Chapter 616
The Codebook
Day three.
Chen Ji was awakened by the pattering rain.
He leaned against the doorframe, draped in his clothes, and quietly watched the rain drip down the eaves onto the blue bricks.
Are there still mutton buns available today?
I don't know. That White Dragon Lord has been a bit too murderous lately, so maybe he won't come again.
Just as I was lost in thought, I heard footsteps outside the door.
Bai Long pushed open the door and entered, holding a mutton bun in his hand.
Chen Ji took the oil-paper umbrella from the other person, folded it up and leaned it against the wall. He then took the mutton bun from the other person and tore open the yellow paper soaked with oil: "Does Lord Bailong have no errands to do? Why do you come to the Censorate every day?"
Bai Long did not answer, but went straight into the house and pointed to the chessboard that had been laid out.
Chen Ji sat opposite him in astonishment. From morning till night, Bai Long had won fifteen games against him before getting up and leaving.
Fourth day.
The autumn rain didn't stop, and Bailong still brought mutton buns.
He remained silent at the table until he won seventeen rounds against Chen Ji, then got up, opened his umbrella, and left.
On the fifth day, I won seventeen games.
On the sixth day, I won eighteen games.
On the seventh day, I won nineteen games.
On the eighth day, I won nineteen games.
On the ninth day, I won eighteen games.
The autumn rain lasted for six days, and the two played chess for six days as well.
For the next six days, Bai Long didn't say a single word to Chen Ji, only winning games and leaving, leaving Chen Ji feeling utterly miserable.
On the tenth day, the autumn rain finally stopped.
Chen Ji, wearing a robe, leaned against the door frame of the main room, watching Bai Long push the door open and enter. He finally couldn't help but wonder, "The weather is so nice today. If you really have nothing to do, you could arrest some military intelligence agents or corrupt officials. If all else fails, going on an autumn outing would be good too."
Bai Long sat down at the stone table in the courtyard and finally spoke: "Yesterday, Renshou Palace was discussing how to deal with you."
Chen Ji pondered, "Exiled to Lingnan, sent to the army, and escaped unscathed?"
Bai Long tapped his fingers lightly on the stone table: "Regardless of whether Prince Jing is exonerated, breaking into prison is a serious crime. Some say you should be executed with reprieve as a warning to others, while others say you should be exiled to Lingnan. Only Zhang Zhuo spoke up for you, and even Grand Secretary Chen stayed out of it. According to Lord Zhang, considering that you did something virtuous, you should be punished with fifty strokes of the cane, but the ministers all know that you are not afraid of the cane, so they all voiced their opposition... You are not very popular."
Chen Ji ate his mutton buns, completely unconcerned: "I'm now one of the most notorious eunuch faction members. I'm already grateful to have someone speak up for me. What does His Majesty say?"
Bai Long looked up at him: "His Majesty didn't speak, probably because he hasn't had time to think about how to deal with you."
Chen Ji finished his steamed bun and clapped his hands: "I wonder when we'll reach a conclusion."
Bai Long replied, "The candidates for the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review and the Right Censor-in-Chief have been chosen. The Xu family donated 120,000 taels of silver for the Emperor's birthday celebration, and Xu Chuanxi, the Prefect of Jinling, was transferred to the capital to serve as the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review. The Yang family donated 90,000 taels of silver for the Emperor's birthday celebration, and Yang Zhan, the Vice Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture, was promoted to Right Censor-in-Chief. The people in charge of investigating the cases of Qing Wentao and Prince Jing have been sent out. Although it's just a formality, it will be a month before they return. We'll know your future then."
Chen Ji said "Oh": "So much silver, used to repair the Cining Palace?"
Bai Long said calmly, "The Cining Palace will not be repaired for the time being. His Majesty is happy that the Empress Dowager will live in the Yikun Palace forever. Speaking of the Xu family, His Majesty will probably take the opportunity to dismantle the Xu family while Grand Secretary Xu is critically ill."
Chen Ji asked in confusion, "What do you mean?"
