Beijing Three

After waiting for the guards to patrol and avoiding them for a while, she finally managed to sneak into Huanniang's bedroom without making any noise. Aruo had been to her bedroom before and knew that it was full of valuables, so she didn't think it was strange. She went straight to the second floor. There was a perfume room there, which she had been to once before.

"It's so dark..." Although this kind of theft is most suitable for darkness, Aruo is actually a little afraid of the dark. He didn't feel anything when he could hear the hustle and bustle just now, but now it is terrifyingly quiet, and the darkness seems as terrifying as if it is about to swallow people.

After taking several deep breaths, Aruo prepared himself mentally before stepping into the room. He suppressed the urge to light the lamp and quickly flipped through the incense boxes on the shelf.

Most people know that Huan Niang is an expert in perfume making, and that she doesn't sell it to the public. Therefore, besides her beauty, the girls at Furong Tower are best known for their alluring fragrances. But in reality, it's not that Huan Niang doesn't sell her perfume to the public; it's just that her methods of doing so are too covert, and whether she sells it or not is entirely up to her mood.

The fragrance in brothels is always different from that in decent homes. Outsiders only know that the fragrance mixed by prostitutes is overbearing and erotic, but few people notice that although the fragrance mixed by prostitutes is different, there is an indescribable sweetness at the end, which is coquettish but not greasy, and very seductive. I vaguely heard that some hypocritical women use it to add to the fun and flirt.

That scent was a bit like the foreign women she'd met in the Western Regions a few years before. They loved making this kind of fragrant powder, supposedly containing a spice grown in their homeland, called ylang-ylang or some other orchid. Aruo had bought some as a gift before, but because it didn't quite match the temperament and charm of a Central Plains woman, the person disliked it and ended up using it to smoke mosquitoes. She had a deep impression of this fragrance.

"Found it! It's indeed this smell!" Aruo smelled the familiar smell and exclaimed in surprise.

The next moment, a hand suddenly stretched out from behind her and took the incense box from her hand.

Aruo screamed subconsciously, but was quickly covered by another hand. Her back was pressed against a chest, and a clear and domineering aura quickly swept over her body.

Her whole body was emitting danger signals. Aruo stood stiffly and turned around suddenly. She couldn't see anything in the darkness, but she felt that the person was almost a head taller than her, and his aura was very weak. He was a master!

Before she could react, she was pinned against the wall and a familiar voice rang out in the darkness.

"It's you? What are you doing here?"

Su Zirui!

Aruo choked and shook her head subconsciously, only to realize that he was still covering her, his hand almost covering most of her face tightly. How could he still recognize her like this?

Someone with excellent night vision could easily see the fear in her eyes and determined that she would not scream. Su Zirui let her go and looked down at her condescendingly, his cold and bright eyes showing no emotion.

An invisible sense of oppression enveloped Aruo. She grabbed the clothes at her side and whispered, "I... smelled a fragrance when Sister Xian was in trouble..."

"So. Do you think you can investigate it yourself? Do you think you are a constable or a guard?" He didn't expect that the clues that the Ministry of Justice had investigated for so long were noticed by this girl first, and she even rashly sneaked in alone. Su Zirui narrowed his eyes and said unhappily.

"I, I'm not... I just want to make sure, that, even if I go and tell you, you will definitely believe it." She is not stupid. Even if she is discovered, she has a backup plan. After all, Cai Xin should be back to the door by now.

"How did you get in?" Seeing that she showed no regrets, Su Zirui had a rare urge to strangle her.

"I'm here to find Sister Ruxian." Aruo said honestly. This man was too scary and too insightful. If he lied, he would probably die miserably.

"Do you know how much trouble your reckless behavior will bring me?" Su Zirui said in a deep voice, who quickly took the dominant position.

"Aren't you just drinking wine? Why are you here with a beauty in your arms? No, when did you come here? Where is Sister Ruxian?" Oh no, she had to hurry back.

Aruo no longer cared about the incense box and hurriedly pushed him away. If she really found anything, she would hand it over to the Ministry of Justice anyway, so this way she could save herself some effort.

