Chapter 250 Lure the snake out of its hole
The capital city, the water garden.
A gentle autumn breeze blows, and water birds occasionally flit across the withered lotus leaves by the lake.
The sound of a zither drifted through the tea room, and behind a spacious screen stood three figures.
After Song Jiyun came in and bowed, Madam Zhao just drank her tea and ignored her completely.
Only after the last note of the zither faded did Madam Zhao slightly raise her eyebrows, and Mama Xiang, who was standing to the side, then understood and led the others in the tea room away.
"Did Miss Song bring good news?"
Zhao placed the teacup she was holding on the table, and the teacup made a crisp sound as it hit the table.
Not too light, not too heavy.
Song Jiyun clenched his fingers tightly.
"She...she has many skilled people around her..."
Her gaze suddenly fell on her, and a mocking smile curled at the corner of her lips.
"How did Miss Song give me that guarantee?"
"To die before achieving one's goal, Miss Song died far too soon."
Song Jiyun lowered his head, his long eyelashes casting a shadow under his eyes, concealing all his emotions.
She was dressed in a simple dress and stood by the screen, right in the wind.
Her skirt swayed, and strands of hair floated beside her fair cheeks.
She looked even more pitiful.
Having spent half her life in the inner quarters, Zhao had seen all kinds of women, and she could see right through Song Jiyun's thoughts at a glance.
The old lady naturally doted on her.
But the old lady was, after all, old.
Song Jiyun was an orphan, had no leverage, and could not win Xian'er's heart.
When you enter the house in the future, you will be all alone.
She was the mother-in-law, and Song Jiyun's initiative to offer her advice was simply to secure a stable life in the inner quarters of the household.
And her advantages.
Regardless of whether this matter is discovered in the future, it can be attributed to Song Jiyun.
She just hadn't expected that they would be so useless, unable to even kidnap a child!
"Don't you pride yourself on being exceptionally intelligent and unparalleled in strategy?"
Zhao said coldly, "Whether that child is truly of the Zhou family bloodline or not, we must obtain a blood test as soon as possible."
"Song Jiyun, my patience is limited."
A cold glint flashed in Zhao's eyes.
Song Jiyun bit her lower lip so hard it almost bled.
Humiliation, anger, and resentment surged within her.
She'd already spent a fortune hiring people, and those idiots couldn't even handle this little thing.
After Zhao left, the tea on the table gradually cooled down.
Song Jiyun slowly sat down in Zhao's seat.
After some time, a waiter in a blue robe came in carrying a pot of fresh tea.
The guy's hands were covered in thick calluses.
His hands were very steady as he refilled the teacup with tea.
The gentleness and grievance on Song Jiyun's face vanished instantly, replaced by a cold contempt.
Like a superior who looks down on everything.
"How did you guarantee me that?"
She then relayed Zhao's words to the shop assistant.
"Three men, against a coachman and a guard, couldn't even get a child back?"
This guy is the masked man who escaped from He Ran's clutches!
The men's eyes were devoid of warmth; they were all in a dangerous business.
Buying a life costs one price, buying a person costs another.
This woman only needs to capture one child alive, so naturally the price won't be high.
Unexpectedly, this one deal cost him the lives of two of his brothers.
When traveling the martial arts world, once you accept a commission, you must move on to the right path.
The man spoke, his voice cold and hoarse.
"Two experts suddenly appeared out of nowhere, and we failed."
"Missed it?" Song Jiyun sneered.
"You think you can just brush it all off with a simple 'mistake'?"
"You didn't even bring the person back, and you still want the remaining payment? Dream on!"
A cold glint appeared in the waiter's eyes.
“Miss Song, according to the rules of the underworld, the compensation for the deceased must not be less.”
"Living on the edge of a knife, even if you die, it's because you're not as skilled as others, but you can't be shortchanged on money."
Song Jiyun felt as if he had heard the biggest joke in the world.
What value does a dead person have?
"I only care about the results. What do I care about your lives or deaths?"
The waiter suddenly looked up, a flash of murderous intent crossing his eyes.
