Chapter 34: Fame and Fortune as a Knife
The smell of blood wafted through the medicinal materials warehouse. Si Cao didn't know whether he did it intentionally or unintentionally, but while he was twisting Manager Yuan's heart with a dagger with his right hand, he pinched Manager Yuan's jaw with his left hand and turned his fat face towards Chen Ji.

So much so that when the shopkeeper Yuan died, Chen Ji could clearly see his fear and resentment.

Si Cao observed Chen Ji's expression and praised him: "I remember that you have never killed anyone before. Now that you are going to contact Yunyang and Jiaotu, I killed someone in advance to help you 'open the court'. I didn't expect that this would be a bit unnecessary."

After he finished speaking, Shopkeeper Yuan finally breathed his last.

Chen Ji saw a gray-white stream of ice coming out from the other party's eyebrows and flowing into his own eyebrows. It was less than the ice stream provided by Zhou Chengyi.

really!

He had been waiting for this ice flow to verify his guess: not only officials of the Ning Dynasty could produce ice flows, but officials of the Jing Dynasty could also produce them.

When the ice flow merged into his body, Chen Ji felt relieved. He suddenly said, "Master Si Cao, you shouldn't have killed Manager Yuan."

Si Cao said calmly, "If you join our Military Intelligence Department, you will lose your womanly kindness. Now your mission is the most important. He is worried that a noble son like you will snatch the position of Hai Dongqing vacated by Zhou Chengyi from him, so he must have made trouble for you openly or secretly. If you have such selfish intentions, you should never stay."

Chen Ji shook his head and said, "Master Si Cao, I am not being kind to him. What I want to say is that he has not yet told you what time and where to meet the 'Long Whale' in the evening."

Si Cao was silent for a long time: "...It's okay."

He looked at Chen Ji and said, "When you are approaching Yunyang and Jiaotu, don't forget your original mission. As long as the palace and the Liu family show enough sincerity, the chief will meet with the big shot in the palace to discuss the next step of cooperation. You need to find another opportunity to approach that big shot in the near future and ask her when she will deliver the goods."

Chen Ji's heart tightened.

Big shot? Which big shot?
Can't you just tell me the name? I still don't know who this big shot is. How can I contact him?

Judging from the attitude, Chen Ji tends to believe that this important figure is Concubine Yun.

First of all, that night at Wanxing Garden, Concubine Yun’s attitude towards me was obviously better, while Concubine Jing and Nanny Chunrong really wanted to kill me.

Secondly, Concubine Yun later sent Xibing and Bai Prajna to the clinic, which was most likely a way for Concubine Yun to exchange information with herself.

Chen Ji thought of this and recalled that the last time Xibing came to the clinic, he not only did not reveal any information, but also prescribed a fifty-year-old ginseng for the cat...

If Concubine Yun is really that important person, she would definitely be confused...

Si Cao saw that Chen Ji didn't say anything, so he asked in a serious tone: "What's the matter? Is there any difficulty?"

"No," Chen Ji bowed and said goodbye to Si Cao: "Master Si Cao, I came here today to purchase ginseng on the orders of my master. It's not good to stay too long."

Si Cao nodded, wiping the blood off his hands with a rag, and said, "Ginseng is in stock. Go to the main hall and pay for it and you can take it away."

Chen Ji asked: "Can I get a discount?"

Si Cao was puzzled: "You are using the money from Taiping Clinic to buy ginseng, what discount do you want? You should know that many spies in Jing Dynasty are supported by Bailu Pavilion. Don't let outsiders take advantage of your own people."

Chen Ji: “…That makes sense.”

After leaving Bailu Pavilion, Chen Ji let out a long sigh.

Every hurdle is difficult, but you have to pass it. Every step is difficult, but you have to take one step at a time.

He had no choice whether it was the Jing Dynasty Military Intelligence Department or the Secret Service Department.

When he merged into the crowd, the Si Cao on the second floor of Bailu Pavilion stood quietly behind the window, asking someone, "Are you sure no one is following you?"

A voice answered: "No, maybe Yunyang and Jiaotu really trust him."

Si Cao pondered for a long time: "Let's see if he can really prove his loyalty..."

……

……

In the capital, inside the palace.

In the highest part of the building of the Imperial Household Department that belonged exclusively to the eunuch in charge of the seal, although it was clearly daytime, the doors and windows were closed and candles were lit inside.

A middle-aged eunuch with a pale face and no beard was walking hurriedly in the palace, holding up the hem of his robe with one hand.

The middle-aged man was wearing a green and simple python robe, which made him look extremely noble.

There are two types of python robes in the Ning Dynasty: single python robes and sitting python robes. They must be bestowed by the emperor himself and can only be worn by people of high status and favor.

Outside the building, guards stood in a row, dressed in black and silent.

When the middle-aged man in the python robe came closer, he said to a guard, "I want to see the inner minister."

The guards had long swords on their waists and the words "解烦" (relieve trouble) were embroidered on their sleeves. One of them used sign language to ask: "What's the matter?" These guards could only listen, not speak.

The middle-aged man in python robes said, "Three letters have arrived from Luocheng via carrier pigeons."

The guard turned around and went upstairs to report. After a moment he came back and gestured for invitation.

