Chapter 184: Petty Favors and Minor Righteousness
“Yes! To attack the Phoenix Villa this time, there will inevitably be casualties. Never mind the medical expenses and pensions, which I’m sure the Master has arranged for, but if people from the villa are killed, there must be an accounting to the authorities. The money to buy a life is indispensable.”
If there were no arrangements for someone to take the blame, the men from the fighting societies would not put in their full effort. A life for a life—they understood this most basic principle.
“That can be arranged. How much money is needed?”
“Forty taels per person. We need to prepare for at least ten lives.”
Master Shi seemed to find it expensive. “That’s four hundred taels of silver!”
Four hundred taels of silver was no small sum. The pension for a soldier killed in battle was no more than ten taels, and his family would receive even less.
“Thirty taels of silver for a life, and ten taels for bribes,” Cao Guangjiu explained cautiously. To have someone take the blame for a killing, one had to not only buy a life but also bribe everyone from the county magistrate to the jailers and the clerks in the punishment bureau. Otherwise, the slightest trouble could lead to a major case. So this bribe money was essential.
“Alright, as you wish.” Before the fifteenth of the seventh month had even arrived, an undercurrent was already surging through the entire city of Hangzhou. The city’s riffraff seemed to have smelled something in the air. Some were rubbing their hands together, preparing to fish in troubled waters and make a big score; others stayed out of it, unwilling to get involved in this mess.
The Phoenix Villa was outwardly relaxed but inwardly tense. Not only did the infantry platoon drill every day and stand double guard day and night, but a watchtower had also been set up on the mountaintop to monitor the surrounding movements at all times.
Zhao Yigong and Zhao Tong were both well aware that the enemy’s attack would happen soon, but the specific day, the number of people, and the method of attack were still unknown. They were relying on Xihua to find out.
However, after Jia Le had contacted Xihua two or three times, there had been no further movement. Although they had people secretly monitoring her day and night, they had not discovered any contact with the outside.
From Xihua’s report of their conversations, Jia Le was clearly trying her best to persuade Xihua to turn traitor and become an inside agent. However, their conversations never touched upon the “benefits” of being an inside agent. According to the usual rules, to recruit an inside agent, one must either offer great benefits or provide a way out for the future. But Jia Le had never mentioned either of these things.
From Xihua’s report, Jia Le was instead constantly “appealing to a greater righteousness,” emphasizing that Zhao Yigong was a “tyrant and public enemy” who “harmed the people.” This was somewhat laughable. However, this method of turning someone left Zhao Yigong baffled. What kind of opponent was this? What was the use of sending a little girl to say such empty and boring things?
Xihua was indeed a very righteous girl, but Zhao Yigong was also convinced that she would not be moved by the parrot-like words of a little girl who had heard them from who knows where. Zhao Tong, who had been sent to investigate the teacher of the charity school, had finally found a clue through bribery and kidnapping threats: the schoolteacher who ran the charity school was named Hao Yuan. He had been living in Nanxiawa for almost a year and had a high reputation there. He lived next door to Jia Le’s family and often interacted with them, but that was the extent of it.
This Hao Yuan had suddenly left Nanxiawa about ten days ago, his whereabouts unknown. Zhao Tong sent a few men to secretly search his abandoned house in the middle of the night, but they found nothing. Zhao Tong calculated that Hao Yuan had left Nanxiawa on the same day that Jia Le entered the mansion. Clearly, Jia Le was just a messenger. Once the message was delivered, she was a disposable pawn. Even if they arrested and tortured her, they wouldn’t get anything. What she knew was the same as what Zhao Tong knew. Zhao Tong then suggested secretly executing Jia Le or transferring her to Taiwan for “labor reform.”
“No, let’s keep her for now,” Zhao Yigong shook his head. “Since she’s here, she must have other uses. She can’t just be a messenger. We’ll see what this Hao Yuan is capable of. Have people continue to watch her—and Xihua!”
“Chief, this Hao Yuan will definitely try to meet with Xihua next. Should we arrest him then?”
“Of course not. Hao Yuan is still just a pawn, running errands and organizing for others. There must be big figures behind him. Catching him would be of little use, just startling the snake in the grass. You keep an eye on him, use him as a lead to dig out all the masterminds behind him, and wipe them out in one go, leaving no roots!” Zhao Yigong said viciously, his expression somewhat frantic. For days, he had been tormented by the invisible pressure, unable to sleep or eat. His cheeks had thinned, and dark circles had appeared around his eyes. He had already telegraphed the Executive Committee, requesting the deployment of the Kaohsiung Special Reconnaissance Team detachment to prepare for a thorough “targeted elimination” operation in Hangzhou.
“Tell Xihua that someone else will definitely meet with her in the coming days. Tell her to be reserved and not agree too quickly. I think the enemy is not simple.”
One day, Xihua was settling accounts in the charity school of the Cihuitang. She was not only the principal of the orphanage but also a teacher, a nanny, and also in charge of logistics and finance.
“Miss Xihua, a Manager Niu from the Maoxing Company has arrived. He says he’s here to check the accounts with you.”
