Zhong Li looked at the madam of the brothel opposite, wanting to laugh but managing to hold back.
She took a deep breath and put on a naive, frightened expression, saying, "Impossible, my husband and I... no, my master and I entered together, and besides... besides, he gave you a lot of silver!"
"Is that so?" The madam raised her eyebrows unevenly, her expression sarcastic. "You must be dreaming."
"No, I clearly..." Zhong Li spoke, her bright eyes darting around. "I remember, you have a Xiao Hong and a Xiao Lu in your establishment, they accompanied my master upstairs!"
"Xiao Hong, Xiao Lu?" The madam looked surprised. "Impossible, they were sleeping in their rooms all afternoon today."
"Impossible! I clearly saw them." Zhong Li exclaimed, then slapped the table with both hands and stood up, looking directly at the madam.
"What did you see? This old servant has already told you that you were dreaming. Otherwise, shall I call Xiao Hong and Xiao Lu down for you to ask?"
"Ask then!" Zhong Li snorted coldly.
The madam sneered and gave a look to the maid behind her.
The maid went upstairs and soon returned with Xiao Hong and Xiao Lu.
The madam took a sip of tea and said, "You two, speak."
Xiao Hong and Xiao Lu exchanged glances and said, "Young master, we have been resting upstairs and have not seen the master you are referring to."
Zhong Li subtly sized up Xiao Hong and Xiao Lu. "Impossible, I clearly..."
"You still don't believe me?" the madam said, gesturing to the people behind her. "You all, tell me, how did she get here?"
They glanced at each other and replied in unison, "She came alone!"
"You!" Zhong Li, furious, slammed the table, her hands starting to tremble.
The madam spat the tea leaves from her mouth into the tea bowl and stared at her.
Zhong Li swallowed her saliva, pondered for a moment, then turned to rush towards the second floor.
"How dare you! Stop her!" the madam stood up and yelled.
At the same time, the thugs behind her stepped forward and seized her.
Zhong Li struggled violently, putting on a show of desperate resistance. "What do you mean by this? Are you bullying me?"
The madam walked up to Zhong Li and said, "What do I mean? I should be asking you. You are merely a guest, do you think this Drunken Red Chamber is a marketplace, that you can just barge in?"
"It's you who are guilty! I think you're afraid to let me look!" Zhong Li said, looking at the room where Lu Wuxie had disappeared. "He's definitely in there, let me look!"
"Guilty?" The madam sneered and slowly approached Zhong Li. "You want to look, do you?"
Zhong Li nodded.
"Very well!" The madam nodded. "I'll let you look, but what if no one is inside?"
"I... I'll pay you silver!" Zhong Li thought for a moment and could only speak according to the madam's preference.
"Good!" The madam said, stepping aside.
Zhong Li, now free, hurried towards the room on the second floor.
The room door was locked from the inside, and she even banged on it a few times.
The bolt was no match, and the room was not large; she could see everything at a glance. Lu Wuxie was not inside.
The madam followed behind Zhong Li, glanced at the situation inside, and taunted, "Well, is your master here?
Or, should this old servant call you 'young master'?"
"You... when..." Zhong Li's eyes widened in disbelief at her words.
The madam’s eyes rolled back, her imposing manner taking over. Hands on her hips, she declared, "Young lady, don't think you can hide the fact that you're disguised as a man. I've been in this business for most of my life, I've handled quite a few girls. Your little tricks might fool children, but you can't fool me?"
"What do you want?" Zhong Li retreated step by step.
The madam sneered, "Young lady, do you know this place is for men? For a young lady like you to behave like this, I can arrest you and report you to the prefectural office for causing trouble. Believe it or not?"
"You..."
Zhong Li's face showed fear. "You... tell me, what do you want?"
"One hundred taels!" The madam extended a finger. "Give me one hundred taels, and you can leave!"
Zhong Li said, "All my money is with my husband, I don't have any..."
