Green Mountain
Chapter 245: Pick the position of the zodiac

Chapter 245: Pick the position of the zodiac

Midnight.

Huajing Alley.

Chen Ji and Bai Long sat opposite each other in the main hall of the Spy Department, with a chessboard placed between them.

It was the old rule from the time at Dragon King Village, playing fast chess, with each move not exceeding ten breaths.

The two men held black and white pieces, respectively, quickly making their moves.

Bai Long wore a mask, and as he watched the trend on the chessboard, he placed a piece and exclaimed, "You don’t seem flustered at all; your style of play has greatly changed since last time. You finally understand the concept of ’letting go.’ While the Healing Solitary Swallowing Dragon’s moves are clever, they are also the most greedy and therefore, undesirable."

Chen Ji did not respond, focusing intently on the chessboard.

Bai Long spoke leisurely, "It’s already 9 to 11 PM, and Yun Yang and the others still haven’t brought the Princely Heir before me. I fear they must have botched the job again."

Chen Ji, without raising his head, said, "Since Yun Yang and Jiao Tu always mess up, why doesn’t Lord Bai Long replace them?"

Bai Long chuckled, "I have my reasons, which you will understand later on."

As the words fell, a night patrol passed outside the alley, banging a gong, "Close the doors, latch the windows, ward off thieves and robbers!"

The appointed midnight had passed, and it was 1 AM, before daybreak.

Chen Ji breathed a slight sigh of relief, "Lord Bai Long, it seems I have won."

Bai Long smiled, "If you’ve won, you’ve won. However, I am curious, where exactly did you hide the Princely Heir?"

Chen Ji remained composed, "Lord Bai Long, I have proven myself to be of sufficient use. Henceforth, I will serve you wholeheartedly, ready to walk through fire and water. As for the matter concerning the Commandery Princess..."

Just then, footsteps approached from outside the door.

Yun Yang, Jiao Tu, and Jin Zhu came in, brushing off the snow from their clothes.

Upon entering, Jin Zhu stopped in surprise at the sight of Chen Ji, "What are you doing here?"

Chen Ji pointed to the chessboard, "Playing chess with Lord Bai Long."

Jin Zhu looked puzzled.

Bai Long rose and stood with his hands behind his back, "Did you find the Princely Heir?"

Yun Yang and Jiao Tu looked at each other and bowed their heads, "Reporting to Lord Bai Long, we were incompetent and did not find the Princely Heir. However, we are certain Lord Zhang Zhuo is concealing their whereabouts. If Lord Bai Long would decree, we would arrest Lord Zhang and interrogate him in the inner prison to find out the Princely Heir’s location!"

Bai Long laughed heartily, "You both made a mistake and still expect me to share the blame with you? What kind of reasoning is this? Tell me, what other mess have you made?"

Jiao Tu said softly, "We didn’t really mess up."

"Hmm?" Bai Long looked confused, "Jin Zhu, you tell me."

Jin Zhu didn’t beat around the bush with the other two, "Yun Yang and Jiao Tu, with the Jiefan Guard, intercepted Zhang Zhuo’s grain transport convoy and bet that the Princely Heir was definitely hidden within. In the end, they failed to find the Princely Heir and ended up scattering official grain all over the place."

Jiao Tu defended, "We didn’t disturb much grain; I managed to stop them in time!"

Jin Zhu thought for a moment, "The Jiefan Guard was quick and pierced through twenty-seven bags. The transport of official grain may seem trivial, and a dozen bags of grain might not be worth much money, but it has always been a military matter of great significance. Whether it’s considered a major or minor issue depends on whether Lord Zhang Zhuo wants to weigh you on the scales."

Bai Long looked up, pondering for a moment, "An official grain sack is one hundred twenty pounds, and one pound costs eleven coins. According to Daning’s laws, anyone who steals or destroys military grains worth over twenty-five coins shall be flogged a hundred times, branded with the words ’Thief of Official Grain and Property’, and exiled three thousand miles... Looks like you two are to be exiled again."

