Chapter 49 Top Three

Jin Zhu looked at Chen Ji and said with a smile, "The Minister of Internal Affairs is in charge of the overall situation. He knows that Yun Yang and Jiao Tu are more likely to cause trouble than to accomplish anything, so he asked me to wait by their side early and rush in when they are in trouble. The Military Intelligence Department and the Liu family probably didn't expect that I was already in Luocheng. This is a good time to plot against them... to capture them."

Chen Ji felt a growing sense of crisis. This inner minister had such a deep and meticulous mind.

It turns out that Yunyang and Jiaotu were just pushed out to confuse the sight. Once Yunyang and Jiaotu capsize, the enemy will relax because of the short-term victory. At this time, Jinzhu will quietly enter the field. The enemy is in the light and I am in the dark, and I will definitely gain something.

I'm afraid that Yunyang and Jiaotu were promoted to become the twelve zodiac signs half a year in advance just for this moment!
He is so cruel even to his own people, no wonder the outside world calls him the "poisonous minister"!
Chen Ji cupped his hands and said, "Master Jinzhu, I am not from the Secret Service. I hope you will not disclose any secrets to me."

Jin Zhu came over, held Chen Ji's hand affectionately, and smiled: "Of course I have to tell you, I was counting on you to join the Secret Service to help me make meritorious deeds! By the way, I haven't told you the good news yet, the Minister of the Interior has issued an order, and specially approved you to join the Secret Service. From now on, we will be colleagues, and with your talent and intelligence, you will definitely rise to the top."

Chen Ji's hand was held by Jin Zhu's fat hand, and goose bumps appeared on his skin. He quickly said humbly: "Master Jin Zhu, thank you for the compliment. How can I have such ability?"

"Of course you did!" Jin Zhu exclaimed, "I originally thought that Yun Yang would be in trouble with Zhou Chengyi and would have to leave Luocheng in disgrace in just one day. But I didn't expect that they not only found evidence of the crime, but also nailed Liu Shiyu to death, and even investigated the fact that the old man of the Liu family faked his death. At that time, I was wondering, these two guys are good at killing people, but when did they learn other skills? Later, I realized that it was because of you!"

"It's not me," Chen Ji shook his head: "Master Jinzhu, I'm just an apprentice in the hospital."

"Don't be modest. Lin Chaoqing has already reported the incident to the Minister of Internal Affairs, and Mengji has also reported the interrogation of you in the dream to the Minister of Internal Affairs. When the two things are put together, the truth will naturally come out."

Chen Ji suddenly realized that it was no wonder that the Golden Pig came to find him, it turned out that the Inner Minister already knew of his existence.

He asked curiously, "I heard from Lord Yunyang that the selection of spies is very strict."

Jin Zhu smiled and patted his shoulder: "That's true, but your performance in the Liu Shiyu case was eye-catching, which made the Minister of Internal Affairs appreciate your talent, so naturally he made special arrangements for you."

"What are the benefits of joining the Secret Service? How much is the salary?" asked Chen Ji.

"Salary?" The Golden Pig laughed. "The annual salary of the sparrow level is 24 taels of silver, and the pheasant level is 26 taels. When you reach the pigeon level, the annual salary is 28 taels of silver. At this time, you can be on par with the magistrate of a large county. If you become a gadfly, it will be even more extraordinary. Ordinary prefects will be polite to you. Do you know what a gadfly is? This beast is fierce by nature. If it is hungry, it will attack anything in the sky."

"What about the twelve zodiac signs?" Chen Ji asked again.

"You want to be one of the twelve zodiac animals?" The Golden Pig looked at Chen Ji with interest, but kept saying, "The twelve zodiac animals are naturally more powerful than the Saker Falcon. They hold the king's flag and can execute first and report later when encountering something... But there are also differences among the twelve zodiac animals."

"what?"

"The twelve zodiac animals are divided into Jia, Yi, Bing and Ding. Ding three are rat, rabbit and sheep."

Chen Ji thought to himself that Yunyang and Jiaotu had the lowest status among the twelve zodiac animals.

The Golden Pig continued, "The next one is Bing San, and now it's the Golden Pig, the Treasure Monkey, and the Dream Chicken."

"Where's Yisan?"

"Corpse dog, mountain bull, black snake."

"Where's Jiasan?"

The Golden Pig laughed and said, "The top three is really amazing. As the saying goes, the top three are permanent, but the bottom nine are ever-changing. Over the years, the other zodiac signs have basically changed, but the top three are like a tumbler, never making a mistake and never changing."

"These three people are Bailong, Tianma, and Binghu!"

"The authority of the upper three zodiac signs is naturally different from ours. We still need to report to Lord Wu Xiu, and then he will convey it. The upper three report matters directly to Lord Internal Minister. We cannot ask what they are going to do or what they are doing. If there is any dispatch, the lower nine zodiac signs must obey the upper three unconditionally."

The clinic fell silent. It was only at this moment that Chen Ji had a complete understanding of the Secret Service.

Jin Zhu stopped talking. He took off his hat and placed it on the counter, allowing Chen Ji to digest what he had read.

Chen Ji thought quickly in this quiet environment, why did the other party say so much to him? Is it because he is not cunning? No.

If the other party was not very cunning, he would not have waited patiently until now to appear.

This is not a golden pig at all, it is clearly a person pretending to be a pig but trying to eat the tiger.

Chen Ji asked: "May I ask... where are the two masters Yunyang and Jiaotu now?"

