On the seventh day, when the whole city was preparing for war, all the people in the Japanese consulate moved out, and Xiaotong Guan was very peaceful. However, Jinyan Tang dealt with many assassination attempts, which showed that there must be a spy in Xiaotong Guan.
Coincidentally, on the day the Japanese moved out, the girl who divorced Qiao Song was shot to death.
Now it was known that the spy that Kenji had placed here was this weak and pitiful-looking little girl. How could Qiao Song know that this girl who brought him food every day was actually keeping an eye on Xiaotong Guan’s every move, and every question she asked, seemingly casual, was actually a trap?
It was because Qiao Song trusted her too much that he revealed some information to this girl.
If Qiao Song wasn’t always confused and Duan Yelin didn’t find it troublesome and rarely told him everything, he was afraid that something bad would have happen already. Therefore, before leaving, the Japanese dealt with this useless spy whom they did not want to take with them.
In any case, death is the end.
Amid the strict and increasingly stringent guards in Hezhou City, the atmosphere in Hezhou City became increasingly grim.
The guarding of the city gate became extremely strict, and even some female guards were specially dispatched. Temporary changing tents were built for body searches. In short, all people entering and leaving were searched thoroughly.
Those who had been on good terms with Xu Hang in the past, or even those from Heming Medical Hall, were all put on the blacklist and were not allowed to leave the city.
Early in the morning, when the queues were the busiest, a woman wearing a long-sleeved, cotton and linen cheongsam walked out of the changing tent. Although the cheongsam was wide, it could not conceal her beautiful figure.
The female guard who searched her made a gesture to let her go: “We’ve already searched her, nothing is found.”
The guard took a closer look at her, just because the woman looked quite adorable when she smiled. Even without makeup, she was as pure as a lotus in water. Especially when she smiled slightly and smoothed her hair along her neck, she looked so energetic and lovely.
On the other side of the woman’s posture as she walked forward, she had a shrewd smile on her lips and a look that told a story.
Just six hours after the woman left the inspection and entered the city, an urgent phone call came into Xiaotong Guan.
The call came because Qiao Song was sent to Lincheng to take over the batch of medicine. Although the time had not yet come and he could not get them out, he still set off early just in case.
After arriving in Lincheng and reaching the medical institute, Qiao Song reminisced with his old friends. During the conversation, he discovered that the batch of drugs had been taken away by someone with the special commissioner’s authorization letter early yesterday morning, and not a single one was left.
“After all the precautions, how come someone still got there first?!” Duan Yelin tightened his grip on the phone.
Qiao Song kept apologizing on the other end of the phone: “I’m sorry, Commander, we have sent people to track them down. There is only one way to get to Hezhou from Lincheng if you don’t take the train. Our people chased them all the way, and it seems that they were only one step away… but they still let the person enter the city.”
Duan Yelin calmed himself down: “If they go into the city, they can’t bring the medicine in with them; otherwise, it will be searched out. Search Lincheng first, check those abandoned warehouses, docks, dilapidated temples, etc., to see if you can find the hidden medicine!”
“Yes! What about that person who came into the city?”
“I will send people to continue chasing! As for the city… just keep a close eye on Jinyan Tang and don’t let them have a chance to pass on the news. Let’s do that for now.”
Duan Yelin had just hung up the phone when Duan Zhanzhou knocked on the door and came in. Having just listened to the whole thing from outside, he couldn’t help but sigh, “I knew that Xu Hang was not a simple guy. Even though he was locked up by you, he still reached out as if with divine help. This is going to be a difficult situation.”
Duan Yelin lowered his head and kept thinking about where Xu Hang had taken advantage of him.
“Have all the servants that Xu Hang released earlier been caught?”
“Just now, the last servant was also found. I have temporarily detained all of them. I have questioned and verified their recent whereabouts. So… it’s not them.”
Not them? Could it be that Xu Hang has other helpers? Who could it be?
Yuan Ye was still abroad, and Gu Fangfei had just left the country. Duan Yelin couldn’t think of anyone else who could work hard for Xu Hang. To be able to do this, they must be an extremely loyal person.
The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. Not only did he feel like he was being outmaneuvered, but he also felt like he was being played around with like a monkey.
The soldier knocked on Duan Yelin’s office door: “Commander, there is some movement in Jinyan Tang.”
Duan Yelin put down the notebook with the battle plan: “What is it?”
The soldier was really embarrassed. “It was their maid. She insisted on coming out and wanted to see the Commander. The soldiers stopped her and wouldn’t let her come out. She even held a dagger against her neck. We were afraid that something might happen to her, so we brought her here first. Do you want to see her?”
Duan Yelin closed his notebook with a snap. He was furious with the shrewd guy in Jinyan Tang. He was caught in the crossfire: “No, let her go back!”
The soldier swallowed and said, “She said there was something important, concerning… her master’s life.” Everyone knew how important Xu Hang was in Duan Yelin’s heart.
Sure enough, Duan Yelin frowned, a little puzzled: “What do you mean?”
“She refused to tell us and just kept saying she wanted to see you, Commander.”
If there was really an emergency, why would she be so secretive? Chan Yi probably thought they were just having an ordinary quarrel and wanted to mediate.
In the past, when they had quarreled, Chan Yi would have handled it in the same way, but now the grudges between them were not something that could be resolved overnight.
After thinking about it, Duan Yelin’s heart sank: “Then it’s not important, ask her to leave.”
After hearing Duan Yelin’s command, the soldier didn’t dare say a word, he could only turn and flee.
But after a while, he came and knocked on the door again.
“Commander, that girl was kowtowed violently outside. When we tried to take her away, she tried to commit s*icide. You forbidden us from hurting her. We brothers don’t know what to do…”
“Idiot! Don’t you know how to knock her out and take her back?!” Duan Yelin was obviously angry and slammed his palm on the table. “If she wants to kneel, let her kneel. She will go back naturally when she is tired of kneeling!”
The soldier was so frightened that his face turned pale and he stood there stupidly.
Duan Yelin opened his notebook again and shouted, “I have to attend to official business. Don’t bother me anymore, or I will punish you according to military law for obstructing official business!”
So, this time the door was closed, and it didn’t open again for a long time. Duan Yelin looked at the closed door, and the pent-up anger in his heart could not be dissipated for a long time.
It’s hard to say how long it took. Duan Yelin probably processed more than a dozen documents, drank three pots of tea, and smoked four or five cigars, and only raised his head again when he started to feel hungry. It was already four or five hours later.
The clock on the wall is a bit broken and is always behind time.
Duan Yelin was about to stand up when he heard the door being pushed open. The soldier rushed in anxiously and almost fell down. His hat was also crooked. He hurriedly supported himself and began to stammer, “Commander, that girl fainted!”
What a stubborn girl, just like her master.
Duan Yelin sighed, “Ask someone to find a physician to take a look and carry her back to Jinyan Tang.”
“No, no, no! That girl didn’t faint from kneeling down. She cut off her own little finger! She said… she said she wanted to let you know that she came to see you for something extremely urgent…”
“What?!” Duan Yelin’s eyes widened, and he immediately stood up and rushed downstairs.
In the hall, a group of soldiers surrounded Chan Yi. Several of them handed her gauze and wanted to give her first aid. Duan Yelin pushed away those who were in the way. Looking down, he saw Chan Yi holding a dagger in one hand and the other hand trembling and bleeding. There was a small finger on the ground. Her face was covered with sweat and tears. She looked miserable, and her teeth were chattering with pain.
“Commander Duan… please… please… I beg you… Head of the Household really can’t hold on any longer…”
