Chapter 32 – Clues: A Keen Eye and Acute Perception
Mu Qing and her husband arrived at the jade shop, only to find—predictably—that they had hit another dead end.
The shopkeeper, a Mr. Wang, had a round, affable face that radiated the kind of “wealth through harmony” energy common among longtime businessmen. Likely due to his family’s generational involvement in jade dealing, he didn’t look particularly shrewd or mercenary despite his plump build. Instead, he gave off a kind of mellow, old-fashioned charm.
In other words, his words sounded very convincing.
With that honest-looking face, he explained to Mu Qing and her husband in a very sincere tone: “Esteemed guests, while this item did come from our humble little shop, I must admit—we don’t know exactly when it came in.”
“Our shop has been here in Tongzhou for decades. My grandfather started it…”
“This piece of jade isn’t exactly top-grade material, but it does have some age to it. Could be it’s an antique that’s been sitting here a long while—maybe my father or even my grandfather picked it up somewhere years ago.”
What he said this time was basically the same story he’d given when Mu Qing had come alone to purchase the pendant earlier.
And really, it was a plausible enough explanation. Someone like Mu Qing, who didn’t know the backstory, wouldn’t have found anything suspicious in it.
But her husband was a different story altogether.
After listening quietly, he gave a cold snort and said, “This item originally came from Rui Xiang Zhai in Jinling and dates back no more than thirty years. Judging by your appearance, shopkeeper, you must be in your forties or fifties. I’d wager this pendant came into your store only recently—perhaps even just this year. Since we’ve made the effort to return, you should know we’re not clueless. Let’s not play games. We’re all reasonable people here—there’s no need for falsehoods.”
Hearing this, the shopkeeper’s face changed immediately.
He glanced at Mu Qing’s husband, then lowered his voice and asked, “May I ask which line of work young master is in? To tell you the truth, this piece… came in from the south.”
That admission startled even Mu Qing. So this seemingly upright jade shop was actually dealing in stolen goods? And from as far as the southern regions, no less. Things were getting interesting.
Her husband let out a cold chuckle and didn’t say more. Instead, he casually snapped off a piece of wood from the edge of the table, crushed it into powder with one hand, and scattered it across the floor in front of the shopkeeper. The man’s face turned ashen at once, his jowls trembling with fear, and finally, he gave in.
Since he’d clearly encountered someone with real martial training, the shopkeeper dared not stall any longer and confessed the truth.
Even so, the information was still sparse. Still, it wasn’t a complete waste of a trip.
Following the lead given by the shopkeeper, Mu Qing and her husband headed to Jinxiu Pavilion—a place well-known in the city.
As the saying went: “East has Baixiang Pavilion, West has Jinxiu Pavilion.”
Though Jinxiu Pavilion wasn’t as famous as Baixiang, it was still one of the top brothels in Tongzhou.
To the locals and less cultured patrons, Jinxiu Pavilion was arguably the better choice.
After all, while the ladies of Baixiang were all high-class and hard to approach, the ones in Jinxiu were equally beautiful yet far more down-to-earth—the kind one might actually get to touch.
Baixiang’s refined courtesans attracted scholars and artists, but Jinxiu’s girls were warm, fragrant jade in your arms.
This was also the very brothel where Liu Feng and Mu Qing’s cousin Yan Hong had their scandalous encounter—or in other words, the place where Mu Qing’s husband had been drugged and set up.
As they walked, Mu Qing’s husband quietly explained the background to her.
Since they’d come straight from Baihe Academy, Mu Qing was still dressed in male clothing.
The two of them standing side by side looked like a pair of dashing young scholars.
And since their clothes were regular wear provided by the Mu family, there was no question of quality—they were the latest and finest styles of the season.
Naturally, the moment they stepped through Jinxiu Pavilion’s doors, they were greeted with enthusiastic hospitality by the madam and the girls.
As the saying goes: “Madams love money, girls love looks.” These two clearly had both wealth and charm and were exactly the kind of patrons brothels dreamed of.
The madam herself brought out the house’s top girls to welcome them, her smile bright enough to wring out sunshine.
“Oh my, this must be your first time here at Jinxiu Pavilion, young masters? I wonder if you already have a favorite? All our girls here are absolute gems, guaranteed to satisfy and leave you longing for more.”
Mu Qing and her husband didn’t waste time and directly gave a name.
“We want the girl called Yan’er.”
At the mention of this name, the madam’s face changed immediately.
She exchanged glances with her closest attendants, then forced a smile and said, “Oh my, young masters, who did you say? We don’t have anyone by that name here. But we do have a Yan Hong and a Yan Zi—young, lovely, and very attentive. Perhaps the two of you would enjoy a little pleasure with them?”
Mu Qing’s husband gave her a cold glance, which was enough to silence her at once.
Mu Qing stepped forward at just the right moment, smiling sweetly. “Come now, Madam, are you saying that just because we’re young, we don’t deserve proper respect? Trying to trick us with flattery?”
One played the stern role, the other the soft—together, they left the madam completely stunned.
In truth, the very fact they could name Yan’er had already rattled her.
Because the weight behind that name was far beyond anything a mere brothel madam could bear.
And she wasn’t lying—this Yan’er was not one of Jinxiu Pavilion’s girls.
She wasn’t from any of the brothels in Tongzhou at all.
