“We also just heard rumors. It is said that someone had seen that sister performing magic when she was still in the establishment. Anyone who opposed her either suddenly went crazy or had consecutive nightmares at night.”
“People thought she was eerie and unlucky, so no one dared to provoke her. When she was in our establishment, she served as the number one for several years. It’s not that there weren’t sisters more talented than her, but every time someone snatched the number one position from her, that person would face accidents shortly afterward. It was oy when that sister was the number one that nothing bad happened.”
Bai Lixin: “Oh? Is it just a coincidence?”
“How could it be a coincidence?” Chun Tao lowered her voice. “Although I didn’t witness it personally, one of the sisters in the establishment did. According to her, when she had just become the number one girl, she was about to descend the stairs to greet a guest when she suddenly felt a strong push from behind. When she fell down, she looked back but found no one behind her.”
“That sister fell down the stairs and injured her leg. It still hurts on rainy days. Whenever someone mentions that older sister, she feels both hatred and fear.”
Bai Lixin: “That’s indeed mysterious.”
“But speaking of mysterious incidents, don’t you have another one in your establishment?”
Chun Tao blinked, “Huh? What incident?”
Bai Lixin: “I remember there was a girl from your establishment who went to entertain at client’s home at night but on her way back, she died mysteriously in the river. You even reported it to the authorities. Do you know about this?”
Chun Tao: “Oh, I know. I was already here at that time. It happened two years ago. We all knew the girl involved, her name was Xiao Cui. She was a popular girl back then.”
“She played the pipa skillfully, and many clients came specifically to hear her play.”
“You want to know what happened to her that night, right? Xiao Cui had many clients, but few were privileged enough to be her patrons. Although she was a courtesan, the momo used the scarcity principle to maintain her value. One of her patrons was a merchant from the eastern part of the city, Master Cao.”
“That night, it was said that Master Cao had important guests at his home. To offer something unique to his guests, he paid a hefty sum to invite Xiao Cui from our establishment. Xiao Cui initially refused because she never went out for in-room services. However, Master Cao offered her an exorbitant amount of money that day. Besides, she was quite familiar with Master Cao and believed that nothing would happen outside, so she agreed.”
“Then she dressed up and took her pipa to Master Cao’s house. However, when her body was found, there were signs of abuse all over. She probably couldn’t bear the humiliation and chose to do something stupid.”
Bai Lixin frowned, “When she went to Master Cao’s house that day, did she bring her pipa with her?”
Chun Tao nodded, “I remember it clearly. I helped her fix her hair that night, and I gave her words of advice before she left.”
“Is she a friend of yours?” Bai Lixin asked.
“Not really. We all live in the same establishment, so we see each other often.”
“We can be considered friends, but not close friends. We just have a few casual conversations sometimes. Although I feel sorry about her death, life goes on. I don’t have so much time to mourn her.”
“Young Master, don’t think I’m heartless,” Chun Tao chuckled, “It’s just that there’s little hope in this place. Either we are led out wearing red wedding clothes, or we are carried out lying on a grass mat. For us, death is sometimes a release. So, we don’t fear death as much. When a sister dies, we even say, ‘May she be liberated from suffering.’”
Bai Lixin: “…”
When he examined the case files, there was no mention of finding the pipa at the scene. Did Chun Tao, enraged by the humiliation at Master Cao’s house, leave without taking the pipa? Or did she take the pipa with her, but someone took it away later?
“I remember this case was initially reported to the yamen. Later, her maid was found, and it was clarified as a suicide. What about Xiao Cui’s maid? Is she still in the establishment?”
Chun Tao shook her head, “No, she’s not. The momo thought she brought bad luck and drove her out. But she’s still in Qingcheng Town. She used the money she saved from the establishment to open a small tofu stall. She had a good voice too.”
“Where is her tofu stall?” Bai Lixin asked.
Chun Tao: “Just go out the door, follow this street, and turn east at the third intersection. You’ll see a tofu shop. Besides tofu, they also sell tofu skin and soy milk. It’s quite popular.”
Bai Lixin silently noted down the address.
In the remaining time, he exchanged a few more words with Chun Tao before dismissing her and going to bed.
Before leaving, Chun Tao was still somewhat incredulous and kept asking herself if she could really leave. It wasn’t until she confirmed that Bai Lixin was serious that she dared to leave.
Afterward, Bai Lixin stayed in the bedroom until dawn before leaving. When he arrived at the yamen, Zhang Biao had already arrived.
When he entered, Zhang Biao and his group of constable brothers were still gathered around a table, eating fried dough sticks.
Seeing Bai Lixin come in, Zhang Biao immediately stood up and called out, “Sir, you’re here so early?”
