Chapter 523: Falsely Impersonating Official Ding |
Chen Ji held a book in his hands, hiding his body behind the bookshelf. Through the gaps in the bookshelf, he calmly gazed as the Divine Palace Directorate Superintendent arrived before the counter.
The Divine Palace Directorate Superintendent took out a copy of the Chapters and Verses of the Four Books with Collected Commentaries from his bosom, lowering his voice to ask: "Do you guys collect the Chapters and Verses of the Four Books with Collected Commentaries here?"
When Chen Ji looked at that Chapters and Verses of the Four Books with Collected Commentaries, doubts existed in his heart, and he did not rashly make a move.
At this time, Aunt Ping standing behind the counter said slowly and leisurely: "Do not understand the rules. Bringing spies under your command over and exposing Wenchang Bookstore... How many people will you implicate into leaving Capital City to temporarily evade? I will transmit this matter back to the Upper Capital. When the time comes whether you can still serve as a Si Cao or not, milord will have a decision."
[Translation note: Skipped website advertisement message]
The Divine Palace Directorate Superintendent placed the Chapters and Verses of the Four Books with Collected Commentaries onto the counter, also revealing displeasure on his face: "My coming here today also braves the risk of exposure. Milord exhorted early on that 'Heaven' and 'Earth' shall never naturally meet. You transmitting a message to invite me to meet today has already violated a taboo. If known by the Divine Listener, both you and I will have to pack up and walk away unable to eat (bear the severe consequences)!"
Aunt Ping was not flustered at all, merely sneering coldly: "You think I want to see you? With your lineage producing such a massive incident, the Department Head naturally had to dispatch me to come question how exactly you handled matters."
The Divine Palace Directorate Superintendent said in a concentrated voice: "We and the others are not under the jurisdiction and control of the Department Head. Use the Department Head less to suppress me. According to the rules, as long as two are still present among the five Si Cao like us, it has not reached the time to activate you people. You only need to peacefully and assuring-your-hearts lie dormant, properly serving as shadows, and it will be fine."
Aunt Ping's voice became grave: "If the Department Head doesn't step in to intervene again, I am afraid you people will very quickly die until not a single one is left."
Aunt Ping responded: "Official Gui headed to the Changping county seat to assassinate Princess Liyang and Yuan Cheng, yet suffered an ambush by the Baron of Wuxiang County. After Official Gui was captured, he did not commit suicide, but was instead secretly taken away by Secret Spy Division manpower waiting in ambush on the side. It was the Department Head making a move that completely cleaned up the sect's doors (killed him to preserve the sect)."
The Divine Palace Directorate Superintendent slowly let out a breath of relief: "It's good that he died."
Aunt Ping suddenly asked: "In the twelfth year of Jianing, a lieutenant general of Guyuan fled back to Capital City, and later disappeared without a shadow or trace. What is this person's name?"
The Divine Palace Directorate Superintendent stared blankly on the original spot.
Previously he had used the name of a minor Ministry of Revenue clerk to verify identities, and Aunt Ping managed to answer. Now what Aunt Ping asked him, he was instead unable to answer.
Aunt Ping said softly: "You are not Official Ding."
The Divine Palace Directorate Superintendent retreated a step: "Official Ding? You all transmitted messages on the Capital Morning Post, yet did not point out names and state surnames asking Official Ding to come. What kind of person are you? Why do you wish to find Official Ding?"
Aunt Ping said again: "You are also not a Si Cao."
The Divine Palace Directorate Superintendent's complexion did not change: "Who said I am not?"
Aunt Ping smiled faintly: "The person who had you come probably did not tell you of the 'Twin Shadows, Only One Survives' rule. Heaven and Earth absolutely cannot meet. If forced into a situation where there is no alternative but to meet, afterwards it is either you clear me, or I clear you. Only one can live."
The Divine Palace Directorate Superintendent's complexion changed drastically.
Aunt Ping carefully observed his expressions, saying with regret/pity: "Not even knowing this rule, then you are merely a scapegoat... Catch them alive."
In the next moment, Wenchang Bookstore's main doors suddenly folded closed. Within the main hall it abruptly darkened down. Shisan had hidden his body on the roof beams at an unknown time. At this time he actually flipped his body downwards, killing toward the Divine Palace Directorate Superintendent.
The Divine Palace Directorate Superintendent stumbled and tottered, rapidly retreating. He had absolutely no appearance of a Practitioner; he was merely an ordinary person.
