Chapter 1395 - Petty Favors
"Yes! This attack on Phoenix Mountain Villa will inevitably result in deaths and injuries. Setting aside treatment and compensation—which I presume the Master has already arranged—killing people inside the Villa means we must provide an explanation to the authorities above. Money for purchasing lives cannot be spared."
If they did not arrange people to take the fall for any killings, these Fighting Society men would not be willing to exert deadly effort. A life for a life—they understood this most basic principle.
"Easy enough. How much is needed?"
"Forty taels per person. We need to prepare at least ten lives."
Elder Shi seemed to find this expensive. "That requires four hundred taels of silver!"
Four hundred taels was no small sum. When a soldier died in battle, compensation was only ten taels; family members received even less.
"Thirty taels buys the life. Ten taels is the fee for bribes." Cao Guangjiu explained carefully. Taking the fall and dying for others required not only buying the person's life but also greasing palms at every level—from the magistrate down to the jailers in prison, the clerks in the criminal room... all needed money. Otherwise, the slightest difficulty at any stage could explode into a major case. The bribery fee was indispensable.
"Very well. As you wish."
The fifteenth of the seventh month had not yet arrived, but undercurrents already churned throughout Hangzhou. City foxes and society rats seemed to have caught the scent of something. Some rubbed their palms in anticipation, preparing to fish in troubled waters and loot grandly; others kept their distance, unwilling to wade through this murky situation.
Within Phoenix Mountain Villa, things appeared relaxed on the surface but were tense within. Not only did the Infantry Squad drill every day with double sentries maintained day and night, but a lookout tower had been erected on the mountaintop, constantly monitoring the surrounding area.
Zhao Yingong and Zhao Tong both knew clearly that the enemy's attack would come very soon. But the exact day, the number of men, the method of assault—all remained unknown. They were relying on Xihua to find out.
Yet Jia Le, after contacting Xihua two or three times, had shown no further movement. Though she was secretly monitored day and night, no sign of contact with the outside had been detected.
From Xihua's reports of their conversations, Jia Le was obviously trying to persuade her to defect and become an informant. But throughout their exchanges, she never touched upon the "benefits" of being an informant.
By normal standards, when recruiting an insider, one must first offer substantial rewards and second provide a way out. But Jia Le had never mentioned either.
According to Xihua's reports, Jia Le instead constantly "expounded on righteousness," emphasizing that Zhao Yingong was a "people-harming autocrat" and an "enemy of the people." It was almost enough to make one laugh and cry at the same time.
Yet this method of persuasion left Zhao Yingong baffled. What exactly was the opponent's angle? What use was there in sending a little girl to spout such empty, tedious words?
Xihua was indeed a girl with a strong sense of justice, but Zhao Yingong was also certain she would not be moved by parrot-like phrases that a little girl had obviously memorized from somewhere.
Zhao Tong's investigation of the Charity School's teacher finally yielded a lead through a combination of bribery and kidnapping threats: the teaching gentleman who had opened the Charity School was named Hao Yuan. He had lived in Nanxiawa for almost a year and enjoyed high popularity there. He resided next door to Jia Le's family and interacted frequently with them—but that was the extent of it.
This Hao Yuan had suddenly left Nanxiawa some ten-odd days ago; his whereabouts were unknown. Zhao Tong had sent several men to sneak into the house he had left behind at midnight to search, but they found nothing. Zhao Tong calculated that the date of Hao Yuan's departure from Nanxiawa coincided exactly with the day Jia Le entered the Villa. Clearly, Jia Le was merely a message carrier. Once the message was delivered, she became a discarded piece.
Even if they arrested and tortured her, they would gain nothing. What she knew was the same as what Zhao Tong already knew. Zhao Tong then proposed secretly executing Jia Le or transferring her to Taiwan for "labor reform."
"For now, keep her," Zhao Yingong shook his head. "Since she came, she must serve some further purpose—she won't be just a message carrier. Let's see how capable this Hao Yuan really is. Continue having people watch her—and Xihua!"
"Chief, this Hao Yuan whatever-his-name-is will certainly try to meet Xihua next. Should we catch him then?"
"Of course not. Hao Yuan is still a pawn—running and organizing under instruction. Behind him there is certainly a major figure. Catching him is of little use; it would only alert the snake by beating the grass. Keep watching him, use him as a thread, and dig out all the black hands behind him. Catch them all in one net—leave not an inch of grass!" Zhao Yingong spoke viciously. His expression had grown somewhat manic. These days, invisible pressure had been tormenting his sleep and appetite; his cheeks had grown hollow, his eyes ringed with dark circles.
He had already telegraphed the Executive Committee to request that the Special Reconnaissance Team detachment in Kaohsiung be mobilized, preparing to conduct a thorough "targeted elimination" operation in Hangzhou.
"Tell Xihua: someone will definitely try to meet with her in the coming days. Let her be reserved. Don't agree too quickly. This enemy, I believe, is quite formidable."
That day, Xihua was calculating accounts in Cihui Hall's Charity School. She served not only as principal of the Orphanage but also as teacher, nanny, and manager of logistics and finance.
"Miss Xihua, a Manager Niu from Maoxing Firm has come, saying he's here to reconcile accounts with you."
