CHAPTER 447: 344, KOI_2

Zhou Chong anticipated, "When the time comes, we will compare whose troops are better. We should not only compare military achievements but also military discipline."

Li Xuan didn’t participate, only rubbing his hands quietly as he paced before the main gate.

But by noon, as the clerks of the Six Ministries went out for lunch, the Imperial Decree had still not arrived.

Qi Zhenzhuo murmured quietly, "Could something have gone wrong, perhaps Mr. Wang agreed on the surface but didn’t draft the orders for the Ministry of War?"

Li Xuan, with a worried expression, said, "Mr. Wang is the epitome of current scholar models, how could he be untrustworthy? If he truly wanted to help, he wouldn’t have agreed in the first place. Let’s wait a bit longer, maybe the memorial is still in Wenhua Palace and hasn’t been presented to His Majesty yet."

He subconsciously glanced at Chen Ji, only to see Chen Ji leaning motionless against a wooden post by the gate, resting with his eyes closed.

Throughout the midday, none of them went for lunch, fearing they’d miss the opportunity to receive the decree, and that it would be retracted. Qi Zhenzhuo had five golden peanuts prepared to bribe the imperial eunuch but had not the chance to give them out.

It was not until dusk, when the sun set in the west.

Li Xuan finally couldn’t hold back. He saw the Ministry of War official exiting after work and hurried across the long street to inquire, "Chancellor Zhou, may I ask if there are any orders from the Ministry of War for our Yulin Army today?"

Chancellor Zhou hemmed and hawed, attempting to evade questions and retreat into his sedan chair, but Li Xuan pulled him out. "Chancellor Zhou, is there some hidden reason you can’t disclose?"

Chancellor Zhou sighed bitterly, "Lord Li, please don’t make things difficult for me with your Qi family matters. If there’s anything, ask Mr. Qi at home, or perhaps ask your wife."

Li Xuan stood there in a daze.

Chancellor Zhou lowered the sedan curtain and urged the bearers, "Go, go, go."

The bearers looked at Li Xuan standing beside the sedan, "Lord Li, please step aside."

The distant sunset sank behind the towering majestic city.

Li Xuan retreated step by step, despondently returning to the Yulin Army Commander’s Mansion, his spirit seemingly drained in an instant, like a withered tall reed.

Qi Zhenzhuo followed alongside, asking, "What happened, brother-in-law? What did you say to that guy named Zhou? What about our orders?"

Li Xuan took a deep breath, "Qi Zhenzhuo, do you know why the Qi Mansion is called Koi Garden?"

Qi Zhenzhuo was taken aback, "Why bring this up?"

Li Xuan chuckled softly, "The Koi Garden wasn’t a name the Qi Mansion chose long ago but a nickname among the common folk. They said the Qi family women liked young handsome men, luring them into the mansion as son-in-laws. Those son-in-laws were as beautiful as the Koi in the Qi family pond, yet they could never leap over the dragon gate."

Qi Zhenzhuo frowned, "Why are you saying this? You and my sister get along well, showing mutual respect, don’t you?"

Li Xuan turned to gaze at him, "Your sister and the Family Head wouldn’t let us accompany the army to Korea. Perhaps it was the Family Head who overruled Mr. Wang’s memorial."

Qi Zhenzhuo’s expression changed, ignoring Li Xuan’s previous criticism of the Qi family, "How can this be? Do we need someone else’s permission to go somewhere?"

Li Xuan spoke softly, "Our official positions were given by the Qi family, how can we not consider the Qi family’s opinion? We are caged birds, pond fish, cocooned butterflies, not meant to go far."

Qi Zhenzhuo looked to Chen Ji for help, "Master, is there any other way? Could you speak with Mr. Wang again?"

Chen Ji remained leaning against the gate post, lost in thought, without lifting an eyelid, "This matter is beyond Mr. Wang’s influence."

Qi Zhenzhuo looked back outside the gate, "What’s the point of training now, let’s go drink. I brought five golden peanuts and didn’t get to use them, let them be for the brothers’ wine money!"

Chen Ji opened his eyes, "You go; I’m going home to sleep."

He turned back to the Commander’s Mansion, removed his silver armor, changed into plain clothes, and left the Yulin Army, heading towards Fuyou Street.

...

...

The streets were sparse today.

The Five Cities Military Department watched the copper pot hourglass, as soon as the hour of Xu arrived, soldiers drummed slowly eighteen times, then quickly eighteen times, repeating three cycles, signaling the curfew.

The soldiers of the Five Cities Military Department struck the copper gongs on the street, shouting loudly, "By order of the constitution, cleanse the street at the hour of Xu, extinguish lights and close doors, violators will be arrested!"

With the curfew in effect, the city became solemn, and a silence fell over all.

Chen Ji hurried back to the Chen Mansion before the curfew and pushed open the wooden gate of the Silver Apricot Garden.

