Night fell.
Ten thousand lights illuminated the city, and the heavy snow danced, merging with the lights to create a beautiful scene. Along both sides of the street, brothels and taverns echoed with music and singing, bustling with activity. Many pedestrians walked the streets, and numerous vendors could be seen making a living.
“……”
Xie Weilou walked down the street, twirling a folding fan in his hand.
His gaze fell upon a brothel named “Wansha House,” and a smile appeared on his face as he swaggered towards it.
Mist shrouded the cold water, and moonlight veiled the sand; here, there was no mist or moon, but there was a cold wind, plum blossoms, and white snow.
Inside Wansha House.
The lights were bright, beautiful women danced, their bodies swaying gracefully and charmingly. Musicians played, and singing never ceased. Many guests were drinking flower wine, savoring the fragrance of the beauties.
On the second floor, Xie Weilou ordered a pot of fine wine, a few small dishes, and called for a slender beauty dressed in a white long dress to pour his wine.
The long couch below was like a bed, padded with thick cotton quilts, making it very warm. The beauty lay on the bed.
Xie Weilou, holding his folding fan, lay languidly in the beauty's arms, feeling her softness and warmth, contentedly drinking the wine she offered him.
“Baixue, where is Nightingale from your Wansha House?”
Xie Weilou asked.
Nightingale, before he was imprisoned, was the courtesan queen of Wansha House, known for her artistic skills rather than selling her body.
To hear her sing a single song required spending ten thousand gold, and even then, one could only listen to her music, rarely seeing her in person.
Baixue chuckled, “After This Young Master was imprisoned, Nightingale mysteriously disappeared not long after. The current courtesan queen is not Nightingale, but Mei Sheng.”
“So that’s how it is.”
A smile appeared on Xie Weilou’s face, and he didn’t ask further, continuing to lie in the beauty’s arms, savoring the fine wine.
Not long after.
A group of Captian from the Tianquan Division appeared downstairs. The Captian made way, and Lin Qinghuang, in a cyan long dress, with a cold demeanor, entered holding a long sword.
The women in the house were beautiful, but compared to her, they instantly paled in comparison.
The singing stopped, and everyone in the house stared at the Tianquan Division members with uncertainty.
An old madam’s expression changed in surprise, and she hurried forward.
Lin Qinghuang said something to the old madam, then extended her hand. Some Captian immediately sealed the exits, while she led two Captian upstairs.
“It seems a murder has occurred in your Wansha House.”
Xie Weilou slowly spoke.
The Tianquan Division is an important law enforcement agency of Great Xia, responsible for supervising officials, solving various cases, and generally, when Tianquan Division members are dispatched, it usually indicates a major murder has occurred.
Baixue whispered into Xie Weilou’s ear, “Sister Qian Xiang from our house was murdered half an hour ago...”
As people of a brothel, their lives were like grass. Even if someone died, it wouldn't affect the normal business of the house.
They only needed to suppress the news and quietly report the case. Such incidents were very common in Wansha House.
Normally, those who came to resolve such matters were ordinary constables and yamen runners. This time, the appearance of Tianquan Division members was somewhat unusual.
“……”
Xie Weilou nodded slightly, saying nothing more.
“Xie Weilou!”
After Lin Qinghuang went upstairs, she stared at Xie Weilou with a cold expression, a hint of disdain in her eyes.
He had just been released from prison and already ran to a brothel. This fellow certainly knew how to enjoy himself, and his sickly, lazy demeanor was truly irritating to behold.
She had originally thought that Xie Weilou’s life would be difficult after returning to Zhenxi Marquis Manor, but now it seemed she had overthought it; this fellow’s life was exceptionally comfortable!
Clap!
Xie Weilou opened his folding fan; on the front were the characters “Feng Gu” (Integrity), and on the back, “Chun Qiu” (Spring and Autumn).
He smiled and said, “Lin Qinghuang, seeing each other every day, we truly have the look of a married couple. Come quickly and lie in my arms.”
Upon hearing this, Lin Qinghuang’s face grew even darker. She gave Xie Weilou a cold glance, then led her people towards a room.
“I’ll go take a look.”
