Chapter 190: The Zodiac Position

The hour of Zi.

Huanjing Hutong.

In the main hall of the Secret Agent Office yamen, Chen Ji and Bailong sat facing each other with a chessboard between them.

Following the old rule from Longwangtun, they played rapid chess, with each move not exceeding ten breaths.

The two of them, holding black and white pieces respectively, quickly placed them on the board.

Bailong wore a mask. He looked at the state of the board, and while placing pieces, praised, "You truly didn't panic at all. Your chess style is also vastly different from last time. You've finally understood the words 'give up and gain'. The chess strategy of isolating and swallowing the dragon, while clever, is also the most greedy and ill-advised."

Chen Ji didn't speak, focusing intently on the chessboard.

Bailong slowly said, "It's already the hour of Hai, and Yunyang and the others still haven't brought the Crown Prince before me. They've probably messed up the task again."

Chen Ji, without lifting his head, said, "Since Yunyang and Jiaotu always mess things up, why doesn't Lord Bailong replace them?"

Bailong laughed, "I have my reasons; you'll understand later."

Just as the words fell, a watchman outside the hutong was beating a gong and passing by, "Close doors, close windows, guard against thieves and robbers!"

The agreed hour of Zi had already passed, reaching the hour of Chou, when scholars rise early.

Chen Ji slightly relaxed his breath, "Lord Bailong, it seems I've won."

Bailong smiled, "Won is won, but I'm a bit curious, where exactly did you hide the Crown Prince?"

Chen Ji, without changing his expression, said, "Lord Bailong, this humble one has proven himself useful enough. From now on, this humble one will naturally exert himself for your lordship, going through fire and water. Regarding the matter of the County Princess..."

Just at this moment, the sound of footsteps came from outside the door.

Only Yunyang, Jiaotu, and Jinzhu were seen coming in together, patting snow fragments off their bodies. "Lord, Bǎilǐ County Princess is already imprisoned in the secret residence, guarded personally by the Jie Fan Guards."

As soon as Jinzhu entered the door, he saw Chen Ji and was startled, "Why are you here?"

Chen Ji pointed at the chessboard, "Accompanying Lord Bailong in a game of chess."

Jinzhu's face showed doubt.

Bailong stood up with his hands behind his back, "Did you find the Crown Prince?"

Yunyang and Jiaotu looked at each other and both lowered their heads, "Reporting to Lord Bailong, this humble one is incompetent and did not find the Crown Prince. But this humble one confirms that Zhang Zhuo is helping them cover their tracks. Please give an oral order, Lord Bailong, and we two will arrest Lord Zhang and take him to the inner prison. We will definitely interrogate him for the Crown Prince's whereabouts!"

Bailong laughed heartily, pointing his finger at the two. "You two have made mistakes, and you still want me to take the blame with you? What kind of logic is this? Tell me, what other trouble did you cause?"

Jiaotu said in a low voice, "We didn't cause any other trouble."

"Hmm?" Bailong turned his head, "Jinzhu, you speak."

Jinzhu didn't stand on ceremony with the two, "Yunyang and Jiaotu brought the Jie Fan Guards to block Zhang Zhuo's grain transport team. In the end, they didn't find the Crown Prince and also scattered official grain all over the ground."

Jiaotu argued, "We didn't move much grain; I stopped in time!"

Jinzhu thought, "The Jie Fan Guards were quick with their hands; they pierced twenty-seven bags. Official grain transport seems inconspicuous, and more than ten bags of grain aren't worth much money, but it is always a military matter of great importance. It can be seen as big or small, depending on whether Zhang Zhuo wants to weigh you two on the scale."

Bailong thought for a moment, "One bag of official grain is one hundred twenty jin, and one jin is eleven wen. According to our Da Ning law, destroying military grain worth over twenty-five strings results in one hundred strokes of the cane, tattooing the five characters 'steal official money and grain' and exile for three thousand li... You two are going to be exiled again, ah."

Chen Ji subconsciously turned his head and glanced at Bailong, not expecting the other to recite Da Ning law so accurately.

What kind of people memorize laws? Three kinds.

