“You found the evidence?!”

“Where is it?!”

Everyone’s eyes turned to Chen Ji, their gazes filled with scrutiny and doubt, all at once.

He stood firm at the main hall’s entrance, unyielding, repeating with absolute certainty, “I’ve found the evidence.”

Lin Zhaoqing’s sharp gaze bypassed Jiao Tu and fixed on Chen Ji, whose face was still covered. “Who is this?”

Yun Yang stepped forward, partially shielding Chen Ji. “This is my Secret Directorate’s Harrier.”

“A Harrier, I see. Not yet a full-fledged secret agent, so I presume there’s a special reason for the concealed face,” Lin Zhaoqing said gravely. “But please, Harrier, enlighten me: what evidence does the book hold? If you’re lying, I’m afraid you’ll have to accompany me to the Inner Prison.”

Chen Ji pulled up the grey cloth covering his face and looked at Yun Yang. “Can I speak?”

“Speak.”

Chen Ji nodded. “Lord Yun Yang, please take out those two books and give them to Commander Lin to examine.”

Yun Yang retrieved the two books from his robe and handed them to Lin Zhaoqing.

Lin Zhaoqing flipped through them briefly, remarking plainly, “Just an ordinary book. How does it contain intelligence?”

Chen Ji calmly explained, “Indeed, it’s difficult to spot anything amiss if one isn’t familiar with *The Annotated Four Books*. However, the method used to conceal information in this book is actually very simple: one only needs to compare it with the original version.”

“The original version?” Yun Yang took the two books back from Lin Zhaoqing. He opened one, Jiao Tu opened the other, and they both began flipping through them in the moonlight.

Chen Ji said, “The original phrase in the book is ‘得于心而不失也’ (dé yú xīn ér bù shī yě), using the character ‘失’ (shī), meaning ‘to lose’. However, when Zhou Chengyi transcribed it, he deliberately wrote ‘得于心而不事也’ (dé yú xīn ér bù shì yě), replacing ‘失’ with ‘事’ (shì), which means ‘matter’ or ‘affair’.”

“Further on, look at the third page. Where the original phrase should have the character ‘诚’ (chéng), meaning ‘sincerity,’ Zhou Chengyi replaced it with ‘成’ (chéng), meaning ‘success.’”

These characters were scattered throughout the book, sometimes pages apart. It would indeed be very difficult to notice the difference without someone meticulously comparing it to the original, character by character.

Initially, Chen Ji had thought Zhou Chengyi might use methods like *cang zi fa* (hidden character method), *zi yan fa* (character verification method), *fan qie fa* (phonetic spelling method), or *xi zi fa* (character decomposition method)—all historically documented techniques. However, after analyzing, he discovered the other party had used a much simpler approach.

Lin Zhaoqing took the two books and compared them. Just as Chen Ji had stated, his brow smoothed slightly. “What is the complete message being conveyed in this book?”

Chen Ji replied, “Due to time constraints, I haven’t been able to fully compare the entire book. Currently, I’ve only extracted one piece of information: ‘When the matter is concluded, the Directorate Head will meet you.’”

“The Directorate Head!” Yun Yang’s eyes suddenly gleamed. “Are you certain the message refers to the Directorate Head? I thought it would be extraordinary if a mere department chief came; I never imagined the Head of the Military Intelligence Directorate would come to Luocheng in person!”

Jiao Tu stated gravely, “This message must be sent back to the capital as quickly as possible. For the Head of the Military Intelligence Directorate to travel south in person, it must be an incredibly momentous affair… What exactly are these Liu family descendants planning that would earn them such trust from the Military Intelligence Directorate?!”

The tense atmosphere within the residence suddenly eased. Chen Ji even felt as if everyone had let out a long sigh of relief.

Lin Zhaoqing sheathed his blade. Jiao Tu ran a thumb across his forehead, and the cut instantly healed, leaving no trace.

Lin Zhaoqing looked at Chen Ji and said calmly, “Young man, you’re still just a Harrier in the Secret Directorate, without even a rank. How about joining my Chief Punishments Directorate instead?”

Yun Yang: “Hmm?”

Jiao Tu: “Hmm?”

Lin Zhaoqing continued, “I know you were the one who uncovered all these clues and evidence tonight; it would have been absolutely impossible with Yun Yang and Jiao Tu’s capabilities. With your talent, I guarantee you rapid advancement if you join my Chief Punishments Directorate.”

“Lin Zhaoqing, poaching my people right in front of me—do you have no shame?” Yun Yang roared.

“In your Secret Directorate, he’s merely a tool to earn you merits. But in my Chief Punishments Directorate, he could serve the Emperor and the nation,” Lin Zhaoqing sneered.

“He belongs to my Secret Directorate!”

“He’s not yet officially yours. If he agrees, I can write a memorial to the throne tonight to commend him for his service,” Lin Zhaoqing said. “Well, can either of you match that?”

Yun Yang and Jiao Tu exchanged glances, hesitating over whether to give up the merits they had just secured.

Lin Zhaoqing sneered, “Why don’t we let him choose for himself?”

Everyone looked at Chen Ji, but the young man stood there, his expression hidden beneath the grey cloth covering his face.

After a long silence, Chen Ji finally spoke. “Thank you for the Commander’s kind offer, but I currently prefer to work under Lord Yun Yang and Lord Jiao Tu.”

Lin Zhaoqing replied, “Very well, to each their own ambition. But if you ever change your mind, you can always find me at the Chief Punishments Directorate in Luocheng. I should be here for the next two months.”

“Thank you, Commander Lin.”

