Chapter 43 The 43rd chapter is determined to make the deed done.

The pipa player plucked the strings, singing a Jiangnan folk song; the soft melody tickled the heart.

"Good sister, please tell me quickly!" Pei Zhiwei said, skillfully stuffing the silver in her hand into her waistband.

The woman in the green dress then said mysteriously, "I'm only telling you this, young master. You mustn't tell anyone else."

"Don't worry, sister, I'm very tight-lipped. Not a single word will slip out," Pei Zhiwei said.

"A few days ago, Shen Yizhi brought a bunch of his cronies over for drinks. They got so drunk late into the night that they couldn't even speak coherently."

Someone simply mentioned, "Your father, Manager Shen, is doing quite well in business lately," and Shen Yizhi immediately flew into a rage!

Pei Zhiwei asked knowingly, "Getting angry? Does he not get along with his father?"

"It's more than just bad!" The woman in the green dress clicked her tongue. "He practically wanted to point his finger at his father and curse him. That day, he yelled at the top of his lungs, 'What kind of father is this old bastard? All he does is block my path to making money!'"

"Oh?" Pei Zhiwei raised an eyebrow. "What kind of wealth could make him disown his own father?"

"He said someone offered a high price to buy Suhetang and asked him to persuade his father to sell the shop. After it's done, he'll get another kickback."

The woman in the green dress lowered her voice even further as she spoke, "But that old man Shen Chengzhang absolutely refused, saying that it was the Shen family's ancestral property and he would rather die than sell it."

"And then?" Pei Zhiwei pressed.

"Later, Shen Yizhi got drunk and started talking nonsense, even saying he wanted to kill that old man."

"Is this really true?" Pei Zhiwei feigned shock, nearly dropping her wine glass. "Is Shen Yizhi really so audacious?"

"Why would I lie to you?" The woman in the green dress rolled her eyes at her. "His eyes were bloodshot, like he had gone mad. If someone hadn't stopped him, he might have really attacked you."

Pei Zhiwei was silent for a moment, then suddenly laughed: "Sister, could you have misheard? Although Shen Yizhi has a bad temper, he is still Manager Shen's son. How could he really lay a hand on his own father?"

"How could I have misheard that!"

I was refilling their drinks right next to them, and I heard every single word they said clearly.

Besides, once Shen Chengzhang dies, wouldn't Suhetang become his?

In my opinion, he was most likely responsible for Manager Shen's death.

Pei Zhiwei knew that she had only heard this one sentence, and the rest was all speculation without any evidence.

I sighed twice, echoing her words, "You can't judge a book by its cover."

Then her eyes darted around a few times, and she looked hesitant, saying, "Good sister, I have a secret to tell you, but please don't laugh at me."

Seeing her mysterious demeanor, the woman in the green dress became intrigued. "Tell me, I promise I won't laugh at you or tell anyone."

Pei Zhiwei secretly glanced at Xiao Yunzhan not far away. He was sipping his wine and watching the dancers in the distance, seemingly unaware of what was happening here.

Do you have any Cold Food Powder here?

Seeing the woman in the green dress's expression change, she quickly grabbed the woman and wouldn't let go.

"As you know, lately, the capital city is all about that delicate, ethereal look."

I have a naturally impatient personality and I walk with a gust of wind, which is not endearing at all.

I heard that taking some cold food powder can help... If you have any here, could you lend me some?

The woman in the green dress sat up straight. "What do you need that thing for? It's no joke! It could kill someone!"

"I know, I know!" Pei Zhiwei pulled her over forcefully, her eyes darting towards Xiao Yunzhan.

"Look at that woman over there, she's the one I love."

He likes that kind of thing, and I was thinking... thinking I'd try to please him.

The woman in the green dress glanced at Xiao Yunzhan and saw that his noble air was impossible to hide, so she actually believed him to some extent.

But she still said, "It's not that I don't want to help you, but you really can't touch that thing!"

If it's not controlled properly, people could die. Don't gamble with your life!

Seeing that she wouldn't budge no matter what, Pei Zhiwei pouted and said stubbornly, "Then, sister, do you have any charm grass?"

His tone carried a hint of reckless abandon.

"Anyway, I'm going to make it a fait accompli with him today and make him take responsibility for me. He can't just deny it!"

I've heard that if you grind lover's herb into powder and sprinkle it in wine, it can... render people powerless to resist. This will come in handy!

"Cough—cough cough—".

Xiao Yunzhan couldn't swallow his sip of wine properly; it got stuck in his throat, and he coughed violently, almost dropping the wine glass from his hand.

He could actually hear their conversation the whole time. At first, he thought Pei Zhiwei was trying to trick him into revealing information, so he didn't pay much attention. But when he heard "the rice has been cooked," he was instantly stunned and even forgot how to swallow his wine.

He secretly glanced at Pei Zhiwei and saw her flirting with the woman in the green dress. The blush on her cheeks was either from embarrassment or from the smell of alcohol, making her look more vibrant than usual.

Xiao Yunzhan felt his heart pounding, so he quickly lowered his head and pretended to examine the wine stains at the bottom of the glass, his whole body burning uncontrollably.

Having lived for twenty years, this was the first time he had ever heard a young woman say such vulgar things, especially from Pei Zhiwei, who usually appeared so quiet and dignified. For a moment, he was at a loss for words.

The woman in the green dress looked back and forth between Pei Zhiwei and Xiao Yunzhan, then suddenly burst out laughing, covering her mouth with a handkerchief, her eyes full of understanding.

"Alright, alright, I understand what you're thinking. But I don't have any of those charm plants here, I'll have to ask Mom for some."

