“While we were having tea earlier, I observed that the guards at the city gate were particularly focused on lone adult males. They checked travel documents and felt their faces,” Xu Qi An said.
“Felt their faces?” The Princess Consort was momentarily confused before realizing, whispering furtively, “To check for disguises?”
Not bad at all… Xu Qi An nodded, “This certainly isn’t about finding you, because someone kidnapped by barbarians wouldn’t be traveling alone.”
No wonder he suddenly suggested having tea in the pavilion to rest. The Princess Consort suddenly realized this.
Moreover, a place like San Huang County, which borders Jiang Province, wouldn’t typically be a target for barbarians. Such strict inspections were unreasonable in themselves.
“Also, this situation shows that the ‘Blood Slaughter for Three Thousand Li’ is not an empty threat. Otherwise, the Garrison North King’s men wouldn’t be so cautious,” Xu Qi An said with a cold smile.
If they had nothing to hide, they wouldn’t be so wary of the legendary case-solving expert, the awe-inspiring Xu Yin Luo.
The two found an inn in the city and requested a high-grade room. As soon as the door closed, the Princess Consort, who had been outwardly compliant, exploded in anger:
“You just want to take advantage of me, don’t you? Just like those lecherous men in novels. Deliberately booking only one room.”
What’s the name of the novel you’ve been reading? Let me borrow it sometime… Xu Qi An sneered, “If you’re willing to take off that bracelet, this official would be happy to spend the night with you, Princess Consort. As for your current appearance…”
He pointed to the dressing table by the window and teased, “Take a look in the mirror first.”
The Princess Consort gritted her teeth in anger, glaring at him, and retorted with a cold laugh, “Fine, then you sleep on the floor tonight, and I’ll take the bed. If you touch me even once, you’re a beast.”
“Alright, I’m going to bathe now. Please leave.”
After so many days, she wasn’t as guarded around Xu Qi An as before, knowing he probably wouldn’t touch her. However her proud personality and the habit of arguing made it difficult for her to get along peacefully with Xu Ning Yan.
“I won’t be back tonight. Go to bed early,” Xu Qi An waved his hand and turned to walk to the door.
“Where are you going?” The Princess Consort’s expression changed slightly.
Although she didn’t want to admit it, this guy had indeed given her a sense of security for a long time. His sudden departure made her feel uneasy and uncertain.
“Now that we’re in San Huang County, I want to see if I can find any San Huang chickens,” Xu Qi An replied.
The Princess Consort’s face lit up instantly, “I want to go too, I’d like to eat some as well.”
…Xu Qi An said irritably, “I’m going to a brothel!”
“…”
The Princess Consort sat on the bed, turning her body away in anger, giving him the back of her head.
…
In the alley across from the inn, Xu Qi An kept watch for half an hour, seeing neither suspicious followers nor the Princess Consort sneaking away.
“She didn’t try to escape? Is this Princess Consort out of her mind?”
This result was quite surprising to Xu Qi An. In his view, this was a rare opportunity to escape. From here on, she could be as free as a bird soaring in the sky or a fish swimming in the vast sea.
She could shed the identity of Princess Consort and no longer worry about becoming “medicinal ingredients.”
Was she unwilling to give up the glory and wealth that came with being a Princess Consort? Well, based on their interactions over the past few days, she seemed more like a sheltered girl, proud and willful, without any worldly air about her.
Besides, was glory and wealth more important than one’s life?
Judging from her tone when mentioning the Huai Prince, she didn’t seem to have any feelings for her nominal husband… Hmm, sometimes she would stare blankly at night, showing a negative, pessimistic attitude… Had she given up hope in the face of a fate she couldn’t resist? What a tragic woman.
Xu Qi An set out in the night, wandering around the city for a long time before finally stopping in front of a brothel called “Ya Yin Lou” (Elegant Sound Building).
As mentioned before (in Chapter 21), the suffix of a brothel’s name can indicate its grade. First and second-class brothels mainly use “Yuan,” “Guan,” or “Ge” in their names.
Third and fourth-class brothels often use “Lou,” “Ban,” or “Dian” in their names.
