The Inner Court had twelve bureaus, four *si*, and eight *ju*, collectively known as the Inner Court’s twenty-four *yamen*. Among these twenty-four *yamen*, the *Si Li Jian* ranked first. It was managed by the seal-holding great eunuch, who held nearly all the power in the Inner Court. Emperor Ning dedicated himself wholeheartedly to Dao cultivation, not attending court or managing political affairs for many years. Even the memorials from the outer court officials had to be *pi hong* (officially approved and endorsed) by the *Si Li Jian*. Because the seal-holding great eunuch handled all matters in an orderly fashion, Emperor Ning specially granted him a building and bestowed the name “Jie Fan” upon it, in praise of the *Si Li Jian*’s merits.

At noon, Wu Xiu respectfully bowed his body and exited backwards from the shadow of the covered walkway. Not until the sunlight shone upon his body did the embroidered red python on his robe finally brighten up again. He slowly let out a breath, straightened his body, and with large, fluid strides, walked towards the pigeon house. Along the way, all the eunuchs who saw his python robe from afar would kneel down early to perform the proper rites. Wu Xiu did not look sideways, not even glancing at them.

Upon arriving at the pigeon house, he dismissed the young eunuch who was sweeping out the pigeon cages and, at a table, picked up a brush and wrote a paper strip. He examined the paper strip repeatedly, confirming that the handwriting and the meaning were correct, before carefully rolling it into a thin bamboo tube. Wu Xiu went to the pigeon cage engraved with the characters ‘Luo Cheng’, reached inside and took out a pigeon. Carefully and gently, he tied the bamboo tube to the pigeon’s leg, and then released the pigeon into the sky outside the door. He watched the pigeon fly away, lost in thought.

A young eunuch quickly walked over: “Dry father, the Emperor summons you. He says it’s the apostle child Daoist Zhang Li from Huangshan, bringing his great disciple Zhang Li.”

Wu Xiu nodded: “Understood.”

He watched the pigeon fly into the sky, circle the imperial city once, and then fly towards the south. Wu Xiu said distractedly: “The birds in the sky are truly free, ah.”

The young eunuch quickly flattered with a smile: “Dry father, why do you need to envy a bird? When you take his place, you will be one person under ten thousand, and above ten thousand. That is much more free than it could ever be.”

Wu Xiu glanced at him. His eyes were clearly as still as an ancient well, yet it made the young eunuch’s heart shiver: “Dry father, I said the wrong thing.”

“If you make another mistake next time, roll to the charcoal bureau to chop wood,” Wu Xiu lifted the hem of his robe and crossed the threshold, quickly hurrying towards Ren Shou Palace in the West Garden.

Yet, he saw that grey pigeon in the sky. First, it flew out of the vast Forbidden City, then out of the capital area, flying over clouds and plains, flying over rivers and mountains.

On the night of the first day, the pigeon rested its feet in He Bi’s pigeon cage. The next day, it flew straight south, finally arriving at a small courtyard in Luo Cheng early on the third morning.

Inside the courtyard, there was a black-clothed secret agent standing before a sand table. Prominently displayed on the sand table were the terrain of the Liu family’s grand courtyard and their ancestral grave. At this moment, Yun Yang saw the circling pigeon in the sky, grabbed a handful of corn, and held his hand up. The pigeon flapped its wings and landed in his hand.

“Jiao Tu! A letter from the capital,” Yun Yang shouted.

Jiao Tu responded from inside: “Quickly open it and see what the inner minister adult said.”

Yun Yang removed the fire lacquer and took out the letter paper: “It’s Wu Xiu transmitting words again. I recognize his handwriting… Wu Xiu says, let us decide whether or not to dispatch Fan Wei to go and open the coffin to verify the body.”

Jiao Tu walked out and leaned against the door frame: “So annoying, this will cause trouble. We two are scapegoats. What should we do, should we still act?”

“The inner minister adult hasn’t stopped us, so it means he hopes we act. However, if we succeed, we get a great merit. If we fail… at the very least, it will be exile to Lingnan,” Yun Yang stood in the courtyard, pondering.