"Wait!" Su Zirui's ears twitched slightly. He grabbed her arm, pulled her to the window, and opened it a crack. "Someone is coming!"

"So fast?" Aruo moved closer and saw the guard walking towards him.

She came over rashly, her forehead almost hitting his jaw. Su Zirui leaned back very quickly, with a look of slight disgust on his face, "No more hurry, do you know how much time you have wasted?"

"You talk as if you're looking for something too." Aruo curled her lips and glanced at him. With the light and shadow from the window, she could at least see him clearly. He had the unique fragrance of the girls from Furong Tower mixed with some alcohol, but his eyes were clear and calm, and he didn't look like someone who had sneaked in and was about to be discovered.

"What should we do now? How about pretending to be a thief and breaking out? Your martial arts skills are definitely better than theirs anyway. I'll just pretend to have discovered the thief, so that we can both escape safely." Aruo suggested. She couldn't let Ruxian get involved.

Su Zirui didn't bother to pay attention to such a bad idea, and just looked at her with contempt. He quickly looked around, thinking about the nearby location, and suddenly paused. He looked at Aruo and asked, "Can you swim?"

"I can swim, so what?" Aruo said inexplicably. She could swim because she was afraid of death, and there were no lifebuoys in ancient times.

"Miss Qi, I'm sorry." Su Zirui raised his eyebrows and said solemnly, suddenly reaching out to pick up the girl in front of him by the waist.

"Eh?" Aruo, who was suddenly lifted into the air, was unable to react and stared at him blankly.

Su Zirui glanced at her, and without saying a word, he carried her to the other side of the window, opened it, and threw the person in his hand out without any hesitation!

Aruo didn't have time to scream, and fell into the lotus pond with a splash the next second.

"Ah——" the maidservant who heard the noise screamed, "Someone jumped into the water! Help come quickly——"

The guards nearby heard this, gestured, and headed towards the lotus pond. The little maid, realizing she had disturbed the guests, panicked and covered her mouth, pointing at the lotus pond.

Su Zirui watched the person in the pool pop out of the water a few times and swim to the edge of the pool. He smiled slightly and slipped out of the dormitory silently.

In the fairy-like room, the exquisitely carved four-poster bed had its gauze curtains drawn.

"Haqi——"

The person with half-wet long hair wrapped in a brocade quilt sneezed exaggeratedly, pulled out a handkerchief with difficulty to wipe his nose, and then threw it away in disgust.

Ruxian sighed softly, put down the round fan in her hand, and poked her forehead with her slender fingers without any hesitation. "Serves you right! Who told you to run to the front yard and fall into the pond?"

"How could I have known that I would encounter such a shocking side..." Aruo showed half of his face pitifully, looking at the woman in red dress who was as gorgeous as a peony with an accusing look, "A whip, still whipping... that thing. I didn't expect Ruhua, who is usually so gentle and weak, to be so fierce when she gets into business..."

She was truly astonished. She hadn't expected the ancients to be so versatile, and those subtle poems were incredibly subtle. Ruhua was as beautiful as a lotus in her dress, but she looked even taller and more voluptuous without it. She looked nothing like Ruxian, who looked delicate and frail. Even that customer's figure wasn't as good as hers... No wonder she could play with those tools.

Hearing this, Ruxian glared at her and said angrily, "You're a girl, and you're peeking! Aren't you ashamed?"

His tone was harsh, but the beauty had naturally charming eyebrows and eyes, which were so sparkling that it made people's bones soften. There was no trace of blame in his tone.

"It's just SM... It's not like I haven't seen it before..." Aruo muttered vaguely, not daring to object loudly. Although Ruxian was a brothel owner, she hated her vulgar language.

Fortunately, when she climbed out of the pond, she saw the door that the maid had accidentally knocked open when she fell, and she found the stairs naturally. Aruo had no idea that it was because of her terrifying appearance with long hair covering her face when she climbed out that the maid fell to the ground and disturbed the guests.

