Chapter 53: Jiangnan City Has Been Uneasy Lately

He seemed to have arrived at a most inopportune moment.

The Clearwater Pavilion buzzed with chaos, as if some dire event had unfolded. No one was there to greet him, the man behind the scenes. Guests and players who had been pouring tea clustered together, their faces etched with gravity. Nearby songstresses had gone pale with terror.

“What’s going on? It’s too gruesome, too brutal…”

“Could someone be jealous of our Clearwater Pavilion’s booming business and staged this bloody murder? A commercial sabotage straight out of ancient times?”

“Very possible. The other day, those folks from Flower Street next door were giving us shady looks.”

“Poor Peony sister! She’s definitely having nightmares tonight!”

“Where’s the coroner player? Stop chatting and come examine the body!”

“No need for that. Time of death was less than an hour ago. Cause: throat slit, instant death by blood loss.”

Several players who had signed work contracts and been laboring at the Clearwater Pavilion for days had been murmuring among themselves. When they spotted Ruan Xuezong, they froze, then realization dawned. “Family, Zongzong’s here!”

“Oh, so it’s a plot event!”

“What’s happening?” Ruan Xuezong furrowed his brow lightly. The air was thick with cloying perfume and the metallic tang of blood, leaving him uncomfortable. He lifted a subtle incense sachet and inhaled gently. A refreshing medicinal aroma wafted in, steadying his mind amid the clamor.

“Zongzong, there’s been a murder,” the players rushed over, clamoring to share details. “This afternoon, a wealthy merchant dripping in jewels arrived at the Clearwater Pavilion. He seemed to be from out of town, throwing money around like water. He called for Peony sister, who played the qin for him. He got drunk and demanded she dance, so Peony went out to change into dance attire. But in the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, she returned to find the guest dead—throat slashed, blood pooling on the table.”

The rest was straightforward. Peony screamed in horror, and the entire brothel erupted in pandemonium.

Ruan Xuezong fell silent.

He was deeply displeased. In the Rivers and Lakes, people died all the time. Why did it have to happen around him?

“Where’s Peony?” Ruan Xuezong asked. His gaze swept the room and landed on her in the corner, shrouded in gloom.

Peony was a fixture at the Clearwater Pavilion. In her youth, she had been stunningly beautiful. A flamboyant poet of the realm had once visited and been captivated at first sight, penning countless verses in her praise across Jiangnan City—odes to Peony’s dance captivating the city, sea tang blossoms drunk in her dimples. Surrounded by such acclaim, she had drawn crowds of young scions like bees to a famed flower.

But as her beauty faded with age, those poets turned their flattery to newer flower queens, and the young admirers chased fresher blooms. Her longtime patrons, however, remained steadfast, aging alongside her like loyal regulars.

Peony’s sorrow stemmed from the fact that the merchant had been one of those faithful clients, dead under mysterious circumstances. With the city officials due any moment, she faced the grim prospect of arrest as the prime suspect.

Flower Mama rushed back only to hear the awful news. Stunned, she wailed to the heavens. “My poor girl, how did this befall you? No wonder I saw bailiffs on the road—they were storming in like thunder, ready to shut us down over a murder.”

Peony had held back her tears at first, but those words broke her. Tears welled up like pearls and spilled down her cheeks as she clutched Flower Mama and sobbed. “Mama, you must stand up for your daughter. I don’t want to go to prison. I didn’t kill him, and his death breaks my heart too.”

“What? They’re taking Peony sister away? The Clearwater Pavilion will be shut down for investigation? No!” The other courtesans gasped at the news of the officials, feeling the sky had fallen. A group of rough-looking players chimed in with shouts.

The scene descended into utter turmoil.

Harried by the noise, Ruan Xuezong stepped forward. “Peony, I won’t let the officials take you. Tell me exactly what happened—from start to finish.”

If Peony were arrested, the rumor of the Clearwater Pavilion’s top courtesan claiming a life would stick, dooming the establishment.

“Young Master!” At the sight of Ruan Xuezong, Peony called softly. She trusted him deeply. Wiping her tear-streaked makeup, she recounted the events in full.

“That merchant was a regular of mine. He visits for months every year, traveling for business the rest of the time. This year was no different. He’d just closed a big deal and made a fortune. He brought a box of pearls to present to me…”

Ruan Xuezong pondered this.

Eastern pearls hailed from the eastern seas, while treasure pearls were rare exotics from the Fangzhu Kingdom—like gold, red agates, and sapphires.

