The scent of blood hung in the herb warehouse. Sicao, whether intentionally or not, twisted Store Manager Yuan’s heart with a dagger in his right hand, while his left gripped the manager’s jaw, turning the fleshy face towards Chen Ji.

As a result, when Store Manager Yuan died, Chen Ji could clearly see the fear and resentment in his eyes.

Sicao observed Chen Ji’s expression and praised him. “I recall you’ve never taken a life before,” he said. “Now that you’re about to interact with Cloudy Ram and Bright Rabbit, I thought I’d kill someone in advance to ‘initiate’ you. Unexpectedly, it seems I went a bit overboard.”

As he spoke, Store Manager Yuan finally breathed his last.

Chen Ji saw a grayish-white stream of ice emerge from the man’s glabella, flowing into his own glabella. It was less than the stream of ice provided by Zhou Chengyi.

Just as expected!

He had been waiting for this stream of ice to confirm his suspicion: not only officials from the Ning Dynasty could generate these ice streams, but those from the Jing Dynasty could as well.

As the ice stream merged into his body, a weight was finally lifted from Chen Ji’s mind. He suddenly said, “Lord Sicao, you shouldn’t have killed Store Manager Yuan.”

Sicao calmly replied, “Once you join my Military Intelligence Bureau, cast aside your softheartedness. Your current mission is of utmost importance. He worried that a noble’s son like you would compete with him for the vacant position of Haidongqing, left by Zhou Chengyi, and would surely try to obstruct you, openly or secretly. Such selfish intent means he absolutely shouldn’t have been spared.”

Chen Ji shook his head. “Lord Sicao,” he said, “I wasn’t being merciful to him. What I meant was, he hadn’t yet told you what time or where to meet ‘Long Whale’ tonight.”

Sicao remained silent for a long time. “…It doesn’t matter,” he finally said.

He looked at Chen Ji. “While you approach Cloudy Ram and Bright Rabbit, don’t forget your original mission. As long as the Princely Manor and the Liu family show sufficient sincerity, the Bureau Chief can meet with that important figure from the Princely Manor to discuss the next steps of cooperation. Recently, you’ll need to find another opportunity to approach that important figure and ask her when the goods will be delivered.”

Chen Ji’s heart tightened.

Important figure? Which important figure?

Can’t you just give me a name? I still don’t know who this important figure is, or how to contact her.

Based on their attitudes, Chen Ji leaned towards the idea that this important figure was Concubine Yun.

Firstly, on that night in the Evening Star Garden, Concubine Yun’s attitude towards him was noticeably better, whereas Concubine Jing and Madam Chunrong genuinely intended to kill him.

Secondly, after the incident, Concubine Yun had sent Xibing to the medical clinic with Bai Banruo. This was likely Concubine Yun’s way of using the opportunity to exchange information with him.

Thinking of this, Chen Ji recalled that last time Xibing came to the clinic, he not only revealed no information but also prescribed a fifty-year-old ginseng to the cat…

If Concubine Yun truly was that important figure, she must have been very confused…

Seeing Chen Ji remain silent, Sicao asked in a low voice, “What is it? Is there some difficulty?”

“No,” Chen Ji said, cupping his hands in farewell to Sicao. “Lord Sicao, I came today on my master’s orders to purchase ginseng. It wouldn’t be good to delay any longer.”

Sicao nodded, wiping blood from his hands with a cloth. “The ginseng is in stock,” he said. “You can take it once you pay in the main hall.”

Chen Ji asked, “Can I get a discount?”

Sicao looked puzzled. “You’re buying ginseng with Taiping Medical Clinic’s money, why would you need a discount? You should know how many Jing Dynasty spies are supported by the Hundred Deer Pavilion. Don’t let outsiders take advantage of our own people.”

Chen Ji: “…That’s true.”

Leaving the Hundred Deer Pavilion, Chen Ji let out a long breath.

Every difficult pass was overcome, and every arduous step was taken.

Whether it was the Jing Dynasty Military Intelligence Bureau or the Secret Service Bureau, he had no choice.

As he blended into the crowd, Sicao stood quietly behind a window on the second floor of the Hundred Deer Pavilion, asking no one in particular, “Are you sure no one is tailing him?”

A voice replied, “No, perhaps Cloudy Ram and Bright Rabbit truly trust him now.”

Sicao pondered for a long time. “Let’s see if he can truly prove his loyalty…”

The capital, inside the imperial palace.

At the highest point of the Supervisorate of Ceremonial’s tower, reserved exclusively for the Chief Eunuch, all doors and windows were tightly shut, and candles were lit inside, despite it being daytime.

A clean-shaven, pale-faced middle-aged eunuch hurried through the palace, holding up his robe with one hand.

The middle-aged man wore a simple, dark green single-python robe, exuding an air of immense nobility.

Ning Dynasty python robes came in two types: single-python and seated-python. They were personally bestowed by the Emperor, and only individuals of great honor and high status were permitted to wear them.

Outside the Chief Eunuch’s tower, guards stood densely, dressed in black, silent.

When the python-robed middle-aged man approached, he spoke to a guard, “I need to see the Grand Chancellor.”

The guards wore long sabers at their waists, and the characters ‘Jiefan’ (Trouble Solver) were embroidered on their cuffs. One of them signaled in sign language: “What is it?”

These guards, it turned out, could only hear, not speak.

The python-robed middle-aged man said, “Three pigeon post messages have arrived from Luocheng.”

The guard turned and went upstairs to inform, returning a moment later with a gesturing invitation to enter.

The python-robed middle-aged man ascended the wooden stairs, arriving at a door on the top floor. He knocked three times, saying, “Lord Grand Chancellor, Wu Xiu has urgent matters to report. There’s news from Luocheng.”

