Ji Cheng knew that Manager Long was her father’s most capable and loyal assistant, so she didn’t hide anything from him.
“Uncle Long, Second Young Master was right about one thing. Since he’s determined to do this, if it’s not us, he’ll choose others. Now that Second Young Master has set his sights on the Ji family, we have no way out. Knowing too much, it’s impossible to walk away unscathed,” Ji Cheng said.
Long Yin nodded. “The master was worried about you, Miss, that’s why he sent me to the capital. He understands everything you’ve said, and sent me here to assist you.”
Ji Cheng nodded. “Father probably can’t do without you, and if that matter is to be done, the focus will be on Northern Jin. You being in the capital won’t help me much. Go back and tell Father that whether my affairs succeed or not, I’ll return to Jin territory by next spring at the latest. Tell him not to worry.”
Long Yin said, “Actually, after reading your letter, the master already has a plan. What are your thoughts, Miss? The Tan family has always controlled the military supplies. We used to have to beg them for goods. How should we start this matter now?”
Ji Cheng replied, “Uncle Long, I have a letter here for Brother Ziyun. When I initially negotiated with the Second Young Master, my condition was for him to protect the Ji and Ling families. If we can join forces with the Ling family, this matter will be much easier to handle. I hope Brother Ziyun will agree after reading my letter.” Ji Cheng sighed, realizing that her relationship with Ling Ziyun was no longer what it used to be, and she wasn’t sure if he would agree.
“Uncle Long, I’m currently under surveillance, so this letter can only be delivered through you. In the future, any matters will have to trouble you to travel between both places. If you have trustworthy people you can use, let them travel between Jin territory and the capital. If the letters fall into the wrong hands, it will surely bring disaster,” Ji Cheng said.
“I understand. This time, I brought my apprentice with me.” Long Yin introduced Little De Chuan to Ji Cheng. He was just a thin, weak child of twelve or thirteen, easily overlooked. Having him deliver messages between the two places was indeed very suitable.
After returning to the Shen mansion, Ji Cheng thought that since she was now running errands for Shen Che, she should report back to put her master at ease. However, she was reluctant to see Shen Che, just thinking about it made her feel sick. Ji Cheng’s sources of information had improved, and while in Orchid Alley, someone had informed her about the incident with Xiao Yu Xian.
Ji Cheng had seen how Chu De’s group played with women, and now they had caused a death. These seemingly respectable people were all scoundrels. It was tragic to be a woman, and Ji Cheng had countless times wished she were a man, then all her troubles would disappear.
“Call Nan Gui over,” Ji Cheng said to Liu Ye’er. “By the way, how has she been these past few days?”
Liu Ye’er replied, “Don’t worry, Miss. Even when I’m not around, I have someone watching her. She’s well-behaved, doesn’t ask many questions, and doesn’t look around much. However, it seems her martial arts skills are indeed impressive. She practices every morning and evening with great vigor. At night, she doesn’t even lie down to sleep, but sits cross-legged, saying she’s regulating her breath.”
Ji Cheng thought that Nan Gui was either deeply skilled or truly simple-minded. However, based on her guess about Shen Che, if Nan Gui were simple, Ji Cheng would eat her head.
When Nan Gui arrived, Ji Cheng said slowly, “Nan Gui, please inform Second Young Master that my father has already replied to me…”
Seeing that Ji Cheng was about to reveal inside information, Nan Gui quickly interrupted, “Miss, Second Young Master only sent me to your side to relay messages. I dare not know any inside information. I can convey your words to the Young Master, but the specifics must be told to the Second Young Master by you.”
Ji Cheng narrowed her eyes. It was exactly as she had expected. Nan Gui dared not hear the details, and she – Ji Cheng, an unmarried young lady – had no reason to have private conversations with Shen Che. If someone found out, what would become of her future?
All the risks were placed on the Ji family and her head, while Shen Che kept his hands clean. Ji Cheng felt angry just thinking about it.
