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The weather was gloomy, and the howling sound outside had stopped at some point.

In a small room, Tang Minjie, looking gaunt with a face full of stubble, was huddled by the stove, holding a teacup and lost in thought, when he suddenly snapped awake. He raised his head, listening to the silent world outside, took a sip of water, and after wiping away some patterns on the ash of the stove, slowly stood up.

He pushed open the door with difficulty. The wind and snow outside had stopped, and the rustling sounds gradually began to appear in his ears, followed by the voices of people on the street and a few scattered footsteps.

Judging by the sky, it was afternoon, but he didn't know what time it was. Tang Minjie closed the door and calculated the time in his mind, then turned back to prepare his coat for going out.

When he put on his hat, his frostbitten ears ached terribly, making him want to tear them off - that was the bad thing about the north, the frostbite every winter, his fingers, feet, and ears would all be damaged. After coming to Shangjing, this situation worsened, and he felt an unbearable itch on his hands and feet.

Lu Mingfang was much better in this regard. In fact, if he had considered this earlier, he should have let himself enjoy a few days of happiness in the south. With his alertness and talent, he wouldn't have been plotted against by Manduhai and ended up like that.

Thinking this way, he put on his gloves with some difficulty, and then put on a broken cloak with a scarf. He was now hard to recognize.

This was one of the advantages of snowy weather. People on the street tried to cover themselves as tightly as possible, making it difficult to tell who was who. Of course, because Lu Mingfang's actions in Shangjing were relatively restrained and he didn't cause a lot of trouble openly, the city's checks on residents were also relatively relaxed. He had a Khitan household registration, so he was not usually harassed.

He left the door of his temporary residence and walked south along the snow-covered road. It was already October 21st. Starting on August 15th, he had rushed all the way to Shangjing, arriving in early October. He had originally thought that with Wuqimai's death so long ago, the two governments of the east and west should have already begun fighting to decide who would be the new emperor. However, the development of the situation had not been so ideal.

For reasons he didn't fully understand, Wuqimai had amended his previous will before his death. In the final edict, he withdrew his appointment of the next Jin emperor and left the choice of the new ruler to be voted on by the heads of the Wanyan clan and the Bojilie.

Such deliberations were the method used by the Jurchen clan in its early years when it was still in the tribal alliance stage. In theory, the Jin, which was now a country, was very likely to split in bloodshed due to such changes. However, throughout October, the atmosphere in Shangjing was indeed tense, and there were even several emergency troop movements and small-scale skirmishes, but the large-scale bloodshed that affected the entire city was always curbed at the most critical moment.

In the twenty days he had been in Shangjing, Tang Minjie had roughly figured out the outline of what was happening here through intermittent inquiries.

The current Shangjing City was in a state of "three kingdoms standing against each other". As he had once explained to Xu Xiaolin, one side was Hulubojilie Wanyan Zonggan, backed by Zongfu and Zongbi; the other side was Wuqimai's direct son, Wanyan Zongpan; and the third side was Zonghan and Xiyin, who arrived in Shangjing at the end of September.

In theory, Zonghan had already lost the possibility of becoming the next Jin emperor. As soon as they arrived in the capital, they first met with Wanyan Zongpan, who was at a disadvantage but still had considerable momentum; then, they visited various households, beginning to exaggerate the progress and terror of the Huaxia Army in the southwest; verbally, they demanded that all branches of the Jin put aside today's disputes and elect an emperor who satisfied everyone in order to cope with the great threat that might come from the south.

If such a thing had not been said by figures such as Zonghan and Xiyin, it might not have received any attention among the Jin people in Shangjing. But in any case, Zonghan's decades of fighting for the Jin had indeed accumulated great fame and prestige for him. Others might doubt other things, but with Aguda, Wuqimai, Zongwang, Lou Shi, and others all gone, no one could truly question his and Xiyin's judgment on the battlefield. Furthermore, in the hearts of many surviving elders in the Jin high command, Zonghan and Xiyin's loyalty to the Great Jin still carried some weight.

