Long Er looked at her, and his heart stirred at her calm expression as she spoke. It wasn't that he felt pity for the courtesan; he had seen too many people like her, and he couldn't bring himself to pity them. It was Ju Mu'er's expression that made him feel there was more to her story.
As expected, Ju Mu'er smiled and continued, "She was very smart and learned very quickly, but later she still sold her art and her body. She became the most beautiful courtesan, famous for both her beauty and talent."
"She lied to you?" Long Er was a little unhappy. His Mu'er had only meant well, but she had been taken advantage of? There were quite a few courtesans in the capital, so he didn't know which one it was.
"I don't know if she lied or not. In that situation, maybe she had no choice?" Ju Mu'er sighed. "Later, maybe she let slip that I was teaching the zither, because other girls secretly came to me. Then I went blind, and even the old women in the building secretly came to me, wanting me to teach their daughters the zither. Because I couldn't see and I was a woman, I was easier to get along with than those male zither teachers. Those girls weren't afraid that I would recognize them. You know, some of them are not happy to be seen. And some of them are famous for their zither skills, but they don't want others to know that they actually need to find a teacher to learn the zither."
"With such renowned musical skills, why would I need a teacher?"
"It's just famous; those who seek out beautiful women can't hear well."
Long Er is a music lover who is hard of hearing, and seriously so; he's practically a complete piano illiterate.
He told himself that Mu'er wasn't referring to him, but he still felt awkward. So he cleared his throat and changed the subject, asking, "So you taught them again?"
"Yes, there's money to be made. I can't see anymore, so I want to earn more money to support myself. The nannies and young ladies are very generous with their money." As Ju Mu'er spoke, she habitually flicked her fingers, her soft fingers brushing against Long Er's palm. Long Er looked down and opened his palm for her to play with.
"Second Master, those girls aren't what you imagine. Some of them are pitiful, and some are annoying. I don't teach the annoying ones properly, but I teach the pitiful ones more. Then they got to know me and told me a lot of gossip."
"What kind of perfumes and flowers do they like to use?" Long Er said irritably. "So, from now on, I'll have to clean myself and change my clothes before I can see her when I go to a brothel?"
Ju Mu'er smiled and said, "It's not just that. I can't see which shops the girls in each building like to buy things from, what style of clothes they like, or what color of rouge they prefer. Each building has different preferences. Some of them know each other, and when we occasionally bump into each other in the courtyard where they practice playing the zither, they'll ask me to guess who's from where. After playing with them for a while, I can guess them."
Long Er suddenly glared at her: "I didn't say anything inappropriate to you, did I?"
"Hmm..." Ju Mu'er tilted her head and pondered, "They often say that the Second Master always spends a lot of money, which makes the nannies very happy, but the Second Master never gives them any reward money. The nannies and young ladies complain about it behind his back. Is this considered nonsense?"
Long Er's face flushed red instantly. His manly dignity! What kind of situation was it to be gossiped about by a group of courtesans in front of his fiancée for not giving him a reward?
He decided to pretend he hadn't heard it; the wind must have been very strong just now, making it hard for his ears to hear.
Ju Mu'er then gripped Long Er's hand tightly: "Second Master, I've heard them talk a lot about you, and I think you're a good person. That's why I was so worried when Qing'er got seriously ill from being caught in the rain, and that's why I went to the tea shop to ask you to build a shelter."
Long Er coughed lightly, feeling a little smug because Ju Mu'er had praised him: "I promised I would fix it myself, and I will fix it after the New Year and spring."
Ju Mu'er smiled: "I knew Second Master was a man of his word."
“Of course.” Long Er became proud: “I promised to marry you, and I will definitely do so.”
Ju Mu'er laughed again. She was dressed in plain clothes, with a bandage tied around her head, and should have looked disheveled, but Long Er found her refined air quite pleasing to the eye. He thought of Chen Liangze, who was also a scholarly man and looked somewhat like Ju Mu'er.
