Chapter 152 [VIP]
Lady Gui was also watching.
Her first thought was that the Prince of Jin had sent him.
But then I thought, if it's just for her, there's no need for such a big fuss.
For a prince like himself, capturing her would be as easy as turning his hand.
There were twenty or thirty courtesans singing at Tianxi Tower. They all arrived one after another, standing in the main hall, which was neither too big nor too small, looking around blankly. Even their rouge could not hide the panic on their faces.
Tinglian nervously clutched her handkerchief. She had heard that the Imperial Guards were only there to arrest vicious criminals, so why were they questioning these entertainers?
Gui Niang said gently, "It's alright. We haven't done anything wrong."
"Sir, everyone is here."
The shopkeeper said from the side, "There are a total of twenty-eight people, all the courtesans in Tianxi Tower."
He specifically mentioned, "They only sing, they don't sell their bodies or entertain guests."
The commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard had a fierce and menacing face. He looked around and gestured for his men to call them over one by one.
Lady Gui waited quietly.
For some reason, she suddenly felt a chill. It wasn't even dusk yet, why was it so cold?
Seeing that her palms were cold, Ting Lian assumed she was also afraid, so she quietly asked the other women in front of her. After exchanging a few words, she turned to Gui Niangzi and said, "Sister Yingying said there's no need to be afraid. These past few days, the government has investigated many courtesans, from brothels to Banbianlian, and the Imperial Guards have been investigating them one by one."
Lady Gui was freezing, but upon hearing this, she smiled, tilted her head, and said softly, "It seems like she's looking for someone."
She noticed that after the Imperial Guards called each person over, they questioned them one by one, referring to a portrait, while the eunuchs behind the table recorded their questions.
"You're right."
"Don't speak!"
The Imperial Guard shouted menacingly, and Ting Lian quickly stood up straight and took Gui Niangzi's cold hand.
It wasn't long before it was Tinglian's turn. When Tinglian went over, she was a little nervous. After she came out, she smiled at Gui Niangzi, indicating that she didn't need to worry.
Lady Gui straightened her sleeves and walked over as well.
She stopped three steps away from them and gave a graceful curtsy.
The Imperial Guard sized her up for a moment, then said coldly, "Remove your veil."
Lady Gui raised her hand and removed her veil, revealing hideous scars on her face, which even the Imperial Guards found hard to look at.
If it weren't for this scar, her beauty would be absolutely stunning, but now... what a pity.
The Imperial Guard glanced at the portrait in his hand; it depicted a girl of eleven or twelve years old. He asked, as was his customary procedure:
"name."
“Gui You Niang”.
Age.
Born in the ninth month of the eighth year of the Taiyuan era.
Where are you from?
Gui Niangzi never cared to tell anyone where she was from.
She knew that her position at the heart of the scheme was crucial. Over the years, she had traveled all over the country as a courtesan, partly to lure out the people from back then by using herself as bait.
"Yongzhou, black..."
Gui Niangzi's lips trembled slightly, she felt even colder, she couldn't stop shivering, her body swayed involuntarily, and her vision blurred in waves.
The Imperial Guard who was questioning her saw her suddenly freeze and not reply. The next moment, she fell face down and remained motionless.
The Imperial Guard was startled and immediately stepped forward, checked his breathing, and turned to report, "He's still alive. Could it be a relapse of his old illness?"
Baihu was displeased: "Wake her up."
Tinglian was waiting for her outside. When she saw her collapse, her face turned pale as well, fearing that the Imperial Guards would feel offended because of her sudden fainting.
Ting Lian gritted her teeth and hastily made up an excuse, shouting, "Sir, she...she has a fever, she's been sick for several days." Her voice trembled, but she still managed to get the words out, "Sir, could you please let me take her away first..."
"You say I'm sick?! The Embroidered Uniform Guard doesn't tolerate your unreasonable arguments."
The centurion snorted coldly. His face, full of fat, made him look particularly fierce. In his opinion, these courtesans loved to put on airs. Were they trying to seduce someone by imitating Xi Shi holding her heart?
Tinglian trembled with fear, but stubbornly refused to move aside: "Sir, sir, she is really sick... I know her well, you can ask me anything."
"A mere courtesan trying to negotiate? Drag her away and beat her..."
The centurion pointed at Lady Gui and said, "Let's see if it's a real illness or a fake one."
Even if you're sick, you have to get up, finish what you have to say, and then die.
"Are you out of your mind!" another Imperial Guard tugged at him and whispered, "Have you forgotten what Lord Sheng said?"
Baihu shuddered.
Suddenly, he remembered that Sheng Jiang had repeatedly instructed him not to speak rudely, touch anyone, or behave improperly when registering these performers, and certainly not to shout for violence or injure anyone.
Sheng Jiang had been by that person's side for many years. He was extremely ruthless and never showed any mercy. Even the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard had to avoid his sharp edge.
