Volume 2: Female Corpse in Monk's Clothes Chapter 93: Are you worried about something
That evening.
Taixian Tower.
Among all the Jiaofangsi, Taixianlou is not the largest entertainment venue in Shangyuan City, but it is the highest-end.
Here, no matter whether it is the service staff or the singing girls and dancers, they are all dressed in various Taoist costumes, dressed like Taoists, and each of them looks like a fairy.
Tonight, in order to thank Xu Zun, Li Yan and other officials, the Marquis specially ordered the butler to book the most luxurious private room in Taixian Tower.
Not only was a table filled with the most expensive and sumptuous banquet, but also special singing and dancing performances with a strong local flavor were arranged.
The private rooms are located on a huge and luxurious viewing platform, where guests can enjoy fine wine and delicious food while appreciating the magnificent performances.
However, because the Marquis loved his beloved daughter, he did not attend the dinner himself, but sent his butler to serve her throughout the whole process.
The Marquis was very generous and to express his gratitude, he ordered his butler to give small gifts to everyone.
Since Xu Zun made an indispensable contribution, the small gift he received was naturally better than those of others.
In the exquisite jewelry box was an extremely fine red hairpin with a dark red gem inlaid on the head and seven teardrop-shaped pearls pendant at the end.
Although these seven pearls are not big, they are extremely rare due to their special shapes.
From this we can see that this red hairpin is definitely worth a lot of money.
"Hahaha... come on..." Among the crowd, the happiest person was none other than Governor Li Yan. He was the first to raise his glass and said, "This time, thanks to our Tangzhou Xu Tixing, come on, Jiying, let's toast to you together!
"First, congratulations on your promotion to Chief Justice, and secondly, congratulations on solving a major case right after taking office. This is really a double blessing, cause for celebration!"
"Yes, yes, that's good news..." All the officials echoed and raised their glasses to toast.
"Oh, this is really embarrassing for me," Xu Zun stood up quickly and said something in classic official language, "This is also due to the good teachings of you gentlemen!"
After saying this, he drank the wine first as a sign of respect, and everyone drank the wine together.
This locally produced craft liquor is dry, mellow and has an excellent taste, which made Xu Zun addicted after just one sip.
"Xu...Xu Tixing..." Before he put down his glass, the Taimin County Magistrate suddenly came to Xu Zun, bowed and said, "This official offers you a glass of wine. If Xu Tixing hadn't saved the situation and found the daughter of the Marquis's mansion, I, Taimin, would have been in great trouble!
"Master Xu has saved my life. Please accept my respect!"
As he said this, Taimin actually wanted to kneel down to Xu Zun.
You know, in terms of rank, Taimin, as the county magistrate, is higher than Xu Zun, the chief judge.
"No, no..." Xu Zun hurriedly supported him, "Tai County Magistrate, if you really want to thank me, let's drink!"
Taimin then stood up and immediately poured wine for Xu Zun, and the two of them drank it together.
"After this lesson, I, Taimin, really regret my decision," Taimin said ashamedly, holding up his wine glass. "From now on, I will definitely reflect on myself, prevent mistakes from happening again, and never cover up a crime again!"
"Alright, alright," said Li Yan, the governor. "The governor of Tai County should really reflect on this. Although this matter has passed, you are indeed responsible for failing to supervise. You should take good care of yourself in the future!"
"Yes, your Excellency has taught me a lesson!" Taimin bowed his head, still looking hesitant and nervous.
Xu Zun discovered that although Taimin seemed to be thanking him sincerely, there was still an puzzling light in his eyes.
It seems to be fear, it seems to be dread, but it also seems to have another deeper meaning.
I don’t know, is it just this guy’s nature, or does he have some other little secret that no one knows about?
In fact, through the previous conversation with Miss Lu Mingyue, Xu Zun had already shifted his suspicious gaze back to the Shangyuan County Government Office.
He always felt that there was something fishy going on in the county government, as if the serial disappearance of 17 beautiful girls was not just a matter of their ignorance...
At this time, the singing and dancing in the audience began!
Everyone stopped talking and started enjoying the performance while eating and drinking.
The performance at Taixianlou really exceeded Xu Zun's expectations. The grand scenery, exquisite skills, pleasant music and graceful dance all made this grand performance magnificent and intoxicating.
What’s even more surprising is that these performances actually have themes, including some epic stories that happened in Shangyuan City in the early days of the founding of the Great Xuan Dynasty, as well as myths and legends about the Xuan Dao, etc…
The dancers all had graceful figures and elegant dancing postures, which made the male audiences on and off the stage feel pleasing to the eye and excited.
Xu Zun was also fascinated by the show and wondered in his heart, apart from the singing and dancing performances, what other special programs were there in the Taixian Tower?
He felt thirsty after watching it, so he drank a few more glasses and was actually slightly drunk.
There is a lot of courtesy in the officialdom. Although Xu Zun, Li Yan and Tai Min knew each other, it was only limited to official occasions and they did not have much in common.
At the dinner table, everyone only talked about the last iron coffin case and this time's missing young lady case, and there were no other topics.
Today, in addition to Xu Zun, Li Yan and Tai Min, the flag captain Yuan Xingtai was also present.
