Nongchao Alley was a place like this.
It was the brothel area near the harbor. One narrow alley led to many small buildings, like a maze. Some paths went to the second floor, some went deep into the back halls, and some turned into dark dead ends.
A carriage stopped at the entrance of the alley. Two women in plain clothes got down, each wearing a veil hat.
“Scissors, take the things back first,” Xu Miaoxue told the driver. “There are many items this time. Be careful.”
Scissors was a young boy, not yet twenty. His face still looked childish. He patted his chest and said, “Boss, don’t worry. I will handle it well.”
Scissors drove the carriage away. Then Xu Miaoxue and A-Li walked into Nongchao Alley.
At the very end of the alley was the main building. Inside, many sounds mixed together.
In the hall, several drunk fishermen were teasing the women. Cups hit each other, rough laughter filled the air, and a pipa played on and off with soft talking and light laughter. From deep in the back, they could hear gamblers shouting, dice rolling in bowls, and coins clinking.
This was the cheapest kind of pleasure.
Fishermen, salt workers, poor laborers, merchants, and even people of low status—any kind of person could come here to have fun.
Xu Miaoxue was carrying six hundred taels in silver notes. If a timid person were here, they would be very careful and afraid of being robbed. But her steps were relaxed and even Alittle light.
She was the well-known swindler called “Bei Raksha.”
For a con artist, staying calm is a basic skill. These scary scenes did not frighten her at all. She was in a very good mood. Today’s plan went unbelievably well. To trap Zhao Jin, they planned for a whole month. They followed him, studied his habits, who he met, and what he wanted. Only then did they choose today to act.
This was actually very risky. Yongjiang Spring was very crowded today. When there are many people, there are many accidents. If Zhao Jin felt even Alittle wrong and went to ask around, he would learn that the salt inspector had no wife and no concubine at all. So they had to make him pay inside the room. If he left, the plan would likely fail.
The three people Zhao Jin met—the maid, the clerk, and the “concubine”—were all part of the trap made just for him.
Plus Scissors, who waited outside to help, the four of them were the core of this group.
Xu Miaoxue was smart and good at acting. She made the plan and carried it out.
A-Li used to be an actress in an opera troupe. She was good at makeup and could make people look completely different. She also practiced martial arts for a few years and could move lightly.
The fake clerk was named Wang Jiaxiu. He used to cheat people at the harbor by telling fortunes. He could not read, but he had a gentle scholar’s face, harmless and friendly. He was very good at gathering information. People called him “Scholar.”
Scissors’ real name was Shao Jian. He used to work on ships and guard warehouses. After the sea ban, he worked at a pawnshop. When they needed fancy items to look rich, he borrowed them from the pawnshop and returned them later.
They also had helpers—little beggars that Xu Miaoxue often helped. They kept secrets and admired her. Today, the “guards” in the corridor and Zhao Jin’s new driver were all played by them.
And today’s scam also had a client.
Xu Miaoxue had already seen her. The prostitute was leaning by the second-floor railing, looking like she was waiting for customers.
Xu Miaoxue and A-Li pushed through the noisy hall. They looked like respectable girls, so many men whistled at them. But Xu Miaoxue walked straight upstairs, grabbed the woman’s hair, and shouted:
“You shameless woman! You seduced my husband!”
“Hey, let go! Who are you?” the woman shouted.
They fought loudly. This kind of scene happened every day here, so no one cared. They let them go.
When they reached a quiet place, Xu Miaoxue released her.
The woman stopped acting fierce and said loudly, “How dare you cause trouble for me, I’ll tear your face—”
While talking, she led Xu Miaoxue into a dark hallway and opened a room at the end.
Her name was Qingrong. She was not young anymore, and thick makeup could not hide her aging face. Once inside, her dull eyes lit up.
“Did you get it?” she asked quickly.
“Of course.”
“How much?” Qingrong’s eyes shone. “Really four hundred taels?”
Xu Miaoxue took out the silver notes and waved them. Qingrong grabbed them and counted with saliva on her fingers.
“Heavens… you got four hundred taels in one night? How did you do it?”
Most bank notes in Ningbo were small amounts. Zhao Jin paid with many ten- and twenty-tael notes, a thick stack. Xu Miaoxue calmly took half of them.
“How I did it is my business. You just take the money. We agreed—half and half.”
If you hung a shell on the second-floor railing of Nongchao Alley, you could contact “Bei Raksha.”
Two months ago, Qingrong came to her and said she wanted revenge on Zhao Jin.
