The Female Constable struggled to her feet, looking utterly bewildered.
In the distance, a group of soldiers came rushing over.
"Now there's trouble."
Li Ping'an took the money for his meal out of his robe and set it on another table.
"Boss, here's the money."
The noodle stall owner, hiding beneath a table, twitched at the corner of his mouth.
Paying the bill? He glanced at Li Ping'an.
How damned proper. He's still paying the bill at a time like this?
The Female Constable looked at Li Ping'an's retreating back.
She hesitated for a moment, then seemed to make up her mind.
"May I ask a favor of you, young hero?"
Li Ping'an was about to leave when her voice made him pause instinctively.
The Female Constable said quietly, "The Flowing Moon Pavilion has been trafficking people in secret. Their crimes are vile.
"There's also the shadow of Chu Ying, Marquis Dingyuan's second son, behind it. A great many matters are tangled up in this.
"One of the women they persecuted escaped. She has evidence of their crimes and is hiding in my home right now.
"My home is the second house on the east side of Willow Tree Alley. Could I ask you to escort her to Ning River and hand her over to the Governor-General of the Two Jiangs?"
The Female Constable said it all in one breath.
Marquis Dingyuan?
Li Ping'an raised his brows slightly. "Why don't you take her yourself?"
"There's no time. The officials and merchants are in league. These people will definitely detain me here."
The Female Constable forced herself to remain standing. The bone in her lower leg seemed to be broken.
Li Ping'an was in no hurry to answer and asked leisurely,
"With so much tangled up in this, even Marquis Dingyuan's