Chapter 413: Lu Family

The secret room behind the stables was quiet. The candle flame on the stand swayed gently, casting shifting light and shadow on Lu Shi’s robes.

A moment later, Lu Shi murmured, puzzled, "Assassinate the Crown Prince? Why would he assassinate the Crown Prince?"

The shopkeeper explained, "Official wanted posters have been issued for Chen Ji and Liao Zhong. Before sunset, a large contingent of Jie Fan Guard and Secret Service personnel also arrived in Changping County. Since even wanted posters have been issued, the evidence must be conclusive."

Lu Shi looked at the flickering candle flame. "That's not right," she said.

The shopkeeper paused, slightly startled. "What's not right, Boss?" he asked.

Lu Shi closed her eyes in thought. "Firstly," she began, "Chen Ji has been in Luocheng for so many years and has never had any involvement with the Crown Prince. How could he assassinate him? There's no motive. Secondly, if Chen Ji intended to assassinate the Crown Prince, he could have done so in Guyuan long ago. Why would he wait until now?"

Old Man Hu San straightened up, sensing the oddity as well.

"Chen Ji has been framed!" Lu Shi stated with certainty.

The proprietor of 'Lantern' reached a firm conclusion with just a few words.

She looked at the shopkeeper. "He said he wants our help to find Liao Zhong?"

The shopkeeper grunted in affirmation.

Lu Shi nodded, the black veil beneath her hat swaying. "Logically," she said, "since the court has issued wanted posters for both of them, they should be accomplices. But judging by his demeanor, that doesn't seem to be the case. To be still searching for Liao Zhong at such a critical moment, it's likely he needs to find Liao Zhong to clear his name!"

Old Man Hu San started to walk out. "I'll go!" he said.

Lu Shi glanced at him. "Wait!" she commanded.

Old Man Hu San stopped.

Lu Shi sat calmly behind the table. She looked at the shopkeeper. "Who came from the Jie Fan Guard and the Secret Service?" she asked.

The shopkeeper whispered, "From the Secret Service, it's Xuan She. From the Jie Fan Guard, it's a new face!"

Old Man Hu San’s blind eye, with only its white visible, looked menacing in the dim room. "Only Xuan She from the Secret Service came, and Lin Chaoqing from the Jie Fan Guard didn't come either," he said. "This indicates that they don't have many clues, and they're not certain that Chen Ji and Liao Zhong are here. According to their usual practice, tonight they should bring people to turn Changping County upside down, searching house by house!"

The shopkeeper tentatively asked, "Boss, should we help Chen Ji?"

Lu Shi fell into a prolonged silence, taking a long time to answer.

Old Man Hu San waved to the shopkeeper. "Wait outside the door," he said. "I need to speak with the Boss."

The shopkeeper quickly agreed, "Understood!"

He closed the door, then stepped a distance away after going outside, dutifully waiting by the door.

Old Man Hu San whispered, "Boss, we must help him!"

Lu Shi still said nothing.

Old Man Hu San came to the table and urged her, "I know you're worried that if news of your survival gets out, it will implicate him. But if you don't help him this time, how can he escape the wanted posters alone? If he's arrested and sent to the Imperial Prison, even if he's innocent, he'll lose any chance to clear his name!"

He continued, "Boss, within Lantern, only I know his relationship with you. He collected the body of our second brother, so it's perfectly reasonable for Lantern to help him. Others won't think much of it; they won't guess that you're actually mother and son!"

The secret room fell silent once more as Old Man Hu San waited for Lu Shi to make a decision.

After a long while, Lu Shi said softly, "Old Third, I understand what you're saying, but do you know how many people depend on us to live? In the past, we were safe because we were low-key enough. But this time, it involves assassinating the Crown Prince. The Jie Fan Guard and Secret Service have been mobilized, and the entire country is shaken! If Lantern intervenes, even a slight misstep could lead to Lantern being uprooted, and tens of thousands of people being targeted for retaliation!"

Lu Shi looked up, her eyes under the black veil of her hat fixed on Old Man Hu San. "It's not terrifying if you and I die," she said, "but if Lantern is gone, if the trade routes are gone, who will transport provisions for the Guyuan border army? Who will clear the general's name? Who will support the families of the Guyuan border army after they die? Anyone can act impulsively, but I cannot!"

Old Man Hu San continued, "I'm confident I can do it discreetly enough so no one will discover Lantern's involvement. Once the uproar dies down, he will definitely not spread the word either! Boss, you haven't dealt with him before, but he is an absolutely reliable person. You'll understand once you have."

Lu Shi said slowly, "No matter what you say, it's still a no."

Old Man Hu San was silent for a long time. "Boss," he finally said, "Chen Ji has suffered enough!"

The candle flame in the secret room flickered, as if someone’s breathing had become erratic.

Lu Shi suddenly took off her veiled hat, revealing her face.

On her originally delicate face, a scar ran across her nose bridge. This scar extended from her left cheek, coming within half an inch of blinding both her eyes.

She pulled a piece of black cloth from her sleeve and tied it across her face, covering the scar.

Lu Shi said softly, "Old Third, Lantern cannot be ruined by one person's selfish desires. Xiao Jiu lost the salt permit, and according to Lantern's rules, I stabbed him three times, making six wounds. It wasn't because he lost 'my' money, but because he lost Lantern's money! This Lantern is not my private property alone!"

Without waiting for Old Man Hu San to speak, Lu Shi stood up and said, "Liao Zhong might not even be in Changping County. Even if he is, Chen Ji cannot take action to apprehend him in Changping County! With so many Jie Fan Guard and secret agents around, the slightest disturbance would mean both of them would die in Changping! The person who framed him for assassinating the Crown Prince might have other plans in reserve; he can't go back to the capital now!"

