Chapter 2416: The Hidden Threat

"What's there to say about crying in the graveyard—his father died, isn't he allowed to shed some tears? Did anyone hear what they said?" Chen Xuan asked impatiently.

"They did hear some things, but..." Lai Xiao hesitated, because this Chen Yue was actually the master's own daughter.

"Hmph, you don't need to hold back—I know about her too. This little slu—" Chen Xuan swallowed back the words "little slut." After all, this child was his own flesh and blood. Even if she didn't acknowledge him as her father, cursing her was also cursing himself. "What did they say?"

"The person I sent didn't dare get too close. They only roughly heard them talking about the master holding power in the village, and something about driving away some 'Third Uncle'..."

"That's all?"

"That's all."

Chen Xuan thought this was to be expected. He had some understanding of this nephew. The boy had been a rule-following child since youth, not one who could scheme or plot. He could still be managed.

"From now on, send more people to watch him closely—him, Little Yue, and Chen Qing's family. Whatever they do, you must report to me. Understand?"

"This humble one understands!"

"What about the matter I told you to watch regarding the Australians?"

Lai Xiao shivered with fright and quickly said: "Master, everything else is fine, but why provoke these Australian lords! These people are extremely careful. If they see through us, won't that be greatly disadvantageous to you..."

"Look at you—you seem particularly terrified of Australians." Chen Xuan smiled slowly.

Lai Xiao felt his scalp go numb and quickly explained: "I've heard that the Australians' surveillance is the strictest. Whether in Lingao or Guangzhou, even the smallest thing—as long as they set their minds to knowing it, they'll know! Master, you just do your job for the Australians. Why know too much..."

"What a loyal and sincere heart you have!" Chen Xuan didn't understand why this Chou Scabby Head was so terrified of Australians and scolded him: "True, I do my job for the Australians. But in the matters below... hm? How many people are dissatisfied? Not to mention anything else—just the things you've done in the village, if someone were to tell the female... Chief about them, what do you think she'd think of you?"

"The Australians still rely on us to do things..."

"True that they need us to do things, but we must also guard against birds being killed and bows put away, rabbits dying and dogs being cooked!" Chen Xuan rubbed his forehead. "You have to help keep more eyes open! Especially now that Chen Lin has gone to the factory—we must be on guard."

"Yes, Master." Lai Xiao said helplessly. "I'll tell our people in the factory to watch a bit more..."

Chen Xuan felt irritation gnawing at him. He asked again: "In a few days, send someone else to Sanliang. You must find out Chen Ding's whereabouts!"

Chen Ding was the "Third Uncle" in Chen Lin's words—the youngest of the three brothers. Though he couldn't be called brilliant, he was upright and fierce in character, generous and ready to help others. Both clansmen and villagers respected him greatly. Had Chen Xuan not been able to rely on Australian intimidation back then, he never could have driven away this third brother.

He had originally wanted to label Third Brother as a "Ming Dynasty remnant" and have the Australians eliminate this hidden threat for him. But the Australians said they couldn't see any connection between him and Great Ming. In the end, Third Brother was labeled a "clan faction element" and expelled only because he stubbornly refused to hand over the village's clan field account books and maps.

But though Chen Ding was no longer in the village, Chen Xuan still worried greatly about this third brother staging a comeback. He knew Third Brother's abilities well. Such a righteous and upright gentleman would attract attention wherever he went. If the Australians were currently recruiting and Third Brother was enlisted by them...

For this reason, he had sent several batches of people to Sanliang Market. However, they reported back that though Chen Ding's wife and children were all there, he himself wasn't at his father-in-law's house. Moreover, they couldn't find out where he had gone.

This became a weight on Chen Xuan's heart.

"I'll send someone to Sanliang again tomorrow," Lai Xiao said, then hesitated. "Master, if you truly must find Master Ding's whereabouts, Sanliang probably isn't the place to look..."

"Why do you say that?"

"He must have left Sanliang and gone somewhere else, entrusting his wife and children to his father-in-law," Lai Xiao said. "How can we find him if we go to Sanliang?"

"The world is vast. If not Sanliang, where else should we look?" Chen Xuan said. "He couldn't have vanished into thin air. He must have left some instructions."

"In this humble one's view, the most likely place Master Ding went is Guangzhou!"

"Hm?" Chen Xuan suddenly grew alert. "Why do you say that?"

"Master, think about it. Young Master Lin was in Guangzhou—Master Ding knew that. But Young Master Lin returning to Nansha, he doesn't know." Lai Xiao said, "He can do nothing about you from Sanliang, so his only option is to go find his nephew to discuss countermeasures."

Chen Xuan nodded repeatedly. Though Chou Scabby Head was unremarkable in appearance, when analyzing problems he was indeed logical. How had he not thought of this!

"Now Young Master Lin is already in master's palm. The most worrisome thing is if Master Ding went to Guangzhou and came up empty. He probably won't give up easily. He might seek connections and relationships in Guangzhou. After all, the place with the most Real Short-hairs now is Guangzhou..."

