"The wine is lovely, but the woman is even lovelier!"
"Sir, you flatter me! Oh, please don't touch me like that."
"Haha!"
...
Zhong Li stood by the carved balustrade on the third floor of Hua Man Lou, gazing up at the magnificent sunset over Jincheng. The sounds of laughter and playful noise from the room behind her made her brow furrow.
Shen Tu Jue had come to Hua Man Lou with the same group of people from Ying Zhou, booking almost the entire third floor. Most of the establishment's courtesans were attending to them.
"Be careful not to trip," the madam's voice, for what felt like the tenth time, reached Zhong Li's ears.
Following the sound, Zhong Li saw another girl trailing behind the madam, her face etched with anticipation.
"Young Master Zhong," the madam bowed as she passed Zhong Li.
Zhong Li shifted her gaze back to the madam. "Is this one for the special envoy too?"
"Yes!" The madam's face was beaming. Since Shen Tu Jue's arrival, several girls had been sent to him, and the earnings from them alone were enough to sustain Hua Man Lou for half a month.
Zhong Li nodded and stepped aside to let the madam and the girl pass.
As they passed, she glanced at the girl's retreating figure: red robes, crimson shoes, a slender waist like a willow, graceful and poised. However, her hip-swaying gait seemed a bit awkward, suggesting she was new to the profession.
She shook her head and returned her attention to the scenery.
A short while later, the sound of a door opening again drew her attention. Zhong Li looked and saw Tian Lian Xue emerging, her clothes slightly disheveled, with red welts the size of jujubes on her neck.
It was obvious what had happened to her inside.
"Oh, Young Master Zhong is still here?" Tian Lian Xue noticed Zhong Li and adjusted her clothes draped over her shoulder, calling out.
Zhong Li nodded in response.
Tian Lian Xue yawned, a languid expression on her face, and walked over to Zhong Li. She followed Zhong Li's gaze to the sky and said with a mocking smile, "Honestly, working for the court must be quite stifling at times, right?"
Zhong Li ignored her. If it weren't for Lu Wu Xie, she might never have even met the top courtesan of Hua Man Lou.
Tian Lian Xue, seemingly unfazed by her coldness, leaned against the balustrade. "To think that the esteemed Shao Qing of Dali Temple from the Southern Yue Kingdom has been reduced to acting as a watchdog for those lecherous men from Ying Zhou. If I were you, I wouldn't be happy either."
Hearing this, Zhong Li finally turned her gaze to Tian Lian Xue.
She understood Tian Lian Xue's intentions perfectly. Smiling, she replied, "Whether it's solving cases or providing protection, as long as it's for the court, it's all work. What makes one superior or inferior? Perhaps Miss Tian already considers herself to be in the inferior category to utter such remarks?"
"You!" Tian Lian Xue was stunned by the retort, momentarily speechless.
Zhong Li ignored her and continued to admire the view.
"Speaking of which," Tian Lian Xue seemed to recall something else and asked, "I heard His Majesty has betrothed the Prince?"
Zhong Li's delicate brows twitched, and she remained silent.
Tian Lian Xue scanned her calm face, her gaze falling on Zhong Li's fingers, which were gripping the railing with white knuckles. "There were rumors outside that the Prince had protected Lord Zhong quite a bit during the Consort Rong case. I was quite saddened by it then. And now, after only a few months, the Prince is to marry someone else. Alas... times change, and men are truly heartless."
"Are you finished?" Zhong Li asked icily, her eyes like a falcon's fixed on Tian Lian Xue.
Seeing Zhong Li finally react to her words, Tian Lian Xue was about to offer another sarcastic remark when a piercing scream suddenly erupted from a private chamber behind them.
"Ah!"
Zhong Li no longer had time for Tian Lian Xue. She rushed to the chamber door and pushed against it with all her might.
"You can't, this door can only be opened from the inside," Tian Lian Xue reminded her.
Zhong Li shot her a glance, took a few steps back, and kicked the door open with force.
Simultaneously, the madam and several guards, alerted by the scream, rushed into the chamber with her.
"Ah!" The scream continued.
Zhong Li followed the sound.
She saw a young maidservant kneeling on the floor, her face contorted in terror as she looked at them. She then pointed towards the inner room and stammered, "Qiong... Qiong'er... she's... she's possessed."
"Qiong'er?" Zhong Li frowned, following the maidservant's direction around the screen and into the inner chamber.
The scene that greeted her made Zhong Li's pupils contract sharply.
The window of the inner chamber was wide open. Standing before it was a woman in a red dress and red shoes, a long red ribbon tied in her hair. As a warm breeze blew in from outside, her sheer gauze robes billowed like a hazy mist in the air.
"I... I am guilty. I... it's too late. Time... time is up. She's coming, she's coming!"
As she spoke, Qiong'er slowly began to shuffle forward.
Zhong Li frowned, finding the words disturbingly familiar. Suddenly remembering something, she urgently said, "Quick, stop her!"
With that, she lunged towards Qiong'er in two swift strides.
Just as her hand was about to grasp Qiong'er's ankle, Qiong'er, as if sensing her, deftly dodged, and then gracefully plunged downwards.
"Ah!" Another scream.
Zhong Li's hand grasped at empty air, watching helplessly as Qiong'er plummeted to the ground with a heavy thud. Her eyes, filled with the chill of death, stared intently at Zhong Li. Then, her body began to tremble, and blood began to flow from both sides of her body.
Passersby at Hua Man Lou were stunned by the scene, letting out cries of terror.
Zhong Li's lips trembled, unable to believe she hadn't saved Qiong'er. She turned her fingers over, looking at the small piece of sheer fabric clutched in her palm.
Suddenly, she heard a rustling sound. A white object floated into her palm.
She looked up at the sky. The setting sun accompanied paper money, drifting down piece by piece.
A moment later.
Zhong Li sat before a golden nanmu wood table. Opposite her was Shen Tu Jue, who had been enjoying himself in the room earlier. Trembling beside them stood the madam, who had been dreaming of counting money.
"Lord Zhong, this old servant truly doesn't know what happened," the madam replied timidly, wiping the cold sweat from her brow. "I wasn't there at the time, how could I know she would take her own life?"
Zhong Li remained silent, her gaze fixed on Shen Tu Jue.
Shen Tu Jue's clothes were slightly disheveled. He glanced at Zhong Li. "Does Young Master Zhong suspect me..."
"Special Envoy," Zhong Li interrupted, "I never use 'I suspect' to make a judgment. Your presence here does not mean I have concluded anything about the case. It's just that when Qiong'er had her accident, only you, Qiong'er, and the maidservant who was screaming were in the chamber, so you are on the list of suspects. Do you understand?"
"I..." Shen Tu Jue wanted to say more, but he found Zhong Li's words unanswerable. He mumbled, "I didn't kill her, anyway."
Zhong Li said, "Alright, since Special Envoy says so, then tell me, what were you doing when Qiong'er jumped?"