Chapter 1104: Accidental Meeting

Pei You was completely stupefied when he heard that. He asked in disbelief, “Her feelings for Chen Zhou were so strong; don’t tell me all of that was fake?”

Zu An sighed and replied, “It’s precisely because her acting was so good; otherwise, we wouldn’t have been fooled so easily.”

If Pink had remained there, he wouldn’t have thought anything more of it. But she just happened to have left just then. That definitely pointed at a guilty conscience!

Pei You was still unconvinced. He replied, “But Cloudcenter Duke has already returned safely. Can’t we just ask him about anything we need to know?”

When it came to why there was a secret passage from the Duke Manor to Jasper Lane, wouldn’t the duke know best?

Zu An’s expression stiffened. He replied, “The duke is currently nursing his injuries and won’t meet outsiders. Furthermore, he might not even tell us the truth if we ask him.”

I am the freaking duke right now! How would I ask myself?

…

As they chatted, they quickly arrived at Jasper Lane. Zu An sought out the brothel’s madamand asked about Pink.

The madam had thought that the two had arrived to play at first, so she was a bit aloof. But Zu An didn’t waste any time and showed her his status as an Imperial Envoy. The madam’s expression immediately changed and she replied, “Sirs, I was just going to say that there was something wrong with Pink! That girl’s business wasn’t even that great; how could she have enough money to ransom herself?”

“When did she come to Jasper Lane?” Zu An asked.

Under the madam’s guidance, the two of them arrived at Pink’s room. It was a familiar scene. Though the things remained the same, the people had already changed.

“That girl… I think she came from the neighboring commandery two years ago. We normally don’t take such people, but she had such a sob story, and she was quite pretty too. Since we wouldn’t be losing money by taking her in, we agreed.” The madam observed the state of the room and explained, “We were planning to give this room to another girl. We haven’t had the time to clean it up properly yet.”

“Hmph, she probably bribed you to let her in.” Pei You was a veteran of the place. He knew a place like the brothel normally wouldn’t randomly take in a mature girl from outside.

The madam laughed awkwardly and said, “That girl Pink knew how things worked around these parts, so how could we refuse her?”

“Two years ago…” Zu An began to think to himself. The incident with Jian Yanyou had happened more than a year prior. It seemed Pink had arrived ahead of time to arrange things. He continued, asking, “Which commandery was that neighboring commandery you mentioned?”

“Yi Commandery, of course,” the madam replied.

“Yi Commandery?” Zu An stopped cold. Even Pei You realized that something was strange.

“What’s wrong with Yi Commandery?” the madam asked in confusion.

“It’s nothing.” Zu An didn’t want her to know too much. He looked through the room and noticed that many clothes had been left behind. He frowned and asked, “Pink didn’t bring all of these clothes with her?”

The madam replied, “That’s completely normal. In our line of trade, those who want to leave often don’t wish to be burdened by their past and won’t bring these clothes back with them. After all, who would dare to wear this kind of revealing clothing in public?”

“Did Pink return to her hometown? Where is that hometown?” Pei You asked. He was quite pissed now that he found out that the girl he cared so much about had actually fooled him.

“I think she’s from Yi Commandery’s Qianshui City,” the madam added.

“It’s Yi Commandery again?” Pei You frowned.

That wasn’t what Zu An was paying attention to, however. Even if it were a normal brothel girl, they might not even reveal their true hometown, let alone someone who had arrived on a mission.

Zu An gave the madam a look and asked, “Who is your boss? Bring h… Bring us to meet with him.” He wanted to ask her to bring him over, but he was worried that news of their arrival would leak out, so he decided to head over personally.

The madam didn’t dare to disobey him. She quickly brought him to the rear courtyard.

Soon afterward, a man who seemed like a landlord welcomed them. Zu An observed the man; he seemed to just be an ordinary merchant who wouldn’t have any information he needed.

However, Zu An suddenly thought of something before leaving and asked, “Has the duke ever had anyone he was close to in Jasper Lane?”

The boss replied with an apologetic smile, “Sir, your respected self must be joking! The duke’s concubines are all stunning beauties, and he even has a goddess like Madam Yu as his wife. Why would he possibly favor a mundane place like our Jasper Lane?”

Zu An thought, You have no idea that this number one beauty you’re talking about wasn’t someone the duke could even touch. He only worshiped her one-sidedly, so Jian Yanyou still has a motive.

