Chapter 518: Chess Player |
Chen Ji stopped his footsteps beneath the gray-tiled Eaves on Right Prefecture Street. Lowering his head to read the article on the newspaper, he allowed horse carriages and sedan chairs to pass by his side, turning a deaf ear to them.
The seventh page was current affairs and political essays. The printed content was all folk manuscript submissions.
And this essay analyzing the Imperial Court situation written by "Chang Jing Free Roaming Practitioner" impressively used an acrostic hidden-head method to hide a piece of information: "Today, observing the struggles within the Imperial Court (Jin), it is no longer a debate of Daoist morality. The disciples who gather at night (Ye) and scatter at dawn have stolen the power of the Privy Council. I (Zi) have once investigated the partisan disasters of past dynasties; the people of the times (Shi) are still drunk on the empty name of the Pure Stream Faction, how could they know the jackals and tigers have already occupied the great paths (Jie)? Those who rob (Jie) and seize the cardinal guides and constant virtues straighten their robes and grasp the guiding principles. Those who maneuver (Zhou) for private interests fake the State to sell out their villainy. The day of transmitting (Chuan) beacon fire emergencies, I fear it lies in the span of looking down and looking up (Yi)."
[TN: First character of certain phrases roughly spells out "Jin Ye Zi Shi, Jie Zhou Chuan", "Tonight at the Zi hour, rob Zhou Chuan". It's a bit loose in Chinese text: 今, 夜, 子, 時, 劫, 周, 傳, 矣 (Jin Ye Zi Shi Jie Zhou Chuan Yi)]
Tonight at the zipper hour (11 PM - 1 AM), seize Zhou Chuan.
Chen Ji patiently waited for over ten days, and finally waited until news of the Military Intelligence Division arrived. It seemed to be his first time being so close to Official Ding.
But he had new doubts again. Who was Zhou Chuan?
[Translation note: Skipped website advertisement message]
Why did the Military Intelligence Division want to seize/plunder this person?
Outside the back door of Plum Blossom Ferry, the color of the Sky had just barely turned greatly bright.
Drunkards one by one were supported onto sedan chairs and horse carriages by their own manservants. The warblers and swallows (courtesans) saw off their own flirts and lovers before the door; it was actually a bustling scene.
Nowadays this Plum Blossom Ferry had actually become the most bustling and lively brothel in Capital City.
Chen Ji stood at the Alley entrance until all the sedan chairs and horse carriages scattered away. Only then did he pass through the back door to ascend the Plum Blossom Pavilion.
The salt market wouldn't open until the Si hour in the morning (9 AM - 11 AM). In the early morning, the Plum Blossom Pavilion was completely empty and deserted. Abacuses one by one rested on the tables; it wasn't yet time for the accountants to start work.
Chen Ji ascended the stairs step by step. Brother Pao and Er Dao were not there. He looked around his surroundings. Today this top floor had already been transformed into the editing department of the Capital Morning Post by Brother Pao. More than ten tables were spread full of Bamboo Paper and pen and ink.
The vermilion door leading to the outer corridor of the floor was pushed wide open. The wind blew in from the outside, blowing the Bamboo Paper pressed under paperweights until it rustled and clattered loudly.
Chen Ji raised his head to look. His gaze passed through the vermilion door, just happening to see Zhang Xia leaning alone at the balustrade gazing far into the distance. The wind blew her clothing sleeves until they rustled and flapped loudly.
Waiting for Chen Ji to approach, Zhang Xia recognized his footsteps by hearing. Without turning her head, she said: "How come you didn't go to Liulichang today?"
Chen Ji shook the newspaper: "Waited until I got clues."
Zhang Xia turned around: "What clues?"
Chen Ji handed the newspaper to her: "That imperial court situation essay on the seventh page today—the Military Intelligence Division used the acrostic hidden-head method to pass out a message: Tonight at the Zi hour, seize Zhou Chuan. Coming to find you is precisely wanting to ask: Who is Zhou Chuan?"
