Chapter 187: Betrayal
In this era, there were no centralized manual workshops for silk reeling. Raw silk was mostly produced by sericulturists who raised their own silkworms and reeled the silk themselves. If they were too busy, they would hire a few short-term laborers to help. Some also sold cocoons directly to silk merchants, but the merchants themselves did not open workshops. Instead, they outsourced the processing to individual artisans. This model would continue until the early 20th century, when it was finally replaced by machine-reeling factories.
A highly specialized and organized filature like the Cihuitang’s was unique in this era. The intensity of the work and the harshness of the environment were also incomparable to traditional manual labor.
Therefore, Hao Yuan’s words immediately resonated with Xihua. Although she was not in charge of managing the filature, she was well aware of the situation there.
“Are you willing to see places like the Cihuitang filature all over Hangzhou, and even the entire Jiangnan, where thousands upon thousands of people have to work like beasts of burden?” Hao Yuan stared intently into her eyes.
Xihua still made a final struggle. “The Master is just a scholar. I see him often worrying about money. He is not a tycoon with a country’s wealth. He can’t do something that big…”
Hao Yuan shook his head. “Do you think Master Zhao is just one person? Wrong. Behind him is a group of people more arrogant and more ruthless than the current Master Zhao. They are not afraid of anything. They do not fear heaven and earth, nor do they fear ghosts and gods. They don’t even care about the great dao of the universe. For their purposes, they will stop at nothing. When that time comes, the divine land will sink, and it will fall into a darkness darker than the present, and I’m afraid the sun will never rise again!”
These words were like an iron awl, piercing deep into Xihua’s heart. The thought of the terrible scene Hao Yuan described made her whole body tremble uncontrollably.
As she wavered and trembled, she felt a warm, heavy hand gently rest on her back. A tall figure came to her side, and a warm voice fell from above. “Don’t be afraid. I will protect you.”
Xihua soon told Hao Yuan everything he wanted to know. Hao Yuan had already gathered some intelligence through his informants in the villa, but that information was sporadic and unsystematic. Xihua was, after all, a key figure around Zhao Yigong. Although some matters were not under her management, being in a high position, she knew much more about the overall situation.
“Where does Zhao Yigong usually spend the night?” Hao Yuan finally asked his last question.
Xihua hesitated. She knew the purpose of Hao Yuan’s question. However, no matter how much Hao Yuan said Zhao Yigong was a devil with a human face, women were always the most emotional. Zhao Yigong had not just shown her kindness; he had given her a new life. The thought of Master Zhao’s various kindnesses to her made her feel torn.
“Are you going to take Master Zhao’s life?”
“Of course not,” Hao Yuan smiled slightly. “Why would I take his life?”
“Then why are you asking where he lives? If you destroy the villa, you destroy everything he has. He has, after all, done many good deeds, even if you say it’s false benevolence and false righteousness.”
“I will not take his life. Zhao Yigong is just one among a group of arrogant ants. What do I have to fear?” Hao Yuan laughed loudly. “I want to know his residence only to get to him first and disable the villa’s command center. I will definitely not harm him. I know he has shown you great kindness. Even for your sake, I will not harm him. You can rest assured!”
“Thank you, Mr. Hao.” Xihua suddenly realized that she had been here for almost half a shichen. “I have to go back.”
“After you go back, what are you going to say?”
Xihua hesitated for a moment. “I’ll say you want to know some things about the villa, but I’m still hesitating.”
“Correct.” Hao Yuan nodded. “If you say that, Zhao Yigong will surely tell you how to answer me. He must have already prepared a full set of things for you to give me.”
“Yes.”
“You must also tell him: I have already promised you ten thousand taels of silver after the matter is done, for you to change your name and move to another place. The third son of a gentry family will marry you.”
“Did he really say that?” Zhao Yigong asked.
“This servant would not dare to lie.”
“This Hao Yuan has a big mouth!” Zhao Yigong frowned. Ten thousand taels of silver was a huge sum. That aside, the second condition was something an ordinary person could never achieve. Who was this Hao Yuan, to have such great power?
“This servant also feels his conditions are too grand to be true.”
“Right now, even if you asked for the stars in the sky, he would surely say he’d get them for you,” Zhao Yigong said jokingly. “Let’s not talk about this. Next time, just agree to him clearly.”
“Yes.”
“The information he wants, I have roughly estimated,” Zhao Yigong took out a folded document from his desk. “Just tell him the contents of this.”
Xihua took it and read it silently several times. This set of false information was very detailed, almost compiled according to Hao Yuan’s questions. The Master was indeed a meticulous person. But when she saw the end, she couldn’t help but be startled.
