Green Mountain

Declare the decree

Receive the decree and express gratitude.

This is nothing unusual, but the tale of a mere subordinate household servant suddenly rising to prominence is more intriguing than the stories in books. After the eunuch declared the decree and departed, a group of servants, maids, and subordinates gathered around, eager to see the Imperial Decree in Chen Ji’s hands.

But with a single glance from Mr. Feng, the servants dispersed obediently, heads bowed.

Returning to the West Wing, Chen Ji and Mr. Feng sat on either side of the stone table, the Imperial Decree lying quietly between them. Neither spoke.

After a long while, Mr. Feng sighed and said, "Lord Binghu always manages to accomplish earth-shattering feats wherever he goes... No wonder County Lord couldn’t sleep all night, staying in the courtyard. It turns out the brightness of his own future kept him awake."

Chen Ji humbly replied, "It’s alright."

Mr. Feng chuckled with exasperation, pointing at the decree on the table, repeatedly wanting to speak but ultimately perplexed, "County Lord Songmo, why did you save him?"

Chen Ji remained unfazed, "Is this what Mr. Feng hesitated to ask?"

Mr. Feng retorted bitterly, "Otherwise, should I congratulate Lord Binghu for the credit in saving the emperor? As for which emperor was saved, that’s none of your concern."

Chen Ji remained silent.

Mr. Feng got up and paced the courtyard, "That old emperor is quite a character. The Jing Dynasty, initially struggling to survive between Beifan and the Ning Dynasty, was revived by his interventions. Yet, he’s too stubborn and suspicious, hesitant to establish an heir as he distrusts and looks down on his dozen sons. With no heir in Jing now, Yuan Xiang and Lu Jin aren’t ready yet. As soon as the old emperor dies, chaos will ensue in Jing!"

As Mr. Feng spoke, suddenly he turned to Chen Ji, "Once the Central Forbidden Army wreaks havoc in Shangjing City, and the Military Governors kill in chaos, that will be our time to move north!"

Chen Ji pondered, "Did the old emperor of Jing not foresee this?"

Mr. Feng sighed, "For centuries, ninety-nine percent of heroic figures fall for the reason they rose. In his youth, decisiveness and suspicion saved him in the struggle for inheritance, yet in his old age, these became his greatest flaws."

Mr. Feng looked at Chen Ji with curiosity, "Strange, when we Ning people see an assassination attempt on the Jing emperor, you’d actually assist? You might be a Military Intelligence Department spy from Jing implanted in our dynasty."

Chen Ji paused for a moment, "I didn’t save the emperor; I happened to save him while rescuing Bai Xingzhen."

Mr. Feng frowned, "Explain, who attempted to assassinate Bai Xingzhen?"

Chen Ji sat beside the table and recounted the events.

After he finished speaking, Mr. Feng resumed his seat by the stone table, his long fingers tapping rhythmically, "The assassin couldn’t even speak Han language, meaning someone deliberately let them in, no, someone sent them in... Beifan wants to come to Shangjing; bypassing Shangjing Road is impossible. There must be a traitor within Shangjing Road... The Left Guard garrisons the palace, controlling them equates to having a chance to storm the Imperial City and seize the throne. However, killing Duke Huang alone isn’t enough to control the Left Guard; their military power would only revert to the old emperor unless the Commander and Deputy Commander of the Left Guard have already sided with Yuan Xiang or Lu Jin."

Mr. Feng’s thoughts turned quickly, "Perhaps the transfer order for the Left Guard is on its way today."

Just then, the Second Steward hurried to the West Wing, "Chief Steward, the Commander and Deputy Commander of the Left Guard have arrived. They reported that this morning, a Ministry of War decree ordered the Left Jinwu Guards to enter the Imperial City to change guard, and the Left Guard is commanded to go to Datong Prefecture to suppress bandits."

Mr. Feng inquired, "What did the Duke say?"

The Second Steward replied, "The Duke instructed them to change guard sensibly, leave Shangjing swiftly, and not give anyone a reason to impeach them."

Mr. Feng waved the Second Steward away and, after some thought, said to Chen Ji, "Now I believe the Commander and Deputy Commander of the Left Guard are not the problem."

Chen Ji was puzzled, "Master, every guess you made just now came true. How could you be wrong?"

Mr. Feng laughed lightly, "Because this is a deadlock. Knowing the old emperor’s suspicion, regardless of the assassination’s outcome, the Left Guard would certainly be reassigned away from the capital. The old emperor wouldn’t tolerate a questionable Forbidden Army near his chambers. The opponent might have planned all along, just needing to remove the Left Guard."

Chen Ji seemed lost in thought.

Mr. Feng smiled, "There’s not much left to ponder about this; let’s discuss County Lord Songmo’s situation."

Chen Ji countered, "Mine?"

Mr. Feng pondered for a moment, "The old emperor directly promoted you to Fourth-rank Lieutenant General in the Right Guard, likely because he lacks trustworthy people around him and intends to promote you. Yesterday, you had the opportunity to kill him, yet you didn’t, which instead established a foundation of trust. Lord Binghu, stay here, your role in Jing Dynasty is greater than in the south."

Chen Ji remained silent.

Mr. Feng continued, "Lord Binghu, our dynasty has been infiltrated by Lu Jin for twenty years, even having a Military Intelligence Department Chief holding a high position among us. In contrast, our Spy Department has always tried to infiltrate Jing’s center but failed. Entering Jing’s central administration is nearly impossible without nobility, a feat that has eluded us for over a decade. But today is different, what many from our Spy Department couldn’t achieve, Lord Binghu has accomplished."

