Chapter 105: Lu Jin

Chapter 104: Lu Jin

The Head of Military Intelligence.

These five words held a strange power over the secret agents.

From the day they joined the Secret Service, their instructors and superiors had constantly reminded them: find the Head of Military Intelligence, capture the Head of Military Intelligence.

The moment Chen Ji uttered those words, a few black-clad secret agents instinctively drew their swords in the dim alley.

Under the cover of night, dozens of gazes collectively turned towards Xifeng.

Xifeng stood by the gray-tiled, white-walled building, flustered by the intense stares. He looked at Jin Zhu and said, "Sir, how did I become the Head of Military Intelligence? I'm not a head of anything."

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

Xifeng grew even more panicked: "You're not planning to frame an innocent person for merit, are you? You're not going to hand me over to the imperial court as the Head of Military Intelligence, are you?"

Jin Zhu's face darkened. He removed the wooden ox mask from his face and tapped Xifeng's head with it. "Look at your cowardly demeanor, no wonder I haven't been able to promote you to the rank of Haidongqing after all these years. I don't even know why I promoted you in the first place!"

Xifeng quickly replied, "Of course, it's because of my unwavering loyalty to you!"

Jin Zhu laughed in exasperation: "We're asking you to impersonate the Head of Military Intelligence to deceive the Liu family, not to hand you over to the imperial court."

Xifeng breathed a sigh of relief, but then quickly became even more flustered: "I can't pretend to be him."

Chen Ji, wearing the tiger mask, calmly said from the side, "Everyone, this is not the time for jokes. The Head of Military Intelligence is mysterious; it's likely many Jing Dynasty spies haven't even seen what he looks like. If we impersonate him, we can uncover more secrets from the Liu family. Sir, if you still trust me, I will make the arrangements from now on."

Jin Zhu scrutinized Chen Ji, but Chen Ji's face remained hidden beneath the tiger mask. After a few seconds of quiet thought, he said, "Tell us what we should do; we'll follow your arrangements this time."

The secret agents suddenly looked at Chen Ji.

One secret agent questioned, "Sir?"

Jin Zhu raised a 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 Head of Military Intelligence? What is their position?"

Xifeng thought for two seconds before replying, "The Head of Military Intelligence's superior is naturally the Jing Dynasty's Military Strategist. The previous Military Strategist was Lu Jin, and now it's Lu Guanwu, who has just taken office."

Chen Ji asked again, "What was Lu Guanwu's position before becoming the Military Strategist?"

Xifeng answered, "Before that, he was... a Military Advisor in the Privy Council?"

Chen Ji asked, "And before that?"

Xifeng froze. "Lu Guanwu had previously been dormant in the Privy Council, his reputation not yet prominent, so few people paid attention to what he did before. Besides, common soldiers like us don't need to remember such things."

As he spoke, he looked back at the black-clad secret agents in the alley, each wearing a bamboo hat. "Do any of you know?"

The secret agents exchanged glances and silently shook their heads.

Chen Ji looked at Jin Zhu: "This is the problem. Liu Mingxian is very cautious; there will certainly be a test when we meet in three days. If we want Xifeng to impersonate the Head, we first need to make him familiar with all sorts of information about the Jing Dynasty."

"That makes sense," Jin Zhu nodded. "Let's go to the Imperial Prison. Every month, new court gazettes are sent from the capital to the Secret Service branches in various prefectures to update information. The gazettes for Yuzhou are all stored in Luocheng's Imperial Prison."

Chen Ji asked, confused, "When I went to the Imperial Prison before, why did I never see these gazettes?"

Jin Zhu glanced at him: "These gazettes are only for top secret agents of Haidongqing rank and above, so naturally, they weren't for your eyes. However, given the urgency, we might have to make an exception today."

Chen Ji pondered for a moment: "Let's not go to the Imperial Prison. The Imperial Prison is far, and it takes an hour for each round trip, plus we have to enter and exit blindfolded, which is quite inconvenient. Instead, why don't you, Sir Jin Zhu, send people to escort these gazettes to Zhou Chengyi's residence? We can set up a temporary strategy room there."

Jin Zhu readily agreed: "I'll leave everything to you! Xifeng, take your men and go!"

Xifeng acknowledged, called for someone to bring a carriage from another alley, and placed a footstool on the ground. "Sir, please get in."

"Wait."

Everyone looked towards the source of the voice and saw Chen Ji slowly walk to the carriage, observing Xifeng. "This demeanor doesn't befit a dignified Head of Military Intelligence. Why would a Head serve someone else like a groom?"

Xifeng said in surprise, "Don't we have to wait three days? I'm not him yet."

Chen Ji said, "If we don't pay attention to details, they'll discover the truth sooner or later. From this moment on, you are the true Head of Military Intelligence. Someone, help the Head get into the carriage."

Jin Zhu walked over with a smile and positioned the footstool. "Head, please proceed."

Xifeng said nervously, "Sir, please get in first."

Jin Zhu's smile abruptly vanished. "Stop babbling. If you ruin my plans in three days, I'll strip you naked and hang you in front of the Jiaofangsi gate, ensuring you can never show your face again in this life!"

Hearing this, Xifeng took a deep breath, lifted his head, puffed out his chest, 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 pull it open for him. "Head, please."

Inside the swaying carriage, accompanied by the clatter of wooden wheels on the bluestone road, Xifeng sat at the rear, while Chen Ji and Jin Zhu sat facing each other.

In the tense atmosphere, the restless Xifeng silently pulled out a bronze handwarmer from beneath his seat.

He took out a tinder stick from his pocket, intending to light the silver charcoal powder inside.

However, he heard Chen Ji calmly say, "That is not something the Head should be doing."

Xifeng chuckled awkwardly: "It's cold. I was going to warm Sir Jin Zhu's hands."

