A Pawn's Passage

Tang Yongde coughed heavily to remind the women in the room that they had guests.

At this moment, Zhang Yuelu had already walked around the screen and entered the room, where she saw several women playing a game of leaves on a luxurious lounge bed.

Qi Xuansu could not help but click his tongue when he saw the lavish furnishings and decorations in the room behind the screen. Various rouges, makeup, and jewelry were scattered on the dressing table. Judging by the exquisite boxes, Qi Xuansu could tell that they were expensive.

The stool and the side table were both made of rosewood. The incense burner was burning ambergris. The standing mirror was made of a single tall glass mirror brought from the Western Continent. The couch was covered with embroidered pillows and brocade quilts, a specialty of Jiangnan’s craftsmen. The wardrobe was Western-style, with the door half open, revealing all kinds of thin silk and satin clothes.

Any one of these items was easily worth more than one Wuyou coin, making the items in this room worth at least hundreds of Wuyou coins.

Qi Xuansu worked for Tiangang Hall as Zhang Yuelu’s henchman and risked his life fighting demons and criminals. But all he had to show for was a few hundred Taiping coins. On the other hand, these prostitutes made money effortlessly. It was truly a skill!

Zhang Yuelu had seen opulence before. Although she did not live in the Zhang family’s Dazhen Mansion, she went there often. That was the epitome of wealth accumulated for generations. Thus, she did not think much about the furnishings in this room. Instead, her gaze landed on the several women in front of her.

The floor was carpeted in this room, and a fire was burning vigorously, creating coziness despite the winter temperatures outside. That was why the women were only wearing light robes made of gauze that revealed their slender arms. Their shoulders were bare and fair, as were their feet, which peeked out from under their skirts.

The women were surprised when they saw Zhang Yuelu barging in. Since Zhang Yuelu was wearing a cloak and a hood, they failed to realize that she was also a woman.

Tang Yongde introduced her. “This is Mage Zhang. Han Yu, come out.”

A frail-looking woman stood up and smoothed her clothes. She was not as seductive as the others. Instead, she looked cute, like a frightened doe, which made people feel the urge to protect her.

Zhang Yuelu subconsciously glanced at Qi Xuansu to gauge his reaction.

Unexpectedly, Qi Xuansu’s attention was not on these charming women. His eyes kept wandering over the various furnishings in the room. He even looked resentful.

Zhang Yuelu did not know what Qi Xuansu was thinking, but she could roughly guess what was bothering him. Qi Xuansu probably felt it was unfair because he worked tirelessly and risked his life, only to find that he was earning so much less than these prostitutes.

She sighed softly because many in the Daoist community fell for the extravagance of the secular world. They usually thought highly of themselves and looked down on others. However, the people they viewed as inferior wore nicer clothes, changed four sets of outfits a day, lived in mansions, and enjoyed all the splendor. Meanwhile, they could only own eight sets of clothes and earn a few hundred Taiping coins.

Most Daoist priests could not afford to own a house with double entrances. They were not considered poor, but they were still far from rich. Over time, these people grew resentful of the unfairness.

In the past century, this led to major corruption cases, and the situation continued to worsen. Thus, the Ancestral Court had to repeatedly revise and improve the treatment of Daoist priests at all levels. However, it still could not stop people’s greed.

In fact, Qi Xuansu did not feel aggrieved. He did at first, but after some thought, he felt that what he lacked monetarily, he had gained in terms of status. At the moment, people had to address him as Deacon Qi or Daoist Qi. If he advanced further in rank, they would have to address him as Mage Qi, High Mage Qi, or even Sage Qi.

By then, no one would dare to insult him. This privilege was something that merchants or prostitutes could never compare to.

Han Yu came to Tang Yongde and bowed respectfully. “Greetings, Mage Tang.”

Generally speaking, job titles such as Deputy Hall Master, Superintendent, and Deacon were only used within the Daoist community. Sometimes, it was also used by people in the Imperial Court or those related to the Daoist community. Outsiders referred to Daoist disciples as Daoist, or by their ranks, like Mage, High Mage, Sage, and so on. Daoist disciples would be upset if they were not addressed accordingly.

Tang Yongde nodded and instructed, “This is Mage Zhang. She’s here to investigate the case. You must answer her questions truthfully.”

Han Yu lowered her head and answered, “Yes, Mage.”

Zhang Yuelu questioned, “Were you the first to discover Mason’s body?”

“Yes.” Han Yu said softly, “At that time, I was sitting on his body.”

Zhang Yuelu’s face was a little stiff, as she felt a little awkward. Fortunately, she was wearing a hood, so no one could see her expression. She was silent for a moment before she added, “Tell me the situation at the time of his death.”

Han Yu glanced at Tang Yongde and hesitated. After all, it involved sexual intercourse, and Mage Zhang sounded like a young woman.

Tang Yongde said with a straight face, “You can answer Mage Zhang’s questions truthfully.”

“Yes, Mage.” Han Yu responded, but she was vague in her reply. “I was in a state of ecstasy at the time when I suddenly heard Boss Mason grunt like he was in pain. So I quickly stopped moving and opened my eyes. That was when I saw Boss Mason covering his chest—”

Qi Xuansu suddenly interrupted, “Miss Han Yu, are you sure you saw Boss Mason holding his chest like he was in pain?”

