Chapter 71 Mrs. Zhao, Keep Your Hands Steady

Chapter 71 Mrs. Zhao, Keep Your Hands Steady

The police and firefighters departed from the Zhao family garden around eleven o'clock.

This time, only the second floor was affected by the fire, and the ignition points were also on the second floor. Additionally, there were multiple ignition points, which led to such a large-scale fire. It was likely that high-concentration alcohol or gasoline was used as an accelerant.

It was clear that this was a case of arson.

Who set the fire?

The police had to investigate one by one, but relying on them, it was uncertain when results would come.

The Zhao family garden had never been in such disarray as it was now, losing its original order.

The servants were cleaning and organizing the rooms in the small villa, as Wang Junyao and her son, Lin Yufan, and the concubines would have to stay there for a while.

During the fire, Lin Yufan’s bedroom was locked, so everything inside was untouched.

Primarily the living room, the wooden floor at the entrance, and the door were damaged.

Zhao Zhiao’s bedroom was similarly affected, but the study was severely burned, with almost all the books and documents destroyed.

Fortunately, Zhao Zhiao’s important documents were stored in the safe in the study’s secret room.

Kang Nian oversaw the relocation of several safes from the secret room to the small villa, placing them in the room where Lin Yufan was temporarily staying.

At the same time, Gui Xiang and Hong Yu organized the transfer of Lin Yufan’s important belongings there as well.

Lin Yufan was unconcerned with these matters; she only wanted to find out what had happened to Zhang Aiming as soon as possible.

Zhang Aiming’s sudden disappearance led Lin Yufan to believe that she had been abducted by the secret service agents amidst the chaos.

Lin Yufan, Shen Te, and Ms. Guan were in a small room on the third floor of the small villa, discussing the details of the fire that morning.

Lin Yufan asked, musing aloud, “Who had the time to go upstairs and set the fire?”

Ms. Guan, who had been managing the guests, remembered clearly: “The ladies who came today all visited the restroom shortly after arriving and then stayed in the living room without leaving. Miss Xu and Miss Ji were the last to arrive, and they didn’t leave the living room either, so they are unlikely to be involved.”

Ms. Guan, in her thirties, was the housekeeper of the Zhao family garden and was known for her meticulousness. Lin Yufan gave her an appreciative look, impressed by her attention to detail.

Lin Yufan asked, “Did Miss Ji arrive in her own vehicle or Miss Xu’s car?”

Ms. Guan replied, “She arrived in Miss Xu’s car. She was unaccompanied.”

“What about the attendants of the others? Could any of them have gone upstairs to set the fire?”

Ms. Guan said, “The attendants were divided into two groups. Some stayed with their masters in the living room, while others, like drivers who couldn’t enter the living room, remained in their vehicles or the tea room near the parking area. There were many guests today, along with numerous attendants. We had people monitoring the stairs in the living room. I suspect the arsonist went upstairs via the small staircase near the restroom.”

Once upstairs, using the high-concentration alcohol they carried, they quickly ignited several points, creating enough chaos to force everyone, including the Third Concubine, to evacuate to safety outside.

Lin Yufan carefully recalled that after she returned, the ladies had indeed surrounded her to talk, and no one went to the restroom.

Could it be that the attendants of the ladies had secretly brought in agents from the secret service?

This made it even harder to investigate.

Shen Te, who had been silent until now, spoke up: “The Third Concubine disappeared in the garden. Logically, there should have been some commotion.”

Ms. Guan explained, “The Third Concubine has been running a high fever these past few days and has been in a daze. Her personal maid went to the small villa to fetch hot water for her, and when she returned, the Third Concubine was gone. All that was left was her handkerchief, which had fallen under the persimmon tree. I suspect the Third Concubine was likely abducted through the small gate in the north.”

Shen Te was not at the Zhao Family Garden at that time. He asked, "Isn't the north gate usually locked?"

Ms. Guan replied, "There's a well outside the north gate. When the fire broke out, we were worried about running out of water, so we opened the gate and fetched some."

Shen Te deduced, "Then it must have been the arsonist's accomplice who abducted the Third Concubine and left through the north gate. There must have been someone outside to assist, working together from inside and outside."

