175. Keep your blood cold
Shengyu Dan is the life's work of a medicine official and the most precious treasure of the Dao Court.
Even in the Taoist temples of Huangshan and Laojun Mountain, there are only two medicine officials who can refine this pill.
Now, the incomparably precious Shengyu Pill lay quietly on the ground. Everyone looked at it. The eyes of Jinzhu, Yunyang, Jiaotu, and Mengji were filled with unconcealed heat, but no one dared to pick it up. Their gaze turned to Prince Jing, who stood silently in the ancestral hall, looking down at Concubine Jing's body for a long time without saying a word.
Jiefanwei, Qiansuijun, everyone waited in silence, leaving only the howling of the cold wind. The vast Liu family mansion, clearly filled with people, seemed like a deserted ruin. A massive rebellion had ended in vain, leaving only a mess.
Silently, Bai Long bent down and picked up the blood-stained Shengyu Pill, wiped it with his sleeve, and put it back into the box: "Your Highness, this Shengyu Pill..."
Prince Jing ignored him, whispering, "Since entering officialdom, Elder Liu has served successively as Minister of Rites and Minister of Personnel. The year Your Majesty ascended the throne, the people of the capital were in panic, and the princes were ready to revolt. It was he and his father who restored order and stabilized the situation, aiding Your Majesty in ascending the throne. While he made mistakes in his life, he also made contributions. He buried both father and daughter with honor... and that Master Liu."
Feng Daban bowed and agreed, "Yes."
Prince Jing turned around and asked, "Where's Lingyun? Why haven't I seen her?"
Feng Daban replied, "She must have been sent away by Lord Liu. Do you need me to retrieve her?" Prince Jing sighed and said, "Let her be."
He stepped out of the ancestral hall and headed towards the door: "Let's go back to the palace."
After taking a few steps, Bai Long blocked his way and persuaded him in a gentle voice: "Your Highness, the Liu family's Elephant Armor Camp and Tiger Armor Cavalry have not yet been pacified. For your safety, please stay in the Liu family mansion for the time being and don't return to Luocheng." Prince Jing stopped and stared quietly at the mask with gilded dragon pattern. Bai Long did not retreat or give in, and looked at him.
The atmosphere outside the ancestral hall suddenly became tense. Jiaotu pursed her lips slightly and took a small step back towards Yunyang.
Prince Jing looked at the Jie Fan Guards in front of the ancestral hall, only to see them wearing straw raincoats and conical hats, their faces hidden in the shadows beneath their hats, their expressions invisible. He then looked at the Qiansui Army, clad in armor and crowned with red tassels, only to see the Qiansui Army soldiers slowly placing their hands on the hilts of their swords, tensely confronting the Jie Fan Guards.
Prince Jing suddenly smiled. He turned to look at Elder Liu, who was still perched on the rafters, and said in a grave tone, "Alright, let's follow Lord Bailong's instructions and stay in the Liu family mansion for now. Thousand-year-old soldiers, listen to my orders! Go and help put down the rebellion immediately. Don't let the Elephant Armor Battalion and the Tiger Armor Cavalry cause any more trouble."
The general of the Qiansui Army hesitated.
Prince Jing smiled and said, "I can't order you around anymore? Why don't you go now?" The Qiansui Army general clasped his hands together and said, "I obey your orders."
After saying that, he turned around and left with the Qiansui Army. In an instant, half of the Liu family mansion was empty.
Bai Long smiled and said, "Your Highness is a man of great righteousness, and I admire you. The Minister of Internal Affairs has instructed us to thoroughly prove the Liu family's guilt and silence those civil officials. Therefore, we still have many written confessions that we need Your Highness's help to complete. This will also help us to sort out the entire incident and bring all those involved in the rebellion to justice."
Prince Jing laughed and said, "I'm tired today. Let's talk about it tomorrow. Lord Bailong is busy first. Let's go back and rest." The prince and Bai Li were still looking for Chen Ji's figure in the crowd and wanted to say something, but were pulled away by Prince Jing.
Before the scattered corpses of the Liu family were cleared away, the Jie Fanwei had already dispersed to the Liu family mansion to search the house and count the property.