However, she couldn’t show it on the surface. Ji Cheng wore a gentle smile and said, “Then Nan Gui, please inform Second Young Master that I have something to tell him.”
Nan Gui nodded.
As Nan Gui left, Yu Qian’er came running to Ji Cheng, reporting excitedly, “Miss, it’s simply amazing! You should have seen Nan Gui’s movements. She flew to the rooftop in a flash, and in the blink of an eye, she disappeared!”
Having seen Shen Che’s lightness skills before, the concept of qinggong was no longer just in Ji Cheng’s imagination. This time, Nan Gui’s feat didn’t give her much of a shock.
It was Yu Qian’er who was making a fuss over the novelty.
Given Nan Gui’s rank, she normally wouldn’t be able to see Shen Che. Her direct supervisor was a person called “Twelve,” who was also her master. Before coming to Ji Cheng’s side, Nan Gui had already carried out many missions, all extremely dangerous. This current task seemed like a break for her to recuperate.
However, in all those life-and-death missions before, Nan Gui had never seen the “Jing Lord” of the Jingshi Army. Even her master, Twelve, didn’t report directly to the Jing Lord. Who would have thought that on such a simple mission, she would see him, and it was even a task personally assigned by the Jing Lord?
Nan Gui waited excitedly in the secret chamber for news. Originally, she didn’t know that the Shen family’s Second Young Master was the “Jing Lord,” but once she had seen Ma Chao in her master’s room.
Her master had been extremely respectful to Ma Chao, clearly showing that Ma Chao was of a higher rank. Now, Nan Gui had seen the head steward of Jiuli Court, Ma Chao, in the Shen family. Although Ma Chao had been in disguise when he visited her master, Nan Gui recognized the head steward Ma Chao at first glance this time.
It wasn’t that Ma Chao’s disguise was poor, but Nan Gui had a natural talent for remembering faces she had seen before. No matter how they disguised themselves, Nan Gui could recognize them.
Originally, Ma Chao’s master wasn’t necessarily the Jing Lord, but when Nan Gui saw Shen Che, she somehow knew he must be the Jing Lord – the leader of the Jingshi Army whose exact identity many people wanted to uncover.
Hearing the sound of wheels rolling, Nan Gui looked up to see a wooden carriage slowly descending from above. Shen Che, dressed in a purple robe and wearing a jade crown, appeared before Nan Gui.
Nan Gui only glanced once before immediately lowering her head and averting her eyes. In all these years, having seen so many people and experienced so many things, only when seeing Shen Che did she involuntarily lower her head. That’s why Nan Gui believed that no one else could be the Jing Lord – the one said to have reached the pinnacle of cultivation, with ghostly and divine martial arts skills.
For someone like Nan Gui who had practiced martial arts since childhood, how could an ordinary person make her lower her head without doing anything? Although Nan Gui couldn’t discern Shen Che’s level of cultivation, or even be sure if he knew martial arts at all, as he looked too harmless, just him standing there – not that he had an oppressive aura – made Nan Gui want to weaken at the knees. It was this kind of extraordinary intuition that had saved Nan Gui’s life several times.
Nan Gui kept her head lowered, waiting for the Jing Lord to speak. She hadn’t expected that for just relaying a message, the Jing Lord would personally come down to see her.
Shen Che looked at Nan Gui standing there obediently with her head lowered. This was different from the clever and meticulous Nan Gui described by Ma Chao and Twelve.
Shen Che glanced at Nan Gui again, inwardly understanding that Nan Gui had probably guessed his identity.
“How did you guess my identity?” Shen Che asked directly. Since a flaw had appeared, he naturally wanted to clarify the reason and then remedy it.
Nan Gui quietly explained her reasons. Shen Che was speechless; he couldn’t control this ability to make others weak at the knees without doing anything. However, most people in the world wouldn’t be as sensitive as Nan Gui, and Nan Gui was only able to guess his identity immediately because she was in the Jingshi Army.
Shen Che wasn’t concerned, feeling that placing Nan Gui by Ji Cheng’s side was appropriate.