"Show him in." Xihua paid this little mind. The fifteenth of the seventh month was approaching, and another month would bring Mid-Autumn—one of the "Three Festivals." Every shop needed to settle accounts; debts needed clearing.
Maoxing Firm was a local grocery supplier that specialized in provisioning Phoenix Mountain Villa. The Orphanage of Cihui Hall had a special account with them.
Children had always been the human resource the Council of Elders valued most. No matter where, there was policy inclination toward "Council of Elders' children." Whether in living standards, healthcare, or cultural education, they enjoyed the best tier among naturalized citizens. Consequently, interactions with Maoxing Firm were frequent.
Though Hangzhou could not match such conditions, orphans in the Orphanage were still "upper-class people" among refugees. Their expenses were also the highest.
"Miss Xihua, good health to you." A young man walked in—neatly dressed, elegant in manner, very much resembling a "senior partner" from a major shop.
"Good health. And how is Manager He?" Xihua found the visitor unfamiliar—not the usual assistant from Maoxing Firm. She could not help feeling somewhat puzzled. "Please sit."
"The old gentleman is well. Thank you for the seat." The young man moved with unrestrained poise, lightly lifting his robe hem as he sat.
Xihua was waiting for him to begin reconciling accounts, yet after placing an account book on the tea table, he made no move to compare figures. While she wondered, she suddenly heard him speak: "Is the child Jia Le proving useful?"
Xihua's heart clenched. She drew a deep breath and said slowly, "Useful enough. Only sometimes she cannot help being a bit too clever for her own good."
"She is only a child, after all. A little petty cleverness inevitably goes to her head. Thank you, Miss, for your tolerance." The young man smiled slightly. "I have long heard the name of Miss Xihua. To see you today is truly a blessing of three lifetimes."
"Spare me the flattery. What brings you here?"
"I am Hao Yuan, at your service—Jia Le's teacher." Hao Yuan spoke with perfect calm. "Presumably, Miss already knows why I have come."
"The thing you wish me to do—I will absolutely not do it." Xihua's face was expressionless. "I advise you to leave here quickly. I know you are a man of benevolence, righteousness, and responsibility. I am unwilling to see you trapped. Go quickly."
"Miss indeed possesses benevolence, righteousness, and moral backbone!" Hao Yuan praised. "A person like Miss, serving Zhao Yingong, is helping the tyrant to do evil."
"Master has shown me grace and righteousness."
"That is petty grace and petty righteousness." Hao Yuan spoke seriously.
"Petty grace and petty righteousness? Could it be you have great grace and great righteousness to offer people?" Xihua sneered, pointing out the window. "Tens of thousands of refugees out there—which one does not rely on Master Zhao's grace and righteousness to barely survive in this world? All these children were originally dying of cold and hunger; now they have no worries about food and clothing here, and even have books to read. Is that your grace and righteousness?"
Hao Yuan showed no anger. "I naturally do not possess Master Zhao's financial power. If we speak of doing good, Master Zhao counts as the foremost person in Hangzhou—no, perhaps in all of Jiangnan."
"Since you know this, why would you have me do something to harm my employer?" Xihua said. "This Villa is the foundation for how many people's food and clothing. Once this Villa is destroyed, where will these people rely? Will you take responsibility for them all?"
"I am only a humble teacher. Such a heavy burden is naturally beyond me."
"Then what else do you have to say?"
"The food and clothing of these tens of thousands of people are certainly important. The good deeds Master Zhao has done can indeed be called magnificent. Only—has Miss ever thought: where do these mountains of gold and silver, mountains of rice and cloth, come from?" Hao Yuan unhurriedly opened his fan and waved it gently. "Master Zhao neither turns stones to gold nor possesses a cornucopia at home. This money cannot simply fall from the sky."
"What is strange about that? Master is skilled in commerce and growing wealth."
"Commerce and growing wealth—using capital to seek profit. All of that is proper and natural. Only, Master Zhao's method of growing wealth earns black-hearted money against conscience. What he earns is not silver—it is the fat and blood of the people!" Hao Yuan's demeanor shifted from smiling calm to deadly seriousness. He lowered his voice. "What Zhao Yingong has done in Hangzhou—everyone can see. Is it possible only Miss cannot? You see only how many refugees he has taken in, how many corpses he has saved from starvation. You do not see how many common people he himself has caused to become starving corpses!"
"Utter nonsense!" Xihua glared at him. "Such audacity! You dare come here and spout such drivel! I need only call out once, and you will cease to exist in this world!"
"Working for the poor people under heaven, what does Hao have to fear?" Hao Yuan's expression did not waver. "Naked I came into this world, and unworried I shall leave. If Miss wishes to seize me, Hao will bear no resentment—I die in a worthy cause."
Hao Yuan cupped his hands. "Miss Xihua, please calm yourself. It is true that Zhao Yingong has been gracious to you. To you and to everyone in this Phoenix Mountain Villa, his grace may be called heavy as a mountain. But have you considered—these tens of thousands of people in Phoenix Mountain Villa eating their fill and wearing warm clothes—how many poor people's fat and blood has it cost?" His expression grew severe. "The clothes you wear, the rice you eat, the books the children read, the paper and ink you use... Do you know how many common people have sold their land and gone bankrupt because of all this?"
(End of this chapter)