Before they could say two sentences, several more people rushed out with clubs from the side. Zhou Ziqin had a flash of wisdom in his urgency, shouting: “I have money! Can’t I just pay?”
“We’ll take the money, but what about you hitting our male courtesan? If we just let you go like this, how can our Night Wandering House maintain its standing on this street?” The pimp roared, and the bouncers immediately surrounded them, their clubs falling together.
Just as they were crouching and covering their heads, at this critical moment, someone suddenly flew in from outside, with just a flying kick, half the people’s clubs went flying, while the other half fell along with their clubs.
That person stood before them, tall and imposing, standing in front of them with an awe-inspiring presence.
Zhou Ziqin immediately shouted: “Brother Zhang! How are you here?”
Zhang Xingying turned back to look at them: “His Highness said it’s unstable recently, and with all sorts of people here, feared it might be unsafe, so had me protect you secretly.”
As he spoke, his hands didn’t stop, grabbing several bouncers who tried to surround them again and throwing them away.
Huang Zixia watched him display his skills, quickly patting the dust off her clothes.
Zhou Ziqin was still amazed: “Didn’t His Highness not react at all? Didn’t he seem not to care about us? Fortunately, he secretly sent someone to protect us…”
Before he finished speaking, everyone around had already fearfully shrunk into the corners, not daring to move.
Only Pine Wind jumped up, crying and cursing angrily: “You unscrupulous bastards! Eating and drinking without paying and wanting free services! We work day and night in this business, earning money with blood and tears, who among you knows the pain of selling oneself…”
Zhou Ziqin listened to his tearful accusations, couldn’t help his eyes growing moist, quickly taking out money while self-criticizing: “I’m a bastard, I’m worthless…”
Huang Zixia was completely exhausted, leading Zhang Xingying sheepishly toward the outside, asking: “Where’s His Highness? Did he go alone?”
“Yes, he said he’d be fine, but Eunuch Yang, your situation was more urgent.” Zhang Xingying quickly said, “But I secretly followed to the reception hall, and saw several prefecture governors had arrived, before daring to leave.”
Huang Zixia sighed, then said: “Let’s go.”
The bedraggled Zhou Ziqin also came out, asking: “Shall we go back?”
“No, we still need to ask at the various brothels.” Huang Zixia said, leading them to the neighboring buildings to continue inquiring. But now they’d learned from before, knowing that drinking tea and talking here cost money, first offering silver when seeing the girls, and suddenly everyone became much more talkative.
Juanjuan from Changchun Garden: “Qi Teng? Aiya, no such customer… Young Master Wenyang? Yes yes, he was a very kind person, generous, and especially good with words, all the sisters liked him! You say this poem I wrote? Aiya how embarrassing, I wrote dozens of copies to give out this year, of course, Young Master Wenyang got one too! You mention Fu Xinruan? Miss Fu’s reputation is known to all in Wutong Street! Several of us sisters went together to request her guidance, and only then did she help compose a piece, now it’s our signature dance, would you like to see it?”
Lanlan from Red Fragrance Tower: “Young Master Wenyang? Annoying, all of us sisters know, he has many lovers outside! Last time he said he’d bring me rouge from Man Chun Ji, but he forgot! If he hadn’t bought me a hairpin to apologize, I wouldn’t even talk to him! That poem? I copied many copies to give people, whether it’s good or not I don’t know, anyway, everyone says it’s good. Miss Fu Xinruan? I know her, my good friend Cuicui is skilled at qin, went to Miss Fu for guidance, now Cuicui’s price has increased many times for one piece!”
Yuanyuan from Zhangtai Pavilion: “Really, that poem was written by me, don’t compare with those ghostwriters. Young Master Wenyang? He could write poetry, but never left his handwriting. Look, I’ll recite a poem he gave me: On the lotus platform untie environment pendants, in the golden tent stretch jade arms. Wild goose calls cease by crimson gauze windows, when will I smell orchid and musk again… I’ve fallen into this life for over ten years, and I’ve only seen one person who writes such vulgar disgusting poetry! Fu Xinruan I know too, heard many people go to learn song and dance from her, last year Juanjuan from Changchun Garden had her help compose a dance, and ended up making a big name throughout the street, winning the title of flower queen.”