Bai Long tapped his fingertips on the table: "After Grand Secretary Xu fell seriously ill, he relied on Buddhist elixirs to prolong his life, remaining in a coma. His Majesty tacitly allowed Zhang Zhuo to handle drafts and memorials in the Xu residence, but the Xu family worried that Zhang Zhuo would seize their wealth and thus obstructed the process. The Xu family is now divided into two branches. One branch is the Jinling Xu family, led by Xu Chuanxi, and Xu Bin of Wenyuan Bookstore is also from this branch. The other branch is weaker, the Huqiu Xu family, led by Xu Chuanyin, which is based in Suzhou. This branch of the Xu family has a long-standing marriage alliance with the Yang family, so Yang Zhan's promotion to Right Vice Censor-in-Chief will likely not be peaceful with Xu Chuanxi within the Three Judicial Offices."
Chen Ji thought for a moment: "Which party controls the maritime trade?"
Bai Long replied, "Naturally, it's the Xu family of Jinling. They not only have money, but also support many officials and assassins. The Xu family of Huqiu is not idle either. They support a group of bandits who pretend to be Japanese pirates and plunder merchant ships from all over the world at sea, not even sparing their own family's ships."
Chen Ji raised an eyebrow: "One is illegally lifting the sea ban, and the other is raising pirates to cause trouble. Is the imperial court doing nothing?"
Bai Long shook his head: "The imperial court is currently unable to deal with them; they are too far away to be of any use."
Chen Ji sighed, "None of them are easy to deal with, but Lord White Dragon, these are none of my concern."
Bai Long was silent for a moment, then took out a stack of Wen Yuan Morning Posts from his sleeve: "Since the Xu family has nothing to do with you, let's talk about the Military Intelligence Bureau. The Military Intelligence Bureau has been making frequent moves lately, and I suspect they are passing messages through this newspaper, but I can't find any clues using the method you mentioned earlier. If you're not going to lose, take a look at these past few days' Wen Yuan Morning Posts and help me find them."
Chen Ji glanced at the newspaper but did not reach out to take it: "Lord White Dragon, I cannot help you."
Bai Long glanced at him sideways and tossed the newspaper aside: "Bring me the chessboard."
Chen Ji braced himself and went back to the house to fetch the chessboard, spread it out, and placed the black pieces.
Bai Long stopped talking and made moves with lightning speed, winning thirty games before evening.
As dusk fell, Bai Long won another round and pushed the newspaper in front of Chen Ji: "Help me catch the Military Intelligence Bureau."
Chen Ji asked curiously, "What is the Military Intelligence Bureau?"
Bai Long said no more, left the newspaper on the table, and turned to leave.
Chen Ji sat at the stone table in a daze for a long time, until it was completely dark, when he suddenly called out loudly, "Hey, is anyone next door?"
The voice echoed under the eaves of the Censorate, but no one answered.
This vast Censorate seemed to truly imprison only himself.
Chen Ji shifted his gaze to the stack of Wen Yuan Morning Posts.
He pondered for a long time, picked up the newspaper, went back into the house, lit a tiny oil lamp, and examined each line of text word by word in the dim light.
……
……
Early morning of the eleventh day.
Chen Ji leaned against the door frame and yawned.
He had gotten up to read the Treatise on Febrile Diseases, but after a moment of distraction, he found himself leaning against the doorframe.
Chen Ji looked down at the moss growing on the ground after the autumn rain. He squatted down and gently ran his fingers over the surface of the moss. It was wet, cool, and a thin layer.
Chen Ji suddenly felt like he was the moss in this corner, stuck in the cracks of the blue bricks of the Censorate.
Footsteps sounded outside the door, and Bai Long pushed open the courtyard gate and arrived as promised.
Chen Ji looked at the other person's empty hands and asked in surprise, "Where are the mutton buns?"
Bai Long glanced at him: "What are mutton buns?"
Chen Ji: "..."
Bai Long went inside and brought out a chessboard, spreading it out on the stone table: "If you win a game against me, I'll bring you mutton buns again." Chen Ji didn't take the bait: "The food at the Censorate is quite good."
Bai Long pointed to the chessboard.
