Translator: Cinder Translations
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"Tsk." Jiang Cheng first glanced at Xiao Wan, then turned his head to stare at Fatty for a while, his eyes scanning up and down, feeling as if he had discovered a new side of Fatty.
"Young master," Xiao Wan suddenly asked, "Where did you get that pouch?"
Behind the curtain, she hadn't noticed it earlier, but now that she stepped out, her attention was immediately drawn to the pouch, even ignoring the menacing Fatty beside her.
"You recognize this pouch?" Jiang Cheng countered.
"Of course," Xiao Wan replied excitedly, "This is the wedding gift I gave to Sister Xuanji. She promised to keep it with her always. How... how did it end up in your hands?"
Xuanji...
Jiang Cheng narrowed his eyes. It seemed this was the ghost woman's name.
Or rather, her stage name at Mei Xian Yuan.
"But Sister Xuanji is already dead," Xiao Wan frowned, "How did her belongings end up with you? Who... who are you?"
Now Xiao Wan was genuinely scared, and her gaze toward Jiang Cheng changed, "You were sent by Master Huang!" she accused angrily, "Weren't you?!"
"No," Jiang Cheng replied calmly, peeling a pear and handing it to her, raising his eyes with a serene expression, "Don't be nervous. Let's talk slowly."
Looking into Jiang Cheng's eyes, Xiao Wan actually began to calm down, then, as if bewitched, took the pear from his hand and sat down opposite him.
"I came here for this matter, hoping to bring justice to Xuanji," Jiang Cheng said with a serious expression, "You don't want her to have died in vain, do you?"
Xiao Wan nodded, and after a long pause, she said, "I also think Sister Xuanji's death was suspicious. She had just married into the Huang family a few days ago, and she was in good health when she left. How could she suddenly die of illness?"
"Don't rush, take it slow," Jiang Cheng reached out, placing his hand on Xiao Wan's leg, comforting her with a gentle rub, while maintaining a solemn expression, "Start from how Young Master Huang and Xuanji met."
Gradually, as Xiao Wan recounted, the story of Young Master Huang and the courtesan named Xuanji began to unfold.
As they had guessed, Young Master Huang loved watching operas, and Xuanji, the top courtesan at Mei Xian Yuan, was renowned for her dual talents in music and performance.
The Xiao Wan before them was equally famous for her artistic skills.
Thus, Xuanji caught Young Master Huang's attention.
Young Master Huang was a romantic scholar, and his painting skills were exceptional. He also treated Xuanji with great care.
Soon, the two came together like the protagonists of a romantic novel.
But the Huang family was a prominent household in the area. How could they accept a courtesan? Master Huang was furious about this and even threatened to disown Young Master Huang.
"But in the end, Young Master Huang still married Sister Xuanji into the family," Xiao Wan said with a hint of envy.
As she spoke, her tone suddenly paused, and an unnatural expression appeared on her face, "Young master, you know how it is for us," she pinched her fingers, whispering, "Women like us can only marry at night, without fanfare or send-offs. Only a few people from the groom's family come, quietly carrying us in a small sedan chair through the side door. No one dares to make a fuss."
"This pouch was what I gave to Sister Xuanji before that night," Xiao Wan recalled, "At that time, Sister Xuanji also took a maid who had always been with her."
"That maid was quite pitiful, an orphan. Sister Xuanji was worried that if she left, the maid would be bullied if she stayed alone."
"Doctor, you're amazing!" Fatty shouted in his heart.
"So... you suspect Master Huang had a hand in this?" Having roughly understood the situation, Jiang Cheng got to the point.
"Yes," Xiao Wan nodded fiercely, "Who else could it be? It must have been him. What a pity for Young Master Huang," Xiao Wan sighed, "I heard that after Sister Xuanji's death, he also went mad."
"Young Master Huang was truly devoted to Miss Xuanji," Jiang Cheng said with a tone of deep sentiment.
"Indeed," Xiao Wan nodded repeatedly, "Young Master Huang once painted a portrait of Sister Xuanji. In the painting, Sister Xuanji looked exceptionally beautiful. Before she married, Sister Xuanji gave the painting to me. After the incident, her family came to see me. Seeing how pitiful they were, I gave the painting to them."
Xuanji's family...
Jiang Cheng's interest was instantly piqued, "They took the painting away?"
"Yes, he was Sister Xuanji's father. He used to sneak in to see her, but Sister Xuanji seemed resistant to him, so they rarely met."
"What did he do for a living?"
"I heard he was also an opera performer," Xiao Wan showed a somewhat strange expression, "But not like us. They... they performed funeral operas, using paper figures and horses."
Worried that Jiang Cheng might not understand, Xiao Wan explained in detail.
"Sister Xuanji's father was the troupe leader. Once, when Sister Xuanji was drunk, she mentioned that her father had sold her here because he was irresponsible, so she never forgave him."
"Ghost operas?" Jiang Cheng narrowed his eyes.
Hearing the word "ghost," Xiao Wan instinctively felt repelled, swallowing hard, "Probably... something like that. That man looked strange too, thin and short, with an odd appearance. His face was very long, and his eyes seemed to see through people. Standing next to him felt like being in an ice cellar," she added.
As if remembering something, Jiang Cheng asked for paper and pen and began to draw. After a while—
"Is this him?" Jiang Cheng held up the drawing, asking Xiao Wan.
The moment she saw the drawing, Xiao Wan was stunned, then nodded repeatedly, "Yes, that's him," she looked at Jiang Cheng with a puzzled gaze, "Young master, have you met him before?"
"I've met him, but we're not familiar."
Xiao Wan nodded slightly, "No wonder."
Fatty craned his neck, wanting to see the drawing too, but before he could get close, Jiang Cheng had already put it away.
"Do you know where Xuanji's father is now?" Jiang Cheng asked.
Xiao Wan thought for a moment, then shook her head, "Troupes that perform such operas usually live outside the city, but... you could try Luogu Alley. The last time he came, he mentioned that place."
"Thank you," Jiang Cheng stood up, ready to leave.
"Young master, please wait a moment," Xiao Wan called out to Jiang Cheng, then, under Fatty's envious and jealous gaze, took out a red-stringed token from an exquisite wooden box.
The token was made of an unknown material, and it felt very pleasant to the touch.
On the front was engraved the character "Wan."
"Young master, please take this," Xiao Wan said, "This is my token. Next time you come, you can show this to avoid a lot of trouble."
"Sister Xuanji treated me very well. If there's any progress, please let me know," she said sincerely.
Jiang Cheng accepted the token and replied, "Certainly."
After leaving Mei Xian Yuan, Fatty eagerly approached, but before he could speak, he saw Jiang Cheng's cold face, speaking in an unusually calm tone, "It's Butler Zhou."
(End of the Chapter)
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