Chapter 140: Hundred Flowers Bashful in Rouge Alley, Tang Yi Receives a Portrait of His Beloved

Tang Yi let out a sigh, walking forward with a certain detachment, his face revealing neither joy nor anger.

At that moment, another subordinate stepped forward and asked, "My lord, what should we do now? How should we proceed?"

Tang Yi turned his head to look at the subordinate and said, "We will go straight to the cosmetic shop to investigate and see if there are any clues left."

"Understood."

The subordinate nodded and followed Tang Yi as they departed.

Presently, inside the cosmetic shop, Tang Yi and his men searched everywhere.

"My lord, no traces have been found," a subordinate reported to Tang Yi.

"Hmm." Tang Yi frowned and nodded.

"My lord, is this woman named Yue Xiuxiu truly dead?" a nearby subordinate suddenly asked.

Tang Yi looked at the subordinate and asked, "What? Do you have a clue?"

"Your subordinate does not have any direct clues, but I believe that a woman like her would not simply vanish without a reason," the subordinate replied.

"Then you mean this woman was murdered?" Tang Yi asked with a puzzled expression.

"Not necessarily. Perhaps she is not dead at all and has simply escaped," the subordinate suggested.

"Escaped? How? This cosmetic shop is filled with people, how could anyone escape?" Tang Yi questioned.

"My lord, do not forget, this is the imperial capital of Jian'an. It is the imperial city, densely populated. If this woman escaped from somewhere, there are bound to be oversights. Therefore, your subordinate believes it is highly likely she is hiding in one of the streets," the subordinate analyzed.

Hearing these words, Tang Yi fell into deep contemplation.

The subordinate's analysis did indeed make sense. He had been so focused on investigating the case that he had overlooked the dense population here. Moreover, the citizens in this area were people of wealth and nobility; who would be foolish enough to wander aimlessly on the streets unless they were out of their mind? Furthermore, if the woman had truly encountered danger on the street, his subordinates should have noticed!

"Very well, since that is the case, let us go search around Hundred Flowers Charm. If we can find clues there, that would be for the best. If not, then so be it," Tang Yi said after a moment of thought.

"Yes, my lord."

"My lord, are your injuries feeling any better?" a subordinate asked with concern.

"They are mostly healed. It is nothing major," Tang Yi said with a smile.

"My lord, your body has been too weak these past few days. This wound still requires proper rest," the subordinate urged gently.

"Rest assured, this is merely a flesh wound and poses no threat to my life. Once it heals, I will take medicinal pills to fully recover," Tang Yi said.

"Yes, my lord."

The men acknowledged the order and withdrew.

Watching them leave, Tang Yi's eyes flashed with a peculiar light.

"You may all step outside for now," Tang Yi instructed the others.

Once everyone had departed, Tang Yi picked up a teapot, poured himself a cup of water, and drank it down. He then set the cup aside and stood up.

Approaching the window of the room, Tang Yi pushed it open and looked down at the street below. The thoroughfare was bustling with a dense crowd of people, and the shops on both sides were brightly lit, presenting a scene of great prosperity.

"Regardless, I should go take a look," Tang Yi murmured to himself.

With that, Tang Yi leaped out of the window and headed toward Hundred Flowers Charm.

Hundred Flowers Charm was the largest cosmetic shop in the capital. Nearly all of its patrons were from prominent and wealthy families, making its business exceptionally thriving.

Tang Yi walked unimpeded into the cosmetic shop.

The moment a clerk in the shop spotted a customer arriving, he greeted him enthusiastically with a flattering expression.

"Esteemed sir, what kind of rouge are you looking for? We have the finest facial powders here, as well as rouges of various colors. Would you like to try some, sir?" the clerk asked.

"What do you think?" Tang Yi replied softly.

"Well, our shop carries top-tier snowflake powder. Would the young master care to test it?" the clerk continued.

"I..." Tang Yi still answered softly.

"Then we also have exquisite peach-red rouge. Would you like to sample that, sir?" the clerk pressed on.

"Get lost." With that, Tang Yi revealed the emblem of the Six Fan Doors.

Unfazed, the clerk continued, "If you don't need it for yourself, you can buy some as a gift for your wife. Men who dote on their wives are the rarest kind these days, you know."

Dark lines etched across Tang Yi's face. Just then, the shopkeeper emerged.

Upon catching sight of the Six Fan Doors emblem, the shopkeeper was terrified out of his wits and instantly dropped to his knees.

"Spare my life, my lord! Spare my life!" the shopkeeper wailed, begging for mercy.

Tang Yi let out a cold snort and said, "I will not hold you accountable today, but do not let me see him in this cosmetic shop ever again." He pointed at the overly enthusiastic clerk as he spoke.

"Yes, yes, my lord! This humble one guarantees he will never commit the same mistake again." The shopkeeper kowtowed repeatedly, then scrambled to his feet, delivered a fierce kick to the clerk, and cursed, "Hurry up and get to the back courtyard to haul the cargo!"

Even then, the clerk stubbornly muttered, "Even if not for yourself, buying some to gift others isn't a bad idea..."

At that, even the shopkeeper's expression froze.

"Have you seen this woman?" Tang Yi produced a portrait of Yue Xiuxiu issued by the Six Fan Doors and asked the shopkeeper.

"Seen her, seen her. This young lady is a regular customer of our shop. She always picks out a lot of rouge and stays here for a very long time. However, she left in a hurry yesterday without even buying the items she had selected, and she hasn't been back today," the shopkeeper said with a hint of sorrow.

"I see. Do you know when she left?" Tang Yi asked again.

The shopkeeper shook his head to indicate he did not know.

Seeing the shopkeeper's attitude, Tang Yi pressed no further.

"Do you know why she left so abruptly?" Tang Yi asked once more.

"This... I truly have no idea," the shopkeeper replied with a troubled look.

Tang Yi said nothing more.

"Very well, you may withdraw."

"Yes, my lord. This humble one takes his leave."

"Mm." The shopkeeper backed out of the room.

Just then, another clerk in the shop spoke up: "She seemed to have left in a rush right after a man walked in."

"A man?" Tang Yi pondered for a moment before asking, "What did the man look like? Have you ever seen him before?"

"No. When he entered, he was wearing a bamboo hat, so we couldn't see his face clearly."

Tang Yi nodded and instructed the clerk, "Go and draw a likeness of that man for me."

"Yes, my lord," the clerk replied respectfully.

"Once you have drawn his appearance, I will go look for him myself," Tang Yi stated.

"Yes, my lord." The clerk left to carry out the task.

Tang Yi sat down at the table and began to carefully examine the portrait provided by the clerk. The man depicted in the drawing wore a bamboo hat, and his build appeared extremely familiar.

"No way? Is it him?"

Utter shock washed over Tang Yi's face as a specific figure surfaced in his mind.