Chapter 49: The Flower That Likes to Eat Meat

At night.

On the second floor of Caiyifang, the incense in the side room is so strong that it makes people feel warm inside.

On the low couch, Wei Fuxian lay in Madam Hongmei's arms, sobbing. He took the porcelain bowl from Madam Hongmei's hand, closed his eyes, raised his head and drank it all in one gulp. Then the porcelain bowl slipped from his hand and fell to the ground with a crisp sound.

"Madam...will you still let Fuxian serve you tonight?" Wei Fuxian extended a finger and tapped Madam Hongmei's collarbone. Unexpectedly, she didn't react at all, causing Wei Fuxian to groan again. "Madam, why have you been so melancholy these past few days? Normally, you'd be happily enjoying yourself in bed with Fuxian by this time. Yet, you're still sitting here today. My waist hurts."

"Okay, if you are tired, go and rest first." Madam Hongmei cruelly rejected Wei Fuxian's request for sex, and her mind was full of the batch of materials that Luo Qingling mentioned.

Caiyifang has a garden in the suburbs of Beijing, which is dedicated to growing flowers and plants for making dyes. The cloth sold to the lady of the Luo family at the beginning of this spring and the cloth that Wei Er resold to the theater were both dyed with the newly blooming Qianjinhong.

From the selection of materials to the craftsmanship, every step is under her supervision. How could such a strange thing happen?

The more she thought about it, the more headache she felt. Madam Hongmei patted Wei Fuxian's shoulder, indicating that he should join her in bed. Although Wei Fuxian looked displeased, he still obeyed Madam Hongmei's instructions and climbed onto the bed obediently with his head lowered.

The candle was blown out, and the room was pitch black.

After a moment, Wei Fuxian raised his upper body slightly to glance at the closed door, then leaned over to Madam Hongmei, who was sleeping soundly. Seeing this, Wei Fuxian slowly got out of bed and gently pushed open the wooden door of the wing room. His younger brother, Wei Er, was standing by the door.

"Brother," Wei Er saw Wei Fuxian coming out and hurriedly pulled him aside. He didn't have time to wait for Wei Fuxian to speak before he took the initiative and said, "I just resold a few pieces of cloth. How did I offend Prince Rong An?"

"You ask me, but who else can I ask?" Wei Fuxian's face was stern and a bit cold. He stared at Wei Er for a long time and continued.

"Brother told you long ago not to do this. Just manage the warehouse honestly. Once Madam Hongmei gives in, I'll find a way to bring you to the capital. Why didn't you listen to my advice?"

"I...I..." Wei Er's face was tense. He looked around and then leaned close to Wei Fuxian's ear and whispered, "I saw him kill someone! I...I was afraid he would come looking for me, so I had to hide!"

"who?"

"Liu Chang, son of Lord Liu of the Jinwu Guard."

*

The next morning.

The prince's carriage stopped in front of the Luo Mansion. Unlike yesterday, Madam Hongmei from Caiyifang also arrived in a carriage from the workshop. Madam Hongmei spotted Luo Qingling from afar and greeted him with a smile.

"Madam Luo, yesterday I was thinking that the fabric was made by our Caiyifang after all. Now that something like this has happened, as the owner of the workshop, I naturally cannot sit idly by. Today I will take the two nobles to visit Caiyifang's garden in the suburbs of Beijing." Madam Hongmei was still speaking enthusiastically. She stretched out her hand to pull Luo Qingling onto her carriage, but heard the young man beside her cough.

Seeing this, Madam Hongmei's eyes flickered, and she understood. She barely let go of Luo Qingling's hand and said with a smile, "It was Hongmei who was inconsiderate. How could I let you ride in Caiyifang's carriage?"

"What are you talking about, Madam? Qingling is not a picky person." Luo Qingling didn't react and just thought that Madam Hongmei was being polite, so she explained.

"Ahaha..." Madam Hongmei laughed dryly, her eyes involuntarily glancing at the golden carriage beside her. What was the relationship between these two people? Why did she feel that Madam Luo's reaction seemed a little off? When the young prince had clearly hinted that Madam Luo should get on his carriage, could she have misinterpreted it?