In this way, the delicate balance in Shangjing City had been maintained, and no victory had been achieved throughout the entire month of October.

Of course, in terms of details, the entire situation could not be summarized by so little description. From September to October, countless negotiations and skirmishes had occurred in Shangjing City. Because the heads of the Wanyan clan had the right to vote this time, some respected elders were also invited to lobby everywhere. If lobbying failed, there were naturally threats and even killings to solve the problem. This balance was almost broken twice due to loss of control, but Zonghan and Xiyin ran around to prevent this, and at every critical moment they pulled some key figures to their side, suppressed the situation, and more widely peddled their "Black Flag threat theory."

If Shangjing had a group that was good at taking action, or if the matter had happened in Yunzhong City, Tang Minjie might have taken a risk. But the situation he faced was not ideal. Although Lu Mingfang's position would come here next, he was not familiar with Lu Mingfang's intelligence network here, and under the "going dormant" policy, he didn't want to wake up the comrades here on a large scale.

Having been in Shangjing for so long, he only had one reliable source of information, and for the sake of caution, the exchanges between the two sides were intermittent, making it extremely difficult to obtain first-hand information. Of course, anyway, there was no action team to be found - thinking about it this way, he felt relieved.

Leaving the small alley in the civilian area, he entered the main street, where a prince's carriage was driving by, and soldiers were clearing the way nearby. Tang Minjie and a group of people knelt on the side of the road. When he looked up, it was Wanyan Zongfu's carriage hurrying away under the protection of the soldiers, and he didn't know what was going to happen.

After this small episode, he got up and continued forward, turning a street and coming to a relatively quiet, snow-covered small square. He kept his hands in his sleeves and strolled around slowly, checking for any suspicious signs. After about half an hour, the target person, wearing bulky gray clothes, came from the end of the street, opened the door in front of a simple small courtyard, and entered the house inside.

Tang Minjie continued to wander around nearby, and after another half an hour, he went to the door of the small courtyard and knocked on the door. The door opened immediately - the person in gray was standing at the door, secretly peeking outside - Tang Minjie flashed in, and the two walked towards the house inside.

The person wearing gray clothes was a woman who looked about thirty years old. Her appearance seemed fairly dignified, with a small mole at the corner of her mouth. After entering the room with charcoal fire, she took off her coat, picked up a kettle, poured two glasses of water. Tang Minjie, who was freezing, picked up one glass, and she took another sip of the other.

"How is the situation outside?" Tang Minjie's voice was slightly hoarse. The frostbite was unbearably itchy, and he couldn't help but gently tear the scabs on his hands.

"There's no progress." The woman said, "What I can find out now are just some unimportant bits of news. The two children of the Otai family took Zongbi's things and defected to Zonggan. Wanyan Zongpan is trying to win over Wanyan Zongyi and Wanyan Ahuli. The Duke of Sui and the Mu Zong family will arrive in the capital in the next few days. By then, the heads of all the Wanyan branches will be present. But I heard in private that Zonggan hasn't got the most support yet, and some people may not want them to enter the city too quickly. That's all... do you trust me?"

When she said the last sentence, Tang Minjie, who was subconsciously leaning closer to the fire, was slightly stunned. He looked over, and the woman's eyes were quietly looking at him. The woman's Chinese name was Cheng Min. She had been saved by Lu Mingfang many years ago, and she made a living as a prostitute in Shangjing. She had collected a lot of information for Lu Mingfang in the past and was slowly developed into an agent. Although Lu Mingfang said she was trustworthy, he was dead after all, and they had only met a few times. Tang Minjie was still wary after all.

After a moment of eye contact, Tang Minjie tilted his head: "I trust Old Lu."

The woman nodded: "You're frozen, you can't bake by the fire, stay further away." Then she picked up the wooden basin in the room, scooped some hot water, added some snow to it, put in a towel, and brought it over.

