Trading Cases

Looking only at the central district, the county town was even livelier at dusk than during the day.

Carriages traveled back and forth along the streets, and pedestrians streamed past.

After a day of studying the classics of the sages, the scholars came out to drink with courtesans and relax when the evening light grew too poor for reading.

Merchants hosting their guests also went drinking with courtesans to strengthen their relationships.

The wealthy gentry and landlords from the countryside gathered their friends and went drinking with courtesans all the more eagerly. If they came to the county town without doing that, wouldn't the trip have been wasted?

So the brothels were truly bustling at night. The largest of them, the Leaning on Emerald Pavilion, was packed with a sea of people. Lanterns shone from the rooftop all the way down to the drains, lighting up the entire four-story wooden building.

As the group walked down the street, over a hundred men surged around the entrance to the Leaning on Emerald Pavilion, shoving and jostling like piglets that had heard the feeding signal, squealing all the while!

Hou Decai shook his head repeatedly. "Rouged beauties are but dry bones; fair ladies end as skeletons. Going this mad over a few women-these people have far too much to eat."

Xu Da whispered to Wang Qilin, "Men sure talk tough when they get old!"

Shi Zhoushan laughed. "We picked the wrong time to come out. On every fifth and tenth day of the month, at the transition between the hours of the Monkey and the Rooster, one of the Leaning on Emerald Pavilion's courtesan queens tosses an embroidered ball. Whoever catches it earns the right to become her intimate guest."

Hou Decai asked, "Without paying?"

Everyone looked at him as though he were a country bumpkin. Wang Qilin had no idea why, but joined them in giving him the same look.

Xu Da cupped his hands. "My lord, wise and mighty though you may be, you still have to pay to enjoy a girl."

Shi Zhoushan laughed. "Exactly. How could it be free? It's just that money alone won't get you an appointment with the Leaning on Emerald Pavilion's four courtesan queens..."

Before he finished explaining, the men at the entrance suddenly began howling in excitement. "Miss Rui! Miss Rui!" "Miss Rui's coming out!" "Rui'er, look at me!" "Rui'er, tonight your big brother will definitely..."

The balcony windows facing the street on the third floor opened, and a delicate figure stepped out with a graceful sway. Her cloud-black hair was gathered into a drooping bun behind her head, with a gold dangling hairpin tucked into it that swayed three times with every step.

Xu Da clutched his chest in rapture. "Seventh Master, what's happening? My heart's fluttering."

Wang Qilin asked with concern, "Have you seen Divine Physician Zhang about it? There must be something wrong with your heart. I remember you saying it hurt a while ago, too."

"Get lost."

In truth, they couldn't see anything.

The courtesan queen wore a white gauze veil over her face, leaving only her eyes exposed. Gold powder dusted her eyelids, making her glances sparkle whenever she blinked.

The street was blocked, so the group had no choice but to stop and watch.

The maid beside the courtesan queen explained the rules, and a troupe of attendants played wind and string instruments. Then the courtesan queen tossed the embroidered ball.

Everyone scrambled for it, throwing the crowd into chaos.

Just then, a young man darted and dodged through the crowd, barging through whenever he couldn't evade someone. Like an agile leopard, he snatched the embroidered ball.

The men from the Heaven-Listening Bureau were stunned. "Lord Wang?"

The man who had caught the ball was none other than Wang Qilin. Xiang Wei sneered. "Lord Wang certainly is impatient. Rather than drink hot soup, you'd prefer to spurt hot cream."

Xu Da dug at his ear, pretending not to have heard clearly. "What's that? Lord Xiang wants to drink hot cream?"

After catching the embroidered ball, Wang Qilin held it high. "Ten silver zhu! Pay ten silver zhu, and this ball is yours!"

The Heaven-Listening Bureau's men were even more stunned.

Xu Da blinked. Was he really this business-minded?

An obese young man rushed over, stuffed a handful of silver zhu into his hand, snatched the ball, and ran into the Leaning on Emerald Pavilion.

Wang Qilin returned looking immensely pleased with himself. This was when men's money was easiest to earn.

Ten silver zhu was no small sum. Several strongmen exchanged looks, then began whispering among themselves. "Here's a way to get rich."

