Chapter 146: The Entertainment District
Chapter 146: The Entertainment District
Yu Family Armory.
Although the entire Yu County's metalworking industry was mostly controlled by the He family, the Yu family, as one of the prominent inner city clans, still had their own forging and smelting facilities within their territory.
"Do you need to use premium Mystic Iron?"
Upon hearing the armory's blacksmith's response, Chen Mu couldn't help but show a hint of contemplation.
The blacksmith respectfully replied, "Flexible Silver Ore is a soft ore, which enhances the resilience and sharpness of weapons. It can be used to forge weapons on its own, but it's often used for 'flexible swords'. If you're making a knife, it's best to combine it with premium Mystic Iron to achieve a balance between hardness and flexibility... Using other types of ore is possible, but it would be a waste of this Flexible Silver Ore."
"I see," Chen Mu nodded slightly.
Currently, all the Mystic Iron mines in Yu County were controlled by a single mining source, which was entirely managed by the Smelting Bureau. The Smelting Bureau and the entire Yu County's smelting industry were under the He family's control, so the produced Mystic Iron was naturally subject to various restrictions by the Yu family.
At present, the Yu family armory lacked Mystic Iron, and Yu Zouting gave Chen Mu a piece of Flexible Silver Ore, perhaps hoping he could resolve this issue. However, it was easy for Chen Mu to obtain a few ingots of Mystic Iron, but opening up this supply channel completely was not an easy task.
Although Chen Mu, as the Director of the Inspectorate General, could directly pressure the Smelting Bureau to submit and fully open the trade channels of Mystic Iron to the Yu family, doing so would mean using Yan Jingqing's influence to suppress the He family.
Four months ago, Yan Jingqing had already reprimanded the He family once, causing them to behave cautiously for the past four months without any noticeable mistakes. If Chen Mu were to use this opportunity to pressure the He family again, it would be akin to settling a personal score, and Yan Jingqing would not look upon this favorably.
However, this difficulty was only relative. As long as Chen Mu found some incriminating evidence against the He family and had a valid reason to confront them, he could do as he pleased, even if it meant crushing the He family.
As the Director of the Inspectorate General, his role was to inspect and investigate. Perhaps this was what he needed to look into?
The He family had been keeping a low profile for the past few months without any missteps, not because they were particularly well-behaved, but because Chen Mu had been quietly cultivating during this time and couldn't be bothered to pay attention to them. After all, he had never liked complicated disputes, and forcing the He family to back down using his authority as the Director was not very meaningful. His plan was to either stay uninvolved or strike with thunderous force, completely uprooting the He family!
After some thought, Chen Mu placed the Flexible Silver Ore on the table and said, "Leave this Flexible Silver Ore here for now. Bring me a regular fine iron knife for temporary use, and I'll forge a new one when I obtain some Mystic Iron."
The blacksmith respectfully acknowledged and carefully put away the Flexible Silver Ore. Then, he meticulously searched through the fine iron knives and selected the one with the highest quality to hand to Chen Mu.
Swish, swish!
Chen Mu took the knife and swung it a couple of times, nodding in satisfaction. He then turned and left the armory, heading straight for the Inspectorate General.
...
Soon, Chen Mu arrived at the Inspectorate General.
The main building of the Inspectorate General had six floors. The top floor was the Grand Hall of the Inspector General, Yan Jingqing, while the fifth floor belonged to the Head Director of the Inspectorate. On the fourth floor were the offices of Chen Mu and the other two Directors, divided into three different hall offices.
"Director Chen," greeted the clerks of the Inspectorate General along the way, bowing respectfully.
Chen Mu made his way to his own hall office, where the table was already piled with various documents from all over Yu County. Most of the intelligence was about the movements of the disciples of the Four Great Sects, with a small portion concerning the Four Great Families of the inner city, and some regarding the appearances of demons.
As usual, Chen Mu went through each document, categorizing them accordingly. He placed the information related to the Sky Sword Sect in one category and that of the Harmony Sect in another, extracting the more noteworthy parts and setting them aside to report to Yan Jingqing later.
However, while flipping through these documents, one particular piece of intelligence caught his attention.
"Yan Wan Si, the Great Patriarch of the Black Cloud Bandits?"
Reading the description in the report, Chen Mu's expression turned pensive.