Jie Fanwei pulled out the table in the ancestral hall where the tributes were placed. Four accountants sat in front of the table and set out four abacus.
One accountant was responsible for counting the confiscated house deeds, another for the gold, silver, and copper coins, another for the Liu family's secret accounts for land, and another for the deeds of the slaves and servants. The abacus beads clattered in front of the Liu family ancestral hall, and a gigantic whale collapsed and disintegrated amid the bustling sound.
In the alley across from the ancestral hall, Yunyang and Jiaotu approached Chen Ji with a half-smile on their faces: "Young man, long time no see."
Chen Ji had been watching Prince Jing leave solemnly, but upon hearing this, he turned around and smiled, "I felt sorry when you two were imprisoned, but now that I see you're safe and sound, I'm relieved." Yun Yang smiled and asked, "Are you truly relieved?"
"Yeah, I'm relieved."
Yun Yang slowly faded his smile. "Let me ask you, when you opened the coffin for an autopsy, were you the one who tipped off the Liu family?" Chen Ji was stunned. "Master Yun Yang, why do you say that? I didn't know you were going to open the coffin for an autopsy."
Jiaotu tapped his shoulder with her slender, white finger and said with a charming smile, "But you're the only one who knows that we once inspected the Liu family's ancestral tomb. If it wasn't you who tipped off, then find the person who tipped off me. Otherwise, hmph." Chen Ji said helplessly, "What does this have to do with me?"
Yun Yang smiled and said, "That's not up to you."
At that moment, a chubby figure squeezed in between the three of them, and with a forced smile, he pulled Chen Ji behind him. "You two have fallen into this trap of your own, so don't blame the newcomer. The Minister originally ordered me to secretly trip you up and expose your weaknesses, so that the Liu family would be paralyzed. But I didn't expect you two to end up in jail without knowing what was going on, which saved me a lot of trouble."
Yunyang looked at Jinzhu, his brows slowly furrowing on his handsome face. "Jinzhu, are you going to protect him?"
Golden Pig said cheerfully, "There's no question of protecting or not protecting someone. We all work for the Internal Minister, so we should be of the same blood. He also played a role in successfully overthrowing the Liu family this time. Now that the Internal Minister has granted him a path to cultivation, he might one day become a high-ranking official. I'm afraid..."
Jiaotu's eyes widened as he interrupted, "Fatty pig, are you threatening us? Watch out, I'm going to stab you. Do you still remember back in Wunian Mountain, when others bullied you, I helped you?" Jinzhu pouted, "What nonsense are you talking about? Aren't you the one who bullied me the most?!"
Jiaotu tilted his head, looking past Jinzhu's fat head and looking at Chenji behind him: "Young man, would you like to continue working with us in the future? We were very happy to work together before."
Yunyang also chimed in, "Among the top three zodiac signs in the Secret Service, Lord Sick Tiger is nowhere to be found, and Lord Tianma likes to be alone. In terms of ability and authority, Lord White Dragon is second to none."
"One must take the top spot. Working with us is like working with Lord Bailong, and the future is bright."
Golden Pig's expression changed. "Poaching people right in front of me? Are there any laws?" Jiao Rabbit smiled and said, "We were the ones who brought him into the Secret Service in the first place."
Jinzhu ignored her and turned to look at Tianma who was standing in white clothes on the roof in the distance, and waved his hand: "Tianma, look here, Yunyang and Jiaotu want to talk to you!" Yunyang glanced at Tianma, and without waiting for the other party to come over, he turned to Chen Ji meaningfully: "We will be colleagues in the future, and there will definitely be opportunities for cooperation. Jiaotu, let's go." After that, he pulled the reluctant Jiaotu to stand behind Bailong.
Jin Zhu lowered his voice and said to Chen Ji, "There are many factions within the Imperial Household Department. These two have been working for Bai Long and are lawless! From now on, just follow Tian Ma and I. We will definitely keep you safe. When the time comes, we will find an opportunity to kill one of them, and you will be the new zodiac sign!"
Chen Ji's expression was strange: "Do you really want to kill one of them?"
