"Have you found the evidence?!"
"Where is the evidence?!"
All eyes turned to Chen Ji, filled with scrutiny and doubt.
Yet, he stood firmly at the entrance of the main hall, unwavering, and repeated with absolute certainty, "I’ve found the evidence."
Lin Chaoqing’s sharp gaze swept past Jiao Tu and landed on Chen Ji, whose face was still covered.
"And who is this?"
Yun Yang stepped forward, shielding half of Chen Ji’s body.
"This is my subordinate from the Secret Intelligence Bureau, the Sparrowhawk."
"Ah, the Sparrowhawk. Not yet a full-fledged agent, I see. No wonder you need to hide your face," Lin Chaoqing said with a deep voice.
"But, Sparrowhawk, could you enlighten me? What evidence is in these books? If you’re lying, you’ll be joining me in the inner prison."
Chen Ji tugged at the gray cloth covering his face and glanced at Yun Yang.
"Can I speak?"
"Go ahead."
Chen Ji nodded.
"Yun Yang, please take out those two books and show them to Commander Lin."
Yun Yang retrieved the two books from his robe and handed them to Lin Chaoqing.
Lin Chaoqing flipped through the pages and said indifferently, "Just ordinary books. Where’s the intelligence?"
Chen Ji calmly explained, "If you’re not familiar with the 'Annotations on the Four Books,' it’s hard to spot the issue. But the method of hiding the information is quite simple. You just need to compare it with the original version."
"The original version?" Yun Yang took the books back from Lin Chaoqing.
He opened one, while Jiao Tu opened the other.
The two of them began reading under the moonlight.
Chen Ji continued, "The original sentence reads, 'Grasp it in your heart and do not lose it,' with the character for 'lose.' But Zhou Chengyi deliberately wrote it as 'Grasp it in your heart and do not serve it,' replacing 'lose' with 'serve.'"
"Further on, on the third page, where the original text uses the character for 'sincerity,' Zhou Chengyi replaced it with the character for 'success.'"
These altered characters were scattered throughout the book, spanning several pages.
Without a side-by-side comparison with the original, it would be nearly impossible to notice the discrepancies.
Chen Ji had initially thought Zhou Chengyi might use more complex methods like hidden characters, code verification, or phonetic analysis—techniques historically used for secret communication.
But after careful analysis, he realized Zhou Chengyi had opted for a much simpler approach.
Lin Chaoqing took the two books and compared them.
Sure enough, it was as Chen Ji had said.
His furrowed brow relaxed slightly.
"What’s the complete message in this book?"
Chen Ji replied, "Due to the time constraints, I haven’t fully compared the entire book yet. So far, I’ve only deciphered one message: 'The task is complete. The Director will meet with you.'"
"The Director!" Yun Yang’s eyes lit up.
"Are you sure the message mentions the Director? I thought it would be the Deputy Director at most. I never expected the Director of the Military Intelligence Bureau to personally come to Luocheng!"
Jiao Tu said gravely, "We must send this news back to the capital immediately. For the Director to come south in person, it must be a matter of utmost importance... What could the Liu family be planning to earn such trust from the Military Intelligence Bureau?"
The tense atmosphere in the mansion suddenly eased.
Chen Ji even felt as though everyone let out a long sigh of relief.
Lin Chaoqing sheathed his sword, and Jiao Tu wiped his forehead with his thumb.
The cut that had been there moments ago healed instantly, leaving no trace.
Lin Chaoqing looked at Chen Ji and said steadily, "Young man, you’re still just a Sparrowhawk in the Secret Intelligence Bureau, without even a rank. Why not join my Judicial Bureau instead?"
Yun Yang: "Huh?"
Jiao Tu: "Huh?"
Lin Chaoqing continued, "I know it was you who found all the clues and evidence tonight. Yun Yang and Jiao Tu couldn’t have done it. With your abilities, you’ll rise quickly in my Judicial Bureau."
"Lin Chaoqing, how shameless can you be, poaching my subordinate right in front of me?" Yun Yang roared.
"In your Secret Intelligence Bureau, he’s just a tool to earn merits. In my Judicial Bureau, he can serve the Emperor and the nation," Lin Chaoqing sneered.
"He’s my subordinate!"
"He’s not officially your subordinate yet. If he agrees, I can write a commendation for him tonight," Lin Chaoqing said.
"Well, can you two do the same?"
Yun Yang and Jiao Tu exchanged glances, hesitating whether to give up the credit they’d earned.
Lin Chaoqing sneered, "Why not let him choose?"
Everyone turned to Chen Ji, who stood silently, his expression hidden behind the gray cloth.
After a long pause, Chen Ji finally spoke, "Thank you for your offer, Commander Lin. For now, I prefer to serve under Yun Yang and Jiao Tu."
Lin Chaoqing nodded.
"Very well. Everyone has their own path. But if you ever change your mind, you can always come to the Judicial Bureau in Luocheng. I’ll be here for the next two months."
"Thank you, Commander Lin."
As they spoke, a commotion erupted outside the mansion.
Hundreds of people from the Liu family had surrounded the mansion, sealing it off completely.
