Green Mountain
Chapter 136 - 99, Fame and Profit, Love and Hate

Chapter 136: 99, Fame and Profit, Love and Hate

In the quiet chamber of the inner prison, Lord Jin Zhu crushed the wine cup in his hand, letting the shards of blue and white glaze pierce his palm, drawing blood.

He slowly unclenched his fist, allowing porcelain fragments mixed with fresh blood to fall onto the table, "Dr. Chen, the Spy Department has never been a benevolent place. When outsiders call us arrogant and domineering, cruel, and vicious, I never argue because that’s what we are. Whether it’s me or Yun Yang and Jiao Tu, we must first climb over the corpses of our colleagues before we can step on others’ bones for vengeance."

Lord Jin Zhu took a white cloth from the Eight Immortals table to wipe the blood from his hand, speaking methodically, "So whether you resent or hate me, you can only speak when you have reached my position. Don’t worry, I won’t block your promotion, as long as you can help me annihilate the Liu Family, our promise will always hold."

Chen Ji earnestly said, "Lord Jin Zhu, I can understand you."

Lord Jin Zhu replied calmly, "You do not understand."

However, Chen Ji truly understood.

He knew what it felt like to seek vengeance for one’s parents; first, you had to turn yourself into a madman, and then wallow endlessly in a world of paranoia, with no release.

After a moment of contemplation Chen Ji said, "Lord Jin Zhu, I can help you seek revenge."

The next second, Lord Jin Zhu’s demeanor changed, and he smiled warmly, "That’s good, that’s very good."

He stood on the chair to undo Chen Ji’s iron chains, then supported Chen Ji to sit down and passed him chopsticks and a wine cup, "As long as you are willing to help me, then you are like a brother to me."

Within the Spy Department, everyone was like a madman, quick to change faces; as long as there were mutual benefits, past grievances could be temporarily put aside.

Chen Ji sat in silence at the table.

Seeing him not touching the food, Lord Jin Zhu took the initiative to pick up some braised meat with his chopsticks and put it in Chen Ji’s bowl, "I know you’re also the vengeful type, no matter. As long as you help kill the entire Liu Family, you’re free to seek your vengeance against me afterward. You want to clear the Princely Heir and the Commandery Princess of suspicion, right? It’s very well, as we each have our needs—I just want the Liu Family dead; for others, I can turn a blind eye."

Chen Ji remained silent.

Lord Jin Zhu laughed, "You’ve already considered the Princely Heir and the Commandery Princess as friends, haven’t you?"

Chen Ji shook his head, "No, we just use each other."

Lord Jin Zhu laughed heartily, "No need to deny it, I know it as if it were reflected in a mirror."

Chen Ji picked up his wine cup and drained the yellow wine in one gulp, "Then I need not say more. I will help the Princely Heir and Commandery Princess clear their names, and also wish for your great revenge to be satisfied."

Lord Jin Zhu’s smile bloomed, "Good, good, good, that’s the way it should be—frank and open with each other, why the need for pretense."

Chen Ji set down his wine cup and looked at Lord Jin Zhu, then suddenly asked, "Lord Jin Zhu, how long after your sister’s death did the Lord Prime Minister appear?"

Lord Jin Zhu took a bite of his food, "What you actually want to ask is whether the Prime Minister knew from the beginning about the Liu Family’s scheming yet turned a blind eye, allowing my entire family to perish horribly, then at my most wrathful moment, took me under his wing?"

Chen Ji did not answer.

Lord Jin Zhu chuckled, "The Lord Prime Minister is indeed such a cruel and venomous person; otherwise, why would everyone call him ’Poison Minister’? The Prime Minister’s actions are all about achieving his goals at any cost. He once told me that there are only two things in the world that are the sharpest, fame and profit; he also said that there are only two emotions that are easiest to exploit, the first is hate."

"And the second?"

"Love."

Chen Ji was taken aback.

