News of South Vietnam's attack on the southern border spread across the land almost overnight, like a cold winter wind. Although people feared war, facing a crisis that hadn't yet arrived, they seemed to be able to live their lives peacefully. They would simply come forward and say a few words when someone mentioned it, but that was all.
As Wang Yanzhou led Prince Zhong back to Qingliang Valley without stopping, Heiya shook off the snowflakes on his hat and walked into a small silk shop on Jiangdu Street at dawn.
Although it was still early, candles were already lit in the silk shop. The shopkeeper and his assistants were counting the cloths and cleaning the shop as best they could, waiting for daybreak to officially start their day's business.
As Hei Ya entered the shop, a waiter came over and was about to tell the customer to leave, saying that the shop was not open yet. However, the shopkeeper took a quick glance and rushed to Hei Ya before the waiter could say anything. With the usual warm smile of a businessman, he greeted him, "Hey, isn't this Brother Hei Ya? How did you find time to come here? Come on, come in, waiter, and have some tea."
After taking off his straw raincoat and hat and putting them away, Hei Ya placed the large bag of gold leaves he was holding on the table and said, "Stop talking nonsense. Is this price enough?"
The shopkeeper smiled, opened the purse in front of Hei Ya, and weighed the weight in his hand. Then he turned sideways and bowed, saying, "Brother Hei Ya, please come inside."
This silk shop was different from other silk shops. It had an additional function unknown to outsiders: it collected all kinds of information needed by those who needed it. However, anything that people needed could be exchanged for money. The silk shop also clearly marked the price based on the cost and difficulty of collecting the information.
The shopkeeper brought Black Crow to a small compartment, placed the purse on the table in front of the two men, and said bluntly, "Brother Black Crow, what do you want to ask me this time?"
Black Crow was a regular at this shop. He knew the rules: don't employ a man you doubt, don't doubt him. Since he'd chosen them, he wanted to get the information he needed as quickly as possible. It was best to speak directly and not worry about leaks. They were also well-known in the black market, and the industry had its own professional ethics and standards. It was not much different from a detective agency.
Black Crow asked, "Has anyone entered the Su family recently?"
The shopkeeper smiled, looked directly at Black Crow and said, "Yes."
Black Crow continued to ask: "Who is it?"
The storyteller replied succinctly, "The eldest daughter of the Su family, Su Zhirou."
Hei Ya frowned slightly. No wonder he'd discovered signs of human activity in the long-sealed Su Mansion when he'd gone to investigate last night. Su Zhirou didn't know martial arts, and the main gate or corner door hadn't been damaged, nor were there any telltale footprints on the walls. How had she gotten in? And what had she returned for? "What was she doing at the Su Mansion?"
The shopkeeper replied calmly, "I took something away."
"What is it?" When Hei Ya asked this fourth question, the shopkeeper did not give an immediate answer as he did before, but looked at him with a smile without saying a word.
Black Crow knew that there was no business without fraud. This old fox was really calculating. However, before coming here, he had already prepared himself to be ripped off, so he made sure to bring enough money.
Black Crow took out a large bag of gold leaves from his pocket, opened the purse, and poured all the gold leaves on the table: "Is that enough?"
The shopkeeper looked at the glittering gold leaves on the table, his eyes narrowed into slits, and the smile on his face became even more intense: "Brother Black Crow, you are too polite. This is not necessary. We are still investigating this matter."
After saying that, the shopkeeper unexpectedly split the gold leaf on the table into two, wrapped up one half and returned it to Black Crow.
Black Crow looked at the money bag handed to him by the shopkeeper, but did not take it. "What does this mean?"
The shopkeeper smiled and explained, "The boss has ordered that all of Madam's friends get a 50% discount."
Black Crow's heart skipped a beat. Oh well, this place was originally owned by Qingliang Valley. He was indeed a sly old fox. He'd known he could only take half, yet he'd kept it a secret until he'd pulled out the second bag of gold leaves. He was clearly after money.
Black Crow took the gold leaf and put it down again: "...Hehe, then this half will be considered as a deposit for my last question."
The shopkeeper bowed and assured, "I'll accept it. I'll give you a reply in seven days. Brother Black Crow, please come back and have a chat in seven days."
Facing the shopkeeper's cordial farewell, Black Crow asked, "Why does this trip seem to be taking a lot longer than before?" as he was leaving.
The shopkeeper didn't hide anything and said frankly, "The person who took the things had someone secretly helping him, and his whereabouts are currently unknown."
"Okay, I see. Thank you very much."
"Take care, guest."
When Hei Ya came out of the shop, the sky was much brighter than before. The wind and snow had stopped, and there were a few pedestrians walking slowly on the street, breathing out white air...
The distance between Jiangdu and the capital wasn't far, but it wasn't close either. Su Zhirou hurried from land to sea and then back to land again, working day and night to finally reach her destination within five days, before Zhao Wentao arrived home.
Su Zhirou had originally planned to quietly return before dawn, but as soon as she opened the back corner door, the house, which should have been pitch dark, suddenly became brightly lit. She saw Old Madam Zhao sitting in front of a fox fur-covered armchair, with Madam Zhao and the servants waiting for her return at the corner door.
Madam Zhao looked at Su Zhirou with disdain and said sarcastically, "Humph, didn't you say you were going to meet a friend named Tang? Why don't you stay with them for a few more days before coming back?"
Su Zhirou thought to herself, this old lady should have returned to the old house after New Year's Eve, so why was she still here? She left so cautiously, who informed them that she would be arriving today?
Although she had countless questions in her mind, Su Zhirou was in no hurry to think about them. She could only kneel down and said with her head lowered, "...Madam, why are you here?"
Madam Zhao snorted coldly and said with a look of irritation, "Hmph, if I hadn't come, would I have to wait for you to ruin the reputation of my Zhao family?"
"Madam, you misunderstood, I..." Su Zhirou was about to explain that this friend named Tang was not what she imagined, but before she could say anything, Madam Zhao interrupted her impatiently.
"Shut up, Jue'er told me everything! It's bad enough that you keep Wentao in bondage every day, but you, a mere concubine, actually dare to give Madam such a disgrace. And now you haven't been home for ten days. On New Year's Day, Wentao had just left the house when you disappeared. You visit him morning and night, but he's nowhere to be found. You don't serve your parents-in-law, you don't respect the wife, and you can't have children. My Zhao family still won't tolerate you!"
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