Chapter 247 Xiao Ran Bravely Explores the Twilight Tower Restaurant
Jiang Ling was shocked!
He sighed, unsure of what to say.
"I originally planned to tell him after he returned from the capital. I know he doesn't truly love me, but I had no better choice than him..."
The moment she became the top courtesan, she never expected anyone to treat her sincerely or love her truly.
But then Fang Shijie appeared. He was elegant, humble, and gentle, fulfilling all her fantasies.
Although she knew that Fang Shijie's gentleness towards her was fake, even if it was fake, she was already deeply in love and couldn't extricate herself.
I originally thought that having a child would allow him to stay by my side for a few more years, and let me enjoy a few more years of happiness.
But unexpectedly...
After seeing Hongxiu off, Jiang Ling stood at the shop entrance, her brows slightly furrowed.
Xiao Ran walked in from outside the shop and asked, "Sister Jiang, has something happened to Sister Hongxiu? She seems very sad."
"She's looking for Fang Shijie. There's been no news of Young Master Fang for a month, and even the Mulou Restaurant has closed down."
"So, she came to ask her sister for help?" Xiao Ran frowned, recalling Fang Shijie's appearance when he came to the village to look at houses last time.
He always felt that Fang Shijie didn't seem like a good person.
Jiang Ling nodded: "I'll ask the Song family first. They have many connections in the capital, so maybe they can find out some information."
When Madam Song came to pick up the goods last time, she said that she would be busy with the branch in the capital these days.
She wasn't in Ping'an County, so Jiang Ling couldn't go looking for her herself.
All I could do was pick up a pen and paper and write her a letter to ask about the situation.
Jiang Ling sealed the letter: "Xiao Ran, can you do me a favor and take this letter to Ping'an County, then have someone deliver it to the Song family in the capital by fast horse?"
"good."
"There's one more thing, could you help me find out something..."
Soon, Xiao Ran drove the carriage out.
After handing the letter over to the post station, he turned his carriage around and went to another street.
Just as Hongxiu had said, the Mulou Restaurant was closed, locked with heavy chains, and the bustling scene of the past was gone, leaving only a desolate atmosphere.
Xiao Ran sat down at the tea stall across the street and ordered a pot of tea, seemingly to rest, but actually to observe carefully.
He casually chatted with the tea stall owner: "Boss, why did that teahouse across the street suddenly close down? Wasn't it doing quite well a while ago?"
The tea stall owner was a talkative man. While wiping the table, he sneered, "Who says it isn't true! It happened just a couple of days ago, and suddenly it closed down. I heard the owner got into a big lawsuit! How would we ordinary folks know the details? Anyway, overnight, he just disappeared without a trace."
Xiao Ran pressed on, "I heard that this Boss Fang is a very kind person. Wasn't he giving out porridge to the refugees at the city gate just two months ago? What serious lawsuit could he possibly have gotten into..."
The boss lowered his voice, a hint of mystery in it: "It's hard to say, hard to say. Some say it involves... things from above." He pointed to the sky.
"Anyway, there seemed to be some unfamiliar faces wandering around the area those few days; they didn't look like ordinary people. Sir, why are you asking about this?"
"It's nothing. I've eaten here a few times before and thought the food was pretty good, so I just asked casually. It's a pity."
He put down the money for the tea, got up, and left.
Xiao Ran left the tea stall but did not go straight home.
He went around to the back of the street where the Twilight Tower Restaurant was located and found a quiet, deserted alley.
The back wall of the building is here, with several windows tightly closed.
After carefully observing the surroundings and looking around to make sure no one was watching, Xiao Ran took a deep breath and nimbly climbed up.
He took out a small dagger from his pocket and carefully probed it through the crack in the window, slowly adjusting the latch inside.
They sneaked in silently.
The room was dimly lit, and his location resembled a back room where miscellaneous items were stored.
Upon entering the lobby, the tables and chairs were arranged somewhat haphazardly, as if the party had left in a hurry and hadn't had time to tidy up.
