Chapter 35: Burning Bridges

Within the Inner Court lay the twelve bureaus, four departments, and eight offices, collectively known as the twenty-four yamen.

Among these twenty-four yamen, the Ceremonial Rites Bureau held paramount position. Governed by the Seal-Holding Grand Eunuch, its power virtually encompassed the entirety of the Inner Court.

Emperor Ning, engrossed in the pursuit of the Great Dao, had for many years neglected court affairs and governance. Even the memorials submitted by the hundred officials of the Outer Court required the Ceremonial Rites Bureau to affix the vermillion brushmark on his behalf.

Due to the Seal-Holding Grand Eunuch's meticulous handling of all matters, Emperor Ning had bestowed upon him a special edifice, naming it "Jie Fan" to commend the Ceremonial Rites Bureau's meritorious service.

At the hour of noon, Wu Xiu bowed deeply, his body retreating from the shadow of the covered building.

It was not until the sunlight illuminated his form that the embroidered red python on his robe regained its vibrant luster.

He slowly exhaled, straightened his posture, and hastened towards the pigeon house with long strides.

Along the way, any eunuchs who spied his python robe from afar would immediately kneel in deference. Wu Xiu, however, kept his gaze straight ahead, not even sparing them a glance.

Upon reaching the pigeon house, he dismissed the young eunuch who was sweeping the pigeon cages. At a nearby table, he lifted a brush and inscribed a message on a strip of paper.

He scrutinized the paper strip repeatedly, confirming that the handwriting was his and the intended meaning was conveyed without error. Only then did he carefully roll it into a thin bamboo tube.

Wu Xiu approached the pigeon cage inscribed with the characters 'Luo City'. Reaching inside, he retrieved a pigeon, meticulously tying the bamboo tube to its leg. Stepping outside the door, he released the pigeon into the sky.

He watched as the pigeon soared into the distance, lost in thought.

A young eunuch scurried over: "Godfather, His Majesty summons you. He says that the envoy from Huangshan, Daoist Master Zi Dao Long, has arrived with his esteemed disciple, Zhang Li."

Wu Xiu nodded: "Understood."

He watched the pigeon ascend into the heavens, circling the imperial city before finally taking flight towards the south. Wu Xiu murmured distractedly: "The birds of the sky are truly free."

The young eunuch hastily offered a fawning laugh: "Godfather, why envy a mere bird? When you step into his place, you will be one below ten thousand above. That is far greater freedom!"

Wu Xiu cast him a look, his eyes as placid as an ancient well. Yet, it sent a shiver down the young eunuch's spine: "Godfather, I spoke wrongly."

"Erring again shall see you banished to the Charcoal Bureau to chop wood," Wu Xiu lifted the hem of his robe and stepped over the threshold, quickly hurrying towards Ren Shou Palace in the West Garden.

Meanwhile, the grey pigeon soared into the sky, first flying out of the vast Forbidden City, then beyond the capital region. It flew over clouds and plains, over rivers and mountains.

On the first night, the pigeon rested its weary wings at a pigeon station in Hebi.

The following day, it pressed south without pause, finally arriving in a small courtyard in Luo City on the early morning of the third day.

Within the courtyard, a black-clad secret agent stood before a sand table. Prominently displayed on the sand table were the terrain of the Liu family's grand courtyard and their ancestral grave.

At this moment, Yun Yang spotted the circling pigeon in the sky. Grabbing a handful of corn, he extended his hand, and the pigeon flapped its wings, landing on his palm.

"Jiao Tu! A letter from the capital!" Yun Yang called out.

Jiao Tu's voice echoed from inside: "Hurry and see what the Inner Minister has instructed."

Yun Yang removed the fire lacquer and extracted the letter paper: "It's Wu Xiu transmitting the message again. I recognize his handwriting... Wu Xiu says to decide ourselves whether to deploy the Jie Fan Guards to open the coffin and verify the body."