Ms. Guan slightly shook her head, "The Third Concubine... although she was sick, she wouldn’t have been abducted without putting up a fight. I suspect she was knocked out with something like ether, covering her mouth and nose, and then abducted after being rendered unconscious."

Lin Yufan glanced at Ms. Guan again, realizing she had underestimated the housekeeper’s capabilities. She couldn't help but ask, "Ms. Guan, what do you think we should do now?"

Ms. Guan paused slightly and said, "It’s still your call, Madam."

Lin Yufan then looked at Shen Te, who thought that Madam seemed a bit lost and unsure of what to do.

Shen Te suggested, "Madam, why don’t we monitor the Intelligence Section’s movements?"

Lin Yufan nodded, "Good, and also keep an eye on Ji Shuping."

Shen Te quickly agreed.

Lin Yufan sighed, "The timing couldn’t be worse. Zhi Ao is not here today, and Ai Ming has a high fever..."

If Zhang Aiming really fell into the hands of the Nationalists, who knows what kind of severe interrogation she would face.

Lin Yufan's hands and feet were icy cold. She instructed, "Shen Te, I’ll leave the outside matters in your hands."

"Madam, rest assured. I’ll do everything I can to find the Third Concubine. I will first ask the leaders of a few chapters to help investigate. The kidnappers must have a hideout somewhere. If it's a remote place, the chapter members are more reliable than the police."

"Then hurry up. I hope there will be good news soon."

After Shen Te left, Lin Yufan said to Ms. Guan, "Get the Second and Fourth Concubines to help, and keep it a secret from the others. Just say the Third Concubine has a severe cold and is resting in her room."

It was so hectic earlier, probably no one noticed the Third Concubine was missing.

Ms. Guan said, "I will go and tell them."

*

Her head was throbbing with pain. Zhang Aiming opened her eyes and saw two people sitting opposite her, and there seemed to be another figure standing beside her.

She felt like she was on fire, and there was a large brazier at her feet, making it even hotter.

Zhuang Ziguang stared at Zhang Aiming, and when he saw her open her eyes, he smirked, "Comrade Dong Zhen, you're awake."

Zhang Aiming's hands were tied behind her back, and her hands and feet were completely unable to move.

She swallowed against her dry throat and whimpered, "Where am I... I need water."

The middle-aged man sitting next to Zhuang Ziguang, who looked very honest, smiled and said, "First, answer my question. Where is the batch of gold hidden?"

Zhang Aiming looked at them innocently, "Gold?"

"Yes, gold. Tell me where the gold is, and I'll give you water right away."

"I only have... only five small gold bars. I didn’t have time to grab them when the fire started. You... you ask our Madam for it; she has a lot."

The honest man and Zhuang Ziguang glanced at each other, "In Lin Yufan's hands?"

"Our Madam has dozens of gold bars, I only have five. Why did you kidnap me... I have no money..." Zhang Aiming's lips were almost dry from the heat, and she was in bad shape mentally.

Zhuang Ziguang took a deep breath, "Dong Zhen, stop playing dumb with me! Where are the 64 boxes of gold you stole? If you don't confess properly, don’t blame us for branding you!"

"My surname is Zhang... I don't know what you're talking about."

The seemingly gentle man wiped the smile off his face and cursed, "Damn it, don’t make me force it on you!"

As he spoke, he stood up and grabbed the iron tongs from the brazier.

Seeing the red-hot tongs coming towards her face, Zhang Aiming screamed and then fainted.

The small clerk from the Confidentiality Department standing nearby quickly stepped forward to check, "Captain Qiu, she’s burning up with fever, probably dehydrated."

Qiu Xing cursed, "How did we get stuck with a sick one?"

Zhuang Ziguang stood up and went out to instruct the person at the door, "Fu Biao, go get some fever-reducing shots."

Qiu Xing and the clerk tried to pour water into Zhang Aiming, but the clerk worried, "Did we grab the wrong person?"

Qiu Xing retorted, "Are you stupid? She’s faking it!"

