The streets of Anxi were quiet, the moonlight spilling onto the bluestone road like a flowing stream, serene and clear.
Chen Ji stood silently inside the door, while Yun Yang outside didn’t rush him.
The two stood quietly, separated by the door.
After a long moment of contemplation, Chen Ji finally took a deep breath and slowly opened the door with a creak.
"Master Yun Yang, what brings you here?"
Outside, Yun Yang was dressed in black, his clothes fitting him as if they had just been ironed.
His hair was neatly tied up with a hairpin, resembling a young nobleman often seen in operas.
Standing across the high threshold of the Taiping Medical Hall, Yun Yang smiled and asked, "Aren’t you going to invite me in for a seat?"
Chen Ji shook his head.
"There’s no place to serve tea inside the medical hall. Let’s just talk here at the door."
"Oh?" Yun Yang looked at Chen Ji with interest.
"Don’t you know I’m from the Secret Intelligence Bureau? Didn’t Physician Yao tell you?"
"He did."
Yun Yang’s smile faded, and he said calmly, "Then you should know that when the Secret Intelligence Bureau says they want to visit someone’s home, no one dares to refuse. Aren’t you afraid of me?"
With that, he stepped over the threshold, brushing past Chen Ji as if he owned the place, and walked into the medical hall.
"I am afraid," Chen Ji admitted honestly, turning around.
"But I suggested talking at 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 behind his back, looked around the medical hall and asked curiously, "Why do you think I’m in a hurry?"
Chen Ji stood at the door, looking at Yun Yang’s back.
"You’ve arrested members of the Liu family, causing the old patriarch to collapse. He doesn’t have much time left. The Liu family’s court minister and the Minister of Personnel are rushing back to Luocheng. You must be in a hurry, right?"
Yun Yang chuckled.
"Based on the fact that Physician Yao was called to treat the Liu family, you’re so sure of my current situation? I’m here on the orders of the Inner Minister. What can the Liu family do? Now I suspect you’re a spy from the Jing Dynasty. Come with me to the inner prison."
Chen Ji leaned against the doorframe.
"Master Yun Yang, let’s be frank. If you were really here to arrest me, you wouldn’t have come personally. You could’ve just sent two men."
Yun Yang turned and stared directly at Chen Ji, observing his resolute expression.
"Since you’re so smart, you should also know that Physician Yao isn’t here tonight. I could kill you without even needing a reason. How dare you confront me like this?"
Chen Ji’s decision to confront Yun Yang was simple: when you see the Secret Intelligence Bureau, you have no choice.
Either cooperate or die.
But he had another plan in mind.
Seeing Chen Ji remain silent, Yun Yang spoke slowly, "Since you’re a smart man, guess why I’m here. If you guess correctly, it proves you still have value."
Chen Ji said, "Everyone says the Secret Intelligence Bureau acts first and reports later, with the emperor’s special permission. But this power comes with a condition: you have to catch the right people."
Yun Yang raised an eyebrow.
"Go on."
Chen Ji frowned and analyzed, "There aren’t many reasons for Master Yun Yang to come looking for me in the middle of the night. It’s probably because after arresting people, you haven’t found the evidence to convict them. Now that the Liu family’s patriarch is on the brink of death, if you can’t find evidence to justify the arrests, you’ll likely be pushed out as scapegoats by the Inner Minister."
"Very good!" Yun Yang clapped his hands and got straight to the point.
"Jiao Tu followed the clues you provided and searched twenty-two paper shops in Luocheng. He found two shops that sold the same paper as the one found in Zhou Chengyi’s residence, and both are connected to the Liu family. But we didn’t find any other evidence in the shops."
Chen Ji quickly asked, "Did you brush all the paper with vinegar?"
"Yes, but no characters appeared."
Chen Ji was puzzled.
"If there’s no evidence, why did you dare to arrest them?"
Yun Yang sneered.
"The Secret Intelligence Bureau never lets a spy go, even if it means killing the wrong person. Letting one spy go could cost the lives of a hundred soldiers, or more. Three years ago, during the autumn grain transport via the Grand Canal, a spy among the escort troops burned 2,400 dan of grain, enough to feed a thousand soldiers and their horses for a month. Do you think the consequences are severe?"
"But you didn’t expect the Liu patriarch to collapse. Without that, arresting a few young members of the family wouldn’t have been a big deal, right?"
For the first time, a look of helplessness appeared on Yun Yang’s face.
"Who could’ve guessed the old man’s life was as thin as paper? Now Jiao Tu is still dealing with the Liu family, and we need to find evidence."
Chen Ji asked, "When do we leave?"
Yun Yang stepped over the threshold and walked out.
"Now!"
"Wait a moment."
"Hmm?"
Chen Ji didn’t move, but asked seriously, "What’s in it for me?"
Yun Yang stopped and turned around.
Standing under the moonlight on Anxi Street, he looked at Chen Ji with a half-smile.
"You dare to bargain with me?"
Chen Ji didn’t cower in the face of Yun Yang’s authority.
He simply said earnestly, "Master Yun Yang, you and Jiao Tu are in a tough spot, and it has nothing to do with me. But if I help, I should get something in return. Think of me as a dockworker—I get paid for my labor."
Yun Yang laughed.
He took a few steps forward and flicked a silver needle into Chen Ji’s chest.
The needle was as thin as a strand of hair, barely visible under the moonlight.
In an instant, veins bulged on Chen Ji’s neck, and a searing pain spread through his chest, nearly causing him to faint.
Yun Yang’s voice turned cold.
