Chapter 251: Running Out of Food

Inside the inn’s main hall, the Yu Lin Army stood with swords drawn, surrounding Zhou You, who stood alone, his feet echoing on the ground.

Li Xuan looked left and right, then turned his head to look at the border army’s vice commander: “Lord Zhou, that you can eat and live with your soldiers is admirable, but the Jing Dynasty spies were able to set fire and burn the grain under your border army’s noses. You will likely find it hard to escape blame. If your border army had no inside man, the Jing Dynasty spies could never have done this.”

Zhou You’s eyelid twitched slightly, then he slowly said: “We will investigate this matter thoroughly, no need for Lord Li to worry.”

Li Xuan finally couldn’t help but scold angrily: “You will investigate thoroughly, Lord Zhou? I think you are the Jing Dynasty’s inside man! If the conscripted grain is burned again, then this Guyuan City will truly be beyond saving!”

Zhou You’s armor rattled as he chuckled coldly and looked around: “What, Lord Li wants to keep me here for interrogation? See if your Yu Lin Army has the ability! I entered the border army in the eleventh year of Jia Ning, living and dying in battle for over twenty-one years, beheading three hundred nineteen Jing Dynasty thieves in battle! It’s not up to a bunch of capital officials to say I’m a Jing Dynasty inside man!”

The Crown Prince said warmly: “Lord Zhou has rendered great service in guarding the border, we do not question this. However, the matter of the border army granary being destroyed, should the border army not give the court an explanation?”

Zhou You dusted off his armor, arrogantly saying: “If I can still live after this battle, I will naturally give the court an explanation. Someone! Move all the remaining grain in this Long Men Inn away and transport it to the border army camp!”

Outside the inn, someone suddenly pulled down the door’s cotton curtain and rushed into the inn’s backyard wearing rattan armor. They moved away all the grain within sight.

Qi Jian Zhe wanted to draw his sword but was held back tightly by Li Xuan: “Endure, this Zhou You seems to have specifically come to provoke. A small lack of endurance will mess up the great plan!”

Qi Jian Zhe’s teeth almost bit through his tongue, but he could only slowly release his grip on the sword.

After the border army left, a cold wind howled from outside the door, pouring into the inn, leaving the crowd facing each other in the wind.

Little Five and Little Six picked up the cotton curtain that had been trampled into countless footprints and looked at the innkeeper: “Innkeeper, what should we do?”

The innkeeper said calmly: “What else can we do? Sew it up, patch it, and nail it back onto the door frame. Do you need to ask me this?”

Little Five scratched his head: “I mean, our inn’s face was just stepped on like this, and we’re not going to do anything? What is he, Zhou You, relying on to dare…”

The innkeeper said in a cold voice: “Shut up.”

At this moment, Li Xuan and Chen Li Qin both looked worried.

Li Xuan said in a low voice: “Now all the grain in the city has been taken by the border army. What are we to do? If we really ask His Highness to go to the porridge shed to get porridge, we should apologize with our lives.”

Chen Li Qin sighed: “Dare I ask how much silver His Highness brought this time to Guyuan?”

Li Xuan replied: “The Ministry of Revenue allocated four thousand taels of silver, this is on the surface. How much the Crown Prince brought privately, I am not at liberty to inquire.”

Chen Li Qin silently calculated: “If it were an ordinary day, four thousand taels of silver would be enough to buy eight thousand shi of grain. One shi of grain is enough for one Yu Lin Army soldier to eat for thirty days… But now there is a shortage of grain throughout the city. Even if there are grain merchants secretly hoarding grain, they will sell it at sky-high prices.”

At this time, four thousand taels of silver would be lucky to buy eight hundred shi of grain. Not to mention eight hundred shi, just finding grain is good. If it were only for a dozen people, that would be one thing, he could find a way. But there are still five hundred Yu Lin Army soldiers here waiting to eat.

Chen Li Qin already regretted not listening to Zhang Zhuo’s advice. If he had ignored the urgency and gone to the capital’s Ministry of Official Personnel Affairs earlier to take office, he wouldn’t have to worry about these things now.

He looked at Li Xuan: “Lord Li, do you have a plan?”

