Chapter 245: The Chen Family's Three Sons

Inside Dragon Gate Inn, guests huddled together whispering, debating whether or not to buy news. Waiters, trays in hand, weaved between the Eight Immortals tables like little bees among flower clusters.

Chen Ji had consecutively sold seven pieces of news, netting thirty-five hundred taels of silver, far exceeding his expectations. He had originally planned to sell each piece of news for two hundred taels, and earning more than a thousand taels would have been good enough.

Who would have thought that out of nowhere, 'Third Master' would suddenly raise the price, forcing him to earn a basinful and a bowlful.

The guests who bought the news, their brows tightly furrowed, led their respective troops and hurried out.

The Zhang-surnamed man previously called out by the old madam stood rooted outside the door, the more he thought about it, the more it felt wrong: "Although this news is important, five hundred taels of silver is too expensive. When was the last time news was this expensive?"

The attendant beside him answered: "Master, the last time was eight years ago, when the owner of Dragon Gate Inn sold news on behalf of their boss behind them, and the price was six hundred taels."

The Zhang-surnamed man asked: "What news was sold?"

The attendant softly said: "At that time, our business was still small, we didn't bear to buy it..."

The Zhang-surnamed man doubted: "Why do I feel like Third Master is an actor. I ask you all, when have you ever seen Third Master so suddenly surprised and startled? Usually, even with a knife to his neck, he wouldn't even hum, but today, upon hearing a piece of news, he just whooshed up and left in a hurry. It was a bit too exaggerated."

The attendant hesitated for a long time: "Master, who could invite Third Master as an actor? You go forward and invite him as an actor, can you invite him?"

The Zhang-surnamed man thought for a moment: "He might slap me with a big ear."

The attendant spread his hands and said: "That settles it then."

The Zhang-surnamed man rubbed his face: "Go, let's do some preparations before the Jing Dynasty surrounds the city."

With that, several people tightened their collars, braved the wind, and hurried away with their heads bowed.

Inside the inn, the people by Chen Ji's table finally dispersed. Zhang Xia took advantage of the gap to remind him: "The Yu Lin Jun's people left."

Zhang Zheng raised his eyebrows: "The Yu Lin Jun's people also came?"

Zhang Xia nodded: "Yes, they were wearing bamboo hats and hid in the corner. They also secretly sent an unfamiliar face to buy news, but Li Xuan and Qi Jianzhe's figures are very recognizable. I can recognize them without even looking at their faces."

Zhang Zheng looked worriedly at Chen Ji: "What if they tell the Crown Prince about us selling the news? Those in high positions are most afraid of people around them leaking secrets. You selling news related to him for money will certainly make him resentful... Aren't you trying to get close to him?"

Chen Ji remained silent.

Xiao Man, who was behind him, suddenly said: "Young master, silence them. They haven't gone far, it's still timely."

Zhang Zheng and Zhang Xia slowly turned their heads and stared straight at Xiao Man, unable to say anything for a long time.

Chen Ji soothed with a smile: "No need to obstruct them. The Crown Prince is in an awkward situation now: the Jing Dynasty's large army is attacking, and it's no longer suitable to investigate the case of killing meritorious officials under false pretenses. If the border army loses Gu Yuan, he will be even less able to investigate meritorious officials. If he wants to investigate, he'll have to wait a few days, otherwise, he'll lose all popular support."

Zhang Xia continued: "But he cannot return to the capital empty-handed. If he cannot investigate the case of killing meritorious officials under false pretenses, then he has to establish other great merits, otherwise, he has no way to explain to the emperor."

Chen Ji nodded: "If I can help him establish merits, what does selling some news count as?"

As they were speaking, the old madam from Hong Xiu Ge came back with a wave of fragrant wind and sat down. She smiled and asked: "Young man, can I borrow a bowl of wine?"

Before Chen Ji could speak, Xiao Man had already tightly hugged the wine jar in her arms: "We bought it for three hundred cash a jar, we won't give you any to drink."

The old madam rolled her eyes: "Even old hens protecting their eggs aren't as protective as you. Can't I just ask your young master a few questions?"

Xiao Man glared at her: "If you want to ask questions, ask them properly. What are you batting your eyes for? Sit up straight!"

The old madam no longer paid attention to her and turned to look at Chen Ji, asking: "Young man, this five hundred taels of silver cannot be spent without understanding. I have to ask clearly first, is this news of yours completely true?"

Chen Ji nodded: "Completely true."

