Chapter 1393 - Face to Face
Jia Le stood at the door of the rear wing room, taking several deep breaths to slow her pounding heart. She remembered what Hao Yuan had told her: Xihua's attitude would likely be complicated, and she might even know that Jia Le had been sent to persuade her.
"Don't be afraid at any time. Remember what I told you: whatever she asks, just tell her."
Could this really work? Jia Le harbored private doubts. But she trusted "Uncle Hao" completely. Once slightly calmer, she lifted the door curtain and announced loudly:
"Servant Jia Le is here."
"Come in."
"Yes." She quickly lifted the curtain and walked in.
The rear wing room was small, the furnishings simple. Xihua sat on a kang bed, holding an account book. The kang table was piled with various books and registers.
"Sit down." Xihua's hair was wet—she had apparently just bathed—but her clothes were the same as during the day, not a single thread out of place.
"This servant dares not." Jia Le spoke carefully.
"Oh." Xihua raised her eyelids and swept her gaze over Jia Le's entire body, causing an involuntary shudder.
Though young, Xihua had always been Zhao Yingong's "side user." From the Villa's establishment until now, she had served as a "housekeeper"-level figure, wielding the power of reward and punishment. Moreover, she was meticulous in her conduct and had naturally developed an imposing presence. Even servant women decades her senior would feel weak-kneed under her gaze.
Xihua set down the account book, picked up the covered bowl, and sipped tea lightly. "Where are you from?"
"This servant is local. My home is in Nanxiawa—not far from here." Jia Le answered carefully.
"What does your family do?"
"We sell dim sum."
"How is it you're literate? Did you study?"
Jia Le became extra cautious. "What rank of person is this servant, that she would dare claim to have studied? Some neighbors had children attending private school, and this servant learned haphazardly by following them."
"Are there really children studying in a place like Nanxiawa? Do you take me for an outsider?" Xihua's voice turned cold. "Which private school did they attend? Who was the teacher? How much was tuition each year?"
The questions came one after another, each a merciless refutation. Nanxiawa was a dwelling place for Hangzhou's poorest; private schools there were impossible. Children in Nanxiawa never studied. People struggling on the starvation line every moment could not possibly harbor such aspirations.
"Replying to Sister—there is now a scholar living in Nanxiawa who opened a charity school himself, teaching children to read and asking no tuition. This servant dares not lie about this matter."
"Such a righteous person still exists in this world?" Xihua sneered.
"Replying to Sister—Sister herself once suffered hardship and disaster, saved by Master Zhao from her difficulties. Why cannot this gentleman be a righteous person? Is it that only the rich and powerful may be called righteous?"
Xihua started. Within the Villa, besides Zhao Yingong, no one spoke so "bluntly" to her face. Even Fenghua, who stood "under one person," addressed her politely. Moreover, these words were tight and seamless, without loopholes—genuinely hard to refute.
She set down the tea cup and silently sized up Jia Le several times. "You are indeed sharp-tongued."
"This servant dares not." Jia Le stepped back and performed a blessing. "This servant begs Sister's forgiveness."
"Eloquent as you are..." Xihua said faintly. "Don't think I don't know who Wang Rong'er is. She's a two-faced traitor, living off one party while helping another. A spineless creature—a few lashes would make her confess everything..."
Fear gripped Jia Le's heart. Hao Yuan had told her that her identity was probably already known to the other side, but being exposed face to face like this still struck like a thunderbolt, nearly buckling her knees.
Gangs near Nanxiawa frequently fought and killed in secret. When they caught a traitor, they would beat him half to death, stuff him in a sack, and throw him directly into the river. Jia Le had heard such stories more than once.
Though Master Zhao was not some slum gang leader, with his power, secretly disposing of a little girl like her would be easier than crushing an ant.
"You'd better tell me honestly—who sent you, and what were you sent to do." Xihua spoke slowly. "Here, everything is negotiable. As long as you speak honestly, I guarantee your safety. If you're dishonest, I'll hand you over to the Steward Office. The boards and finger-squeezers are not something a child like you can bear."
These words struck at the soul. If not for Hao Yuan's preparation, Jia Le would have already wet herself in terror and dropped to her knees begging for mercy.
But she now possessed another kind of courage: she was doing this for poor people, to avenge poor people. She felt no panic in her heart. Instead, she grew calm.
She's bluffing she thought. Uncle Hao was right: biting dogs don't bark. If she really wanted to torture me, why waste words on me? The realization steadied her further.
"The world outside knows that Phoenix Mountain Villa's Master Zhao does great good deeds. Who would have imagined private courts are established within?" She spoke with sarcasm. "This servant naturally cannot withstand the Steward Office's boards. Though raised in poverty since childhood, and beaten by parents as well—I have never received bamboo boards..."