Unable to get the water in, Qiu Xing ordered, "Bring a basin of cold water!"

The clerk went out, and Qiu Xing complained to Zhuang Ziguang, "This godforsaken place has nothing we need. We have to interrogate her in secret. Damn it, even on our own soil, the Brits call the shots. It’s infuriating."

Zhuang Ziguang comforted him, "No choice, we’ve got to lay low."

They splashed a basin of cold water on Zhang Aiming’s face, but even the cold water had no effect.

Worried Zhang Aiming might die before confessing, Qiu Xing hurriedly urged someone to buy fever-reducing medicine.

An hour later, Zhang Aiming woke up again, her fever reduced.

She was soaking wet, and even with the brazier nearby, she couldn't help but shiver.

Seeing her awake, Qiu Xing sneered, "We’ve got ourselves a real treasure here."

Zhang Aiming sobbed, "Please, let me go! I’m dying, I don’t have long!"

Qiu Xing coaxed her, "Tell us where the gold is, and I’ll not only let you go but get you the best doctor in Nanjing."

Zhang Aiming's tears streamed down, "I’m just a concubine, how would I know about the family’s gold? Sob sob, I really don’t know anything. Take the five gold bars I’ve saved, just please let me go!"

Zhuang Ziguang cut straight to the point, "If you come clean, there’s still a chance for you. If you keep playing crazy, you’re dead. Your life only matters if you’re Dong Zhen. If you don’t admit it, then we can only kill you."

Zhang Aiming cried even more pitifully, "I don’t get it. What do I need to understand to matter? I really don’t know where the gold you’re talking about is."

She kept rambling, straying further from the point.

Furious, Qiu Xing grabbed the iron tongs again. Seeing the red-hot iron right in front of her, Zhang Aiming quickly said, "I... I heard the gold’s buried at the textile factory..."

"What? Where exactly?" Everyone saw a glimmer of hope.

Zhang Aiming licked her lips, "At the textile factory... I think."

Qiu Xing shot a glance at Zhuang Ziguang.

Zhuang Ziguang asked, "Which textile factory are you talking about?"

Zhang Aiming shook her head blankly, "I can’t recall, but I heard it on the radio about the textile factory."

Heard it on the radio?

Zhuang Ziguang suddenly realized, "Are you saying you heard on the radio show 'The Gold Heist' that the gold is buried in the textile factory?"

Zhang Aiming nodded.

"Are you messing with us?!" Qiu Xing then pressed the hot iron directly onto Zhang Aiming's face!

"Ah!!!!"

The pain was excruciating! Zhang Aiming smelled her own flesh burning!

After screaming, she fainted again.

The junior clerk beside her asked again, confused, "Did we really catch the wrong person?"

Zhuang Ziguang still couldn't determine whether Zhang Aiming was Dong Zhen or not. The spirit fox identified her as such, so it shouldn't be wrong.

"If we really caught the wrong person, she has to be eliminated! She has seen our faces. Do you think Zhao Zhiao would spare us if we let her go?"

Qiu Xing patted the junior clerk, "Xiao Zheng, don't be so naive. Even if we caught the wrong person, it's just her misfortune."

Xiao Zheng nodded, "I know, I know. So what do we do now?"

Qiu Xing replied, "Wait for her to wake up and continue the interrogation. If the iron doesn't work, pull out her teeth and see if she talks! I don't believe her bones are that hard."

*

By evening, the rooms in the small villa were mostly tidied up.

Lin Yufan held a gun, practicing her aim in the bathroom multiple times without loading bullets.

She didn't know why she was practicing, but she had a feeling she'd need it.

Perhaps for self-protection?

After dinner, Shen Te showed up.

"Miss Ji stayed home all afternoon and didn't go anywhere. Everything in the Ji family is as usual. As for Zhuang Ziguang, there's been no sign of him so far. He is not at the office, nor at home. I suspect his men kidnapped the Third Concubine, and he is most likely with the Third Concubine in a hidden place now."

Lin Yufan asked, "Any word from the streets?"

Shen Te replied, "We've searched all the remote villages and found nothing."

Then it's probably somewhere in the city.

