Chapter 241: Black Eats Black

“Guest official, you want to open the altar?”

Hearing the words "open the altar," the shopkeeper, wearing a crossed-collar black cloth shirt, scrutinized Chen Ji up and down from behind the counter. Xiao Liu’s eyeballs rolled around, and even Xiao Wu, who was lying on the house beam, poked out half of his head.

After a moment, the shopkeeper slowly and methodically said: “Guest official, it has been some time since anyone opened the altar here at my Longmen Inn. You know the rules for opening the altar, don’t you?”

Chen Ji, while brushing dust from his body, smiled and said: “The attendant said earlier that after opening the altar, the fragrance will float for ten *li*, and the news must be earth-shattering. Besides this, I don’t know what other rules there are.”

The shopkeeper pondered for a moment and said: “Guest official, opening the altar is the biggest rule at my Longmen Inn. Once the altar is opened, people will spread the word, and guests from all directions will flock here. At that time, it will be good if you can provide earth-shattering news. If not, my inn’s reputation will also be damaged.”

Chen Ji curiously asked: “If I cannot provide the news, what will happen?”

The shopkeeper stared at Chen Ji for a long time: “Your skin will be peeled and your tendons drawn, and you’ll be hung on the archway in front of Guzi Street as a warning to others… but my inn emphasizes harmonious wealth in business, so I must ask the guest official a few questions beforehand.”

“Ask away.”

“For the key figures in the news, are they of positive second rank or above in the Ning or Jing dynasties? Lower than second rank does not count.”

“Yes.”

“Does it concern the safety of a city or place?”

“Yes.”

“Have you personally experienced it?”

Chen Ji finally paused for a moment, hesitated for two breaths, then replied: “Yes.”

The shopkeeper’s eyes showed a strange look: “Since the guest official is so certain, then my Longmen Inn may be lively tomorrow. Oh, there is still one more rule to inform the guest official of beforehand.”

Chen Ji asked: “What rule?”

The shopkeeper’s fingers unconsciously rubbed the abacus beads: “For all guests who have opened the altar at my inn, my inn can provide a secret passage to send the guest and accompanying companions to leave Gu Yuan, to avoid their bodies carrying several thousand *taels* of silver being coveted by powerful individuals.”

Chen Ji’s eyes narrowed: “Where is the secret passage?”

The shopkeeper raised his hand and pointed downwards: “Right here inside my Longmen Inn.”

Chen Ji said casually: “Where does it lead?”

The shopkeeper chuckled: “This secret passage of mine has two exits. One leads to Taiyuan Prefecture in the Ning dynasty’s interior, and one leads to Fengsheng State in the Western Capital Road of the Jing dynasty. I wonder where the guest official wishes to go?”

Chen Ji said without changing his expression: “I haven’t thought about it yet. I’ll tell the shopkeeper once I’ve decided.”

The shopkeeper cupped his fists: “Alright, I will prepare good wine and good dishes for the guest official tomorrow. I wish you wealth and prosperity in advance!”

“Many thanks, shopkeeper,” Chen Ji turned and went upstairs.

Xiao Liu, with a sly look, listened to the sound of footsteps all the way up to the third floor before hurriedly turning his head to look at the shopkeeper: “What kind of news do you think he wants to sell?”

The shopkeeper was thoughtful: “I heard that both the border army and the Imperial Guard army had big movements tonight. Perhaps it is related to this matter. In this city of Gu Yuan, the only people who could be above second rank are General Hu and the Crown Prince.”

Xiao Liu said “Oh”: “What is this guest official’s identity? I heard that the entire Shache Street was sealed off by the border army tonight. How did he get the news?”

The shopkeeper’s eyes lit up: “I said earlier he was an over-the-river dragon… he should have just arrived in Gu Yuan, walking the official road. You go now and ask your acquaintances in the border army. Surely someone has seen his road permit. Remember, you must find out his details. If you don’t, you don’t need to come back.”

