CHAPTER 35: 34. FAME AND GAIN ARE LIKE A KNIFE

The scent of blood wafted through the herb storage, and Lord Si Cao, whether intentionally or not, twisted the shopkeeper Yuan’s heart with a dagger in his right hand while his left hand gripped Yuan’s jaw from behind, turning the fat face towards Chen Ji.

As a result, when shopkeeper Yuan died, Chen Ji could clearly see the fear and resentment on his face.

Lord Si Cao, observing Chen Ji’s expression, remarked, "I remember you’ve never spilled blood before, but now, as you are to deal with Yun Yang and Jiao Tu, I thought to have you ’open court’ by killing someone in advance. It seems it was rather unnecessary."

As his words ended, shopkeeper Yuan finally breathed his last breath.

Chen Ji saw a pale Ice Flow emerge from the man’s forehead, gliding into his own, though it was less than what Zhou Chengyi had provided.

Indeed!

He had been waiting for this Ice Flow to verify his suspicion: not only officials of the Ning Dynasty could produce Ice Flow, but those of the Jing Dynasty could as well.

When the Ice Flow merged into his body, a weight finally lifted from Chen Ji’s heart, and he suddenly said, "Lord Si Cao, you shouldn’t have killed shopkeeper Yuan."

Lord Si Cao replied calmly, "Joining the Military Intelligence Department, you must discard your womanly compassion. Your mission is of the utmost importance. He feared that you, as a child of noble birth, would vie for the position left vacant by Hai Dongqing, Zhou Chengyi, and be an obstacle in secret and in the open. With such a selfish heart, he should not be spared."

Chen Ji shook his head and said, "Lord Si Cao, it’s not that I am merciful towards him. What I meant was, he hadn’t told you the time and place to meet that ’Long Whale’ tonight."

Lord Si Cao was silent for a long time, "...No matter."

He looked at Chen Ji, "While you get close to Yun Yang and Jiao Tu, don’t forget your original mission. If Prince Mansion and the Liu Family show enough sincerity, the Division Head will be able to meet with that high figure from Prince Mansion to discuss the next step of the collaboration. You need to find another opportunity to get close to that person soon and ask when the goods will be delivered."

Chen Ji’s heart tensed.

High figure? Which high figure?

Can’t you just mention a name? I still don’t know who this person is, how am I supposed to contact them?

Based on her attitude, Chen Ji inclined to think this high figure was Consort Yun.

Firstly, at Late Star Garden that night, Consort Yun had treated him somewhat better than Princess Consort Jing and Nanny Chunrong, who truly intended to kill him.

Secondly, after the fact, Consort Yun had sent Xibing, carrying Bai Bore, to the Medical Hall, which was likely Consort Yun’s way of trying to exchange information with him.

With this thought, Chen Ji recalled the last time Xibing visited the Medical Hall, where he not only kept every bit of information to himself but also prescribed a fifty-year-old ginseng for the cat...

If Consort Yun were really that high figure, she must be quite perplexed...

Seeing Chen Ji silent, Lord Si Cao pressed, "What’s the matter, any difficulty?"

"None," Chen Ji replied, bowing to take leave of Lord Si Cao, "Lord Si Cao, I came today on my master’s orders to purchase ginseng, and it would be improper to linger for too long."

Lord Si Cao nodded, wiping the blood off his hands with a cloth, as he said, "We have ginseng in stock; just go to the main hall, pay the money, and you can take it."

Chen Ji asked, "Could I get a discount?"

Lord Si Cao, puzzled, replied, "You’re using Taiping Medical Hall’s money to buy ginseng, why do you need a discount? You should know that many Jing Dynasty spies rely on the livelihood provided by Bailu Pavilion; don’t take advantage from your own people on behalf of outsiders."

Chen Ji: "...Fair point."

Leaving Bailu Pavilion, Chen Ji let out a long sigh.

Each challenge passed is another challenge met, with each step difficult, yet still taken.

Whether it be the Jing Dynasty Military Intelligence Department or the Spy Department, he had no choice.

As he blended into the crowd, Lord Si Cao stood silently behind a second-floor window of Bailu Pavilion, inquiring of someone unknown, "Are you sure no one is tailing him?"

A voice answered, "No, perhaps Yun Yang and Jiao Tu really do trust him."

Lord Si Cao pondered for a while, "Let’s see if he can truly prove his loyalty..."

...

...

In the Imperial Capital, within the Imperial Palace.

The Ritual Supervision’s covered building, reserved for the Chief Eunuch, was sealed tight with doors and windows shut despite it being day, and candles were lit inside.

A middle-aged eunuch with a pale, beardless face swiftly walked through the palace, his robe trailing behind in one hand.

The middle-aged man was dressed in a plain green single-dragon robe, exuding immense opulence.

In the Ning Dynasty, dragon robes came in two types: single-dragon and seated-dragon, only to be worn by those personally bestowed by the Emperor, denoting high status and favor.

The Chief Eunuch’s covered building was surrounded by black-clad, silent guards.

As the middle-aged man in python-embroidered robes approached, he said to one of the guards, "I wish to see the Prime Minister."

The guard, wearing a long knife at his waist and with the characters "Jiefan" embroidered on his sleeve cuff, gestured with hand signals: What’s the matter?

It turned out these guards could listen but not speak.

The man in the python robe responded, "Three pigeon-transmitted messages have arrived from Luocheng City."

The guard turned and went upstairs to relay the message, and after a short while, he returned and gestured for the man to follow.