Peony spoke anxiously. “His extravagance startled me. I refused repeatedly, but he insisted I accept, calling it a token of his heart. After a few cups of pear blossom white, he was sloshed. He kept rambling about finding a grandmaster treasure in the Yellow Sand Desert—wealth to rival nations, heavenly palaces, immortal cities. He even recited a poem: White Jade Capital in the Sky, Twelve Towers Five Cities. He said he had a cowhide map tucked in his robes that led him there, and he’d return for one last trip. Next time, he’d buy my freedom with his riches and have me dance one final time for him. I stepped out to change clothes, and when I returned, he lay there with blood gushing from his neck. I panicked and fled the room.”

The tale brimmed with revelations. The players gaped, buzzing with speculation. “One last dance? Classic death flag!”

“Grandmaster treasure in the Yellow Sand Desert—that’s why the regional map unlocked.”

“White Jade Capital in the Sky, Twelve Towers Five Cities… I’ve heard that somewhere. Treasure clue?”

“What about the box of pearls?” Ruan Xuezong asked.

Peony hurried over with an exquisite chest. Even the brocade box spoke of the merchant’s devotion: ornate cords, butterflies amid flower stamens carved upon it—lively and elegant, the bloom unmistakably peony.

He opened it, and brilliance burst forth like a mirror unveiled. Gems of every hue dazzled the eye. At the center gleamed a necklace of Fangzhu sapphires, profound and misty as the Milky Way, confirming the merchant’s tales.

Ruan Xuezong reached into the front of the merchant’s robe. It was empty—no cowhide map. That made things grave.

He promptly issued the players a time-limited quest: scour the room before the yamen arrived.

The Clearwater Pavilion was a proper establishment. Its private rooms featured refined, understated decor—nothing garish or decadent like lesser brothels. There was a bed, a vanity, even a rack for clothes. Few places to hide: just the reception table, a vision-blocking screen, a bronze incense burner glowing quietly, and sundry furnishings.

No spots for a person to conceal themselves.

Players climbed to the ceiling, finding the beams dust-free.

No assassin lurked like some eastern shadow killer, hiding behind the screen or beams to slit the drunken merchant’s throat while Peony was gone. The investigation stalled.

City officials from Jiangnan soon arrived on orders. Peony paled.

Elder Jiang, clad in official robes, entered the Clearwater Pavilion, trailed by coroners and bailiffs bristling with authority.

To the players’ surprise, Elder Jiang, a Jiangnan official, seemed far more affable than the blade-happy Constable Zheng.

He didn’t demand Peony’s arrest at once. Instead, he complimented Ruan Xuezong. “The Peacock Manor incident has the entire martial world abuzz. Seeing Manor Lord Ruan today, I see a true prodigy in his youth.”

A flattering hat-tip to foster goodwill—how could Heart Washing Manor refuse to aid the yamen now?

Ruan Xuezong sensed the bind.

But Elder Jiang had more to say. Stroking his beard with a faint smile, he continued, “One look at Peony’s hands tells me they play only qin and pipa—hands that couldn’t kill. Even if she tried, the cut wouldn’t be so clean; her hand would shake.”

His words stirred the players to awe and admiration, nearly prompting cheers of “That’s a real detective official!”

Elder Jiang grew solemn. “Peony isn’t the killer, but that doesn’t mean Clearwater Pavilion can resume business as usual. Jiangnan City has been restless lately, and now this murder here. I hope the young heroes of Heart Washing Manor will assist the yamen in solving the case.”

Ruan Xuezong frowned. “Might I ask, Elder Jiang, what troubles have plagued Jiangnan City of late?” He’d been immersed in the Twilight Spring Festival Event, holing up at home. How had he fallen so behind in just half a month?

“Ordinary folk haven’t heard,” Elder Jiang hesitated, weighing Ruan Xuezong’s reputation. After a moment, he relented. “Manor Lord Ruan isn’t yamen staff, and this touches ladies’ reputations—families prefer silence. As their magistrate, I shouldn’t air private matters. But with so many maidens vanishing in Jiangnan City lately, I’ll tell you.”

“Lately, numerous women have gone missing. Common talk blames a flower plucking thief prowling the city, abducting virtuous girls with impunity. As of yesterday, three families have reported daughters gone.”

Lightning flashed in Ruan Xuezong’s mind. He interrupted. “No, I fear it’s more than three…”

Elder Jiang shot him a surprised glance, as if to ask what he meant.

Ruan Xuezong had suddenly recalled Tangli, Baizhi, and Su Hexiang, top courtesans of the Clearwater Pavilion. Had they truly eloped overnight, or been snatched by this thief? A chill premonition gripped him.

At that moment, a group of players working at the Heart Washing Escort Agency received a peculiar escort commission.

Escort agencies primarily transported goods safely. But their services extended further: guarding homes, vaults, or persons.

This task came from Master Qian of Jiangnan City. For a hefty sum, he hired the Heart Washing Escort Agency to protect… his flower-like daughter.