Xiao Liu’s eyes brightened: “There’s still such a good thing?”

“Go on!”

“Understood,” Xiao Liu threw off the white cloth on his shoulder, took out a raincoat and a bamboo hat from the cabinet behind the counter, pressed down the brim of the hat, and braved the wind and frost out of the inn.

On the third floor of the inn, Chen Ji stood in front of the door of room Tian Zi Jia and rubbed his cheeks. He waited until his tense expression relaxed before quietly pushing the door open.

The wooden door was not bolted from the inside, and it opened with just a light push.

He walked in lightly and carefully, so as not to disturb Zhang Zheng and the others’ sweet dreams.

But when he turned back to close the door, then turned around again, he saw that Zhang Zheng and Zhang Xia had already sat up from the mat, staring straight at him.

Xiao Man, who was originally sitting on the small stool by the charcoal basin, had also stood up.

Chen Ji said slightly apologetically: “Did I wake you up?”

Zhang Xia, holding Wu Yun in her arms, said: “We haven’t slept yet.”

“How can we sleep if you’re not back?” Zhang Zheng drilled out from under the quilt, picked up a red lacquer food box from the side of the charcoal basin: “You haven’t eaten yet, right? I left food for you. It’s been kept warm by the charcoal basin all this time. Xiao Man, give it to your young master.”

Xiao Man got up, wiped the room’s Eight Immortals table and chairs with her sleeve, opened the food box, and skillfully arranged the plates: scallion braised mutton, pot-stewed tofu, and also a large bowl of white rice.

Chen Ji looked at the food on the table, slightly startled: “Did Brother Zhang leave this for me?”

Zhang Zheng said proudly: “Of course! I guessed you’d be busy all night and definitely wouldn’t have time to eat, so I specially instructed the inn to make it for you.”

Xiao Man pouted and muttered: “He really knows how to claim credit, as if he did something big. Even if you didn’t prepare it, I would have gone to prepare it…”

Zhang Zheng laughed happily: “No need to be unconvinced, this time, master has won in front of you, little girl!”

“Brother Zhang is rough on the outside but fine on the inside, thank you very much,” Chen Ji sat in front of the Eight Immortals table, picked up a piece of tofu and put it in his mouth, and silently used his chopsticks to point to the next door.

Zhang Xia replied: “The guest next door went out last night and hasn’t come back. We don’t know where they went.”

Chen Ji’s heart settled down.

Zhang Zheng pulled up a chair and sat next to him, asking with great interest: “Where did you go tonight? The other buyers in the inn saw you leave in such a hurry, and they all went to find that lame guy to buy news, making that lame guy crazy with happiness. At first, he only sold news for a few hundred cash, but later he asked for five *taels* of silver. The buyers were anxious and unbearable, but they could only reluctantly agree. However, everyone was still confused after buying his news and had no idea what use it was.”

Chen Ji swallowed the tofu in his mouth and explained: “Those collecting gold juice should be Jing dynasty spies. They wanted to use gold juice to contaminate the entire city’s well water, as preparation for a siege.”

Zhang Zheng’s face was shocked: “So vicious… then this city of Gu Yuan…”

Chen Ji said “Um”: “No need to worry, the border army has already killed that batch of spies.”

Zhang Xia was quick-witted. Standing behind Zhang Zheng, she said doubtfully: “All killed… not one left alive? Is there a problem with the border army?”

Chen Ji looked at her: “I caught a border army soldier who tipped off the Jing dynasty spies. From what I can see now, there are some people in the border army who are inciting people under the banner of avenging King Jing, stirring up a mutiny.”

Zhang Xia frowned: “Is it Zhou You? He has a history of inciting mutiny.”

Chen Ji shook his head: “It’s still not certain…”

Just at this moment, Wu Yun, standing on the window lattice, meowed.

Someone came to the backyard.

Chen Ji’s eyes moved, but he didn’t get up in a hurry: Wu Yun’s call made him react. Over time, it might be seen through.

