Chapter 11: Chang'an Tong Que Ming (Melody of Golden Age)

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Chang'an Tong Que Ming (Melody of Golden Age)

 Chapter 11: 

Tongming Pavilion (2)

Lu Chuichui patted Rongzhui and said, "We should have come yesterday, but Tongming Pavilion usually only admits familiar patrons, so we had to come today instead. Do you happen to remember if anything happened before Kuang Zhanxin went missing? Was there anything unusual, or did she have any conflicts with anyone?"

Rongzhui shook her head, "Zhanxin has always been gentle by nature. All day long, apart from poetry and painting, she would meet with Liang Chenzhong. In all the years she lived in Pingkang Fang, she always got along well with the other sisters and neighbors. The only exception was a few years ago when I was hit by the carriage of Kong Suier from Lan Yan Pavilion, and Zhanxin quarreled with her once..."

"Lan Yan Pavilion is that small building near the entrance to the Fang, right? On my way here, I saw them holding a contest, seemingly to determine the next opportunity for Kong Suier to go out," Zhu Yan said. "I noticed she is quite stunning and seems to be just as popular as Kuang Zhanxin."

"Zhanxin doesn't quite match up to her," Rongzhui said, wiping away her tears. "Kong Suier gained widespread fame five years ago as the second coming of Liu Chenchen. She's talented in arts, skilled in archery, cuju, and dice games, and her bold, unrestrained nature in attracting patrons sets her apart. Even wealthy merchants from the Western Regions come to see her."

The madam's years of experience in reading people paid off; Rongzhui sensed Zhu Yan's intent and asked, "Madam Official, are you asking this because you think Kong Suier might have harbored resentment toward Zhanxin?"

Zhu Yan's brows lifted slightly. "Kuang Zhanxin's face was completely ruined. I'm just wondering if she might have been targeted for revenge."

Lu Chuichui put the lid back on the tea cup in her hands, creating a soft clinking sound in the room.

"As for that incident, Kong Suier didn't seem to mind," Rongzhui recalled mournfully. "It looked like she was in a hurry to meet someone. The carriage that came to pick her up was luxurious, with white sable fur lining inside. It seemed so urgent that she didn't even bother to dress up and went in very simple and conservative clothes. In the end, she asked her maid to throw a big bag of money at me. Since I wasn’t hurt much, I let it go."

Zhu Yan nodded and asked again, "Before I informed you of this last night, it seemed you were unaware that Kuang Zhanxin had gone missing?"

Tears streamed down Rongzhui’s face. "She left on the seventeenth. Before she left, she came to my room and told me she was going on an outing with Liang Chenzhong. Normally, Liang Chenzhong would take her out for four or five days, so I thought this time it just took a bit longer. Who would have thought..."

Rongchui was crying uncontrollably.

Her emotions were in turmoil, and she seemed to be walking on cotton, like her entire world was no longer stable, her eyes vacant and her complexion drained. Zhu Yan was concerned that further questioning might cause her more distress, so she decided to take her leave.

After exiting Tongming Pavilion and leading her horse out of the alley, Lu Chuichui quickly caught up and remarked, “Rongchui is a good sister.”

Zhu Yan nodded, already hearing the clamor of carriages and horses on the main street.

Just as she was about to mount her horse and head to her next destination, she was called by a familiar voice: “Liuniang!”

Turning around, Zhu Yan saw a figure standing at the alley's entrance—a man with his hair hastily tied back, wearing a round-collared ochre robe.

Zhu Yan dismounted and cupped her hands in greeting: “Second Brother Xu (not a blood brother), it’s been a long time. Have you been reassigned to Pingkang Fang?”

As Chen Wen’s apprentice, Zhu Yan had worked on numerous cases alongside her master. From initially recognizing people to being sought out for assistance, she had come to know quite a few individuals.

As Chen Wen’s apprentice, Zhu Yan had frequently accompanied her master on cases. From initially helping to identify people to later being approached for assistance, Zhu Yan had met quite a few people.

Second Brother Xu’s full name was Xu Xiangren. Seeing Zhu Yan dismount and walk over, he smiled and said, "I was just called by the chief constable last night. It turns out it’s related to your case."

