Chapter 342: Escape

Thick smoke filled Chessboard Street and Dongjiang Mi Lane. The arsenic mixed in the bamboo tubes choked everyone, making it impossible to open their eyes.

Chen Ji covered his mouth and nose with his sleeve and hid in the smoke. He did not rashly approach the Guest House, but silently closed his eyes, leaning against something and waiting.

Waiting for the Five City Patrol and Cavalry Office to be dispatched elsewhere.

In the white smoke, sedan chair bearers, clerks, and high-ranking officials who had just finished work were choked and disoriented. Everyone squinted, struggling to discern their surroundings.

Shopkeepers rushed out from street-side taverns, some shouting, "Fire! Help put out the fire!"

"Where are the fire wardens? Where are the fire brigades from the Five City Patrol and Cavalry Office?"

"Quick, bring the water bags!"

The capital was dry, and hundreds of fires broke out every year. At best, a single house would burn down; at worst, an entire row.

Chessboard Street was the busiest place in the inner city. Every merchant had pooled funds to establish a "Water Storage Pavilion," where ox-hide water bags capable of holding three shi of water were stored.

Merchants also had to pay "fire warden fees" to the Five City Patrol and Cavalry Office every month. If they didn't pay, the Office would stand by and do nothing during a fire. If they paid, the Office would prioritize protecting their property.

Therefore, in the event of a fire, the Five City Patrol and Cavalry Office would always prioritize putting it out.

Chen Ji closed his eyes, listening as the sounds of running footsteps and armor rubbing faded into the distance. The nearby Five City Patrol and Cavalry Office had turned to retrieve the water-filled ox-hide bags from the "Water Storage Pavilion."

Even though the Five City Patrol and Cavalry Office had been diverted, Chen Ji still didn't move.

This time, he had to wait for the Secret Service to leave.

Just then, the cinnabar in the bamboo tubes finally ignited. The billowing white smoke instantly turned red. When street-side residents saw the red smoke spreading, they collectively cried out in horror, "There's a monster! It's a monster!"

"Demons are wreaking havoc in the capital!"

"The Planet of Fire has descended!"

Someone suddenly shouted in the thick fog, "No, someone might be attempting an assassination! Assistant Minister of Rites Chen Wende is here! Protect His Excellency, the Assistant Minister!"

"Protect His Excellency Zhou, Assistant Minister of Works!"

"Protect the Director of the Ministry of Personnel!"

Hearing this, even the secret agents outside the Guest House exchanged glances. One whispered, "Should we go take a look?"

"Look at what? Our duty is to keep an eye on these Goryeo envoys. Don't go looking for trouble."

Another secret agent retorted angrily, "What's there to see about them? The government offices just closed, and half of the clerks and high officials from the Six Ministries are on this street right now. If a high official were to be assassinated by a Jing Dynasty spy right under our noses, you and I might as well go to Lingnan to fish and dry salt!"

"Go!"

More than twenty secret agents sent half their number to investigate. Chen Ji felt a little more settled, as it was no different from what he had expected.

Earlier, Chen Ji had been infected by Si Cao Gui's nervousness, thinking the secret agents were sealing off the Guest House to prevent spies from the Jing Dynasty's Military Intelligence Bureau.

But upon second thought, he realized Si Cao Gui had simply tensed up at the sight of secret agents, misinterpreting the Secret Service's intentions.

Chen Ji knew very well that the assassination of the Goryeo envoy had long been ruled a suicide, unrelated to the Jing Dynasty. It was a means for the envoys to coerce the Celestial Empire, and even the Goryeo Crown Prince had confessed.

After the incident, the imperial court ordered them not to leave the Guest House by half a step, and had not convicted them. Not only were they not convicted, but court officials were also discussing daily whether to send troops to assist them. If troops were sent, who would lead them? Which battalion would be dispatched?

Ultimately, the Goryeo envoys were not criminals, but rather ministers of a vassal state.

Would Jing Dynasty spies collude with Goryeo envoys? No, these two sides shared national and personal animosity, making reconciliation impossible.

Would Jing Dynasty spies assassinate Goryeo envoys? No again. If the Goryeo Crown Prince were indeed killed in the Ning Dynasty, the Ning Dynasty would inevitably provide aid to Goryeo.

