Surprise! I can"t wait to see what the truth is so somehow I managed to complete it so quick. The chapter is mostly filled with serious issue (but of course, we can"t miss a chapter without a silly move from Chu Xun).
Chapter 22 – Mystery Unveiled Translated by HaruOngy (If you can see this line, you must have read this in the aggregator site which illegally steal various works. Be shameful of yourself for not appreciating the translator"s hard work. Don"t think only you want to have it the easy way. Support the fanbase!)
"This girl, who are you?"
Hong Zhan"s face changed slightly. However, she was not fl.u.s.tered like those ordinary women. She must someone who had seen a few facades.
Mei Qian Deng was satisfied in her heart. She actually wanted to let Hong Zhan felt that she was a girl. She somehow had to make it seemed like she had no relation with the Crown Prince.
Mei Qian Deng answered, "Someone from the palace."
The moment Hong Zhan heard it, her face turned pale. Only now that she turned shocked and alarmed. "You had heard them……"
"I actually doesn"t come here for that matter. This affair of yours naturally will have other people to clear it up."
The more Hong Zhan heard, the more helpless she became. She retreated one step. Beside her legs there was a stool. She was completely unaware of it and so she almost fell down stiffly because of that small stool. Mei Qian Deng reached out and pulled her back. Hong Zhan was a bit moved. She felt that although this girl was aloof, she was a good person. She had been driven to prost.i.tution since she was small and could be considered as had seen numerous people. Like this very moment, this girl was completely fresh and cool as well as straightforward and upright…… She recollected Xue Dan.
Xue Dan was ten years older than her. Twenty years ago in the capital city, Hong Zhan[1] was kidnapped and sold by the human traffickers to the capital city"s most flourish brothel. She hid at the dark corner while s.h.i.+vering. She didn"t know how much time pa.s.sed when someone entered. She held a bowl of steaming hot plain congee. Wearing a pure white like snow clothes as though she was the bright moon in the night. Glistering white until it made others missed their family.
"Eat some things. Only then you will have the strength to escape."
Little Hong Zhan threw herself into Xue Dan"s bosoms. Even though at that time she didn"t even know who this early teen girl was, she only cried while calling her Elder Sister.
Those that are impossible to remain in the world are the beautiful face of a woman in the decorative mirror and the trees[2].
"Lord Nan"s wife, Xue Dan and you had entertained before at the Qing Feng Ming Yue[3] Brothel in the brothel previously."
Hong Zhan shook all over. This girl is truly someone from the palace, perfectly knowing the exact details of her.
Mei Qian Deng seeing her reaction, continued, "The skills you have are also learnt from the Qing Feng Ming Yue Brothel." Hong Zhan understood that Mei Qian Deng was not referring to the skill of receiving patron. It was exactly because she had entertained before in Qing Feng Ming Yue Brothel and had been trained before that she knew how to gather accurately and smoothly information from the merchants and officials. Only then she knew how to use her femininity to charm men under her skirt, making them to do works in her place. Else, how could the smuggled salt be easily transported? How could it be that easy for those black money to be cleaned into white money?
Xue Dan was older than Hong Zhan so the former learnt those skills much better.
All they did was for one Nan Bai Cheng.
"You still want to investigate Lord Nan?"
Mei Qian Deng shook her head.
"Do you know how did Madam Nan die? That man earlier should be Lord Nan"s private adviser, am I right? He must be thinking that Madam Nan had contacted some shameful illness? Actually you know the truth is not like this. Your own body too have the same illness with Xue Dan."
Hong Zhan sat down. Her fingers trembled slightly. She pulled back strands of hair on her temples. She seriously looked like a dying ember[4]. She mumbled, "You really know everything."
Mei Qian Deng nodded. She only knew all these after reading the materials Mo Biao gave to her. Actually, these girls were extremely pitiful. If she could, Mei Qian Deng hoped all of them would have good ending. She tirelessly said, "Lord Nan had always thought his wife had contacted venereal disease since it was normal for her to get one when she had been growing up in brothel. Although this venereal disease is bad, it"s unlikely to die naturally, isn"t it? Madam Nan and you, as well as the girls that had entertained before in Qing Feng Ming Yue Brothel, none lived past thirty-three years old. It"s because all of you had been fed with a poison. That poison name is Liu Guang San[5]. Madam Nan didn"t allow you to tell Nan Bai Cheng because she knew Nan Bai Cheng couldn"t win against those people."
