In the backyard of the Splendid Pavilion, a silent anxiety pervades.
Time seems to stand still, and every moment seems to stretch endlessly. Shen Ruoxin was sitting in the study, with the account books spread out in front of her. Her fingers were unconsciously twirling the corner of her clothes, and her eyes would occasionally drift out of the window, her mind restless. It has been almost a day since Wang Bo led his men to Fengqiao Town, but there has still been no news. Ah Xing... Is she okay? That ominous deep purple knot was engraved in her heart like a brand, refusing to fade away.
The only thing that could slightly soothe her agitated mood was that in the morning, Ashi successfully delivered the "Autumn Chrysanthemum Picture" stick with the "yellow" secret letter to Li Molan. Soon, Li Molan took the opportunity of reporting the matter back and calmly handed back a blank piece of mulberry bark paper. On the back of the thread, she marked a very small "read" character with a matching ochre line - indicating "Information received, read".
This "confidential document transmission method" has been initially verified to be feasible, like a glimmer of light, illuminating the thick fog. But this glimmer of light is still not enough to dispel the huge gloom that looms over the heart.
Just as Shen Ruoxin was forcing herself to refocus her attention on the account book, Li Molan's slightly hurried footsteps came from outside the door.
"Second Miss!" Li Molan quickly walked into the study, with a hint of surprise on her face. "Over there with Old Man Sun..." Someone sent something over!
Shen Ruoxin suddenly raised her head, her heart instantly leaping into her throat: "Is it news from Uncle Wang?" "!"
"No..." Not... Li Molan shook her head and took out a small bundle wrapped in ordinary coarse cloth from her sleeve. It looked a bit old. "The person delivering the letter said that Old Man Sun had asked him to bring it two days ago. It was just that he had something urgent to attend to and it was delivered today." Looking at the appearance of the package, it seems... It looks like an old item that Miss A Xing left with the old man.
Things from the previous two days? Was that before the "black" alert was issued?
Shen Ruoxin's heart stirred and she quickly took the package. The cloth bag is not large and very light in weight. She untied the tie, revealing several old, whitewashed clothes that Ah Xing often wore, as well as... A pair of embroidered insoles with fine stitches but obviously semi-finished products.
Insoles? Ah Xing doesn't often do this on a daily basis.
Shen Ruoxin picked up the insoles and felt something was off. They were a little thicker than the ordinary ones, and the stitches at the edges seemed to be deliberately loose. Her heart stirred, and she recalled A Xing's dexterous and meticulous hands, which would never have left such a rough stitch.
She carefully followed the loose line and gently picked it apart with her nails. Sure enough, between the two layers of cloth, a very small folded mulberry bark paper as thin as a cicada's wing was discovered!
The note was unfolded, and on it were a few elegant little characters written with charcoal, which were exactly Ah Xing's handwriting! The handwriting is slightly illegible and seems to have been written in a hurry.
"Second Miss personally initiates:"
For several consecutive days, he was selling flowers near the "miscellaneous servants' Office" in the east of the town. Occasionally, he saw the constable Qian GUI quarrelling with his concubine Cui 'er. Cui 'er was beautiful and young, and was quite favored. However, she seemed to be vain and often complained about her high money and incompetence, unable to purchase decent things for her. Yesterday, Cui 'er pointed at a handkerchief with the pattern of "Double Fish Playing with Lotus" held by a passing woman in the Jinxiu Pavilion, her words filled with extreme envy and reproach for the high cost and uselessness of the money. Qian GUI looked troubled, as if he was short of money. Later, he comforted him in a low voice, as if he had made a promise.
Today, when I visited again, Cui 'er chatted with her maidservant and still couldn't forget the handkerchief. She mentioned that the "Double Fish Playing with Lotus" was unique to the Brocade Pavilion and not used by ordinary families. The maidservant said that Qian GUI had already asked someone to inquire. This concubine seems to be quite capable of controlling money. Qian GUI, a man of low rank who worked in the miscellaneous service office, seemed to be well-versed in many trivial matters both inside and outside the yamen despite his humble position. Miss Two, please make the decision.
"Also, yesterday evening, several suspicious outsiders were seen checking into the Yuelai Inn. They spoke with a northern accent and looked unwell. We need to be on guard." "
"-- Xing Liuzi"
After reading the note, Shen Ruoxin was silent for a moment. This letter was clearly written before A Xing issued the black alert. The letter mentioned two matters: one was the constable Qian GUI and his concubine Cui 'er, who preferred the "Double Fish Playing with lotus" handkerchief; The second group is a suspicious northern resident who has newly checked into the Yuelai Inn.
