Chapter 29: Breaking the Greed and Visiting the Brothel
Without a search warrant, even a prince couldn't conduct a direct search. Qin Yanheng had no choice but to continue secretly sending people to monitor the Sun Mansion. He then mounted his horse and was about to whip off when he realized Luo Qingling hadn't followed. He raised an eyebrow and waited for her on his high horse, understanding what was happening.
Inside the Sun Mansion.
"Madam Li, wait a minute."
Luo Qingling stood by the archway and called to Li Qingqing, who was about to leave. She stared back at her expressionlessly, but Luo Qingling didn't care, maintaining a gentle smile. She pulled the medicinal oil she carried from her sleeve, raised her hand, and handed it to Li Qingqing, then smiled at her, "I thought Madam Li might need this."
When interrogating everyone yesterday, Luo Qingling noticed that Li Qingqing's finger was scratched. Although the wound was not big, it was on the fingertip, which must have a great impact on a girl who plays the zither. Not to mention that Li Qingqing is a zither lover. How could she bear not playing the zither for several days?
Luo Qingling then considered sharing his medicinal oil with her. Regardless of whether Li Qingqing was the true murderer of Susu, that wasn't a reason to delay treatment. Thinking this way, Luo Qingling unconsciously smiled at Li Qingqing. After a moment's hesitation, she finally accepted the oil and stood aside in silence.
Seeing this, Luo Qingling turned and left, but the moment she stepped out of the mansion gate, she heard hurried footsteps behind her. She looked back and saw Li Qingqing pushing away the soldiers blocking her way and chasing after her.
"Madam Li, what's going on..." Luo Qingling turned around and looked at Li Qingqing, a gentle smile on his lips.
Li Qingqing trotted over to her, and after calming her breath for a while, she raised her head and looked directly into Luo Qingling's eyes: "If Madam Luo believes Qingqing, then you should thoroughly investigate Hua Manlou."
*
The building is full of flowers.
Perhaps because of what Li Qingqing said before, the two decided to disguise themselves as noblemen from other places and sneak into Hua Manlou to secretly gather information.
Luo Qingling tugged at the wide collar of her clothes. This set of clothes was temporarily borrowed from Qin Yanheng, and it didn't fit her at all. She could only tie the extra fabric behind her back, and once she put on her outer shirt, it covered everything - from the outside, she looked like a handsome young man.
As for Qin Yanheng, he only needed to change his princely attire into a round-necked robe to slightly conceal his nobleness. Of course, his face was too ostentatious. If anyone had seen Qin Yanheng before, they would immediately recognize him as the famous little prince in the capital.
The two men stood in front of Hua Manlou and looked at each other, both seeing a sense of being forced in each other's eyes.
"Your Highness...how about we change to Xuanying?" Luo Qingling was worried that the loose clothes would fall off halfway through the walk, so she covered her chest with one hand and said to Qin Yanheng as she approached.
"Xuanying doesn't know how to solve cases," Qin Yanheng refused expressionlessly. He didn't want to show off like this, but the deceased Susu and the dancer who disappeared into the Sun Mansion with her wet nurse last night were both connected to Hua Manlou. Even if he didn't want to enter Hua Manlou, he had to investigate now.
"It's okay. Madam Luo is pretending so realistically that you don't have to worry about being recognized. It's me who should be worried." Qin Yanheng glanced at the fake mustache on Luo Qingling's lips and couldn't help laughing.
After saying that, Qin Yanheng didn't give Luo Qingling a chance to speak. He climbed the stairs and entered Hua Manlou first.
"Oh, what a rare visitor from out of town."
Mother Zhao came forward and tried to put her bare arm on the visitor, but Qin Yanheng silently dodged. Mother Zhao was not surprised. She just glanced at the unfamiliar newcomer from top to bottom. After seeing the white jade on Qin Yanheng's waist, her smile suddenly deepened. Then she turned to the red-dressed girl standing beside them and said loudly, "Gentlemen, please take a seat——"
The girl in red rushed over upon hearing the noise, bowed slightly and welcomed the two into the room, skillfully revealing her full breasts. The girl couldn't help but look up at the guests a few more times, her eyes full of envy.
The young man walking in front was very tall. Not to mention his broad shoulders and narrow waist, his face alone was stunningly beautiful. The young man following behind him was thin, but his skin was very fair. If you look closely, you can see that his eyebrows and eyes are delicate. He doesn't look like a woman, but he is better than a woman.
They were indeed two "rare guests"—when had such handsome men ever visited Hua Man Lou? The girl in red quietly raised her eyes and glanced at Mother Zhao, who was standing not far away. The latter's eyes were dark, and the girl nodded slightly.
These two people are cheating.
Thinking of this, the girl in red did not show it on her face. She just maintained the welcoming smile and sent the two young masters into the best room in Huamanlou.
In the room.
Luo Qingling pretended to be a regular customer, plopped down at the table, and leaning on the edge with one hand, she looked at the girl in red. She coughed lightly and began to order food in a hoarse voice: "I heard that there is a zither player named...what was it, at Hua Man Lou. I want her to come up and play a piece for me. If she plays well, I will reward her handsomely!"
"Yes, yes, young master, please wait a moment, don't be anxious." The girl in red stretched out her voice and waved her sleeves as she came to Luo Qingling, bending her legs to sit on the latter. Unexpectedly, Luo Qingling suddenly stood up and left as if he didn't see anything, and the girl in red almost fell to the ground.
