Chapter 258: Playing for Real

"Reporting to my lord, I don't believe it."

In the courtyard, Bai Long sat at a stone table, eating an orange slice. Chen Ji stood not far away, cupping his hands as he answered, his voice firm.

Bai Long said with interest, "Why don't you believe it? The Crown Prince came to Guyuan specifically to take control of the border army, to force them to give up their support for King Fu. Could it be that he doesn't want King Fu to counterattack? The Crown Prince had just arrived in Guyuan when King Fu dispatched trusted subordinates to secretly conspire with important figures in the border army, aiming to force the Crown Prince into making a mistake. Both sides are on the verge of open conflict. If I side with King Fu at this time, wouldn't it be an act of betrayal?"

"The reason I don't believe it has nothing to do with King Fu and the Crown Prince. I don't understand them, but I understand you," Chen Ji said unhurriedly. "Initially, to overthrow the Liu family, you hid alone for seven years, keeping your true intentions secret. If you were aiming to frame the heir apparent, you would absolutely not bring so many people to Guyuan. Otherwise, silencing them afterward would be troublesome."

Chen Ji looked up into Bai Long's eyes. "Furthermore, your ambition isn't in seizing the heir. You want to do bigger things."

Bai Long sighed with emotion. "I told you early on, hiding one's light is the way to survive."

Chen Ji humbly cupped his hands. "I rely on my intellect to stay by my lord's side and work. If even my intellect is gone, then I am useless."

Bai Long said mockingly, "There's no need to think so highly of yourself. I use you simply because of your Chen family identity, that's all."

Chen Ji calmly added, "Also my identity as a disciple of my master, Yao Qi Men."

Bai Long was silent for a moment, then suddenly laughed heartily. "Imperial Physician Yao is no longer in the Ning Dynasty. He may not be able to protect you. To dare to speak to me like this is truly seeking death."

Chen Ji knew deeply that Bai Long's moods were unpredictable, but as long as he handled things well, Bai Long wouldn't turn against him. In a certain way, this kind of person was easier to get along with.

Bai Long put down the scroll in his hand and lightly tapped the stone table with his fingers. "Guess why I came to Guyuan."

Chen Ji thought for a moment before saying, "My lord wants to use King Jing's death as a setup, to cause the old case of mutiny among the border army, using Zhou You as a pretext. Using the name 'avenging King Jing' to feign surrender to Jing, luring the Jing Dynasty's Heaven Strategy Army to their deaths. My lord, I wonder if my guess is correct?"

Bai Long smiled. "You've guessed several points correctly. But the Jing Dynasty isn't foolish. If they don't receive a token of surrender, how will they believe it?"

Chen Ji said solemnly, "Poisoning the well water and burning the granary are precisely the tokens of surrender."

Bai Long smiled and said, "Then do you know that your obstruction of the poisoned well water almost ruined my important plan?"

Chen Ji lowered his head slightly, wondering if this was also one of the reasons for the quarrel between Old Wu and the manager of the Yang family fur shop.

He replied in a low voice, "My lord, the uninformed are not to blame."

Bai Long laughed in anger, pointing at Chen Ji through the air with his finger. "Don't investigate the Jing Dynasty spies anymore. I still have a use for them."

Chen Ji cupped his hands. "Yes."

Bai Long waved his hand. "Go."

However, at this moment, Chen Ji suddenly asked, "My lord, is the grain truly gone, or is it just a pretense?"

Bai Long sneered. "If it were just a pretense, do you think those Jing Dynasty thieves wouldn't see through it? More than half was burned last night. The rest is all hidden in the border army's central camp."

Chen Ji let out a breath. "That's good then."

Bai Long picked up the scroll on the table and said lazily, "Go back."

"Yes."

Chen Ji slowly exited the courtyard, facing Bai Long, but he heard Bai Long say, "Stop."

Chen Ji didn't understand. "Does my lord have another matter?"

Bai Long walked into the room and took out a package of food wrapped in palm leaves, throwing it over. Chen Ji caught it. He uncovered one corner of the palm leaf, and it was full of bright yellow oranges.

Chen Ji was doubtful. "My lord, this is...?"

Bai Long said casually, "Give it to Miss Zhang Er to take with her. Ask her if she is willing to enter my Secret Spy Department."

