novelapdf 100. Secret letter
100. Secret letter
The "Jishengtang" herbal medicine shop in the East Market quietly changed owners. The new manager, surnamed Chen, was in his forties, with a kind face and some medical knowledge. He always greeted customers with a smile. The shop assistants were all new faces, but they were quick and efficient and very considerate. The shop had a good location, close to the dock, attracting many merchants from the north and south, and business quickly picked up.
Secretly, this place had become the Seven Absolutes Manor's covert intelligence outpost in the capital. Hong Jiu was stationed in the backyard, while Gray Rat was responsible for internal and external communications. Over the past few days, under the guise of purchasing medicinal herbs and inquiring about folk remedies, they had established preliminary contacts with some brokers and informants in the black market, but there was little substantial progress regarding the flame mark and Qiao San. Qiao San was a elusive man with considerable influence in the ghost market and numerous informants; rash contact could easily alert him.
That evening, just as the shop was about to close, a man dressed in coarse cloth and looking like a boatman slipped in, claiming he wanted to buy a rare herb called "Red Sun Root" to treat rheumatism. The clerk who served him was one of Gray Rat's men. Upon hearing that "Red Sun Root" was the agreed-upon code word, he had a sudden thought, but he didn't show it on his face and led the man to the back room.
Upon seeing Hong Jiu, the visitor pulled out a small bamboo tube from his pocket and whispered, "Master Jiu, this was delivered urgently from the south by 'Night Owl'."
"Night Owl" was the code name for the spies from Seven Absolutes Manor responsible for monitoring several major land and water routes. Hong Jiu took the bamboo tube, waved his hand, and the man quickly retreated.
The bamboo tube was sealed with sealing wax, the seal intact. Hong Jiu crushed the wax and poured out a tightly rolled-up small strip of paper. Unrolling it, he saw it contained coded intelligence; after being treated with a special solution, the writing was now clearly visible:
"Three days ago, at 3:45 PM, a carrier pigeon was intercepted at Qingjiangpu Post Station. A secret message was tied to the pigeon's leg, using the coded language commonly used by the Imperial Guard, but the encryption method was slightly different, suggesting a higher level of security. The deciphered message is as follows: 'The affairs in Jiangnan are completed, and the silver has been deposited into the treasury. His Highness the Third Prince is urging us urgently. We hope that you will make a decision as soon as possible to remove the obstacles and prevent future troubles. Signed: Xuanzi No. 7.' The pigeon flew towards the capital."
Hong Jiu's gaze lingered on the words "Third Prince" and "clearing obstacles" for a long time, his eyes sharp as knives. There was indeed fierce factional infighting within the royal family, with princes involved, and the inner guards possibly being used to eliminate dissidents. "Xuanzi No. 7" was clearly a code name, suggesting a high rank.
"Grey Rat!" Hong Jiu called out in a deep voice.
The gray squirrel, which had been waiting outside the door, entered upon hearing the call.
"Bring me all the information we've gathered about the princes, especially the Third Prince." Hong Jiu handed the note to Gray Rat.
Gray Mouse quickly scanned the screen, his expression turning serious: "The Third Prince, Li Cong... his birth mother died early, and his maternal family is not prominent, but he seems to have considerable support from some nobles and military generals in court, and is known for his decisive and ruthless actions. In recent years, his struggle with the Fifth Prince, Li Lin, has become increasingly fierce. This 'clearing obstacles'... who could it be referring to?"
"Whoever it is, this confirms the Master's judgment: the Imperial Guard's actions were not independent; the Prince is behind them." Hong Jiu stood up and paced around the room. "This secret letter is crucial. 'Night Owl' did a good job, but he mentioned that the cipher used by the carrier pigeons is slightly different from the common Imperial Guard cipher?"
"Yes, the note says 'suspected to be of a higher level.'" Gray Rat nodded. "Could it be that there's a more secretive system within the Internal Security that we're unaware of? Or is this 'Mysterious Number Seven' and the line it belongs to something rather special?"
Hong Jiu pondered, "Both possibilities exist. It was an accident that we intercepted this secret letter, but the sender will definitely be alerted when they discover the carrier pigeon hasn't arrived. We must take advantage of this time difference. Gray Rat, two things: First, use all available connections to find out, without attracting attention, whether any officials in the capital or local areas have suddenly died, gone missing, or encountered 'accidents' recently, especially those who might be at odds with the Third Prince or hindering some of his plans. Second, focus on investigating the possible meaning of the code name 'Xuan' within the Inner Guard system, and the identity of this 'Number Seven'."
"Understood!" Gray Rat accepted the order and hurriedly left to make arrangements.
Over the next two days, the backyard of "Jishengtang" appeared calm on the surface, but undercurrents were surging beneath. Commands were issued through different channels, and an invisible information network began to operate around "Third Prince" and "Xuanzi No. 7".
Various pieces of information began to gather. One report claimed that the Third Prince had been frequently corresponding with some border generals, led by the Prince of Zhenbei, over the past six months. Another unconfirmed rumor stated that half a month ago, an imperial censor who had publicly opposed the Third Prince's proposal to increase the military pay for the northern border towns fell from his horse on his way home and was seriously injured. Still others said that the Third Prince's staff had recently been in close contact with several well-known martial arts gangs in the capital.
Regarding the character "玄" (xuan), the feedback was even more vague and obscure. Some older agents recalled hearing about a rule in a now-defunct secret intelligence agency of the previous dynasty that used "天地玄黄" (heaven, earth, black, yellow) to classify ranks, but whether the current dynasty's Imperial Guard still uses this system is unknown. Others speculate that "玄" might represent a specific type of mission, such as assassination or subversion—covert operations.
This information was a mixture of truth and falsehood, like scattered puzzle pieces, making it difficult to piece together a complete picture for the time being. However, Hong Jiu keenly sensed that the Third Prince, Li Cong, was secretly weaving a considerable web, and that some of the royal guard's forces might already be under his control. Could the token with the flame mark also be related to this?
On the third night, the gray rat brought back a more specific message.
"Ninth Master, our people managed to contact a minor official in charge of procurement on the outskirts of the Inner Guard. After a few drinks, he revealed that there have indeed been some unusual personnel changes within the Inner Guard recently, especially among the 'Dark Blade' unit directly under His Majesty the Emperor. It seems that some of their personnel have been transferred out to carry out a long-term secret mission, with no return date in sight. The person in charge of coordinating the logistics and supplies for these personnel seems to be a commander surnamed Xuan, but he doesn't know his specific title."
"Dark Blade... Commander Xuan..." Hong Jiu silently noted down these keywords. Although there was still no direct evidence linking the flame mark to the Third Prince or this Commander Xuan, the clues were gradually coming together.
"Also," Gray Rat lowered his voice, "we've made some progress on that bronze mirror. Apparently, the bronze mirror that failed to sell at auction was later bought by a merchant from the Western Regions, but that merchant left the capital shortly after the transaction and his whereabouts are unknown. As for Qiao San, we're still trying to find a roundabout way to get closer to him. He seems to be very cautious lately and rarely makes public appearances."
Hong Jiu nodded, his gaze falling once more on the copy of the secret letter. "The Third Prince is urging us urgently. We hope Your Excellency will make a swift decision to remove obstacles and prevent future troubles." Behind these cold words lay the infighting for power and a bloody conspiracy. Seven Absolutes Manor had inadvertently touched the tip of the iceberg; the waters ahead were deeper and more turbulent than anticipated.
He had to report these circumstances to Master Lin Mo as soon as possible. This capital city, this imperial court, was far more dangerous than the martial world.