Chapter 388: Revealing the Mystery on the Waterway

Gusu, Jin Bi Garden.

Just now, Douguan ran to the laundry room and told Xiaofu the origin of the matter, which also made the little girl full of surprise.

She was not unaware that Commander Luo sent someone to buy her, and she knew clearly that if she were bought by Commander Luo, she would definitely not have a good ending.

But the female teacher of the theatrical troupe liked her very much and told her that she would definitely persuade the troupe leader not to sell her.

After Xiaofu arrived at the theatrical troupe, the people who were best to her were Adou and the master, so she believed that the master could protect her.

As long as she washed clothes obediently recently and didn't cause trouble, it would be fine when the limelight passed.

Maybe the troupe leader would change his mind and let her sing on stage again, and the days in the future would be better, so she didn't forget to hang her voice and practice songs while washing clothes.

She was a twelve or thirteen-year-old girl after all. Although she had suffered a lot since she was sold, she was still inexperienced and didn't know the evil of the world.

Until just now, Adou told her that the troupe leader had privately accepted Commander Luo's deposit to buy her, but the other party was not convenient now, so he hadn't come to take her away, which gave the little girl a big fright.

Later, Adou told her that the Jia young master and Zou young lady who went to the laundry room in the morning were capable and decent good people. She had begged them, and the Jia young master was willing to take Xiaofu away.

And the Jia young master was very capable, and seemed to say that even Commander Luo didn't dare to offend him.

After hearing these later words from Adou, Xiaofu's mood, which had fallen to the bottom, slowly recovered.

She was sold by her family since she was a child. Although she had a stubborn and unyielding temper, it didn't seem very difficult to accept being sold again.

As long as the person who bought her was a good person and didn't bully her, she would be satisfied.

She remembered that in the laundry room just now, she was hungry and weak, and the young master who gave her Zhen'er cakes spoke so gently and smiled so beautifully.

He also sincerely praised her for singing well, and he coaxed her with words because he was afraid she would be embarrassed to eat snacks. No one had ever treated her like this, which made her heart warm.

Xiaofu felt that him buying her seemed to be a good thing.

……

When Xiaofu and Douguan entered the main hall, the other four small theatrical courtesans chosen by Zou Min'er had already pressed their handprints on the deed of sale.

These small theatrical courtesans were sold to the theatrical troupe by their families for various reasons since they were children. Although they were sold again, they were inevitably a bit uneasy.

However, they all knew that the theatrical troupe was performing less and less, and if it continued like this, eating would be a problem. It might not be a bad thing to have a good place to go.

And Jia Cong and Zou Min'er looked very kind. I heard that they would take them to Shenjing in the future, which is the capital of the Great Zhou and the largest city in the world.

So for these inexperienced girls, the excitement in their hearts was even more than the uneasiness.

Douguan, who was chosen by Zou Min'er, was the youngest among them, and was a bit of a newborn calf not afraid of tigers.

Besides, she went to beg Jia Cong and Zou Min'er just now, and these two people really saved Xiaofu.

It made the little girl feel that they were capable good people, and she was very willing to follow them in the future.

When Xiaofu pressed her handprint on the contract, she couldn't help but look up at Jia Cong, her eyes still full of confusion and uneasiness.

Seeing Jia Cong looking at her with gentle eyes and nodding to her, Xiaofu felt a sense of courage and affirmation in her heart, and pressed her handprint on the contract very decisively.

Troupe leader Chen Youcai finally completed this business. Although Jia Cong and Zou Min'er only bought five small plays in the end, it also reduced a lot of burden for the theatrical troupe.

The female teacher of the theatrical troupe was surnamed Zhang, a woman in her thirties, with a beautiful appearance. She should have been an outstanding figure on the theatrical stage. Today, the five small plays and Xiaofu she taught were all bought by others, and it would be very difficult to see them again in the future, so she was very reluctant.

But now the theatrical troupe's livelihood is becoming more and more difficult. It is not a better way out for these disciples to be bought by reliable people.

Among the disciples she taught, Xiaofu had been with her for the shortest time, but her talent was the highest, which was rare in her life.

Although her temper was stubborn, she was a child with backbone, which made her very pity.

She smiled and said to Xiaofu: "Xiaofu, the last time you went on stage for the first time, you sang very well. Master will give you a stage name now. Next year you will be at the age of cardamom, so you will be called Lingguan in the future."

"You have a stage name, so you are a formal small play. In the future, you must listen to Young Master Jia and Miss Zou, don't be too willful, they will definitely treat you well."

Jia Cong heard this on the side, and his heart was shocked. This Xiaofu was indeed Lingguan, no wonder he and Daiyu looked so similar.

Because Jia Cong hadn't had time to send a letter to Du Hengxin, he couldn't rule out that Luo Xiong would find trouble with Lingguan.

To be on the safe side, he and Zou Min'er decided to leave Jin Bi Garden today, and when they left Gusu, they would pick up the other five small plays bought this time.

……

Gusu, Rongxiang Inn.

Because Jia Cong brought female relatives with him, he booked an independent small courtyard behind the inn.

