Green Mountain

The man in the brocade robe accepted the order and left.

Lu Jin slowly leaned back against the chair, his gaze passing through the five-paneled crimson lacquered hall doors, silently watching the civil servants and military dignitaries bustling outside, as lively as the Lantern Festival Night market.

Once upon a time, he was among them.

He suddenly asked, "What do you all think of my governance over these years?"

Jiang Liuxian, who had been leaning against the pillar with her eyes closed, was surprised and looked towards Lu Jin upon hearing his words.

The high-ranked Council Chief Executive Officer was dressed in a plain gray cloth robe, with only a simple wooden hairpin on his head, his expression unreadable.

The other three attendants exchanged glances, it was the first time they’d heard Lu Jin ask such a question, momentarily unsure whom he was addressing or how they should respond.

Lu Jin spoke softly, "Lu Qian, you answer."

After a moment, the attendant named Lu Qian clasped his hands and said, "My lord, you have devoted yourself to diligent governance these years, transforming the Privy Council from its former decadence, removing those who merely occupied positions for food, leaving only the loyal patriots who are willing to venture into danger for your sake. From top to bottom, we are all ready to stand by you!"

Lu Jin’s expression remained unchanged, he asked again, "Lu Xun, have I indulged in any pleasures over the years?"

Another attendant clasped his hands and said, "My lord has lived plainly, not indulging like other nobles in cockfighting or dog walking, nor reveling in nightly carousing. You toil tirelessly with concern for the country, truly a paragon for us all."

Lu Jin ceased speaking, staring fixedly at the exterior.

Jiang Liuxian scrutinized Lu Jin for a moment, "My lord, why do you ask this?"

Lu Jin ignored her, instead instructing Lu Xun, "Order the marquis at Yongxing Square to watch over Duke Huang’s residence, the moment Bai Wu leaves the mansion, follow him... but do not alert him, observe who he meets and what he does."

Lu Xun acknowledged, "Understood."

Lu Jin stood up and walked outside, "Prepare the carriage."

Jiang Liuxian inquired, "Where are you headed, my lord?"

Lu Jin calmly replied, "To Qinglong Square, the old residence. Lu Qian, Lu Xun will accompany me, Jiang Liuxian, you stay at the Privy Council."

...

...

Qinglong Square.

Mrs. Lu, wearing a bamboo hat, walked under the eaves at the roadside. In the distance, several children chased each other, passing by her, singing a nursery rhyme: "On New Year’s Day, do not use scissors or sweep the floor, do not hit children, be harmonious, do not lend or borrow, every family gathers!"

Mrs. Lu watched the backs of the running children. Suddenly a child shouted ’Mother’, making her stop in her tracks, momentarily lost.

She raised her head, seeing a child run into a woman’s arms, the woman smiling as she patted the child’s head, "Where have you been playing all this time?"

The child hugged the woman’s leg, looking up, "We went to Mr. Li’s, he gave us fried snacks."

The woman took the child’s hand as they walked into the square, "Did you thank Mr. Li?"

The child nodded, "I did thank him!"

The woman then said with a smile, "Let’s go home, there are dumplings waiting."

Mrs. Lu watched the child and woman disappear around the street corner, then raised her head to glance at the Marquis on the distant watchtower, before bowing her head and hurrying on.

By evening, Shangjing City showed few signs of life, only the smell of garlic and onion wafting from household chimneys and the laughter within windows, sparsely interwoven on the empty street.

This place, far from the Imperial Palace, was located in the southwestern tip of Shangjing City, adjacent to Furong Pool, where only the wealthy and influential resided, with vassal military generals’ residences, the Commander of the Imperial Army’s residence, and a gathering of Central Civil Servants, Six Ministers, Hanlin Scholars, Royal Family Relatives, and noble families.

This was the first square Mrs. Lu had passed through after escaping into the city from the Water Gate, her former home.

Mrs. Lu began to look around, using memory to search for her old home. However, along the way, what was once the Li Mansion became the Zhang Mansion, and the Liu Residence transformed into the Zhou Mansion, momentarily disorienting her.

After walking into Qinglong Square for a long time, Mrs. Lu finally stopped.

She looked from afar at an old courtyard, with brand new couplets and door god posted on the front, as if someone lived there.

Mrs. Lu was about to approach to see what the couplets said when suddenly she heard a voice from behind, "Hey, you don’t seem to be from our square, which family’s home are you looking for?"

She slowly turned around, to find an elderly man with hands clasped behind his back, curiously examining her.

Mrs. Lu spoke softly, "Old man, I’m looking for Right Brave Guard Li Lang, Lord Li’s family."

The old man frowned, "Li Lang? Didn’t his family move away long ago? Hmm, you look somewhat familiar, back when Qinglong Square had a reckless little girl who resembles you, but that was over twenty years ago..."

Out of the corner of her eye, Mrs. Lu noticed the Marquis on the watchtower had spotted her, vigilantly staring over here, tapping the guardrail with his knife handle, calling for the troops from Wu Hou’s Shop to check.

And this Marquis on the watchtower watched unblinkingly, seemingly waiting for a chance to see her face under the bamboo hat.

Footsteps were heard, with two Marquises approaching from both sides.

At that moment, a figure hurried to Mrs. Lu’s side, pulling out a waist tag from his chest to show the Marquis, whispering, "Business from the Privy Council."

Seeing the waist tag, the Marquises immediately retreated.

The figure said to Mrs. Lu, "Follow me."

...

...

