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With a flash of thought, Cheng Xi quietly took off the purse from her waist and threw it into the grass beside her.

She moved so quickly and lightly that the maid leading the way didn't even notice.

However, Lin Mo, who was following behind, paused and then quickly caught up.

There must be a reason for such a sudden action. The most important thing she should do is to note the nearby location and wait for the leader's instructions.

Cheng Xi didn't even turn his head, and returned to the main hall as if nothing had happened. He apologized to Madam Yan, sat down to listen to the opera, and drank tea. After half an hour, he used the excuse of going to the toilet and took Lin Mo to the side room.

This kind of place definitely won't have outsiders around. Cheng Xi whispered as soon as she entered the room, "I'll tell you later that my purse is lost. Go back the same way and look for it. It'll take a while. If you run into Young Master Ye and the man in white, try to get their attention. It would be even better if you can get them to ask a few questions. But remember not to answer them, and don't look directly at them. Be careful."

This is a gamble. It is unknown whether the other party will return the same way, ask questions, or reveal any information.

However, Cheng Xi could not personally investigate such a grand banquet, let alone ask about it. Not to mention his wrong identity, it would be bad if it aroused the vigilance of others.

But it was different for Lin Mo. She was just a little maid. In the eyes of these nobles, she was almost like a decoration. Even if she made mistakes or acted rashly, no one would take it to heart.

As long as she had a reason, it would be much easier for her to find out.

Lin Mo tensed up immediately and whispered, "I understand. I won't reveal any flaws."

"It's okay to be a little nervous. You're just a little girl, so it's normal for you to be a little panicked. But if you really meet that scholar in white, you must be alert and not act rashly." Cheng Xi warned.

Lin Mo nodded vigorously. The chief had taught her many ways to deal with emergencies before. Such a small matter should not be difficult to accomplish.

Seeing that she understood, Cheng Xi said no more. He washed his hands, took his people out and returned to the banquet.

Sitting down again, Cheng Xi greeted Madam Yan with a smile, and casually touched her waist with her hand, as if to take out a handkerchief. However, the next moment, she paused and lowered her head to look down.

Mrs. Yan was attracted by her actions and asked, "What's wrong?"

Cheng Xi hurriedly said, "It's okay. The purse might have fallen into the side room. Mo'er, go look for it."

The purses around the waists of noble ladies always contained some small change for rewards, or things like cosmetics and combs. Madam Yan smiled and said, "Don't worry, if you leave it in the house, someone will definitely help you pick it up."

Cheng Xi smiled stiffly and agreed.

Not long after, her personal maid came running back and said hurriedly, "Madam, there's nothing over there either."

Cheng Xi's expression changed slightly. Madam Yan noticed something was wrong and asked softly, "What's the matter? Is there something valuable inside?"

Cheng Xi hesitated to speak, but finally managed to say, "It's okay..."

It seemed that there really were valuables, but it was inconvenient to say it openly. Madam Yan couldn't help but worry: "Did it fall into the wing room? Send someone back to check. It's still early anyway."

In this kind of situation, it is indeed embarrassing to lose something and have it discovered.

However, perhaps there was something valuable in the purse. The young woman hesitated for a moment, then said to the maid, "Go back to the wing room and see if you left it there."

Madam Yan quickly added, "Let Qiao'er go with you. If you can't find it in the house, look for it on the road. Maybe it's left on the roadside."

This immediately drew expressions of gratitude, and Cheng Xi whispered, "It was also my recklessness. Thank you, Madam, for your care."

Madam Yan smiled and said, "Look at what you said. It's just a small matter, not worth mentioning."

The maids were quickly sent away, and the two of them began to watch the show absent-mindedly again.

After two quarters of an hour, Lin Mo and Qiao'er finally returned home.

"Madam, I found it!" Lin Mo's voice was a little high-pitched, revealing excitement.

Cheng Xi immediately took the purse, opened it and took a look. Only then did he feel relieved and thanked Madam Yan, "Thanks to you, Madam, for helping me get it back."

Madam Yan smiled with satisfaction and said, "Good that you found it. I told you it must have fallen on the road."

Cheng Xi looked ashamed: "It's all my carelessness."

The two exchanged a few polite words and then let the matter go.

Cheng Xi didn't ask what happened on the way, and waited quietly until the show was over.

After clearing the table and saying goodbye to Madam Yan, Cheng Xi got into the carriage with the help of Lin Mo.

After the car drove out, she asked, "Did you run into anyone?"

Lin Mo nodded excitedly. "I thought I'd missed it, but when I got to the intersection, I ran into the group returning. I called out, pretended to have found the purse, and quickly went to pick it up. Young Master Ye was startled and called us over to ask a few questions. Qiao'er answered all the questions, and I didn't say a word."

This was quite the luck. Cheng Xi smiled and said, "Didn't the other party see the flaw?"

"No, the man in white didn't say a word, and Master Ye just asked casually. But I heard him call the man in white 'Mr. Ning'!" Lin Mo answered immediately.

No wonder she was so excited when she came back. Cheng Xi also noticed her emotions and did not continue to ask questions. In this way, the chain of relationships was completely severed and no one would be suspicious.

As for the rest, I can only wait and do the work later. It’s not something I can find out at the flower viewing party.

"Well done!" Cheng Xi reached out and touched Lin Mo's head, praising him.

Lin Mo had also accomplished such a big thing for the first time. Her face flushed with excitement. After thinking for a moment, she said, "Is just the name enough? I didn't dare to look up at that time and didn't see his appearance. He seemed to be taller than my brother..."

In fact, Lin Mo was really nervous at that time. The gang leader emphasized that she should not speak, and there must be a purpose for it. She didn't even raise her head, so what she could see was naturally limited.