It rained last night, washing the ginkgo tree in the courtyard into a fresh and green color.

The bluestone slabs on the ground radiated moist water light, the tiles on the eaves dripped water droplets, and the sunlight shone from the east with a crimson glow, a scene of ripples after the rain.

Early in the morning, Jia Cong found paper and pen, ready to write to Du Hengxin.

Lingguan had set up a bamboo pole in the courtyard, entered the room to tidy up Jia Cong's clothes, and prepared to take them out for washing.

She wore a light green cross-collar long vest with embroidery, a pink-white padded jacket, and a light purple-red long skirt, which was indescribably pretty and cute.

Because Lingguan was originally just a miscellaneous maid in the theatrical troupe, her clothes were very old.

This set of clothes was just bought for her by Zou Min'er yesterday.

The morning sun shone on her black hair, and the loose hair flying on her temples seemed to shine with a gentle halo.

She was young and her figure was thin, but her figure was slim and slender, symmetrical and beautiful. Because she was from a theatrical background, there was a gentle and moving charm in her gestures, which was different.

She was used to doing things in the theatrical troupe, and her hands and feet were very diligent.

This time Jia Cong's timely appearance saved her from the bad luck of being bought by Luo Xiong, and she always wanted to do something for Jia Cong.

But except for singing plays, she didn't understand other things, so she could only help him wash clothes.

Seeing Jia Cong spreading paper and washing brushes, she smiled and stepped forward to help him grind ink, but her movements of grinding ink were a bit unfamiliar.

Jia Cong smiled and asked: "Lingguan, have you never ground ink before?"

Lingguan tilted her head and replied: "My family was poor before, and it was impossible for me to read, and I have never ground ink. But I see that others grind it like this."

Lingguan had excellent talent for learning plays, and naturally she was a very smart person. Jia Cong smiled and demonstrated it to her a few times, and she soon looked like it, grinding out a pool of soft and dense ink.

By the time Lingguan finished washing a piece of clothing and hung it in the courtyard to dry, Jia Cong had already written the letter and asked a personal guard to send it back to Jin Ling immediately.

At this time, Jiang Liu came in to report that Zheng Xiaohai's ship had returned to Tieling Pass Pier.

Jia Cong felt refreshed when he heard this, and hurriedly called Zou Min'er to rush to the pier, and when he left, he looked at Lingguan who was washing clothes, and was finally a bit uneasy.

Du Hengxin hadn't received his letter yet. Gusu was Luo Xiong's territory

Du Hengxin had not yet received his letter, and Gusu was, after all, Luo Xiong's territory; what if his men arrived at Jin Bi Garden to demand Lingguan?

Jia Cong did not believe that Chen Youcai would keep his mouth shut, and at that point, there was no telling what complications might arise.

Moreover, this Luo Xiong had close ties with Zhang Kangnian; Jia Cong did not want to come into conflict with him at this time, so keeping Lingguan by his side was the safest course.

Gusu, at the Tieling Pass ferry, on a double-masted passenger boat.

Zheng Xiaohai was very surprised by Jia Cong's appearance. Back then, Jia Cong had chartered his boat for a large sum, allowing him to earn a generous fee, so he naturally had a deep impression of Jia Cong.

He had originally thought Jia Cong had come to charter his boat again, but he did not expect that was not the case at all, and the questions Jia Cong asked made him very reluctant to answer.

Those in their line of boat-running work also had their own taboos and conventions.

Especially those who were willing to pay a high price to charter his boat, and to whom he provided special services; some of those actions were not tolerated by the authorities, and if spoken aloud, it would also cut off his own path to business.

It was not until Jia Cong showed his official credentials and seal that he broke into a cold sweat, never having expected that he, who had always kept a low profile while running his boat to avoid inspection by military vessels, would actually end up in legal trouble.

Seeing Zheng Xiaohai's expression, Jia Cong knew he had already cowed him, and said: "You run a boat business and make your living this way; as the saying goes, those who live by the water eat from the water. Seeking advantages and avoiding harm on the waterways is, in itself, no great offense.

It is just that I once heard you and your wife say that before me, you had helped someone else avoid a military patrol boat; this person is very likely a major criminal wanted by the Jinling authorities.

You must tell me the whole story of that person from beginning to end. If a major criminal escapes because of your concealment, when the authorities investigate, you will not be able to escape the consequences!"

Zheng Xiaohai said with a bitter face: "This young master, that person paid a lot of silver to rent my boat; I truly did not know he was a major criminal from Jinling, otherwise I would never have dared to take his business.

Last month, someone came to Gusu to find me, saying they wanted me to go outside Jinling City to pick up a job, and the rent offered was very high; with money to be made, I naturally had to take the boat out.

That person took my boat and traveled for two days, arriving at a remote waterway outside Jinling City.

Six people were picked up onto the boat; the leader was a man of about forty, and the people around him were very respectful to him, as if he were a high official..."

Hearing this, Jia Cong was startled and exchanged a glance with Zou Min'er; they had both read the documents of the Zhou Zhengyang case, and there were a total of six confidants who had disappeared along with Zhou Zhengyang.

