Chapter 182: Face to Face
Jia Le stood at the entrance of the rear chamber, taking a few deep breaths to calm her pounding heart. She remembered Hao Yuan telling her that Xihua’s attitude would likely be very complex, and that she might even know she had been sent to persuade her.
“Don’t be afraid at any time. Remember what I told you: whatever she asks, you answer.”
Would that really work? Jia Le wondered silently. However, she trusted “Uncle Hao” completely. Her mood calmed slightly. As she lifted the door curtain, she said in a loud voice:
“This servant, Jia Le, has arrived.”
“Come in.”
“Yes.” She quickly lifted the curtain and entered.
The rear chamber was not large and was simply furnished. Xihua was sitting on a kang bed, holding an account book in her hand. The kang table was piled high with various ledgers.
“Have a seat.” Xihua’s hair was damp, as if she had just bathed, but her clothes were the same as during the day, impeccably neat.
“This servant wouldn’t dare,” Jia Le said cautiously.
“Oh.” Xihua’s eyelids lifted, her gaze sweeping over Jia Le’s entire body, sending an involuntary shiver down her spine.
Although she was young, she had always been one of Zhao Yigong’s “attendants.” From the establishment of the villa until now, she had been a “housekeeper” level figure, holding the power of reward and punishment. Her meticulous and uncompromising way of handling matters had naturally cultivated an air of authority. Even servant women decades older than her would feel their legs tremble under her gaze.
Xihua put down the account book, picked up her covered bowl, and took a gentle sip of tea. “Where are you from?”
“This servant is a local. My home is in Nanxiawa, not far from here,” Jia Le said cautiously.
“What does your family do?”
“We sell snacks.”
“How do you know how to read? Have you studied?”
Jia Le became doubly cautious. “How could someone of this servant’s standing dare to say they have studied? A neighbor’s child attended a private school, and this servant just learned a little by following along with them.”
“There are children studying in a place like Nanxiawa? Do you take me for an outsider?” Xihua sneered. “Which private school? Who is the teacher? What is the annual tuition?”
These questions came one after another, each a ruthless rebuttal. Nanxiawa was a gathering place for Hangzhou’s poorest residents. It was impossible for there to be a private school there. The children of Nanxiawa had never studied; people struggling on the brink of starvation could not have such thoughts.
“To answer the young miss, there is a scholar living in Nanxiawa now who has started a charity school to teach the children. He doesn’t charge tuition. This servant would not dare to lie about this.”
“There is such a righteous person in this world?!” Xihua sneered.
“To answer the young miss, you also suffered hardship in the past and were saved by Master Zhao. Why can’t this gentleman be a righteous person? Must only the rich and powerful be righteous?”
Xihua was taken aback. In the villa, apart from Zhao Yigong, no one had ever spoken to her with such “bluntness.” Even Fenghua, who was “second only to one,” spoke to her politely. And this retort was seamless, without any loopholes, making it difficult to refute.
She put down her teacup, silently sized up Jia Le a few times, and said, “You have a sharp tongue.”
“I wouldn’t dare.” Jia Le took a step back and curtsied. “Please forgive me, young miss.”
“So what if you can talk?” Xihua said faintly. “Don’t think I don’t know what kind of person Wang Rong’er is. She’s a traitor who sells out her own. Her bones are soft; a few lashes of the whip and she’ll tell everything…”
Jia Le felt a chill in her heart. Although Hao Yuan had told her that her identity was likely already known to the other party, being exposed so directly was like a clap of thunder, almost making her lose her footing.
Gang fights and killings often happened near Nanxiawa. If an informant was caught, they would be beaten half to death, stuffed into a sack, and thrown directly into the river. Jia Le had heard of this more than once.
Although this Master Zhao was not a common gangster, with his power and influence, secretly killing a little girl like her would be easier than crushing an ant.
“You’d better tell me honestly who sent you and what they sent you to do,” Xihua said slowly. “Everything can be discussed here. As long as you’re honest, I guarantee you’ll be safe. If you’re not, I’ll hand you over to the management office. The cane and the finger press are not something a little girl like you can endure.”
These words struck deep into her soul. If Hao Yuan hadn’t prepared her, Jia Le would have long been scared out of her wits, kneeling on the ground and begging for mercy.
Moreover, she now had a new source of courage: she was doing this for the poor, to avenge the poor. So, her heart was not in turmoil at all. Instead, she calmed down.
“She’s trying to scare me,” she thought. “Uncle Hao was right: a dog that bites doesn’t bark. If she really wanted to torture me, why would she waste her breath on this?” Thinking of this, she became even calmer.
