Chapter 205: A Belated Warning

“Mother Ding, why do you insist on suffering like this?” Zhuang Haoren said with a look of pity at the servant woman held between two burly men. Her hair was disheveled, her face swollen, and there were traces of blood at the corner of her mouth.

“You were once a ‘girl,’ draped in silks and satins, eating and drinking the finest. Now you’ve fallen to being a rough servant for others, eating leftovers. Why be so loyal?” Zhuang Haoren lifted her chin. “I’m still trying to observe some code of the underworld here. Otherwise, how about I have my men strip you naked and hang you from the rafters to ‘serve’ you? You probably think that since you were a girl in the brothels before, being whipped with salt-water soaked whips and kneeling on iron chains is routine for you, that you can take it. I wouldn’t be so sure. This Brother Chen of mine used to make his living in the brothels, specializing in ‘disciplining’ disobedient girls. No matter how chaste and virtuous you are, in his hands, you’ll become a wanton slut!”

The servant woman clenched her teeth and refused to speak. Zhuang Haoren glanced sideways, and a thin, wretched-looking man sidled over with a smile. He was holding a box, which he placed on the table in front of her. With great ceremony, he unlocked it and lifted the lid. Inside was a dark collection of various torture instruments. Though small in size, they were all menacing in appearance, glinting with a dark, evil light.

“How about it, Mother Ding? Your body is still quite delicate. Why suffer such torment?” Zhuang Haoren whispered, one hand stroking the back of her neck, lightly touching her earlobe, making her body tremble. “It’s not too late to regret it.” He gave a signal, and someone brought over a gleaming silver ingot, a full fifty taels.

“Well? No need to think too hard, is there?” Zhuang Haoren’s mouth was right behind her neck.

“Did she identify him?” Qian Shuixie asked.

“Yes, it’s confirmed to be Hao Yuan!” Zhao Tong couldn’t contain his excitement. “The servant woman from the boat identified him from both the sketch and the photograph!”

“Excellent! Move in immediately!”

As soon as Zhuang Haoren left, the personnel from the special reconnaissance team and the Sticky Poles immediately went into combat deployment. Kidnapping someone from the boat was a time-sensitive operation. If the servant woman didn’t return on schedule, Hao Yuan would surely flee. Therefore, Qian Shuixie had already given the order: all units were to be fully equipped and ready to launch an attack the moment they received confirmation.

“Let no one on the boat escape,” Qian Shuixie said, now fully armed. “Anyone who attempts to flee is to be killed on sight! Capture Hao Yuan alive if possible, but if you can’t, secure the body!”

A new order had arrived from the Executive Committee in Lin’gao: even if Hao Yuan had to be killed on the spot, his body must be recovered and sent to Lin’gao for forensic examination.

Under a glass lampshade with the three characters “Zi Cheng Ji” embossed on it, a crimson candle burned brightly. The candle, also from the Zi Cheng Ji in Guangzhou, cost three times as much as the best candles on the market. However, it burned brightly and without any foul odor, making it a coveted household item among the rich and powerful. The “Fragrant and Drizzling Rain Boat” catered to the wealthy, so it naturally spared no expense in acquiring such novel and useful items.

Beneath the candlestick, Hao Yuan was writing furiously. It was still daylight, but the cabin was small. To shield him from outside eyes, the windows of his living quarters were covered with bamboo curtains, making the room very dim. Even in broad daylight, he had to light a candle to read or write.

He had been hiding on this boat for about ten days. The boat had been rented at a high price by his subordinate, Dong San.

The people on the boat were instructed simply to serve him well and ask no other questions.

For the past ten days, Hao Yuan’s mood had been low. The betrayal of Xihua and the failure of their operation had dealt him a heavy blow.

It was the first time he had suffered such a clear defeat since arriving in Hangzhou. Xihua’s betrayal, in particular, had completely ruined his meticulously prepared plan to attack the Wanbi Bookstore, subsequently start a great fire in Hangzhou, frame Zhao Yigong, and thus force the short-hairs’ influence out of the city.

Yet that wasn’t what hit him the hardest. Although he hadn’t participated in the attack on the villa, he quickly learned what had happened outside. An operation that had been planned for months was easily neutralized by a few gunshots. These short-haired rebels truly possessed the immense power his master had spoken of.

Consequently, he dared not slacken his efforts. Following the methods his master had taught him, he immediately went into hiding in the city, maintaining contact with others through couriers and contact points.

Although he had no subordinates with him, he had a clear grasp of every move inside and outside Hangzhou, and the state of his organization.

Hao Yuan dared not flee far away. His organization was only a little over two years old. Although he had a core group of trusted followers, the organization was not yet tightly structured. If he left Hangzhou, he would lose effective control, and over time, it could disintegrate and corrupt.

His choice to hide on a painted barge on the West Lake was carefully considered. The authorities rarely interfered with pleasure barges, and as long as enough money was paid, the mouths of the prostitutes were tight enough. The West Lake was outside Hangzhou city, making it convenient for contacting his organization, gathering intelligence, or escaping in a crisis.