Jiao Tu emerged, leaning against the doorframe: "Annoying to death. If something goes wrong, we'll be the scapegoats. What should we do? Should we proceed or not?"

"The Inner Minister's lack of prohibition implies his hope for us to act. If we succeed, it's a great merit. If not... at the very least, we'll be exiled to Lingnan," Yun Yang mused in the courtyard.

Jiao Tu rolled his eyes: "At least eight hundred of the convicts in Lingnan are those we apprehended and sent there. Do you think we'll have a good end if we go to Lingnan?"

"What is there to fear? We are official agents," Yun Yang replied.

"There are already dozens of official agents whom we have exiled to Lingnan!"

"Their families are still in our hands, so they dare not act recklessly. With our relationship with the Inner Minister, even if we are exiled there, we won't suffer... Wait, why does it sound like we are certain to be exiled? This time, we absolutely will not fail! The Liu family can just wait to be confiscated and interrogated!" Yun Yang said gleefully.

Jiao Tu tilted his head, looking at the paper strip: "What else did the Inner Minister instruct?"

Yun Yang lowered his head to read the paper strip again. After a moment, his expression changed: "Wu Xiu wants us to hand over the information on the masked person in the Liu residence to him!"

"Ah? It must be Lin Chaoqing who reported it! These people from the Main Criminal Division, all they know is reporting!" Jiao Tu said angrily: "...But if Chen Ji can become a secret agent, he can still help us earn merit. It would be good to transfer him under us."

Yun Yang shook his head: "No... What kind of person do you think Chen Ji is?"

Jiao Tu considered: "...He thinks things through without speaking much. He's quite fond of the matter."

"That's not what I'm saying!" Yun Yang frowned: "That night at the Zhou residence, he killed the Zhou residence steward directly for survival. I could tell that he wasn't an experienced hand at that time; there was still hesitation in his eyes. But now, after only a few days, I hung someone to death in the inner prison, and he could calmly watch it happen."

Yun Yang looked at Jiao Tu seriously: "Jiao Tu, he is a vengeful person. He will never forget how we treated him initially. The Inner Minister simply favors this kind of clever and unprincipled individual. If one day he climbs higher than us, we won't need to live."

Jiao Tu thought for a moment: "Then kill him? Anyway, the Liu family case no longer requires him. But the Inner Minister will surely investigate the cause of death. Whether Xuan She or Jin Zhu comes to investigate, we cannot hide it."

Yun Yang shook his head: "So we cannot act ourselves. We need to borrow someone else's knife to kill."

"What do we do now?"

"You take the Wang's order flag to summon the Jie Fan Guards. I will go borrow a knife. Success or failure hinges on today."

The early autumn morning in Luo City was crisp and refreshing. The ninth day of September. Clashing with the monkey, evil to the north. Suitable for travel, marriage, praying for blessings, curing illness, and killing people.

......

......

Taiping Medical Hall.

Master and disciples three people leaned against the medical hall door, happily watching the passersby.

The Double Ninth Festival was fast approaching. Not only were prominent families inviting Buddha Bodhisattvas out for processions to dispel disasters and ward off evil for the common people, but wealthy households were also distributing 'Double Ninth Cakes' door-to-door.

Wine shops displayed signs for chrysanthemum wine at their entrances, while peddlers roamed the streets and alleys, selling red pouches, buying one and getting a dogwood branch as a gift.

Chen Ji sighed: "The Double Ninth Festival is truly lively."

In his former hometown, the festive atmosphere was no longer this浓厚. Spring Festival no longer allowed fireworks, and the Dragon Boat Festival and Mid-Autumn Festival had all transformed into carnivals of the commodity economy.

Wait, Chen Ji suddenly asked: "How did the Double Ninth Festival originate?"