“Please let him in.” Xihua was not concerned. The fifteenth of the seventh month was approaching, and in another month, it would be the Mid-Autumn Festival, one of the “three major festivals.” All the shops had to settle their accounts, and debts had to be cleared.
The Maoxing Company was a local grocery store that supplied the Phoenix Villa. The orphanage of the Cihuitang had a special account with this company.
Children were always the most valued human resource of the Senate. No matter where, there was always a policy of preferential treatment for the “children of the Senate.” Whether it was living standards, healthcare, or cultural education, they enjoyed the best among the naturalized citizens. Although the conditions in Hangzhou were not the same, the orphans in the orphanage were still the “upper class” among the refugees. Their expenses were also the highest, and they had many dealings with the Maoxing Company.
“Greetings, Miss Xihua.” The person who entered was a young man, neatly dressed and with refined manners, much like a “senior partner” of a large shop.
“Greetings, Manager He?” Xihua found the man very unfamiliar. He was not the usual clerk from the Maoxing Company, which made her a little curious. “Please sit.”
“He is well. Thank you for the seat.” The young man’s posture was elegant as he gently lifted the hem of his robe and sat down.
Xihua was waiting for him to check the accounts, but she saw that after placing the account book on the tea table, he did not come to check it. Just as she was wondering, she suddenly heard him speak. “Is the child Jia Le useful?”
Xihua’s heart tightened. She took a deep breath and said slowly, “She is a usable talent, but sometimes she can’t help but be too clever for her own good.”
“She is a child, after all. A little cleverness can make her get carried away. Thank you for your tolerance, young miss.” The young man smiled slightly. “I have long heard of Miss Xihua’s name. To meet you today is truly a blessing of three lifetimes.”
“Spare me the flattery. What is your business here?”
“My name is Hao Yuan. I am Jia Le’s teacher,” Hao Yuan said very calmly. “I presume the young miss already knows why I am here.”
“I will never do what you want me to do,” Xihua said with a blank expression. “I advise you to leave here quickly. I know you are a man of righteousness and integrity, and I do not wish for you to be implicated. You should leave now.”
“The young miss is truly righteous and has great integrity!” Hao Yuan exclaimed in admiration. “For someone like you to work for Zhao Yigong is to aid a tyrant.”
“The Master has shown me kindness and righteousness.”
“That is petty kindness and minor righteousness,” Hao Yuan said sternly.
“Petty kindness and minor righteousness? Do you show great kindness and great righteousness to people?” Xihua sneered and pointed out the window. “The tens of thousands of refugees outside, which of them is not surviving thanks to Master Zhao’s kindness? These many children were originally dying of cold and hunger. Now they have food and clothing and can even study. Is this your kindness?”
Hao Yuan was not angry at all. “I naturally do not have Master Zhao’s financial resources. In terms of charity, Master Zhao can be considered the number one person in Hangzhou, no, perhaps in all of Jiangnan.”
“Since you know this, why do you want me to do something that is detrimental to my master?” Xihua said. “This villa is the source of food and clothing for so many people. If the villa is destroyed, where will these people go? Will you be responsible for them?”
“I am just a humble schoolteacher. I naturally cannot bear such a heavy responsibility.”
“Then what else do you have to say?”
“The food and clothing of these tens of thousands of people are indeed important, and Master Zhao’s charitable deeds are indeed a grand feat. But has the young miss ever thought about where this mountain of gold and silver, this mountain of rice and cloth, comes from?” Hao Yuan unhurriedly opened his fan and gently waved it. “Master Zhao cannot turn stone into gold, nor does he have a treasure basin at home. This wealth surely did not fall from the sky.”
“What’s so strange about that? The Master is just skilled at business and making money.”
“Business and making money, seeking profit from capital. These are all as they should be. But Master Zhao’s business is done with a black heart, earning not silver, but people’s blood and sweat!” Hao Yuan’s smiling and calm demeanor changed, and he spoke sternly. He then lowered his voice. “What Zhao Yigong has done in Hangzhou is for all to see. Is it only the young miss who cannot see it?” He pointed his hand out the window. “You only see how many refugees he has taken in, how many starving people he has saved. But you don’t see how many people he has personally turned into starving refugees!”
“Nonsense!” Xihua rebuked with a stern face. “What audacity! You dare to come here and speak such nonsense! If I were to call for the guards now, there would be no such person as you in this world!”
“To work for the poor of the world, what does Hao have to fear?” Hao Yuan was unruffled. “It is just a naked body that comes and goes without any ties. If the young miss wishes to take it, Hao has no complaints. To die for a worthy cause.”
Hao Yuan cupped his hands. “Miss Xihua, please calm down. It is true that Zhao Yigong has been kind to you. To you and to everyone in this Phoenix Villa, he can be said to be a great benefactor. But have you ever thought that the food and clothing of the tens of thousands in this Phoenix Villa come from the sweat and blood of how many poor people outside?!” His expression was serious. “The clothes you wear, the food you eat, the books you give the children to read, the paper and ink you use—do you know how many people have sold their land and gone bankrupt for this?”