I slaughtered my way through the border at the start, I am the Great Ming's Night Raider!

The capital city was larger and more prosperous than Chen Yuan had imagined.

The streets are wide, lined with shops, and bustling with pedestrians.

The sounds of hawkers' cries, horses' hooves, and wheels mingled together, creating a lively atmosphere that was almost unbelievable.

It was as if the bloodshed at the border and the screams in Xuanfu were from another world.

But Chen Yuan knew that beneath this prosperity, undercurrents were surging.

Yuelai Inn is located on Xizhimen Inner Street. It is a three-story wooden building with an impressive facade.

Red lanterns hung in front of the door, and waiters greeted customers at the entrance, creating a scene of thriving business.

Chen Yuan did not go in directly.

He led Chen Jin to sit down at the tea stall across the street, ordered two bowls of tea, and observed the people coming and going from the inn.

In half an hour, more than a dozen groups of guests came and went, including merchants, scholars, and people dressed in the attire of江湖 (jianghu, a term referring to the martial arts world).

I didn't see the woman in green.

"Brother Yuan, should we wait?" Chen Jin asked softly.

"Wait," Chen Yuan said, "but not to room number three in the 'Heaven' tier."

Why?

"It's too obvious." Chen Yuan took a sip of tea. "If it's a trap, going in is like walking into a snare."

He thought for a moment, then got up and walked to the alley next to the inn. He found an old beggar sunbathing by the wall and gave him a few copper coins.

"Grandpa, can you do me a favor?"

The old beggar opened his eyes, his cloudy eyes looking at him: "What is it?"

"Go to Yuelai Inn, find the innkeeper, and tell him, 'The Chen family's goods have arrived. Wait under the old locust tree in the East Market.'"

The old beggar weighed the coin in his hand, grinned, and said, "Okay."

He left slowly.

Chen Yuan returned to the tea stall and continued to wait.

After an incense stick had burned, the old beggar returned: "The shopkeeper said he understands."

Chen Yuan nodded and led Chen Jin toward the East Market.

The East Market, located in the east of the city, was the largest market in the capital, with a dense flow of people, making it easy to hide.

The old locust tree at the north entrance of Dongshi is a landmark and is said to be 300 years old.

The two waited under the locust tree.

Chen Jin looked around nervously, while Chen Yuan leaned against a tree, seemingly relaxed, but actually tense all over.

About 15 minutes later, a figure walked out from the crowd.

It wasn't a woman in green, but a middle-aged man in his forties, dressed in ordinary cloth, looking like an accountant.

He walked to the locust tree, glanced at Chen Yuan, and whispered, "Young Master Chen?"

Instead of answering, Chen Yuan asked, "Who are you?"

"Miss Qin sent me," the man said. "It's not convenient to talk here, come with me."

Chen Yuan didn't move: "Who is Miss Qin?"

"You'll see when you get there." The man paused. "Don't worry, if I wanted to harm you, I wouldn't be able to get through the city gates."

This confirmed Chen Yuan's guess.

The centurion at the city gate had indeed been bribed.

He gestured for Chen Jin to follow.

The man led them through the streets and alleys for about fifteen minutes until they arrived at a secluded alley.

There was a small courtyard in the alley. The lintel was ordinary, but the door knocker was made of brass and polished to a shine.

Knock on the door three times, then two times.

The door opened a crack, revealing an old servant who nodded and let the man through upon seeing him.

The courtyard was quiet, with several plum trees in bloom, their fragrance filling the air.

Inside the main hall, a woman in green sat at a table, brewing tea.

It was the same woman from last night.

She looked up, saw Chen Yuan, and smiled slightly: "Young Master Chen, I've heard so much about you."

Chen Yuan sized her up.

Upon closer inspection, the woman appeared to be around twenty-two or twenty-three years old, with beautiful features, but her sharp eyes were unlike those of an ordinary woman.

Her tea-making movements were skillful and elegant, clearly indicating that she came from a distinguished family.

"Sit down," the woman gestured.

Chen Yuan didn't sit down: "Who are you? Why are you helping us?"

"My name is Qin Xiang," the woman said. "As for why I helped you..." She looked at Chen Jin, "Young Master Chen Jin, your father, Lord Chen Xi, is my mentor."

Chen Jin was taken aback: "My mentor?"

"Ten years ago, I studied at the Chen family school for a year," Qin Xiang said. "Although my family later fell into poverty and I left Yingchuan, I have never forgotten the kindness of my teachers."

Chen Yuan stared at her: "Is it that simple?"

"Of course not." Qin Xiang smiled, but there was a hint of bitterness in her smile. "Helping you is also helping myself. The Chen family's affairs are far-reaching, and I'm involved in them too."

"What do you mean?"