But hiding like this, how could he initiate the next phase of his plan?

The cooperation with Shi Weng was over. Cao Guangjiu was dead, and the three bodyguards from Beijing had been silenced. The connection had been cleanly severed. But Zhao Yigong’s counterattack was fierce, and it seemed he wouldn’t stop until Hao Yuan was eliminated. Had the enemy sensed something?

Jia Le’s recent capture was both unexpected and expected. Many people in the organization had been assassinated or kidnapped recently, but most were low-level members, not affecting the overall situation. Jia Le was the first relatively important person to be caught.

But Jia Le’s capture posed no threat to him or the organization. She didn’t know many of the organization’s secrets, nor the hiding places of Hao Yuan and other leaders.

However, he felt a great sense of regret for Jia Le. She was intelligent, and he had personally taught her. In his heart, he already considered her his apprentice.

When the news of Jia Le’s capture arrived, he briefly considered trying to rescue her. But then he remembered his master’s words: once these “Australians” knew of his existence, they would use any means necessary to eliminate him without mercy.

“At this time, survival is the most important thing. Only by staying alive will you have the chance to educate more people. You must endure.”

Besides, he currently lacked the ability to rescue Jia Le. The only thing he could do was wait for an opportunity.

He finished writing the letters to Li Da, Li Er, and the others, sealed them, and planned to have Mother Ding send them out when she went shopping tomorrow. After writing for a long time, he felt a bit tired, so he stood up and went to the outer cabin.

The outer cabin served as the living area for distinguished guests. It wasn’t large, but it was exquisitely decorated. In the center was a small square table where Meiyan’er sat, intently peeling lotus seeds.

Because there were no banquets on the boat and the summer was extremely hot, she wasn’t wearing her usual elaborate attire. She wore only a lake-green skirt with a linen vest over it. Her black hair was loosely tied in a bun, adorned with a single pearl hairpin.

“Making iced bowls again?” Hao Yuan smiled and sat down on the couch by the window. “Isn’t it too much trouble?”

Iced bowl: A small bowl with a few pieces of crushed, boiled-water ice, topped with fresh lotus root slices, fresh lotus seeds, fresh walnuts… drizzled with a light sugar syrup. It was a sweet and refreshing seasonal snack on the boat.

The iced bowl sounded simple, but preparing the ingredients was very laborious. It was a typical delicacy of the wealthy, where the effort was part of the experience.

“The weather is hot, and you’re cooped up on the boat all day. I was worried you’d have no appetite. This is cool and whets the appetite. It’ll chase away the summer heat,” Meiyan’er said with a smile.

Hao Yuan laughed, unconcerned. Although he hadn’t been in the Ming Dynasty for long, he was not inexperienced. He knew this kind of tender, considerate gesture was common in the world of prostitution. He would not be fooled by it.

“I’m fine, it’s only been about ten days. Aren’t you all bored being on the boat every day?”

“We servants live on the water. We’re used to it. In fact, we find it quite free and easy,” Meiyan’er smiled. “Besides, it’s convenient here on the West Lake.”

“Hangzhou is truly the finest city in Jiangnan. And this boat of yours is a paradise,” Hao Yuan laughed. “Even though it’s so hot, you still have ice in the summer.”

Meiyan’er, still peeling lotus seeds with her head down, said, “You masters don’t know the troubles involved. The ice for the iced bowls isn’t from the icehouse; river ice will give you a stomachache. In the winter, we have to find a place with a large courtyard, use special clean wooden boxes, fill them with boiled water, cover them, and leave them in the courtyard overnight to freeze. The boxes can’t be too big, or they won’t freeze solid. Once frozen, they’re sent to the icehouse for storage until summer. The ice blocks are small, so they have to be kept chilled with larger blocks of ice to keep from melting. So much effort for one small bowl.” She looked up and outside, then added, “Mother Ding isn’t back yet. Mother is waiting for the winter melon she’s buying from Wang’s garden to make winter melon soup.”

“Oh? You have to go to a specific place to buy winter melon just for the soup?”

“Of course. The winter melon soup takes the most effort, and you need a good winter melon. Too old is no good, and too young is no good either.” Meiyan’er waved her slightly sore hand. “If she doesn’t come back soon, there won’t be enough time to prepare it…”

Hao Yuan’s heart skipped a beat. Meiyan’er had twice mentioned that Mother Ding “isn’t back yet.” Usually, Mother Ding’s trips ashore for errands had no fixed schedule, so he never paid it any mind. But now that Meiyan’er had said it, it meant Mother Ding’s trip today was taking much longer than usual…

Before the thought could fully form, there was a splashing sound at the bow of the boat. The boatman cried out, “Who are you—” His words were cut short.

In an instant, Hao Yuan drew the dagger from his waist, and with his other hand, pulled a double-barreled short firearm from under the wooden couch. Without a second thought, he fired a shot at the cabin door at the bow.