Chapter 42 (1/2)

To find out when censor Zhang Yi Qi would visit the brothel, what his entrance route would be, what his departure time would be, and other details, Ning Que had to visit the brothel named Red Sleeve Club repeatedly over the past few days. But since he couldn’t let the others know of his true intentions while still gathering more information, he spent most of his time in the brothel playing and chatting.

He got closer and closer with the lady named Shui Zhu Er. He visited so frequently that even other ladies and servers in the building got used to his presence. Since Madam Jian payed special attention to him, no one dared to say much about him.

But ever since Xiao Cao sent out the fake message from Madam Jian, Ning Que could only hug or hold hands with the ladies in the brothel. He could not do much with the ladies which was why he didn’t pay much. But even a thick-faced person like him needed to give tip to the maids and the servants. Because of the spending, after a while, Sang Sang noticed the large sum of money that was being withdrawn from the shop.

When Ning Que returned that night, Sang Sang questioned his spendings and what he was doing. Ning Que didn’t try to cover up his actions. He explained his intentions to Sang Sang  and why he spent his time in the brothel. “Only after I became a regular customer will I not get suspected by the government when some stuff happens in the brothel. If I just visited there just once and coincidentally censor Zhang Yi Qi dies during that visit, the government of Chang An will be suspicious enough to track me down.”

Then he laughed and continued. “After I finish up my business, then obviously I wouldn’t need to waste my time in that brothel anymore and no more money will be spent.”

“Why do I feel like you would miss that place?”

Sang Sang raised her small head and looked at him. She suggested sincerely, “but if you stopped visiting that brothel after the censor died, wouldn’t that attract suspicion from others?”

Ning Que thought about it for a moment and noticed that this would be a problem. But instead of being irritated, he was relieved. He rubbed her head and said “If this is true, then I need to visit that place a few more times after I finished the job. Go check how much money we have left.”

Sang Sang agreed and was ready to do her favorite job in this world: counting money. Suddenly Ning Que thought of something and stopped her. He took out a box of rouge and make-up and after hesitating for a moment, he handed it to her. “This is a gift from Shui Zhu Er of the brothel. She…..is a nice person.”

In actuality, Ning Que had asked Shui Zhu Er embarra.s.singly for this box of rouge because he wanted to make Sang Sang happy. And his comment on Shui Zhu Er was used to rea.s.sure Sang Sang. Otherwise, Sang Sang might think that the gift was dirty because of the jobs of the ladies in the brothel.

Sang Sang took the box of rouge and happiness filled her small dark face. The only expression that filled her eyes was gratefulness. “I’ve heard that the ladies in the brothels have their own unique recipe, some of them are even better than those in the Chen Jin Shop.”

“Do you like it?” Ning Que smiled and looked at her.

Sang Sang’s two arms wrapped around the box tightly and she raised her face to look at him. Although she wasn’t willing to open her mouth to answer him, a trace of smile had already climbed up her face and lips.

After putting the box of rouge with the previously purchased make-up from the Chen Jin Shop together, Sang Sang boiled hot water and washed Ning Que and her feet. Then Sang Sang made two beds of blankets and climbed in after undressing herself. She whispered faintly that it was too cold without the hot stove.

Even as the night darkened, Sang Sang couldn’t fall asleep. She stared at the roof and her eyes were as s.h.i.+ny as a crystal. Suddenly she asked, “Master, that Censor…. when will he visit that brothel?”

Ning Que was silent for a long time. Then he answered quietly, “Tomorrow.”

Sang Sang didn’t know that Chang An was a more dangerous hunting ground than Mountain Min and the Great Plain. Therefore she didn’t worry about her master’s safety. However, she was worried about some other things. She held the corner of her blanket tightly, looked at the other side of the bed and said sincerely, “Master, if that censor is going to die tomorrow, shouldn’t you tell him the reason before he dies?

“True,” Ning Que looked at the ceiling and wrinkled his eyebrows, “In revenge……if he doesn’t even know what I’m avenging for before he dies, it’s kind of boring.”

“Then tell him about it.”

“Because of some reason, then I will represent the Heaven to punish you?……Wouldn’t this line be kind of random and not sincere? Is there any serious, or stylish way to do this?”

Sang Sang wrinkled her eyebrows and thought hard about how to solve this problem. After a little bit, she nodded heavily on her pillow and said, “Master, write a poem.”