Long Er suddenly wanted to ask her why she insisted on breaking off the engagement with Chen Liangze. He had been in a relationship with her for many years and didn't mind that she was blind, so why did she insist on breaking off the engagement? Logically speaking, being blind is the most helpless and lost time, and she should have clung tightly to Chen Liangze for support. Why did Ju Mu'er do the opposite?
Long Er opened his mouth, but ultimately held back. Since she was going to marry him, what was the point of him telling her these boring things?
A gentle evening breeze blew, and her fine hair clung to her cheek. He brushed it away for her. Ju Mu'er then asked, "Second Master, after we get married, can I still teach the zither?"
Immediately, Long Er's mind conjured up images of a group of courtesans and his wife, each holding a zither, discussing which brothel he had visited the previous night, who he had gone with, which girl he had chosen, how much he had spent, what the girl had said to him, how he had responded, where the girl had touched him, and where he had placed his hands...
Long Er immediately snapped to attention and answered decisively, "I won't teach him anymore, and he's not allowed to associate with those courtesans anymore."
Ju Mu'er nodded: "That's true. If we get married, and they find out I'm married to you, what if they ask me how you are at home, what you said to me, what you did? They're so unrestrained. I won't answer, but if they use that to tease me, it'll be really unpleasant."
Long Er felt as if a dark cloud was hanging over him. He really hadn't expected that not only would his social engagements be gossiped about, but his private family affairs would also be in danger.
He froze for a moment before finally managing to stammer, "Actually, I don't go to those places much. It's all just social engagements, social engagements."
Ju Mu'er smiled and said, "I know Second Master is a good person."
Upon hearing this, Long Er blushed. He cleared his throat and said, "Of course I'm happy."
"Second Master, I've come up with a way to find the real culprit."
Long Er was stunned for a moment, then sighed inwardly. Did this girl have to be so abrupt? He was just feeling the tender atmosphere between them when she suddenly started talking about Hua Niang. He was feeling embarrassed, spitting out his mouth because of Hua Niang's headache, when she suddenly switched the topic to the case.
Chatting with her is anything but boring; in fact, it's thrilling.
Long Er let out a long sigh of relief and asked, "What method?"
20. A perilous situation arises as a scheme is devised to capture the culprit.
On the afternoon of the third day after Zhu Fu's murder, Ju Mu'er walked into the Fuyunlai Inn alone.
Ryuji was unhappy about this.
Ju Mu'er told him her thoughts. The murderer was strong and might have been a manual laborer. He smelled of sesame oil, which was very likely related to his work in the kitchen. He knew where Zhu Fu lived and even which room he lived in, and he also knew that Zhu Fu had money. Nine times out of ten, he was someone from the restaurant or inn.
Long Er agreed with all of this, and he also thought so, believing that the suspect should be there. Therefore, the spies from the government office and the Long family were currently focusing on investigating the restaurants, inns, and other relevant people in the vicinity that day.
However, in those two places, there were quite a few people of medium height, most of them were strong and muscular, and many of them smelled of cooking oil, but none of them smelled of fragrance. According to Li Ke's report, the constables also noticed a few who looked hostile, but none of them had any injuries on the back of their hands.
Upon hearing this, Ju Mu'er slowly replied, "So I still have to go. The murderer will avoid the constables and spies like the plague, but if I go, the murderer will show up."
Long Er was a smart man and naturally understood her meaning. But he didn't want to do that. In his heart, Ju Mu'er was now his woman, and he should protect her. If she went to the inn and openly provoked the murderer, the danger she might encounter was self-evident.
“You don’t need to take such a risk. We’re very close to the truth. We’ll catch the real culprit soon,” Long Er advised Ju Mu’er.
Ju Mu'er said, "I have to do this, Second Master, I owe you."
This sentence silenced Long Er's other attempts at persuasion. Long Er knew Ju Mu'er's temperament, and he also knew the feeling of indebtedness. If someone felt indebted, and you didn't let her repay it, she would definitely have a hard time finding peace of mind.