“Aren’t you here earlier than me?” Bai Lixin replied casually, his gaze sweeping over the people at the table without leaving a trace.
Besides Zhang Biao, there were the young constable from yesterday and Chang Song. After a night of recovery, the swelling on the his face had disappeared, but due to bruising, his face was still blue and purple, and the color was even darker than yesterday.
Apart from them, four other men were sitting around the table.
Seeing Bai Lixin approach, although Chang Song and the young constable were a bit slower, they quickly stood up, respectfully greeting Bai Lixin.
The other constables, apparently having heard some rumors, also stood up, looking at him as if he were an enshrined Buddha statue.
Should it be this exaggerated?
Bai Lixin slowly walked to the table. Before he could speak, he saw Zhang Biao sniffing the air.
Then Zhang Biao slapped the table, “Tell me, which of you went to the brothel last night? Didn’t I tell you, if I find out any of you dared to go there…”
“Do I need to break your legs to make you talk? What, you won’t even listen to me?!”
The group exchanged glances, hastily gesturing with their hands, “No, no, no, Boss, I was at home all night, I didn’t go anywhere.”
“Yeah, I followed your orders and stayed home with my wife and kids. I didn’t even think of going anywhere improper.”
“I didn’t go either, I really didn’t!”
“None of us went, could it be the scent of rouge and powder in Hualiu Lane still lingers on the Boss?”
“With the Boss’s character, how could he…”
“Oh, I went.” Bai Lixin interrupted Zhang Biao.
The room fell silent instantly, and everyone froze on the spot.
Zhang Biao’s words immediately came tumbling out of his throat, “Sir must have gone to the brothel to investigate the case!”
Everyone: “…”
‘When we go to the brothel, it’s for pleasure, but when the young master goes, it’s to investigate a case.
Boss, your double standards are just too obvious, okay?’
“You guessed right.” Bai Lixin raised an eyebrow, “I went there to investigate the suicide case of Xiao Cui from the brothel two years ago.”
“Isn’t this case already closed?” one constable blurted out, “It was a suicide.”
“But I think there are some doubts inside, so I went to the brothel last night to inquire about the situation. I was planning to look for you guys, but since you’re all here, let’s talk about this case together.”
After saying that, Bai Lixin pulled out a stool from behind him and sat down at the table. The young constable acted swiftly, immediately pushing a bowl of soy milk in front of Bai Lixin, “Sir, you haven’t eaten yet, have some soy milk, no one had touched it yet. I won’t get you the fried dough sticks, my hands are dirty.”
Zhang Biao gave the young constable a glare.
‘You’re quite quick on your feet, you are, offering soy milk and fried dough sticks I bought, pretending it’s from you!
Bai Lixin said a thank you and pushed the soy milk back, “I’ve already eaten.”
Zhang Biao: “Sir, you just said there are doubts about this case. What are the doubts?”
“The biggest doubt is the pipa. I’ve asked someone who knew Xiao Cui in the brothel, she said that night, she went to play music at the residence of Master Cao to the east of the city. She went there with her pipa in her arms. But when her body was found, there was no pipa around her.”
“I didn’t see any mention of the pipa in the case files at least. Could you tell me what the situation was back then? It’s been two years, I don’t know if you still remember the details.”
“I led a few of my brothers to this case,” Zhang Biao stared at the fried dough sticks in front of him, his gaze starting to wander, “Although Qingcheng Town has its share of cases every day, deaths are not that common. So, I remember the details. I also checked the case files; the description in the files matches what we saw at the scene. We really didn’t see a pipa at the scene. We even went to the river to search and didn’t find any pipa.”
“You’re right about this issue. So, do you mean to say that you don’t think this case was a simple suicide?”
“I just have doubts. Because I talked to the girls in the brothel yesterday, they said this girl named Xiao Cui was very reluctant to go out because she was afraid of encountering danger. This indirectly indicates that Xiao Cui was afraid of death. For someone who is so afraid of death. How can a person who wants to commit suicide be afraid of death?”
“And even if it’s just a normal suicide, I find it hard to believe that she would choose to die in such a horrific way. Moreover, there’s the missing pipa, which adds another layer of mystery to this case.”
“Furthermore, the claim that she couldn’t bear the humiliation is even more unreasonable. For the courtesans in the brothel business, who are used to the ways of the flesh trade and have long regarded themselves as a commodity, can you imagine the level of humiliation that would drive a person like her, who is mentally strong, to suicide?”
Zhang Biao frowned slightly, “But Xiao Cui’s maid claimed she couldn’t bear the humiliation. In that case, is it possible that the maid was lying? I’ll go grab the maid now and interrogate her again!”