"It's good to have a name. The rest is just slow work. Don't be impatient." Cheng Xi smiled. "Besides, this matter still depends on Mr. Fang's efforts."

The one who has the insider information now is Fang Tianxi, so of course this matter should be handed over to him. I just hope that the old man can trust her intuition.

…

After waiting at home for a whole day, Fang Tianxi saw Cheng Xi coming back and immediately grabbed him and asked, "How was your day? Did you get into trouble?"

You really can't blame him for being nervous. For a flower viewing party, they actually found a topographic map of Furong Garden. The two girls studied it for two days, as if they were going to send troops to attack.

If this causes trouble, they won't be able to escape.

"It's okay. I had a very pleasant chat with Xiao Lin's wife today, and I also found out a lot of secrets." Cheng Xi carefully recounted what she had heard. Some of it was the secrets of the noble families, while some were her inferences based on Madam Yan's words.

Fang Tianxi was a strategist, and his best skill was gathering intelligence and gathering news. However, he never expected that he could get so much information out of a chat with a noble lady. He couldn't help but sigh, "It's such a waste to have you as the gang leader. You'd be better off as a spy."

Cheng Xi didn't joke with him. Instead, he said solemnly, "That's nothing. Xiao's attitude towards Ye is a little strange. We still need to investigate carefully to see if Ye has any new moves recently. Oh, by the way, there was a scholar following Young Master Ye in the garden today. I think there's something fishy about him."

A single visit to the flower viewing banquet revealed a change in the Ye family's situation? Was she making a big deal out of nothing? Fang Tianxi frowned and asked, "What did you see?"

"That man was dressed like a scholar, but he didn't have the slightest air of a scholar. His temperament was hard to describe, quite arrogant. Although he was a guest, Master Ye and those around him were very respectful and even a little afraid of him." Cheng Xi explained carefully, "That man's surname should be Ning, and he was wearing white..."

Before she could finish her words, Fang Tianxi suddenly stood up and asked, "Wearing white clothes? Is his last name really Ning? How did you find out?"

"I heard it from Ah Mo." Noticing that Fang Tianxi looked a little off, Cheng Xi immediately recounted the entire process of his inquiry in detail, then asked, "Have you heard of this Mr. Ning?"

Fang Tianxi looked at Cheng Xi with a complicated look. This investigation was really too sharp and too clever.

She knew nothing about that man, yet she was caught red-handed. It was definitely not just luck.

After a long pause, Fang Tianxi finally said, "If I'm not mistaken, that man should be the infamous Long Whale Gang's military advisor, 'Ghost Scholar' Ning Fu. This thief loves to dress like a scholar and has a penchant for white clothing. His vicious heart and ruthless hands earned him this nickname."

Cheng Xi's heart trembled. She had not expected this. Why would the Changjing Gang choose this time to come to Tingzhou, and specifically look for the Ye family... Wait, Cheng Xi blurted out: "Is he planning to deal with the Qingfeng Gang?!"

It goes without saying who Ye's biggest enemy is now.

Since Ning Fu ran to Tingzhou and got in touch with the Ye family, it is not difficult to guess what he was thinking.

If the two really join forces, wouldn't it be easy to deal with the Qingfeng Gang?

Fang Tianxi's expression turned grim. "If he's really the Ghost Scholar, then he's most likely here for the Qingfeng Gang. He's cunning and extremely difficult to deal with. Back when the army was sweeping the sea, I once plotted to lure and kill the leader of the Long Whale Gang, but he saw through it and led a large group of people out of the encirclement, escaping directly to Southeast Asia. In just two years, he's already carved out a niche for himself. I'm afraid he'll be even more difficult to deal with now."

The Changjing Gang was the only one that escaped General Qiu's bandit suppression. Unexpectedly, they had also clashed with Fang Tianxi. Cheng Xi pondered for a moment and suddenly said, "He came alone and appeared in Furong Garden. He is most likely here to persuade people. I'm afraid the Changjing Gang is not yet able to mobilize troops."

This can be figured out with a little thought. After all, the first enemy that the Changjing Gang has to face is not the Qingfeng Gang, but the newly rising and powerful Chiqi Gang.

No matter how much you calculate, it is impossible to choose the far away instead of the near.

The most fundamental purpose of helping Ye is to eliminate the allies of the Red Flag Gang and, by the way, to create one or even several powerful enemies behind her.

Fang Tianxi sneered, "That's not hard to guess. If my forces were stretched to their limits, I would definitely use my eloquence to secure a few allies. If we want to defeat the Qingfeng Gang, we won't be able to rely solely on the Ye family."

Who would they choose? Their eyes met, and Fang Tianxi asked directly, "Are people from the Lu family also there today?"

Cheng Xi nodded: "He went, and he should be the person in charge of Tingzhou."

"Then we're in big trouble," Fang Tianxi sighed. In this situation, the enemy of my enemy is naturally my ally. The Lu family probably hated the Red Flag Gang the most right now, and their wealth and influence were substantial enough to warrant a guess as to what Ning Fu would do. If that guy could truly get the Ye and Lu families to join forces, they, trapped in the enemy camp, would be the first to bear the brunt of the consequences.

If one is not careful, there will be no trace left.

"Now that they are in the open and we are in the dark, we are still not without a chance." Cheng Xi suddenly said, "What's more, the enemy chief is alone outside, which is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!"

Fang Tianxi shuddered all over and opened his eyes wide: "You...you..."

"Mr. Fang, we still have time, why not give it a try!" Cheng Xi's voice was more decisive.

Fang Tianxi was silent for a moment, then gritted his teeth and said, "I let him escape last time. This time, I have to use some tricks..."