Lu Jin.
Uncle.
A na and title both foreign and familiar.
He existed in Chen Ji’s world in a near-legendary way, thousands of miles away, but like the towering mountains by Spring Thunder Lake, impossible to ignore.
Only Chen Ji, Jin Zhu, and West Wind were left flipping through the official gazettes in Zhou Mansion’s study.
West Wind sat upright in the Taishi chair, his deanor indifferent and scornful, as if what he flipped through was not the official gazette but rather the morials of the Jing Dynasty’s various provincial governors.
Jin Zhu sat by the mahogany desk, put down his own gazette, and looked towards the opposite tiger mask, "Do you think the previous firearms explosion in Luocheng was due to infighting within the Jing Dynasty Military Intelligence Departnt?"
Chen Ji held up the gazette in his hands, spread it out for Jin Zhu to see, "Lu Jin was ousted because of political struggle, and his opponents would certainly want to clip his wings imdiately. This would explain why the Jing Dynasty assassins who attacked you were also fighting to the death with monks from Kujue Temple in Jing Dynasty."
Jin Zhu clapped his hands in admiration, "I took a whole day to figure out sothing you managed to understand just by reading one sentence in the official gazette, impressive indeed."
"So, you knew about this."
Jin Zhu said with a smile, "These purges within the Military Intelligence Departnt did not only happen in Luocheng but in the Imperial Capital, Jinling, Suzhou, Yangzhou, and Jinn as well."
Chen Ji puzzled, "Aren’t they afraid of ssing up more important matters through such infighting?"
Jin Zhu said aningfully, "Is there anything in this world more important than power?"
After a mont of thought, Chen Ji asked, "Is the infighting within the Military Intelligence Departnt over?"
Jin Zhu spoke with a smile, "It’s still early."
"Oh?"
At this mont, a spy outside the door brought in a tray with a pot of hot tea.
As Jin Zhu poured Chen Ji so hot tea, he lanted, "Lu Jin won’t accept defeat easily. People like him can’t have their success or failure easily judged until the mont they die."
"You seem to hold him in high regard."
Jin Zhu poured himself a cup of hot tea as well, leisurely starting to chat, "Lu Jin was originally a descendant of Jing Dynasty’s military gentry. When his family fell into decline, he knelt resolutely outside the doorstep of Yuan Zhong, the Vice Minister of the Privy Council, acknowledging Yuan Zhong as his sworn father and offered up the remainder of his family’s property and silver coins. In return, he received a position of ’Si Cao’ in the Privy Council."
"Back then, it was fashionable for the descendants of the Jing Dynasty’s entitled gentry to hold ceremonial posts in the Privy Council, spending their days walking birds and fighting dogs, gambling and frolicking with courtesans."
"But Lu Jin didn’t waste his ti in the Privy Council; instead, he petitioned to establish the Military Intelligence Departnt. Yuan Zhong mocked him publicly, telling him to just enjoy his easy life in the Privy Council and not overestimate himself. Lu Jin didn’t give up; he simply knelt again at Yuan Zhong’s door for three days and nights. Yuan Zhong, losing his patience, publicly said ’Go kill an official in the Ning Dynasty, and I will let you establish that nonsensical Military Intelligence Departnt.’"
Jin Zhu sighed, "From that day, Lu Jin disappeared, only to reappear years later. When he did, he held the head of our Ning Dynasty’s Minister of Revenue, pickled in li, standing in front of the lacquered red doors of the Privy Council. This event shocked both dynasties, with our Ning Dynasty furious, sending over thirty assassins to kill him, all returning without success. At the sa ti, Lu Jin was favored by Yuan Mao, the Minister of the Secretariat, and rose rapidly through the ranks."
Minister of the Secretariat, one of the Jing Dynasty’s highest officials, second only to one, above thousands.
Chen Ji found it odd, "Why are you so well-inford about this?"
