In the Imperial Capital, a heavy snowfall draped the world in white mourning attire.

The snow had stopped, but the sky remained gray. The clouds hung low, as if some unspeakable presence cast a melancholic gaze over the capital.

Chen Ji and Wu Yun sat side by side on the rooftop, gazing up into those low-hanging clouds. He rested his Whale Blade across his knees, drawing it from its sheath again and again, closing it, then opening it once more.

A rooster crowed.

Wu Yun meowed: "Are you going to fetch water?"

Chen Ji stared intently at the sky: "We won't need to fetch water anymore."

Wu Yun tilted its head at him, its tail sweeping back and forth across the snow, creating a faint arc: "Why is that?"

Chen Ji chuckled: "I used to think that as long as we could gather everyone from Anxi Street, it would be the same as it was before. I'd fetch water in the morning, She Dengke would chop wood, Liu Quxing would slack off, and Master would get up cursing and complaining, open the pot, and find the porridge burnt again."

He paused, his gaze piercing the gray sky, as though trying to see something far away: "But those people will never gather again."

Wu Yun seemed to understand somewhat, resting its head on his knee, nuzzling against him.

Chen Ji stroked its head, his fingers sinking into the thick, warm black fur: "After working hard for a year, it seems like nothing was accomplished and I got scolded by so many people. Thinking about it, I might as well have left in the first place."

Wu Yun perked up its ears: "Where to?"

"The sea, maybe," Chen Ji placed the blade horizontally on his knees: "Find a ship, become a sailor, well, not a proper sailor, but getting drunk every day, drifting wherever the ship drifts."

Chen Ji's thoughts wandered somewhere: "The kings of those small western countries might be easier to kill. Kill a couple, maybe reach the Seeking Dao Realm... I wonder if it's any use to kill them? I wonder if they've discovered a new continent yet? If not, we should be able to make a big score over there."

Chen Ji's childish dreams of unreachable places might sound naive to others, but they were just right for Wu Yun, who was only one-year-old.

Wu Yun pondered for a moment, meowing: "Shall we go after the wedding? Sneak away."

Chen Ji thought for a long time: "Alright."

Wu Yun curiously asked: "Will we come back?"

Chen Ji fell into silence.

At this moment, Xiao Man pushed open the door of the side room and came out.

She looked up to see Chen Ji and Wu Yun sitting on the roof, then walked into the kitchen with a weary face and tied an apron: "Young Master, I'll cook you some porridge, drink it while it's hot to warm you up."

Chen Ji touched Wu Yun's head and climbed down from the roof, observing Xiao Man's dark circles: "You didn't sleep all night?"

Xiao Man did not answer, only crouching by the stove, stuffing it with firewood and straw: "Young Master, if you go to the wedding, can Brother Pao and Er Dao come back?"

Chen Ji leaned against the kitchen door, not answering.

Xiao Man didn't press further, just muttered: "The neighbors are really snobbish. When you were still Marquis Wu Xiang, they were so attentive, calling Miss Xiao Man this and that. But now that your title has been taken away, they pretend not to recognize me. By the way, a Jiefan Guard came the day before yesterday and said you're no longer Marquis Wu Xiang, so this house has to be returned. We have seven days to find a place to live."

At this point, Xiao Man looked at Chen Ji with pitiful eyes: "Young Master, can't you discuss with someone, maybe we can spend some silver to buy this little house? It's our first home in the Imperial Capital."

Chen Ji suddenly spoke: "Xiao Man."

Xiao Man was puzzled: "Hmm?"

Chen Ji thought for a moment: "Go buy two jars of good wine later, Brother Pao will be back by noon, and we will make up for what we owed yesterday."

Xiao Man's eyes lit up: "You can really save Brother Pao, Young Master?"

Chen Ji spoke with certainty: "I definitely can."

At this moment, there was the crunching sound of footsteps in the snow outside the courtyard.

Chen Ji went to push open the courtyard door, and the alley was already full of people.

Jin Zhu stood at the front, with twelve men in gray cotton robes behind him, holding red silk-wrapped wooden boxes, neatly stacked cloth, sealed wine jars, and fruit boxes tied with red strings, all arranged neatly.

Not far away stood four more people in brand new blue long robes, red scarves wrapped around their heads, holding suona, gongs, and cymbals.

"Everyone's here, the horse is outside the alley," Jin Zhu patted the snow off himself: "Twelve servants, a band, everything's prepared... It's all a bit less than ideal, but it will have to do."

Chen Ji surveyed the crowd for a moment, then turned his head to Jin Zhu and said: "Thank you."

Jin Zhu pulled a newspaper from his sleeve: "Don't thank me just yet, this is this morning's Wenyuan Morning News, read it before you say anything."

Chen Ji took the newspaper and looked down.

There, on the front page, in huge characters: "Chen Family's Bastard Son Marries Qi Family's Legitimate Daughter Today."

But the article mentioned nothing about the wedding, instead detailing the entrapment of Prince Jing: Eunuch Party's Wu Xiu colluded with Jing Dynasty Military Intelligence Department's Lin Chaoqing to frame Prince Jing. Unable to convict Prince Jing due to lack of evidence, they sent Chen Ji to the inner prison to deceive Prince Jing into writing a Blood Letter, hoping to incite the Thousand-year Army to raid the prison and rebel.

Thanks to these deeds, Chen Ji rapidly ascended from Sparrow Rank spy to Sixth Rank Hai Dongqing.

