Chapter 16: The Transaction

Anxi Street was silent. Moonlight spilled across the bluestone path like a flowing stream, tranquil and clear.

Chen Ji stood inside the doorway in silence. Outside, Yun Yang did not urge him; separated only by a single door, the two stood there quietly.

After a long period of contemplation, Chen Ji finally took a deep breath and slowly pulled the door open with a creak. "Lord Yun Yang, what is the matter?"

Outside, Yun Yang was dressed in black. The clothes fit him as perfectly as if they had just been freshly ironed, and his hair was neatly gathered atop his head with a hairpin, resembling the young noblemen often seen in traditional operas.

Separated by the high threshold of the Taiping Medical Clinic, Yun Yang asked with a smile, "Won't you invite me in for a seat?"

Chen Ji shook his head. "There is no place to drink tea inside the clinic. Why don't we just chat at the entrance?"

"Oh?" Yun Yang sized Chen Ji up with interest. "You don't know I am from the Secret Intelligence Bureau? Did Imperial Physician Yao not tell you?"

"He did."

Yun Yang withdrew his smile and said indifferently, "Then do you know that when the Secret Intelligence Bureau says they want to sit in someone's home, no one dares to refuse? Aren't you afraid of me?"

With that, he stepped over the threshold and passed by Chen Ji as if no one else were there, walking into the clinic.

"I am," Chen Ji turned around and admitted sincerely, "But I suggested chatting at the entrance because I know you are in a hurry, and I don't want to waste your time."

"Oh?" Yun Yang walked with his hands behind his back, observing the clinic while asking curiously, "Why am I in a hurry?"

Standing at the doorway, Chen Ji looked at Yun Yang's back. "You arrested the Liu family, which caused the Liu family patriarch to faint from rage; he doesn't have much time left. The current Grand Secretary and Minister of Personnel of the Liu family are rushing back to Luocheng. You must be very anxious."

Yun Yang laughed. "Based solely on the information that Imperial Physician Yao was invited by the Liu family for a consultation, you dare to be certain of my current situation? I have come this time on the orders of the Grand Chancellor. Even if it is the Liu family, so what? Now, I suspect you are a spy from the Jing Dynasty. Come with me to the Inner Prison."

Chen Ji leaned against the doorframe. "Lord Yun Yang, why don't we be frank? If you truly came to arrest me and take me to the Inner Prison, why come personally? You could have just sent two people."

Yun Yang turned around and stared straight at Chen Ji, observing his steadfast expression. "Since you are so clever, you should also know that since Imperial Physician Yao is not here tonight, I wouldn't even need a reason to kill you. How do you dare to lay your cards on the table with me?"

The reason Chen Ji laid his cards on the table... was just as Yun Yang had said to Zhou Chengyi: Once you see the Secret Intelligence Bureau, you no longer have a choice.

Either cooperate, or die.

However, he had another idea.

Seeing that Chen Ji remained silent, Yun Yang said unhurriedly, "Since you are a clever man, then guess why I have come. If you guess correctly, it will prove you still have value."

Chen Ji said, "Everyone says the Secret Intelligence Bureau acts first and reports later, authorized by imperial power. But that power has a prerequisite: you must strike the right people."

Yun Yang raised an eyebrow. "Go on."

Chen Ji frowned in analysis. "There aren't many things that would make Lord Yun Yang run to find me in the middle of the night. It can only be that after you arrested people, you failed to find the evidence to pin them down. Now that the Liu patriarch is in critical condition, if you cannot find evidence to prove your arrest was correct, I'm afraid you will be pushed out by the Grand Chancellor to serve as scapegoats."

"Excellent!" Yun Yang clapped his hands and spoke directly. "Jiao Tu searched twenty-two Xuan paper shops in Luocheng following the clues you provided. We finally found two shops with paper identical to what was in Zhou Chengyi's residence, and both were part of the Liu family's business. However, we could not find any other evidence in the paper shops."

