“When Xie Xu first returned to Jinzhou, he was doing well! The entire Xie residence was considered a prominent family estate in Jinzhou. But no matter how strong they were, they couldn't withstand such extravagance,” Qi Shui Shui said, emitting a cold snort from her nostrils.
“You two are not from Jinzhou, are you? Everyone local knows that the head of the Xie family has kept many concubines in his mansion these past few years. He would often redeem girls or reward others with money. Originally, the Xie family had no other source of income in Jinzhou, and within a few years, it became an empty shell.
Otherwise, Xie Xu wouldn't owe me so much money and still not repay it.”
“You say he bought concubines?” Zhong Li asked.
Qi Shui Shui nodded and added, “But that was many years ago. Nowadays, his household is like this; many of the beautiful ones have run away, leaving only the second and third concubines, those two who aren't particularly attractive. As for the first wife? Who knows what kind of monster she looks like!”
“Since he bought concubines and frequented brothels, do you know if Xie Xu has any hidden ailments?” Zhong Li asked again.
“Hidden ailment?” Qi Shui Shui didn't understand at first. Upon seeing Zhong Li’s hesitant and awkward expression, she, being well-versed in human nature, instantly understood and shivered, saying, “How would I know that? Don’t scare me.”
“You don’t know?” Qi Shui Shui’s words caught Lu Wu Xie’s attention, and he frowned at her.
Qi Shui Shui straightened her body and said, “Yes, every time Xie Xu came here, he just listened to music and then left. How could I possibly know?”
After she finished speaking, as if realizing something, she quickly covered her mouth.
Lu Wu Xie continued to stare at her.
Qi Shui Shui, knowing she was in the wrong, avoided his gaze and said, “But you can’t blame me. It was Mr. Xie who was willing to pay me for his stay, but couldn’t perform. I couldn’t force him, could I?”
In the entertainment venues of the Southern Yue Kingdom, whether day or night, the price for listening to music and the price for intimate interaction were worlds apart. Qi Shui Shui charged a high price yet did not provide a service to match. Furthermore, she claimed the Xie family owed her money, which sounded a bit greedy.
Zhong Li was not concerned with whether the money was too much or too little, or who was at an advantage or disadvantage. She only wanted to confirm one thing now: “Qi Shui Shui, I’m only asking you one thing now. Is it that Xie Xu was unwilling, or that he was incapable?”
Qi Shui Shui looked at Zhong Li, a hint of suspicion rising in her heart. These two, looking at them, didn’t seem like they were here for a romantic rendezvous.
Seeing this, Lu Wu Xie casually took out a silver ingot from his sleeve and said, “Miss Qi, as long as you tell us, this silver is yours.”
Although Qi Shui Shui’s heart was with her beloved at this moment, when faced with money, she would choose the latter.
She snatched the silver from the table, skillfully tucked it into her bodice, and her initial impatience vanished. “Whether Xie Xu is capable or not, I don’t really know.
But I can provide a clue. I tried to seduce Mr. Xie before. Guess what?”
Zhong Li and Lu Wu Xie exchanged glances and both shook their heads.
Qi Shui Shui chuckled, “He’s completely incapable! For this matter, I even comforted him for a long time!”
“Comforted?” Lu Wu Xie, being a keen observer of human nature, noticed that Qi Shui Shui’s eyes only flickered slightly while speaking. He smiled coldly, “Was it comfort, or a threat?”
Qi Shui Shui was stunned and looked at Lu Wu Xie with disbelief, saying, “Don’t slander me, I…”
“Clang!”
Before Qi Shui Shui could finish speaking, Zhong Li, having no desire to listen to her nonsensical chatter any longer, coldly threw her waist token onto the table.
Although Qi Shui Shui was just a courtesan, she was experienced. She recognized the waist token from the Dali Temple.
She raised her eyes, her gaze shifting between Zhong Li and Lu Wu Xie. She timidly replied, “I… I only said it once or twice, asking Xie Xu to bring money to support me. After that, it was Xie Xu’s voluntary choice. I truly didn’t force him anymore. In fact… in fact, to be worthy of that money, I even gave Mr. Xie some medicine. I was truly doing honest business.”
