Do Rich Men Love Eating from the Communal Pot?

Zhao Changshan suddenly let out a burp. He hurriedly lifted his teacup and gulped down several mouthfuls of tea, washing down the pastries.

His eyes fixed tightly on the last girl in purple. "What's your name? You were the one who accompanied Master Ma's younger brother that day, weren't you?"

The other women who had entered were fairly attractive too, but none of them could compare to the girl in purple. If he had money, he would pick the prettiest one too.

The madam said with a smile, "Sharp eyes, Constable. She is the courtesan queen of our Dark Fragrance Pavilion, and her name is Peony. I spent a fortune buying her from the prefectural city. She used to be the daughter of a wealthy family, skilled in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting alike. She was the one who accompanied Master Ma that day."

"Just look at how delicate and frail she is. How could she possibly harm anyone?"

Peony bent her knees in a curtsy, tears gathering in her eyes. "Peony greets the two constables."

"Please, sirs, uphold justice for Peony. Master Ma's death truly had nothing to do with me."

"Nothing to do with you, nothing to do with you. Don't cry." Zhao Changshan nearly wanted to rush over and wipe away Peony's tears.

Such a beautiful girl was being falsely accused by a filthy old man. Was there any justice left in this world?

"Brother Cui, take the others to the room next door and question them. I'll personally ask about the details of that night. It may take a little longer."

As he spoke, Zhao Changshan winked at Cui Lang.

He had not even gotten to touch the hand of the courtesan queen at Red Sleeve Pavilion before. Today, he had a chance to savor the fragrance of Dark Fragrance Pavilion's courtesan queen!

The madam's eyelids twitched wildly. She could accept constables coming to investigate, eating and drinking for free, even asking for a girl to have some fun with—but why did he want to enjoy her courtesan queen for free?

Seeing Peony look timidly at her, the madam hurriedly said, "Constable, Peony is only a weak woman. It would not be appropriate to question her alone, would it?"

"Besides, she was frightened and still has not recovered. I have already explained everything that happened just now. You could question the other girls instead."

"How about I arrange two girls first, so you can conduct a thorough and detailed interrogation?"

Cui Lang could not help speaking up. "What do you take us for?"

The madam immediately said, "Constable, you pick two as well. Go interrogate them in the room next door. I guarantee no one will disturb you."

"Listen carefully, all of you. Whoever gets chosen had better obey the constables. If you make the constables unhappy, you know the consequences!"

Cui Lang: "???"

Was that what he meant?

Although the girls here were all quite pretty, he did not like sharing the same path as others.

Cui Lang rose and walked toward the woman beside Peony. "Master Ma sought you out too? How was his health usually?"

The woman answered softly, "He was fairly robust, but he was already over sixty. Every time, he would swallow a pill first. All the sisters knew that."

Cui Lang nodded. That matched the madam's testimony. But since Master Ma often took those pills, why had he suddenly dropped dead this time?

And Master Ma did not seem short of money. With that much money, could he not have taken a few concubines? Why did he insist on coming to Dark Fragrance Pavilion?

Did he just love eating from the communal pot?

He caught a faint musky smell with his nose. It seemed like the scent he had smelled in the main hall, but he could not tell which girl it came from.

"May I look around Dark Fragrance Pavilion and inspect the other rooms?"

The madam froze. Had he not taken a fancy to any of the girls here?

She had thought an old lecher like Zhao Changshan would be difficult to deal with. Who would have thought that young Cui Lang had even more demanding tastes?

Zhao Changshan's eyes lit up. Brother Cui really was quick-witted. There were only a few girls in this room. Since they had finally come to Dark Fragrance Pavilion, should they not meet every girl and choose carefully?

"That's right. We need to look through every room. What if someone else secretly murdered Master Ma?"

Zhao Changshan adjusted his trousers before rising to his feet, silently allowing Cui Lang to walk in front.

The madam led the way. "This is Cui Cui's room. She has only recently begun receiving guests and is most skilled in music. There is nothing in the world she does not know how to blow."

Zhao Changshan hurriedly committed that to memory. Though this girl was only delicately pretty, she had a special talent.

The madam introduced the rooms all along the way, while Zhao Changshan kept making mental notes. He felt as though his eyes were about to be dazzled by all the choices.

"Constables, this is Peony's room. The bed was just replaced. After all, no one likes lying in a bed where someone died, right?"

The fragrance in this room was even stronger than in the other rooms, but beneath that rich scent was a faint musky odor.

Cui Lang had smelled this scent beside Peony earlier.

The madam had said Peony was terrified after Master Ma died. Dark Fragrance Pavilion had so many rooms—could Peony, as the courtesan queen, not have changed rooms? Did she have to stay in the one where a man had died?

There was definitely something wrong with Peony.

The madam smiled ingratiatingly. "You two constables have seen everything. Would you like to speak with any particular girl alone to learn more? Master Ma's death truly cannot be blamed on us."

Cui Lang said seriously, "We cannot take only your word for it. We need to speak with Master Ma as well and learn more about the situation. Once we have investigated clearly, we will come back for you."

After leaving Dark Fragrance Pavilion, Zhao Changshan was displeased. "Brother Cui, such a good opportunity, and you just had to drag me out?"

He had already decided which two he wanted. Leaving without doing anything—had they not come to Dark Fragrance Pavilion for nothing?

"Brother Zhao, Constable Li warned you this morning. Is it appropriate for us to stay overnight at Dark Fragrance Pavilion now?"

Zhao Changshan's expression changed. "Right, right, it really isn't appropriate. At the very least, we should wait a day. No wonder you said we would come back for them."

"Then let's go to Master Ma's residence. Walk faster, and we can just make it in time for lunch."

In Peony's room, only Peony and the madam remained.

The madam who had just been barking orders at the girls was now kneeling before Peony.

Peony slapped the madam so hard that she tumbled over. The madam hurriedly crawled back up and knelt before Peony again. Even with her face swollen, she did not dare cry out in pain.

"Useless trash! You could not even send off two constables, and you actually made me meet them, even let them enter my room."

"If they discover anything, I'll skin you alive!"

The madam lowered her head, trembling all over. "Please calm your anger. Since they had come, how could they possibly agree without seeing you?"

"And they are only two constables. They could not possibly discover anything. If they come again tomorrow or the day after, I will definitely send them away and never let them disturb you again."

"I will have someone send compensation to Master Ma's household and close the case as soon as possible."

Peony frowned. She kept feeling that the young constable was not quite right, as though he had discovered something but lacked evidence.

But when she thought of the people working with Dark Fragrance Pavilion behind the scenes, she relaxed a little.

Dark Fragrance Pavilion provided them with silver, while she could replenish herself here with blood food and occasionally absorb some vital essence.

In a place like this, no one would care if a few people disappeared.

A few days ago, that old Ma had been awakened in the middle of the night by the need to urinate and saw her replenishing herself. He had been frightened to death on the spot, and that was what had caused this trouble.

"Go buy a few little girls over the next few days. I want ones whose parents are both dead. Do not cause me any more trouble!"

"In a moment, send word to the yamen. Tell him these two constables may have discovered my identity, and let him handle it."