Zhu Yan was puzzled. "My case?"

"The case your husband intervened in," Xu Xiangren teased. Noticing Zhu Yan’s displeased expression, he chuckled even more and pointed to the Tongming Pavilion behind her. "After the news about Kuang Zhanzhen came out, the madams in Pingkang Fang started acting like they were bewitched. They believe that their daughters who have been away for a while are missing. They've reported over ten cases already."

Zhu Yan was stunned. "There are people missing too?"

Xu Xiangren shook his head. "No, none of them are actually missing. Of the seventeen girls reported missing, fifteen have returned after hearing about Kuang Zhanzhen. The remaining two are probably fine as well."

As he spoke, he looked behind him and pulled out a fifteen or sixteen-year-old boy who appeared to be a helper. He said to Zhu Yan, "However, there is something about Kuang Zhanzhen that I find a bit strange. I was planning to go to the Criminal Department to discuss it with you, but since you’re here, I came over."

The boy made a bow and said, “Greetings, Madam. My name is Du Wei, and I was a worker at the old Baozhuang in front. I... saw Mrs. Kuang from the Tongming Pavilion on the twentieth of last month.”

The twentieth of last month.

On April 17, Kuang Zhanzhen had told Rong Zhui she was going out. According to Rong Zhui, Kuang Zhanzhen had not returned to the Tongming Pavilion since then.

Zhu Yan looked at Du Wei and asked, “Where did you see her?”

Du Wei replied, “Right inside Pingkang Fang.”

Lu Chuic hui’s eyes widened in surprise. “What did you say?”

Zhu Yan intervened, “What’s going on? Please explain in detail.”

“That day, the shopkeeper’s wife went into labor, and the shopkeeper asked me to close the shop early. I watched for a while and, seeing there were no customers, was about to close when a lady came into the shop. She was accompanied by a young courtesan with a face as pale as jade and said she needed to send a gift to a noble person. She was worried that the courtesan alone wouldn’t be enough to please the noble, so she asked me to choose a calligraphy or painting to complement the gift. However, no matter which one I chose, she wasn’t satisfied, so I had to go upstairs to find something else.”

Du Wei reminisced, as if he could still hear the lady’s constant complaints about the choices. “It was already very late, with the sky dark and no moonlight. While I was searching for a suitable painting, I suddenly heard the sound of bells.”

“I looked outside and saw a carriage I hadn’t seen before driving down the main street, stopping in front of the alley to the Tongming Pavilion,” Du Wei said. “Miss Kuang got out of the carriage and even turned back to speak to someone inside the carriage. At that time, I thought it might be Young Master Liang’s carriage, so I didn’t pay much attention and took the painting downstairs.”

If what the boy said is true, then on the eighteenth, Kuang Zhanzhen was still alive.

Looking at the boy’s youthful face, Zhu Yan frowned and asked, “Ordinary people wouldn’t think this event is significant. Why did you remember it and come to tell Second Brother Xu?”

The boy was taken aback and quickly shook his head. “No, no, no, Madam, you misunderstood. I...”

Here’s the translation:

---

He stammered for a long time, then lowered his head. “Miss Kuang is a really kind person. Whenever I was scolded by the shopkeeper, she would comfort me... Our shopkeeper has some connections with people in the Criminal Department. They said that Young Master Liang hasn’t been seen at his usual places since the nineteenth, and they deduced that Miss Kuang must have been missing since the nineteenth as well. But I clearly saw Miss Kuang on the twentieth... I wanted to say something. I can’t let Miss Kuang’s death go unexplained.”

Du Wei’s eyes showed fear, but he didn’t seem to regret speaking out. Seeing his expression, Zhu Yan remembered what Shen Du had said to her yesterday and said, “This is useful information. Thank you, Little Brother Du.”

Du Wei repeatedly said it was no trouble and went back to Baozhuang.

The boy was taken inside by the shopkeeper, and Zhu Yan smiled faintly. Xu Xiangren then said, “There’s one more thing I want to tell you.”

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