Upon hearing the door open, Xiao Man rushed out to greet him, "Young Master, you returned so early today?"

Xiao Man cautiously observed Chen Ji’s expression, Chen Ji glanced at her: "What guilty thing have you done, lurking around like this?"

Xiao Man exclaimed: "No, no, what guilty thing could I do?"

Chen Ji brushed the dust off his clothes carelessly: "On normal days when you enter, you always say, ’Young master, let me bring you a basin of water to wash your face,’ but today you ask why I return so early, and you say you haven’t done anything guilty?"

Xiao Man said in a fluster: "Ah, I, I didn’t watch the little black cat, and it accidentally peed on your bed, but I’ve cleaned it up."

Chen Ji did not expose her, casually saying: "Burn those three letters I gave you this morning, don’t let anyone see them, remember, no one can see them."

Xiao Man hurriedly agreed: "Alright, I’ll go burn them... why do you suddenly want to burn the letters?"

Chen Ji calmly said: "No need to go to Korea."

Xiao Man responded with an "Oh".

Chen Ji went inside to pour himself a cup of tea, silently pondering.

He must stop Wang Daosheng from sending troops to Korea... but how to stop it?

The best strategy is to use someone else’s hand to ruin the Jing Dynasty Military Intelligence Department’s plan, so that Mr. Wang won’t have to risk going to Korea. The worst strategy is to confront Mr. Wang directly, but Mr. Wang would still not be able to change the expedition’s outcome.

Chen Ji gazed at the bare ginkgo tree in the yard in silence, devising a strategy in his mind.

Until the voice of the night patrol came from outside the Chen Mansion: "The weather is dry, be careful of fire."

First watch.

Chen Ji suddenly stood up and walked outside, Xiao Man asked behind him: "Young master, where are you going, the city is already under curfew."

"I’m going to take care of something," he avoided the servants of the Chen Mansion and climbed over the wall, sticking to the shadow of the eaves on Fuyou Street, moving towards Taiye Pond.

Passing through Stone Tiger Alley, outside the alley, there were ten-person groups of Five Cities Military Department patrolling with lanterns, sharp-eyed. Chen Ji pulled back his step, hid behind the corner of the alley, and continued when he heard the footsteps fade away.

Hiding and hiding along the way, he finally climbed over the high wall of Taiye Pond, closed his eyes behind a rockery, and waited.

Second period of night.

Third watch of the night.

It was not until the fourth watch night that Chen Ji heard the rumbling sound of the iron gate of the Imperial Prison from afar.

He did not dare to approach, only hiding dozens of feet away behind a rockery, quietly observing, and Xuan Snake was leading a group of spies hurrying away.

Chen Ji retracted into the shadow behind the rockery, continuing to wait, and after thirty minutes, the iron gate opened again, this time Jiao Tu and Yun Yang passed by from outside.

He pondered for a moment and hid back behind the rockery.

Until the third time the Imperial Prison iron gate opened, Chen Ji squinted and saw Bai Long, Heavenly Horse, and Jin Zhu walking out of the prison together, Bai Long seemed to be instructing the two about something, and only after a long time did he wave his hand to signal them to leave.

Bai Long stood alone on the shore of Taiye Pond, hands hanging quietly in thought, all his emotions hidden behind that white dragon-pattern mask, unfathomable, inscrutable.

After thirty minutes, he walked south.

Chen Ji closed his eyes in consideration for a long time, and only when Bai Long passed by the rockery did he finally make a decision.

Only to see him slowly walk out of the shadows, clasping his hands: "Lord Bai Long."

Bai Long turned to look at him: "It’s you. Do you know that according to Daning Law, those who break curfew without urgent official documents are flogged sixty times. Those who trespass Taiye Pond are flogged a hundred times and exiled three thousand miles."

Chen Ji lowered his head and said: "I am Hai Dongqing of the Spy Department, naturally there is no saying of trespassing Taiye Pond, let alone breaking curfew. I only heard about the Huitong Hall matter, just felt that something was fishy, so I came to see if there was any place I could help."

Bai Long laughed: "What, you’re also eyeing the Top Three positions vacated by Binghu? So many people are vying for them, it might not be your turn, be careful of your life."

Chen Ji shook his head: "I have no intention for the zodiac positions, just want to ease Lord Bai Long’s worries. Although the courtiers have reached a conclusion on this matter, if the arsonist and poisoner who secretly sent poison to the Korea envoy cannot be found, it might be difficult for you to explain to Your Majesty."

Bai Long looked at Chen Ji with interest: "You have quite the nerve, how dare you come to find me?"

Chen Ji sincerely said: "Mr. Feng told me that if from now on, in this Ritual Supervision, I could only trust one person, it would definitely be Lord Bai Long."

Bai Long was silent for a moment, seeming somewhat surprised: "Did he really say that?"

Chen Ji firmly said: "Indeed."