Cheng Chi, who Zhou Shaojin was thinking about, had already reached Tongzhou at this time.

But he didn’t rush toward the capital overnight. Instead, he donned an ink-colored cloak and, without even bringing Huai Shan who usually stayed by his side, quietly and skillfully made his way into a remote small inn.

The innkeeper was an old man in his fifties, sitting under an oil lamp as small as a bean, working an abacus. Seeing someone enter, he lifted his head. His eyes were murky and listless, but the instant he clearly saw who had arrived, a gleam of light burst forth, then he quickly lowered his eyelids and said, “Guest, are you staying? There’s only one superior room left in the back, fifty wen for one night.”

Cheng Chi didn’t speak, just grabbed a handful of copper coins and tossed them on the counter.

The innkeeper handed him a lamp.

Cheng Chi held the lamp and walked toward the back.

Before long, the innkeeper emerged from behind the counter, muttering “Business is poor” while using a door panel to block the inn’s main entrance.

In the inn’s superior room, Huo Dongting wore a coarse cotton robe with patches, looking like a failed scholar, sitting with his hands tucked at the square table in the hall. Another man with an honest and sincere appearance wore a cotton brown jacket, revealing honey-colored skin with calluses, looking like an old farmer.

Seeing Cheng Chi enter, both immediately stood up.

Cheng Chi blew out the lamp and casually placed it on the kang table by the window.

Someone suddenly sprang from the corner of the wall, swinging a punch at Cheng Chi with a “whoosh”: “Cheng Zichuan, you bastard! If you want to die, go die alone. What kind of thing are you to drag the Xiao family down with you as backing…”

Cheng Chi stood there as steady as a deep pool or towering mountain, not even moving the corner of his eye. The honest-looking man had already stepped forward several paces to block in front of Cheng Chi, catching the fist swinging toward him. He smiled mockingly, saying, “Xiao Zhenhai, Fourth Master only had you come forward to help manage the Seven Stars Hall. It was you yourself who couldn’t give up coveting Fourth Master. What, scared now? Where were you back then?”

These words made Xiao Zhenhai’s face turn completely red.

Cheng Chi didn’t even glance at him, sitting down on the large kang by the window and asking Huo Dongting, “The Crown Prince is served by experienced eunuchs and matrons. How could the Crown Prince have fallen ill?”

Huo Dongting said in a low voice, “I heard that the Grand Dowager of the Marquis of Cheng’en ran before the Crown Prince the day before his birthday to cry poverty, also saying that the civil and military officials in court only knew of the Earl of Pengcheng and didn’t know there was also a Marquis of Cheng’en. The Earl of Pengcheng’s household ate and drank well every day and had even bought estates in Daxing, while the Marquis of Cheng’en could only live on his stipend. She wanted the Crown Prince to arrange for the Heir of the Marquis of Cheng’en to go to the Maritime Trade Bureau, also saying that the Earl of Pengcheng’s heir was managing flowers, trees, and fruit trees at Shanglin Park, while the Heir of the Marquis of Cheng’en was the Crown Prince’s legitimate maternal uncle—why couldn’t he even compare to a fake uncle…

“Later she said many more outrageous things. It angered the Crown Prince so much he threw the teacup in his hand on the spot and left in a huff. But the Grand Dowager of the Marquis of Cheng’en had no sense at all and urgently stepped forward trying to grab the Crown Prince. Several eunuchs came forward to restrain her. The Crown Prince practiced calligraphy alone in his study for half the day and fell ill that very night.

“The Imperial Hospital has a physician named Wang Youdao who was summoned to the Eastern Palace overnight—only he alone was called over, without even anyone to carry his medicine box. The prescription wasn’t stored at the Imperial Hospital either. We still haven’t found out where the prescription is kept.

“That night there was no commotion, but early the next morning, His Majesty rushed to the Eastern Palace. Only after seeing the Crown Prince did he go to court.

“I also investigated Wang Youdao.

“He was originally a famous physician from Jiangnan, recommended to enter the palace by the late Grand Secretary Hu Zhuoran. That year the Crown Prince had just turned seven months old. After that, this Wang Youdao became the Eastern Palace’s imperial physician, exclusively treating the Crown Prince. Apart from the Crown Prince, not even the Empress could command him. And apart from treating the Crown Prince, he treated no one else’s illnesses. This had long caused dissatisfaction among the Imperial Hospital’s physicians. But because His Majesty especially trusted him, even if someone impeached Wang Youdao, His Majesty would always suppress it. And since Wang Youdao was merely a small seventh-rank imperial physician, after several attempts, those censors also lost interest in him.

“So I guess the Crown Prince must have fallen ill that day.”

Speaking to this point, his face showed shame and his voice grew lower: “I didn’t realize it at the time. By the time I did, the Eastern Palace had already collected all discarded items, so there was no way to verify…”

Cheng Chi didn’t speak, sitting in the armchair with his eyes closed.

Xiao Zhenhai looked on, both anxious and angry, saying, “Hey, you can’t scheme against me like this! Even if you want me to go die for you, you have to give me a straight answer! You can’t just muddle-headedly drag me here like this. Speculating on the Emperor’s intentions—that’s a capital offense, a capital offense! And one that brings disaster to the whole clan…”

As he spoke, Cheng Chi suddenly opened his eyes.

Those eyes were bright and cold as winter stars as he said, “So the Xiao family is a family that has passed down generations of scholarly propriety and ritual!”

Xiao Zhenhai’s face turned red with anger.

The Xiao family had originally been mountain bandits, doing business without capital from morning till night. What did they have to fear about their household being raided and clan exterminated!

Seeing this, Cheng Chi gave him a cold glance and said, “Our family must choose sides!”

