Glorious Tales

Chapter 0006: Madam Hua

The night was serene, with the cold autumn moon casting a gentle glow.

The alley of the dead was dim and quiet. Yang Ning, leaning against the wall, crept forward carefully. Soon, he saw a flicker of light ahead and became even more cautious.

By the light, he made out a carriage stopped in the alley, and as he moved closer, he realized it was parked in front of a mansion gate.

Earlier, they had mentioned that the only residence in this alley was the Hua residence, confirming that this carriage was indeed headed there.

At this moment, Officer Feng had dismounted and was standing beside the carriage. On the stairs, a burly man in black stood holding a red lantern, the only source of light in the alley.

Yang Ning wondered if Officer Feng had come in the middle of the night to visit Madam Hua for some late-night rendezvous, but it struck him as odd. If it were truly an affair, why would they need the grand spectacle of a carriage? Such an act seemed out of place for a secretive liaison, drawing too much attention.

While pondering this, he saw another lantern emerge from within the gate. A young woman, her figure unclear from the distance, held the lantern, followed by a more mature woman, her voluptuous form draped in luxurious clothing. She moved with a seductive grace, exuding an air of sensuality, despite the distance between them.

The voluptuous woman sauntered toward the carriage, where Officer Feng opened the back door. One by one, three or four young girls, all appearing fresh and youthful, disembarked. Their clothes were worn and ragged. After they alighted, Officer Feng signaled, and the girls stood obediently in a row behind the carriage like docile sheep.

The woman walked among them, occasionally stroking their faces as if appraising merchandise.

She then turned and entered the mansion, with the burly man waving his hand for the girls to follow. They entered the house in single file.

Yang Ning, puzzled, wondered what exactly was going on. He thought Officer Feng might enter the mansion as well, but instead, he returned to the carriage and appeared ready to leave. Yang Ning, fearing being spotted, prepared to slip away, but the carriage turned and headed deeper into the alley, soon disappearing into the darkness.

The entire scene had unfolded in silence, as if all involved were highly practiced in their roles. The burly man, lantern in hand, scanned the alley cautiously but never noticed Yang Ning. He then ascended the stairs and re-entered the mansion, followed by the sound of the gate closing.

Yang Ning waited for a moment, then cautiously approached. Indeed, this was a large mansion with high walls and a tightly shut gate—there was no apparent way to enter.

He recalled what Old Tree Bark had said: Xiao Die had sneaked out to the temple in the middle of the night. Since she was sneaking away, she certainly wouldn't have used the front gate. But where had she slipped out from?

With Xiao Die missing for days, coupled with his suspicions about Madam Hua's dealings, Yang Ning was already worried. The strange scene he had just witnessed only deepened his sense that there was something hidden inside the Hua mansion.

Determined to uncover the mystery, he circled the mansion and found a narrow alley at the back. The alley was so tight that even two large men walking side by side would have difficulty. The foul, sour stench of decay permeated the air, and Yang Ning, though nimble in such spaces, couldn't help but cover his nose.

The alley was further obstructed by a small drainage ditch at the base of the wall, from which the offensive odor emanated.

After a few moments of careful navigation, he halted and crouched beside the ditch. There, he noticed a small hole in the wall—just large enough for a person to crawl through, though the edge was caked with filth.

"Ah, so this is where she must have slipped out!" Yang Ning realized.

Although he didn't want to crawl through such a filthy hole, climbing the tall, smooth wall would require tools, wasting precious time. So, with little choice, he carefully crawled through the hole. On the other side, a stone slab partially blocked the way, but with a push, it moved aside. Clearly, this had been placed to conceal the entrance.

He crawled out into a garden, where the fading autumn weather and lack of blooming flowers created a somber atmosphere.

Before he could fully rise, he heard a soft, flirtatious laugh. Startled, he peered through the gap in the branches and saw that the sound had come from a small courtyard.

The courtyard was modest, with a pavilion at the center, a stone table and stools inside. A small, artificial pond lay nearby, with a rockery placed at its center. The scene was charming in its simplicity, especially under the soft glow of several lanterns hanging from the pavilion's columns. A man sat leisurely at the stone table, sipping wine.

Soon, a familiar figure emerged from the shadows—a voluptuous woman, unmistakably Madam Hua. She was in her early thirties, fair-skinned and voluptuous, with a seductive gait that exuded the charm of a mature woman. Her laugh confirmed she was the one.

What startled Yang Ning, however, was the man sitting with her in the pavilion. It was none other than Xiao Yi Shui, the head of the local constabulary, whom Yang Ning had seen not long ago at the Ten Li Fragrance Restaurant.

Yang Ning had an excellent memory, and once he had seen someone, he could easily recall their figure. He never expected to run into Xiao Yi Shui here. He remained hidden behind the garden, staying silent and still.

The night air was calm, and a gentle breeze stirred. Yang Ning overheard Xiao Yi Shui ask, "Is everything arranged?"

Madam Hua's sultry voice answered, "Do you still not trust me? Have I neglected anything these past two years?" Her voice was soft and sweet, making it almost impossible for the listener not to feel a sense of languor.

Xiao Yi Shui set his wine cup down, reached out, and pulled Madam Hua into his arms. She responded with a playful, flirtatious laugh, and soon the sounds of passion filled the air.

Yang Ning's heart skipped a beat, his thoughts now fully focused on the dangerous liaison unfolding before him. Madam Hua was indeed a woman of considerable allure, and despite being over thirty, her charm remained as potent as ever. No wonder Xiao Yi Shui had fallen into her grasp.

As the night wore on, Yang Ning pieced together the truth: Madam Hua's influence was backed by Xiao Yi Shui, whose power in Huize County was formidable. But even Xiao Yi Shui was just a pawn in a much larger game, one involving high-ranking figures in the capital.

Madam Hua and Xiao Yi Shui were just two players in this vast, shadowy network of power.