“Master, are you planning to tell him where you sleep every night?”
“Of course. Many people know this. He doesn’t necessarily need your information to find out,” Zhao Yigong said. “He will surely try to verify the authenticity of this information. Just tell him. Otherwise, once he knows you’re giving him false information, you will surely die.”
Xihua’s mind was in a turmoil, but she dared not show it on her face. She could only force herself to ask, “Won’t the Master be in great danger then?”
“A cunning rabbit has three burrows. Even if I don’t have three, I can still move several times a night,” Zhao Yigong said. “Tell him all this information. He won’t be satisfied with just this. He will most likely ask you to be an inside agent. In the future, he will probably try to meet with you again. You must find out a few things: first, who is Hao Yuan’s backer? Second, what methods do they plan to use to attack the villa? Third, on which day do they plan to launch the operation? Fourth, how many people will participate in the attack? Don’t give out our key information all at once. Keep him on the hook, so you have a chance to get into their meetings and face more important figures.”
The schemes of both sides continued to unfold day by day. During this period, Xihua sometimes met with Hao Yuan in person, and sometimes passed messages through Jia Le, constantly delivering various pieces of information. The back-and-forth of true and false information was driving her, this “double agent,” to the brink of collapse.
Fortunately, amidst this immense pressure, Hao Yuan still maintained a rare gentleness for a man. Although they rarely met due to their identities, Hao Yuan would occasionally have Jia Le bring some gifts. These gifts were light, just some cakes and snacks, scented sachets, and folding fans. The most valuable was a pair of gold-twisted wire bracelets. But they made Xihua feel his care at all times.
In contrast, the pressure Zhao Yigong felt was growing day by day. The posters and nursery rhymes outside were increasing. Every day, Zhao Tong’s men would bring these materials for him to study.
In Zhao Yigong’s view, the content of these posters and nursery rhymes was all in the style of the “Boxers.” They were all using various gods and buddhas to build momentum. But no matter how later generations ridiculed the ignorance and foolishness of the Boxers, the incitement and destructive power they unleashed when they rose in rebellion swept across the North China Plain.
If this were to break out in Hangzhou, Zhao Yigong could only hope that his villa was the Legation Quarter.
Although Xihua had successfully gained the other party’s trust, she had not obtained any particularly valuable intelligence. Xihua had also not been able to meet anyone of a higher rank than Hao Yuan. The only thing they had learned from this line was that the Maoxing Company was an enemy contact point. For this reason, Zhao Yigong had specifically sent people to investigate the manager of the Maoxing Company, but they couldn’t find anything of value. They only knew that the owner of the Maoxing Company was from the capital. As for which family in the capital, their name, they couldn’t find out anything.
What was slightly comforting was that the false information he had leaked through Xihua was enough to ensure that the enemy would be at a disadvantage once they launched their attack, and he would be prepared, not caught by surprise. As long as he responded properly, it would not be a problem to protect the villa during the riot.
As for Hao Yuan, Zhao Tong’s men had tried to tail him more than once, but they had never succeeded. Although Zhao Yigong was not averse to using violence at this point, his current situation was already very passive. The first to act would be the first to die. The Special Reconnaissance Team was still on its way. Even if the team arrived, it would not be a problem to take out Hao Yuan with a long-range sniper, but they still wouldn’t be able to find the mastermind.
Without finding the mastermind, the conspiracy against the villa would continue. The weather was getting hotter and hotter. Zhao Yigong was fuming inwardly, and sores appeared on his mouth.
In response, he dispatched all available personnel from the Wulong Society and the “Sticky Pole Department” to gather information everywhere. At the same time, he mobilized more refugees to be temporarily incorporated into the infantry platoon for training. He also fortified the various entrances and exits of the villa and prepared cheval de frise. The villa’s perimeter, which originally had only one trench, now had two additional fences. The walls around important buildings within the villa were also raised, and trenches were dug.
Zhao Yigong discussed with the main managers of the villa. This was, after all, outside the prefectural city. The enemy would not dare to openly use swords, spears, and bows and arrows; otherwise, the authorities would have to answer for it. The main force would surely use clubs, with a small number of core members secretly carrying daggers and short knives.
The disadvantage was that they also could not use cold weapons on a large scale. Although fights would result in deaths, this was not like Jinhua or Yiwu, where armed feuds were common. Making too big a scene would be difficult to clean up.
“We must mainly defend the pier, the filature, and the main residence,” Zhao Yigong pointed on the map. “These three places are the most important in the entire villa. The other places can be temporarily abandoned. As for the sericulture farms and tea plantations, they are all on the mountain and don’t have much to offer. The enemy won’t go there.”