Perfect Encounter - Chapter 58.2
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Chapter 58.2
“We can catch him if you ask him or a meeting.”
Liu Ze sneered, “You don’t know what to do with him, do you? There is his man in the Purple Cloud House.”
“Who is it?” Speaking of this, An Ruochen was extremely serious.
“I don’t know.” Liu Ze shook his head: “Believe it or not, the Xu Matchmaker worked for me, but she didn’t know until her death that I also worked for Young Master Min. That’s all. I know he has someone in the military, government, and inside the city, but I don’t know who these people are.”
“Why?”
“If prying results in death, then why risk prying?”
“What do you get for working for him?”
Liu Ze laughed: “Do you think my restaurant can be the largest in Zhonglan City, the most famous in Pingnan County, by relying on my own skill alone? With money and friends, it is easy to do things. If you don’t do it, someone else will. If someone else does, they will naturally have to exterminate you who is in the way.”
“Since you are relying on friends, it is impossible for you to know nothing about Young Master Min’s people. One of your roles, isn’t it to search for candidates? The Xu Matchmaker did not know what you do, but you knew about her.”
“What I know, I will tell General Long.”
“You have to give me a name or two. Otherwise, how will the General think you are worthy?”
“If I’m not worthy, you wouldn’t be sitting here. On the contrary, you need to convince me that you are. You’re just a pawn. I don’t care what method you used to get close to General Long, but you’re just a woman. Even if you could bewitch General Long, your position in the Purple Cloud House would be nothing more than that. A mere servant, what can you do?”
“I thought it was obvious what my use would be.” An Ruochen stared at him, “It’s either I die, or you die. Or we can choose a good path so everyone will be safe.”
Liu Ze leaned in and moved closer to her with a fierce look on his face, “And how can I be sure which side you’re on? Everyone will be safe? You are telling a joke. Young Master Min has repeatedly told me not to touch you. Why? Maybe you’re his person. You are on the General’s side, using us as pawns to gain his trust for more important information.”
An Ruochen was dumbfounded: “He said that? Where is my fourth sister? Have you heard from her?”
Liu Ze observed her reaction and leaned back. Shaking his head: “You still know nothing. You don’t understand who he is, you don’t know his plans, you don’t know his weaknesses, you don’t know what he’s capable of, yet you want to capture him! What gives you the authority?!”
An Ruochen gritted her teeth. “You just ask him for a meeting. Although it is risky, it is the perfect time. General Long is not here, and he will be reckless. If you have something to discuss with him, he will come out. You burned down half the street, killed so many people, and made such a big deal out of it. He must be dissatisfied. If you wait any longer, he might silence you or sense the danger and hide. Then you will no longer be able to make an appointment with him. No one will be able to find him.”
“He will know it’s a trap. Someone will inform him right away.” Liu Ze stood up, no longer having half a sense of calm, “You’re as stupid as Ah Hua. All you women do is spoil things.”
“No one from the military is making a move. The government is trying to round up the arson case. No one is trying to catch the spies. No one knows our plan. Who will inform him?”
Liu Ze froze.
“Unless it is you who tips him off.” An Ruochen said, “Unless you seek your death.”
Liu Ze stared at An Ruochen, thought about it, and sat down again: “How did you manage to pacify the government so that they would follow your orders?”
“I will tell you how I did it after you provide General Long with information about the espionage case.”
Liu Ze was thinking about the feasibility of this matter.
An Ruochen said, “I don’t think I need to remind you not to repeat the mistake of the Xu Matchmaker.”
Liu Ze raised his eyes to look at her.
An Ruochen struck while the iron was hot: “How do you contact this Young Master Min?”
“The bell.” Liu Ze gritted his teeth, “Using bells.”
An Ruochen stayed in the Liu Residence for a long time, so long that Tian Qing could not help but find Lu Zheng to discuss whether to sneak inside to check. After all, Miss An has less experience. If Liu Ze is a spy, she alone may not cope. Lu Zheng agreed. He was about to tell Tian Qing to wait for him outside while he goes in to take a look, when the door of the Liu Residence opened.
An Ruochen walked out with a sullen face. Tian Qing and Lu Zheng were busy asking about the situation.
An Ruochen said, “We can only wait for the General to return to pry his mouth open.”
Tian Qing frowned: “We can arrest him first.”
“No.” An Ruochen’s face was extremely solemn, “If we arrest the wrong person, then the General will be held responsible by someone with an intention. If we catch the right person, the other spies will escape and hide when they learn we arrested Liu Ze. It is better to wait for the General to come back and decide. We have neither evidence nor a confession. We can do nothing. He thinks he fooled me over, so we can still delay for some time. When the General returns, things will be easier.”
The three of them walked back together, but halfway there they met an old lady, and An Ruochen stopped: “That’s the person beside the Governor’s wife.”
The woman saw An Ruochen and hurried over: “Oh, Miss, what a coincidence. Madam said today she saw you wearing a thin dress and wanted to give you a new cloak, which she made herself. I went to the Purple Cloud House, but you were not there, so I wanted to return home. I thought of visiting here again tomorrow, but I bumped into you. Then I will give it to you here.”
“Thank you very much, Nanny.” An Ruochen hurriedly accepted it.
While accepting the cloak, she quietly slipped a piece of paper into the nanny’s hand. Under the cloak, the nanny held the paper in her palm and then naturally tucked it into her sleeve. She smiled at An Ruochen and said, “Then please keep it. I will go back to tell Madam.”
Not long after, Meng Jiayue got the message from An Ruochen – had convinced Liu Ze, the other party hung a bell to meet someone at noon tomorrow at the Guan Liu Pavilion, one mile outside the East City Gate.
Meng Jiayue showed the note to Yao Kun, and after reading it, she burned it in the fire of the candle.
Yao Kun was still angry: “They dared to make a move on you.”
Meng Jiayue held his hand: “My husband is the governor of Pingnan County. Those spies will naturally see me as a target. Tomorrow is a good opportunity for you to take down the leader. General Long is not here. It will be a great credit to you. People will be grateful to you for keeping Pingnan County safe.”
Yao Kun took her into his arms: “You should be more careful in your daily life and take a few more guards with you when you go in and out.”
Meng Jiayue’s heart sweetened, and she smiled at Yao Kun. With a husband like this, her heart was satisfied.
An Ruochen went out early the next day. She passed the Zhaofu restaurant and saw two bells hanging on each window, one white and one red. That should be a signal to make an appointment.
An Ruochen was willing to bet on this.
She sat on the second floor of a teahouse in the back street of the Liu Residence, where she could see a big tree and a small area in the backyard, and also the front gate of the Jubao Gambling House.
This place is also closer to the government office. If the Lord Governor succeeds in catching that Young Master Min at noon, she will be able to know first.
An Ruochen slowly sipped her tea and waited.
At this time, Qi Zheng felt that the atmosphere in the gambling house this morning was wrong. Even the worst time for the gambling house business was never as cold as today. Early in the morning, a gentleman came to see Boss Lou. They met without talking, only giving each other a look before going upstairs.