Chapter 2350: Old Friend Li Huamei (Part 2)

But now Li Huamei possessed the protective talisman of Qi Feng's patronage. Without clear evidence of "acts harming the Senate," moving against her would be difficult.

Trapped in this predicament, Zhou Botao could only intensify surveillance. Everyone who came into contact with her was added to the monitoring list and investigated individually. Once Li Siya's base of operations was roughly identified in Macao, he assigned a dedicated team to track her movements and intercept her correspondence.

Perhaps Li Siya had realized that Macao was no longer safe ground. She not only kept a low profile when in the city but often avoided it altogether, hiding in various locations. For some time, they couldn't pin down her specific whereabouts.

Nevertheless, the surveillance in Macao yielded an unexpected discovery. Zhou Botao was startled to find that Li Mo, the Chief of General Affairs at Lingao General Hospital, had been corresponding with Li Siya.

Everyone knew that Lingao General Hospital was the most important medical institution in the Senate's health system, serving primarily Senators and core naturalized employees. Its staff had all undergone rigorous vetting and were considered the most reliable personnel available.

That the Chief of General Affairs at such a hospital maintained contact with Li Siya, the "Enemy of the Senate," not only piqued Zhou Botao's interest but sent a chill down his spine.

He suddenly recalled handling a whistleblower report involving Li Mo back in 1632. The report had flagged her suspicious behavior during a trip to Guangzhou. It hadn't drawn much attention at the time, but out of prudence, he'd assigned Ke Yun to investigate.

Ke Yun spent several months on the case and concluded there were "suspicious points but no evidence." With the Political Security Bureau's limited resources, they couldn't justify sustained investigation of a case with no obvious problems, so it was closed at year's end. However, Li Mo had been placed on the "Level 3 Surveillance List" ever since.

He instructed his secretary to retrieve all files related to the case immediately.

The weekly monitoring reports on Li Mo had accumulated into a thick stack. Zhou Botao read through them carefully and found nothing incriminating—if there had been anything substantive, Ke Yun would have reopened the case long ago. He reviewed Ke Yun's original investigation report again; honestly, it contained nothing damning either. The only certainty was that Li Mo had likely connected with Li Siya during that trip to Guangzhou.

The file included a copy of Li Mo's personal records. According to her own account, she was a "native of Gongchang Division, Xiangshan County, Guangzhou Prefecture." Under Ming Dynasty administrative divisions, Macao fell precisely within Gongchang Division.

Furthermore, she claimed her former husband had been a pirate in Guangdong waters—and according to their intelligence, Li Siya's Portuguese father was a "merchant" who conducted gray business with pirates.

From this perspective, Li Mo's connections to Macao ran deep, and a special relationship with Li Siya was hardly surprising.

Not digging to the root of this matter while the trail was hot had left a hidden danger after all, Zhou Botao reflected. The problem was that Li Mo enjoyed considerable popularity among the agricultural Senators. She also followed Elder Wu's religion and was close to that small Protestant church. These considerations had made them hesitant at the time, and they hadn't taken decisive action.

He immediately compiled the relevant information and went to report to Zhao Manxiong.

Zhao Manxiong listened with interest and studied the materials carefully before asking, "How long have they been in contact?"

"Perhaps two or three years. The exact start date is unknown, but judging from the context, I believe they had already established contact before Li Huamei came to naturalize."

"Yet analyzing the existing materials, Li Huamei and Li Mo haven't had any lateral contact—this woman even understands single-line communication. She's quite an interesting character," Zhao Manxiong observed. "Based on the letters, what is the relationship between them? What do they mainly discuss?"

"The letters aren't written in code," Zhou Botao said. "At first, I was surprised, assuming there must be secret writing or ciphers. But after handing them to the relevant department, they concluded there was no hidden information—just ordinary correspondence."

Zhao Manxiong nodded. "Is there anything in the letters that interests us?"

"Honestly, no." Zhou Botao smiled ruefully. "Most of it is domestic trivia. The correspondence between Li Siya and Li Mo is infrequent—far less than Li Huamei's—only one letter every six months or so. The letters are lengthy but consist mostly of household matters."

Besides the usual pleasantries, the letters contained various requests: Li Mo asked Li Siya to purchase certain items in Macao and Guangzhou, and sometimes the reverse. The letters also mentioned attached gifts—anyone reading them would see only the common exchanges between relatives and friends.

"However, there is one rather unusual detail."

"What?" Zhao Manxiong leaned forward with interest.

"The forms of address between them: Li Siya calls Li Mo 'Sister,' while Li Mo calls Li Siya 'Miss.' The writing is respectful—clearly the attitude toward a superior."

