“Caught Mr. Liu?!”
Guan Xiaorou’s eyes lit up instantly.
A cunning strategist like him always had three burrows to hide in. Back then, even when Mr. Feng, Jin Feng, and the Ninth Princess joined forces to set up an inescapable net, they still failed to catch him.
In truth, Guan Xiaorou had never held much hope of capturing Mr. Liu.
Who could have imagined that Liu Tie would be so capable and actually succeed in grabbing him.
“Ajú, go fetch the horses. We’re heading back to the village!”
Guan Xiaorou immediately told Ajú to bring the horses so they could return.
“Sister, you haven’t eaten all day. Have something to eat before you go.”
Zuo Feifei persuaded her, “With Sir away, everyone here still relies on you to hold things together. If you keep going like this, you’ll wear yourself out completely!”
“It’s fine. The village isn’t far. I’ll eat when I get back.” Guan Xiaorou waved her hand.
Right now, how could she possibly have the mood to eat?
“Then let me grab two steamed buns so Sister can eat them on the road.”
Zuo Feifei was about to run to the canteen, but Guan Xiaorou held her back.
“Let someone else fetch them. I have something I want to discuss with you.”
“Xiaxia, go get two baskets of steamed buns.”
Zuo Feifei instructed a female worker to fetch the buns, then said, “Sister, just tell me whatever it is. As long as Feifei can do it, I won’t refuse.”
By this point, Zuo Feifei had fully accepted Guan Xiaorou. Her attitude was much more sincere than it had been that morning.
She did not even ask what Guan Xiaorou wanted her to do. She simply agreed at once.
“It’s such a pity about all the sisters who died in this battle. If someone had properly trained everyone before, we definitely wouldn’t have lost so many.”
Guan Xiaorou continued, “That’s why I want the soap factory to temporarily halt half its production. Let Ajú bring over a few female bodyguards to train everyone properly. If something like this happens again in the future, the sisters won’t suffer the same way they did today…”
“Sister, we’re thinking exactly the same thing!”
Zuo Feifei said, “Right now bandits are everywhere in Jinchuan. We can’t transport the soap out at all. We’ve already stockpiled quite a lot. I was planning to discuss this with you over dinner. What does Sister think we should do?”
“Since Little Sister has the same idea, just arrange it however you see fit. I’ve had too many things on my plate recently, so this side will have to trouble Little Sister.”
Although Guan Xiaorou had noticed the change in attitude among the female workers of Iron Jar Mountain, she still did not want to get involved in managing Iron Jar Mountain.
“Without Sir and Sister, there would be no Feifei today. Calling it trouble makes us too distant.”
Zuo Feifei said, “I’m only worried that I won’t do it well enough and will let Sister down…”
“Little Sister is an educated person and the factory manager. You understand Iron Jar Mountain far better than I do, and you’re definitely more thorough in handling things. Just go ahead and do it with confidence!”
Guan Xiaorou added, “If Little Sister is still uneasy, I’ll have Ajú assign you a squad of reliable female bodyguards. For anything you’re unsure about during training, just listen to them.”
“Alright!” Only then did Zuo Feifei feel at ease.
Guan Xiaorou saw Ajú leading the horses over. She smiled and patted Zuo Feifei’s arm. “Then it’s settled. I’m heading back. If anything comes up, Little Sister, just send someone to the village to find me.”
Zuo Feifei escorted Guan Xiaorou all the way down the mountain. Only after watching Guan Xiaorou’s figure disappear did she turn and head back.
Although Guan Xiaorou’s visit to Iron Jar Mountain had been short this time, and her conversation with Zuo Feifei had been rushed, neither of them realised how massive and far-reaching the impact of their brief talk would be on Great Kang.
Later historians studying the history of Jinchuan would define this conversation as the beginning of the Iron Jar Mountain Jin family women’s army.
Of course, that was all in the future. Right now, the thing Guan Xiaorou cared about most was still Mr. Liu.
When she returned, Liu Tie and Xiaoyu were already waiting at the courtyard gate.
“Xiaoyu, is the person you caught really the Mr. Liu the bandits mentioned?”
