Chapter 1390 - Spy
Several servant women carried Xihua back to her quarters and laid her on the bed. She felt dizzy and groggy, her senses swimming. She had once been the daughter of a scholar's household of considerable means—until a plague swept through and claimed her parents and brothers one after another. Clansmen had swallowed her family's property and conspired to sell her to a brothel, nearly driving her to suicide.
Though her past was miserable and she had endured profound mental anguish, she had never suffered much physical hardship. A delicate daughter raised in comfort all her life—where had she ever known such pain? She lay in a stupor until the sky turned fully dark before regaining consciousness. Burning, stinging pain radiated from her buttocks and legs; the slightest movement felt like needles driving into her flesh.
The room was pitch black, the lamp still unlit. She could not tell what time it was. She struggled to roll onto her side, her throat parched and desperate for water. Propping herself up, she felt for the low cabinet beside her bed—empty.
She had been a "red person" in the Villa, with status approaching that of "student" before Zhao Yingong, and a figure of genuine authority in Cihui Hall, managing the children's education. A "real power" figure whom everyone in the Villa somewhat feared. Her personality was unyielding and proud, tolerating no imperfection, often embarrassing people publicly. Though she had done many good deeds over time, her popularity within the Villa remained middling at best. Now that she had been beaten, many were delighted; few felt pained. Who would come to visit, let alone serve her tea and water?
Moonlight shone bright outside the window, casting white flickering light on the square brick floor. Xihua's nose stung and she could not help but shed tears. She fumbled for a handkerchief from under her pillow to wipe her eyes. Suddenly the door made a soft sound and opened gently. Fenghua poked her head in, made a hushing gesture, then walked in lightly. First, she pulled the curtain across the window. Then she produced a box of matches from her pocket, struck one, and lit the candle stand on the table.
"Sister Fenghua!"
"Shh..." Fenghua pressed a finger to her lips. She set a carrying basket on the table and took out several porcelain bottles. "Lie prone and don't move. I'll apply medicine for you."
"Thank you, Sister." Xihua dared not speak much, fearing her voice might carry. She buried her face in the pillow, tears streaming in clusters. She had dealt with Fenghua often, but they had never developed a personal friendship. Among Zhao Yingong's "side users," Fenghua had the most ordinary appearance, but she was a naturalized citizen from Lingao—the oldest among them, and one of those Zhao Yingong trusted most. Xihua had always resented that a girl of average looks and learning could earn the Master's confidence so thoroughly, and had gradually distanced herself. Besides, Fenghua was generous and well-liked, with high prestige throughout the Villa—which only increased Xihua's silent hostility.
Yet here Fenghua was, coming to tend to her. Warmth stirred unexpectedly in Xihua's heart, accompanied by a trace of shame.
Fenghua applied the medicine, then poured a bowl of medicinal juice from a thermos in the basket and fed it to her. The juice was slightly bitter but not difficult to drink. Her body, which had been burning hot, instantly felt cool, and even the stinging pain in her thighs subsided considerably.
"This medicine was purchased from Lingao," Fenghua whispered. "Master specifically ordered me to bring it for you."
"Mmm..."
Fenghua tucked the quilt carefully around her, then walked softly to the door, opened it, and beckoned. A figure slipped in. It appeared to be a man—Xihua nearly screamed before realizing the visitor was Zhao Yingong himself.
"Master—"
Zhao Yingong nodded. Fenghua had already brought over a stool. He sat down beside the bed.
"I came to see you. Don't move—just lie there. It hurts, doesn't it?" Seeing her try to straighten her body, Zhao Yingong held her arm with one hand to stop her.
Xihua was clever. That the Master would visit her quarters at night, coming in person—she knew today's outburst must have had a purpose. Yet she was angry that she had clearly "pleaded for the people," and the Master himself had spoken to her of "education as the foundation" and "teaching and nurturing as a century-long endeavor"—only to punish her publicly for precisely that. The physical pain could be endured, but the humiliation was hard to release.
Given such feelings, her words naturally lacked tenderness: "When Master beats a servant, it is the natural order of heaven and earth. Even being beaten to death would be deserved. This servant dares not speak of pain—all this servant received was deserved punishment!"
Fenghua was about to scold her, but Zhao Yingong shook his head. "Today's matter was originally meant to make an example of you. Someone as clever as you surely understands."
"Yes, this servant understands," Xihua whispered.
"The matter of the silk factory workers that you raised—I have already instructed the Steward Office: beginning tomorrow, the factory will switch to three-shift operations, with a rest period every shichen. The meal standards have also been raised."
"..." Xihua's eyes widened. She could not fathom the Master's intentions. She had always felt that he treated the contract slaves in the factory too harshly—sooner or later, someone would die in that place. That was why she had stepped forward to argue in a moment of passion. Yet now the Master had accepted everything at once.
