Chapter 26 Parade
"If you want to catch a spy, you must learn to think like a spy."

"If I were the head of the Jing Dynasty's Military Intelligence Department, what kind of people would I recruit in the palace to be my spies?"

Chen Ji sat on the bunk bed with his chin propped up, analyzing silently:

"Not a guard. Guards are not allowed to enter the back house."

"...The imperial physicians and apprentices of Taiping Clinic are not only able to interact with people from outside, but are also eligible to enter the inner palace."

Chen Ji was stunned: "Isn't it possible that I'm really a spy of the Jing Dynasty?!"

He carefully analyzed this possibility:
I once appeared at Zhou Chengyi's house in the middle of the night. It was the first time I met the housekeeper, but the housekeeper knew that I was an apprentice in the clinic, which meant that I had been to Zhou's house more than once.

Alum is often used as medicine. It is available at Taiping Medical Clinic. If I were a spy of the Jing Dynasty, I would know where the alum in Zhou Chengyi's mansion came from...

hiss!
Chen Ji took a breath of cold air.

Wait, no, no.

According to the information passed on by Zhou Chengyi, the spy should have met the big shot in the palace, and after both sides confirmed their sincerity, the head of the Military Intelligence Department planned to go south.

When she went to Wanxing Garden for a medical consultation earlier and Chunrong wanted to beat her to death with a stick, Concubine Yun stood up and prepared to leave, but Concubine Jing remained silent and left it alone. If she had not taken the initiative to ask for life, she would probably have died in Wanxing Garden that day.

If I were a spy of the Jing Dynasty, at least one of these two big shots should protect me.

Chen Ji got up quietly and quietly opened the wardrobe shared by three people. He felt through everyone's clothes, even the collar and cuffs, to see if there was anything hidden inside.

However, no clues were found.

Chen Ji squatted down again, and in the dim light, he placed his fingers along the bricks that were laid out for laying, carefully stroking each brick.

what.

He actually felt that a brick was slightly raised by about two millimeters, and the surrounding clay was loose.

Chen Ji pinched the edge of the brick with his index finger and thumb nails and pulled it out bit by bit. But he saw that someone had hollowed out a small hole behind the brick, and five silver ingots were hidden inside!

what? !

A silver ingot weighing ten taels is definitely not something an apprentice in a clinic should be able to own, unless the Jing Dynasty Military Intelligence Department provides funding.

When Chen Ji suspected that the spy was in the clinic, he laughed at himself for being suspicious, but when he really saw the evidence, he couldn't help but take a deep breath.

Does this silver ingot belong to She Dengke? Or to Liu Quxing?
...or your own?

Chen Ji stuffed the silver ingot and brick back and went back to bed calmly.

……

……

Early in the morning, before the roosters crowed, Old Man Yao, who was sleeping on the bed, was awakened by the noise in the yard.

He put on his black cloth shoes with white soles, put his hands behind his back and walked slowly out the door. In the yard, Chen Ji gently poured the water he had just brought back into the water tank.

Old Man Yao looked at Liu Quxing who was sleeping on the stove in the kitchen, then looked at Chen Ji who was full of energy, frowned and said, "...Did you let him die?"

Chen Ji: "...No, Senior Brother Liu just fell asleep."

Old man Yao curled his lips and said, "The rooster hasn't even crowed yet, and you made a noise to wake me up. Otherwise, don't let the rooster crow anymore, and you should do it instead."

Chen Ji smiled and didn't take his master's words to heart. He had gradually gotten used to his master's venomous mouth. "Master, I'm going to fetch some water. Fill it up before the cockcrows so that you won't be late for our morning lessons."

As he spoke, he rolled up his sleeves to his wrists, picked up the carrying pole and walked out.

However, before Chen Ji reached the door, a copper bell suddenly rang in the distance. The sound was clear and pleasant, coming from far away.

Old man Yao frowned, walked up quickly, and pulled Chen Ji back into the house before he left.

Chen Ji was pulled back two steps involuntarily, and the shoulder pole and wooden barrel on his shoulders kept shaking.

The next moment, a group of people carrying a solemn and majestic Buddha statue passed through Anxi Street in the dawn night.

Thirty-two monks wearing grey robes and with half of their arms bare, were carrying the gigantic Sumeru throne steadily.

Beside the Sumeru throne, there are monks holding copper bells in their left hands and incense in their right hands. Occasionally, they clash their left and right hands, and the incense and copper bells collide to produce brilliant sparks and crisp sounds.

The incense burned for a long time without going out, and sparks shot up into the sky like flaming trees and silver flowers, with fish and dragons flying around.

Chen Ji asked in a low voice: "Master, please pull me back..." Old Man Yao said expressionlessly: "Don't ask."