Mrs. Lu followed the person, twisting and turning, until night had completely fallen, and they stopped in an alley in the city. She watched the person take out a key to unlock the door, entering the courtyard without a word of invitation.

Mrs. Lu followed but stopped at the entrance, her gaze cold as she watched the person remove the bamboo hat, scoop a ladle of cold water from a water jar, and gulp it down.

The person’s physique was solid and capable, dressed in simple clothes, living like a farmer.

It was unexpectedly Si Caogui, who had been missing for several months.

Si Caogui tossed the water ladle back into the jar, the gourd ladle bobbing on the water’s surface.

Without haste, he went into the kitchen, grabbed a handful of peanuts and fried rapeseed, threw them into the corner, then turned around, smiling at Mrs. Lu, "Why is Ah Jie looking at me like that? Please sit."

Mrs. Lu sat on a stone bench, casually saying, "How long has it been since you’ve smiled, that it looks so unpleasant?"

Si Caogui paused silently before heading into the kitchen, "Ah Jie, you haven’t eaten yet, right?"

He sat on a small bench opposite the stove, put a few twigs into the hearth, ignited a bundle of straw inside, the firelight reflecting the wind and frost on his face, like dunes weathered by the wind.

Mrs. Lu looked around.

No new window paper had been put on the windows, leaving a few holes.

The front door of the main house had no new couplets, only mottled red marks from the old ones.

The bricks in the courtyard were uneven, and a few coarse cloth clothes were hanging under the eaves.

Mrs. Lu sighed, "Ah Gui, you should go to Kujue Temple to become a monk."

Si Caogui watched the flames burn in the hearth quietly, remaining silent.

After a long while, he brought out a plate of salted vegetables and two bowls of corn porridge, apologetically saying, "This is all there is at home."

Mrs. Lu sighed, "A dignified Seeking Dao Realm Official, must you live like this? Even the poorest families have dumplings on the first day of the New Year."

Saying this, she got up to head to the kitchen, "I’ll make dumplings."

But Si Caogui picked up a chopstick of salted vegetables, tossed them in his bowl, mixed with corn porridge, and slurped it down, finishing in a few bites.

He put down the bowl and chopsticks, "Ah Jie doesn’t need to bother, I can eat anything, as long as I live. The brothers are all gone; if I indulge myself, my heart would be guilty."

Mrs. Lu stopped persuading, sat back at the stone table, pointing to Si Caogui’s chest, "Where did the waist tag come from, are you working under Lu Jin now?"

"Stolen," Si Caogui shook his head, "Rest assured, Ah Jie, I stayed hidden here after returning from the Southern Dynasty and did not seek him out."

Mrs. Lu’s eyes shifted, "You’ve come back to investigate Lu Jin, you must have realized I didn’t lie to you. The silver you toiled for in the Southern Dynasty, the savings from your frugal living, it all ended up in Yuan Xiang’s mansion."

Si Caogui stared at the empty bowl before him, softly saying, "I don’t know."

Mrs. Lu suddenly asked, "How did you know I was in Qinglong Square?"

Before Si Caogui could answer, a pigeon fluttered and landed in the courtyard, pecking at the peanuts and rapeseeds on the ground.

Mrs. Lu saw the bamboo tube on the pigeon’s leg, surprised, "Is there a Military Intelligence Department pigeon loft nearby?"

Si Caogui moved quickly to catch the pigeon, removed the bamboo tube from its leg, casually explaining, "Huang Liang’s old habit, he feared making pigeons too fat, so he never fed them peanuts or rapeseeds. For the past few months, I’ve scattered peanuts and rapeseeds on the rooftop, eventually attracting a few pigeons down."

He poured out the note from the bamboo tube, briefly scanned it before tying it back, letting the pigeon continue pecking at the peanuts and rapeseeds.

Si Caogui sat back at the stone table, "This is just one of the pigeon lofts, sending only internal letters of our court. The other lofts I haven’t located, perhaps they’re in more concealed places, or outside Shangjing City."

Mrs. Lu remained composed, "What have you seen? What is Lu Jin planning?"

Si Caogui shook his head, "You’re no longer one of my Jing Dynasty people, I can’t tell you."

Mrs. Lu sighed, "This Shangjing City isn’t worthy of your loyalty."

Si Caogui looked up, staring directly into Mrs. Lu’s eyes, "Ah Jie, everyone we once crossed the seas with is gone, the Bailu Pavilion we painstakingly managed is gone, the Military Intelligence Department’s Earthly Branch is gone. If I lost my loyalty too, what do I have left after all these years?"

Mrs. Lu remained silent.

Si Caogui suddenly said, "I can’t tell you other things, but today a pigeon flew to Lushun, perhaps it relates to you, this I can tell you."

Mrs. Lu frowned, "Relates to me?"

Si Caogui pondered for a moment, considering his words, "The lord summoned Lin Chaoqing to Shangjing, asking him to identify someone. The lord is sharp with his thoughts, perhaps he discovered something. I think, the person he wants Lin Chaoqing to identify might relate to you."

Mrs. Lu’s heart tightened, "Did he mention whom to investigate?"

Si Caogui shook his head, "The note wouldn’t mention too much."

Mrs. Lu lowered her head, lost in thought, while Si Caogui advised, "Ah Jie, don’t think about intercepting Lin Chaoqing. He has deep plans, and his realm as an Executive Officer is unfathomable; you might not be his match. If who Lord Lu is investigating truly relates to you, while the city gates remain unguarded these few days, hurry and take him out of Shangjing City."

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