Why are you still so noble in a place like this? The girl in red snorted inwardly. She took the opportunity to pour wine to get closer to Qin Yanheng, but the latter went even further. He directly pushed her arm away and then wiped his hands with a look of disgust.
What on earth were these two planning to do? The girl in red left with only the words, "I'll have Qin Niang serve you two right now."
Seeing this, Luo Qingling paused. She took small steps towards Qin Yanheng and whispered, "Young Prince, aren't we being too obvious..."
Hearing this, Qin Yanheng raised his eyes to look at the girl in front of him and slowly forced a smile: "It's not just a little obvious, it's very obvious. It's just short of revealing the identity of 'we are here to investigate.'"
A graceful figure appeared at the door. Before Luo Qingling could answer Qin Yanheng, a woman in a light green gauze dress came in slowly, holding a pipa in her hands. She glanced at the two of them, walked into the room silently, sat in the corner and began to play the piano.
In order not to arouse suspicion, Luo Qingling pretended to order a few glasses of wine and interacted with Qin Niang like a regular customer. As for Qin Yanheng, he was naturally drinking tea by himself, glancing at Luo Qingling from time to time, and then a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.
"Would you two gentlemen like to try Hua Manlou's signature dishes?" The girl in red walked in carrying a golden plate with a smile on her face.
"Oh?" Luo Qingling seemed interested. She took a sip of tea, looked at the golden plate in the girl's hand, and asked, "What's the signature dish?"
The sound of a zither tinkled in his ears, extremely pleasant. The red-dressed girl before him placed the jade plate in front of Luo Qingling with both hands, then stood aside with her hands folded as she replied, "This dish is called 'Bohai Imperial Golden Dragon', and it's our most famous delicacy at Hua Man Lou."
The golden fish tail placed on the plate should be a koi carp, filled with cherry flesh, red with gold, it can indeed be called a "golden dragon".
"Bring up any good wine or food you have for me to try!" Luo Qingling picked up the silver chopsticks and started eating. Even if something unexpected happened, Qin Yanheng would definitely be able to rescue her. Besides, this meal didn't cost her any money, so it would be a waste not to eat it.
Seeing that the person beside him didn't move, Luo Qingling took the initiative to pick up a small piece of fish and put it in Qin Yanheng's bowl. After she swallowed the meat in her mouth, she asked, "Why don't you eat it, young prince? This Bohai Royal Golden Dragon is indeed good, worthy of being a signature dish."
Hearing this, Qin Yanheng raised his eyebrows but did not respond.
This dish, "Bohai Imperial Golden Dragon," was specially created by the emperor's chef for a banquet for his ministers last year. It has the sweetness of cherries without a hint of fish. After the palace banquet, it became a regular, a fixture at every banquet. As for Hua Man Lou...it's probably just a replica of the dish's name; its presentation doesn't have the same pristine quality as the imperial chef's.
However, Luo Qingling, who was dressed as a young man in front of him, was looking at him with her hands on her cheeks, with an expectant expression on her face. Qin Yanheng couldn't stand her tricks, so he sighed and picked up the silver chopsticks to take a bite.
"How?" Luo Qingling's eyes sparkled.
"It's just okay," Qin Yanheng frowned, wanting to brush it off, but the moment he looked up, he saw Luo Qingling's somewhat disappointed expression, so he changed his words and said, "...it's just okay."
Before Luo Qingling could reply, the red-dressed girl standing before them noticed Qin Yanheng's expression and asked hurriedly, "Sir, do you think this 'Bohai Royal Golden Dragon' is unpalatable?"
Just now, Mother Zhao specifically told her to treat the two unfamiliar guests well. After all, these two young men were wealthy men, both in appearance and dress.
Qin Yanheng remained silent, and the girl in red continued to explain, "The chef who usually makes this dish has taken leave to go back to his hometown these past two days, and right now, no one in the building can cook better than him..."
"The cook didn't go back home! He went to look for my mother!"
A little boy rushed out from outside the door. He was no more than five or six years old, with a small braid on his head, and he looked thin and pale.
Before everyone in the room could react, Mother Zhao rushed over from somewhere, grabbed the boy's legs and pulled him out. The boy held on to the door tightly with his hands, his face flushed, and he refused to leave.
Whose child is this?
"Put him down."
Qin Yanheng spoke coldly, rising to rescue the boy from Mother Zhao's grasp. However, the sight of the tall, muscular young man frightened the boy, tears welling in his eyes. Luo Qingling couldn't bear to watch, so she handed the boy a piece of peach cake and leaned over to offer gentle guidance.
"What's your name?" Luo Qingling patted the boy's shoulder.
"Xiang'er has no name. Mother didn't give Xiang'er a name, so Xiang'er came to find Mother..." The boy named Xiang'er spoke incoherently, his words full of childishness.
"Then why did you come here to find mother?" Luo Qingling asked.
"Mother is here... The cook said he went to look for her."
Xiang'er's words were confusing, and Luo Qingling was a little confused, but she patiently guided Xiang'er to continue. Unexpectedly, Mother Zhao and the girl in red, standing nearby, pointed at Xiang'er and sternly shouted, "Don't talk nonsense, you ignorant child!"
Mother Zhao was about to continue scolding, but was frightened by Qin Yanheng's glare and closed her mouth. Qin Yanheng slowly walked to Xiang'er, looked down at him, and spoke after a while. His expression was a little stiff, as if he didn't know what tone to use to talk to a child.
"You mean, your mother used to be a member of Hua Man Lou, and the cook didn't ask for leave to go home, but went to look for your mother? How did you know this?"
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