Chapter 389

On the official road, Yang Yang galloped, raising dust, and in an instant, disappeared without a trace.

Zhang Zheng rode up to Chen Ji's carriage, chuckling, and teased, "Yang Yang, the legitimate son of the Yang family, a chiliarch of the Myriad Year Army. The Yang family claims to own half of Jinling. They rarely travel north and have no one in the cabinet, preferring to guard their small plot of land in the south."

"This Yang Yang, in his early years, created a fake household registration to escape an engagement and infiltrated the Divine Machine Camp. Later, in the camp, when his superior, Chiliarch Li, acted improperly towards a respectable woman after drinking, Yang Yang beat the chiliarch and prepared to flee back to Jinling. However, he was favored by the commander-in-chief of the Myriad Year Army, who recruited him."

Chen Ji raised an eyebrow, "Was no one held accountable for the fake household registration?"

Zhang Zheng said bashfully, "My father helped him forge it. As long as enough silver was paid, it wasn't an issue."

Chen Ji mused that Master Zhang Zhuo's business scope was quite broad.

Zhang Zheng raised his riding crop and pointed in the direction Yang Yang had gone. "Haven't you ever seen someone so inexplicably provocative before? Ha, you've just arrived in the capital and don't yet know the reputation of the Rouge Tiger. Yang Yang is just the first, but certainly not the last. Perhaps you'll encounter others at the foot of Xiangshan today."

Zhang Xia glared at him, "What nonsense are you talking about?"

Chen Ji smiled, glanced at Si Cao Gui's back, and turned to ask Zhang Xia, "Are you also going to the spring hunt?"

Zhang Xia hummed in affirmation, "We're not participating in the spring hunt, just attending as observers. The Crown Prince sent an invitation half a month ago, and then again seven, three, and one day ago, sending four invitations in total."

Zhang Zheng added from the side, "Everyone else only received three invitations."

Chen Ji looked thoughtful.

At that moment, Qi Zhaoning, who had been staring at the dazzling Zhang Xia on Zaobao's back, suddenly lifted her skirt, jumped down from her carriage, and strode towards Chen Ji's carriage.

She didn't speak when she reached the carriage, but simply climbed inside and sat down. Only then did she bring up the old topic again, "Chen Ji, our carriage is too crowded, not just with our Qi family members, but also two Qian family sisters. Your carriage is quite empty, so it won't bother you if I sit here, right?"

Chen Ji calmly replied, "It won't bother me."

Qi Zhaoning smiled, "That's good then."

With that, she pulled back a corner of the window curtain and said loudly, "Let's go, we need to reach the Red Leaf Villa at the foot of Xiangshan before the Shen hour. I heard the Crown Prince even brought the Entertainers' Bureau opera troupe to perform 'The Immortal's Guidance' tonight, a piece the Ministry of Music hasn't performed in ages. Don't miss it."

She lowered the curtain, leaving only her and Chen Ji inside the carriage.

But before the curtain had fully descended, Zhang Xia jumped off her horse and said to Chen Ji, "You ride the horse; I'll rest inside the carriage."

Chen Ji nodded, climbed out of the carriage, and took the reins from Zhang Xia.

Qi Zhaoning exclaimed in surprise and reached out to stop Chen Ji. But before she could react, Zhang Xia caught her outstretched wrist and, bringing a cool morning breeze with her, sat down opposite Qi Zhaoning.

Qi Zhaoning froze in her seat.

Outside the carriage.

Chen Ji gently stroked Zaobao's cheek, and Zaobao affectionately responded; the man and horse seemed like long-lost friends.

Earlier that morning, he had asked Xiaoman to find Zhang Xia to strategize, to see if there were any high-ranking officials of the Dao-seeking realm among the Zhang family's private guards, to counter Si Cao Gui's potential pursuit.

Originally, Zhang Xia and Zhang Zheng hadn't planned to attend the spring hunt, but they came at the last minute, and Zhang Xia specifically exchanged Zaobao with him.

This was Zhang Xia's hint: if things went wrong, he should ride Zaobao and escape first. When Zaobao galloped on the official road, even an official of the Dao-seeking realm wouldn't be able to catch it.

Chen Ji mounted Zaobao, and the horse bounded forward joyfully. Si Cao Gui watched silently, then raised his whip to urge his own carriage forward.

Inside the swaying carriage.

After Zhang Xia sat down, she closed her eyes to rest, her lips moving silently as she recited 'Cloud Cloak'.

After an unknown period, Qi Zhaoning finally broke the silence, feigning delight as she shared, "Hey, do you know that the Qi and Chen families are going to intermarry? I might even get married by the end of this year. When I send you the invitation, you must make time to attend."

In the dim carriage, Zhang Xia slowly opened her eyes and quietly stared at Qi Zhaoning, still murmuring to herself without speaking.