Zhao Jin sold medicine to brothels, but not good medicine. He sold cheap birth-control medicine, but even that was fake or bad. If women went to him later, he always made excuses: they took it too late, used too much water, boiled it too long, and so on. The women were weak and dared not fight him.
Qingrong had some temper. After she got pregnant even after taking the medicine, she went to Zhao Jin to argue. Not only did he refuse to pay, he even had people beat her and said lightly, “Now the child is gone, isn’t it?”
Qingrong had no other way. The local gang charged too much, and she had no money. Xu Miaoxue did not take payment in advance, only half of what she cheated. So Qingrong tried her luck.
But she did not expect Xu Miaoxue to cheat such a large amount.
“Take the money and live quietly. Take care of your body,” Xu Miaoxue said and prepared to leave.
Qingrong suddenly grabbed her arm and looked at her veil.
“Sister, you got me so much money. I can leave this place and live safely. How can I thank you?”
Xu Miaoxue smiled. “I like pretty things. If you want to thank me, send me some nice jewelry later.”
“Of course. You must be hungry after tonight. I’ll ask the kitchen to make food. You must eat before you go.”
A-Li hesitated, but Xu Miaoxue sat down.
“Alright.”
Qingrong smiled and left the room.
As soon as she left, Xu Miaoxue’s face changed. She pulled A-Li to the window.
Outside was a narrow water passage leading into the building. Small boats could come in quietly at night, bringing unknown people or goods.
“You jump out the window and leave first,” Xu Miaoxue said. “I’ll find another way. We meet at home.”
A-Li was confused. “Weren’t we staying to eat?”
Xu Miaoxue sneered. “She saw so much money and now regrets splitting it. She’s going to call people to block us. This is her territory. We can’t fight.”
“I even told her less money on purpose, but she’s still greedy,” Xu Miaoxue said with regret.
A-Li worried. “But this is Nongchao Alley…”
There were all kinds of dangerous people here. A-Li wanted peace. “She only wants money. Why not give her more?”
Xu Miaoxue said firmly, “Money I take, I never give back. Not even one coin.”
A-Li said nothing.
“But Miss, you alone—”
“I have ways. One person escapes easier than two.”
So A-Li climbed out the window and left.
Just as expected, when Xu Miaoxue went out, she heard angry footsteps coming. She turned and ran the other way.
Through a window, she saw a small boat entering the dark water path. A tall man stood at the front. Lantern light passed over him and then disappeared into the night.
She ran past him. Even then, she noticed he did not belong here. He was not in a hurry, but he moved with purpose.
That was the posture of someone in power.
Nongchao Alley was full of darkness, but you could not hide secrets here. Too many eyes were watching. Any small movement would be noticed.
Just like this man who had arrived.
And just like herself, trying too hard to leave.
Suddenly she understood: the faster she ran, the easier she would be caught. She had to blend in, not draw attention, to escape.
She ran through many corridors and wooden doors, and soon she could no longer see the strange man.
But a pipa girl saw him.
Most guests who came by water did not want to be seen and were usually richer. This man was tall and clean, wearing simple but neat clothes, very different from the usual dirty customers. Even his servant looked handsome.
The pipa girl smiled and went to greet him, but someone roughly pulled her aside.
“Don’t be blind. This is not your business. Go back.”
It was Uncle Wen, the owner of Nongchao Alley. The girl backed away silently.
Uncle Wen smiled and led the man. “Sixth Master, this way please.”
The girl watched. The man did not reply or bow. He just walked forward calmly, as if this respect was natural.
“You’ll meet the person you asked for,” Uncle Wen said.
They went upstairs.
After settling him in a room, Uncle Wen left, hiding his curiosity.
This Sixth Master was mysterious. People said sea merchants in Guangdong all followed him. A few months ago, Lu Zongliang of Ningbo made a deal with him and sold all his silk and porcelain overseas, earning a fortune.
The coast had been quiet for a few years, but now things were moving again. In Zhejiang, the government still watched closely. Everyone wanted profit but did not dare to act. This man’s arrival caused secret waves in Ningbo.
Sixth Master even came to Nongchao Alley, which surprised Uncle Wen. But what he asked for was strange—he wanted a respectable woman, not one sold by family, but one who sold herself willingly.
Uncle Wen had seen all kinds of people. He thought powerful men always had strange tastes. As long as he served well, he could benefit too.
Nongchao Alley was not just a brothel. It was also a black market. News and goods here were no less than at high-class banquets.
This was a place where ghosts walked at night.