The night was as dark as ink, and the chill seeped through the gaps of the window lattice, silently invading the backyard study of the Splendid Pavilion. The flickering lights illuminated Shen Ruoxin's slightly pale cheeks, as well as the spread mulberry bark paper in front of her and the shocking knot mark on it, painted with an almost black, unknown pigment!
Black! The highest level of alert!
This is the first and highest-level critical signal they have received since A Xing went missing and Wang Bo fell into trouble in Fengqiao Town!
The person who sent this warning was neither a fellow of the Splendid Pavilion nor any of their newly developed informants. But it was a ragged little beggar with a dirty face.
Just half an hour ago, this little beggar was curled up in an unremarkable corner at the back door of the Splendid Pavilion. Taking advantage of the moment the old woman who was pouring night incense opened the door, he quickly stuffed a tattered and armless doll into the threshold and then vanished into the dark alley in a flash, as if he had never appeared before.
At first, the old woman who poured the night fragrance didn't pay much attention, just thinking it was a prank by some naughty boy. But Li Molan, who was in charge of the night watch, was extremely meticulous. She recognized the style of the doll as one that had been popular in Pingjiang Prefecture a few years ago. More importantly, the remaining hand of the doll seemed to be holding something.
She picked up the doll calmly, went back into the room and opened it. Sure enough, there was a very fine rolled mulberry bark paper hidden inside! And on the paper, there was clearly the black knot that represented the highest level of danger!
"Ah Xing..." Shen Ruoxin's fingers gently stroked the black mark. Her heart felt as if it were being seized by a cold hand, causing her so much pain that she could hardly breathe.
This mark was the highest alert that she and A Xing had agreed upon when they were formulating the "Flower Language" secret letter system. The black knot represents that the transmitter itself or the target involved in the intelligence is facing a life-and-death, urgent and huge danger!
This must have been spread by Ah Xing! Only she knows this top-level code!
Where is she? What has she experienced? She is now... Is it safe? !
Countless questions instantly came to Shen Ruoxin's mind, making her extremely anxious. But she forced herself to calm down and look carefully at the few lines of small but clear handwriting also written in dark paint below the black mark:
"Second Miss personally initiates:"
The Xingxian Bandits' lair is located in the abandoned granary in the west of the town and is in the same place as the northernmost person suspected by Uncle Wang. They are no ordinary merchant groups; they are just human teeth! Under the guise of "recruiting workers" and "searching for relatives", they lured and plundered orphan and displaced women from all over the country, with the intention of reselling them to the northern regions or beyond the Great Wall. Fengqiao Town was one of its transfer points, and Zhao Baopi was its subordinate spy.
There were about twenty women trapped in the warehouse, all waiting for a good price to sell. Xing peeked and knew that the leader of the bandits, "Iron Face", was ruthless and cruel. He decided to load the "goods" in the warehouse onto a ship and secretly head north via the Grand Canal on the night of the full moon tomorrow night!
"Uncle Wang's whereabouts have been detected by Zhao Bapi. There's a fear that he might be exposed and captured!" The bandits are also stepping up their search for Xing, suspecting that she has already known the secret.
Xing took the opportunity to escape from the woodshed, but surrounded by enemies, it was hard for her to hide for long. This letter is sent through the hands of a kidnapped child. I sincerely hope that the second young lady will quickly come up with a good plan to save the person! Save yourself!
-- Apricot sobs blood and leaves words
(Black knot mark)
Human teeth!
These three words were like a bolt of thunder, exploding in Shen Ruoxin's mind!
All her previous speculations revolved around commercial intrigue and collusion between officials and businesspeople. But she never expected that that group of mysterious northerners would actually be... A heartless man! No wonder they act so mysteriously and ruthlessly. No wonder they keep chasing after such a young girl as A Xing!
The ship will be loaded northward on the night of the full moon tomorrow night! And there were as many as more than twenty women trapped! Uncle Wang is also in great danger!
Time! It's time again!
Shen Ruoxin felt a chill rise from her spine and spread throughout her limbs and bones in an instant. This is no longer a simple business crisis. It is a race against time and a life-and-death battle for life with the most vicious criminals!
