Chapter 189 Checking into the Inn
"If it's not enough, you can add more yourselves, and the cost will be directly charged to your account."
Although the portions of food served here, whether in ordinary eateries or upscale restaurants, were quite large, and what she ordered should have been enough for the guards, Xie Wanniang still gave the guard captain another reminder.
The captain of the guard nodded vigorously. "Alright, you can rest assured and leave the rest to us."
He watched Xie Wanniang order the food with his own eyes. She didn't choose the cheapest dishes, but asked the waiter which dishes the chef at their inn made that were delicious. Then, based on the general tastes of their group, she picked out twelve of the chef's signature dishes for them to eat.
The captain of the guards believed that even if he searched the entire Baoding Prefecture, he would have a hard time finding a second such a generous employer.
Having received benefits, they naturally worked even harder for their master. They kept a close eye on the gifts, gold, and silver that Xie Wanniang brought.
Xie Wanniang was quite satisfied with his attitude. She was indeed willing to reward her hardworking subordinates, but her subordinates should not become increasingly greedy as a result. Only when she was considerate of her subordinates and they knew how to repay her kindness could their employment relationship remain healthy and harmonious, without any grudges or disagreements.
After seeing off the guard captain, Xie Wanniang forced herself to wash away her exhaustion, and then ate something to fill her stomach while Haitang helped her dry her hair.
The chef at the inn was of a standard level that was common in street eateries. For Xie Wanniang, who wasn't picky about food, this level of skill was enough for her to eat without any psychological barriers.
On the contrary, Haitang, who had been fed quite a bit by her and whose palate had gradually become discerning, inwardly felt slightly disgusted that the inn's chef's skills were indeed mediocre.
Of course, despite her complaints, she still had to eat quickly and heartily, since they had been traveling for the past few days and had been eating dry rations most of the time.
Compared to cold, hard pancakes and pastries, having a hot meal is actually a very happy thing.
After everyone had finished their meal in a flash, most of them went to rest, except for two guards who were on duty for the first half of the night, who diligently continued to stay up.
They originally thought that everyone except them and the two people on duty for the second half of the night would get a good night's sleep until dawn, but unexpectedly, just as Haitang climbed into bed, a fierce conflict broke out in the inn that was enough to wake everyone up.
The commotion came from the gate of the neighboring courtyard, and the guards were momentarily caught off guard.
They glanced at the sky outside the window, which was almost completely dark. One of them rubbed his temples and asked irritably, "Who is this? What are they making such a racket in the middle of the night?"
The rough men weren't as particular as the girls; they quickly washed up and pulled up the covers to catch up on sleep, so they went to bed even earlier than Xie Wanniang.
I had just fallen asleep and was sleeping soundly when suddenly a series of shouts and cries came from outside. Who could stand that?
If they hadn't still retained some rationality, they would have rushed out and started yelling at people.
Xie Wanniang was still half-asleep, so she wasn't as agitated as the guards when she was woken up. She sat up and asked Haitang, who still hadn't closed her eyes, "What's going on?"
Haitang shook her head helplessly. "I don't know either."
Xie Wanniang stood up. "Let's go out and take a look."
Haitang nodded.
The two of them never wore only their undergarments when they were out. Even if they weren't sleeping comfortably, they always kept themselves properly dressed so that they could react immediately in case of an emergency.
She put on her shoes, got out of bed, opened the door, and went outside. As she walked towards the courtyard gate, she listened intently.
After listening for a while, she finally understood. It turned out that there was a wedding procession that had somehow lost the bride.
Judging from the commotion outside, the suspects in the bride's disappearance include her younger sister, cousin, and even her two maids, as well as the coachman and the old woman who accompanied her.
"The cousin testifies against the younger cousin, the younger cousin testifies against the younger sister, and the younger sister then turns around and implicates the older cousin. It's like a tongue twister. Tsk tsk, this family is really messy."
As for the bride's maid, servant, and coachman, just as the onlookers were saying, a perfectly healthy person had disappeared right under their noses, yet none of them had spoken up to warn the others in the procession that the bride was missing. They must be up to something.
Haitang asked Xie Wanniang in a low voice, "Isn't the important thing now to find the person? Listening to the people involved passing the buck is just a waste of time, isn't it?"
Xie Wanniang nodded, "That's right."
As she opened the courtyard gate and looked into the distance, she lowered her voice and asked Haitang, "So, have you figured anything out yet?"
Haitang hesitated for a moment, "Is the person in charge deliberately stalling for time?"
Xie Wanniang nodded, "The person in charge is the bride's legal mother. Her own daughter is not clean. Do you think she would be completely unaware?"
Haitang suddenly realized, "Could it be that the bride's marriage is so auspicious that all these girls involved want to steal her away?"
Xie Wanniang patted her, "My cousin probably doesn't have that intention. She was probably dragged into this by the bride's younger sister. Just wait and see, the bride will most likely never be found, and the blame will most likely be shifted onto the servants."
Haitang looked sympathetic. "Oh dear, wouldn't that make the new bride very pitiful?"
Although the Xie family, who raised her, didn't have so many messy affairs, the other wealthy and gentry families in Tang County, especially those newly rich poor people with no manners, all had chaotic and dangerous homes.
Haitang had been listening to stories of bloody power struggles within the inner quarters since she was a child.
As for Xie Wanniang, although she did not personally experience the struggles within the inner quarters, she had seen quite a few similar "stories" in her past and present lives.
In addition, she was an orphan in her previous life and has been raised by her uncle and aunt in this life. In terms of reading people's expressions and moods, she is better than most people in this world.
She could tell that her cousin's indignation and helplessness were genuine. Although her other cousin and her step-sister's words seemed reasonable at first glance, their expressions and body language revealed their guilty conscience.
The other parties present, namely the elders of these girls, might not be unable to discern which of their three daughters was innocent and which was particularly suspicious.
However, without concrete evidence and with the servants already bribed and unable to get the truth out of them, the cousin's parents had no way to clear their daughter's name.
As for those servants, everything in the world has a price, and this "everything" naturally includes human life.
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