"Your Excellency, this subordinate does not believe so."
In the courtyard, Bai Long sat beside a stone table eating a segnt of orange, while Chen Ji stood not far away, hands clasped in greeting, his voice firm and unequivocal.
Bai Long spoke with interest: "Why don’t you believe? The Crown Prince’s arrival in Guyuan is precisely to gain leverage over the border army and force them to withdraw support from Prince Fu. Isn’t Prince Fu allowed to strike back? Right after the Crown Prince arrived in Guyuan, Prince Fu sent his confidants to secretly conspire with the significant figures in the border army, aiming to provoke the Crown Prince into making a mistake. It’s nearly an open battle, if at this ti I were to side with Prince Fu, wouldn’t that be an act of following a rising star?"
"This subordinate’s disbelief has nothing to do with Prince Fu or the Crown Prince, as I do not understand them, but I do understand you," Chen Ji spoke calmly and deliberately, "Initially, to overthrow the Liu Family, you lurked alone and hidden for seven years, your plans unrevealed. If Your Excellency intended to entrap the Crown Prince of a nation, you would not bring so many people to Guyuan, since having to silence them afterward would be troubleso."
Chen Ji lifted his gaze to et Bai Long’s eyes: "Moreover, Your ambition lies not in the struggle for succession. You aspire to sothing greater."
Bai Long remarked nostalgically: "I’ve already told you that hiding one’s talents is the way to survive."
Chen Ji responded humbly, hands clasped: "This subordinate has stayed by Your Excellency’s side because of my wits. If I lose that, I would be of no use."
Bai Long mocked: "Don’t overestimate yourself. I only use you for your family background—the Chen family."
Chen Ji added calmly: "And my master, Yao Qin’s identity as well."
Bai Long fell silent for a mont, then suddenly burst into laughter: "Imperial Physician Yao is no longer in the Ning Dynasty. He can’t protect you. Talking to like this, you’re really courting death."
Chen Ji was well aware of Bai Long’s unpredictable temperant, but as long as tasks were carried out well, Bai Long would not turn against him. In a way, such a person was easier to deal with.
Bai Long set down the scroll in his hand, his fingers tapping lightly on the stone table: "Guess what I’ve co to Guyuan for."
After a mont of contemplation, Chen Ji said: "Your Excellency intends to use the death of Prince Jing as a ploy, inciting Zhou You, who has a history of mutiny within the border army, to ’avenge Prince Jing’ under the pretext of defecting to the Jing Dynasty, luring the Jing Dynasty’s Heavenly Strategy Army into a trap. Your Excellency, is this subordinate’s guess correct?"
Bai Long smiled: "You’ve guessed so of it correctly. But the Jing Dynasty isn’t foolish. Without a token of submission, how would they believe it?"
Chen Ji spoke gravely: "Tainting the well and burning the granary would be the tokens."
Bai Long’s smile grew warr: "Do you know that by stopping the well-poisoning, you almost ruined my plan?"
Chen Ji lowered his head slightly, considering whether this was also one of the reasons for the dispute between Old Wu and Manager Yang of the fur shop?
He replied quietly: "Your Excellency, one cannot be held accountable if they acted out of ignorance."
Bai Long laughed out of annoyance, his finger gesturing in the air towards Chen Ji: "Stop investigating the Jing Dynasty spies; I have uses for them."
Chen Ji bowed: "Understood."
Bai Long waved his hand: "You may go."
However, just then, Chen Ji suddenly asked: "Your Excellency, is there genuinely no more food, or is it just for show?"
Bai Long grinned: "If it were just for show, do you think those Jing Dynasty thieves would be fooled? Last night, more than half was burned. The rest is hidden in the central camp of the border army."
Chen Ji breathed a sigh of relief: "That’s good to hear."
Bai Long picked up the scroll on the table, lazily saying: "Head back."
"Yes."
As Chen Ji slowly backed out of the courtyard facing Bai Long, he heard Bai Long call out: "Stop."
Puzzled, Chen Ji asked: "Does Your Excellency have any further orders?"
Bai Long walked inside, fetching a brown leaf-wrapped package and tossing it through the air. Chen Ji caught it in his arms, peeled back a corner of the leaf, and found it full of golden oranges.
Chen Ji looked confused: "What does Your Excellency intend by this?"
