bookrebus Chapter 820 Deputy General Zhang's Search
Chapter 820 Deputy General Zhang's Search
General Liu's patience was clearly limited.
In the three days following the "Feast at Zuichunfang," Bai Jie and Lin Xiaoyan's activities seemed unaffected. They remained the same gentle and talented "Bailing" and the fiery and wild "Yanzi." Bailing's zither music was still melodious, and Yanzi's drinking games were still lively. They moved among various officers and staff, carefully gathering intelligence while remaining even more vigilant in observing their surroundings. Aunt Hong's reminders served as a constant warning, keeping them on their toes.
However, this apparent calm was like the calm before a storm, oppressively suffocating. They knew that Commander Liu would never give up easily.
Sure enough, trouble came on the fourth day.
First, rumors began to circulate among the "sisters" of Zuichunfang. Some said they saw "Yanzi" sneaking around late at night, meeting someone secretly in the corner of the backyard; others said strange whispers could be heard coming from "Bailing's" room at midnight, as if she were communicating with someone. These rumors, based on hearsay, spread extremely quickly, clearly indicating that someone was stirring things up behind the scenes.
Upon hearing this, Lin Xiaoyan was so angry that she almost lost her temper on the spot, but Bai Jie pulled her back. "Don't be impulsive," Bai Jie said in a low voice, "This is General Liu's tactic, trying to force us into chaos, or to leave us isolated and helpless in the neighborhood."
Lin Xiaoyan gritted her teeth: "That old fox!"
The rumors were just the first step. Immediately afterwards, General Liu "naturally" sent someone. This time, it wasn't him personally, but rather his more blunt and direct deputy, Deputy General Zhang, known as "Black-Faced God."
Deputy General Zhang, accompanied by a squad of his personal guards, stormed into Zuichunfang, claiming to have received a "report" and suspecting the presence of "spies" within, and demanding a "routine inspection." Aunt Hong quickly stepped forward to appease him with a smile, but Deputy General Zhang shoved her aside.
"Aunt Hong, let's speak frankly!" Deputy General Zhang said gruffly, his eyes sweeping over the girls who had rushed over after hearing the news, finally settling on Bai Jie and Lin Xiaoyan. "Someone reported that these two new women are acting suspiciously! Today, I'm going to investigate them thoroughly!"
This is the insidious nature of Lieutenant General Liu: instead of acting personally, he uses others to do his dirty work, employing Deputy General Zhang as a "dull knife" to coerce them. If they resist, it will only confirm their guilty conscience; if they comply, a man like Deputy General Zhang has plenty of ways to make them "confess."
"Deputy General Zhang, you can't just jump to conclusions!" Aunt Hong was sweating profusely. "Bailing and Yanzi are good girls I've watched grow up. How could they be spies?"
"Whether it's true or not, we'll only know after we investigate!" Deputy General Zhang waved his hand. "Men, take these two women to the woodshed in the backyard and interrogate them carefully!"
The meaning of the so-called "interrogation" is self-evident.
Lin Xiaoyan's eyes sharpened, and her hand stealthily reached for her waist. Bai Jie gently pressed down on her arm, shook her head slightly, and then turned to Deputy General Zhang, forcing a weak smile: "Deputy General Zhang, I have nothing to hide. Since it's a routine inspection, I'll cooperate. However... the woodshed is filthy, and I'm afraid it might defile your place, Deputy General. Why not let it be right here in the main hall, so you can investigate thoroughly and put the sisters at ease?"
Her voice wasn't loud, but it reached everyone's ears clearly, carrying a hint of pleading and grievance, which put Deputy General Zhang in a difficult position. The hall was crowded with people, and if they really resorted to violence, it might not be beneficial for Lieutenant General Liu if word got out.
Lieutenant Zhang's eyes darted around, and he chuckled coldly, "Fine! Since Miss Bailing has said so, then let's search here!"
Several guards immediately stepped forward, ready to lay a hand on the two men.
"Stop!" Lin Xiaoyan shouted abruptly, stepping forward to block Bai Jie. Her fierce expression returned. "What do you want? In broad daylight, you want to lay a hand on us sisters? We are from Zuichunfang, not military prostitutes you can just abuse! If you want to search us, let Aunt Hong do it! Or let the female relatives of your soldiers do it!"
Her outburst actually made the guards hesitate. Although the girls at Zui Chun Fang were of low status, they were still Aunt Hong's people. If they were to forcibly search them in the main hall, it wouldn't sound good if word got out.
Seeing this, Deputy General Zhang's eyes flashed with a fierce light. He hadn't expected these two women to be so troublesome. He said impatiently, "Enough nonsense! I can tell you're all guilty! If I don't teach you a lesson, you won't know how many eyes Lord Ma has!" He stepped forward and reached for Bai Jie's arm, intending to forcibly take her away.