Golden Pig asked matter-of-factly, "How else would you become a zodiac animal? Even if we both died together, that would be fine!" Chen Ji asked curiously, "There's not even one vacant spot?"
The Golden Pig shook his head: "No."
Chen Ji asked, "The three above are Bailong, Tianma, and Binghu. Lord Bailong has Jiaotu and Yunyang under his command. Who else is under Lord Tianma's command?"
Golden Pig lowered his voice, "I'm the only one on the Tianma faction right now, but don't worry. Once you become a zodiac sign, our influence will grow even stronger." Chen Ji looked peculiar, "Are the remaining zodiac signs all Lord Binghu's followers?"
"No, no, no," the Golden Pig counted on his fingers. "Prisoner Rat is in charge of the Inner Prison. He hides away in the stinking prison every day, ignoring his relatives. Corpse Dog leads a group of people who work alone, specializing in digging graves for the Inner Minister. Mountain Ox is the Inner Minister's personal guard, sitting in the Jiefan Tower every day and never leaving. Dream Chicken is a bit cunning, doing things for anyone who pays. And then there's Black Snake and Treasure Monkey, these two are Lord Wu Xiu's men."
Chen Ji had heard the name "Wu Xiu" many times. He asked in confusion, "Who is Master Wu Xiu?"
Jin Zhu warned, "Master Wu Xiu is the eunuch who holds the pen beside His Majesty. If you go to the capital in the future, do not provoke him. He is a vengeful person."
After that, he added, "But remember, no matter who we follow, we are ultimately working for the Minister of Internal Affairs. As long as you remember this, you won't make any big mistakes." Chen Ji suddenly asked, "Has Lord Bailong been by the Minister of Internal Affairs all these years?"
Jin Zhu reminisced, "He's here half the time, I think. But when the Minister of Internal Affairs has something extremely important to do, he'll be given priority. He's a mysterious figure. You have to be careful of him. He's shameless, cruel, and extremely vicious. He's responsible for half of the raids and exterminations by the Secret Service over the years. Why are you asking?"
Chen Ji pondered for a moment: "Master Jinzhu, where is Mr. Feng now?"
Hearing the name "Mr. Feng," Jin Zhu said angrily, "How would I know? I only found out he's one of ours in Longwangtun. He's clearly one of us, but I don't know where the grudge is coming from to beat me up so hard! If I run into him again in the office, I'll definitely put him in a difficult position!"
Chen Ji lowered his head and remained silent.
The Golden Pig asked curiously, "What are you thinking about?"
Chen Ji said softly, "Thank you, Master Jinzhu, for clearing up my confusion."
"What are you thanking me for?" Jin Zhu patted his shoulder cheerfully. "When I was being dragged away by that old fellow surnamed Feng, you were willing to draw your sword for me. That makes you one of us now." Chen Ji shook his head. "In the end, I didn't do anything."
The Golden Pig turned to look at the long, deep bloody path in the Liu family mansion and sighed, "In this evil world, no one can control their own fate. Just having that heart is enough."
At this point, the Golden Pig smiled and said, "However, next time, if it's your turn to be dragged behind a horse, and I don't draw my sword for you, just think of it as having drawn it for you in my heart. Don't blame me." Chen Ji didn't know whether to laugh or cry. For a moment, he couldn't tell whether the Golden Pig was telling the truth or not, so he could only agree, "Okay."
The Golden Pig asked, "You've been running around these past few days. Do you need to take a break?"
Chen Ji shook his head. "Master, please lend me a horse and a Secret Service badge. My master and two brothers are still in the city. I must go back and look for them."
At sunrise in the early morning, Chen Ji rode his horse at full speed on the official road. The bustling crowds of people and ox carts that used to come to the market were nowhere to be seen.
The south gate of Luocheng was no longer locked. The troops of the Bingmasi had vanished, replaced by unrecognizable military banners. The bloodstains on the stone pavement inside the gate hadn't even been cleaned away. Along the way, taverns, grain and oil shops, noodle stalls, and clothing stores all closed their doors, creating a desolate scene, like a frontier military town in the desert.
When Chen Ji arrived at the gate of Prince Jing's mansion, there were more than ten Jiefan guards guarding it.
