Aoyama

Chapter 516 Looking for Si Cao Gui
Upstairs at Meirui Tower, the gangsters dismissed their members, leaving only him and Zhang Xia standing by the railing.

He gazed at the distant inner city walls and chuckled, "So this is what it feels like to have a powerful backer. Miss Zhang, when I first came here, I thought I could make a name for myself with my skills. But when I got here, I found that just the household registration book and travel permit made it impossible for Erdao and me to move an inch. I had no choice but to fight in underground boxing to save my life and Erdao's, but even then, I was outmaneuvered by that old bastard Zhu Guan. Now that I think about it, recognizing Chen Ji was the wisest decision I ever made."

Zhang Xia was silent for a moment: "Brother, I remember clearly that when you were in the escort team in Mengjin County, Chen Ji came up to talk to you, which scared you so much that you fled overnight. He even rode a fast horse to look for you, but you didn't recognize each other at the time."

The man smiled and said, "I didn't know he was the same Chen Ji I knew back then. If I had known, we would have recognized each other long ago."

Zhang Xia probed subtly, "Were the Gelaoge and Chen Ji acquainted a long time ago?"

The man from the paoge clan glanced at Zhang Xia and said, "We're not acquainted. In fact, I was the knife that Chen Ji used to kill someone."

Zhang Xia was somewhat puzzled: "If you're not familiar with each other, why did you dare to claim kinship with me?"

The man with the robe smiled and explained, “Miss Zhang, most people in this world make friends based on whether the other person is useful or capable. But I’m different; I only look at character. Useful friends can give you a good start, but friends with good character can give you a good ending. As long as you become friends with someone like Chen Ji, you will definitely not lose out… However, he is not quite the same as before.”

Zhang Xia suddenly asked, "What kind of person was Chen Ji originally?"

The gangster laughed heartily: "I thought Miss Zhang was so composed, but it turns out she has her moments of losing her composure. You, after spending so much time with Chen Ji, have become as mature for your age as him. You don't live as freely as I do."

Zhang Xia did not speak.

The man sighed, “Chen Ji is more silent and more forbearing than before. Perhaps what he has to do is more dangerous than last time, or perhaps he has truly grown up. There are two best teachers in life: the death of one’s parents and the betrayal of one’s friends and relatives. It seems he has experienced both.”

Zhang Xia asked curiously, "How did his parents die? And how did he die once?"

The man patted the railing: "Chen Ji's parents died in an accident, and the culprit didn't pay with his life. To avenge his parents, he died together with his enemy. Miss Zhang, someone like Chen Ji shouldn't always have such a miserable life. If you really care about him, don't let him risk his life like this. You should find a way to bring him back to the right path."

Zhang Xia fell silent again.

The man sized her up for a moment, then laughed again: "I understand."

Zhang Xia asked, puzzled, "What does the Gelaohui understand?"

Looking at Zhengyang Gate in the distance, the member of the gang joked, "You're not the one who would persuade him to turn back; you're the one who's planning to die with him."

Zhang Xia said casually, "Brother, let's get down to business."

The gang leader pointed to Zhengyang Gate and said, "Since we have a powerful backer, we might as well be bolder in our actions."

……

……

Fire in July.

Early in the morning, before dawn, it was already so hot that people were drenched in sweat.

Chen Ji returned to Ginkgo Garden carrying a shoulder pole, poured all the water from the buckets into the water vat, and called out to the side room, "I'm going out."

There was no response from inside the room.

He pushed open the door to the west wing with a puzzled look, but it was empty. Where was the little monk? He then knocked on the door of the east wing, but Xiaoman did not respond for a long time.

Ever since they started the newspaper, these two have been acting suspiciously, busy with something all day long, and they haven't even taken a nap.

Chen Ji left the Chen family residence and walked onto Fuyou Street. One carriage after another and one sedan chair after another passed by him, all heading to the Six Ministries on Qipan Street.

