At the head of the banquet, the Prince and Princess Bai Li sat behind their table, quietly listening to the conversations around them without joining in.
They whispered to each other, their words inaudible to the others.
Chen Ji observed the scene at the literary gathering, feeling somewhat out of place.
He wondered when Lady Jing would finally approach him to discuss matters.
At that moment, Chun Hua quietly approached him, bending down to whisper, "My lady requests your presence for a conversation."
Chen Ji glanced around the gathering, relieved to see that Lady Yun was not in attendance.
Currently, he was in a precarious position—in front of Lady Jing, he was a spy for the Secret Intelligence Bureau, while in front of Lady Yun, he was an agent for the military intelligence of the Jing Dynasty.
It felt like walking a tightrope high above the ground.
He stood up and followed Chun Hua to a pavilion.
Through the bamboo curtain, he could only see the faint silhouette of Lady Jing.
Chun Hua retreated, leaving only Chen Ji and Lady Jing on either side of the curtain.
Lady Jing remained silent for a long time, and Chen Ji stood there patiently, as if both of them were solely focused on the literary gathering.
After what seemed like an eternity, Lady Jing calmly asked, "Everyone says Liu Shiyu was driven to death by the Secret Intelligence Bureau. Why do you claim he was silenced?"
Chen Ji replied slowly, "I examined the body. Someone colluded with the prison guards to make it look like a suicide by hanging, but in reality, he was strangled. The Secret Intelligence Bureau has records of this."
Lady Jing frowned, "How can I access the Bureau's records? How do I know you're not deceiving me?"
Chen Ji stood outside the pavilion, pondering for a moment before saying, "You already know I'm telling the truth. The Liu family, who gifted you that cup, wouldn't hesitate to sacrifice Liu Shiyu's life. I'm just a minor figure working for the Bureau. Your vendetta shouldn't be directed at me."
Lady Jing's voice turned icy, "Don't think you can wash your hands of this. Someone told me that if it weren't for you, the Bureau wouldn't have found Liu Shiyu's weakness! Since you had Chun Hua deliver a message to me, tell me how to exact my revenge, or you'll die too!"
Chen Ji looked at the scholars around him, discussing poetry and politics, while he was embroiled in a world of life and death.
"Madam, who is currently in charge of the Liu family in Luo City? Is it Liu Mingxian?"
At the mention of the name, Lady Jing's voice filled with venom, "It's him!"
Her tone was laced with madness.
First, she had lost her son, and the next day, her beloved nephew.
The consecutive tragedies had pushed her to the brink of losing control.
Chen Ji inwardly praised Liu Mingxian's acting skills.
On the night he surrounded the Zhou residence, Liu had worn mourning clothes, his eyes red and weary, the very image of a filial son.
"How do you wish to take revenge?"
"I want him to die a miserable death!"
Chen Ji exhaled in relief.
The hatred had now shifted to Liu Mingxian.
"When did he give you the cup?"
"At the beginning of spring!"
Chen Ji pressed further, "At that time, he must have asked you to do something, and when you refused, he gave you the cup as retaliation. May I ask what he wanted you to do?"
"Why do you ask?"
Chen Ji replied, "Without knowing his intentions, how can we exact revenge?"
Lady Jing thought for a moment, "At that time, an old subordinate of the Prince was about to be promoted to Commander, leading two thousand soldiers to guard the Luo City Armory. Liu Mingxian wanted me to use the Prince's name to help him contact this subordinate..."
Chen Ji was stunned.
Zhou Chengyi had arranged for the courtesan Cui Huan to get close to the Armory, and now Liu Mingxian had asked Lady Jing to approach the Commander guarding it.
Why was the Armory so important that both the military intelligence and the Liu family were going to such lengths? And why did the Armory of the Ning Dynasty need two thousand elite soldiers to guard it?!
Wait.
Earlier, a scholar had mentioned that if Jing Dynasty cavalry approached Chongli Pass, the Ning Dynasty generals could use cannons and firearms to repel them.
A light seemed to go off in Chen Ji's mind, connecting all the clues: the Jing Dynasty military intelligence wanted the secret formula for the Ning Dynasty's firearms!
This was the sincerity the head of the military intelligence had demanded from the Liu family!
And the Liu family had already allied with Lady Yun, obtaining the firearms.