Chen Ji took the stack of Wen Yuan Morning Posts out of the house and threw them on the table: "I looked at the newspapers carefully last night, but I found nothing."
Bai Long was somewhat surprised. He looked at the newspaper and then at Chen Ji: "Why is Lord Binghu suddenly willing to do something?"
Chen Ji chuckled and said, "Lord White Dragon, just consider this as me being bored."
Bai Long held the newspaper up to him: "So, the Military Intelligence Bureau has changed its intelligence methods?"
Chen Ji sat down opposite him: "That's not the case. I'd like to ask what the Military Intelligence Bureau has been doing lately."
Bai Long recalled: "Five days ago, a merchant from the south hosted a banquet for Yao Dong, the newly appointed deputy commander of the Five Cities Garrison, in the Eight Great Hutongs. During the banquet, he only ate, drank, and had fun, and did not reveal anything. However, Yao Dong was also quick-witted and noticed that the merchant's accent did not match his travel permit and household registration. He immediately arrested the merchant. When the merchant realized that his plan had been exposed, he committed suicide by poisoning himself."
Chen Ji pondered for a moment, then flipped through the newspapers and pointed to the last page of the Wen Yuan Morning Post, saying, "There was an advertisement in the newspaper seven days ago, for Chongnanfang Tavern."
Bai Long followed the finger and saw an advertisement that read: "New store opening! Seven kinds of seasonal fresh fish, 35 coins per catty, buy three catties and get one catty free. Also available are 23 jars of 18-year-old Daughter's Red wine, each jar weighing 4.6 taels. From October 25th to November 25th, the first ten customers each day will receive a free plate of Osmanthus cake."
He looked up at Chen Ji and said astutely, "Writing the price is reasonable, but listing 'Twenty-three jars of Daughter's Red Wine' in the advertisement is inappropriate."
Chen Ji exclaimed, "Great White Dragon is a man of great talent and quick wit."
Bai Long pondered for a moment longer: "What message did the Military Intelligence Division convey?"
Chen Ji shook his head: "I don't know."
Bai Long sat up straight: "Since you can see through the clues, you can see through the inside story. Lord Sick Tiger refuses to tell me, what do you want to exchange with me?"
Chen Ji smiled and said, "I really don't know this time. The Military Intelligence Bureau may have used a method called a codebook... A codebook is a separate book where each number corresponds to a specific page, line, and word."
Bai Long suddenly realized: "Without this codebook, even if we know they are transmitting a message, we still can't know what they are transmitting."
Chen Ji nodded: "Yes, that merchant committed suicide by swallowing poison, perhaps to avoid having this secret exposed during interrogation. Did that merchant have any books among his belongings?"
Bai Long got up and left.
As he reached the door, he turned back to look at Chen Ji.
Chen Ji asked in confusion, "What's wrong?"
Bai Long was silent for a moment: "It's okay, I'll bring you mutton buns tomorrow."
……
……
Day 12.
The White Dragon arrived even earlier.
Chen Ji heard the door open while he was on the bed. When he opened his eyes, Bai Long was already standing in front of the main room, blocking the gray sky.
He rubbed the sleep from the corner of his eye: "You're here so early?"
Bai Long placed the mutton buns wrapped in oil paper on the table: "The Secret Service had previously searched the inn where the merchant was staying, and they did find a book inside. But when I went back yesterday to compare it with the newspaper, I still found nothing."
Chen Ji sat up: "That book might be a smokescreen. If the merchant didn't carry it with him, then this codebook is very likely something that can be found anywhere, like every bookstore has it... The Analects, The Doctrine of the Mean, The Book of Poetry? We need to check if any of the bookstores have seen this person recently, and what books he has read."
Bai Long shook his head: "Searching like this is like looking for a needle in a haystack... How about you write down a codebook for me?"
Chen Ji threw off the covers, got up, and went to the courtyard to wash up: "Our secret service can transmit messages openly and honestly, so what is Lord Bailong using this codebook for?"
Bai Long remained silent.
Chen Ji suddenly realized: "Wait, you didn't prepare this for our dynasty's secret service, you prepared it for those secret spies who have infiltrated the Jing dynasty."
