Chapter 33 Measuring the Alley
As dawn broke, the alleyways of Suzhou were filled with the sweet aroma of various pastries.
Pei Zhiwei walked ahead, clutching the map she had marked based on the dossier the night before, glancing around from time to time.
She stopped at the entrance of an alley, looking around at the red dots marked on the map.
This is the alley where Sun Qiao'er disappeared; it seems narrower than she expected.
Xiao Yunzhan followed half a step behind her, his gaze fixed on Pei Zhiwei, lost in thought.
Today she wore a red brocade robe with a lapel collar and short sleeves, and her hair was styled in a simple bun, adorned with just a few silver hairpins.
She rarely spoke during the journey, spending most of her time staring intently at the map in her hand.
Pei Zhiwei suddenly raised her head, her eyes filled with doubt.
"Logically speaking, you haven't seen the princess for many years, and she was so warm and welcoming to you yesterday, why didn't she ask you to stay with her longer?"
Xiao Yunzhan was startled by her sudden question. He hurriedly turned his head to look at the sign in the distance, cleared his throat, and then turned back to look at her.
"Well... cough... Granny Li was my third sister's dowry maid, and she's been with her for decades."
My third sister felt sorry for her and was urging me to find someone quickly; she wouldn't keep me chatting idly.
When he said that, it was as if his guilty conscience was written all over his face.
Pei Zhiwei didn't notice at all, only said "Oh" and then looked down at the map again.
"Li Erlang also disappeared on the Cold Clothes Festival, as did Qiao'er. What a coincidence..."
Her thoughts instantly drifted back to the case, completely unaware that Xiao Yunzhan's gaze towards her held a mixture of helplessness and amusement.
One hour ago.
Xiao Yunzhan had just finished washing up and getting dressed when he heard Xiao Wanyao's voice coming from outside the door.
"Yun Zhan, the weather is nice today. I've had a boat prepared. Let's go boating on Taihu Lake."
"And while you're at it, invite Madam Pei and her daughter-in-law along, so they can also see the sights of Suzhou."
Xiao Yunzhan's heart skipped a beat, but before he could answer, a maidservant rushed in and curtsied to Xiao Wanyao.
"Your Highness, Lady Pei asked me to report that she is going to check the scene of the missing persons case early this morning, so she will not be going boating on the lake."
Xiao Wanyao was taken aback for a moment, then chuckled: "This Madam Pei is indeed an impatient person. Oh well, investigating the case is the priority."
She looked at Xiao Yunzhan with anticipation.
"Shall we go, brother and sister? It's been so long since we went boating together. You always used to pester me when we were little..."
"Third Sister," Xiao Yunzhan quickly interrupted her.
“I’m not going either. It’s Pei Zhiwei’s first time in Suzhou, and she’s unfamiliar with the place. If she goes to investigate the site alone, she’s bound to make some oversights.”
I'll go with you, so I can help keep an eye on things. More people, more eyes—it's always safer that way.
Xiao Wanyao was surprised that Xiao Yunzhan would reject her. She stared at him for a moment, then suddenly seemed to understand something. She raised her eyebrows and looked at him with a half-smile.
"Oh? More eyes? Isn't Pei Shaoqing still in the manor? Did you, a prince, really need to make this trip in person?"
Xiao Yunzhan's ears turned bright red instantly. He turned his face away and reached out to tug at his collar.
"Lord Pei needs to stay in the manor to oversee things. If Zhou Wenbin finds out anything, shouldn't we adjust the direction of the investigation in time?"
Besides, I just wanted to find Qiao'er as soon as possible to put Granny Li at ease, so she could take care of Third Sister wholeheartedly.
"Oh? So it's for my sake after all?"
Xiao Wanyao took two steps forward, moved closer to him, lowered her voice, and said with a hint of teasing.
"But to me, it seems you're doing this for Lady Pei, not for me, Xiao San Niangzi?"
"Third Sister!" Xiao Yunzhan seemed to have his secret exposed, and his tone became more serious, but he sounded a little unsure of himself. "I'm just here to investigate the case! Don't make wild guesses."
Xiao Wanyao couldn't help but laugh when she saw his expression.
