Crossing the Mountains

Chapter 33 Exact Whereabouts
Wu Chou was a smart man. When he heard the other party ask this, he immediately became alert.

The slave trade was permitted in Daxuan, but only if the slaves had traceable household registration and a contract to prove their existence. Wu Chou, however, had many of the Hu people he had picked up or abducted, their origins unknown, forced into slavery. Therefore, Wu Chou would always destroy their property and forge forged indentures. This was a serious crime if caught by the government, so he was always very cautious.

He had been doing business with Guangde Pawnshop for many years, and they had a tacit understanding with each other. In the past, Xiao Yu had never asked where his pawned items came from. Why did he suddenly become interested now and ask about the items he pawned a long time ago?

After a few twists and turns of thought, Wu Chou said in a frivolous tone, "What's wrong with the beads?"

Xiao Yu laughed and said, "No problem, we offered a good price. I just wanted to know where you got it."

Wu Chou snorted coldly, his eyes flashing with ferocity: "Xiao Yu, don't play tricks on me. Tell me honestly, what happened? Is someone here to investigate this thing? Did you give me away?"

Seeing that he couldn't get away with it, Xiao Yu was afraid that he would cause trouble for him, so he called him aside and said, "Someone is secretly offering a reward in the black market to find the owner of this bead. Boss Wu, it's not a matter of whether we can tell you off or not. They'll use real money to fight you, and sooner or later they'll find you.

"I guess they're unwilling to make it public. Right now, they're just investigating the black market. If it gets to the government someday, it'll be more trouble than it's worth. Boss Wu, you might as well spread the word about the original owner of the beads. You don't have to go there yourself. For example, you could tell me and let me go. That way, I can get a share of the reward and stay out of it, right?"

Wu Chou scolded, "Do you think I'm stupid? What kind of reward is this? Who knows if it's a scam!"

Xiao Yu lowered his voice and said, "Oh, I'm not lying. I'm telling you the truth, the man who sold it on the black market has already received the reward, and the Hu merchant who bought the beads has also exchanged them for money. They were all exchanged for silver ingots... Really, it's probably a nobleman from a small country in the western border who doesn't want to cause trouble in Daxuan and wants to use silver to exchange people.

"Boss Wu, don't worry. Tell me where the Hu slave was sold. I'll find him to collect the reward. We'll split the money 20/80. How about that?"

"This is strange. I don't believe you." Wu Chou pawned the items he brought with him and left without looking back.

But he was still moved in the end.

As the saying goes, fortune and honor are sought in danger. He does this unscrupulous business just to make a fortune. Now that a great opportunity is before him, he cannot let the money slip away!

After much deliberation, Wu Chou decided to let his mistress claim the money.
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Lady Xian from Lanying Pavilion was a frequent visitor to the black market. After wandering around a few times, she arrived at the end of the next alley, knocked on the small door, and asked in a gentle voice, "Is anyone home?"

An old woman opened the door and asked her what she wanted.

Lady Xian covered her mouth and whispered, "I know the whereabouts of the owner of the beads, and I'm here to claim the reward."

The old woman let her in, led her to sit down at the table, and said, "Recently, many people have claimed to have found the whereabouts of important people. Most of them are trying to trick people into giving them money. Tell me, what do you know?"

Lady Xian complained, "Others are liars, but I'm not." She glanced at the old woman with disdain. "Such important news is only being shared with you. Are you the one offering the reward?"

The old woman said, "Don't worry about who the boss is. The reward is with me. It's ten silver ingots. Once you tell me, I will decide whether to give it to you."

A full ten silver ingots...

Lady Xian's eyes lit up as she said, "About two months ago, a young lady was sold to our Lanying Pavilion. She said that among the Hu slaves she was imprisoned with, there was a Hu woman wearing a necklace of sapphire beads.

"That bead necklace looked like something not a poor family could afford, so she remembered it very clearly. Later, the human trafficker snatched the beads from the Hu woman's wrist, and she never saw it again."

The old woman asked, "Does she know where the Hu girl was sold to?"

Lady Xian was cautious: "I'm asking that too, but you have to give me five silver ingots first. Otherwise, what if you get the news and then refuse to pay me?"

The old woman snorted coldly, "Just wait." She trembled and went to the backyard. After a while, she came back and took out three silver ingots from her bosom and gave them to her: "I'll give you this much first. When you have said everything, we can discuss the rest."

Three is pretty good too!
Lady Xian quickly accepted the silver ingot and said, "This boss is really generous. He lets an old woman like you guard so much silver and he's not afraid that someone will rob it."

"Don't bother me, my lady. Just tell me."

"Okay, I'll tell you right now. The owner of the beads was bought back by the lady of the Tan family to be a maid."

"The Tan family? That Tan family?"

"It's the family of Mr. Tan, a wealthy merchant in our county. The person who bought her is Mr. Tan's daughter, Tan Anfu."

"Well, you wait." The old woman went to the backyard again.

Lady Xian peeked secretly at the backyard and saw the old woman enter the side room. After a while, she came out with a wooden box. She quickly sat back down and waited patiently.

The old woman handed her the wooden box and said, "Seven silver ingots."

After opening it and counting the money, Lady Xian put away the ten silver ingots with a smile and left with many thanks.
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Aisha and Badan were in the wing room.

When the old woman came to get the silver ingot for the first time, she repeated Xian Niang's words word for word.

Aisha told the old woman, "She knows Alan's whereabouts. Give her three silver ingots and continue to trick her." The old woman took the silver ingots and left. He said to Badan, "I'm here to pretend to claim them. After she leaves, follow her."

Badan was puzzled: "Young Master, how did you know that?"

Aisha said, "The traffickers must have stripped the valuables and conspicuous items from the victim the moment they found him. How could they have let others see? Even if there really was such a young woman sold to Lanying Pavilion, who would claim to have seen a Hu slave's beads for no apparent reason? She must have colluded with the traffickers, exchanging information for a reward, and the two of them would then divide the loot."

The old woman quickly returned with a new clue: "The woman outside said that the owner of the beads must be in the home of Mr. Tan, a wealthy merchant in the county, and was bought by Mr. Tan's daughter, Tan Anfu, to be a maid."

Finally knowing the exact whereabouts of the princess's sister, Aisha felt mixed emotions.

The dignified Princess Mohe was supposed to marry the third prince of Daxuan at the very least, but now she has fallen to the level of a maid of a merchant's daughter?
While the old woman was delivering the remaining reward, Aisha said, "If it wasn't the traffickers who instigated them to come and claim it, how could they know so much, even knowing where it was sold to and who bought it?"

Badan obeyed the order: "I will follow him right away and catch the trafficker who kidnapped the princess!"
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Just as Aisha expected, Lady Xian returned to Lanying Pavilion with the reward money, and soon Wu Chou came to find her.

The two of them had a quarrel because of the uneven distribution of the spoils.

Wu Chou was given seven silver ingots, and after some passionate play with Xianniang, he left Lanying Pavilion in high spirits.

Badan wanted to stop this man in the dark alley, but was stopped by Aisha.

Gazing at the man's greedy and vulgar figure, and thinking of how he had tortured and sold his own sister, Aisha said coldly, "Follow him to his lair. I want him to atone for his sins."
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　Next chapter: The beads are so beautiful that they are like a curse.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)