Chapter 48

A month had passed in the blink of an eye.

Zhou Yi had interrogated a few more prisoners, his execution methods becoming increasingly adept, with few lasting even an hour.

At this time.

Whether “Zhou Li” was truly Zhou Yi’s pupil no longer mattered.

Colonel Lu received a reward from the Imperial Court, and had taken a liking to this junior, even giving him an extra twenty pieces of silver at the end of the month.

“It won’t be long before the name ‘old Zhou’s Bloody Demon’ is passed onto you!”

“How could the disciple dare to exceed his place, if anything, I would only be a ‘little demon.'”

Zhou Yi said with a smile, “I’ve often heard the master mentioning the Spring Breeze Building. Now that I’ve received my silver, I invite you to grace us with your presence tonight.”

“Of course, of course!”

Colonel Lu nodded in satisfaction; elders always enjoyed the respect of the young.

Zhou Yi also invited the other jailers, and his colleagues agreed one after another. Initially, they catered to him as a young newbie out of respect for an old friend, but now treated him as an equal.

To enter, one relies on connections, but to stand firm one needs true skill!

It has been so since ancient times.

At dusk.

Spring Breeze Building.

The business was still booming, with the scent of makeup detectable from afar, as the girls dressed scantily to welcome their guests.

“Sir, come and have fun!”

Guests were coming and going, having a splendid time.

Colonel Lu led a group of jailers inside, just as the Oiran was dancing. A hazy veil of red gauze, half-concealing and half-revealing, suggested more than it showed. Every time she stretched her waist, it drew cheers from the patrons.

“This year’s Oiran, Susu, is known as the best waist in the Divine Capital!”

“That Susu, she revived the Spring Breeze Building when it was nearly outshone by Bright Moon Pavilion opened in Xiude District,” Colonel Lu remarked in admiration. “As soon as she took the stage, none could rival her for the title of Oiran.”

Feng Qiao was astonished, “Xiude District? Isn’t that where the Ministry of Rites and the state academy are located? They can run a brothel there?”

“I heard the owner is a bigwig from the Ministry of Rites!”

Colonel Lu said, “Liu Shilang and I have been there once; how should I put it—the girls are indeed beautiful but quite reserved, reportedly recruited from The Bureau of Music.”

“What’s the fun if they cannot let loose.”

The colleagues expressed their disdain. The prison guards from the dungeon were a rough bunch, finding it hard to appreciate the beauty of fragility and delicacy.

“You just don’t understand, the ones who truly know how to enjoy are the scholars!”

Zhou Yi clicked his tongue and said, “The girls from The Bureau of Music are the family members of convicted officials; to us, they’re no different from those at the Spring Breeze Building, but to the gentry, they see the wives and daughters of their former colleagues.”

“Eh—”

The colleagues dragged out a long note, expressing their disdain and disgust.

“Now that Zhou mentions it, no wonder the officials from the Imperial Court prefer Bright Moon Pavilion…”

Colonel Lu’s eyes flickered, clearly intrigued.

In the middle of the conversation.

The old madam had already come waddling over. Before she even reached them, she bowed in apology, “Colonel Lu, there are too many guests today, and we really can’t spare a private room. I’m afraid I must ask you to sit in the main hall.”

“Lead the way ahead.”

Colonel Lu nodded slightly, indifferent to whether her excuse was true or false.

In the dungeon, only Warden Liu and old Zhou had the privilege to have a private room in the Spring Breeze Building at any time; no one else could manage it.

“Are you Yun Niang?” Zhou Yi ventured to ask.

“Oh, this young master seems a bit unfamiliar, but you surely have a handsome face!”

The old madam covered her mouth with her handkerchief, looking quite pleased with herself. “It’s been many years since anyone has called me Yun Niang. Where did you hear this name, young master?”

Yun Niang.

That name was from the old madam’s most glorious days, likely the pinnacle of her life, when the entire Divine Capital City bustled because of her.

Charming and seductive, a single melody on the pipa stirred the Capital!

Sixteen years had elapsed since then, and now she had fallen into obscurity.

“My master once told me that in Divine Capital City, the number one pipa player is Yun Niang,”

Zhou Yi laughed and said, “Other Oirans might play the zither or blow the flute just to put on a show for the guests, to prove they are more than just pretty faces and enhance their worth, but only Yun Niang damaged her fingers playing the pipa out of her desire to learn.”