"We difficultly broke away from the Qing Feng Ming Yue Brothel but Master didn"t dispel our poison. Even though we can only live until thirty-three years old, all of us are willing."
"Is it Lord Nan who saved you all out of that place?"
Hong Zhan had been surprised for a long time that she had turned numb to it now. She nodded. "Lord Nan saved Xue Dan and Xue Dan wanted to bring me along. Xue Dan is my benefactor. Whatever she wants me to do, I"m willing."
"Do you know how Lord Nan saved both of you from there?"
Hong Zhan shook her head. In the beginning she was deeply grateful of Nan Bai Cheng. But then she found out although he saved Xue Dan, he didn"t love Xue Dan. He only took advantage of her skills to find news, recruit people and acc.u.mulate wealth from smuggling in his stead. Hence, Hong Zhan had always believed that Nan Bai Cheng too intended to make use of Xue Dan"s ability and insincere of her.
"He excessively work himself for Qing Feng Ming Yue Brothel in Xue Dan"s stead."
Hong Zhan fell into a long silence.
That year, Nan Bai Cheng was a poor scholar who entered the capital for the imperial examination. Among the children of the government officials, there was a difficult to deal with figure. Although that person was talented, he knew he was inferior to Nan Bai Cheng. Hence, he secretly pulled him out and attempted to beat him up so that he couldn"t take the imperial examination. That year, Nan Bai Cheng came across two girls.
One was Xue Dan.
Xue Dan saw a man fell prostrated at the alley beside the Qing Feng Ming Yue Brothel. Out of kindness she let Hong Zhan helped her to carry Nan Bai Cheng together into the brothel and treat his wounds. Those people did it heavily yet skilfully. They beat him but not his face. Instead they focused on beating his lower half. All of them stared at Nan Bai Cheng"s family jewel[6] as they kicked and stamped on it. Xue Dan saved the person. When she took off his clothes, the lower part was a mash of b.l.o.o.d.y red.
He had completely became disabled.
Xue Dan originally thought Nan Bai Cheng would be demoralised. Unexpectedly, his bones inside were full of haughtiness. He endured the pain as he went to the examination hall as usual. That day, Xue Dan wanted to send him but was declined by him. However, she couldn"t get rid of her worry so she secretly trailed after him. She saw Nan Bai Cheng was outside the palace gate facing a girl in gorgeous clothes. That was the Grand Princess.
Grand Princess knew Nan Bai Cheng far earlier than Xue Dan.
Nan Bai Cheng had received such persecution and yet Grand Princess was not aware of it from the beginning until the end.
That day outside the palace gate, she told Nan Bai Cheng, "Imperial Father agreed to decree marriage for me and decreed it to the zhuangyuan[7]."
Nan Bai Cheng saluted to her. His salutation was a salutation of a subject to the monarch. Grand Princess was a smart person. His actions had told her his answer. The zhuangyuan of that year was not him.
Later on, Nan Bai Cheng returned to Qing Feng Ming Yue Brothel. He said that he wanted to redeem Xue Dan. The girls in Qing Feng Ming Yue Brothel all signed irrevocable t.i.tle deed. How could it be easy for him to redeem her?
Hong Zhan had followed beside Xue Dan. The things she knew were only these much. As for what agreement Nan Bai Cheng secretly made with the brothel owner, Nan Bai Cheng had never mentioned it.
"Girl, just say it. What do you want me to do?"
Hong Zhan was mentally and physically haggard. From the day she was sell off by the human traffickers, her life had been destined to be an uneasy one.
Mei Qian Deng took out an attorney book from her bosoms. "I want Madam Nan and you go to the capital together to bring the accusation before the Emperor."
"What did you say?!"