Xihua recognized the thorns in her words, the attempt at provocation. She remained expressionless. "Master beating servant is nothing shameful. If he is unhappy in his heart, venting anger on me is only proper."
"Sister speaks rightly." Jia Le was young, after all; seeing her opponent utterly unruffled left her momentarily at a loss. But she held fast to Hao Yuan's words: stillness is better than movement. When you don't know what to do, wait for the other to move first.
"So you refuse to say who sent you?" Xihua stretched her legs and spoke leisurely.
A sudden inspiration struck Jia Le. She dropped to her knees and began massaging Xihua's calves, smiling. "What words are these, Sister? If Sister asks, would this servant dare not say? It's only—if I tell you, will Sister report it to the Master and have people arrested?"
"Is that for you to ask?"
"This servant spoke out of turn." Jia Le lowered her head. "Speaking of the person who sent me—he also wishes very much to see Sister."
The corner of Xihua's mouth lifted slightly. "What is there about me worth seeing?"
"That person said Sister is a remarkable woman."
"Heh." Xihua could not help but laugh aloud. "A beating of sixty boards produced a remarkable woman—this thrashing was well worth it!"
"What words, Sister." Jia Le sensed she was already moved. Following Hao Yuan's instructions, neither hasty nor impatient, she spoke slowly. "Sister's suffering this time was out of righteousness—not petty benevolence and petty righteousness, but great benevolence and great righteousness..."
Xihua started. "He really said that?" This was too strange—the words were exactly the same as what the Master had said!
Jia Le knew her words had found their mark. She nodded affirmatively. "Exactly!"
Xihua's mood grew tangled. She paused for a long while, then said, "You may go back first."
"Yes." Jia Le knew the matter was half accomplished. She whispered, "Sister, please don't have people arrest me. This servant's body is weak—I cannot bear family law and torture..."
"Too many words." Xihua leaned back. "Just go."
"Thank you, Sister, for your grace." She stood, quietly performed another blessing, and withdrew.
Zhao Yingong finished listening to Xihua's report in a small room and remained silent for a long time. That the other side had sent a mere little girl surprised him. It introduced flaws into his originally simple plan.
His original expectation had been that the opponent would inevitably send a heavyweight figure to infiltrate the Villa and persuade Xihua to become an inside agent—perhaps offering substantial rewards. Then, by having Xihua maintain casual contact while dealing with them, he could send people to watch this person; following the vine to the melon would easily uncover the black hand behind the scenes.
Zhao Yingong believed the power plotting against him this time was no small force. From the Rice Riot onward, to the various nursery rhymes and placards, everything demonstrated that the opponent's financial resources and execution capability were formidable. If he could not seize this opportunity to eliminate them, future trouble would be endless—heaven only knew how many more years before the Council of Elders' army would land in Shanghai.
Yet the opponent had only sent a twelve-year-old girl. Of course, in this spacetime, a twelve-year-old girl was not considered small—but she was still just a child, and absolutely not an important figure.
Did the opponent have some other scheme? Or did they consider Xihua's value insufficient to warrant sending a significant figure to recruit her? Zhao Yingong had arrived with a clear plan in mind; now he felt as if he had lost his bearings.
If he tortured Jia Le now, he could doubtless extract something, but the value would be limited.
"For now, just agree to meet him," Zhao Yingong said. "See how he arranges things."
"Yes, this servant understands."
"This matter is not so simple." Zhao Yingong's worry was evident. "The enemy seems to have caught the scent of something. Don't agree too readily. This gang consists of old foxes—they will certainly test whether you have truly defected. Go now and rest well. I will have people watch Jia Le."
After Xihua withdrew, Zhao Yingong summoned Zhao Tong again.
"What have you found about Jia Le's background?"
"It wasn't easy, I can tell you that!" Zhao Tong frowned slightly. "She listed her home as Nanxiawa. That ghost of a place is famously impoverished. Normally, no outsiders ever go in! Everyone inside knows each other. Outsiders—whether disguised as peddlers, beggars, or traveling doctors—can't hide from the locals. The men I sent couldn't even get a chance to talk to anyone!
"Later we discovered her father sells lotus root starch balls by West Lake. We sent people to watch outside; when we spotted someone selling lotus root starch balls coming out, we tailed him. Only then did we find her father. By making inquiries among the vendors by West Lake, we finally confirmed that Jia Le is indeed his daughter—originally called Little Sanniang. Her family does live in Nanxiawa. Their situation matches what she wrote in her application exactly."
"So she is indeed just an ordinary poor girl."
"Absolutely correct."
"Then who taught her to read? Where did this school name come from?"
"She says it was a teaching gentleman in Nanxiawa."
"Teaching gentleman?" Zhao Yingong's brows furrowed.
(End of this chapter)