Chapter 337: New Mission

At Mao hour, the sky was not yet fully bright.

At the intersection of two alleys, Chen Ji leaned against the north corner, while Sicao Gui leaned against the west. They spoke as if back-to-back, neither able to see the other. This way of conversing was awkward, but if anyone approached from outside the alleys, regardless of which direction they came from, they would only spot one person, never both.

Chen Ji leaned against the green brick wall and, after a long hesitation, asked, "Did you encounter any dangers during your escape? Is Wu Hongbiao doing well? Has he returned?"

Sicao Gui explained with a smile, "Piaozi and I fled south back then. Along the way, we were stopped and searched seven times by the Secret Service. We disguised ourselves as traveling merchants, hid in coffins, and even concealed ourselves in carts for waste disposal. If we hadn't been so resourceful, we might not have made it." He continued, "However, after we left Yuzhou, the Secret Service personnel became less vigilant. We boarded a river transport gang's boat and traveled south to Yangzhou, then hurried directly to Qidong Port, where we took a smuggled merchant ship to Lushun. During the escape, I thought every day that it would have been better to die in Luocheng. But once we reached Lushun, we felt the journey had been worthwhile. You don't need to worry about Piaozi; he's doing very well."

Chen Ji asked curiously, "Was his sister rescued?"

Sicao Gui remarked with interest, "What, are you still thinking about his sister? Don't bother. I saw her this time, and she looks exactly like Piaozi, quite plain-looking."

Chen Ji chuckled, "I wasn't thinking about her, just asking."

The two chatted like old friends reunited after a long separation, discussing everyday matters as if they had forgotten their dangerous past and were not living in turmoil.

After they both finished laughing, Chen Ji slowly grew serious and tentatively asked, "You finally managed to leave, so why did you come back?"

Just then, someone passed by outside the alley. Sicao Gui pulled down his bamboo hat and remained silent. Once the pedestrian was gone, he explained in a low voice, "Your uncle has been reinstated. This time, he used the intelligence failure in Luocheng and the military defeat in Guyuan to imprison all his political rivals, Jiang Tan of the Military Strategy Bureau and Lu Guanwu of the Military Intelligence Bureau. He also gained the position of Vice Privy Council member. With the Military Strategy Bureau now under his jurisdiction, I naturally had to return to continue serving the court."

Chen Ji looked up at the gray sky. Although he had already learned of Lu Jin's impending reinstatement while in Guyuan, he still felt a complex mix of emotions upon finally hearing the news.

Sicao Gui asked from around the corner, "Why are you so quiet?"

Chen Ji replied with a smile, "I'm happy for my uncle... So, does this mean I can return to the Jing Dynasty now?"

Sicao Gui instinctively said, "No."

Chen Ji frowned, "Why not?"

Sicao Gui explained, "Privy Council member Yuan Cheng enjoys the Emperor's favor, and your uncle won't be able to move against him for a while. There's significant friction between them; in just the half-month before I arrived in Ning, your uncle survived twelve assassination attempts. It wouldn't be safe for you to return now, so he wants you to remain in Ning." Sicao Gui continued, "Moreover, the Military Intelligence Bureau had previously stagnated due to factional struggles, leaving many important tasks neglected. Now, you and I must help your uncle rectify the situation. Only when the Military Intelligence Bureau becomes effective can we prove to His Majesty that reinstating your uncle was the correct decision, leaving Yuan Cheng with no room for argument."

Chen Ji cautiously probed, "Alright... Since my uncle now controls the Military Intelligence Bureau, does that mean you're the head of the Military Intelligence Bureau upon your return?"

Sicao Gui calmly replied, "No, the position of the head has not changed. Sicao is still Sicao, and the head is still the head."

Chen Ji pondered internally, "Lu Guanwu is already imprisoned, so why would Uncle Lu Jin keep this head? Is he unable to remove him?"

