Su Xiaoqi looked at Zhang Yu, who had delivered the message, and remained silent for a long time.
Zhang Yu felt uneasy seeing her like this. She held her breath, not daring to even breathe loudly, fearing that Su Xiaoqi might get any ideas.
In fact, after relaying the message back and forth, she regretted it.
She recalled that before entering the examination hall, the master had instructed her to look after their mistress more carefully, lest she act impulsively and suffer a loss.
Perhaps the master knew their mistress too well, as his prediction was spot on.
Therefore, Zhang Yu felt guilty. She wondered if their mistress were to get any ideas, whether she should comply or not.
It was impossible not to comply. Since she called Su Xiaoqi her mistress, as long as her commands did not conflict with their behind-the-scenes master, she had to obey.
Zhang Yu lowered her head, but it was ultimately futile. Whatever she feared, Su Xiaoqi would do it. After gazing at Zhang Yu for a moment, she said gently, "Where is that thief now?"
"After finishing his conversation with Huang Yuanxiang, he already left through the back door," Zhang Yu replied cautiously, not daring to reveal too much information to Su Xiaoqi.
Su Xiaoqi glanced at her sideways, her eyes filled with knowing clarity.
Don't think she didn't know what she was thinking.
Trying to fool her was too naive.
"Don't worry, I won't do anything. You do it," Su Xiaoqi said slowly.
Zhang Yu breathed a sigh of relief, and her tense nerves immediately relaxed.
As long as the mistress didn't act, how they acted was fine.
Su Xiaoqi beckoned her closer and whispered something in her ear.
Zhang Yu listened, marveling repeatedly, and then, with trembling hands, gave Su Xiaoqi a thumbs-up.
She had decided: it was better to offend anyone but their mistress.
When she was scheming, she didn't follow any rules of the martial world.
But she liked it. Who told that person not to be observant enough to dare offend their mistress?
After Su Xiaoqi offered her suggestion, she sat quietly to rest, even asking Zhang Yu to go out and buy food.
After the two had eaten their fill, the people in the adjacent compartment finally decided to leave.
Su Xiaoqi also boarded the carriage and left.
She did not go to the Duke's mansion but returned to the house in Mao'er Hutong.
As soon as she returned, she heard news from Zhang Lei.
He said that the thief's base of operations had been found, and many of the treasures from the residences of prominent officials were discovered in his dwelling.
He led the officials to investigate, and now the thief had been apprehended, and all his belongings confiscated.
Before being taken away by the officials, the thief had begged someone to find Huang Yuanxiang and Liu Yuanming.
However, both of them felt he had not handled the matter well and were unwilling to help him, even pretending not to know him at all.
"Giving up so easily?" Su Xiaoqi was somewhat surprised. She thought Huang Yuanxiang, having used him, would at least do something for him, but he was even more heartless than she had imagined.
"The one who made the arrest was the Prefect of Shuntian, and he wouldn't dare to step forward," Zhang Yu said. Although she disliked the thief, she also looked down on those like Huang Yuanxiang who used people when it suited them.
A person who was discarded like a soiled rag after being used lacked integrity!
"Mistress, I heard that the thief's identity is not simple," Zhang Yu hesitated after recalling what Zhang Lei had said, but decided to tell Su Xiaoqi the truth.
Su Xiaoqi's heart gave a jolt, and she asked with confusion, "How is he not simple?" She thought the thief was also a young master from some prominent family in the capital.
However, Zhang Yu told her that his not being simple wasn't about his background, but about his almost divine thieving skills and the considerable amount of stolen goods.
Yet, he himself lived in extreme poverty, often going hungry.
The reason for all this was that he didn't steal for his own comfort.
He stole to support the group of children behind him.
"Children?" Su Xiaoqi's heart trembled.
She thought of the beggar troupe, of Magpie, Xiao Yi, and that Xiao Ze, who had been wronged by the original owner and whom she had never met.
"By your words, is he a righteous and loyal person?" A person willing to give up his own comfortable life to help others selflessly, he shouldn't be too bad, should he?
Su Xiaoqi tapped the table lightly with her finger.
She suddenly regretted having tricked him in such a manner.
If she had known earlier, she might not have done it, but was it too late to regret it now?
"Will he die?" Su Xiaoqi's mood was somewhat heavy.
"Probably not. He's a notorious thief in the Bajiao Street area and has been to prison more than once. He's probably used to it," Zhang Yu said indifferently.
Her thoughts differed from Su Xiaoqi's.
In her eyes, there were plenty of good people in the world.
Not everyone was bound to have a good ending.
So, no matter how good-hearted the thief was or how many good deeds he had done, it was now a time for revenge and retribution. As for other matters, they could wait for now.
Su Xiaoqi could not persuade Zhang Yu, so she temporarily set the matter aside and finally managed to utter, "I'll go to his place tomorrow to take a look."
To see the people who had been helped by the thief.
The next day, the sky was overcast and the clouds were thick. Although March was no longer cold, it wasn't warm either. Su Xiaoqi, bundled up warmly, took a carriage to Hu Zi Alley in the outer city.
It was located near Guangning Gate in the west of the city, an area with a very complex mix of people from all walks of life.
Hu Zi Alley was extremely narrow, and the carriage could not enter once it reached the alley entrance.
Su Xiaoqi had no choice but to get down and walk.
The alley was initially quite wide, with courtyard gates of small residences on both sides.
The wooden doors looked old, mottled and worn, with black and red paint peeling off. Some of the door lintels were covered with thick moss.
The phenomenon of haphazard construction next to the wooden doors was severe, with people piling up discarded furniture and firewood, squeezing the road so that only two or three people could walk side by side.
The terrain was low-lying, with several potholes here and there filled with stagnant water. Next to them were some stones that had been worn smooth.
Stepping on them, they were a bit slippery.
Su Xiaoqi and Zhang Yu held onto each other to walk steadily.
"Mistress, let your servant go in and call him out," Zhang Yu frowned.
She was secretly blaming Zhang Lei for not clarifying things when he sent the message yesterday, seeing how terrible the road was and how their mistress could come to such a place.
If anything happened, the master would skin them alive.
Su Xiaoqi looked at the path that was halfway done and shook her head.
According to the directions, the thief's residence was in the courtyard with a large locust tree planted not far ahead.
Su Xiaoqi quickened her pace and arrived at the courtyard entrance.
The gate was open, and the inside was messy. Before she even got close, a foul odor wafted out, almost making her vomit.
She stood at the entrance, recovering for a while before knocking on the courtyard gate and stepping over the threshold.
The courtyard was small, only about twenty square meters, with hay, rags, and firewood piled up haphazardly. There were two rooms inside. One door was kicked in, and at first glance, it was empty.
The other room's door was open, and only the sound of crying could be heard from within.
Su Xiaoqi walked to the doorway and saw people crying and wailing in groups, completely oblivious to their arrival.
She frowned and heard someone crying and wailing, "Wuwuwu, Xiao Jin Gege has been taken away, what will we do now?"
"Xiao Jin Gege, wuwu..."
Su Xiaoqi's heart sank at the words.