The Princess and Her Rough-Rider Khan-Chapter 597 - 595 Damn, Fell into a Trap (First Update)

Li Xianyun had Youlan assist the female worker, and under the guidance of the Young Servant, they arrived at a spacious and tidy room.

This room was clearly for receiving guests and was quite clean.

"Bring some liquid food for this lady," Li Xianyun instructed.

Though the female worker had regained consciousness, she needed to properly recuperate her health.

The Young Servant immediately went down to prepare it.

Li Xianyun looked at Bater, "Did people follow?"

Earlier on the road, Li Xianyun had told Bater to instruct the Hidden Guard to keep an eye on the Workshop Owner. If he sent anyone out, they were to follow and act accordingly, making sure to clarify who he was colluding with from the Official Government.

The Hidden Guard had many secret ways of communication, sometimes a few bird calls, or a short flute, whistle, or even hand signals and codes.

Extremely covert, imperceptible to outsiders.

Since Bater was assigned to protect Li Xianyun, coordinating with the Hidden Guards to send messages was no difficult task.

"They have already followed," Bater stated truthfully.

He had earlier communicated with the Hidden Guard by mimicking several bird calls.

Li Xianyun nodded slightly, walked to the bedside, looked at the female worker, and said, "You’ve seen for yourself, I will protect you and not let you suffer any harm. Can you now tell me the secrets of the Clothing Workshop that you’ve uncovered?"

This female worker had accidentally discovered the secrets, and since then had been trembling with fear, living in continual unease. Now, having faced a life-and-death situation, she no longer withheld information.

Though she did not know Li Xianyun’s identity, Li Xianyun’s composed manner made it clear she was an extremely capable person.

As things stood, it was a case of having to take desperate measures to seek a sliver of hope.

The female worker spoke in a low voice, "To meet the deadline and to profit, the Owner of the Clothing Workshop mixed inferior materials like bulrush with the cotton, making subpar products appear of good quality. I accidentally overheard the Workshop Owner discussing this, which led to my life-threatening peril."

Li Xianyun’s expression darkened upon hearing this.

As soldiers on the front lines fought valiantly to the death, others at the rear considered profiting from cotton clothes.

In harsh winter, if the soldiers’ cotton clothes were compromised, it would mean freezing to death.

How then could they attain victory?

This matter was of great significance and likely not just about profit.

It was deeply worrying.

Li Xianyun asked, "Do you know how many of these inferior cotton clothes were made?"

The female worker shook her head, "This humble woman does not know, but I suspect not many were made, since large-scale production would have caused a significant stir, and it could not have gone unnoticed."

Li Xianyun felt somewhat relieved inside; thankfully not many of these inferior cotton clothes had been made, and they likely hadn’t reached the soldiers yet.

Otherwise, this issue could have been exploited by those with ulterior motives, potentially destabilizing the troops and leading to unforeseen chaos.

The person sent by the Owner of the Clothing Workshop met with the corresponding official.

Despite the severe cold, the official’s face was deathly pale, his forehead covered with a fine layer of sweat.

"Sir, the Workshop Owner sent me to inquire whether it was you who dispatched three men with the Official Government’s token to the Clothing Workshop?"

"Those three individuals were sent by me, they are our own people, just a formality. Proceed as usual, do not let them influence your duties."

Relieved to hear this, the Young Servant respectfully bowed to the official and retreated.

As the Young Servant walked away, the official said, "I’ve said what you told me to say; now, can I have a way to live?"

Two Hidden Guards dropped silently from the rafters, one closed the door while the other walked over and knocked the official unconscious.

The situation at the Clothing Workshop was complicated, and this official was one of the insiders.

The Young Servant rushed back to the Clothing Workshop to report.

"Workshop Owner, rest assured, those three people were indeed sent by the Administering Official."

Owner Kewo of the Clothing Workshop did not believe it and, after pondering for a moment, said, "Tonight at the third watch, drug the four and then kill them."

The Young Servant was puzzled and confused.

Kewo spoke, "Our Administering Official is the type who fears death and is cautious. If it were truly him who sent them, he would definitely have notified us in advance, and he would never use three strangers to carry out his tasks. If I’m not mistaken, the Administering Official must have been controlled by someone by now and is forced to say what he was told to."

Upon hearing this, the Young Servant’s hair on the back stood on end, and he was in utter disarray.

"Workshop Owner, are we being targeted by someone? What should we do now?"

Kewo sneered, "What to do? On our own turf, can outsiders really stir up anything?"

He paused for a moment and then told the Young Servant, "Order that tonight no one is allowed to enter the female workers’ rooms. If chaos ensues, forget about enjoying any benefits thereafter."

The Young Servant displayed a lascivious grin, "Yes, I will have our brothers hold off for one night."

The Workshop Owner kicked the Young Servant in the groin. "Now get to work!"

"Yes!"

The moment the door closed, Kewo’s indifferent expression tightened, and his eyes gleamed with malice.

Once this was over, his mission in Khitan would be completed.

He could finally reunite with his woman and children.

As dusk fell, Li Xianyun made sure the female workers were asleep before she sat down at her desk and wrote down the instructions for the Hidden Guard.

After writing, she held it in her hand, checked it once, found no issues, and then looked up at Bater.

Bater, understanding her, took the letter, opened the window, and slipped out.

That night, figures in black dropped stealthily from hidden places, releasing sleeping smoke towards the room where Li Xianyun resided.

A few moments later, assuming those inside the room were incapacitated, five or six men in black pushed the door open, but after searching, they couldn’t find a single person.

"It’s a trap," they realized.

The leader of the men in black rushed out first, followed swiftly by the others.

However, just as the men in black emerged, they were surrounded and seized by others.

It was then that torches were lit from the corners, illuminating the vast Clothing Workshop as bright as day.

Seeing that things had gone awry, Kewo tried to leave but was captured by Yelang.

After everything settled, Li Xianyun emerged from an adjacent vacant room.

Behind her followed Youlan, Bater, a female worker, and several Hidden Guards.

Kewo, in disbelief, looked at Li Xianyun, "How did you come out from there?"

Bater said, "My young master had long anticipated your nefarious activities at midnight, and as soon as it was dark, took the opportunity to move to the next room."

Kewo, giving Li Xianyun a cold stare, said, "So, you are not really from the Official Government?"

"You knew that already, didn’t you? Otherwise, you wouldn’t try to wipe us out."

Kewo, with a pale face and fearless demeanor, said, "Now that you’ve caught me, I have nothing to say."

Embezzlement and dereliction of duty, at most a few years in prison, and besides, as long as he lived, someone would rescue him.

Li Xianyun asked, "Who instructed you to make subpar cotton clothes to disrupt the military morale?"