Chapter 261: Apology

In the black night, bright yellow corn kernels scattered onto the road, emitting a rustling sound.

Chen Ji stood in front of the inn door, quietly watching people holding torches follow the sound and approach. Like a swarm of bees, they lay on the ground, gathering the scattered corn kernels into their arms, then got up and ran.

What is grain?

At this moment in Guyuan, grain is life.

Several Yulin Army soldiers rushed out from the inn and, standing beside Chen Ji, asked with wide, angry eyes: "What are you doing? Why pour the grain on the ground?"

Chen Ji paid no attention to him, turned around, and walked into the inn.

Qi Jianzhe followed behind him, angrily questioning: "Grain is scarce now, you poured all the grain. What will everyone eat tomorrow? What will His Highness eat?"

Chen Ji returned to the room.

The inn's main hall was peaceful and quiet, the flickering candlelight dancing in everyone's eyes.

They looked at each other. Earlier, when Chen Ji was searched, he had not complained, and they thought he had submitted. They did not expect him to act so decisively.

At this moment, Qi Jianzhe followed and rushed into the main hall. He reached out to pat Chen Ji's shoulder: "Are you deaf? Didn't you hear grandpa asking you?"

The instant Qi Jianzhe's right hand patted Chen Ji's shoulder, Chen Ji, without turning his head, extended his left hand to grab Qi Jianzhe's hand, slightly bent at the waist, then threw the other out.

With a bang, Qi Jianzhe smashed a wooden table and lay on the ground.

"You motherfucker!" Qi Jianzhe got up and angrily cursed: "Come, fight with grandpa, let grandpa test how much you weigh!"

Li Xuan suddenly became angry: "Qi Jianzhe, have you made enough trouble? Stop for me!"

But Qi Jianzhe was in a rage and no longer listened.

Just as Qi Jianzhe bent down and rushed towards Chen Ji, Chen Ji slightly moved his body to dodge, then extended his toe and lightly hooked. Qi Jianzhe was actually tripped and fell to the ground.

Several Yulin Army soldiers familiar with Qi Jianzhe simultaneously flipped over tables and pounced towards Chen Ji.

Unfortunately, these few 'young master soldiers,' although their families had bought them official positions, had never truly fought with people using real swords and guns. These few figures were one moment with Chen Ji, then separated, making people dizzy.

By the time everyone looked again, several young master soldiers were already lying on the ground, wailing incessantly.

A watching Yulin Army soldier saw his colleagues humiliated and immediately drew the long sword from his waist, stabbing towards Chen Ji.

Chen Ji had no weapon yet neither avoided nor dodged. When the long sword was about to stab his chest, he used both hands to clamp the sword blade, his wrists simultaneously exerting force to shake: "Let go!"

The Yulin Army soldier's palms were numb, and he involuntarily loosened his grip on the sword hilt.

Li Xuan's pupils suddenly constricted. Qi Jianzhe got up and wanted to pounce again, but was kicked back by Li Xuan.

Qi Jianzhe's eyes were red: "Sister-in-law!"

Li Xuan said in a low voice: "Skill is not as good as others, what more is there to say? Like this, even if ten more of you came, what could you do to him?"

Qi Jianzhe's face also turned red.

In the main hall, it finally became quiet again.

Chen Li thought for a long time, then opened his mouth and said: "Chen Ji, in the future, you will all still be colleagues under His Highness. How can you fight? Quickly apologize to each other. Also, your act of pouring grain is indeed improper..."

Chen Ji looked at Chen Li and politely interrupted: "Chen adult, no need to worry, they are not seriously injured. Furthermore, I will not do sneaky things, nor will I damage the Chen family's reputation. This grain came cleanly, went cleanly, and is also clean."

Chen Li was momentarily speechless.

Li Xuan smoothed things over: "Chen Ji, just now Chen adult and Qi Jianzhe were just worried you were momentarily confused. Everyone wasn't thinking for themselves, but for His Highness's reputation. If we are caught with a handle, it will also implicate His Highness's reputation being damaged. If offended, I apologize for them, please don't take it to heart."

Chen Ji smiled and said: "Li adult, I naturally know this principle, and won't take it to heart."

Having said that, he bowed with cupped hands remotely to the Crown Prince: "Your Highness, your subordinate was just momentarily impulsive and threw all the grain. Now I regret it extremely. Whatever punishment, your subordinate accepts."

The Crown Prince hesitated for a moment, finally lightly sighing: "It is also not entirely your fault... Punishment is not necessary. Chen Ji, wise brother, is tired today, first go back and rest."

Chen Ji picked up the palm leaf wrap on the table. In front of everyone, he took out a golden bright orange and put it in Chen Wenzong's hand, smiling and saying: "Brother, eat an orange to calm down, it's okay."

Chen Wenzong was stunned as he received the orange and saw Chen Ji put down two oranges for the Crown Prince, then go upstairs.

Everyone's gaze followed Chen Ji's figure until he disappeared at the end of the staircase.

There was no fierce debate, no angry accusations, as if nothing had happened, it just ended like this.

After a long time, Li Xuan said in a low, angry voice: "Qi Jianzhe, are you satisfied now? Just a quarter of an hour ago, I warned you not to look for trouble with Chen Ji. Can you understand human words?"

Qi Jianzhe knew he had caused trouble, but still softly defended: "Didn't you all have suspicions just now? Even Chen adult suspected him!"

Chen Li's face changed.

Li Xuan saw him still quibbling and actually furiously drew the long sword from his waist, splitting the Eight Immortals table in front of him in two: "No more quibbling! I ask you, what will we eat tomorrow? What will His Highness eat? If my five hundred Yulin Army didn't die on the battlefield, but starved to death in Guyuan, the ancestors at home will all be shamed!"

