A Pawn's Passage

Qi Xuansu was startled by these honest answers. This industry involved such deep waters that might not be enough to drown Qi Xuansu, but it was enough to trouble him and make him tread with caution.

Although the Imperial Court prohibited forcing women into prostitution and human trafficking, brothels still had their ways. The first method was to tempt women with profit. An average person working in a manufacturing plant all year barely earned a few measly coins. But in a brothel, a woman only had to part her legs for one night to earn as much as a plant worker in a month. More importantly, it was not a tiring job. Everyone knew how the manufacturing plants exploited their workers, leaving them half-dead after a day’s work and full of injuries over time.

There were also more illicit methods, like coercion through debt, forcing women who could not repay insurmountable debt to “voluntarily” sign binding contracts.

These were not novel tactics. They had been passed down for centuries ever since brothels first existed. However, compared to the past, the schemes that existed now were more covert—less brute force and more deceit. The loans involved were not legitimate either, with usurious rates following the “nine out, thirteen back” model. Typically, someone who wanted to borrow 10 Taiping coins would only receive 9 coins but would have to repay 13 coins. Once entangled, it was nearly impossible for common folks to fight back.

Since Chunfeng Tower was affiliated with the Entertainment Office, in theory, such things should not occur openly. However, these four women were not bawds, so they did not know much of the details either.

What shocked Qi Xuansu even more was the rumor that quite a few courtesans, including some top-tier ones, secretly worshipped a Godly Immortal not authorized by the Daoist Order. Due to the four women’s low status in the brothel, they had not had direct contact with those courtesans and had only just overheard vague whispers of half-truths and half-fabrications.

Qi Xuansu immediately thought of the Ziguang Society.

At first glance, it seemed far-fetched that a secret society had extended its hand into the Imperial Capital. But upon reflection, it was not so implausible.

Countering secret societies was one of the Daoist Order’s core responsibilities. Yet among all the Daoist mansions, the one in the Imperial Capital was the worst, having long been regarded as a place for retirees. It would be more surprising if this place had not been infiltrated by secret societies.

It was only recently that the Daoist Order decided to reform the Imperial Capital Daoist Mansion, and Qi Xuansu was among the first wave of new blood sent in. That was why he insisted on learning the situation in the capital personally. Most of the former officials in the Imperial Capital Daoist Mansion had been disengaged, and the rest, like him, were all newcomers who did not know any more than he did.

Qi Xuansu felt a headache coming on. He had thought this was just a simple mission to clean up the illegal brothels and correct public morality. But now it looked like he would be involved with one of the three most notorious secret societies, ranked alongside the Cult of Fates and the Lingshan Witch Cult. He had already witnessed firsthand how dangerous the other two were, so he dared not underestimate the Ziguang Society.

These four women were not at the very bottom of the brothel’s internal hierarchy, but they were still far from the top, so their knowledge was limited. The top courtesans had already transcended the typical role of a prostitute, holding considerable autonomy and having their own connections. They shared a more equal, cooperative relationship with the brothel, rather than simply working for it.

If someone promoted them with enough flair, they could even earn the title of a Scarlet and become famous across the empire, gaining many admirers. Throughout history, it was not uncommon for famous courtesans to be remembered in poetry and songs.

With that in mind, Qi Xuansu thought it might be worth asking Li Qingnu about this. After all, Li Qingnu certainly belonged to that circle of distinguished courtesans and likely knew a lot of inside information. More importantly, Li Qingnu was one of Madam Qi’s people, so they were on the same side. Madam Qi had also told him to get in touch with the Finest Courtesan. The only question now was whether Li Qingnu was still in the capital.

Qi Xuansu gathered his thoughts and gently clapped his hands.

The six people in the room, who were put in a semi-conscious state, slowly awoke. From their recollection, it was as if they had simply blanked out for a moment, with no memory of Qi Xuansu’s questioning whatsoever.

Qi Xuansu stood up and asked, “How much is the bill today?”

Song San paused for a moment, then quickly replied, “The two escorts are cheaper, at 5 Taiping coins each. The two courtesans are more expensive, at 10 Taiping coins each. Including drinks and the private room, it all adds up to about 40 Taiping coins.”

Qi Xuansu pulled out a cash note worth 50 Taiping coins from his sleeve and slapped it on the table. “Don’t put this on the tab. Consider it my treat. You two enjoy yourselves.”

With that, he left without another word.

Song San and Wu Si exchanged glances in silent confusion.

As Qi Xuansu exited Chunfeng Tower, he suddenly spotted a young boy standing in the shadows where the dim red lantern light couldn’t reach. He paused for a moment to size up the boy and figured that the boy was not a young master from a wealthy family judging by his clothing.

Qi Xuansu walked up and teased, “Hey kid, don’t you think you’re a bit too young to be hanging around this kind of place?”

The boy, who had been staring at the Chunfeng Tower signboard, was startled by Qi Xuansu’s sudden appearance. He jerked his head around to look at Qi Xuansu, his eyes full of wariness, fear, and a trace of helplessness.

Noticing this, Qi Xuansu asked, “Are you here looking for someone?”

After a moment of hesitation, the boy finally nodded.

