Liu Rumei pondered for a moment. As the saying goes, to catch a cheating spouse, you need the couple together, and to catch a thief, you need the loot. If she rescued Feng Xiaoyue first and then tried to find her again, she feared He Zhen would deny everything.
After a brief thought, Liu Rumei had an idea. She watched as He Zhen, in the room, hurriedly removed his outer garment and eagerly pounced onto the bed.
He Zhen lifted the quilt, got into bed, and reached out to extinguish the oil lamp.
Liu Rumei knew it was time for her to act. She stealthily took out a section of bamboo tube, inserted it through the opened window paper, and slowly blew out a puff of white smoke.
This was a superior type of soporific smoke; even a whiff would render someone unconscious.
After blowing for a while, she listened intently. There was no longer any sound from the room, indicating that He Zhen had likely fainted.
Having done this, Liu Rumei quickly got up and ran back to the inn.
At the inn, Liu Ziming and Liu Ziliang had not yet returned, but a few other guards had. The young maid, however, had returned.
At this moment, Liu Rumei couldn't bother with who had or hadn't returned. She pulled Chen Xiaobei up and rushed out, "Quick, quick, we've found Xiaoyue's whereabouts."
Meanwhile, Xiao Qing had already gathered all the returning guards. Together with Fang Jun, they set off majestically towards He Zhen's home.
Although He Zhen's courtyard was not guarded at night, there were still several house guards inside. Hearing the frantic pounding on the door, they naturally had to come out to investigate.
As soon as the door opened, Liu Rumei impatiently rushed in. The guards immediately stepped forward to stop her, "Miss, what are you trying to do?"
Liu Rumei let out a cold snort and pointed forward, "I never expected He Zhen to be such a wolf in sheep's clothing. In broad daylight, he dares to abduct a civilian girl and attempt to commit indecent acts."
The guards looked at each other, dumbfounded.
Finally, the leader spoke, "Miss, please do not make baseless accusations."
Liu Rumei smiled faintly, "Since I have come looking, I naturally have evidence. Do you dare to let me search inside?"
In reality, Liu Rumei had already made up her mind. Even if the guards tried to stop her, she would force her way in.
Just then, a stern voice called out from a distance, "Yong Hao, why all the commotion?"
Yong Hao, the leader of the guards, turned around and cupped his fists towards the approaching man, "Master, these people insist that young master abducted a civilian girl and attempted indecent acts, and they want to search young master's room."
Hearing this, the man frowned, walked forward, and cupped his fists towards Liu Rumei, "Miss, my name is He Shun. I am He Zhen's father. Please speak with me."
"Alright, since you are He Zhen's father, I will tell you. He Zhen abducted Feng Xiaoyue and attempted indecent acts."
"How, how is this possible? My son is merely a glutton for wine and has drunk too much. He's probably asleep now." He Shun spread his hands.
Liu Rumei smiled calmly, "Since you are so sure, do you dare to let me take a look in He Zhen's room?"
He Shun laughed heartily, "Why not? Feel free to look if you wish. But let's be clear beforehand, what happens if you don't find what you're looking for?"
At this moment, Fang Jun, standing nearby, spoke up, "If we don't find her, I, Fang Jun, will personally apologize to you."
Upon hearing this, He Shun's smile grew wider, "Young man, don't be so arrogant. If you'll pardon my bluntness, I don't know you, so your apology means nothing to me."
"Then what do you want?" Fang Jun was a little anxious.
He Shun looked at Fang Jun, then at Liu Rumei, and then at Chen Xiaobei, a smug smile spreading across his face, "My He family is a reputable one in Xiao family town. If you don't find her, I won't let you off."
Hearing this, Fang Jun stepped forward, "Alright, tell me, what are your terms? I, Fang Jun, will agree to anything."
Seeing Fang Jun take the bait, He Shun's expression immediately turned serious, "Very well. If you don't find her, I want you to crawl from one end of Xiao family town to the other, and additionally, you must compensate me with the Four Seas Inn. Only then will this matter be settled."
At He Shun's words, Yong Hao, the guard beside him, smirked, "Hmph, Feng Xiaoyue is just a waitress. The real proprietor of the Four Seas Inn is Yao Sheng. You probably can't make that decision, can you?"
Yong Hao's words were filled with sarcasm.
Chen Xiaobei, however, detected a different nuance. The other party didn't want them to search. They wanted to make Fang Jun retreat.
But the more they acted this way, the more it suggested that the boy had something to hide.
At this moment, Fang Jun's searching gaze fell upon Liu Rumei. This wager was rather significant. Losing the Four Seas Inn was not much of an issue. For their Fang family, even a lean camel is larger than a horse; buying the Four Seas Inn was not a problem. The difficult part was the first condition: crawling from one end of Xiao family town to the other. This would be more humiliating for Fang Jun than killing him.
Seeing Fang Jun's gaze, Liu Rumei naturally understood his meaning. He was asking if this matter was reliable and if they should take the gamble.
Liu Rumei's attitude was firm. She stepped forward and declared loudly, "Alright, I will bet with you."
He Shun smiled and pointed at Fang Jun, "I don't bet with women."
Seeing this, Fang Jun immediately replied, "Alright, then I will bet with you."
He Shun sneered again, "Very well. My word is not proof. Do you dare to sign a written agreement?"
Liu Rumei directly blocked Fang Jun and turned back with a playful smile, asking, "Shopkeeper He, you are indeed a businessman. You only say that if we lose, we must compensate you with the Four Seas Inn. But what if I find the person in your son's room, what will you do then?"
He Shun laughed heartily, "If you truly find Feng Xiaoyue, then I won't let you suffer any loss. I will give you the 'Only One Taste' and crawl from this end of the street to the other myself. What do you say?"
"Good, it's a deal," Liu Rumei revealed a triumphant smile.
He Shun cast a glance at Yong Hao beside him, "Go, prepare the ink and paper."
As Yong Hao turned and headed towards the study, Chen Xiaobei's heart suddenly trembled.
He didn't doubt Liu Rumei's words. If Liu Rumei had come, she must have had evidence. But now, He Shun was stalling them here, and the situation inside the room was unknown. If anything were to go wrong in the meantime, losing the inn was one thing, but making Fang Jun crawl from one end of the street to the other would be too humiliating for him.
Chen Xiaobei frowned and came up with an idea. He retreated more than ten paces, pulled the young maid aside, and whispered a few instructions.
The young maid nodded secretly, slightly bending her body. Under the cover of the crowd, she quietly slipped out of He Shun's courtyard.
In the courtyard, Chen Xiaobei and the others waited for about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea. Yong Hao arrived with writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstone.
He Shun picked up the brush and wrote rapidly, producing an agreement, one for each party. Then he looked at Fang Jun beside him, "Take a look at this. If there are no discrepancies, we shall sign it."
Fang Jun took it and scanned it briefly. The agreement was simple, just a wager on the outcome.