The latter piece of information confirmed the previous scattered intelligence, making her even more vigilant. And the previous one... A lowly constable and his vain concubine? This seemingly trivial matter of family life might seem insignificant to others, but Shen Ruoxin sensed a hint of something unusual from it.
The seemingly gentle but actually sharp-witted face of Li Tui once again appeared before her eyes. The government's attitude was ambiguous and even hinted at a hint of suppression. In this situation, any channel that can access internal information of the government, even if it is just the most basic information, is extremely precious!
Although constables are paid high and their positions are low, they are at the nerve endings of information flow. The people and things he comes into contact with every day, and the rumors he hears, might contain some crucial clues. And that Cui 'er, since he could get Qian GUI to "soothe him in a low voice" and "ask someone to inquire", clearly held considerable weight in his heart.
"Bedside breeze..." Shen Ruoxin muttered to herself in a low voice, a barely noticeable curve curling at the corner of her mouth. In this world, apart from power and authority, it is often women who can make men willing to empty their minds and even take desperate risks.
"Sister Mo LAN," she raised her head, her eyes shining with a sly light, "Is there still any stock of that 'Double Fish Playing with Lotus' handkerchief from the Splendid Pavilion in the warehouse?"
Li Molan thought for a moment and said, "There are still a few pieces. They were newly embroidered with top-quality lake silk as you instructed earlier. The stitches are much finer than those of the ordinary ones available on the market."
"Ok!" Shen Ruoxin made a prompt decision, "Immediately take out the best one and put it in the most exquisite box." Then, find the most reliable and unobtrusive way to let this news reach that girl Cui 'er's ears "inadvertently" - say that the Jinxiu Pavilion has newly released a batch of "Double Fish Playing with Lotus" rare handkerchiefs. They are made of fine materials and have exquisite craftsmanship. There are only a few of them, and one of them is the best of the best. It has already been reserved by a certain noble lady for more than half. The remaining one or two, I'm afraid it will be snatched away by someone soon.
Li Molan was extremely intelligent and immediately understood Shen Ruoxin's intention: "The second young lady is thinking..." "Using this handkerchief as bait to hook that Qian constable?"
It's not exactly about luring him in. Shen Ruoxin shook her head, gently tapping the table with her fingers. "We won't take the initiative to contact him, let alone let him notice our intentions." What we need to do is to "divert the flow" - to arouse Cui 'er's desire, to get her to "blow the wind", and to make Qian GUI try every possible way to get this handkerchief on her own.
She paused for a moment and continued, "Only when one takes the initiative to seek do they feel indebted." When he comes to us on his own, whether it's to buy or to use connections to get a discount, we all have the opportunity to establish contact with him. A favor is sometimes more useful than ten taels of silver. Especially in... When it's necessary to inquire about some "trivial matters".
This is a roundabout strategy that influences things imperceptibly. Instead of directly touching the high wall of the government office, I tried to let a faint ray of light seep in through the most inconspicuous crevices.
Li Molan felt a slight chill in her heart upon hearing this and felt even more admiration for the second young lady's meticulous thinking. She asked no more questions and immediately replied, "Mo LAN understands!" I'll do it right away! Make sure it's done neatly and without any trace!
Li Molan turned and left, her steps light and firm.
The study fell silent again. Shen Ruoxin carefully kept A Xing's secret letter. The anxiety in her heart had not completely dissipated, but at least she had grasped a new thread. No matter what the situation is on A Xing's side, she must be here to fight for more survival space and bargaining chips for the Jinxiu Pavilion and A Xing!
She picked up the pen again and began to draw a diagram of the relationships among the various forces within Pingjiang Prefecture on the paper. She temporarily placed Qian GUI's name in an inconspicuous position outside the government forces and pointed it to the Jinxiu Pavilion with a dotted line.
Just as she was lost in thought, the door of the study was knocked on again. This time it was Wang Xiuniang's voice, carrying a hint of excitement and urgency that couldn't be concealed:
Miss Two! Uncle Wang... Uncle Wang has sent someone back! It's right outside the door!
Shen Ruoxin suddenly stood up, and the pen in her hand dropped to the ground with a "plop"!