Jiao Tu rolled his eyes: “Among the convicts in Lingnan, at least eight hundred were caught by us. If we two go to Lingnan, can we still have a good end?”

“What are you afraid of? We two are both official agents,” Yun Yang said.

“There are already dozens of official agents we’ve exiled to Lingnan!”

“Their families are still in our hands, they wouldn’t dare to act rashly. With our relationship with the inner minister adult, even if we’re exiled, we won’t suffer… wait, how did it just seem like we’re certainly going to be exiled? This time, we absolutely won’t fail, ah! The Liu family is just waiting to be raided and interrogated!” Yun Yang said happily.

Jiao Tu tilted his head and looked at the paper strip: “What else did the inner minister adult instruct?”

Yun Yang lowered his head again to look at the paper strip. After a moment, his expression changed: “Wu Xiu wants us to hand over the information about that masked person in the Liu residence to him!”

“Ah? It must be Lin Chao Qing reporting! These *Main Criminal Si* people, all they do is report every day!” Jiao Tu said angrily: “…But if Chen Ji can become a secret agent, he can still help us establish merit, ah. It would be good to transfer him under our command.”

Yun Yang shook his head: “Not possible… what kind of person do you think Chen Ji is?”

Jiao Tu thought for a bit: “…He’s quite good at thinking things through without speaking.”

“I’m not talking about that!” Yun Yang wrinkled his eyebrows: “That evening in the Zhou residence, for the sake of his life, he directly killed the Zhou residence’s steward. I can see that at that time, he shouldn’t have been experienced. There was still hesitation in his eyes. But now, ah, in just a few days’ work, I hung a person to death in the inner prison, and he could watch it calmly.”

Yun Yang looked at Jiao Tu seriously and said: “Jiao Tu, he is a grudge-holding person. He will absolutely not forget how we initially treated him. The inner minister just likes this kind of person who is smart and doesn’t shy away from using any means. If one day he climbs higher than us, we won’t need to live.”

Jiao Tu pondered for a moment: “Then kill him? Anyway, the Liu family case doesn’t need him anymore. But the inner minister will definitely investigate the cause of death. No matter if it’s *Xuan She* or *Jin Zhu* who comes to investigate, neither of us can hide it.”

Yun Yang shook his head: “So we can’t do it ourselves. We must borrow another’s knife to kill.”

“What should we do now?”

“You take Wang’s order flag card to dispatch Fan Wei. I will go borrow a knife. Success or failure is today.”

Luo Cheng’s early autumn morning was high and refreshing. The ninth day of the ninth month. It was a day of rush monkey killing in the north. It was suitable for travel, marriage, praying for blessings, curing illness, and killing people.

……

……

Tai Ping Medical Hall.

The master and his three disciples leaned against the door of the medical hall, happily watching the passersby.

The Chong Yang Festival was approaching. Not only did large households invite Buddhas and Bodhisattvas to patrol the streets to dispel disasters and ward off evil for everyone, but wealthy households and merchants also sent “Chong Yang cakes” door-to-door. One family’s wine shop set up signs for chrysanthemum wine at the door. Peddlers roamed the streets and alleys, selling red bags, buying one red bag and getting one dogwood branch.

Chen Ji sighed with emotion: “The Chong Yang Festival is really lively, ah.”

In his former hometown, the festive atmosphere was no longer this concentrated. Firecrackers were not allowed during the Spring Festival, and the Dragon Boat Festival and Mid-Autumn Festival had all become carnivals of the commodity economy.

Wait, Chen Ji suddenly asked: “How did the Chong Yang Festival come about?”

Liu Qu Xing said casually: “You don’t know this? During the Eastern Han dynasty, in Ru Nan of Yu State, there was once a plague demon outbreak. A person named Huan Jing, seeking a solution for this matter, went to see the immortal ‘Fei Chang Fang’. Fei Chang Fang gave Huan Jing a pot of chrysanthemum wine and a dogwood branch, instructing him to bring his family to ascend to a high place on the ninth day of the ninth month to avoid disaster, so that evil demons would not invade. After the ninth day of the ninth month passed, Huan Jing brought his family down the mountain and discovered that all their cattle and sheep at home had died from the illness. His family had escaped a calamity.”

