Chapter 157: The Rice Shop
Translator: Transn Editor: Transn
Shangguan Yushi strongly objected to Tenth Young Master heading to South City. The death of Marquis Gao was a good example; she would not allow any chance for Horned Dragon Society to achieve revenge by killing Shangguan Yushi. Also, she blamed Slave Huan for his instigation.
However, she knew the temper of Shangguan Yushi - strong objection would not do her well. Hence she asked to go together, along with Wildhorse and Liuhua.
Gu Shenwei was not happy about this. Although the two Masters saw themselves as men, they were just girls in people's eyes. Thinking about it, it was a bit odd for two girls to go investigate in a brothel with three young killers.
Shangguan Ru refused Yushi and asked her to disguise into a boy by putting on some make-up.
Early next morning, Slave Huan and the Tenth Young Master set out, while Shangguan Yushi looked somber.
Walking on the narrow frosty streets in South City, Shangguan Ru took a deep inhale and said, "Alas, We've finally arrived. Why are there so few people here? I heard that South City is the busiest city in the realm."
"At night," Gu Shenwei said, looking around vigilantly. They chose to come here in daylight only to avoid the noisy crowd.
Two machetemen were already waiting outside. They handed Shangguanru her weapon and the other saber and left.
"Oh," Shangguan Ru tied the saber on her waist, and pointed at the cabin diagonally across and said, "Is that the brothel?"
"Yup, but not the one we're going to."
On the way to Pleasure Alley, Shangguan Ru was in high spirits and kept asking questions about almost everything, especially which forces were behind different businesses. Slave Huan answered as he could because he did not know everything.
Approaching Pleasure Alley, Shangguan Ru frowned and said, "It turns out that my Kun Society runs little business here."
The businesses Kun Society had occupied used to be roughly about 40 to 50 percent of elder Young Master's businesses, and dozens of men were killed in the takeover. 40 to 50 percent was a rather good outcome for them, but was still poor compared to the other powers in South City.
"It's always the first step that is troublesome." Gu Shenwei tried to comfort her, and he also hoped Kun Society would expand, the quicker the better.
The buildings in Pleasure Alley were much more sumptuous than other places'. Shangguan Ru was interested in this place, especially for hearing the fact that most of the famed prostitutes in Western Region were here. She started to ask about the various brothels and their owners, but Gu Shenwei claimed that he knew little about this. Shangguanru did not buy it. Judging by her expression, she might think that he was just too ashamed to admit it.
Every inch of land was expensive in Pleasure Alley. Marquis Gao died in a brothel on the east side of the street. Two youth detectives were too late, as they found out a new prostitute moved in as soon as the corpse was cleared. The brothel runner even turned the homicide case into a selling point—pay 100 more taels to recur the "bloody" murder scene of that night.
The brothel also had replaced the maids and procuress. The procuress opened the door while yawning. When she heard that the two visitors were not here to pay for sex, she slammed the door shut.
It was pointless for them to enter anyway since the people involved in the homicide were not there. Failed was the first attempt ever in Tenth Young Master's life to enter a brothel. She almost told her real identity when Slave Huan drew her away.
In the morning, Pleasure Alley was the quietest place in South City, and they were the only two on the street. Shangguan Ru was disappointed and said, "Which is our place?"
"Only one." Gu Shenwei saved the cruel truth for himself, that he was the owner of her only brothel here. He did not correct Shangguan Ru that Kun Society did not "own" these businesses, they just collect money and protect the businesses.
The eldest Young Master Shangguan Chui majored in regular businesses, and the few small whorehouses he owned were outside Pleasure Alley. The Meng family owned more than half of the businesses in Pleasure Alley, and also had relationships with the rest. However, Horned Dragon Society did not take advantage of the Meng family, that was why they shared equal influence with Kun Society in Pleasure Alley.
To satisfy the curiosity of the Tenth Young Master, Gu Shenwei had to take her to the "only one" brothel.
Xu's siblings were still sleeping. A newly hired maid opened the door with heavy eyes. When she saw her master at the door she smiled immediately.
Xu Xiaoyi was quite clever. After greeting Brother Huan, he sized up the short young man for a while and suddenly kneeled to greet the Tenth Young Master with all respect.
Shangguan Ru felt both happy and disappointed. She asked how he saw through her. Master Yu disguised her into a sallow-faced sick youth by putting makeups, and even she did not recognize herself in the mirror.
"Umm, rich people can never hide their wealth I guess. Even if Tenth Young Master played as a beggar, there's a...how do I say...domineering aura around you."
Shangguan Ru was flattered by the sweet talk. She beamed and immediately felt good about Xu Xiaoyi.
Gu Shenwei though was well aware that the kid was bullsh*tting. He must have recognized her by the attitude of "Brother Huan", not due to some "rich people" or "domineering aura".
Since her excellency the Tenth Young Master had arrived, Xu Xiaoyi hurried upstairs and knocked on his sister's door.
Gu Shenwei was quite worried about the moody Xu Yanwei, and he was not sure about which mood would she meet with Shangguan Ru today. However, in a minute, he was surprised. When Shangguan Ru had just taken a seat, Xu Yanwei had gotten well-dressed and went downstairs. She was beaming and buoyant in spirits as if she had never slept that night.
It was hard to tell which girl had more curiosity. At first, they sounded each other out carefully. Soon they were like close friends that had grown up together, talked about everything, and cared little about trifles.
