vrcanaries Chapter 353 West City
Chapter 353 West City
The market in West City wasn't as opulent as the East Tower, but it was no less bustling. Perhaps the most eye-catching attraction was the brothel. It was said to be the largest in the capital. Passersby had heard that it was no ordinary brothel; it was also where courtesans from the imperial court were sent to work. This meant that many of the once-high-flying prostitutes who had fallen from grace in a single day's upheaval had been there.
"I heard the women of the Zhenguo Mansion are officially accepting guests today," a dandy boy said jokingly, "The eldest daughter of the Zhenguo Mansion always looked pure and innocent, but now she's fallen to this point, with her lips being tasted by everyone. Today, we brothers must take a picture of her and get our revenge."
"Besides this eldest daughter, there are also the second and third daughters... The Duke of Zhenguo has no concubines, but he has many side branches. It is said that all the women in those families serve as courtesans."
Qin Huiyin listened to the conversation and thought about what Su Jin had said. Su Jin had originally been a maidservant of the eldest daughter of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion. Later, when the mansion was in trouble and all the slaves were sold, she ended up at the Tang family. Su Jin had inquired about her former master, and it seemed that the eldest daughter must have been kind to her servants.
"Brother, I want to go in and take a look." Qin Huiyin said, "Su Jin used to be a servant of the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion, and this young lady is her former master."
Tang Yichen frowned: "She actually told you this. Since she misses her old master, then replace her. I will find you someone who has no second thoughts."
"Su Jin's longing for her former master shows her deep loyalty and righteousness, which I admire very much. However, the Duke of Zhenguo didn't deserve such a fate after a lifetime of military service, and his women certainly didn't deserve it..."
"Little sister, this is the capital, at the feet of the emperor." Tang Yichen covered her mouth with his hand, stopping her from saying anything more. "You can be kind, but only if you protect yourself first. You can't wade into the muddy waters of the Zhenguo Mansion, and I won't let you take any risks. We've almost finished our shopping today, so let's go back and come back another day."
"I'm just going to see who will end up with that young lady. If the price is right, we can buy her and save her from disaster."
"You can save her today, but what about tomorrow? What about the day after tomorrow? This is a brothel, a place where money is spent like water. The little money you earn is not enough to support her for a month."
While the brother and sister were still arguing about this matter, many people ran out of the brothel, shouting loudly: "Someone's dead...Someone's dead..."
"Who died?" someone asked.
"The wife of the Duke of Zhenguo died by hitting her head against a pillar on the spot," said one of the panicked clients. "The second and third wives, Miss Wei, and other female relatives followed suit and hit their heads against the pillar."
The military commander from West City rushed over. The leading commander saw Tang Yichen and greeted him, "Master Tang, are you going out to have some fun? It's unfortunate that something happened in this building today. I'm afraid it will spoil your fun. You'll have to come back another day."
The man's gaze stayed on Qin Huiyin, and a look of surprise flashed in his dishonest eyes, followed by a look of looking at a toy.
Tang Yichen blocked Qin Huiyin behind him and said indifferently: "I'm just taking my sister for a walk."
"Sister?" Commander Xicheng's face was full of regret.
If she were an ordinary civilian girl, with such beauty, she could be kept in the room as a concubine. It's a pity that she is the sister of Tang Yichen, the rising star.
His old man always reminded him to build good relationships with the top three Jinshi, especially Tang Yichen, because the man above praised him highly and said he had a bright future.
"I heard something happened in there..." Tang Yichen asked, "The women of the Wei family are in there, so what are the sentences for the men?"
"Of course it's the death penalty," said Yang Xing, the commander of West City. "It will be carried out in Caishikou in five days. Okay, Master Tang, I'll be busy now. I'll treat you to a drink another day."
After Yang Xing left, Qin Huiyin asked, "With so many people in the Zhenguo Mansion and such a big thing happening, why didn't you know about it, brother?"
"There's something fishy about this. The Duke of Zhenguo has made great contributions, but evidence of treason was discovered in his mansion, leading to his entire family being thrown into prison. Now, the women are being used as prostitutes, and the men are being beheaded at Caishikou, yet only a handful of officials know about this." After Tang Yichen finished speaking, he realized he had said something he shouldn't have and tapped her forehead. "Don't meddle in these matters. You think you're so powerful, wanting to control everything, but you can't just ignore it."
Qin Huiyin looked in the direction of the brothel and was taken away by Tang Yichen.
After returning home, Tang Luwu was burying wine in the yard. When she saw Qin Huiyin coming back, she said, "Yinyin, I have brewed a jar of peach blossom wine and plan to bury it under this tree."
"Okay, I'll accompany you."
Tang Yichen asked about the pastries.
Tang Luwu said, "That cake is so delicious. Yinyin, there are so many delicious foods in the capital. Will our business be affected after the food street opens?"
"Don't worry, there are so many delicious foods in the capital, but everyone's economic conditions are much better than those in the county. In addition, the population here is ten times that of the county. Most importantly, there are many merchants coming in and out, and there are also many merchants from foreign regions. We just need to do business and don't worry about anything else."
Tang Yichen went back to the study to deal with official documents.
As soon as he left, Qin Huiyin sent someone to call Su Jin.
"Su Jin, I just..." Qin Huiyin told Su Jin what she had seen and heard. "Your old master did something stupid, and I don't know how she is doing now. I know you care about her, so I'm telling you this. You can decide what to do."
"Thank you, Miss." Su Jin choked up, "I want to find out whether she is alive or dead. Please grant me permission."
"I'll give you a few days off so you can take care of your affairs."
"Yes."
Su Jin went out overnight.
Tang Luwu said worriedly, "This Zhenguo Mansion is too miserable. Even if they were all killed, it would be better than humiliating them like this. Su Jin is from the Zhenguo Mansion. Will it really be okay for her to inquire about the news? If others find out, will she be implicated?"
"A servant asking about his former master's whereabouts won't alert many people," Qin Huiyin said. "Don't worry, Su Jin has been in a prominent family before, so she knows her limits better than you and I. By the way, where's your little henchman Shang Zimo? Why didn't I see him following you today?"
"I said I wanted to make some plum wine tomorrow, and he went to the market to look for plums," Tang Luwu said. "I sent someone to follow him, so he shouldn't get lost!"
"I see that Zimo is becoming more and more capable of managing things. After the food court is built, I can hand over the business there to you two to manage together." Qin Huiyin said, "I will mainly focus on the affairs of the military factory. After all, the business there involves the court, so I will spend more effort on it."