“There can’t be the slightest mistake in Ji Cheng’s matters. If there’s anything you don’t understand or find unusual, you must come and tell me,” Shen Che said.
Nan Gui nodded firmly.
In their line of work, they usually process information themselves first, making their judgments about what to report and what insignificant details to conceal. But hearing the Jing Lord speak this way, Nan Gui immediately understood that she should report any anomalies, big or small.
The fact that Shen Che was personally inquiring made Nan Gui think this matter must be extremely important. So even though Ji Cheng and her maids had been very kind to her these past few days, not treating her differently because of her “spy” status, the Jing Lord had spoken, and there was no room for personal feelings.
Ji Cheng indeed had this intention when she treated Nan Gui with such courtesy.
“Miss, doesn’t looking at Nan Gui make you uncomfortable? I’m always afraid of letting something slip when talking to her,” Yu Qian’er said nervously. Fortunately, it was Liu Ye’er who shared a room with Nan Gui.
Ji Cheng hadn’t hidden the Ji family’s affairs from Liu Ye’er and Yu Qian’er. Some things shouldn’t have been told to them, but they were her right and left hands, staying by her side all day, and many things couldn’t be kept from them. Telling only half the story might cause misunderstandings and potentially ruin things, so Ji Cheng gives Liu Ye’er and Yu Qian’er a choice.
Initially, Ji Cheng had wanted to marry off the two maids as primary wives to ordinary families. With the dowry Ji Cheng had prepared for them, they could live a life of respect in their in-laws’ homes. But once Liu Ye’er and Yu Qian’er knew too much, especially about the Jingshi Army, Ji Cheng couldn’t possibly let them leave.
The two maids were like sisters to Ji Cheng and sympathized with her situation, so they expressed their absolute unwillingness to leave her. Thus, Ji Cheng kept no secrets from them.
Since Liu Ye’er and Yu Qian’er had tied their fates to Ji Cheng’s, she planned that if she were to marry in the future, she would take both Liu Ye’er and Yu Qian’er as concubines. Ji Cheng wasn’t a jealous person and didn’t care which woman’s room a man spent more time in. She would treat any children born to Liu Ye’er and Yu Qian’er as her own, and if necessary, she would be more than willing to register them under her name as legitimate children. She would never harm the sisterly bond of many years for the sake of a man.
Therefore, Ji Cheng didn’t worry about Liu Ye’er and Yu Qian’er’s futures. As long as she had food to eat, the two maids wouldn’t go hungry.
However, these thoughts were premature.
When Ji Cheng received Nan Gui’s response, she initially thought she would have to brave the wind and snow late at night to climb over the wall for a “secret meeting” with Shen Che. To her surprise, Nan Gui led her to a well in the northeast corner behind the courtyard.
This was where the servants usually fetched water for washing clothes, a rather secluded spot. At this hour, everyone in the house was asleep. Those who did physical labor slept deeply, their snores echoing.
Ji Cheng looked at her reflection in the well, then turned to Nan Gui, “Are you sure I need to go down there?” She considered that although she could swim, it would be cold.
The water level in the well wasn’t high, probably requiring a descent of more than a zhang to reach the surface. Nan Gui embraced Ji Cheng and jumped down, his foot catching on something in the well wall. Suddenly, two doors opened in the wall, and Nan Gui, holding Ji Cheng, slipped inside.
Nan Gui escorted Ji Cheng to the foot of Jiuli Courtyard before finally speaking, “Miss, go up these stairs and you’ll reach the secret chamber beneath Jiuli Courtyard. This servant won’t go up, but will wait for you here.”
As Ji Cheng climbed the stairs, she was still in shock from what she had just experienced. The underground passages were extensive and interconnected. With such secret tunnels, even if the Shen family were to face a raid, those who needed to escape could do so.
Although the secret passage was winding, Ji Cheng could sense there was a method to its design. Since obtaining the bamboo grove’s decoding method from Shen Che, although she hadn’t studied formations, she could perceive that this secret passage was also arranged according to a formation. Even if others broke in, without solving the formation, their efforts would be in vain.
