Chapter 54 She is a Woman
Shen Qian took away the stumbling block Zhao Ji. Thanks to the Nanyue King's easy-going nature, Tang Ying met the concubines of Prince Zhao, some charming, some delicate, some plump and enthusiastic... of all types. She suspected that the prince had a hobby of stamp collecting. With the convenience of the social system, sufficient financial support, and the unlimited tolerance of the Nanyue King, the head of the Xiong family, Prince Zhao's hobby was developed.
——I heard that the beauties he brought with him on this trip were less than one-third of those in the backyard of the Crown Prince of the Nanyue Palace.
Tang Ying could only express her great admiration for Prince Zhao, as he was indeed gifted and strong.
The three of them first carefully searched the rooms of Prince Zhao's six concubines, then separated them and questioned them separately. In the end, they came to the conclusion that the last time they saw the ghost ball was after they came to Southern Qi and before Prince Zhao did not return home at night.
The scope of the search suddenly spread from Sifang Pavilion to the vast world outside. When Tang Ying handed a thick stack of confessions to Detective Fu, she felt a headache for him.
"Sir, the South Vietnamese have been ruled out as suspects for now. What should we do now?"
They went out in the morning and spent most of the day in Sifang Pavilion. The people from the Fengzi Department were not idle either. After what happened before by Prince Zhao , Fu Chen directly led people to check the people brought by the King of Nanyue and questioned them one by one, leaving Yuan Jian alone to accompany the King of Nanyue.
Yuan Jian still hadn't developed a thick skin yet, so he explained to the King of Nanyue: "The devil's ball of the Zhao prince was lost. Whether it's the people in Yuanyang Tower or the people around the prince and the prince, they are all suspects. Lord Fu checked them one by one in order to recover the lost property as soon as possible."
The King of Nanyue smiled good-temperedly: "I understand everything, Your Highness, don't worry."
His temper is so good that people start to doubt how he governs the vassal state of South Vietnam.
At dusk, Fu Chen and his party left Sifang Pavilion.
Liu Zhong pounded his shoulder and said, "I've been writing for the whole afternoon, and it's more tiring than practicing boxing for the whole afternoon. It seems that being a scholar is not easy." The Feng Department checked the people around the King of Nanyue, and the person who was questioned became Fu Chen. He had no choice but to pick up the pen and act as a clerk to take notes.
Fu Chen looked at the sky and pointed a few people to go to Yuanyang Tower, including Tang Ying.
"..." Tang Ying was flattered. Being on a business trip allowed her to visit Kyoto's entertainment venues at the same time. This business trip was worth it!
Hongxiang originally wanted to follow, but since Master Fu asked them to go back, she could only walk back reluctantly, muttering as she walked: "There's something fishy going on between the two of them."
Wanyu didn't have to stay and face Master Fu's cold eyes and work on an empty stomach. She was in a very good mood. She dragged her through a few streets, found a clean restaurant, sat down, and prepared to have a full meal: "Who do you think is having an affair with whom?"
Hongxiang bit her lip, unwillingly saying, "Master Fu and Zhang Ying."
Wanyu laughed: "I heard that Zhang Ying came from the Fu family. She is more familiar with Master Fu than others. Isn't it natural?" She ordered two bowls of fine rice dumplings and sat at the window facing the street, looking around boredly. Suddenly, she seemed to see something new and pulled Hongxiang's sleeve: "Look, look——"
Hongxiang was so depressed that she had no mood to read the new stories outside. She couldn't refuse Wanyu's face so she stretched her neck to take a look: "Are beggars living such a good life nowadays?"
But I saw several beggars walking towards me. I couldn't tell what was going on from their clothes, but the strange thing was that they were each holding a roast chicken in their hands, eating it with big white steamed buns as they walked, with a broken eating bowl and a begging stick tucked under their armpits, eating until their mouths were full of oil, and they walked past the restaurant talking and laughing.
The two of them looked at it as a curiosity .
The leading beggar was about ten years old, dark, thin and slick, with an air of “when there is no tiger in the mountain, the monkey becomes king”.
He was walking and eating. The beggar who was walking with him was obviously older than him, but he approached him and asked, "Brother Baozi, when will the second brother come back? What did that man who bought us roast chicken buns want from the second brother?"
Baozi was the first young brother in the Beggar Gang to surrender to Tang Ying. He was sweet-tongued and good at dealing with people. Without the bullying of Chang San, and with the help of Tang Ying, he quickly stood out from the group of beggars. Whenever Tang Ying was not around, he would act as her spokesperson. In the territory occupied by Tang Ying, all the beggars flattered him and called him "Brother Baozi" no matter how old he was. This boy was as swollen as a freshly baked bun and almost took crab steps.
Recently, many people have been asking about the background of "Zhang Er". Some gave him money, some gave him food, but these beggars didn't know much about Zhang Er's background. They only knew that one day Zhang Er appeared like a descendant from the sky, defeated Chang San, put up signs on several nearby streets , and became a street bully.
