After the birthday banquet, Wei Qingming departed immediately. She didn't even stay for the afternoon or evening opera performances; she was truly as busy as one could be. I couldn't understand a single word of the warbling and singing on stage—it hardly sounded like human speech at all. They were performing excerpts, disconnected scenes without context, mostly the lingering love stories of emperors and generals. Aside from Wen Xiang, who had no patience for romantic trifles, and Wen Gan, who watched the world with the detached smile of a transcendent, the other young women were moved to tears. None of them had the time to explain anything to me. I missed Wei Qingming again; if she were here, she would surely have explained it all. Yet, she seemed to have no hobbies outside of official business. Did she even understand opera?
Over the next ten days, I ran to Ruian Hall more times than I could count, busying myself alongside my Eldest Senior Brother. Boss Zheng, terrified by the rumors of the Ministry of Justice’s investigation, didn't dare delay. He moved swiftly to rid himself of the "hot potato," and soon the shop was cleared out, awaiting the new owner’s renovations. But Wei Qingming was not about to let Boss Zheng off so easily. A group of black-clad constables seized him and "politely" invited him to the yamen for a chat. After three days in custody, Boss Zheng broke and confessed everything. It turned out the medicinal ingredient used to treat his benefactor’s son was the Resentment Bone Flower, which had to be nourished with resentful baleful energy. One flower was used every three days, and he had purchased the Nether Jade used for this purpose from the outside. Normally, their pharmaceutical guild had legitimate channels for acquiring such yin-natured items, but the young master’s illness had been so urgent that Boss Zheng had no choice but to search the black market for a few days. He happened upon someone selling not just Nether Jade, but Nether Jade already infused with refined resentful energy. Since it could be used immediately after a bit of processing, Boss Zheng saw no reason not to buy it.
Black market transactions have black market rules; the seller’s appearance remained entirely unknown. I let out a cry of disappointment, but Wei Qingming stroked her teacup and smiled. "No need to rush. There is another lead, and it is the primary one."
It turned out that after Wei Qingming discovered Madame Milian also possessed Resentment Heart Blood, she had paid her a visit the following day. Milian was delighted to see her, having anticipated that she would eventually come knocking. She immediately produced the evidence, which was also kept in a small jade box. "A few months ago, I happened upon a peddler in the street. I noticed something slightly strange about his wares, so I went over to chat, taking the opportunity to rummage through and observe. I found that some items used by women were entwined with an unknown black aura. The peddler was wary, making excuses and pretending to resent foreigners to avoid selling to me. After I left, I immediately had my Beisi transform into a small Jing-tribe demon to play the part of an innocent girl and buy a box of rouge. This is it."
She had picked up the rouge box with her long, sharp red nails and, brushing aside the lapel of Wei Qingming’s robe, provocatively slid it into her inner pocket. All the while, she watched Wei Qingming with a flirtatious smile, covering her mouth as she asked, "How will you thank me, Master Wei?"
"How did you thank her?" Hearing this, I leaned closer to Wei Qingming, grabbing her hand and giggling.
"Ahem." Wei Qingming looked uncharacteristically awkward. "She knows my... I treated her to a visit at Liuxia Pavilion."
Liuxia Pavilion was one of the most luxurious *nanfeng* houses in Pingkang Ward. I paled in shock. "You actually used *that* kind of thanks!"
"In truth, even without Madame Milian, it would have only been a matter of time before we solved it by tracing the jade material and craftsmanship, and comparing the movements of the various victims. Commander Zhou has already compiled a list and is conducting a screening. However, every day of delay might cost another life." Wei Qingming quickly regained her composure and returned to the business at hand. "The culprit’s method is now clear. They dissolve the Resentment Heart Blood of a previous victim into rouge, floral forehead ornaments, or nail tint. Once the next victim uses it, they are tainted by the resentful energy and find themselves walking unconsciously to a location set by the culprit. The culprit then extracts the resentful energy from them to establish the six gates from Jiazi to Jiayin, forming the Six Jia Array."
I thought for a moment, still puzzled by one point. "But the Nether Jade bought from the black market is different from the other items, and it wasn't targeted at women. Was it done by the same person?"
"Precisely," Wei Qingming praised. "I investigated the Chen and Wu gates, which the Six Jia Array still lacks. The Wu gate is in Yanfu Ward in the south of the city; the same kind of Nether Jade has already been unearthed there. We searched every inch within a one-li radius of the Yin gate, but found no trace at all."
"We made it in time! That means the killer hasn't had the chance to set the final gate yet," I said, clapping my hands in delight.
