Aoyama

Chapter 491 Making things difficult
"I don't want to."

Chen Ji flatly refused Princess Li Yang's request, making it decisive and efficient.

Princess Liyang looked at Chen Ji in surprise: "Lord Chen, that is the head of the Military Intelligence Bureau. The Military Intelligence Bureau acts recklessly in the Southern Dynasty. As a citizen of the Southern Dynasty, don't you want to tear him to pieces?"

Chen Ji kept his eyes straight ahead: "I am outnumbered and weak, I don't have that ability."

Princess Liyang was utterly perplexed.

Using the head of the Military Intelligence Bureau as bait, logically speaking, no loyal minister of the Ning Dynasty would resist taking the bait. At this moment, she found Chen Ji somewhat unfathomable. If Chen Ji wasn't a loyal minister, why was he risking his life outside Chongli Pass? If Chen Ji was a loyal minister, how could he remain unmoved by the clues from the head of the Military Intelligence Bureau?
A long procession passed through the Daming Gate, with the Imperial Guards splitting into two columns to escort Princess Liyang on horseback. Along the way, spies armed with bows and crossbows followed on the rooftops, maintaining a tight security presence.

At the very center of the group, Princess Liyang was still unwilling to give up.

Her eyes darted around, and she said gently, "Lord Chen, don't you want this tremendous merit? If you can capture him, you might become the Marquis of Wuxiang County. As far as I know, only dukes and marquises of Ningchao can inherit their titles without fail."

Chen Ji dusted off his red official robe: "Unfortunately, I am also a hereditary official from Wuxiang County."

Princess Liyang was slightly taken aback.

Chen Ji glanced at the retreating figures of the Imperial Guards ahead and said slowly, "Actually, Your Highness isn't that afraid of death. The reason you insisted on calling me to escort you and even sent away your men was probably to discuss this matter with me... I must say, Your Highness is indeed a qualified ambitious man who won't let go of any opportunity to eliminate political enemies. But Your Highness should still contact the Secret Service; I imagine they are more interested in this matter."

Princess Liyang remained silent.

Chen Ji smiled and said, "What, Your Highness, are you worried that if you cooperate with others, news of your betrayal of the Military Intelligence Bureau will reach the Jing Dynasty, and you will be branded as a traitor? If that happens, I'm afraid you'll be placed under house arrest again."

Princess Liyang laughed when her thoughts were exposed: "I only dared to discuss this matter with Lord Chen because I trust his character. If it were anyone else, I really wouldn't dare to hand over any leverage."

Chen Ji knew that he actually knew the secret of Princess Li Yang poisoning the Third Prince, and Princess Li Yang also knew the secret of his cultivation of the sword technique. The two were already the most solid allies, so this secret was not a big deal.

But he wasn't interested in the head of the Military Intelligence Bureau. He only needed to capture Si Cao Ding. As for the head of the Military Intelligence Bureau... why create unnecessary trouble?

The more you know, the more trouble you'll cause. If the Chief of the Secret Service were so easy to catch, wouldn't the Twelve Zodiacs of the Secret Service have caught them long ago?

At this moment, the ceremonial guard entered Chengtian Gate. Princess Liyang changed the subject and said in a low voice, "Actually, I don't know who the head of the Military Intelligence Bureau is, but I know a clue: Twelve years ago, Lu Er, the commander of the Tiger Army, had a seriously ill mother. Lu Er secretly returned to the capital without being summoned, but was caught red-handed by Yuan Cheng. Yuan Cheng accused him of treason and executed his entire family of 246 people. During this time, Lu Jin secretly sent Lu Er's orphans to the Southern Dynasty to live in anonymity. Among them was the daughter of the deputy commander. The two should be quite young now."

Chen Ji said irritably, "I don't want to know, but Your Highness is forcing it on me?"

Princess Liyang smiled slightly and continued, "Lu Jin's previous resignation was also due to this matter. Three years ago, the Jiang family captured the assassin who escorted the orphans back then. After months of interrogation, the assassin finally implicated Lu Jin and revealed that Lu Er's orphan had a plum blossom birthmark on his elbow and the deputy commander's orphan had an arrow scar on his back. After sending the orphans to Yangzhou, the assassin entrusted them to the care of the head of the Military Intelligence Bureau, and then returned to Jingchao to serve Lu Jin... Now, if we can find these two orphans, we might be able to find the head of the Bureau."

The Meridian Gate was right in front of us, and hundreds of guards were already standing in front of it.

Chen Ji said in a low voice, "So you don't know who the Chief Judge is either. Finding someone with these clues is as difficult as climbing to the sky. Your Highness should give up on this idea."

Princess Liyang said earnestly, "Lord Chen, even if we want to live in anonymity, we need to obtain the appropriate household registration and travel permits. The two children cannot live alone in this world, nor can they appear out of thin air. They need parents and relatives. How to prevent the people around them from suspecting them is also a big problem. There are too many things to do if we want to hide these two children... Lord Chen, there are no real secrets in this world, only secrets that have not yet been discovered."

After saying that, she added, "Lu Er's orphan will definitely not be unknown. The head of the Military Intelligence Bureau will definitely take good care of him. There's no need to search slowly in the city. They must be in the Ning Dynasty court... I'm not saying this to force Lord Chen. What if it comes in handy?"

