A Pawn's Passage-Chapter 610: Sweeping the Dust (I)

Qi Xuansu was also wondering what kind of people would be interested in young girls. Aside from human traffickers, the most plausible culprit would be the secret society dominated by women—the Ziguang Society. He even had a premonition that the two cases might eventually merge into one.

Although the Ziguang Society had some ambiguous ties with the Zhengyi Sect, that did not mean they were good people. Even the Heavenly Court had ties with the Taiping Sect, but they showed no mercy when silencing the Yuan family or attacking the Zhenwu Temple.

But regardless of whether it was human traffickers or the Ziguang Society, Mei Mei would not be in immediate danger. That was because the Ziguang Society preferred to train their members as opposed to blood sacrifice, and the traffickers would not immediately sell Mei Mei into a brothel.

Qi Xuansu had seen the image Ke Qingqing shaped based on Zhou Qingshu’s description, acknowledging that Mei Mei was a beauty in the making. Given her age, selling her straight into a brothel was unwise. First, it would ruin good stock. Second, it was risky, as the Imperial Court’s regulations on child prostitutes were still quite strict. Thus, getting official documentation was difficult. From a trafficker’s perspective, it would be best to wait out the storm. Third, this trade was not something just anyone could enter. It required a training phase—a process to dampen the girl’s temperament.

Thus, the more likely scenario was that Mei Mei was being hidden somewhere.

During his time traveling the world, Qi Xuansu had heard of such grooming operations. Some old courtesans, once faded in beauty, would switch to training newcomers. They would select young girls from poor families and raise them according to the standards of concubines in wealthy households, educating them to have the necessary skills, etiquette, speech, and demeanor. Those with good looks and potential even lived like noble ladies, dressed in fine silk and attended to by maids.

Later, the girls could be sold to noble households as concubines, equal in talent and beauty to renowned courtesans, yet with a supposedly clean background, aligning with the moral fastidiousness of gentry families. After all, polygamy was only forbidden within the Daoist Order. Outside the Daoist community, a man could have a wife and many concubines.

In that regard, Li Qingnu was no different from these groomed women. The only difference was that Li Tianyue had greater ambition. Her sights were set on the Emperor, not some gentry household. When Li Tianyue realized that the path was no longer feasible, she considered letting Li Qingnu join the Li family as an adopted daughter since she had developed some affection for the girl over the years.

Fully aware of this, Li Qingnu undoubtedly harbored some resentment. Otherwise, the Finest Courtesan would not have chosen to serve Madam Qi, who had always treated her own people well despite being a money-hoarder.

Alternatively, if Mei Mei were sold to a brothel, the process would be the same. The girl would also be groomed. Of course, during the tempering phase, the girl would suffer. At first, she would face physical punishment and poor treatment, alongside verbal humiliation aimed at breaking her mental defenses. Then soft persuasion and enticing promises would follow. Eventually, they would present it as being “for her own good,” laying out the pros and cons for the girl.

In truth, there was only one clear choice. If the girl resisted, she would suffer, but if she complied, she could live in comfort. She would be well fed, dressed in fine silks, and mingled with wealthy patrons. She would perhaps even gain the chance to leave the brothel and become a rich man’s concubine. That would be far better than marrying a poor man. In the end, the girl would swallow her pride and submit.

As the girl’s resistance gradually softened, the brothel would begin arranging various lessons like learning musical instruments, singing, and more. If she refused or performed poorly, the cycle of tempering would begin until she fully gave in.

This tempering process took some time, so Qi Xuansu did not rush out in the middle of the night to look for Mei Mei. Instead, he planned carefully before taking action. Since Mei Mei’s home was in the North City, he decided to begin the investigation there.

What really gave Qi Xuansu a headache was the possibility that Mei Mei had been sold to a top-tier brothel in the South City or Imperial City. If so, that would make things far more difficult because, as Shi Bingyun had mentioned before, these brothels had powerful backers.

The famous first-tier Sycamore Villa was owned by Li Tianyue, who was Li Tianzhen’s cousin. They might not trouble Qi Xuansu over such a trivial matter, but he would be wise to tread carefully.

Just then, Shi Bingyun returned from the direction of the Imperial City, beaming with delight.

Qi Xuansu immediately knew his superior had not spent the night at the Yuhuang Palace.

Shi Bingyun had a residence in the Imperial City as well. After all, she was a Sage with solid standing. It was precisely because of her that the widowed “Old Qin” had not taken a new wife. More often than not, it was this “Old Qin” who visited her rather than the other way around.

Shi Bingyun was not some concubine kept in secret. Rather, they were a special case. The Daoist Order forbade Sages from becoming royal consorts, and the Imperial Court was not keen on princes marrying high-ranking Daoists either. So the two simply went on like this.

