Chapter 526: Conclusive Evidence |
A roaring great fire burned behind Chen Ji.
The instant Chen Ji charged out from the sea of fire, the goods shelves within the sea of fire began to slant, crumble, and collapse. The roof beams also let out a booming roar unable to bear the heavy burden. The flames completely swallowed the entire storeroom in its entirety.
In the rear courtyard, everyone stopped their figures. There only remained the crackling sounds of the great fire burning.
Aunt Ping turned her head to look over, only seeing traces of smoke-smoking and fire-scorching on Chen Ji's body. His clothes had been burned, producing holes, and his messy hair strands were also scorched and curled.
He tightly hugged the Pearwood Carved Blocks in his embrace. That was the object he risked his life and also had to rescue out from the sea of fire.
The Trouble-Resolving Guard looked at each other for a glance, also regardless of what Chen Ji had said, wanting to take him down first and then speak.
But Aunt Ping could no longer care about hiding her identity. The Eight Trigrams brightened and extinguished at the edges of both her palms. In a flash, abruptly blasting open the Trouble-Resolving Guard surrounding her, she blocked before Chen Ji with a single stride.
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Chen Ji cast a glance at Aunt Ping's back figure, raising his head to say in a concentrated voice to the Trouble-Resolving Guard: "You all are merely acting on orders. Now the conclusive evidence of Lin Chaojing being a Military Intelligence Division spy is right here. Do not mistakenly delay/ruin yourselves."
Chen Ji turned his gaze to Lin Chaojing: "Previously I had always been curious on exactly what the Capital City's Military Intelligence Division relied on to transmit messages and issue commands. I stayed in Liulichang for a month, wishing to find spider threads and horse tracks (clues) from the books. But then I felt it wasn't right. The Military Intelligence Division has quite a few spies disguised as peddlers and pawns. Their identities leave them no way to frequently come to bookstores. Thus there absolutely must be an even more formidable method that can let all spies covertly obtain the messages."
"This method must be ingenious. It must moisten things silently like fine rain, hiding within life, causing people to be unable to detect it. This method additionally must be precise and effective. The messages wished to be transmitted absolutely cannot exceed twelve shichen (twenty-four hours). Otherwise if the messages only arrive after an interval of several days, everything would be delayed."
Chen Ji changing the direction of the edge of his words (changing the subject): "Just now I suddenly remembered: every day at the Mao hour (5-7 AM) when I come out of the Chen Estate, I can always bump into a few children holding daily literary gathering poetry and roaming the streets and alleys crying out to sell. Among them, Lord Lin Chaojing's poetry is the most sought after... It wasn't until this moment that I finally thought it through. So it turns out the Military Intelligence Division depends precisely on Lord Lin's poetry."
Both of Lin Chaojing's legs had completely been broken by Er Dao. Paralyzed sitting on the ground, he sneered coldly: "Lord Chen has been burned until muddle-headed, right? How come a certain Lin cannot understand what Lord Chen is saying?"
"It doesn't matter, I will slowly explain for you to listen," Chen Ji said calmly: "Literary gatherings within the capital are numerous. Almost every single day there will be quite a few sessions of literary gatherings. If there are literary gatherings, literati and scholars will set to writing poetry. You are a famous literati scholar in the capital. Whatever literary gathering you participate in, there is certain to be poetry flowing out. The various bookstores can earn quite a bit of silver simply by printing your poetry from the day before. And those children holding the literary gathering poetry in the early morning crying out to sell... The messages transmitted out at night can spread through the entire Capital City in the early morning Mao hour! Furthermore, the children also never care who the person buying the poetry is."
Chen Ji embraced the carved blocks with a single arm, his other hand picking up a single carved block: "Does Lord Lin still remember? This is the second day of sacrificing to the Silkworm God when you composed this poem at the Zhou Family literary gathering: 'Low clouds over the post-road as rain first begins, horses tied to withered flowers as guests wish to thin; beyond the willows suddenly news arrives of the Blue Bird's visitation, standing alone in the slanting evening sun seeing a solitary constellation.'"
Lin Chaojing's complexion changed.
Chen Ji tossed the carved block to the Trouble-Resolving Guard: "'Yun Di' provides the initial consonant, 'Yu Chu' provides the rhyme/vowel. 'Ma Xi' provides the initial consonant, 'Ke Shu' provides the rhyme/vowel. 'Liu Hu' provides the initial consonant, 'Niao Zhi' provides the rhyme/vowel. 'Liu Hu' provides the initial consonant, 'Jian Gu' provides the rhyme/vowel... (Using fanqie phonetic spelling). The four lines of poetry linked together is precisely 'Shi, Ji, Su, Gui' ('Matter urgent, return quickly')."
Lin Chaojing angrily rebuked: "Forcibly attaching and drawing forced analogies! Unboundedly piecing together phonetics and rhymes relying merely on a single poem, can also testify and prove me to be a Jing Dynasty spy?"