Just then, Bai Jie suddenly cried out "Ouch!" and her body went limp, falling straight backward, about to fall to the ground!
Lin Xiaoyan reacted quickly, grabbing her and glaring at Deputy General Zhang: "What are you doing! You scared her half to death!"
Chaos erupted in the lobby. Aunt Hong rushed forward, exclaiming, "Deputy General Zhang! Look at you! You've scared Miss Bailing so much she fainted! If anything had happened to her, how could I face the guests!"
Deputy General Zhang was stunned. He clearly hadn't touched her! Was this woman... faking it? But her face was pale, her eyes were closed, and her breathing was weak, so it didn't seem like she was faking it.
In the midst of this chaos, an unexpected person appeared—Deputy General Wang.
Lieutenant General Wang was Ma San's confidant, and he and Lieutenant General Liu were always outwardly friendly but inwardly at odds. He happened to be at Zuichunfang tonight and witnessed this scene. He frowned and stepped forward, saying to Lieutenant General Zhang, "Lieutenant General Zhang, what is going on? Fighting in Zuichunfang, what will people think if word gets out?"
Upon seeing Deputy General Wang, Deputy General Zhang's arrogance immediately diminished, but he still stubbornly insisted, "Deputy General Wang, we received a report that these two women are spies!"
"A spy?" Deputy General Wang glanced at Bai Jie, who had "fainted," and Lin Xiaoyan, who had an angry expression, then looked at the crowd of onlookers and Aunt Hong's anxious expression. He said calmly, "Without evidence, how can you arrest someone based on just a few rumors? Does Lieutenant General Liu know you're being so reckless?"
He paused, a hint of barely perceptible sarcasm in his tone: "Drunken Spring Brothel is the money pit of our Black Iron City, and also a place for our soldiers to relax. After this commotion, who would dare come here again? If General Ma knew, he'd probably be displeased, wouldn't he?"
These words struck a nerve with Deputy General Zhang. He was merely a deputy; he dared not bear the blame for "disrupting the soldiers' relaxation." He glared hatefully at Lin Xiaoyan, then glanced at the unconscious Bai Jie, and finally gritted his teeth, roaring to his personal guards, "Let's go!"
The commotion was temporarily quelled by Bai Jie's quick wit and the unexpected appearance of Deputy General Wang.
Lin Xiaoyan helped the "fainted" Bai Jie back to her room and closed the door. Bai Jie immediately opened her eyes, and there was no trace of weakness in them, only clarity and solemnity.
"That was close." Lin Xiaoyan said with lingering fear, "That Lieutenant General Liu is really persistent! First, he spread rumors, then he conducted a forced search, and who knows what other tricks he'll pull next!"
Bai Jie nodded: "This is just the beginning. Seeing that rumors and using others to do his dirty work have failed, General Liu will probably resort to more direct and insidious methods next. For example... framing someone."
"Framed?"
“Yes,” Bai Jie said in a deep voice, “He might fabricate evidence, such as finding so-called ‘secret letters’ or ‘communication tools’ in our room, or even arranging for someone to impersonate an ‘accomplice’ to identify us. At that time, with both witnesses and physical evidence, we won’t be able to explain ourselves no matter how hard we try.”
Lin Xiaoyan's expression changed: "Then what do we do? We can't just sit here and wait to die!"
Bai Jie walked to the window, looking at the still gloomy sky outside, a resolute glint in her eyes: "We can't wait any longer. Aunt Hong's reminder and General Liu's relentless pressure both indicate that our time is running out. We must obtain the core intelligence as soon as possible, and then find a way to evacuate!"
She turned to Lin Xiaoyan and said, “Tonight, we’ll take a risk. I’ll approach Deputy General Wang; he seems somewhat dissatisfied with Lieutenant General Liu’s actions. Perhaps we can find a breakthrough through him. You use your ‘fiery’ nature to approach Captain Zhang and the other lower-ranking officers. They might know some of Lieutenant General Liu and Ma San’s core plans, especially regarding the ‘West City Warehouse’ and the ‘Important Person’s Inspection.’ We must verify these details!”
Lin Xiaoyan nodded emphatically: "Okay! We'll move out tonight!"
Night once again enveloped Black Iron City, and the lights of Drunken Spring Pavilion remained dim. But this time, Bai Jie and Lin Xiaoyan knew they had no way out. General Liu's next offensive could come at any moment, and they had to complete their mission and break out of this iron city before he could make a move! An even more dangerous contest silently began. And General Liu's ever-smiling face seemed to appear in every shadowy corner of Drunken Spring Pavilion, coldly watching them, waiting for them to fall into his carefully woven trap.