"Sit down." She said, pushing Tang Minjie onto the stool, "You got these frostbites, don't just bake by the fire, it'll only get worse. Washing it can't use cold water or hot water, only warm water slowly rubbing..."

As she said this, she squatted there and gently wiped Tang Minjie's hands several times, then got up again to wipe the frostbite on his ears and the pus that flowed out. The woman's movements were light and skilled, but also firm. At this time, there was not much of the feeling of a flirtatious prostitute, but Tang Minjie was a little uncomfortable. When the woman finished wiping his hands and ears, she took out a small cloth bag from the side, and took out a small box from inside. He then asked: "What is this?"

"It's for treating frostbite, smell it." She understood the other party's vigilance and handed the thing directly over. Tang Minjie smelled it, but naturally couldn't distinguish it clearly. He only heard the other party say: "You've come here so many times, if I really turned to the Jin, wanting to catch you, I would have caught you long ago, right?"

Tang Minjie looked at her: "I left a backup plan. If something happens to me, you will definitely die too."

"That's good enough." The woman smiled frankly, directly took the medicine box, picked out the ointment inside, and began to apply it to him, "This thing won't be good once or twice, it mainly depends on paying attention to it usually."

After applying the medicine to his hands and ears, she put the basin of water on the ground, pulled up one of Tang Minjie's feet, and wanted to take off his shoes. Tang Minjie struggled a bit: "My feet are fine."

"I saw you itching on your feet as soon as you entered the door, the same as on your hands and ears, no need to be polite."

"I'll go back myself..."

Before Tang Minjie finished speaking, the other party had already pulled off the boots on his feet, and the room was suddenly full of a smelly smell. Life was inconvenient in a foreign land, and Tang Minjie hadn't even taken a bath for nearly a month, and the smell on his feet was even more indescribable. But the other party just moved her face back slightly and slowly and carefully took off his socks.

The pus from the frostbite in the shoes would often stick to the socks. Tang Minjie felt a little embarrassed, but Cheng Min didn't care: "In these years in Shangjing, all I've learned is how to serve people. You smelly men are all like this. It's okay."

She took off Tang Minjie's shoes and socks, then soaked them in warm water for a while, and took out a piece of cloth to slowly rub and wash them for him. Tang Minjie maintained his vigilance in his heart: "You are very good at observing."

"If I didn't learn to read faces, how could I find out information? They don't always hang many things on their lips." The woman sitting in front smiled slightly, "By the way, how exactly did Old Lu die?"

"I harmed him." Tang Minjie said, "He could have gone south alone, but I rescued a woman and asked him to take care of her on the way south. I didn't expect this woman to have been targeted by the Jin dogs for several years..."

Tang Minjie said here, the room was silent for a moment, the woman's movements in her hands didn't stop, but after a while she asked: "Did he die quickly?"

"He wasn't caught." Cheng

"That's a good thing."

"You and Old Lu..."

"We're fine." The woman wiped his feet, applied medicine, looked up and smiled, "Someone like me can't taint a hero like him."

"..."

Tang Minjie was speechless for a moment. The woman finished applying the medicine to him, picked up the wooden basin and got up: "I can see that you are almost the same kind of people. You are more vigilant than Old Lu, and you have been on your guard from beginning to end. This is a good thing, someone like you can do great things, those who are careless all die. Don't wear socks yet, let me see if I can find some scraps to sew you new ones."

A pair of socks had been worn for so long that they were basically extremely dirty. Tang Minjie shook his head: "No need, it's getting late. If there is no other important news, we'll meet again in a few days."

The woman nodded: "That's not urgent, at least let your feet dry."

Applying medicine to his feet, it was cool and very comfortable, and Tang Minjie didn't want to leave immediately. Of course, on the other hand, the comfort of his body always made him feel a little uncomfortable in his heart, a little uneasy - in the enemy's place, he hated the feeling of comfort.

When the woman poured water in, Tang Minjie said: "You... why do you have to stay in that kind of place..."