The man in the python robe ascended the wooden stairs, reaching a door on the top floor, and knocked three times: "Lord Prime Minister, Wu Xiu has urgent matters to report—there’s news from Luocheng."

From within the room, the sound of a copper bell rang out, after which Wu Xiu pushed the door open and entered.

Once inside, the Prime Minister was nowhere to be seen. In the dimly lit room, a screen blocked the desk, and embroidered on it was a coiled serpent, staring right at the newcomer.

If one were entering this room for the first time, they would likely be startled by the image of the massive snake.

Standing outside the screen, Wu Xiu bowed his head and said, "Sir, three messages have arrived from Luocheng, sent by Lin Chaoqing of the Criminal Justice Department, Yun Yang of the Spy Division, and Meng Ji of the Spy Division. Which would you like to open first?"

No response came from behind the screen, and Wu Xiu, though clothed in garments of esteemed status, dared not raise his head.

After some time had passed, the person behind the screen was still writing documents and finally spoke unhurriedly, "The Criminal Justice Department."

Wu Xiu quickly pulled out three bamboo tubes sealed with lacquer from his sleeve. He broke open the first tube and extracted a rolled-up piece of Xuan paper.

Stretching out the white paper, he saw dense text written on it. After a moment, Wu Xiu expressed surprise, "Sir, Yun Yang and Jiao Tu have found the incriminating evidence against Liu Shenyu."

In the darkness behind the screen, someone uttered an "Oh?": "The two of them?"

Wu Xiu quickly added, "I also think those two act rashly. It might be better to send Jin Zhu there."

However, the Prime Minister behind the screen neither agreed nor disagreed and remained silent for a long while, prompting an anxious Wu Xiu to lower himself further, "My apologies for overstepping."

In the dimness, a voice commanded, "Continue."

Wu Xiu resumed reading the white paper and looked up, "It wasn’t the merit of Yun Yang or Jiao Tu. According to Lin Chaoqing, it was a masked person who helped them find the evidence. The situation was urgent, and had there been any delay, Lin Chaoqing would have taken Yun Yang and Jiao Tu back to the imperial capital."

"Who is this masked individual?"

"Lin Chaoqing doesn’t know. He only mentioned that this person first led Yun Yang and Jiao Tu to the Xuan Paper Shop and later helped them find Liu Shenyu’s evidence... These are the only details in the letter. Which one should I open next?"

"Yun Yang."

Wu Xiu rolled up the sleeves of his python robe and broke the seal on another bamboo tube. He hesitated as he read, "Yun Yang and Jiao Tu are full of self-praise in their report, yet they make no mention of the masked individual."

The Prime Minister behind the screen fell silent for a moment, then remarked, "These two young rascals sure have the nerve to hog credit for others’ accomplishments."

As Wu Xiu continued reading, he raised an eyebrow, "Sir, Yun Yang and Jiao Tu exhumed a coffin and discovered that Old Master Liu’s remains were not inside. It seems the Liu family has enough gall to fabricate such deceit."

He discreetly lifted his eyes, trying to catch a glimpse of the Prime Minister’s reaction through the screen, but could only see a blurred figure.

From behind the screen, the Prime Minister stopped writing for the first time, the brush suspended over the paper, "What are Yun Yang and Jiao Tu planning to do?"

Wu Xiu replied, "Yun Yang and Jiao Tu have requested the dispatch of the Spy Division’s ’Jiefan Guards’ to Luocheng. They plan to publicly open the coffin for inspection and expose the Liu family. Sir, the Liu family has just petitioned His Majesty, seeking posthumous honors for Old Master Liu. If the reports are true, it constitutes the crime of deceiving the Emperor!"

The Prime Minister silently contemplated.

Wu Xiu added, "Sir, this is an opportunity that comes once in a millenium."

The Prime Minister said, "Let Yun Yang and Jiao Tu coordinate with the Jiefan Guard to proceed. Our Ritual Supervision is unaware of this; destroy the note."

This meant that whatever Yun Yang and Jiao Tu did, it was on their own initiative.

If they succeeded, they succeeded; if they failed, they’d naturally be the scapegoats.

The next moment, Wu Xiu crumpled up the note and, right in front of the Prime Minister, adeptly swallowed it.

After eating the paper, he then said, "Sir, there’s one more letter from Meng Ji. I’ll open it... Isn’t he supposed to be at Kaifeng Prefecture? Why did he use a pigeon from Luocheng?"

After a brief pause, Wu Xiu held the note, "Sir, Meng Ji says that Yun Yang and Jiao Tu spent a large sum to have him go to Luocheng. They tasked him with using third-grade dream-testing techniques on Doctor Yao’s apprentice, Chen Ji, to determine if he is a spy from the Jing Dynasty. It’s peculiar; what need do they have to test a mere apprentice, and why bother having Meng Ji make the trip personally?"

Seeing that the Prime Minister remained silent for a long time, Wu Xiu mustered the courage to look up and probe, "Sir?"

The Prime Minister replied calmly, "That little apprentice of Doctor Yao is the same masked person who helped them catch the spy. Tell Yun Yang to send me the information on this apprentice."

"Yes," Wu Xiu bowed again, "Sir, our intelligence from the Bai Long has it that the Princely Heir of Prince Jing’s Mansion, on his way back to Luocheng City from Donglin Academy, has gathered a number of Jianghu knights, including notable Grand Officials registered with our Ritual Supervision. In your view, should we act to prevent him from gaining too much influence?"

In the dimness behind the screen, the Prime Minister responded indifferently, "It’s of no concern, they’re just some Jianghu knights. With wealth and fame as my blade, I can cut down the chivalrous spirits of the world."