Long Er didn't want Ju Mu'er to feel indebted to him.
They were about to get married, though there was no real affection between them. Their marriage seemed to be based on an exchange of conditions, but Long Er knew that he agreed to marry her not because she said she could rescue Manager Lü, but because he knew she was in trouble and needed to get married.
Long Er had been bickering with Ju Mu'er for so long, and he had a strange feeling in his heart. He felt that he understood her, that there was a tacit understanding between them, or rather, a feeling that he couldn't quite explain.
She was so clever that, despite being blind, she was able to do more unexpected things than any girl with perfect eyesight.
She surprised him a lot.
She was completely different from any girl he had ever met.
So Long Er was willing to marry her; after all, he needed to marry someone eventually, otherwise he'd be driven crazy by the trouble. The timing of her proposal was absolutely perfect; he was fretting about marriage, and she just came to him. He didn't want to marry those boring women, those dull and tedious rich girls.
Ju Mu'er, however, was different.
He wanted to tease her, yet he also wanted to protect her. He found being with her quite enjoyable; he felt it was wonderful. He could keep her under his wing, see her all the time, be with her constantly, protect her, and also have the opportunity to suppress her seemingly nonexistent but actually quite arrogant temper. After all, they were husband and wife; he was the husband, and naturally, she had to obey him.
Ryuji thought this would definitely be interesting, and in fact, he felt that the situation was indeed developing in that way. Her attitude towards him now was much softer than when they first met.
In short, Long Er felt that Ju Mu'er was now his, his Mu'er, well, it sounded good. Since she was his person and under his control, he certainly couldn't allow her to be in any danger, but he also didn't want her to harbor any resentment towards him.
He didn't marry her under duress; he hoped she would be happy to marry him, and she didn't owe him anything.
So he agreed anyway.
The next day, Long Er brought Ju Mu'er to the government office. After some discussion and confirmation, Long Er escorted Ju Mu'er to the entrance of West Right Street. Ju Mu'er got off the carriage, took her bamboo cane, turned a corner, and headed towards the Fuyunlai Inn.
It was afternoon, past lunchtime, and there weren't many guests in the inn. As soon as Ju Mu'er entered, Xiao Shanzi saw her and hurried over to lead her to a quiet table.
Ju Mu'er tilted her head slightly to listen to the surrounding noise, and Shanzi quickly said to her, "Don't worry, Miss, this is a quiet corner, and no one will bump into you."
Ju Mu'er nodded and thanked her with a smile.
Shanzi then hurriedly asked Ju Mu'er what she wanted to eat and why she had come out alone.
Ju Mu'er didn't answer, but said, "Is the waiter the one in the hall? I remember his voice."
Shanzi was taken aback and scratched his head: "Miss, you have excellent hearing. I was indeed questioned by the Prefect in the hall."
"Was it the waiter who discovered us and then reported it to the authorities?"
Shanzi nodded, then, remembering that Ju Mu'er couldn't see, he said, "That's right. I discovered it with another guest. You're lucky, young lady; you're sure to have good fortune in the future."
A sweet tongue is essential for a waiter, and his words were extremely flattering, making Ju Mu'er smile.
Shanzi asked again, "What brings you here this time, young lady? Are you here for dinner or...?"
Ju Mu'er shook her head, but quickly nodded again: "Waiter, could you please bring me a pot of tea? I'll just sit here for a while."
Shanzi felt something was off, but didn't know what to say, so he just nodded and left.
Soon the hot tea was served. Shanzi poured tea for Ju Mu'er and asked if she needed anything else, but Ju Mu'er shook her head. Shanzi then put down the teapot and simply told her to call him if she needed anything.
Ju Mu'er smiled and thanked her, then sipped the tea in her cup and poured herself another cup.
She sat quietly by herself for a while, when suddenly a voice sounded beside her: "Young lady, why are you here all alone?"