Chen Ji picked up another carved block: "Not shedding tears until seeing the Coffin. This is the poem written at the Lin Family literary gathering a few days ago. 'The tribute envoys hurry toward the golden hall, the heroic lord bestows a banquet and they return...' 'Ding huitong guan' (Keep an eye on the Huitong Hostel)."
Lin Chaojing remained silent, unspeaking.
Chen Ji threw the carved block into Lin Chaojing's embrace: "There's also this poem. It's what you composed at Yuanjue Temple a few days ago. 'Sweeping the bridge seeing the color of emptiness, dusk passes and the mirror begins to brighten...' Lord Lin truly possesses good abilities. Able to casually write out the ethereal spirit of the river surface like a mirror when the moon initially rises, while also able to deeply hide the meaning 'Shao shijia xiang' (Burn the Shi Family Lane) within it. If swapped for another person, they truly couldn't accomplish it. The Military Intelligence Division is brilliant ah. Lord Lin merely needs to write a poem. For the rest of it you don't need to do anything at all; there naturally will be people helping you transmit the message over to the spies."
Lin Chaojing kept his head lowered, silently looking at the carved blocks in his embrace.
After a long while, he finally said with a smile: "Lord Chen also possesses good abilities. Calculating it up, my Military Intelligence Division already has no small number of people broken in your hands... As expected, we ought to have eliminated you earlier."
Chen Ji let out a long exhalation of relief. Finally caught him.
And the Trouble-Resolving Guard Looked at One Another in blank dismay. Between a first-class newly-minted Advanced Scholar and Hanlin Bachelor of the Hanlin Academy emerged a Jing Dynasty spy? This matter was going to pierce the heavens! No, not only this; there was also the Trouble-Resolving Guard Commander, Lin Chaoqing!
Even the Trouble-Resolving Guard Commander was a spy. The Jing Dynasty was only short of stuffing spies into His Majesty's Renshou Palace!
Capital City was going to change heavens (undergo drastic upheaval).
Chen Ji tossed the carved blocks in his embrace to the Trouble-Resolving Guard, arriving before Lin Chaojing and squatting down.
He first lifted Lin Chaojing's sleeves, and again sliced open the other party's clothes on his back, yet obtained nothing whatsoever.
Bystanders did not know what he was doing. But Chen Ji remembered Princess Liyang having once said: at the elbow of the posthumous orphan of Jing Dynasty Tiger Brave Army Grand Commander Lu Er, there was a plum blossom birthmark. The Vice Commander's posthumous orphan had an arrow scar on their back. After the two were sent to the Ning Dynasty by Lu Jin's death warriors, they had once been adopted by the side of the Military Intelligence Division Department Head.
According to age, Lin Chaojing was similar to these two people. But Lin Chaojing's elbows and back both lacked any abnormalities.
Chen Ji pinched open Lin Chaojing's mouth again: "As a Hanlin Bachelor, crossing the Meridian Gate requires body searches, so there is no way to hide poison... I hope the things you know are somewhat more, so that your Military Intelligence Division's forces in Capital City can be caught in one net."
Lin Chaojing broke into a haha loud laugh: "Probably going to let Lord Chen be disappointed. The severe strictness of my Military Intelligence Division far exceeds the imaginations of you Southerners. I am only responsible for transmitting messages; of the rest I know entirely nothing."
Chen Ji stood up: "Since you do not know, then we'll have to ask Lord Lin Chaoqing."
Saying so, he looked toward the Trouble-Resolving Guard: "Now is the opportunity for you guys to take merit to atone for sins. I shall ask you: Where is Lin Chaoqing?"
A Trouble-Resolving Guard hesitated: "We have not seen Lord Lin... Lin Chaoqing today."
Chen Ji's heart sank. Tonight he had always carefully guarded against Lin Chaoqing from beginning to end, yet the other party actually never appeared from start to finish.
He asked in a concentrated voice: "Who made you guard this place? And who fed you information and conveyed reports?"
The Trouble-Resolving Guard answered: "This branch of us Trouble-Resolving Guards has always been responsible for protecting Lin Chaojing in secret. The secret sentry just came to report, so we immediately hurried over."
The Trouble-Resolving Guard was originally responsible for arresting spies, yet had all along been protecting a Jing Dynasty spy living right under their eyelids. Lin Chaoqing really had high skills and bold courage, actually daring to have the Trouble-Resolving Guard keep an eye on Lin Chaojing, not even fearing exposing the horse's foot (showing a flaw).
Lin Chaojing laughed loudly: "Lord Chen, I'm afraid you won't be able to catch my elder brother."
At this time, Wenchang Bookstore's roof beams finally couldn't bear the heavy load, collapsing down together with the roof. Outside the house transmitted the shouts of the Five Wards Military and Police Department's fire squads; someone pushed a heavy water cart hurrying over.
