Chapter 103: Gambling with Life

In a small noodle stall in the East Market at midnight, Chen Ji lowered his head, shoveling hot beef noodles into his mouth at a gleaming wooden table slick with oil, saving the only two pieces of beef in the bowl for last.

Sitting across from him, Jin Zhu sighed, “You and Tianma have completely different personalities. He always eats the beef first, without caring if the plain noodles that follow would lose their flavor. Your personality isn’t suited for the jianghu, because you don’t live joyfully enough.”

“Oh,” Chen Ji responded. Having finished his noodles, he picked up the last piece of beef. Then he looked at the half-eaten bowl of beef noodles in front of Jin Zhu. “Didn’t Lord Jin Zhu say that beef noodles were his favorite when he was young?”

“But I’m not young anymore,” Jin Zhu said with a smile. “After this is done, I’ll treat you to a meal at the Yingxian Tower. You can eat whatever you wish.”

“No need, simple food is enough.”

Jin Zhu’s smile gradually faded. “The noodles are finished, and your body is warm. Now tell me, what did you write on that note you gave to Liu Mingxian?”

Chen Ji wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “I arranged to meet him at Peony Bridge at dawn.”

Jin Zhu looked puzzled. “Meet him for what?”

Chen Ji calmly replied, “To ask him if he’s colluding with Jing Dynasty spies.”

Jin Zhu fell silent.

Chen Ji burst into laughter, rising to walk out. “Just kidding, how could I directly ask someone their identity? Come on, my lord, we still need to reach Peony Bridge before dawn.”

Outside the noodle stall, an old man approached, carrying a pole from which two wooden boxes hung, one at each end. Thin wooden masks lay on top of the boxes, intricately carved with lifelike monkeys, pigs, rabbits, and sheep. A group of children surrounded the pole, pulling on their parents’ hands, wanting to buy masks, but their parents stopped them.

Chen Ji stepped forward and picked up two masks casually. “Old man, how much for the masks?”

The old man, rubbing a scarlet mountain flower demon coin at his waist, slowly walked to the middle of the bridge. The three moved with the precision of an arrowhead formation, only stopping when they were ten steps away from the ox and tiger figures on the bridge.

Liu Mingxian stepped out of his carriage and walked behind the old man, gazing at the masked figures from a distance.

The old man put down his pole and responded with a smile, “Twenty coins each.”

Chen Ji took two, a rabbit and a sheep, but Jin Zhu grabbed his wrist. Jin Zhu exchanged his for an ox mask and Chen Ji’s for a tiger mask. “Wearing a rabbit and a sheep is unlucky. Wear the tiger, to bring good luck. May you soar through the ranks and take over Lord Sick Tiger’s position soon.”

Chen Ji asked, puzzled, “Lord Jin Zhu isn’t afraid I’ll take revenge on you once I become one of the top three? Just a few hours ago, you had me hanging from a rooftop.”

“When you reach that position, you’ll naturally understand that self-interest is eternal.” Jin Zhu patted Chen Ji’s shoulder and teased, “Lord Chen Ji, please spare my life then. I can be useful to you. Let’s go.”

Chen Ji turned to glance at the distant, still brightly lit Yingxian Tower before turning and walking into the night.

Before dawn, during the Hour of Yin.

Lights came on in a residence beside Peony Bridge. A young servant, carrying a lantern, hurried through the moon gate in the courtyard and stopped before a sleeping chamber, calling out, “Second Master, Second Master, it’s time.”

A voice responded from inside, “I know.”

Jin Zhu, behind the ox mask, narrowed his eyes. He looked at the mountain flower demon coin at the old man’s waist, then turned to observe the eerie tattoos on the necks of the two burly men, tensing his entire body. Jin Zhu secretly glanced at Chen Ji; he didn’t know what Chen Ji had written on the note that had summoned these two long-missing killers from the frontier.

Could Chen Ji have sold him out, setting a trap with the Liu family to ambush him? No, Chen Ji’s hand was calm. The hands reflect the heart and courage; if the hands don’t tremble, the heart is at peace. Chen Ji was very composed. But Jin Zhu still didn’t know why Chen Ji was so composed.

Under the moonlight, neither side spoke, and the tension on the bridge grew heavier. Slowly, the morning mist of autumn began to rise, and the distant sky gradually lightened.

