Anxi Street was quiet, bathed in moonlight that spilled onto the bluestone slab road, clear and serene like a flowing stream.

Chen Ji stood silently inside the doorway. Yun Yang, outside, did not rush him. With only a door separating them, they simply stood in quiet stillness.

After pondering for a long time, Chen Ji finally took a deep breath. With a creak, he slowly opened the door. “Lord Yun Yang, what can I do for you?”

Outside the door, Yun Yang was dressed in black. His clothes fit him perfectly, as if freshly ironed, and his hair was neatly gathered at the crown with a hairpin, making him resemble the young noblemen often seen in operas.

Separated by the high threshold of the Taiping Medical Clinic, Yun Yang asked with a smile, “Won’t you invite me in to sit for a while?”

Chen Ji shook his head. “There’s no place to drink tea inside the clinic,” he said. “How about we talk by the door?”

“Oh?” Yun Yang looked at Chen Ji with interest. “Don’t you know I’m from the Secret Service? Didn’t Imperial Physician Yao tell you?”

“He did.”

Yun Yang’s smile faded, and he said calmly, “Then do you know that when my Secret Service says we want to sit in someone’s home, no one has ever dared to refuse? Aren’t you afraid of me?”

After speaking, he stepped over the threshold and walked past Chen Ji as if no one else was there, heading into the clinic.

“Yes, I am,” Chen Ji turned and admitted honestly. “But I suggested talking by the door because I know you’re in a hurry and I don’t want to waste your time.”

“Oh?” Yun Yang, with his hands clasped behind his back, looked around the clinic and asked curiously, “Why would I be in a hurry?”

Chen Ji stood by the door, looking at Yun Yang’s back. “You arrested members of the Liu family, causing the Liu family’s elderly patriarch to collapse from anger; he doesn’t have much time left. The Liu family’s Grand Secretary and Minister of Personnel are rushing back to Luocheng. You must be very anxious.”

Yun Yang laughed. “Based on just the information that Imperial Physician Yao was called by the Liu family to treat an illness, you dare to be so certain of my current situation? I am here on the orders of the Grand Chancellor. What does the Liu family matter? Now I suspect you are a Jing Dynasty spy. Come with me to the inner prison.”

Chen Ji leaned against the doorframe. “Lord Yun Yang, why don’t we speak frankly? If you truly came to arrest me and take me to the inner prison, why come yourself? Just sending two people would suffice.”

Yun Yang turned and stared intently at Chen Ji, observing his firm expression. “Since you’re so smart, you should also know that Imperial Physician Yao isn’t here tonight, and I don’t even need a reason to kill you. How dare you challenge me?”

The reason Chen Ji challenged him was just as Yun Yang had told Zhou Chengyi: when you see the Secret Service, you no longer have a choice.

Either cooperate or die.

However, he had another idea.

Seeing that Chen Ji didn’t speak, Yun Yang said slowly, “Since you’re a clever man, then guess why I’ve come. If you guess correctly, it proves you still have value.”

Chen Ji said, “Everyone says the Secret Service has the power to act first and report later, and that they have imperial dispensation. But this power comes with a prerequisite: you must execute the right people.”

Yun Yang raised an eyebrow. “Go on.”

Chen Ji frowned as he analyzed. “Not many things would make Lord Yun Yang come looking for me in the middle of the night. It must be that you arrested people but couldn’t find evidence to incriminate them. Now, with the Liu family’s elderly patriarch critically ill, if you can’t find evidence to prove your arrests were justified, I’m afraid the Grand Chancellor will make you a scapegoat.”

“Excellent!” Yun Yang applauded and spoke frankly. “Jiaotu searched twenty-two Xuan paper shops in Luocheng based on your clue and finally found two shops where the Xuan paper was identical to that found in Zhou Chengyi’s residence, and both were backed by the Liu family’s business. However, we couldn’t find any other evidence in the Xuan paper shops.”

