Field Investigation
After Jiang Wan finished reading through the entire contents recorded in the booklet, she returned it to its original place on the table.
Ye Yurong, meanwhile, was still carefully going through the information one item at a time. She thought some of the suggestions were quite good and could be put to use when the time came to implement them, so she did not notice Jiang Wan putting down the booklet.
Jiang Wan organized all the information she already knew in her mind and discovered a difficult point. She raised a question to Ye Yurong. “These officials have very deep vested interests tied to the person in that courtyard. If we touch one, the whole network will be affected. It’s very tricky.”
“And there’s also the ship merchants’ guild.”
Ye Yurong frowned slightly. “I’ve thought about all these problems. As long as we have enough irrefutable evidence, combined with the laws of Dayong, the crimes they’ve committed are enough to have them executed a hundred times over.”
Jiang Wan keenly caught onto one point. “If we make a move, they’ll certainly notice. Once they join forces, we’ll be put in a very passive position.”
She had only just entered this world from the book, and there were many things she did not understand. She could only move forward cautiously.
Ye Yurong nodded. “If we end up implicating someone even more powerful, I’m afraid all of us could be in danger of losing our lives.”
“Our ship guild may be wealthy, but throughout the entire Dayong Kingdom, we only rank among the top twenty. Although we’ve made connections with quite a few powerful people, there’s no guarantee that they haven’t done things like this behind our backs. Otherwise, we’d just be walking straight into a trap.”
“Perhaps we can first investigate who is behind all this. If that person has overwhelming power and influence, then there must also be people willing to oppose them. At that time, we can borrow their strength to strike at our enemy and simply let things develop naturally.”
After hearing her out, Jiang Wan felt this was the best course of action for now. “That method seems feasible.”
Ye Yurong put down the map in her hands. “Mm. As for Lin Yuan, he won’t be able to go this time. The injury to his leg is rather serious.”
Jiang Wan fell into thought when she heard this. She wanted to have Sheng Zixu go, but she was afraid that he might do something uncontrollable at a critical moment and expose them.
“I do have someone in mind.”
Hearing this, Ye Yurong immediately guessed who she meant. “Don’t tell me it’s that sharp-tongued blabbermouth?”
Jiang Wan silently nodded, which counted as an admission.
Ye Yurong’s expression became rather strange. “Are you sure he won’t drag us down at a crucial moment?”
Hearing her words, Jiang Wan understood what Ye Yurong meant. If they brought him along, would he actually follow orders? Could he behave himself?
“How about assigning him somewhere away from the core area and having him stand guard?”
Ye Yurong tapped her fingers lightly against the tabletop several times. “Fine. At least when danger comes, he can still send word to us.”
Over the next quarter of an hour, they finalized the personnel.
Since Ye Yurong had already shown her face when she went to Miji Town to purchase local goods, she would avoid appearing publicly this time. Instead, she would remain at the docks and direct the collection efforts, while Jiang Wan would take Sheng Zixu with her.
At first, Ye Yurong had never expected the Binhai Ship Guild to be involved as well. After all, the guild ranked third in Zhenhai, and it had always had a good reputation according to the rumors outside. She had never expected that, behind the scenes, there would be such devils among them who were connected to the officials.
As for the Binhai Ship Guild, she would have someone keep a close eye on them. She still found it hard to believe. The people from the guild usually distributed congee and donated money to charity. They conducted their business honestly and had never gotten involved in any major conflicts. Most people had a favorable opinion of the guild.
She needed to get to the bottom of it.
The moment Jiang Wan returned to her cabin, she went straight to find Sheng Zixu. When she pushed open the door, she saw him sleeping with both hands folded over his chest.
He looked rather proper in his sleep, breathing lightly, with a remarkably peaceful sleeping posture.
From her angle, he looked much more obedient and quiet while asleep than he usually did. Jiang Wan thought that if only he could be like this whenever he was awake, things would be so much less of a headache.
Jiang Wan had no intention of waking him at that moment, so she returned to her own room.
Chun Xia had also just returned with the freshly brewed medicine. “Miss, you’re back. The medicine is just the right temperature. Once you finish drinking it, we can change your dressing.”
Jiang Wan took the bowl of medicine from Chun Xia. Holding her breath, she forced the bitter medicine into her mouth.
Halfway through, she suddenly stopped and moved the bowl away from her lips. She wanted to spit it out, but she held herself back and swallowed the final mouthful. Chun Xia immediately poured her some water.
The cool water washed away the bitter taste of the traditional medicine from Jiang Wan’s mouth. Her tightly furrowed brows relaxed, and she handed the cup back to Chun Xia.
Resistance welled up inside her. Her lips were tightly pursed as she struggled with herself. She really did not want to drink the rest.
She knew that if she did not take the medicine, her injuries would heal very slowly.
