There is a god in the sky

Chapter 119 The Strange Case of Fuchunju 17

Miao Niang finished her last movement, turned around, and disappeared from everyone's sight.

Then came a plump woman with her hair in a high bun and adorned with glittering gold hairpins.

"Manager Peng, may I ask Lady Miao to remove her veil and come up for a meeting? I'm willing to give you a hundred taels of silver!"

"I'll offer a thousand taels for Miao Niang's virginity. Manager Peng, don't try to hide it, or your money tree will fly away."

The men burst into lewd laughter and began to speak crudely without restraint.

Xiao Ji led Shen Lan to the backyard, and after exiting through the back door and walking through a corridor, they finally entered the main building of Wan Hua Lou.

At this time, most of the courtesans were asleep, and there were few male customers, so Xiao Ji and his companion stood out.

"Why are you two guests coming to the back?" a waiter stopped the two.

Xiao Ji invoked the name of the young prince and said, "I am here on the orders of the young prince to investigate the case. Do you have a girl named Yunshuang in your building?"

The owner behind this brothel is the Prince Zheng's Mansion; otherwise, they might not have been able to suppress those lecherous men outside.

The waiter, used to dealing with high-ranking officials and nobles, replied neither servilely nor arrogantly, "Miss Yunshuang is resting. If you want to see her, you need Manager Peng's permission."

Xiao Ji took out a silver ingot and asked, "Even with money, I still can't see it?"

The waiter's eyes lit up, and he said with a smile, "I can see you are a distinguished guest. Miss Yunshuang will have to get up even if she has to crawl."

He took the silver and stuffed it into his sleeve, then ran to call for help.

Manager Peng is probably entertaining guests at the front right now. It's probably not a big deal for him to ask Yunshuang to come out and greet the guests.

Shen Lan was walking around in the lobby on the first floor when she suddenly saw a pale yellow figure drift past on the second floor. She suddenly called out, "Miao Niang!"

The figure stopped, poked its head out from the second floor, saw two men standing below, and immediately shrank back.

Shen Lan ran up the stairs, but was stopped by the same waiter when she reached the second floor.

"So, seeing Yunshuang was a pretense; your real purpose was to chase after Miaoniang. Hurry up, hurry up! You think you can just see Miaoniang whenever you want?"

Shen Lan could no longer see Miao Niang's figure and turned away in disappointment.

The guy shoved Shen Lan.

Shen Lan was standing on the edge of the stairs when he pushed her, causing her to fall forward.

Seeing that she was about to tumble down the stairs, she instinctively lifted both feet off the ground, grabbed the railing, and tried to climb down.

But somehow an arm appeared around her waist, tightly embracing her.

Xiao Ji acted faster than he thought, and seeing her about to fall, he quickly caught her.

Only after getting started did I realize that, given Shen Lan's skill level, these few steps were nothing.

He quickly withdrew his arm, and Shen Lan landed on her feet, taking a step back.

"Who are you two...?" Yun Shuang stepped forward, her gaze sweeping over Shen Lan before landing on Xiao Ji.

She just saw Young Master Chen; he came looking for her with a government official.

But before she could say two words, Sister Peng ushered her into the house.

She paced back and forth in the room, wondering if there was any chance to escape the brothel.

She had served her mistress since she was a child, and thought she would live a life of comfort and ease with her mistress for the rest of her life.

Unexpectedly, after the young lady died, she was sold to the brothel by the master.

The Wan Hua Lou brothel had no shortage of food and clothing, and didn't require any work. They earned much more money each month than when they were maids.

But she knew very well that the flowering season of the flower maiden was very short, and perhaps next year she would be sold to a man who offered the highest price.

She might become the concubine of an old widower, or the wife of a mentally challenged man, or more likely, she might be sold to a lower-class brothel, where she would serve low-class customers day and night.

Those days terrified her.

"Miss Yunshuang, my surname is Xiao. I have a case that requires your cooperation in the investigation." Xiao Ji displayed his official authority and reached out to push aside the shop assistant.

His movements appeared casual, but he was quite forceful, pushing the person directly to the ground.

"If you don't leave, I'm going to call for help!"

Xiao Ji's expression darkened slightly. "I'd like to see how a brothel can stand up to the government."

