Chapter 59 Yuqiong

Jiang Ling accused angrily, and Ming Huashang touched his nose, feeling a little embarrassed.

But she would rather die than let her brother die. She couldn't let her handsome, self-disciplined brother, who was as handsome as a jade tree in the imperial capital, bear the reputation of visiting brothels, so she had to let Jiang Ling come.

Ming Huashang said with a serious face, "In the face of the overall situation, why should we care about personal honor and disgrace? We are people who want to do great things and cannot be limited to mere reputation. The people from Tianxiang Pavilion will be coming up soon, so let's assign tasks now. Jiang Ling, Sister Ren, you will hold the madam and Yuqiong back and try to get as much information from them as possible, especially asking them about the relationships between the people in the building. I will go outside to see the terrain of Tianxiang Pavilion and try to visit the murder scene."

Ren Yao hesitated: "Wouldn't it be too dangerous for you to go out alone?"

"It's okay." Ming Huashang said, "We are Jiang Ling's maids now. Tianxianglou is afraid of the power of Jiang Anhou and dare not do anything to me. On the contrary, if you leave the young master and go out with me, that would be a revelation."

"What's more." Ming Huashang blinked and whispered, "My second brother and Brother Xie are here."

Ren Yao exhaled softly: "This is the only way, be careful."

"You too."

The three of them discussed the tactics, and at this time, there was a noise outside. The three of them looked at each other and sat up straight. Jiang Ling pretended to enjoy himself and said arrogantly: "Pour the wine for the young master."

Ren Yao looked at Jiang Ling in surprise, suspecting that he was itchy. However, the madam and others had already arrived at the door, and Ren Yao could only resist the urge to touch Jiang Ling's face with his fist, and smiled as he poured him a glass of wine: "Yes, my dear, I'll feed you."

As she spoke, she poured a full glass of wine and poured it directly into Jiang Ling's mouth. Jiang Ling choked hard and coughed madly. Ren Yao still looked gentle and said hurriedly: "My dear, why are you drinking so fast? Let me help you calm down."

As she said this, she slapped Jiang Ling hard on the back. Jiang Ling coughed up blood after drinking alcohol. Not to mention alcohol, he might even cough up his heart, liver, and lungs.

Ming Huashang was watching from the side, her face twitching slightly, and at that moment she seemed to feel pain in her back.

When the madam brought her people in, they saw the prince of the marquisate and his favorite maidservant being affectionate and affectionate with each other.

He even needs to be fed to drink, which shows that he is really a spoiled young master. He is like this in front of others, and I don't know how he behaves in private.

The madam suddenly felt a sense of urgency. This maid must have done it on purpose to show off to them! What a joke! If you want to snatch a man from her territory, you have to see if you have the ability to do it.

The madam kept smiling, and her voluptuous body slightly turned to reveal the person behind her. She called out in an exaggerated tone, "Sir, I was rude to you before, and I am here with Yuqiong to apologize to you. Yuqiong, this is the son of Marquis Jiang'an, why don't you greet him?"

A graceful, delicate woman came out and greeted Jiang Ling softly, "Greetings, Young Master Jiang."

Ming Huashang and Ren Yao both turned their eyes to the newcomer. She looked to be about 20 years old, and her appearance was not outstanding, at least compared to the camellia girl just now, her facial features were a little plain. However, it was this plainness that formed her temperament, which was pure and graceful, not fighting or competing, and had a kind of elegant feeling like a lotus flower emerging from clear water.

Ming Huashang and Ren Yao looked at each other, and Ming Huashang asked, "Is this the courtesan in your building?"

The madam was secretly pleased with herself. When she saw Ming Huashang's slightly changed expression, she became more and more confident that she had touched their sore spot. The maids were anxious! The madam said, "Yes, Yuqiong became the most popular courtesan at the age of sixteen, and it has been four years now. The celebrities in Pingkangfang have come and gone, but Yuqiong is still favored as before."

Ming Huashang saw the look in the madam's eyes and thought that she might have misunderstood something. But it didn't matter. Ming Huashang pretended to be jealous and asked, "Just because of her?"

"Hey, little brother, don't underestimate our Yuqiong." The madam wanted to overwhelm the two local tyrants and kept talking. "Yuqiong is good-looking and has a good figure, but these are just her least noteworthy advantages. Her real strength is her talent. Our Yuqiong is proficient in music and writing. A piece of pipa music can get the whole room applauding, and her painting skills have attracted countless literati and knights. My dear, please leave Pingkangfang and ask the scholar circle, who else doesn't know Yuqiong of Tianxianglou?"

Ming Huashang sneered coldly and said disdainfully: "Seeking fame and reputation, deliberately playing tricks."