“Everyone outside knows that Master Zhao of the Phoenix Villa does great deeds of charity. I never thought there would be a private court inside,” she said with a hint of sarcasm. “This servant certainly cannot endure the beatings from the management office. Although this servant grew up in a poor family and has been beaten by my parents, I have never been beaten with a bamboo cane…”
Xihua knew her words were barbed, intended to provoke her, but she remained unmoved and said calmly, “It is not shameful for a master to beat a servant. If he is unhappy, it is only right that he takes it out on me.”
“The young miss is right.” Jia Le, being young after all, felt a little lost when she saw that she was not provoked at all. However, she remembered Hao Yuan’s words: it is better to be still than to move. When you don’t know what to do, wait for the other person to make the first move.
“So, you are unwilling to say who sent you?” Xihua stretched her leg and said leisurely.
An idea struck Jia Le. She quickly moved closer, knelt down on both knees, and began to massage her legs, smiling. “Where is the young miss getting these ideas? If the young miss asks, how could this servant not answer? It’s just, if I tell, will the young miss report it to the Master to have them arrested?”
“Is that for you to ask?”
“Yes, this servant spoke out of turn.” Jia Le lowered her head. “The person who sent me would also very much like to meet the young miss.”
A faint smile appeared on Xihua’s lips. “What’s so special about me to see?”
“That person said: the young miss is a remarkable woman.”
“Heh.” Xihua couldn’t help but laugh out loud. “A beating has produced a remarkable woman. This beating was worth it!”
“Where is the young miss getting these ideas?” Jia Le knew she was already moved. Following Hao Yuan’s instructions, she spoke slowly and unhurriedly. “The young miss suffered this time out of righteousness—not petty righteousness, but great righteousness…”
Xihua was stunned. “Did he really say that?” This was too strange. It was exactly the same as what the Master had said!
Jia Le knew her words had hit home and nodded affirmatively. “Exactly!”
Xihua’s thoughts were in turmoil. She was stunned for a long time before she said, “You can go back now.”
“Yes.” Jia Le knew that half the job was done. She said in a low voice, “Please don’t let anyone arrest me, young miss. This servant’s body is weak and cannot withstand torture…”
“Nosy.” Xihua leaned back. “Just go.”
“Thank you for your grace, young miss.” She stood up, curtsied silently again, and withdrew.
In a small room, Zhao Yigong listened to Xihua’s report and remained silent for a long time. The other party sending such a young girl was somewhat unexpected, which had caused a small flaw in his original simple plan.
In his original plan, the other party would surely send a heavyweight figure to infiltrate the villa to persuade Xihua to be an inside agent—perhaps even with the promise of great rewards. Then, by having Xihua pretend to cooperate while maintaining contact, and then having someone tail this person, it would be easy to follow the clues and find the mastermind.
Zhao Yigong believed that the force behind this plot against him was no small one. From the rice riots to the various nursery rhymes and posters, it all showed that the other party had strong financial resources and execution capabilities. If he couldn’t take this opportunity to eliminate them, they would become an endless source of trouble in the future—who knew how many years it would be before the Senate’s army landed in Shanghai.
However, the other party had only sent a twelve-year-old girl. Of course, in this era, a twelve-year-old girl was not considered a child, but she was still just a child, definitely not an important figure.
Could the other party have another plan? Or did they think Xihua was not valuable enough to warrant sending an important person to turn her? Zhao Yigong, who had been full of confidence, now felt a little flustered.
If he were to torture Jia Le now, he would naturally get some information, but it would not be of great value.
“Just agree to meet her for now,” Zhao Yigong said. “See how she arranges it.”
“Yes, this servant understands.”
“I think things are not that simple,” Zhao Yigong said with some worry. “The enemy seems to have smelled something. Don’t agree too readily. These people are old foxes; they will definitely test your sincerity. You can go now. Rest well. I will have someone keep an eye on Jia Le.”
After Xihua left, Zhao Yigong summoned Zhao Tong again.
“How is the investigation into Jia Le’s background?”
“It’s surprisingly not easy to investigate!” Zhao Tong frowned slightly. “She herself reported that her home is in Nanxiawa. That damn place is a notoriously poor corner of the city. Outsiders rarely go in! The people inside all know each other. An outsider, whether disguised as a peddler, a beggar, or a traveling doctor, cannot hide. I sent a few men, and they didn’t even get a chance to talk to anyone!”
“Later, we found out that her father sells lotus root starch balls by the West Lake. So we had people watch outside, and when we saw someone selling lotus root starch balls come out, we followed him. That’s how we found her father. Then we sent people to ask around among the peddlers by the West Lake, and we finally learned that Jia Le is indeed his daughter—originally called Little Sanniang. Their family does live in Nanxiawa. Their family situation is exactly as she wrote in her resume.”
“So, she is indeed just an ordinary poor girl.”
“Yes, that’s right.” “Then who taught her to read? And where did this school name come from?”
“It’s said to be a schoolteacher in Nanxiawa.”
“A schoolteacher?” Zhao Yigong’s brow furrowed.