After a fierce internal battle, reason ultimately defeated her reluctance. Chun Xia simply stood quietly to the side with her head lowered, waiting to step in whenever needed.
This time, Jiang Wan not only held her breath but also pinched her nose. Once she could no longer smell the pungent medicinal aroma, she drank much faster.
However, the bitter taste continued spreading through her mouth, assaulting her senses and once again triggering the urge to vomit.
She tilted her head back slightly and finally swallowed everything remaining in the bowl. She placed the pristine white porcelain bowl back onto the tray, and Chun Xia handed her the cool water she had prepared long ago.
Jiang Wan was somewhat surprised, but she still drank it. There was not much water in the cup, so she quickly finished it.
Afterward, Chun Xia began tending to her wound.
Jiang Wan had been struck by an arrow in the upper left side of her back. Chun Xia carefully unwound the bandages, layer by layer. A small amount of bright red blood had seeped into the white gauze.
Chun Xia folded the bloodstained gauze and placed it on the wooden table. Then she took several bottles and jars from a hidden compartment beneath the bed. Small red pieces of cloth were draped over them.
“Miss, this may hurt a little. Please bear with it,” Chun Xia reminded her, giving Jiang Wan time to prepare herself.
She picked up a small porcelain bottle decorated with blue floral patterns. Pulling away the little red cloth covering it, Chun Xia gently and slowly sprinkled a thick layer of white Jinchuang Powder over Jiang Wan’s wound.
Then she picked up another bottle, the second from the bottom. It contained Yuzhen Powder, which was used to prevent the wound from becoming inflamed or infected.
Fortunately, the arrow had not been coated with poison. Otherwise, Jiang Wan would have suffered even more, and the others would have been affected as well.
Chun Xia then took out a slightly larger round jar. Its lid was decorated with blue tassels.
“Miss, this is Shengji Powder. It helps promote wound healing. The physician said it won’t leave a scar and is also very good for the wound.”
Jiang Wan’s injury was a small, round laceration, though it had gone fairly deep into the flesh when the arrow entered.
“Good. Thank you.”
Chun Xia’s long eyelashes trembled slightly, and a faint blush spread across the tips of her ears. The corners of her lips unconsciously curled into a small, subtle smile. She slightly bent her knees in a curtsy, not daring to look directly at Jiang Wan. “Miss, there’s no need to thank me. This is what I should be doing.”
With that, Chun Xia picked up the small silver spoon she had taken out of the hidden compartment along with the other items. She dipped the end meant for scooping ointment into the round jar, dug out a small spoonful, and gently applied it to Jiang Wan’s wound.
Perhaps the medicine was taking effect too quickly. After the powder had been applied twice, Jiang Wan could already feel a wave of heat. Then the cool ointment smoothed it away. The Shengji Powder took effect quickly, its cool, refreshing sensation covering the heat and stinging produced by the other medicines.
Seeing that she had applied enough, Chun Xia picked up clean gauze and wrapped it tightly around Jiang Wan’s wound, layer by layer, securing it firmly in place.
This time, changing the medicine passed relatively comfortably. Once she realized Chun Xia had finished, Jiang Wan straightened her clothes, while Chun Xia carried the medical supplies out.
The room fell silent again. Only the bitter medicinal smell remained lingering in the air, refusing to disperse for a long while.
Perhaps because she had taken her medicine, Jiang Wan’s eyelids had begun to grow heavy. She was overwhelmingly sleepy, so she simply went to bed, carefully lying on her side so she would not put pressure on her wound.
When Chun Xia returned to replace the tea, she saw Jiang Wan sleeping exhaustedly behind the lowered bed curtains. It seemed she was even having a nightmare, judging by her tightly furrowed brows.
Chun Xia did not want to disturb her, so she merely tucked the blanket around her a little more securely before leaving the room and standing guard outside the door.
The sun sank toward the west. Fiery red afterglow spread across the sky and spilled over the surface of the sea, illuminating the fishermen returning home in their boats.
It was truly a beautiful and leisurely scene.
This time, Jiang Wan felt she had slept far more comfortably than before. When she opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was a sea of fiery red. The sunset had filled the entire room with its warm afterglow.
Only then did she realize that it was already evening.
Outside, Chun Xia hesitated for a few moments before finally knocking three times. She pushed open the door and entered.
“Miss, you’re awake. Would you like to have dinner?”
Jiang Wan checked how she felt and realized her stomach was completely empty. A wave of hunger washed over her.
“Yes.”
While Chun Xia went to fetch the meal, Jiang Wan lifted the bed curtains and got out of bed. After putting on her shoes, she walked over to the dressing mirror.
Since she had just woken from sleep, her hair was somewhat disheveled and messy. She picked up the comb on the table and began tidying it herself.
Because of the physician’s instructions, Chun Xia brought Jiang Wan a relatively light meal. Jiang Wan said nothing and simply finished everything.
