Who in the world does not know you?

Chapter 9 Leaves

Rouge Pavilion has three floors. Brothels with this kind of structure usually distinguish the social status of their customers based on the floor level.

Brothels have many women, and when a woman receives a customer, she can lead him to her room for pleasure.

Some ordinary, uncouth people with spare cash don't care about these things, but those who pretend to be cultured and the sons of prominent families always want to do things differently from ordinary people.

The third floor of the Rouge Pavilion was reserved specifically for such people.

Mu Li died in her boudoir on the third floor.

She was the most famous courtesan in Rouge Pavilion, and she made Rouge Pavilion famous far and wide in Ningzhou Prefecture by her own efforts. In addition to her outstanding beauty, she was also proficient in all kinds of arts, such as music, chess, calligraphy and painting.

A woman as beautiful and talented as her can always win a man's sympathy by fabricating a tragic backstory or an unknown past.

Yun Luobai followed Ning Qi and they climbed the red staircase together.

The originally festive bright red color now appears somewhat eerie due to Mu Li's death.

Wu Bing and Feng Yue, who were responsible for carrying the body, had already gone upstairs. Constable Ning Mu had already led his men to investigate the scene on the third floor. The madam of Rouge Pavilion, Liu Niang, along with several girls who were relatively close to Mu Li before his death, were responsible for accompanying them while they waited to be questioned.

Footsteps echoed down the corridor. The first sound was Wu Bing and Feng Yue carrying the body back to the scene, their footsteps hurried. By the time they reached Mu Li's boudoir, they were already panting heavily.

The footsteps of Yun Luobai and Ning Qi, who were walking side by side behind, were lighter. However, the Rouge Pavilion was too quiet at the moment, so the sound of their footsteps was very clear to the people upstairs.

Yun Luobai stopped in the center of the third floor of Rouge Pavilion.

As far as the eye can see, there is a spacious single-level building with four screens standing in the east, south, west, and north directions, each decorated with patterns of plum blossoms, orchids, bamboo, and chrysanthemums.

A round, peach-colored carpet was laid in the center, and tables and chairs were placed in front of the screen on all four sides. However, there was some empty space around the carpet, where a few musical instruments were left unused.

Pink and white petals were scattered on the carpet. There weren't many, and it looked like someone had already cleaned it up, but they weren't very careful.

Mu Li is dead. There is nothing bigger than this in the Rouge Pavilion.

As Yun Luobai surveyed the scene, a slender figure brushed past him, stepped inside, and struggled forward, bending down to pick up the withered petals that hadn't been cleaned and placing them into a small bamboo basket in his hand.

She was a girl dressed in green cloth, her clothes looking somewhat faded from washing so many times.

She has difficulty moving around because she is lame.

She wasn't particularly beautiful, but she looked very clean.

It's hard to imagine that there are girls in this Rouge Pavilion who are completely unadorned and don't wear makeup, but she clearly is one of them.

Yun Luobai watched her bend down to pick up the flower petals on the ground, and suddenly remembered that Ning Qi was still standing beside him waiting for him.

"Brother, you go find Uncle first, I'll be there shortly."

After Yun Luobai finished speaking, he walked straight to the girl's side, squatted down, and helped her pick up the scattered petals on the ground.

Ning Qi glanced at Yun Luobai, said nothing, and strode forward.

He knew his second brother was a thoughtful and gentle person, and he figured he must have felt sorry for the lame girl and thus sympathized with her...

The lame girl clearly hadn't expected Yun Luobai to help her. She immediately raised her head and looked at Yun Luobai, who was standing close to her, with her clear, watery eyes.

"Thank you very much, young master..."

Her voice sounded very gentle, and Yun Luobai looked up at her as well.

When their eyes met, Yunluo Bai stared intently without blinking.

"Why do you look at me like that, young master?"

"Perhaps it is because the young lady is so beautiful that I was momentarily distracted. Please forgive me."

"I am of average appearance and cannot compare with the beautiful ladies in this Rouge Pavilion. If you, sir, are distracted by me, then you truly have not seen much of the world."

"By observing with your eyes, you can see beauty that others cannot."

Yun Luobai smiled. He should have gone to the scene of Mu Li's death to inquire and check, since that was the purpose of his visit to Rouge Pavilion. But he didn't seem to be in a hurry.

There's no use in him being anxious; Mu Li can't be brought back to life just because of his arrival.

"My name is Yun Luobai. May I ask your name, young lady?"

"Everyone in this Rouge Pavilion calls me Ye Zi."

"Miss Ye Zi has difficulty walking and looks noticeably different from those other beautiful women. How come she's in this Rouge Pavilion?"

"My father sold me here, but I'm disabled and not good-looking. Liu Niang thought I was a financial burden and didn't want me at first. It was Mu Li who intervened and bought me. So I do odd jobs in this Rouge Pavilion. Although I can't do much, at least I have food to eat and I don't have to sell my body..."

"In that case, Mu Li should be considered your benefactor. You must be very saddened by her mysterious death."

"Hmm... This morning, Liu Niang said that Mu Li is dead, so I have no value staying here. I'm different from those girls who can take customers; they can help Liu Niang earn money, so Liu Niang holds onto their contracts of indenture. When Mu Li was alive, she even managed to get me some monthly wages, not much, but it was still my wages. Now that Mu Li is dead, Liu Niang wants to sell me off, and if no one buys me, she'll force me to take customers. She said that at worst, she'll charge less money, and there will always be men who want me..."

Ye Zi's voice grew weaker and weaker, clearly indicating that her emotions were also declining as she spoke.

Yun Luobai nodded slightly, replying with only two words.

"so."

"They call me Ye Zi (Leaf) to mock me, because my real name is Ye Zi (Ye), Ye as in leaf and Zi as in purple. They think Mu Li is a delicate flower, and I'm just an accessory, so they deliberately call me Ye Zi..."

"Miss Yezi, who do you think killed Mu Li?"

"..."

Yun Luobai suddenly changed the subject, and Ye Zi blinked at him with an incredulous expression on her face.

"Young Master Yun, you seem so refined and proper, yet you have absolutely no compassion..."

"Having sympathy is useless. Not to mention that my family is not wealthy, even if the madam didn't raise the price on your indenture, someone as infirm as you would be reluctant to be harsh on you in your daily work, even if I bought you and brought you home. In the long run, it would likely become a problem. I am not a person who likes trouble, so I hope you will understand."

While Yun Luobai's words sounded reasonable and well-founded, they were also somewhat unreasonable.

Ye Zi frowned as she looked at him, her face already showing a hint of anger.

But she didn't say anything more. She just straightened up and walked out step by step with a limp, ignoring even the dried flower petals on the ground that she hadn't picked up yet.

Yun Luobai stood up, supporting himself on his knees, and watched Ye Zi leave, heading towards the corner. Suddenly, he let out a sneer.

He had seen much of the suffering in the world.