Therefore, those secret agents were only there to prevent Goryeo envoys from lobbying or bribing court officials, and to prevent them from taking any further drastic actions, not to guard against the Jing Dynasty Military Intelligence Bureau.

Thus, when high officials and envoys from a small state simultaneously faced danger, the Secret Service's first choice would inevitably be to protect the high officials.

Chen Ji covered his mouth and nose, squinting his eyes and staring in the direction of Dongjiang Mi Lane. There should only be seven or eight secret agents left outside the Guest House... But it still wasn't time.

At this moment, billowing thick smoke emerged from the second floor of the Guest House. Through the windows came the panicked Goryeo language of the Goryeo people.

Hundreds of Goryeo envoys rushed out of the Guest House in a stampede. Some secret agents drew their swords and shouted, "Go back! His Majesty has decreed that you are not allowed to leave the Guest House by half a step without permission!"

But with the urgency of a fire inside the building, how could a few secret agents stop them?

Seeing the smoke inside the building grow thicker and thicker, until the white smoke turned red, the Goryeo envoys immediately pushed and shoved each other, rushing out, mixing with the street residents, sedan chair bearers, merchants, clerks, and officials.

Chen Ji quickly searched for the clerk's figure in the crowd.

When he investigated the Goryeo envoy's suicide case, he had asked that middle-aged clerk for the Guest House's registration records. It wasn't difficult to recognize him... He found him.

Chen Ji finally made his move.

In the chaos, he passed by the clerk, still covering his mouth and nose. Their shoulders brushed against each other.

When they separated, the clerk looked down at the wooden box slipped into his hand. By the time he looked up to find Chen Ji again, Chen Ji had already blended into the crowd.

The item had been successfully delivered, but Chen Ji was not in a hurry to escape. Someone was certainly observing from outside Dongjiang Mi Lane, and anyone eager to escape would surely be noted.

Chen Ji knew that the commotion here would definitely alarm the Secret Service and the Jiefan Guards, but they might not be the first to arrive.

The thick smoke from the bamboo tubes only lasted for about half an incense stick's time before gradually dispersing, leaving hundreds of people disoriented and bewildered on the long street. Some held wooden buckets, but didn't know where to pour the water.

There was no fire.

All buildings were completely intact.

Before everyone could leave, the sound of dense footsteps came from afar.

Chen Ji, covering his mouth and nose, turned to look. He saw Wu Xuange, the newly appointed Commander of the Imperial Guards, leading over two hundred Left Xiao Guards and Imperial Guards, hurrying to the scene. They hadn't even had time to change into their silver armor.

Compared to the Secret Service and the Jiefan Guards, the Imperial Guards were the closest imperial army unit to this location. The Right Xiao Guards had already finished their shift and gone home by Shenshi, but the Left Xiao Guards had been kept at the Governor-General's Mansion by Wu Xuange. Therefore, they were bound to be the first to arrive.

Wu Xuange stood in the middle of the long street and declared loudly, "No one is to leave until the truth is ascertained! Imperial Guards, listen to my command: Seal off all alley entrances. If anyone dares to trespass, kill them without mercy!"

As the Imperial Guards moved through the long street, Chen Ji covered his mouth and nose, lowering his head and coughing, only easing his cough after the Imperial Guards had passed.

In an instant, the Imperial Guards split into over ten teams, completely sealing off Dongjiang Mi Lane, Sanguan Temple Alley, and Yuhe Bridge.

A sedan chair bearer, carrying a sedan chair, tried to leave Dongjiang Mi Lane via Yuhe Bridge, but was stopped by the Imperial Guards.

A young attendant beside the sedan chair angrily exclaimed, "Do you know who is in this sedan chair? Is Assistant Minister of Rites Chen Lizhi someone you can stop? Move aside!"

The Imperial Guards hesitated; Assistant Minister of Rites was an extremely high official position.

But Wu Xuange arrived, and angrily rebuked the Imperial Guards, "Can't you even understand military orders? I said no one is allowed to leave until the truth is ascertained. Let alone an Assistant Minister of Rites, even the Minister of Rites isn't allowed!"

Inside the sedan chair, Chen Lizhi lifted the curtain with a bamboo cane, and looked out, covering his mouth and nose with a handkerchief. "I thought it was some great general," he said, "so it's Wu Xiu's cousin. No wonder you don't even put high officials in your eyes."