Only Baozi knew a little bit. It was Zhang Er who saved the Fourth Prince. After he was taken away by Xiong Yu, he remembered the face of Commander Fu of the Forbidden Cavalry Division, which had made all the young ladies in the capital crazy. Then he came to his senses - Brother Zhang Er was most likely a member of the Forbidden Cavalry Division.
The people from the Imperial Cavalry Department dared to arrest and torture even many high-ranking officials. As a senior beggar and spectator, Baozi was very experienced despite his young age. He once witnessed with his own eyes how the people from the Imperial Cavalry Department surrounded the residence of a high-ranking official in the capital, and tied up the official's family members with a rope as easily as pulling out a bunch of grasshoppers from the residence.
So Baozi became bolder and gave the same answer to everyone who asked about Zhang Er's background: "I don't know." He also gave the standard answer to those who wanted to get to the bottom of it and wanted to know more: "I'm not sure." He accepted all bribes from those who tried to impress him and find out about Zhang Er's background, and accepted all the money and food. As for the answer - sorry, it's the same as always.
I don’t know if I don’t know.
If it’s not clear, it’s not clear.
Baozi chewed on the roast chicken and taught his talkative companion a lesson: "Why do you ask so many questions about the second brother? Besides, when will the second brother come back? He will always come back when he is supposed to. As for those people looking for the second brother... they didn't say anything, so how would I know?" He felt that this companion talked too much: "Even a chicken leg can't stop you from talking, why don't you go beg for food in another street?"
Changing streets means being expelled from Brother Zhang's territory and forcing him to find another boss to follow.
When the companion heard this, he was frightened immediately: "Brother Baozi, I will never ask any more questions with my stinky mouth! Please don't chase me away..." After saying a lot of nice things, and making assurances and promises that he would not tell anyone about it, Baozi finally gave in.
The group of people were very satisfied with their meal and were strolling in the street. When they passed by the Yuanyang Building, they happened to see the old procuress at the door smiling, her thick powder almost cracked from laughing. They held a dustpan under her neck to catch the powder, maybe they could catch two kilograms of powder. The back of the old man who was serving the guests was almost bent like a hunchback, as if he was born with a bent spine. They worked hard to serve the four officials of the Imperial Cavalry Division, led by the commander of the Imperial Cavalry Division, Fu Chen.
His companions pointed excitedly: "Brother Baozi, look, isn't that Mr. Fu? The Mr. Fu from the Forbidden Cavalry Division!"
How can you not recognize Baozi?
He had also met this Lord Fu, and the young man named Xiong who followed him took him on a day trip with three meals provided.
"Lord Fu may be handling a case, why are you yelling?" Baozi felt that his horizons had been broadened and he was knowledgeable. His voice was calm and composed. He looked again and suddenly felt that the woman from the Forbidden Cavalry Division next to Lord Fu looked a little familiar.
I can’t say where I’ve seen it before, but it looks familiar.
Baozi has a secret skill, which is recognizing people.
Being a beggar naturally does not require any socializing, but he is afraid of bad people. He has been able to eat a lot and not starve to death in the beggar circle in Beijing since he was a child, all thanks to his extraordinary ability to identify people. In the area where he often begs for food, if someone spits at him the first time he begs for food, or lets a dog bite him, Baozi will remember it clearly to avoid encountering the same bad luck next time.
Over time, he memorized many faces.
The woman next to Lord Fu had her hair tied up, revealing her smooth white forehead. Her waist was so thin that it seemed like it could break if she was not careful, but the way she walked made Baozi feel more and more familiar - his expression was as if he was suddenly struck by lightning.
His companions looked at him strangely: "Brother Baozi, what's wrong?"
"No, no... nothing, I just feel uncomfortable in my stomach all of a sudden, I need to find a toilet."
Baozi, holding a stick and a broken bowl, turned around to take another look at the girl who had followed Fu Chen into Yuanyang Tower. Although she was dressed as a beggar in a tattered robe that was so large that her figure could not be seen, her hair was loose in front of her forehead, almost covering her eyes, and she was wearing a tattered felt hat. Her skin was painted black - he had seen the reflective white of Second Brother Zhang - so she was easily recognizable.
At that moment, only one voice popped up in Baozi's mind: Brother Zhang is a woman!
Second Brother Zhang is a woman!
Second brother...she is a woman!
He needed to find some quiet place.
When the Yuanyang Tower was lit for work, Fu Tan and his men from the Forbidden Cavalry Division broke in on business, accompanied by a country girl named Tang Ying. After entering, they looked around.
"Do you want me to lend you a pair of eyes?" Fu Chen said in her ear.
"Borrow what?" Tang Ying marveled at the prosperous entertainment industry and service spirit of Yuanyang Building. It was no wonder that the business was so hot that they worshipped customers as gods. It took her a while to realize what was going on: "My Lord...are you making fun of me?"
Master Fu chuckled: "I'm afraid you don't have enough eyes."
Tang Ying: “…”