The old madam wanted to move closer to ask again, but she looked up and glanced at Xiao Man behind Chen Ji, stopping her movement: "According to what I know, last night on Sha Che Jie, there were only border troops and the Crown Prince's troops. The entire street was sealed. How do you know what happened inside? Were you in Sha Che Jie at that time?"

Chen Ji responded calmly: "According to the inn rules, news offered must be personally experienced to be acceptable. You don't need to worry."

The old madam asked again: "And how did the Crown Prince know there were Jing Dynasty spies on Sha Che Jie? I heard that yesterday someone led a tip-off and bought a piece of news that was related to the matter on Sha Che Jie yesterday. That person wouldn't happen to be you, young master, would they? Are you the Crown Prince's person?"

Zhang Xia suddenly spoke, asking sternly: "Why are you asking these things? Are you looking for the person who tipped off the Crown Prince yesterday to avenge the Jing Dynasty spies?"

The old madam's face changed: "This humble one was just asking casually, after all, I have to ensure the news is reliable. This humble one has no relations with the Jing Dynasty."

Chen Ji scrutinized the old madam in front of him: "Ordinary people might not ask these things."

The old madam maintained eye contact with him for a long time, then smiled charmingly and stood up, walking towards the outside: "It's this humble one who talked too much."

She walked to the door and lifted the cotton cloth curtain. Just then, a loud bell sound suddenly came from outside the door. The bell sound was urgent, one sound following another from inside Gu Yuan City, ringing a full twelve times!

Inside Dragon Gate Inn, everyone's faces changed: "Not good, the border army's long bell! The Jing Dynasty is here!"

When the bell sound reverberated, black clouds suddenly pressed down from the sky. The sky darkened, and the sun and moon were obscured.

It was as if the Jing Dynasty's Tian Ce Jun had descended from the sky, making people suffocate.

The Jing Dynasty, had truly arrived!

The old madam was still fixed in the posture of lifting the door curtain, as if she was fixed in place by the bell sound. The next moment, she quickened her steps and left. The guests in the inn also successively stood up, rushing out of the inn like wildfire.

"Quick, go stockpile grain!"

"Hurry and sell the goods in hand!"

In an instant, the lively inn became deserted, with only the bowls and dishes left on the tables, and melon seed shells on the ground, a mess.

Inside the shop, only the owner, Xiao Wu, Chen Ji, Zhang Zheng, Zhang Xia, and Xiao Man were left, as if the noise from earlier was all an illusion.

Xiao Wu, holding a broom and dustpan, was cleaning the room. He asked Chen Ji: "Guest, I'm afraid we have to close early today. Do you want to eat some staple food? If you do, I'll ask the back kitchen to make you a bowl of minced meat noodles."

Chen Ji suddenly asked: "Let me ask you something, is Third Master very famous in Gu Yuan?"

Xiao Wu was slightly startled and subconsciously turned his head to look at the owner. The owner stood behind the counter, not even lifting his eyelids, holding a brush and recording today's accounts.

Xiao Wu looked at Chen Ji, smiling shyly: "Guest, in our Dragon Gate Inn, news is not given away for free."

Zhang Xia took out a ten-tael silver ingot and pushed it to the edge of the table: "Speak."

Xiao Wu shook his head: "News related to Third Master costs fifty taels."

Zhang Xia thought for a moment, then took out four more silver ingots and placed them on the table.

Xiao Wu's eyebrows curved and his eyes smiled as he stuffed the silver ingots into his bosom: "Guest is generous, no wonder you can do big business and make a lot of money!"

Zhang Zheng, cracking melon seeds, said: "Don't delay, just say it quickly."

Xiao Wu leaned on his broom and recalled: "Third Master was originally a big figure in the border army, serving as a staff officer beside General Wen Tao... Do you all know what official position a staff officer is?"

Zhang Xia calmly said: "In the border army, the commander-in-chief is the boss, the deputy commander-in-chief is the second, and the staff officer is the third. Third Master was once the number three figure in the border army. I remember the previous border army staff officer was named Hu Junyuan, who is General Hu Junxian's younger brother, the current commander-in-chief. Is it him?"

Xiao Wu's mouth opened wide: "What is this girl's background? You're not from our Gu Yuan, are you? You even know this?"

"My sister here is powerful," Zhang Zheng laughed happily: "You continue."