At this point, the ceremonial guard finally arrived at the Meridian Gate, and both men fell silent.

Hu Xuanzhen, the Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies, stood in front of the gate, stroking his white beard and slowly said, "Your Highness Princess Liyang, according to etiquette, you should have held the official letter and handed it over at the Meridian Gate. However, due to the urgency of the situation and considering that the Jing Dynasty does not value etiquette, this has been waived."

Princess Liyang smiled and said, "This old man should know what happened in between. Why bother to stay here and make sarcastic remarks? It would be a waste of the Southern Dynasty's decorum."

Hu Xuanzhen continued, "Furthermore, according to etiquette, foreign envoys must address His Majesty as 'subjects.' Your Highness, you can no longer refer to yourself as 'this palace,' but rather as 'your subject.' Upon entering the Hall of Supreme Harmony, you must also perform the full kowtow to His Majesty." Princess Liyang shook her head: "I am not a subject of the Ning Dynasty, how can I address myself as a subject, how can I kowtow? Everything else is negotiable, but this matter is unacceptable. If Your Excellency insists, then I will have no choice but to return to the Jing Dynasty."

Hu Xuanzhen remained calm and composed, saying, "Jing Dynasty has taken the initiative to seek peace this time. If Your Highness wishes to return, you may do so today."

No one expected that the ceremonial guard would be stuck at the Meridian Gate.

In the past, when envoys came to the court, they were indeed addressed as subjects according to etiquette, and both sides were.

But this time, it was a princess who came, a member of the royal family. No one knew how she should address herself, whether she should say "This palace is disrespectful to Emperor Ning" or "This subject has disgraced the Jing Dynasty royal family."

Even if Princess Liyang desperately wanted to exchange Yuancheng for Yuancheng, she couldn't afford to tarnish the dignity of the dynasty, otherwise she would be condemned by everyone upon returning to Jingchao. Hu Xuanzhen, on the other hand, upheld the proper etiquette, and no one could find fault with him.

Qi Zhenzhuo dismounted and came to Chen Ji's side, muttering softly, "These civil officials are deliberately making things difficult, trying to sabotage the peace talks between the two countries. How can they be so stupid as to come up with such a trivial matter to hold us back?"

Chen Ji said calmly, "Because they think about these things every day, and only these things."

The area outside the Meridian Gate quieted down. Princess Liyang neither avoided nor yielded, and the Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies remained calm and unhurried, as if they would wait until the sun set.

However, at this moment, Bai Long walked out from the Meridian Gate: "Hu Junyan, the Director of the Imperial Observatory, has entered the palace and said that the Big Dipper was visible last night, which is an omen of the Heavenly Official bestowing blessings, the Earthly Official pardoning sins, and the Water Official relieving calamities. It is an auspicious day for cultivating one's inner energy and practicing meditation, which can prolong life and bring the protection of the Star Lord. Your Majesty will be in seclusion at Renshou Palace today to cultivate the Tao and will not be able to attend to state affairs. The Crown Prince will meet with Princess Jingchao Liyang at Zhongcui Palace to discuss state affairs."

Chen Ji's heart skipped a beat. He wondered whose idea this was, that by having the Crown Prince receive the princess, all the difficulties posed by the civil officials had been resolved. Moreover, even if she were to be sent back to Yuancheng, it would be the Crown Prince who would bear the blame, not the Emperor Ning.

Before the Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies could come up with a solution, Bai Long had already taken a step back, using his back to push aside the Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies and clear the way to enter the Meridian Gate.

The Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies was jostled outside the Meridian Gate and nearly fell to the ground if the Vice Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies hadn't stepped forward to support him.

He steadied himself, his beard trembling with rage: "The eunuch faction is ruining the country! The eunuch faction is ruining the country!"

Bai Long ignored his curses and gestured to Princess Li Yang, "Your Highness, please."

"Thank you, Lord White Dragon," Princess Liyang said with a smile as she walked through the Meridian Gate and headed towards the Eastern Six Palaces.

Chen Ji followed behind the two men as the grand procession passed through the palace streets with their red walls and golden tiles. He didn't know when it started, but he had become a regular visitor to the Forbidden City.

As he passed by the Jiefan Building, he subconsciously looked up at a window on the top floor. The wooden window was tightly closed, but he could almost see someone sitting inside, writing documents.

Upon reaching the gates of Zhongcui Palace, Bailong turned to Chen Ji and said, "The magistrate of Wuxiang County is not part of the ceremonial procession, so let's wait outside Zhongcui Palace."

Princess Liyang wanted to call Chen Ji, but saw Bai Long turn his head and stare straight at her: "Your Highness, rest assured, with me here, no one will dare to hurt you."

Princess Liyang hesitated for a moment, then finally smiled and said, "Okay."

Chen Ji stood outside the gate of Zhongcui Palace, feeling something. He turned around and saw Princess Baili standing on the palace road of Jingyang Palace across the way, looking towards him.

This was yet another opportunity that the White Dragon had created for the two of them to meet.

Who exactly is Bai Long?

(End of this chapter)