80. Easy as pie
"Lord Jinzhu, what does the Jingchao thief we want to catch look like?"
"He was so dark that no one could see his face clearly."
"What's your exact height?"
“It’s hard to judge.”
"That's easy..."
Chen Ji imagined that he might be arrested due to some negligence, and he also imagined that Gui and Wu Hongbiao did not escape and confessed to him in the inner prison.
After returning to the clinic last night, he has been in a state of high alert, carrying all the money on his body, ready to flee with Wuyun at any time.
But Chen Ji didn't expect that the Secret Service would let him arrest himself...
He was a little confused: "Sir, why do you need me to do it for you when I am smarter and more intelligent than you?"
In the main hall of the clinic, Jin Zhu was dressed like a tenant farmer, with a conical hat on his head. The hemp rope of the hat outlined his double chin, which made him look a little funny.
Jin Zhu took off his hat and placed it on the counter. He held Chen Ji's hands and said sincerely, "You don't have to belittle yourself. You were able to help Yun Yang and Jiao Mian find evidence of the Liu family's crimes. You must have your strengths. I might as well tell you that the Luocheng Secret Service has been infiltrated. It was because of the leak of information last night that we failed to catch the Jing Chao thief. Now, you are the only person I can trust in the Luocheng Secret Service."
Old man Yao put away the account book and walked silently to the backyard. He was afraid that if he didn't leave, he would laugh out loud later.
There are three things that Jin Zhu is most famous for in the capital. The first is his support for Tian Ma, the second is his picky mouth and love of gourmet food, and the third is his shrewdness.
Such a shrewd person is now holding the hand of the real murderer and talking about trust.
Chen Ji silently pulled his hand back: "Why don't you catch this Jing Chao thief yourself?"
Jin Zhu smiled and explained, "My most important task now is to uncover the traitor. So you and I will act separately. You do yours, and I'll do mine. I will send six secret agents to follow you and protect you."
Jin Zhu added, "You must capture the Jingchao villain. If you do, you'll take the credit. If you don't, don't blame me for turning my back on you. That's how we are in the Conspiracy Department. Even brothers won't interfere with our mission."
Chen Ji pondered for a moment and said, "Master Jinzhu, I can try to capture this wanton criminal from the Jing Dynasty, but I have a request. Please keep my identity confidential. You also know that this is the Liu family's territory, and there are definitely more people connected to the Jing Dynasty than just Liu Shiyu. If I repeatedly perform meritorious deeds, I am afraid that the Liu family will bear a grudge against me."
The Golden Pig was delighted: "Don't worry, I dressed like this to see you to conceal my identity. Tonight at midnight, someone will be waiting for you at the Yingke Restaurant in Hongyi Lane."
After saying that, he put on his hat again and turned to go out.
At this time, a carriage stopped in front of the clinic. The curtain was lifted from the inside. The driver hurriedly took a footstool and placed it next to the carriage, and helped a middle-aged man with a mustache get out of the carriage.
Chen Ji recognized the other person as the housekeeper of the Chen Mansion. He had seen him before when he was carrying things back home from his day off.
The butler wore a corrugated tassel hat, thick black boots, and a light green satin robe. He looked more like an official than a butler.
When Jinzhu went out, he passed by the butler. He looked at the butler in surprise and left in a hurry.
But the butler got out of the car and walked slowly into the clinic with his hands behind his back. He looked around the clinic with interest. When he saw Chen Ji, he smiled and asked, "How are you staying here?"
Chen Ji stood calmly beside the counter and asked, "What are you doing here?"
The housekeeper smiled and waved to the coachman outside the door, then took a string of copper coins from the coachman and handed it to Chen Ji: "Three hundred coins, please count them."
Chen Ji didn't reach out to take it, and said calmly, "No need to count, just put it on the counter."
The butler's hand froze in mid-air as he handed over the money. After a moment, he casually tossed the copper coin onto the counter and slowly wiped his mustache. "You think your monthly salary is too little? Do you know how many people died in Yuzhou during the flood this summer? These days, three hundred coins can even buy a maid's indenture in western or southern Henan. It's not easy for your family to support you in studying medicine. Don't forget your roots."
As soon as he finished speaking, Bai Li walked out from the backyard and shouted: "Chen Ji, let's make dumplings together. Dumplings taste better when made together. Hey, who is this?"
When the butler saw Baili, his expression suddenly changed, and he said humbly, "Princess Baili, I am the butler of the co-magistrate of Luocheng. Last year during the Lantern Festival, I accompanied the master to the palace for a banquet and met you from afar."
Bai Li was surprised: "Have we met before? I don't have any impression of you."
The housekeeper hesitated for a moment and said, "I'm sitting with the servants."
"Oh...you came to see Chen Ji, then you two can chat first. Chen Ji, after chatting, come and make dumplings.