However, Yuan Xingtai was different from ordinary soldiers. He did not drink alcohol but instead drank tea.
Coming from the barracks, he couldn't get along with the others at all. Not long after the meal, he left on the pretext of having a mission.
After the song and dance performance ended, Li Yan and Tai Min also left one after another, leaving Xu Zun alone on the huge viewing platform.
At this time, the sound of piano and singing came from the seats downstairs. It turned out that it was the singing girls' turn to perform.
Guests can pay them to come and sing.
Why?
Unexpectedly, Xu Zun only glanced down and saw an acquaintance.
But I saw a blind girl holding a pipa, walking carefully in the middle of the dining table, bowing to the guests frequently and asking them if they wanted to listen to her play and sing a song.
This blind girl was the young girl he met at the inn in Dahuai Town. Because of her, Xu Zun taught those domineering sergeants a lesson.
It's actually her! ?
Xu Zun narrowed his eyes. Shangyuan City is so big, and he could see this girl for the second time so soon. Was it fate? Or...
Thinking of this, an idea popped into Xu Zun's mind. He wanted to ask the girl to come upstairs and sing a song for him.
However, before he could take action, a table of guests downstairs had already called the blind girl down.
The blind girl was overjoyed when she heard this, and she sat down in front of the guests at the table and began to play the piano and sing:
【“…Life has always been filled with sorrow and separation, and the longing for love has broken my heart. The rain falls on the phoenix tree and its leaves are cold, while the frost stains the golden flowers and cherishes their fragrance.】
[“In my dream, the yellow sand covers the Gobi Desert, and the red sleeves in the boudoir are tied to the north. How many wanderers have grown old in the borderland, and have mistaken a foreign land for their hometown…”]
The song was sung in a melodious and pleasant voice, the tune was catchy, the rhythm was clear, and it was very nice to listen to.
However, the lyrics are somewhat desolate and sad, missing people, homesickness and sorrow...
Xu Zun couldn't understand why the guests liked to order such sad songs of parting when there was obviously laughter and joy at the table?
Is it because it is already popular, or is it simply because the song is nice?
Regardless, the song was indeed nice to listen to, and the lyrics resonated with people, allowing Xu Zun to temporarily forget about his official duties and pat his head along with the song...
At the same time, at a dining table in the corner downstairs, the sound of a man and a woman talking could be heard.
These two people were Zhao Yu and Huo Anu. Due to their insufficient status, they could only be arranged to sit downstairs.
"Hey, what a coincidence!" Zhao Yu, who was slightly tipsy, said to Huo Anu while cracking peanuts, "Isn't the girl singing the blind girl we rescued that day?"
"Yeah, I saw it a long time ago!" Huo Anu's face flushed, and he obviously drank a lot. "You sang well, but I just couldn't understand you."
"Miss Huo," Zhao Yu looked at Huo Anu seriously and asked, "Why do I feel like you seem to be worried about something?"
"This is not worry, but anger, anger!" Huo Anu glanced at Xu Zun upstairs and pouted, "I thought he trusted me! But in the end, he still hid everything from me, even worse than that thief Liu Dong!"
"Alas... don't say that, you are really overthinking it," Zhao Yu filled Huo Anu's glass with wine and advised, "I think it's not that Lord Xu doesn't trust you, but he is afraid that you can't act.
"Miss Huo is straightforward by nature. If she knew the adults' plan in advance, maybe, um..."
Seeing Huo Anu touching the iron umbrella, Zhao Yu quickly stopped talking.
"Humph!" Huo Anu picked up the wine glass, drank it all in one gulp, and then said, "I understand the truth, but I am different from you. I have been dumped once, and I don't want it to happen again."
"Don't worry, that won't happen!" Zhao Yu smiled. "At least Lord Xu won't arrange for someone to kick you into the river and strip you naked just to search your body, right?"
“You… heh…”
Finally, Huo Anu was amused by Zhao Yu's self-mockery.
Zhao Yu is not a fool. He naturally knows why he was kicked into the river.
"No way," Zhao Yu said casually, "You have to understand my lord. There are so many traitors in Xinye County. It won't hurt for my lord to be more cautious! Right?"
"Okay!" Huo Anu let go of the hand that was touching the iron umbrella, poured himself a glass of wine, raised it to Zhao Yu and said, "Captain Zhao, I was wrong that time, I'm sorry!"
"No, no, hehe..." Zhao Yu quickly raised his glass and the two of them toasted together.
After drinking, the gap between the two gradually disappeared, and they talked about some sensitive topics, including Liu Dong’s "wife" - Ku Niang.
Zhao Yu was really confused about this poor mother. He didn't understand why Xu Zun agreed to let Liu Dong take his wife and children with him?
Liu Dong was just a servant, but he could bring his family along, which was really against common sense. The key point was that Ku Niang was different from normal people and could not communicate.
Huo Anu said that she felt the same as Zhao Yu, and also felt that Liu Dong was quite a burden with his family, and wondered whether he would be properly accommodated in the future?
When talking about the future, the two inevitably talked about the case.
As soon as they talked about the case, they immediately found that their views were unprecedentedly consistent, that is, the disappearance of the daughter of the Marquis's Mansion was just a warm-up for Xu Zun.
The truly amazing case is still to come...