Chen Ji asked quickly, "Did you try brushing all the Xuan paper with vinegar?"

"We did, but no writing appeared."

Chen Ji was puzzled. "Since there is no evidence, why did you dare to arrest them directly?"

Yun Yang flicked his sleeve and sneered. "When the Secret Intelligence Bureau arrests Jing Dynasty spies, we have always preferred to kill the wrong person rather than let a spy go. Letting one spy go could mean a hundred soldiers die on the front lines, or even more. Three years ago, when the autumn grain was being transported north via the Grand Canal, because there was a spy in the army responsible for escorting the grain, two thousand four hundred piculs of our Ning Dynasty grain were burned. That was enough to feed a thousand frontline soldiers for a month. Tell me, is that consequence serious or not?"

"But you didn't expect the old Master Liu to be angered to death. If it weren't for him, the arrest of a few young disciples would have just been an arrest, wouldn't it?"

For the first time, a look of helplessness appeared on Yun Yang's face. "Who could have thought this old man's life was as thin as paper? Currently, Jiao Tu is still negotiating with the Liu family; we must go find evidence."

Chen Ji asked, "When do we set out?"

Yun Yang stepped over the threshold to head out first. "Now!"

"Wait a moment."

"Hmm?"

Chen Ji did not move; he simply asked earnestly, "What is my benefit?"

...

...

Yun Yang stopped and turned around. Standing under the moonlight of Anxi Street, he looked at Chen Ji inside the clinic with a half-smile. "You dare to negotiate terms with me?"

Chen Ji did not act humble due to the other's power; he simply said sincerely, "Lord Yun Yang, you and Jiao Tu are currently in a predicament. This originally had nothing to do with me, but since I am stepping in to help, I should reasonably receive some compensation. Just treat me like a worker at the canal wharf—just pay me to do the job."

Yun Yang laughed. He took a few steps forward and, with a flick of his hand, drove a silver needle into Chen Ji's chest. The needle was as fine as a cow's hair, requiring careful inspection under the moonlight to be seen.

In an instant, the veins on Chen Ji's neck bulged, and an unbearable pain surged from his chest, nearly causing him to go into shock.

Yun Yang's voice grew cold. "The Secret Intelligence Bureau never haggles."

Chen Ji leaned against the clinic doorframe, gasping for breath. "There must always be exceptions."

Yun Yang countered, "On what grounds? Do you think this matter cannot be done without you?"

Chen Ji suddenly straightened his body against the doorframe and looked directly into Yun Yang's eyes. "Yes. It cannot be done without me."

The world went silent.

It was as if a massive atmospheric pressure had descended upon Anxi Street, suppressing all sound.

Chen Ji continued, "If it weren't indispensable, Lord Yun Yang would not have come to find an unknown junior like me at such a critical moment."

Were there experts in catching spies within the Secret Intelligence Bureau? Certainly.

But Yun Yang had also mentioned they were temporarily deployed to Luocheng. Furthermore, judging by the style of Yun Yang and Jiao Tu, they did not seem like specialists in catching spies, but rather... assassins.

On the day they arrested Zhou Chengyi, neither Yun Yang nor Jiao Tu had shown the ability to conduct counter-espionage; instead, their methods of killing were extremely secretive and decisive.

Now, the two had been temporarily entrusted with a heavy responsibility, only to cause a massive blunder.

They needed someone to clean up the mess... they needed a clever person.

Yun Yang's eyes narrowed slightly. "Even if I need your help this time, aren't you afraid I'll cause trouble for you afterward? I suggest you weigh every word you say to me carefully, otherwise, the consequences will be more than you can bear."

Chen Ji said, "Lord Yun Yang will surely deal with many spies in the future. Wherever there are spies, there is merit. If I help you earn merit, why would you cause trouble for me?"

"Oh?" Yun Yang's eyes lit up.

Of all the words Chen Ji had said, this was the only time he had truly caught his interest!

