Chapter 193

The woman didn’t expect her to take this matter so seriously. Raising her voice several pitches, she gritted her teeth and said bitterly, “We considered this possibility long ago, but the people from the Jucidial Court are so arrogant and disdainful of interacting with us. Every time, they just go through the motions quickly and claim to have found nothing.”

It seems that even in the world of cultivation, which is much more open than in the Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, the status of courtesan is not high.

A few girls waiting for guests inside the Nuanyu Pavilion heard the conversation. One of them stepped forward curiously and asked, “Are you investigating this matter, Miss?”

“Not really—”

Ning Ning scratched her head. Although she was very interested in this matter, she had never seriously investigated it. The few clues she had were from Tian Xianzi and Pei Ji.

She paused for a moment, then added somewhat hesitantly, “But I’ll try my best.”

“Really?”

A girl, who looked about fifteen or sixteen years old with braids, ran forward barefoot, her big round eyes squinting in the sunlight.

“Sister, you must catch that bad guy! You don’t know; Sister Lingyuan was such a good person. She bought us candy every day. Once, when a guest bullied me in public, she stood up and helped me. I heard that the Taoist priests couldn’t summon her soul. Maybe she’s still alive!”

The girl spoke loudly, completely unaware that the failure to summon her soul could indicate a more brutal possibility: her soul might be completely destroyed.

The woman beside Ning Ning reprimanded in a low voice, “Ming Yue, don’t be rude!”

She then softened her expression and smiled gently at Ning Ning and Pei Ji. “Sorry, the child is young and ignorant. We have no intention of instructing you, Miss.”

Ning Ning shook her head.

“It’s fine. Her nature is rather cute.”

After thinking for a moment, she added, “You all knew Miss Wei Lingyuan well. Did you notice any clues?”

“Clues? We’ve noticed more than just clues.”

Another girl sitting not far away turned her head, squinting her bright cat-like eyes and speaking in a sweet, lazy voice like a house cat.

“Many of us here suspect the City Lord’s wife.”

Ning Ning was startled. “Luan Niang?”

“You should know, she was a courtesan before she married the City Lord.”

The girl raised her eyebrows and smiled, propping her chin up with her hand. “At that time… she was the top girl of Nuanyu Pavilion.”

Perhaps everyone had reached a consensus on this, as no one stopped her. The girl continued without reservation, “Because she was a girl, her parents sent her here before she turned seven, trading her for money to raise their newborn son. For us who grew up in brothels, we know exactly what everyone else is like.”

She paused and snorted lightly, “In short, no one in the pavilion liked her.”

Ning Ning curiously asked, “Why?”

“She’s very scheming.”

She answered without hesitation, with a few traces of contempt in her tone.

“She wanted to be the top courtesan and seduced many men, including many of our regular customers. Considering we all work in Nuanyu Pavilion, it was somewhat excessive to openly steal business.”

“And that’s not all.”

Seeing Ning Ning listening intently, another girl chimed in, “Since meeting the City Lord, she seemed like a different person. It’s said that Luan Niang had never been to school and couldn’t read, yet she often recited poems and wrote beautiful calligraphy with the City Lord. Even a fool could see there’s something fishy about this.”

The girls chattered on, and Ning Ning listened intently, but the conversation abruptly stopped—

A heart-wrenching scream came from near the hallway of the Nuanyu Pavilion. When Ning Ning and the others rushed to the source, they were stunned.

The door to the utility room by the hallway was opened by a servant, and inside, besides piled-up brooms and cloths, lay a terrified woman.

She was stripped of her outer clothes, only wearing a messy white robe underneath. Her hair ornaments were rudely plucked away, leaving her black hair as disheveled as a pot of spoiled silk. Her whole body was tied up tightly with hemp ropes, and a piece of cloth was stuffed in her mouth.

Several girls rushed forward in shock, hurriedly untying the rope and removing the cloth from her mouth.

“Sister Hongyu, what’s going on? Shouldn’t you be attending to guests now?”

“Quick, go to Master Ji’s room…”

The woman’s face was pale as she tightly gripped the cat-eyed girl’s wrist.

“The man we took in last night hasn’t sobered up yet. He locked me in here when I was off guard, took my clothes and jewelry, and also—”

As she spoke, she revealed an extremely terrified look, her eyes widened, and she imitated the man’s crazy tone with a weak breath: “He also said to me with a very scary expression: Go away, let me enjoy the experience alone! I am the top courtesan!”

Ning Ning: …

Right, He Zhizhou used to be a top courtesan. Now that he’s drunk and emotional, he probably mistook Nuanyu Pavilion for his old brothel, assuming he was still the top courtesan, and then—

She already guessed what would happen next, her vision darkening as she started pinching her philtrum to stay conscious.

=====

Meanwhile, inside a private room of the Nuanyu Pavilion.

As one of the top brothels in the city, the Nuanyu Pavilion was exquisitely decorated.

Light gauze hung low, and incense smoke wafted around, creating a hazy, dreamy atmosphere. The faint but intoxicating fragrance seemed to have a sleep-inducing effect, making people feel very drowsy.

A curtain of gauze separated two people. Master Ji sat outside the curtain, faintly seeing the outline of ‘Hongyu’ sitting on the other side. The intricately carved wooden bed was not far away, blurred just like the woman separated from him.

“Hongyu.”

He had long admired this talented and beautiful girl. Today, seeing her alone for the first time, he couldn’t help feeling very nervous.

“We’ve been sitting here for half an hour without saying a word… When can I come in and see you?”

She seemed to be eating the fruits and snacks on the table. Hearing this, she looked up suddenly, her voice carrying a strangely hoarse tone, “In a while.”

She coughed lightly and said, “I caught a cold and can’t pass it to you.”

“What does it matter!”

Master Ji, impatient, took a big step forward and lifted the curtain.

‘Hongyu’, seemingly very shy, immediately dropped the watermelon she was holding and hid under the quilt.

No, it’s not shyness; maybe it’s a hint.

Master Ji was overjoyed, stepping forward to hold her tightly in his arms, excitedly reaching out to gently stroke her exposed head.

“Hongyu, I’ve admired you for a long time, and now I can finally be alone with you… Your hair is so beautiful, I can’t wait to see more.”

‘Hongyu’ remained motionless in her original position. He thought she was just shy and patiently extended his hand from her head downward.

“Hongyu.”

As he touched her, something felt wrong.

“Your ears… are so big?”

She seemed to have drunk alcohol, emitting a strong smell of wine, and responded muffledly from his embrace, “Of course, to better hear you.”

Her answer made him happy, as if finding a treasure. He continued to move his hand down. “Hongyu, your eyebrows are so thick?”

She shyly smiled, “Of course, to better see you. And my nose and mouth, they are all for better feeling you.”

With the beauty in his arms and the intoxicating scent, Master Ji’s heart and nose felt sweet.

He couldn’t wait any longer and was about to lift the quilt to spend the night with ‘Hongyu’.

Just as he was about to do so, there was a rapid knock on the door.

The noise was really annoying, but fearing it might be his father catching him at the brothel, he dared not ignore it.

To his surprise, when he opened the door, he saw a large crowd of people.