The snow in the Imperial Capital keeps falling heavier and heavier.

Chen Ji rushed out of Donglaishun, stepping on the snow that covered his ankles as he sprinted towards Shaojiu Alley.

When Jin Zhu lifted the thick cotton curtain and chased out, he only saw Chen Ji's figure holding the Whale Blade in the distance.

"Damn," Jin Zhu rushed back into Donglaishun and whispered to Heavenly Horse, "Stop eating, hurry up, hurry up, don't let this kid get stuck in Brother Zhong's hands."

Heavenly Horse put down the bowl with sesame sauce and gestured with sign language: "Brother Zhong wouldn't dare blatantly kill Chen Ji in the Imperial Capital; he's only competing in guts and toughness, not being stupid."

Heavenly Horse was about to pick up the bowl again but was stopped by Jin Zhu holding his wrist: "All the people in the Qi family who care about the bigger picture are not in the Imperial Capital, and no one is there to keep Brother Zhong in check. Who knows what this madman might do? Chen Ji is not his match."

Heavenly Horse sized up Jin Zhu for a long while, thinking: "Did you really take that kid as a friend? I remember you said, there are no true friends in the Spy Department."

Jin Zhu was silent for a moment, his expression relaxed: "I didn't take him as a friend, I'm just worried if he dies, what happens to my Official Gateway?"

Heavenly Horse shot him a glance, tossed the bowl and chopsticks onto the table, and got up to leave Donglaishun.

...

...

From Chessboard Street to Shaojiu Alley is barely half a mile, Chen Ji arrived in an instant.

Chen Ji stopped at the mouth of the alley.

The alley was quiet, the snow had blown away all the sounds.

He looked into the alley, his right hand placed on the knife handle, thumb against the guard, ready to push the knife out at any moment.

In the alley, Qi Zhaoning, wrapped in a white fox fur large cloak, stood in front of the courtyard gate, the hood pulled low, covering most of her face.

Qi Zhaoning turned around holding a copper hand warmer when she heard the footsteps. She had been standing in the snow for a long time, frost crusted on her eyelashes, her nose reddened from the cold.

But Chen Ji didn't look at her, instead stared at Qi Zhong behind her, finally pushing the knife guard open with a clang.

Qi Zhong clenched his fists, the veins popping out on his hands making a cracking knuckle sound.

At this moment, Qi Zhaoning stepped aside to block the sight between the two, softly saying to Chen Ji: "You've lost a lot of weight."

Chen Ji had no intention of reminiscing, he kept his hand on the knife handle, stepping forward slowly, his boots crunching in the snow: "Where are Brother Pao and Er Dao?"

Qi Zhong flashed out from behind Qi Zhaoning, his black tight outfit like an iron post. His gaze swept over Chen Ji, his steps moving slowly through the snow, searching for a flaw in Chen Ji.

It seemed as soon as Chen Ji showed a flaw, he would strike with deadly intent.

At this moment, Jin Zhu arrived with his men, blockading the front and back of Shaojiu Alley, eyeing Qi Zhong in the alley: "Qi Zhong, this is the Imperial Capital, not a place for your rampage."

Qi Zhong surveyed the surroundings, someone at the mouth of the alley drew a waist knife, someone climbed up the wall and set up a crossbow, the sound of taut bowstrings muffled in the falling snow.

Yet Qi Zhong's gaze didn't linger on them but looked further beyond at a corner of the eaves, where Heavenly Horse stood with a bow drawn and arrow set, locking the killing intent firmly on him.

Qi Zhong responded calmly: "You bunch of worthless filth, don't disgrace yourselves in front of me."

Just as the fight seemed imminent, Qi Zhaoning suddenly held Qi Zhong's wrist, softly saying: "Brother Zhong, let me handle this myself."

Qi Zhong frowned, but eventually, under Qi Zhaoning's gaze, he stepped back half a pace, standing behind her.

The killing intent in the alley dissolved instantly.