Upon entering the capital again, he repeated his old tricks, deceiving Princess Bai Li's biological father Han Tong into trusting him, then captured him and tortured him in the inner prison. Since his time in Luocheng City, he had coveted Princess Bai Li's beauty. When Princess Bai Li was sent to the Imperial Music Bureau, he used the illicit and extorted Peace Money, totaling 540,000 taels of silver, to redeem Princess Bai Li from the bureau, taking her as his Forbidden Fruit.

Upon discovering the truth, Princess Bai Li saw through Chen Ji's true nature and took the opportunity to help her biological father Han Tong escape to faraway lands.

After the Three Judicial Departments of the Qi Family exonerated Prince Jing, the chief culprit Wu Xiu was sentenced to immediate execution, and the accomplice Chen Ji was stripped of his title and reduced to a commoner.

Xiao Man angrily wielded a metal spoon at the side, exclaiming, "Isn't this turning black into white? The young master almost gave his life for Prince Jing and the Princess, how could it become like this in their mouths?"

Jin Zhu sighed, "But in the eyes of the common people, it is indeed so, and can only be so, even the court speaks the same externally. If you tell the commoners that the Eunuch Party entered the fray and stained themselves to exonerate Prince Jing, they wouldn't believe it. In this world, no one would believe someone would risk death traveling four thousand miles just to save a friend."

Xiao Man waved the metal spoon: "But..."

She thought for a long time but couldn't figure out how to make others believe her words.

Jin Zhu looked at Chen Ji: "I really don't know how that old rascal Xu Bin convinced Qian Ping and Qigong, the streets are full of people from the Three Mountains Association selling the Wenyuan Morning News. The Three Mountains Association acts fairly, and when the commoners see them selling newspapers, they believe it by three parts. Today the snow has blocked the roads, many commoners have nothing to do and there will surely be many going to watch the bustle, gossiping will be inevitable."

Chen Ji lowered his head, remaining silent, his eyes concealed in shadows.

Xiao Man cautiously observed Chen Ji: "Young master, don't pay attention to them, justice rests in people's hearts, one day the truth will be revealed."

Chen Ji responded with an "Mm": "It doesn't matter."

Jin Zhu asked with confusion: "While the Qi family wants you to marry, they also smear you on the morning news, what exactly does the Third Miss Qi want to do?"

Suddenly, snowflakes floated down from the sky again.

Chen Ji folded the newspaper, looking up at the heavy falling snow: "I think I know what she wants to do."

Jin Zhu asked curiously: "What does she want to do?"

Chen Ji raised his hand, catching the falling snowflakes: "She wants to cancel the marriage. She wants to tell the whole world that it's her who doesn't want this marriage."

Jin Zhu was stunned.

Chen Ji patted Jin Zhu's shoulder: "Let's go, to the marriage procession."

Before leaving, he took a final glance at Wu Yun, who nodded back, stepping over the snow-covered roof ridges and disappearing into the heavy snow.

...

...

The sound of drums and music arose.

Chen Ji mounted his horse slowly, following behind the four musicians. In the vast white snow, the wedding procession lonely traversed the long street.

As they approached Fuyou Street, the uproar of voices gradually reached his ears.

Fuyou Street was already filled with commoners, who had trampled the snow into black mud.

As the wedding procession turned onto Fuyou Street, someone in the crowd shouted: "They're here!"

The crowd seemed to be pushed by an invisible hand, collectively moving a step forward. People at the front were shoved by those behind, their feet slipping in the snow, someone cursed, unclear who, and their voice was drowned by new clamor.

A man stood on tiptoe in the crowd, eyeing Chen Ji: "He really came!"

A woman in the crowd asked curiously: "Why is he dressed in gray cloth garments, wasn't it said he had a suit of Qilin Embroidery gifted by the emperor?"

The man sneered: "That's old news. This Eunuch Party has already had their title taken away by His Majesty, the Qilin Embroidery was reclaimed too, now he's nothing."

The woman was puzzled: "But I heard he broke into the prison to save Prince Jing, isn't he quite loyal?"

The man scoffed: "Haven't you read the Wenyuan Morning News? Prince Jing was framed by the Eunuch Party to be imprisoned. This guy didn't break in to save anyone, he tried to deceive and gain Prince Jing's trust, otherwise, why would Princess Bai Li leave him? Otherwise, why would His Majesty strip him of his title?"

"This Eunuch Party had earlier been entangled with Second Miss Zhang, angering Third Miss Qi who tore the newspaper in the street. Later, went to the Imperial Music Bureau to ransom Princess Bai Li, totally disregarding the Qi family. In the end, Princess Bai Li saw through his true self and left him."

"Didn't cherish the marriage promise back then, now has nothing left and comes to seek Third Miss Qi again, really shameless."

"Pah, the Eunuch Party ruined the country!"

"This Eunuch Party, still has the audacity to come to the Qi family for a wedding!"

The reproachful voices grew steadily louder, almost drowning out the sound of the drums and music. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

Chen Ji rode on amidst the discussions, not looking sideways, as if the topics were not about him.

Much like how a cut would hurt the first time, by the hundredth time, you'd merely glance at it before continuing with your business.

Chen Ji seemed like an empty valley, allowing winds from all directions to endlessly blow in.

In the midst of angry shouts, he suddenly felt something, raising his head to see Zhang Xia holding Zaozao, standing amidst the sea of people, gazing at him. Clad in red, she was as strikingly vivid as when they first met.

Chen Ji's gaze shifted slightly.

He watched as Zhang Xia disregarded Zhang Zheng's dissuasion, leading Zaozao forward, weaving through the sea of people.

But hearing the uproar of insults around him, Chen Ji no longer looked at Zhang Xia. As though they were strangers, he continued to ride forward until the sea of people completely separated them into two opposite ends of the world, moving further and further apart.