Lu Shi turned to Old Man Hu San. "Old Third, make the arrangements. This time, I'll go personally to help him leave the Ning Dynasty from Datong. No one else is to make any rash moves!"

"Old Third, if I die, you will be the next Supervisor!"

The shopkeeper was in the back courtyard for an hour, while Chen Ji stood quietly at the counter for an hour.

The waiter carefully pulled open a gap in the door curtain, quietly watching the chaos outside as Jie Fan Guard and secret agents came and went.

The gates of Changping County were already closed.

Looking from afar, braziers burned on the city walls, and dark figures watched menacingly. No one would be leaving Changping tonight.

He looked back at Chen Ji, fearing that the Jie Fan Guard would rush in at any moment, discover their inn was harboring a high-profile rebel, and then drag the entire inn’s shopkeeper and waiters out for public execution.

Fortunately, they didn't.

The Jie Fan Guard and Secret Service were currently busy sealing off the city. Only after sealing all waterways and land routes, even blocking the smallest escape holes, would it be time to search.

The young shopkeeper returned from the back courtyard, and surprisingly, his first question was, "Did you really kill so many Heavenly Strategy Army soldiers in Guyuan?"

Chen Ji didn't answer, merely looking over the shopkeeper's shoulder toward the corridor leading to the back courtyard behind him. A bamboo curtain hung at the end of the corridor, blocking the view.

He was somewhat confused. Wasn't this young man in front of him the inn's shopkeeper? Who did he just go to report to? Could it be that a "Lantern Inn" big shot was also staying here?

The young shopkeeper moved a step to the left, blocking Chen Ji’s view with his head, and coughed twice lightly. "You collected the body of our second brother, and Lantern will certainly repay that," he said. "But the rules of Lantern cannot be broken!"

Chen Ji remained impassive. "What rules?" he asked.

The shopkeeper explained, "Sir, you might not know, but our Lantern Inn is just a place for taking and giving out jobs. We don't interfere with jianghu grievances ourselves! If you want to find Liao Zhong, you need to bring Lantern copper coins to 'spread the leaves,' which means giving out a job. As long as a knight-errant from our Lantern Inn thinks your price is fair and they can do it, they will help you find Liao Zhong. But if no one is willing to do it, then our Lantern Inn cannot help either."

Of course, if no one in Changping County can take your 'leaves,' you can also increase the price and send it to the capital, where there are bigger Lantern Inns and more powerful figures.

Chen Ji grunted in acknowledgement. "What else can Lantern Inn do?" he asked.

The shopkeeper whispered, "As long as you have Lantern copper coins, our Lantern Inn can provide you with temporary shelter, and also help you escape danger. As for how many copper coins are needed, it depends on the situation."

Chen Ji casually asked, "Given the current situation, how many copper coins would be needed?"

The shopkeeper held out his index finger. "To hide, ten coins! To escape, one hundred coins!"

Xiao Man once said that one Lantern copper coin could be exchanged for two hundred taels of silver at the inn. A hundred coins would be twenty thousand taels of silver!

Chen Ji raised an eyebrow. "That expensive?" he murmured.

The shopkeeper reminded him, "Sir, these are wanted posters issued by the Directorate of Ceremonial!"

He changed the subject. "However, you've helped our Lantern Inn before. If it's just for hiding, the ten coins for this service can be waived this time, but not for escaping."

Chen Ji looked thoughtful. "What if I don't have copper coins, but still want someone to find Liao Zhong?" he asked.

The shopkeeper explained, "Then it depends on whether the person 'taking the leaves' is willing to give you credit or accept something in lieu of payment."

Chen Ji asked, "How would I get credit? What could I use as payment?"

The shopkeeper smiled and said, "Some people will ask for silver as payment; for example, ten Lantern copper coins might be equivalent to three thousand taels of silver, which is more expensive than usual. Some might want to exchange information with you – that depends on whether you have what they want. And some people will want your life."

"My life?"

The shopkeeper smiled, his meaning unfathomable.

Chen Ji considered for two breaths. "All right," he said, "help me spread the leaves!"

The shopkeeper beamed. "Got it," he replied.

Saying this, he slightly propped open the first, third, and fifth windows of the inn, and closed the second, fourth, and sixth. "When our people see these windows," he explained, "they'll know someone in the inn is 'spreading leaves' and will come in to inquire."

Chen Ji lowered his head in thought. Lantern was a local power in Guyuan, running the largest inn for information. This place, too, should be where they were most well-informed.

If even the people of Lantern Inn couldn't find Liao Zhong, he himself might not be able to find a needle in a haystack in Changping County.

After about the time it takes an incense stick to burn, the door curtain of Fulai Inn was lifted. A woman in black entered, ducking her head through the gap in the curtain, with a black cloth covering her face.

Chen Ji looked her up and down. The woman in black had faint crow's feet at the corners of her eyes, appearing to be around thirty-six or thirty-seven. Her figure was slender and thin. Her fox-like eyes held less of the usual human cunning and more of a ruthless aura from the jianghu.

The shopkeeper also didn't recognize the woman, so he smiled and asked, "Sir, are you stopping for a quick meal or staying the night?"

The woman's gaze swept through the inn. "Who spread the leaves?" she asked.

The shopkeeper paused. "Are you a Lantern from out of town?" he asked.

The woman ignored him and turned to Chen Ji. "Is it you?" she asked. "The one on the wanted posters?"

Chen Ji remained impassive. "That's right," he affirmed.

The woman got straight to the point. "I can help you leave the Ning Dynasty," she said, "for thirty Lantern copper coins!"

The shopkeeper looked at the woman, then at Chen Ji.

Chen Ji slowly spoke. "Sorry," he said, "I don't plan to leave."