Free Web NovelChapter 204: Chapter 204: His Majesty is Furious, Who Dares to Plead?
Ji Qingwu asked in surprise, "You have a grudge against him, too?"
Mo Lingling glanced around, then walked over to the entrance and shut the main door.
After she was done, she glanced at Manager Mi and the young assistant.
Manager Mi took the hint. "Fifth Missy, there are a few ledgers upstairs I haven’t finished checking. I’ll go get busy." With that, he beckoned the young assistant to go with him.
Only the two of them remained in the room.
Mo Lingling pulled a chair over for Ji Qingwu. After Ji Qingwu sat down, she said, "Miss Ji, that Tao Changhai is an out-and-out monster in human clothing."
Mo Lingling had seen all sorts of vile things during her time at Liangxiang Pavilion. For her to be this indignant spoke volumes about Tao Changhai’s character.
Ji Qingwu thought of Princess Yong lying on a communal bed in Anle Hall, her face twisted with hatred as she said her father should have died long ago.
Ji Qingwu’s heart sank.
She asked, "You know this elder?"
Mo Lingling said, "I don’t know him personally. Tao Changhai doesn’t usually come to our pavilion, but the newcomers are always saved for him."
Many high-ranking court officials enjoyed consorting with courtesans, and Liangxiang Pavilion alone housed a hundred official prostitutes.
However, this Mr. Tao prided himself on having the integrity of a scholar and was extremely protective of his reputation. He would never take the initiative to visit a brothel, making him seem like one of the court’s most upstanding officials.
In reality, however, he would pick new girls from Liangxiang Pavilion every month. They would be sent in through the back door of the Tao Mansion, and once he was done with them, they were sent back to the pavilion.
’If it were just that, she probably wouldn’t be this upset.’
Ji Qingwu asked, "You know something else, don’t you?"
Mo Lingling said, "Miss Ji, these are vile things I shouldn’t be saying to you, but now that Tao Changhai is about to fall, I’ve been waiting for this day for a long time."
Ji Qingwu asked, "What exactly happened? Did he abuse you, too?"
A flicker of pride appeared in Mo Lingling’s eyes. "Of course not! I wouldn’t give an old man like that the time of day. No one enters my chambers without my approval." Such was the confidence that came with her status as a top female servant at Liangxiang Pavilion.
Ji Qingwu’s mind worked quickly. "Then something happened to the women sent to the Tao Mansion."
Mo Lingling nodded, her voice filled with hatred. "Without exception, the ones sent to his mansion are all newcomers to the pavilion. They’re supposed to be trained for a few more years before making their debut, but he won’t take anyone who’s older."
As a mother herself, Ji Qingwu’s brow furrowed tightly.
Mo Lingling continued, "And he takes more than one at a time. I’ve seen those women being carried back to the pavilion. There wasn’t an inch of them left unharmed."
She then added in anguish, "That man is a soulless beast! For someone like him, just beheading him would be letting him off easy!"
At this, Ji Qingwu thought of something else.
’Princess Yong must have known about Mr. Tao’s secret depravity. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have said what she did.’
’If this case of embezzling disaster relief funds hadn’t finally exposed him, who knows how many more young girls he would have ruined.’
’But, what Tao Wanyin said was...’
’They...’
Ji Qingwu asked, "Miss Mo, do you know if anyone else besides Tao Changhai has this sort of proclivity?"
Mo Lingling thought for a moment. "The pavilion has always been very secretive about this. I only found out myself because I accidentally came across it two years ago. I’ve asked the old-timers at the pavilion, and they don’t know as much as I do."
She said, "If Miss Ji wants to know, I’ll find a way to ask around."
Ji Qingwu shook her head. "You’re already out of Liangxiang Pavilion. Even if you paid a hefty price for information, they wouldn’t tell you the truth."
Mo Lingling scratched her head. "Miss Ji, how did you know I was planning to bribe people at the pavilion with Silver Coins, and not use some other method?"
Ji Qingwu gave her a look. "Are you going to appeal to their emotions? If the pavilion’s managers find out someone leaked information, the consequences will be dire. Who would be willing to risk their life just to gossip?"
In a place like Liangxiang Pavilion, where sentiment is worthless, the only thing that works is Silver—it can buy off anyone, no matter how shady.
But now, even that is useless in the face of true power.
Anyone capable of committing these filthy acts alongside Mr. Tao, while remaining hidden, could only be someone with even greater backing.
*
Ji Qingwu was run off her feet all day.
After finishing her work at the clinic in the morning, she went next door with some of the staff to eat a few exotic dishes.
Ji Qingwu hadn’t even finished her meal when the little eunuch who had been with Prince Yong the day before came looking for her, disguised as a servant boy.
The restaurant was crowded and noisy, so Ji Qingwu borrowed an unused, relatively secluded private room from the owner.
As soon as the door was closed, the little eunuch said anxiously, "Please, Miss Ji, you must save my Prince."
Ji Qingwu asked in surprise, "What happened to your Prince? Did Wei Ting injure him badly?"
Her deal with Prince Yong had been for him to go and beat up Wei Ting to vent some of her frustration.
Ji Qingwu wasn’t naive enough to think that Prince Yong could actually defeat Wei Ting, a man with a military background.
She just wanted to cause some trouble for Wei Ting.
Besides, seeing Prince Yong take a few punches would also satisfy her own grudge against him.
Prince Yong was a prince of the current dynasty, so Wei Ting would surely show some restraint. The two of them had no deep-seated hatred for one another, so they wouldn’t fight to the death.
The little eunuch replied, "The Prince only suffered some superficial wounds. He’s fine for the moment."
Ji Qingwu breathed a small sigh of relief and said bluntly, "Then why ask for me? If the Prince only has external injuries, any ordinary physician can treat him."
The little eunuch said in distress, "His Majesty was enraged when he learned the Prince had caused trouble at the entrance of the Golden Throne Hall. The Prince is kneeling outside the Diligent Governance Hall and has been for over four hours now! The sun is so strong, if anything should happen to the Prince..."
Ji Qingwu cut off his sob story.
"He’ll be fine. A little extra sun can help supplement his calcium."
She offered a suggestion. "You can go to the Empress Dowager. She’ll have a way to save your Prince."
The little eunuch’s face fell. "The Empress Dowager already went, but His Majesty refused to see her."
When the Empress Dowager heard that Prince Yong was being punished with kneeling for fighting Wei Ting, she had rushed over to request an audience but was turned away by Li Yuzong.
Ji Qingwu propped her chin on her hand and asked, "Don’t you think His Majesty might get even angrier if I were to go and plead for Prince Yong?"
The little eunuch asked blankly, "Why would he be angrier?"
’I can’t believe Prince Yong didn’t think of this,’ Ji Qingwu mused. ’If I get involved, there’s no guarantee Emperor Wu Su won’t punish him even more severely.’
She said, "What else did your Prince tell you to say? You might as well tell me everything."
Only then did the little eunuch relay Prince Yong’s full message.
"The Prince said that if Miss Ji doesn’t agree to rescue him, then you must go and spend some time talking with the Princess Consort."
A look of understanding dawned on Ji Qingwu’s face.
’As it happens, I have something I want to ask Tao Wanxin in person anyway.’
As they were leaving the private room, the door to the room at the very end of the hall happened to open, and several people walked out.
Ji Qingwu glanced over, then turned her gaze away as usual.
But after she turned away, her brow furrowed slightly.