At this moment, Sicao Gui suddenly asked, "I heard you've already had two imperial audiences?"

Chen Ji's heart clenched. The joy of reuniting with an old friend vanished in an instant. What Sicao Gui said was certainly not information that ordinary people could access. There were only two possibilities: either Sicao Gui had infiltrated the circle of a high-ranking official and learned this information from them, or agents from the Military Intelligence Bureaus of Jing and other courts were secretly embedded within Ning Dynasty's central government.

Which was it? It was the second. Sicao Gui had previously escaped back to the Jing Dynasty with Wu Hongbiao. Even if he had returned to the Ning Dynasty without delay, he would have arrived in the capital at most half a month earlier than Chen Ji. In such a short time, it would have been impossible for him to get close to a high-ranking official and gain their trust.

Chen Ji began to explain, "My imperial audiences were purely coincidental; I merely happened to be someone else's instrument."

Sicao Gui then asked, "You previously connected with Yun Yang and Jiao Tu. Why didn't you join the Secret Service?"

Chen Ji weighed his words, "Yun Yang and Jiao Tu betrayed me after I helped them, claiming my credit. To prevent the truth from being exposed, they did everything they could to keep me from joining the Secret Service."

Sicao Gui remained silent for a long time, his fingers caressing the hilt of the short dagger in his sleeve. He then asked in a low, serious voice, "When you were in Guyuan, why did you kill so many Heavenly Strategy Army soldiers?"

Chen Ji's heart sank. The other party's murderous intent was palpable, making his hair stand on end even from around the corner. It finally came. This was the question Sicao Gui truly wanted to ask: the Military Intelligence Bureau no longer trusted him. Furthermore, Chen Ji was now even more certain that the Jing Dynasty Military Intelligence agent embedded within the Ning Dynasty's central government must have access to Guyuan's memorials and victory reports—meaning their status was not low.

How should he answer? A single misstep could lead to his death. If he answered incorrectly, he would be dead right now, let alone being able to save the Princess. Should he kill Sicao Gui? Currently, in the Ning Dynasty, Sicao Gui was the only one who knew his true identity. If he killed him, he could buy himself more time. But Sicao Gui was a Grand Executor of the Dao Seeking Realm; over a hundred secret agents couldn't touch him. How could Chen Ji possibly kill him?

He could only bite the bullet and try to deceive him.

"I didn't kill the Heavenly Strategy Army soldiers," Chen Ji slowly replied. "At that time, Yun Yang and Jiao Tu betrayed me, and I miraculously survived, then traveled to Guyuan with the Chen family. Later, while in Guyuan, I seized the opportunity to get close to the Crown Prince. This was a rare chance to approach the core of the Ning Dynasty, so I secretly investigated the Guyuan border army's case of killing innocent civilians to claim military achievements for him." Chen Ji explained in a deep voice, "At the time, Longmen Inn was attacked, and a hidden Grand Executor by the Crown Prince's side intervened to eliminate the enemy. But the Crown Prince didn't want to expose this Executor, so he attributed all the credit to me. Concurrently, the Crown Prince also wished to use this opportunity to win over Chen Liqin of the Chen family's third branch, so he simply helped me secure a position as a Right Steward of the Eastern Palace to gain favor. However, the Guyuan border army did not defer to the Crown Prince, which is why Hu Junxian's victory report made no mention of me. Among all the victory reports and memorials, only the Crown Prince's mentioned my military achievements, so the Ning Emperor didn't fully believe it and only granted me an eighth-rank Imperial Guard petty officer position. If I had truly killed so many Heavenly Strategy Army soldiers, I should have at least received a sixth-rank official position."