Ignoring the sarcastic tone, Wu Xuange simply cupped his hands and said, "Your Excellency Chen, someone in the capital deliberately set a fire and caused mischief. No matter how this matter is discussed, even before His Majesty, I, Wu, will be in the right."

Chen Lizhi lowered the sedan chair curtain. "Take care of yourself," he said.

At this moment, an Imperial Guard came to Wu Xuange's side and whispered, "Sir, the high officials and clerks are all unharmed. No one was assassinated."

Wu Xuange frowned and murmured to himself, "Everyone's fine, so what was the perpetrator trying to do? Could it be a robbery?"

Another Imperial Guard came to Wu Xuange with two scorched bamboo tubes. "Sir, we found the source of the smoke."

Wu Xuange took the bamboo tubes and sniffed them near his nose. His expression immediately changed. "Niter? Sulfur? Quick, continue searching! See if there are any other suspicious objects!"

Niter and sulfur were not uncommon, and the smoke-emitting method in these bamboo tubes was far less powerful than military firearms. Their destructive power was worlds apart.

The Ning Dynasty had established twelve households of fireworks artisans, who could produce imperial tribute fireworks such as "Nine-Link Lanterns" and "Hundred-Child Cannons." The Directorate of Palace Servants could also make display fireworks like "Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea." The Li Family, the Medicine King of Jizhou; the Nie Family Firecrackers of Wanzai, Jiangzhou; and the Huqiu Fireworks Society of Suzhou, all possessed "Fire Character Plaques" for purchasing niter and sulfur. Each plaque limited the purchase of niter to one hundred catties. Each of these establishments also had the craftsmanship to produce such items, which was not considered difficult.

However, in the imperial capital region, any incident involving niter or sulfur would inevitably lead to a thorough investigation from top to bottom, with all sources of niter and sulfur strictly traced.

This was a major taboo, even more forbidden than using bows and crossbows.

While Wu Xuange was deep in thought, another Imperial Guard brought an object, which turned out to be a palm-sized wooden box.

He glanced at it. "What is this for?"

No sooner had he spoken than a soft, thin voice came from behind him. "Gentlemen, there's no need to trouble the Imperial Guards here. Let our Secret Service handle this, lest someone cry 'stop thief' while being the thief themselves."

The voice was clearly not loud, yet it seemed to pierce eardrums, making the long street fall silent.

Black Serpent.

Wu Xuange turned to look, and said in a deep voice, "Black Serpent? Some words cannot be spoken carelessly. My Imperial Guards just arrived here; how can there be any talk of 'stop thief while being the thief'? We are also here for the safety of the capital region. If you can't produce evidence and falsely accuse us, I will take this matter before His Majesty to seek justice."

Black Serpent's slender, narrow eyes resembled two willow-leaf daggers, as if they could cut into one's skin.

He was entirely enveloped in a black cloak, and he looked Wu Xuange up and down, then smiled faintly. "I wondered who dared speak to me like that. So it's General Wu. What, do you think you can just march before His Majesty because Wu Xiu supports you? Don't keep talking about seeking justice before His Majesty. His Majesty is busy cultivating himself and doesn't have the time to be your righteous official adjudicating cases."

"Master Wu, I know you want to claim credit for Wu Xiu," Black Serpent glanced at the bamboo tubes in the Imperial Guard's hand. "But someone here used firearms, which is a major case of treason, possibly related to the Jing Dynasty's Military Intelligence Bureau. This falls under the jurisdiction of my Secret Service. Even if Wu Xiu's Jiefan Guards were to arrive, they would have to step aside. General Wu, please return."

Wu Xuange's square face changed several times, but he finally let out a cold laugh. "Then let's see if you can find the culprit."

Just then, Black Serpent's gaze suddenly fell upon the wooden box in the Imperial Guard's hand. He sharply demanded, "What is that?"

The Imperial Guard was stunned for a moment. "This is a wooden box we found on the street, we don't know who discarded it."

His eyes blurred; Black Serpent had appeared before him unnoticed, and snatched the wooden box from his hand.

Black Serpent, as if oblivious to anyone else, lifted the wooden box and brought it close to his eyes. "It's wax-sealed!"

He opened it to find the wooden box was already empty.