Chen Ji quickly asked, “Did you brush all the Xuan paper with vinegar?”

“Yes, but no characters appeared.”

Chen Ji was puzzled. “Since there was no evidence, why did you dare to arrest them directly?”

Yun Yang scoffed, flicking his sleeve. “My Secret Service has always preferred to err on the side of killing rather than letting a Jing Dynasty spy go. If one spy is let go, a hundred or even more soldiers could die on the front lines. Three years ago, autumn grain was being transported north via the Grand Canal. Simply because there was a spy in the army responsible for escorting the grain, 2,400 shi of our Ning Dynasty’s grain were burned, enough to feed 1,000 front-line soldiers and their horses for a month. Do you think the consequences of that were severe?”

“But you didn’t expect the elderly Liu patriarch to die of anger,” Chen Ji pressed. “If it weren’t for him, arresting a few young descendants would have been fine, right?”

For the first time, an expression of helplessness appeared on Yun Yang’s face. “Who would have thought this old man’s life was as thin as paper? Now Jiaotu is still dealing with the Liu family, and we have to find evidence.”

Chen Ji asked, “When do we leave?”

Yun Yang stepped over the threshold first and walked out. “Now!”

“Wait a moment.”

“Hmm?”

Chen Ji did not move. He simply asked earnestly, “What’s in it for me?”

Yun Yang stopped and turned around. He stood under the moonlight on Anxi Street, looking at Chen Ji inside the clinic with a half-smile. “You dare to bargain with me?”

Chen Ji did not humble himself because of Yun Yang’s authority. He simply said earnestly, “Lord Yun Yang, you and Jiaotu are currently in a predicament, which is not really my concern. But I’m offering my help, so I should be compensated. Just think of me as a laborer on the transport docks: I get paid for my work.”

Yun Yang smiled and took a few steps forward. With a flick of his hand, he plunged a silver needle into Chen Ji’s chest. The needle was as fine as an ox hair, visible only upon close inspection in the moonlight.

In an instant, veins bulged on Chen Ji’s neck. An unbearable pain shot through his chest, so intense it almost caused him to go into shock.

Yun Yang’s voice grew colder. “My Secret Service never bargains with anyone.”

Chen Ji, gasping, clung to the clinic doorframe. “There always has to be an exception.”

Yun Yang countered, “Why? Do you think this cannot be done without you?”

Chen Ji suddenly straightened up, still clinging to the doorframe. He looked directly into Yun Yang’s eyes and said, “Yes, it cannot be done without me.”

The world went silent.

It was as if immense pressure had descended upon Anxi Street, suppressing all sounds.

Chen Ji continued, “If it could be done without me, Lord Yun Yang wouldn’t come to an unknown junior like me at such a critical moment.”

Are there experts in the Secret Service at apprehending spies? Certainly.

But Yun Yang had also said they were temporarily transferred to Luocheng. And given the working style of Yun Yang and Jiaotu, they didn’t seem like people specializing in capturing spies; they seemed more like… assassins.

On the day Zhou Chengyi was arrested, neither Yun Yang nor Jiaotu displayed counter-espionage abilities. Instead, their methods of killing were extremely secretive and decisive.

Now, the two of them were temporarily entrusted with an important task, but they had caused a huge mess.

They needed someone to help clean up… they needed a clever person.

Yun Yang’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Even if I need your help this time, aren’t you afraid I’ll come for you afterward? I advise you to carefully consider every word you say to me, otherwise the consequences will be unbearable for you.”

Chen Ji said, “Lord Yun Yang, you will surely have to deal with many spies in the future. Wherever there are spies, there are merits to be gained. If I help you earn merits, why would you bother me?”

“Oh,” Yun Yang’s eyes lit up.

Among all that Chen Ji had said, only this one truly caught his interest! “You think you can help me earn merits?” Yun Yang countered.

Chen Ji said, “I was the one who found the alum in Zhou Chengyi’s residence.”