“Sheng Zixu didn’t do anything, did he?”
“Is he eating now too?”
Chun Xia replied, “Miss, rest assured. No, he hasn’t.”
“Yes, Miss. According to the people in the kitchen, quite a lot of food was sent over to him.”
Jiang Wan breathed a sigh of relief.
“That’s good.”
As the sky gradually began to darken, Jiang Wan went to see Sheng Zixu. The moment she entered, she saw him leaning against a small table, reading a storybook.
The moment Sheng Zixu saw her, he started being cheeky again.
“Oh? Look who it is—the busy woman herself. What brings you to my place?”
Jiang Wan briefly explained that she would be going with the Chief Ye to Miji Town over the next few days to conduct an investigation and told him not to cause any trouble.
His reaction was surprisingly calm.
“Fine. Go ahead. I won’t miss you.”
Jiang Wan looked at him suspiciously several times. After confirming that he was serious, she returned to her room to make preparations.
The following morning.
Jiang Wan and Ye Yurong dressed themselves up, wearing neat and practical outfits with narrow sleeves, crossed collars, and short garments. Their cuffs were tightly fitted, and the hems were clean and convenient for movement.
Their long black hair was tied into high ponytails and firmly secured with plain cloth bands. They then mounted their horses, with several guards dressed in black following behind them.
The previous day, when Ye Yurong had sent people to keep watch on the Binhai Ship Guild, she had also dispatched people to Miji Town to investigate in advance and prepare to receive them.
Although Jiang Wan and Ye Yurong rode quickly, a careful observer would notice that they were actually restraining their speed. In order not to aggravate their injuries, they had to ride as fast as possible while ensuring that their wounds did not reopen.
When they were nearing their destination, Ye Yurong instructed one of her subordinates to send word to the people there to prepare to meet them.
After arriving in town, they first went to a small inn and met up with the people who had been sent ahead.
Once they had heard all the information and clues that had been gathered, Jiang Wan learned that the people in the town all wore plain silk and appeared quite wealthy.
She could not help worrying about her younger sister. Could her sister also have fallen victim to this disaster?
But she immediately dismissed the thought. Her younger sister had always been lucky. She believed nothing would happen to her.
The information was exactly the same as what she had heard at the Beilai Inn, so Jiang Wan told Ye Yurong about this clue as well.
Ye Yurong also wore a suspicious expression.
“It seems this is far from simple. Let’s go. Someone in this town is selling a restaurant, so we can make good use of it.”
The group made their way to the restaurant that was up for sale and found its proprietor.
Without hesitation, Ye Yurong tossed out three banknotes and bought the restaurant on the spot. The proprietor immediately greeted them with a beaming smile.
“Oh, honored guests, honored guests! Please come inside. Let me properly introduce the restaurant to you.”
The proprietor walked ahead while fawning over them.
After listening to his introduction, they learned that the restaurant was called Jiyuan Restaurant and had a total of five floors.
Ye Yurong thought the name was unpleasant, so with a casual wave of her hand, she immediately changed it.
From now on, it would be called Fuxin Restaurant.
Before putting the restaurant up for sale, the former owner had already dismissed all of its staff, so the new owner would not need to handle that personally.
That suited Ye Yurong perfectly, as she could place her own people inside the restaurant.
“Jiang Wan, I’m taking some people back with me. You’ll be the owner of this restaurant, and these people will help you. I’ll also send your partner over, along with some more people later. Don’t worry.”
Jiang Wan smiled. “Thank you for taking the trouble, Chief Ye.”
“It’s nothing. I’m leaving now. The people will be here as soon as possible.”
When Jiang Wan heard “as soon as possible,” she had originally thought it would take a day. To her surprise, the people arrived that very evening.
Sheng Zixu was in a foul mood. “Jiang Wan never said I had to come too!”
To avoid any complications, Jiang Wan tried to placate him and leaned close to his ear.
“I’ll pay you. Three taels of silver, with food and drinks included, plus an allowance.”
Sheng Zixu swallowed the words he was about to say.
“Hmph. That’s more like it.”
What he did not expect was that, aside from receiving wages, his position would be completely different from everyone else’s.
He was going to be carrying dishes.
He was a waiter!?
Sheng Zixu regretted agreeing to this from the bottom of his heart, but he was also a man of his word. Since he had agreed, he could only do the job properly.
Three days later, the restaurant reopened.
There were a great many customers coming and going. When Sheng Zixu was delivering dishes to the customers on the second floor, one of them made a remark about him.
Sheng Zixu immediately got into a verbal sparring match with the customer.
“You bald donkey!”
“You dare insult me? Call your boss over! I’ll make sure he fires you!”
“…”
It was only after Jiang Wan stepped in that the matter was finally resolved. She offered the customer some compensation, then sighed and transferred Sheng Zixu to watch over the wine cellar for the time being.