Playing the Foolish Beauty in a Deadly Game - Chapter 86

The servant wanted to say something but stopped himself in the end. If it were another gentleman, the male servant wouldn’t mind cracking some risqué jokes to amuse him. For instance, he could talk about the most popular brothel catalogues or the romantic affairs of some lady. However, this guest was different; he absolutely could not be joked about.

Mr. Yan Ting was the new darling of Fog City, a hotshot figure who not only possessed unimaginable wealth but also had a personal audience with the Queen. Both the nouveau riche and the conservative nobility treated Mr. Yan Ting with respect. There were many rumors about him: a wealthy man from a foreign land, with extensive knowledge, strong-willed, and cold in character. Although he was of mixed race, his mysterious origins and handsome, charming looks had won the hearts of many noble ladies and wives.

However… it was said that Mr. Yan Ting was perfect in every way, except for one flaw: he was miserly. He was not only unromantic and self-disciplined but also had no lover to amuse himself. He showed no interest in jewelry, gourmet food, or any extravagant and hedonistic banquets. In front of such a person, the male servants dared not even crack a joke, let alone say an extra word.

In fact, from a modern perspective, Yan Ting’s “miserliness” was quite normal and couldn’t even be described with such a derogatory term. Both “not promiscuous” and not indulging in “pleasures” were qualities to be highly praised. But in this era, it seemed out of place. After all, during this period, it was considered abnormal for the wealthy not to indulge in pleasures. They lived in luxury, spent money like water, and their country was currently the most powerful in the world. Standing at the top of the world and their own society, their booming economy influenced their ideology. On the surface, they appeared respectable, but in private, having just transitioned from feudalism to capitalism, their civilization was still superficial. Perhaps it was because the old class understood that they were on the brink of extinction, so they indulged in a desperate revelry.

Of course, figures like Yan Ting represented the unstoppable tide of progress, the emerging class that could not be held back. Thus, while the nobility of Fog City feared him, they also tried to ingratiate themselves with him. They pursued him while also criticizing him, and Yan Ting was thus labeled as “the miser.”

To say how far the title of “The Miser of Fog City” had spread, even Lin Qiao had heard of it while in the brothel. After returning to the brothel, Lin Qiao’s damp appearance was indeed scolded by Lady Claurus. But considering the substantial “commission” Mr. Deladen had given, Lady Claurus eventually let Lin Qiao off the hook.

Lin Qiao quietly breathed a sigh of relief and was led to a single, luxurious bedroom, which contained only a bed, a dressing table, and a wardrobe. Lady Claurus was the woman who had initially cut Lin Qiao’s dress. She was still charming, stern yet alluring: “From now on, you will live here.”

“Lin Qiao, when you go out to clean in the future, you will only clean the study. I must prepare a more luxurious set of clothes for you.”

“Your clients from now on will be gentlemen like Mr. Deladen. When dealing with them, you must use better things.”

“Of course, we can’t have them come to you while you’re living in a shabby single room. The place is too small; the gentlemen won’t enjoy themselves.”

“Arranging a new room for you also means an increase in rent. You owe me more money now, but don’t worry, you will definitely be able to pay it off…”

Lin Qiao knew that such “irregular” brothels, on the surface, were all some sort of company or the landlord and tenant of some mansion. Girls from the slums were brought here under the guise of recruitment and then lost their freedom.

The “landlord” or “company boss” would pay to dress up the girls, provide them with food and accommodation, and a meager share of the profits. This led to the girls being in long-term “debt,” making it impossible to repay the loans. However, there was a possibility of paying off the debt: being bought by a more affluent gentleman and becoming a slave.

Lin Qiao was not worried about this issue. He had the prop “perfume” in hand and wouldn’t suffer too much. More importantly, in this era, most girls who came to the brothel were actually willing.

One couldn’t use normal modern thinking to understand the background of this game. For example, there were also female workers in factories, but their physical condition was even worse than that of prostitutes. Because legal prostitution was regulated, the girls inside would undergo mandatory health checks. Brothels like Claurus Cleaning Company, which operated under a cover, would also ensure the health of their prostitutes to retain customers.

There were popular pamphlets circulating among the men of Fog City, which contained evaluations of each “famous beauty,” known as the “Fog City Roster.” If any brothel, “mansion,” or “company” had a sexually transmitted disease outbreak, it would affect their clientele.

