CHAPTER 55: 52, BETRAYAL

Prince Jing, Zhu Youxiao.

His mother, Consort Li, passed away early, and the young Prince Jing was raised under the wing of the current Empress Dowager, growing up alongside Emperor Ning as close as true siblings.

When Emperor Ning ascended the throne at the age of eleven, Zhu Youxiao was fourteen, and the Liu Family Empress Dowager held sway over the government.

Over the course of six years, Zhu Youxiao tirelessly worked to win over the Northern civil servants and the Imperial Censors for Emperor Ning, reducing the power of the extended royal family.

At the age of seventeen, Emperor Ning finally took the reins of power, and when he reached twenty-one, he conferred the title of Prince Jing on Zhu Youxiao.

Everything had been calm, but in recent years, Prince Jing had been improving the administration outside the palace, repairing rivers to aid in disasters, and preparing provisions for the border army, increasingly elevating his prestige.

Thus, the Ritual Supervision started looking for any means to make trouble for the Prince Jing Mansion, with many of Prince Jing’s former officials finding themselves behind bars, and even the Chief Eunuch by Prince Jing’s side was replaced by those newly assigned by the Ritual Supervision.

Some said Emperor Ning had grown estranged from Prince Jing, while others claimed that Prince Jing was slowly harboring disloyal intentions.

Even last year, when Emperor Ning celebrated his forty-second birthday, Prince Jing did not return to the capital due to his efforts in river repair and disaster relief.

Brothers of the past suddenly became strangers.

It was like the stories told by the troubadours: once someone became king, they inevitably lost their appeal.

Chen Ji thought of his master’s exquisite divination skills and a deep concern suddenly rose within him; if his master truly intended to use the Dragon Energy of Prince Jing Mansion to cultivate his disciple, then Prince Jing Mansion might not survive this calamity.

The Jing Dynasty Military Intelligence Department, the Ning Dynasty Secret Spy Department, the Liu Family, were like a giant vortex, ready to drag Prince Jing Mansion to the depths of the sea.

As the saying goes, one seeks fortune amid danger; where there is disaster, there is Ice Flow. Master wasn’t using the divination skill to seek good fortune and avoid disaster, he was clearly using it to make sure they stepped right into a gaping pit!

Wu Yun bid Chen Ji goodnight and scaled the wall back to the Late Star Garden.

Chen Ji stood alone next to the counter, quietly contemplating his current situation.

While in deep thought, he suddenly heard noises from the backyard.

Thud, thud, thud.

The sound of knocking came from outside the door.

Chen Ji frowned, it was already midnight, and in just over two hours it would be dawn; who could be visiting at this hour?

Was it Jin Zhu? He wondered what Jin Zhu’s purpose could be in visiting the Medical Hall at this time?

He went to open the door.

However, at the moment the Medical Hall’s main door was pulled open, Chen Ji’s heart skipped a beat and he stumbled several steps back in shock!

The visitor was not someone else, but shockingly it was Manager Yuan of Bailu Pavilion, who was already dead!

Manager Yuan’s complexion was pale, his smile eerie, and he radiated a chilling aura.

Chen Ji had witnessed firsthand how Lord Si Cao held Manager Yuan’s jaw, inserted a knife inch by inch into his heart, and completely twisted it into pieces.

But how could a man with a shattered heart come back from the dead?!

Boom! All of a sudden, there was the rumble of autumn thunder in the sky, and dark clouds, unbeknownst to when, enveloped Luocheng City, bringing with them a cold rain.

This was the first rain Chen Ji had experienced since coming to Luocheng City. It was not like the gentle drizzle of autumn rain, but was instead heavy and swift.

Amidst the lightning and thunder, Chen Ji no longer retreated. He drew out the short knife that had been hidden in his sleeve and thrust it directly towards Manager Yuan’s throat.

But before the knife could reach its target, he saw Manager Yuan raise his hand lightly, and with two fingers pinched the tip of the knife, stopping Chen Ji from advancing any further.

The knife’s tip halted, as if time itself had frozen.