“Medicine, what medicine?” Zhong Li asked.
Qi Shui Shui subtly glanced at her and obediently answered, “What else could it be but the ‘Happy Pill’ specially made by the brothel?”
“Specially made ‘Happy Pill’? What was it made with, and do you have the formula?” Zhong Li pressed.
Qi Shui Shui shook her head, “Every brothel has its own secret medicine. Only the madam has the formula; how would I have it?”
Zhong Li narrowed her eyes.
“However!” Qi Shui Shui, demonstrating her skill at reading the wind, changed her tone, “I have one hidden right now. Please wait a moment, the two of you.”
Saying that, she quickly walked behind the bead curtain and soon reappeared with a small box in her hand. She opened the box, revealing a single pill.
Zhong Li took it and sniffed it.
After a while, Lu Wu Xie asked, “How is it?”
Zhong Li shook her head, her meaning clear: this medicine was not the blister beetle poison found on Xie Xu.
“Qi Shui Shui, I’m asking you,” Lu Wu Xie turned to face her, “When did Xie Xu leave here last night?”
Qi Shui Shui thought for a moment and said, “He left before Hai Shi.”
Lu Wu Xie listened and then asked, “How can you prove that?”
“I have a promissory note given to me by Xie Xu as proof.” Saying that, Qi Shui Shui quickly walked to her dressing table and took a piece of Xuan paper from a drawer, handing it to Lu Wu Xie.
Lu Wu Xie took it to examine, and Zhong Li also leaned in.
They saw the date written on it: the first day of the twelfth lunar month.
Today was the third day of the twelfth lunar month, and Xie Xu was found burned to death in his room on the second day. It seemed Qi Shui Shui was not lying.
Lu Wu Xie, being cautious, scanned the amount of money on the paper. After a moment of thought, he said, “Are you sure Xie Xu wasn’t with you on the night of the second?”
Qi Shui Shui looked at Lu Wu Xie’s fingertips tapping on the amount of silver on the IOU. Her cheeks flushed, but she still nodded.
Zhong Li, who didn’t understand the ways of brothels, could see from Qi Shui Shui’s expression that there was an inappropriate embarrassment.
She leaned in for a closer look and saw that the amount written under Lu Wu Xie’s fingertip was one hundred taels. She could guess that such a large sum of money should have been for an entire night’s stay.
If Qi Shui Shui was telling the truth, wasn’t this just blatant deception and extortion?
“Since he wasn’t with you, where were you that night?” Lu Wu Xie’s lips curved into a cold smile as he asked.
Qi Shui Shui was startled, not expecting the two people opposite her to ask such a question. Although she was reluctant to say, she knew that without evidence, she would be held responsible for Xie Xu’s death. Helplessly, she stammered, “With… with Young Master Xiao…”
Lu Wu Xie’s eyes narrowed.
Hearing this, Zhong Li instantly understood. So, Qi Shui Shui was taking Xie Xu’s money to meet her own lover!
Making money and having love, she was quite calculating.
Qi Shui Shui noticed the stern gaze from the other side. She pouted and explained, “My lords, although I know what I did was not proper, Mr. Xie was willing when he wrote this note. I did not force him in the slightest. At most, this note is invalid, right?”
Zhong Li looked at the aggrieved-looking Qi Shui Shui opposite her. She truly deserved to be the star courtesan of the Hundred Beauties Pavilion; her ability to feign pity and garner sympathy was exceptional.
However…
She glanced at Lu Wu Xie beside her. She had initially thought he might be moved by Qi Shui Shui’s demeanor. But today, he was different from usual. His thin lips were pursed, and his expression was stern, showing no hint of tenderness or pity.
“Do you recognize this person?” Zhong Li took out a drawing from her怀 and showed it to Qi Shui Shui.
Qi Shui Shui opened it. Upon seeing the person in the drawing, she showed surprise, “This… I know her. Her name is Xie Xiao Yun.”