Chapter 103: Lu Jin

Department Master of the Military Intelligence Department.

These five words seemed to hold a magical power over the secret agents.

From the day they joined the secret service, their instructors and superiors constantly reminded them: Search for the Department Master of the Military Intelligence Department, capture the Department Master of the Military Intelligence Department.

The moment Chen Ji spoke that sentence, in the dimly lit alley, several black-clothed secret agents instinctively drew their knives!

Under the night sky, dozens of eyes simultaneously turned towards Xifeng.

Xifeng stood by the gray tiles and white wall, feeling somewhat flustered by the stares. He looked at Jin Zhu and said, "My Lord, how did I become the Department Master of the Military Intelligence Department? I'm not any Department Master."

Jin Zhu was initially startled, but then he understood Chen Ji's intention. He smiled and squinted, patting Xifeng's shoulder. "If we say you are, you are."

Xifeng became even more panicked. "You wouldn't want to kill someone for merit and hand me over to the court as the Department Master of the Military Intelligence Department, would you?"

Jin Zhu's face darkened. He took off the wooden ox mask from his face and knocked Xifeng on the head. "Look at your cowardly appearance, no wonder you haven't been promoted to the position of Hai Dong Ying all these years. I don't even know why I wanted to promote you in the first place!"

Xifeng hurriedly said, "Of course, it's because I'm loyal and devoted to you!"

Jin Zhu laughed in anger. "We're asking you to pretend to be the Department Master of the Military Intelligence Department to deceive the Liu family, not to hand you over to the court."

Xifeng breathed a sigh of relief, but soon became even more panicked. "I can't pretend."

Chen Ji, wearing the tiger mask, said calmly from the side, "Gentlemen, now is not the time for jokes. The Department Master of the Military Intelligence Department is mysterious, perhaps even many Jing Dynasty spies have never seen his appearance. If we impersonate him, we can extract more secrets from the Liu family. My Lord, if you still trust me, I will make the arrangements from now on."

Jin Zhu sized up Chen Ji, but Chen Ji's face was hidden under the tiger mask. He thought for several seconds before saying quietly, "Tell us how you think we should proceed. This time, we will follow your arrangements."

The secret agents suddenly looked towards Chen Ji.

One secret agent asked doubtfully, "My Lord?"

Jin Zhu raised his hand to stop him. "No need for further words."

Chen Ji looked at Xifeng. "Xifeng, let me ask you, who is the superior of the Department Master of the Military Intelligence Department? What is their position?"

Xifeng thought for two seconds before answering, "The superior of the Department Master of the Military Intelligence Department is naturally the Jing Dynasty Military Strategy Envoy. The previous Military Strategy Envoy was Lu Jin, and now it is Lu Guan Wu, who has just taken office."

Chen Ji asked again, "What position did Lu Guan Wu hold before taking office as the Military Strategy Envoy?"

Xifeng replied, "Previously... Assistant Military Officer of the Privy Council?"

Chen Ji asked, "Before that?"

Xifeng was stunned. "Lu Guan Wu previously kept a low profile in the Privy Council, and his fame was not prominent, so very few people paid attention to what he did before. Besides, ordinary soldiers like us don't need to remember these things."

Saying this, he turned his head and looked towards the black-clothed secret agents with bamboo hats in the alley. "Do you all know?"

The secret agents looked at each other and silently shook their heads.

Chen Ji looked at Jin Zhu. "This is the problem. Liu Mingyuan is obviously very cautious, and there will definitely be a test during the meeting three days later. If we want Xifeng to impersonate the Department Master, he must first be familiar with various information about the Jing Dynasty."

"That makes sense," Jin Zhu nodded. "Let's go, head to the inner prison. Every month, new official gazettes are sent from the capital to the secret agent departments in each state to update some information. The official gazettes for Yu State are all stored in the Luocheng inner prison."

Chen Ji asked doubtfully, "I've been to the inner prison before, why have I never seen these official gazettes?"

Jin Zhu glanced at him. "These official gazettes are confidential to the secret agent department and can only be viewed by senior secret agents above the Hai Dong Ying level. Naturally, they couldn't be shown to you. But for this emergency, I'm afraid we'll have to make an exception."

