The 32nd year of Jianing, May 12th.

Changping County, evening, the setting sun like blood.

The evening drum sound of the county town had just echoed when the infantry guarding the city unintentionally glimpsed a caravan slowly approaching from the end of the official road.

The infantry shaded his eyes with his hand and squinted to look; at the head of the caravan were a young man and woman riding side by side.

Behind them, a group of Yulin Army soldiers clad in silver armor and white robes escorted Princess Liyang, with more Yulin Army driving carriages behind. The carriages pulled by the horses carried sixty-seven coffins.

The infantry at the city gate exchanged glances: "They've arrived, go report."

When the caravan reached the city gate, a Vice General who was guarding the city stopped them, emotionless, and said, "Ministry of War Fire Ticket."

Li Xuan rode forward and, looking weary, took out the Ministry of War Fire Ticket from his bosom.

The Vice General bowed his head and checked for a long time, confirming it was correct, then signaled to the infantry behind him: "Check their luggage."

Li Xuan said calmly, "What luggage would we have?"

The Vice General uttered an 'oh': "Then search their persons."

Qi Zhenzhuo angrily said, "Have you eaten a bear's heart and leopard's gall, to even dare to mess with the Imperial Guard?"

But the Vice General was not afraid, instead he looked up and sneered at Qi Zhenzhuo: "Imperial Guard? Merely those who shirk their duties, take bribes, and make peace with the enemy for stability. Our border army is not afraid of the Jing Dynasty; if they want Yuan Cheng, let them come and fight for it. Why should the Jing Dynasty ask for people and our dynasty hand over Yuan Cheng?"

In front of the gates of Changping County fell silent, Chen Ji frowned.

Strange.

They had rushed non-stop from Chongli Pass to Changping County, and logically, no one in Changping County should have received the news before their arrival... unless someone had galloped back to report it in advance.

Moreover, clearly the Jing Dynasty initially sought peace, even offering cities for marriage alliances, but had suddenly turned into the Ning Dynasty fearing war and intending to hand over Yuan Cheng.

Chen Ji sensed an unusual atmosphere, someone was deliberately distorting the facts.

Ignoring the Vice General, he spurred his horse towards the city of Changping County: "Shirking duties, taking bribes, making peace for stability—these eight words are not something mere martial artists could think of. I don't care who taught you this, but this is not something you should meddle in, step aside."

The Vice General still stood in his way, but then Chen Ji spoke again: "Step aside, the Inspector General of the Imperial Camp is not someone you can stop, nor is the Fu You Street Chen family someone just anyone can provoke. Though this statement makes me sound like a treacherous official, for the sake of your family's safety, let someone more influential come."

The Vice General stood in shock, the five words 'Fu You Street Chen Family' were like a warning bell.

Chen Ji rode his warhorse up to the Vice General, his large shadow looming over the other's head.

In the shadow, the Vice General looked up, but saw Chen Ji's face hidden in the backlight of the setting sun, his emotions unreadable.

He hesitated for a long time, finally stepping aside, yet stubbornly insisted: "We are not afraid to fight; if the Jing Dynasty moves south, we shall rush to the border, ensuring the Jing Dynasty troops come and never return, never becoming those who fear death to save their lives."

Chen Ji urged his horse on, leading the Yulin Army into the city, not looking back, his voice soft: "Perhaps you are right, but the coffins of the Yulin Army who died outside Chongli Pass I'm hauling are no cowards you speak of; they were braver than you. Not only you can't stop them, no one can."

Having said this, he no longer argued, riding straight through the shadow of the city gate.

As he passed through the packed-earth roads of Changping County, passersby occasionally stopped to watch, casting eyes with unclear implications.

Zhang Xia walked beside Chen Ji, whispering: "It seems someone is trying to stir up conflict between the Peace Faction and the War Segment; for these years, the Hu family supports war, the Chen and Xu families support peace, already making it impossible to reconcile... Be cautious, don't let the fire reach you."

Chen Ji hummed in agreement.

Passing a tea house, a storyteller behind a desk clapped a wooden block for emphasis: "Speaking of Yuan Cheng this person..."

The audience below sat drinking tea, cracking sunflower seeds.

Chen Ji and Zhang Xia exchanged a glance, but did not stop.

Once the procession moved a distance away, both he and Zhang Xia dismounted simultaneously.

Chen Ji tossed the reins to Li Xuan and said, "You all take Princess Liyang to the inn to rest. Officials from Honglu Temple will likely come to oversee the entry into the capital by tomorrow morning."

After saying this, the two of them turned back to the teahouse they had just left and ordered two small dishes of sunflower seeds and a pot of tea in the corner.

They saw the storyteller slap the table with a resounding thud: "Ladies and gentlemen, today we'll talk about that fearsome killer of the northern Jing Dynasty, Yuan Cheng!"

The storyteller lowered his voice: "This man was born with a heart of stone. At seven, when his mother died suddenly, while friends and family wailed at the funeral, he alone clapped his hands and laughed. When the clan elder sternly demanded why, can you guess his answer?"

The storyteller leaned forward slightly, pausing for effect before saying, "He actually said, this lowly woman, on the Mid-Autumn Festival three years ago, dared to criticize the late emperor's campaign against Korea, deserving heavenly punishment!"

