Chapter 792

Zhang Xiuer left for about a quarter hour more, then returned with a strange expression.

She smoothed her skirt, drew together her long legs, and sat down at Chen Wuji's right side.

"Wuji Ge, is this really the register..."

Zhang Xiuer handed over a slip of paper and a bamboo scroll together, saying, "The first line on this is what the Emperor said to me; when matched it reads: 'Imperial command, the register is to be handed to Minister Chen, this is...'"

"This is the end; there's nothing after, Wuji Ge can check it himself."

Chen Wuji looked astonished, "Really? What is His Majesty the Emperor up to?"

The little emperor's stunt really left him bewildered.

He painstakingly set up another Imperial City Department, only to then openly reveal the list—does he suddenly trust him so much?

Zhang Xiuer shook her head, "I don't know either, but since His Majesty did this, he must have a reason. Perhaps once Wuji Ge deciphers all these secret letters, we'll know."

Chen Wuji nodded, "Let me take a look first."

"Hmm."

Chen Wuji opened the register, matched it word for word, and transcribed the Emperor's true words onto paper: "This truly is Chengyi... this should be the character 'Zhen', this is Zhen... sincerity."

"The first line is out; handing this register to me is His Majesty the Emperor's sincerity."

Zhang Xiuer leaned forward slightly, peered in, and said, "Then Wuji Ge, just accept it; this is the Emperor's order, I have no reason to defy. His Majesty has shown such sincerity, I can be more relaxed and natural with Wuji Ge; otherwise, there always feels like an invisible barrier."

Chen Wuji:...

As it turns out, she had sensed it all along.

Actually, Chen Wuji really thought his acting was quite good, his disguise quite convincing.

"What barrier?" Chen Wuji stubbornly insisted, refusing to admit.

Such a thing cannot be admitted.

If he admitted it, the barrier would only grow deeper.

Zhang Xiuer's lustrous lips curled slightly, her eyes smiling faintly, and she said nothing more.

"Don't disbelieve me; there truly is none—it's your illusion!" Chen Wuji emphasized solemnly.

He might keep acting later; how could he snap this string now?

"I believe!" Zhang Xiuer nodded lightly, smiling with unusual restraint.

Chen Wuji grunted, "I never lied to you."

Xu Zengyi silently turned his head.

This scene, he felt somewhat uneasy.

Chen Wuji gave a solemn explanation, then immediately turned his attention back to decrypting the letters.

He wrote it out in a direct translation, then handed it to Xu Zengyi to form a complete sentence.

The content derived from matching the list contains many typos, severely affecting readability.

This was a very time-consuming task; Chen Wuji spent nearly an hour before finishing translating the Emperor's lengthy discourse.

"My lord, the translation is done; this is the full content." Xu Zengyi handed over the written text.

Chen Wuji glanced at Zhang Xiuer, who tried to look composed but kept glancing his way, thought a moment, and said, "Just read it aloud; the three of us have considerable ties with His Majesty the Emperor, no need to keep it secret."

The contents the Emperor wrote let Zhang Xiuer know, perhaps it's not a bad thing.

At the very least, it should allow her to be somewhat open and aboveboard, so she won't have to be overly cautious and secretive because of her identity.

Zhang Xiuer suddenly stood up, "Wuji Ge, I am indeed curious, but this is a secret correspondence between His Majesty and you; I ought not to know."

Having said that, without waiting for Chen Wuji's reaction, Zhang Xiuer hurried away.

Though she was very curious, her action was extremely decisive.

Xu Zengyi glanced, then quietly passed the copied paper to Chen Wuji, "These things should indeed be seen only by the lord; finalizing the secret-letter contact method must not be known by a third or fourth person."

"Although the Emperor's attitude has never been clear, the intelligence he has recently mentioned is of utmost importance to us; my lord must not overlook it."

Chen Wuji nodded and took the letter.

The lengthy content, once translated, turns out not to be much.

"Minister Chen, there are villains spying on our correspondence. Henceforth, using the Dao De Jing as basis, we shall contact via secret letters; if you have leisure, you may write some trifling things, we'll deliberately disgust those bastards—truly infuriating!"

"Regarding my earlier mention of the court's military use, Ruan Yuchang's attitude is unclear, but Yan Yan will surely push this through; selling Lingnan territory to others is his initiative, with many officials and clans involved, exchanging the nation's land for Qiang riches."

"Furthermore, please inform Zhang Xiuer that the Zijin Bureau is not monolithic; it has also been infiltrated. It should be purged swiftly. I suspect those who have been reading our secret letters and planting people in the Zijin Bureau are my Imperial Uncle, the current Wise King, though there is no proof."

"My words end here; I wish Minister Chen victory from the start, beating them till they howl like dogs and cry for their fathers and mothers. What you have accomplished in Nan Jun, I greatly admire and envy."

Chen Wuji finished reading the letter and let out a long sigh.

"What do you think, sir?"

Xu Zengyi had already been buried in thought for a while.

He heard this, shook his head, and gave a wry smile: "My lord, I cannot hide it—I too am now unable to make sense of it."

Chen Wuji scratched his nose, "I now feel that the Emperor might actually have some genuine sincerity toward me; could this be an illusion?"

"Actually, I feel the same way," Xu Zengyi said.

"Especially since the Emperor has openly disclosed his painstakingly run Zijin Bureau to the lord, this sincerity is considerable. In Nan Jun, the Emperor basically cannot have any other forces; his only two spies are Miss Zhang in the Zijin Bureau and those exiled court officials."

Chen Wuji leaned back heavily, "If all this is true, why would he do this? Everyone does something for a reason, yet I truly cannot fathom why the Emperor would go to such lengths specially for me; am I really that special?"

"Yes!" Xu Zengyi first gave Chen Wuji a very definite answer, then continued, "If we must find a reason, the only thing I can currently attribute to the Emperor is this one sentence!"

"It is the last sentence the Emperor wrote to the lord. The lord did what the Emperor wanted to do but could not; therefore the Emperor willingly became the lord's insider."

"An insider?!" Chen Wuji looked over in astonishment, "Sir, are you serious?"

Xu Zengyi pointed at the Emperor's secret letter, "My lord, this is what an insider does."

Chen Wuji stared blankly, then suddenly burst into a wry laugh.

"... It really does seem so."

Damn it, the legendary story has become reality?

Your Majesty, why do you rebel?

He replied: "There are too many traitors; I was forced into this!"