Being an emperor is not something he can do, so he can only rely on his connections.

Over the next few days, Zhang Jingwei recruited nine managers to oversee various departments, including finance, engineering, personnel, marketing, and administration. A top manager had yet to be appointed, and several shareholders urged him to lower his standards. However, Zhang Jingwei didn't know what criteria to use in this era.

With the expansion project about to start, Zhang Jingwei convened the first shareholders' meeting of Huangfu Military Bank.

It talked about the responsibilities of the departments, as well as the rights and obligations of the major shareholder as the chairman. Huangfu Changshui attached great importance to it, and only through coercion and inducement did he gather all the shareholders, but the only one missing was Ma Tianmao.

After a half-day meeting, Zhang Jingwei kicked open the door of the conference room with an angry look on his face. It seemed that the meeting did not go very smoothly.

Qian Ming was waiting outside the door with a look of panic on his face.

Zhang Jingwei's eyes were wide open, veins popped out on his forehead, and he shouted loudly: "Where is that guy Ma Tianmao?!" His voice shook the whole room and seemed to tremble slightly.

Qian Ming, who was standing nearby, replied tremblingly, "Master, this Ma family member has suddenly disappeared for some reason!"

Zhang Jingwei was furious when he heard this and shouted angrily, "Come with me to the brothel! Even if he's hiding under the covers, I'll pull him out!"

Qian Ming quickly responded, "As you command, Master. But... I've already been to the brothel, but there's no news of Boss Ma there at all!"

Zhang Jingwei's eyes widened in disbelief, "How could a living person just disappear like that? This is outrageous! Send Wang Ergou to look for him immediately. He'll dig deep to find him!"

Qian Ming looked troubled, hesitated for a moment and said, "Brother Ergou has also looked for it, but still found nothing..."

Zhang Jingwei slammed the table and roared, "Even Wang Ergou can't find him. Could it be possible that this guy can even burrow underground?"

At this time, Qian Ming reported cautiously: "The Ma family has already gone to the government to report the case today."

Zhang Jingwei calmed down a bit, and after thinking for a moment, he ordered, "Call Wang Ergou to see me immediately!"

Not long after, Wang Ergou rushed to the military camp. When he saw Zhang Jingwei, he knelt on one knee and saluted, shouting, "Young Master!"

Zhang Jingwei looked at Wang Ergou in front of him, frowned, and asked, "What's going on? With your skills, you should rarely fail."

Wang Ergou lowered his head and replied, "Master, after my investigation, it seems likely that Master Ma has left Yunzhou. Furthermore, according to reliable sources, he was last seen at that brothel. Even more bizarrely, a popular prostitute has also gone missing from the brothel."

Zhang Jingwei couldn't help but feel a little surprised after hearing this. He said to himself in confusion, "Huh? What's going on? Could it be that Ma Tianmao really elopes with someone for a mere popular girl?"

Wang Ergou said flatteringly, "After some inquiries, I finally learned that this popular woman is a recent rising star in the brothel. Moreover, I heard that she lost her virginity to that Young Master Ma!"

Zhang Jingwei frowned and retorted suspiciously, "Humph, I don't believe he would run away from home just because of a woman! There must be other reasons."

Wang Ergou quickly stepped forward and lowered his voice, saying, "However, I have learned a little more about this famous woman. It seems that even you, young master, once had the honor of visiting her!"

Zhang Jingwei was furious when he heard this and shouted, "Bullshit! When did I…" He paused, frowned, and asked, "What's the name of this popular girl?"

Wang Ergou quickly nodded and bowed as he replied, "Master, this woman's name is Hongxiu. It's said she was originally just a maid to the courtesan. As for her real name, I have no way of verifying it. I only know that everyone in the brothel calls her Xiaohong."

After hearing this, Zhang Jingwei sighed helplessly, and after thinking for a moment, he said, "Well, please come with me to the brothel."

Wang Ergou nodded in understanding and replied, "Master, are you planning to go and investigate for some clues?"

Zhang Jingwei glared at him angrily and asked, "Can I really go to that brothel in broad daylight?"

Wang Ergou nodded and said yes repeatedly. Then the two of them made some preparations and hurried towards the brothel.

As soon as she entered the brothel, the madam started crying and shouting.

The old madam said with a look of resentment on her face: "Master Zhang, please judge for yourself. What kind of thing is this? I just took the reward money she deserved. Who would have thought that she was so bold as to steal all my money and then abscond with it!" After saying that, she stomped her feet in anger.

Zhang Jingwei frowned and asked, "What on earth is going on?"

The madam quickly explained, "That day, Master Ma was in a good mood and gave Xiaohong in our building a reward of one thousand taels! I took the money first according to the rules of our brothel, but I didn't treat her unfairly and gave her corresponding compensation! But I didn't expect... Alas!" As she said that, she shook her head helplessly.

At this moment, the tea girl standing nearby couldn't help but interrupt, "How dare you say you gave her the proper compensation? It was just a mere ten taels of silver! Madam, everyone knows you love to take advantage of these kinds of petty gains. Now that something's happened, it's your own fault. Don't blame anyone else!"

Upon hearing this, the madam flew into a rage and pointed at the tea girl, cursing, "You ignorant little girl, you have no right to speak here."

The tea girl was undaunted and continued, "Sister Xiaohong has worked tirelessly and diligently in our building for over a year, but you've always been against her and deliberately made things difficult for her. You deserve what you've become!"

The madam was so angry that she raised her hand to hit the tea girl, shouting, "I'm going to teach you a lesson today, you little bitch!" At this moment, Zhang Jingwei, who had been silent all the time, suddenly shouted, "Wait! Don't do anything yet, I have some questions to ask this girl." His eyes turned to the brave and outspoken tea girl.

Zhang Jingwei looked at the tea girl in front of him with a serious face and asked, "What's your relationship with that Xiaohong sister you mentioned?"

The tea girl lowered her head slightly and replied softly, "Sister Xiaohong, she's a very good person. She's always so optimistic and cheerful, and she's always full of energy. Besides, she's taken care of me a lot."

Zhang Jingwei then asked, "Did she say anything special to you before she left?"

Tea Girl hesitated for a moment, then whispered, "Actually...she just said some angry words."

Zhang Jingwei's eyes widened, and he raised his voice to ask, "Angry words? Did she say she wanted to kill Ma Tianmao?"

The tea girl quickly waved her hands and explained, "No, no, no, I was just saying that in anger. Please don't take it seriously."

However, Zhang Jingwei had already lost his patience and shouted, "Are you just saying this in anger? Now Ma Tianmao is missing! This is a matter of life and death! What did she say to you? Tell me the truth!"

Seeing that the tea girl remained silent, Zhang Jingwei turned to look at Wang Ergou beside him and said sternly: "Ergou, go report to the police!"

Hearing this, the tea girl's face turned pale instantly, and there was a hint of obvious panic in her eyes.

At this moment, the tea girl finally couldn't help but shout, "Don't...don't report it to the police! I'll tell you! I'll tell you everything!"