The Black Cloud Bandits—a name he had long forgotten. Years ago, they were suspected of hijacking a batch of the Yu family's cargo, and when Xu Hongyu and some Yu family members went to investigate, they clashed with the bandits, resulting in some injuries.
Furthermore, the second-in-command of the Black Cloud Bandits had once been instigated by He Mingxuan to attempt to assassinate Chen Mu, but he ended up killing the bandit instead. Later, to create more chaos and cover his tracks, he launched a night raid on He Mingxuan's residence, killing him in the courtyard. This incident also triggered the first major upheaval in the Southern District, leading to Xu Hongyu's resignation from the Clerk Administrator position.
The second-in-command of the Black Cloud Bandits had connections with the He family, so it was highly likely that the entire bandit group was the He family's 'black glove,' doing their dirty work like killing, robbing, and hijacking the Yu family's salt shipments.
And now, Yan Wan Si, the Great Patriarch of the Black Cloud Bandits, was suspected to be in Yu City.
The Inspectorate General's information was not baseless. Even if it only mentioned a suspected sighting, it was likely that someone had seen a person resembling Yan Wan Si several times, but couldn't confirm his identity, hence the use of the word 'suspected.'
"Yan Wan Si, the Great Patriarch of the Black Cloud Bandits, a Bone Forging Realm cultivator, occupies the wilderness of Yu County without a fixed territory, roams around to rob and plunder, a truly vicious and violent criminal, with a bounty of twenty-six thousand silver ingots..."
Chen Mu recalled the wanted poster for Yan Wan Si from his memory.
Hmm.
Whether or not Yan Wan Si was connected to the He family, he was someone worth investigating. Even without mentioning the possible link between Yan Wan Si and the He family, the fact that Yan Wan Si had caused Xu Hongyu to chase after him and get injured was reason enough for Chen Mu to pursue this matter.
...
Eastern District.
Perfume Alley.
This was the famous flower street in the Eastern District.
Due to the vast size of Yu City, each district was comparable to a county, further divided into four districts under the command of the East, South, West, and North City Defense Bureaus, each relatively independent. Every district had its flower street and entertainment district.
Now, in the midst of winter, the famous flower boats and pleasure barges in the outer districts had entered their off-season due to the frozen rivers. Only the flower streets in each district remained in operation, and the most renowned among them was the one in the Eastern District. Here, the singers, dancers, courtesans, and even the thousand-arm pillow prostitutes were said to possess beauty and figures that far surpassed those in other districts.
Only the flower street in the inner city could rival this place.
However, the expenses in the inner city's flower street were far beyond what most could afford, and only nobles and officials could enter. Moreover, rumors of a connection with the legendary Harmony Sect further deterred some visitors.
Of course, there were also wealthy gentlemen who craved the taste of 'Harmony,' willing to spend a fortune to indulge in the Flower Alley of the Inner City. After all, the Four Great Sects were exalted entities to them, and being able to savor the taste of a Harmony disciple was indeed something to boast about.
Despite the cold winter, the Perfume Alley in the Eastern District remained bustling, with the entire street illuminated by lanterns. Wealthy gentlemen, wrapped in thick brocade robes and cotton clothing, surveyed the various flower houses as the madams enthusiastically welcomed them inside.
However, it wasn't just the wealthy gentlemen on the street; there were also individuals wearing thin clothing, unaffected by the cold, who clearly possessed martial arts skills. All the flower houses welcomed them alike.
Suddenly, a man wearing a black cloth hat and a simple blue robe, with a sword at his waist, strolled by.
This appearance was not common before the arrival of the Four Great Sects in Yu County, but it had gradually become less surprising after the disciples of the Four Sects started dressing this way. Often, disciples of the Four Sects would don this attire to conceal their faces, which also attracted many gang members and martial artists to follow suit. It was the perfect disguise, allowing them to hide their identities while blending in with the trend.
Chen Mu arrived at one of the flower houses, looked up at the signboard that read 'Magpie Pavilion,' and casually took out a silver ingot from his sleeve, tossing it to the madam at the entrance.
In the 16th year of the Yongle era, the original book had no errors!
"Oh, dear guest, please come in."