Qi Xuansu looked around and pointed to a nearby teahouse that was still open. “This isn’t the place to talk. Let’s go over there instead.”

The boy was a native of the Imperial Capital, so he was familiar with the surroundings. Seeing Qi Xuansu’s refined demeanor, which did not resemble a kidnapper’s, the boy nodded in agreement.

The two of them arrived at the teahouse, where Qi Xuansu ordered a pot of tea and some pastries. He got straight to the point, asking, “What’s your name? Did a relative or a sweetheart of yours get abducted by a brothel?”

The boy opened his mouth in shock, his face filled with astonishment that the man before him could read his mind. After a moment, the boy replied, “My name is Zhou Qingshu.”

Then, he gave Qi Xuansu a rough account of what had happened.

Just as Qi Xuansu had guessed, Zhou Qingshu had indeed come looking for someone. More precisely, it was his childhood friend, Mei Mei. They had grown up together and shared a deep bond.

However, just a few days ago, Mei Mei suddenly disappeared. When Zhou Qingshu went to ask her family, they told him that a Daoist priestess from the Wanxiang Daoist Palace had passed through and taken a liking to Mei Mei, saying that it must be destiny that allowed them to meet, so she wanted to take the talented Mei Mei back for training. Her parents thought about Mei Mei’s future and agreed, thinking their daughter could rise above their station. Since the Daoist priestess was only passing through and had other matters to attend to, Mei Mei did not have the chance to say goodbye to Zhou Qingshu.

Zhou Qingshu felt deeply dejected. Born and raised in the city’s alleys, he was more streetwise than some flowerbed Daoists in their twenties or thirties. He understood one thing. If Mei Mei became a Daoist, they would be worlds apart from then on. She would never marry him and would instead end up with a fellow male Daoist as her Daoist companion.

In his gloom, Zhou Qingshu left the city and went to a lake, where he sat by the water. An old Daoist was fishing nearby, so the two struck up a conversation. When Zhou Qingshu mentioned Mei Mei going to the Wanxiang Daoist Palace, the old man scoffed and told him that the Daoist Palace had incredibly high standards. Aside from occasionally adopting orphans, the Wanxiang Daoist Palace would never proactively seek out candidates. Usually, people begged to send their children there.

Besides, acting under the pretense of destiny and bypassing proper procedures had been strictly forbidden since the reign of the Fifth Grand Master. Even if a Daoist priest truly liked a child’s potential, they would at most write a referral letter so the family could register their child at a local Daoist temple. Only after local screening would they be sent on to the Wanxiang Daoist Palace. There was absolutely no reason for a Daoist priestess to take someone away directly.

The old Daoist told him that the woman was most probably a fraud. These days, with people impersonating even the Green Phoenix Guards and the Black Robes, posing as a Daoist priest was not all that surprising.

Only then did Zhou Qingshu panic. Since the woman had not taken any money from Mei Mei’s parents and only left with Mei Mei, she must have been a trafficker. Mei Mei was likely sold off to some brothel.

Zhou Qingshu rushed to inform Mei Mei’s parents, but they refused to believe him. Instead, they thought he was jealous of Mei Mei. At first, they tried to comfort him, but soon, they lost patience and told him to get lost.

Flustered, Zhou Qingshu returned to the lake outside the city to find the old Daoist and have him testify, but the old man had vanished without a trace. With Mei Mei’s parents unwilling to speak up, he could not even report it to the authorities.

Left with no choice, Zhou Qingshu began searching on his own. He had already visited four brothels—two door-half-open establishments and two fully licensed ones. Every single one had thrown him out and even threatened him, warning that if he returned, he would be beaten. That was why he hesitated when he arrived outside Chunfeng Tower, unsure of whether to go in.

After hearing everything, Qi Xuansu felt a surge of annoyance. The Imperial Capital Daoist Mansion had been a complete mess. On one side, brothels were potentially linked to the mysterious Ziguang Society, and on the other, someone was openly impersonating the Wanxiang Daoist Palace to abduct children.

Now that Qi Xuansu could act with official authority, it made things a lot simpler. He took out his badge and slid it over to Zhou Qingshu.

Zhou Qingshu could read. When he saw the inscription, he could not help but gasp. “The Imperial Capital Daoist Mansion?”

However, having just been deceived by that so-called Daoist priestess from the Wanxiang Daoist Palace, the boy was understandably cautious. After all, once bitten, twice shy.

Qi Xuansu understood the boy’s doubts. He offered, “It’s getting late now. Tomorrow morning, bring any relevant information to the Yuhuang Palace in the Xuanshang North District and ask to see me, Qi Xuansu. I’ll help you resolve this matter.”

Zhou Qingshu finally felt reassured. He did not know where the Wanxiang Daoist Palace was, but he definitely knew the location of the Yuhuang Palace in Xuanshang North District. Whether this man was telling the truth or not would become clear in the morning. With such confidence, the man most likely would not lie.

With that thought, Zhou Qingshu rose from his stool, lifted his robe, and prepared to kowtow to Qi Xuansu in gratitude.

Qi Xuansu waved his sleeve, stopping him from kneeling. “There’s no need for such formalities. This is simply the duty of the Imperial Capital Daoist Mansion.”