TGCFNM -Chapter 356 Playing Pai Gow

Chu Ling felt a flash of inspiration spark in her mind and immediately seized upon it.

“Is that ointment used both to remove scars and to enhance one’s complexion?” Chu Ling asked.

Shiyu froze for a moment. “I did see Yunliu applying something. It had a very strong fragrance. But I’m not sure whether that was the ointment Madam gave her.”

Chu Ling nodded. “Miss Shiyu, please continue.”

Shiyu glanced at Su He’s concise notes and let out a quiet sigh of relief. She had been worried that she might ramble too much and make it hard for them to grasp the key points.

“Besides the injuries, the courtesans who became flower queens had two other things in common,” Shiyu said. “One was excessive sleepiness, the other was their diet.”

“How long would they sleep?” Chu Ling asked.

Shiyu calculated briefly. “They would finish around the end of the Yin hour and return to Canghua Tower at dawn. From then until midnight… they couldn’t be awakened at all. It wasn’t normal sleep—it was more like unconsciousness. When they first woke up, they seemed listless. But after eating the meal Madam brought in, they would suddenly become energetic again—and even more beautiful.”

Chu Ling frowned thoughtfully.

The drowsiness might be a side effect. The real issue likely lay with the ointment and the food.

And another crucial point was the paintings.

“So these stunning flower queens would have portraits painted during their final seven days—and then die. Those paintings must be purchased and collected by someone. The price can’t be low, can it?” Chu Ling said pointedly.

Shiyu’s face turned pale. “Actually… I’ve thought about that too. A single painting can sell for ten thousand taels. Seven paintings would be seventy thousand taels.”

As she spoke, Shiyu raised her tear-filled eyes, her expression full of pain and grievance.

“My lord, that’s seventy thousand taels.”

Chu Ling looked at her with a trace of sorrow. “Have you considered that these outings for painting were permitted by Madam—and that she was the one who arranged the buyers? Do you think she might have taken a large cut from it?”

Shiyu froze, then shook her head, crying. “Madam said she wouldn’t.”

Chu Ling looked at her seriously. “She definitely would.”

Shiyu twisted her hands together, looking utterly lost, as if the sky had collapsed and she had no idea what to do. She couldn’t even sit still.

“My lord, is there truly no other way? I really need those seventy thousand taels,” Shiyu sobbed.

Chu Ling slowly rose to her feet, turning her back to the others. “Let me think.”

Shiyu nodded. Then she suddenly remembered something and turned to Su He, adding, “Because of you, my lord, I was able to get close to Yunliu. We became somewhat familiar, and she told me a few things.”

Wan Sanjin quickly asked, “What did she say?”

Shiyu spoke softly, “Yunliu said that even before being chosen as flower queen, she had already been feeling fatigued and sleepy. But Madam reassured her that it was nothing. After she was selected, Madam said that to maintain flexibility of the body, her food intake needed to be controlled. She was allowed to eat only specific foods each day.”

“After the parade once she was chosen, the money thrown onto the flower carriage would be handed to her family in front of her. Madam also promised that if she survived the seven days, she could choose to become a ‘qingguan’—a courtesan who entertains without selling her body—but her earnings would be less. She further guaranteed that after turning thirty, she would be allowed to leave. After all, just one flower queen selection already brought in a great deal of money for the establishment.”

Chu Ling couldn’t help turning around. “This Madam is quite clever. She knows exactly what the chosen girls fear most, so she makes promises tailored to their desires.”

Shiyu bit her lip lightly—she had to admit, she had been tempted.

“Oh, and one more thing,” Shiyu said, looking at Chu Ling. “My lord, Yunliu said she was grateful to Young Master Wan for the banknotes. She said that if there’s anything she can help with, she will.”

Chu Ling nodded in relief, then asked, “Miss Shiyu, was there anything unusual about Yunliu the next day?”

Shiyu thought carefully for a moment before hesitantly asking, “Does it count if her complexion looked a bit off after removing her makeup? After all, she might have been exhausted from being courtesan queen, or perhaps she was injured.”

“Yunliu was injured too?” Chu Ling asked. Then she suddenly recalled last night’s painting session—Yunliu’s hand had been bleeding. “Aside from her hand bleeding, where else was she hurt?”