Qi Zhaoning, draped in her fox fur cloak, stood in the snow, fixedly looking at the Whale Blade in Chen Ji's hand: "Want to kill me? Then you'll never see those two people again. Brother Zhong hid them where you could never find them your whole life, if I die, they will die too."

Chen Ji stared at Qi Zhaoning, calmly asking: "What do you want?"

Qi Zhaoning did not retreat but advanced, holding the copper hand warmer as she came close to Chen Ji, took off her hood, carefully examining Chen Ji's eyes, nose, lips, as if to etch this face in her mind forever.

A moment later, she transferred the copper hand warmer to her left hand, raised her right, surprisingly pausing her fingertips beside Chen Ji's cheek: "According to Four Dreams of Bianliang, Li Changge has sword-like eyebrows and stars for eyes, with a nose akin to a hanging gallbladder. In this comparison, you might not be as handsome as Li Changge."

Qi Zhaoning's hovering fingers finally landed on Chen Ji's cheek: "But you resemble a character from a storybook more than Li Changge. Storybook characters go mad for a person, die for a person, forsake everything for a person… Li Changge is false, you are true."

Snow settled on her fingertips, melting.

Chen Ji took a step back, evading Qi Zhaoning's fingers.

Qi Zhaoning chuckled slightly, gazing into his eyes: "Every time I listened to Four Dreams of Bianliang before, I always thought, if only Li Changge were mine. Nowadays, listening gets a bit tiresome, he and the Commandery Princess circled around for twenty years, loving without resolution, watching as she aged and died in palace captivity yet could do nothing. You wouldn't relent, insisting on rescuing her, you are more formidable and resolute… you actually saved the Commandery Princess."

Chen Ji frowned, unsure of Qi Zhaoning's intentions in saying this: "Don't implicate the innocent, Brother Pao and Er Dao have no grudges with the Qi family."

Qi Zhaoning withdrew her hand into her cloak, continuing her soliloquy: "Chen Ji, I know you hate me, hate the Qi family, hate my uncle, hate my brother, hate me for not breaking the engagement, hate me for competing with you in the Imperial Music Bureau, hate me for capturing your people though today… but the Qi family has nothing left, grandfather won't recover, uncle and brother returned to Ji State, father went to Jiaozhi, Third Brother is in the Five Cities Military Department, but he's on your side, now the only one left in the Qi family in the Imperial Capital is me."

She looked at Chen Ji, repeating: "Only me left."

Chen Ji stood opposite Qi Zhaoning, letting the heavy snow fall all over his head: "Third Miss Qi, I don't hate the Qi family, nor do I hate you. I just want to rescue the Commandery Princess, it has nothing to do with the Qi family."

Qi Zhaoning angrily said: "Why has it nothing to do with the Qi family? You say it has nothing to do with us, does it become so? It was your Chen family that first came to my Qi family to propose marriage!"

Chen Ji did not want to get entangled in this confusing account: "What must be done to let Brother Pao and Er Dao return?"

Qi Zhaoning's voice returned to the original tone of the Third Miss of Qi, neither cold nor warm, neither close nor distant: "Come to the Qi family tomorrow to welcome your bride, the necessary rites must not be omitted. Betrothal, naming, auspicious, presenting betrothal gifts, asking for the wedding date, you and I have gone through all except for welcoming the bride. You come to welcome your bride, then your people will return... The Qi family has a marriage contract, can't have a wedding without someone to welcome the bride."

Chen Ji was silent for a moment: "At 7 to 9 AM, I will come to welcome the bride."

Qi Zhaoning stared at him for a long time, suddenly laughed.

She pulled her hood back up, covering most of her face, her eyes obscured in the shadow of the hood: "At 7 to 9 AM, don't be late, the rites others have, the Qi family must not lack. Chen Ji, this is what you owe me."

Qi Zhaoning walked towards the alley outside, the hem of her white fox cloak dragging on the snow, leaving a shallow trace.

Qi Zhong stood still, continuing to stare intently at Chen Ji.

Qi Zhaoning gripped his wrist tightly and softly said: "Brother Zhong, I have nothing left, I can't lose you too."