A copper bell chimed from within the room, and only then did Wu Xiu push the door open and enter.

Upon entering the inner room, however, the Grand Chancellor himself was not visible. In the dim room, a desk was obscured by a screen embroidered with a seated python, facing the visitor directly.

Anyone entering this room for the first time would likely be startled by the giant python.

Wu Xiu, standing outside the screen with bowed head, said, “My Lord, three messages have arrived from Luocheng: one from Lin Chaoqing of the Chief Judicial Bureau, one from Cloudy Ram of the Secret Service Bureau, and one from Dream Chicken of the Secret Service Bureau. Which one would you like to open first?”

For a long time, there was no reply from behind the screen, and Wu Xiu, despite his honored status and python robe, dared not even raise his head.

After an unknown duration, the person behind the screen, writing a document, calmly said, “The Chief Judicial Bureau’s.”

Wu Xiu quickly pulled out three thin bamboo strips sealed with wax from his sleeve. He broke open the first strip and drew out a rolled-up piece of white paper.

He unrolled the white paper, which was densely covered with writing. A moment later, Wu Xiu said with some surprise, “My Lord, Cloudy Ram and Bright Rabbit have found evidence of Liu Shiyu’s crimes.”

Someone from the darkness behind the screen murmured, “Those two?”

Wu Xiu quickly said, “I also find their actions reckless. Perhaps it would be better to send Golden Pig over instead.”

However, the Grand Chancellor behind the screen neither confirmed nor denied, remaining silent for a long time. Wu Xiu, flustered, lowered his posture. “This subordinate spoke out of turn,” he said.

In the dimness, a voice said, “Continue.”

Wu Xiu continued reading the white paper, then looked up. “It wasn’t Cloudy Ram and Bright Rabbit’s achievement,” he said. “According to Lin Chaoqing, a masked person helped them find the evidence. The situation was critical at the time; any slower, and Lin Chaoqing would have taken Cloudy Ram and Bright Rabbit back to the capital.”

“What is the masked person’s identity?”

“Lin Chaoqing doesn’t know. He only said this person first helped Cloudy Ram and Bright Rabbit find the Xuan paper shop, then helped them locate evidence of Liu Shiyu’s crimes… That’s all the letter says. Which one should I open next?”

“Cloudy Ram’s.”

Wu Xiu rolled up the sleeve of his python robe, broke open another bamboo strip, and unsealed the wax. Then he hesitated. “Cloudy Ram and Bright Rabbit are praising themselves to the skies,” he said, “but they don’t mention a single word about the masked person.”

The Grand Chancellor behind the screen was silent for a moment. “Those two scoundrels are quite bold,” he said. “They want to claim others’ achievements again.”

Wu Xiu looked further down, raising his eyebrows. “My Lord,” he said, “Cloudy Ram and Bright Rabbit opened the coffin for examination and found no one inside Old Master Liu’s coffin. The person might not be dead. The Liu family has quite the audacity to fabricate such a matter.”

He subtly raised his eyes, trying to observe the Grand Chancellor’s reaction through the screen, but could only make out a blurred silhouette.

But then the Grand Chancellor behind the screen, for the first time, paused his brush, holding it suspended over the document. “What are Cloudy Ram and Bright Rabbit planning?” he asked.

Wu Xiu replied, “Cloudy Ram and Bright Rabbit have requested the transfer of nearby Secret Service ‘Trouble Solvers’ to Luocheng to publicly open the coffin for examination and expose the Liu family. My Lord, the Liu family just reported to His Majesty, requesting a posthumous honor for Old Master Liu. If this matter is true, it’s already a crime of deceiving the emperor!”

The Grand Chancellor thought in silence.

Wu Xiu added, “My Lord, this is a golden opportunity.”

The Grand Chancellor said, “Let Cloudy Ram and Bright Rabbit coordinate with the Trouble Solvers to proceed. My Supervisorate of Ceremonial will not be aware. Destroy the message.”

This implied that whatever Cloudy Ram and Bright Rabbit did, it would be considered their own unauthorized decision.

If they succeeded, they succeeded. If they failed, these two would naturally be the scapegoats.

The next moment, Wu Xiu directly crumpled the paper into a ball and, with practiced motion, swallowed it in front of the Grand Chancellor.

After swallowing the paper, he spoke again. “My Lord, there’s also a letter from Dream Chicken. Let me open it… Wasn’t he in Kaifeng Prefecture? Why did he use a pigeon from Luocheng?”

A moment later, Wu Xiu held the paper between his fingers. “My Lord,” he said, “Dream Chicken says Cloudy Ram and Bright Rabbit spent a large sum to invite him to Luocheng to perform a Class C dream verification on Chen Ji, the apprentice of Imperial Physician Yao, to see if he’s a Jing Dynasty spy. Something is amiss. Why would they need to verify a mere apprentice, and even require Dream Chicken to travel there specifically?”

Seeing the Grand Chancellor remain silent for a long time, Wu Xiu emboldened himself and looked up tentatively. “My Lord?” he asked.

The Grand Chancellor calmly said, “This apprentice of Imperial Physician Yao is the masked person who helped them apprehend the spy. Write to Cloudy Ram and tell him to provide me with this apprentice’s information.”

“Yes, My Lord,” Wu Xiu bowed again. “From White Dragon’s intelligence, Prince Jing’s heir is currently on his way back to Luocheng from Donglin Academy. This young man has gathered a group of martial artists, including many Grand Agents registered with our Supervisorate of Ceremonial. What do you think, should we do something to prevent him from gaining too much power?”

From the dimness behind the screen, the Grand Chancellor calmly responded, “It doesn’t matter. They are merely martial artists. With reputation and profit as my blades, I can sever nine-tenths of the world’s martial spirit.”