"Alright, alright, it's all for the sake of investigating the case. Okay, I won't tease you anymore. Go if you want."
Just don't forget, no matter how busy you are with investigating cases, you still need to take care of your health.
Xiao Yunzhan breathed a sigh of relief and quickly nodded, "I understand, Third Sister."
With that, he turned and fled in a flash.
By the time Xiao Yunzhan came to his senses, Pei Zhiwei had already reached the next marker, and he quickly followed.
This was a narrow alleyway by the river. Pei Zhiwei stood at the entrance of the alley and observed it carefully.
This alley looks narrower than the previous one; to the naked eye, it's not quite sure if a carriage can pass through.
She didn't say anything, but simply put away the map, walked to one side, braced her heels against the wall, and then walked step by step to the other side, her strides even, silently counting each step she took.
Xiao Yunzhan stood at the alley entrance watching her.
She walked very carefully, her head slightly lowered, her eyes fixed on the road beneath her feet.
I walked to the end, then turned around and walked back to check again.
Then he took out a charcoal stick from the brocade bag, lightly drew a mark on the map, and wrote "passable" next to it. The handwriting was small but very neat.
"Only drivers who are familiar with the road conditions and extremely skilled at driving can get through here."
Pei Zhiwei turned around and explained to Xiao Yunzhan.
"The alley was narrow, and there was a stone block at the corner, so the carriage practically hugged the wall."
Xiao Yunzhan nodded, said nothing more, and followed her to the next location.
In the next few places, where it was clear to the naked eye that a carriage could pass, Pei Zhiwei simply marked them according to the dossier.
When you're unsure about something, just like before, silently measure it with your steps.
As the sun rose higher, more and more people appeared in the alley.
"Let's find a place to eat something first." Xiao Yunzhan estimated that it should be almost noon.
"There's a restaurant called 'Linhelou' up ahead. They say it serves the most authentic fish sashimi. You can also take a break there and chat about the case."
Pei Zhiwei then raised her head, looked at the sky, and nodded.
"Alright, this will give us a chance to review the places we just looked at."
The private rooms on the second floor of the riverside pavilion face the river directly, offering views of the slowly passing awning boats.
Besides the fish sashimi, Xiao Yunzhan also ordered some Suzhou specialties.
Pei Zhiwei picked up her teacup, took a small sip, and said, "Those places just now..."
Except for the river where boats can travel, horse-drawn carriages can also cross.
There are two places, however, that only experienced drivers can pass through.
Most drivers either can't get through, have to try several times, or their wheels just scrape against the wall, making quite a racket.
Xiao Yunzhan nodded, tapping his fingers lightly on the table.
“I was just thinking about that. The case file says that most of the women disappeared when there were many people around, such as when they were releasing river lanterns during the Cold Clothes Festival or going to the market.”
In those crowded times, forcibly abducting someone would definitely attract attention. How did they manage to get people onto carriages or boats so quietly?
Pei Zhiwei put down her teacup, her brows furrowing slightly: "The only option is to drug her and take her away."
Previously, Feng Chao used a drug to seduce victims, but he used silver needles coated with the drug to prick acupoints on the victims' heads. This method was fast-acting and would not be detected by the coroner.
However, it's inconvenient to use needles when there are many people around. Not only is it easy to prick the wrong spot and fail to stun the person, but it also risks being noticed.
She thought for a moment and continued, "If you pour the sleeping pills on a handkerchief and cover the person's mouth and nose from behind when they're not looking, they'll faint in no time."
Moreover, even after covering their mouth and nose, a person cannot make a sound.
"A date rape drug?" Xiao Yunzhan pressed. "What kind of date rape drug can take effect so quickly?"
“After the Feng Chao case, I specifically went to the pharmacy to check, and it was called ‘Charming Grass’,” Pei Zhiwei replied.
"This medicine is controlled by the government. Only registered drug dealers and pharmacies can sell it, and each pharmacy has a fixed amount in stock, which cannot be too large."
The herbs also need to be ground into powder.
"If you want to gather enough to kidnap someone, you'll have to go to many pharmacies to buy it all."
Xiao Yunzhan frowned: "So, as long as we find out that someone has recently purchased large quantities of Bewitching Grass, or that a pharmacy has illegally sold more than its permitted amount, we can find clues?"