"Accuse Qing Feng Ming Yue Brothel for engaging in human trafficking and for cruelly kill young women and children."
"It"s a very long time ago matter. Doing it now, don"t you think it"s too late……"
"The "Flying Snow in June" is because Xue Dan has resentment. She died as a victim of injustice."
Chu Xun was squatting on the roof beam. He silently stared all that happened down there. Seeing from his angle, it was directly at the top of Mei Qian Deng"s head. Looking at her long eyelashes and her slightly raised nose, a sudden melancholy and sympathise rose inside Chu Xun. Why Mei Qian Deng knew everything? It couldn"t be that from the beginning, Mei Qian Deng actually knew everything yet she didn"t tell him? If it was truly as such, Senior Official Song must knew it too. Eighty percent that it was when he was not around that Senior Official Song told this boor.
Based on what that I"m the only one concealed from the truth?!!!
However Chu Xun couldn"t bring himself to hate Mei Qian Deng. After waves of anger, he thought back of how stupid he was during this whole trip. At that time, he even tried to be smart. He didn"t even know how many times Mei Qian Deng had secretly laughed of him in her heart. He suddenly felt he himself was actually pathetic. Previously he looked down of Mei Qian Deng because she was a jianghu wild gra.s.s but it turned out that he was nothing compared to a jianghu wild gra.s.s. He got even more upset of himself.
"Little Long, let"s go."
Mei Qian Deng returned to the roof beam. Hong Zhan had already leaned forward on the table. She was. .h.i.t unconscious.
Chu Xun scrutinised Mei Qian Deng again. He stared blankly at her. This person had better look than him. Her martial art was more amazing than him. As for IQ aspect…..they should be about the same. Imperial father had said before, he must look squarely on his opponent. Any extremity and ego would affect a person"s unbiased judgement towards another person.
He stared spellbound. His mind inside had turned into a paste.
"Mei Qian Deng……"
Mei Qian Deng blinked her eyes. She had disliked cut in when someone was talking so she waited for Chu Xun to finish his words.
"For the sake of deceiving the others, it"s one thing if you cross-dressed to talk with that girl. I had always been remaining at the roof beam. Why must I changed into female clothes too?!"
Facing Chu Xun"s pair of blurred black eyes Mei Qian Deng remained calm as she said, "Because it"s seldom seen."
Chu Xun was furious.
He wanted to shove Mei Qian Deng but he didn"t expect that his legs had turned numb from squatting too long on the roof beam. As he attacked, he couldn"t control his legs and even his body. Instead, he would fall off the roof beam first before Mei Qian Deng. Chu Xun was deadly pale as he was scared. The moment he wanted to scream for help, his mouth was blocked by a pair of slightly cold hands. With a tightening around his slender waist, a force turned him on top. In a blink of his eyes, they had fell to the ground.
The disgrace of his life! The greatest disgrace of his life!
[A Mini Theatre]
Those two girls who were summoned by that old procuress to serve the two handsome young men unhurriedly regained their consciousness on the bed. They noticed that their clothes were in disorder. A small leather whip and scarlet rope were left beside the pillow. One after another turned coy endlessly.
"So it turns out that these two Young Masters have such heavy taste……"
Then, they looked on the table. There were two silver ingots left silently on it.
As for that Mei Qian Deng"s gold ingot, it was put inside her sleeves with her flexible sword. She only let others to see but not to take.
[1] Original text referred the person as "she" but for reading ease, it"s changed to her name
[2] A line from "b.u.t.terfly Lingering over Flowers" poem by w.a.n.g Guowei which (from what I can understand) implied nothing remain forever, be it the youth and the changes of nature.
[3] Literally means cool breeze and bright moon or figuratively peaceful and clear night
[4] Deathly pale
[5] Literally, Scattering of the Flittering Light
[6] Male genital, p.e.n.i.s
[7] The top scorer t.i.tle in the imperial examination
Translated by HaruOngy (If you can see this line, you must have read this in the aggregator site which illegally steal various works. Be shameful of yourself for not appreciating the translator"s hard work. Don"t think only you want to have it the easy way. Support the fanbase!)