Lin Yufan stood by the window and said, "I've been thinking all day about how their people kidnapped Ai Ming. If they really left through the north gate, from the persimmon tree to the gate is a long way, and with so many of us, we couldn't have missed them."

"Madam, are you saying they didn't take the Third Concubine from the north gate?"

Lin Yufan said, "Today, two fire trucks arrived. The first one came way too fast. We had just called in the fire, and the fire truck showed up. At the time, we didn't think much of it, just thought they were efficient. Now that I think about it, the first fire truck was probably set up in advance!"

Shen Te suddenly realized, "Very likely."

"And the first fire truck stopped not far from the persimmon tree. If someone used ether to knock out Ai Ming and quickly hid her in the car when no one was looking, there were several moments when no one was paying attention. Several times, the firefighters shouted upstairs for someone to pass things, and we all looked up, distracted. A few seconds were enough for them to hide the Third Concubine."

Shen Te said, "Then I'll check the direction of the fire truck."

Lin Yufan reminded, "The gatekeeper has registered the license plates of vehicles coming in and out, and the fire truck was also registered..."

Shen Te said, "With the license plate number, it's easier. Our taxi drivers are all over the city; finding a clue shouldn't be hard."

Shen Te directly made a call in the first-floor office, and about half an hour later, there was a response.

"Mrs. Zhao, this morning, the fire truck with license plate number 1217 was parked on Ying'an Street for around four to five hours before it left. Currently, the vehicle is parked outside a residential area in Chiwei. I’ve dispatched teams to search both locations, hoping to get some news soon."

Hearing the news, as if seeing a glimmer of hope, Lin Yufan said, "I appreciate your efforts. We might have to pull an all-nighter tonight."

"It’s no trouble. Since the boss is away, we should protect his family even more. This was our mistake. Brother Bing went to Chengdu with the boss, and the security team didn't raise their alertness in time."

"We’ll debrief on this later. For this search for the Third Concubine, everyone who helps out will be well rewarded."

Lin Yufan was more approachable than Zhao Zhiao. Most of the time, she prioritized solving problems first.

Shen Te, relieved he wouldn’t be blamed, finally relaxed.

Lin Yufan didn’t sleep much that night and woke up a little after five.

She woke up, turned on the light, and stood by the window, peering toward the entrance. The Zhao family garden was silent, lit only by the gatehouse.

Knock, knock, knock!

There was a knock at the door. Lin Yufan went to open it, and outside was her Fifth Brother.

Lin Yuwu had also just woken up: "I saw your light on. Are you having trouble sleeping in a new bed?"

Lin Yufan brushed it off, "A bit."

Lin Yuwu came in and closed the door, whispering, "Did something happen to the Third Concubine?"

Lin Yufan was surprised, "How did you know?"

"Rumors are circulating that the Third Concubine was kidnapped in the chaos." Lin Yuwu asked with concern, "Have the kidnappers sent any messages? How much are they demanding?"

With so many people watching, it was impossible to keep it under wraps.

Lin Yufan sighed helplessly, "If only they’d demand a ransom. Right now, there's no news at all."

Lin Yuwu said, "I’ll pitch in and gather intel too."

A little after seven in the morning, Shen Te came to report the latest situation.

There were no leads in the Chiwei residential area, and nothing was found on Ying'an Street either.

Lin Yufan, who’d been hopeful the night before, was plunged back into despair. Without any news, she was worried that Zhang Aiming might be in grave danger.

She thought for a moment and said, "Shen Te, concentrate your efforts around Ying'an Street. Since the fire truck was parked near Ying'an Street for so long yesterday afternoon, it's likely they dropped Ai Ming off there and hid her somewhere."

Shen Te shared the same view, "That's exactly how I arranged it. Our people are now focusing on Ying'an Street and the nearby streets, planning to search them one by one."

"Keep it low-key to avoid tipping them off."

"We'll be careful. That's why the progress is a bit slow."

*

Zhuang Ziguang didn’t sleep much that night, and neither did Qiu Xing.

Everyone was very tired.

And Zhang Aiming's condition was very poor, mostly unconscious. Any later, and if the burn wounds became infected, the woman might not make it.