He leaped off his horse, holding the reins and advancing. Jie Fanwei drew his swords and shouted coldly, "Stop!" Chen Ji pulled out a badge from his pocket: "Agent from the Secret Service, seeking Doctor Yao of the Taiping Clinic."
A guard from Jiefan looked at him from under his bamboo hat and said, "Imperial Physician Yao and Lord Chen have already left the palace. You'd better go back to the clinic and look for them." Chen Ji thanked him and returned to Taiping Clinic, but the door was tightly closed.
He frowned and pushed open the door: "Master, I'm back!" No one answered.
Chen Ji led his warhorse through the main hall toward the backyard. The courtyard was deserted, with only the red ribbons on the apricot tree adding a touch of warmth. Could it be that Jie Fanwei was deceiving him? He called out, "Master, Master, are you home?"
The next moment, he saw a fire burning under the kitchen stove, a pot of porridge simmering on it, and he breathed a sigh of relief. Master and the others had indeed been released, but he didn't know where they had gone. Chen Ji pondered for a moment, tied his warhorse's reins to the apricot tree, and turned to undress in front of the water tank.
He poured buckets of ice-cold water over his head to wash away the dust, and only stopped when his skin turned red.
Just as he returned to the dormitory to change into dry clothes, he heard the disgusted voice of Old Man Yao outside the door: "I'm just going to go out for a while, and you've made the yard full of water. Are you a shrimp soldier or crab general in the Luo River? Why do you like to take cold showers so much?" Chen Ji heard the familiar harsh voice in the house and laughed.
He buttoned his collar as he walked out the door, "Master, where are Senior Brothers Yu and Liu?"
Old Man Yao said disdainfully, "Those two cowards were crying and screaming for their parents after being placed under house arrest, so I let them go home and rest. And what about Wuyun? I haven't seen him in a few days." Chen Ji explained, "He went to find someone for me."
Old Man Yao glanced at him and said, "If you see it, tell it to come home and have a look."
Chen Ji hummed and looked towards the kitchen: "Master, have you cooked my meal?" Old Man Yao sneered: "Short-lived people don't need to eat, it's a waste of food." Chen Ji was stunned: "Master, what do you mean by that?"
Old Man Yao stood beneath the apricot tree, his hands behind his back, looking up at the red ribbon on the tree. "You're a very smart kid, but you're not smart enough." Chen Ji was silent for a moment. "What do you mean?"
Old Man Yao said, "In the eyes of the wisest people in the world, there's only profit, no emotion. Look at those high-ranking officials in the court; who hasn't mastered the art of self-preservation? You won't live long if you play with your life like this. Boy, your heart is in turmoil now that you have concerns. You shouldn't have infiltrated the armored soldiers in Cuiyun Lane, and you shouldn't have risked saving someone under Mr. Feng's nose after arriving at Prince Jing's Mansion."
Chen Ji finally understood that Old Man Yao knew everything, and he didn't know where Uncle Crow was hiding, watching his every move. He said stubbornly, "But I can't really kill you, can I?"
Old Man Yao sneered, "Mr. Feng clearly saw something fishy about your identity, so he ordered us killed. Zhang Zhuo is backed by the Xu family, and I'm just an imperial physician with no connection to them. Why would he kill us? Under normal circumstances, you would have figured this out long ago, but you didn't yesterday."
Chen Ji stopped talking.
Old Man Yao continued his taunting, "When you saw the golden pig being dragged, you couldn't help but take action, completely disregarding your own state. When you saw someone trying to kill the white carp, you lost even the most basic composure. If the Pegasus hadn't just happened to arrive, would you still be breathing and talking to me now?"
The courtyard fell silent, and neither the master nor the disciple spoke again.
Old Man Yao glanced at Chen Ji, who was silent and bowed his head. He finally sighed, "Boy, I'm sorry you're still young, so I won't say any more. But I'll just remind you once: if you want to succeed, your heart can be warm, but your blood must be cool." Chen Ji hummed, "Thank you, Master. I'll remember that."
Just at this moment, the wooden door of the clinic was pushed open with a creaky sound, and someone came in uninvited.
Chen Ji turned around and looked, his pupils suddenly contracted.