Chen Ji was stunned, only because in his hometown, the origin of the Chong Yang Festival was also like this. The same Eastern Han period, the same Fei Chang Fang and Huan Jing.

If the sky had the same moon and the same sun, he could still forcibly accept it. But even the legendary stories were the same. He necessarily had to think deeply: why? What is the connection between the two worlds?

Just as he was pondering, he saw Chun Hua from Late Star Garden, leading two strong servants and carrying four food boxes, walking over from the street.

She Deng Ke’s eyes lit up: “Chun Hua, why have you come?”

Chun Hua wore a light green *ru* skirt, with a fitting scene of gold chrysanthemums embroidered on the hem of the skirt. She lifted the hem of her skirt and said with a full face of smiles: “It’s the Chong Yang Festival, isn’t it? My madam sent me to the medical hall to send some pastries.”

Liu Qu Xing quickly took the pastry boxes from the strong servants’ hands: “Chun Hua girl is truly thoughtful. The last time we ate pastries from Late Star Garden was during the Lantern Festival. We haven’t forgotten until now.”

And then Chun Hua’s words changed. She smiled and looked towards Chen Ji: “Madam just became free today. She wants to invite the doctors from your medical hall to come together for tea and a chat. I wonder how that sounds?”

She Deng Ke quickly said: “Good, ah!”

However, at this moment, in Chen Ji’s peripheral vision, he saw Wu Yun, who he didn’t know when had arrived on the roof opposite the street, breathing heavily.

Wu Yun meowed. Only Chen Ji understood: “Someone told Jing Fei that you are the masked person in Liu Shi Yu’s residence. She wants to trap and kill you!”

Chen Ji’s heart jolted, and a huge sense of crisis suddenly arose.

Who would tell Jing Fei your identity? It must be Yun Yang and Jiao Tu, because only these two know your real identity. Could it be that the Liu family case is about to catch a big fish, and the other side feels they no longer need you and plans to cross the river and demolish the bridge?

Chen Ji looked at Chun Hua without changing his expression, and asked with a smile: “Chun Hua girl, why did Madam Jing Fei invite us?”

Chun Hua explained: “Thank you very much for helping to find that cup last time. Otherwise, Madam would have had to continue drinking water from it. Madam had said earlier that she wanted to thank you, but she was always busy with other things. Only today does she have free time.”

But Chen Ji wasn’t actually asking Chun Hua; he was asking Wu Yun: Why does Jing Fei want to kill me?

Wu Yun meowed again: “Jing Fei is a member of the Liu family. Liu Shi Yu is her sister’s only son. The other day she left the prince’s mansion; she went back to the Liu family to mourn the passing of Old Master Liu!”

So, the important figure in the prince’s mansion who colluded with the *Jing Chao Military Intelligence Si* was not Yun Fei, but Jing Fei! But since Jing Fei is that important figure, why did she initially have murderous intentions towards you? Could it be that the other side doesn’t know you are a *Jing Chao* spy? Strange, too strange!

Chun Hua saw that Chen Ji didn’t answer her words, so she waved her hand in front of him: “Chen Ji? What are you thinking about?”

Chen Ji came back to his senses and smiled at Chun Hua: “Sorry, it’s the Chong Yang Festival today. Master allowed us to go home for a reunion. Please trouble you to report my apologies to Jing Fei. Next time, definitely.”

Saying that, he didn’t care about everyone’s surprise, and left without looking back. Jing Fei’s revenge will not be just this once. If she doesn’t succeed this time, she will definitely come again next time. Chen Ji doesn’t know if he can easily dodge it next time, but he knows that his revenge only needs to be once.

He lightly mumbled: “I don’t know if I’m in time…”