Chapter 1296: Chapter 1298 This is The Key to the Problem_1
"Hmm, the case was reported early this morning, and the young master has already gone to handle it."
"Madam, speaking of which, I have noticed something strange these past few days." After considering it, Fugui decided to speak up.
"What is it?"
"It’s about the Yanghe River." He paused before continuing, "I’ve noticed that there are two unfamiliar boats on the Yanghe River lately. The boats on the river are usually small ones for leisure, all made by innkeepers from around here, basically looking the same. But among them, there are clearly two that are different—they’re larger than the leisure boats, and they look sturdier than the average pleasure barge, almost like they’re made for long-distance travel. There are now two inns near Yanghe River, and the boats from both inns look the same, thus making those two stranger vessels stand out a bit more."
"How did you come across this?" Yang Chuxia asked, curious that Fugui would be aware of such a minute detail.
"Madam, one of the nearby innkeepers told me about it," Fugui explained, "I’m acquainted with that innkeeper, and he happened to notice the two extra boats at the dock and wondered about them. At first, he didn’t pay much attention, but then one night, he got up to relieve himself and spotted something odd. After sharing this matter with me, I went to have a look myself, and indeed, it was just as he’d said."
"Could it be that some wealthy family has put out these boats?" Yang Chuxia considered that it might not be impossible for a rich family to have a couple of boats there to use whenever they wished and to leave them aside when not.
But then Fugui said, "Madam, if they were pleasure boats owned by a wealthy family, why would they be rowed away at night and left docked during the day? The innkeeper said that the boats would usually only be rowed away around midnight and then be found back at the original spot the next day."
That was indeed the crux of the matter.
"They’re rowed away at night?"
Yang Chuxia twirled the jade bead ball in her hand, "Are you suspecting that it’s related to the young lady’s disappearance?"
Indeed, the Yanghe River now led to the Fushui River, which would pass through other places before finally reaching the sea. If someone took the waterway to transport a person out, they would indeed be hard to track down.
"Alright, I will inform the young master of this immediately. You go and tell the innkeeper to keep quiet for now and act as if those two boats don’t exist."
"Yes!"
Having said this, Fugui left.
Yang Chuxia immediately sent for Ye Zi’an. When Zi’an returned, it was already past noon. After Yang Chuxia relayed the situation to him, he asked, "How did you come to know of this?"
"You’re aware too?"
"Hmm, I’ve recalled Ye Yi, you know that guy is particularly skilled at investigating. This is what he’s just uncovered." Ye Zi’an poured himself a cup of tea, thinking about those two boats that he had been observing for two days, and was planning to go check them out that night.
"It was Fugui who came back and told me. The owner of a nearby inn spotted something strange and shared the information with Fugui, since they are acquainted."
"So, there is definitely something wrong with that boat?"
"There most certainly is an issue, just not sure what it is yet," Zi’an remarked. "We’ll have someone go and check it out tonight."
"Shall I go with you?" Yang Chuxia suggested.
"No, neither of us will go. We’ll stay home and wait. Since we are lying in wait to catch our prey, wouldn’t it be a bit conspicuous if we went?" He had always suspected the Fancy Red Pavilion, and if this matter were truly related to it, then they were likely under surveillance from the Fancy Red Pavilion.
"Alright then."
Seeing him lean back in his chair to rest with his eyes closed, Yang Chuxia walked over to him and touched his face, "Look at you, you’ve gotten thinner lately."