"Madam, let's get on the carriage and continue our discussion..." Luo Qingling took Madam Hongmei's hand first and raised his foot to get on the carriage.

"Luo Qingling."

The voice was clear, with a hint of impatience.

Luo Qingling turned around and saw a pair of slender hands lifting a corner of the curtain from the carriage marked "Qin" behind him, but he didn't see Qin Yanheng's face. Seeing this, Luo Qingling said coldly, not quite understanding what Qin Yanheng meant.

Madam Hongmei was present today, so it was impossible for a man and a woman to ride in the same carriage together, right? She and Qin Yanheng were both unengaged, so how could such a high profile be so inappropriate? She didn't want to ride in the same carriage with Qin Yanheng!

"Madam, let's get in the car." Luo Qingling turned his head back and said to Madam Hongmei.

Madam Hongmei's eyes wandered between the man and the carriage for a long moment. She brushed off Luo Qingling's hand and forced a smile, "Hongmei almost forgot. The carriage is now piled high with cloth. I'm afraid... I'm afraid there's not enough room for two people."

"Luo Qingling, if you hesitate any longer it will be dark." Qin Yanheng's voice came from inside the car curtain. His tone was calm, giving off a feeling of "You can just delay the time, I will accompany you and waste time slowly."

With a determined heart, Luo Qingling sighed and moved to get on Qin Yanheng's carriage. His slender hands seemed to have eyes, and they lifted the curtain before she got on. It seemed that the people inside had been waiting for her for a long time.

The curtain fell before her eyes, and Madam Hongmei's gossipy eyes caught her eye. Luo Qingling couldn't help but glance at Qin Yanheng, thinking to herself: She and he weren't very familiar with each other now, so wasn't she afraid of causing misunderstandings by doing this?

"Madam Luo, please don't worry about whether people will misunderstand us if we ride in the same carriage together." Qin Yanheng sat opposite her, closing his eyes and pretending to be asleep.

Hearing this, Luo Qingling finally felt relieved. Since Qin Yanheng had said so, he must have his own way. Besides, Qin Yanheng was now of marriageable age, yet there was no one in the backyard. He must have a lover, otherwise he wouldn't be so resistant to getting along with other young ladies.

"The story of you and I catching a monster has long been spread throughout the capital. No matter how hard we try to hide it..." Qin Yanheng opened one eye and looked at her, smiling, "it won't change the fact that you and I have been written into the storybook."

Before he finished speaking, Luo Qingling's heart, which had just been put at ease, rose to his throat again.

A storybook? Who had so much free time to write them into a storybook? Besides, isn't it a serious crime to discuss and fabricate stories about members of the royal family in private? Why didn't Qin Yanheng stop them, and instead let them talk nonsense...

"The Queen is watching with great interest." Qin Yanheng added.

It’s so bad!

Luo Qingling puffed up her cheeks with anger. She glared at Qin Yanheng and wanted to say something, but didn't know how to start.

The man slowly raised his eyelids and moved his gaze from bottom to top to her face. Luo Qingling not only felt a surge of heat wherever Qin Yanheng's gaze went, she also silently put the back of her hand against her cheek, trying to cool down her slightly hot skin.

Seeing Luo Qingling like this, Qin Yanheng curled his lips secretly and lowered his eyelids to hide the smile in his eyes. He felt that Luo Qingling looked more and more like a white jade ball. No wonder the immortal in his dream said she was a piece of jade.

But then again, Qin Yanheng didn't know when he had become accustomed to Luo Qingling's presence. If he had to take her along on the southern tour, he wouldn't mind it.

There was silence in the car all the way.

After a while, there was a commotion up ahead, but I didn't know who it was.

"Your Highness, it's Lord Song, Junior Minister of the Dali Temple, and Lord Liu of the Jinwu Guard, who are searching the city," the driver's voice came from outside, muffled through the curtains. "All carriages must now line up and leave the city."

Song Yutai is searching the city? But what big thing happened? Luo Qingling glanced at Qin Yanheng, who frowned and looked sternly, as if thinking about something.

Suddenly, the sound of horse hooves was heard, and someone was talking outside the curtain.