The middle-aged man in python robes climbed up the wooden stairs and knocked three times at a door on the top floor. "Master Internal Minister, Wu Xiu has something important to report. There is news from Luocheng."

But then he heard the sound of a copper bell from inside the house, and Wu Xiu pushed the door open and walked in.

When I entered the inner room, I couldn't see the prime minister himself. In the dim room, the table was blocked by a screen, on which was embroidered a sitting python, facing the visitor.

If you enter this house for the first time, you will probably be frightened by this giant python.

Wu Xiu was standing outside the screen, bowing his head and saying, "Sir, three letters have arrived from Luocheng, from Chief Criminal Lin Chaoqing, Secret Agent Yun Yang, and Secret Agent Meng Ji. Which one do you want to open first?"

No one answered from behind the screen for a long time, and Wu Xiu, who was wearing a python robe and had a high status, did not even dare to raise his head.

After an unknown amount of time, the person behind the screen said calmly while writing a document: "Chief Criminal Division."

Wu Xiu hurriedly took out three thin bamboo sticks sealed with wax from his sleeve. He opened the first bamboo stick and pulled out a rolled-up white paper.

He stretched out the white paper and saw densely written words on it. After a moment, Wu Xiu was a little surprised: "Sir, Yunyang and Jiaotu found evidence of Liu Shiyu's crime."

Someone in the darkness behind the screen said, "The two of them?"

Wu Xiu hurriedly said, "I also think these two are acting recklessly. It would be better to send the golden pig over."

However, the eunuch behind the screen did not comment for a long time. Wu Xiu lowered his head in panic and said, "It is your humble servant who speaks too much."

In the dim light, someone said, "Continue."

Wu Xiu continued to read the white paper and looked up and said, "It was not Yun Yang and Jiao Tu who made the contribution. According to Lin Chaoqing, it was a masked man who helped them find the evidence. The situation was urgent at the time. If we were a step slower, Lin Chaoqing would have taken Yun Yang and Jiao Tu back to Beijing."

"Who is the masked man?"

"Lin Chaoqing didn't know. He only said that this person first helped Yunyang and Jiaotu find the rice paper shop, and then helped them find evidence of Liu Shiyu's crime... That's all there is to the letter. Which one should we open next?"

"Cloud Sheep."

Wu Xiu rolled up the sleeves of his python robe, untied another bamboo stick and untied the wax, then hesitantly said: "Yun Yang and Jiao Tu praised themselves to the sky, but they didn't say a word about the masked man."

The inner minister behind the screen was silent for a moment: "These two bastards are so bold, they want to embezzle other people's credit again."

Wu Xiu looked down again and raised his eyebrows. "Sir, Yunyang and Jiaotu opened the coffin and found that there was no one in Old Master Liu's coffin. He might not be dead. The Liu family is so bold that they dared to falsify this matter."

He quietly raised his eyes, trying to observe the reaction of the inner minister through the screen, but he could only see a blurry figure.

But the eunuch behind the screen stopped writing with his brush for the first time and let it hang on the paper: "What are Yunyang and Jiaotu planning?"

Wu Xiu said: "Yun Yang and Jiao Tu asked the nearby secret service 'Jie Fan Wei' to go to Luocheng, open the coffin and examine the body in public, and expose the Liu family. My lord, the Liu family just reported to the emperor, hoping to seek a reward for Old Master Liu. If this is true, it is a crime of deceiving the emperor!"

The Minister was silent and thoughtful.

Wu Xiu added: "Sir, this is a rare opportunity."

The internal minister said: "Yun Yang and Jiao Tu coordinated Jie Fanwei to go, and our Ministry of Rites was unaware of it and destroyed the note."

This means that no matter what Yunyang and Jiaotu do, it is these two who make the decisions on their own.

If it succeeds, it succeeds. If it fails, these two people will naturally be the scapegoats.

The next moment, Wu Xiu crumpled the note into a ball and swallowed it skillfully in front of the internal minister.

After swallowing the note, he said, "Sir, there is another letter from Meng Ji. Let me open it and see... Isn't he in Kaifeng Prefecture? Why did he use a carrier pigeon from Luocheng?"

After a moment, Wu Xiu held up the note and said, "Sir, Mengji said that Yunyang and Jiaotu paid a large sum of money to invite him to Luocheng to test whether Chen Ji, the apprentice of Yao Taiyi, is a spy of Jing Dynasty through dreams. This is strange. Why would they test a young apprentice? Why would Mengji make a special trip?"

Seeing that the internal minister did not answer for a long time, Wu Xiu bravely raised his head and asked tentatively: "Sir?"

The Minister of Internal Affairs said calmly: This apprentice of Doctor Yao is the masked man who helped them catch the spy. Write a letter to Yun Yang and ask him to give me the information of this apprentice.

"Yes," Wu Xiu bowed again, "Sir, Bai Long has learned that the prince of Prince Jing is on his way back to Luocheng from Donglin Academy. He has gathered some chivalrous men, including some high-ranking officials registered with the Ministry of Rites. What do you think, should we do something to prevent him from becoming powerful?"

In the dimness behind the screen, the inner minister responded calmly: "It's okay, they are just some chivalrous knights. I use fame and fortune as my sword to cut off nine out of ten chivalrous spirits in the world."

(End of this chapter)