Chen Ji glanced at Bai Long subconsciously, surprised that the other party could recite the laws of Daning with such precision.

What kind of person would memorize the law so well? There are three types.

The first kind is people like Zhang Zhuo and Zhang Xia, who have extraordinary memory.

The second kind is law enforcers.

The third kind is those who plan to break the law.

Bai Long must be the third kind.

Bai Long faced Yun Yang and Jiao Tu with a sigh, "I told you long ago to read our dynasty’s laws more often so that when you act, you can avoid breaking the law and not give others a handle on you. Do you think I made it to the Top Three just by chance? It’s by not giving anyone anything to grasp."

Yun Yang and Jiao Tu hung their heads in guilt.

Bai Long thought for a moment, "Alright, I’ll protect you two from being exiled. But I’ll have to take back the zodiac seat for Lord Prime Minister and have a word with the Xu Family about it. From now on, you two will be demoted to Pigeon Level spies and work under Chen Ji."

"What?" Yun Yang’s face showed shock, "Why should we work under him?"

Bai Long pretended to be puzzled, "You are Pigeon Level spies, and he is Hai Dongqing, a rank higher than you. Don’t you work under people of higher rank?"

Yun Yang, as if bereaved, "But... but..."

Bai Long, "Oh? You don’t agree?"

Jiao Tu hurriedly tugged at his sleeve, his voice squeezed out through clenched teeth, "Do you want to die? Just agree, agree, agree..."

Yun Yang looked at Chen Ji with a face like ash and then bowed his fist in salute, "Understood."

As the voice fell, Chen Ji spoke up, "Lord Bai Long, I lack the experience and I fear I am not capable of leading others. It might be better if Yun Yang and Jiao Tu didn’t work under me."

It wasn’t that Chen Ji didn’t want to take this opportunity to humiliate the two.

Rather, these two were too vindictive and extremely skilled at assassination. He worried that if he pushed them too hard, they might lash out in desperation.

Bai Long turned his head and glanced at him, "You all have become so audacious—daring to talk back to the tasks I’ve arranged?"

Chen Ji, Yun Yang, and Jiao Tu bowed their fists and lowered their heads at the same time, "We wouldn’t dare!"

Afraid, Bai Long patted Chen Ji on the shoulder, "Do your job well, and I will go to the Lord Prime Minister to ask for your commendation."

Jin Zhu’s expression changed—why had Chen Ji switched allegiances and started taking orders from Bai Long?

The next moment, Bai Long waved his hand, "Alright, disperse. Go and secure all the major routes in Luocheng City. Conduct house-to-house searches, and don’t let the Princely Heir escape."

"Yes," Jin Zhu and others saluted and backed away, but Chen Ji did not move.

As Jin Zhu reached the threshold, he turned back to gesture to Chen Ji, "Let’s go."

Chen Ji spoke softly, "I have a game of chess pending with Lord Bai Long. Lord Jin Zhu may leave without me."

Jin Zhu’s face darkened. After hesitating for a while, he finally couldn’t resist saying, "You’re thinking of changing sides?"

Chen Ji explained, "Lord Jin Zhu, I still feel there is more prospect in following Lord Bai Long."

Jin Zhu snorted coldly three times, "Fine, fine, fine!"

With that, he left with a flick of his sleeve.

...

...

Bai Long walked a few steps forward with his hands clasped behind his back and looked at the accumulated snow in the court, "Tonight’s game we’ll consider it your win. I’ve thought it over and still can’t figure out where exactly you’ve hidden the Princely Heir... Do you really have no intention of revealing the mystery to me?"

Chen Ji joined him, "If Lord Bai Long had the intention to spare the Princely Heir, why bother delving further?"

Bai Long chuckled, "It’s not that I intended to spare his life, but someone threatened me, saying if I didn’t give you a way out this time, he would kill me. There aren’t many in the Ning Dynasty who could kill me, and unfortunately, he’s one of them."

Chen Ji was shocked inside.