Qi Zhong's form finally eased, turning to follow Qi Zhaoning away.

…

…

Jin Zhu leaned towards Chen Ji: "This Third Miss Qi, who knows what she is thinking, you're a living person, yet bound by a piece of marriage paper? Even if you marry her, so what?"

Chen Ji silently frowned, not speaking.

Jin Zhu continued: "I think Third Miss Qi is not really intending for you to marry her, she probably has another plan." 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

Chen Ji sighed: "I'll know once I go... What needs to be prepared to welcome the bride?"

Jin Zhu was a bit surprised: "You're asking me? Let me ask..."

He pulled over a spy: "You lad have been married, tell him."

The spy hesitated: "Mr. Chen, the day before welcoming the bride, the groom must prepare the letter of engagement, gift list, wedding date invitation. On the day of marriage, at least a band of musicians must be there, and prepare two pieces of black silk, two pieces of light red silk, for pressing gifts. Also wine and fruits, either four or six boxes, depending on your wish."

The spy added another sentence: "Also, you need to bring people, at least twelve. Those who carry the letter, the silk, the wine, and the fruit..."

Jin Zhu listening beside him: "As for people, that's easy, tomorrow at 7 to 9 AM I'll have my spies disguised as servants accompany you. As for those items that need to be prepared, I'll get them ready for you."

Chen Ji said earnestly: "Thank you."

Jin Zhu turned and left: "No need to be so formal about this. Before 7 to 9 AM tomorrow, I'll have people deliver the items."

The sound of footsteps grew distant.

Shaojiu Alley returned to quiet, the snow still falling, the two wool felt tents in the yard had already been deformed by the snow.

Chen Ji stood in front of the tents, lost in thought.

Just then, Wu Yun returned stepping on the snow atop the roof eaves, it leapt lightly onto Chen Ji's shoulder and meowed: "I followed the scent of Brother Pao and Er Dao, tracked it to Xuanwu Gate Street, but the snow is too heavy, burying their scent."

Chen Ji raised his hand and touched its head, not speaking.

He sat in the yard contemplating a strategy, until midnight, Xiao Man and the little monk finally returned.

Xiao Man saw Chen Ji sitting in the yard daydreaming, quickly helped him brush off the snow from his body: "Young Master, why are you sitting here in a daze?"

Chen Ji looked up: "How are Jiao Tu and Yun Yang?"

Xiao Man explained worriedly: "I went to find Lord Jiao Tu, she immediately dispatched the spies. She said relying on just dozens of spies to find people is too hard, so she captured Jiaozhi's Chieftain Old Rong back and gave him a beating, making him send out all his Old Rongs to investigate, see if anyone had seen the carriage carrying Brother Pao and Er Dao."

Xiao Man continued: "Not just Old Rong, the spies also went to find the class leaders of various opera troupes, shopkeepers of taverns, tea houses, if anyone saw the direction the carriage went, there would be a reward of 500 taels, but still no one reported a clue. Later, Lord Bai Long also came, raising the reward to five thousand taels, resulting in attracting several audacious conmen trying to swindle money."

Chen Ji frowned: "Swindle money?"

Xiao Man nodded: "They claimed they saw the carriage, had them describe what the carriage looked like, the color of the horse, where they saw it, where the carriage went, each speaking convincingly. But after Lord Bai Long waited for an hour and asked them again, they couldn't match their previous statements. Lord Bai Long seemed a bit angry, locked all those conmen in the Inner Prison, each awarded two pairs of Red Embroidered Shoes."

Chen Ji remained silent.

If the Spy Department's reward of five thousand taels can't find news of Brother Pao and Er Dao, then it truly can't be found.

Xiao Man pursued: "Young Master, will Brother Pao and Er Dao be alright, what do we do, should we..."

Chen Ji returned to the main house and wrote a letter, dried it, handed it to Xiao Man: "Take this letter to Jiao Tu, tell her I will go to the Qi family to welcome the bride tomorrow, have them do as the letter says."