Chen Ji frowned. "My lord, what is your intention?"

Bai Long looked at him with a seemingly smile, not a smile. "Miss Zhang Er walked back and forth on this street several times. If it weren't for her, could you have discovered this place? If I didn't cherish talent, how could she have returned to the inn safely? Just tell her that civil officials cannot tolerate her participating in the imperial examinations. In my Ministry of Rites, she can rise straight to the clouds. I guarantee her a place among the Twelve Zodiacs."

Chen Ji thought it over repeatedly and placed the oranges back on the stone table. "My lord, Miss Zhang Er probably isn't used to eating these oranges."

Bai Long's eyes narrowed slightly. "When is it your turn to disobey me?"

The air in the courtyard suddenly stilled. Chen Ji felt as if his face was being pricked by needles, as if killing intent had condensed into a tangible substance, like a wall pressing down.

Chen Ji gritted his teeth and said, "My lord, Miss Zhang Er once sought out Xu Shu, the Vice Director of the Qintianjian, to teach her the ways of officialdom, but he refused, stating that he did not want her involved in Jianghu matters. If Xu Shu learns that you've drawn Miss Zhang Er into the Secret Spy Department, it will likely end badly. I hope you will reconsider."

Bai Long gazed at Chen Ji for a long time, finally waving his hand indifferently. "Go. Approach the Crown Prince properly. Don't concern yourself with other matters. You killing Manager Yang today simply created extra complications. Those Jing Dynasty thieves are like startled birds. I have many more things to do to salvage the situation."

"Yes," Chen Ji quickly exited the courtyard door.

He had just stepped outside when he suddenly stopped, raising his head to ask, "My lord, were the thirty-four members of the Chen family poisoned to death by you?"

Bai Long snorted with laughter. "Why would I kill those unfortunate people?"

Chen Ji no longer hesitated, turned around, and strode away.

After he left, the boss of Baofeng Zhai, the tailor shop's proprietress, and the dozing watchman at the street corner came forward one by one, kneeling on one knee before Bai Long, their faces pale. "My lord, I am incompetent, please, my lord..."

The words "punish us" trembled on their lips, unable to be spoken.

Bai Long said calmly, "Return to Wu Nian Mountain. Come out to work again after three years."

The three people were startled, and quickly knelt on both knees, bowing low. "Thank you for not killing us, my lord."

Bai Long rose and walked towards the room, saying slowly, "I am a reasonable person. Your being discovered is not entirely your fault. If someone else were in your place, perhaps it would have been the same. This time, I will not kill anyone."

In Guyuan city, more and more common people gathered on the streets, loudly clamoring, shouting to go find the border army to reclaim their grain.

Chen Ji passed through the crowd without a word, his mood slightly more relaxed than when he arrived. Since it was confirmed that Bai Long and the border army had joined forces to set up a scheme against the Jing Dynasty, at least there was no worry of the city being broken.

As he thought, he saw several people run past him.

Chen Ji looked up and saw three Feather Guard soldiers carrying bulging bags, hurrying along. He didn't know where they had gotten the grain.

However, just at this moment, someone suddenly shouted, "Fire! The city wall is on fire again!"

Chen Ji's heart skipped a beat. He turned his head to look and saw thick black smoke billowing from the south side, covering the city gate.

He lightly leaped, clung to the eaves, and flipped onto a roof, but the adobe houses were too short, and he couldn't see clearly.

Chen Ji looked around in all directions, found a tall wine shop, and ran all the way along the rooftops.

He flipped onto the roof of the wine shop's second floor and gazed into the distance. He only saw a large fire burning among the connected tents of the border army. The fire was spreading fiercely along the direction of the wind.

In the border army camp, armored soldiers could vaguely be seen carrying buckets back and forth, but the big fire was burning more and more vigorously.

Chen Ji's heart sank. Could it be that even the hidden grain, and the grain the border army had requisitioned from the common people last night, had all been burned by someone?

Looking at the intensity of this fire, someone must have hidden fierce fire oil again; it was fundamentally impossible to stop.

The Secret Spy Department and the border army wanted to join hands to stage a play and set up a trap, but they didn't guard against someone in the border army wanting to turn the fake play into a real one?