Jin Zhu drained the hot tea in his cup, closed his eyes to savor it for a mont, then opened his eyes and smacked his lips, "Fine Xinyang Maojian indeed, a pity it’s past its season... Knowing this isn’t unusual; ever since Lu Jin was favored by the Minister of the Secretariat, Yuan Zhong that loudmouth would drink and boast about Lu Jin having knelt to him twice. Not just that, even when Lu Jin ranked equally, he would still order Lu Jin around like a son."
Chen Ji laughed, "That Yuan Zhong, I’m afraid the grass on his grave is already more than a ter tall?"
With a smile, Jin Zhu said, "Had Lu Jin really killed Yuan Zhong, that would just make for a cliché story, and Lu Jin would be nothing but a cliché person, not worth the alarm from my Spy Departnt. In fact, not only did Lu Jin not kill Yuan Zhong, but he also always referred to him as his sworn father, giving generous gifts during festivals to thank him for past support."
Chen Ji hesitated.
Jin Zhu exclaid in admiration, "Nowadays, the common people of the Jing Dynasty may not know which laws Emperor Jing has promulgated, but they definitely know that Lu Jin repays kindness. If you’ve ever helped him, it’s as if you have a gold shield against death."
Chen Ji was perplexed, "This man has such high political acun, how did he lose to Lu Guanwu?"
Jin Zhu shook his head, "It wasn’t him who lost, it was Yuan Mao who lost... Enough about that, let’s go back to reading the official gazette."
"Hm."
Chen Ji quickly finished flipping through the entire box of gazettes, and suddenly he realized sothing: none of the gazettes ever ntioned that Lu Jin had a sister.
It was as if that woman had never truly existed.
...
...
However, at this very mont, a spy outside took advantage of the night to knock on the doors of Zhou Mansion.
Amid the creaking sound of the wooden door swinging open, the spy, not waiting for the door to fully open, slipped into the courtyard sideways, kneeled on one knee, and said with a fist in palm, "Lord, sothing terrible has happened!"
Jin Zhu stepped over the threshold, from the study to the courtyard, "Didn’t I tell you to escort Liu Tiao and the others to transport the Deputy Director out of the city, why have you co back alone?"
The spy said in a hushed voice, "Liu Tiao stuffed that Deputy Director into the hidden compartnt of a dung cart, ready to sneak him out through the northern Azure Dragon Sect. But the Luocheng Military Departnt happened to search the man out! Before I could step forward to rescue him, the foot soldiers of the Military Departnt had already surrounded Liu Tiao and the others, forming a military formation. With more than twenty elite foot soldiers in formation, I had no confidence."
Lord Jin Zhu’s expression changed, "What? You were just transporting a person, and yet such a huge blunder has occurred!"
The spy said bitterly, "This thod of transporting people has always been foolproof, I never expected such a big fall this ti. Lord, what should we do now? I fear Liu Tiao and the others will suffer. Lord, why don’t we reveal our identities and ask the Luocheng Military Departnt to release them? How can our people fall into the hands of these bumpkins?"
Chen Ji also stepped out of the house at this mont, "That won’t do."
All of the spies looked towards him, as if knives were cutting into him.
Lord Jin Zhu looked toward Chen Ji, "Why do you say that?"
Chen Ji looked up at the night sky, pondered for a mont, "If we reveal our identities now and Liu Mingxian becos aware of it, all our previous efforts will be wasted. Lord Jin Zhu, is overthrowing the Liu Family more important, or is rescuing a few subordinates more important?"
"Both are important."
Chen Ji soothed, "Perhaps they’ll co back on their own by dawn, right?"
"Hmm?" Lord Jin Zhu pondered thoughtfully.
Chen Ji did not answer anymore and turned back into the house, continuing to take out one official gazette after another from the box and flipping through them quickly, searching for so information.
Lord Jin Zhu looked back at the thin figure inside the house and always felt that the other party was the Twelve Signs, while he seed to have returned to his days as a Pigeon-level Spy.
Back then, when the sky fell, there were tall ones holding it up, and it was never his turn, ’Song Qian’, to be exhausted with worry. Once his superior commanded, he would go ahead and capture Jing Dynasty traitors, and on the way back ho, he would eat a bowl of hot beef noodles, as if he even swallowed the bloodiness in his mind.