“Not just the maid, what Xiao Cui experienced in Master Cao’s residence back then is crucial. It was said she had to entertain important guests, right? What kind of guests were they? What did Master Cao and his associates do to her? How did she sustain those injuries?”
Zhang Biao’s eyes filled with admiration, “Sir, you’re absolutely right. Why didn’t I think of that! If only I had half of your wisdom back then, this case wouldn’t have remained buried for two years.”
“It’s not your fault,” Bai Lixin shook his head, “someone stepped forward claiming it was a suicide. In the face of vague physical evidence and clear testimonies, most people tend to believe testimonies.”
“But that doesn’t mean you’re blameless either. Ask yourselves, did you hastily close it back then because the victim was a courtesan? A woman who was already looked down upon by society, whom many considered a sinner. Perhaps, after hearing that she had committed suicide, did you all breathe a sigh of relief, thinking you wouldn’t have to waste any more time?”
“The reason I have these suspicions is because I’ve read her case file. It’s just two thin pages describing the discovery at the scene and the state of the body. Besides that, there’s no investigation record of Master Cao, and no record from the brothel momo. Why didn’t you investigate further?”
Zhang Biao’s face flushed red, and others lowered their heads in shame.
They couldn’t lift their heads because Bai Lixin was right. They looked down on the courtesans, and deep down, they felt they deserved whatever happened to them; after all, they were selling their bodies.
After the maid said that miss committed suicide, they hastily closed the case.
They didn’t ask Master Cao or the brothel momo, because they always felt that she was just doing a business when she went out.
Whatever others did to them was their own doing, especially since they had taken money for it.
Although Zhang Biao didn’t like courtesan women, he had no intention of approaching or harming them. He personally avoided the brothels and didn’t allow his brothers to visit such places.
These thoughts were hidden deep inside them, unspoken. However, today, Bai Lixin had torn away their hypocritical masks so openly, leaving Zhang Biao feeling deeply ashamed.
He always believed he hadn’t become as worldly and cunning as Magistrate Lin who uses power for personal gain.
But had he truly not?
When he had just become a constable, he had vowed to be a good official, an impartial and upright one.
But what had he done?
He judged a woman with prejudice.
If this courtesan was really murdered, then he was an accomplice.
“We also just heard rumors. It is said that someone had seen that sister performing magic when she was still in the establishment. Anyone who opposed her either suddenly went crazy or had consecutive nightmares at night.”
“People thought she was eerie and unlucky, so no one dared to provoke her. When she was in our establishment, she served as the number one for several years. It’s not that there weren’t sisters more talented than her, but every time someone snatched the number one position from her, that person would face accidents shortly afterward. It was oy when that sister was the number one that nothing bad happened.”
Bai Lixin: “Oh? Is it just a coincidence?”
“How could it be a coincidence?” Chun Tao lowered her voice. “Although I didn’t witness it personally, one of the sisters in the establishment did. According to her, when she had just become the number one girl, she was about to descend the stairs to greet a guest when she suddenly felt a strong push from behind. When she fell down, she looked back but found no one behind her.”
“That sister fell down the stairs and injured her leg. It still hurts on rainy days. Whenever someone mentions that older sister, she feels both hatred and fear.”
Bai Lixin: “That’s indeed mysterious.”
“But speaking of mysterious incidents, don’t you have another one in your establishment?”
Chun Tao blinked, “Huh? What incident?”
Bai Lixin: “I remember there was a girl from your establishment who went to entertain at client’s home at night but on her way back, she died mysteriously in the river. You even reported it to the authorities. Do you know about this?”
Chun Tao: “Oh, I know. I was already here at that time. It happened two years ago. We all knew the girl involved, her name was Xiao Cui. She was a popular girl back then.”
“She played the pipa skillfully, and many clients came specifically to hear her play.”
“You want to know what happened to her that night, right? Xiao Cui had many clients, but few were privileged enough to be her patrons. Although she was a courtesan, the momo used the scarcity principle to maintain her value. One of her patrons was a merchant from the eastern part of the city, Master Cao.”
“That night, it was said that Master Cao had important guests at his home. To offer something unique to his guests, he paid a hefty sum to invite Xiao Cui from our establishment. Xiao Cui initially refused because she never went out for in-room services. However, Master Cao offered her an exorbitant amount of money that day. Besides, she was quite familiar with Master Cao and believed that nothing would happen outside, so she agreed.”
“Then she dressed up and took her pipa to Master Cao’s house. However, when her body was found, there were signs of abuse all over. She probably couldn’t bear the humiliation and chose to do something stupid.”