Liulichang mostly was bookstores. Once the fires connected into a sheet, the consequences would be dreadful to contemplate.
Chen Ji exhorted in a low voice to Aunt Ping and Brother Pao: "In a moment I will draw away everyone's attention. Your identities make it unsuitable to stay long at this place. Leave as quickly as possible. Following this, I am enough to handle it myself."
Saying so, he said to the Trouble-Resolving Guard: "Dispatch six people to immediately return to Taiye Pool to report to Bai Long. Tell him the evidence is conclusive. Immediately issue a nationwide wanted poster on Lin Chaoqing! The remaining Trouble-Resolving Guards follow me to escort Lin Chaojing into the inner city. Those who rashly approach will be killed without pardon."
The expressions of the Trouble-Resolving Guard were concealed by the shadows beneath their hats. Their palms tightly gripped their saber handles, slowly not speaking.
A person without title and without position issuing commands to them was one thing, but actually also ordering the Trouble-Resolving Guard to issue nationwide wanted posters to arrest the Trouble-Resolving Guard Commander?
The Trouble-Resolving Guard hesitated uncertainly for a time.
Chen Ji suddenly shouted in a low voice: "What are you still waiting for!"
The Trouble-Resolving Guard looked at each other wordlessly for a glance. Among them one person suddenly said: "Yes. Wang Zhong, you guys follow me. The other people escort the Baron of Wuxiang County."
Chen Ji carried Lin Chaojing walking outward. But right after exiting the door, he was actually blocked in the alley by the literati and scholars who hurried over from Wenyuan Bookstore.
The person taking the lead looked at Chen Ji carrying Lin Chaojing like carrying a broken gunny sack, instantly angry to the point of being uncontainable: "Treacherous sycophant! How can you use Private Torture on a Hanlin Bachelor from the Hanlin Academy?! Quickly release Lord Lin!"
Chen Ji raised his eyes to look over, his gaze terrifyingly cold: "Lin Chaojing is a Jing Dynasty spy. The evidence is conclusive. Move aside!"
But in Chen Ji's hands, Lin Chaojing suddenly opened his mouth hoarsely shouting: "The Baron of Wuxiang County fights over wind and eats vinegar (is jealous), harming loyal and good officials! I have already had my two legs broken and fingers snapped by him! I beg everyone to redress the injustice for me!"
Chen Ji wrinkled his brows. Military Intelligence Division spies were truly hard to entangle with. Right until this time they still attempted to mix up the muddy waters. Lin Chaojing was not doing this to escape; he also knew he couldn't run away. He merely wanted to leave Chen Ji an ineradicable name of infamy in the city markets.
And those literati and scholars were inherently at the most impulsive age to begin with. With the preconceived notion that Chen Ji wished to frame Lin Chaojing, how could they still be willing to believe what Chen Ji said? Hearing Lin Chaojing wail, their Vital Energy and Blood instantly tumbled and surged.
Qi Zhaoning stepped forward, arriving before Chen Ji: "Chen Ji, I previously was only deliberately using him to anger you. It wasn't actually true intimacy with him. Now that you've beaten him like this, the anger has also been vented. Quickly release him. I will go to my father's place and ask him to enter the palace to plead on your behalf..."
Chen Ji looked coldly at Qi Zhaoning, actually retreating a step, retreating into the crowd of Trouble-Resolving Guards: "What are you still waiting for? Open a path. Those who dare to snatch the person, kill without pardon."
With a qiang sound, the Trouble-Resolving Guard altogether drew their sabers, scaring Qi Zhaoning and the literati scholars into retreating repeatedly.
The Trouble-Resolving Guard didn't truly use weapons either. Instead, using their shoulders they crashed the literati scholars stumbling left and right, protecting Chen Ji in the center and charging outward of Liulichang.
Qi Zhaoning was squeezed by the crowd falling to the ground. When Chen Ji passed by her side, sitting on the ground she raised her head looking toward Chen Ji's jaw, yet from beginning to end Chen Ji never spared her a single extra glance.
The traveling group escorted Chen Ji leaving Liulichang, entering the inner city from Zhengyang Gate.
But before waiting for them to walk to Chang'an Avenue, they saw dozens of Trouble-Resolving Guards galloping wildly over. Not just Trouble-Resolving Guards; there was also Jin Zhu leading a group of Secret Spy Division troops closely following behind. Drums had also begun beating on the city walls.
Chen Ji shouted loudly: "What's wrong?"
Jin Zhu rode past him on his horse: "Lin Chaoqing has disappeared. His Majesty is furious! If he can't be caught today, many people will suffer disaster tomorrow!"
Lin Chaojing broke into loud laughter: "You guys won't be able to catch him!"
Chen Ji expressionlessly extended his hand wiping across Lin Chaojing's jaw, dislocating the other party's jaw.
(End of this chapter)