Lord Jin Zhu smiled to himself, went into the house to continue browsing the official gazettes, leaving the group of spies looking at each other in confusion.
By the ti of 9 to 11 AM, daylight had already brightened outside Zhou Mansion.
West Wind struggled to keep nodding off, but Chen Ji was brimming with energy as he took out a new official gazette from a second box.
Standing beside the box, he opened the first page and saw a paragraph: In the autumn of the 25th year of Jianing, Chen of the Chen Family, Chen Liqin, went to assu his duties as Prefect of Luocheng. His eldest son at ho is quite talented, the bastard is dull and taciturn...
Just as he read this, a hand reached out and took the official gazette from his hands.
Chen Ji looked up in astonishnt, and Lord Jin Zhu smiled as he closed the gazette, "This official gazette is a secret missive sent out to different provinces by the Spy Departnt for Hai Dongqing and the Twelve Signs to peruse and investigate, requiring the blood from the glabella of Hai Dongqing and the Signs to open. Today, letting you and West Wind see information from the Jing side is already an exception; the rest cannot be viewed anymore."
The two looked at each other, and the atmosphere suddenly stiffened.
Chen Ji was silent for a mont, then smiled and said, "Then I won’t look anymore."
Lord Jin Zhu patted his shoulder with a smile, "Get to work on your achievents. When you beco Hai Dongqing, naturally you can read it however you like. If you beco one of the Zodiacs, you can even go to the Jiefan Building to look at more secret official correspondences."
Chen Ji explained, "Achieving rit is secondary, my main reason for assisting in toppling the Liu Family this ti is to avenge you, Lord."
"Good brother!"
At that mont, a few spies vaulted over the grey-tiled eaves into Zhou Mansion.
"Eh? Liu Tiao!" One spy in the courtyard was puzzled, "Weren’t you captured by the Luocheng Military Departnt? How did they let you go?"
Lord Jin Zhu ca into the courtyard and asked solemnly, "Did you reveal your identities?"
Liu Tiao shook his head, "No, before we left last night, this lord by your side instructed us not to reveal our spy identities, so we could only let the Military Departnt capture us. They took us to the city tower and kept us there, and then they took that Deputy Director away for interrogation separately. About thirty minutes later, Lord Liu from the Military Departnt ca to tell us that we were free to go, and we were to await the visit of the Division Head in three days."
The spies were shocked, "Just like that, they let you go?"
Lord Jin Zhu asked, "Was anyone tailing you?"
"There was, but we shook them off."
The spies looked towards Lord Jin Zhu, "Lord, there’s sothing fishy about this."
Chen Ji said calmly, "This is a test from the Liu Family. That Deputy Director must be Liu Family’s man; Liu Mingxian intentionally handed him over to us to see how we would deal with him. You were caught and didn’t reveal your identities, our plan to impersonate the Jing Dynasty Military Intelligence Departnt, is halfway successful."
Lord Jin Zhu admired, "I didn’t expect you to be so young, yet so thorough in handling things."
Chen Ji bowed, "It’s all thanks to your good teaching, Lord. The Liu Family should believe us now, and in three days when we et again, I’m sure there will be a surprise. Here, I wish you success in avenging your great enemy. However, I’ve been out for too long this ti, I must hurry ho."
"Go on then, rember to co here to et up on the night of the day after tomorrow."
"Understood."
Lord Jin Zhu stood at the steps in front of the study, watching Chen Ji’s figure leave Zhou Mansion, the smile gradually fading away. He motioned to Liu Tiao, "Send soone on fast horse to Kaifeng Prefecture to call for ng Ji, after the Liu Family matter is settled, I have many people to interrogate."
West Wind stood up from the Taishi Chair, puzzled, "I have been with you for seven years, how co I never knew you had a grudge against the Liu Family?"
Lord Jin Zhu was startled and then said with a sigh, "Division Head, you are really into your role."
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