Righteous Cause and Heavenly Timing

As the Scholar surnamed Qi hurried away, Ji Yuan had long since gone far. He had tampered with the two ordinary copper coins he had left behind—not excessively, but perhaps they could lend the scholar a hand at a critical moment. Judging by his aura, the man's resolve was quite firm, and he ought to sense something unusual the instant he touched the coins. Taking the coins counted as a stroke of good karma; there was no need for any weightier favor.

Ji Yuan threaded his way through the streets of Jingji Prefecture, seeing posted notices from time to time. Some notices even had crowds gathered around them, with someone reading their contents aloud. Ji Yuan had stopped to listen before and roughly learned that some were recruiting worthy men to join the army, while others were proclamations issued by the court—words of encouragement and declarations to defend home and country, meant to stir the people's spirits.

Yet in Ji Yuan's view, Great Zhen's people had no need stirring up at all. Their sentiments were far more impassioned than many in the court imagined. Not only did nearly everyone support the cause, but countless people wished to head to the front lines themselves.

After wandering the city for half the day, Ji Yuan still went to Yin Manor.

At the gates of Yin Manor on Rong'an Street, eight armored soldiers carrying sabers now stood guard. However, these soldiers did not seem to belong to the imperial guards. They were likely Yin Manor's own guards, for Ji Yuan recognized more than half of them—and naturally, they recognized him as well.

Thus, the moment Ji Yuan arrived at Yin Manor's gates, someone among the guards recognized him and hastily descended the steps to greet him.

"Mr. Ji, you've come?"

Ji Yuan was