Chen Ji's expression remained unchanged as he gravely stated, "I am not joking with either of you. This is our Secret Service's closest opportunity to infiltrate the Liu family. As long as we gain their trust, immense merit will be within our grasp."

He then shifted his tone: "Liu Mingxian is shrewd and cunning; ordinary trickery will surely not deceive him. If he discovers any discrepancies during our meeting in three days, he might retreat completely. Therefore, both of you must act seriously; only when you believe your own performance will Liu Mingxian be convinced."

Xifeng paused, then looked at Jin Zhu, his voice trembling: "Li-Little Jin, would you light the handwarmer for me?"

Jin Zhu: "..."

His mouth twitched, but he unhesitatingly took the tinder stick and the bronze handwarmer, fawningly saying to Xifeng, "Head, to trouble you with such a small matter, your humble servant deserves death."

Xifeng shivered slightly: "Sir, please don't be like this, I'm scared."

Jin Zhu pressed on his shoulder and said coldly, "You know how much I want to exterminate the Liu family. I want every man in their household to be a slave and every woman a prostitute, never to rise again. In the face of this objective, rank, reputation, and dignity are all irrelevant. Sit up straight and act your part well!"

Xifeng gradually calmed down: "Yes, your humble servant understands!"

Jin Zhu sneered, "Say it again!"

"This one understands."

Chen Ji silently watched this scene. He suddenly found himself somewhat believing the story Jin Zhu had told.

As Jin Zhu lit the charcoal powder, he looked at Chen Ji and asked in a low voice, "What should we do about that Deputy Supervisor?"

Chen Ji pondered for a moment: "The act must be complete. Have our secret agents pretend to be Jing Dynasty spies, secretly escort that Deputy Supervisor to the north, and don't let them return until the mission is accomplished."

"Understood," Jin Zhu subconsciously tucked the freshly lit bronze handwarmer into his hand.

Xifeng suddenly reached out and said, "Li-Little Jin, the bronze handwarmer."

Jin Zhu was startled, then quickly slipped the handwarmer into Xifeng's embrace.

The carriage slowly came to a halt.

Jin Zhu was the first to emerge from the carriage, like a servant, placing the footstool for Xifeng and pulling back the curtain.

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

Xifeng tentatively asked, "Sir Wu Xiu?"

"I haven't met Sir Wu Xiu. Just imitate him."

Xifeng closed his eyes, reminiscing. When he opened them again, his demeanor had completely transformed.

He stepped out of the carriage with an arrogant expression, straightened his back after dismounting, and walked into the Zhou residence as if no one else was there, without sparing Jin Zhu another glance.

As soon as he crossed the threshold, Xifeng immediately turned back in surprise: "Sir, is this the feeling you wanted?"

Chen Ji chuckled, "Exactly, Head."

Xifeng spread his hands and surveyed himself, feeling quite good. He then turned, adopted an arrogant expression again, and strode into the backyard.

An hour later, secret agents transported four wooden boxes from the Imperial Prison. Each box had a yellow talisman seal affixed to it.

Inside Zhou Chengyi's study, Jin Zhu took a short knife, pricked his own brow, and then, dipping his finger in the fresh blood, smeared it onto the talisman seals before peeling off all four seals one by one. "Everything from the last three years is here."

Chen Ji took out a volume and handed it to Xifeng: "You have three days to read through all these gazettes. After three days, you must know more about the Jing Dynasty's Military Intelligence than anyone else in the Secret Service. You must be able to answer every single one of Liu Mingxian's questions."

After speaking, he casually picked up a gazette himself and sat at Zhou Chengyi's desk, beginning to read through it.

Jin Zhu reached out and pressed down on Chen Ji's hand that was turning the pages, saying with a half-smile as he looked at the tiger mask, "These gazettes are top-secret to the Secret Service, not something a Pigeon-rank agent can view. Xifeng is an exception because of the mission, but you... I have a feeling you came specifically for these gazettes?"

Chen Ji moved Jin Zhu's hand away and interrupted him, "Sir Jin Zhu, not only do I need to read them, but you should also go through them again. Do you think it's appropriate for someone close to the Head to know nothing about the Jing Dynasty's Military Intelligence? Sir, is there anything more important than overthrowing the Liu family?"

Sitting at the desk, he looked up and met Jin Zhu's gaze, his eyes behind the tiger mask unwavering.

After a moment, Jin Zhu suddenly chuckled: "For some reason, I keep having the illusion that I'm working on a case with Sir Sick Tiger, as if you've truly become that top-ranked Sir Sick Tiger."

"I'll take that as a good omen."

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

Chen Ji lowered his head and continued to flip through the gazettes. However, the first one made his pupils contract slightly: "Summer, the 31st year of Jianing. Sicao Ren traveled from Jinmen to the capital, disappearing without a trace after dismissing his retinue, suspected of meeting with an important figure. This matter should be related to Lu Jin's stepping down."

That short sentence contained a wealth of information. The Ning Dynasty Secret Service already knew there was more than one Sicao, and clearly knew that the ten Sicaos used the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches as their codenames.

Furthermore, the Ning Dynasty Secret Service was also well aware that the Jing Dynasty's Military Intelligence was undergoing a power transition.

As he was reading, Chen Ji inadvertently looked up and found that Jin Zhu wasn't looking at the gazette in his own hand at all, but rather glancing in Chen Ji's direction.

Seeing him look over, Jin Zhu smiled and said, "Are you interested in this Sir Lu Jin? He's a truly significant figure; our Secret Service has clashed with him for years and suffered quite a few losses."

Chen Ji's heart tightened, but he then casually said, "I wouldn't say interested. I'm just wondering if the previous infighting among the Jing Dynasty's villains was precisely because of Lu Jin's stepping down."