Moreover, he was just promoted to deputy commander last month, and he is just waiting to take over the position after the commander steps down at the end of the year.
Although he didn't know why the man favored the courtesans, he knew he was doomed if he outwardly complied but inwardly defied him.
Baihu abruptly withdrew his foot, a grim smile tugging at the corner of his angry face. He chuckled roughly twice, trying to sound as gentle as possible, and said, "Oh, is that so? Then take her downstairs." He even deliberately raised the last syllable of his voice.
"Thank you, sir."
Tinglian thought she would suffer some hardship, but she didn't expect the Imperial Guards to be so easy to talk to. She quickly curtsied and thanked them again and again, her beautiful face showing a sincere smile.
Tinglian quickly went over to support her. Her hands were icy cold, her lips were pale, and her body was still trembling, as if she were standing in the freezing cold in a thin garment.
The shopkeeper found a strong old woman to carry Miss Gui away.
"Where did she say she was from?" the eunuch recording the conversation asked.
"Yongzhou?" The centurion didn't hear clearly, looking at the others. "It's definitely Yongzhou. Was it He or Hei?"
Some said it was black, others said it was the sea, but no one could hear what she said next.
"We'll ask her when she wakes up."
Her eyes are quite similar to the person in the portrait, but her face... has such a large scar, it's really hard to tell whether she looks alike or not.
I'll ask again later.
The eunuch nodded and called out, "Next."
Another courtesan walked over and, as before, asked each of them questions.
Tinglian had the strong old woman carry her to sit in the sun and called out, "Return to Mother, Return to Mother."
Gui Niangzi was fully conscious; she could hear Ting Lian calling her name.
She wanted to respond, but couldn't find the words.
Her limbs were as if they were tightly bound by iron chains, making it impossible for her to move. Her chest also felt as if it were weighed down by a heavy object, making it difficult for her to even breathe.
A strange chill seeped into her internal organs, and even under the blazing sun, she remained icy cold, like a breathing dead person.
This feeling was actually quite familiar to Gui Niangzi; it was exactly the same as when she returned to Blackwater Fortress back then.
There, she felt as if she were in the underworld. From her core to her lungs and even her bone marrow, everything was frozen, as if countless little demons were squeezing her. The longer she stayed, the more uncomfortable she became.
Later, she hid in a dark room and lay there for three whole days before she could move.
At the age of twelve, she lost her family and was left destitute and alone.
At fourteen, she was powerless against her fate. She overheard someone addressing the guerrilla general as "Prince," a title signifying his high rank and power, and she could only abandon her plan to appeal to the emperor in the capital.
She hid and fled, disfiguring herself to survive, becoming a lowly person and falling into prostitution.
The music, chess, calligraphy, and painting that her mother taught her became a means to please others.
She traveled all over China, visiting Taoist temples and Buddhist monasteries.
She visited masters, eminent monks, and sought advice from all the enlightened people she could find... Some people also told her that her birth date and time were extremely special, which made her exceptionally sensitive to certain evil arts.
"Shopkeeper, has the doctor arrived yet? Her hands are so cold..."
She heard Lian's soft, anxious voice in her ear. A strange sense of relief washed over her, and her fingers relaxed almost imperceptibly. This wasn't a dark room where she was alone anymore.
Almost there! After enduring this long, she finally saw a glimmer of hope.
The Imperial Guards were still questioning them.
They dared not make any noise. After consulting with the Imperial Guards, the shopkeeper sent an old woman to fetch a doctor. But the doctor, upon hearing that the Imperial Guards were present, refused to come. The old woman pleaded with him to wait across the street.
The Imperial Guards questioned each of them, then quickly left for the next place.
The capital city was bustling, and there were many entertainers who made a living by performing. They questioned them for three days in a row, and finally visited all the taverns and teahouses in the capital. After registering them, the centurion took the list to Sheng Jiang.
Sheng Jiang was waiting at Hanzhang Palace. After taking the booklet, he dismissed the centurion and glanced into the inner room.
"Shengjiang."
A soft, feminine voice rang out, and Sheng Jiang quickly straightened his clothes and went inside.
Shen Xu asked, "Tell the Emperor whether the Gu family has ever neglected Gu Yan."
Sheng Jiang cautiously raised his eyes, and the next moment he gasped.
The emperor was terribly thin, his cheeks deeply sunken, and his complexion sallow. He leaned against a large bolster, looking frail and sickly. In his current state, even those unaware of the situation would believe that the emperor was truly ill.
Prince Li stood to the side, his face cold, as if he were very angry at the emperor for asking these questions.
"Your Majesty, no."
Sheng Jiang cupped his hands and said, "The Gu family treated Gu..." He really didn't know how to address him, so he could only bite the bullet and call him by his name, "They were respectful to Gu Yan, provided him with a tutor, and taught him every day. Their clothing, food, and lodging were all taken care of properly. They never let the servants neglect him."