Yun Niang subconsciously hid her right hand and said somberly, “Your master is Old Zhou?”

Zhou Yi expressed his surprise, “Indeed.”

“In Divine Capital City, with its million people, everyone says I am charming, but only Old Zhou praises my pipa playing,”

Yun Niang asked, “I haven’t seen him for many years, how is he now?”

“My master passed away last year.”

Zhou Yi’s words contained a hint of regret, recalling the joyful conversations he once had with Yun Niang who was indeed obsessed with melodies; but it was as if she was born in the wrong world, otherwise her beauty combined with her skills would surely make her a popular goddess.

The two shared a profound connection, and Yun Niang, fueled by the intoxication of wine, even considered the idea of buying her freedom.

Perhaps Zhou Yi was on guard, or perhaps he did not trust the women of the brothel, for he never sought out Yun Niang again.

“That old bastard was heartless, it’s good that he’s dead. I and some of the sisters have said before, surely, we would all clap our hands in delight.”

Yun Niang’s voice carried a hint of coy annoyance, slightly subdued, “Come with me upstairs, we still have a private room set aside for old guests, lest your master visits you in your dreams tonight, complaining that I didn’t take care of you!”

“…”

Zhou Yi immediately felt a sense of regret, believing that if there really was a deep affection between them, it was nothing but a lie told to children.

Having mingled in Spring Breeze Building for over thirty years, he had met several sentimental women.

Perhaps it was because few women of the dust could truly connect with someone; Zhou Yi was generous and spoke pleasantly, and he never looked down on them, which might be why they felt a slight touch of fondness and joy.

If one truly bought their freedom and started a family, dealing with the daily grind, Zhou Yi was cautious; it was doubtful whether the relationship could last long.

“Old Zhou, though you’re gone, your legend remains in Spring Breeze Building!”

Colonel Lu murmured to himself, thinking of the two men he admired the most in his life.

One was the former warden, now Liu Shilang, whose machinations and instincts in the officialdom had reached a state of perfection. The other was Zhou Yi, a simple prison guard who could leave an Oiran yearning.

They settled in the private room upstairs.

Zhou Yi, feeling modest, took the last seat, served dishes and poured wine for everyone, and told some witty jokes as well.

Colonel Lu inwardly praised him, befitting of a disciple taught by Old Zhou, for ordinary people, after experiencing what had just passed, would inevitably become a bit smug, but few could maintain their composure.

The guards of the heavenly prison were all shrewd, certainly sensing the subtleties of the situation.

In an instant, relationships grew much closer, and the atmosphere became lively.

His colleagues began sharing the essentials of the heavenly prison with Zhou Yi, openly and covertly, the unspoken rules, now fully treating Zhou Yi as one of their own.

“How come it’s ‘again’?”

Zhou Yi looked at the guests laughing below, the Oirans’ graceful dancing, feeling a decade of emptiness instantly filled.

The earthly atmosphere, best at comforting people’s hearts.

As the wine took effect.

Colonel Lu put his arm around Zhou Yi’s shoulder, “Little Zhou ah, I have high hopes for you! If you have any troubles in the Capital, just say the word, don’t let trivial matters delay your duties.”

“Colonel Lu, there actually is something bothering me quite a bit,”

Zhou Yi said, “A few days ago, my master’s family came to Divine Capital City, asking me to give back the house, to leave it for the younger generation of the Zhou family to inherit.”

Colonel Lu’s brows slightly furrowed, “Old Zhou had family? How come he never mentioned it?”

If it really was an internal matter of the Zhou family, Colonel Lu wouldn’t want to get involved, not mentioning that Fengyang Country governed by filial piety, family and clan laws took precedence in inheritance matters, even before the National Dynasty’s legal system.

This was precisely how inheritance was cut off!

Feng Qiao said, “I know a bit, Old Zhou’s father had already split the family.”

“Split the family!”

With that, Colonel Lu found his confidence, “Once they’ve split, the family laws don’t apply, especially after two generations. If they could take it back with that, then might as well let every Zhou in the world collect it.”

Hearing this, everyone burst into laughter.

“Little Zhou, don’t be afraid to stir things up, with your skills, if anyone else comes knocking, just bring them to the heavenly prison for questioning.”

“Thank you, Colonel Lu.”

Zhou Yi entrusted Colonel Lu with the matter, already tasting the consequences of his past actions. If he still didn’t get the hint, the next year’s jujubes and grapes might bear even more fruit.