Qi Jianzhe saw he was truly angry and immediately fell silent like a cicada in winter.

At this moment, Zhang Xia's sharp voice came from upstairs saying: "So many people couldn't find grain the whole day, you found it and still get doubted. Then don't bother with them, just let them find grain themselves and see how many days it takes for them to starve to death."

Speaking to here, Zhang Xia still relentlessly said: "And that Chen family, who knows what's going on? Their own people don't protect their own, they learn from others to speculate without reason. Hiding grain and secretly eating is one thing, but even their subordinates also hid grain. Truly the upper beam is not straight, the lower beam is crooked. Being born into the Chen family is also bad luck, better come to my Zhang family!"

Finally, Zhang Xia threw out a sentence: "One two three four five six seven, filial piety fraternal duty loyalty trust ritual righteousness integrity."

Then she returned to her room and closed the door.

Everyone knew that Zhang Xia pretended to speak to Chen Ji but specifically went to the corridor outside to say it for the people downstairs to hear. Zhang Xia was truly angry this time, just short of pointing at their noses and scolding.

The Crown Prince hesitated for a moment: "Earlier I heard that the second miss of the Zhang family in the capital was sharp and straightforward, but I didn't expect her to be so... well, upright and sincere."

Li Xuan looked at everyone: "What was the meaning of that doggerel the second miss of the Zhang family just recited?"

"The first half has no 'eight', the second half has no 'chi'," Chen Wenzong faintly explained, "so this sentence means forget 'eight', without 'chi'."

The crowd of Yulin Army soldiers was scolded until their faces were ashen.

Li Xuan turned and bowed to the Crown Prince with cupped fists: "Your subordinate requests Your Highness to remove Qi Jianzhe from his position as deputy commander and demote him to squad leader. In addition, all the Yulin Army who fought just now will have their salary deducted for half a year, to give Chen Ji an explanation."

Qi Jianzhe was about to open his mouth, but Li Xuan fiercely glared at him: "Otherwise, then you will find back sixty jin of grain every day. Qi Jianzhe, you keep saying you admire capable people. Now you truly encounter someone more capable than you, why are you unwilling to admit it? Where has the Qi family's backbone gone?"

The Crown Prince looked at Qi Jianzhe: "What are your thoughts?"

Qi Jianzhe was silent for a long time: "Reporting to Your Highness, your subordinate is willing to accept punishment and will later go find Chen Ji to apologize with thorns."

The Crown Prince nodded: "Then do as Li adult said. Don't go find Chen Ji later, he is still angry now, if you go, who knows if you will argue again. Wait until tomorrow morning, you and Li adult go together to apologize."

Second day of the siege.

Early morning, no chicken crowing, no dog barking.

Guyuan's chickens and dogs seemed to have all died overnight. It was like an abandoned place, no longer any sound.

Li Xuan pulled Qi Jianzhe's arm, forcibly dragging him out of the room: "Go, what are you dawdling!"

Qi Jianzhe leaned back, resisting: "Sister-in-law, I haven't thought about what to say yet."

Li Xuan lowered her voice and reprimanded: "Still not convinced? You've practiced for so many years, and the Qi family has supplemented your cultivation resources, yet to this day, you have only reached the Acquired realm, not even seen the threshold of the Innate realm. He is seven or eight years younger than you, and already in the Innate realm. He can let you use one hand, and you still can't beat him!"

Qi Jianzhe shook his arm, struggling: "I'm convinced, I didn't say I wasn't convinced!"

Li Xuan stood still in the corridor, staring at Qi Jianzhe and said: "The grain you all collected was rice, millet, sorghum, and corn mixed together, clearly collected piecemeal from common people's homes. Look at him, he directly brought back a whole pack of corn. What does this explain?"

Qi Jianzhe was puzzled: "Explains that he found a cornfield?"

Li Xuan laughed in anger: "Explains that he found a big grain merchant! The other side's grain is absolutely not just this sixty jin of corn!"

Qi Jianzhe was startled: "That makes sense."

Li Xuan's tone softened slightly: "Consider it as sister-in-law begging you, okay? Sister-in-law still has several hundred people waiting to eat. Can't really let them starve to death, right? Jianzhe, this official position of sister-in-law, your sister begged the old grandfather for half a year to get it. Don't make it difficult for me."

Qi Jianzhe hesitated for a while, finally gritting his teeth: "It's just apologizing, it won't cost a piece of meat, let's go."

The two went up the stairs to the third floor and knocked on the door of the Tian Zi Bing room.

No response.

The two looked at each other, and Li Xuan raised her hand to knock again.

Still no response.

Li Xuan thought something was wrong, turned, and ran downstairs. She came to the main hall and looked at the little five who was wiping the table: "Waiter, where is the guest in the Tian Zi Bing room upstairs?"

Little five lazily replied: "Replying to the guest, they went out early this morning."

Qi Jianzhe doubted: "Could they have gone to find grain?"

Little five grinned: "Shouldn't be to find grain."

Qi Jianzhe was puzzled: "How do you know?"

Little five wiped the table and put the cloth on his shoulder: "Yesterday they found grain and were made difficult. Would they do something that brings them more unpleasantness today? That wouldn't be smart."

Qi Jianzhe's face flushed. This inn waiter was actually mocking them.

Li Xuan hurriedly asked: "Where did they go?"

Little five turned to the backyard: "Why are you asking me? People don't need to tell a little waiter like me where they go."

Li Xuan and Qi Jianzhe looked at each other. Chen Ji actually didn't even plan to give them a chance to apologize.