Ju Mu'er felt the voice was somewhat familiar. Just as she was wondering who it was, the man spoke again: "Miss, my name is Da Hu, I'm the waiter here. The other day when you came to stay, I was the one who led you to your room."
Ju Mu'er remembered and quickly nodded in response. The big tiger then asked, "Why did you come here alone, young lady? Has the murder suspect been convicted?"
Ju Mu'er was taken aback: "What suspect?"
"It's that Manager Lü. Didn't he say he killed the man? But I've seen officials coming and going these past two days to investigate. Could it be that he didn't kill him?"
Ju Mu'er shook her head: "It's hard to say. There are some things I haven't figured out yet."
Da Hu sat down in the chair opposite Ju Mu'er and said, "It was really dangerous. How could someone die in the blink of an eye?"
"Did you see what happened that day, Brother Er?" Ju Mu'er asked.
"Later, when everyone started making a big fuss, I went over and saw it. After I led you to the guest room that day, I sat back for a while and then felt really sleepy. I saw there were no guests, so I fell asleep. I don't know how much time passed, but the arrested manager, Mr. Lü, came in and patted me, asking if Mr. Zhu was here. I told him. Oh dear, it's my fault. If I hadn't told him, Mr. Zhu might not have lost his life."
"Brother, there's no need to blame yourself. If Boss Zhu knew in the afterlife, he certainly wouldn't hold it against you," Ju Mu'er said calmly, seemingly offering well-intentioned advice. However, this startled the big tiger, who cried out, "Could it be that a vengeful ghost is really coming to claim my life?"
Ju Mu'er remained silent, while Da Hu stood there for a moment, pondering before hurriedly running away.
After a while, Shanzi came over and asked Ju Mu'er if she needed anything. Ju Mu'er shook her head. Shanzi then asked if she was waiting for someone, and Ju Mu'er shook her head again. Shanzi scratched his head and said, "Miss, where are you going to go later? Do you have any friends nearby? I'll go find them for you and have them pick you up. Your eyesight isn't good, so it's not good for you to go back by yourself."
Ju Mu'er sighed: "Little brother is such a kind person. To tell you the truth, I'm in trouble."
Shanzi looked around and, seeing no guests to attend to, sat down and asked, "What troubles you, young lady?"
Ju Mu'er listened to the sounds around her and, not hearing anyone else nearby, lowered her voice and said, "The Prefect has determined that Manager Lü is innocent and has asked me to provide clues about the case from that day. I should remember some things, but after my head injury, I always feel dizzy and can only remember a little bit."
Upon hearing this, Shanzi hurriedly asked, "I heard the officials say that they are looking for men of medium build with scars on their hands. They searched this area all day yesterday."
Ju Mu'er nodded: "These are indeed things I remembered. But the officials still haven't found the suspect. The prefect said that there is no evidence to prove that Manager Lü did it, and he has to be released tomorrow. But this case is of great importance and cannot be without a suspect. At that time, besides Manager Lü, I was the only other person at the scene. If I can't find more compelling evidence, I will have to go to jail."
Shanzi felt great sympathy upon hearing this: "The young lady is so gentle and frail; she clearly cannot kill anyone. How could the Prefect do such a thing?"
"When officials want to investigate cases, what can I, a mere commoner, do?"
"What brings the young lady here?"
"I thought that coming back to the crime scene might help me think of more things. I was afraid the adults would say I was being mysterious, so I thought I'd come here by myself. If I came up with any new clues, I could explain myself."
Shanzi asked, "So, have you thought of anything?"
Ju Mu'er nodded: "I've thought of that." Before Shanzi could ask, she added: "But I need to confirm it again."
How can I confirm this?
Ju Mu'er remained silent for a while, then lowered her voice and asked, "Brother Er, I trust you. Could you take me to the room where Boss Zhu was murdered?"
Shanzi was startled: "What's going on? That room is sealed off; they won't let us in now."