Wei Qingming smiled. "On the twenty-seventh, would Miss Su be free to watch an opera at the Yuezhou Guild Hall?"
"Could it be... the Yin gate is at the Yuezhou Guild Hall?"
Wei Qingming nodded. "Yes. Furthermore, the son of Boss Zheng’s benefactor is the world-renowned leading *sheng* actor, Xu Xingze."
"Heavens!" I frowned. "If he has been tainted by that resentful energy..."
"The movements of a celebrity are quite easy to track." Wei Qingming patted the back of my hand to reassure me. "Since Young Master Xingze debuted in the capital at the Chunan Night Banquet, he has performed every other day for nearly a month without interruption. Rest easy."
On the night of the twenty-seventh, I took special care with my appearance. I arrived early at the Yuezhou Guild Hall, clutching a large bouquet of blue cornflowers, brimming with excitement. I waited until the sky grew dark and the entrance was swarming with a sea of people before Wei Qingming finally appeared in the twilight with Hong Lu. Hong Lu gave me a grinning greeting before ducking away to who-knows-where.
Seeing my flowers, Wei Qingming smiled. "You certainly know the customs."
I giggled. "Then why didn't you buy a bouquet?"
She naturally took the flowers from me and said casually, "It is the female guests who present flowers. Today, I am merely accompanying my younger cousin to see the show, much against my better judgment."
Indeed, the surroundings seemed to be filled entirely with young wives and maidens. Male spectators were rare, and those present wore expressions of impatience, as if they loathed Xu Xingze for lacking masculinity and stealing the adoration of their women. I made a face at Wei Qingming, and she smiled, offering me her arm to take. We might have looked like siblings, but we looked more like a young newlywed couple out for an excursion...
I noticed that her attire today was different from her usual style of being buttoned up tight. She wore a light honey-colored, almost white, summer robe with a central opening, a folding fan hanging from her waist. Her lapels were open almost to her abdomen. As the summer breeze blew, her large sleeves fluttered, giving her the relaxed, elegant air of a dashing socialite. I pulled a single flower from the bouquet and tucked it into her lapel. She glanced at me sideways, and I laughed. "Since you're dressed so handsomely, here is a reward."
To my surprise, she didn't seem pleased. Instead, she slightly lifted the bouquet resting on her arm, narrowed her eyes, and said slowly, "He gets a bouquet, and I get a single stem?"
For some reason, her competitive streak was hilarious. I laughed while piling on the sweet talk. "Forget 'fruit filling the carriage'; with Master Wei’s grace and beauty, if one were truly to give a reward, the flowers should fill the mountains and valleys."
Only then did her brow smooth into a smile. She held my hand, but instead of plunging into the crowd, she led me straight through the guild hall’s backyard and entered through a side door. Ah, another privilege of officialdom!
As a hub of trade in the capital, guild halls built with donations from wealthy merchants were scattered throughout the southern city, generally near the East or South Gates. The Yuezhou Guild Hall was in the east, not far south of the Chaoyang Gate. Over time, a spirit of competition had arisen among the merchant guilds to display their vast wealth. Regions like Yuezhou and Wuzhou were prosperous and culturally rich, and their architecture followed the elegant standards of the Jiangnan water towns. The Yuezhou Guild Hall was even more distinct; as the birthplace of Kunshan Opera, it had produced famous actors for centuries, and its opera house was built with extraordinary refinement and grandeur. Xu Xingze was, of course, a native of Yuezhou, and his entire troupe had been staying at the local guild hall since arriving in the capital.
Upon entering the backyard, before I could even appreciate the Jiangnan-style gardens, a wealthy merchant in an ochre robe greeted us with a beaming face. "Master Wei’s presence brings light to our humble troupe! Please, come in, come in!"
Wei Qingming was gracious, lifting the blue flowers in a salute. "Boss Jiang, there is no need for such ceremony. Today, my cousin and I are merely fans. I wish you a triumphant performance."
This was the man at the helm of the Yushan Troupe, one of the three greatest opera troupes in the world. I couldn't help but think that this man looked incredibly mundane, no different from any other fat, wealthy merchant. How could he have trained a group of people who seemed to possess such celestial grace?
Boss Jiang signaled a maid to take the flowers and, bowing low, personally led Wei Qingming and me backstage. The moment we stepped into that painted red building draped in silk flowers, the light was filtered through layers of window paper, dimming instantly. It felt as though we had fallen into a mysterious, elegant realm, one that seemed to carry the countless joys and sorrows of humanity over thousands of years. It felt as if those clear, beautiful songs were still echoing around the rafters, and even the speed at which the dust drifted downward seemed to slow. Boss Jiang’s obsequious figure became blurred and hazy, like something seen in a dream.