Li Xuan was silent for a moment: “Lord Chen, I am the Left Guard of the Eastern Palace, only responsible for protecting His Highness’s safety. Grain and fodder matters are not within my duty.”

Chen Li Qin’s heart sank.

At this time, the innkeeper cupped his hands to the Crown Prince: “Distinguished guests, do you still want to stay at the inn?”

The Crown Prince withdrew his gaze from outside the door and said with a smile: “Stay, trouble the innkeeper to arrange rooms for us.”

The innkeeper flipped open his ledger, turned his head and glanced at the ‘water signs’ hanging behind him: “Guest, there is only one Tian character room left. Who will live there?”

Li Xuan quickly said: “Of course, my young master will live there.”

The innkeeper took out a ‘Guest Occupied’ water sign carved with wood, hung it on the wall behind corresponding to the location of the Tian character Ding room, then continued to ask: “There are still ten Di character rooms. Which ones will you live in?”

Before Li Xuan could answer, Chen Wen Xiao on the side asked: “Can’t the guest in the Tian character room just move out of a few rooms?”

The innkeeper smiled: “No matter who, once they live in my inn, they are my honored guests. When you open a business, you don’t have a reason to drive people away. Several guests will stay until the day after tomorrow and then leave. You can move in again then, it won’t be too late.”

Chen Wen Xiao still wanted to say something but was stopped by Chen Li Qin pressing his shoulder.

Chen Li Qin pointed to Chen Ji, and politely said to the innkeeper: “We don’t need to live in the Tian character room, living in the room next to him is fine.”

The innkeeper raised his eyebrows: “Guest, this might not be possible to arrange. Young Master Chen lives in the Tian character Bing room, there might not be an empty room next to him.”

Chen Li Qin was slightly startled.

Chen Wen Xiao’s eyes darted around, and he said loudly to the side: “Chen Ji, give your Tian character room to father and mother, you and I can live in the Di character room.”

Even Chen Wen Zong said in a low voice to Chen Ji: “You and I can live in the Di character room. Filial piety is of utmost importance in our dynasty. If you don’t change, I fear it will affect your future in the Eastern Palace.”

Chen Ji glanced sideways at Chen Wen Zong, knowing in his heart that the other party was also thinking of his future. He thought for a moment and said: “Innkeeper, please help us change rooms. Let Lord Chen live in the Tian character room.”

However, unexpectedly, the innkeeper’s face immediately fell after hearing Chen Li Qin’s identity: “Cannot change.”

Chen Wen Xiao said in surprise: “We ourselves agree to change, why won’t you? We pay the room fee, it’s up to us who lives where!”

The innkeeper chuckled coldly: “I assigned this Tian character Bing room to Young Master Chen, and I didn’t even collect the room fee. I can assign it to whoever I want, can’t I?”

This time even Chen Ji was surprised, not understanding what the innkeeper meant by this.

In the standoff, the Crown Prince silently observed. He was somewhat doubtful about the innkeeper’s change in attitude. What confidence did an innkeeper have to confront a fourth-rank official, and why would he want to confront him?

Furthermore, he was even more doubtful about Chen Ji’s special place in this inn. Now, even if someone told him that this inn was opened by Chen Ji, he would believe it.

Chen Li Qin said doubtfully: “Why can Chen Ji live in this place for free?”

The innkeeper leaned his elbow against the counter, rolled his eyes, and said: “Is that any of your business?”

Chen Li Qin’s anger surged: “You!”

The innkeeper mocked: “What ‘you’?”

Wang Gui stepped forward and said sternly: “My master is an Assistant Academician of the Hanlin Academy, a court official of the fourth rank. Speak with some respect!”

The innkeeper was silent for a moment, then sneered: “A fourth-rank old man was a proper fourth-rank before he was an official. Proper fourth-rank officials are not rare, what is a fourth-rank?”

Wang Gui’s eyes widened: “You are spreading lies that you are a proper fourth-rank, you will be charged with a crime!”

The innkeeper said solemnly: “In the fourteenth year of Jia Ning, I served as the vice commander of Guyuan, and was granted a Qilin robe by the current emperor as a reward!”

