Chapter 70 Leaving
midnight.

Chen Ji woke up from his dream and slowly sat up.

In the simple apprentice dormitory, Liang Maoer, She Dengke and Liu Quxing were sleeping soundly. Liang Gouer was fooling around somewhere and did not come back at night.

The cat and dog, who are usually inseparable, did not go out together today.

Chen Ji moved off the bed with difficulty and walked carefully into the yard. He wanted to find out whether Wu Hongbiao was lying or not.

In the empty yard, only a crow was left standing on the branch of the apricot tree.

Chen Ji turned his head and looked at the courtyard wall where the ladder was set up.

No one stood on their brother's shoulders and leaned out from the eaves anymore, and no one was holding their sister and staggering on the other side of the wall.

The Crown Prince and Princess Baili suddenly stopped going out to play, or stopped borrowing passage from the clinic, and Taiping Clinic returned to its former tranquility.

Chen Ji took some leftovers and water from the kitchen, turned around and was about to walk out of the clinic, but the crow blocked his way and pointed outside the clinic.

"Uncle Crow, what do you want to say?" Chen Ji wondered.

The crow spread its wings and gestured, first pointing outside the clinic, and then made a gesture of drawing a sword from its waist.

Chen Ji was stunned: "Are you trying to say that Taiping Clinic has been monitored?"

The crow nodded with satisfaction.

Chen Ji's heart trembled: "Uncle Crow, who is monitoring the clinic? If it is the Secret Service Department, just blink once. If it is the Military Intelligence Department, just blink twice."

The crow blinked three times...

Chen Ji: "..."

The crow grinned, as if mocking Chen Ji's impending disaster.

Chen Ji frowned and wondered why these two parties were monitoring him. What went wrong?
Moreover, with these two parties monitoring me at the same time, how can I get out to see Wu Hongbiao?
The crow stopped laughing at Chen Ji. It flapped its wings to signal Chen Ji to follow it, and then flew onto the roof of the main hall of the clinic.

Chen Ji brought a ladder and sneakily climbed up to the roof with the crow.

At midnight, a man and a crow poked half of their heads out from the roof and secretly looked at the shop opposite the main hall.

The two sides were separated by Anxi Street, and it was dim and unclear in the dark night.

Crow pointed to the second floor of the third shop on the right. The room was pitch dark, but the window was opened a crack, so that the entrance of Taiping Medical Clinic could be seen.

Crow pointed to the second floor of the second shop on the left, where the window was also opened a crack, facing the main entrance of Taiping Medical Clinic.

Both sides seemed to be observing who was coming in and out of the clinic.

Chen Ji muttered: "Fortunately, the two sides didn't rent the same room..."

The crow laughed silently.

Chen Ji retracted his head behind the roof and asked in a low voice: "Uncle Crow, how many people are there in the room on the right?"

The crow blinked three times. Three.

"What about the left side?"

The crow blinked three times, also three.

Chen Ji felt a strong sense of crisis. If he only sent one person, it would be a normal surveillance behavior, but if he sent three people at the same time, it would be a preparation for arrest or killing.

Fortunately, Uncle Crow helped...

Chen Ji turned to Crow and smiled, "Thank you, Uncle Crow, for helping me again... Why are you willing to help me?"

The crow smiled silently and did not answer.

Chen Ji asked again: "How can I get to the cloth shop?"

The crow flapped its wings and flew back.

Chen Ji followed the crow's instructions, along the shadows between the buildings on Anxi Street, and climbed into the backyard of the cloth shop.

Not only that, Uncle Crow was even responsible for cleaning up the mess. After Chen Ji entered the yard, it stopped on the courtyard wall to keep watch.

Hearing the sound of someone climbing over the wall, Wu Hongbiao, who was lying on the ground, sat up and said, "I finally got you. Are the Military Intelligence Department and the Secret Service Department still trying to catch me?"

Chen Ji said, "We are still catching them, but they have been led to the West Market. I heard that the cloth shop is going to be sold out soon. This is not a place to stay for long. Someone may come to visit the shop at any time."

Wu Hongbiao thought for a moment and said, "Then I will clean up this place tomorrow. If anyone comes, I will climb out of the yard first and then climb back in after they leave."

“It’s never safe.”

Wu Hongbiao thought for a moment and said, "Have you found out Si Cao's true identity?"

Chen Ji was silent for a moment: "You have to answer some questions for me first and do something for me, then I can answer your questions."

Wu Hongbiao looked at Chen Ji carefully: "You have changed."

Chen Ji leaned against the door frame, letting the moonlight lengthen his shadow. The former good brothers, one standing at the door, the other sitting on the ground, each one more embarrassed than the other, like brothers in distress together, yet keeping a safe distance.

Wu Hongbiao said softly, "You didn't receive long-term hard training before, so your vigilance was very poor. Of course, this is also related to the environment you grew up in. When we were twelve years old in Jing Dynasty, we were conscripted into the most miserable military camp in the north. We were trained in a bitter and cold place since childhood, and half a year was winter. There were only so many meals in the military camp. If you were not good enough, you would go hungry. If you went hungry for two meals, you would freeze to death. There, you had to scheme against each other to have a full meal."