Chen Xuan slapped his thigh. "You're right! Why didn't I think of this!" He considered for a moment. They had no close relatives in Guangzhou city, but there were a few distant ones. When Chen Lin went to Guangzhou, he had sought out Chen Xuan's cousin, Wu Yijun.

Quite possibly Third Brother had also gone to the Wu family!

"How about you make a trip to Guangzhou..." He looked at Lai Xiao.

Lai Xiao nearly jumped out of his skin—he had just escaped from that tiger and wolf den, how could he go back! He somewhat regretted his "offering of a plan" and quickly said: "It's not appropriate for this humble one to go. It must be someone who recognizes Master Ding and is familiar with Guangzhou's ins and outs—and needs to have some status too."

Chen Xuan's gaze lingered on Lai Xiao. This Scabby Head showed fear as soon as Guangzhou was mentioned—he probably had some unspeakable past in that city, and most likely a murder case on his hands too.

Also good. With Scabby Head having a stain on him, handling him will be easier.

But if he didn't go, who should?

Chen Xuan pondered for a moment and thought of someone. This person was surnamed Han, named Changfu. He had originally been an accountant for the clan but was dismissed after repeated offenses of improper conduct—falsifying accounts and embezzling money.

After being dismissed, Han Changfu still lingered around Nansha. He was also a second-rate loafer type, so he was quite familiar with Chen Xuan.

This Han Changfu had a blood brother who was also a local ruffian and had always done business in Guangzhou. The two brothers used to interact frequently, so he was very familiar with the city's situation and had a local strongman to help him. He was the best candidate for the Guangzhou trip.

"Go get Han Changfu."

After the man was called, Chen Xuan explained the mission: "You must find out Chen Ding's whereabouts!"

"Master, finding someone isn't hard. As long as he's in Guangzhou, we'll definitely find him," Han Changfu said. "After finding him, what then?"

"After finding him, get some people and tie him up and bring him back to me!" Chen Xuan said viciously.

"This humble one understands!" Han Changfu said. "Only, you'll need to give me a few more people."

"Isn't your big brother in the Guandi Temple gang? Give him some money, and won't he take care of it for you?"

Lai Xiao quickly interjected: "Master, that won't do! The Guandi Temple gang has already been wiped out by the Australians. It's not easy to find people for dirty work now. And the Australians have many eyes and ears inside and outside the city. I'm afraid we'd be bringing fire upon ourselves!"

Once the people they sent were caught and fell into Australian hands, they'd spill everything like beans from a bamboo tube. Kidnapping was a serious crime whether under Great Ming or Australian rule. Once implicated, that would mean catching everyone in one net.

Chen Xuan thought about it—true. Openly sending people to kidnap someone in Guangzhou city really would be showing no face to the Australians.

Han Changfu calculated for a moment. "I do have a method."

"What method?"

"Since he's hiding outside and won't come back, we'll think of a way to make him come back himself!" Han Changfu was full of crafty ideas. "Hasn't Young Master Lin come back? We'll use Young Master Lin as bait to lure him back!"

"Brother Han's plan is excellent. Even if Master Ding won't return to Nansha, we can trick him to another place. As long as he leaves Guangzhou city, it'll be easy!" Lai Xiao quickly flattered.

"Good! Let's do it this way!" Chen Xuan's face reddened with excitement. "You two are truly my left and right arms!" He slapped both their shoulders hard.

Lai Xiao secretly grumbled—Being left and right arms is useless; not a single extra coin of silver—and turned his face to meet Han Changfu's gaze. The two immediately understood each other: they were thinking the same thing!

Han Changfu said: "That's all well and good, but whether Master Ding is actually in Guangzhou is still uncertain. I'm afraid it'll take a while to find out."

"I'll give you three months. Investigate in Guangzhou until you find out the truth." Chen Xuan took out a pair of tally tokens. "Go to the accounting room and draw ten taels of silver for travel expenses. Pick two reliable people to go with you. If the matter is handled well, there will be generous rewards when you return!"

Han Changfu thought: I believe you—you ghost! Three people going to Guangzhou for three months on only ten taels of silver! As travel expenses and living expenses, it wasn't a small sum, but this wouldn't be easy to accomplish since money was needed everywhere. Though Han Changle was his big brother, he couldn't use him for free.

Fortunately, Guangzhou was a glamorous world. With money and people and his big brother there, maybe he could seize this opportunity to score a big haul. This trip wouldn't be a loss.

Chen Lin had spent almost the entire day at Fenshenghe, following Li Yao'er and Shen Su through every corner of the renovated facility.

Since he was determined to gain Li Yao'er's trust, he naturally put his heart and soul into the silk factory. Every location, every process, every piece of equipment—if he didn't recognize or understand something, he asked until he understood it clearly. He could articulate the pros and cons of each. This made Li Yao'er and her student regard him with new eyes: this young factory owner wasn't just a decorative pillow after all!

After the tour, they returned to the office in the front courtyard. It was already noon. Li Yao'er said: "Since you're here, today counts as your first day of work. Eat lunch here and then go back to rest."

"This..." Chen Lin actually did want to eat here, but dining with two young women like this seemed far too wild and improper...

(End of Chapter)