Someone outside shouted, "Yun Yang, you played the 'Golden Cicada Shedding Its Shell' trick well, but the Liu family isn’t to be trifled with. If you don’t give me an explanation today, I’ll avenge the old master. Whether the court beheads me or exiles me to Lingnan, Liu Mingxian will have no regrets!"
As the voice faded, they heard the sound of dry wood being piled up and oil being splashed outside.
The pungent smell of oil filled the air.
Everyone inside the mansion exchanged uneasy glances.
This time, it was Lin Chaoqing who took charge.
"Li Dabing, Li Dapao, take your men and hold off the Liu family. No one is to set fire to the mansion, or they’ll be executed on the spot!"
Then he turned to Chen Ji.
"Where’s the evidence to convict the Liu family? How do we know Zhou Chengyi’s message was meant for them?"
Tonight’s events had been triggered by the death of a Liu family member in the inner prison.
While the Secret Intelligence Bureau had uncovered crucial intelligence, the book only indicated that the Director of the Military Intelligence Bureau was coming south.
But how could they prove Zhou Chengyi had intended to pass this information to the Liu family?
Without proof, the Liu family wouldn’t back down.
Chen Ji held up the book in his hand and asked, "Everyone, how many chapters are there in the 'Annotations on the Four Books'?"
Lin Chaoqing replied calmly, "Thirty-nine chapters, each printed separately, totaling thirty-nine books."
Chen Ji then asked, "And which chapter is 'On Governance, Part Two'?"
Lin Chaoqing answered, "The eighth chapter..."
Chen Ji nodded.
"No one would start copying from the eighth chapter. They’d start from the first, then the second, and so on, up to the eighth. I didn’t find the first seven chapters in Zhou Chengyi’s house, which means he must have already sent them out. In other words, Zhou Chengyi likely used the excuse of borrowing and copying books to pass on intelligence seven times."
Lin Chaoqing’s eyes lit up with understanding.
"If we can find those seven copied books with Zhou Chengyi’s handwriting, we can prove who received the intelligence!"
"Exactly," Chen Ji said, holding up the book in his hand.
"This is the seventh chapter, 'On Learning, Part One,' which I just found in Liu Shiyu’s room. The handwriting matches Zhou Chengyi’s, so we can use it to convict Liu Shiyu."
His words were like a thunderclap, piercing through the night’s fog and revealing the truth to everyone.
The group began searching the bookshelves, while Chen Ji explored other parts of the room.
When he opened a cabinet in the inner chamber, he suddenly froze.
As soon as he opened the cabinet, the long-dormant icy energy within him stirred once more.
Inside the cabinet were several wooden boxes.
Chen Ji quietly opened them.
The first box contained two white jade bracelets, the second held some account books, and the third... contained a ginseng root!
He glanced behind him, then took the box out and placed it on the table, reaching out to touch the ginseng.
Before he could, Lin Chaoqing’s voice drifted over.
"Young man, no one is allowed to touch any of the confiscated property in a criminal’s home. My Judicial Bureau oversees the Secret Intelligence Bureau, and our primary duty is to prevent agents from lining their own pockets. Put those things back. The court will handle the inventory later."
Chen Ji: "..."
He had thought agents in the Secret Intelligence Bureau, who were responsible for raids and executions, could freely take whatever they wanted.
No wonder Yun Yang had looked so pained during their negotiations—they were constantly under the Judicial Bureau’s watch!
Chen Ji stood at the table, tapping his fingers on the box.
After a moment of thought, he finally put it back.
He returned to the bookshelf, pulled out a book, flipped through it, and then put it back as well.
By then, the group had found the first seven chapters of the 'Annotations on the Four Books,' all confirmed to be in Zhou Chengyi’s handwriting.
Yun Yang let out a long sigh.
"We’ve won! The Liu family case is finally closed. Whether the old master died of anger or illness, the Secret Intelligence Bureau handled it fairly. This is a great achievement!"
Lin Chaoqing said offhandedly, "I hope you don’t win by luck next time. This was a stroke of fortune. If you encounter the Hu, Xu, or Chen families in the future, you might not have someone to back you up."
Yun Yang sneered, "Thank you for the reminder, Commander Lin."
He smoothed his hair, straightened his wrinkled robe, and then picked up the stack of books they’d gathered.
"Let’s go. We’ll use this evidence to silence the Liu family."
"Wait," Lin Chaoqing said coldly.
"No one is to take any property from here. Check yourselves."
Yun Yang and Jiao Tu rolled up their sleeves and patted themselves down, annoyed.
"Just a few copper coins. We know the rules!"
Lin Chaoqing then looked at Chen Ji, who reluctantly rolled up his sleeves and patted himself down.
"I didn’t take anything either."
"Good."
They all walked toward the exit.
As they reached the door, a small black cat stood up on the beam inside the room, stretching lazily.
The cat, named Wuyun, leaped gracefully from the beam, picked up the ginseng root Chen Ji had just put back, and climbed onto the bookshelf.
It also grabbed the book Chen Ji had flipped through earlier.
The fluffy black cat glanced around, ensuring no one was watching, then climbed back onto the beam and slipped through a crack into the night.
(End of Chapter)