Crisis at the Textile Works

Lily Evans made her suggestions, and the other three agreed, but none of them knew how to proceed.

Sean Hayes frowned and said, "Lady Chancellor, that spy is so well hidden. The fire last night was set without leaving a trace, and we can't figure out who she is. Besides, we only have three days left to deliver the goods. There's no way we can produce that much in time! If we keep working, the spy will keep sabotaging us and interfere with the delivery. It's impossible to guard against everything."

The Female Supervisor added, "Lady Chancellor, we originally had ten days, but the goods from seven days of work just burned down. With only three days left, we simply can't produce enough."

Lily Evans glanced at Sean Hayes and said, "Leave catching the spy to me. I have my own methods."

Then Lily turned to the Female Supervisor and asked, "How much raw silk do we have left in the factory?"

The Female Supervisor replied, "The raw silk is stored in a separate warehouse, so it wasn't damaged. We have a large stockpile—enough to make another batch. The problem is, there's just not enough time."

"As long as we have enough raw silk, we'll make it in time." Lily Evans took a deep breath, her expression steady and calm, as if nothing could shake her. She said to the Female Supervisor, "During the first seven days, the workers weren't very skilled, so production was slow and output was low. The last four days were normal. Our factory shifts are four hours each, but there are twelve hours in a day. For the next three days, divide the workers into three shifts, each working four hours. That way, the factory runs nonstop for twenty-four hours a day. With this plan, we'll have enough goods in three days."

The Female Supervisor said, "Lady Chancellor, in theory, this speed should be enough. But if we work at night by candle or oil lamp, the light will be too dim. The workers can't see the silk clearly and will make mistakes. One slip and a whole bolt of cloth is ruined, so efficiency drops even more. And can the machines handle running twelve hours straight every day? Won't they break down?"

Lily Evans looked at the Female Supervisor and said, "I've thought of all that. Don't worry. Once the workers arrive, gather everyone together—I want to speak to them personally and assign their tasks."

"Yes, Lady Chancellor!" Although the Female Supervisor doubted it would work, Lily Evans had given the order, so she obeyed and personally gathered all the arriving workers in the cafeteria.

The female workers arrived one after another, chattering in small groups. They were surprised to see Lily Evans, who rarely appeared in the cafeteria, standing in front of them.

Everyone guessed that the Lady Chancellor must be here because of the fire last night.

Lily Evans scanned the crowd. She knew the saboteur was among them, but her expression remained calm and unreadable.

Greta stood at the back of the crowd, her head lowered, a smug smile tugging at her lips.

She thought to herself, "Lily Evans, you never expected it was me, did you? Last night's fire ruined seven days of hard work. Let’s see how you handle this!"

Greta felt sure that Lily Evans would be forced to admit defeat this time.

She had sabotaged the warehouse so perfectly that no one could possibly suspect her.

Greta’s eyes flashed with pride as she waited to see Lily Evans stumble.