The Princess Wei Yang (106+)

Chapter 174 - The Secret of Buddhist Beads - Part 1

In front of a luxurious mansion, three black lacquer doors were shining brightly. More than ten tortoise slaves (t/n: The word used is 龟奴 (guī nú) which is the name for male workers who do chores in a brothel. When prostitutes with bound feet are called to accompany guests, the male workers have to carry these prostitutes to the room like the statues of a tortoise carrying a memorial tablet and so these male workers are called "tortoise slaves".) were dressed in fresh clothing, lowering their heads and bowing as they greeted customers who were coming and going. From the outside, only the willow trees and mountains and rocks can be seen beyond the low white walls. The sound of silk and bamboo can be heard from the small rooms with colorfully decorated door lintels. Such a colorful and lavish pavilion was the most high-class brothel in Yuexi - Qingyin Academy. At the beginning, the women who were bought by the madame were raised from the age of eleven or twelve and were taught by a zither master to sing and perform operas. Later on, not only did they sing and act, they also developed their skills in zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting. Some women even became famous courtesans, and their renknown was far greater than that of the noble ladies who stayed in the house. When it comes to luxury and the talents of women, Qingyin Academy can be said to be the first among the brothels in Yuexi. Of course, the prices for these carefully trained girls are naturally high.

Late at night, Xue Gui came out of the Qingyin Academy with a groan. He was drunk and had four guards with him, one of whom was carrying a lantern. He swayed while singing absurd operas. At this moment, a black shadow flashed in front of his eyes. Xue Gui was startled and said: "There's someone here! Hurry! Go and have a look!"

Immediately, two guards rushed to inspect the alley ahead. Xue Gui looked around, but after a long time, he did not see those two return, and their surroundings were gloomy. He was suddenly a little scared, and scolded the other two people: "Stop waiting, call my carriage over here!" The carriage was parked not far ahead. At the entrance of the alley, the guard holding a lantern said quickly: "I'll go right now!"

However, right at this moment, a gust of wind blew by and extinguished the lantern. Xue Gui didn't even have time to speak before he heard the guard's miserable cry. Following that, another guard suddenly fell to the ground. He screamed, turned his head and ran. Unexpectedly, before he could take two steps, he was grabbed by the collar from behind. He struggled desperately, and suddenly a sharp dagger was inserted into his heart. With a scream, the man raised his knife and struck it down again and again without mercy until he breathed his last.

At this time, a voice came from not too far away, as if the people in Qingyin Academy heard the noise and came out to check. The knife-wielder sneered, turned around and ran away. He was only two steps away from hiding in the place. He was originally just two steps away from hiding in the alley, but was unexpectedly discovered by the watchman. His expression suddenly changed. Before he could catch the watchman, the other person was already running, shouting: "Murder! Murder!" He panicked and immediately there was noises everywhere, as if people were approaching from all directions. At the critical moment, someone suddenly whispered in his ear: "Hurry up and leave!" Before he could react, he was lifted up and carried away over a wall as if he was flying.

The person didn't drop him until they reached the entrance of a strange alley. He choked and coughed violently, but heard an indifferent voice saying: "Wen Xiaolou, you dare to assassinate the son of the Minister of Finance, you are really capable!"

This voice was unusually familiar. When he raised his head, he saw the curtain of a carriage in front of him lifting, and Li Wei Yang was staring at him with a half-smiling look on her face.

She was the one who sent someone to save him! Wen Xiaolou clenched his teeth and said: "In that incident with Xiaoman, he found a way to trick her out... and gave her to Yuan Yu! So, he deserves to die!"

Li Wei Yang smiled and said: "Yes, he deserves to die, but he is the son of the Minister of Finance. If you kill him, have you thought about the consequences?"

Wen Xiaolou sneered and said, "Since I dare to do it, of course I know the consequences."

"In order to curry favor with Yuan Yu, Xue Gui would often pull strings and do things like this. He's committed such crimes more than once or twice and deserves to die. However, Xue Gui is the most beloved son of the Minister of Finance, and he will not let it go. If I didn't help you just now and you were caught, I'm afraid there will be no such person as Wen Xiaolou in the world tomorrow." Li Wei Yang said softly and skillfully, without any emotion.