Chapter 37 Each one more elaborate than the last.
The flower girl led the way.
Shen Shu and Lin Wei followed side by side, passing through several corridors, and arrived at a relatively secluded courtyard.
Several banana trees were planted in the courtyard, their large leaves swaying gently in the breeze.
Hua Niang pushed open a wooden door. Inside, the light was dim, and a dozen or so girls dressed in plain clothes were either sitting or standing. When they saw someone come in, they timidly raised their heads, their eyes filled with a hint of unease and curiosity.
Hua Niang stepped aside and smiled at Lin Wei, saying, "My lord, you see, these are all newcomers. They are still young and haven't learned any skills yet, but they are clean."
As soon as Shen Shu stepped across the threshold, her eyes eagerly searched for Fang Lanzhi's figure in the crowd.
Lin Wei looked down at Shen Shu.
Shen Shu shook her head in disappointment.
Hua Niang sensed something was amiss and tentatively asked, "Is Miss Chen looking for someone?"
Shen Shu was taken aback upon hearing this, then looked at Lin Wei and said, "It's nothing, I just feel that the girls here are not quite to the Marquis's liking."
Lin Wei received the look Shen Shu was giving him and was happy to play along: "Hua Niang, is this all the stuff your Yunyan Pavilion has to offer?"
After saying that, he deliberately tapped the folding fan in his hand, his eyes carrying a hint of intimidation.
Seeing this, Hua Niang's forehead broke out in a fine sweat: "All the girls in Yunyan Pavilion are here. If the Marquis is really not satisfied, why not wait a few more days until new girls arrive before making a choice?"
Lin Wei's face was grim as he scrutinized Hua Niang, a sense of foreboding already creeping into his heart: "Are there any sick girls who can't get up and can only rest in their rooms?"
Hua Niang turned pale upon hearing this.
"Of course...of course I have physical discomfort, but I really can't face anyone anymore."
Hua Niang didn't finish her sentence; she was not only too ashamed to face anyone, she was no longer recognizable as human.
With so many patrons at Yunyan Pavilion, it's hard to guarantee that some of the girls won't contract venereal diseases.
Once these girls contracted the disease, they would be secretly sent to the most secluded woodshed in the backyard, where they would be given only scraps of food each day and left to fend for themselves.
Hua Niang was afraid that Lin Wei was deliberately trying to cause trouble, so she was very anxious, but dared not disobey.
She could only bite the bullet and say, "If Your Excellency really wants to see, I will take you there right away. However, that girl... her appearance is truly terrifying. I hope Your Excellency will not take offense."
Lin Wei's tone left no room for argument: "Lead the way."
Hua Niang had no choice but to lead the way with a long face, thinking to herself what kind of quirk Lin Shui had, wanting to see even the sick. These young noblemen, how come they were all so extravagant?
Shen Shu gripped her sleeve tightly, her fingertips turning white.
They hoped to find Fang Lanzhi, but also hoped that Fang Lanzhi was not among those so-called "sick girls who couldn't get out of bed".
Walking through a narrow, damp corridor, the air was filled with a strong, nauseating smell of medicine and mildew.
Hua Niang staggered to a stop in front of a dilapidated woodshed, with a rusty iron lock hanging on the door.
"My lord, this is the place."
Lin Wei gestured for Hua Niang to open the door. Hua Niang's hands trembled as she finally managed to unlock it.
The door creaked open, and an even more unpleasant odor wafted out.
Shen Shu forced herself to look inside and saw a thin figure curled up on a pile of straw in a dim corner, covered with a tattered quilt.
Shen Shu's heart sank. She held her breath and took two steps forward cautiously, vaguely making out the person's face.
Her voice trembled, but she deliberately lowered her voice and called softly, "Fang Lanzhi?"
Upon hearing this, the figure in the corner stiffened almost imperceptibly and slowly raised their head.
Fang Lanzhi stared blankly at Shen Shu, her lips moving a few times, but Shen Shu covered her mouth.
She knelt down and held Fang Lanzhi's cold hand tightly: "Don't be afraid, I'm here, I'll take you away."
Lin Wei stood to the side, watching the scene unfold with a slight frown. His earlier playfulness had vanished, replaced by a barely perceptible seriousness.
Hua Niang was so frightened that her face turned pale and her legs went weak. She was about to kneel down, but the coldness in Lin Wei's eyes forced her to stay rooted to the spot, not daring to even breathe.
Hua Niang trembled as she said, "My lord, this was sent by Prince Cheng. She was initially sent to learn etiquette, but she fell ill as soon as she arrived. A doctor was called, and they said she had syphilis. After Prince Cheng found out, he simply abandoned her, saying he didn't want her anymore. I had no choice but to leave her here..."
Lin Wei's voice was filled with anger: "Are you just waiting to die?"
"No, no, no, the doctor said that the person is beyond saving. Even with proper treatment, they can only count their days. It's not our Yunyan Pavilion's fault. After all, we're in the business of prostitution. If people knew that the girls in our brothel had syphilis, it would definitely affect our business," the courtesan said with a mournful face.
"Besides, this...this illness didn't come from our Yunyan Pavilion. The person was brought here in this state. My lord, I, Hua Niang, am innocent. I didn't earn a single penny, and I spent a lot of money treating this patient. Please, my lord, see the truth."
Shen Shu's eyes were as calm as a stagnant pool as she stared blankly at Hua Niang: "May I take her with me?"
Hua Niang paused in her act of wiping away tears, not expecting Shen Shu to make such a request.
For a moment, she was at a loss, and her gaze involuntarily turned to Lin Wei.
Lin Wei's expression was cold and he didn't speak, but the oppressive feeling in his eyes made Hua Niang feel uneasy.
Hua Niang swallowed hard and forced a smile, "Miss Shen, what are you saying? This sickly man is just a burden here. If you don't mind, you can take him with you. But... you can't touch him. This illness can be passed on to others. Miss Shen, you should think this through."
Shen Shu didn't look at her again. She turned around and carefully helped Fang Lanzhi up. Fang Lanzhi was so weak that she could barely stand by leaning on Shen Shu.
Lin Wei stepped forward, subtly took off his outer robe, and draped it over Fang Lanzhi's thin shoulders. He then gestured for Shen Shu to move the woman closer to him.
He said to Hua Niang in a deep voice, "You don't need to say anything more about this. We've taken the person away. If anyone asks about it in the future, just say that the person has died of illness and take proper care of them."
Hua Niang nodded repeatedly, not daring to utter a single objection. Although she was just someone who frequented the pleasure quarters, she had learned some skills in reading people and observing their expressions over the years after meeting so many high-ranking officials and nobles.
Even the slowest person would realize it now.
What do you mean by taking a concubine? They're clearly here to find Fang Lanzhi.
As Hua Niang watched their departing figures, she hurriedly sent a servant to the Prince Cheng's residence to inform him that Fang Lanzhi had passed away.
After all, she couldn't afford to offend either side.
But before Hua Niang could rest for long, a servant came to report that a fire had broken out in the Cheng Prince's mansion last night, and more than a hundred concubines had escaped. He simply didn't have time to deal with the people from Yunyan Pavilion.
Hua Niang was stunned. The Cheng Prince's mansion was on fire? More than a hundred concubines escaped?
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