All their efforts would be in vain.

Qiu Xing stood up, "Xiao Zheng and I will go out to get some medicine for her. You take a nap. This woman shouldn't die anytime soon."

Zhuang Ziguang nodded. "Go on."

As they walked out, Qiu Xing continued to grumble: "This godforsaken place has nothing, and we have to hide and sneak around, making us look like we’re kidnappers! Crap!"

Qiu Xing seemed like a gentle guy, but once he started talking, he sounded like a total thug.

Qiu Xing left with Xiao Zheng and the driver.

Four people were guarding the place, which was well-hidden, so safety wasn’t a big issue.

*

After breakfast, Lin Yufan and Lin Yuwu headed to Wooden Village to meet Mrs. Peng for the final round of disaster relief.

Along the way, they passed Yong'an Street. Spotting the Yong'an Street sign, Lin Yufan asked, "Is Ying'an Street nearby?"

Lin Yuwu didn't know either, so he asked the driver.

Driver Deng Ge said, "It’s just behind Ying'an Street. Why do you ask, ma’am?"

Yong'an Street was near Ying'an Street...

Lin Yufan remembered the "Ask the Sea" magazine she had seen in Zhao Zhiao's room, which had the address of the Ask the Sea magazine office on Yong'an Street.

"Pull over," Lin Yufan told them. "Do you know where the Ask the Sea magazine office is located?"

No one had a clue.

Lin Yufan got out of the car. She wanted to find a newsstand or bookstore to grab a copy of "Ask the Sea" and check it out.

Yong'an Street was usually pretty busy, but there weren’t many people out that morning.

Lin Yufan randomly entered a shop and asked, "Hey, do you know where the closest newsstand or bookstore is?"

The shopkeeper didn’t even look up, just pointed ahead and said, "Fifty meters up."

Lin Yufan headed forward. Tie Long, walking faster, sprinted ahead.

Before they even got to the bookstore, Tie Long had already grabbed a copy of "Ask the Sea" and brought it back.

"Ma’am, it’s at 37 Yong'an Street, third floor."

Lin Yufan looked at the street numbers of the nearby shops. In front of her was number 33, then 35, and next was 37.

A three-story building.

Could this be the place? She had no proof, just a gut feeling.

Lin Yuwu said, "Want me to go up and check it out?"

Lin Yufan thought for a moment. "Let’s both go. If we run into Qin Hai, I’ll say I’m here to talk business."

They quickly walked towards number 37.

The third floor was dead quiet. It was Sunday, so the office was closed, and no one was around.

Lin Yuwu peeked through the gap in the door. The workstations were piled with magazines, and there was no one inside.

Lin Yufan looked down and noticed a few faint drops of water on the floor. Following the direction of the water stains, she looked further down the corridor.

At the end of the corridor, there was another staircase, seemingly leading to the rooftop.

Who fetched water from the magazine office and took it upstairs?

She glanced down the corridor and noticed two men standing quietly behind the stairs, also looking in their direction.

They appeared to have been watching them for a while.

"Who are you here to see?" A tall man shouted as Lin Yufan looked over.

Lin Yufan had to respond, "We’re here to talk to Editor Qin about a magazine collaboration."

"It’s the weekend; no one’s here. Come back tomorrow."

"Oh."

Lin Yufan spotted the man standing quietly in the back, who seemed to be a firefighter from yesterday.

Was that yesterday’s firefighter standing here?

So, her gut was right—Zhang Aiming might actually be hidden here!

Maybe in the rooftop attic.

Did the firefighter recognize her?

If he did, would they let her go?

Lin Yufan’s heart raced as she signaled to Fifth Brother and Tie Long, "Let’s get out of here."

As she spoke, she rolled up Tie Long’s copy of "Ask the Sea" and wedged it in the door.

As the three left the magazine office, the two men at the end of the corridor kept a close eye on them.

"That woman seems familiar."

The tall man cursed, "Damn it, every pretty woman seems familiar to you. What did she leave at the door? I’ll check it out."

The tall man strode towards the magazine office door, pulled out the book placed on the door, and upon closer inspection, realized it was "Ask the Sea."

