Chapter 35 : Chapter 35

Chapter 35: Over the River, Tear Down the Bridge

Inner Court’s twelve directorates, four departments, and eight bureaus were collectively known as the Inner Court’s Twenty-Four Offices.

The Ceremonial Directorate ranked first among these twenty-four offices, overseen by the Chief Eunuch, holding near-absolute power in the Inner Court.

Emperor Ning devoted himself to cultivating the Dao, neglecting court sessions and governance for years, leaving even the memorials of outer court officials to be reviewed and approved by the Ceremonial Directorate.

As the Chief Eunuch managed all affairs with impeccable order, Emperor Ning specially bestowed a tower upon him, naming it “Trouble-Solver” to commend the Ceremonial Directorate’s merits.

At noon, Wu Xiu respectfully bowed and backed out from the shadow of the covered tower.

It wasn’t until sunlight fell upon me that the red python embroidered on my robe finally gleamed vividly again.

I slowly let out a breath, straightened up, and strode purposefully toward the pigeon loft.

Along the way, every eunuch who saw my python robe from afar knelt early to pay respects, but I didn’t spare them a glance.

Upon reaching the pigeon loft, I dismissed the young eunuch cleaning the cages and wrote a note at a desk.

I reviewed the note carefully, ensuring the handwriting and meaning were correct, before rolling it into a thin bamboo tube.

I approached the cage marked with the two characters ‘Luocheng,’ reached in to retrieve a pigeon, and meticulously tied the bamboo tube to its leg, then released the pigeon into the sky from outside.

I watched the pigeon fly away, lost in thought.

A young eunuch hurried over: “Godfather, His Majesty summons you. He says the Daoist master from Huangshan, along with his chief disciple Zhang Li, has arrived.”

I nodded: “Understood.”

I watched the pigeon soar into the sky, circling above the imperial city before flying south. I murmured, “Birds in the sky are truly free.”

The young eunuch quickly forced a smile: “Godfather, why envy a mere bird? Once you take his place, you’ll be second only to one and above ten thousand—far freer than it.”

I glanced at him, my eyes calm as an ancient well, yet it made the young eunuch tremble: “Godfather, I spoke out of turn.”

“Next time, you’ll be sent to the Firewood Bureau to chop wood,” I said, lifting my robe hem to step over the threshold and hurrying toward Renshou Palace in the Western Garden.

The gray pigeon flew out of the vast Forbidden City, beyond the capital region, over clouds and plains, rivers and mountains.

On the first night, the pigeon rested at a pigeon relay station in Hebi.

The next day, it flew straight south, arriving on the third morning at a small courtyard in Luocheng.

In the courtyard, a black-robed secret agent stood before a sand table, which clearly depicted the layout of the Liu Family Compound and the Liu Family ancestral graves.

At that moment, Yunyang spotted the pigeon circling above, grabbed a handful of corn, and raised his hand. The pigeon flapped its wings and landed in my palm.

“Jiaotu! A letter from the capital!” I called out.

Jiaotu responded from inside: “Open it quick and see what Lord Inner Minister said.”

I broke the wax seal and pulled out the note: “It’s Wu Xiu passing on the message again. I recognize his handwriting… Wu Xiu says we’re to decide whether to send the Trouble-Solver Guards to open the coffin for inspection.”

Jiaotu stepped out, leaning against the doorframe: “What a hassle. If this goes wrong, we’ll be the scapegoats. What do we do? Should we act?”

“Lord Inner Minister didn’t forbid it, which means he wants us to act. If we succeed, it’s a great merit. If we fail… exile to Lingnan at the very least,” I said, standing in the courtyard, deep in thought.

Jiaotu rolled her eyes: “Lingnan? There’s got to be at least eight hundred prisoners there we sent ourselves. If we end up in Lingnan, you think we’ll have it easy?”

“What’s there to fear? We’re both Enforcers,” I said.

“There are dozens of Enforcers we’ve sent to Lingnan!”

“Their families are still in our hands. They wouldn’t dare cause trouble. With our connection to Lord Inner Minister, even if we’re exiled, we won’t suffer… Wait, why are we talking like we’re definitely getting exiled? This time, we won’t fail. The Liu Family is just waiting to be raided and punished!” I said with a cheerful laugh.

Jiaotu tilted her head to look at the note: “What else did Lord Inner Minister say?”

I looked down at the note again, and my expression changed: “Wu Xiu wants us to hand over the information about the masked person in the Liu Mansion!”

“What? It’s definitely Lin Chaoqing snitching! Those Chief Punishment Division people are always tattling!” Jiaotu said angrily: “…But if Chen Ji could become a secret agent, he could still help us gain merit. It’d be nice to have him under us.”

I shook my head: “No… What kind of person do you think Chen Ji is?”

Jiaotu thought for a moment: “…When he’s thinking and not talking, he seems pretty competent.”

“That’s not what I mean!” I frowned: “That night at the Zhou Mansion, to save himself, he killed the Zhou Mansion steward outright. I could tell he wasn’t experienced then—there was still hesitation in his eyes. But now? It’s only been a few days, and when I hanged someone in the Inner Prison, he could stare at it calmly.”

Looking at Jiaotu, I said gravely: “Jiaotu, he’s a vengeful person. He’ll never forget how we treated him back then. Lord Inner Minister loves people like him—smart and unscrupulous. If one day he climbs higher than us, we’re as good as dead.”

