The sunset in Guyuan is more magnificent than that in Luocheng.

A red sun in the distance dyed the loess, city, and clouds all orange, as if fire was burning in the sky, turning into strong wine and cutting into the throat.

But when the sun sank behind the city, the temperature dropped sharply.

Chen Ji stood quietly by the window, looking at the street downstairs through the gap. It wasn't until the last light in the gap disappeared from his face that he slowly closed the window.

Chen Liqin has been summoned away by the prince for three hours and has not returned yet.

Chen Ji looked at Zhang Xia by the other window: "How are you doing?"

Zhang Xia frowned: "In half a day, thousands of people came and went in front of Guyuan Post Gate. Thirty-four of them came several times pretending to be casual. Seventeen people stayed in front of the gate for more than one stick of incense.

There are old people, children, men, and women. In addition, there are nine people entering and leaving Guyuanyi."

Chen Ji looked at her in surprise: "Can Miss Zhang Er really remember so clearly?"

Zhang Zheng laughed: "Are you scared? When she played chess with her father, the two of them didn't even use the chessboard. They just closed their eyes and said the moves. Don't mess with her. People with good memories remember gratitude and grudges. I'm six years old

If you provoke her once, she will still remember it, but if you have helped her, she will also remember it in her heart for a long, long time."

Zhang Xia glared at him: "Brother, you talk too much."

Chen Ji told us to get down to business: "During this period in Guyuan, you must close the doors and windows when sleeping at night, and you must shout for help immediately if you encounter danger."

Zhang Xia lowered his head and thought: "With so many people staring at the Chen family, they must not be the same group of people. It's strange. How many forces are staring at us?"

Chen Ji shook his head: "I don't know, just be careful."

Zhang Zheng huddled on the chair and sighed: "The weather in Guyuan is really weird. I sweat so much during the day that I wish my skin would peel off. But the sun has just set and it's so cold that it's deep into the bones."

Xiao Man whispered: "Some people say that Guyuan is a cursed place. The souls of the soldiers of the two dynasties who died in Guyuan are still there. There are no flowers in spring, no rain in summer, no fruits in autumn, and no survivors in winter. It is doomed to war all year round.

"

Chen Ji looked at her: "Auntie said that?"

Xiao Man hummed: "I heard my aunt say this when I was chatting with Grandma Li when I was a child."

Chen Ji smiled: "That's not the case. The large temperature difference between day and night in Guyuan is due to the dry climate. Without clouds, the earth cannot retain the heat during the day. Of course, this is only one of the reasons."

Xiaoman said sullenly: "Master, where did you hear this nonsense? How can light and fluffy clouds retain the heat on the earth? It makes no sense. I still believe what my aunt said."

Chen Ji laughed dumbly.

Dong-dong-dong, knock on the door.

Chen Ji was about to get up and open the door, but Xiao Man stopped him: "I'll go, I'll go!"

The door opened, and a short-dressed clerk came in holding a charcoal basin with two tongs, and said politely: "My lords, it's cold in Guyuan at night, so I'll make a charcoal fire for you."

Zhang Zheng exclaimed: "You came just in time!"

He stretched out his hands and put his palms toward the charcoal pot to bake. Waves of heat hit his face, making his cheeks swell.

Chen Ji pointed at Zhang Zheng and Zhang Xia and asked the clerk: "My two friends live in Tianzi Xuhao and Guihao houses. Can you add some charcoal basins to them?"

The clerk hesitated for a moment, wondering: "Forgive me, our post station is unoccupied all year round. Not to mention the charcoal for heating, there is not even enough firewood for cooking. These charcoals were allocated by General Zhou from the Dusi Mansion"

Yes, it is clearly stated that it is only for your use."

Zhang Zheng rubbed his palms, then faced the charcoal basin with his palms again, and said with disgust: "I have been to several official post houses, and yours is the most shabby and shabby."

Zhang Xia frowned: "Brother, don't be particular when you are out. No one is begging us to come."

Zhang Zheng laughed: "I just said it casually...I won't say it anymore."

The clerk said awkwardly: "Sir, we live in a remote and remote area. On weekdays, no officials are willing to come at all. The post station is just a decoration. Even the military intelligence documents from the Ministry of War came, and they were sent directly to the Dusi Mansion. Originally, there were also eunuchs.

The Party investigated the spies of Jing Dynasty, but they all found it too difficult and withdrew."