“Ya Yin Lou” could only be considered a mid-to-low-grade brothel, but in a small county like San Huang, it was probably the highest-grade brothel available.
Women in colorful clothes and silk skirts welcomed guests at the entrance, all smiles and laughter.
The night watchman’s undercover agent was a seafood merchant at Ya Yin Lou, with the flower name Cai Er.
The night watchmen’s undercover agents were spread throughout Da Feng, in all walks of life, in every profession, to collect intelligence comprehensively.
Before leaving the capital, Wei Yuan had given Xu Qi An a list with contact methods, names, and information for undercover agents in various parts of Chu Province.
“Oh, sir, please come in, please come in.”
As soon as he stepped into the hall, a madam approached him, her shrewd gaze scanning Xu Qi An from head to toe. His clothes were ordinary, but his face was extremely handsome.
His appearance was secondary; the most important thing was the bulging purse at his waist. A high-quality customer!
The madam was outwardly enthusiastic but inwardly cautious, unsure of the guest’s status, so she couldn’t quite gauge how warm to be, afraid of unintentionally offending the customer.
At this moment, she saw Xu Qi An open his arm.
In a brothel, this was a gesture inviting the madam to hold his arm, showing intimacy.
He’s an experienced patron… The heavily made-up face of the madam blossomed into a smile as if she had seen a family member. She eagerly took Xu Qi An’s arm and said coquettishly:
“Young master, please sit here first and have some tea. I’ll choose a few pretty girls for you…”
Before she could finish, Xu Qi An waved his hand to interrupt, saying, “I’m here for Cai Er.”
“Oh my, you’ve come at an unfortunate time. Cai Er has a customer. Would you like to look at some other girls?” The madam’s smile remained unchanged.
“I only want Cai Er.” Xu Qi An took off his purse and tossed it to the madam.
“Well…”
The madam led Xu Qi An upstairs with a troubled expression, but inwardly she was delighted. Compared to cold, hard silver, what were the rules?
In brothels, examples of men fighting over a girl were too numerous to count. Fighting wasn’t even an issue; at worst, they could just throw out the troublemakers. Of course, they would throw out those who paid less or had no background.
The two came to a room door, from behind which came the sounds of a man and woman in the act, and the creaking of a bed.
Xu Qi An kicked open the door, startling the couple inside. On the bed, a fat middle-aged man was on top of a delicate and charming woman.
The man looked towards the door with a terrified expression, which quickly turned into murderous rage as he shouted, “Get out!”
The charming woman, however, seeing the incredibly handsome young man, suddenly brightened her eyes.
Don’t be angry… Well, any man would be furious in this situation. Xu Qi An strode forward, putting on the air of a young noble fighting over a woman, pulled the man off the bed, and gave him a sound beating.
“Brother, brother, let’s talk this out…”
After taking two punches and a kick, the man realized his opponent’s strength was terrifyingly great. Knowing he was no match, he promptly begged for mercy and submitted.
“Put your clothes on and get out,” Xu Qi An cursed.
The man hurriedly put on his undergarments, then grabbed his outer clothes and pants, fleeing in a panic.
Standing at the door, the madam cast a questioning glance at Cai Er on the bed, who slightly shook her head.
She didn’t recognize this handsome man.
The madam couldn’t be bothered to interfere further. With a smile plastered on her face, she said, “I won’t disturb you two lovebirds. Cai Er, serve the customer well.”
With that, she closed the door.
Xu Qi An sat down at the round table, enhancing his hearing to listen to the madam’s footsteps receding, then the sound of her treading on the wooden stairs…
Cai Er sat up, exposing her fair upper body, her face still flushed. She smiled and said, “Young master, what are you waiting for? This servant is eagerly waiting on the bed.”
As she spoke, she appraised this handsome stranger.
For her, exchanging the pot-bellied old man on top of her for a supremely handsome young man was like manna from heaven.
Having confirmed there was nothing unusual in the surroundings, Xu Qi An stared at Cai Er and said calmly, “Blue-robed attendant.”