The Emperor said, "Gu Jia is quite sensible."
Prince Li said coldly, "Your Majesty, I have already told you, but you do not believe me."
The emperor's paranoia is getting worse and worse.
"Hmph, the Gu family, they're always good at putting on a show." The emperor pointed at him, his usual pretense gone, his disgust clearly revealed. "They've fooled you all. If it weren't for me, our Great Qi Empire would have changed hands long ago."
"Yes, yes," Prince Li said, following his words. "Then, has His Majesty made a decision regarding Gu Yan?"
"Heh, this is the Gu family's so-called loyalty!" The emperor grew angrier as he spoke. "It is an honor for the Gu family to take care of my princes, yet they dare to ask me for a princely title."
Prince Li: "Does the Emperor not respond?"
"Very well. After all, he's just an illegitimate son, not worthy of a royal title as payment—that's too expensive. In my humble opinion, let the Ji family take Gu Yan away, back to Jiangnan, so they can avoid seeing him altogether. I'm sure the Gu family would agree. Since he's not a prince, we don't need to offer him a royal title. As for the outside world, just say Gu Yan died suddenly. Anyway, you have many sons, one more won't make a difference..."
The emperor took the medicine bowl from beside the bed and threw it away.
He didn't have much strength, and the medicine bowl crashed to the ground in front of the bed with a bang, splashing the dark medicine everywhere.
Shen Xu dusted off his sleeves and looked at the medicine stains on the ground with disgust.
Prince Li didn't care at all: "You have to give this old minister a straight answer. If you keep dragging this out, the Gu family will think we don't want them anymore and will just dump them on the Ji family. Are you going to go and exchange them with the Ji family? To bring them back to life?"
"Give!"
"A mere prince, how can he be compared to my Yan'er?"
Prince Li said unhurriedly, "This old minister thinks it is too heavy."
The emperor ignored him: "Axu, have someone draft an imperial edict."
"Also, Ah Xu, I only trust you. Go personally, deliver the decree, and bring Yan'er back to the palace from the Gu family so I can see her. We can't let Prince Li send Yan'er away. Promise me you will bring Yan'er back!"
"yes."
Shen Xu smiled and agreed, then gestured for Sheng Jiang to go and have someone draft an imperial edict.
The emperor was relieved. He spoke again and again, giving repeated instructions, as if the journey from the Gu family back to the palace, which took less than half an hour, was fraught with immense difficulties and dangers.
Once the imperial edict was drafted, the emperor had finally finished giving all the necessary instructions.
"Ah Xu, go quickly. I'll be waiting for you to come back."
Shen Xu bowed slightly, took the imperial edict, and left.
"Lord Shen, you go to the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion to deliver the imperial decree first. I will go there in a while."
After saying this, Prince Li turned to the Emperor and said, "Your Majesty, you may bring them back, but how to care for them is entirely up to this old minister..."
The carriage is ready and is standing in front of Hanzhang Palace.
Shen Xu got into the carriage, glanced silently at Shen Mao who was sleeping soundly on his back, and sat down, spreading out his wide sleeves.
Shenmao noticed his presence, struggled to open her eyes to look at him, moved closer to him, and rested her head on his arm.
Shen Xu coldly and ruthlessly pulled his hand away, then threw the imperial edict onto the small table, using it as a pillow.
The carriage started moving.
Sheng Jiang knelt in the corner of the carriage and said, "My lord, this was just handed over by the servants."
He presented the list.
Shen Xu opened the book expressionlessly and read it carefully line by line.
In recent days, the Embroidered Uniform Guards have searched almost every brothel in the capital.
Those official prostitutes registered with the Jingzhao Prefecture were relatively easy to find; they were almost all located in several brothels in the red-light district. The main targets were private brothels and semi-private brothels like Banbianlian. It took even the Imperial Guards quite a while to thoroughly investigate them all.
Then there were opera troupes, variety show troupes, and so on. Finally, it was the turn of the entertainers who sang in restaurants and teahouses.
Apart from Sheng Jiang, no one knew who Shen Xu was investigating. It was precisely because Sheng Jiang knew that he investigated with great caution.
Every single booklet was delivered to Shen Xu, and he would read them all.
The current registered and organized rosters total more than a dozen volumes.
Sheng Jiang stood respectfully to one side.
"Is everything complete?"
Shen Xu asked without looking up, and Sheng Jiang perked up and quickly replied, "...It's all here."
Shen Xu snapped the booklet shut, glanced at him, and he shuddered, quickly adding, "More than 90% is complete, only a few scattered brothels are still under investigation."
Shen Xu tapped his fingertips lightly on the coffee table. He pondered for a moment and said, "Go back and bring all the rosters with you. Wait for me at the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion."
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