Jiaotu pondered for a moment: “Then kill him? The Liu Family case doesn’t need him anymore. But if Lord Inner Minister finds out, he’ll investigate the cause of death. Whether it’s Xuanshe or Jinzhu investigating, we won’t be able to hide it.”

I shook my head: “So we can’t do it ourselves. We need to borrow someone else’s blade to kill him.”

“What do we do now?”

“You take the King’s Command Tablet to summon the Trouble-Solver Guards. I’ll go borrow a blade. Success or failure depends on today.”

Luocheng’s morning was crisp and clear in autumn. On the ninth of the ninth month, the day clashed with the Monkey and was inauspicious to the north, suitable for travel, marriage, prayers, healing, and killing.

…

…

Taiping Clinic.

The three martial brothers leaned against the clinic’s entrance, cheerfully watching the passersby.

With the Double Ninth Festival approaching, not only did wealthy families invite Buddhist deities to parade and dispel calamities, but rich merchants also went door-to-door distributing ‘Double Ninth Cakes.’

Taverns set up signs for chrysanthemum wine at their entrances, while peddlers roamed the streets, selling crimson sachets, each with a sprig of dogwood thrown in.

I sighed: “The Double Ninth Festival is so lively.”

In my old hometown, the festive spirit wasn’t this strong. Spring Festival banned firecrackers, and Dragon Boat and Mid-Autumn Festivals had turned into commercial frenzies.

Wait, I suddenly asked: “How did the Double Ninth Festival come about?”

Liu Quxing casually said: “You don’t know? During the Eastern Han, a plague demon ravaged Runan in Yuzhou. A man named Huan Jing sought out the immortal master Fei Changfang for help. Fei Changfang gave Huan Jing a jug of chrysanthemum wine and a sprig of dogwood, instructing him to take his family to high ground on the ninth of the ninth month to avoid disaster, where no evil could harm them. After the ninth, Huan Jing returned home to find all his livestock dead, but his family had escaped calamity.”

I froze, because in my hometown, the Double Ninth Festival’s origin was the same.

The same Eastern Han, the same Fei Changfang and Huan Jing.

If it was just the same moon and sun in the sky, I could force myself to accept it. But for the legends and stories to be identical, I had to wonder: Why?

What was the connection between these two worlds?

As I pondered, Chunhua from Evening Star Courtyard approached from the street, leading two sturdy servants carrying four food boxes.

She Dakang’s eyes lit up: “Chunhua, what brings you here?”

Chunhua wore a light green ruqun skirt, its hem embroidered with a timely golden chrysanthemum. She lifted her skirt slightly and smiled warmly: “It’s the Double Ninth Festival, isn’t it? My lady sent me to bring some pastries to the clinic.”

Liu Quxing hurriedly took the pastry boxes from the servants: “Miss Chunhua, you’re so thoughtful. The last time we had Evening Star Courtyard’s pastries was at the Lantern Festival, and I still can’t forget them.”

Chunhua shifted the conversation, smiling at me: “My lady happens to be free today and would like to invite the clinic’s doctors for tea and a chat. What do you think?”

She Dakang quickly said: “Great!”

But at that moment, I caught sight of Dark Cloud, who had somehow appeared on the eaves across the street, panting heavily.

Dark Cloud meowed once, and only I understood: “Someone told Consort Jing you’re the masked person from Liu Shiyu’s residence. She wants to trap and kill you!”

My heart tightened, a massive sense of danger surging within me.

Who told Consort Jing my identity?

It had to be Yunyang and Jiaotu, as they were the only ones who knew my true identity.

Was it because the Liu Family case was about to catch a big fish, and they felt they no longer needed me, planning to burn the bridge after crossing?

I glanced at Chunhua calmly, smiling as I asked: “Miss Chunhua, why is Consort Jing inviting us?”

Chunhua explained: “Thanks to your help last time in finding that cup, or my lady would’ve kept drinking from it. She mentioned wanting to thank you earlier, but she’s been busy until today.”

But I wasn’t asking Chunhua—I was asking Dark Cloud: Why does Consort Jing want to kill me?

Dark Cloud meowed again: “Consort Jing is part of the Liu Family. Liu Shiyu is her elder sister’s only son. A few days ago, she left the prince’s mansion to mourn Old Master Liu at the Liu Family!”

So, the big figure in the prince’s mansion colluding with the Jing Dynasty’s Military Intelligence Division wasn’t Consort Yun, but Consort Jing!

But if Consort Jing was that figure, why did she want to kill me back then? Didn’t she know I was a Jing Dynasty spy?

Strange, too strange!

Chunhua, seeing I didn’t respond, waved a hand in front of me: “Chen Ji? What’re you thinking about?”

I snapped back, smiling at Chunrong: “Sorry, it’s the Double Ninth Festival, and Master has allowed us to go home for a reunion. Please convey my apologies to Consort Jing—I’ll definitely visit next time.”

With that, I ignored their surprised looks and left without looking back.

Consort Jing’s revenge wouldn’t stop at this one attempt. If this failed, she’d surely try again.

I didn’t know if I could easily escape next time, but I knew my revenge only needed one chance.

I muttered softly: “I wonder if there’s enough time…”