Chapter 8, Encountering Events During Patrols

After listening to Miao Yixiang's words, Lu Liankui's last trace of doubt about her dissipated. Long Chongjiu was quite carefree, young and strong; he was not afraid that Miao Yixiang's infidelity was false. Therefore, when Miao Yixiang mentioned nurturing new talent, he became alert.

Who does not know who these seven or eight rascals are? Here, they are essentially the representatives of "law and order"; their backer is Shen Xingshan, a well-known figure in the International Settlement and a disciple of the renowned Master Shen. Even the detectives from the police station turn a blind eye to them.

The woman in the milky white large floral qipao does not resemble a female student of this era; her figure exudes a sense of maturity, the fullness and sensuality of a woman. Her slightly curled, wavy hair cascades over her shoulders, reflecting the popular hairstyle of the time, which also reveals a hint of a worldly charm.

Fuzhou Road has become the most prosperous commercial street in the International Settlement. Near the brothels, silk and cloth shops, clothing stores, pharmacies, newsstands, bookstores, theaters, cinemas, restaurants, and inns are lined up in succession along the street. On Henan Road, Beijing Road, and East-West Chessboard Street, brothels are everywhere, openly operating. Although the International Settlement began to prohibit prostitution after 1920, it was merely a façade and not a complete ban, as the Municipal Council did not wish to lose this considerable source of revenue from the "flower tax." Due to the impact of the prohibition, some brothels relocated to both sides of Aiduoya Road, which serves as the boundary between the International Settlement and the French Concession, with the French Concession to the south and the British and American International Settlement to the north.

Alright, alright, Xiangxiang, Derong remains loyal to me. Among my subordinates, he is the only one who works so hard. Although he is not very bold, he is quite clever and knows how to handle matters appropriately. With thousands of brothers under me, there must be someone to keep an eye on things for me

Is everything turned upside down? Damn it, do you dare to cause trouble in my domain of www.hetushu.com? After a brief observation, Long Chongjiu decided to make his appearance

Little did he know that the fourth concubine had already thoroughly studied him while hiding in Long Chongjiu's embrace last night, and today's remarks were merely to put him at ease

Xiangxiang, what do you think we should do? If it doesn't work out with Shen Xingshan, we can sell Long Chongjiu. Would that be acceptable?

The way to deal with such a woman is to make her fall deeply in love with you; without an emotional foundation, it is impossible for her to wholeheartedly turn her affections towards you

The handsome young man lying on the ground is clearly her lover or husband, as can be inferred from her evident concern.

Seeing the anxious and uneasy expression on her face, with tears welling in her beautiful eyes, she appeared even more charming and heart-wrenching, evoking my deep sympathy

A burly man in his thirties, with a protruding belly, disdainfully crossed his arms at his waist and sneered, "Just because you put on a Western outfit, you think you're no longer a petty thug? Coming to my territory to stir up trouble? Are you tired of living? Here, I, Zhang Chong, am the law. You blind fool, you actually bumped into me and still have the audacity to talk back. Damn it, brothers, beat him to a pulp, let him open his eyes and understand the power of Master Zhang.

The person currently most favored by Lu Lianqu is Ma Derong. Once he is dealt with, Lu Lianqu will have to seek out another trusted confidant, which presents a good opportunity for Long Chongjiu to rise. Therefore, after careful consideration, Long Chongjiu decided to have Miao Yixiang first undermine Ma Derong.

The suit-clad man, who had just been harshly berated by Zhang Chong, turned pale and green. He realized he had encountered a local bully, and a sense of fear arose within him, rendering him speechless.

The old fellow is quite malicious. If it had been yesterday, when Miao Yixiang had not gotten along well with Long Chongjiu, she might have nodded in agreement, but now that is not the case. Long Chongjiu's sweet words are still echoing in her ears. She adjusted her tone and said: "My lord, why haven't you realized that the one with the surname Long is just a cannon fodder? Keeping him around might still be useful in the future. Besides, we still haven't figured out the relationship between him and Yu Qiaqing. Selling him off might not be appropriate. On the other hand, that Ma Derong fellow is not necessarily reliable. He spends all day in our building, poking around the girls and racking up debts without paying them back. You don't seem to care at all. If he provokes me, I'll send him to the palace. Hmph." Hmph.

While contemplating his own situation and development path, Long Chongjiu casually walked into a modestly sized inn

Early in the morning, Lu Lian Kui received a call from the fourth concubine. He couldn't help but wonder what the matter could be, as the fourth concubine had never contacted him this early before. He asked, "What’s wrong? Is there something happening at home?"

"Your words do raise some suspicions, but does Ma Derong really have the audacity? It seems prudent to remain cautious. However, it is indeed challenging to train newcomers. By the way, what do you think of Long Chongjiu?" Lu Lian Kui said.

Long Chongjiu was not entirely confident about the matter concerning the fourth concubine, Miao Yixiang, from yesterday. As for whether this woman would wholeheartedly support him, it is hard to say. After all, he currently possesses nothing. In the context of Shanghai, strength, financial resources, and influence are all indispensable for establishing oneself. Although Lu Lian Kui is wealthy and influential, with thousands of disciples, he does not have the final say in the International Settlement. In fact, Shen Xingshan possesses strength comparable to his, but after he pledged allegiance to "Sanxin," he faced rejection from many interests among the underworld bosses in the International Settlement. Earlier this year, the Municipal Council's Police Department promoted a Chinese detective to the position of head of the gang office, a role held by Yao Zengmo, who can be considered the highest-ranking Chinese detective. Lu Lian Kui is somewhat inferior in this regard.