Shiyu sighed. “Yunliu said she had asked around and learned that the courtesan queens would often get injured after returning to their rooms. So she was very cautious. But she still ended up tripping and falling. Her arm slashed straight into a pair of scissors that had fallen onto the floor. No one knows who left them there. The blades were open, and they cut deeply into her arm. It was covered in blood. Fortunately, Madam quickly brought medicine.”

Wan Sanjin looked at Chu Ling in confusion. “That’s not right, is it, sir? If scissors fell on the ground, even if you tripped, at most you’d cut your hand—or you’d brush against them and push them away. How could the injury be that serious?”

Shiyu nodded. She also found it strange, but no one in the brothel thought it unusual.

“There’s another possibility,” Chu Ling said. “The scissors may have been fixed in place on the floor, which would explain how they cut her arm so precisely. And as for the fall… perhaps there’s something wrong with the floorboards.” She looked at Shiyu. “Miss Shiyu, find a way to keep Yunliu close and carefully inspect the room together.”

Shiyu nodded. “I understand, sir.”

Leaning against the stone table, Chu Ling looked at her seriously. “Miss Shiyu, I can’t promise that I’ll definitely be able to help you get the money. But I need more evidence first. This is dangerous—you must think it through.”

Shiyu was clever. Once the dark cloud hanging over her head was lifted, her mind became clearer. “You mean… the deaths within seven days were deliberate? To drive up the price of the paintings?”

Chu Ling nodded. “Yes.”

“But if preserving one’s chastity in death could save one’s family…?” Shiyu asked, tears filling her eyes.

Chu Ling lowered her gaze slightly. “If it truly could save your family, and you chose to die generously of your own will, then I would respect that choice. But what if you die—and the brothel madam denies that any of you ever went out to paint? What if she pockets the painting money herself?”

Shiyu’s expression changed instantly. She covered her mouth in sudden fear.

“What’s wrong?” Chu Ling asked quickly.

Through tears, Shiyu said, “Madam said we must never speak of going out to paint. She said the painter has a strange temper—if he refuses to paint, then there’ll be no money.”

Chu Ling frowned. There was no need to say how important money was to these courtesan queens. If that was used as leverage, then for the sake of saving their families, they would indeed keep silent.

“So the problem still lies with the brothel madam. Can’t we just arrest her?” Wan Sanjin asked, frowning.

Shiyu immediately shook her head, speaking in fear. “No. Canghua Tower has powerful backing. Without evidence, nothing will come of it.”

“Who’s behind it?” Wan Sanjin asked.

Shiyu shook her head. She didn’t know.

Chu Ling folded her arms and raised an eyebrow at Wan Sanjin and Su He. “We’ve raided homes several times before. But we’ve never raided a brothel, have we?”

Wan Sanjin’s eyes lit up. Turning to Shiyu, he said, “We might have a way to make some money—but Miss Shiyu will have to continue acting as our informant and help us gather evidence.”

Chu Ling instructed seriously, “Find a way to work together with Yunliu. Get hold of the medicinal ointment. And you must find out exactly what’s in the food they’re eating. Stay calm and natural—don’t let anyone notice anything unusual.”

Shiyu wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes. “I understand, sir.”

“Master Wan, give Miss Shiyu two hundred taels,” Chu Ling said. Then she looked at Shiyu again. “Just say the few of us seem wealthy. Though we’re playboys, we’re generous. Today we easily won two hundred taels. Give Madam one hundred taels for wine, and say we hope to come again next time—because you’re in desperate need of money.”

Wan Sanjin paused with the banknotes in hand. “Miss Shiyu, do you know how to play Pai Gow?”

Shiyu replied a little shyly, “I do. And I’m actually quite good at it.”

Wan Sanjin glanced at the sky, had Su He put away the brush and paper, and told Chu Ling to bring out the Pai Gow tiles. “Then let’s play a few rounds before we leave. That way it’ll be more convincing.”

Chu Ling thought that made sense, so she called everyone over to start a game of Pai Gow.

As for the gambling money—Wan Sanjin would cover it all himself.