"The Secret Intelligence Bureau doesn’t bargain."
Chen Ji, leaning against the doorframe, gasped, "There’s always an exception."
Yun Yang retorted, "Why? Do you think we can’t do this without you?"
Chen Ji suddenly straightened up, looking directly into Yun Yang’s eyes.
"Yes, you can’t do it without me."
The world seemed to fall silent, as if a heavy pressure had descended on Anxi Street, muffling all sound.
Chen Ji continued, "If it weren’t for me, Master Yun Yang wouldn’t have come looking for a nobody like me in such a critical moment."
The Secret Intelligence Bureau surely had experts in catching spies.
But Yun Yang had mentioned they were temporarily assigned to Luocheng, and based on the way Yun Yang and Jiao Tu operated, they didn’t seem like spy hunters—they seemed more like… assassins.
On the day Zhou Chengyi was arrested, neither Yun Yang nor Jiao Tu showed any counter-espionage skills.
Instead, their methods of killing were extremely covert and decisive.
Now, the two had been temporarily entrusted with a major task, but they had made a huge mess.
They needed someone to clean up the mess… someone smart.
Yun Yang narrowed his eyes.
"Even if I need your help this time, aren’t you afraid I’ll come after you later? I suggest you weigh every word you say to me, or the consequences will be more than you can bear."
Chen Ji said, "Master Yun Yang, you’ll likely deal with many spies in the future. Where there are spies, there’s merit. If I help you earn merit, why would you come after me?"
"Oh?" Yun Yang’s eyes lit up.
Among all the things Chen Ji had said, this was the one that truly caught his attention.
"You think you can help me earn merit?" Yun Yang asked.
Chen Ji replied, "I was the one who found the alum in Zhou Chengyi’s residence."
"That’s not a big merit," Yun Yang shook his head.
Chen Ji also shook his head.
"No, the merit I’m talking about isn’t about Zhou Chengyi, but about me… no, about you, Master Yun Yang, uncovering the Jing Dynasty’s military intelligence’s method of writing secret messages. The Secret Intelligence Bureau has been catching spies and searching homes, but you’ve missed this method of screening secret messages, and thus missed a lot of information. If you use this method to re-examine their homes, you might find some unexpected surprises."
Yun Yang’s eyes sparkled with interest.
"You’re right! This time, the Inner Minister will know that Jiao Tu and I…"
He glanced at Chen Ji and abruptly stopped speaking.
After a moment of consideration, Yun Yang asked, "What kind of reward do you want?"
Chen Ji said, "Power. I want an official position in the Secret Intelligence Bureau."
Yun Yang snorted.
"Do you think I’m the Inner Minister? The Secret Intelligence Bureau is the most powerful department under the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs, handling the most secretive matters. To join, one must be vetted by the Chief Judicial Bureau for three generations and reported to the Inner Minister. No one else can make that decision!"
Chen Ji said, "Then I’ll take money."
He hadn’t really intended to ask for power, but when you want something, you shouldn’t reveal your true intentions too soon.
It’s better to start with a big demand.
Seeing that Chen Ji wasn’t asking for an official position, Yun Yang relaxed.
"How much money do you want?"
"Two thousand taels of silver."
"What?!"
Chen Ji asked, "Can’t you give it?"
Yun Yang scratched his head.
"Do you know my annual salary is only thirty-six taels of silver, and you’re asking for two thousand?! If you keep being this unreasonable, I’ll just stab you and be done with it!"
"Does the Secret Intelligence Bureau only rely on salaries?" Chen Ji didn’t believe it.
After a moment of thought, Yun Yang put aside his excitement about "merit" and said firmly, "Every time you help me earn merit, I’ll give you fifty taels of silver."
"Master Yun Yang, such a big figure, and you’re only offering fifty taels?"
"Only fifty taels? Fifty taels can buy you twenty maids in the West Market! Time is tight today, and I don’t know how long Jiao Tu can stall. If you delay any longer, I’ll kill you. Last chance: fifty taels, take it or leave it."
"I’ll take it!"
Yun Yang turned and walked away.
"There are three hours until dawn, and you only have three hours."
"Where are we going to find evidence now, Master Yun Yang?"
"We’re going to the paper shop. Maybe you’ll find something there!"
Chen Ji shook his head.
"Not the paper shop. Let’s go to Zhou Chengyi’s residence."
Yun Yang frowned.
"Didn’t you already find the alum there last time? What else is there?"
Chen Ji remained silent.
Yun Yang suddenly realized.
"Wait, you must have found other clues in Zhou Chengyi’s residence last time, but you didn’t tell me or Jiao Tu!"
"I just kept a few cards up my sleeve for self-preservation. Please forgive me, Master Yun Yang," Chen Ji was never one to surrender easily.
Even if he had a knife in his side, he would bite a chunk of flesh from his enemy’s neck.
"Tsk!" Yun Yang sucked in a breath.
"The more I talk to you, the more I think you’re a Jing Dynasty spy. What should I do?"
"Would a Jing Dynasty spy help you catch spies?"
Yun Yang placed two fingers on his tongue and let out a sharp whistle.
A fine horse galloped out from the corner of Anxi Street.
He mounted the horse and pulled Chen Ji up behind him.
"Hold on tight!"
The sound of hooves wrapped in cloth echoed dully on the bluestone road as they galloped into the early morning mist.
No one noticed a small black cat hiding in the shadows on the roof of a nearby building.
As they left, the cat leaped gracefully across the tiles, following them into the distance.
(End of Chapter)