"What are you talking about!" Ruxian patted her head in annoyance and said softly, "Next time, don't step through the backyard door. Be careful that people will mistake you for a girl and bully you."

As if hearing something funny, Aruo pointed at himself and said, "Me? Are you sure you're not treating me as a maid?"

She was very self-aware. Although her appearance was pretty, she was too lazy to dress up and she was out and about all year round, so her skin was not very delicate. Secondly, there were only beautiful women of varying heights here, so she really didn't think such a thing would happen.

"You are so self-deprecating. If you change your clothes, you can be a lovely girl." Ruxian smiled and shook her head, wiping her hair. The touch of her hands made her frown slightly, "Look, your hair is so dry. Can't you take care of yourself? Ning Caixin didn't take good care of you?"

"I'm more or less taking care of her." Aruo said as a matter of course. For many years outside, she had always helped Caixin to ward off evil spirits, evil spirits and lechers.

Ruxian touched her cheek, her face slightly displeased, her eyes slightly dark. Seeing her nonchalant expression, Ruxian could only swallow what she wanted to say.

"You, remember to drink some ginger soup later, so you don't catch a cold and get sick." Ruxian reminded her and straightened her dress.

"Do you have any other customers?" Aruo lamented that the top waitress was also busy.

"The guest has left, but I still have to clean up the mess you made." Ruxian glared at her, "Luckily the guest had something urgent to do and left, otherwise Huanniang would have fined you."

"I don't have any money, and the person belongs to my little Caixin." Aruo said decisively, buried himself in the quilt and rolled into the bed.

"You have no conscience." Ruxian was so angry that she threw the fan over, but because she didn't have enough strength, it landed lightly in front of her.

"Don't be angry, sister. Be careful not to hurt your hands." Aruo poked his head out and comforted her with a smile.

"Hmph, the person already belongs to someone else, why are you still worrying about me?" Ruxian turned around and pretended to leave.

"Hey, no, no, no," the person in the quilt stretched out his arms to hug Ruxian's waist, his hair disheveled as he leaned forward to give her a kiss, "It's my sin to make a beautiful woman sad, come on, give me a kiss~"

"Get out of the way," Ruxian scolded with a smile, smoothing her messy hair. She then poked her forehead with a green jade finger and tucked her back into the quilt. "You're so frivolous! It's a good thing you're a girl, otherwise you'd have teased all the girls in my building."

"That's because I love all of you sisters, and I don't hesitate to use colorful clothes to entertain you." Aruo arched his back like a bug.

Ruxian's charming smile when she turns around is enough to make everyone lose their minds.

"How can I deal with the charming look in his eyes before he leaves? Not to mention that I am a young man, even a man of stone would be moved by it." Aruo's expression and tone were just right, and he was a great singer and composer, which made Ruxian laugh so hard that she bent over.

"Girl, you just dote on Miss Aruo too much." Xiao Cui supported her master and joked with some envy.

Ruxian paused, raised her hand, and gently stroked her eyebrows, her fingertips stained with the indigo used to draw her eyebrows. She closed her eyes slightly and chuckled softly, "This girl... she needs someone to love her, otherwise she will feel heartbroken."

"Who feels sorry for her?" Xiao Cui was confused and couldn't help asking.

As I stepped into the corridor, I saw Huan Niang personally directing the guards and servants to clean up the flowers and plants that had been damaged by the chaos. She smiled with her fairy-like eyes and walked over with her people.

Inside the dormitory, after everyone left, Aruo crawled out of bed, wiped his nose, and suppressed the urge to sneeze. "Remember this, lunatic named Su... Haqi!"

What normal man would throw a delicate girl into the pool without saying a word? And it was on the second floor! She was so angry!

"Miss Aruo, the kitchen has brought ginger soup. Please drink it quickly." The servant pushed the door open carrying a bowl of steaming ginger soup.

"Sister Ruxian still loves me~" This Furong Tower is so efficient, Ruxian had already prepared it as soon as she left. Aruo took a sip.

Well, it's the sweet taste she likes.