Jin Zhu poured Chen Ji a cup of wine and filled another for himself. Raising his cup across the table, he said, "The Lord Prime Minister’s methods are ruthless. He transferred me to Luocheng City, knowing full well that I would be locked in a do-or-die struggle with the Liu Family. Is this a conspiracy? No, it is an overt scheme. Love and hate are the bait, and even though you know he’s using you, you can’t give up."

With a smile, he continued, "The Spy Department raises spies the way one breeds venomous creatures, each person bearing grudges as though they bear poison, colleagues undermining each other. The new little spies might be alright, but for the likes of Hai Dongqing and above, there is absolutely no trust to speak of between each other. Do you think I don’t want to escape this exhausting life? But how can I leave before my vengeance is achieved?"

Chen Ji was surprised, "Lord Jin Zhu doesn’t mind?"

Jin Zhu laughed and replied, "It’s not that I don’t mind, but that the Lord Prime Minister doesn’t care ’whether I mind or not.’ That is where his brilliance lies. Even if I come to hate him too, I still have to do as he says."

Chen Ji suddenly felt that Jin Zhu admired the Prime Minister, respecting him as if he were his own father. But at the same time, Jin Zhu also harbored hatred for the Prime Minister in his heart. Hate and respect were intertwined, creating a complex gray emotion that even he could not distinguish.

He set down his cup, "Lord Jin Zhu, I will help you find evidence of the Liu Family’s crimes. Can I go now?"

Jin Zhu also put down his cup and his smile slowly faded, "Are you in a hurry to attend the banquet at Yingxian Building? Don’t rush. You can’t go back until there’s progress in the matter. If you truly want to help the Princely Heir and the Commandery Princess clear their suspicions, then hurry up and think of a way to catch the real traitor. The innocent have nothing to fear from investigation."

Silence fell once again in the inner prison’s secret chamber as Chen Ji and Jin Zhu faced each other.

After a while, Chen Ji asked softly, "What clues do you currently have, my lord, that you might share with me?"

Jin Zhu sat back down, pondering for a moment before responding, "Speaking of which, I feel ashamed. Following the lead from the Craftsmanship Supervisor, I rooted out a few traitors within the Cao Guild. After interrogating them, I found out about a transaction in the Hongyi Lane Gold Workshop, but the news leaked; I set up multiple ambushes along Henan Province’s border, hoping to catch that Jing Dynasty traitor who uses firearms, yet he slipped away; now, I want to grab the Liu Family’s weakness, but they’re hiding like turtles in their shells, leaving me no opening to strike."

Jin Zhu turned to Chen Ji, "I won’t lie to you; repeated setbacks have led to doubts about me within the Ritual Supervision. Even I have started to lose confidence. I firmly believe in one thing: to be successful with those who have been successful. You were able to find evidence against the Liu Family before, and I’m sure you can do it again this time."

"Do you have all the official correspondences with recent leads?"

"Yes." Jin Zhu left the room and returned shortly with a thick stack of documents.

After Chen Ji quickly scanned through them, he looked up and asked, "Lord Jin Zhu, are you only after the Liu Family?"

"Only the Liu Family."

Chen Ji asked again, "What time is it now?"

"The hour of You, night has just fallen."

"Where is the Luocheng City Judge Liu Mingxian at this time?"

"Yingxian Building."

Chen Ji was taken aback. Liu Mingxian was also at Yingxian Building.

Jin Zhu explained, "Tonight Liu Mingxian’s old subordinate is transferring to become the County Magistrate of Yanshi County. He is holding a banquet at Yingxian Building to thank Liu Mingxian for his promotion."

Chen Ji stood up and walked towards the door, "Get the horses ready. We’re going to Yingxian Building to find him."

Jin Zhu followed him out, expressing his doubts, "To confront him directly? You’re thinking of flushing out the rabbit by shaking the bush? To press him hard first and then observe his reaction is a good way to catch him slipping, but it’s quite aggressive."

Chen Ji replied, "No, I am a conservative person."

"You? Conservative?"

Walking down the long and gloomy corridor of the inner prison, Chen Ji spoke softly, "I think flushing out the rabbit by shaking the bush is still too conservative."