Manager Yuan smiled and said, "Don’t be so nervous; this is not the ghost of Manager Yuan coming to find you, but rather me, Lord Si Cao from the Military Intelligence Department."

Chen Ji was astonished; he sized up the Manager Yuan in front of him. His demeanor was perfectly natural, with not the slightest hint of abnormality. Who could have guessed that this was actually a human skin mask?

A human skin mask?

He had only heard of such things in stories.

Chen Ji had just been wondering who would take over as shopkeeper of Bailu Pavilion after Manager Yuan’s inexplicable death; he had not expected Lord Si Cao to disguise himself as Manager Yuan.

Chen Ji slowly relaxed the strength in his hand: "Lord Si Cao, my apologies, I didn’t know it was you."

But he heard Lord Si Cao laugh reassuringly, "Being vigilant is good; how could I blame you?"

"Lord Si Cao, what brings you here so late?" asked Chen Ji.

"I have some bad news for you," Lord Si Cao said gravely, "In the process of arranging for those spies who know of your existence to withdraw to the North, a Pigeon Level spy has defected. We’ve been looking for him for two days but his whereabouts remain unknown. I suspect he might defect to the Ning Dynasty Secret Spy Department... or perhaps he already has."

A tightness gripped Chen Ji’s heart.

A Jing Dynasty spy who knew of his existence had defected? Wasn’t this a death sentence for him?

"Which spy is it? Has he seen me?" Chen Ji asked gravely.

Lord Si Cao entered the Medical Hall, closed the main door behind him, then slowly said: "He is one of Zhou Chengyi’s subordinates; he has seen you at Zhou Chengyi’s Mansion."

He has seen me?

Chen Ji rapidly sifted through his memory, considering if the spy had seen him at Zhou Chengyi’s Mansion, then he would undoubtedly know of his medical apprentice identity as well.

At this moment, this spy probably hadn’t yet defected; if he truly had, Jin Zhu would have likely brought men to his doorstep already.

But why would the spy run away in the first place?

Chen Ji feigned confusion: "Isn’t it better for them to return to the Jing Dynasty in the North, no longer living on edge under the Ning Dynasty’s watch, why would it cause his defection?"

Lord Si Cao explained: "This man was one of the finest spies of our Military Intelligence Department, known for being efficient and ruthless. I sent someone to tell him to prepare for evacuation, but he mistook it as a sign that I wanted to silence him, so he killed the messenger and vanished without a trace."

No, no, no, it can’t be that simple.

Chen Ji frowned.

Given the nature of Lord Si Cao, he feared that the man really intended to kill to silence, but the person he sent had not expected the Jing Dynasty spy to be so troublesome and had been killed instead.

"Lord Si Cao, does he know why you... arranged for him to retreat?" Chen Ji asked.

"Of course, I will not inform him of that," Si Cao answered.

Therefore, the defecting spy still did not know why he was to be silenced.

But, once the spy truly defected to the Spy Department, he would surely reveal everything he knew, and at that time... Chen Ji himself would be in danger!

"Lord Si Cao, may I ask where he might be hiding... Huh?" Chen Ji sensed something wrong and quickly retreated backward.

But his pace of retreat was no match for how swiftly the other pursued.

In just the space of a breath, Chen Ji was grabbed by the throat with one hand and lifted into the air.

Lord Si Cao said with a sigh, "Make no noise, or I’ll have to kill an entire courtyard of people."

Chen Ji struggled fiercely, his face turning bright red.

However, before someone like Si Cao, a seasoned Executive Officer, Chen Ji, a newcomer barely initiated into the spy world, stood no chance at all.

Chen Ji wanted to shout at the top of his lungs, calling for the fast asleep Liang Gou’er to help, but he couldn’t make a sound with his throat.

All he could do was desperately try to communicate by writing on the back of the other’s hand: Why kill me?

Si Cao did not answer, simply watching Chen Ji’s pupils quietly, as if observing the specimens of the dead.

A thought flashed through Chen Ji’s mind: Si Cao wanted to kill him because the latter intended to thoroughly purge any potential leaks the defecting spy might reveal.