Ji Cheng knocked on her head, remembering that when the Ji family rebuilt, they had also constructed secret passages and chambers. But compared to the Shen mansion’s secret passages, theirs were laughable. The difference in heritage, experience, and knowledge was truly vast.
When Ji Cheng reached the surface chamber from the stairs, it was different from the one where she had met Shen Che last time. Thinking about it, this made sense. Jiuli Courtyard was situated on a small hill, and although man-made, its area was considerable. Who knew how many chambers of this size were hidden beneath Jiuli Courtyard?
The secret chamber was empty except for a square table in the center with a stack of account books on it and two meditation cushions on either side.
Shen Che was sitting on one of the cushions.
“Ah Cheng,” Shen Che greeted her with a nod and a smile.
Ji Cheng dreaded hearing Shen Che call her “Ah Cheng.” Using familiar terms to address subordinates was often a prelude to enslaving them. Moreover, a young woman’s given name was rarely spoken outside the family, only from the mouths of elders or the ears of a husband.
Ji Cheng smiled as she sat on the cushion, “Cousin Che, you should just call me cousin, it’s more intimate.”
Shen Che smiled silently, his silent smile reminding Ji Cheng of a principle: servants shouldn’t contradict their masters’ words.
Ji Cheng shrugged, “But you can call me whatever you like.”
“It seems Ah Cheng has received good news from Uncle,” Shen Che’s smile faded, immediately making Ji Cheng feel pressured.
When this man smiled, you felt he was plotting against you, but when he didn’t smile, you feared you had offended him somehow. He was truly difficult to serve.
“Yes. My father said our Ji family is thrice blessed to be able to cooperate with Cousin Che, and our sincerity is absolute,” Ji Cheng said. Once she had decided to dive in, there was no looking back to the shore, thinking her clothes weren’t yet wet and there was still a way back.
Shen Che nodded, gesturing for Ji Cheng to continue.
“In recent years, my father’s health has been poor, and he has entrusted the business to me. However, as a woman, it’s inconvenient for me to handle many matters directly, so the Ji family’s business has maintained a conservative stance without much development. Although we rank well in Jin territory, we lack the confidence to compete with the Tan family for the military equipment business. I was thinking it would be best to connect with the Ling family to counter the Tan family,” Ji Cheng said.
Shen Che replied, “There’s no need. I can support whatever you need. However, time is tight, and I’ve only managed to raise three million taels of silver for you at present. By next spring, I can gather another five million taels for you.”
Goodness, the entire Ji family’s current assets were only about four million taels, yet Shen Che casually mentioned three million taels of liquid assets.
Shen Che naturally noticed Ji Cheng’s eyes widening in surprise and smiled bitterly, “Don’t think I’m being extravagant. This amount of silver is far from enough to operate the entire Jingshi Army. So, my request for Ah Cheng’s help is sincere.”
Shen Che’s gaze swept over the stack of account books on the table, “These are the account books for the western trade route. Since Ah Cheng has already begun dealing with the Western Regions for military equipment, it’s best not to have two masters for one task. Please manage this route as well. Of course, I won’t let Ah Cheng work for nothing. The Ji family can become a shareholder, and we’ll distribute profits as agreed. With me as your backing, you won’t need to be as cautious about many things as before.”
Ji Cheng had grown up surrounded by money and never disliked its smell. On the contrary, she liked it very much. If she didn’t like it, why would she have put in the effort to learn about business from her father, something usually only men could excel at?
Ji Cheng hesitated for only three breaths between earning a lot of money and maintaining her integrity before nodding, “Alright, I’ll take on this task.”
Shen Che’s smile reappeared, “These accounts can’t be taken out of this secret chamber. It’s a bit austere here, but you can tell Nan Gui all your requirements. By the time you come next, this place can be arranged to your liking.”
It was just a small favor, and Ji Cheng didn’t bother to feel grateful. However, having a comfortable room was better than kneeling on a meditation cushion with aching knees.