Xiaoyu from Jade Terrace Lodge: “Young Master Wenyang was quite considerate, though he didn’t come often, but when he came he’d ask after everyone’s well-being. He was quite nice, last year when I was sick for several months, he even sent me some money, if I didn’t already have another lover, I would’ve been willing if he redeemed me… Oh right, Miss Fu Xinruan wrote us a song, now very popular with guests in our garden, would you like to hear a piece?”
“Visiting brothels is quite tiring too.”
At midnight, Zhou Ziqin finally returned to the government office, so tired he collapsed directly in the main hall, only able to say this one sentence.
The constables staying in the duty room immediately exchanged glances, then broke into suppressed giggles. Azhuo sneakily ran to their side, asking: “After wandering half the night, any findings?”
Huang Zixia didn’t raise her head, just organizing the various testimonies collected tonight, saying: “Almost there.”
The barely breathing Zhou Ziqin immediately jerked up from his chair: “Almost there? What’s almost there?”
“This case, almost solved,” she said flatly.
Zhou Ziqin immediately cried out: “I still don’t know anything. You just say almost there? What’s going on?”
Huang Zixia saw he was sweating, so said: “Actually not yet, I just vaguely have a guess in my heart, but currently still need some concrete evidence.”
Zhou Ziqin opened his mouth wide: “Then tell me, who do you suspect?”
Huang Zixia avoided answering, turning back to call toward the door: “Fugui!”
That skinny ugly dog immediately shot in like an arrow from outside, barking twice at her, its bare tail wagging casually a couple of times.
Huang Zixia silently observed this dog, seeing it did not react, then turned back to look at Zhou Ziqin, sighed, and said: “So, guesses are just guesses, there are still things I can’t figure out.”
Zhou Ziqin stared at Fugui for a long while, finally realizing, asked: “You suspect… that my bracelet has poison?”
“Mm, so when you used the hand that held the bracelet to take that rice cake, Qi Teng stopped you and threw away your rice cake.” Huang Zixia frowned, saying, “But now it seems… nothing happened, he might have just said it casually.”
“I must check carefully!” Zhou Ziqin quickly took out the bracelet from his bosom, turning it over and over before his eyes, holding it up to the wall lamp to examine it again and again.
The openwork jade stone patterns cast light on his face, that clear radiance beautiful yet eerie.
“Alright, I need to head back first.” Huang Zixia had been running around inquiring all day, then questioning in Wutong Street half the night, and was starting to struggle to keep going.
As soon as she stood up, she felt a bit dizzy and lightheaded, probably from overexertion again.
She sat back down in the chair, took out two pear candy tablets from her sleeve, and ate them, sitting quietly for a while.
Zhou Ziqin asked with concern: “Are you alright?”
“Oh, the doctor said I’m deficient in qi and blood, so if I overexert myself, I get dizzy and my vision blurs.” she said, then handed him the candy bag, “Want some?”
Zhou Ziqin grabbed a piece to eat, then said: “This, usually only women have qi and blood deficiency, right? I remember that Gongsun Danian’s sister, Yin Luyi, Fourth Lady Yin, also had qi and blood deficiency. She seemed to eat candy too, but I think malt candy isn’t as good as snowflake candy, and it’s not easy to carry, often sticks to clothes.”
“Yes, have to wrap it in glutinous rice paper all the time, to prevent it from sticking to things.” Huang Zixia said casually.
Zhou Ziqin chewed the snowflake candy saying: “But her hands were skilled, the malt candy tigers she carved were so lifelike, my sister still keeps that candy tiger even now.”
Huang Zixia nodded in response, then suddenly froze, sitting there motionless for a long while, only her eyes wide open.
Zhou Ziqin waved his hand in front of her eyes a couple of times, calling her: “Chonggu, what are you thinking about?”
She brushed away his hand, saying: “Let me think.”
Zhou Ziqin saw her serious expression, quickly stuck out his tongue, and shrank to the side watching her.
Huang Zixia pressed the hairpin on her head, pulled the jade pin from the silver pin, and then slowly began drawing on the table.
