49. Top three
Golden Pig looked at Chen Ji and said with a smile, "The Minister of Internal Affairs is a master strategist. He knew that Yunyang and Jiaotu would do more harm than good, so he asked me to wait by their side long ago, ready to intervene when they stumble. The Military Intelligence Department and the Liu family probably didn't realize I was already in Luocheng. This is the perfect time to ambush... and capture them."
Chen Ji felt a surge of crisis in his heart. This inner minister had such a deep and meticulous mind.
It turns out that Yunyang and Jiaotu were just pushed out to confuse the sight. Once Yunyang and Jiaotu capsize, the enemy will relax because of the short-term victory. At this time, Jinzhu will quietly enter the field. The enemy is in the open and I am in the dark, and I will definitely gain something.
I'm afraid that Yunyang and Jiaotu were promoted to become the twelve zodiac animals half a year in advance just for this moment!
He is so cruel even to his own people, no wonder the outside world calls him "poisonous"!
Chen Ji cupped his hands and said, "Master Jinzhu, I am not from the Secret Service. I hope you will not disclose any secrets to me."
Jin Zhu walked over, shook Chen Ji's hand affectionately, and smiled broadly, "Of course I have to tell you. I was counting on you to join the Secret Service and help me achieve merit! Oh, and I haven't told you the good news yet. The Minister of Internal Affairs has issued an order, granting you special approval to join the Secret Service. From now on, we'll be colleagues. With your talent and intelligence, you'll definitely rise to the top."
Chen Ji's hand was grasped by Jin Zhu's fat hand, and goose bumps appeared on his skin. He quickly said humbly, "Master Jin Zhu, you are too kind. I don't have that ability."
"Of course you did!" Jin Zhu exclaimed. "I originally thought Yun Yang would be in trouble with Zhou Chengyi and leave Luocheng in disgrace within a day. But I didn't expect them to not only find evidence of his crime, but also nail Liu Shiyu and even uncover the Liu family's old master's faked death. At the time, I was wondering, these two guys are good at killing, but when did they develop other skills? Later, I realized it was all because of you!"
"It's not me," Chen Ji shook his head: "Master Jinzhu, I'm just an apprentice in the medical clinic."
"Don't be so modest. Lin Chaoqing has already reported the incident to the Minister of Internal Affairs, and Mengji has also reported the interrogation in his dream to the Minister of Internal Affairs. When the two things are put together, the truth will naturally be revealed."
Chen Ji suddenly realized that it was no wonder that the Golden Pig came to find him. It turned out that the Inner Minister already knew of his existence.
He asked curiously, "I heard from Lord Yunyang that the selection of spies is very strict."
Jin Zhu smiled and patted his shoulder. "That's true, but your performance in the Liu Shiyu case was so impressive that the Minister of Internal Affairs was impressed by your talent, so he naturally made special arrangements for you."
"What are the benefits of joining the Secret Service? How much is the salary?" asked Chen Ji.
"Salary?" The Golden Pig laughed. "The annual salary for the Sparrow class is 24 taels of silver, the Pheasant class is 26 taels. When you reach the Pigeon class, you get 28 taels of silver. Now you're on par with a county magistrate. And if you become a Saker Falcon, you're even more impressive. Ordinary prefects would be polite to you. But do you know what a Saker Falcon is? It's a ferocious beast by nature. If it's hungry, it'll attack anything in the sky."
"Where are the twelve zodiac animals?" Chen Ji asked again.
"You want to be one of the twelve zodiac animals?" The Golden Pig looked at Chen Ji with interest, but kept saying, "The twelve zodiac animals are naturally more powerful than the Saker Falcon. Holding the royal banner, they can execute first and report later... But there are also differences among the twelve zodiac animals."
"ah?"
"The twelve zodiac animals are divided into Jia, Yi, Bing, and Ding. Ding three are rat, rabbit, and sheep."
Chen Ji thought to himself that Yun Yang and Jiao Rabbit had the lowest status among the twelve zodiac animals.
The Golden Pig continued, "Next is Bing San. Now it's the Golden Pig, Bao
Monkey, dream of chicken."
"Where's Yisan?"
"Corpse dog, mountain bull, black snake."
"Where's Jiasan?"
The Golden Pig laughed and said, "The third zodiac sign is truly remarkable. As the saying goes, the 'upper three' are permanent, while the 'lower nine' are ever-changing. Over the years, the other zodiac signs have basically changed hands, but the upper three signs are like tumblers, never failing in their duties, and never changing hands."
"These three are Bailong, Tianma, and Binghu!"
"The authority of the upper three zodiac signs is naturally different from ours. We still need to report to Lord Wu Xiu, who then relays our message. The upper three, however, report directly to the Lord Internal Minister. We are not allowed to inquire about what they are planning or doing. If there are any orders, the lower nine zodiac signs must obey the upper three unconditionally."
The clinic fell silent. Only at this moment did Chen Ji have a complete understanding of the Secret Service.
Jin Zhu stopped talking. He took off his hat and placed it on the counter, allowing Chen Ji to digest what he had said.
In this quiet environment, Chen Ji pondered quickly, why did the other party say so much to him? Was it because he was not cunning? No, that was not the case.
If the other party is not very cunning, he will not wait patiently until now to appear.
This is not a golden pig at all, it is clearly a person pretending to be a pig to eat the tiger.
Chen Ji asked, "Excuse me...where are the two masters Yunyang and Jiaotu now?"