The madam took the silver ingot, weighed it in her hand, and with a smile, welcomed Chen Mu inside without asking about his background or identity. She didn't even bother with the hat that concealed his face; there were plenty of people dressed like this these days. As long as they had money, their background and identity didn't matter.
Moreover, according to the madam's understanding, these types of customers were often generous spenders. Some didn't even enjoy the pleasures of the flesh; they would simply watch the dances, listen to the songs, have a couple of drinks, and then leave after tossing some silver.
These types of customers were undoubtedly the most welcome guests in the flower houses.
As for their specific identities... they could be disciples of a sect, sons of wealthy families, or even bandits from the martial world. It wasn't appropriate to delve too deeply into their backgrounds; as long as they had money, that was all that mattered.
"Greetings, sir. I'm Little Lotus. Would you like to listen to some music or rest early?"
As soon as Chen Mu entered, a petite girl with a voluptuous figure approached him. She leaned close, blinking her big, watery eyes, exuding a charming allure that made one want to both cherish and tease her.
Chen Mu was used to grand occasions, and he had been to entertainment districts more than once while working as a clerk. He was familiar with such scenes and casually pinched a silver ingot, tossing it onto the table:
"I'll listen to the music."
"Thank you, sir. Please follow me, sir. There are private seats on the second floor, as well as private rooms..."
"The private seats will be fine."
Chen Mu responded casually.
The music hall was spacious, a large chamber with seats all around. The private rooms were not enclosed but had open windows, allowing one to see the dances and songs in the main hall. Often, officials with their servants would choose these private rooms, which drew attention. On the other hand, the 'private seats' were not as eye-catching, and he was very familiar with this arrangement.
In the past, he would have been more interested in such places, but with his current power and status, his enthusiasm had waned. After all, if he wanted, he could bring an entire troupe of dance prostitutes to perform for him daily.
Soon, Little Lotus led Chen Mu to the main hall on the second floor. The spacious area was filled with a warm atmosphere, completely blocking out the cold wind outside. Many patrons had removed their thick coats, wearing only thin clothing as they sat behind tables, either chatting and laughing or admiring the subtle movements of the dance prostitutes.
Chen Mu's arrival drew no attention. There were seven or eight others dressed like him on this floor, all wearing black cloth hats that obscured their faces. The attending singers were also tactful enough not to touch or attempt to remove, the hats.
Chen Mu sat down in an inconspicuous corner.
Little Lotus, seeing that Chen Mu didn't ask her to leave, revealed a hint of joy in her big, watery eyes. She quietly knelt beside him, sensing that this customer was the generous type. If she could stay by his side a little longer, she might receive more tips.
Moreover, this customer had a slender build, his hands were not rough, and he lacked the aura of a thug. Perhaps he was an Eastern District young master who wanted to maintain a good reputation. If she could please him, there might be an opportunity...
Suddenly, she realized that trying to discern the true identity of such customers was a taboo. Little Lotus quickly stopped her wandering thoughts and carefully attended to Chen Mu.
"..."
Chen Mu didn't ask Little Lotus to leave, not because he was greedy for the silver, but because this way, he drew less attention.
He casually glanced at the dances, his gaze sweeping across the hall, focusing on those dressed like him, wearing black cloth hats. However, without seeing their faces, it was indeed difficult to discern their identities based solely on their builds.
As for the others, he scanned the room but found no one matching Yan Wan Si's description.
"No wonder Yan Wan Si's intelligence often comes from the Flower Street. This is indeed a suitable place to hide."
Chen Mu's expression became thoughtful.
In the past, it wouldn't have been so troublesome. The government officials would have forcefully removed the masks and checked everyone. But with the Four Great Sects' presence, things had become more complicated. They were more inclined to follow the rules of the martial world. Those wearing black cloth hats like him might have Yan Wan Si, a notorious bandit, underneath, or they could be disciples of the Four Great Sects, or even true lineage disciples, which would be a pleasant surprise!
Although the chances were slim, there was still a probability.
After all, even the Inspector General Director himself was sitting here, wearing a hat, listening to the music!
However, for ordinary people, it might be challenging to discern the identities of these individuals one by one. But for Chen Mu, it was different. He was familiar with their 'breath,' and their auras were difficult to conceal from his perception, especially since 'breath' was a type of wind, and he could sense it within his 'Autumn Wind Sensation' range.
(End of Chapter)
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