This Mr. Feng, whose cultivation realm was unfathomably profound, who used various unpredictable methods, was a Grand Official standing at the pinnacle of the Seeking Dao Realm.

Who could kill him?

He subconsciously looked back at the teacup on the table—it must be the person who could hold Bai Long at bay for two hours on a snowy night.

When Chen Ji turned back, his gaze flickered with an unexplained light, "My Lord, are you speaking of Lord Binghu?"

Bai Long mocked, "A loose tongue shows off your cleverness."

Chen Ji suddenly understood why Bai Long had repeatedly shown him goodwill, why Meng Ji had gone easy on him in dreams. All along, someone had been protecting him from behind...

Binghu.

Chen Ji spoke up, "Lord Bai Long, are you able to save the Commandery Princess?"

Bai Long sighed, "You’ve given me a big problem there. Chen Ji, that would be a great sin of rebellion. Do you think His Majesty would spare Prince Jing’s lineage?"

Chen Ji said quietly, "But Prince Jing obviously had no intention to revolt; this is a false charge others have pinned on him."

Bai Long’s voice became stern, "Once you leave this door, be careful not to speak such reckless words. In our positions, we need to be clear about our identities and think ahead about what we do and say. Don’t let others know you are intent on saving the Commandery Princess. If His Majesty wants her dead and you want to save her, don’t tell me you are also planning to rebel?"

Chen Ji fell silent for a long time before asking, "Why exactly does His Majesty want Prince Jing dead?"

Bai Long lamented, "In the spring of the 23rd year of Jianing, the Thousand-year Army returned victorious from suppressing the rebellion. His Majesty, delighted, decided to reward the entire army. However, the soldiers said that they did not want the reward; instead, they only hoped that His Majesty would pardon the rebels."

Chen Ji was startled, "Why is that? Why would the Thousand-year Army plead for the rebels?"

Bai Long sneered, "Because the Thousand-year Army initially thought the rebels were ferocious and evil bandits, but upon arriving in Cangzhou, they found nothing but desperate, destitute tenants. The Thousand-year Army, strong and mighty, was ordered to kill people who wielded only farming hoes—how could they bear it? In that battle, many soldiers from the Thousand-year Army killed while crying, dead in heart."

Bai Long continued, "Thirty-seven leaders of the Thousand-year Army knelt outside the Right Gate, asking His Majesty to retract the rewards and spare the rebels. Enraged, His Majesty asked Prince Jing what to do, and the Prince said that those rebels indeed didn’t deserve death."

Chen Ji’s expression was unreadable, "And then?"

"And then?" Bai Long stretched out his hand to catch a falling snowflake, "His Majesty retracted the rewards and pardoned the rebels. To cover up the matter, he didn’t only pardon the rebels but found an excuse of having discovered auspicious signs to grant amnesty to all. From that day forth, His Majesty and Prince Jing no longer saw eye to eye."

Chen Ji said softly, "But if the rebels were just destitute people with no other recourse, then they really..."

Bai Long countered, "Chen Ji, if the rebels intended to overthrow the court and Prince Jing says the rebels did nothing wrong, then who is at fault?"

His Majesty was at fault.

It seemed that from that day, Prince Jing’s fate was sealed.

Bai Long changed the subject, "There’s nothing I can do for the Commandery Princess now, but that doesn’t mean it cannot be done in the future. I will first ensure her life is spared, confine her to a temple to keep company with the green lamp, waiting for an opportunity to turn things around. How’s that?"

Chen Ji covered the excitement in his heart— as long as there was life, there was hope!

He bowed once more, deeply, "Thank you, Lord Bai Long!"

Bai Long shook the melting snow from his hand, "Don’t be so quick to thank me. Do you know, once you walk this path, there’s no turning back?"

Chen Ji stood up, resolute, "No regrets."

Bai Long glanced sideways at him, then turned to gaze into the night, "A lord can never cut away that last bit of connection with the world."

Chen Ji was puzzled, "What?"

Bai Long said casually, "Never mind. Come inside, I have some instructions for you."