Chen Ji thought for a moment. "Don't go to the inner prison. The inner prison is far away, and it takes an hour to go and come back each time. We also have to be blindfolded entering and exiting, which is quite inconvenient. It's better this way, My Lord Jin Zhu, send people to escort these official gazettes to Zhou Chengyi's mansion. We can set up a temporary strategy room there."

Jin Zhu immediately agreed. "Everything will be arranged according to you! Xifeng, you lead the people!"

Xifeng agreed and shouted for people from another alley to lead out a horse-drawn carriage. He took out a footstool and placed it on the ground. "My Lord, please board the carriage."

"Wait."

The crowd looked towards the source of the voice, and saw Chen Ji slowly walk to the carriage and size up Xifeng. "This manner doesn't resemble the dignified Department Master of the Military Intelligence Department. How can a Department Master attend to others?"

Xifeng said in surprise, "Isn't it to wait for three days later? I'm not yet."

Chen Ji said, "If you don't pay attention to details, you will be discovered by the other side sooner or later. From this moment on, you are the real Department Master of the Military Intelligence Department. Come, send the Department Master onto the carriage."

Jin Zhu smiled and squinted as he walked over and placed the footstool. "Department Master, please."

Xifeng said in a panic, "My Lord, you should board the carriage first."

Jin Zhu's smile suddenly disappeared. "Less nonsense. If you delay my important matter in three days, I will strip you naked and hang you at the gate of the Military Academy, so you can never lift your head in this lifetime!"

Upon hearing these words, Xifeng took a deep breath, straightened his back, and stepped onto the footstool to board the carriage.

Just as he was about to lift the carriage curtain himself, Chen Ji stepped forward and reached out to lift the curtain for him. "Department Master, please."

Inside the shaky carriage, accompanied by the creaking sound of the wooden wheels pressing on the bluestone road, Xifeng sat in the middle of the back seat, while Chen Ji sat opposite Jin Zhu.

In the solemn atmosphere, the uneasy Xifeng quietly took out a copper hand warmer from under his seat.

He took out a match from his chest and wanted to light the silver charcoal powder inside.

However, he heard Chen Ji say calmly, "This is not what a Department Master should do."

Xifeng smiled awkwardly. "It's cold, to warm My Lord Jin Zhu's hands."

Chen Ji's face remained unchanged and he said solemnly, "I am not joking. This is the closest we, the secret agents, have come to the Liu family. As long as we gain their trust, immense merit is within reach."

He changed the subject. "Liu Mingyuan is shrewd and cunning. An ordinary act certainly won't deceive him. If he discovers a flaw during the contact three days later, he will probably completely withdraw and not move. Therefore, the two of you must act seriously, only when you yourselves believe it can Liu Mingyuan believe it."

Xifeng was startled, then looked at Jin Zhu, his voice trembling. "Little... Little Jin, light the hand warmer for me?"

Jin Zhu: "......"

His mouth twitched slightly, but he didn't hesitate to take the match and the copper hand warmer. He said flatteringly to Xifeng, "Department Master, this kind of small matter still bothers you to instruct, this humble subordinate deserves ten thousand deaths."

Xifeng's body trembled slightly. "My Lord, don't be like this, I'm scared."

Jin Zhu pressed his shoulder and said coldly, "Do you know how much I want to kill the entire Liu family? I want all the males of the Liu family to be slaves and the females to be prostitutes, so they can never rise again. In front of this matter, official position, face, dignity, are all unimportant. Sit straight, and act well for me!"

Xifeng gradually calmed down. "Yes, this humble subordinate understands!"

Jin Zhu laughed coldly. "Say it again!"

"This seat understands."

Chen Ji silently watched this scene. He suddenly somewhat believed the story Jin Zhu told.

While lighting the charcoal powder, Jin Zhu looked at Chen Ji and asked in a low voice, "How should we handle that vice supervisor?"

Chen Ji thought for a moment. "Do it completely. Order the secret agents to pretend to be Jing Dynasty spies, secretly send that vice supervisor to the north, and don't come back until the matter is successful."