“That merit isn’t significant,” Yun Yang shook his head.

Chen Ji also shook his head. “No, the merit I’m talking about isn’t Zhou Chengyi, but rather that I… no, that you, Lord Yun Yang, have uncovered the Jing Dynasty’s military intelligence bureau’s method of writing secret messages. In the past, when the Secret Service arrested spies and searched their homes, they missed this method of screening for secret messages, and thus missed a lot of information. Now, by reversing the investigation with this method, you might find unexpected surprises in their residences.”

The light in Yun Yang’s eyes grew brighter. “That’s right! This time, the Grand Chancellor will know that Jiaotu and I…”

He glanced at Chen Ji, and his voice trailed off abruptly.

Yun Yang weighed the options for a moment. “What kind of benefits do you want?”

Chen Ji said, “Authority. I want an official position in the Secret Service.”

Yun Yang retorted grumpily, “Do you think I’m the Grand Chancellor? The Secret Service is the most powerful yamen under the Directorate of Ceremonial, and it handles the most clandestine affairs. To join, one must be vetted for three generations by the Head of Punishments and reported to the Grand Chancellor. No one else can make that decision!”

Chen Ji said, “Then I want money.”

He hadn’t actually intended to ask for authority. But when someone wants something, they shouldn’t reveal their true intentions prematurely; it’s better to start with an outrageous demand.

Yun Yang, seeing that Chen Ji didn’t want an official position, breathed a sigh of relief. “How much money do you want?”

“Two thousand taels of silver.”

“What?!”

Chen Ji asked, “Can’t you give it?”

Yun Yang scratched his scalp. “Do you know my annual salary is only thirty-six taels of silver, yet you ask for two thousand right off the bat?! If you keep being so outrageous, I’ll just stick you with a needle and be done with it!”

“Does the Secret Service only live on salary?” Chen Ji didn’t believe him.

Yun Yang thought for a moment, pushing aside the mindset influenced by “merits.” He stated unequivocally, “Each time you earn me merits, I’ll give you fifty taels of silver.”

“Such a prominent figure as Lord Yun Yang only offers fifty taels?”

“Only fifty taels? Fifty taels is enough for you to buy twenty maids from the West Market! Time is pressing today. Jiaotu doesn’t know how much longer she can stall, and if you delay any further, I will kill you. I’ll ask you one last time: fifty taels, yes or no?”

“Yes!”

Yun Yang turned and walked away. “There are three hours until dawn, and you only have three hours.”

“Lord Yun Yang, where do you plan to look for evidence now?”

“I’ll take you to the Xuan paper shop; maybe you can find something there!”

Chen Ji shook his head, refusing. “Not the Xuan paper shop. We’re going to Zhou Chengyi’s residence.”

Yun Yang frowned. “Didn’t you already find the alum there last time? What else could there be?”

Chen Ji remained silent.

Yun Yang instantly reacted. “Wait, you must have found other clues at Zhou Chengyi’s residence last time, but you kept them from me and Jiaotu!”

“I was just keeping a few cards close to my chest for myself, please forgive me, Lord Yun Yang.” Chen Ji was never one to surrender meekly; when killing, even with a knife in his waist, he would bite a piece of flesh from his enemy’s neck.

“Hiss!” Yun Yang gasped. “I’m starting to think you’re more and more like a Jing Dynasty spy. What should I do?”

“Would a Jing Dynasty spy help you, sir, catch other spies?”

Yun Yang pressed two fingers to his tongue and blew a clear whistle; a fine steed galloped out from the corner of Anxi Street.

He vaulted onto the horse and pulled Chen Ji to sit behind him. “Hold on tight!”

The horse’s hooves, wrapped in burlap, made dull thudding sounds on the bluestone road as it galloped rapidly into the pre-dawn mist.

No one noticed a small black cat remained hidden in the shadows on the eaves of the houses lining the street.

As they left, the cat lightly leaped across the grey tiles of the eaves, following them.