Li Siya called Li Mo sister, but Li Mo dared not reciprocate, using "Miss" instead. This clearly indicated she stood half a head lower than the other party.

This form of address, with its obvious class distinction yet carrying a kinship that transcended the master-servant relationship, was momentarily puzzling.

"Their relationship might be special," Zhao Manxiong mused. "When Yu Eshui gave us that lecture, he specifically mentioned that ordinary people in the Ming Dynasty couldn't legally keep slaves. Some kept slaves under the guise of 'adopted sons' and 'adopted daughters'—who were actually bondservants. Li Mo probably has this kind of semi-bondservant status."

"That's possible. In the letters, they also frequently mentioned someone named 'Sister Chun,' whom Li Mo calls 'Little Chun.' From the context, this is Li Huamei—that is, Li Chun. We already know Li Chun isn't Li Siya's biological sister. The only possibility is that Li Mo and Li Chun are biological sisters. Li Mo mentions her in every letter, clearly concerned about her whereabouts and safety."

"How does Li Siya respond?"

"Most of the time, Li Siya makes excuses—claims she hasn't seen her in ages, isn't certain, only says she's out sailing on business. She assures Li Mo it isn't dangerous or illicit work but never mentions who 'Sister Chun' is doing business with. Occasionally she forwards some of 'Sister Chun's' gifts to Li Mo, and sometimes letters as well—unfortunately, we haven't intercepted those."

"So Li Siya deliberately keeps the Li sisters apart." Zhao Manxiong considered this. Obviously, only by keeping them ignorant of each other's whereabouts could she threaten and control them. Although both sisters were in Lingao, they had both changed their names. Li Mo had worked in general affairs at Lingao General Hospital for years, living a secluded life both professionally and personally. Li Huamei, meanwhile, actually spent little time in Lingao—she was at sea for at least half the year. Moreover, her activities in Lingao were concentrated around the coastal areas of Bopu.

This woman Li Siya was remarkably meticulous in her scheming. No wonder she had survived at sea for so long and still managed to maneuver. All these years!

"Yes. Li Siya likely depends on Li Huamei for a substantial portion of her income now. That's precisely why she wants to maintain firm control over 'Sister Chun.'"

Zhou Botao had secretly investigated Li Huamei's trade operations. Through his connections in Macao, he had also obtained information about the operations of Li Siya's ships. The conclusion: among the goods currently sold by the two Lis, Australian goods exceeded fifty percent. The source of these Australian goods was primarily Li Huamei's channel, which offered far better prices and variety than other indigenous wholesale channels.

In other words, the Senate was continuously generating profits for Li Siya. Zhou Botao consulted the Southeast Asia Company's records and found that since Li Huamei joined the company, her annual sales by tonnage had consistently ranked in the top ten.

"It seems our practice of mercantilism is very thorough," Zhao Manxiong remarked dryly. "What is Li Siya doing now?"

"According to Lando's report, she frequently traveled to the Philippines before we crushed the Zheng Zhilong group. The Spanish are her traditional customers. She also serves as a secret messenger between Macao and the Spanish, and maintains contact with the Dutch and British. I estimate she functions as some combination of broker, mercenary, and intelligence peddler—in addition, of course, to her main professions of trade and piracy."

Zhao Manxiong pondered for a moment. "What is the current living arrangement between her and Qi Feng? The report mentioned they're cohabiting."

"Their residence is in the 'Commercial District,' which is—"

"I know the place."

"The house was built with Li Huamei's money, and the property rights are in her name. Apparently Qi Feng did the design himself. Whenever he's not on business trips or in meetings, he stays there—he's brought his maid over, along with many personal belongings. I'd say this basically counts as having moved in." He suddenly remembered something. "By the way, our informant also reported that Li Huamei built a secret cellar in this house—likely prepared for hiding valuables."

"Do you find Li Huamei attractive?" Zhao Manxiong asked suddenly.

"Well... in terms of looks, her features are quite fine," Zhou Botao answered, caught off guard by the unexpected question.

"According to the maid selection rating standards issued by the General Office, she'd be C-level. But you have to admit, a woman like her possesses a different kind of charm—one rarely seen in this spacetime. So Comrade Qi Feng has genuine feelings for her... which makes things rather tricky."

Zhou Botao understood Zhao Manxiong's meaning. Since it was true love, and Qi Feng came from an artistic background with romantic inclinations, there was a very real possibility of melodrama—something along the lines of "No matter who she is, even if the whole world stands against us, I will love her to the end!"

(End of Chapter)