"Brother Heng."

Song Yutai was the only one in the capital who dared to call Qin Yanheng "brother." Song Yutai said from outside the carriage curtain, "Brother, Lord Liu said his wife and son have been missing in the capital for over half a month, and are now..."

"Who gave you the right to seal off the city and search it?"

Qin Yanheng interrupted coldly, and after he finished speaking, he seemed to realize that his tone was a bit fierce. He glanced at Luo Qingling silently. Seeing that the latter did not react, he sighed and instructed: "Song Yutai, this is not the position of Junior Secretary of the Dali Temple. If you want to solve the case quickly, a high-profile city search from the beginning will definitely not work."

"Brother, you are absolutely right. I will order the troops to withdraw immediately."

The carriage moved slowly and no one stopped it.

Luo Qingling quietly lifted the carriage curtain and looked outside, only to see Song Yutai in official uniform sitting on a tall horse, now stretching out his hand to direct the officers and soldiers to retreat. Beside him was a slightly old official, looking at everyone with a sad face. It seemed that this person should be the Lord Liu of the Jinwu Guard who had lost his wife and children as Song Yutai mentioned.

Half an hour later, at Caiyifang Garden.

Two carriages stopped outside the garden, one in front and one behind. Madam Hongmei got out first and followed everyone to welcome Prince Rong'an and the young lady of the Luo family. After obtaining permission from His Royal Highness the Prince, Madam Hongmei warmly hugged Luo Qingling, looking familiar with him, and led the two nobles into the garden.

It is a beautiful spring day now, and the garden is full of flowers in bright red and purple.

"Prince Rong'an, Madam Luo, this place is planted with Croton tiglium. We had a lot of them picked not long ago and used as dye for that batch of cloth." Madam Hongmei walked in front and pointed to the garden not far away.

Luo Qingling looked in the direction of the sound and saw that the hibiscus flowers in the garden were growing exceptionally lushly, and there was no sign that they had just been picked.

"Which bunch of Crimson Crimson is used to make the dye?" Qin Yanheng asked suddenly.

Upon hearing this, Madam Hongmei signaled to the garden servant who was following her. However, the servant shook his head and said apologetically, "To answer Prince Rong'an, there are quite a few hibiscus flowers planted in the garden. When we were picking them, we were shorthanded, so we hired a few people from outside to do the work. I don't know which cluster they picked."

Everyone walked around under the flowers and didn't find anything unusual.

"Make way—ah, ma'am."

At the corner, a woman wearing a headscarf suddenly appeared in front of everyone, carrying two wooden barrels. When she saw Madam Red Rose, her eyes suddenly widened, and then she put the barrels beside her and hurriedly knelt down to salute the nobles.

With the prince present, it was natural for Madam Hongmei to speak up and ask for no formalities. She glanced sideways at Qin Yanheng, who was looking at the wooden barrel with a gloomy look in his eyes.

"Is there meat in this wooden barrel?" Qin Yanheng asked.

Meat? Luo Qingling looked over and saw two large buckets filled with meat. How could a clothing store's backyard hold so much meat?

"In reply to your Excellency, it is indeed meat." The woman didn't know the identity of the young man before her, but judging by his attire, he must be a prominent figure in the capital. She glanced back at the wooden barrel beside her and continued, "Qian Jin Hong likes to eat meat. Bury the meat at the base of the flower now. When the flowering season arrives, the Qian Jin Hong will bloom even more luxuriantly."

"A bunch of flowers that likes to eat meat, how can there be such a strange saying?" Luo Qingling opened his eyes wide.

"Does every croton in the garden have fleshy plants buried at the roots?" Qin Yanheng asked.

"Yes, not a single one will be left out."

Before Luo Qingling could figure out what was going on, Qin Yanheng coldly ordered, "Dig out the best-looking hibiscus on the right side of the courtyard gate for me!"

As soon as he entered the door, he noticed that the cluster of croton dahlias by the door was more luxuriant than any other cluster in the yard. If the amount of fleshy plants in each cluster was about the same, then why were the crotons by the door in better color?

Is there other meat under the flower root?