Xiao Zhenhai’s mouth fell open. After a long while, he pointed at him, saying, “You, you…”

But his hand trembled uncontrollably!

Cheng Chi didn’t even glance at him.

Xiao Zhenhai suddenly wiped his face and said, “Cheng Zichuan, let’s do it! I’ll do it with you! Either succeed gloriously or die trying! You led the Seven Stars Hall to turn the jianghu upside down—following you, I definitely won’t suffer! Just tell me, what do you want me to do?”

Cheng Chi grunted in acknowledgment and closed his eyes.

Xiao Zhenhai stood before Cheng Chi, eager to try.

After a long while, Cheng Chi opened his eyes.

Xiao Zhenhai excitedly rubbed his hands together, then heard Cheng Chi say to Dongting, “The Crown Prince lives in the Eastern Palace, below one person and above ten thousand. Inquiring about his affairs is easy to alert the enemy. Tell those people not to move. Go back to the capital immediately and see if the Fourth Prince made any moves during these two days while the Crown Prince was ill…”

He needed to know whether the Fourth Prince knew about the Crown Prince’s illness!

If he knew, harming the Crown Prince to death would become very easy!

If he didn’t know, according to Shaojin’s account, the Crown Prince might truly have died of illness.

But this way, the matter of the Cheng family being raided entered another dead end.

He had always felt that with the Cheng family’s current reputation in scholarly circles, unless it involved treason, the Emperor couldn’t possibly have so hastily raided the Cheng family’s household.

But if the Cheng family truly committed treason, in a situation where people from the Cheng family couldn’t become Emperor, which prince had the Cheng family colluded with?

Cheng Chi thought of Zhou Shaojin.

He wondered if the little maid had fallen asleep yet.

The image of Zhou Shaojin sleeping floated into his mind.

Her jet-black hair spread across the bright red paired lotus pillow, her powder-soft face glowing and rippling, her calm expression peaceful and serene, making one’s heart grow quiet just from looking at her.

Cheng Chi suddenly very much wanted to go back.

Wanted to rush back to the capital regardless of everything, wanted to see that little girl, wanted to make her shyly bury her head in his embrace, too embarrassed to raise it.

Hot blood rushed downward with a roar.

Cheng Chi smiled bitterly.

To actually clamor like this at such a moment, in such circumstances.

Cheng Chi took several deep breaths before his body slowly calmed down. But his heart felt as if a piece had been gouged out—hollow and empty, making him feel urgency.

“Then it’s settled!” He stood up, walking outward while saying, “We’ll meet in the capital. Same old place, same old time. Be careful, don’t let anyone catch any weaknesses. Don’t treat the capital’s constables like those constables from poor remote areas!”

Huating and that honest-looking man cupped their hands, respectfully seeing Cheng Chi out.

Cheng Chi also didn’t hesitate to lift the curtain and prepare to leave.

“Wait, wait.” Xiao Zhenhai simply couldn’t believe his eyes. He had just said he would do something big with Cheng Zichuan, and Cheng Zichuan turned around and abandoned him here. He grew anxious, saying, “What about me? You have to arrange a task for me!”

But Cheng Chi didn’t stop his steps at all, continuing forward as he said, “Didn’t I already arrange for you to help Huating collect information from the jianghu?”

“What?!” Xiao Zhenhai said blankly, “Isn’t that what you had me doing before?”

“Yes!” Cheng Chi lifted the curtain and said, “Just keep doing it!” With that, he left the guest room.

Xiao Zhenhai stood stunned for a good while before snapping back and chasing after him.

“Cheng Zichuan, Cheng Zichuan.” It was still curfew outside, so he didn’t dare shout loudly. He darted out of the guest room in a flash, saying, “You can’t fool me like this! Every day now I’m just helping you supervise those people to hand over those trivial things they hear and see to Huating…”

Outside, heavy snow had started falling without anyone noticing.

In the sky full of snowflakes, Cheng Chi’s figure had already vanished without a trace.

Xiao Zhenhai couldn’t help but stamp his feet.

Cheng Chi knew of a place where he could evade the city guards and enter the city, but he wanted to save that route for a critical moment.

He stood by the window of the courier station’s guest room, watching the heavy snow slowly turn the ground white, watching the night watchman pass by the courier station, watching sounds arise in the courtyard as people feeding horses, sweeping snow, and lighting fires to cook gradually increased… He instructed Huai Shan, “We’re entering the city!”

Huai Shan had also not slept all night.

He was dozing on the side. Hearing this, he immediately stood up, responding with “Yes,” all sleepiness already gone from his eyes.

Cheng Chi smiled slightly. Without eating breakfast, he rode his horse straight toward Chaoyangmen.

Returning home, the sky was just beginning to show a faint light on the horizon.

The main gate of the Cheng family residence at Chaoyangmen was tightly closed. The entire courtyard was quiet, still immersed in the night.

Cheng Chi tiptoed back to the inner chamber.

Chun Wan, who was on duty, slept on the large kang in the reception room, sleeping soundly.

The mother-of-pearl inlaid lacquered bed curtains hung deep. Zhou Shaojin’s brow was slightly furrowed as she curled up in the bright red quilt, sleeping very restlessly.

Her head full of black hair was scattered across the pillow.

He bent down, gathering those strands of hair behind her head bit by bit.

As if even in her dreams Zhou Shaojin could sense someone in the room, she restlessly burrowed deeper into the bedding.

Only then did Cheng Chi notice she was holding something in her arms.

He hesitated for a moment, then gently lifted the corner of the quilt.

Zhou Shaojin was holding the pillow he slept on when at home.

Tightly, held in her arms, as if it were a treasure.

Cheng Chi suddenly felt that braving that sky full of heavy snow to rush back was such a wonderful thing.

He softly called Zhou Shaojin’s given name and kissed her forehead.