The four had lunch together. When they spoke of the death of Marquis Gao, the siblings almost wept. He was once Xu Yanwei's customer and left a good impression on her. Xu Yanwei said, "I was young, and he took good care of me, willing to spend money on me."
She realized that this kind of things were not appropriate for the Tenth Young Master, and shut her mouth.
There were many rumors about this homicide. The siblings had not heard about the grain of rice on the bed, so when Shangguan Ru spoke of it, they got excited and asked for more details. The lunch finally turned into a heated discussion.
"A grain of rice, it may be implying something. Isn't there a saying like 'raw rice can turn into cooked rice'? What does it mean?" Xu Xiaoyi said and started to meditate as nobody answered.
"Maybe they were playing some tricks on the bed. When Marquis Gao was with me, he was very..." Xu Yanwei stopped again. She had the same thoughts as the commandant.
Shangguan Ru was waiting for her words when Gu Shenwei hurried to change the topic.
After a while, Xu Xiaoyi stopped his meditation to raise his head and said, "Maybe we should check on the rice and flour trade. Maybe...ouch!"
Gu Shenwei kicked him under the table, but it was too late.
"What are you going to check on the rice and flour trade? There's rice in every house, what do they know?"
Xu Xiaoyi looked at Brother Huan timidly, after seeing him nodding his head, Xu Xiaoyi continued in high spirits. "There's a Protector in every business, while every Protector keeps serval hitmen. Sometimes the hitmen leave a mark at the scene to show the trait of their business. For example, hitmen in the cloth business leave a piece of red silk fabric at the scene..."
"So the rice and flour business leaves a grain of rice?" Shangguan Ru interrupted.
"Not that I've heard of, but it's worth a try."
Shangguan Ru nodded and said, "Yes indeed. Why haven't Commandant Zhong and you thought of this?"
She asked Slave Huan.
"We are not familiar with South City. Not like Xu Xiaoyi, he grew up here."
The truth was Gu Shenwei had thought of this, and he was sure that Zhong Heng had too. That sly officeholder deliberately saved the key information and had said it very casually, trying to shirk his responsibility. The reason why Gu Shenwei did not mention this idea to Shangguan Ru was that he planned to mingle with her for the day and send her back to North City. However, Xu Xiaoyi ruined his plan.
Gu Shenwei had no choice now. He took the Tenth Young Master to meet the Proctor of the rice and flour trade in the afternoon.
The last Protector of the rice and flour trade, Sack Zhou, was "reaped" by Tie Hanfeng and his apprentice. The current Protector had surnamed Mi and did not like people calling him "Sack Mi". Therefore, he was called "Shopkeeper Mi".
Shopkeeper Mi had been a hitman of Sack Zhou for years, yet he had to spend money to save his position. That's why he had no feelings for his predecessor, even some glee at Sack Zhou's death. In the war between Horned Dragon Society and Kun Society, he along with his rice and flour trade was the first to seek protection from Kun Society. There was no resentment between him and killer Yang Huan.
Shopkeeper Mi was short, had a patchy beard, and looked nothing like a Proctor but a languish bookkeeper. Many bags of rice and flour stacked in his house which was messy and almost had no room for guests to walk.
Shopkeeper Mi greeted the Tenth Young Master, cleared a space for the two and sent maids to serve some tea, murmuring "luster lent to my humble house."
Gu Shenwei planned to come himself, and now he found a company with the Tenth Young Master was also convenient—as a "son" of the Supreme King, it was easier to make Shopkeeper Mi talk truthfully.
As expected, Shopkeeper Mi dared not to refuse Shangguan Ru. He thought all his hitmen through and in sincerity he said, "No way, they're just ordinary machetemen and they are not good at swords, let alone experts."
"'not good at swords,' are you to say that they have swords?" asked Gu Shenwei.
"No no no, I was just talking without thinking. Look, except for your master, who uses swords nowadays? Swordsman like Ye Silang, there's so few of them, how could they be the hitmen of a rice and flour trade?"
Shopkeeper Mi looked sincere, and he also had no need to lie. Hence the two youngsters left, along with this clue.
"Seems like the major suspect is still Ye Silang. The other swordsmen had little relationship with Marquis Gao I guess," said Shangguan Ru.
Gu Shenwei thought the same and recalled Commandant Zhong's theory about "taking care of it", which could not apply in this case. Getting rid of suspects was not what he wanted because he would have a duel with Ye Silang anyway. What he only wanted was to find out the murderer. Even if he could not reveal the murderer's identity, he had to know the enemy lurking around.
If the enemy was Ye Silang, he had to know the reason.
The sky darkened, and there were more people on the street. The shops which did business at night had lighted up and opened. Shangguan Ru's attention was drawn by the shops again.
"She could stroll along this street for the whole night. I need some machetemen here to protect her." Gu Shenwei thought.
Suddenly, a 10-year-old boy thrust into Shangguan Ru, clumsily stuffed a note into her hand, turned around and ran away. Gu Shenwei almost took out his saber and killed the boy.
However, he grabbed the boy's arm and said, "Who sent you?"
"I don't know him, it's the man in the coat over there."
"Look!" Shangguan Ru handed over the note to Slave Huan, sounding surprised and excited.
Gu Shenwei loosed his hand, and the boy ran away desperately.
There was only one line on the note. "The swordsman is in the Blacksmith Village. Now."