My Years in the Jianghu with the Prince: A Time of Unethical Conduct

Chapter 34 The Death of the Flower Goddess

Xie Yan and her companion returned to their residence and happened to pass by a brothel called "Xunfang Pavilion".

Originally, "Xunfang Pavilion" was a famous brothel in the city, never lacking customers. These days, it has become even more lively because Lady Hua Ran was chosen as the Flower Goddess, and it is already packed with customers during the day.

But today's event was unusually lively.

A crowd of people surrounded the entrance, but no one stepped into the brothel. Instead, they gathered in small groups, discussing the matter.

Through the gaps in the crowd, Xie Yan and Chu Ling saw that the courtesans who should have been standing in front of Xunfang Pavilion had been replaced by several stern-faced government officials.

The two exchanged a glance, stopped, and stood behind the crowd to observe what would happen.

A moment later, heart-wrenching cries came from inside the building. The first to step out were two officials and a stretcher covered with a white sheet.

"Hiss—someone's dead!"

"I wonder who died?"

"I think it must be one of those clients who had a stroke; it's happened before..."

The onlookers had all sorts of speculations and guesses, but these were all interrupted by the people who rushed out afterward.

That was the "mother" of Xunfang Pavilion. Her hair was disheveled, tears streamed down her face, and she was completely immersed in sorrow.

She broke free from the support of those around her, sobbing, and threw herself onto the stretcher, crying out, "My dear daughter! You died so tragically! What am I going to do!"

Caught off guard, the white cloth was suddenly torn in half.

In an instant, the surrounding air froze, but a few breaths later, it exploded with a "boom".

"It was Hua Ran who died!"

"How could Lady Hua Ran be dead? What exactly happened?!"

Beneath the white cloth, the lifeless face belonged to Hua Ran Niangzi, who had been elected "Flower Goddess" a few days prior.

Seeing that the crowd was starting to get restless, the officials hurriedly stopped them, pushed Mother Mo aside, and covered the white cloth back up.

"Get out of the way! This is an official case; unauthorized personnel are not allowed!"

The leading officer drew half of his knife, scaring the crowd away and clearing a path through them.

Hua Ran's body was taken out first, but the guards at the gate did not disperse. Before long, two more guards with men came out from inside.

The difference is that this time, the person taken away was alive.

The man's eyes were glazed over, his gaze unfocused. His body swayed uncontrollably, as if he might collapse to the ground at any moment.

He looked like he hadn't fully recovered from his hangover.

At this moment, when Mo's mother, who had been helped to the side, saw this man again, she immediately rushed over, hitting and cursing him: "You surnamed Tang, you're not human! How could you, how could you do this to me!"

Those in the crowd were startled upon hearing this.

"It was Tang Shicheng who killed Hua Ran!"

"No way, hasn't he always wanted to marry Hua Ran? Who knows how much money he's spent on her."

"That's it! Anyone with eyes can see that Hua Ran likes Master Shi and refuses to marry him. Isn't that love turning into hate?"

"I still feel there's something fishy going on..."

However, no matter how much Mo's mother scolded and slapped him, Tang Shicheng did not react at all. He was so drunk that it was as if he had fallen headfirst into a vat of wine, completely soaked inside and out.

Mother Mo was pushed away again, and Tang Shicheng was taken away amidst the murmurs of discussion. The crowd of onlookers gradually dispersed.

But Xie Yan and Chu Ling didn't think the matter was that simple.

It was late at night, and perhaps because of the murder, the usually bustling and lively flower street was much quieter.

But not long after, a pot-bellied man appeared drunk, hiccuped, looked around, and finally staggered into a brothel.

Inside Xunfang Pavilion, Mama Mo was sitting at the door, sighing and looking worried.

She had nurtured Hua Ran for so long and poured so much money into her. And now, after all that hard work, Hua Ran had become the Flower Goddess, and Xunfang Pavilion was on the verge of becoming famous, but this huge cash cow had just died!

The thought of this made Mother Mo want to tear Tang Shicheng to pieces. Of course, she would have to make him pay her full compensation first.

Just as Mo's mother was clutching her handkerchief, preparing to go to the Tang family to ask for money the next day, a wine jar fell from the sky and smashed onto the table in front of her, splashing a lot of wine onto her face.

Mother Mo wiped her face, angrily put her hands on her hips, and was about to yell when a gold ingot came crashing down.

"Get me a few guys with good figures to sing some songs, hiccup!"

A short, stout middle-aged man with a flushed face and squinting eyes looked at Mo's mother, reeking of alcohol.

"Honored guest, please come in!"

Mother Mo immediately suppressed her anger and got up to greet him warmly as she entered.

Since Hua Ran's death, Xunfang Pavilion's business has plummeted tonight, and we never expected that such a generous customer would come to visit.

Madam Mo booked a private room for the man and specially selected several of the best girls in the brothel, instructing them to keep this distinguished guest and, ideally, to develop him into a regular customer.

The girls rushed into the room and saw that the distinguished guest had already ordered a table full of wine and was drinking it by himself.

They exchanged glances and then gathered around to flirt with the man.

"Grandpa, don't just drink, talk to us too."

"Yes, what's so fun about drinking? Let me dance for you instead."

The man subtly avoided the body that was pressing against him. He seemed somewhat incoherent from drinking, and slumped on the table, shouting, "Where's the Flower Goddess? Call the Flower Goddess here to offer me a toast! I've traveled all this way just to see the Flower Goddess!"

Upon hearing this, the girls exchanged bewildered glances. It seemed that this was a visitor from out of town who had come because of Hua Ran's fame. Whether he was drunk or unaware of Hua Ran's death, he was now making a fuss about wanting to see Hua Ran.

"Oh dear, sir, Hua Ran is no longer here."

The girl beside him began to comfort him.

"Not here? Why aren't you here? Are you looking down on me?"

The man suddenly slammed his hand on the table and staggered to his feet, trying to go outside and cause a scene.

The girls quickly grabbed him and said a lot of nice things, before finally lowering their voices and saying, "So that you know, sir, that Hua Ran is dead, that she was murdered."

The man was stunned, somewhat incredulous. "What? Which heartless bastard is so heartless towards women?"

By now, the news had spread throughout the city, and the girls stopped trying to hide it and started talking about it all at once.

"He's the young master of the Tang family who owns a jewelry shop in the city."

"This morning we found Sister Hua Ran dead in her room, while that guy surnamed Tang was still fast asleep in bed."

"You can never truly know a person's heart. He spoke so sincerely when he was asking Sister Hua Ran to marry him, but the next day he could strangle her..."

"You talk too much."

A woman dressed simply suddenly interrupted them, smiling gently as she helped the man sit down again. "Guests, please don't listen to these things and spoil the fun. Let's continue drinking."