"Second Miss..." Li Molan's voice also carried incredulous horror and anger, "Human teeth..." They... How dare they be so rampant in the territory of Pingjiang Prefecture? ! Where is the government? Doesn't the government care? "!"
"Tube?" A cold sneer flashed in Shen Ruoxin's eyes. "Zhao Baopi is their informant. Wang Bo has been blocked everywhere when he goes to report to the authorities. You tell me about the government..." Is it that one can't manage it, or simply doesn't want to manage it at all? Even... "Happy to see it happen?"
She dared not think any further. The ambiguous attitude of the government, at this moment, seems more like an invisible protective umbrella for these evil acts!
Now is not the time to hold people accountable. The top priority now is how to save people!
Save A Xing! Save Uncle Wang! Save those more than twenty innocent women! And... Under the watchful eyes of the people and the government (perhaps with deeper hidden forces), protect the Brocade Pavilion!
This is simply an impossible task!
She looked at the note with the message "Yoo Seung-woo" written on it. Originally, this was her lifeline in dealing with the business tax crisis. But now, the perilous situation in Fengqiao Town was like a sharper knife hanging over her head!
Save the person first? Or protect yourself first?
If he were to spare no effort to save the person, what would happen to the line of Yoo Seung-woo? What about the Jinxiu Pavilion? Once this last chance is missed, once the new commercial tax is implemented, Jinxiu Pavilion will immediately be in an irredeemable situation!
But if she had to focus on the Splendid Pavilion first, what would Ah Xing do? What about Uncle Wang? What about those trapped women? By the time the ship departs tomorrow night, it will be too late!
Shen Ruoxin's heart felt as if it were being repeatedly scorched over fire, in unbearable pain.
She stood up abruptly and paced restlessly in the study. The light stretched her slender figure, casting it on the wall, swaying unsteadily, just like her struggling heart at this moment.
No! This can't be done!
She stopped in her tracks, took a deep breath and tried hard to clear her mind.
In such a perilous situation, Ah Xing was able to cleverly take advantage of the guard's negligence (perhaps by taking advantage of the sympathy of the abducted child or some other strategy), and risk her life to deliver such crucial intelligence. How could she, Shen Ruoxin, hesitate here? !
"Sister Mo LAN!" She turned her head sharply, a resolute light flashing in her eyes. "We..." Two lines running in parallel!
"Two lines in parallel?" "!" Li Molan was taken aback.
"Right!" Shen Ruoxin's tone was resolute. "We can't give up on Liu Chengyu's side!" This is the foundation for the survival of Jinxiu Pavilion! But in Fengqiao Town, we can't just ignore it! "Ah Xing, Uncle Wang, and those innocent women, we must save them!"
"But..." Manpower... Silver money... Li Molan looked troubled. "How could we have such great strength to deal with the dangerous situations on both sides at the same time?"
"Strength is forced out!" Shen Ruoxin walked to the desk, picked up a pen and quickly wrote on a new piece of mulberry bark paper, "Liu Chengyu has been detained in 'Bailefang'. This is both a trouble and an opportunity!" He must be like an ant on a hot pan now, in urgent need of someone to give him a hand. Immediately take enough banknotes, then go to Hengtong Money Shop to withdraw some cash, make a big show, and go to "Bailefang"... Pay off his debts for him!
"Pay off his debts?" Li Molan hesitated a little. "Second Miss, I'm afraid..." It's a bottomless pit!
"I know!" Shen Ruoxin nodded. "So, it's not a futile repayment for him!" Negotiate terms with him! It is said that the Jinxiu Pavilion admired Liu Hanlin's reputation and could not bear to see his son in distress. We can repay this debt for him, but not by giving it away; it's by borrowing! Moreover, the interest rate should be calculated based on the highest one available on the market! At the same time, we want him to come forward in the name of Liu Hanlin to "endorse" the Jinxiu Pavilion, to rely on his official position and evade commercial taxes! Moreover, a contract should be signed, clearly stating the operational autonomy of the Jinxiu Pavilion. He, Liu Chengyu, only enjoys the agreed dividends and is not allowed to interfere in specific affairs!