As they were speaking, a commotion erupted outside the residence. Hundreds of Liu family members had swarmed forward, completely surrounding Liu Shiyu’s mansion!

Someone outside shouted loudly, “Lord Yun Yang, the ‘Cicada Shedding Its Shell’ tactic was cleverly played, but my Liu family isn’t to be trifled with. If you don’t give me an explanation, I will avenge our Old Master today. Afterward, whether the court wishes to behead me or exile me to Lingnan, I, Liu Mingxian, will have no complaints!”

As the voice faded, they heard the sound of firewood being piled and oil being poured outside. The pungent smell of oil wafted towards them!

Inside the residence, everyone exchanged uneasy glances.

This time, it was Lin Zhaoqing who spoke up proactively. “Li Dabing, Li Dapao, you two take men outside and hold back the Liu family. No one is to set the mansion on fire, or they will be killed on sight!”

After speaking, he looked at Chen Ji. “Where is the evidence to convict the Liu family descendants? How can we be sure that Zhou Chengyi’s message was intended for them?” Tonight’s events began because a Liu family descendant died in the Inner Prison. Although the Secret Directorate found crucial intelligence, this book only indicates that the Head of the Military Intelligence Directorate is coming south. How does it prove that Zhou Chengyi intended to deliver this information to the Liu family descendants? If it cannot be proven, the Liu family will still not back down.

Chen Ji raised the book in his hand and asked, “Everyone, how many chapters are there in total in *The Annotated Four Books*?”

Lin Zhaoqing replied calmly, “There are thirty-nine chapters in total, each printed separately, making a total of thirty-nine volumes.”

Chen Ji then asked, “So, which chapter is *Governing, Part Two*?”

Lin Zhaoqing answered, “The eighth chapter…”

Chen Ji nodded. “No one would start transcribing from the eighth chapter; they would surely transcribe them sequentially from the first, second… up to the eighth. I didn’t find any handwritten copies of the first seven chapters at Zhou Chengyi’s house, so he must have already sent them out. In other words, Zhou Chengyi has likely used the pretext of lending and transcribing books to deliver intelligence seven times.”

Lin Zhaoqing suddenly realized, “As long as we find those seven transcribed volumes in Zhou Chengyi’s handwriting, we can prove who received this intelligence!”

“Exactly,” Chen Ji said, holding up the book in his hand. “This is *Learning, Part One*, the seventh chapter of *The Annotated Four Books*, which I just found in Liu Shiyu’s room. The handwriting indicates it’s Zhou Chengyi’s, and with this, Liu Shiyu’s guilt can be established.”

His words resonated clearly, like a clap of thunder piercing through the night’s layers of mist, illuminating the truth for everyone.

Everyone entered the room to search the bookshelves. Chen Ji searched other areas of the room. When he opened a cabinet in the inner room, he suddenly froze.

Just as he opened the cabinet, the long-dormant ice flow within him began to surge once more.

Inside the cabinet were several wooden boxes. Chen Ji calmly opened them, revealing two white jade bracelets in the first box, some account ledgers in the second, and in the third box… astonishingly, a ginseng root!

He glanced behind him, then took out this box and placed it on the table, intending to touch the ginseng.

Before he could touch it, Lin Zhaoqing’s voice drifted over. “Young man, no valuables from a disgraced official’s home may be touched. My Chief Punishments Directorate’s primary duty in overseeing the Secret Directorate is to prevent agents from enriching themselves. Put those items back; the Grand Chancellor will send people to confiscate and record them later.”

Chen Ji: “…”

He had thought that agents from the Secret Directorate, who handle confiscations and purges, could freely pocket valuables… No wonder Yun Yang had looked so pained when bargaining with him; it turned out they were constantly being watched by the Chief Punishments Directorate!

Chen Ji stood before the table, tapping the box with his fingers. After a moment’s thought, he eventually put the box back. He returned to the bookshelf, picked out a book to casually flip through, and then put that book back as well.

By this time, everyone had found all seven of the first chapters of *The Annotated Four Books*, confirming they were all in Zhou Chengyi’s handwriting!

Yun Yang let out a long breath. “We won! The Liu family case is finally closed. Regardless of whether Old Master Liu died of anger or illness, our Secret Directorate has handled the case impartially. This is a great achievement!”

Lin Zhaoqing said casually, “I hope you don’t win so fortunately next time. This was good luck. If you encounter the Hu, Xu, or Chen families next time… there might not be anyone to protect you.”

Yun Yang sneered, “Thank you for the reminder, Commander Lin.”

He tidied his hair and smoothed his wrinkled clothes, then finally picked up the stack of organized books. “Let’s go. We have the evidence to silence the Liu family!”

“Hold on,” Lin Zhaoqing said coldly. “No one is to smuggle out any valuables. Let’s check.”

Yun Yang and Jiao Tu turned out their sleeves and patted down their clothes impatiently. “Just a few coppers, nothing smuggled. We know the rules!”

Lin Zhaoqing then looked at Chen Ji. Chen Ji, with a helpless sigh, turned out his sleeves and patted down his clothes as well. “I haven’t smuggled anything either.”

“Very good.”

Everyone walked out together. As they reached the doorway, they saw a dark, fluffy kitten stand up on the beam of the room they had just left, stretching.

Wuyun (Dark Cloud) gracefully leaped down from the beam, picked up the ginseng root Chen Ji had just put back in the cabinet, then, still holding the ginseng, climbed onto the bookshelf and took the book Chen Ji had just flipped through into its mouth as well.

The dark, fluffy Wuyun surveyed its surroundings, and after confirming no one was watching, it climbed back onto the beam and slipped through a crevice into the darkness of the night.