But he couldn't just tell the man that for various reasons, so he could only say to Pei You, “Once we get back, look into Jasper Lane’s background. There’s no way a business this big wouldn’t have any kind of background. Check and see who the one behind them is.

“Also, assign someone to investigate Pink’s whereabouts. Look into the hometown she mentioned and any other possible places,” he added. Even though there wasn’t too much hope, he still didn’t want to abandon any possibility.

Suddenly, a clear female voice called out, “Young master Zu?”

Zu An turned around and saw a young lady with dimples wearing yellow. She had a sweet smile on her face as she waved toward him. Zu An’s eyes lit up. He walked over and greeted her, asking, “What are you doing here?”

Pei You was confused, but then he suddenly realized something and pointed at the young lady, exclaiming, “Aren’t you… Aren’t you the Hub of Freedom’s…”

Tang Tian’er gave him a bow and replied, “Greetings, young master Pei. I didn’t expect the young master to still remember me.”

Pei You thought to himself, Who would forget someone this pretty? Moreover, someone who did ‘that’ with Brother Zu in the private room… He quickly pulled Zu An aside and asked, “Brother Zu, why would she follow you all the way over here? Don’t tell me the Hub of Freedom is involved here?”

Zu An patted his shoulder and replied, “Don’t worry; she’s my friend. You can go back for now, but look into the things I’ve told you about. I have some things to take care of, so I’ll come back in a bit.”

Pei You was bitter as he watched the two leave while chatting happily with each other. He muttered, “Hmph, no loyalty when it comes to love. He has a date with a beauty, while I have to break my back working…”

Even though he wasn’t too happy about it, considering their friendship, he wouldn’t really take it to heart. He quickly returned to the temporary residence to take care of his assigned tasks.

…

Meanwhile, Tang Tian’er teased Zu An. “Young master Zu, it’s still broad daylight, but you’re going to a place like that. Isn’t that a bit too… much?”

“I was just investigating some things,” Zu An said with a smile. He didn’t bother explaining too much.

Tang Tian’er moved over to his side and got on her tiptoes, giving his shoulders and chest a sniff. Then, she smiled and said, “There’s no smell of other girls. Looks like the young master really is a gentleman.”

Zu An’s mood couldn't help but improve when he saw her brilliant and sweet smile. He asked, “Why has Miss Tang come to a brothel? There’s no way you came here to play, right?”

“Isn’t it because someone I know left without saying anything after getting what he wanted? You never even came to see me, so I went for a stroll to see if I could find that heartless rat,” Tang Tian’er replied. She played with her hair as she looked at Zu An with a smile. “Young master Zu is so amazing, after all; won’t you help me look for that heartless rat?”

The scene of Zu An hiding in her bathtub reappeared in his mind. Tang Tian’er’s skin had been smooth and glowing like jade, and there had been that bright design on her skin. He couldn't help but cough awkwardly a few times and say, “Apologies, Miss Tang; I’ve really been too busy these days. I had to recover from my injuries, which was why I didn’t visit you.”

“Hmph! You don’t have a shred of sincerity. If you really cared, you would definitely have found a way to at least send me a message.” Tang Tian’er harrumphed. However, her expression brightened up soon afterward and she said, “But someone like me wouldn’t be so petty. A meeting isn’t as good as a chance encounter, after all; so why don’t you keep me company on a stroll today?”

Zu An hesitated and replied, “Um… I still have important matters to take care of. I fear…”

“Treat me well, and who knows, I might just have an answer for what you’re most worried about,” Tang Tian’er said with a wink.

Zu An happily began, “Do you know…”

Tang Tian’er pressed her finger against his lips before he even finished his sentence, saying, “You haven’t kept me company yet, so you’re not allowed to ask anything.”

Zu An knew that her status was special. She might actually know something. He was just about to agree when a soft and lovable voice called out. “Look at these two lovebirds. Did I come at a bad time?”

Zu An’s entire body trembled as he quickly turned around.

A young lady dressed in red and black was standing nearby. Her oval face was tender and beautiful, an ambiguous smile hanging from her red lips. A great ripple moved across her chest as soon as she began to walk. The eyes of all the passing men were immediately drawn to her.

How can there be a woman so charming in this world? Don’t tell me this is that brothel’s best?

If she really is, then I have to give her a try even if I have to squander away my entire family fortune!

Next to the charming young lady was a cute maid with chubby cheeks. At that moment, she was staring at Zu An and Tang Tian’er with a glare and a pout.

You have successfully trolled Hong Zao for +55 +55 +55…

Who else could they be but Big Manman and her servant?