She leaned close to Pei Zhiwei's ear and said, "Mom has a lot of treasures hidden away. As long as you give her enough money, what can't she ask for you? I'll go ask her right now. You wait here."

Pei Zhiwei quickly thanked her, and only after watching the woman in the green dress lift her skirt and walk towards the madam did she secretly breathe a sigh of relief.

She turned to look at Xiao Yunzhan and saw that he was still looking down, looking like a boiled shrimp. Just as she was about to tease him, she saw that Xiao Yunzhan's eyes suddenly turned serious and he gave her a look, signaling her to look at the door.

Pei Zhiwei followed his gaze and saw that the person walking in through the door was Ding Jin from the Taihu Gang.

He came to visit a brothel, but he was carrying a bulging bundle that looked quite heavy.

When the madam saw him, she first sent the woman in the green dress to fetch his things, then turned around and greeted him with a big smile.

The two exchanged a few words in hushed tones, and then the madam led Ding Jin upstairs.

Xiao Yunzhan stood up, gestured to Pei Zhiwei that she should wait here, and followed with light steps.

Ding Jin and the madam walked into the door of the innermost private room.

Xiao Yunzhan walked over quickly, pressed his ear against the door, and held his breath to listen to what was happening inside.

Ding Jin: "The situation has been too tense lately, and it's hard to get Hanshisan and Mirencao. I only have these left, and the price will have to go up by 30%."

"A 30% increase?" The madam seemed quite displeased. "You're being too greedy! Didn't you say last time it would only be a 10% increase?"

Ding Jin: "Hmph, don't pretend I don't know."

Shen Chengzhang went berserk and attacked people in the street because of Hanshi San (a traditional Chinese medicine).

"If you hadn't sold him too much Hanshi San (a type of Chinese herbal medicine), things wouldn't have turned out like this!"

The madam was also very aggrieved.

"Oh dear, how could I have imagined that beast Shen Yizhi would actually take the Cold Food Powder from me and feed it to his father!"

I've been living in fear these past few days, terrified that the authorities will come knocking.

Xiao Yunzhan thought to himself: Shen Yizhi is really something else.

Madam: "Fine, fine, let it go up. We're short of these things in the building lately."

Immediately afterwards, the sound of two people quietly checking the goods in the bundle could be heard.

Madam: "By the way, do you have any fresh goods lately? A lot of customers have been asking, and I'm almost running out of stock."

"Fresh stuff?" Ding Jin cursed irritably.

"You think I don't want to do it for you?"

Things have been very tense lately, and I've heard there's been internal strife at the higher-ups, so many things have been put on hold.

Forget about wanting fresh talent; even the young lambs in my own circle haven't been shipped out yet!

Xiao Yunzhan: "Young lambs"? Could it be referring to those missing girls?

Suddenly, the sound of arguing broke out, accompanied by the sound of a porcelain vase shattering.

Madam: "What's going on? I'll go out and see."

Xiao Yunzhan knew he was in trouble. Ding Jin had seen him today and knew he was an official. If Ding Jin saw him here, he would definitely become suspicious.

Seeing that the door to the private room next door was ajar, he didn't have time to think and pushed the door open to sneak inside.

As soon as I steadied myself, I heard the woman scream at the top of her lungs: "Who are you? How dare you barge in here!"

The scream was exceptionally loud.

The madam then asked, "What happened?"

He quickly hid behind the door, held his breath, and stared intently at the door.

The door was just pushed open a crack when suddenly there was a soft "whoosh".

A dart flew in from outside the door, heading straight for Ding Jin!

Ding Jin reacted extremely quickly, turning his heel so that the dart grazed his cheek and struck the door frame with a "thud".

"Who?!" Ding Jin shouted, drawing a short knife from his waist and warily scanning his surroundings.

A figure in a dark red robe leaped out from behind a pillar, his face covered with a cloth, revealing only a pair of bright eyes.

Holding a short blade in his hand, he said, "Ding Jin, you have committed countless evils, today you should pay with your life!"

"Who are you? How dare you oppose my Taihu Gang!" Ding Jin roared, brandishing his short sword as he charged forward.

The masked man was equally decisive; with a few crisp clangs, the two exchanged four or five blows in an instant.

Ding Jin's kung fu was indeed excellent; every strike was both fast and ruthless.

But the masked man's lightness skill was even better; his movements were unpredictable, and he could always skillfully evade his attacks.

In the blink of an eye, the two exchanged a few more blows, and the masked man deliberately revealed a weakness.

Ding Jin thought he had a chance and slashed with his sword, but the masked man seized the opportunity. With a flash of silver light, his short blade slashed Ding Jin's arm.

The masked man feinted, kicked open the window, and leaped out, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

"Stop!" Ding Jin, clutching his bleeding arm, chased after him to the window in a fit of rage and jumped out as well.

But after running a few steps, they could no longer find the masked man.

He cursed, convinced that the masked man must be hiding nearby and hadn't gone far, and stubbornly looked around.

The masked man, who had already run far away, stopped, tore off the black cloth from his face, and a sly smile appeared on his lips—who else could it be but Pei Zhiwei?

She deliberately missed that dart to distract Ding Jin and save Xiao Yunzhan.

It seems that Xiao Yunzhan has already escaped.

She walked happily out of the alley, when suddenly she heard footsteps behind her, getting closer and closer.

Pei Zhiwei's heart tightened: Could it be that Ding Jin has caught up with us? She had underestimated his speed.

She gripped the short blade tightly, and with a flick of her wrist, she stabbed it.