"That's how it should be," Pei Zhiwei nodded.
"But we can't rule out that they have other channels; we'll have to go back and ask the prince consort and the others about that."
Just then, the waiter brought in the dishes, first placing the sashimi on the table, and then setting out several other dishes.
"Sir, all your dishes are ready. Please enjoy your meal."
Xiao Yunzhan picked up his chopsticks, took a piece of sashimi, and put it into Pei Zhiwei's bowl.
"Have something to eat first. Suzhou's fish sashimi is very particular; try it and see if it suits your taste."
As he spoke, he placed a piece of sashimi into Pei Zhiwei's bowl.
Pei Zhiwei picked up her chopsticks and took a bite of the sashimi. The meat was tender and indeed more delicious than what she had eaten in the capital.
Meanwhile, the atmosphere in the princess's study was rather somber.
Gu Boheng sat in the chair, holding a scroll in his hand, but had no interest in reading it.
A moment later, Gu Xin pushed the door open and came in: "Your Highness, I have told the head of the family everything."
The head of the family said, "The Gu family has absolutely no involvement in human trafficking, and no one in the household has ever been involved in such matters. You can rest assured."
Gu Boheng breathed a sigh of relief, loosened his grip, and the file landed on the table with a "thud".
He picked up the teacup on the table, took a sip, and said, "He really said that? He wasn't hiding anything?"
"No," Gu Xin shook his head, quite certain.
"The head of the family specifically checked the accounts and even called several people over to ask, and indeed there was nothing there."
The head of the family also said that you should be careful not to get into conflicts with Prince Rui and Pei Shaoqing, and that if anything happens, you should inform the family immediately.
They also said that the family business had been suspended recently and would resume after Prince Rui and his entourage left, promising not to cause you any trouble.
Gu Boheng nodded, finally feeling relieved. He leaned back in his chair and let out a long sigh of relief.
"Your Highness, Magistrate Zhou has arrived and says he has important matters to report," came the steward's voice from outside the door.
Gu Boheng's brows, which had just relaxed, furrowed again. "Let him in."
Zhou Wenbin strode in, his face showing a hint of panic, and sweat beading on his forehead.
He bowed and greeted the Prince Consort as soon as he entered the room: "Greetings, Your Highness."
"What is it?" Gu Boheng was furious just looking at him.
Zhou Wenbin hurriedly replied, "Your Highness, as you instructed, I had people investigate whether there were any missing women who had not been reported to the authorities recently, and we did find some."
There were more than a dozen poor women who said they had found jobs and had gone to work.
Some say they went to work as embroiderers in embroidery workshops outside the city, some say they went to work as maids in wealthy households, and others say they went to work as laborers on boats.
But they never contacted their family again, and their family couldn't find the employer they mentioned.
"He left on his own?" Gu Boheng raised an eyebrow. "Didn't any of his family members suspect anything?"
“No,” Zhou Wenbin shook his head, took out a small notebook from his pocket and handed it over, “Look, this is what I had someone write down.”
Those recruiters all seemed normal, nothing wrong with them, and they even said they would send someone back with a message after I went there.
But after those women left, there was no further news of them.
At first, the family thought it was because they hadn't settled in properly, but they became anxious and realized something was wrong, but by then it was too late to find anyone to hire them.
Gu Boheng took the notebook and flipped through two pages.
The notices listed the missing women's names and ages, as well as the "job recruitment locations" they mentioned, mostly in markets or alleyways in the south of the city—places with many people and a lot of attention.
He stroked his chin thoughtfully: "This method is indeed discreet, recruiting workers openly and aboveboard. Even if someone suspects it afterward, it will be difficult to trace the source."
“Yes,” Zhou Wenbin nodded. “I have already sent people to investigate those who recruited workers, but we haven’t found any specific clues yet.”
"I thought I should report this matter to His Highness Prince Rui, so I came to inform you first and hear your opinion."
Gu Boheng: "You did the right thing. You should have spoken to Prince Rui."
Go look for him at the crime scenes near the river. He's currently checking with Madam Pei to see if there's a carriage route nearby.
Zhou Wenbin quickly replied, "Yes, I'll go right away." With that, he turned and strode out.
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