Han Yu nodded. “Yes, I’m sure.”

Qi Xuansu glanced at Zhang Yuelu, who understood what he was trying to say. There were obvious traces on Mason’s body that he had fallen victim to the Nightmare Bringer Method. People who died of this method usually had no energy before death. They would often look confused and lost. At first glance, they just looked like they were sleepy. Eventually, they would become an empty shell. However, what Han Yu described was a symptom of coital death.

As a result, Han Yu seemed extremely suspicious. However, they also could not rule out the possibility that the murderer played other tricks, even deceiving Han Yu. Thus, they could not be certain that Han Yu was involved in Mason’s murder.

Han Yu continued, “After I got off Boss Mason, he started to twitch, and his eyes rolled back. I was so frightened that I quickly got dressed and called for help. First, some of my colleagues and their clients came over. Then people from Yong’an Palace arrived and put us here.”

Zhang Yuelu nodded. “I would like to ask you ladies to stay here for the time being. Superintendent Tang, you and I will stay here to continue taking their statement while Deacon Qi will go to the main hall.”

Tang Yongde obliged.

Zhang Yuelu turned to Qi Xuansu and instructed, “Go to the main hall and get the merchants’ statements.”

Qi Xuansu nodded and left the room with a Spirit Guard leading the way.

When they came to the main hall, several merchants were already waiting there. The Spirit Guard introduced, “This is Deacon Qi.”

Qi Xuansu took off his hood and clasped his fists in a salute. “Greetings, everyone. I’d like to ask you a few questions. I hope you can answer them truthfully.”

A mature-looking merchant said, “We are Mason’s friends and townspeople. He died in a foreign country out of the blue, so we thought it would be best to give his family an explanation. We will be grateful if you can solve the case, so we will naturally answer your questions to the best of our abilities, Deacon Qi.”

These merchants were not ordinary people because they would require some background to do business with Shibo Hall. Thus, they were confident when they spoke.

He motioned for the merchants to sit, but he did not take a seat himself. Instead, he paced the room slowly and asked, “Did Mason have any enemies before his death?”

An elderly merchant replied, “In our line of work, we’re all about making money, so we like to make friends and won’t make enemies for no reason. I’ve never heard that Mason has any enemies.”

“Oh?” Qi Xuansu asked, “Isn’t there a saying that fellow merchants are enemies?”

Strictly speaking, the merchants present were Mason’s colleagues, who were all suspects, according to Qi Xuansu. That was why Qi Xuansu’s face was stern.

The mature businessman who spoke earlier said, “Deacon Qi, you don’t work in Shibo Hall, so you must not know the rules here. Anyone who does business with Shibo Hall knows that it is impossible to steal someone else’s business.

“Shibo Hall conducts public bidding every year, and whether one can succeed in taking the bid depends entirely on one’s capabilities. It has nothing to do with others. Although we’re all merchants, our trade is different, so we’re not enemies. We all work for Shibo Hall.”

Another person added, “We’ve even become friends because of it.”

Qi Xuansu nodded. “Alright.”

These merchants traded with Shibo Hall, so they were considered closely related to the Daoist Order and addressed Qi Xuansu by his job title.

Qi Xuansu asked again, “Can you tell me how this bidding works?”

The same merchant explained, “I am in the tea business, so let’s use that as an example. When tea is shipped to the Western Continent, the price can increase more than tenfold. However, only Shibo Hall can negotiate large-scale business with the Western merchants and ship the tea to the Western Continent. Even if something goes wrong and one or two ships sink, Shibo Hall can afford the losses.

“If smaller merchants were to lose a ship or two, they would be ruined, so most people wouldn’t get involved in maritime trade by themselves. As a supplier of Shibo Hall, we don’t get as much profit, but it’s still better than most. One can easily rake in a lot of money being in this trade for a few years.

“With such a good deal, countless people flock toward this opportunity. That’s why Shibo Hall will put out bids for the suppliers. Whoever has better quality goods and a more suitable price will be chosen as the supplier.”

“This is just tea. There are other trades like porcelain, silk, and so many more. Moreover, when Shibo Hall’s fleet transports our goods to the West, it will also bring back goods from there in short supply. Many big cities and mansions require such items, and Shibo Hall has its own branches to sell them directly. But some clients are out of their reach, so that is when Shibo Hall will let us sell the goods on their behalf.

“As for who will get to sell these goods, Shibo Hall will also put them out for bidding. The merchant can then have the right to sell Western goods exclusively after winning the bid.

“No matter what, those who win bids are considered to be working for Shibo Hall. We’re not considered members of the Daoist community, but no one dares to offend us or look down on us. If we encounter difficulties, we’ll seek help from Shibo Hall, and they will most likely come forward to settle the issue. That’s because ruining Shibo Hall’s business is a big deal.

“I have never heard of anyone who dares to offend the Daoist Order. That’s why we suspect the cultists are involved in this.”

Qi Xuansu pondered. “I guess it makes sense why you’re all determined that the murderer is a cultist.”