Having said that, he actually took out a jade belt inlaid with jade from under the counter and casually threw it on the counter.

The crowd stared intently. What was thrown on the counter was indeed a jade belt from a Qilin robe, inlaid with white jade on the cloth belt, and still bearing the dark pattern of a dragon head, musk body, and lion tail.

However, if an ordinary official received such a special honor, they would definitely enshrine the Qilin robe at home and protect it well. While this innkeeper casually stuffed the jade belt under the counter and then casually threw it onto the counter, seeming not to care at all.

Chen Li Qin and Li Xuan looked at each other, both not expecting this small inn to hide dragons and crouching tigers.

Li Xuan cupped his fist: “I heard early on that this inn was opened by General Wen Tao’s old subordinates. I originally thought it was a rumor, but I didn’t expect it to be true.”

The innkeeper lazily took the jade belt back under the counter: “No harm, no harm, it’s all in the past. If no one came here to show off to me, I wouldn’t need to take out this jade belt. Now I have no official position, only manage this one mu and three fen of land. Even if a proper second-rank Hu Jun Xian came, if I ask him to live in a Di character room, he has to live in a Di character room.”

“Bragging, are you?” Chen Wen Xiao sneered: “Even if you once had an official position, now you are just a commoner. Hmph, we won’t live here!”

The innkeeper’s eyes narrowed slightly: “Outside this door, my Long Men Inn does not accept guests, and the entire Guyuan City will not dare to accept them.”

Chen Wen Xiao pointed at the innkeeper’s nose and said: “Just now you said you were open for business, now you have this attitude… Chen Ji, did you instruct this?”

Chen Wen Zong brushed off his finger and said angrily: “When did you see Chen Ji instructing the innkeeper?”

Chen Wen Xiao was anxious: “Elder brother, why do you always side with him? You and I are direct blood brothers!”

Chen Wen Zong said calmly: “I only speak reason. Furthermore, in our dynasty, there is no distinction between close and distant, noble and humble among direct and collateral brothers. Do not mention what you just said again, otherwise, you will be beaten with a cane ten times to teach you a lesson.”

Chen Wen Xiao opened his mouth, but for a long time, no words came out.

A moment later, the Crown Prince mediated with a smile: “Everyone, let Chen Ji live in the Tian character Bing room. He is now my right guard, and should naturally live nearby to protect my safety.”

The inn suddenly quieted down. The crowd saw that the Crown Prince no longer hid his identity and immediately cupped their hands: “All as Your Highness instructs.”

The Crown Prince revealed his identity and turned to look at the innkeeper. He originally thought the other party’s attitude would change, but the innkeeper walked towards the backyard as if nothing had happened, calling Little Five, Little Five: “Go, lead people to clean out all the rooms!”

The Crown Prince smiled, lifted the hem of his robe, and walked upstairs.

As he walked, he asked curiously: “Chen Ji, since I have also moved in, which rooms are Young Master Zhang and Second Miss Zhang living in? I should go visit them once.”

Chen Ji hesitated for a moment: “Reporting to Your Highness, the two of them are living in the same Tian character Bing room as I am.”

The Crown Prince turned back in surprise on the stairs: “You are all living in the same room?”

Even the Chen family members behind them were extremely surprised. Chen Li Qin frowned: “How can this be so improper? If it spreads to the capital, how will Second Miss Zhang compose herself?”

Chen Ji thought to himself, the Crown Prince had already taken the initiative to mention Zhang Xia more than once, what was his intention?

He thought for a moment and explained: “Guyuan is not peaceful. The four of us need to be more vigilant alone outside. We simply laid floors in the same room and separated them with sheets. This way, it is convenient to take turns guarding at night.”

The Crown Prince smiled and said: “So that’s how it is. It must have been really hard on you all before. Now that the Yu Lin Army is guarding around, you can live separately. Give Second Miss Zhang a Di character room to herself to avoid damaging her reputation. I will also tell the Yu Lin Army that no one is allowed to leak this matter. Violators will be dismissed and never employed again.”

Chen Ji said without changing his expression: “Many thanks for Your Highness’s concern. It is naturally good to have an extra room. I will go and ask them now.”