The Prosperity Restaurant also had four stories. The first floor was the main dining hall, the second had private rooms, the third had private suites, and the entire fourth floor held just one table.

Shi Zhoushan had considerable clout in Auspicious County. He had booked the fourth floor, and from the looks of it, he had no intention of paying. His salary would hardly cover a meal for everyone at a place like this.

The Heaven-Listening Bureau's imposing presence was even more evident in a top-class establishment like the Prosperity Restaurant. The instant their group entered in their fitted black uniforms, the clamor in the dining hall died away. Many people shivered instinctively at the sight of them.

The proprietor immediately came forward to escort them upstairs. A drunken man was making a scene at the top of the stairs, blocking the way. At the sight of the group ascending, sweat suddenly broke out on his forehead, and he hurriedly pushed open a private room's door and ducked inside.

Shortly after they took their seats, cold dishes began arriving, each announced as it was served. "Prosperity white-cut chicken!" "Biluochun shrimp!" "Yun family brined ham!" "Jujube-paste steamed cake!"

The cold dishes were merely appetizers. The hot dishes were the main event:

Fulong golden carp, coin purses, stir-fried gardenia blossoms, pork with spring bamboo shoots, Prosperity spring chicken, honey-glazed ham, duck with cordyceps, beggar's rooster, flash-fried prawns, ham with broad beans, Fulong crucian carp soup-a lavish spread covered the table.

Wang Qilin and Xu Da exchanged a look, their fighting spirit soaring. Skipping lunch had been the right decision after all!

Pretty, delicate-featured girls attended to the tea and wine in the room, but Xiang Wei took charge of Shi Zhoushan's wine cup.

Once the wine was poured, Shi Zhoushan rose. "We've all become acquainted this afternoon, so I won't say much more. A clear song and a cup filled with wine-where in life do we not meet again? My colleagues, a toast to our meeting!"

Everyone rose and raised their cups.

Xu Da reached for a rooster leg as he drank.

But when his chopsticks arrived, he found the leg was gone.

It was on Wang Qilin's plate.

Had he practiced the Acala Vidyaraja Great Mudra for nothing?

Shi Zhoushan was very warm toward Wang Qilin, frequently steering the conversation toward him and inviting him to share the inside story of how he had solved the case at the general's residence.

Wang Qilin did not refuse. He recounted everything in detail, then took the opportunity to turn the conversation to the Joined Half-Skulls. He also brought up the problem of people being sealed inside paintings and asked, "My lords, do any of you have a good way to resolve this?"

Everyone shook their heads. After a moment's deliberation, Shi Zhoushan said, "Sealing people inside paintings should have something to do with the Blossoming Flower Pavilion. Jihu, your second brother Zhonghu joined the Blossoming Flower Pavilion, so you should know something about this, shouldn't you?"

A Wandering Star gave Wang Qilin an ill-intentioned smile and cupped his fists. "My lord, please understand. Although my second brother joined the Blossoming Flower Pavilion, he and I pursue different paths of cultivation. I don't know much about this."

He didn't know much, rather than knowing nothing.

That meant he wasn't speaking because he didn't want to.

Wang Qilin looked at Dong Jihu, who rubbed his nose and lowered his head.

Hou Decai said, "Jihu, if you have a way, speak up. This is a case for our Auspicious County, not Lord Wang's private business."

Dong Jihu looked troubled as he turned toward Xiang Wei and his other colleagues. Resentment showed on their faces.

Were they supposed to have taken that beating from him today for nothing?

Quick-witted and quick to react, Xiang Wei said, "Indeed, the case in Lord Wang's hands belongs to our Auspicious County. But Jihu also has a case on his hands, and that too belongs to our Auspicious County."

"So of course Jihu should help Lord Wang. We simply don't know whether Lord Wang...?"

Wang Qilin nodded to Dong Jihu. "What case do you have on your hands?"

Dong Jihu sighed.

He was just about to explain when Sun Miu, the Minor Seal in charge of Paifang Township, raised his cup. "Since you each need something from the other, why not discuss it privately? As Lord Shi said, we're here today to deepen our bonds. No official business at the drinking table. Come, everyone, I'll drink first!"