Fang Ke felt that he was going through a disaster.
Before entering Hongqiaofang, for the sake of caution, he did a simple survey on the major brothels in Hongqiaofang, and finally chose Fan Bajia as the breakthrough point. There are two reasons. First, Fan Bajia is the Hongqiaofang brothel. The highest standard, favored by high-ranking officials and aristocrats. Prostitutes have high incomes and have high requirements for rouge and gouache. If that magical lipstick really existed, then the prostitutes of the Fan Ba family must have bought it. Secondly, during the previous investigation of Shan Yuanming's case, he had met Fan Baniang once, and they were familiar with each other. As the saying goes, things are easier to do with acquaintances...
But the moment he arrived at Fan Ba's house, he realized that the situation was far beyond his expectation.
There was a sea of people in front of Fan Ba's house, filling the streets and alleys. The benefactors waiting outside walked all the way around the streets and walked around several times to see how they were dressed. Some were locals from Dongdu, some from other places, some were literati, and some were wearing clothes. The Jianghu people who were equipped with weapons, as well as the Great Cannibals, Fusang people, Persians, Silla people, and Koreans, all looked very interested.
Immediately, he was puzzled. Jiang Dongyi was arrested in Fan Bajia and died in Dali Temple Prison the next day. He was still a murderer. No matter how you look at it, Fan Bajia is considered a haunted house. Why is there no impact on the business? Instead, it becomes more prosperous?
While waiting in line, he finally got some clues. These people actually came here because of the "fame".
Some people say that Taiyuan tigers killed people but still tried their best to eat a red-sleeved banquet. This banquet must be extremely delicious, and gourmets from all over the country want to come and try it. There is also a half-hearted poet who wrote a sour poem, saying "The best in the Eastern Capital, red sleeves add fragrance to the banquet, a full meal, even a ghost is romantic." It makes no sense.
Some people say that the number one dandy in Yangdu, the Huajia Silang, captured thieves here, which greatly dampened the spirit of the Jiang family in Taiyuan and made the name of the Hua family in Yangdu even higher. It shows that this place is a blessed land and a cave. Especially those overseas businessmen who do business say that they must come to pay their respects no matter what, and feel a sense of nobility, "richness" and "nobleness". It's almost ridiculous.
Those people in the world said that Lin Sui'an, the Lord of Qianjing, defeated Jin Yuwei here, which established the status of Lord Qianjing in the world. They also said that Lin Sui'an could have such an honor only half a year after his debut, and he must be a martial arts star. Blessed by the divine power from heaven, the Fan Ba family has been imbued with the power of the gods. As long as these Jianghu people who are struggling to make a living come to pay homage, their luck will increase, and they will be invincible and invincible. Absolutely ridiculous.
After waiting in line for an hour and a half, Fang Ke finally entered the gate of Fan Ba's house.
The corridor leading to the main hall was crowded with people. These people were not in a hurry. They were squirming forward like sticky rice cakes in a hot pot. They were discussing the architectural layout of Fan Bajia, the types of flowers and plants, the moon, clouds, and elegance. , mist permeating the surroundings, wild cats in the trees, in short, just talk about anything boring. After finally entering the lobby, I looked around and saw that it was full of people's heads. The musicians were playing and singing at the top of their lungs, but they couldn't cover up the noisy people. Fortunately, Fan Bajia's place was not small. After entering the courtyard several times, there was finally a diversion. The dancers stopped dancing and were busy leading the way. The prostitutes stopped drinking wine and were busy introducing to the guests that this floor was where Jin Yuwei Jiang Chen threw himself on the street, and the wine cup on the table was where Shiro Huajia smashed Jiang Dongyi. The same style was used, and the knife marks on the beams were made by the Master of Qianjing. The menu for the Hongxiu Tianxiang Banquet was rewritten, with bright red paper and large gold characters, hung high for guests to appreciate, and the discounts and deposits for reservations were also written.
The most outrageous thing is that there is actually a small altar of Wu Quxing built in the garden. It is located in the small pool in front of the main hall. I remember that it used to be a lotus pond. Now the lotus flowers have been pulled out, and the pond has been renovated and placed. The tributes and the incense burner were hung with the couplet "Wu Qu controls the house and is invincible" on both sides. Smartly dressed Jianghu people gathered around and threw copper coins to make wishes. The thick copper coins at the bottom of the pool reflected the moonlight and dazzled people's eyes.