When the crescent moon hooks in Shisan's hands rushed toward the Divine Palace Directorate Superintendent's face, those two men protecting the Divine Palace Directorate Superintendent did not go block Shisan. They conversely respectively held a deep blue dagger, stabbing into the Divine Palace Directorate Superintendent's waist.
The Divine Palace Directorate Superintendent turned his head back in disbelief. A smear of black color rapidly spread along the blood vessels beneath his skin. His eyes were covered with a layer of gray mist in a flash... There was poison on the daggers!
Chen Ji flashed his body out from behind the bookshelf, wishing to capture those two men. But before waiting for him to charge to close range, he instead discovered the other parties' complexions had already turned black, slowly kneeling and collapsing to the ground.
There was no desperate life-risking combat. There were no trapped beasts fighting to the bitter end. The slaughter hadn't even begun, yet ended just like so.
Within the dim lighting, Chen Ji squatted beside the two Military Intelligence Division death warriors, saying with wrinkled brows: "Swallowed poison to commit suicide. Died crisply and cleanly."
Aunt Ping said in a concentrated voice: "Official Ding did not believe the message you transmitted out. He only wished to borrow the opportunity to toss out a fake Official Ding, so as to allow himself to shed a golden cicada's shell (escape secretly)... He knows we have locked our sights on him. After this time, Official Ding will be like a Bird Startled By A Bow. Wishing to catch him will be hard."
Chen Ji remained silent, unspeaking.
Seeing the situation, Aunt Ping patiently offered words of comfort: "This person Official Ding is sly, cunning, deceitful, and treacherous. I looked for him for so long yet still did not find him. For you to fail a few times is also very normal."
Chen Ji said softly: "But I have no time left."
Official Ding's reputation was not established on falsehoods. Even though Chen Ji endured patiently for so long, holding troops tightly unmoving no matter how the other party probed, the other party ultimately still did not show their face.
Calling for the other party to appear using the identities of the Department Head and Official Bing also would not do.
Chen Ji looked at the three corpses on the ground. Right when he was pondering over what to do, knocking sounds actually transmitted from outside the door.
Dong, dong, dong.
These knocking sounds were like knocking on the heart. Chen Ji and Aunt Ping abruptly turned their heads to look over, seemingly wanting to see right through the folded-shut wooden doors.
Who was coming to knock on the door? Was it an espionage agent under Official Ding's command, or perhaps it was other people observing in the dark?
Aunt Ping gave a meaningful glance with her eyes to Shisan. Shisan immediately dragged the three corpses walking toward the rear courtyard.
Knocking sounds transmitted from outside the door once again.
Aunt Ping was just about to go open the door, yet Chen Ji grasped her wrist, shaking his head wordlessly.
A moment later, Shen Ye's murmuring-to-himself voice sounded from outside the door: "Strange, wasn't the door still open just now? How did they close shop so early?"
Saying so, Shen Ye's footsteps departed far away, not continuing to knock.
Inside Wenchang Bookstore's main hall, Chen Ji turned his head to look toward Aunt Ping, asking in a low voice: "What is the Divine Listener? It is still my first time hearing this title."
Aunt Ping pondered for a moment, responding softly: "At the very beginning when Lu Jin planned and organized the Military Intelligence Division, the Military Intelligence Division Department Head commanded and led all Ten Cao Yamas. And he himself was the Earth Store situated above the Department Head. Later on, he split the ten Si Cao into two batches. One batch was Heaven, one batch was Earth. During normal days only 'Earth' handles matters, while 'Heaven' completely conceals their figures. The two mutually never see each other. It is not until 'Earth' suffers severe breaking and losses that 'Heaven' can be activated for use. And the Divine Listener is precisely the role responsible for supervising Heaven and Earth, executing the family laws."
Chen Ji wrinkled his brows. Official Gui had never mentioned these once, proving that the other party had never ever trusted him.
He looked toward Aunt Ping: "How does Aunt Ping know?"
Aunt Ping's figure paused for a beat: "To capture Official Ding, the previous generation Divine Listener was once caught and interrogated by me."
Chen Ji's expression shifted. Aunt Ping lied.
The Divine Listener was a role of the Military Intelligence Division transcending beyond worldly affairs. It was what Lu Jin used to supervise all Si Cao. If an identity such as the Divine Listener was truly caught and interrogated by Aunt Ping, how could there still be a need for such exhausting effort searching for Official Ding?
Chen Ji suddenly felt that regarding the numerous pieces of Military Intelligence Division information like the Department Head, Earth Store, and Divine Listener, Aunt Ping had simply not spoken the truth. The grievances and resentments between the other party and the Military Intelligence Division were also absolutely not as simple as merely tracking down Official Ding.