Song Jiyun felt a chill creep up his spine as those sharp, venomous eyes locked onto him.
She clenched her teeth tightly to keep herself from showing weakness.
A moment later, she took a heavy money bag from her sleeve and threw it on the table.
The sound of silver striking the ground was crisp and enticing.
Here is five hundred taels.
"I don't care what methods you use, whether you bribe or forcibly seize it."
"I must see those two children within ten days."
"I'll give you double the price after it's done."
The assassin leader looked at the money bag on the ground, and the murderous intent in his eyes gradually faded.
He picked up the money bag and agreed in a deep voice.
"good."
...
Meng Shilan's residence.
The night was as dark as ink, and all was silent.
But everyone knows that beneath this calm surface, undercurrents are surging.
Inside and outside the mansion, Wei Xun and Guo Fan had already secretly increased the number of people several times over, with guards almost every three steps and sentries every five steps.
However, for more than ten days in a row, everything remained calm.
The other party seemed to have vanished without a trace, and there was no further movement.
This kind of waiting, where the enemy is in the dark and I am in the light, is the most agonizing.
Shuang'er lived in constant fear, and dared not even sleep too soundly.
Meng Shilan, however, was calmer than ever.
In the study, she looked out at the dark night and tapped her fingertips lightly on the table.
There's no such thing as being able to guard against thieves for a thousand days if you're a thief for a thousand days.
She couldn't remain passively hiding in the mansion forever, letting Fu'er and Xiao Pangxi be trapped in this small space with her.
The best defense is offense.
She decided to lure the snake out of its hole.
The West Market in the west of the city is a foreign market, where you can find everything.
It was also the most bustling and diverse place in the capital.
As you enter the West Market, a bustling atmosphere comes from all directions.
The cries of merchants from all over the country, the shouts of vendors from various cities and prefectures, and the various accents from the south and north filled the air.
The air was filled with a peculiar aroma of spices, leather, and various foods.
Persian carpets, Kunlun jade, East China Sea pearls, and grassland mare's milk wine.
As long as you have money, you can acquire even the rarest things.
Those who frequented the West Market were mostly stewards and purchasing agents from wealthy merchants' households.
It is rare to find someone like Meng Shilan, dressed in a long Suzhou embroidered brocade dress, adorned with pearl hairpins and jade ornaments, clearly a noble lady of high status, with maids and guards following behind her.
Her appearance was like a fat sheep that had strayed into a pack of wolves, immediately attracting the attention of all the merchants.
"Miss, miss! Look at my cat's eye stones, they're from the Western Regions, they glow at night!"
A bearded merchant from the Central Asian region, carrying a box, squeezed in front of Meng Shilan and opened it as if presenting a treasure.
Meng Shilan didn't even look at it, and waved his hand dismissively.
"purchase!"
The resounding word "buy" seemed to reveal to the merchants a fat sheep waiting to be slaughtered.
"Girl, look at these rubies here, pigeon blood red! Genuine pigeon blood red! Set in a hairpin, they'll surely make you outshine everyone else!"
The merchants were doing their best to promote their goods.
Shuang'er, who was following behind Meng Shilan, was speechless with astonishment.
Guo Fan and Wei Xun, who were hidden in the crowd and remained vigilant at all times, couldn't help but shake their heads with a smile as they watched this scene.
Meng Shilan, however, seemed to be enjoying it.
She strolled from stall to stall with great interest, occasionally picking up a gemstone to examine its color against the light, or picking up a string of beads to compare them on her wrist.
She asked for prices, bargained, and chatted back and forth with those shrewd merchants, all with a relaxed and carefree air.
Meng Shilan explored almost every corner of the West Market.
Shuang'er and her guards behind her were carrying boxes of all sizes.
The carriage was almost half full of all sorts of trinkets.
Apart from the overly enthusiastic vendors and onlookers, there wasn't a single suspicious person around.
Meng Shilan stood beside the carriage, watching the endless stream of people, her brows furrowing almost imperceptibly.
Could it be that she was mistaken?
Or was it that her grand display today deterred the other side from making a move?
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