Fang Ke walked around in a big circle, trying to find some prostitutes or dancers to ask about the origin of the balm, but they seemed to not be able to see him. He stopped him seven or eight times, but was ignored. Fang Ke was sweating all over and was very tired. After thinking about it, he chose a seat and sat down. He planned to wait for work and ordered wine and food. Someone would be there to entertain him. He would seize the opportunity to ask again and there would definitely be clues.
But he didn't know whether it was because the place he was sitting was too far away or something else. After sitting there for almost two hours, the drinks and food for the guests next to him changed three times, but no one came to ask him if he wanted to order food or if he wanted his wife to accompany him to drink. No one noticed him.
Fang Ke sat dryly, stroking the large wooden box beside him with his fingers. He hesitated several times and tried to say hello several times, but in the end he could only give up.
There seemed to be a strange cover around him, hiding his body, face, and voice inside. Growing up, he was always the most inconspicuous, no matter what he did, what he learned, or what he said. No one else can see or hear it.
He is just a dispensable shadow, a shadow that can never shine in the light.
The sky was getting darker and darker, and Fang couldn't sit still. Lin Sui'an and Hua Yitang didn't know how it was progressing. They had already wasted nearly four hours and could not delay it any longer.
Fang Ke took out the purse in his sleeve. It was given to him by Hua Yitang. It was full of gold leaves. He believed that as long as he took out this, someone would come to greet him. But—but!
His hands were shaking, his hands didn't obey him at all, he couldn't open the purse, he couldn't do it!
On the way here, he secretly counted and found that there were thirty gold leaves in his purse. Each piece cost one tael, which could be exchanged for six guan. The usual price was 1,000 guan, and a chicken was 33 guan. In other words, one gold leaf was worth 30 guan. One hundred and eighty-one chickens, one chicken in two days, this golden leaf is enough for him to eat chickens for a year.
Fang Ke took a deep breath, opened the big wooden box, found a pair of small scissors and wiped it on his cuffs, hooked his back, hid the purse under the wooden case, opened the purse a small opening, took out half a gold leaf, and used his fingers to I measured it and cut off a small piece of leaf tip, about half the size of my fingertip. I estimated that it could be exchanged for 500 yuan, which was still a bit much. I wiped the tip of the leaf with my finger and thought about cutting it in half again, but unexpectedly. At this moment, the surroundings suddenly became noisy.
Everyone was extremely excited and stretched their heads to look in the direction of the corridor. The prostitutes and dancers who were wandering among the guests like butterflies flocked to the end of the corridor. Foreign businessmen followed closely behind, and the people in the world gave up. Wu Quxing, suddenly, a bright light lit up in the direction of the door. Dozens of palace lanterns were arranged in a row and a fire dragon swam in. Everyone retreated to both sides and made way. The head of the fire dragon was a young lady with an upright posture. Amid everyone's attention, he walked through the corridor, stepped through the mist, and walked around the Wuquxing altar. Carrying the chill of the night, he lifted his robe and sat opposite Fang Ke.
Fang was stunned, and the cover that had isolated him from the outside world for a long time shattered with a "snap". Passionate eyes shot in, noisy voices and exclamations poured in, and countless lights fell.
In the bright light, he saw Lin Sui'an's helpless face.
"Brother Fang, you have found a good place to hide and relax, making it easy for us to find you."
Fang Ke: "How...how did you find me?"
"How else can we look for him? Let's look for him one by one." Lin Sui'an snapped his fingers and turned around and said, "Send the news and say that he has been found. He is at Fan Ba's house."
Those carrying the palace lanterns were all handsome young men, and they looked like they were all gatekeepers from Hongqiaofang. When Lin Sui'an gave the order, they dispersed like fireflies, dragging their bright tails. go out.
"...There are so many people..." Fang Ke said in a daze, "How did you see me?"
Lin Sui'an burst into laughter, and the lights flickered, making her eyes sparkle cunningly, like a weasel that had stolen grapes, "Brother Fang is so conspicuous, so he can naturally see it at a glance."