"Humans are not grass or trees—how can they be without feeling? How could I not know the filature is comparable to hell?" Zhao Yingong smiled faintly, then covered his smile. "It is easy to have petty benevolence and petty righteousness. It is hard to have great benevolence and great righteousness. Rare that you bear it!"
Such praise—even the usually proud Xihua dared not accept it. "Master speaks too highly. This servant cannot bear such words."
"Why can you not?" Zhao Yingong spoke with frank assurance. "You yourself hold an upper-rank position in the Villa, receiving the best money and provisions. I trust and rely upon you; you have standing among the servants. In the filature, you have not half a relative or old acquaintance—they are all people unrelated to you. Yet you risked stepping forward to speak out for their suffering. How is that not great benevolence and great righteousness?"
These words struck directly at Xihua's heart. In truth, she had not thought so much when stepping forward—it had been mere momentary indignation. Now, pointed out by Zhao Yingong, feelings that had been vague became clear and understood. For a moment, a tumult of emotions churned within her, and lying on her pillow, she wept loudly.
Fenghua hurried forward to comfort and soothe her. It took some time before her tears subsided.
"It was all this servant's fault..." Xihua, eyes still wet, tried to rise again.
Zhao Yingong stopped her. "No need to admit fault. You were not wrong. The matter of the filature was originally an expedient measure." He smiled again. "Besides, if not for your disturbance today, how else to win the enemy's trust?"
Xihua was somewhat confused. But as he spoke, understanding dawned on her like light flooding a snow cave. "Master wants this servant to be Huang Gai?"
"Clever! I had originally intended to tell you first, to avoid internal unease. But if you felt at ease, this act would never have looked real."
"This servant understands. What does Master want this servant to do?"
Zhao Yingong's face turned serious:
"You two are my most trusted people. There is no harm telling you now: someone is plotting in secret, wanting to destroy Phoenix Mountain Villa."
These words had little impact on Fenghua—after all, she was a naturalized citizen who had stayed in Lingao. She knew the Council of Elders' deep strength, and she understood that coming to Hangzhou with the "Chief" meant venturing deep into enemy territory.
Since they were in enemy territory, a life-or-death struggle could come at any moment.
But for Xihua, it was different. Her feelings for Phoenix Mountain Villa ran deep. She had been a girl on the verge of falling into the dusty world of brothels when she came under Zhao Yingong's care. Not only had she herself been saved, but she had watched the Master build Hangzhou's enterprise little by little—from Wanbi Bookshop to its current vast scale. Particularly Cihui Hall: from last year until now, she had seen how many common people, who would otherwise have become starving corpses, had been rescued. Handling general affairs in Cihui Hall, she knew this better than anyone.
For people like Xihua, Phoenix Mountain Villa had become something like home. Hearing that someone wished to destroy it, her eyes went wide. "Master! What people could be so vicious?"
"I still do not know—which is why I want you to find them out. Are you willing?" He paused. "Going this time means entering the tiger's den. Perhaps nine deaths for every chance of life. If you are unwilling, I will absolutely not blame you."
"This servant is willing!" Xihua said without hesitation. "Tell this servant what to do."
"Good." Deep inside, Zhao Yingong felt satisfied. He had not misjudged her after all. "Remain calm. I fear the Villa may already be infiltrated by spies. You suffered the family law today—someone will inevitably come to seduce you. Simply follow nature."
"Yes! This servant understands." Xihua responded. "And if no one comes?"
"Rest assured—someone will definitely come." Zhao Yingong smiled. "Within the Villa, only Fenghua and Zhao Tong know of this matter. If anything arises, contact Fenghua. She will tell you what to do next."
"So her popularity in the Villa is actually quite low?" Hao Yuan set down Gou Chengxuan's handwritten investigation notes.
"Correct. Our informants say this Xihua usually thinks highly of herself and has a violent temper. Any steward in the Villa who fails to meet her standards will be embarrassed on the spot. Quite a few people hate her. But she does things meticulously, following all the Villa's rules, leaving no handle to grasp. That only makes her more annoying."
"Oh?" Hao Yuan pondered briefly. "You've been speaking of stewards. What about ordinary people—refugees, slaves, female workers?"
"She doesn't interact much with them usually. The people below find her arrogant by nature. But she handles things fairly, is willing to think of the common workers, and is willing to speak on their behalf—she has considerable prestige." Gou Chengxuan said. "This time Baldy Zhao beat her under family law for standing up for the filature's female workers. According to our informant, this does not appear to be fabricated—she had mentioned reporting the filature's conditions to Baldy Zhao several days before."
"It seems this woman really does have a chivalrous heart." Hao Yuan offered no comment on whether it was genuine or not. He gazed up at the low ceiling for a long while, then asked again, "Did anyone visit her afterward? How did Zhao Yingong subsequently dispose of her?"
"I heard Fenghua visited and also sent medicine for the welts—which is only proper. Baldy Zhao issued no further punishment. Word from the Steward Office only says she is to rest for a few days."
Hao Yuan nodded. "Listen well. Here is what we do next..."
(End of this chapter)