“Regarding the matter in Northern Jin we mentioned earlier, I wonder how much Cousin Che knows. The Tan family is the biggest local power there, and some things can’t be solved with money alone. The Ji family started too late and can’t compare to the Tan family at all. With the Ling family mediating some matters, I think things would be easier to handle,” Ji Cheng said.
Shen Che smiled, understanding Ji Cheng’s private intentions. She wanted to protect the Ling family and bring them onto their side, probably to prevent him from settling scores with the Ling family. The Ling family had gone much further than the Ji family in privately dealing military equipment, each offense punishable by beheading.
“If it will put Ah Cheng at ease, I can agree to let the Ling family join. However, the Ling family can only enter because of your face. Whether they’re willing or not is up to them,” Shen Che said.
Ji Cheng quickly replied, “I understand. I wrote in the letter that it’s our Ji family who wants to secure the military equipment line. I didn’t dare mention a word about Cousin Che’s affairs. I haven’t sent the letter yet, as I wouldn’t dare act on my own without your approval.”
Shen Che leaned forward slightly and said in a low voice, “Cousin is most sensible and discreet.”
His voice was low and husky, rich like it was coated in oil. Even if Ji Cheng had intended to seduce men, she would have done so properly by discussing shared interests, not daring to even blink her eyes improperly for fear of leaving a flirtatious impression. With Ling Ziyun, it had been the casual affection of childhood friends, without a hint of ambiguity.
Now, with Shen Che leaning in to speak, Ji Cheng suddenly caught a whiff of that masculine scent that made young women blush and their hearts race. It had nothing to do with love, but it indeed made one flustered and unsure how to react.
So Ji Cheng, like countless pure and innocent young women, lowered her eyelids in confusion and said, “I should go back now, or it would be terrible if someone discovered me.”
As Ji Cheng left the secret chamber, she already realized her stupidity. What a fool she was, why run away? Ji Cheng silently cursed herself. This retreat showed a lack of confidence; such a scoundrel should have been slapped across the face.
Ji Cheng indulged in a half-breath daydream of slapping Shen Che before coming back to her senses. It was best not to dwell on unrealistic things.
Nan Gui led the way, and Ji Cheng, having calmed her emotions, tried hard to remember the spider web-like underground passages.
Back in her room, Ji Cheng quickly took out brush and ink to draw the patterns she had memorized.
Liu Ye’er curiously looked at the intricate spider web Ji Cheng was drawing, “Miss, what is this?”
Ji Cheng closed her eyes and said, “Don’t disturb me.”
These spider webs were only useful when overlaid with the surface terrain, but it was difficult to distinguish directions underground. Ji Cheng carefully recalled her orientation when she first descended the well, cross-referencing it with her mental map of the Shen family’s garden. It took her an entire night to roughly figure out the general structure.
However, the accuracy of this map would need to be verified in the future.
If Shen Che were to see this map, he would likely be shocked by Ji Cheng. After just two visits, she had completely memorized the complex paths and had managed to sketch out one-fifth of the Shen family’s hidden secret passages through a combination of memory and guesswork. The reason she couldn’t draw the rest was simply because she hadn’t traversed those secret passages yet.
Perhaps due to exhaustion, Ji Cheng slept unusually well, waking only at dawn. Opening her eyes, she faced another busy, tiring day. Ji Cheng rolled over in bed, tucking the blanket between her legs, reluctant to leave the warm and peaceful cocoon.
Suddenly, Shen Che’s face appeared before her eyes. Ji Cheng could almost still feel the warmth of his breath. She narrowed her eyes, wondering what Shen Che’s intentions were. Did he want to have both money and beauty?
Ji Cheng recalled Shen Che’s romantic escapades and thought it wasn’t impossible. Even from her perspective, if she were in Shen Che’s position, she wouldn’t mind using a bit of beauty to ensure her subordinates’ loyalty and obedience.
Ji Cheng knew that Shen Che was the same kind of person as herself.