The first kind are people with photographic memory like Zhang Zhuo and Zhang Xia.

The second kind are law enforcement personnel.

The third kind are people preparing to commit crimes.

Bailong should be the third kind.

Bailong faced Yunyang and Jiaotu and sighed, "I told you two early on, you need to read more of our dynasty's laws. This way, when you do things, you can avoid breaking the law and not let others catch hold of you. How do you think I got into the upper three positions? I relied on not letting people catch hold of me, ah."

Yunyang and Jiaotu dared not lift their heads, feeling guilty.

Bailong thought for a moment, "How about this, I will protect you two from being exiled, but this zodiac position, I have to take it back for the Inner Minister Lord, and also to give the Xu family an account. From now on, you two are demoted to pigeon-level spies, working under Chen Ji."

"What?" Yunyang's face was shocked, "Why should we work under him?"

Bailong pretended to be puzzled, "You two are pigeon-level spies, and he is Hai Dong Qing, one level higher than you. Could it be that you two cannot work under him?"

Yunyang looked like he had lost his parents, "But... but..."

Bailong, "Oh? You are not convinced?"

Jiaotu hurriedly pulled his sleeve, his voice squeezed from his teeth, "Do you want to die? Quickly agree, agree, agree..."

Yunyang's face was like dead ashes as he glanced at Chen Ji, then cupped his fists and bowed, "Obeying the order."

As the words fell, Chen Ji on the side spoke up, "Lord Bailong, this humble one's experience is still lacking, and I probably don't have the ability to lead others. How about Yunyang and Jiaotu still not working under me?"

It wasn't that Chen Ji didn't want to take this opportunity to humiliate the two.

But these two people were too vengeful and extremely skilled at assassination. He worried that if he pushed these two too hard, they would be cornered and desperate.

Bailong turned his head and glanced at him, "You are all so bold and reckless, you even dare to contradict arrangements I have made?"

Chen Ji, Yunyang, and Jiaotu simultaneously cupped their fists and bowed, "This humble one dares not!"

Bailong patted Chen Ji's shoulder, "Do things properly, and I will go to the Inner Minister Lord there to ask for merit for you."

Jinzhu's face changed. How did Chen Ji switch allegiance and listen to Bailong's commands?

The next moment, Bailong waved his hand, "Alright, disperse. Go and guard all traffic routes in Luò City, check house by house, don't let the Crown Prince escape."

"Yes," Jinzhu and the others bowed and then retreated outward, but Chen Ji did not move.

Jinzhu walked to the threshold, turned back and waved at Chen Ji, "Go, ah."

Chen Ji softly said, "I still need to play chess with Lord Bailong. Jinzhu Lord please leave first."

Jinzhu's face sank. He hesitated for a while, and finally couldn't help but say, "You want to switch allegiance? Have you forgotten how I treated you? If it weren't for me and Tiān Ma saving you, you would have probably already become a soul under the knife!"

Chen Ji was silent for a long time, "Jinzhu Lord, I still feel that following Lord Bailong is more promising."

Bailong laughed loudly, "Pig child, ah pig child, a forcibly twisted melon isn't sweet."

Jinzhu coldly laughed three times, "Good, good, good. Lord Bailong's methods are good. I will here prematurely congratulate Chen Lord on his early achievement of a zodiac position!"

Saying that, he flicked his sleeve and left.

Bailong walked forward a few steps, his hands behind his back, looking at the accumulated snow in the courtyard, "This game tonight counts as you won. I've thought and thought, and I still haven't figured out where you hid the Crown Prince... Are you really not planning to reveal the answer to me?"

Chen Ji came to his side, "Since Lord Bailong intended to give the Crown Prince a way to live, why bother investigating further?"

Bailong laughed, "It's not that I intended to let him live; someone threatened me and said that if I didn't give all of you a way to live this time, he would kill me. In this Ning dynasty, there are not many people who can kill me, and coincidentally, he is one of them."

Chen Ji was slightly startled.

He subconsciously turned back to look at the teacup on the table. Just now someone had drunk tea here, delaying Bailong by one hour.

