There is a god in the sky

Chapter 306 Madam Xu

As darkness fell, the theater was at its liveliest. After leaving, Shen Lan turned into a brothel on the same street.

She didn't choose this brothel herself; she saw Xiao Huzi and the others come here.

What exactly do they do?

Shen Lan was filled with doubt.

Brothels are not like theaters; even if someone is dressed as a man, they will be recognized very quickly.

"Oh, where did this pretty young lady come from? Are you here to see your husband?" The rather tall flower maid, a first-grader, blocked Shen Lan's way.

Shen Lan grabbed her hand, slipped a silver ingot into it, and asked, "I want to hear a song. Can you sing?"

Who would have a problem with money?

The courtesan replied with a smile, "Of course, young master, please come upstairs!"

Hua Niang led Shen Lan to the innermost room on the third floor. When the door was opened, it was immediately clear that this guest room was not frequently used.

She chuckled awkwardly, "Please forgive me, it's quiet here, no one will bother us."

"It's alright." She wasn't really there to listen to the music.

"What would you like to drink, young master? Would you like to try a cup of 'Drunken Fragrance' from our Drunken Fragrance Pavilion?"

"Serve a few dishes and drinks, and a bowl of noodles as the main course."

"You've mistaken Zuixianglou for a restaurant, haven't you? But you've come to the right place. Our chefs are much better than those in restaurants, and they make the best hand-pulled noodles."

Shen Lan never expected to eat such unforgettable food in a brothel; no wonder she saw many male customers ordering a table full of dishes.

While eating, she chatted with the courtesan and learned that she had been married before, but after her husband died, she was sold to a brothel by her husband's family.

"Young lady, you're not married yet, are you?" Madam Xu asked, looking at her.

I initially thought she was there to see her husband, but seeing that she was only focused on eating, I knew she wasn't there for a man.

"No."

"You've got guts to come to a place like this. Aren't you afraid of being recognized and humiliated by the male customers?"

"I'm better at fighting."

Madam Xu was amused and poured her a cup of wine, saying with a smile, "If I could have fought back then, maybe I would have escaped from here."

"So, do you want to run now?"

Shen Lan thought that if she didn't want to stay here, she could take her away.

This courtesan is not young, so I suppose the Drunken Fragrance Pavilion will be willing to release her.

“Where can I go if I run away? I can’t go back to my parents’ home, and forget about my husband’s home. I have no children, and going out would only mean certain death.”

Shen Lan understood her difficulties, but she was also adrift and couldn't help her much.

She opened the window and saw Xiao Huzi skillfully serving dishes to the guests.

"Sister Xu, do you recognize that little boy? The one in the blue vest."

Madam Xu peeked out and casually replied, "That's Little Tiger, an orphan without parents. The madam takes pity on him and occasionally lets him help serve tea and water when there are too many customers."

"You like that kind?" Madam Xu's eyes were full of inquiry.

Although Xiao Huzi is a bit younger than Shen Lan, he is quite good-looking.

Shen Lan was both amused and exasperated. "No, I just asked him casually because he's young."

"Don't let his young age fool you, he's very shrewd. But a kid like him, if he's not shrewd, he won't grow up."

Madam Xu secretly told her, "I once wanted to take him as my godson, but he refused. That kid is so carefree."

Shen Lan hadn't expected there to be such a entanglement between them, and she became even more curious about Xiao Huzi and the others' identities.

After dinner, Shen Lanzhen listened to Madam Xu sing for a while. As for her singing skills, she could only be considered average, not as good as the ones she heard at the theater earlier that day.

"Did I sing badly?" Madam Xu asked sadly, clutching her handkerchief.

She's old and faded, and doesn't have any special skills, otherwise she wouldn't still be in a brothel at this age.

"It's alright, I'm not picky."

Madam Xu gave a wry smile: "So you really didn't come here just for fun. Is the wine good?"

Shen Lan had only drunk one glass of wine, and now she felt a warm sensation in her stomach. Just as she was about to nod, she felt a wave of dizziness and her vision became blurry.

"This wine..."

"Didn't I just say? This wine is called 'One Cup of Intoxication'?"

Madam Xu revealed a wicked smile and pinched Shen Lan's cheek before she closed her eyes.

"This young girl is so careless, she dares to drink alcohol from a place like this!"

Shen Lan slammed her head heavily onto the table.

After a short while, once she was sure the person had fainted, Madam Xu stood up and walked behind the screen, where a man was sitting.

"She was just asking about Xiaohuzi. She doesn't know who sent him, but he doesn't seem to have any ulterior motives."

"Tie her up first. I need to report this to my superior and wait for his decision. But I reckon he'll sell her far away."

Madam Xu felt a little sorry for him, "They didn't do anything wrong."

"Hmph, how do you know she's not after you?"

Madam Xu fell silent, choosing to protect herself. In this world, life was already difficult enough for her; how could she possibly have the heart of a bodhisattva?

She tied him up, threw him on the bed, covered him with a blanket, and pretended to be a patron staying overnight.

A girl from the Drunken Fragrance Pavilion noticed someone hiding in her room and asked curiously, "Has the sun risen in the west? Sister Xu actually has a guest!"

"Good heavens, whose taste is so extreme? Could it be some penniless old man?"

"Wait a minute, I just saw her greet a handsome young man."

The girls didn't take it to heart; in brothels, customers are whoever has the ability to keep them.

Xiao Ji spent that night in the yamen (government office).

Magistrate Xu brought over a box full of case files, all of which were murder cases caused by relationships between men and women.

He didn't know what Xiao Ji was looking for, so he could only give him a brief summary of the case details in each file and let him judge whether it was related to the remnants of the cult.

Xiao Ji's rapid promotion was largely due to his role in capturing the remnants of the cult, which clearly made the emperor remember him back then.

He never took these cases seriously, nor could he fathom the intentions of those above him, no wonder he made no progress over the years.

Xiao Ji had already gone through the files from the Jingzhao Prefecture before, so he was now very familiar with the files here.

The modus operandi of cult remnants is similar; as long as similarities are found, they can be quickly screened.

When Shen Lan woke up, she felt her body moving; she must be in a carriage.

She had carefully smelled the wine before drinking it and even took a small sip. She thought it was safe before drinking it, but she still got sick.

The only suspicious thing she did from beginning to end was when she asked about Xiaohuzi.

In other words, Madam Xu and Little Tiger are in cahoots, and there must be a mysterious organization behind them.

She moved her hands and feet and found that her body was not restrained, so she sat up and looked out the window.

She knew this road very well; it was the road she took to Zuixianglou yesterday.

She lifted the floorboards of the carriage, revealing a main road underneath. Fortunately, the carriage wasn't moving fast, so she jumped off and lay down until it passed over her before standing up.

Instead of fleeing, she turned around and returned to Zuixianglou.

During the day, the brothel was deserted, as if it were a completely different world from the outside.

She climbed directly up the outer wall to the third floor and then climbed through the window into the room from the previous night.

She had looked closely at the time, and the house seemed to be inhabited, but she didn't know if it was Madam Xu's house.

"Who's there?" The noise at the window startled Madam Xu, who had just fallen asleep.

When she lifted the bed curtains, a thin, sharp blade was pressed against her neck.