"You think you can help me earn merit?" Yun Yang asked back.

Chen Ji said, "It was I who found the alum in Zhou Chengyi's residence."

"That merit is not very great," Yun Yang shook his head.

Chen Ji also shook his head. "No, the merit I am talking about is not Zhou Chengyi, but me... no, it is you, Lord Yun Yang, uncovering the method the Jing Dynasty Military Intelligence Bureau uses to write secret messages. In the past, the Secret Intelligence Bureau has arrested spies and searched residences, but they missed this method of screening secret messages, thereby missing much information. If we use this method to trace back now, there might be unexpected surprises in their residences."

The light in Yun Yang's eyes grew stronger. "That's right! If I let the Grand Chancellor know about this, Jiao Tu and I..."

He glanced at Chen Ji, and his voice cut off abruptly.

Yun Yang weighed the options for a moment. "What kind of benefit do you want?"

Chen Ji said, "Power. I want an official position in the Secret Intelligence Bureau."

Yun Yang said irritably, "Do you think I am the Grand Chancellor? The Secret Intelligence Bureau is the most powerful office under the Directorate of Ceremonial, and it handles the most secretive matters. To enter, one must be vetted through three generations by the Bureau of Punishment and reported to the Grand Chancellor. No one else can decide!"

Chen Ji said, "Then I want money."

He hadn't actually intended to demand power, but when a person wants something, they cannot expose their true intentions in advance; one must first make an outrageous demand.

Seeing that Chen Ji did not want an official position, Yun Yang breathed a sigh of relief. "How much money do you want?"

"Two thousand taels of silver."

"What?!"

Chen Ji asked, "Can you not give it?"

Yun Yang scratched his scalp. "Do you know that my annual salary is only thirty-six taels of silver, and you open your mouth and ask for two thousand?! If you get any more ridiculous, see if I don't just stab you!"

"Does the Secret Intelligence Bureau live solely on salaries?" Chen Ji did not believe it.

Yun Yang thought for a moment, set aside his mindset influenced by the "merit," and said indisputably, "Every time you earn merit for me, I will give you fifty taels of silver."

"A figure as great as Lord Yun Yang only offers fifty taels?"

"Only fifty taels? Fifty taels is enough for you to buy twenty handmaidens in the West Market! Time is tight today, and I don't know how much longer Jiao Tu can stall. If you delay any further, I will certainly kill you. I will ask you one last time: fifty taels, do you want it or not?"

"I do!"

Yun Yang turned to leave. "There are three hours until dawn; you only have three hours."

"Where does Lord Yun Yang plan to find evidence now?"

"I'll take you to the Xuan paper shops. Perhaps you can find something there!"

Chen Ji shook his head in refusal. "Not the paper shops. We are going 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 reacted instantly. "Wait, you must have discovered other clues at Zhou Chengyi's residence last time, but you kept them hidden from me and Jiao Tu!"

"I was merely keeping a few cards up my sleeve for myself. Please forgive me, Lord Yun Yang," Chen Ji was never the type of person to surrender without a fight. When killing, even if a knife was stuck in his waist, he would bite a piece of flesh off his enemy's neck.

"Hiss!" Yun Yang sucked in a breath of cold air. "What should I do? I'm starting to feel more and more like a Jing Dynasty spy."

"Would a Jing Dynasty spy help you catch spies, My Lord?"

Yun Yang pressed two fingers to his tongue and blew a clear whistle. A fine steed came galloping from the corner of Anxi Street.

He mounted the horse and pulled Chen Ji to sit behind him. "Hold on tight!"

The hooves, wrapped in hemp, made a dull thudding sound on the bluestone path as they galloped into the early morning mist.

No one noticed that on the eaves of the street-facing rooftops, a small black cat remained hidden in the shadows.

As they departed, the cat leaped lightly across the gray tiles of the eaves, following after them.

(End of Chapter)