Will he agree?
He will. Shen Ruoxin's tone was resolute. "A gambler driven to the brink by usurious loans won't have much room for bargaining when he sees a lifeline." Of course, negotiation skills are very important. You need to use both gentle and tough tactics. You should not only let him see the benefits but also make him understand our bottom line and... Our "means"! When necessary, we can hint to him that we know what he owes is probably more than just Bai Le Fang...
Li Molan took a deep breath and understood Shen Ruoxin's intention. This is taking advantage of the situation and also seeking victory in a perilous situation! She nodded solemnly, "Mo LAN understands!" I'll get ready right now!
"Ok!" It's up to you for Yoo Seung-woo!" Shen Ruoxin's gaze turned to the pitch-black night sky outside the window, and her eyes became extremely solemn. "Over there in Fengqiao Town..." I'll go in person!
What? ! Miss Er, are you going? "!" Li Molan and Wang Xiuniang, who had just arrived upon hearing the news, both exclaimed in surprise, their faces filled with terror and disapproval.
"No!" Absolutely not! Wang Xiuniang was so anxious that tears were about to come out. "Fengqiao Town is now like a den of dragons and tigers!" Those people are ruthless and cruel, and there's also the local gangster force of Zhao Babapi. How could your daughter's family take such a risk? "!"
"Yes, Second Miss!" Li Molan also hurriedly tried to dissuade her, "It's too dangerous!" Let Afu take a few capable assistants there, or... We spent a lot of money to hire experts from the industry...
"Too late!" Shen Ruoxin interrupted them, her tone carrying an unquestionable determination. "A Xing's letter said that the ship will be loaded tomorrow night!" It takes more than half a day to travel from Pingjiang Prefecture to Fengqiao Town even at full speed. When we find the right people from the underworld and rush there, the daylilies will have gone cold! Moreover, those people are colluding with Zhao Ba PI. With so many people around, sending them in large numbers will only alert the enemy and instead harm Ah Xing and Wang Bo!
This operation must be carried out secretly! Quick! "Take them by surprise!" Her gaze swept over the two of them. "I'll go in person. The goal is the smallest and it's also the easiest to adapt to the situation." And... For some matters, only when I step in personally can I mobilize certain... Unexpected power.
She thought of a person - Inspector Li. Although this person's position is unclear and he might even be related to the enemy, he is, after all, a member of the government. Human trafficking is a serious crime that violates the laws of the Great Zhou Dynasty! If this matter can be brought to him, and... How about keeping him out of it?
This is an extremely risky plan, but perhaps... It is the only way to break the deadlock.
"Xiu Niang, Mo LAN Sister," Shen Ruoxin looked at their worried eyes and slowed down her tone, "I know you are worried about me." But please believe me. I won't play with my own life. I'll take Afu and the other two smartest guys along, pretend to be ordinary merchants, and sneak into Fengqiao Town quietly. "Staying in Pingjiang Prefecture, stabilizing the Jinxiu Pavilion and handling the matter of Liu Chengyu well is the greatest support for me!"
She walked up to Wang Xiuniang and held her cold hand: "Xiuniang, at home..." It's up to you!
Looking at Li Molan again, he said, "Sister Molan, we must take down Liu Chengyu!" This is our fallback!
Wang Xiuniang and Li Molan looked at the extraordinary composure and determination in Shen Ruoxin's eyes and knew that any further persuasion would be of no use. They could only suppress their worries and nod with tears in their eyes.
"Second Miss..." You... You must come back safely!
Shen Ruoxin nodded vigorously and said no more. She immediately changed into an unremarkable coarse cloth dress, hid several large silver notes and some small silver pieces close to her body, and also took a few silver needles for self-defense that had been tempered with medicine.
The darkness before dawn is the most intense. Shen Ruoxin, accompanied by A Fu and the other two, quietly left through the back door of the Jinxiu Pavilion, merged into the quiet street, and sped towards Fengqiao Town.