Captured by her gaze, Qi Zhaoning recoiled slightly, "What are you doing?"

After finishing her recitation of 'Cloud Cloak', Zhang Xia calmly said, "Why are you so afraid of me?"

"When was I ever afraid of you?" Qi Zhaoning retorted, flushed with anger. "By the way, doesn't your Zhang family have a carriage? You don't ride in your own carriage, but choose to ride a horse, while making others sit out in the cold wind?"

Zhang Xia leaned back, "The person out in the cold wind didn't say anything. We are sworn siblings, so there's no need to pay attention to what outsiders say."

Seeing Zhang Xia's composure, an inexplicable anger welled up in Qi Zhaoning.

She suddenly put on a smiling face and said with interest, "Sworn siblings? If you truly are sworn siblings, why did you swap places with him? Miss Zhang, we're both women; we can't hide our little schemes from each other."

Zhang Xia glanced at her, "You're overthinking it."

Qi Zhaoning pointed to the hairpin in her hair and boasted, "This plain silver hairpin was given to me by Chen Ji. He even engraved eight characters on it just for me. Do you want to see what's written on it?"

Zhang Xia looked Qi Zhaoning up and down, ignoring her question. "A brocade skirt, jade earrings, dressed like a noble lady, yet wearing a plain silver hairpin. It's mismatched. It doesn't suit you, and you may not even be worthy of it."

Qi Zhaoning smiled faintly, "By what right do you say I'm not worthy of him? I am the legitimate daughter of the Qi family, and he is a concubine's son of the Chen family..."

Zhang Xia calmly interrupted, "I was talking about the hairpin. What are you talking about?"

Qi Zhaoning's expression darkened slightly, "You..."

Zhang Xia looked directly into Qi Zhaoning's eyes. "If you think a mere hairpin can anger me, then you underestimate me and overestimate yourself. Qi Zhaoning, you don't truly care for him. You're just like a child who wants to grasp the prettiest thing in her hands. I am different from you; I don't snatch what belongs to others."

Qi Zhaoning retorted, "Don't think I don't know, isn't that how your mother married your father? When your mother admired Master Zhang, his legal wife was still alive! Because Master Zhang didn't agree to Grand Secretary Xu's wishes, Grand Secretary Xu demoted him to the Hanlin Academy, where he served as a collator alongside Wang Daosheng!"

Zhang Xia calmly said, "Hold out your palm."

Qi Zhaoning instinctively extended her palm upwards towards Zhang Xia.

Zhang Xia smiled, but did nothing.

Realizing something was off, Qi Zhaoning quickly clenched her fist and glared at Zhang Xia. "Do you still think you're a mathematics professor from the Imperial College, trying to hit my palm?"

Zhang Xia closed her eyes again, "You are my worst student."

Qi Zhaoning suppressed her anger and smiled faintly, "Miss Zhang, I am different from you. I've guessed why you became sworn siblings with him, and why you treat him with such courtesy. But I am not as generous as you; the most beautiful things must be held in my hands, Qi Zhaoning's, otherwise, they might as well be destroyed... Remember to come see my wedding with him at the end of the year."

Zhang Xia calmly replied, "All right."

The convoy traveled from morning until noon. As they passed Fengtai Post, Qi Zhaoning eagerly jumped out of the carriage, leaving Zhang Xia alone inside.

Qi Zhaoning went to her own carriage, lifted the curtain, and peeked inside. "Qi Zhenzhu, it's too crowded here. Go to another carriage. I don't want to spend another moment with that tigress, Zhang Xia."

Qi Zhenzhu, wearing a veil, quietly assented.

At that moment, a dart escort agency, temporarily staying at Fengtai Post, was tallying their goods. The escorts were pulling ox carts out from the post's backyard, preparing to depart.

As Qi Zhenzhu stepped out of the carriage, a gentle breeze lifted her veil, captivating the gaze of several guards.

She approached the Chen family's carriage and softly asked, "Miss Zhang, may I come in?"

Zhang Xia pulled back the curtain and silently gestured for her to get in.

Qi Zhenzhu was momentarily stunned. This Miss Zhang didn't seem so difficult to get along with after all?

As the convoy departed Fengtai Post, the postmaster stood respectfully at the gate to see them off. Once the convoy was far away, he gestured to the dart leader at the station's entrance. The leader nodded silently, then motioned for his escorts to pull their ox carts and set off.

The postmaster watched the dart agency's team disappear into the distance before returning to the pigeon loft in the post's backyard and taking out a drab grey pigeon.

He tied a black cloth around the pigeon's leg, vigorously tossed it into the sky, and watched as the pigeon flapped its wings and flew away.

After leaving Fengtai Post, traveling seven li west along the official road and then thirty li north would lead to the foot of Xiangshan. Along the way, seven or eight teams of riders galloped past, all carrying their hard bows and quivers, their origins unknown.