"Don't have it?" The madam rolled her eyes and snatched the jade pendant from her waist. "Leave this here."
"You can't, this..."
Before Zhong Li could finish, the madam’s finger tapped her nose. "Go and get the money to redeem it, understand?"
Zhong Li wanted to say something more, but the madam had already tucked the jade pendant into her embrace. Impatiently, she gave Zhong Li a shove on the head. "I'm not afraid to tell you, I don't have much patience. Do you hear me? Hurry up!"
"Alright, alright!" Zhong Li, greatly frightened, scrambled out of the Drunken Red Chamber.
Seeing that the person was no longer in the establishment, the madam stretched and prepared to go back to eating melon seeds.
Xiao Hong saw this and leaned closer, asking, "Madam, aren't you afraid she won't come back?"
"Hmph! Not afraid!" The madam said, "Her husband is missing here, and she won't find him if she goes back. She'll have to beg me. Then I'll... Heh heh heh... extort even more from her!"
"Madam is so clever, a brilliant plan!" Xiao Lu came forward and flattered her.
"Of course. These common folk are just cheap. This old servant must squeeze every last drop of oil from them!" The madam said, her expression turning fierce.
Xiao Lu kept smiling and, when the madam wasn't looking, secretly glanced at Xiao Hong behind her.
After Zhong Li walked out of the Drunken Red Chamber, she confirmed no one was following her, then turned into an alley and entered a black carriage.
Tuobai was inside the carriage, his face still bearing some marks.
"Young Master Tuo, are you alright?" Zhong Li asked.
Tuobai shook his head. "I'm fine, just a minor injury. But if it wasn't like this, they wouldn't believe it."
Zhong Li nodded. Seeing that his injuries had been treated, she asked about the main business. "How did the plan go?"
"Just as Master Zhong predicted, after you and the Young Master entered the establishment, they ambushed me in the alley, stole the carriage, and even tried to gravely harm me. Fortunately, I have a good foundation and managed to escape." Tuobai said.
"I'm sorry to have troubled you." Zhong Li felt a bit guilty and then slightly lifted the curtain to observe.
"No, I did this willingly." Tuobai said, his cheeks blushing as he looked at Zhong Li. He whispered, "This little sacrifice is worth it if it earns a little of your affection."
"What?" Zhong Li's attention had been entirely focused on the Drunken Red Chamber opposite, and she hadn't clearly heard Tuobai's words.
"N-nothing," Tuobai said with an awkward smile.
Zhong Li lowered the curtain and shifted her gaze back to Tuobai, asking, "Outside, did you keep watching the Drunken Red Chamber as I told you?"
"Yes!" Tuobai nodded.
"Then did you see the Young Master leave? Or... someone carrying him away, or perhaps... a carriage leaving from here?" Zhong Li asked.
Tuobai thought for a moment. "The only carriage to leave was Master Zhong's carriage carrying the silver, but that carriage left early. I was attacked shortly after you entered, and they didn't take anything out of the Drunken Red Chamber during that time. As for anything else...
I'm sure no one entered, and no one came out."
Hearing this, Zhong Li narrowed her eyes.
Suddenly, Tuobai exclaimed, "Golden Cicada!"
Zhong Li returned to her senses and watched the golden cicada fly into the carriage through the gap in the curtain. She quickly took a small box from the carriage's drawer and opened it.
The golden cicada smelled the scent from the box and slowly landed inside.
Zhong Li closed the box and said, "The Young Master has replied. Now we continue with the plan."
After she spoke, she looked at Tuobai.
Tuobai looked dazed.
Zhong Li raised an eyebrow and looked at him.
Tuobai came to his senses, his face blushing. "My apologies!"
After speaking, he removed the mask from his face and climbed out of the carriage.
Zhong Li took out the readily prepared combat uniform and began to change.
"Master Zhong, where are we going?" Tuobai asked.
"Back to the prefectural office to bring people to thoroughly investigate the Drunken Red Chamber!"
"Giddy up!"