In fact, she was the proprietress of Liufang House, the most famous brothel in Jinling.
The Qinhuai River, decadent splendor, a city of pleasure—when it came to the flourishing of the courtesan trade, Jinling far outpaced Tongzhou.
For Yan’er to have carved out such a reputation in a city packed with top courtesans, she clearly wasn’t someone a small-time madam could compare to.
And if she was from Jinling, then it made sense that the stolen goods had come from there as well.
From what they could gather, this Yan’er seemed like a formidable figure—one who straddled both the underworld and high society. Mu Qing’s imagination instantly conjured images of a gangster queen from a martial arts epic.
But more than the legends, the name “Yan’er” felt oddly familiar to Mu Qing.
She had a hunch this woman was someone important in the plot.
Still, since the madam had promised to arrange a meeting with this Yan’er, she figured they’d find out soon enough.
Even though their leads had fizzled so far, Mu Qing’s husband didn’t complain, though he did seem a bit frustrated. Mu Qing, however, thought they’d made excellent progress for just one afternoon—all from a single jade pendant.
Still, knowing how important this was to her husband, she skipped any empty words about “taking time” or “we’ll figure it out.” Instead, she dragged him into a fancy restaurant, booked the best private room, and ordered some tea so they could analyze the situation in peace.
“If what that jade shopkeeper said was true, and if the madam at Jinxiu Pavilion wasn’t lying either, then that Yan’er lady must still be in Tongzhou.”
Her husband responded immediately, “They wouldn’t dare lie to our faces. But how can you be so sure she’s in town?”
Mu Qing smiled. “It’s simple. When we went back to the jade shop, while you were talking to the owner, I took another look at where the pendant was placed. There wasn’t even a trace of dust on that shelf.”
“You know how windy it’s been lately. If it had been sitting there long, there’d be signs. But that shelf was spotless.”
“Not just that one—several adjacent shelves were also dust-free. Which means this batch of stolen goods was placed there recently. And from the quality and variety, it’s likely the most valuable batch—they weren’t all from the same source.”
“At first, I didn’t understand. But once the shopkeeper admitted they were stolen, it all made sense.”
“And the madam at Jinxiu said Yan’er personally inspects the goods every month. With items of this quality, she’d absolutely want to handle them herself. So she must still be in Tongzhou.”
Chu Yu was momentarily stunned, then completely astonished.
He’d seen the same clues—but hadn’t drawn the same conclusion.
Only after hearing Mu Qing’s explanation did he realize how sharp her observations were. Everything she said lined up perfectly—it was brilliant.
Looking at Mu Qing again, his expression grew more complex. From the bottom of his heart, he praised, “Wife, you’re truly meticulous, with eyes that miss nothing.”
His gaze burned with admiration, utterly unreserved.
Mu Qing, however, seemed completely unaware, simply smiling modestly and waving it off. “You flatter me, husband. You keep looking at me like that, I’ll get embarrassed! I just grew up in a merchant’s family, is all. These things are second nature if you’ve been around business long enough. It’s what people call specialization.”
“This sort of detail—nothing special, really. You, husband, know things far more impressive.”
She brushed it off with a few modest words, then turned to order food, though her mind was still turning—how could they track down this Yan’er?
But she hadn’t expected fate to bring the opportunity straight to their doorstep.
As the saying goes, “You search the world in vain only to find it when you stop looking.” Just as she picked up the menu, footsteps echoed from downstairs, followed by a flirtatious voice:
“My dear Feng, it’s been years, but you’re still as handsome as ever. Come, come, tell your sister Yan how life’s been in Linqing these years. You look so healthy and radiant—have you had some lucky break?”
The woman’s voice was naturally seductive, like a hook reeling you in. One couldn’t help but want to see what kind of beauty possessed such a voice.
But more than her looks, it was what she said that caught Mu Qing’s attention.
“Feng,” “Linqing”…
If she remembered correctly, she happened to know someone who matched those two clues.
Given that this world seemed to revolve around one main storyline, Mu Qing suddenly had a very bad feeling.
Almost as if to confirm that feeling, a familiar voice replied:
“Sister Yan, you’re teasing me again… What lucky break? I’m just lucky to be alive.”
It was Liu Feng.
And sure enough, there he was, coming up the stairs.
Mu Qing and her husband exchanged looks—both feeling a bit stunned.
By Liu Feng’s side was a woman with a curvaceous figure and alluring features. She looked to be in her twenties, still well-maintained, but her eyes betrayed a certain worldly weariness.
Yet that only made her all the more captivating—she had a mature charm that far surpassed the coquettishness of younger girls. This had to be the infamous proprietress Yan’er.
Apparently, she was a VIP guest at this very restaurant. She and Liu Feng entered the private room right next to Mu Qing and her husband’s.
While waiting for their food, the pair exchanged greetings and banter—laughing and teasing each other, completely uninhibited.
It was essentially a “live broadcast” for Mu Qing and her husband next door.
Even without hearing much, Mu Qing could tell—there was definitely something between Liu Feng and this Yan’er.
And as the mood next door grew more heated, Mu Qing noticed her husband’s expression turning darker. She sighed inwardly, finding it harder to listen.
Just as she considered barging into the next room for an “accidental encounter,” the conversation suddenly took a shocking turn.
Liu Feng lowered his voice and asked, “Sister Yan, do you know any ways to make a woman disappear… without a trace?”