Zhang Xia propped open the newspaper and examined it for a moment: "Zhou Chuan... The person the Military Intelligence Division wants to seize is definitely an Official of our dynasty. Our dynasty has four Officials named Zhou Chuan. One is a literary clerk of Taiyuan Prefecture. The second is the County Deputy of Wannian County. There are two more within the capital. One is a minor clerk inside the Imperial Observatory who records astrological phenomena. The other person is the Ambassador of the Armaments Bureau under the Yuheng Pure Official Bureau of the Imperial Workshop, in charge of supervising the manufacture of military armaments; a Principal Ninth Rank. The person the Military Intelligence Division wishes to seize should be the latter."
Chen Ji sighed with emotion: "Finding you was indeed correct... Who wrote this article?"
Zhang Xia turned around and returned inside the room: "I wasn't here yesterday. However, Brother Pao records down the origins of every article. A quick check and you will know."
She arrived before a desk and flipped open a blue-covered Account Book. Inside, the origin of every single advertisement and article was impressively recorded in charcoal pencil.
Zhang Xia flipped through the Account Book, eventually tapping her finger a bit: "It was received from Xuannan Ward. The person submitting the manuscript was a middle-aged man, wearing a square calming-the-directions headscarf, stepping in Black Official Boots, possessing a goatee, and having a bluish-green birthmark the size of a fingernail cap on his left cheek. This person said if the article is accepted for use, the polishing fees can be sent to the Zhai Estate on Shi Family Hutong in Xuannan Ward."
Chen Ji fell into deep thought. Xuannan Ward, Shi Family Hutong, Zhai Estate... No need to go investigate. This place was definitely fake.
Zhang Xia closed the Account Book: "What do you plan to do? The Military Intelligence Division is ruthless and cruel. It's absolutely not something you can rival with your own power alone. It's still better to inform the Secret Spy Division of this news; they will naturally make a decision."
Chen Ji was thoughtful.
The Military Intelligence Division making a move to seize the Armaments Bureau Ambassador of the Imperial Workshop would definitely have Practitioners make a move. Perhaps it would even be Path-Seeking Realm Practitioners. For the sake of insurance, informing Bai Long of this matter would be considered secure and stable.
Right when Chen Ji prepared to turn around and leave, he suddenly stopped his figure: "Incorrect."
The Military Intelligence Division's organization is strict and tight. Everyone undergoes rigorous training. Once a spy breaks away from control, drawing them back into the cage again will require undergoing loyalty tests.
Just like back when Official Gui returned to the Ning Dynasty anew; the first matter was to test whether he remained loyal.
Yet Official Ding had remained in hiding for ten-odd years without being found by people. For such a cautious person, even if he knew the Capital Morning Post was the best choice for the Military Intelligence Division to transmit messages, he would definitely relentlessly probe to test if this channel was reliable.
Moreover, the Military Intelligence Division had only just killed an artisan from the Imperial Workshop. Right now it was exactly a time when even the wind and crying cranes caused panic. How could they rashly make a move to touch someone from the Imperial Workshop again?
The Zhai Estate, Zhou Chuan... these were all probes. This is a trap.
Chen Ji looked at Zhang Xia: "Today we do nothing. Neither caring about the Zhai Estate, nor caring about Zhou Chuan."
Zhang Xia came to understand: "Alright."
...
Early morning the next day.
Chen Ji exited the Chen Estate's side door according to custom. Finding a Stick Bearer, he bought a copy of the newspaper, reading as he walked.
It wasn't just him reading. Today on these street surfaces of Capital City, people holding newspapers in hand could be seen everywhere. A single copy of a newspaper had actually silently changed the lives of the Ning Dynasty people without a sound.
Arriving at the top floor of the Plum Blossom Pavilion, Zhang Xia had been waiting here early on. Seeing him ascend the stairs, she didn't beat around the bush: "As you predicted, the Military Intelligence Division did nothing last night... But with this, the clues have broken off again."