Do you know who owns our Wan Hua Lou?

"Does this mean that I need Prince Zheng's permission to inquire about a case?"

Sui Feng brought Chen Shu over, followed by He Jingli.

Despite having only a minor experience, he acted like he owned the place, even more arrogant than Xiao Ji, and scolded the guy the moment he appeared.

"You really don't know a person as important as you! This is Lord Xiao, the expert detective invited by the young prince!"

The waiter knelt on the ground and kowtowed, "Please forgive me, sir! I was blind and ignorant!"

Xiao Ji waved his hand, dismissing him without making things difficult for him.

He led Yunshuang into the house to question her, and Shen Lan followed in, taking out a pen and paper she carried with her to take notes.

"Miss Yunshuang used to be a maid in the Ning family, right?"

"Yes." Yun Shuang breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed she had guessed correctly; it was indeed the young lady's case.

"Your previous master was Miss Ning, right? What do you think of her death?"

Yun Shuang countered, "Does Your Excellency intend to overturn Young Master Yang's conviction by reopening this case?"

"It's not about overturning the verdict, it's just about understanding the case and telling what you know."

Yunshuang, however, was calmer at this moment and began to discuss terms with Xiao Ji.

"My lord, this case has been over for a long time, and Young Master Yang is already dead. Isn't it too late for you to ask Yunshuang about these things now?"

"I am imprisoned, my life is hopeless, and the lives of others are none of my concern."

“But your expression doesn’t say that. The statement you left behind was in favor of Young Master Yang, which shows that you have your own judgment,” Shen Lan said, looking at her.

Yun Shuang said self-deprecatingly, "I offended Master Ning because I told the truth back then, and he sold me to this brothel."

She looked at Xiao Ji hopefully, "My lord, can you save me from this hell?"

"What will you do after you get out? Do you have anywhere to go?"

It wouldn't be difficult for Xiao Ji to redeem her from her servitude; the real challenge lies in her future survival.

Yunshuang hadn't thought that far ahead. She hesitated and said, "I still have some savings. Perhaps I can marry an honest farmer."

Xiao Ji nodded, "Alright, I can redeem you."

Yun Shuang looked at him shyly, and asked with a glimmer of hope, "Then can I serve you, sir? I'll serve you as a servant or a maid."

He coughed lightly in the wind, reminding his master not to let lust cloud his judgment.

Xiao Ji shook his head and refused, "I don't need any servants."

"Alright, let's get back to the point and tell me what you know."

“I already said what I needed to say in court. My young lady and Young Master Yang didn’t actually know each other. It was just that on the Lantern Festival that year, my young lady met Young Master Yang by chance on the street and fell in love with him at first sight. She then deliberately left behind a sachet, which led to what happened later.”

"Young Master Yang picked up that sachet? Why didn't he return it?"

"That sachet contains Miss's private savings, a full one hundred taels. Do you think he'll return it?"

Yun Shuang chuckled: "Young Master Yang's family is not well-off. This amount of money is enough for him to study for several years. At that time, he was famous and was the most promising scholar in Tanzhou to pass the imperial examination."

Later, he told the young lady that the money was a loan, and that he would repay it tenfold when he passed the imperial examinations.

After putting down her pen, Shen Lan thought to herself: It seems she misjudged him; this Young Master Yang is not a true gentleman after all.

Yunshuang continued, "Miss has met him privately a few times and expressed her feelings, but Young Master Yang has not agreed."

The last time, he returned the money to the woman, saying he didn't need it anymore.

Although he didn't say it explicitly, I suspect he has someone he likes, and that woman is quite wealthy.

Xiao Ji interrupted her and asked, "Where did this come from?"

"Because Young Master Yang has changed. He used to wear plain clothes, but later he wore luxurious brocade robes, and the jade ornaments and jewelry he wore were all of the highest quality. He was also very generous."

There's not much to say about what happened next.

Master Ning forced his daughter to marry someone she didn't like, and then she chose to end her life.

Mr. Ning was furious, believing that Yang Shuo had killed his daughter, so he sued Yang Shuo.

For some inexplicable reason, the young prince sentenced Yang Shuo to death.