Just as Jin Zhu was about to break the silence, he heard Chen Ji calmly ask, “When your Liu family illicitly transported firearms from the Directorate of Works, your handling of the aftermath was sloppy, leaking information and ruining our major plans. How should this be accounted for? The Director has already arrived in Kaifeng, and was originally scheduled to meet with us in Luocheng today. Now, how are we supposed to explain this to the Director?”

Jin Zhu's eyes behind the wooden ox mask contracted sharply. He almost instinctively wanted to abandon Chen Ji and run away alone. At this moment, he finally understood that Chen Ji was planning to impersonate the Jing Dynasty Military Intelligence Bureau to deal with the Liu family. This wasn’t investigating a case; this was clearly gambling with their lives. Jin Zhu wasn't foolish; he realized Chen Ji intended to bet that after Red Robe Alley was surrounded, the Jing Dynasty Military Intelligence Bureau would be afraid to move openly and wouldn't dare contact the Liu family amidst the full-scale search. During this interval, they could impersonate the Jing Dynasty Military Intelligence Bureau, leading the Liu family step by step into a trap, making them voluntarily hand over incriminating evidence.

But this was like walking a tightrope. If the Jing Dynasty Military Intelligence Bureau was still in contact with the Liu family, or if they had some special secret code, the slightest error could mean their lives would end here today. A lunatic taking extreme risks.

As he pondered, Liu Mingxian listened to Chen Ji’s accusation and slightly narrowed his eyes. “Directorate of Works? I don’t understand what you’re talking about.”

Chen Ji calmly said, “Don’t waste any more time.”

Liu Mingxian scoffed, “My Liu family abides by the law. If your purpose in inviting me here today is just to say incomprehensible things, I will have the two of you arrested as Jing Dynasty bandits and sent to the Secret Police Bureau.”

Chen Ji calmly asked, “When Yunyang and Jiaotu opened the coffin, Lord Liu killed his own grandfather. How can a rebel who murdered his ancestor speak of upholding the law? If we hadn’t warned you that day, Lord Liu would likely be a prisoner now.”

Jin Zhu was startled. He listened to Chen Ji speak fluently, not at all like he was acting. If Mengji hadn’t personally tested Chen Ji, he would have almost believed that a true Jing Dynasty spy, at least a Section Chief, was standing beside him. He too had his doubts. Anyone familiar with the case files knew that when Yunyang and Jiaotu first opened the coffin, Old Master Liu was indeed not inside. Those two zodiac figures would not joke about such matters. The second time the coffin was opened, someone must have given a tip-off in advance, which is why the Jiefan Guard found nothing. But how could Chen Ji be so certain that it was the Jing Dynasty Military Intelligence Bureau that tipped off the Liu family? Was it a guess? Or was there actually a Jing Dynasty spy standing beside him who knew the inside story? Jin Zhu’s suspicion grew stronger.

On the other side, Liu Mingxian’s expression was as grave as still water; this was his biggest secret. If the Jing Dynasty Military Intelligence Bureau hadn’t warned him that day, he would have likely been accused of treason and deceiving the emperor. Hearing this, he now believed Chen Ji’s Jing Dynasty identity.

Liu Mingxian said with a solemn expression, “The encirclement of Red Robe Alley was not my wish. Chasing away Yunyang and Jiaotu brought someone ten times more cunning, Jin Zhu. This person is extremely troublesome; he guessed early on that we would tamper with the Directorate of Works and latched onto the scent.”

Chen Ji sneered, “This matter cannot be settled by Lord Liu simply saying ‘not my wish.’ What are your plans now?”

Liu Mingxian slowly said, “Cooperation is certainly to get things done. Since this delivery failed, we’ll simply choose a new delivery date. However, the Secret Police Bureau is watching closely now, so we need to slow down.”

Chen Ji sternly replied, “The Director is currently in Kaifeng, constantly at risk of having his identity exposed. How can he slowly wait for you? If the Liu family is insincere, the Director will return north.”

Liu Mingxian frowned. “Then when do you want to deliver?”

“Tomorrow, again at this Peony Bridge. I need to see the goods. Otherwise, the Director will leave Kaifeng immediately, and all agreements between my Military Intelligence Bureau and the Liu family will be voided.”

Silence fell over the bridge. The morning mist grew thicker, making it difficult to see each other clearly even at ten paces. After a long while, Liu Mingxian calmly said, “Alright, then it’s set for tomorrow.”

“Farewell!”

Chen Ji lightly tugged Jin Zhu’s sleeve, and the two slowly receded into the morning mist.