Just now, as Chen Ji looked at Aunt Ping replying to the Divine Palace Directorate Superintendent with flowing fluency, at a certain moment he even produced a kind of illusion, as if it truly was two Si Cao conversing.
Aunt Ping interrupted his train of thought: "What are your plans?"
Chen Ji pondered for a moment, his voice gradually becoming absolutely certain: "Aunt Ping, that one just now was precisely Official Ding."
Aunt Ping immediately understood: "You want to hand him over to report completion of your errand?"
Chen Ji nodded: "Aunt Ping, I absolutely must capture Official Ding today without exception; otherwise a certain matter simply cannot be accomplished anymore. Now no one knows who Official Ding is. I will thus take the Divine Palace Directorate Superintendent to hand over the errand. I'll pass this hurdle first and then speak."
Aunt Ping pondered and said: "The Divine Palace Directorate Superintendent's status is already extremely high. Using him to hand over the errand can actually still make justifiable sense. After going through this matter, Official Ding will most certainly sink into stillness for a long while; no one will come out to tear down your stage (expose you)."
Speaking to here, Aunt Ping said with absolute certainty: "Feasible. We will just do it like so."
...
At the Xu hour (7 PM - 9 PM), the color of the sky gradually darkened.
A horse carriage stopped before the doors of Wenchang Bookstore. Shisan quietly pushed open the room doors, leading the shop assistants to lift the three corpses onto the horse carriage.
Before Chen Ji got on the carriage, he turned his head back to look at Aunt Ping: "Aunt Ping, many thanks."
Aunt Ping stood inside the door sill of Wenchang Bookstore, saying with a smile: "What's with the politeness? Quickly go."
Chen Ji drove the horse carriage heading toward the inner city. When passing by Wenchang Bookstore, he only heard a stretch of joyful voices and laughing words from inside.
He did not look much. Driving the horse carriage swaying and rocking, he drove through Xuanwu Gate, eventually stopping outside Taiye Pool.
Bai Long waited all alone at this place. Seeing Chen Ji leap down from the carriage, he spoke casually: "I had thought you were going to break the appointment. The Inner Chancellor only gives everyone a single chance. If this time's appointment was broken, I am afraid wishing to beg him to resolve troubles again would be difficult."
Chen Ji cupped his hands: "Fortunately, did not disgrace the mandate. This humble official found out clearly: Official Ding is the Divine Palace Directorate Superintendent. This person hides within the Directorate of Ceremonial gathering information on palatial prohibitions. Now this humble official has already arrested him... It's merely that the Military Intelligence Division spies are sly, cunning, fierce and venomous. When this humble official surrounded them, they simply committed suicide."
Bai Long walked to the side of the carriage, flipping open the carriage curtain to sweep a single glance. He then again turned his head back to look at Chen Ji, asking with deep and profound meaning: "Certain that this person is precisely Official Ding?"
Chen Ji thickened his scalp to answer, also not daring to speak too detailedly: "This humble official used the identity of Official Bing to fish this person out. This person came to attend the appointment using the identity of Official Ding according to the agreement. Checked and verified without error; he is truly Official Ding."
Bai Long actually didn't ask much anymore, merely dropping a single sentence: "Wait here. I will go report to the Inner Chancellor."
Chen Ji stood by the horse carriage's side, watching Bai Long's figure disappear into the dark night of Taiye Pool. He paced back and forth, carefully pondering over where there were still omissions, not knowing if he could successfully deceive the Inner Chancellor.
Two incense sticks of time later, Bai Long anew returned to the horse carriage's side, yet was not anxious to open his mouth.
Chen Ji asked: "Lord Bai Long, what did the Inner Chancellor say?"
Bai Long said calmly: "The Inner Chancellor said: Of the ones who dare to deceive and cheat him, you are not the first, nor will you be the last. He will simply not punish you this time, but this shall not serve as a precedent."
Chen Ji's state of mind sunk to the bottom of the valley: "Why is the Inner Chancellor absolutely certain this person is perfectly not Official Ding?"
Bai Long stared fixedly at Chen Ji: "The Inner Chancellor said, this person does not have that courage."
Chen Ji said in a sunken voice: "Perhaps the Divine Palace Directorate Superintendent usually disguises extremely well, pretending to have a timid, coward-like, fearful appearance?"
Bai Long turned his body walking inward into Taiye Pool: "No need for excuses. The Inner Chancellor says he is not, then he definitely is not. Go. You still have three shichen (six hours)."
(End of this chapter)