Bai Long casually replied: "Take them to Second Miss Zhang, and ask her if she would like to join my Spy Departnt."
Chen Ji frowned: "My lord, what do you an by this?"
Bai Long looked at him with an almost smiling, almost non-smiling expression: "Miss Second Zhang has walked back and forth on this street several tis. Could you have discovered this place if not for her? If it wasn’t for my valuing talent, how would she have returned to the inn safely? Tell her, while the civil servant exam is not for her, if she cos to my Ritual Supervision, she can rise to prominence instantly. I guarantee her a seat among the Twelve Signs."
After pondering for a while, Chen Ji put the tangerine back on the stone table: "My lord, I’m afraid Miss Second Zhang might not take a liking to this tangerine."
Bai Long narrowed his eyes slightly: "Since when is it your turn to contradict ?"
Suddenly, the air in the courtyard turned tense, and Chen Ji felt a prickling pain on his face as if murderous intent had solidified into substance, pressing down on him like a wall.
Chen Ji gritted his teeth: "My lord, Miss Second Zhang once sought the official pathway knowledge from Xu Shu, the Deputy Director of the Observatory, but was refused. They did not wish to involve her in the affairs of Jianghu. If Xu Shu learns that you’ve recruited Miss Second Zhang into the Spy Departnt, it could lead to trouble that won’t be easily settled. Please reconsider."
Bai Long gazed at Chen Ji for a long ti before finally waving his hand with an indifferent expression: "Go. Stay close to the Crown Prince and stop ddling in other affairs. Today you killed Manager Yang and needlessly complicated things. The Jing Dynasty traitors are like startled birds; I have to do much more now to pull back the plan."
"Yes," Chen Ji quickly exited the courtyard.
He had just stepped out of the threshold when he suddenly stopped and looked up, asking: "My lord, the poisoning of the thirty-four mbers of the Chen family, was it your doing?"
Bai Long scoffed: "Why would I bother killing those miserable souls."
Chen Ji no longer hesitated and turned to leave with long strides.
After he left, the owner of Baofeng House, the proprietress of the tailor shop, and the night patrol who was feigning sleep at the street corner ca forward, kneeling on one knee before Bai Long with pale faces: "My lord, your servants are incompetent, please—"
They couldn’t even continue with the word "punishnt," trembling as they spoke.
Bai Long calmly said: "Return to Wunian Mountain. You may co out to work again after three years."
The three were startled, quickly knelt down both knees, and bowed deeply: "Thank you, my lord, for sparing our lives."
Bai Long stood up and walked towards the house, speaking slowly: "I am a reasonable person. It’s not entirely your fault that you were discovered. Anyone else might have been caught just the sa, so I’ll spare lives this ti."
...
...
Inside Guyuan City, more and more citizens gathered in the streets, clamoring loudly to get back the grain from the border army.
Chen Ji passed through the crowd without a word, feeling sowhat lighter than when he arrived: Having confird it was a trap set by Bai Long in collaboration with the border army against the Jing Dynasty, at least there was no worry of the city being breached.
As he pondered, he suddenly saw a few figures rush past him.
Chen Ji looked up and saw three Yulin Army soldiers carrying bulging bags, hurrying along with grain that ca from who knows where.
However, just at that mont, soone shouted: "Fire! There’s a fire at the base of the city wall again!"
Chen Ji was startled and turned to look. Thick smoke billowed in the south, enveloping the city gate.
With a light leap, he climbed up to the rooftops using the eaves, but the earth houses were too low to get a clear view.
Chen Ji scanned the surroundings and found a tall tavern to run towards.
He climbed onto the second-floor rooftop of the tavern and looked into the distance. He saw large fires breaking out among the continuous tents of the border army camp, with the flas spreading furiously with the wind.
Within the Border Army Camp, silhouettes of armored soldiers shuttled back and forth with buckets, but the fire only grew fiercer.
Chen Ji felt a sinking feeling in his heart. Could it be that the grains secretly stored, along with those confiscated from citizens by the border army last night, had all been burned by soone?
Looking at the wildfire, it was certain soone had hidden flaming oil, making it impossible to control.
The Spy Departnt and the border army intended to stage a show, but had they not guarded against traitors within the border army who wanted to turn the pretense into reality?
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