Jiang Ling's punishment in Xuanxiaowei was not in vain. He immediately understood Ming Huachang's intention and frowned unhappily: "I came to Pingkangfang to have fun, not to watch you show off. You don't like this, and you don't like that. What do you want to do?"

Ren Yao added fuel to the fire: "Yes, sister, my husband has fallen in love with a new girl now. You should be sensible and don't ruin his interest."

Before the madam could sigh at her success in creating discord, she heard Ming Huashang slam her palm on the table and stood up angrily: "Okay, this courtesan is well-educated, multi-talented, much better than me! I dare not disturb the prince's interest, I will leave now!"

After saying that, Ming Huashang pushed Yuqiong and the madam away like a firecracker, and rushed out with her head down. The madam exaggeratedly cried "ouch", covered the place where she was hit, and pretended to be embarrassed: "My dear, look at this..."

"Don't worry about her." Jiang Ling's temper also came up, and he said coldly, "Let her go, she will be out of control."

The madam was secretly delighted, and while giving false advice, she winked at Yuqiong. Yuqiong glanced at them indifferently, picked up the pipa and sat in front of the table, her fingertips slid across the strings, and immediately a string of silver plates rolling jade flowed out.

Yuqiong nodded to Jiangling and said, "Sir, please calm down. I will play a piece of music for you. I am sorry for the rude performance."

Ming Huashang rushed out of Guanghan Yueyuan in anger. When she heard the sound of a pipa from behind, she knew that the matter was done. After that, no one was watching her acting. Ming Huashang slowly suppressed her anger, pretended to be lost, and slowly checked along the corridor.

Tianxiang Building was built in a very grand style, especially the stage, which was magnificent and extravagant. The rooms on both sides had to sacrifice a lot for this. In order not to block the view of the stage, there were two rows of private rooms on the east and west sides, and they were not connected in the middle. Ming Huashang was now standing on the west corridor of Tianxiang Building. If she wanted to go to the private rooms on the east side, she had to go downstairs, pass through the lobby, and then climb up the stairs to the second floor.

It's really troublesome.

Ming Huashang planned to go downstairs to take a look. As she was walking towards the stairs, a door next to her suddenly opened and a person came out. They were both startled.

Ming Huashang took the initiative and immediately raised her eyebrows and asked, "What are you doing sneakily?"

The maid in the brothel recognized that this was the maid brought by Prince Jiang. She secretly cursed her for taking advantage of her power, but she still did not dare to offend the Marquis Jiang An's Mansion. She lowered her head and said, "I'm sorry, I didn't see anyone outside, please forgive me, sir."

Ming Huashang looked at the door behind the maid and asked, "What is this place?"

"It's where the servants rest." The maid said with a pleasing look, "The private rooms on both sides are not connected, so it's inconvenient to deliver things sometimes, so mom built a small compartment here for temporary storage. Usually, the girls will rest here when they are tired of receiving guests."

Ming Huashang scanned the compartment and Guanghan Yueyuan. The two places were adjacent to each other. Next to the compartment was the entrance to the stairs. Ming Huashang asked, "Can I enter Guanghan Yueyuan from the compartment?"

"Of course not." The maid said hurriedly, "This is where servants stay. How can we disturb distinguished guests?"

Ming Huashang nodded, and then like a proud peacock, she walked down the stairs without even saying a polite word. The maid was angry but dared not say anything, she just glared at him secretly and hurried off to do chores.

After Ming Huashang went downstairs, she was once again shocked by the luxurious lobby. Ming Huashang recalled Yuehu's words. According to the direction Yuehu gave, Zhang Ziyun entered the private room on the north side of the east side of the second floor that day, which was called "Fengqingsiyuan". Yuehu was sitting in the lobby on the first floor, facing the private room, which should be the seat on the west side of the stage.

Ming Huashang walked around the lobby looking for the direction and suddenly found that Guanghan Yueyuan and Fengqing Siyuan were right opposite each other, with stairs next to each other. If what the little maid just said was true, would there be a small compartment next to Fengqing Siyuan for temporary rest?

Ming Huashang planned to visit Fengqing Siyuan. When she walked through the lobby, she was attracted by the huge landscape screen behind the stage. Ming Huashang could not help but stop and look up at the painting.

In the painting, the green mountains with different heights and distances are smudged with ink, and the edges of the mountains are outlined with malachite, which is green with color, and the color is different in different directions. In the blank space below, an old man in a straw raincoat and hat is fishing on the river in a small boat.

The thin painting seemed to contain the vast mountains and rivers, and time and space were condensed here. Ming Huashang said sincerely: "It's a great painting."

A maid who was passing by heard this and said flatteringly, "This was painted by Sister Yuqiong."