Xiao Wu continued: "In the early years when he was still in the border army, the rules of Gu Yuan were all set by him. What could be done and what couldn't be done, his word was law. The young men in Gu Yuan City all dreamed of becoming someone like him one day. At first, everyone called him Hu San Ge, later it slowly became Hu Third Master, but eight years ago, he suddenly left the Gu Yuan border army and we don't know where he went. Some people say he followed a big figure, and some say he is planning to avenge General Wen Tao. After he left, Gu Yuan gradually became a bit lawless."

Zhang Xia suddenly asked: "What is his relationship with your owner?"

Xiao Wu played dumb: "There's no relationship."

Zhang Xia pulled the silver ingots on the table back in front of her: "You don't speak the truth. We won't buy this news from you."

Xiao Wu looked anxiously at the silver: "Third Master and our owner were previously..."

"Cough!"

Xiao Wu turned his head, only to see the owner behind the counter looking at him coldly: "If you want to live long, get lost!"

Xiao Wu shrank his neck and hurried away with his broom, limping.

Chen Ji laughed heartily and cupped his fists to the owner: "I had no intention of inquiring about the owner's private matters. I have offended you greatly, please forgive me."

The owner's smile didn't reach his eyes: "No harm, no harm."

Chen Ji got up to go upstairs, but he couldn't help but feel doubts in his heart. From Hu Third Master's background, he shouldn't have any connection with himself.

Strange.

After Chen Ji and the others went upstairs, the owner was just lowering his head to calculate accounts, when he saw someone lift the cotton cloth curtain and come in. He looked up and it was unexpectedly the old madam from Hong Xiu Ge, who had gone and returned.

The owner casually asked: "What are you doing here? I advise you not to cause trouble in my inn, otherwise Gu Yuan cannot tolerate you."

The old madam covered her mouth with a silk handkerchief and smiled charmingly: "Second Master, don't say that. What trouble could I cause? I made an appointment with that young man to have a talk in his room tonight, but he didn't say which room he was staying in. I wonder if the owner could inform me?"

The owner's face showed interest: "Tian character, first-class room."

The old madam thought for a moment, then turned and walked upstairs.

"Sister Hong," the owner called out to her from behind the counter, stopping her: "Have you thought clearly? If you commit a crime in my Dragon Gate Inn, you have to pay with your life."

The old madam was silent for a moment, then smiled: "I know."

After the old madam went upstairs, Xiao Wu came over and asked: "Owner, you previously said that everyone in Hong Xiu Ge are Jing Dynasty spies. You just let her go up like that? She's probably going to kill someone."

The owner laughed coldly: "She kills people, I take money. Isn't that reasonable?"

Xiao Wu advised: "But if she kills someone in the inn, it's probably to ruin our inn's reputation."

The owner said calmly: "After the matter, strip her skin and pull her tendons, and hang them on the archway. Xiao Wu, we're a black shop to begin with, don't pretend to have the heart of a Bodhisattva."

"Oh..." Xiao Wu continued sweeping the floor with a vexed expression.

At this time, the door curtain was lifted open again.

The person who came in took off their bamboo hat and raincoat, patting the dust off their body: "Owner, I'm back."

The owner furrowed his brows, looking at Xiao Liu in front of him: "I told you to go inquire about someone's identity, and you've been gone for a day and a night. Don't tell me you were fooling around with some woman again!"

Xiao Liu cried out in injustice: "How could that be? Owner, you don't know, the border army is all preparing for war at this time. It's difficult to find someone. I waited under the city gate tower for a full day before I saw my childhood friend."

"Believe you and there are ghosts," the owner laughed coldly: "Last night, someone said they saw you in Qing Chun Fang."

Xiao Liu said angrily: "Who has such a big mouth!"

The owner also said angrily: "Speak quickly, did you find out the identity of that young man I asked you to inquire about?"

Xiao Liu hurriedly came closer and laughed flatteringly: "I found out clearly, I found out clearly. That young man came to Gu Yuan with the newly appointed Imperial Academy junior scholar Chen Liqin. He is Chen Liqin's third son, named Chen Ji."

The owner was stunned on the spot: "Say that again!"

Xiao Liu was puzzled: "Chen family's Chen Liqin's third son, named Chen Ji... Did I say something wrong?"

The owner looked outside the window and murmured: "No wonder Old Third is back..."

Xiao Liu hung the bamboo hat and raincoat on the wall and asked with a smile: "Owner, I just saw that old madam from Hong Xiu Ge come in from a distance. Where is she?"

The owner came back to his senses and exclaimed: "Not good!"

With that, he leaped out from behind the counter like a big owl and flew towards the stairs.