That cup wasn't just about killing a child...
Lady Yun's condition for cooperation was likely for the Liu family to kill the disobedient Lady Jing and help her become the official consort, as a token of their allegiance.
Otherwise, why would Lady Yun side with the Liu family?
...
...
As he pondered, Chen Ji heard someone at the banquet loudly ask, "Brother Wenzong, the Chen family has two outstanding talents this year, both with the potential to win the provincial exams. But I heard you have another brother. Why have we never seen him?"
"That's not right. I remember my father once asked Uncle Chen how many children he had, and he said two sons and a daughter!"
Chen Ji looked up and saw his two elder brothers, the pride of the Chen family, surrounded by scholars, their family matters naturally a topic of interest.
The person who first brought it up asked in confusion, "Brother Wenzong, did I mishear?"
Chen Wenxiao, standing nearby, spoke up, "Our younger brother has a bad character, so our father pretends he doesn't exist."
A chubby man with a big head became intrigued, "Oh? Is there more to the story?"
Chen Wenzong glared at Chen Wenxiao, "This is a family matter. Let's not discuss it further."
But Chen Wenxiao ignored him and continued, "My younger brother, Chen Ji, has been obsessed with brothels since he was young and was a regular at the gambling houses in Red Dress Lane. Three years ago, our father planned to send him to Donglin Academy, but then a gambling house came with a debt note demanding six hundred taels of silver!"
"What?"
"Six hundred taels!"
Chen Wenzong frowned at Chen Wenxiao, "Enough! Don't tarnish our family's name and make us a laughingstock!"
Chen Wenxiao casually picked up a wine cup and took a sip, "That kid has a long list of misdeeds. How can we hide it? Brother, don't deceive yourself."
He looked at the crowd, "After our father found out, he sent the steward and servants to investigate. It turned out he didn't just owe money to one gambling house—he had debts at six different ones in Red Dress Lane."
"And then?"
"And then? Our father wanted to beat him to death, but our mother, out of kindness, stopped him and suggested we find him a job to fend for himself. She first sent him to work at a pharmacy, but he found it too tiring. He then begged our mother for some silver and was sent to the Imperial Medical Academy as an apprentice. Now, we don't even know where he is."
Someone at the table sighed, "Tsk tsk, having a gambler in the family is truly unfortunate."
But then, with a loud bang, She Dengke stood up, slamming the table, "Nonsense! Chen Ji is not that kind of person. He's not a gambler, nor is he lazy!"
The food on the table scattered everywhere, and the wine spilled onto the scholars in front.
Everyone turned to look at She Dengke.
Chen Wenxiao, puzzled, looked at the Prince, "Your Highness, who is this?"
The Prince was also confused.
This wasn't someone he had invited.
She Dengke introduced himself, "I'm She Dengke, an apprentice at the Imperial Medical Academy. I've been classmates with Chen Ji for two years. He's definitely not the person you're describing!"
Chen Wenxiao narrowed his eyes, "Chen Ji is my brother. Of course, I know him better."
She Dengke's face turned red with anger, "You know him better?!"
"Dengke? As in 'passing the imperial exams and becoming the top scholar'? Hahaha!" Someone suddenly laughed, "With such an ambitious name, why didn't you take the imperial exams and instead became a medical apprentice?"
"And those clothes—how dare you come to a literary gathering dressed like that?"
Liu Quxing couldn't stand it any longer and stood up angrily, "What does what he's wearing have to do with the gathering? We've known Chen Ji for two years. He's definitely not the person you're describing."
"Oh, look at him, dressed up so nicely. But that cherry blossom hat doesn't look like it's from Li's workshop. More like a cheap imitation."
Liu Quxing was speechless.
He had indeed bought a knockoff to save money.
But at that moment, Princess Bai Li stood up and loudly asked, "Is this how your academy teaches you to judge people by their appearance? What he wears or does has nothing to do with what he says. None of you have met this so-called Chen Ji, and neither have I. But these two are willing to stake their reputations to defend him. In my eyes, that speaks volumes."
The Prince laughed heartily, "Bai Li is right. Let me ask all of you, if someone slandered you, would anyone stand up to defend you? Do any of you have such friends?"
With that, the Prince raised his cup to She Dengke and Liu Quxing from afar, "Admirable. A full drink!"
(End of Chapter)