Seeing this, Xie Weilou stood up, stretched lazily, and walked towards that room.
After entering the room.
“What are you doing in here?”
When Lin Qinghuang saw Xie Weilou enter, she raised an eyebrow, while the two Captian stared coldly at Xie Weilou.
Xie Weilou gently waved his folding fan: “I’m a bit sleepy and want to find a room to sleep in. Is there a problem?”
“Sleep? Lie down like her?”
Qinghuang said coldly.
Her gaze fell on the ground, where a woman in an orange long dress lay. She was already dead, completely devoid of breath.
“That’s not necessary, I prefer to lie with Lin Qinghuang! However, when the Tianquan Division handles a case, someone always has to observe, otherwise, if someone neglects their duties and causes many wrongful convictions, that won’t do.”
Xie Weilou said with a faint smile.
“Heh!”
Lin Qinghuang gave a cold laugh.
She didn't continue to drive Xie Weilou away. Since he wanted to watch, then let him watch.
Lin Qinghuang looked at the old madam beside her and asked, “Tell me about the deceased.”
The old madam hurriedly said, “She is Qian Xiang from our house, skilled in playing the zither, selling her art but not her body. She had a good relationship with a poor scholar named Wu. This time, after meeting that poor scholar, she unexpectedly met with a tragic end. Now that scholar has been restrained by our house guards...”
Lin Qinghuang stepped forward, surveyed the surroundings, and then examined the deceased’s body.
Xie Weilou, meanwhile, looked around the room. In the center, there was a large table with many leftover food items, and also a wide-open large bed.
He sniffed lightly; there were faintly two scents in the room.
One of the scents was not unfamiliar to Xie Weilou; a graceful body couldn't help but appear in his mind...
His gaze fell upon a snow-white plant, then shifted to the deceased.
There was a faint, reddish ligature mark on the deceased’s neck, a slap mark on her face, and her hair was extremely disheveled. A metal hairpin was also stuck in her chest.
Lin Qinghuang examined it for a moment, then calmly said, “The ligature mark on the neck is too fine; it was definitely not made by hands. It should have been left by some kind of silk thread... a zither string... A zither is missing from this room!”
Since Qian Xiang was skilled in playing the zither, there must have been a zither in the room, but she hadn’t seen an ancient zither when she looked just now.
The old madam hurriedly said, “When that scholar left the room, he happened to be carrying Qian Xiang’s zither.”
“You go bring that scholar named Wu up here.”
Lin Qinghuang looked at the old madam.
“Alright.”
The old madam quickly departed.
“Commander Lin, although this ligature mark is very obvious, it is not fatal. The fatal wound should be the hairpin in the chest.”
A Captian said to Lin Qinghuang.
Lin Qinghuang said calmly, “I can tell you, the key to her death was not this hairpin.”
“This...”
That Captian froze for a second, indicating he didn't understand Lin Qinghuang's meaning.
Lin Qinghuang looked at Xie Weilou and asked faintly, “Can you understand?”
Xie Weilou shook his head: “I don’t understand, it’s too profound!”
Lin Qinghuang said indifferently, “If she had died from this hairpin, she might have struggled before death, causing blood to spread, but apart from the blood on her chest, there is no other blood around.”
“There are two possibilities: first, Qian Xiang indeed died from the hairpin, being killed instantly without any chance to struggle; second, she was unconscious, unable to struggle, or the hairpin was inserted after her death.”
As she spoke, her hand grasped the hairpin and pulled it out.
She looked at the bloodstain on the hairpin and said calmly, “The bloodstain is less than half an inch and has shifted, it did not penetrate the heart. Therefore, it can be confirmed that her true cause of death was not this hairpin.”
“So that’s how it is.”
The two Captian suddenly understood, and their eyes were filled with admiration as they looked at Qinghuang.
“Qinghuang is amazing, truly worthy of being the woman This Young Master fancies.”
Xie Weilou gave a thumbs up.
Lin Qinghuang directly ignored Xie Weilou.
After a while.
Two guards from Wansha House escorted a scholar dressed in coarse cloth, with a pale face and dejected expression, into the room...