As expected, once Gui Yuanshu announced his identity and purpose, someone quickly opened the city gates and led them inside.

As they walked into the city, Zheng Shunshun couldn’t hold back and offered him a compliment: “My lord is truly a rare talent of this age.”

Gui Yuanshu said, “Have the lot of you forgotten that your salaries pass through my hands?”

Zheng Shunshun immediately said, “This is sincere praise from the bottom of my heart, with not a single other motive behind it.”

Gui Yuanshu glanced at him. “Stop overthinking the process. We’re in, aren’t we? That’s all that matters.”

Before long, a man known as General Jin arrived. Judging by his attire, he was a general of the Daxing City garrison.

He looked them up and down carefully, spending a few extra moments studying Gui Yuanshu in particular.

“You look somewhat familiar to me.”

General Jin Jieyin of the garrison asked, “Have we met before?”

Gui Yuanshu said, “Have you ever been to prison?”

Jin Jieyin frowned slightly. “What do you mean by that?”

Gui Yuanshu smiled. “I used to be a prison warden. If you’ve never served time, we probably wouldn’t know each other.”

Jin Jieyin didn’t bother engaging further and announced the rules: “Your identities and weapons must all be surrendered. You’ll each be searched individually. No contraband of any kind is permitted on your person. Once you’ve passed inspection, I’ll arrange for someone to escort you to the Ministry of Rites’ Yibin Residence. The Young Lord is staying there.”

Gui Yuanshu knew exactly where Yibin Residence was. The moment he heard “the Young Lord,” he couldn’t help but smile inwardly.

Li Chi had left a letter for Tang Pidi mentioning that he had entered Daxing City under the identity of Xiahou Zhuo — so of course Gui Yuanshu knew.

He smiled because he thought of how his lord had always been this way: noble and upright, doing good deeds and never keeping his own name attached to them.

Since they were already inside, there was no reason to cause any conflict with the Chu forces, so they submitted to Jin Jieyin’s search without complaint.

After each person had been thoroughly checked, they were led toward Yibin Residence.

Not far away, Yu Hongyi — a Chief Officer of the廷尉府 (Court of Judicial Review) — who had quietly slipped out of Yibin Residence to observe them, rose and left.

The four of them had become Chief Officers of the Judicial Guard when they were still quite young, far from their personal peaks. After years of tempering, they had grown considerably compared to when they’d first taken the post.

There weren’t many true masters left inside Daxing City now, so quietly slipping out of Yibin Residence was no great feat for someone of his ability.

Shortly after, Yu Hongyi returned before Gui Yuanshu’s group did, climbing back over the wall through a secluded spot. He found Li Chi and the others in the courtyard practicing their cultivation exercises.

For the sake of safety, even within Yibin Residence, Gao Xining had required the Judicial Guard to address Li Chi as “General.”

“General.”

Yu Hongyi stepped forward. “Our people have arrived.”

Li Chi smiled. “Gui Yuanshu?”

Yu Hongyi said, “The General’s foresight is uncanny — it is indeed Chief Officer Gui Yuanshu.”

Gao Xining said, “How did they get in?”

Yu Hongyi answered very seriously: “They were brought in by the Chu forces. There appear to be roughly a hundred in their group, escorted by at least six hundred Chu soldiers heading this way.”

Li Chi laughed. “So announcing their identities really was the only way in.”

Not long after, Gui Yuanshu’s group arrived. They were delivered to the front gate by the Imperial Guard soldiers, and Gui Yuanshu even turned and waved goodbye to them as they left: “Many thanks!”

The moment he stepped inside, he saw Yu Jiuling standing there smiling at him.

Gui Yuanshu said, “What are you smiling at?”

Yu Jiuling said, “General Xiahou told me to wait here and give our newest fellow prisoner a warm welcome.”

Gui Yuanshu snorted. “This method is ingenious beyond compare — who else but I could have thought of it?”

Yu Jiuling said, “True, true. You essentially turned yourself in. That’s quite different from the rest of us.”

Gui Yuanshu curled his lip. “Lead the way.”

Yu Jiuling walked alongside him and asked, “How are things at home?”

Gui Yuanshu said, “Things at home are wonderful — wonderful because you weren’t there. Everyone ate dumplings for a whole week to celebrate, and they set off fireworks.”

Yu Jiuling shot him a glare.

The two of them bickered as they walked inside. The moment Gui Yuanshu laid eyes on Li Chi, the anxiety he’d been carrying finally settled completely. He let out a long, slow breath to express everything he was feeling.

Gui Yuanshu said, “Seeing you safe and sound, my lord — now I can rest easy.”

Yu Jiuling said, “What, you weren’t at ease when you saw me just now?”

Gui Yuanshu said, “You’re a wanted rebel. Seeing you doesn’t put me at ease either.”

Yu Jiuling said, “…”

Li Chi said, “Don’t blame Chief Officer Gui — if it were me seeing you, I wouldn’t feel at ease either.”

Everyone gathered in the rear courtyard to talk. It was larger and more open back there, and sitting in the yard, laughing and chatting, their voices wouldn’t be overheard by outsiders.

Li Chi asked Gui Yuanshu, “Are you familiar with this Yibin Residence?”

Gui Yuanshu said, “Very. It’s not far from the Court of Justice. Back when we couldn’t afford food, we used to sneak over the wall here more than a few times to scrounge for something to eat. This place had more supplies than the court offices, and back then there was nobody watching over it.”

Yu Jiuling said, “Truly an uncorrupted official — even when stealing, he didn’t steal from the common people. Only from the court.”

Gui Yuanshu said, “I am a man of the court, this place belongs to the court, so a man of the court taking from the court’s property — does that even count as stealing… does it?”