Chen Ji wasn't anxious. Finding a chair to sit down on: "No matter. They will appear again."
Right as the sound of his words fell, footsteps were heard coming from the stairs. Er Dao walked up holding a stack of paper: "Patron, these are the ones wanting to buy advertisements today."
Chen Ji took them in hand, flipping through and examining them piece by piece. Once he had finished flipping through them all, he suddenly flipped forward again, drawing out a piece of paper from the thick stack.
He carefully examined the content, then closed his eyes again to piece together the disassembled characters: "Tonight at the Zi hour, burn down Shi Family Hutong."
Chen Ji opened his pair of eyes. This time, what Official Ding used was the Fanqie Phonetic Method.
He looked toward Zhang Xia: "Where is Shi Family Hutong?"
Zhang Xia reminisced: "In the south of the Imperial Music Bureau, separated from the Imperial Music Bureau by Goulan Hutong. There's nothing unusual about Shi Family Hutong. It is a place where certain officials and nobles of the inner city harbor and support concubines."
The Imperial Music Bureau was divided into Yanle Hutong and Bensi Hutong. The former was the Vermilion Steps Great Music Hall; the latter was a place of wind and the moon (romance/entertainment).
The performers and prostitutes within the Imperial Music Bureau were all convicted prisoners. If there were officials or nobles who took a fancy to a certain performer in the Imperial Music Bureau, yet weren't willing to spend a large price to redeem her body, they would bribe the Ministry of Rites Officials of the Imperial Music Bureau, harboring the performer in Goulan Hutong and Shi Family Hutong, becoming this official/noble's forbidden delicacy.
From here on out, the performer would no longer need to receive guests in the Imperial Music Bureau. They merely needed to return to the Imperial Music Bureau to answer roll call when the court checked the rosters.
Chen Ji was curious: "The Military Intelligence Division burning down Shi Family Hutong is definitely not for the sake of destroying this place that hides filth and conceals dirt, but rather for a certain official/noble inside the Alley... Who are the officials and nobles harboring concubines in Shi Family Hutong?"
This time, Zhang Xia fell silent: "I don't know."
Saying such, she added again: "I truly don't know."
Chen Ji gave a free and easy smile. The places of entertainment were on the contrary locations Zhang Xia had never paid attention to: "Let's not care who is in Shi Family Hutong. I guess the Military Intelligence Division is mostly still probing. Let's wait a bit longer."
On the night of that day, Chen Ji still didn't go to Shi Family Hutong to investigate. Returning to Ginkgo Garden at the Hai hour (9 PM - 11 PM).
Laying upon the bed, he pondered over countermeasures. As he was thinking and thinking, he instead heard someone shouting outside: "The inner city is on fire!"
Chen Ji abruptly rose from the bed, putting on his clothes and exiting the door, leaping onto the roof. He only saw massive flames of fire burning up in the east, roasting the Sky of Capital City dark red.
Chen Ji stood on the roof ridge, silent and wordless. He didn't expect the Military Intelligence Division was actually not probing tonight, but rather truly set a fire to burn down Shi Family Hutong.
These past few days had high winds. The strength of the fire was blown toward the south by the high winds, very quickly spreading to Ganmian Hutong and Shicao Hutong. Even the fire armor soldiers of Right Prefecture Street were all dispatched together to the east of the inner city to extinguish the fire.
This Official Ding acted with truth and falsehood intermingled, his Sword Striking From A Slant.
Chen Ji looked at that great fire from afar, as if looking at a strange and unpredictable Chess Player, deploying troops in dangerous moves on the chessboard that is Capital City, governing his isolated groups and Swallowing Dragons in the game of Go.
This was also the matter he was most skilled at.
Chen Ji didn't go to Shi Family Hutong, but rather leapt down from the roof, returning to lay on the bed and sleep, as if absolutely nothing had happened at all. When gaming with this kind of opponent, one must nourish their essence and store up their vigor before it will do.
(End of this chapter)