Wu Hongbiao continued, "You grew up in the Southern Ning Dynasty, where birds sing and flowers bloom. There are gorgeous dancers and singers, as well as suave scholars and scholars. There are oars and lights on the Qinhuai River. Living here, you are naturally... weaker."

Chen Ji asked calmly: "What about now?"

Wu Hongbiao answered seriously: "It's different now. Although I don't know what you've been through, you are now more like a qualified soldier. Although it's a bit disappointing to be distrusted, I'm happy for you from the bottom of my heart. Only you like this can survive until the day when we meet again."

Chen Ji lowered his head and said, "Since you were betrayed by Jing Chao, have you ever considered joining the Secret Service?"

Wu Hongbiao's face turned serious and he said, "It was not the Jing Dynasty that betrayed me, but the Sicao. I have told you before that I will never waver in my faith because of the dirty politics of some people. I also believe that your uncle and his people will definitely make a comeback and purge the government and the country of the villains. The people of my Jing Dynasty have suffered enough, and I will not betray my motherland because of a few villains."

Chen Ji was silent. This was the first time he heard the word "faith" since he came into this world.

He didn't want to dwell on this question, so he asked the question he wanted to ask the most: "You said that the man with the green-faced, fang-toothed mask and who is good at using a knife, Si Cao, wanted to kill us. Why do you say that?"

Wu Hongbiao was surprised and said, "Sicao is Sicao, why are there so many adjectives? There is only one Sicao."

Chen Ji shook his head: "Answer my question first."

Wu Hongbiao recalled: "The people who came to kill me first lied to me that the Si Cao had ordered me to go to the Cao Gang in the East City to pick up a batch of goods. I am a pigeon-level spy. In the whole city of Luo, except you, only Zhou Chengyi and Si Cao are qualified to know my information. In addition, I also asked them to show the Si Cao token on the day the killer came, and they showed it."

"What is the Si Cao token?"

"The Luocheng Chronicles is printed with the special seal of Rongbaozhai. The upper right corner of the seal is knocked off. It cannot be copied."

Chen Ji finally understood that Wu Hongbiao actually didn't know about the existence of other Si Cao, nor did he know that a new Si Cao had arrived in Luo City and squeezed out the original Si Cao.

Therefore, according to his own inference, the one who wanted to kill them was the shopkeeper Yuan, not the coachman Si Cao.

However, Chen Ji had to verify that Wu Hongbiao was not lying.

After a long silence, he said, "I need you to do something."

"what's up?"

"See Si Cao."

Wu Hongbiao looked shocked. …

……

Early in the morning, at the Luocheng prefectural government office.

The yamen was hung with a gold-painted plaque inscribed with "Luocheng Prefecture Office". Officials hurried to the gate to report for duty. One clerk lowered his voice and said, "Hurry up, hurry up. If you are late, you will be punished by the Tongzhi again."

As he was speaking, a carriage engraved with canary patterns slowly stopped in front of the government office. The officials did not even bother to roll in, but stopped and bowed.

The driver lifted the curtain from the hook on the carriage, picked up a stool and placed it next to the carriage, then whispered, "Second Master, we're here."

Liu Mingxian, wearing a blue official robe, a black gauze hat, a jade leather belt around his waist, and black-soled, white boots, slowly stepped down from the carriage.

"Hello, Lord Tongpan."

"Hello, Lord Tongpan."

Liu Mingxian hummed a sound from his nose, and the officials dared to stand up and hurried to the government office.

According to the rules, Liu Mingxian, a fifth-rank official, was not qualified to ride in the canary carriage, but Liu Ge Lao of the Liu family held a high position, and Yuzhou was the Liu family's private land, so naturally no one dared to say anything.

When Liu Mingxian entered the yamen, the driver drove the carriage aside, put on a bamboo hat, squatted at the door, and chatted with other coachmen and sedan bearers.

The driver asked with a smile, "Erniu, did your master go out again last night?"

Erniu said with a smile, "Hey, my master never goes out to have fun. Last night he went to the Embroidery Tower in Baiyi Lane and heard that he saw the head of the Liu family."

The driver exclaimed, "Now all the masters in Luocheng want to see what Chief Liu Xing looks like. What does your master say?"

Erniu said honestly: "My master said that Liu Xingshou is really a wonderful person. It's a pity that she is protected by the Xu family, so no one dares to do anything to her."

The driver paused for a breath, then asked, "Lao Li, what did you do last night?"

"What else can I do?" Old Li yawned. "Last night, a group of spies came to the Craftsmen's Bureau, saying they wanted to check the account books in the warehouse. My master stayed in there all night and couldn't leave. Look, he was just released this morning, and he didn't even go home, he came here directly."

The driver laughed and said, "You are really miserable. Go back and ask your wife to give you a good back massage."