He wondered, what kind of deal is this? Why leave "Ask the Sea" at the door?

Suddenly, he heard a strange creak from the side.

The tall man drew his gun, pressed against the wall, and crept forward. When he reached the end of the corridor, he saw a figure running downstairs...

Why run? He took off after them.

As he closed in, a rope snaked around his neck from behind, yanking him to the ground.

The security officer, seeing the tall man draw his gun, rushed upstairs to alert his team.

Upstairs in the attic, a small bald man stood outside while Zhuang Ziguang was inside.

Zhuang Ziguang ordered, "Stay calm. Wait and see if Ah Cai comes back."

The small bald man, Ah Cai’s nephew, fretted, "Fu Biao and I should check on him."

"No! You’ll just walk into a trap. If Ah Cai doesn’t return, we’ll wait for Pei Xing and the others, then ambush them."

"There’s only three of them—two men and a woman. We’re three grown men; we can take them. I can’t just let my uncle..."

"Think straight."

Little Bald didn’t want to think straight, but he had no choice. He burst out of the room, only to be immediately grabbed by the neck and choked!

Bang!

A gunshot exploded from outside.

Fu Biao, at the door, heard the noise and slammed it shut, but a foot blocked it.

Panicking, Fu Biao shot at the foot.

Then, Little Bald's scream echoed from outside.

Shit! Fu Biao shot Little Bald's foot!

Bang! Bang! Bang! More gunshots erupted from outside, and Little Bald shouted, "Get out here and help!!"

Fu Biao rushed out to find Little Bald shot in the foot and badly choked.

Fuck, I didn’t die by the enemy but by my own crew,” Little Bald cursed in pain.

When choked, Little Bald fired backward, scaring off the attacker and saving himself.

Zhuang Ziguang had no time to blame anyone. They had to get out of there fast. The reason they had chosen this attic was because it had an escape route.

"You two, cover the front staircase and stop them. I’ll carry her and escape through Building 39," Zhuang Ziguang said, quickly untying Zhang Aiming.

Zhuang Ziguang hoisted the unconscious Zhang Aiming and bolted to the next building.

They scaled the fence and dashed down the rooftop stairs.

Once in the staircase, Zhang Aiming, on Zhuang Ziguang's back, opened her eyes. Her hands and feet were finally free.

She dug into her shoe and yanked out a thin wire.

At the corner, Zhang Aiming wrapped the wire around Zhuang Ziguang's neck and yanked hard—

Zhuang Ziguang’s face flushed red instantly.

He whipped out his gun and fired two shots backward.

A bullet hit Zhang Aiming's arm, and she screamed but held on tight.

Lin Yuwu and Tie Long were upstairs, fending off the others, while Lin Yufan had dashed downstairs to send Brother Deng to Ying'an Street for backup.

Before backup arrived, she stood at Building 39’s staircase, hearing two sharp gunshots and a woman’s scream.

It was Zhang Aiming's voice!

Backup wasn’t here yet, but Lin Yufan couldn’t wait. She quickly ran upstairs and, at the second-floor corner, saw Zhuang Ziguang throw down a wire and jump up from the ground. He turned around and stepped on a woman lying on the staircase.

Zhuang Ziguang heard footsteps and turned around, only to see Mrs. Zhao pointing a small, delicate gun at him.

Lin Yufan, who had never been in such a situation before, was trembling badly.

Zhuang Ziguang couldn’t help but laugh, "Mrs. Zhao, don't shake... Does that gun have bullets? Can it shoot?"

Can it shoot?

Lin Yufan looked at Zhang Aiming, who was lying under Zhuang Ziguang's feet, her face mangled and bloody, and her heart ached beyond measure.

Bang!

She pulled the trigger without hesitation.

A bullet tore through Zhuang Ziguang's forehead. His eyes widened as a flash of light unveiled the gates of hell.

How could he die at the hands of this delicate woman?!

He couldn't understand!

Lin Yufan's hand trembled as she watched Zhang Aiming sit up, her heart filled with a single thought.

She was on the verge of tears.

So killing is this satisfying!