The teahouse erupted in an uproar, with an onlooker angrily shouting: "A seven-year-old child, using his own mother's death as a stepping stone for advancement, is unfilial!"

The storyteller smiled slightly, unfolding a paper fan: "By the time he turned thirteen, this evil star had revealed its sinister side. At a banquet, he tore apart a yellow goat with his bare hands, distinctly choosing raw liver, dipping it in salt and using it as his drink chaser. More horrifically, he had a hundred-pound Iron Bow set up in the courtyard, fired three arrows in quick succession, each hitting a willow leaf, then turned and tied his archery mentor to the target, smiling and asking: Master, do you think I can shoot the silver hairpin in your hair?"

The teahouse again roared with murmurs, an onlooker angrily retorted: "This beast has the audacity to toy with his teaching mentor's life as if it were a game? Unjust, unkind!"

The storyteller, clothed in a black robe, closed his fan: "To say he truly became famous was in the winter of the 25th year of Jianing. He led his army through Da Ma Mountain, turning captured Night Patrollers into human pigs and stuffing them into vats! Behind him was a capital mound made of three thousand skulls, and this demon even put a pearl in every human pig's mouth, calling it the 'Linglong Formation.'"

The storyteller's voice turned suddenly eerie: "The most sinister was last year during the Lantern Festival when this devil set up thirty-six cauldrons of oil and roasted our dynasty's prisoners in batches. Do you know why he counted numbers? It was to reach a total of three hundred and sixty, claiming he was refining some Blood and Flesh Golden Pill!"

At that moment, the storyteller sighed deeply, his tone shifting: "Yet this very devil has been captured and brought back by the revered king of our dynasty, Wang Daosheng, but is about to be handed back to the Jing Dynasty... Do you know who is behind this? It's none other than our current cabinet minister, Minister of Personnel Zhang Zhuo! This man was selling positions and titles and, with Official Xu seriously ill, he was drafting approvals himself at the Xu Mansion, now taking bribes from the Jing Dynasty..."

Chen Ji felt a chill in his heart.

He turned to see Zhang Xia gripping the teacup so tightly it was on the verge of breaking.

Chen Ji finally understood why someone was vigorously promoting the matter of "fear of war and seeking peace" - it wasn't aimed at him, but at Zhang Zhuo!

Official Xu was too ill to even visit Renshou Palace.

By rights, the Grand Secretary position should've been replaced long ago, but Emperor Ning found Zhang Zhuo most handy. However, Zhang Zhuo himself lacked the seniority to win the public's favor.

So, Emperor Ning had to temporarily hold onto Official Xu's position, letting Zhang Zhuo draft under the Cabinet Minister's name, exercising Grand Secretary power.

But no one wanted the Cabinet to remain unchanged, and someone was inciting public opinion, likely leading to countless memorials flooding into the Imperial Capital to impeach Zhang Zhuo.

Even the new policies would have to be halted.

Zhang Xia whispered, "The officials' counterattack has begun. Previously, officials were forced to implement new policies and endured keeping a low profile, yet they finally found their opportunity."

The word "orthodox" weighs as heavy as Mount Tai, so no one would openly confront Emperor Ning. Regardless of how powerful officials are, within the Forbidden City, without the emperor's sanction, they speak while kneeling.

But outside that Forbidden City, the state of affairs is uncertain.

Chen Ji looked at Zhang Xia: "This return of Yuan Cheng was indeed proposed by Lord Zhang, and whoever is doing this must have other tricks up their sleeves, determined to ruin Lord Zhang's reputation before stopping."

Zhang Xia remained silent. She thought deeply but couldn't figure out how to reverse this tidal wave of public opinion, seemingly a dead end.

She softly continued, "My father once told me that after his first wife passed, he intended to resign and return home in despair, planning to live the rest of his life in resignation. But after seeing people in the South living in distress, he decided to return to the capital and marry my mother, using the power of the Xu Family to drive reforms. So my mother always blamed him, accusing him of marrying her just for success. My father told my mother not to blame him; he had too much to do in this life and would repay her in the next."

Chen Ji pondered: "So Lord Zhang accumulated wealth for the emperor, bearing the stigma of selling positions, yet he funneled the money from selling posts to the Inner Treasury just to grasp power."

Zhang Xia nodded: "My father often said, power and influence have always revolved around 'money' since ancient times. Wars require silver coins, disaster relief requires silver coins, palace maintenance requires silver coins; everywhere it takes silver, and everywhere there are holes. So, whoever can earn money for the emperor becomes the Grand Secretary of the Cabinet. Infamy? My father doesn't care; he is solely focused on pushing forward the new policies, providing a way for the people of the Ning Dynasty."

Zhang Xia looked up, hearing the noisy scolding in the teahouse: "But even Changping has turned into such chaos; who knows what shape the Imperial Capital is in? With this incident, whatever he wants to do will likely have to wait again, and who knows if there will be another good opportunity in his lifetime."

Chen Ji remained silent for a long time, seeing Zhang Xia look so troubled, he suddenly smiled: "Don't worry, I'll think of something."

Zhang Xia was slightly stunned: "What solution?"

Chen Ji tossed ten copper coins onto the table and turned to leave the teahouse: "Can't say."