He pondered for a moment and said to Zhang Zheng: “Brother Zhang, do you have acquaintances in the Eight Great Alleys?”

Zhang Zheng’s spirits lifted: “Yes, ah, of course I do! Li Head of Guihua Workshop, Zhou Everyone of Chunzhi Building…”

Xiao Man said disdainfully: “And you say you don’t have a belly full of tricks?”

Zhang Zheng retorted: “I said I know them, I didn’t say I was their inner curtain guest or their skirt minister. Someone just invited me for a drink, and it just happened to be there. We just got familiar after coming and going…”

Zhang Xia said helplessly: “You two have been arguing all evening, can’t you stop?”

In the sound of the argument, Chen Ji saw that no one was paying attention to him anymore. He silently carried the rice bowl to the window side and, while eating, looked through the gap towards the backyard.

Under the bright moonlight, Xiao Wu tiptoed, limping, leading two people towards the stable quietly. Xiao Wu looked left and right in front of the stable, confirmed that no one was there, and then drilled into the stable.

Chen Ji lowered his head and gave Wu Yun a look. Wu Yun squeezed out through the window seam and stealthily went towards the stable along the eaves. The secret passage was the biggest secret of the Longmen Inn. He had to investigate it thoroughly.

Under the current precarious situation in Gu Yuan city, if the Jing dynasty broke the city, he would have to use this secret passage to bring Zhang Zheng, Zhang Xia, and Xiao Man to leave.

As for the Crown Prince, the Chen family, and the Imperial Guard army, they were not in his plan.

Chen Ji did have a plan to approach the Crown Prince. This plan was unrelated to the White Dragon and unrelated to the future, but it was extremely important… but this did not mean he was prepared to die together with the Crown Prince in Gu Yuan.

If this Crown Prince died, the Ning Emperor would still establish a new Crown Prince, and he could approach the next one just the same.

But before that, he had to confirm whether this secret passage really existed.

Two hours later, Zhang Xia and the others were already sound asleep. Only Chen Ji was still guarding the window gap. Xiao Wu hadn’t returned all this time. Perhaps he was taking the ‘smugglers’ through the secret passage, or perhaps…

The next moment, the sound of stepping on straw came from the stable. Xiao Wu, wearing a set of black cotton padded clothes, rubbed his frozen hands and shrunk his neck as he limped back to the inn.

Wu Yun quietly squeezed back into the room through the window seam and meowed softly: “It’s freezing to death. The inn attendant led two people into the secret passage under the stable. The secret passage is hidden under the straw and covered with a wooden board. After the inn attendant went in, faint wails could be heard from inside the secret passage. The wails continued for a long time and just stopped. There’s a smell of blood.”

Chen Ji’s heart was shocked. That place under the stable was not a secret passage for leaving, but clearly this black shop’s slaughterhouse!

The shopkeeper said that one of the rules for opening the altar was that the inn would provide guests with a secret passage to leave Gu Yuan to avoid guests carrying huge wealth and being coveted by powerful individuals.

It was extremely considerate.

Unsuspecting guests followed the attendant into the secret passage, unaware that the Longmen Inn was the biggest powerful individual and the most black black shop in this city of Gu Yuan.

In these years, people have been spreading word of mouth that the Longmen Inn can secretly send people to the Jing dynasty. Those famous smugglers who came here perhaps all suffered poisonous hands and became the white bones under this inn.

Wait, the news that they “can send people to the Jing dynasty,” wasn’t it spread by the inn itself for fishing? Smugglers who want to leave must be carrying their entire family’s possessions…

This Longmen Inn played the game of ‘black eats black’ to perfection!

Wu Yun looked up at Chen Ji: “Are you worried?”

Chen Ji said “Um.” He was worried. Now there was no secret passage to leave. If the Jing dynasty really broke the city, how should he bring Zhang Zheng and the others out safely?