This was a typical purge policy used by all intelligence agencies; intelligence work was not ordinary. Once there was a breach, the whole team needed to be withdrawn or cleansed.

If the defecting spy implicated Chen Ji, it was possible that Chen Ji might then reveal Bailu Pavilion.

As one of the Jing Dynasty Military Intelligence Department’s largest sources of funding within Ning Dynasty territory, Bailu Pavilion must not fall!

Chen Ji panicked internally, quickly looking around to find a way to save himself, but the gunpowder was not ready, and even if it were, at this distance, the most he could achieve was to die together with Si Cao.

Power and strength were the two heaviest words in the world.

Chen Ji had fantasized about living in the Medical Hall peacefully as an Imperial Physician, and he had fantasized about wandering the Jianghu, free from the Spy Department and the Military Intelligence Department, but all these fantasies, without the support of power and strength, were mere delusions.

Cultivation!

Cultivation was the most important thing!

But what now?

At this moment, there came a knocking sound at the Medical Hall door!

Bang, bang, bang.

The sound seemed dull amidst the curtain of rain, yet it was distinctly abrupt.

Si Cao’s pupils sharply constricted, he hoisted Chen Ji quickly to the corner of the main hall, his eyes flickering uncertainly as he contemplated whether to kill Chen Ji then and there before bursting out.

He looked at Chen Ji, who quickly wrote on his hand: Let me deal with it!

The Medical Hall fell silent, only the sound of rain outside remained.

A moment later, Si Cao said in a low voice, "You know what to do, if you call for help, you will be the first to die."

Chen Ji nodded forcefully.

Si Cao set Chen Ji down and slowly released his hand.

Rubbing his neck, Chen Ji asked calmly, "Who is it?"

The person outside said casually, "Jin Zhu, open the door. I have something for you. Just like the deal with Yun Yang and Jiao Tu, fifty taels of silver for a single move."

Si Cao and Chen Ji exchanged glances, Chen Ji whispered quickly, "He must not have caught the defecting spy yet, otherwise he wouldn’t be speaking so politely."

"What’s he here for then?"

Chen Ji spoke hurriedly, "The Spy Department’s moves to hunt for the defector must have alarmed them; they probably want to find the man before you do. This is a rare opportunity, I can use the Spy Department’s effort to find him and see what clues they hold."

Si Cao’s expression remained impassive, showing no emotion, while outside impatient urges resounded again: "Boy, hurry and open the door."

Chen Ji spoke again, "Lord Si Cao, although Yun Yang and Jiao Tu are now behind bars, I have earned Jin Zhu’s trust and can approach the Prime Minister. I care about Bailu Pavilion as much as you do, this is my loyalty to the Jing Dynasty. Rest assured, I will find this traitor and find a way to get rid of him!"

Si Cao squinted slightly: "Consider the consequences before you act. If you ask Jin Zhu for help, you will surely expose your identity as a Jing Dynasty spy. At that time, even if you surrender, Jin Zhu certainly will not let you off, knowing how much they hate us."

"Understood!"

Si Cao slowly receded behind the counter and crouched down, pricking up his ears to listen.

Chen Ji, meanwhile, adjusted his collar to cover the strangulation marks as he walked towards the door, pulling it open.

Jin Zhu, wearing a straw coat and bamboo hat, stood in the splashing rain: "What took you so long?"

Behind Jin Zhu, more than a dozen spies stood solemnly, also clad in straw coats.

Chen Ji said in a low voice, "Someone was just urinating, so it took a while... What brings Lord Jin Zhu to my doorstep?"

Jin Zhu spoke, "Come with me, we caught a Military Intelligence Department spy in Hongyi Lane. They seem to be capturing a defector, and we must find this person first; they’re very important!"

After speaking, Jin Zhu threw a straw coat to Chen Ji.

Chen Ji, while donning the coat, casually glanced at the Medical Hall counter.

Ultimately, he did not reveal Si Cao and simply wrapped the straw coat around himself, turning to walk into the pouring rain.