These simple four words caused the woman on the bed to change color dramatically. She hurriedly threw off the covers and got down from the bed, kneeling on the ground and saying in a low voice, “I would die a hundred deaths without regret.”
The code phrase is correct… The portrait matches too… Xu Qi An nodded and said in a deep voice, “Put on your clothes. This official has questions for you.”
Cai Er withdrew her seductive manner, picked up her silk dress from the floor and put it on, then began to dress in her undergarments. Soon, she was fully dressed.
This woman, outwardly a courtesan but in reality an undercover agent for the night watchmen, curtsied gracefully and gazed at Xu Qi An, saying, “Sir, may I see your waist token?”
“Certainly.”
Xu Qi An took out his unique waist token and placed it on the table. It was silver-plated, with the night watchmen’s anti-counterfeiting pattern on the back and a single character “Xu” engraved on the front.
Cai Er bit her lip, shifting her gaze from the waist token to Xu Qi An, looking at him with a kind of adoration, and asked, “Are you… are you Xu Qi An, Xu Yin Luo?”
Xu Qi An smiled, “You know of me?”
“Of course I do. If I didn’t know about a young genius like you who has emerged in the yamen, my intelligence-gathering skills would be too poor,” Cai Er said excitedly. “I know everything about you. You’re the poetry champion of Da Feng, solving cases like a god. During the year of the imperial examination, when the capital was in turmoil, it was you who turned the tide and quelled the storm.”
“I also know that you defeated the Buddhist arhat in the capital single-handedly, and when you were in Yun Province, you alone held off tens of thousands of rebel troops, your fame resounding far and wide…”
Xu Qi An’s smile froze.
Now, who’s been spreading such tales about me? Has it already reached the northern border? In the eyes of true experts, I must have become a complete laughingstock by now.
“Ahem!”
He coughed and said, “Let’s not talk about trivial matters. I want to ask you, how are things on the northern border recently? Has there been any large-scale warfare?”
Cai Er shook her head, “Although the barbarians have been invading the border, they’re just small cavalry units raiding here and there. If there were large-scale warfare, civilians would flee south, inevitably passing through San Huang County. This servant wouldn’t be unaware of such a thing.”
Xu Qi An nodded and asked again, “Have there been any strange phenomena in various places, such as sudden large-scale disappearances of people?”
Cai Er frowned, thought for a moment, and said, “This servant hasn’t collected any such intelligence… However, now that you mention it, this servant does recall something quite odd.”
Xu Qi An raised an eyebrow and quickly asked, “What is it?”
“A while ago, this servant entertained a guest, a master with his merchant caravan who regularly trades goods throughout Chu Province. That time, he had drunk too much and complained that for some unknown reason, Xi Kou Prefecture and its three subordinate counties had been sealed off by government troops, and all official roads closed.”
“He said he had made a wasted trip, feeding people and horses along the way, losing several hundred taels of silver.”
Xu Qi An tapped his finger on the table, “Where is Xi Kou Prefecture?”
Cai Er curtsied and said, “Please wait a moment, sir.”
She pulled out a box from under the bed. At the very bottom was a map, which she took out and spread on the table, pointing to a spot and saying, “This is Xi Kou Prefecture.”
Xi Kou Prefecture was at the westernmost edge of Chu Province, bordering the Western Buddhist countries. Past Xi Kou Prefecture was Western territory, hence its name.
Xi Kou Prefecture did not border the north.
“The war couldn’t have reached there unless the northern barbarians took a detour, but the Western Buddhist countries wouldn’t allow passage… If so, why seal off Xi Kou Prefecture?”
A bold guess arose in Xu Qi An’s mind.
He nodded calmly and said, “Is there anything else you’d like to add?”
Cai Er said, “The outside world may not know, but the defense forces in San Huang County have indeed increased significantly. Previously, travel documents weren’t required for entry and exit, but now the checks are extremely strict.”
Xu Qi An smiled, “Did this happen in the last few days?”
To his surprise, Cai Er shook her head and said, “It’s been like this for a month now.”
Hearing this, Xu Qi An’s brow immediately furrowed.