Jin Zhu laughed and said, "Originally, he was to be escorted to the capital to await his fate, but the Imperial Minister issued an order that he need not return to the capital but be exiled directly to Lingnan."
Chen Ji shook his head. "Master Jinzhu, can I not join the Secret Service? Even powerful figures like Master Yunyang and Master Jiaotu have ended up in jail. My fate will surely not be much better..."
"Don't worry, I will protect you."
At this moment, there was a sudden noise in the backyard.
Chen Ji glanced towards the backyard, and when he turned back, the golden pig was gone!
He raised his head and looked upwards, only to see that the bloated body of the golden pig had jumped onto the beam at some point and was squatting there without making any sound!
Chen Ji: “…”
This golden pig hides faster than anyone else at the slightest sign of trouble!
Jin Zhu squinted his eyes slightly on the beam, as if facing a great enemy. He whispered, "Boy, go check it out."
…
…
At the backyard wall, Bai Li's head appeared from behind and she looked around the yard carefully. When she saw Chen Ji, she suddenly became discouraged.
She thought that since she came out late today, she could save the toll by waiting for Chen Ji to fall asleep, but she didn't expect that this apprentice in the clinic didn't need to sleep!
Bai Li leaned against the wall and looked at Chen Ji, asking curiously, "Hey, what are you doing in the yard so late at night?"
Chen Ji said confidently, "To collect tolls."
Bai Li became even angrier. She climbed over the wall and down the ladder. Angrily, she took out four silver peanuts from her purse and slapped them hard on Chen Ji's palm: "Don't call me Chen Ji anymore. Call me Chen Heixin!"
"Hey, why are there four?" Chen Ji asked in confusion.
At this time, another head popped out from the wall. It was a strange girl.
Bai Li waved at her: "Lingyun, there is a ladder inside, come down the ladder."
But the girl was seen wearing a navy blue dress, with a green jade hairpin in her hair, dressed as a boy, and she nimbly climbed into the yard.
The prince and the little monk followed closely behind.
The girl named Lingyun looked at Chen Ji's hand
The four silver peanuts in my heart wondered, "What is this for?"
Bai Li explained: "This is the toll for him."
"Toll?" Zhu Lingyun was stunned for a moment, then subconsciously said, "Isn't the Imperial Hospital owned by our palace? He's just an apprentice in our palace's medical clinic, so why should we pay him a toll?"
Chen Ji looked at Bai Li: "Who is this?"
"This is my sister, Zhu Lingyun," Bai Li introduced with a smile. "She rarely went out before, so I'm taking her out this time. Don't mind what she says, she's a bit conscious of family status."
Zhu Lingyun was surprised: "Bai Li, why are you so polite to a servant?"
Bai Li's face darkened. "What do you mean by servant or not? Father always told us not to be arrogant. Why do you always imitate your mother's ways?"
Zhu Lingyun was also unhappy: "You are angry with me for an outsider? What did my mother do to you?"
Bai Li didn't dwell on it: "Apologize, you've forgotten everything our father taught us!"
"Why should I apologize? He's just a servant!" Zhu Lingyun was unconvinced.
The prince and the young monk watching this scene hurriedly tried to make peace: "Stop arguing, stop arguing, what's there to argue about... Lingyun, you shouldn't say that about Chen Ji."
Zhu Lingyun stared at the prince with her big almond eyes in disbelief: "Brother, you are helping Bai Li again!?"
The prince was silent for a moment. "I'm not trying to help anyone. I'm just speaking the truth. When he was at Donglin Academy, Prince Fu's son, Zhu Yu, acted arrogantly every day, but in the end, he was driven away by the scholars. Don't let those scholars flatter you for too long at Donglin Academy and forget your father's teachings."
Tears welled up in Zhu Lingyun's eyes. After a long silence, she turned around and climbed the ladder back to the palace: "You guys go have fun, I'm not going!"
Chen Ji remained silent from beginning to end...
The prince sighed and turned to look at Chen Ji: "I'm sorry to have made you laugh. Lingyun is actually a very nice person, but she has a bit of a temper."
Chen Ji smiled and responded: "No problem."
He returned a silver peanut to Bai Li, who was surprised and asked, "You can spit out the money you earned?"
“I don’t make money that I shouldn’t make.”
The prince gave a thumbs up: "You have principles!"
Chen Ji returned to the dormitory and gently woke Liang Mao'er up: "Tell your brother to go drink with the prince. Remember to eat more when you get to Hongyi Lane."
Liang Gou'er suddenly sat up, his eyes gleaming. "Drink? Where are we going to drink?"
Chen Ji: “…”
Liang Maoer: "..."
After these people left, the clinic returned to peace.
The golden pig lightly jumped down from the beam, looked at Chen Ji and asked inquiringly, "You seem to have a good relationship with the prince and Princess Baili?"
"Not very good," Chen Ji shook his head.
The Golden Pig smiled and said, "I heard everything Princess Baili said to defend you just now."
He said in an unquestionable tone, "Young man, there are many benefits to joining our Secret Service. You will never lose if you work with the Minister of Internal Affairs. From today on, you are a secret agent. I have a mission for you. Follow the Crown Prince and report all his whereabouts to me. Now, let's go."
Chen Ji stood in the darkness of the clinic, watching Jin Zhu's departing figure, and replied softly, "Understood, Master Jin Zhu."
As the door of the clinic closed gently, he returned to the backyard, picked up the bamboo tube, rolled up his sleeves in this cool autumn night, and began to scrape the frost off the wall carefully.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