Zheng Xiaohai said that one person came to Gusu to find a boat, and they went to the waterway outside Jinling City to pick up six people; that made seven people in total, which matched the number of people in Zhou Zhengyang's group exactly.

Jia Cong asked again: "Did these people have anything special about them, such as their attire, or what they said, that made you feel strange?"

Zheng Xiaohai thought for a moment and said: "Except for the leader, the others all carried knives, the same knives as the soldiers of the Su Zhou Guard.

And they rarely spoke, but whenever they did, they were a bit fierce; the way they walked and sat seemed like they were all officials."

Jia Cong's eyes lit up; he knew that what Zheng Xiaohai was describing was the goose-quill saber, which was the standard weapon for the soldiers of the Great Zhou garrisons.

Moreover, Zheng Xiaohai could see that these people all had an official air.

Those who followed Zhou Zhengyang in his escape were either battalion commanders or platoon leaders; they were all mid-to-high-level military officers in the Jinling Guard.

The demeanor and conduct of these people were very different from ordinary commoners and soldiers; this was cultivated over a long time by the official-oriented system, and it was easy for others to see.

The number matched, the leader was about forty years old, which matched Zhou Zhengyang's age, and the weapons they used were all goose-quill sabers of the garrison troops; even their identities and demeanor matched.

Jia Cong and Zou Min'er were both greatly encouraged; now it could basically be determined that this group of people who chartered Zheng Xiaohai's passenger boat were, in all likelihood, Zhou Zhengyang and his confidant accomplices.

Jia Cong asked again: "After you took these people on board, how many days did you travel on the road, and where did you finally drop them off?"

Zheng Xiaohai said: "We set off from outside Jinling City, and they asked me to go to a fishing village east of Changzhou.

Originally, the boat trip wouldn't have taken two days, but they said they were sea merchants from Songjiang who had come to Jinling to do business, and they didn't want to be extorted by military boats on the way, so they asked me to avoid the patrols along the route.

This is actually a very common thing; many people in the waterway business will look for an experienced boat captain just to save on these 'road-buying' fees.

And since they chartered my boat for a high price, I naturally would help them do these things.

But during that time, it seemed like something had happened in Jinling City, and the patrols of military boats along the way were more frequent than usual.

Having accepted the guest's high fee, I naturally couldn't ruin my own reputation, so I was very careful along the way; the two-day waterway took a full three days to travel, just to avoid all the military boats along the route."

Jia Cong hurriedly asked: "Where did they finally get off the boat?"

Zheng Xiaohai replied: "They got off the boat at a fishing village called Haishanzhu; that fishing village is east of Changzhou and borders Gusu, and it is less than half a day's boat trip to Gusu.

As for where they went after they got ashore, I don't know."

Haishanzhu!

Jia Cong and Zou Min'er exchanged a glance; the Central Vehicle Office had received news that Chen Kuishan, a battalion commander who had followed Zhou Zhengyang in his escape, had once appeared in Haishanzhu.

All the details Zheng Xiaohai just mentioned matched the clues left behind by Zhou Zhengyang perfectly.

Zhou Zhengyang had indeed utilized Zheng Xiaohai's familiarity with the waterways to escape by water from Jinling all the way to Haishanzhu, but after going ashore, no one knew where they had gone.

Zheng Xiaohai said with a bitter face: "After they went ashore, they gave me one hundred taels of silver and told me not to tell anyone else about this; naturally, I kept my mouth shut after getting the money.

This official, I truly did not know they were major criminals from Jinling; if I had known, no matter how much silver they gave, I would never have taken them through the waterway.

Official, you must not arrest me and take me to the authorities; I will never do this kind of business again."

Jia Cong looked at him and said: "I will not arrest you and take you to the authorities now, but you must not reveal anything about today's meeting to anyone, otherwise, if the charge of harboring major criminals gets out, no one will be able to save you!"

After leaving Zheng Xiaohai's passenger boat, Jia Cong said to Zou Min'er: "We will return to Jinling tomorrow."

Zou Min'er asked: "We haven't figured out Zhou Zhengyang's whereabouts yet; are we going back just like this?"

Jia Cong said: "Confirming that Zhou Zhengyang escaped through Haishanzhu means this trip wasn't in vain.

According to common sense, Zhou Zhengyang must continue to flee eastward, toward Su Zhou and Songjiang; that direction is the most suitable for going out to sea.

The large cities along the way are densely populated and easiest to hide in; he will likely hide in these places.

With just the few of us, we won't be able to find him; we must return to Jinling as soon as possible and mobilize more manpower to come down and search."

Zou Min'er said: "Zhang Kangnian is highly suspicious; he has been an official in the Jinling Guard for many years, and people like Su Zhou Guard Commander Luo Xiong have deep ties with him.

Now that he has become the head of the Ministry of War in the auxiliary capital, if he cannot be cleared of involvement in this matter, as soon as we mobilize the Jinling official manpower, Zhang Kangnian will know immediately."

Jia Cong said in a deep voice: "Therefore, we can only mobilize manpower that has no connection to him, so that we do not alert the enemy and can achieve twice the result with half the effort." (End of chapter)