Bai Lixin frowned, “When she went to Master Cao’s house that day, did she bring her pipa with her?”
Chun Tao nodded, “I remember it clearly. I helped her fix her hair that night, and I gave her words of advice before she left.”
“Is she a friend of yours?” Bai Lixin asked.
“Not really. We all live in the same establishment, so we see each other often.”
“We can be considered friends, but not close friends. We just have a few casual conversations sometimes. Although I feel sorry about her death, life goes on. I don’t have so much time to mourn her.”
“Young Master, don’t think I’m heartless,” Chun Tao chuckled, “It’s just that there’s little hope in this place. Either we are led out wearing red wedding clothes, or we are carried out lying on a grass mat. For us, death is sometimes a release. So, we don’t fear death as much. When a sister dies, we even say, ‘May she be liberated from suffering.’”
Bai Lixin: “…”
When he examined the case files, there was no mention of finding the pipa at the scene. Did Chun Tao, enraged by the humiliation at Master Cao’s house, leave without taking the pipa? Or did she take the pipa with her, but someone took it away later?
“I remember this case was initially reported to the yamen. Later, her maid was found, and it was clarified as a suicide. What about Xiao Cui’s maid? Is she still in the establishment?”
Chun Tao shook her head, “No, she’s not. The momo thought she brought bad luck and drove her out. But she’s still in Qingcheng Town. She used the money she saved from the establishment to open a small tofu stall. She had a good voice too.”
“Where is her tofu stall?” Bai Lixin asked.
Chun Tao: “Just go out the door, follow this street, and turn east at the third intersection. You’ll see a tofu shop. Besides tofu, they also sell tofu skin and soy milk. It’s quite popular.”
Bai Lixin silently noted down the address.
In the remaining time, he exchanged a few more words with Chun Tao before dismissing her and going to bed.
Before leaving, Chun Tao was still somewhat incredulous and kept asking herself if she could really leave. It wasn’t until she confirmed that Bai Lixin was serious that she dared to leave.
Afterward, Bai Lixin stayed in the bedroom until dawn before leaving. When he arrived at the yamen, Zhang Biao had already arrived.
When he entered, Zhang Biao and his group of constable brothers were still gathered around a table, eating fried dough sticks.
Seeing Bai Lixin come in, Zhang Biao immediately stood up and called out, “Sir, you’re here so early?”
“Aren’t you here earlier than me?” Bai Lixin replied casually, his gaze sweeping over the people at the table without leaving a trace.
Besides Zhang Biao, there were the young constable from yesterday and Chang Song. After a night of recovery, the swelling on the his face had disappeared, but due to bruising, his face was still blue and purple, and the color was even darker than yesterday.
Apart from them, four other men were sitting around the table.
Seeing Bai Lixin approach, although Chang Song and the young constable were a bit slower, they quickly stood up, respectfully greeting Bai Lixin.
The other constables, apparently having heard some rumors, also stood up, looking at him as if he were an enshrined Buddha statue.
Should it be this exaggerated?
Bai Lixin slowly walked to the table. Before he could speak, he saw Zhang Biao sniffing the air.
Then Zhang Biao slapped the table, “Tell me, which of you went to the brothel last night? Didn’t I tell you, if I find out any of you dared to go there…”
“Do I need to break your legs to make you talk? What, you won’t even listen to me?!”
The group exchanged glances, hastily gesturing with their hands, “No, no, no, Boss, I was at home all night, I didn’t go anywhere.”
“Yeah, I followed your orders and stayed home with my wife and kids. I didn’t even think of going anywhere improper.”
“I didn’t go either, I really didn’t!”
“None of us went, could it be the scent of rouge and powder in Hualiu Lane still lingers on the Boss?”
“With the Boss’s character, how could he…”
“Oh, I went.” Bai Lixin interrupted Zhang Biao.
The room fell silent instantly, and everyone froze on the spot.
Zhang Biao’s words immediately came tumbling out of his throat, “Sir must have gone to the brothel to investigate the case!”
Everyone: “…”
‘When we go to the brothel, it’s for pleasure, but when the young master goes, it’s to investigate a case.
Boss, your double standards are just too obvious, okay?’
“You guessed right.” Bai Lixin raised an eyebrow, “I went there to investigate the suicide case of Xiao Cui from the brothel two years ago.”
“Isn’t this case already closed?” one constable blurted out, “It was a suicide.”
“But I think there are some doubts inside, so I went to the brothel last night to inquire about the situation. I was planning to look for you guys, but since you’re all here, let’s talk about this case together.”
