Green Mountain

"Chen Ji, the world shouldn’t be like this."

This sentence was unexpectedly spoken by Mr. Feng.

In the darkness, Chen Ji turned his head to look at the scholar in green beside him. The strands of frost between the man’s temples were faintly visible. Chen Ji followed Mr. Feng’s gaze to where he pointed—it was nothing but a boundless, endless night, even the starlight dimmed.

Mr. Feng lowered his arm, staring off into the distance and calmly stated, "Do you find it absurd? The court officials ignore the lives of the border army—do they not fear that if the border army collapses, their own lives will be in danger?"

Chen Ji said softly, "This humble servant indeed does not understand."

Mr. Feng walked forward with his hands behind his back, "When I first heard of these absurdities, I also thought I’d misheard. In the Jianing 22nd year, the Jizhou border army awaited provisions that never came. Even the grain merchants in the city were prohibited from selling them food. Two infantries of the Jizhou border army, driven by hunger, stole two chickens from a distant branch of the Qi family. Those two men were feeble—just as they had slaughtered the chickens, started boiling water, and hadn’t yet taken a bite, the servants of the Qi Mansion caught them red-handed... Do you know what became of those two infantries?"

Chen Ji remained silent.

Mr. Feng said, expressionless, "The Qi family had them killed to repay the chickens." The Jizhou border army, upon hearing this, revolted that very night, resulting in a rebellion that the court took half a year to quell. Three generations of the Jizhou General’s family were executed."

Chen Ji froze—killed to repay chickens?

Mr. Feng continued, "Do you know the absurd reason behind this?"

Chen Ji shook his head, "This humble servant does not know."