There were still some leftover food and unwashed dishes in the kitchen.
The private rooms on the second floor, like those on the first floor, appeared somewhat messy.
He arrived at what was probably the room where Fang Shijie usually handled his affairs.
This place felt more spacious than other places; the books and documents on the bookshelves were nowhere to be seen, and the desktop was so clean that there wasn't even a scrap of paper.
Xiao Ran was not giving up. She squatted down and carefully examined the underside of the table, the corners of the walls, and even gently tapped the floor and walls, looking for any hidden compartments or overlooked clues.
Inside the general store, Jiang Ling held a piece of cotton cloth, looking at the embroidered pattern on it.
"Did you find this in the cabinet at the Twilight Tower Restaurant?"
Xiao Ran replied, "Yes, in the hidden compartment at the bottom of the cabinet. The clothes in that cabinet were in disarray, as if someone had rummaged through them. I suspect this piece of cloth was left behind."
Jiang Ling looked at the sun-like pattern, which resembled the emblem of some alliance.
Just then, the shop's curtain was lifted, and Zhao Shiying walked in.
He came to see Xiaoran.
"Miss Jiang." After performing the customary greeting, he looked up and happened to see the embroidered cloth in Jiang Ling's hand.
"How could Miss Jiang possess such a thing?"
Jiang Ling and Xiao Ran were both taken aback. Jiang Ling handed over the cloth and asked, "Master Zhao, do you recognize this?"
Zhao Shiying took the cotton cloth, her fingertips tracing the embroidered sun pattern, and said in a deep voice:
“I recognize it. It’s the emblem of the Yanyang Merchant Caravan of the Great Sheng Dynasty. I’ve dealt with villagers from the Great Sheng Dynasty on the border before and have seen similar ones.”
"The Great Sheng Dynasty? The Yan Yang Caravan?" Jiang Ling's heart skipped a beat.
As expected, Fang Shijie was a member of the Great Sheng Dynasty.
Zhao Shiying nodded and explained further:
"The Yan Yang Caravan has a terrible reputation. On the surface, they are a caravan, but in secret they engage in robbery, plunder, and human trafficking. Many citizens of the Great Yu Dynasty on the border have suffered greatly because of them! But they have never appeared in the city. How could Miss Jiang have such a thing?"
Jiang Ling felt a chill run down her spine.
It seems that Fang Shijie's identity is not simple.
Just as Zhao Shiying finished speaking, footsteps sounded outside the shop again. This time, it was Grandpa Zhao who lifted the curtain and came in.
As soon as he entered, he said to Jiang Ling, "Miss Jiang, I've been looking for you! There's something I need to ask you."
Jiang Ling quickly covered the pattern with the ledger, and stepped forward calmly.
"Uncle Zhao, please speak."
"It's about what we agreed on before the New Year, that Young Master Fang wanted to build a house in our village. It's already spring, the ground has thawed, and I've roughly calculated the cost of building the house, but there's still no word from Young Master Fang. Spring plowing is just around the corner, and everyone will be busy with their work in the fields. Who will have time to come out and do manual labor?"
He looked at Jiang Ling expectantly: "I just came to ask Miss Jiang if you can get in touch with him and ask if the house will still be built? Give us a definite answer so we can make arrangements."
Based on the information we received today, Fang Shijie won't be back anytime soon, let alone be able to build a house.
Jiang Ling considered her tone carefully and said as calmly as possible, "Uncle Zhao, there's no need to wait any longer. Let everyone go about their business. It seems we can't contact Fang Shijie for the time being."
Grandpa Zhao was taken aback: "Huh? What's going on?"
"I don't know the specific reasons, but I heard that he got into a lot of trouble in the capital, and his business was greatly affected. Even the Mulou Restaurant in Ping'an County had to close down. I'm afraid he won't have time to take care of building a house for a while."
Grandpa Zhao took a puff of his pipe. "Since you've said so, Miss Jiang, then there's definitely no hope. I'll go tell everyone not to wait in vain and to go about their own business."
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