Fang Ke: "..."
Conspicuous? Is he conspicuous?
The people around seemed to have discussed it, and crowded around, leaving a blank space of five feet away. They seemed to be afraid of something, and they seemed to be excited about something. They were whispering, their eyes were burning, and there were a few swordsmen touching the area. After taking out the incense, he secretly bowed to Lin Sui'an's back.
The noise at the door became even louder. This time, a brighter and more dazzling light came rushing over. The source of the light was none other than the flashy, flowery and colorful Yangdu No. 1 Dandy, who was dragging his long tail with the onlookers. , walked over in a swaggering manner, looking around with a rather disgusted expression, "Why are you sitting here?" he called out, "Is Fan Baniang here?"
Fan Baniang is the oiran of the Fan Bashi family. She is an unusual prostitute. Normally, she would have to be urged to show up. But before Hua Yitang finished speaking, Fan Baniang had already pushed aside the crowd and appeared. She was so anxious that she would show up. Khan, he bowed his head repeatedly and said, "The slave family didn't know that Shiro of the Hua family was coming, so he couldn't welcome him from afar, so he hoped that Shiro would be Hanhan."
Hua Yitang shook his fan and looked around, "Everyone, Hua has something important to discuss with Fan Baniang today. Please go to Jia Qijia and Shuiwu's next door. All expenses will be recorded in Hua's On account."
As soon as these words came out, everyone was excited. You must know that although Jia Qijia and Shuiwujia are not as good as Fan Bajia, they are also among the best brothels in Hongqiaofang. The cost of one night is enough for ordinary people to eat for two to three months. Today, Hanashiro was taken advantage of, and everyone wanted it. They cheered with fists clasped, and went to the next door happily. The whole garden suddenly felt a lot empty.
Jin Ruo, Ita and Mu Xia walked in against the flow of people. Jin Ruo looked puzzled, "Why are everyone leaving?" Ita held the tea pot in his hand and ran over happily, "Doctor Fang, drink tea. "
Fang Ke was still a little confused, "Is the case solved?"
"Ah, don't be in a hurry," Hua Yitang gritted his teeth and walked into the main hall, waving his fan, "Serve the wine, serve the food, let's sing and dance!"
Fan Baniang led a group of ladies to crowd around and pushed Lin Sui'an and others in. Two smart young men ran over, supported each other, and lifted Fang Ke's feet off the ground to the main seat of the main hall. In the blink of an eye, the main hall was already dancing. Seven or eight dancers were dressed in bright red pomegranate skirts, with gold lings hanging on their bare feet. They were dancing to the beat of drums, and their whirling skirts were blooming like midsummer flowers, swaying. People are dazzled.
Fan Baniang and two prostitutes sat next to Fang Ke with Xiangfeng's three buttocks, and they were about to toast him. Fang Ke resisted several times incoherently, but somehow, he was given two glasses of wine, and two glasses were spilled on him. On his clothes, the messy embroidered handkerchief came up and wiped his clothes into a mess. Fang Ke felt bad all over and was about to refuse. Unexpectedly, as soon as he opened his mouth, he was stuffed with a mouthful of meat and vegetables, which was pressed on his tongue. Fang Ke tasted the taste of suffocation and death and stretched his neck desperately. As soon as he swallowed, the lump in his mouth went into his throat and he saved his life. Turning around, Hua Yitang and Jin Ruo burst into laughter, and Lin Sui'an and Mu Xia were overjoyed.
Fang Ke almost overturned the table, but Eta brought him a cup of tea to help him calm down, and whispered, "Zhong Xue, we found it. He is alive and everything is fine."
Fang Ke was startled for a moment and then breathed a sigh of relief, "Where is the murderer?"
Ita shook her head and pointed forward.
Ling Zhiyan hurried in with seven or eight girls. The girls were all dressed in gorgeous dresses, painted with makeup, and had beautiful looks. As soon as they entered, Hua Yitang knocked her fan twice on the table, and Fan Baniang immediately understood. The music stopped, the singing stopped, and the dancing stopped. The entire main hall fell silent instantly and turned into an interrogation hall for questioning.
Hua Yitang looked solemn, "These guys, like Fan Baniang, are the heads of the most famous brothels in Hongqiaofang. They are also old people in Hongqiaofang. They are familiar with everyone."