Qin Xiang didn't answer, but instead pushed two cups of tea towards them: "Have some tea first, to warm yourself up. You must be hungry after your long journey, so I've already had someone prepare some food."

Chen Yuan did not touch the tea.

Qin Xiang didn't press the matter. She picked up a cup and slowly took a sip: "Young Master Chen, you're thinking this might be a trap, that the tea is poisoned and the food is drugged, right?"

"One should always be wary of others."

"Caution is the right thing to do." Qin Xiang put down her teacup. "But if I wanted to harm you, I wouldn't need to go to such lengths. I have people among the guards at the city gates; if I wanted, you wouldn't be able to enter the capital at all."

That makes sense.

Chen Yuan finally sat down, but didn't touch the tea: "What do you want from us?"

"The truth," Qin Xiang said, "Why was the Chen family wiped out? Who was behind it all? And..." She looked at Chen Yuan, "How many people are involved in your background?"

Chen Yuan's eyes turned cold: "You know about my background?"

"I know some things," Qin Xiang said, "but what I know may not be everything. We need to exchange information."

Chen Jin couldn't help but ask, "Miss Qin, what did my father say before he died? Do you know what really happened to the Chen family?"

Qin Xiang was silent for a moment, then took out a letter from her bosom and handed it to Chen Jin: "This is a letter your father sent me a month ago. At that time, he had already sensed the danger."

Chen Jin took the letter with trembling hands and unfolded it.

The letter was short, but every word carried weight:

"My dear disciple Xiang'er: It is as if we are meeting in person. Three years have passed since we parted in the capital. There have been many changes recently, and I fear that a great calamity is about to befall the Chen family. If anything untoward happens, please remember our teacher-student relationship and take care of my son, Chen Jin. Also, Chen Yuan in my household has a special background, which involves the secrets of the imperial family. He must not fall into the hands of the Eastern Depot. I entrust everything to you. Your teacher, Chen Xi."

Chen Jin's tears dripped onto the letter.

Qin Xiang said softly, "After receiving the letter, I immediately set off for Yingchuan, but... I was too late. When I arrived, the Chen family had already been raided, and the entire family..." She didn't finish her sentence, "I inquired about the situation and learned that Young Master Chen Jin had been escorted to the capital. I wanted to rescue him on the way, but the Eastern Depot was too strict. Later, I heard that you had escaped, so I tracked you down and finally found a clue in Changping."

Chen Yuan asked, "What do you mean by saying you're also involved?"

Qin Xiang looked at him and said slowly, "Because my father was the old eunuch who escorted you to the Chen family back then."

Chen Yuan was startled.

That old eunuch... He remembered it clearly. When he was seven years old, a kind-faced old eunuch took his hand and led him a long way to the Chen residence in Yingchuan. The old eunuch knelt down, stroked his head, and said, "Child, this will be your home from now on. Remember, your surname is Chen, and your name is Chen Yuan. Forget everything else."

"He...he's your father?"

"Foster father," Qin Xiang said, "I was originally the daughter of an official. My father was executed for his involvement in a case during the Yongle era, and my family was taken into the palace as slaves. It was Eunuch Qin who took me in as his adopted daughter, taught me to read and write, and treated me like his own daughter."

Where is he now?

"He's dead." Qin Xiang's voice was calm, but her hand holding the teacup trembled slightly. "He died suddenly five years ago. But I checked, and he was poisoned."

Why?

"Because he knows too much." Qin Xiang looked at Chen Yuan, "about your background, about the Grand Princess, about... that palace secret from back then."

The hall was completely silent.

Only the crackling of the charcoal fire in the basin could be heard.

Chen Yuan finally picked up his teacup and took a sip.

The tea was top-quality Longjing, fragrant and sweet, but he couldn't taste it.

"Tell me everything you know."

Qin Xiang nodded and began to tell her story.

Her adoptive father, Eunuch Qin, was a close eunuch during the reign of Emperor Renzong, and later served Princess Zhu Mingyue.

In the second year of the Xuande reign, the Grand Princess suddenly gave birth to a child in secret. This matter was kept strictly confidential and only a very few people knew about it.

Shortly after the child was born, he was sent out of the palace and handed over to Eunuch Qin, who was to find a reliable family to raise him.

Eunuch Qin chose the Chen family of Yingchuan.

Because Chen Xi was his old friend, an upright man, and the Chen family did not have much influence in the court, it was not easy to attract attention.

"Why send him away?" Chen Yuan asked.

"Because the situation at the time... was very complicated," Qin Xiang said. "The Grand Princess's husband died young, and she had been a widow for many years. Her sudden pregnancy was already a scandal. Moreover..." She paused, "the child's father had a special identity."

"Who is it?"