After saying that, Bai Lixin pulled out a stool from behind him and sat down at the table. The young constable acted swiftly, immediately pushing a bowl of soy milk in front of Bai Lixin, “Sir, you haven’t eaten yet, have some soy milk, no one had touched it yet. I won’t get you the fried dough sticks, my hands are dirty.”
Zhang Biao gave the young constable a glare.
‘You’re quite quick on your feet, you are, offering soy milk and fried dough sticks I bought, pretending it’s from you!
Bai Lixin said a thank you and pushed the soy milk back, “I’ve already eaten.”
Zhang Biao: “Sir, you just said there are doubts about this case. What are the doubts?”
“The biggest doubt is the pipa. I’ve asked someone who knew Xiao Cui in the brothel, she said that night, she went to play music at the residence of Master Cao to the east of the city. She went there with her pipa in her arms. But when her body was found, there was no pipa around her.”
“I didn’t see any mention of the pipa in the case files at least. Could you tell me what the situation was back then? It’s been two years, I don’t know if you still remember the details.”
“I led a few of my brothers to this case,” Zhang Biao stared at the fried dough sticks in front of him, his gaze starting to wander, “Although Qingcheng Town has its share of cases every day, deaths are not that common. So, I remember the details. I also checked the case files; the description in the files matches what we saw at the scene. We really didn’t see a pipa at the scene. We even went to the river to search and didn’t find any pipa.”
“You’re right about this issue. So, do you mean to say that you don’t think this case was a simple suicide?”
“I just have doubts. Because I talked to the girls in the brothel yesterday, they said this girl named Xiao Cui was very reluctant to go out because she was afraid of encountering danger. This indirectly indicates that Xiao Cui was afraid of death. For someone who is so afraid of death. How can a person who wants to commit suicide be afraid of death?”
“And even if it’s just a normal suicide, I find it hard to believe that she would choose to die in such a horrific way. Moreover, there’s the missing pipa, which adds another layer of mystery to this case.”
“Furthermore, the claim that she couldn’t bear the humiliation is even more unreasonable. For the courtesans in the brothel business, who are used to the ways of the flesh trade and have long regarded themselves as a commodity, can you imagine the level of humiliation that would drive a person like her, who is mentally strong, to suicide?”
Zhang Biao frowned slightly, “But Xiao Cui’s maid claimed she couldn’t bear the humiliation. In that case, is it possible that the maid was lying? I’ll go grab the maid now and interrogate her again!”
“Not just the maid, what Xiao Cui experienced in Master Cao’s residence back then is crucial. It was said she had to entertain important guests, right? What kind of guests were they? What did Master Cao and his associates do to her? How did she sustain those injuries?”
Zhang Biao’s eyes filled with admiration, “Sir, you’re absolutely right. Why didn’t I think of that! If only I had half of your wisdom back then, this case wouldn’t have remained buried for two years.”
“It’s not your fault,” Bai Lixin shook his head, “someone stepped forward claiming it was a suicide. In the face of vague physical evidence and clear testimonies, most people tend to believe testimonies.”
“But that doesn’t mean you’re blameless either. Ask yourselves, did you hastily close it back then because the victim was a courtesan? A woman who was already looked down upon by society, whom many considered a sinner. Perhaps, after hearing that she had committed suicide, did you all breathe a sigh of relief, thinking you wouldn’t have to waste any more time?”
“The reason I have these suspicions is because I’ve read her case file. It’s just two thin pages describing the discovery at the scene and the state of the body. Besides that, there’s no investigation record of Master Cao, and no record from the brothel momo. Why didn’t you investigate further?”
Zhang Biao’s face flushed red, and others lowered their heads in shame.
They couldn’t lift their heads because Bai Lixin was right. They looked down on the courtesans, and deep down, they felt they deserved whatever happened to them; after all, they were selling their bodies.
After the maid said that miss committed suicide, they hastily closed the case.
They didn’t ask Master Cao or the brothel momo, because they always felt that she was just doing a business when she went out.
Whatever others did to them was their own doing, especially since they had taken money for it.
Although Zhang Biao didn’t like courtesan women, he had no intention of approaching or harming them. He personally avoided the brothels and didn’t allow his brothers to visit such places.
These thoughts were hidden deep inside them, unspoken. However, today, Bai Lixin had torn away their hypocritical masks so openly, leaving Zhang Biao feeling deeply ashamed.
He always believed he hadn’t become as worldly and cunning as Magistrate Lin who uses power for personal gain.
But had he truly not?
When he had just become a constable, he had vowed to be a good official, an impartial and upright one.
But what had he done?
He judged a woman with prejudice.
If this courtesan was really murdered, then he was an accomplice.