He saw a stick carrying a cloth bag by the roadside, with a thick stack of Beijing Morning Posts stuffed inside.

Chen Ji saw a carriage stop by the roadside in the distance. The person inside lifted the curtain and said, "Take a copy of the morning paper."

The driver counted out five copper coins and handed them to the rickshaw puller, who then took out a morning newspaper and handed it through the window, saying with a smile, "Thank you for your five coins, sir, may everything go smoothly for you today."

The carriage moved slowly, and soon another sedan chair stopped in front of the guard. Then, one carriage after another and one sedan chair after another bought a copy of the morning newspaper to read on their way to the morning meeting, which could be used to pass the time.

Chen Ji approached the stick, took out five coins from his sleeve, and handed them over: "Take a newspaper."

He handed Chen Ji a newspaper, and Chen Ji read it as he walked towards the outer city.

Today's front page headline is no longer about him, but rather "His Majesty works tirelessly day and night to govern with a single-minded focus, investigating farmland to solidify the foundation of the nation."

The article reads: "It is reported that His Majesty recently summoned senior ministers and spoke frankly about the long-standing problems with the 'fish-scale register' system, where land ownership is increasingly concealed, the wealthy own vast tracts of land yet pay light taxes, while the poor have no land to stand on yet bear heavy labor burdens..."

"The imperial edict clearly states that this land survey will re-examine all land throughout the country, including official land, private land, imperial estates, and estates of meritorious officials..."

Chen Ji muttered under his breath, "It is understood... clearly pointed out..." This damn familiar feeling.

Ever since Qi Zhaoning's attempt to shut down the Morning Post failed, the Gelaohui (a secret society) members have become much bolder. The front page no longer features gossip, but instead is dedicated to flattery.

The second edition no longer focused on the imperial examinations, but instead featured daily news of official appointments and dismissals, as well as news from the capital's inspections: which officials were being sent to other regions, which were being transferred to the capital area, and which were being dismissed due to the inspections...

This is also why officials and nobles in the inner city buy a morning newspaper every morning; in every government office, the sound of turning the pages of newspapers fills the morning air.

In just over twenty days, the newspaper went from one page to four pages, and the locations where the Morning Post was sold expanded from Liulichang to the entire capital.

Previously, those carrying sticks were not allowed to enter the inner city; they needed a travel permit or an inner city household registration. But now, as long as they carry a cloth bag, they can swagger into the inner city through Xuanwu Gate, Zhengyang Gate, and Chongwen Gate, and the infantrymen of the Five City Garrison turn a blind eye and pretend they don't see anything.

As Chen Ji was walking, a woman brushed past him, leaving him with a message: "Yesterday, a spy from the Jing Dynasty's Military Intelligence Bureau attempted to steal the firearms formula. He killed a craftsman from the Crafts Bureau, but after being captured by us, he committed suicide by swallowing poison. He must have been one of Si Cao Ding's men. Lord Bai Long sent me to remind Lord Chen that you need to fulfill your promise to the Grand Chancellor as soon as possible, because your days are numbered."

Chen Ji suddenly turned around and looked thoughtfully at Jiao Tu's back.

He had previously made a pledge at Jiefan Tower that he would capture Si Caoding within three months, but now a month and a half has passed and he hasn't even seen a trace of Si Caoding, and there are no clues at all.

Chen Ji remained expressionless, continuing to look down at the newspaper in his hands. But this time, he didn't look at any other pages; instead, he looked at the last page, the advertising section.

"Wenbaolou Brush and Ink Shop uses Huizhou Dingyan Pine Ink, which is as black as lacquer on paper and will remain true for ten thousand years. Huzhou Zizhu Wolf Hair Brush is round, strong and vigorous, and can be used freely."

"Jinling Peking Duck, the number one delicacy in Beijing. Roasted in a century-old oven at Bianyifang, it is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, rich but not greasy."

