Chapter 11 The Amazing Lychee Garden (Part 11) Had he also frequented brothels? ...
Shortly after the meal, Du Zhong cleared the table and was about to invite Qi Xubai when he reached the corridor. Jiu Li, still remembering what had just been said, chased after him and pulled him aside, asking, "What exactly is that place in Quzhong? Why won't any of you tell me?"
Du Zhong turned his head to look at the window, and seeing that the bedroom window was tightly closed, he dared to turn his head back and ask, "Think about who Rouge is?"
"They're just girls from brothels."
"That's it then, since Quzhong is a place where brothels and brothels are clustered together."
Jiuli rolled her eyes, revealing a disdainful look. "What's there to hide?"
Du Zhongzhi stared at her and shook his head, "What unmarried young lady is like you, asking such questions? Aren't you ashamed?"
"You men go to those kinds of places for entertainment without any shame, but I'm ashamed just for asking? That's just outrageous. I'm going to ask anyway!"
Suddenly, a cough came from inside the window. The two fell silent and went their separate ways. Jiu Li, preoccupied with the medicine she had promised Xiao A Jin, turned around and diligently brewed a bowl of fresh tea, bringing it into the inner room and placing it on the desk with a smile.
Yu Qi glanced at her while holding his pen, then continued writing the prescription with his head down. "You haven't improved in any other skills these past two years, but you've certainly become better at annoying people."
His eyes were sunken on either side of his nose, and his two rows of eyelashes were like curtains, half-hidden, making it impossible to tell whether he was truly angry or not. Jiu Li could only force a smile and chuckle, "Uncle is as magnanimous as a prime minister, he wouldn't really be angry with me."
"Don't compare me to that Xu Qing. Speak, what is it?"
She tiptoed and lowered her head slightly. "Look at you, I'm just making you a bowl of tea. Do you think I have something to say?"
"You're being so kind for no reason. How many bowls of tea can you make for me all year round?" He couldn't help but smile, flipping open a piece of paper and writing another one.
Jiuli looked at his seemingly indifferent smile and smiled back, as if they were in sync, both recalling a small incident from a few years ago.
She was twelve or thirteen years old that year. He had just returned home from treating patients. On a whim, she tried to make him a bowl of flower tea using an ancient recipe. She brought it to his door, but suddenly felt a sense of trepidation, like being close to home, and dared not go in.
He took out the prescriptions from his medicine box and was organizing them for future reference when he noticed her hiding outside the door. He haphazardly put the prescriptions aside, sat down behind his desk, and beckoned to her, saying, "What are you doing standing outside so suspiciously? Come in if you need anything."
She muttered to herself, then came in and placed the teacup in front of him with a haughty expression. "Who's been sneaking around? I wouldn't have bothered making you this tea if I'd known."
Yu Qi saw the faded flower petals floating in the bowl and noticed a large blister on her hand, which angered him. "Stop doing these trivial things. Spend your time reading books and learning needlework."
She stormed off in a huff, secretly vowing not to speak to him for a month. But before she could retaliate, he was out seeing patients again just two days later.
As she grew older, they seemed to drift further apart. He gradually stopped being the same as when they were children, when he would casually pull her onto his lap and tell her a couple of stories. Eventually, he even stopped going into her room much. Most of the time, she would go to his room on her own initiative, and he would often brush her aside, his gaze always wandering elsewhere, never lingering on her for long.
Her mother, who was with her, said that even when a girl grows up, she should avoid her father, let alone an uncle who is not related to her by blood. At first, she was very dismissive of this, but gradually, she felt that there was a mysterious charm to it, like hearing someone on the roof at night, the footsteps were quiet and lurking, making people both afraid and curious in the darkness.
She leaned down towards him, resting her elbows on the table and supporting half her face with her hand. "Uncle, could you please have someone go back and fetch two of those pills you prescribed for me?"
Yu Qi still didn't look at her. "I prepared several kinds of pills. Which one are you talking about?"
"It's the one that nourishes qi and blood."
What are you going to do with it?
"I promised Xiao Ajin two pills."
He finally put down his pen, raised his face and smiled, "Alright, two pills for one tael of silver, you've got some business acumen."
"What? I promised her this for nothing, how could she possibly afford it?"
He put his arms on the table and clasped his hands together. "You're quite the kind-hearted one. Do you know that the main ingredient in my pills is ginseng? You just give away two pills to people for free. I think you should give her this family business as well. You can go beg for food and let her be this pampered young lady of the Yu family."
Jiuli pouted and glared at him, "When did you become so opportunistic and forgetful of principles?"
"I've always been this way."
The Yu family had been poor in the past, so although Yu Qi was not stingy, he was never one to be charitable. She had no choice but to sullenly turn her skirt and leave, taking the bowl of tea with her.