An indescribable sadness began to color my mood. I looked up; above the layers of carved beams and painted rafters lay a deep darkness, as the last trace of warmth from the setting sun faded. Because of the needs of the stage—for plays involving gods or sieges where characters needed to descend from above—and because the stage itself was higher than the audience’s line of sight, this opera house was built much taller than I had imagined. It looked down from above with the weight of centuries, treating the people walking within it as nothing more than insignificant blades of grass.
There was still more than half an hour before the performance began, and the backstage was a scene of frantic activity. Upon seeing Boss Jiang, the scurrying actors all stopped to offer their greetings. Boss Jiang wore a smile of smug satisfaction from the moment he stepped inside, though he only deigned to nod back at a few of them. Holding up the hem of his robe, he threaded his way through the crowd and pulled aside a small, secluded bead curtain, smiling as he presented someone to us. "Xingze."
The person turned at the sound of his name and offered a soft smile. My breath caught in my throat. I finally understood the meaning of his stage name; his eyes were truly like a lake where the stars had fallen.
Xu Xingze was thin and frail, yet his skin was delicate and soft, not at all like a man’s, and unnaturally pale. Sitting there, he looked like a fragile piece of bone china. His black brows and the lashes surrounding his eyes were as distinct as if they had been painted. The corners of his eyes naturally drooped, and his gaze was moist and bright, looking at you as if holding a pool of unshed tears. I began to understand why women across the country were mad for him; it was a fragile beauty that made one want only to protect and cherish him.
I felt the arm I was holding move; Wei Qingming had raised her sleeve to cup her hands in greeting. She glanced at me, and I finally snapped out of my daze, instinctively looking at her. The first thought in my head was that although high-level cultivation techniques naturally had the effect of preserving youth and beauty, Xu Xingze’s complexion was actually more soft and beautiful than hers, a woman’s... No, no, it was the difference in temperament. One was a delicate beauty, and the other was a god of war who could punch a bull to death through a mountain...
I shook myself out of my wild thoughts, blushing and hurriedly fanning myself with my hand.
Boss Jiang gave a quick instruction—"Xingze, play the host well"—before bowing repeatedly to Wei Qingming and me and walking away with a brisk, smiling stride. Xu Xingze rose gracefully and smiled. "Master Wei, Miss Wen, Xingze offers his greetings." Even a simple bow was performed differently by him, carrying the flavor of the stage. He seemed like the physical incarnation of the word "romance," every movement belonging to another world. I found myself staring at him again, unable to look away. Wei Qingming had already signaled the maid to hand the bouquet to Young Master Xingze. While Xu Xingze lightly sniffed the flowers and offered smiling compliments, she sent a phantom transmission to me: *“Illusory Intent.”*
I suddenly woke up. "So that's it!"
"Poetry, painting, and the various arts—the power to move the soul and seize the spirit—these are the natural sources of illusion." Wei Qingming glanced at me. "How is it that a legitimate successor like Miss Su is less perceptive than I?"
"Uh, maybe... maybe this Illusory Intent just works better on me..." I coughed in embarrassment, only making things worse.
Wei Qingming didn't press the matter, conversing calmly with Xu Xingze. Seeing the two of them chatting happily about flowers, birds, and the wind and moon, my mind began to wander again. Could it be that Wei Qingming, like that overbearing young lady Hua Moli, also preferred the delicate, beautiful type?
***
**Glossary**
Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation
:--- | :--- | :---
怨骨花 | Resentment Bone Flower | A dark medicinal plant nourished by resentful energy.
冥玉 | Nether Jade | Also referred to as Resentment Jade; jade infused with dark or resentful energy.
六甲阵 | Six Jia Array | A formation or array based on the six "Jia" stems of the sexagenary cycle.
越州会馆 | Yuezhou Guild Hall | A regional association building for merchants and people from Yuezhou.
许星泽 | Xu Xingze | A famous opera actor; his name means "Star Lake."
玉山班 | Yushan Troupe | A prestigious opera troupe.
幻意 | Illusory Intent | A subtle form of illusion or charm inherent in art or performance.
柳下楼 | Liuxia Pavilion | A high-end male pleasure house (nanfeng house).
生角 | Sheng | The main male role category in Chinese opera.
南风馆 | Nanfeng house | A brothel or social club featuring male hosts/prostitutes.