Liu Qu Xing casually replied: "You don't know this? During the Eastern Han dynasty, in Yu State's Ru Nan, there was a plague demon. A man named Huan Jing sought an audience with the immortal 'Fei Chang Fang' regarding this matter. Fei Chang Fang gave Huan Jing a pot of chrysanthemum wine and a dogwood branch, instructing him and his family to climb high on the ninth of September to avoid disaster, thereby being immune to evil demons. After the ninth of September, Huan Jing and his family descended the mountain, only to find that their household cattle and sheep had all perished. Their family thus escaped calamity."

Chen Ji was stunned, only because the origin of the Double Ninth Festival in his hometown was also like this.

The same Eastern Han dynasty, the same Fei Chang Fang and Huan Jing.

If it were just the same moon and sun hanging in the sky, he could still force himself to accept it. But even the legendary stories were the same. He had to ponder deeply: why?

What connection did the two worlds truly share?

While deep in thought, he caught sight of Chun Hua from Late Star Garden leading two strong servants, carrying four food boxes, coming down the street.

She Deng Ke's eyes lit up: "Chun Hua, why have you come?"

Chun Hua wore a light green ru skirt, its hem embroidered with a golden chrysanthemum. She lifted the hem of her skirt and said with a smile: "Is it not the Double Ninth Festival? My lady sent me to the medical hall to deliver some pastries."

Liu Qu Xing hurriedly took the pastry boxes from the strong servants: "Miss Chun Hua is truly thoughtful. The last time we ate Late Star Garden's pastries was during the Lantern Festival. You haven't forgotten us even now."

Chun Hua's words then shifted, and she smiled as she looked towards Chen Ji: "My lady is free today and wishes to invite the doctor from your medical hall to drink tea and chat. What do you think?"

She Deng Ke quickly said: "That's wonderful!"

However, just at this moment, in his peripheral vision, Chen Ji saw Wu Yun somehow on the roof across the street, panting heavily.

Wu Yun let out a meow, understood only by Chen Ji: "Someone told the Quiet Consort that you are the masked person from Liu Shi Yu's residence! She wants to trap and kill you!"

Chen Ji's heart tightened, and a strong sense of crisis surged.

Who would tell the Quiet Consort his identity?

It must be Yun Yang and Jiao Tu, because only those two knew his true identity.

Could it be that the Liu family case was about to catch a big fish, and the other side felt they no longer needed him and planned to burn the bridge after crossing?

Chen Ji calmly looked at Chun Hua, smiling as he asked: "Miss Chun Hua, why does the Quiet Consort lady invite us?"

Chun Hua explained: "Thanks to your help in finding that cup last time, otherwise my lady would still have to use it to drink water. My lady said earlier that she wanted to thank you, but she was always busy with other matters. Today, she finally has some free time."

But Chen Ji was not actually asking Chun Hua; he was asking Wu Yun: Why does the Quiet Consort want to kill me?

Wu Yun meowed again: "The Quiet Consort is a member of the Liu family. Liu Shi Yu is the son of her only sister. She left the prince's mansion a few days ago precisely to return to the Liu family to mourn the passing of the old master Liu!"

So the prominent figure within the prince's mansion colluding with the Jing Dynasty Military Intelligence Department was not Consort Yun, but the Quiet Consort!

But since the Quiet Consort was that prominent figure, why did she initially harbor killing intent towards him? Could it be that the other side did not know he was a Jing Dynasty spy?

Strange, too strange!

Chun Hua saw that Chen Ji was not answering and waved her hand in front of him: "Chen Ji? What are you thinking about?"

Chen Ji snapped back to attention, smilingly telling Chun Rong: "I'm sorry. Today is the Double Ninth Festival, and my master has permitted us to go home for a family reunion. Please trouble yourself to make my excuses to the Quiet Consort. I will certainly visit next time."

Having said that, he disregarded everyone's surprised expressions and walked out without looking back.

The Quiet Consort's revenge would not be limited to this one attempt. If she did not succeed this time, she would certainly try again next time.

Chen Ji did not know if he could easily evade her next time, but he knew that his revenge only required one attempt.

He murmured softly: "I wonder if I'll be in time..."