He pushed open the window and saw her pass by, glancing at him casually before slamming the door shut as she went back inside. He chuckled helplessly, then, seeing Du Zhong leading Xu Bai in through the opposite doorway, his smile faded. He gathered up the prescriptions and went out into the outer room.
On the way, Xu Bai pondered that Yu Qi was usually unfriendly, so the reason he had been invited today was probably because the county magistrate was urging him to bring Jiu Li and Du Zhong to court. Therefore, fearing that Yu Qi would be angry, he respectfully bowed as soon as he entered the door. After standing up, he belatedly realized that Yu Qi was just a commoner, so why was he always inexplicably afraid of him?
Yu Qi also waved one hand in a mocking manner, "I am just a commoner, how can I be worthy of such a great courtesy from Lord Qi? Lord Qi, please have a seat. I have a few questions related to the case. If it does not involve any official secrets, please speak frankly."
"What would you like to ask, sir?"
"The magistrate once asked Guan Zhan, who lived next door to Lin Mo. According to him and his friend, on the night Lin Mo died, he was drinking and staying overnight in his friend's room?"
Xu Bai guessed that his involvement in this matter was nothing more than for Jiu Li and Du Zhong. As the saying goes, three cobblers are equal to one Zhuge Liang. Moreover, Yu Qi's prescription was unconventional, using medicine and swords in an unorthodox way. He must have some unconventional insights in other matters as well. Helping to come up with ideas would be a good thing.
Therefore, he was happy to explain in detail: "That's right. Guan Zhan's friend is surnamed Zhang. They knew each other outside the Liyuan Garden. When the two of them were questioned separately, their answers were consistent. They both said that only the two of them were drinking in Master Zhang's house that night. The time Guan Zhan went there was also about the same. If it wasn't something the two of them had planned beforehand, then it was indeed the truth."
"But I heard that Guan Zhan only calmed down for a few days when he was seriously ill after entering the garden. Once he was better, he started to seek pleasure every day. Even now that he has recovered, he still refuses to leave, just to linger in the garden. Why didn't he seek out beautiful women to keep him company that night? These playboys come to drink together at night, which is exactly the time when they need beautiful women to accompany them. Lord Qi is also a scion of a noble family, so he should know these people's habits and nature better than I do."
Xu Bai suddenly realized that he had heard of Guan Zhan before. The Guan family was a wealthy merchant family in Nanjing, running many businesses. Guan Zhan, relying on his family's wealth and outstanding appearance, had always been a Zhao Zilong in the world of pleasure. If he was indeed like that, then it was somewhat unusual that he was drinking alone with Master Zhang that night.
He frowned and murmured, "Sir, are you saying that Guan Zhan intentionally hid in Master Zhang's room that night? But what was he hiding from?"
"I think he's probably hiding from a woman named Rouge."
"Rouge?" Xu Bai shook his head. "Never heard of her. Who is she?"
Yu Qi glanced at him with a hint of disdain. "Lord Qi comes from a scholarly family, so it's not surprising that you haven't heard of this person before. But to investigate for two days and still not know? Isn't that a bit negligent? Rouge is a female patient, a woman working at the brothel. She seems to have some connection with Guan Zhan. I suspect that Guan Zhan was attracted to Rouge's beauty, but once he got what he wanted, he got tired of her. However, Rouge is used to using methods to entangle men, and after a while, Guan Zhan could only avoid her. I think that Rouge went to the brothel to look for Guan Zhan that night. She must have met Lin Mo. Why don't you ask her? If she met Lin Mo, and Lin Mo was still alive at the time, then Yu'er and Zhong'er's suspicions can be cleared."
Xu Bai suddenly realized and hurriedly stood up and bowed. "Thank you for your guidance, sir! I had no idea that the interpersonal relationships in this Li Garden were so complicated. I never thought of this. A few days ago, the yamen runners asked everyone in the garden, and probably asked Rouge as well, but why didn't she say anything at the time?"
Yu Qi stood up and smiled. "She probably cares about her reputation. After all, it's not a glorious thing for a woman to avoid her lover."
Jiuli eavesdropped outside the door for a long time, and was surprised when she heard this sentence. Yu Qi actually understood women?
In the countryside, the women he talked to most were old ladies and Aunt Feng, who took care of him; both were elderly women. So where did he get these subtle insights into young women? Could it be that when he went to Suzhou for medical treatment, he also frequented brothels?
Just then, Xu Bai came out to say goodbye and saw her standing under the wall with a somewhat unpleasant expression. He was about to bow when she made a shushing gesture to her lips with one hand and pulled him towards the east room with the other.
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