The appearance of Room Number Three was no different from any other room from the outside. However, it was rumored to be the place where the male courtesan had committed suicide.
Although Qin Jiujiu was a modern person, she was more afraid of ghosts and spirits than Xie Yun and the others. As soon as she reached the top floor, she felt an oppressive unease. Upon entering Room Number Three, she felt even more uncomfortable.
The room was very large, twice the size of a typical inn room.
They had just noticed that the seals on Room Number One and Room Number Two, which they had passed, were intact, but the seal on Room Number Three had been removed. This indicated that the City Lord had indeed been here last night.
In a corner, a wooden chest was conspicuously placed. The chest was covered in dust all around, except for the chest itself, which was as clean as new. It was obvious that it had been placed there not long ago.
Xie Yun stepped forward and opened the chest. Inside, it clearly contained the one thousand taels of silver mentioned in the letter.
"It seems my father did come here. The silver was untouched. Indeed, the person who wrote the ransom letter was not after money, but was targeting my father!"
Xie Yun and Bai Qianluo nodded in agreement. Qin Jiujiu was also lost in thought. Only Xie Jing was staring at a painting on the wall, completely entranced.
Following Xie Jing's gaze, Qin Jiujiu naturally saw the painting.
The painting depicted a man in armor. His appearance clearly indicated he was a general. He looked to be around twenty years old but possessed a natural, seasoned demeanor.
"Look, that painting!"
Qin Jiujiu's voice drew everyone's attention. Their gazes all fell upon the painting on the wall. Bai Qianluo and Qin Jiujiu naturally did not notice anything amiss, but Xie Yun and Liu Jin exchanged a knowing glance.
The person in this painting, both in style and in his demeanor, was identical to the painting on the screen they had seen in the cave.
However, those paintings did not depict eyes, whereas this painting was complete.
Seen this way, the painting was much more lifelike, and those other paintings seemed almost like copies.
Flashes of unpleasant memories crossed Xie Jing's mind. The moment he saw this painting, he felt as though he had seen the person in it before. Perhaps it was only because he had seen him a few times that his memory was not vivid, but he had fragments of memories of this person in his mind.
Perhaps, in his childhood, he had seen him!
"Hero Xie, do you still remember..." Liu Jin asked Xie Yun. Xie Yun naturally remembered. He nodded and replied, "Perhaps these murder cases are related to this painting!"
Hearing their conversation, Qin Jiujiu and Bai Qianluo were dumbfounded. They only knew that the man in the painting was very handsome, but they could not connect him to the murder cases at all.
What was most surprising was the tacit understanding between Xie Yun and Liu Jin!
Qin Jiujiu secretly asked the system, "System, since when have Xie Yun and Liu Jin been so close?"
System: "Host, do you remember last time you took Liu Jin to that cave? It was then, you walked on the right, and the second female lead walked on the left, encountered Xie Yun, and triggered the main storyline."
Qin Jiujiu grumbled inwardly: So, she had a part to play in this? It seemed the power of the plot was immense, leading to a connection between the male and second female lead.
Bai Qianluo was clearly jealous. Although her expression was calm, Qin Jiujiu now understood her personality well. Normally, upon discovering clues to the murder case, she would be the most eager, but at this moment, she remained silent, standing aside with an indifferent air, clearly hiding her emotions!
Qin Jiujiu secretly observed the four of them. Bai Qianluo's reaction was quite normal; even as the female lead, it was understandable for her to be jealous. However, Xie Jing was staring at the painting with a deep, contemplative look, a seriousness she had never seen before.
What secret did this painting hold? Perhaps when the mystery of the murder cases was solved, the story behind this painting would also be revealed.
Unable to find any other clues left by the City Lord, the five of them had no choice but to leave the room.
Chun Bi was a mute girl, so she could not answer their questions. As for the madam, she did not seem to know anything.
Since this room had not been touched for twenty years, it was likely that this painting had been here since then.
Liu Jin found the madam and asked her to find an elder who had been in the brothel for twenty years. Although there were few elders left in the brothel, a few could still be found.
The madam found them an old nanny, who was about fifty or sixty years old. She was currently washing dishes in the kitchen. Her health was still quite good, and her speech was clear.
When asked about the incident twenty years ago, she became very emotional, appearing to have a very deep impression of it.
At that time, she was not yet in the kitchen but was a nanny by the side of the then-madam, so she knew all the open and secret affairs that had occurred.
Twenty years ago, this Nanfeng Pavilion was the premier brothel in Xinliu City. Besides the courtesans, there was also a celebrated male courtesan.
That individual was talented and handsome, selling his artistry but not his body. His appearance was exquisite, even exceptional among women, no less than that of the courtesans. It was said he had been raised as a girl since childhood. When he was sold into this brothel, he only sold his artistry, not his body.
The then-madam had not easily agreed to him selling only his artistry, so he had suffered greatly when he initially refused to take clients. However, as his fame grew, and his rendition of "Farewell My Concubine" was exceptionally brilliant, he became renowned.
From then on, the madam agreed to his terms of selling only his artistry.
However, he was later fancied by a general of noble status. From then on, he no longer performed. The madam, not daring to offend the general, could only comply with his wishes and keep him on the top floor of the Nanfeng Pavilion.
Later, their affair was still rumored. The general came from a noble family, and how could such an affair be allowed to tarnish the family name?
The general quickly returned to the imperial city, and the male courtesan soon committed suicide. Thus, the matter came to an end.
But whether he had committed suicide or not, besides those few who had seen it, no one else knew for sure!
The person in the painting was the general, painted by the male courtesan himself!
And the male courtesan's surname was Shen, his name was Tingchi.
Everything, it turned out, was interconnected. Thinking that the City Lord might be in the hands of such a deranged murderer, Liu Jin became extremely anxious.
"Then, will my father be alright?"
Her voice trembled at this moment, and her eyes naturally fell on Xie Yun, who was most likely to rescue the City Lord.
Qin Jiujiu thought it was not good. If Xie Yun rescued the City Lord, would the second female lead not fall in love with him again and repeat what happened in the original plot?
Could it be that no matter what, the plot would be corrected?