The woman put down the wooden basin and replied with a natural expression: "I was taken captive when I was a teenager and defiled by those beasts. Later, I was lucky enough not to die. By the time I met Old Lu, I had already... lived in that kind of life for six or seven years. To be honest, I'm used to it. You also said that I can read faces and can find out information for Old Lu. I feel like I'm taking revenge. I hate it in my heart, do you know?"

She said here, her words were frank, her smile was radiant, but Tang Minjie nodded slightly.

"... Later, Old Lu managed to get me a Bohai woman's identity. In Shangjing City, I wouldn't be bullied like a Han woman. He also persuaded me to go back to the south, but what's the use of going back? Half of my life here, all the things, if I really go back, it will only hurt my heart when I think about it. But staying here to find out information, I know that I'm scraping meat from the Jurchens, and it feels better when I think about it."

She paused: "This courtyard is the home of the original Bohai family. They died unexpectedly, and I took over their household registration, so I come here from time to time..."

As she said this, a burst of rapid gongs suddenly came from the distance outside, and he didn't know what had happened. Tang Minjie's expression shook, and he suddenly wanted to get up. Cheng Min across from him pressed his hand: "I'll go out and see."

She put on her coat and flashed out. Tang Minjie also quickly put on his shoes and socks, put on his hat, picked up a firewood knife nearby, and walked out the door. In the distance, the gongs on the street were rapid, but not for an ambush here. He hid behind the courtyard door and looked out. The pedestrians on the road were hurrying back. After a while, Cheng Min came back.

"Something happened." She said in a low voice, with a hint of excitement in her eyes, "I heard that the army is mobilizing outside, and the Tiger Brave Army is on the city wall. Maybe someone is going to take action because they see that the Duke of Sui is about to enter the capital!"

The heads of the Wanyan clan did not all live in Shangjing. After Wuqimai's edict was officially announced, these people gathered in Shangjing. And once the people were all there and the clan assembly was opened, the ownership of the throne might come to light. Against this background, it would not be surprising if some people wanted them to arrive quickly and some wanted them to arrive later. And it was in such a game that large-scale bloodshed might occur at any time, followed by a large-scale split within the Jin.

Tang Minjie came here, and what he expected was such a wave. He thought for a moment: "Can you still walk outside?"

"The army is under martial law, and it will be very conspicuous when there are few people. If you live far away, or if you are checked..." Cheng Min frowned here, then said, "I think you should stay here for a while. Anyway, it's difficult for me to go back. Let's stay together. If someone comes to the door, or if something really happens, it's good to have someone to take care of. What do you say."

She looked at Tang Minjie, and Tang Minjie hesitated for a moment. He came to Shangjing and couldn't trust anyone for a while, so he played some tricks and found a house to live in temporarily through the black market. This was also so that he could have a way out when dealing with Cheng Min. Although there was no large-scale search for Black Flag spies in Shangjing City, the other rumors were very tight. If he was checked, he didn't know what would happen.

Thinking about it this way, he finally said: "Okay, I'm bothering you."

Cheng Min looked at the shoes and socks he had put back on, smiled helplessly: "I'll find some scraps of cloth to make socks for you first, and then find something to eat."

It was dusk at the moment, the sky was piled with dark clouds, and it still looked like it could snow at any time. The two walked into the room, ready to patiently

waiting for the results that might appear this night. In the dim city, some lights had already begun to light up.

"... Now, the news that is widely spread outside is that... the next Jin emperor originally belonged to Zonggan and Zonghan, but Wuqimai's son, Zongpan, was ambitious and insisted on taking the throne. Wuqimai was of course against it at first..."

Outside, in the city, the army was stepping through the streets in the snow, and the atmosphere had become tense. In this small courtyard, the lights in the room were flickering. Cheng Min took out needles and thread and sewed socks with rags, while telling Tang Minjie about Wuqimai's story.

This is the beginning of a long night...

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