When I stepped out of Furong Tower, it was almost curfew.

"Aruo," Cai Xin, who was strolling back and forth across the street, ran over hurriedly when she saw her, "You finally came out! I was so worried about you."

"Still talking. Didn't I tell you to create some chaos?" Although it was not necessary, Aruo still said a few words to her out of habit.

"Speaking of this, I just met a lecher!" Cai Xin said indignantly, and her fair face turned pale red with anger when she thought of it.

"You've never run into a scoundrel?" Aruo wasn't surprised. Caixin was beautiful, even in coarse clothes, and she often encountered people coveting her beauty. However, they all knew how difficult it was to survive in this world without connections, so they kept a low profile and had good relationships, often encountering people who stood up for justice.

Of course, if you really encounter this situation and no one helps you, you can only deal with it flexibly. A wise man never suffers a loss in front of him.

"No, this is extremely disgusting!" Cai Xin emphasized.

"Really? Tell me about it?" Aruo put his arm around her shoulders and walked into the spring breeze, eager to listen to the story.

"Just now, I wanted to cause an accident at the front door, but that playboy just came out. It's only March, and he was fanning himself like that, what was he doing?..."

The woman's slightly angry voice, mixed with the occasional comforting words, gradually faded away.

In the innermost cell of the Ministry of Justice, Old Chen, dressed in a purple robe, sat quietly with his eyes lowered. On the low table in front of him was an exquisite brocade box, and a faint fragrance lingered in the entire cell.

"Mr. Chen? Mr. Chen?" Beili, sitting cross-legged on the futon, had been waiting for a long time. He couldn't help but raise his hand in front of Mr. Chen, "Are you... asleep?"

Mr. Chen was suddenly startled, and raised his eyes with a smile, "Oh, sorry, I'm old and I like to doze off."

Bei Li was speechless for a moment, but he couldn't be too harsh on that kind old face. He glanced at his superior, who was leaning against the bars with his arms folded, seeking help, but he saw that he had his eyes closed, resting.

Although he was good at observation, the other party was even better at hiding, and Kitasato was not sure whether he was resting or asleep.

Is he the only one working so diligently here? Kitasato wondered.

"Mr. Chen, what's wrong with this incense?"

Before Beili could finish his complaints, Su Zirui suddenly opened his eyes. There was no trace of sleepiness in his eyes, and his clear gaze fell on Old Chen.

Some time ago, after they'd targeted Bai Yong and exchanged blows, Old Chen had smelled this aroma on Su Zirui, who'd engaged Bai Yong in close combat. The usually slow-moving old man's eyes suddenly lit up, and with incredible agility, he pounced on the man and questioned him. Unfortunately, the aroma had almost dissipated; if it weren't for Old Chen, no one would have noticed. Later, when they targeted Bai Yong and fought him again in the gambling house, the scent was gone from him.

It wasn't until Liang Shuxian's tragic death that he smelled the nearly dissipated fragrance on the corpse again. It was very faint, mixed with the smell of blood. If the reckless girl hadn't been the first to lift the white cloth, it would probably have been quickly covered by the smell of blood.

"There's nothing wrong with this fragrance. It's strong but not vulgar, and the aftertaste is sweet but not overbearing. The person who made the fragrance must be an expert." Minister Chen stroked his long beard with a kind smile.

Su Zirui paused for a moment, his eyebrows raised slightly, then tilted his head leisurely, "There have been a lot of cases lately, and I think there's not enough room in the prison. Someone, send Mr. Chen back home."

"Hey hey hey, little kid, why are you so impatient now?" Old Chen immediately straightened his face and glared at him unhappily.

That look inexplicably reminded him of the girl he met tonight. Su Zirui felt a little guilty for the first time in his life. He had never treated a woman like this before, but at that time...that was all. Anyway, she was fine.

Putting aside these strange thoughts, he leaned slightly closer to the brocade box. The fragrance was very strange. When it floated past his nose, he felt that the smell was distant and a little special, but when he took a deep breath, it seemed as if the deep part of his body was touched, and a faint heat rose.

