Chapter 107 If the right path doesn't work, take the wrong path.
When the three left Yuhuchun, Xie Ji forcibly stuffed a bag of silver into Zhang Cheng's hand.
Zhang Cheng's face was swollen so badly that he could barely speak. "Your Highness, Young Master Xie, how could I dare to accept your money?"
This time it was clearly my fault for not arranging things properly; if I had accepted it…
Before he could finish speaking, Xie Ji interrupted him, "Stop, stop, stop. I reckon you were probably in the kitchen when Zhang Xiao and the others came up."
You're lucky you weren't there, that madman Zhang Xiao.
If I had stopped them then, things wouldn't just be a swollen face now.
Those dogs would probably tear it to pieces.
Zhang Cheng's eyes were slightly moist, but he still insisted on not accepting it.
Xie Ji said with a straight face, "Just take it. Do you think I'm short of a few coins?"
"What kind of behavior is it for two grown men to be pulling and tugging at each other in the street?"
After saying that, he stuffed the silver into Zhang Cheng's arms, turned around and left.
The sun was shining brightly on the street, and most of the pedestrians had smiles on their faces. The sounds of small groups talking and hawking mingled together, which dissipated much of the hostility that had been present at the observation deck.
Xie Ji swung his arm and walked at the front, smacking his lips, "If we had known that bastard Zhang Xiao would come, we should have gone to another restaurant. It's just ruined our appetites for no reason."
Pei Zhiwei followed behind and suddenly caught sight of a little beggar huddled at the corner of the street, wearing a patched-up shirt and holding a broken bowl, staring at them longingly.
When the little beggar noticed Pei Zhiwei's attention, he ran over and bowed repeatedly to the three of them. Then, holding out his broken bowl, he bowed and muttered, "Please, sir, give me some food..."
Suddenly, he lowered his voice and said very quickly, "That Silla man just now left Silla Ward alone and headed west. We've been keeping an eye on him."
Xiao Yunzhan stopped in his tracks and looked down at the little beggar.
The child was about fourteen or fifteen years old. His face was covered in dust, but he had a pair of very bright eyes. His gaze did not wander when he spoke, so he must have been specifically instructed to do so.
He took out a few pieces of silver from his sleeve and put them in the little beggar's bowl, his voice tinged with amusement: "Here's a reward for you."
Then, lowering his voice and speaking very quickly, he asked, "Can you lead the way?"
My men are going to take that person down. You just need to point in a direction, and you don't need to worry about the rest.
The little beggar's eyes lit up, and he shouted, "Thank you, sir! Thank you, sir!"
Then he whispered, "Yes! I know the way!"
Xiao Yunzhan turned his head to look at the corner of the wall not far away, where a man in a blue robe was standing. He seemed to be looking at the sugar paintings on the street, but he was actually a bodyguard in disguise.
He gestured with his chin towards the man, who then seemed to have had his fill of sugar paintings and strolled off to the next shop.
As they passed by, Xiao Yunzhan quickly ordered, "Follow him, capture the man quietly, don't let anyone see you, and don't let the Silla man know who you are."
If he asks, just say someone paid you to do this.
The little beggar was clever; he ignored what they were saying and went west to beg on his own.
The man in blue followed along, wandering further and further west.
Pei Zhiwei watched their retreating figures, then turned to Xiao Yunzhan: "Are you trying to trick him?"
Xiao Yunzhan raised an eyebrow and turned to look at her. "I haven't said anything yet, how did you know?"
Pei Zhiwei: "Otherwise, you wouldn't have specifically mentioned that last sentence."
"You seem to understand me better and better." Xiao Yunzhan couldn't help but laugh.
Satisfied, he watched as Pei Zhiwei's face flushed red, giving her no chance to refute, and said, "Didn't Grandpa Lu say that last night?"
These Silla people's families were all in Silla, and they had to consider their families' safety in everything they did.
If we interrogate him directly, he definitely won't tell the truth. We might as well try to trick him; maybe we can get some information out of him.
Xie Ji, watching from the side, couldn't help but grimac: "Oh dear, I'm really begging you."
Is it really appropriate for you two to always act like I don't exist, taking turns like this?
Besides, what if we can't get anything out of him? Are we really going to let him go?
Xiao Yunzhan: "If we can't get anything out of them, we'll think of other ways."
Investigating a case is never a quick process.
"Let's go back to Yaoguang Garden and wait. Perhaps the secret guards will have news soon."
In the woodshed of Yaoguang Garden, a man dressed in Silla clothing was tied to a pillar with a black cloth bag over his head.
"Who are you? Do you know who I am? How dare you kidnap me!"
"Let go right now, or you'll regret it!"
The door to the woodshed creaked open, and Xiao Yunzhan and Xie Ji walked in, followed by Pei Zhiwei.
Xie Ji walked up to the man, but didn't touch the bag. Instead, he kicked him and deliberately raised his voice: "What are you yelling for? I tied you up."
The people above said that if you just stay quietly in Xinluofang, then it's fine.
"You insist on wandering around. Since you're disobedient, we can't let you stay."
His kick was quite forceful, and the man let out a muffled groan, but he visibly stiffened upon hearing his words, and then struggled even more fiercely.
"The people above? Who are you above? Is it Zhang Xuren? Did he send you?"