Chen Ji's brows were furrowed, and he was deep in thought.

Zhang Zheng rode up beside him and whispered, "One of those teams was my Zhang family's private guards. They'll be waiting in the woods at the foot of Xiangshan, ready to be deployed. Although there isn't a high-ranking official of the Dao-seeking realm among them, their dozen or so men, combined with your skills, might be able to put up a fight. By the way, where is the official who's after you? Do you want to set an ambush for him there?"

Chen Ji had previously sent Xiaoman with a message, only mentioning a high-ranking official of the Dao-seeking realm, but not specifying who it was.

He pondered for a moment, then said, "The coachman."

Zhang Zheng's heart skipped a beat. He controlled himself from turning to look at Si Cao Gui. "What's the coachman's background?"

Unwilling to reveal his identity as a Jing Dynasty spy, Chen Ji could only explain, "Perhaps he was sent by the Chen family's second branch for revenge."

Zhang Zheng suppressed his thoughts. "Understood. Discuss anything you need with Axia. My Zhang family private guards only listen to her, not to me..."

By the time the convoy reached Red Leaf Villa, it was already a quarter past You Shi.

Dusk was approaching.

From a distance, everyone could see the red lanterns in front of Red Leaf Villa's gate, like guiding lights.

Red Leaf Villa was an imperial temporary residence, built against the mountain. From afar, rows of houses ascended in sequence, spanning dozens of mu of land, with hundreds of dwellings. Each dwelling had a red lantern hanging in front of it, grand and magnificent like a nebula.

The lights blazed brightly.

Chen Ji dismounted and approached the gate, saying to the guards in front of Red Leaf Villa, "Please announce that Qi Zhenzhuo and Chen Ji of the Imperial Guards, Qi Zhaoyun, Qi Zhaoning, and Qi Zhenzhu of the Qi family, and Zhang Zheng and Zhang Xia of the Zhang family have arrived by invitation."

A guard bowed and said, "Please wait, sirs."

He quickly entered Red Leaf Villa. A moment later, footsteps approached from a distance.

Chen Ji looked up and saw the Crown Prince, dressed in a snow-white robe, personally coming to greet them.

From a distance, the Crown Prince called out loudly, "Brother Chen Ji, it's been a long time."

Chen Ji cupped his hands and replied, "Your Highness, I trust you have been well."

The Crown Prince came to the gate, his gaze sweeping over Zhang Zheng's and Zhang Xia's faces before returning to Chen Ji, whom he teased, "Rumor has it in the capital that good things are happening between you and the Qi family sister. Will I soon be drinking your wedding wine?"

Qi Zhaoning's face turned crimson, "Brother Crown Prince, what are you saying? Please don't joke about this."

The Crown Prince said gently, "The atmosphere in our Ning Dynasty is not like it was in earlier years; commerce is flourishing, and the customs are more open now. The marriage alliance between the Qi and Chen families is no secret. Why be secretive?"

Chen Ji cupped his hands and said, "It's an undecided matter between the two families, Your Highness. Please be careful with your words."

The Crown Prince laughed, then took Chen Ji's arm and walked him inside. "Alright, alright, let's not mention it for now. You saved my life in Guyuan earlier, and I haven't had a chance to thank you. Tonight, we should drink to our heart's content."

Chen Ji saw no trace of worry on the Crown Prince's face; he was entirely different from how he appeared outside Renshou Palace.

Just as everyone was about to enter Red Leaf Villa, the sound of hoofbeats came from afar, accompanied by a shout: "Great victory!"

Chen Ji's heart sank. He hadn't expected to escape this great victory even after hiding at Xiangshan.

He turned to look and saw a Jiefan Guard riding over, carrying an ochre-yellow package on his back. Si Cao Gui, who had been about to lead the carriage to the stables, suddenly stopped.

The Jiefan Guard arrived at the gate of Red Leaf Villa and asked loudly, "Where is His Royal Highness the Crown Prince?"

The Crown Prince released Chen Ji, stepped forward, and replied, "I am here."

The Jiefan Guard dismounted, untied the package on his back, and produced an ochre-yellow document. "A great victory! An imperial decree has been issued from the palace. You may examine it yourself; no need for formalities."

The Crown Prince took the imperial decree and unrolled it. His brows first furrowed tightly, then relaxed.

Chen Ji's heart slowly rose into his throat. Not far away, Si Cao Gui's gaze was like a sword, his killing intent almost palpable.

He took a deep breath. "Your Highness, where was the great victory?"

Regardless of the outcome, he had to ask. If he didn't dare to ask or show concern, it would be a vulnerability in itself.

The next moment, the Crown Prince burst into laughter. "Brother Chen Ji, allow me to keep you in suspense! Let's save this news of the great victory to add to the cheer during our drinks!"