A masked Bai Long strolled over, bloodstains still visible on his clothes. Chen Ji calmly asked, "Master Bai Long, what are your instructions?"
Bai Long casually brought a chair to sit in the courtyard, then looked up and explained, "I passed by Taiping Medical Clinic and came in to rest. Don't be nervous, sit down and chat." Old Man Yao walked away: "You guys chat, I still have to cook."
Bai Long watched Old Man Yao enter the kitchen, then turned to look at Chen Ji. "I heard from Yun Yang that you don't want to work under me? Do you know how many people in the Imperial Household Department want to work for me, but I look down on them?" Chen Ji thought for a moment and replied, "Master Bai Long, it's not that I don't want to, but I'm already serving under Master Jin Zhu."
Bai Long lowered his head in thought for a moment, then raised his head and asked, "What if the Golden Pig is dead?" Chen Ji was shocked and asked, "Why would Lord Bai Long kill his own people?"
Bai Long laughed: "Jinzhu that kid talks bad about me behind my back all day long. I have wanted to kill him for a long time." Chen Ji frowned.
Bai Long said with great interest: "Forget it, why do you take a joke so seriously? I'm not kidding you anymore. I came all the way here to find you." "Huh?"
Bai Long asked in a serious tone, "Someone from the Liu family reported to me that Prince Jing had intended to turn his pretense into reality before he launched the campaign against the Liu family. He sent Concubine Yun to secretly contact the head of the Jing Dynasty's Military Intelligence Department to discuss important matters. However, after the Military Intelligence Department's influence in Luocheng was completely annihilated, he gave up his rebellious thoughts and was forced to continue to act according to my plan."
Bai Long asked in a deep voice, "Do you know that Prince Jing wants to turn his fake play into real one?" Chen Ji's heart suddenly tightened.
Wasn't Concubine Yun's connection to the Military Intelligence Department a conspiracy between the Secret Service and Prince Jing? If not, did Prince Jing really intend to take advantage of the situation to rebel? No, no, no, that's not right!
The Secret Service wants to take advantage of the organization to trap Prince Jing!
From the very beginning, this scheme wasn't just about killing the Liu family; it was about killing two birds with one stone! Bai Long calmly asked, "Why aren't you talking?"
Chen Ji said nonchalantly, "Lord Bailong, how could Prince Jing let me know about such an important matter? Why not capture Concubine Yun and ask her?"
Bai Long smiled and said, "Yun Fei is a clever woman. Seeing the situation was not right, she immediately hid herself. My men searched for her all night but couldn't find her hiding place." Chen Ji lamented, "What a pity! If we had captured her, we could have forced the truth out of her."
Bai Long said, "Now that this key witness is gone, I want to ask you, you have close ties with the Crown Prince and the Princess, have you ever heard a single word from them?" Chen Ji shook his head, "No."
Bai Long asked again, "If I threaten Bai Li's life, will I be able to force Yun Fei out?" Chen Ji shook his head, "I don't know."
Bai Long's tone gradually sharpened. "You don't know, or do you not want to answer? Young man, you must understand that you are a member of my Secret Service. If you cover up the crime of treason, you will be punished by death."
Chen Ji said frankly, "Lord Bailong, I have no connection with Concubine Yun, so I naturally cannot answer the questions you ask. Otherwise, I will go and help you capture Concubine Yun. Once she is captured, the truth will naturally be revealed." Bailong stared at him for a long time under the mask, then chuckled and stood up. "That's fine. You should have a good rest. Maybe when you are refreshed you will remember some clues. Now, let's go."
After saying that, Bai Long slowly disappeared outside the clinic with his hands behind his back. He came suddenly and left suddenly.
Chen Ji stood up and looked across the corridor toward the deserted Anxi Street outside. He glanced back at the apricot tree and also walked out. Old Man Yao came out of the kitchen, holding a ceramic bowl and said in a dull tone, "Why are you in such a hurry to go out? Aren't you going to eat?"
"Well, I'm not home for dinner."
Old Man Yao sneered: "Remember what I just told you?"
Chen Ji took a deep breath and then said calmly, "Remember, your heart can be warm, but your blood must be cold."
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