"Bai Li said and returned to the backyard.
The housekeeper looked at her back and looked at Chen Ji in surprise: "Why is Princess Baili in Taiping Medical Clinic?"
Chen Ji casually explained: "She has a good relationship with my master, so she comes here often."
The housekeeper was relieved. He thought that being sent to this clinic was a blessing in disguise and that he had won the favor of the princess of the royal palace.
He changed the subject and said in a commanding tone, "In three days, Master Wenzong and Master Wenxiao will take part in the Autumn Examination. Last night, Master instructed me to call you home the day after tomorrow for dinner."
Chen Ji glanced at him and said, "Please go back and tell them that I'm busy with schoolwork lately and can't go back."
The housekeeper's face darkened. "You don't listen to the master's words, and you've forgotten the kindness of the Chen family in raising you. If this continues, I'm afraid you won't even get the 300 yuan per month in the future."
Chen Ji smiled and said, "It's gone, so don't come to Taiping Clinic anymore."
The housekeeper laughed angrily: "You said that yourself!"
Chen Ji nodded: "Yes, I said it myself."
The butler turned away, he came quickly and left quickly, as if he didn't want to waste any more time here.
At this time, Zili poked his head out from the back corridor: "I had a quarrel with your housekeeper."
"Um."
Bai Li said softly, "You're so smart, you must have figured it out. He doesn't want you to return to the Chen Mansion the day after tomorrow. The housekeepers in the mansion are no fools, and they would never offend anyone for no reason. This housekeeper deliberately spoke harshly and looked at you in order to provoke you into saying something impulsive, so that he could go back and tell your father that you didn't deserve him."
Chen Ji turned around and looked at Bai Li, and said with a smile: "It doesn't matter whether I go back to the Chen Mansion or not. I don't plan to go back."
Baili said, "If you don't want to go back, then don't go back. Let's go make dumplings!"
"Okay," Chen Ji looked out at Anxi Street. He listened to the clattering sounds of people chopping dumpling fillings in the backyard, and his mood suddenly calmed down.
night.
The once bustling Hongyi Lane suddenly became deserted.
On the long, bluestone-paved street, the bright red lanterns hung high as usual, but no pedestrians or patrons were seen. Singers and dancers leaned against the railings, each one listless.
After a lot of effort, they saw a guest turning into the alley from the west. The girls were just about to shake their red sleeves, but after seeing the conical hat on the other party's head, they became silent and retreated back into the house.
The Yingke Restaurant had closed down, and the living room was pitch black without even an oil-stubble lamp.
Six secret agents dressed in black, each holding a long knife, leaned against wooden pillars, like killers waiting for their prey to come to them.
In the dark silence, someone suddenly asked, "Xifeng, did the master tell us who he had called to assist in the investigation? An assistant investigator is acting so arrogantly, making us wait for a whole day and wasting our chance to make a contribution."
"It's the appointed hour of Hai, and only one stick of incense is left until midnight, why is there still no one here?"
The spy named Xifeng raised his head, his sharp eyes sweeping across the darkness at everyone under his bamboo hat: "The master said to wait, so we just need to wait."
Someone whispered, "Xifeng, you're about to be promoted to Haidongqing. Don't let others delay your achievement. If you handle this case well, you can be sent out as Haidongqing. If you can get Lord Jinzhu to help you travel to Huainan and Huaibei and raid the homes of a few small salt merchants, you might be able to accumulate a considerable fortune."
But Xifeng sneered, "You can confiscate their property just like that. The salt merchants all have deep backgrounds, and the southern civil servants are collectively rejecting our Imperial Household Department. How can we just do it as we please?"
"Hehe, Brother Xifeng, you don't know. I'm from the same hometown as one of Baohou's secret agents. I heard him say that every time a new Haidongqing takes office in Lianghuai, the Salt Merchants Association will recommend one or two small salt merchants to give to the new Haidongqing to establish his authority. Their houses can be raided and their heads chopped off at will. After that, everyone lives in peace and everyone looks good. After three years in office, they have endless beauties and money to enjoy."
Xifeng sneered: "You think the Chief Justice is just sitting around doing nothing? If someone gets hold of this kind of evidence, they'll be able to manipulate you in the future. I'm following Master Jinzhu to accomplish great things, so how can I lose the big picture over a small one?"
A spy suddenly asked tentatively: "I heard that Master Jinzhu has a grudge against the Xu family in Shanghai. Is that true?"
Xifeng's voice turned cold: "Are you guys tired of living? How dare you ask about my private affairs? Do you want me to send you to the inner prison to cool down?"
"No, no, no, aren't you just bored? Oh, why hasn't the person that Master Jinzhu mentioned arrived yet?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the door of the Yingke Restaurant was pushed open with a creaking sound.