Ming Huashang was surprised: "Such a large painting, was it all painted by her alone?"

The maid nodded and said, "Many people come to Tianxiang Tower to listen to Sister Yuqiong playing the pipa, but in fact, her best skill is painting. When mother rebuilt the stage, she wanted to carve a wall behind the stage, but Yuqiong said it was too vulgar, so she asked mother to put up a screen, which would not only make Tianxiang Tower look bigger, but also not take up space and affect people's movement. Mother didn't believe it, so she asked her to draw one and see. Sister Yuqiong painted for a month and made this screen."

Ming Huashang nodded and agreed deeply: "Yes, putting a screen wall or a flower wall would be too crowded, it would block the view of the stage and make it look cramped. This screen is well placed, and when I came in, I really felt refreshed and open."

The maidservant Yu Yourong said: "Not only that, Yuqiong also knows the water rubbing method, which is a skill that even the court painters cannot learn..."

The maid was talking excitedly when she heard a cold snort from the other side. Ming Huashang looked up and saw Shancha leaning against the railing, her eyes like a knife.

The maid fell silent immediately. Shancha walked over, twisting and turning, holding a handkerchief, and said in a sinister tone, "You are really a qualified dog. You bark at everyone you meet, and you want to pull all the guests to your side. It's a pity that she was born unlucky and I'm afraid she can't suppress such a lot of blessings."

It seems that there is a lot of fighting inside Tianxianglou. Shancha and Yuqiong are not on good terms. This is the second time Shancha has openly squeezed out Yuqiong. Ming Huashang remembered that the madam just said that Yuqiong has been the courtesan for four years. Shancha in front of her is beautiful and young. It seems that this is a fight between the old and new courtesans.

Ming Huashang felt that Shan Cha had something else to say, and it seemed that she had a lot of negative information about Yu Qiong. Ming Huashang pretended not to believe it and asked, "Really? Could it be that you are jealous of her and deliberately said bad things about her?"

"What?" Shancha was almost angry to death, and raised her voice, "I said something bad about her? Ha, I don't know who went to Wei Mansion to accompany drinking, but someone died in Wei Mansion; she was eager to snatch customers in the building, but she didn't serve the customers well, and brought a lawsuit to the building. If she hadn't caused trouble, would Tianxiang Building be so shabby? I worked hard to practice dancing, I didn't dare to eat more, I even slept with my legs slung, and I finally kept the customers, but she was so good, wherever she went, she ruined everything!"

Shancha's voice was sharp and she showed no sign of slowing down. The maid was embarrassed and said hurriedly, "Sister Shancha, mom said that family shame should not be made public and that we are not allowed to talk about these things..."

"Who and her family?" Shan Cha threw away her sleeves coldly. "She herself was unlucky. She killed her parents and her patrons. If there is any scandal, it is her own scandal. What does it have to do with me?"

The maid kept glancing at Ming Huashang, anxiously and shyly saying, "Sister Shancha..."

Ming Huashang was just trying to stir things up, but she didn't expect to hear something unexpected. Ming Huashang frowned and asked coldly, "What lawsuit? What life? What are you talking about?"

Shancha's feverish brain finally sobered up a bit, and she realized that she had made a big mistake by blurting out what her mother had strictly forbidden. Ming Huashang saw that they were dodging and keeping silent, and said coldly: "Well, if you don't say anything, I will report it to the prince. You dare to deceive our Jiang'an Marquis Mansion, you are rebelling!"

"No." Shan Cha panicked and quickly grabbed Ming Huashang's hand, stammering, "People from Jingzhao Prefecture came and said that the benefactor committed suicide because he was upset. It has nothing to do with us."

"Suicide?" Ming Huashang raised an eyebrow and asked coldly, "Someone died in your building? Where?"

Shancha pointed hesitantly at the Fengqing Siyuan on the second floor, then quickly withdrew her hand: "Sir, the government has already come to investigate. It really has nothing to do with us."

"Who died?"

"Zhang Sanlang, whose name is Zhuan Ziyun."

"Where is he now?"

Shancha knew that such matters were avoided by the rich and powerful, let alone the Marquis' Mansion. Every night when she went to sleep, she felt uncomfortable thinking about a dead person lying on the second floor. Shancha quickly clarified: "After the government inspection, the body has been taken to the charity house. Don't worry, my mother has invited a monk to chant sutras. He committed suicide, and we can't be blamed. He won't linger in Tianxiang Tower."

Ming Huashang looked up to the second floor and indeed saw a seal on the door of the private room. Ming Huashang pointed upstairs and asked, "Has the evil spirit been exorcised in there?"