He got tangled in his own sentence, and Yu Jiuling leaned forward: “The first version of that sentence said something was stealing people, and the second said people were stealing things. Stealing people…”

He leaned close to Gui Yuanshu’s ear: “Exciting, isn’t it?”

Li Chi raised a hand and rapped Yu Jiuling on the head, and Yu Jiuling immediately settled down.

Li Chi continued: “If I needed you to slip out quietly and keep watch on a few people, could you arrange it?”

Gui Yuanshu said, “All those people were placed by me. No problem.”

After the battle at Mangdang Mountain, Li Chi had promised the Left Valiant Guard soldiers that any who did not wish to remain were free to go home — the Ning Army would not stop them.

It was at that point that Gui Yuanshu had, under orders, deployed a batch of Military Intelligence operatives disguised as Left Valiant Guard soldiers to enter Daxing City.

At the time, the court’s attitude toward returning defeated soldiers was not yet as hostile as it was now. The Princess Consort of the Wu Prince had not yet returned then — there was no reason to bar the gates.

These Military Intelligence operatives had entered alongside the Wu Princess Consort’s procession, and there was no risk of exposure: the Left Valiant Guard had marched out with two hundred thousand men. Who could guarantee they all knew each other?

At the time, no fewer than ten thousand Left Valiant Guard soldiers had chosen to return to Daxing City. Blending in had been easy enough.

It was only later, as Han Feibao’s forces moved south toward Daxing City, that the city gates had been shut.

These operatives who had entered in advance could only be contacted by Gui Yuanshu himself — which meant even Li Chi’s group had no way to use them before his arrival.

This was a matter of secrecy. The roster of Military Intelligence personnel was held only by two people: Gui Yuanshu and Gao Xining.

And for operatives deployed on external assignments, only Gui Yuanshu and the officer directly in charge of the mission knew who they were. Even Gao Xining and Li Chi did not know.

So even though Gao Xining held the complete roster, she did not know who had been deployed, let alone how to contact them.

Li Chi lowered his voice and conveyed several instructions to Gui Yuanshu, who nodded. “Tonight I’ll head out and find a way to make contact with our Military Intelligence people inside. It won’t be difficult.”

Li Chi said, “All right, go rest for now. After you’ve made contact tonight, don’t go in and out anymore — stay careful.”

Gui Yuanshu agreed, then said, “When is dinner?”

Li Chi: “Back when you were at the Court of Justice, what time did they feed the prisoners?”

After Gui Yuanshu answered, Li Chi nodded. “About the same here. Whenever they decide, that’s when we eat.”

Gui Yuanshu said, “Such inconvenience… I seem to recall there was a small lake in this Yibin Residence, with fish in it…”

Li Chi said, “You’re misremembering. The lake is there. The fish are not.”

Gui Yuanshu rubbed his nose. “That shouldn’t be — when did the fish disappear?”

Yu Jiuling said, “The day before yesterday. We just finished them.”

The so-called lake in Yibin Residence — within a rear courtyard, however large it could be, it might as well have been a big pond. They’d already been here more than twenty days, and not only had the fish been eaten, Yu Jiuling had caught every bird off the trees.

Though the court officials hadn’t placed them under any formal restriction, mealtimes followed a schedule, and the food had virtually no substance to it.

Gui Yuanshu thought for a moment, then bumped Yu Jiuling’s shoulder with his own. “Tonight, our lord is sending me out on business. Want to come along?”

Yu Jiuling said, “What’s in it for me?”

Gui Yuanshu said, “I know this city inside and out. I know exactly where to find decent food in the dead of night — but I’ll find the place, and you pay.”

Yu Jiuling, thinking of the watery broth he’d been eating for days, agreed.

That night, Yu Jiuling followed Gui Yuanshu out on his errand. They were indeed moving with practiced ease, slipping out through a hidden route and, without going far at all, entering the grounds of the Court of Justice.

The Court of Justice had been abandoned after Gui Yuanshu and the others left it behind.

Gui Yuanshu caught Zheng Shunshun’s eye and signaled him, and Zheng Shunshun climbed a tree and gave several calls in perfect imitation of an owl.

Before long, a shadow slipped in from outside. Gui Yuanshu went forward to meet with the person who had entered.

The exchange was brief. The dark-clad figure left quickly, and Gui Yuanshu returned to Yu Jiuling’s side. “Come on. Time to find us something good to eat.”

After leaving the Court of Justice, they took so many turns that Yu Jiuling was getting disoriented. By the time they arrived at their destination, he was quite bewildered — Gui Yuanshu had led him to a gambling den. A gambling den operating in an underground dungeon.

And that dungeon was the official lockup of the Daxing City magistrate.

Gui Yuanshu lowered his voice: “The kitchen is through the back. There’s plenty of food in there — good stuff too. We’re going in to take some now.”

Yu Jiuling whispered back, “How did you know this place had a gambling den? How did you know it would still be open after all this time?”

Gui Yuanshu said, “The big men all got killed off. Lowlifes like the ones running this place are doing just fine. No matter who governs, as long as the silver keeps flowing upward, the gambling den stays open.”

Yu Jiuling frowned. “Hold on — are you saying we’re here to steal?”

Gui Yuanshu said, “No — I’m here to steal. How could I let you do something so undignified? You’re paying honest money for this.”

Yu Jiuling said, “Is that so?”

Gui Yuanshu said, “Don’t let it weigh on your conscience. You’re the paying customer. I steal, you buy — two entirely separate matters. And rest assured, what you’re buying with that silver will be worth every coin. How much it’s worth depends on how much I take.”

Yu Jiuling said, “That… almost makes sense.”

Gui Yuanshu said, “I have spent my entire life in pursuit of things that make sense. Ask Zheng Shunshun if you don’t believe me.”

—