation, yet for a time, no matter how hard he thought, he couldn't figure out how to clear Chen Ji of this unjust charge. Zhang Xia tugged at his sleeve, signaling for him to quickly think of a solution, but at this moment, it seemed there was no way to break it.
At this time, Xiaoman's face turned completely red with anger. She pulled at Chen Ji's sleeve: "Young Master, say something! You are not that kind of person!"
Chen Ji remained silent.
Turning around, Xiaoman glared furiously at General Wang: "Do not slander my Young Master! I have served him for many years; his character is kind and good. He is absolutely not the person who breaks Trust and betrays Righteousness of whom you speak!"
General Wang said calmly: "You may know a person and know their face, but you do not know their heart. I'm afraid the Prince also felt he was kind and good, which was why he entrusted the blood letter to him. Little girl, you are still young and do not recognize people clearly."
Xiaoman held it in for a long time: "...You're farting!"
While they spoke, Chen Ji's thoughts spun like lightning: Right now, the most urgent task is to wash away this charge against myself. But how should I refute it?
Can I reveal the entire truth of this matter? No. Once the whole truth is laid out, his Secret Spy identity would no longer be concealed, and he wouldn't be able to stay in the Chen Family either. The reason Bai Long valued him was precisely because of his Chen Family status. If he became useless, he feared it would also be difficult to save Bai Li.
Then, can I simply pour the dirty water back onto General Wang? Also no.
If he said that the blood letter was handed over to the Secret Spy Division by General Wang, others would ask him how a mere little apprentice came to know such a matter.
Furthermore, General Wang was a Thousand-Year Army general who had historically been loyal to Prince Jing, while he was nothing more than a little medical clinic apprentice. Whose words would everyone believe?
Moreover, the other party came prepared. There was no guarantee the other party hadn't already made preparations regarding this matter. If he counterattacked from this angle, he would likely fall into the other party's trap!
He had to forge a new path and find a matter General Wang could not refute!
Chen Ji pondered for a long time amidst the boiling clamor of human voices, eventually parting his lips to say: "From where did General Wang learn of the matter of the blood letter?"
General Wang crossed his arms over his chest: "You needn't bother about how I learned of it! For now, just say whether or not this matter exists?!"
Chen Ji said, "There is indeed a blood letter from the Prince."
General Wang let out a sigh of relief.
Inside the main hall, Chen Liqin paced back and forth, contemplating how to prevent the Chen Estate from being dragged into this matter.
The officials and nobles outside the main hall burst into a noisy uproar: "What was written on the blood letter?!"
"How could this arrogant brat betray Prince Jing and throw his lot in with the Eunuch Faction?!"
Chen Ji slowly opened his mouth and said, "The blood letter indeed happened. But the matter differs from what General Wang claims."
General Wang raised a brow: "Where did the blood letter come from?"
Chen Ji carefully considered to ensure there were no flaws in his words, then slowly said: "That day, my Master, Prince Jing, the Prince Heir, the Commandery Princess, and I were all placed under house arrest in the Liu Family's massive estate by the Eunuch Faction. Later, because my Master had once treated the Inner Chancellor's leg ailment, the Eunuch Faction released the two of us. Before leaving, the Prince stuffed a blood letter into my hands, asking me to deliver it to His Majesty in the Capital City."
General Wang was somewhat surprised. He had originally been waiting for Chen Ji to reveal the whole truth of what happened, so that he could refute it using his Prepared Witnesses. He truly hadn't expected that Chen Ji wouldn't counterattack him, but instead fabricated a new story!
Moreover, the people Chen Ji mentioned in his words could not be used for verification.
He frowned and asked, "Then why did this blood letter end up in the hands of the Eunuch Faction?"
Chen Ji explained, "Naturally, it was because when my Master and I went out the doors, we were searched by the Eunuch Faction and they took it away."
General Wang sneered coldly: "How do I know that you didn't proactively hand the blood letter over in order to seek wealth, glory, and splendor?!"
Chen Ji said calmly, "Because that blood letter originally could not serve as evidence of Prince Jing's rebellion. Even if handed over, it couldn't be exchanged for wealth, glory, and splendor."
Zhang Zhuo withdrew his thoughts. "What exactly was written in the blood letter?!"
Chen Ji was just about to open his mouth when he was interrupted by General Wang: "Hold on! Could it be that we must blindly believe whatever he says?! Right now, none of us knows the contents of the blood letter; isn't he just fabricating whatever he wants from his empty mouth alone?!"
Chen Ji thought for a moment before saying, "What the Prince wrote was a poem. I already memorized more than half of its contents. As for whether it's fabricated, and whether it could constitute proof of the Prince's crime, I leave it to the judgment of everyone here."
Zhang Zhuo waved his hand: "Bring brush and ink!"
Zhang Zheng hurriedly ran into the inner rooms in a flurry, returning with Zhang Xia while carrying a study desk.
