Chapter 48 Chapter 47 Assassination
Man Niang reached out to take the teacup offered by the yamen runner. This yamen seemed different than she had imagined. She had always harbored a shadow over this place. Back when she was a prostitute, she had heard the advice of an older courtesan: "If you ever feel wronged, never file a complaint at the yamen. One of my sisters once tried to file a complaint, but the runners, upon learning she was a prostitute, ignored her explanation and beat her to death outside the yamen gates. Even her body was thrown into a mass grave."
She was young and inexperienced at the time, and had never seen such a bloody scene. The scene was deeply engraved in her mind. To this day, she still avoids the government office. If she weren't concerned for Rui Niang's safety, she wouldn't even have chosen to report it.
It was precisely because of this incident that she was so afraid of the yamen, but the feeling that Chang Jiao gave her outside was different from those high-ranking officials she had come into contact with on a daily basis. In addition, she was alerted by his words, so she suppressed the fear in her heart and followed him into the yamen.
She took a sip of tea and then set the cup down. She rested her hands on her lap, her eyes fixed on them, not daring to look anywhere else. Chang Jiao noticed her awkwardness and fear and gently began to coax her, "Madam, are you feeling better now? Please tell us the details of what happened so we can investigate the case quickly and get your daughter out of danger."
Man Niang's heart was filled with mixed emotions. She wondered if the other party would still be so gentle after learning her identity. Perhaps it was simply because they didn't know her identity. If they did, they would probably be somewhat disgusted. However, she considered Rui Niang's safety, and since such a thing couldn't be concealed, she tentatively spoke hesitantly, "I own a brothel, and my daughter is the most popular courtesan there. She disappeared into her room for no apparent reason. I know nothing else about what happened."
After she finished speaking, she lowered her head, but then carefully raised her eyes, wanting to see the expression on the other person's face. To her surprise, there was no look of disgust on Chang Jiao's face. He just reached out and stroked his long beard back and forth, as if he was thinking about something.
Seeing this, Man Niang's heart gradually calmed down. At this moment, Chang Jiao seemed to have thought of something and asked thoughtfully, "Has anyone else seen your daughter's appearance?"
Since she could become the most beautiful courtesan in a brothel full of beauties, her appearance must be one in a million. In this case, it is possible that someone coveted her beauty and sent someone to kidnap her.
Man Niang's mind raced through every little detail about Rui Niang, trying to find any useful clues. After pondering for a moment, she shook her head and said firmly, "My daughter usually stays in her room and has never seen outsiders. No one must have seen her face."
Chang Jiao dismissed the idea after hearing Man Niang's words, but he still had doubts in his heart. According to his intuition, this possibility was more likely. However, according to Man Niang's words, since she had never seen anyone outside the brothel, it could only be someone from the brothel.
"Has she ever had any disputes with other girls?" Chang Jiao continued to ask.
This time, Man Niang didn't think and said directly: "Never. She is a non-competitive person. Even if there are minor frictions with others, she will choose to keep quiet and never make a big deal out of it. I heard that the adults meant to suspect the other girls in my building, but this is absolutely impossible. Although the girls may have quarrels on weekdays, they will never do such a thing." Man Niang's tone was firm. She had such confidence in the girls she had trained.
"What's more, Rui Niang basically stays in her room on weekdays and doesn't interact much with those girls. Even the meals are delivered to her door by the maids." Man Niang's tone was a little anxious at this time. She was afraid that Chang Jiao would become suspicious of the girls in the brothel, so she hurriedly spoke to defend them.
Chang Jiao just silently memorized the name Rui Niang in his heart. He stood up. When Man Niang saw this, she also quickly stood up behind him. Her eyes were a little evasive, and she didn't know what to do.
Seeing Chang Jiao preparing to walk out, she quickly reached out and grabbed him. This was a subconscious action that even she didn't react to. After she realized what she had done, she quickly let go of the hand that was holding Chang Jiao's sleeve and walked back a few steps at a loss.
Chang Jiao didn't take it too seriously. He explained his purpose to reassure Man Niang, "I have to take someone to that girl's room to take a look. Don't you think it's inconvenient to put it there?"
Although Man Niang wasn't familiar with the official investigation's procedures, she knew Rui Niang's room was her last location before she disappeared, and it must be crucial to the case. She couldn't stand in their way. "Of course it's convenient, but this building is mostly populated by women. I'd like to ask you gentlemen to be careful during the search and not disturb the more timid girls," Man Niang expressed her concerns.