Black Serpent suddenly turned and looked at everyone on the long street, his gaze sweeping across each face. "Not to kill, not to commit arson... it must have been to deliver this thing... But who were you trying to send it to? Such painstaking effort must have been for someone who is ordinarily inaccessible."

At this point, his gaze fixed on the Goryeo envoys. "Search them! Detain those Goryeo envoys and search them one by one according to the registration records!"

A secret agent whispered, "Sir, should we search the Goryeo Crown Prince?"

Black Serpent sneered. "Crown Prince or not, he's just a subject of a small vassal state. Search him!"

Hundreds of secret agents rushed towards the Goryeo envoys, arresting them all and escorting them back to the Guest House, where they were stripped and searched.

A moment later, a secret agent reported, "Sir, we've searched everywhere things could be hidden, but found nothing."

Black Serpent frowned.

Seeing Black Serpent first so confident, and now returning empty-handed, Wu Xuange immediately burst into laughter. "Master Black Serpent, please take your time investigating the case here. We are returning to our barracks!"

With that, he turned and walked west.

Black Serpent said coldly, "Did I tell you that you could leave?"

The secret agents all drew their swords, blocking Wu Xuange's path.

Wu Xuange turned around and spread his arms. "What, Master Black Serpent, are you going to search me, too? My Imperial Guards only arrived in Dongjiang Mi Lane after the smoke had cleared, and we have nothing to do with this matter. If you can't find anything, don't blame me for impeaching you!"

Black Serpent narrowed his eyes. "Originally, I didn't want to search, but now I insist. Search him!"

A secret agent stepped forward. Wu Xuange furiously shouted, "Draw your swords! Face the enemy!"

The secret agents and the Imperial Guards were at daggers drawn, facing off against each other on opposite sides of the long street.

At this moment, a light voice drifted over. "The culprit hasn't been found yet, and the Imperial Guards are already trying to fight with my Secret Service? Could it be that you are truly condoning the real culprit?"

Wu Xuange turned, his heart suddenly chilling. He quickly cupped his hands and said, "Master White Dragon, it is not that we intentionally wish to oppose the Secret Service, but that this Black Serpent is too arrogant and overbearing."

The secret agents parted to create a path. White Dragon, wearing a white mask with dragon patterns and dressed in white robes, came to stand between the Imperial Guards and the secret agents.

He cast a sidelong glance at Black Serpent, then looked at the Imperial Guards, and then waved his hand at the secret agents. "Let them go, but remember to check their identification tokens one by one. No one is allowed to leave except for the Imperial Guards."

The secret agents, without looking at Black Serpent's expression, hastily responded, "Yes, sir."

Wu Xuange led the two hundred Left Xiao Imperial Guards. Each showed their identification token and copper plaque. Only then did they swagger away without looking back.

White Dragon looked at Black Serpent. "I just found a bamboo tube on the second floor of the Guest House. Your prediction was correct; the culprit was indeed targeting the Goryeo envoys. However, I don't know what was inside that wooden box. Arrange for your people to stay in the Guest House and closely monitor everyone's movements. Don't let the culprit find another opportunity."

Black Serpent cupped his hands and replied, "Yes, sir."

White Dragon looked down at the humble Black Serpent before him and smiled. "I know you want to contend for one of the top three positions left vacant by the Sick Tiger, but don't be impatient. Haste won't lead to great achievements."

Black Serpent felt the pressure from White Dragon, and bowed even lower. "Your subordinate understands," he said.

Meanwhile, after Wu Xuange and the others had walked more than ten zhang, Chen Ji approached two secret agents blocking the path and showed them his identification token and copper plaque. The secret agents glanced at it and impatiently waved him through.

Chen Ji moved through the crowd, followed behind the Imperial Guards for dozens of steps, then turned and entered an alley.

He walked calmly through the narrow, dim alley, lightly brushing dust from his clothes.

He knew the capital was about to be in turmoil. As long as niter and sulfur were involved, the Secret Service would surely turn the capital upside down.

Even if Si Cao Gui had the greatest courage imaginable, he would certainly choose to lie low for a while, and the entire Military Intelligence Bureau might have to go silent.

Chen Ji let out a long breath. Si Cao Gui would inevitably come looking for him again, sooner or later, but before that, he still had many things to do.