Chen Ji and Old Man Yao stood side by side, silently watching the group of monks slowly passing by the entrance of Taiping Medical Clinic.

As he was watching, he suddenly took a step back.

At that moment, the Buddha statue seemed to look at him, and his eyes were indifferent but with a hint of compassion.

At this time, Liu Quxing was also awakened by the sound of the bell and rushed over. He looked at the team in front of the door and said, "They are the monks from the Tuoluo Temple in the south of the city. Who is so generous that they can afford to invite the Buddha and Bodhisattva to tour Luocheng on the Double Ninth Festival?"

Chen Ji hesitated for a moment and asked, "Master, are there really gods and Buddhas in this world?"

Liu Quxing rushed to answer: "Of course there is. Two years ago, a man in Liujiatun, a suburb, had a mother who was seriously ill. He knelt in front of the Buddha statue when the Buddha was parading and prayed. As a result, his mother's illness was cured on the spot!"

Chen Ji was skeptical, as he knew that many religions used miracles to attract believers.

But Liu Quxing continued, "Also, I remember three years ago, there was a filial son in the west of Luocheng whose parents both died of plague. He went to the Tuola Temple in the south of the city to pray to Buddha, donated all his wealth, land deeds, and ancestral property, and asked Abbot Chuyun to hold a water and land ceremony to offer sacrifices to the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas in all directions."

"How is the result?"

"His parents have been resurrected and the plague has disappeared, but he is just lying in bed and unable to move," Liu Quxing replied.

Chen Ji frowned and turned to look at Old Man Yao: "Master, is what Senior Brother Liu said true?"

Old Man Yao put his hands behind his back and said lightly, "When his parents were sent to me, they were already on their deathbed. I asked him to carry them away so that they wouldn't die in the clinic and ruin my reputation."

Liu Quxing muttered quietly: "Master, you said at the time that the person could not be saved, so why not save some money for the living..."

Old Man Yao ignored him and continued, "His parents died in front of me, so when I heard the news of their resurrection, I went to their house to verify it myself. The old couple is indeed alive, but they are lying unconscious on the hospital bed. Their pulse, heartbeat, and breathing are all there."

Chen Ji was stunned. What about his parents...

But old man Yao sneered and said, "But what's the point of living like this? It's better to let them go in peace."

Chen Ji suddenly asked, "Master, is there any way to bring the dead back to life?"

Old Man Yao glanced at him and said, "It is rumored that the only son of Xu Gong, the Prime Minister of the current cabinet, died in an accident. Xu Gong paid a large sum of money to ask the abbot of Yuanjue Temple to use the Seven Treasures Lotus Lamp to create a flesh body for his son, allowing his son to live again."

"Is his son still alive?"

"If he's alive, he's the current deputy director of the Imperial Observatory, Xu Shu."

Chen Ji's mind was like a giant axe that split through the haze and chaos, and suddenly became clear.

I have lived my life again. If there really is someone in this world who can resurrect the dead, then will I be able to find the way home one day and resurrect my parents?

Make money.

Spiritual practice.

Chen Ji's heart was burning.

If you want to practice, you can no longer avoid the ice flow. You have to figure out what the ice flow is, how it is produced, and how to obtain it!
By the time the group of monks disappeared at the end of Anxi Street, the sky had gradually brightened.

The neighbors were all awake, and had taken down their doors early. They greeted each other cheerfully and set up their stalls on the street in advance.

Chen Ji did not go back to the backyard. He carried his shoulder pole and walked towards the well.

A young man carrying dry firewood came towards him and hawked his wares. When they passed by, Chen Ji stopped and grabbed the man: "Tell Lord Yunyang that I need to go to the inner prison."

The young man looked surprised: "What is Doctor Chen saying? Why can't I understand?"

Chen Ji said calmly, "A firewood seller walks through the streets, exposed to the wind and sun, so he won't have a clean face like a secret agent. Moreover, a firewood seller won't just wander around this street, and won't be able to sell a load of firewood from morning to night. If he is a spy from the Jing Dynasty, he won't be arrogant, but cautious. Go tell Lord Yunyang that I'm going to the inner prison to take a look at the prisoners and files, maybe I can help him find new merits."

After saying that, he went to fetch water without looking back.

Chen Ji had discovered the abnormality of the firewood boy not today. He had known about it since he had been sitting on the threshold of the clinic for a whole day while waiting for his parents to send him money for school.

The reason why he wanted to go to the inner prison, a place that others avoided, was because...

Where are the places with the most wrongful deaths?
Secret Service Prison.

The firewood seller slowly put away his smile and stared at Chen Ji's departing back. He originally thought he had disguised himself very well, but now it seemed that the other party had already discovered his problem and was just quietly watching his poor performance.

The next moment, the firewood seller dropped the firewood and the shoulder pole, turned around and walked away in big strides.

(End of this chapter)