Guan Xiaorou did not even dismount before urgently asking, “Did he say anything?”
“Sister-in-law, don’t rush. Take it slow.”
Xiaoyu noticed Guan Xiaorou was not in a normal state and quickly stepped forward to support her. “This fellow has no backbone. A few lashes and he spilled everything.”
“Spilled everything?”
Guan Xiaorou was stunned. “Did you ask who sent him?”
“Sister-in-law, it’s cold outside. Let’s go in and talk.”
Xiaoyu noticed Guan Xiaorou was trembling slightly and thought she was cold, so she did not answer directly. Instead, she linked arms with her and walked inside.
“Xiaoyu, you still haven’t told me. Is the person you caught really the Mr. Liu the bandits talked about?”
Guan Xiaorou refused to let it go. She kept asking as they walked, “Is he really the one behind all the plotting?”
Even now she still felt uneasy. She needed a clear confirmation.
“It’s him.” Xiaoyu replied, “But his surname isn’t Liu. It’s Chen. In Western Sichuan everyone calls him Chen Shiye or Little Chen Shiye.”
“From Western Sichuan?”
“He can be considered from Western Sichuan, but he’s actually a retainer for a young master in the capital.”
“A young master in the capital?” Guan Xiaorou became even more confused. “How did this suddenly involve a young master from the capital?”
“That’s a long story. I don’t even know where to start with you.”
Xiaoyu was momentarily at a loss for how to explain it to Guan Xiaorou.
“Then how did you manage to catch him?”
“Sister-in-law, let me tell you everything from the beginning…”
Speaking of this, Xiaoyu suddenly burst out laughing.
Speaking of which, Chen Shiye really was unlucky and far too overconfident.
Normally a strategist stays hidden in the rear making plans and rarely appears on the front lines.
Chen Shiye believed he had already pulled away every capable fighter in West River Bay. With so many bandits under his command, he thought no one could stop him.
But he never expected a group of female workers to appear out of nowhere and completely disrupt all his plans.
Not only did the bandits fail to reach West River Bay on schedule as planned, they were blocked at Sheepfold Ridge and could not advance even until nightfall.
Even so, Chen Shiye did not panic. After night fell he easily broke through the women’s defensive line.
What truly caused Chen Shiye to collapse was the appearance of Liu Tie.
Strategists excel at schemes and plots, while Jin Feng excels at overwhelming force.
The Black Armour Battalion was the sharpest sword in Jin Feng’s hand.
No matter how many tricks you have, I will cut them down with a single strike!
The moment he learned that Black Armour cavalry had appeared at Sheepfold Ridge, Chen Shiye knew it was over. He immediately took his guards and slipped away.
Unfortunately they did not know the roads well. The scout in front accidentally fell into a wild boar trap dug by hunters and broke his leg on the spot.
Chen Shiye found it troublesome to bring along a guard with a broken leg, so he abandoned the man and fled alone.
But he was just a frail scholar. After running all night, he still had not escaped the mountains. In the end he was discovered by the villagers Xiaoyu had mobilised.
Chen Shiye was excellent at plotting, but under the bodyguards’ interrogation he could not even last the first round. He confessed everything immediately.
“These powerful nobles really have no shame. To make disaster profits they even discard their conscience!”
After hearing Xiaoyu’s account, Guan Xiaorou was so furious she kept slapping the table. “To lure the master away, they actually targeted Little Bei! If I ever see that surnamed Xu, I’ll carve him into a thousand pieces!”
These past few days Guan Xiaorou had ordered the execution of too many bandits, and her speech had become much fiercer.
“Sister-in-law, Sister Mulan is still in Western Sichuan. Should I send a message and ask her to arrange for someone to deal with that surnamed Xu?”
Xiaoyu glanced around, then asked in a low voice.
“Those nobles have even placed Mulan’s elder brother under house arrest. If it were possible to act, Mulan would have done it long ago.”
Although furious, Guan Xiaorou had not lost her reason. She shook her head and said, “Let’s first take good care of our home. These matters can wait until the master returns. Let him decide.”
“Then what should we do next?” Liu Tie asked.
