Chapter 258: Acting is Real

“Reporting to my lord, this humble official does not believe.”

In the courtyard, Bai Long sat at the stone table next to him, eating a segment of orange. Chen Ji stood not far away, cupping his hands as he replied, his voice firm and clear.

Bai Long said with interest, “Why don’t you believe? The Crown Prince came to Guyuan to take control of the border army, forcing them to abandon their support for the King of Fortune. Couldn’t this allow the King of Fortune to counterattack? The Crown Prince just arrived in Guyuan, and the King of Fortune immediately sent his trusted subordinate and a high-ranking border army figure to conspire in secret, aiming to force the Crown Prince to make a mistake. It’s just shy of open fighting with swords and guns. If I side with the King of Fortune at this time, wouldn't that be a great service?”

“This humble official says I don’t believe. It has nothing to do with the King of Fortune and the Crown Prince. This humble official doesn’t understand them, but this humble official understands you,” Chen Ji said unhurriedly. “In the beginning, to bring down the Liu family, you lurked alone for seven years, keeping it a secret. If my lord were here to frame a country's heir, you would absolutely not bring so many people to Guyuan; otherwise, silencing them afterward would also be a troublesome matter.”

Chen Ji raised his head and looked into Bai Long’s eyes. “Moreover, your ambition is not in seizing the heir. You want to do bigger things.”

Bai Long sighed and said, “I told you earlier, hiding clumsiness is the way to survive.”

Chen Ji cupped his hands and said humbly, “This humble official relies on his brain to serve by my lord’s side. If even my brain is gone, then I’m useless.”

Bai Long said mockingly, “No need to think so highly of yourself. I use you merely because of your Chen family identity, that’s all.”

Chen Ji calmly added, “And my master Yao Qimen's identity.”

Bai Long was silent for a moment, then suddenly burst out laughing. “Physician Yao is no longer in the Ning Dynasty. He may not be able to protect you. To dare speak to me like this, you are truly seeking death.”

Chen Ji knew well that Bai Long’s moods were unpredictable, but as long as he could handle things properly, Bai Long wouldn't turn against him. From a certain perspective, this kind of person was easier to get along with.

Bai Long put down the book scroll in his hand and lightly tapped the stone table with his fingers. “Guess what I came to Guyuan to do.”

After thinking, Chen Ji said, “My lord wants to use the death of Prince Jing to create a situation, exposing Zhou You, who was involved in the mutiny old case within the border army. You want to use the name of ‘avenging Prince Jing’ to feign surrender to Jing, luring the Jing Dynasty’s Tian Ce Army to come and meet their death. My lord, I don’t know if this humble official’s guess is correct or not?”

Bai Long smiled. “You guessed a few points correctly, but the Jing Dynasty is not foolish either. Without accepting a token of surrender, how would they believe?”

Chen Ji said solemnly, “Poisoning the well water and burning the granary, that is the token of surrender.”

Bai Long said with a smile, “Then do you know that you obstructing the poisoning of the well water almost ruined my important matter?”

Chen Ji lowered his head slightly, thinking, could this also be one of the reasons for Old Wu and the Yang family fur shop manager’s quarrel?

He replied softly, “My lord, the unknowing are not to blame.”

Bai Long laughed in anger. He pointed at Chen Ji through the air. “No more investigating the Jing Dynasty spies. 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 really gone, or just a pretense?”

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

Chen Ji breathed a sigh of relief. “Then that is good.”

Bai Long picked up the book scroll from the table and said lazily, “Go back.”

“Yes.”

Chen Ji slowly exited the courtyard facing Bai Long, but then heard Bai Long open his mouth and say, “Stop.”

Chen Ji was puzzled. “Does my lord have any other matters?”

Bai Long walked into the room, took out a food wrapped in a palm leaf, and threw it over through the air. Chen Ji caught it in his arms, opened 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 bring. 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 smiling but not smiling expression. “That Miss Zhang Er walked back and forth on this street several times. If not for her, could you have discovered this place? If I didn’t cherish talent, how could she have safely returned to the inn? You just tell her that civil officials do not tolerate her participating in the imperial examination, but in my Si Lijian, she can rise straight to the clouds. I guarantee her a seat among the Twelve Zodiacs.”

Chen Ji thought it over repeatedly, then put the oranges back on the stone table. “My lord, Miss Zhang Er is probably not used to eating these oranges.”

Bai Long’s eyes narrowed slightly. “When did it become your turn to defy me?”

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

Chen Ji gritted his teeth and said, “My lord, Miss Zhang Er once sought Vice Director Xu Shu of the Qin Tian Jian to teach her the official path, but was refused. The reason is that he doesn’t want her to get involved in Jianghu matters. If Xu Shu knows that you are pulling Miss Zhang Er into the secret spy department, it will probably be difficult to end well. I still hope you will think twice.”

Bai Long stared at Chen Ji for a long time, then finally waved his hand indifferently. “Go. Properly approach the Crown Prince. Don’t mind other matters anymore. You killing Manager Yang again today has simply created extra complications. Those Jing Dynasty thieves are like frightened birds. I must do many more things to pull the scheme back.”

“Yes,” Chen Ji hurriedly exited the courtyard gate.

He had just crossed the threshold when he suddenly stopped again, raised his head, and asked, “My lord, the thirty-four lives of the Chen family poisoned to death, was it you who did it?”

Bai Long snorted, “What would I gain by killing those pitiful people?”

Chen Ji no longer hesitated, turned and strode away.

After he left, the boss of Bao Feng Zhai, the tailor shop owner’s wife, and the night watchman dozing at the street corner came forward one by one. They knelt on one knee in front of Bai Long, their faces pale. “My lord, this humble official is incompetent. Please, my lord…”

The two words “punish me” were trembling, unable to be uttered.

Bai Long said calmly, “Return to Wu Nian Mountain. You can come out to do things again after three years.”

The three were startled and hurriedly knelt on both knees, bowing low. “Thank you, my lord, for sparing our lives.”

Bai Long rose and walked towards the room, saying slowly, “I am a reasonable person. Your being discovered is not entirely your fault. If others had come, perhaps it would have been the same. This time, I will not kill anyone.”

In Guyuan city, more and more common people gathered in the street, loudly and noisily, shouting to go find the border army to get their grain back.

Chen Ji passed through the crowd without a word, feeling somewhat lighter than when he arrived. Since it was confirmed that Bai Long and the border army were jointly setting up a situation for the Jing Dynasty, at least there was no worry of the city being breached.

As he was thinking, he saw several people running past him.

Chen Ji raised his head and looked. They were three Feathered Forest Army soldiers carrying bulging bags, hurrying along. He didn’t know where they had gotten the grain from.

However, just at this moment, someone suddenly shouted, “Fire! The root of the city wall is on fire again!”

Chen Ji’s heart sank. He turned his head to look. Billowing thick smoke rolled up from the south side, covering the city pass.

He leaped lightly, clinging to the eaves, and flipped onto the roof. But the adobe houses were still too short; he couldn’t see clearly.

Chen Ji looked around, sought out a tall wine shop, and ran all the way over the roofs.

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

In the border army camp, armored soldiers were vaguely seen carrying buckets back and forth, but the big fire burned more and more vigorously.

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

Looking at the momentum of the fire, someone must have hidden fierce fire oil again. It was simply unstoppable.

The secret spy department and the border army wanted to jointly put on a play to set up a situation, yet they didn’t guard against someone within the border army wanting to turn the fake play into a real one?