“Sir, could you please release me first? I will explain,” the shopkeeper said.
Lin Qingge nodded to Yan Tinghao, who then let the person go.
Rubbing his numb arm, the shopkeeper of the Fragrant Soup House said tremblingly, “Sir, to be honest, I am merely a runner. The owner of this Fragrant Soup House is someone else.”
Lin Qingge said impatiently, “Enough nonsense. I don't have time to play games with you.”
“Yes, yes.” The shopkeeper of the Fragrant Soup House nodded repeatedly and then began to explain, “Reporting to you, sir, the owner of the Fragrant Soup House is named Chen Shu, and he is the elder brother of the recently deceased Chen Chong.”
“You said Chen Shu? The Chen Shu from the capital?” Hua Jinrong, who had made arrangements and was looking for them, happened to overhear the shopkeeper’s words and his expression changed.
Lin Qingge, who had just come out of the village, asked with some confusion, “Master Hua, who is this Chen Shu?”
“Reporting to you, sir, although Chen Shu only holds the title of Juren, his other identity is a retainer of the current Fourth Prince, and he is also a favored individual of the Fourth Prince.”
Although surprised that Hua Jinrong knew the owner’s identity, the shopkeeper, who was already intimidated, nodded in agreement, straightening his back a bit. “Our owner is indeed a favored individual of His Highness the Fourth Prince, Chen Shu, Master Chen.”
“Why did Chen Shu, instead of staying in the capital, come to my Changzhou County to open a Fragrant Soup House?”
“Reporting to you, sir, in recent years, bathing in fragrant soups has become popular in the capital. Therefore, Master Chen seized the opportunity and opened Fragrant Soup Houses across Great Xia under his name. I was merely hired by Master Chen to manage the establishment.”
“Even if you are a helper, how do you explain these women?” Before the shopkeeper could formulate a response, Hua Jinrong, who had just finished looking into the cellar, spoke up first. “Sir, this county town is not like the capital. The profits from ordinary fragrant soup houses are limited. Thus, some greedy individuals use defenseless young women as a lure to attract wealthy people with peculiar tastes to spend their money here. No wonder the guest next door to Chen Chong spoke so knowingly; they were all of the same ilk as Chen Chong. They rented private rooms here not for fragrant soups, but to abuse women and satisfy their perverse desires!”
“That’s the whole story. Since it’s been explained, sir, can I be excused? There are many guests waiting for me!” The shopkeeper had a simple plan: by revealing the identity of his owner, Chen Shu, even the county magistrate would have to turn a blind eye. After all, Chen Shu had the Fourth Prince behind him. No normal person would be foolish enough to oppose the royal family. However, Lin Qingge was not among the ‘normal people.’ She glanced coldly at the shopkeeper, who was calculating his escape, and ordered, “Master Hua, please write down the shopkeeper’s statement as a confession and have him sign and stamp it. Also, inquire about the origin of these abducted women. Since the shopkeeper mentioned that Chen Shu has opened Fragrant Soup Houses across Great Xia, it means that similar businesses are not limited to Changzhou County. Please send the detailed situation and this confession to the prefectural yamen as quickly as possible, so that my teacher can report to the imperial court and immediately launch a thorough investigation into all Fragrant Soup Houses in Fengtian Prefecture.”
“Sir, have you made a mistake?” The shopkeeper, increasingly confused, could not understand why, upon hearing the name of His Highness the Fourth Prince, the county magistrate did not at least show apprehension, but rather the intention to report this to the imperial court. Was this county magistrate insane?
Ignoring the shopkeeper’s foolish remark, Lin Qingge continued, “To prevent them from killing witnesses after learning the news, Constable Yan, until the imperial court sends people, you must guard this shopkeeper at all times, even when he goes to the latrine. Do you understand?”
“Yes!” Unlike the spirited Yan Tinghao, Hua Jinrong frowned and said, “Sir, even if we have eyewitnesses and evidence, at most we can only bring Chen Shu, who accumulated wealth for the Fourth Prince, to justice. As for the true beneficiaries, or the real masterminds, they can easily absolve themselves with a simple statement of poor judgment.”
“Chen Shu is merely a pawn for the Fourth Prince to protect himself, unless…”
“Unless what?”
“Unless Chen Shu can be made to reveal the entire truth of the matter.”
Hua Jinrong’s eyes flickered as he heard this. “Sir, are you saying you have a method?”
“I have no method, but I do have a wicked idea. However, I have official duties and cannot go to the capital. Even if I were to go to the capital, as a mere county magistrate, I doubt I could even see Chen Shu, let alone His Highness the Fourth Prince, so it would be futile to speak of it.”
“How can it be futile? Sir, please speak, I will listen attentively.” Yan Tinghao, unaware of what his superior and Master Hua were discussing, found a rope on the spot, tied up the shopkeeper, and tied the other end of the rope to his waist. He then craned his neck and asked, “Sir, how should the women in the cellar be dealt with?”
“It would be too distressing to keep them here. Let's arrange for these women to be housed at the school. Constable Yan, you just need to keep a close eye on the shopkeeper. I will call my wife over later to handle it.” Lin Qingge suddenly remembered something she had overlooked. The flower thief had been caught in Leng Ningyue’s room earlier, and Leng Ningyue was also in this Fragrant Soup House…
At the same time, Leng Ningyue, who was dining with Lin Zimo, threw the chopsticks on the table after coercing Lin Moyuan to leave with her eyes. The next moment, a startled cry of fright was heard from not far away, “My goodness, you scared me to death!” Immediately after, a man dressed as a waiter appeared at the table, teasing with a playful expression that did not match his ordinary face, “As expected of the woman I fancy, you discovered me long ago!” Leng Ningyue, not surprised by his appearance, frowned slightly and grabbed another solitary chopstick from the table. Ye Shengxiao, who had almost been impaled in the throat by the chopsticks, quickly waved his hands, “No, no, no, my dear lady, let’s talk with words, not fists. Let’s discuss this properly.” Leng Ningyue glanced at Ye Shengxiao with a calm, icy gaze, as if to say, ‘I have nothing to say to you.’ “Uh— My dear lady, I came to find you today to tell you that I have abandoned the dark and turned to the light and reformed. I even led that foolish constable to the cellar where the abducted women were held just now!” Seeing that Leng Ningyue remained silent, Ye Shengxiao leaned closer to the table and said slyly, “My dear lady, that Lin Moyuan is not suitable for you. How about me? I am versatile, can be both up and down, I am available on call, and I am well-endowed and skilled. I guarantee your satisfaction~”