"My wife? You can hit me, but forget about hitting my back!"

The coachmen and sedan chair bearers burst into laughter.

At this moment, Liu Mingming's driver accidentally glanced at the street and his face suddenly darkened.

Across the street, a pale-faced young man stood still, staring straight at him.

The driver said to the others, "I haven't eaten anything this morning. I'll go have a bowl of tofu pudding first. You guys can chat."

"Okay, come back and bring me two fried dough sticks!"

But the coachman Si Cao walked quickly into the crowd. As he walked, he suddenly flashed to the side of the young man, pulled the other's arm and walked into the alley.

When the two of them arrived at the alley, the driver, Si Cao, shouted in a low voice: "Wu Hongbiao, do you want to die? The Secret Service Department and the Military Intelligence Department are all looking for you, and you still dare to stay in Luocheng?!"

Wu Hongbiao whispered, "I can't leave."

The driver, Si Cao, asked in a serious tone, "How do you know my identity and how did you find me here?"

Wu Hongbiao lowered his head: "I have followed you before."

Si Cao sneered: "You followed me? You think you can follow me? Have you surrendered to the Ning Dynasty Secret Service?"

Wu Hongbiao raised his head and looked at Si Cao: "After all, I am also an elite under Lord Lu, specially sent to the Southern Dynasty. Don't underestimate me."

Si Cao still didn't believe it. He narrowed his eyes slightly and reached his hand into his sleeve, ready to draw out the dagger at any time. He quickly looked around, but found that no one was surrounding him.

The Secret Service used hundreds of people to capture him last time on the Qinhuai River, but they failed. If Wu Hongbiao had defected, the Secret Service might have already dispatched the Fanwei from the Mengjin camp to surround him.

Si Cao seemed to be thinking: "Why don't you hide yourself now? What do you want to find me for?"

Wu Hongbiao said, "Someone is holding your token to lure me to death, so I have to come and ask you face to face, Sir Si Cao, why do you want to kill me?"

"It's not me, someone wants to purge us," Si Cao replied in a deep voice.

"How to prove it?"

Si Cao sneered: "If I killed you, would you be alive today? Don't talk nonsense. Since you are alive, go to Taiping Medical Clinic immediately and tell Chen Ji what happened. Tell him that tomorrow evening, the two of you come to this alley again, and I will arrange for you to leave Luocheng!"

"Where?"

"A merchant will take you back to Jingchao. Go back and find his uncle. Only by staying with him can you be temporarily safe," said Si Cao.

Wu Hongbiao turned and left. At the same time, two tabby cats on the gray tiles of the eaves stopped fighting, jumped off the roof, and disappeared in the huge city of Luo.

……

……

At noon, dark clouds jumped from the roof into the yard. It raised its paw and patted Chen Ji gently, but failed to wake him up.

Wu Yun waited patiently until Chen Ji gasped and woke up from the nightmare of the ancient battlefield. He touched his neck. Feng Huai had just chopped him here...

Chen Ji looked at Wu Yun: "Are you injured again?"

Wu Yun raised his head and said, "Triumph! From now on, I have the final say in Anxi Street!"

Chen Ji stood in awe: "Very fierce!"

Wu Yun recounted the events of monitoring Wu Hongbiao today, and Chen Ji came to the conclusion: Wu Hongbiao did not lie, and the coachman Si Cao had never intended to kill him, and the other party had indeed come yesterday to protect him.

The one who wanted to kill him was Shopkeeper Yuan.

Wu Yun suddenly asked, "Are you going to leave Ning Dynasty?"

Chen Ji was silent.

Should I leave? At least I can stop being a double agent. Jing Chao has an uncle who was a high-ranking official. Even if he steps down, a lean camel is still bigger than a horse.

Even if you don't have the power, you can still buy more ginseng, right?
Although I can't see some of my new friends anymore, they won't come to the clinic again anyway.

The only thing he couldn't let go of was old man Yao... What would happen to him if he was gone? He could only ask She Dengke and Liu Quxing for help.

No matter from which perspective, Chen Ji should leave. This is not the choice he most wants to make, but it is the wisest one.

Chen Ji looked at Wu Yun and said, "Would you like to come with me?"

Wu Yun thought for a moment and said, "Although it's a pity that we just took over Anxi Street, I will go wherever you go."

Chen Ji took a deep breath and said, "Okay, let's leave tomorrow afternoon and leave this troubled place."

He stood up and slowly moved to the yard, looking at the large water tank in the southeast corner of the yard, the apricot tree in the middle of the yard, the main house with the door closed, and the main hall of the clinic where the work was going on...

Chen Ji had not been in this world for long, but even though he had only lived here for more than ten days, there was reluctance in his eyes when he thought about leaving.

At this time, Liu Quxing returned to the backyard to wash his hands. He looked at Chen Ji in surprise: "Hey, you finally woke up."

Chen Ji smiled and took out a piece of silver and handed it over: "Brother, can you help me buy some meat and vegetables? I want to cook a meal for everyone."

(End of this chapter)