Green Mountain

The salt permits going out from Meihua Ferry Crossing can only source salt from the fifty-nine salt fields in the Inner Court, and these fifty-nine fields produce only thirty percent of the official salt fields' output, which is far from enough.

Ninety percent of the private salt must be mixed into the official salt for sale, using the official salt as leverage to move the entire salt industry of the Ning Dynasty.

Brother Pao took a puff of smoke, "Don't worry."

Chen Ji continued to instruct, "The money on the books cannot be moved recklessly. The Chen Family's accounts are audited by the Chen Family members, and the Zhang Family's accounts by the Zhang Family members. Our methods of making money must be hidden beneath the undercurrents. By the way, I need you to get close to the Cao Guild; it's a crucial link."

Brother Pao exhaled a long stream of smoke, "I've been curious lately; you don't seem to really like money. If it were someone else, they would be jumping for joy after gathering such a large salt merchant and creating a salt permit exchange, but you don't seem very happy?"

Chen Ji smiled, "I'm happy, how could I not be?"

Brother Pao, holding his smoking pipe, looked into the distance, "Happiness can't be faked... Is it because you've taken bloody chips? Don't overthink it; killing is not the hardest thing in this world, kindness is. Those with soft hearts are not blessed."

Chen Ji stood up and walked out, "Don't worry, I'm not soft-hearted. I'm not so happy because making money is not my end game; the things I want to do are only just at the second step, with nine hundred and ninety-eight steps to go."

Brother Pao was puzzled, "What exactly are you trying to do?"

Chen Ji waved his hand without turning back, "Brother Pao is better off not knowing. I probably won't come to Meihua Ferry Crossing for a while; there are other things to attend to."

He left Meihua Ferry Crossing through the back door, with Si Caogui setting up the footstool and using a Xiangfei Bamboo strip to lift the carriage curtain, "Young Master, please get in the carriage."

Chen Ji got into the carriage, and it slowly started moving.

They remained silent until they passed through Zhengyang Gate, where Si Caogui hadn't uttered a word.

Chen Ji gently lifted the curtain slightly, looking at Si Caogui's back, as solid as a rock, "Why hasn't Lord Si Cao urged me today?"

Si Caogui was silent for a long time before speaking, "I probably won't have to urge you in the future. Observing you set a trap to ensnare the salt merchant tonight made me realize that it's something I might not be able to accomplish in my lifetime. Since I can't do it, I'm in no position to point fingers at you."

Chen Ji was somewhat surprised.

Si Caogui, leaning outside the carriage, gazed at the bustling night view of the Imperial Capital, "As I mentioned earlier, as long as you do things beneficial to the Jing Dynasty, I wouldn't mind being your blade. Now you've proven your wisdom far exceeds mine, so you no longer need to listen to me, but rather, I will listen to you."

Chen Ji was even more surprised.

Si Caogui asked, "What, you thought I was joking with you?"

Chen Ji smiled, "No, Lord Si Cao is meticulous in his actions, wouldn't jest casually."

"Power is useless to me. Whoever can support the Jing Dynasty's foundation should hold the power. Just as we support your uncle to replace those idle nobles; it's not your uncle who needs us, but we who need him. Now that you've proven yourself, I should listen to you."

Si Caogui's tone shifted, "But if I find out you've done anything to betray the Jing Dynasty, or harbor any hidden agendas, don't blame me for being ruthless."

Chen Ji leaned his head against the carriage and closed his eyes, "Rest assured, Lord Si Cao, I will wholeheartedly give my best."

Si Caogui sighed slightly, "Before coming to the Jing Dynasty, your uncle was worried about choosing a Division Head candidate, finding no one suitable. But now, I feel there are successors. Unfortunately, I cannot transmit what has happened here back to the Jing Dynasty, lest it gets intercepted, and from the letter, deduces your identity. Otherwise, your uncle would certainly be pleased with what you've accomplished."

Chen Ji was slightly moved, "Doesn't my uncle have any strategists under his command?"

Si Caogui casually replied, "Your uncle has many talents under him; there are warriors and those with military strategy prowess. But the Military Intelligence Department is not the military; mere martial and strategic skills are insufficient. One must have extraordinary patience and composure, as well as extraordinary cunning and acting skills, to deceive the Ning Dynasty's Eunuch Party. Although I despise the Twelve Signs of the Spy Department, several of them indeed pose a significant threat to us."

Chen Ji curiously asked, "Which ones?"

Si Caogui recalled, "Meng Ji is one, having trained in the 'Sweet Dream God' official gateway, mastering interrogation techniques that leave one defenseless. Anyone caught by him can easily be coaxed into revealing all their connections in dreams, forcing our Military Intelligence Department to adopt single-line communication and necessitating greater caution."