Bai Long said calmly, "This matter is under my jurisdiction, so don't ask any more questions."
Chen Ji took a bite of the steamed bun: "With Lord Bailong's intelligence, since he already knows the principles of the codebook, why would he need me... Lord Bailong wouldn't just be giving me something to do, would he?"
Bai Long stared at Chen Ji for a long time before suddenly changing the subject: "What are your plans for your engagement with the Qi family?"
Chen Ji finished the mutton bun in a few bites and asked in confusion, "What? What should we do?"
Bai Long said slowly, "Now that Grand Secretary Qi is often delirious and rarely sober, the Qi family is no longer restrained. Starting a few days ago, people have been spreading rumors about your engagement with the Qi family, saying that you will break off the engagement on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, and that you will be punished for it... Your previous rescue of Princess Baili has become widely known, damaging the reputation of Miss Qi, and the Qi family can break off the engagement at any time. But you can't. If you break off the engagement, they can then exile you to Lingnan with a legitimate reason."
Chen Ji was taken aback upon hearing this: "That suits me perfectly. It would be best if the Qi family could exile me to Lingnan; I would then remember their favor."
Bai Long sneered, "What, you plan to take your maid and run off to a place like Lingnan?"
Chen Ji remained silent.
Bai Long continued, "The Secret Service had a gyrfalcon that was exiled to Leizhou in the 29th year of the Jia Ning era. It took him three months to get there, and when he arrived, he found that there was no winter. It was sweltering all year round, and when it got hot, you would sweat even from the cracks in your bones. There were so many mosquitoes that they were like a black fog, and if you slapped one, your hand would be covered in blood. Most strangers who came there did not survive a year; the miasma alone was deadly."
"In Lingnan, dozens of chieftains govern themselves, and official documents from the imperial court are unrecognizable once they leave the county. Those exiled there are either forced into hard labor by the chieftains or have their heads chopped off and hung at the village gate by the Miao people. Whether you live or die is completely irrelevant. The officials there are incredibly cunning; they can use witchcraft to take lives without anyone noticing. Even if you can endure it, I'm afraid Xiaoman couldn't..."
Chen Ji said softly, "I'll go myself."
Bai Long's words abruptly stopped.
He stared at the ruins for a long time, then turned and walked into the courtyard, sitting down at the stone table: "Let's play chess."
From dawn till dusk, Bai Long managed to win forty games, leaving Chen Ji so frustrated he was practically tearing his hair out.
After losing the fortieth round, Chen Ji raised his hand to stop him, saying, "Wait, Lord Bailong, I'll write down a codebook for you. You won't need to go through the trouble of flipping through books. All the spies lurking in Jingchao only need to memorize two poems."
Bai Long turned and left, saying, "No need. Lord Sick Tiger should think about how to survive in Lingnan."
Just as Bai Long was about to leave the courtyard, Chen Ji suddenly asked, "Does Lord Bai Long have anyone he can trust?"
Bai Long turned to look at him and said firmly, "Yes, it is. Entrusting one's life to another, back to back, this is the essence of a friendship that transcends life and death."
Chen Ji hummed in agreement: "It's fine."
Bai Long countered, "Don't you have any?"
Chen Ji gave an irrelevant answer: "Actually, She Dengke confessed to me without being tortured, right? There was no blood or external injury on him, just some messy hair. Although She Dengke walked with a limp, it looked more like he twisted his ankle... I didn't mean to blame him, I just saw it and remembered it."
Bai Long stood in front of the door for a long time before calmly telling her, "We haven't even reached the point of torture yet. She Dengke accepted a thousand taels of silver from the Qi family and then confessed to you."
Chen Ji nodded: "I guessed it."
Bai Long calmly said, "Since you've already guessed it, why do you need my help to save his life?"
Chen Ji smiled and said, "I don't have a chance to go back to Luo City, but he does. Please trouble Lord Bailong to let him go back. He should have been an ordinary person living a normal life. It was I who dragged him into this."
Bai Long turned and left: "Alright." (End of Chapter)