Records of the Cattle and Horses of Chang'an

Cui Bianxu raised his left eye slightly, and had some guesses in his mind: "Tell me everything you know, don't hide anything, so that you can find Hongluan as soon as possible."

He didn't say to rescue the person because his intuition told him that Hongluan was dead and he didn't want to promise something he couldn't do.

Hongdou's emotions gradually calmed down, and she began to narrate in earnest, "On the 29th, my wife, thinking about her performance on the drums the next night, told the brothel owner that she would not be receiving any guests that night. But the brothel owner refused, so my wife didn't say anything more. The guests that night..."

When she mentioned that guest, hatred flashed in her eyes: "What a beast!"

Wang Leisheng thought to himself that the people who came to the brothels and brothels all looked well-dressed outside, but once they got here, about 50% of them looked completely different from their usual image, appearing ugly and vicious.

These women are also pitiful people.

Hongdou cursed, realizing she had spoken out of turn. She glanced anxiously at Cui Bianxu, but seeing that he didn't look unhappy, she felt a little relieved. "I heard him tossing my wife around until the fourth watch. I waited until I heard her snoring before I dared to go in and check on her. My wife, my wife..."

"But are you injured?" Cui Bianxu continued. He also knew that some men liked to treat women in a rough way in bed. Women were weak, and since they were in this line of work, how could they dare to resist?

"Yes."

Hongdou sniffed, "My lady's body is covered with red marks and teeth marks, but fortunately there is no bleeding. I applied medicine to her and then she sent me to bed. She told me to wake her up early the next morning because she wanted to practice dancing again."

Wang Leisheng couldn't help but sigh: "Madam Hongluan is really diligent."

If he is so dedicated to studying, I'm afraid he won't be able to be a Sizhi forever, right?

Hongdou glanced at him and explained, "There are ten people performing on the drums. If you want to stand out from the crowd, you must work harder than the others. That way, you can redeem yourself sooner."

Cui Bianxu gestured for her to continue.

"On the morning of the 30th, I got up early and brought my wife a meal. After she ate, she went to practice dancing. At noon, I brought her lunch back and called her back."

"Where is she practicing dancing? Is there anyone watching?" Cui Bianxu interrupted and asked.

A hint of pride flashed across Hongdou's face. "My wife has a room in the backyard specifically for dancing practice. As long as she's in there, no one else is allowed in. My wife's dancing skills are the result of her painstaking practice, and then she choreographed them. It's not the same as others'."

Wang Leisheng quickly explained to Cui Bianxu, "The Red Luan Lady of Qichun Tower leaves no footprints on the snow. She is famous throughout Pingkangfang. It's best to see her when it snows. I was lucky enough to see her once. She was truly as light as a wild goose..."

"Yes, this Shangguan is right. My wife has been looking forward to the night of the 30th. If it snows during the performance, her dancing skills will definitely stand out among the ten dancers!"

Cui Bianxu nodded: "Hongluan was also missing this afternoon?"

"Yes."

Red Dot took a deep breath. What happened next was like a nightmare to her. "My wife didn't rest after lunch. To keep her waist slender and not gain any weight, she always went for a walk or a stroll after dinner. She said she was going out for a walk and would be back to practice dancing soon. This was a normal thing, but that day, she left and never came back."

"Then why were you so sure just now that something happened to Hongluan?" After listening to her, Cui Bianxu still couldn't understand why she was so sure just now.

Hongdou's tears, which had finally stopped, began to fall again. She lifted her arms, which had been hanging by her sides, and rolled up her sleeves. There were dense whip marks and bruises on them. It might be a bit exaggerated to say that her skin was torn and her flesh was exposed, but every scar had bled and formed a scab. There were also several new wounds that were still oozing blood.

Her lips were pale, and her eyes trembled slightly. "My wife is very kind to me. She once said that if she ever saved enough money to leave this place where people are eaten without leaving bones, she would definitely take me with her. The madam always loves to scold the maids in the building and the wife who doesn't earn much money. If it weren't for my wife's protection, I would have been beaten to death long ago. She knows that with the madam's temper, if I ran away like this, she would definitely not let me go. Why would she run away on her own? Even if she ran away, she would not take her gold or silver jewelry with her. My wife usually doesn't wear jewelry when she's not entertaining guests or practicing dancing. She was just out for a walk that day, and she was dressed like that."

Wang Leisheng asked the same question as he did at Luoshui Tower: "Does Madam Hongluan have any benefactors?"

Stories of talented men and beautiful women are common in such romantic places.

Hongdou shook her head. "My wife once had some feelings for the son of a wealthy merchant who came to Chang'an to do business. However, merchants are greedy and unfaithful, so it was just a casual remark made during a time of deep affection. After the business was done, the man left Chang'an and never returned. My wife was heartbroken for a long time before she recovered."

"Before this, was there anything wrong with Hongluan?"

"No, but one day, my wife came back from outside, very happy, and said that she had lent money to someone and thought she would never get it back, but who knew she might be able to get it back." Hongdou thought for a long time and finally remembered something.

Cui Bianxu suddenly looked up, a flash of surprise in his eyes, and then a hint of joy, and he met their expectations!

Wang Leisheng also opened his mouth wide, then clapped his hands vigorously, looking at his leader with joy: "Shaoqing!"

"Yes." Cui Bianxu quickly calmed down and resumed his usual outward demeanor. "Do you know who that person is?"

Hongdou shook her head helplessly: "I don't know, my wife didn't tell me, and I was only happy when I heard it."

If she could save enough money sooner, she could leave this damn place with her wife sooner.

"Then do you know who has ever borrowed money from your wife?" Cui Bianxu thought for a moment and changed the way he asked the question.

Hongdou was stunned when she heard this, and then began to think seriously. Cui and Wang stared at her nervously. After a while, she raised her head and reported a long list of names, all of which were ladies from Pingkangfang, Qichunlou, or other brothels.

The more Cui Bianxu listened, the tighter his brows furrowed, while Wang Leisheng felt a growing bitterness in his mouth: "That's too much! Why does your wife borrow money from so many people?"

With so much money to lend to others, why don’t you redeem yourself earlier?

Hongdou was a little embarrassed at this time: "It's not much, only two or three strings of cash in total, but my wife charges interest, 5%."

Tsk, this Lady Hongluan is also doing micro loans?

So many people combined only have two or three guan? That's too little!