Mr. Feng sincerely said, "Rest assured, we won’t have Lord Binghu undertake foolish tasks like assassinating the emperor and taking huge risks; enjoying riches and honor at the center surpasses all."

Chen Ji shook his head suddenly, "No."

Mr. Feng casually remarked, "Lord Binghu, your master is here, familiar friends like Liang Gou’er, Liang Mao’er, and the Princely Heir are all here. Isn’t that enough to make you stay?"

Chen Ji hesitated for a long time, but ultimately vowed resolutely, "I promised someone that as long as I live, I will definitely return to see her."

Mr. Feng seemed a bit surprised, "Second Miss Zhang?"

Chen Ji did not answer.

Mr. Feng stood up with a smile, "Very well."

This time it was Chen Ji’s turn to be slightly surprised, "Mr. Feng, are you not going to try harder to persuade me?"

Mr. Feng laughed heartily, "For Lord Binghu to obtain this County Lord’s title is indeed an unexpected joy, but the things that I, Feng, want to accomplish do not necessarily require Lord Binghu’s assistance. Otherwise, I would be quite inadequate."

Chen Ji breathed a slight sigh of relief.

Mr. Feng walked to the door of the west wing courtyard, suddenly turned and looked back at Chen Ji, "Though you are now a Right Guard Middle General, you still don’t need to report to the Right Guard during the Lantern Festival. It’s better to stay in more, and don’t go visiting your master without permission."

"Why?"

Mr. Feng reminded, "Because there is still a flaw about you... Si Caoding Lin Chaoqing, by my estimation, should have returned to the Jing Dynasty for some time already. If you intend to stay, you’ll need to eliminate this person first."

Chen Ji nodded, "Understood, that’s also why I didn’t attend the year’s end banquet last night."

But his flaws were not just Si Caoding; there was also Si Caogui.

...

...

The first day of the new year.

Outside the Vermilion Bird Gate, a man wore a brocade robe and hurriedly approached. When passing through the gate, he flashed his waist tag and proceeded straight inside.

Inside the Vermilion Bird Gate, it was cold and deserted. The officials of the Privy Council, Ministry of Personnel, nine temples, five supervisors, and the Imperial Censorate did not report for duty, spending a family reunion day at home.

The man in the brocade robe walked directly into the Privy Council, only to see civil servants bustling back and forth with documents and military generals whispering by the sand table, making it seem as though all members of the imperial government office were gathered there.

He stepped into the main hall and addressed Lu Jin, who was behind the table, "Council Chief Executive Officer, all the inquiries are complete."

Lu Jin sat behind the table, appearing unaffected by last night’s vigil, "Speak."

Beside Lu Jin were four attendants. Among them, Jiang Liuxian leaned against a pillar with a long knife, eyes closed and resting. As the man in the brocade robe stepped forward to report, he faced penetrating glances from all four attendants.

The man in the brocade robe halted where he stood and said from afar, "Reporting to the Council Chief Executive Officer, those previously pursued by Qiubai and Chang Sheng are linked to the Martial Arts Temple’s Five Sounds Martial Arts Roar. This person is an expert in the Seeking Dao Realm who diverted the Koreans and temple experts at Changbai Mountain, then fled all the way to Shangjing City. It’s said that she is particularly familiar with Shangjing, perhaps even a local."

Lu Jin made a sound of acknowledgment, still not lifting his head, and gently inquired, "What else did you find out?"

The man in the brocade robe continued, "It’s said that this person is not the Sword Seed Inheritor that the Martial Arts Temple is seeking but is concealing the true person’s trail. Qiubai chased her all the way into Tongshan Square, after which she vanished without a trace... the Imperial Guard scoured three adjoining squares, leaving only Kujue Temple unchecked."

Lu Jin’s eyelid twitched slightly, "Kujue Temple?"

The man in the brocade robe replied loudly, "Correct, it’s said that Qiubai entered Kujue Temple but was stopped by Zen Master Lingyi. By the way, the Wanglou Marquis mentioned that the woman had a faint scar on her nose bridge, likely left by a short knife."

Lu Jin’s hand holding the brush abruptly froze in midair; he paused only for an instant before resuming his writing.

The man in the brocade robe pondered, "My Lord, a remarkable woman in the Seeking Dao Realm risking her life to shield someone’s trail, she is either a lover or a child..."

Lu Jin interjected, "And what about that person named Bai Wu, how’s that investigation going?"

The man in the brocade robe reported, "This person entered the capital on the day before the year’s end, confirmed to be Bai’s subordinate. However, the Wanglou Marquis once reported an odd event regarding the Bai Family. The Marquis mentioned intercepting a Bai subordinate near Ban Zheng Square, who claimed he had lost his way the first day in the city. After pointing him in the right direction, the Marquis discreetly followed him to Duke Huang Mansion, coincidentally witnessing you exiting the mansion."

An attendant reminded, "My Lord, it seems to be that stableman."

Lu Jin finally paused his writing and looked up, "It’s him?"

The main hall fell silent, and after a long time, Lu Jin turned to Jiang Liuxian, "You said you’d seen this person before?"

Jiang Liuxian opened his eyes and softly answered, "Indeed, but I can’t recall where. Perhaps I’ve only seen his figure before, not his face."

Lu Jin contemplated for a moment, placing the brush beside the inkstone, "Send a pigeon message to Lushun to summon Lin Chaoqing to the capital. Have him identify this person, see if he’s seen him in the Ning Dynasty."

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