Fang Ke glared at Hua Yitang fiercely. It turned out that this guy had been prepared.
Lin Sui'an: "Brother Fang, if you have anything you want to ask, it's right to ask them."
Fang Ke took a breath, wiped the sweat from his head, calmed down, took out the white porcelain bottle from the wooden box, tore off the paper ball with tweezers, carefully dipped the liquid inside, and applied it to several small square pieces of paper. On the piece, he fanned it with his palm and motioned for all the girls to take a piece, "Do you have any impressions of lipstick with this flavor?"
The girls sniffed it with the tips of their noses. Most of them shook their heads and said they didn't know. Only Fan Baniang and a prostitute in a green dress had their eyes lit up.
Fan Baniang: "This smells very similar to Huachun Cream! Yes, it's Huachun Cream!"
Prostitute in Green Dress: "Yes, yes, I remember it got its name because it smells sweet and looks like spring flowers."
Ling Zhiyan was so surprised that she also took a piece and smelled it, wondering, "This scent is no different from the scent of fragrant powder on the market. How can they easily identify it?"
Hua Yitang: "There are hundreds of lipstick colors on the market, can Ling Liulang distinguish them?"
Ling Zhiyan's eyes widened, "Aren't they all red?"
Hua Yitang: "Pfft!"
Lin Sui'an suppressed a smile. As expected, handsome guy Ling was a straight man.
Muchia Science: "Women can not only distinguish the subtle differences in color, but are also extremely sensitive to fragrance, and their memory is even better."
Ling Zhiyan was shocked.
Lin Sui'an couldn't help laughing. She took out the piece of paper in Ling Zhiyan's hand and smelled it. Good guy, she couldn't smell anything special at all. Then I thought about how Fang Ke extracted the fragrance. My scalp suddenly went numb and I hurriedly threw the piece of paper away.
Hua Yitang fanned and looked at the prostitute in green skirt, "I remember you are from the Fangshi family, your name is——"
The prostitute in green skirt bowed, "My flower name is Qinfang."
Fang Ke: "Who sells this Huachun ointment and what effect does it have?"
Fan Baniang: "Back then, Huachen ointment was very popular in the Eastern Capital. Not to mention Hongqiaofang, even the noble ladies liked it very much. It was sold in all major perfume and ointment shops in Nan City, West City, and Bei City."
Qinfang: "The efficacy is indeed amazing. Some say it can maintain youth forever, and some say it can rejuvenate youth. But in my opinion, it is not just a balm, it has a brighter color, a sweeter taste, and a longer-lasting effect. The rest are just gimmicks to deceive people. The funny thing is, some people actually believe it.”
Fang Ke: "Do you know where the raw materials for this Huachun paste come from?"
Fan Baniang thought for a while, "It is rumored that it is a spice from Persia. But not long after, this spice was banned, and soon Huachun Cream was also banned. I heard someone said that if you use too much, you will be poisoned and your life will be in danger." .Who dares to use it?"
Lin Sui'an noticed that when Fan Baniang said these words, Qinfang's face changed slightly.
"Ms. Qinfang, what did you think of?" Lin Sui'an asked.
"I suddenly remembered something," Lady Qinfang said. "The oiran from the Zimu family likes to use Huachun ointment the most. She even learned how to make balm and made many self-made balms for skin care. She even used it when sleeping. It was all smeared all over the body, and I heard that he died inexplicably later.”
"Zimu's house?" Jin Ruo frowned, "There is no brothel called Zimu's house in Hongqiaofang."
"The Zimu family broke up five years ago. The oiran found a husband, redeemed her body, got rid of her lowly status, got married and lived a good life. The sisters in Hongqiaofang were very happy for her. They never thought... Alas, as the old saying goes, love lasts forever."
"Zimu's family..." Lin Sui'an felt a strange feeling in his heart, "What's the name of that oiran?"
Fan Baniang: "I remember it must be related to the name of her brothel——"
Qinfang: "Rou'er is still Roushui——"
Ling Zhiyan's eyes flashed, "Rou Qian'er?!"
Fan Baniang and Qin Fang said in unison, "Yes, that's the name!":,,