"Dejitang is looking for Zhang Mingyuan, a pharmacist of our hall, who is about forty years old and speaks with a Suzhou accent. He went out to collect herbs on the fifteenth of last month and has not returned. If any kind-hearted person knows his whereabouts and reports it to our hall, a reward of ten taels of silver will be given."

The advertisements were varied and diverse. At first, merchants were not used to advertising in newspapers, but after Bianyifang took the lead in advertising, its business became more and more prosperous, and the queues could stretch for dozens of steps. So other merchants also followed suit and advertised.

Chen Ji looked for a long time but still couldn't find the clue he was looking for: the Military Intelligence Bureau's code.

He's putting this morning paper into practice, and it will naturally come in very handy in the future, but the fact that he's rushing to put it into production right now is because it's tailor-made for the Military Intelligence Bureau.

Chen Ji stayed at Wenchang Bookstore for dozens of days, and went through almost all the books, but he still couldn't find the Military Intelligence Bureau's code. Either the Military Intelligence Bureau didn't use Wenchang Bookstore as an intelligence transit point, or there were too many books and he missed some clues.

There are dozens of bookstores in Liulichang, and it's impossible to investigate each one individually. It would take at least three years, let alone three months, to finish the investigation.

Therefore, since the clues are unknown, the Military Intelligence Department should be given the most suitable place to transmit information: the newspaper.

Is there anywhere more suitable for delivering messages than a newspaper? No.

Si Caoding served in the Military Intelligence Bureau for more than ten years, and the number of people who had even met him was very small. This shows that Si Caoding always maintained a single-line contact with his subordinates and never met them in person.

Only in this way can his identity be protected from being revealed.

There are many ways to maintain one-way communication, including environmental signals. For example, it can be agreed that a wine flag is used as a signal; hanging the wine flag means everything is safe, while its absence on a particular day indicates danger. However, this method can only convey simple information.

There were also dead mailboxes. For example, people might agree to drop detailed intelligence under a stone at the second arch of the Jade River Bridge; one person would drop it and leave, while the other would retrieve it later. But this method also had its drawbacks: no matter what message was being sent or how meticulous the agreement was, the latter would always have to show up to retrieve it. And as long as they showed up, there was a risk of being ambushed.

No matter what method you use, nothing beats publishing it in a newspaper.

In Chenji's previous life, newspapers had been the biggest intelligence hub for spies since their inception. An encrypted message published in a newspaper would not attract any attention, and no matter what the spy's identity was, contact with the newspaper would not arouse suspicion.

Officials read the imperial examinations, scholars read poetry, and commoners listened to gossip; each had their own preferences.

Chen Ji believed that with the intelligence of the Chief of the Military Intelligence Department, he would never miss such a good opportunity. The other party should have realized as soon as he saw the newspaper that it could be used to transmit messages.

But he still couldn't find any useful information.

It's unclear whether the Military Intelligence Bureau was being overly cautious and didn't dare use this new tool, or whether there were no messages to be conveyed recently.

After pondering for a moment, Chen Ji turned and headed straight for Plum Blossom Ferry. Upon reaching the top floor of Plum Blossom Pavilion, he got straight to the point: "Brother, bring me all the submissions and advertisements from these past few days. Don't miss a single one; I want to read every single one..."

Before he could finish speaking, Zhang Xia took out a piece of bamboo paper: "No need to look, this is what you're looking for. I just received the stick."

Upon receiving the document, Chen Ji was struck by a shocking obituary: "My father passed away on the 29th day of the sixth month of the 32nd year of the Jia Ning era, at the age of 68. Looking back on my father's life, in his youth he harbored lofty ambitions, seeking out secluded places and ancient sites. As he grew older, he entered public service, admiring noble character. He upheld integrity and righteousness, toiling away at his desk. In his later years, he returned to the ancient trees, surrendering himself to nature..."

Follow, think, practice, return.

Seeking Cao Gui.

(End of this chapter)