Jin Zhu laughed and said, "Originally, he was to be escorted to the capital to await his fate, but the order from the Minister of Internal Affairs came, saying that he need not return to the capital, but be exiled directly to Lingnan."

Chen Ji shook his head: "Master Jinzhu, can I not join the Secret Service? Even powerful people like Lian Yunyang and Master Jiaotu have ended up in jail, so my fate will definitely not be any better..."

"Don't worry, I will protect you."

At this moment, there was a sudden noise in the backyard.

Chen Ji glanced towards the backyard, and when he turned back, the golden pig was gone!

He raised his head and looked upwards, only to see that the bloated body of the golden pig had jumped onto the beam at some point and was squatting there without making any sound!

Chen Ji: "..."

This golden pig hides faster than anyone else at the slightest sign of trouble!

Jin Zhu squinted his eyes slightly on the beam, as if facing a great enemy. He whispered, "Boy, go check it out."

……

...At the backyard wall, Bai Li's head appeared from behind and she looked around the yard carefully. When she saw the traces, she suddenly became discouraged.

She thought that she would save the toll by coming out late today and waiting for Chen Ji to fall asleep, but she didn't expect that this apprentice in the clinic didn't need to sleep!

Bai Li leaned against the wall and looked at Chen Ji, curiously asking, "Hey, what are you doing in the yard so late at night?"

Chen Ji said confidently: "Collect tolls."

Bai Li became even angrier. She climbed over the wall and climbed down the ladder. She angrily took out four silver peanuts from her purse and slapped them hard on Chen Ji's palm: "Don't call me Chen Ji anymore. Call me Chen Heixin!"

"Hey, why are there four?" Chen Ji asked puzzledly.

At this time, another head popped up from the top of the wall. It was a strange girl.

Bai Li waved at her: "Lingyun, there is a ladder inside, come down the ladder."

But the girl was seen wearing a navy blue dress, with a green jade hairpin in her hair, dressed as a boy, and she climbed into the yard lightly.

The prince and the little monk followed closely behind.

The girl named Lingyun looked at the four silver peanuts in Chen Ji's hand and asked curiously, "What are these for?"

Bai Li explained: "This is the toll for him."

"Toll?" Zhu Lingyun was stunned for a moment, and subconsciously said, "Isn't the Imperial Hospital owned by our palace? He is just an apprentice of the hospital supported by our palace, why should we give him a toll?"

Chen Ji looked at Bai Li: "Who is this?"

"This is my sister, Zhu Lingyun," Bai Li introduced with a smile, "She seldom went out before. I'm taking her out to play this time. Don't mind what she says, she has some ideas about family status."

Zhu Lingyun was surprised: "Bai Li, why are you so polite to a servant?"

Bai Li's face darkened. "What do you mean by servant or not? Father has always told us not to be arrogant. Why do you always follow your mother's ways?"

Zhu Lingyun was also unhappy: "You are so angry with me because of an outsider? What did my mother do to you?"

Bai Li didn't dwell on it: "Apologize, you forgot everything our father taught us!"

"Why should I apologize? He is just a servant!" Zhu Lingyun was unconvinced.

The prince and the little monk watching this scene hurriedly said, "Stop arguing, stop arguing. What's there to argue about... Lingyun, you shouldn't say that about Chen Ji."

Zhu Lingyun stared at the prince with her big almond eyes in disbelief: "Brother, you are helping Bai Li again!?"

The prince was silent for a moment. "I'm not helping anyone. I'm just talking about the facts. When he was in Donglin Academy, Prince Zhu Yu of Prince Fu was arrogant every day, but in the end, wasn't he driven away by the scholars? Don't let those scholars flatter you for too long in Donglin Academy and forget your father's teachings."

Zhu Lingyun's eyes were filled with tears. After a long silence, she turned around and climbed the ladder back to the palace: "You guys go have fun, I'm not going!"

Chen Ji remained silent from beginning to end...

The prince sighed and turned to look at Chen Ji: "I'm sorry, I made you laugh. Lingyun is actually a good person, but she has a little temper."

Chen Ji smiled and responded: "It's okay."

He returned a silver peanut to Bai Li, who was surprised and asked, "You can spit out the money you earned?"

“I don’t make money that I shouldn’t make.”

The prince gave a thumbs up: "You have principles!"

Chen Ji returned to the dormitory and gently woke Liang Mao'er up: "Tell your brother to go drink with the prince, and remember to eat more when you get to Hongyi Lane."

Liang Gou'er suddenly sat up, his eyes sparkling: "Drink? Where are we going to drink?"

Chen Ji: "..."

Liang Maoer: “…”

After these people left, the clinic returned to peace.

The golden pig lightly jumped down from the beam, looked at Chen Ji and asked, "You seem to have a good relationship with the prince and Princess Baili?"

"Not very good," Chen Ji shook his head.

The Golden Pig smiled and said, "I heard everything that Princess Baili said to defend you just now."

He said in an unquestionable tone: "Young man, there are many benefits to joining our Secret Service. You will never lose if you work with the Prime Minister. From today on, you are a secret agent. I will give you a task first. Follow the prince and report all his whereabouts to me. Let's go."

Chen Ji stood in the darkness of the clinic, watching Jin Zhu's departing back, and responded softly, "Understood, Master Jin Zhu."

As the door of the clinic closed gently, he returned to the backyard, picked up the bamboo tube, rolled up his sleeves in this cool autumn night, and carefully scraped the frost off the wall.

(End of this chapter)