Xiao Yunzhan leaned against the door frame, saying nothing, just listening quietly.
Xie Ji turned to look at him, then knowingly continued to strain his voice and shout, "Why waste words with him?"
The higher-ups said keeping him alive would only cause trouble; it's better to just kill him and throw him into a mass grave to avoid any unforeseen complications.
He enjoyed playing two roles.
She even searched the man's body, deliberately making a sound with the sword at his waist during the search.
The man's breathing quickened instantly, and he shouted, "Wait!"
Zhang Xuren sent you, didn't he?
I knew he was up to no good!
Tell him, don't think I don't have a backup plan!
If he dares to touch me, I will present all the evidence of his collusion with the Silla people to the Emperor of Liang!
May his entire family lose their heads!
Xie Ji stopped what he was doing, chuckled, and said in a rough voice, "Oh, you're quite self-aware, knowing who you've offended."
But do you think those words will scare us?
My family said that your whole family is in Silla. If you dare to expose this, the first people Silla will kill are your family members.
"Hmph~ You think you can fight against us adults?"
The man was trembling with rage, his voice trembling: "You..."
Even if I die, the owner of the Silla Pavilion will not let him off the hook!
Haven't we done enough things together with the Zhang family?
All the accounts are meticulously recorded in the Silla Palace.
"If I die, the museum owner will definitely produce a portion of the account books and make the Zhang family pay the price!"
Pei Zhiwei, standing behind, brightened up when she heard the words "ledger" and secretly gave Xiao Yunzhan a wink.
Xiao Yunzhan nodded slightly, made a gesture to Xie Ji, and the three of them ignored the man and turned to leave the woodshed.
The man's roars could still be heard from inside the woodshed. Xie Ji closed the door and couldn't help but laugh, "I didn't expect this trick to actually work. It tricked us out of the account book."
The three returned to the main hall.
Pei Lin, Cui Yanwu, and Liu Jingchang were sitting at the table talking, while Madam Pei was pouring tea for everyone.
Seeing them enter, Pei Lin looked up and asked, "How did it go? Did they recruit the Silla people?"
Pei Zhiwei recounted the conversation in the woodshed, "Now we can confirm that the Silla people hid all the evidence in the Silla Palace, and the missing girls should be there as well."
We'll have to figure out how to get in, though.
The guards in Xinluo Ward are so tight. If we openly enter, they will definitely put up a fierce resistance. Not only could innocent civilians in the ward be harmed, but it would also give them time to destroy evidence.
Liu Jingchang frowned, tapping his fingers lightly on the table: "If only we could get a search warrant, but Zhang Xuren definitely won't approve it and will even tip us off."
The worst outcome would be finding nothing, but being charged with "damaging diplomatic relations," which would be difficult to explain to the imperial court.
Cui Yanwu nodded in agreement: "After all, the Silla Pavilion is a foreign territory in Daliang. If it is not handled properly, it could easily cause trouble."
Everyone fell into deep thought.
Xie Ji couldn't help but laugh when he saw their worried faces. He patted the table and said, "I'm telling you, don't look so gloomy."
I'm not good at serious crime solving, but I have plenty of tricks up my sleeve for situations like this.
Xiao Yunzhan looked up at him, a smile on his lips: "How could I have forgotten you?"
"You've got the most crooked schemes out of you, stop keeping me in suspense and tell me."
Xie Ji chuckled, gestured for everyone to come closer, and then lowered his voice and quickly said a few words.
Pei Zhiwei's eyes lit up after hearing this: "This method is feasible. It won't arouse suspicion, and we can take the opportunity to go in and investigate."
Xiao Yunzhan nodded: "Let's do it your way. We need to prepare well and strive for success on the first try."
Night fell quickly, and Yangdu City gradually quieted down, with only the lanterns along the streets still lit, casting a dim yellow glow on the road.
At the end of midnight, a sudden cry of alarm came from Xinluo Ward. Immediately afterwards, flames shot up from multiple places, and thick smoke billowed, quickly turning half the sky red.
The guards of Xinluo Ward panicked and quickly banged on gongs to summon help. Residents of the ward also rushed out to fight the fire. In an instant, cries, coughs, and the sound of gongs mingled together, creating chaos.
Just then, a series of hurried footsteps came from afar. A group of soldiers and people from Wuhoupu rushed over, pushing water carts. The leader of the group was none other than Liu Jingchang's capable subordinate.
Upon seeing them, the guards of Silla Ward drew their swords, shouting, "This is Silla Ward; you are not allowed to enter without permission!"
He shouted angrily at the Silla guards blocking the entrance to the ward, "The fire is already so big, what are you still doing blocking it?"
If the fire spreads to the neighboring market, can you bear the consequences? Get out of the way immediately!
The Silla guards looked at each other, watching the fire grow larger and larger, and had no choice but to make way.
The team was directing its members to fight the fire separately; some were pushing water carts toward the fire, while others were evacuating onlookers.
If you look closely, you can see that Xiao Yunzhan, Pei Zhiwei, Xie Ji, and Lu Yinzhou are mixed in with the crowd in Wuhoupu.
They were dressed in the uniforms of the Wuhou Shop, running against the flow of people and following the Wuhou Shop's procession towards the Xinluo Pavilion, looking no different from ordinary Wuhou.
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