Qi Xuansu stepped forward and briefly explained the situation. Shi Bingyun was taken aback. She had not expected anyone to dare impersonate the Wanxiang Daoist Palace in the Imperial Capital. But this was not the place to talk, so she merely instructed Qi Xuansu to investigate first and report to her again once there was progress. Then, she entered the gates of Yuhuang Palace while the Spirit Guards saluted her.

Qi Xuansu sighed. In the past, it had always been clear who the enemy was. But in the Imperial Capital, everything became murky. It was as if he had strength but no idea where to direct his blows.

By evening, Song San came to see Qi Xuansu again.

The Yuhuang Palace occupied an entire Xuanshang North District and saw a great deal of daily foot traffic. Song San was a Green Phoenix Guard. Since the Daoist Order had frequent dealings with the Imperial Court, he did not stand out. After the Spirit Guard reported his presence, someone quickly escorted him to Qi Xuansu’s office.

By now, Song San had no remaining doubts about Qi Xuansu’s identity.

Qi Xuansu asked directly, “Any leads?”

“Mage, we haven’t found leads yet on the person committing fraud with the Wanxiang Daoist Palace’s name, but we did stumble upon something about the brothels,” Song San replied respectfully.

Qi Xuansu pursued, “What are the details?”

Song San answered, “There are only a few ways girls get trafficked. Brothels are the most critical route, especially those door-half-open establishments. I had my men focus on those. It turns out that one of these establishments took in a batch of young girls just a few days ago.”

Qi Xuansu considered it. As someone tasked with upholding public morality, he had no reason to ignore this now that it had come to him. So he nodded. “What’s the exact location?”

Song San had come prepared and handed over a simple map with the location already marked. He added somewhat hesitantly, “Mage, the reason this place dares to act so boldly is that they have powerful backing. It’s not convenient for me to show my face there.”

Qi Xuansu nodded. “Understood. Mark out the other door-half-open establishments, and I’ll search them all. This way, they won’t suspect there was a spy.”

Song San breathed a sigh of relief and quickly marked out the rest. In truth, the locations of these door-half-open brothels were not secret. After all, they were open for business. If no one knew where they were, how could they get customers? The real issue was that most of the old personnel in the Imperial Capital Daoist Mansion had been swept out, and the newly assigned officers were often clueless. That was why they needed help from a local like Song San.

After reviewing the map, Qi Xuansu praised him. “Well done! Keep investigating. I’ve already reported this case to the Deputy Mansion Master. Once it’s resolved, I’ll request that you both be granted a Daoist Priest Kindred title.”

This Daoist Priest Kindred title ranged from a ninth-rank Daoist to a second-rank Taiyi Daoist. One would receive the salary and treatment of whichever rank was granted. More importantly, Daoist Priest Kindreds were not officially under Daoist command nor subject to higher-ranking Daoists. Such a title granted only benefits with no downsides.

Fully understanding the weight of this offer, Song San was beyond honored. He nearly dropped to his knees to kowtow in gratitude.

Qi Xuansu waved his hand to stop him and took out a supplementary badge registered under his name. “You’ve earned this. When you leave, go by the southeast gate, which has less traffic. Take this badge with you. That way, there’s no need to announce yourself the next time you come to see me.”

Qi Xuansu’s authority now far exceeded that of his previous empty title of a Ziwei Hall Superintendent.

Song San took the badge and left in haste.

Qi Xuansu then activated the voice transmission talisman on his desk.

Wang Chongnian’s voice came through. “Superintendent, you called for me?”

Qi Xuansu instructed, “Old Wang, bring three Spirit Guards with you and come over to meet me. I have a task to assign.”

“Yes, Superintendent,” Wang Chongnian replied.

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Shortly after, Wang Chongnian and three Spirit Guards arrived at Qi Xuansu’s office.

Qi Xuansu did not invite them to sit. He stood up as well and got straight to the point. “Deputy Mansion Master Shi tasked us with rectifying the capital’s public morality, particularly the brothels and other gray industries. We must take things one step at a time, so I’ve decided to start with the North City.”

Aside from Spirit Guard Qin, who was a local, the other four were transferred from other regions. Thus, they had no ties to the local forces. Spirit Guard Qin had already gone with Ke Qingqing to investigate Mei Mei’s case, so there was no need to worry about any information leaks.

Qi Xuansu took out the simple map. “There are four door-half-open establishments marked, so we’ll split into four groups. Old Wang, Spirit Guard Zeng, and Spirit Guard Gao will each take one route, while Spirit Guard Zhou will come with me. We will carry out surprise raids at the same time. Verify and reprimand the patrons, and detain all personnel, including maids, servants, and thugs. Be sure to seize all ledgers and rosters, thoroughly search for secret rooms or dungeons, and investigate any illegal activity. Understood?”

“Understood,” the four responded in unison.

Qi Xuansu waved his hand. “Let’s move out immediately.”

After about half an hour, over 200 Spirit Guards, split into four groups, were deployed from the Yuhuang Palace, heading straight for the North City.