"Good," Jin Zhu subconsciously stuffed the just lit copper hand warmer into his hand.

Xifeng suddenly reached out and said, "Little... Little Jin, the copper hand warmer."

Jin Zhu was startled and hurriedly stuffed the hand warmer into Xifeng's chest.

The carriage slowly stopped.

Jin Zhu was the first to get out of the carriage, like a servant, he cushioned the footstool for Xifeng and lifted the carriage curtain.

Xifeng was somewhat uneasy. Chen Ji said calmly, "Recall the most imposing important figures you've seen. What was their demeanor?"

Xifeng tentatively asked, "My Lord Wu Xiu?"

"I haven't seen My Lord Wu Xiu, just learn from him."

Xifeng closed his eyes and recalled, and when he opened his eyes again, his demeanor had completely changed.

He walked down the carriage with an arrogant expression, straightened his waist after getting off, didn't spare Jin Zhu an extra glance, and walked into the Zhou mansion as if no one else was around.

As soon as he crossed the threshold, Xifeng immediately turned back joyfully. "My Lord, is this the feeling?"

Chen Ji smiled. "Correct, Department Master."

Xifeng spread his arms and looked at himself, feeling quite good. He then changed back to an arrogant expression and strode into the backyard.

An hour later, the secret agents transported four wooden boxes from the inner prison. Each box was sealed with a yellow paper talisman.

In Zhou Chengyi's study, Jin Zhu took out a short knife and cut his eyebrow, then dipped his finger in the fresh blood and smeared it on the talisman seal. Only then did he remove the four seals one by one. "Everything from within the last three years is here."

Chen Ji took out a book and handed it to Xifeng. "You must finish reading all these official gazettes in three days. After three days, you must understand the Jing Dynasty Military Intelligence Department better than anyone else in the secret agent department. You must be able to answer every question Liu Mingyuan asks."

Having said that, he casually picked up an official gazette himself and sat at Zhou Chengyi's desk, flipping through it.

Jin Zhu reached out and pressed the hand that Chen Ji was using to flip the book, looking at the tiger mask with a seemingly smiling expression. "The official gazette is confidential to the secret agent department, and is not for Pige-level secret agents to see. Xifeng can break the rule because of the task, but you... I feel like you came here specifically for this batch of official gazettes."

Chen Ji moved Jin Zhu's hand away and said, "My Lord Jin Zhu, not only do I want to see it, you should also read it again. Is it appropriate for the people accompanying the Department Master to know nothing about the Jing Dynasty Military Intelligence Department? My Lord, is there anything more important than overthrowing the Liu family?"

He sat at the desk and raised his head to look at Jin Zhu, his eyes under the tiger mask neither avoiding nor yielding.

A moment later, Jin Zhu suddenly laughed. "I don't know why, but I always have the illusion that I am handling a case with My Lord Bing Hu now, as if you have truly become that upper-level My Lord Bing Hu."

"Borrowing your auspicious words."

Jin Zhu pulled over a chair and sat opposite Chen Ji. "Then let's read together."

Chen Ji lowered his head and continued to flip through the official gazette. However, the first official gazette caused his pupils to shrink slightly: In the summer of the 31st year of Jianing, Si Cao Ren entered the capital through the Jinmen transfer route, disappeared without a trace after dismissing his followers, suspected of contacting an important figure. This matter should be related to Lu Jin's retirement.

One short sentence contained too much information. The Ning Dynasty secret agent department knew early on that there was more than one Si Cao, and clearly knew that the ten Si Cao used the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches as code names.

Moreover, the Ning Dynasty secret agent department was also very clear that the Jing Dynasty Military Intelligence Department was undergoing a power transfer.

While reading, Chen Ji unintentionally looked up and found that Jin Zhu was not reading the official gazette in his hand at all, but was glancing at his side.

Seeing him look over, Jin Zhu smiled and said, "Are you interested in this My Lord Lu Jin? He is a truly important figure, and our secret agent department has fought with him for many years and suffered many losses."

Chen Ji's heart skipped a beat, then he said casually, "Not particularly interested. I'm just thinking, perhaps the internal conflict among the Jing Dynasty thieves is precisely because of Lu Jin's retirement."