Chen Ji looked towards the courtyard. When he had just entered the courtyard, there was a faint smell of Chinese medicine inside, which was clearly the familiar smell of a medical hall, fragrant with bitterness.

When Chen Ji turned back, his eyes flashed with an inexplicable light, "Lord, are you saying it's Bīng Hú Lord?"

Bailong sneered, "You talk too much, just showing off your cleverness."

Chen Ji suddenly understood why Bailong repeatedly expressed goodwill towards him, why Meng Ji in his dream gave him water. It turned out there was always someone protecting him from behind...

Master, Bing Hu!

Mountain Lord, a tiger too!

Chen Ji opened his mouth, "Lord Bailong, if I must save the County Princess, how can I do it?"

Bailong sighed, "You've given me a huge problem. Chen Ji, ah, that's treason. Do you think His Majesty will spare Jing Wang's line?"

Chen Ji said in a low voice, "But Jing Wang clearly didn't think of rebelling. This is a crime others pinned on him."

Bailong's voice was stern, "After leaving this door, you must not say such arrogant words. You and I are in this position, we must be clear about our identities. What matters to do, what words to say, all need to be thought through beforehand. Don't let others know that you wholeheartedly want to save the County Princess. His Majesty wants to kill her, and you want to protect her. Could it be that you also want to rebel?"

Chen Ji was silent for a long time before asking, "Why must His Majesty want Jing Wang to die?"

Bailong sighed, "In the spring of Jia Ning twenty-three, the Qiān Suì army returned triumphantly after suppressing a rebellion. His Majesty, in his joy, rewarded the three armies. As a result, those soldiers said they didn't want rewards, they only hoped His Majesty could spare the rebels."

Chen Ji was startled, "Why? How would the Qian Sui army plead for rebels?"

Bailong sneered, "Only because the Qian Sui army initially thought the rebels were ferocious devils and bandits. When they arrived in Cāng Prefecture and saw, they were actually all desperate tenants who couldn't make a living. The Qian Sui army soldiers were strong and their horses powerful, but they were killing ordinary people holding hoes. How could they bear it? In that battle, ah, many soldiers of the Qian Sui army killed while crying, killing until their hearts were dead."

Bailong continued, "Thirty-seven commanders of the Qian Sui army knelt outside the Quē Yōu Gate, asking His Majesty to withdraw the rewards and spare the rebels from death. His Majesty, in anger, asked Jing Wang how to handle it. Wang Ye said, those rebels indeed did not deserve death."

Chen Ji's expression was inexplicable, "Then?"

"Then?" Bailong stretched out his hand to catch the snow falling from the sky, "Then His Majesty withdrew the rewards and pardoned the rebels. To cover up this matter, His Majesty not only pardoned the rebels but found a reason of a discovered auspicious omen to amnesty the world. From then on, His Majesty and Jing Wang were no longer of one heart."

Chen Ji said in a low voice, "But if the rebels were desperate common people, then they indeed..."

Bailong retorted, "Chen Ji, rebels want to rebel against the court. If Jing Wang says the rebels did no wrong, then who is wrong?"

His Majesty is wrong.

Jing Wang's fate seemed to be sealed from that day on.

Bailong changed the topic, "The matter of the County Princess cannot be done now, but that doesn't mean it cannot be done later. I will first help you keep her life, imprison her in a temple, accompanying the green lamp, and wait until things take a turn for the better. How about that?"

Chen Ji suppressed the excitement in his heart. If he could keep a life, then there was still hope!

He again cupped his fists and bowed deeply, "Many thanks, Lord Bailong!"

Bailong shook off the snow that had turned to water in his hand, "Don't be in a hurry to thank me. When I was young, I also felt I could change anything, but later I discovered that on this road, too many things need to be given up. Chen Ji, ah, once you step onto this road, you can't turn back."

Chen Ji cupped his fists and bowed, looking at his own toes.

Someone always has to pay the price, right?

He slowly stood up and said firmly, "No turning back!"

Bailong turned back and glanced at him, then turned to look at the night, sighing, "The Lord ultimately cannot cut off that last bit of the world, ah."

Chen Ji was puzzled, "What?"

Bailong casually said, "Nothing, enter the room. I still have matters to tell you."