His eyes suddenly darkened, Su Zirui frowned, then looked up at Old Chen who understood everything, "You call this no problem? This is an aphrodisiac incense, right?"

Of course, the presence of aphrodisiac incense in a brothel is not really a problem.

Minister Chen shook his head and said with a smile, "Not really. This fragrance is called Zui Jiao Yan, and its scent is like the fragrance of orchids. It's just an ordinary fragrance for a woman, but if a man takes a deep breath, he will easily become aroused."

"Isn't that an aphrodisiac?" Beili leaned back subconsciously and blurted out.

"Not at all," Minister Chen paused, stroking his beard. "This incense can arouse passion without causing loss of reason. It's simply used to enhance pleasure between couples, and there's nothing wrong with that. On the contrary, it can nourish a woman's body during intercourse. Even the inner court of the imperial palace once offered it as tribute."

Indeed, even a slight agitation could be suppressed with a little self-control. Su Zirui raised an eyebrow and hesitated for a moment, "Have you... used this incense?"

Minister Chen quickly struck him with a blow, "My wife has been dead for many years. Who can I turn to?"

This stupid kid, he didn't even think about the fact that he was already over seventy years old. Even if he wanted to, he couldn't do anything. Compared to this kind of fragrance, he almost smelled the fragrance of willow wood.

"Then why do you care so much about this fragrance?" Su Zirui touched his nose.

Minister Chen suppressed his smile and pondered for a moment before saying, "To make this incense, we need a spice called ylang-ylang, which is only found outside the Great Wall. This spice, when combined with other herbs, can create an extremely potent poison."

Beili and the other two looked stern. "According to the information given by the little ghost, Wang Sheng went to Furong Tower to ask for incense. He also admitted that it was because Liang was about to give birth, so he wanted to give her a surprise gift."

As for this surprise gift, it was just someone else's marital interest, so Beili couldn't say much.

"Bai Yong also has this kind of fragrance on him. Does it mean that there is someone in Furong Tower who is related to Bai Yong?" Bai Yong is the breakthrough point in solving the baby's disappearance. Could he have hidden the baby in Furong Tower?

"No," Su Zirui understood what he meant and said directly, "I searched every possible place in Furong Building where someone could be hiding tonight, but I didn't find anything."

Furong Tower was a brothel, so there weren't many places to hide a child, so they could easily be found. Besides, children weren't adults, and they would always speak, so it was hard to hide them.

"Maybe Bai Yong has a relationship with Huan Niang, or maybe his lover bought Huan Niang's incense... It's not certain yet. But this Liang was cut open and had her baby taken away..." Minister Chen has been an official for many years and has seen many strange cases, but this is the first time he has seen such a bloody and inhumane case.

"If the child isn't dead... he's a baby," Su Zirui said softly. After a moment's thought, he turned to Beili and said, "Since Wang Sheng is no longer a suspect, let him go."

Bei Li nodded in agreement, "I'll take some people out for a walk in the next few days to see if there's any news related to this kind of incense."

Minister Chen thought for a moment, "If the prisoner really knows about Yilan, he probably has a lot of knowledge about making poison. I'll think about how to solve it."

Everyone only knew that the Minister of Justice preferred to live in his cell, but few knew that he was skilled in medicine. It wasn't a deliberate attempt to conceal this, but over time, many who knew about it were gone. Furthermore, his penchant for living in his cell was even more well-known than these skills.

The three of them were silent for a moment, each thinking.

After a while, the subordinate came over quietly, "Sir, someone brought this."

Su Zirui took it and opened it. "Niujiazhuang Village? Who sent it?"

The subordinate shook his head. "He's a small beggar who usually begs in the neighborhood. Nothing unusual. He said someone gave him two cents to deliver the goods, but he doesn't know anything else."

Outside the pass, Furong Tower, the somewhat exotic-looking Huan Niang, Bai Yong, and... the girl who discovered this thing earlier than them. What roles do these completely unrelated people play in this case?

Su Zirui lowered his eyes to hide the cold light in them.