One man in a long shirt has fallen to the ground, injured, with blood trickling from the corner of his mouth and his right eye bruised. He is holding his abdomen with one hand, clearly having just suffered a severe blow to that area. A woman in a qipao and a man in a suit are crouching beside him, supporting him while arguing with the thugs.

At this moment, a crowd had gathered in the lobby of the inn, where seven or eight bare-chested men in black silk shorts were surrounding two men and a woman, shouting and cursing at them

Another thin man with a weasel-like appearance leaned closer and said in a low voice: "Master Chong, I think that woman is quite appealing, her thighs and waist are impressive. Just take a look, she must be quite the temptress. Don't you want to..." As he spoke, a lewd glint appeared in the corner of his eye

It is evident that those with the surname Yao must have their connections, as being so highly valued by the British suggests that someone is advocating on their behalf

Long Chongjiu felt unfortunate; damn it, even trying to sneak in for a moment of peace and laziness was impossible, and he just had to encounter a situation.

... ...

Long Chongjiu was not merely following Lu Liankui around. Today, as a new patrol officer, he typically went out to familiarize himself with his jurisdiction. The central police station was located at the corner of Henan Road and Fuzhou Road. Since the 1920s, the Four Horse Roads of Shanghai had become a place of filth and vice, where opium, gambling, and prostitution converged, with prostitution being particularly prevalent. This area was the red-light district of Shanghai.

His words immediately provoked a burst of laughter, including from the surrounding hostel staff and the travelers coming and going.

"Master, regarding the matter from yesterday, I still feel it is inappropriate. To eliminate Shen Xingshan now seems rather rash. Du Yuesheng and the others will surely place the blame on you, and this would also force them to take action against you and the library ahead of time. After all, they are currently relying on Shen Xingshan to handle this mess. If he were to die, just think about the consequences?" This was the new plan that Miaoyixiang and Long Chongjiu devised last night.

In fact, Lu Lian Kui was also feeling quite uncertain about this matter. Although he held significant power in the concession, he had many rivals, especially the longstanding feud with Shen Xing Shan, which was well-known to all. It seemed that careful consideration was indeed necessary.

Thus, Long Chongjiu did not back down yesterday under the threat of her gun, and this move undoubtedly convinced Miao Yixiang that he had fallen in love with her

As several thugs were about to rush forward to commit violence again, a deep shout came from the entrance of the inn outside the crowd

Very well, I need to find something to test this young man. If he is talented, then let him submit his application to join the sect

Suddenly, loud shouts and curses erupted within the inn, accompanied by the screams and cries of female guests, creating a chaotic scene before the eyes.

The reason why Miao Yixiang has won the affection of Lu Lian Kui is that she possesses a hidden, rogue-like charm deep within her bones. On the surface, she appears enchanting and full of allure, but in reality, she is deeply calculating and ruthless in her methods. However, Lu Lian Kui is overly confident, believing that he can completely dominate such a woman. Given his current status and position, it indeed prevents Miao Yixiang from harboring any ulterior motives, but once he loses his power, the situation may change unpredictably

Lu Lian-kui has always been quite suspicious. At this moment, upon hearing the Fourth Concubine's analysis, he suddenly felt that there were numerous flaws in his reasoning, and he couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat.

In fact, Miao Yixiang is quite knowledgeable about handguns; how could she not have handled a gun before? Her marksmanship is quite accurate, but yesterday, in a moment of panic, she completely forgot about the gun safety check, which allowed Long Chongjiu to take advantage of the situation. Otherwise, the outcome would have been uncertain.

Zhang Chong cast a sidelong glance at the woman in the qipao who was squatting down. The high slit on the side of the qipao exposed a large area of spring scenery when she squatted, no wonder that young man could see the girl's snow-white thighs

Master, I think you need to cultivate more newcomers. It's just that Ma Derong is too clever, and I fear he might be playing both sides. Just think about it, do you really believe that Shuiguo, Yuansheng, and Huang Mapi are unaware of your favoritism towards Ma Derong? This fellow is also someone who is easily swayed by money. I worry that he might provide ideas to those in that line of work. We must remain vigilant, right? You spend all your time chasing after young girls without a care, while he, who has a family, is here every day in our establishment. What are his true intentions?" Miao Yixiang's concerns about Ma Derong were also part of the plan discussed with Long Chongjiu yesterday.

"Hao Ge, are you alright? I told you not to be stubborn, but you wouldn't listen. Do you think this is England?" the qipao-clad woman complained.

Long Chongjiu understood that relying solely on Lu Liankui was insufficient. He needed to cultivate connections widely and strike from all directions, especially by nurturing a group of loyal subordinates. However, at present, lacking both wealth and power, he could only devise a plan. Money, regardless of the era, is always a valuable asset

This person does possess a certain presence, but it is merely superficial. He has not accomplished anything significant for us, so we cannot be too trusting. If you wish to utilize him, at the very least, you must test him first. Merely talking is insufficient; in this day and age, there are many deceivers, and we are still uncertain about who might be trying to deceive us.

"This is a concession; you are disregarding the law. I intend to report you scoundrels." At this moment, the man in the suit had lost all composure

The man who was beaten and the man in the suit seemed to be newcomers in this affluent place, unaware of the depths of the waters. The woman in the qipao, on the other hand, might have some understanding of the current situation in Shanghai, otherwise she would not have referred to her "beloved" in that manner. Long Chongjiu had two reasons for deciding to intervene: first, it was part of his official duties, which also presented an opportunity for him to establish his authority; second, he felt a sense of compassion for these two young individuals.