Zhang Zhuo pointed at the Xuan Paper on the desk: "Write it down."
Picking up the writing brush, Chen Ji wrote on the Xuan Paper: "While drunk, I turn up the lamp to inspect my sword, in my dreams I return to the continuous military camps where the horn blows. Roasting meats given out to my subordinates over eight hundred Li, the fifty-stringed instruments playing the music of the frontier. On the autumn battlefield, inspecting the troops."
A mere thirty-one characters vividly depicted the drunken, heroic spirit of a general on the battlefield.
A scholar spoke, filled with shock and uncertainty: "Is this the tune of 'Po Zhen Zi'? This truly aligns with the Prince's state of mind when leading troops back then. An ordinary young lad would absolutely be incapable of writing this."
"'While drunk, I turn up the lamp to inspect my sword, in my dreams I return to the continuous military camps where the horn blows.'... What a satisfying 'turn up the lamp to inspect my sword', and what an excellent 'return to the continuous military camps where the horn blows'!"
"This young lad's handwriting is extremely ugly, lacking structure and composition. No matter how you look at it, he doesn't seem like someone who knows how to write poetry."
Chen Ji remained calm and collected, offering no response.
In the next moment, another guest urged from the crowd: "Quick! What are the contents of the next couplet of this Po Zhen Zi?"
Chen Ji continued dipping his brush to write: "Fulfilling the sovereign's affairs under heaven, winning a name before and after death. Pity that the white hairs have already grown."
Zhang Zhuo sighed with emotion: "What a profoundly moving 'Pity that the white hairs have already grown.' Looking at this poem initially, it portrays the lofty ambitions and heroic spirit of leading troops; yet reading further, one senses the agony and regret of waking from the dream. This is a poem written by the Prince to express his state of mind and deepest feelings to His Majesty! I fear he wished to express the hardship of leading troops to quell rebellions in the past, hoping to evoke His Majesty's pity and compassion!"
At the side, General Wang said darkly: "How do you know this wasn't written by Chen Ji himself?!"
Zhang Zhuo sneered directly: "General Wang is a martial man! I'm afraid you don't know how high the realm of this poem truly is, nor can you taste the vicissitudes of life embedded within it! It is fundamentally impossible to have originated from the hands of a youth!"
Some scholars at the side also immediately concurred: "The literary talent of this poem leaves us hopelessly trailing in the dust! General Wang shouldn't be overly suspicious anymore. It was definitely written by the Prince only after his heart had experienced such profound feelings and revelations!"
"The scope and broad-minded vision of this poem confirm it was undeniably written by the Prince, without a doubt!"
General Wang was utterly confused.
He looked at the poem, then looked at Chen Ji, yet could only endure it silently without lashing out.
If he were to say, "Incorrect, the contents of the blood letter were clearly to order the Thousand-Year Army to break into the prison," and Chen Ji were to ask him how he knew, he similarly wouldn't be able to explain it clearly because he had already stated he hadn't seen the blood letter.
Now regarding the contents of this blood letter, General Wang had no choice but to swallow it and admit it!
"Incorrect, incorrect!" General Wang roared in anger. He stared at Chen Ji: "Have you ever written poetry before?! What if his poetic attainment is extremely high, and he just so happened to be capable of writing such a poem?!"
Chen Ji lowered his eyelids. "To answer General Wang, this lowly one has never written a poem, and is completely ignorant regarding poetry."
Many scholars also Looked at One Another in blank dismay. "This medical clinic apprentice named Chen Ji—if he possessed the literary talent of this 'Po Zhen Zi', he should have made a name for himself in the poetry world long ago! Yet we have truly never heard of him."
Zhang Zhuo laughed cheerfully: "Ah, this Chen Ji, I know him! He is the Third Young Master of the Chen Estate. In his earlier years, it was heard he was sent to the Taiping Medical Clinic by Lord Chen because he was addicted to gambling and disliked studying. I'm afraid everyone here has heard of his reputation. If he possessed such literary talent, would Lord Chen still hide him away? He would have sent him to participate in the Imperial Examination long ago! At the very least, he'd be a Stipend Student by now."
Someone's eyes lit up. "We truly have heard of this matter. Looking at it this way, the Po Zhen Zi definitely could not have been written by him!"
Chen Wenzong took a step forward, cupping his hands. "I hope General Wang will no longer falsely accuse my younger brother."
"Wait," a loud voice rang out.
Chen Ji frowned and looked over. "What is it?"
That person asked: "Why is this 'Po Zhen Zi' missing a stanza?!"
Chen Ji said softly: "I forgot it."
That scholar became anxious. "How could you forget such an important poem?!"
Chen Ji explained: "The incident happened hastily; to be able to remember more than half of it was already by a stroke of luck. I truly cannot remember the missing stanza."
(End of this chapter)