Zhou Ziqin propped his chin, saw her first draw what looked like a flowering tree, then particularly depicted the trunk and slanting branches, finally outlining a garment around the flowering tree.
He was puzzled, seeing the pin tip had drawn faint white marks on the wooden table, that garment with its cinched waist and large sleeves, flowing in the wind, looking somehow eerie, couldn’t help asking: “Chonggu, what is this thing?”
“It’s the key to solving this case.” she said, slowly inserting her pin back into the silver hairpin on her head, then frowned, “But… something’s not right, if it’s like this, then, where did the missing murder weapon go?”
Zhou Ziqin nodded saying: “Yes yes, speaking of this, in Magistrate Qi’s death case, that murder weapon still hasn’t been found, the constables have almost turned the lotus pond inside out, the nearby shrubs have been pulled out too, all branches carefully examined and sifted through, but still found nothing.”
“The musicians’ instruments, Gongsun Yuan, and others’ props and such, have all been searched?” Huang Zixia asked.
Zhou Ziqin said with absolute certainty: “Searched first thing! Absolutely no problems! Concealment and such, we searched for all that, really nothing!”
Huang Zixia leaned back in her chair, let out a long breath, and after a while, finally said: “Tomorrow then. When it’s light and brighter, we’ll go look at the scene again.”
Zhou Ziqin thought for a moment, said: “Why don’t you stay at the prefect’s mansion tonight, don’t go back to the Military Commissioner’s mansion.”
Huang Zixia frowned slightly, saying: “That’s… not convenient, is it?”
“What’s inconvenient about it? Going back so late every night, how tiring. And I have to run to the Military Commissioner’s mansion to find you, I’m tired too. Simply, Brother Zhang—” Zhou Ziqin turned back to look at Zhang Xingying, saying, “You go back first, tell His Highness that Chonggu is too late today, and still needs to investigate tomorrow, so staying at the prefect’s mansion first. Once there’s progress in the case, will immediately return to attend His Highness.”
Zhang Xingying looked hesitantly at Zhou Ziqin, then at Huang Zixia: “This… Eunuch Yang, what do you think?”
Huang Zixia silently nodded, saying: “Mm, I’ll rest here first. Save the trouble of going back and forth.”
Zhang Xingying saw her say this, so responded and turned to leave.
Zhou Ziqin was also very sleepy, he stood up, swaying as he walked toward his residential courtyard, asking along the way: “Chonggu, sleep with me?”
Huang Zixia felt her eyelid twitch, almost tripping on the doorstep: “No!”
“Ah? I was hoping we could sleep foot to foot, talk all night!” Zhou Ziqin said very dissatisfied, “I’ve been hoping for such a friend since childhood! But until now haven’t found anyone willing to sleep with me… won’t you help fulfill my wish, Chonggu!”
“This I really can’t fulfill.” Huang Zixia clenched her teeth, refusing to budge, “My sleeping posture isn’t very good, grinding teeth, kicking blankets, tossing and turning, sleepwalking, everything. If you don’t want to be strangled by me in my sleep then sleep with me.”
“What… really couldn’t tell you’re so terrifying when asleep.” Zhou Ziqin scratched his head, then said reluctantly, “Fine, anyway I have plenty of empty rooms over there, you stay in the east room then, though the window faces a wall, but now the ivy is just growing, hanging on your window, quite interesting.”
Huang Zixia knew the prefect’s mansion so well, immediately realized that his courtyard was the West Garden.
Behind the West Garden was the garden’s pond, planted with a pond of lotus flowers. And on the courtyard walls grew thick ivy vines. Back then she loved reading here most, on summer evenings, she would curl up barefoot in the corridor among the ivy vines, often there would be a heavy rain making lotus leaves flip over, ivy falling.
Gusty winds wildly toss lotus-filled waters,
Dense rain slantly invades ivy walls.
Back then Yu Xuan would always sit beside her, picking up fallen ivy to play with together, saying some meaningless things that made them happy, whiling away an entire afternoon.
This was Yu Xuan’s residence, the quietest place in the mansion.
It was also once her favorite place.