Zhang Zheng said: "Then we can go out and buy some charcoal ourselves. Where can we buy it?"

The clerk hurriedly said: "My lord, if you have any more words, you'd better not go out and buy it yourself. It's night and it's not peaceful outside... By the way, do you guys want to have dinner? We in Guyuan Station only have simple meals today.

, corn porridge, pickled vegetables, these are all things for servants to eat, I'm afraid they are not to your liking."

Chen Ji smiled and said: "No need, we had mutton at noon, and we are still exhausted now."

"Okay." The clerk bowed his hands to Chen Ji and exited the door.

Xiao Man wanted to keep him, saying that he would serve a few bowls of porridge to try, but seeing the other people's demeanor, he had no choice but to stop.

Zhang Xia said to Zhang Zheng: "Brother, we have been traveling all day today, let's go back and rest."

Zhang Zheng lay carelessly on the chair and refused to leave: "I won't go back. The room is like an ice cellar. I will stay in the Chenji House tonight. I will sleep on the same bed with him."

Xiao Man was anxious: "Why are you acting like a rogue? Don't let my young master have a bad rest."

Zhang Zheng didn't feel dissatisfied: "How about I sleep on a chair? Anyway, I'll be wherever there is a charcoal pot. Axia, don't go back. Why don't we pack up and make a bed on the floor in Chenji tonight?"

, they happen to take care of each other.”

Xiao Man's eyes widened: "Is this legal? Miss Zhang Er is not getting married? Don't say that my young master is an outsider. Even brothers and sisters cannot live in the same room."

Zhang Zheng laughed happily and said: "As long as we don't tell anyone, who knows? What bothers our Zhang family the most is red tape. Now that things are urgent and we follow the authority, it is safer for everyone to stay together."

Chen Ji thought for a moment: "It's okay, it would be easier if we live together. Miss Zhang Er sleeps on the bed, and the rest of us make the floor."

Xiao Man reluctantly muttered in a low voice: "It's so cold on the ground, what if you have trouble sleeping... Master, I'll go get you a bed and put the quilt under it."

Zhang Zheng said cheerfully: "Little girl, I thought you would continue to chase us away."

Xiao Man rolled his eyes at him: "Who are you looking down on? I won't say anything more about what the young master has decided."

After that, she turned around and walked out the door.

Not long after, there was a sound of footsteps, and someone stepped on the wooden floor on the second floor of the inn, making a creaking sound.

Zhang Xia stood up and said, "I'll open the door for Xiaoman."

She walked forward and opened the door, but she was stunned. There was only a dark corridor outside the door, and no one was there.

Zhang Xia didn't hesitate at all and quickly returned to the room: "Chen Ji, there is a problem!"

When she was retreating, Chen Ji had already picked up the whale knife and passed her by, coming to the corridor to check.

There was no one on the left, no one on the right, and no one on the rafters.

The footsteps just now seemed to come out of thin air, and then disappeared out of thin air.

Chen Ji held the whale knife in his hand and slowly untied the cloth wrapping the whale knife. Before he could finish untying it, he heard Xiao Man's exclamation coming from downstairs!

He immediately picked up the whale knife and rushed out, untying the cloth strips of the whale knife as he ran. The door next to the stairs opened, and Chen Wenzong, wrapped in a fox fur, asked with concern: "What's wrong?"

Chen Ji passed by him without looking back and was throwing the strip of cloth he had just taken off on the ground: "Brother, go back to the house and don't come out."

Arriving downstairs, Xiaoman stood by the counter in shock.

Chen Ji asked quietly: "What's going on?"

Xiao Man glanced at the whale knife in his hand, and then pointed to the inside of the counter: "I just came to ask the clerk for a new bedding, but I found him lying on the counter, bleeding from all his orifices."

Chen Ji wanted to go over to check, but Xiao Man grabbed his arm tightly: "Master, don't go, this person is bleeding from all his orifices, I'm afraid it's Guyuan's wronged soul who is here to claim his life, he's not clean!"

He turned around and saw that the clerk who had just brought them the charcoal basin fell to the floor, with purple blood flowing out of his eyes and nostrils, like tears of unwilling blood.

Chen Ji secretly thought that something was wrong, so he picked up the oil lamp on the counter with one hand, carried the whale knife with the other hand, walked through the corridor, and opened the doors of the herringbone room one by one.
Chapter completed!