Everyone became solemn and returned to their serious expressions.
Xifeng turned around and saw that the person coming was wearing a bamboo hat and covering his face with a gray cloth.
He was stunned
He subconsciously looked at the other person's legs, only to see that the person was walking normally and didn't look like he was injured.
Hey!
Xifeng followed Jinzhu and knew Chen Ji's abilities, and Chen Ji was also a native of Los Angeles, so he thought that the person coming tonight would be Chen Ji.
But now it seems that the one coming is not Chen Ji
Xifeng asked in a serious tone: "Why are you late? You know that delaying the opportunity will let the Jingchao thief escape."
Chen Ji stood opposite the six people. He did not answer Xifeng, but said in a low voice: "You are spies under the command of Lord Jinzhu."
Xifeng was stunned for a moment: "Yes."
Chen Ji nodded and said, "Lord Jinzhu has ordered that you will be under my command from now on. Help me capture the Jing Dynasty spies."
The six spies looked at each other, their eyes full of unclear meaning.
Jinzhu didn't tell them that they had to obey this person's orders. Everyone thought that Xifeng was in charge this time and the person who came was just someone to assist in the investigation.
Xifeng thought for a moment and didn't argue with Chen Ji. He winked at the other spies and clasped his fists towards Chen Ji: "Sir, I will first take you to see the place where the fighting is taking place and see if you have any plans."
He led Chen Ji to the backyard with a solemn expression. He saw six secret agents' bodies lying on the ground, with bloodstains still unwashed.
Xifeng looked at Chen Ji and whispered, "Sir, the killer killed six spies here last night. The bodies and belongings have not been moved. Please check."
After saying that, Xifeng kept silent, not wanting to say another word, and stared at Chen Ji closely.
The six secret agents looked at each other with burning eyes. Everyone understood Xifeng's expression: he wanted to intimidate Chen Ji and let him know that if he didn't have the real ability, he wouldn't be able to be the boss of these six people.
Chen Ji glanced at the six people, slowly walked around the yard, lowered his head and fell into deep thought.
The spies' eyes intertwined under their hats, and they kept exchanging glances, and finally looked at Xifeng together: If he can't do it, we will support you together.
Now Xifeng is only one step away from Haidongqing. If an outsider takes the credit, Xifeng will probably have to wait another year.
It’s not that everyone is loyal, but when outsiders are around, xenophobia is almost everyone’s subconscious choice.
Time passed minute by minute, and Chen Ji kept his head down in thought without saying a word.
A spy used his eyes to hint to Xifeng to speak and take the initiative, but Xifeng was also patient. If Chen Ji didn't speak, he would remain silent.
The next moment, Chen Ji suddenly moved
The spies all looked in that direction, only to see him stand in the corner of the yard, touching the crossbow nailed to the wall. He said calmly, "The assassin entered the yard from here, attacked one of the agents, pierced their lungs and kidneys with a dagger, and then hid behind the injured agent to avoid the crossbow."
After saying that, he took two steps forward and came to a prone corpse: "The killer left the injured spy here and rushed into the crowd. He used his short knife to break the spy's long sword, and then..."
The six spies looked at each other again, their pupils constricted.
Xifeng couldn't help but ask, "Sir, how can you infer that there is only one assassin here? We never said that. The six spies had two types of knife wounds on their bodies. It is very likely that they were done by two people."
Chen Ji downplayed the situation: "The two knife wounds appeared because he took the spy's knife midway, not because there were two people."
The west wind was silent
They had been deducing the whole process of the killer's murder since last night. Several spies with rich experience in fighting cooperated with several coroners to investigate the scene. It took them two hours to deduce the killer's entire murder process.
And now this temporary boss, with just one glance at the scene, was able to recreate the scene of the fight within a stick of incense.
If they had known that the other party had this ability, why would they have bothered in the morning?
Xifeng immediately gave up the idea of continuing to intimidate Chen Ji.
Little did he know that Chen Ji was also sighing: It turns out that reasoning can be so easy, all you have to do is repeat what you have done.
It's so easy.
Xifeng put aside his tentative thoughts and couldn't help asking, "Sir, the other party broke the sword as easily as drinking water. We have never heard of such a sword technique in the martial arts world. I wonder if you can determine the other party's identity?"
Chen Ji didn't answer, but said calmly: "Don't jump to conclusions. Let me ask you, did the killers only fight here last night?"
Xifeng explained: "There is another one, on Tongji Street."
"take me."
Everyone walked out of the restaurant, and Chen Ji and Xifeng walked side by side through the living room.
However, when the two of them reached the door and were about to go out, Xifeng suddenly stopped subconsciously, let Chen Ji go first, and then he followed silently behind him.
End of this chapter.
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