Shancha and the maid were both embarrassed, and Ming Huashang was overjoyed, knowing that no one had ever been there. She secretly apologized to the Jiang An Marquis's Mansion, saying that she did not mean to tarnish the Jiang family's reputation, and then she looked down at them with a cold face, "Speak, why are you so silent?"

Ming Huashang vividly demonstrated what it meant to be a seventh-rank official in front of the prime minister. Shancha did not dare to offend the maid of Jiang Shizi, and swallowed her anger and said, "No. After my mother found out that the person was dead, she quickly reported it to the authorities. The officials came to search, but found no signs of murder, so they asked the yamen runners to seal the door. They also said that they would send someone to question us in the future and asked us to cooperate at any time. We are servants, so how dare we offend the officials? We really couldn't move the seal on the door, so we only invited the monks from Qinglong Temple to chant sutras in the corridor to pray for the soul to be reborn."

This was great news for Ming Huashang. The government runners were trained not to destroy the scene during the search. They would seal off the unrelated people and the house should still be in the state it was in when the murder took place. The more the scene was restored to its original state, the better it would be for Ming Huashang's portrait.

But this also brought up a problem: the door was sealed, so how could she get in?

Ming Huashang pretended to be a domineering maid, but she was not able to ignore the government ban and tear open the seal without being suspected. It seemed that she needed to think carefully before entering the scene. Ming Huashang thought secretly and asked, "What about the lives of the people in the Wei Mansion that you mentioned before?"

Speaking of this, Shancha's confidence became much stronger, and she said in a gloomy tone: "This has nothing to do with us. A few days ago, Wei Tan, a well-known celebrity in Chang'an, held a banquet and invited Tianxianglou to the banquet to add to the fun. Normally, I should have gone, but my mother was partial and gave the opportunity to Yuqiong. Yuqiong went to Wei's house to play the pipa, but halfway through the banquet, Wei Tan suddenly foamed at the mouth and convulsed. The housekeeper hurried to call for a doctor, but before the doctor came, Wei Tan died. Such a big incident must have alarmed the government. Yuqiong and others were kept for questioning that day and were not released until curfew."

Shancha flicked her handkerchief and sneered, "I heard that Yuqiong was a daughter of an official family. But when she was born, her family was accused of treason. When she went to the Wei Mansion to accompany drinking, the owner of the Wei Mansion got into trouble. When she accompanied Zhang Sanlang in the upstairs, Zhang Sanlang also committed suicide. In my opinion, she is a bad luck and a house jinx. Wherever she goes, she brings trouble."

The maid couldn't bear to listen any more, and blushed as she said, "Sister Shancha, please be more polite. The government still hasn't found out how Lord Wei Tan died, and Zhang Sanlang even committed suicide for his painting skills. At that time, Sister Yuqiong was entertaining guests at Guanghan Yueyuan, so how could she know? As for using her background to talk about her, it's even more unkind. She was originally a daughter of a noble family, but if her family hadn't been involved in a conspiracy case when she was four years old, she would have been forced to live in the Jiaofangsi, and we wouldn't even be worthy of carrying her shoes now. Sister Shancha, please be careful when you say these things."

Shan Cha sneered, her eyes tilted, and she said gloatingly, "She's so powerful, I'm so scared. Do I have to kneel down and respectfully call her Miss when I see her from now on?"

Shancha giggled as she spoke. The maidservant was so angry that her cheeks turned red. She stomped her feet and ran away.

Ming Huashang was forced to watch this big drama. Looking at Shancha's arrogant look, she did not find it hateful but pathetic.

What Shancha said just now was undoubtedly very vicious. She made fun of Yuqiong's painful life experience. Anyone with a conscience would not laugh. But is Shancha to blame?

Ming Huachang, to be fair, if she had been placed in Shancha's position since childhood, with insufficient food and clothing, not allowed to read and write, and only able to live a good life by using her beauty to please men and gain their favor, she would have become like this too.

Of course, this good day is also relative.

You can't blame a flower that has never received sunshine and rain for not growing into a straight, brilliant and dignified orchid.

Ming Huashang thinks Shancha looks down on Yuqiong, just like a concubine looks down on a prostitute and a wife looks down on a concubine. They are all vassals of others and dare not resist the source of their misfortunes. Instead, they swing their knives against their weaker peers. Can she become a superior person by creating a lower class than them and trampling on women who are more unfortunate than them?

No. There is really no need for the weak to despise each other and find excuses for the strong to exploit them.

The maid who was devoted to Yuqiong was angered by Shancha and left. She scolded Shancha with her sisters in a remote place, saying that she was a mean person who would surely fall even more miserably in the future. Ming Huashang patted Shancha's hand and asked, "Can you take me to see where you live?"