"Jin Zhu is another, meticulous beyond words, adept at setting traps, and quick to catch any slip, capturing many of our people."

"Xuan Snake is the third, trained in 'Little Celestial Five Declines' official gateway, an expert in criminal law, renowned for tracking and encirclement. In Jinling, I once barely escaped his ambush by the skin of my teeth."

Si Caogui suddenly mentioned, "But the most troublesome is Bai Long, a significant threat to our Jing Dynasty. If there's a chance, it's worth using ten of my lives to take him down."

For some reason, Chen Ji didn't want Bai Long to die.

Though he didn't know who Bai Long was, he sensed that the new Bai Long was somehow significant to him.

He immediately changed the subject, "What about Jiao Tu, Yun Yang, Heavenly Horse? And the other zodiacs?"

Si Caogui replied, "Jiao Tu is feigning ignorance, Yun Yang is truly foolish, along with the cunning Treasure Monkey, these three have always been the Poison Minister's blades in eliminating rebel parties within the Ning Dynasty, generally not dealing with our Military Intelligence Department; mountain bull is reportedly always guarding Jiefan Building, deterring people from easily probing the Imperial Palace; as for Heavenly Horse, he only follows the Poison Minister's orders, doing whatever instructed; Prisoner manages all inner prisons of the Ning Dynasty, anyone who has seen her has died; Corpse Dog digs graves, seemingly searching for some secret. We don't provoke him, and he doesn't provoke us..."

Chen Ji suddenly asked softly, "What about Binghu?"

Si Caogui seemed hesitant.

Chen Ji pressed, "Binghu is one of the Top Three Zodiacs, he must be troublesome, hasn't he done anything?"

Si Caogui replied solemnly, "Binghu's name has always existed only in legends; no one has seen him, nor had dealings with him."

Chen Ji wondered, "He doesn't work for the Spy Department?"

"No," Si Caogui took a deep breath, "The best warriors have no glorious achievements, the best healers have no world-renowned fame; it's precisely because our Military Intelligence knows nothing about him that it proves his terror. Someone must have seen him, dealt with him, but even if he stood right before you, you'd never know he was Binghu, and that's the most deadly part."

Chen Ji changed the subject, "No Jiao Tu, Yun Yang, Heavenly Horse? What about the other zodiacs?"

Si Caogui answered, "Jiao Tu, Yun Yang, and Heavenly Horse do not usually deal with us. Prisoner handles all inner prison matters within the Ning Dynasty, and all who have met her ended up dead. The Corpse Dog digs graves, seemingly in search of some secret. We don't provoke him, and he leaves us alone..."

Chen Ji suddenly asked softly again, "What about Binghu?"

Si Caogui seemed hesitant.

Si Caogui, in a solemn tone, replied, "The name Binghu has always existed only in legends; no one has seen him, and no one has ever engaged with him. He doesn't work for the Spy Department, but he's the deadliest because even if he stands before you, you wouldn't know he's Binghu."

Chen Ji shifted topics, "Why doesn't my uncle appoint you as the Division Head?"

Si Caogui shook his head, "I'm just a martial artist, after all. According to your uncle, I can be a Fierce Soldier in the Flag Guard Camp, but that military position isn't enough, and the current Division Head is unknown to me. As for the identities of Si Caojia, Si Caoyi, Si Caoding, and Si Caoxin, I only know a bit. Si Caoxin has already passed, he was the late Manager Yuan in Luocheng City. Si Caoyi was one of Lu Guanwu's people, and I personally cleaned the house."

Si Caogui became cautious, "Why do you ask about this? This isn't something you should inquire about yet."

Chen Ji laughed lightly, "Moments ago, you said yourself you would listen to me from now on. If I am not aware of who in the Military Intelligence Department can coordinate and execute plans, how can I strategize properly?"

Si Caogui replied, his tone more moderate, "Si Caojia and Si Caoding's identities will become clear at a more suitable time. For now, only your uncle knows who the Division Head is. At present, I can't disclose it, because if someone intercepts our correspondence from here, they might deduce your identity from the letters, but rest assured, your uncle will be happy when he learns of your achievements."

Chen Ji pondered, "Is the Division Head someone under my uncle? Or from the previous Military Strategist Envoy, Lu Guanwu?"

Si Caogui again shook his head, "I don't know. For now, only your uncle knows the Division Head's identity. Previously, when Lu Guanwu's people were purging us, he was hiding in the South and didn't participate. Although your uncle wants to remove him and replace him with someone loyal, for now, he can't do much. But eventually, the plan is to replace him with our own people."

Si Caogui laughed, "When you prove yourself capable of being the Division Head, I could obediently serve as a Si Cao under your command."

Division Head...

Chen Ji closed his eyes again.