These words were a mix of truth and falsehood. Hu Junxian's victory report and his petty officer status served as Chen Ji's corroborating evidence. Chen Ji was only grateful that among the Guyuan border army's victory reports and memorials, only the Crown Prince had mentioned this matter; otherwise, he would have had no room to maneuver. Yet, Chen Ji's words still carried many hidden risks: Chen Liqin, Chen Wenzong, Lady Liang, Zhang Xia, Zhang Zheng, Xiaoman, the Crown Prince, and Qi Zhenzhuo were all witnesses. If even one of them revealed the truth, Sicao Gui would know he was lying. Chen Ji couldn't worry about such details. He could only bet that Sicao Gui wouldn't be able to verify with these individuals immediately, and even if he did, Chen Ji could simply use "the Crown Prince ordered silence" as a temporary excuse. Just a bit more time. He only needed to buy a bit more time.

From the other side of the corner, Sicao Gui said in a deep voice, "Are you telling the truth?"

Chen Ji took a deep breath and said with certainty, "Sicao, you know my capabilities. Do you really think I could kill over a hundred Heavenly Strategy Army soldiers?"

Sicao Gui couldn't help but feel doubtful himself. Over a hundred charging Heavenly Strategy Army soldiers would make even a Dao Seeking Realm Executor retreat. He didn't know that Chen Ji had, that day, maintained a tactical advantage, relied on the continuous power of the Mountain Lord inheritance to sustain his stamina, and even lost a stripe. It was only with the additional help of Wuyun and Xiaoman that he barely survived. The Crown Prince's memorial made no mention of Wuyun or Xiaoman, stating only that Chen Ji had single-handedly killed over a hundred Heavenly Strategy Army soldiers, which was inherently unbelievable. In Sicao Gui's impression, Chen Ji was not skilled in combat.

Sicao Gui slowly said, "I believe you... Now, there's something I need you to do."

Chen Ji became vigilant. "What is it?"

Sicao Gui said, "I have something that needs to be delivered to the secretary of the Huitong Hall in Dongjiang Rice Lane. The Huitong Hall is currently surrounded by Ning Dynasty secret agents; an ordinary person approaching within ten zhang would attract their attention. However, your identity might allow you to accomplish this."

Chen Ji remained silent.

Sicao Gui asked casually, "What, are you unwilling?"

Chen Ji calmly replied, "If there are orders, I will naturally go through any hardship without hesitation. Sicao, what do you need me to deliver to that secretary?"

Sicao Gui smiled, "I'll place it on the ground. Count twenty breaths, then come and retrieve it. Remember, do not look inside, and do not attempt to open it."

Chen Ji silently counted twenty breaths before turning the corner. Sicao Gui was gone. On the ground, a palm-sized wooden box lay quietly, sealed with red wax. Chen Ji had no idea what it contained.

He tucked the wooden box into his sleeve, then turned and quickly departed.

On the bustling Chang'an Avenue, Chen Ji, with a solemn expression, navigated around the constant flow of carriages and palanquins. Had Sicao Gui believed his story? Certainly not. Chen Ji had dealt with Sicao Gui before. The man was inherently suspicious and would never casually believe uncorroborated claims. Even though Chen Ji was Lu Jin's nephew, Sicao Gui had doubted him multiple times when they were in Luocheng.

So, what would a high-ranking individual, newly returned to the Military Intelligence Bureau, do first when facing an intelligence subordinate who had been out of contact for a long time?

A loyalty test.

Now, delivering the wooden box from his sleeve to the Huitong Hall secretary was the Military Intelligence Bureau's loyalty test for Chen Ji. Chen Ji touched the wooden box in his sleeve, his fingers tracing the wax seal. Should he risk giving the wooden box to the Huitong Hall secretary? Yes, he should. Should he try to break the wax seal to see what was inside? No.

Arriving at the gate of the Imperial Guard Headquarters, Chen Ji exhaled slowly. Once his expression relaxed, he smiled and walked through the gate. As he stepped through the gate, a dull rumble of thunder suddenly echoed from above. Chen Ji instinctively looked up, only to see dark clouds gathering densely over the capital. It was going to rain.

This was the first spring rain in the capital, in the thirty-second year of Jianing.