Chang Jiao only then realized his inappropriateness and quickly apologized to Man Niang: "It was my negligence. Since Madam is afraid of disturbing the girls in the building, I will go and check it out alone."
Man Niang was somewhat surprised by his words, not only because he had admitted his faults and even offered to apologize, but also because she was shocked that he had proposed going alone. Some officials in the capital always made grand appearances, accompanied by countless servants, fearing they would be targeted by assassins.
She was about to open her mouth to offer some advice, but her acquaintance had already stepped out of the door. Seeing this, she could only hurriedly catch up and pray in her heart that this gentleman would not get into trouble in her brothel.
Chang Jiao did not choose to ride a horse or a carriage. The former was because riding a horse in a busy city would disturb the people, and the latter was because riding a carriage was too time-consuming and labor-intensive. It would be better to stroll around the capital and appreciate the hustle and bustle of the city.
After walking for about half an hour, they arrived at Man Niang's brothel. It was located in a secluded alley. Man Niang had purchased it because she was running low on savings. Initially, she worried about the location affecting her business, but she later realized that its secluded location made it easier for high-ranking officials who preferred to remain hidden, leading to a boom in business.
Although Daliang's laws strictly prohibit officials from engaging in promiscuous activities, the emperor on the throne obviously has no time to pay attention to such trivial matters. As long as they do it covertly, there will naturally be no problem.
Chang Jiao took off his outermost official uniform, his Shanghai-style clothes stained with the scent of the brothel's powder, and then followed Man Niang inside. Man Niang's return took quite a while, so much so that by the time they returned to the brothel, it was already dark. Normally, at this time of day, the brothel's entrance would be jammed with carriages, but today it seemed a little deserted.
Occasionally, a few carriages arrived, but they were persuaded to leave by the girls standing in front of the door. Man Niang knew that Chang Jiao was coming to investigate a case today, so she asked the two girls waiting in front of the yamen to go back first and let them notify everyone that the brothel would not be accepting customers today.
This created a deserted scene. The two entered the building, which was decorated with colorful lights and silks fluttering in the air. On normal days, there would be girls dancing among the silks. There were quite a few girls waiting at the table, but their faces were filled with anxiety and worry.
The moment they saw Man Niang, all the girls stood up, walked over to her, and held her hand. Man Niang smiled and said, "It's okay, it's okay."
"This is the prefect of the capital city. He has come to the building specially to investigate a case. You can all go back to your rooms first, and I will leave this case to Mr. Chang." Man Niang did not forget to introduce Chang Jiao next to her, and showed concern for the girls.
These girls bowed to Chang Jiao very obediently and then turned back to their rooms, while Man Niang took Chang Jiao to a courtyard at the back.
This place was planned when Man Niang bought it. The tall building in the front was used to entertain guests, while the many small courtyards in the back were converted by Man Niang into rooms for the girls to live in.
Man Niang led Chang Jiao through several courtyards before arriving at Rui Niang's residence. Rui Niang preferred quietness, so the courtyard she lived in was a bit out of the way. However, there was something strange about the rooms in this courtyard, which caught Chang Jiao's attention.
"As I walked along, I saw that the surrounding courtyards were only one-story. How come there is an attic above this courtyard?" Chang Jiao asked with some confusion.
"This courtyard was built by the owner at that time for his youngest daughter. Because his daughter liked to look into the distance from a high place, he added an attic in this courtyard. Rui Niang chose this courtyard because of this attic." Man Niang thought of the scene that day, a trace of nostalgia and a smile appeared on her face.
Chang Jiao didn't say anything, just nodded, then opened the door and walked in. The room's ornaments and cosmetics were scattered on the floor, a mess. Chang Jiao walked over, his hands brushing against the edge of the bed. He noticed a bump and focused his gaze on it. It turned out to be the marks left by a few fingernails, and he understood.
These marks must have been left when Rui Niang resisted. There was also some dust on his hands, which indicated that these marks had been there for quite some time. "You said at the time that the maid who delivered the food noticed something was wrong and opened the door? Where is this maid now? Can I see her?"
"Yes, I have just sent someone to call this maid. She will be here soon." Man Niang knew that Chang Jiao would definitely look for this maid to question, so she sent someone to call her early.
Chang Jiao nodded, admiring Man Niang's attentiveness, and then prepared to continue looking around the room.
Just as his body approached the window, suddenly, a cold light flashed, and the window was destroyed from the outside, and several black figures broke in through the window.
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