In addition, the working conditions for female workers were without protection, with poor working environments, high intensity, and low wages. In a situation where some men couldn’t even find jobs, female workers were occasionally assaulted, creating an extra position. Some employers used female workers with the intention of withholding wages, knowing that they wouldn’t cause trouble like male workers.

No one stood up for these female workers, and no one provided them with protection. However, during this period, prostitutes were generally protected by criminal organizations, at least the young and beautiful first and second-class ones. As for the lowest-class prostitutes, they still lived in dire circumstances. Occasionally, “purity” movements would cause trouble for the brothel organizations, but if managed properly, the church would only arrest the unaffiliated “dark prostitutes” and send them to sanatoriums.

Since Lin Qiao knew the type of game he was about to enter, he had studied a lot about this period. Understanding these details would help Lin Qiao gain more clues. For example, Lin Qiao guessed that the bottle of mummy powder given by Lady Claurus was not originally from the brothel but purchased from elsewhere. The most likely source was the gang that protected “Claurus Cleaning Company,” the same gang that Sweet, the “driver,” belonged to.

Lin Qiao quickly adjusted his mindset and wording. When he spoke again, his tone was soft and sweet: “Thank you, Lady Claurus, I will do as you say. Madam, may I ask if there is any more of that strange powder?”

Lady Claurus became wary: “Why do you ask?”

Lin Qiao explained, “Mr. Deladen was very pleased with it after using it, so he asked me to inquire.”

Lady Claurus laughed this time: “You can just have him come to me directly to purchase it.”

Lin Qiao nodded and casually mentioned, “Mr. Deladen said it was made from mummies, which is quite terrifying.”

“Can I avoid seeing Mr. Deladen in the future? He hurt me, and he said he was going to attend a mummy banquet and bring me a palm.”

Lady Claurus reacted strongly: “What did you say? Mummy banquet… cough, I mean, are you sure?”

Lin Qiao had said this to gauge Lady Claurus’s reaction, and now her reaction was as he had expected.

Lady Claurus became distracted and gave Lin Qiao a few more instructions: “Alright, you rest well. You’ll be busy tonight. Only by resting well and being energetic can you serve better.”

“You are quite well-behaved, unlike another wretch I brought from the slums. She dared to resist and is now locked in the stable.”

“I’m telling you this to show you how sensible you are. You sleep on a soft bed, while she can’t even sleep on straw.”

“That girl is truly foolish. To work here is the aspiration of many poor girls… Ah, never mind, I’m leaving now. I’ll bring you the latest perfume and face cream.”

After saying this, Lady Claurus left very satisfied, pinching Lin Qiao’s cheek and smiling, “What a nice girl, I almost want to sleep with you.”

Lady Claurus hurried away, and not long after, Lin Qiao saw her leave in a carriage through the window, looking very anxious.

If Lin Qiao’s guess was correct, Lady Claurus must have gone to meet the big boss who protected her, to bring him news about the “mummy banquet.”

Lin Qiao’s probing was just a probe, and fortunately, he had discovered some useful information.

Mummies were ground into powder and sold in brothels as “aphrodisiac” drugs. Mummies, of course, were smuggled from Egypt abroad. Due to their scarcity, they were very valuable. Just look at the wealthy people holding “mummy banquets” to know how precious a mummy corpse was, even holding a party to celebrate.

Since it was so precious, how did the gang behind the brothel get and sell it? And why were they so anxious after learning about the “party”?

Lin Qiao changed his clothes, dried his hair, and then headed towards the stable.

He also wanted to verify one thing: the identity of the prostitute who “preferred death to submission.”

Lin Qiao did not leave through the main gate but walked towards the backyard. Most of the people in the rooms he passed were resting, and a few rooms had sounds of intimacy coming from them.

Lin Qiao walked cautiously, lifting the hem of his dress to avoid being noticed.

The supervisors in charge of the brothel quickly spotted Lin Qiao, this sneaky little creature. Most of them were tall and had a frivolous attitude. They usually liked to play with the girls and naturally chose to tease him now.

So two or three of them surrounded him, cornering Lin Qiao against the wall.

Lin Qiao looked up: “?”

“Where are you going, sweetheart? How about I take you somewhere?” The leader of the group whistled, intending to grope Lin Qiao’s chest, only to find that the girl was flat as a board, so he pinched Lin Qiao’s chin and shook it.

Lin Qiao: “……”

Lin Qiao licked his lips, then spread his arms and even stood on his tiptoes.

The leader was a bit bewildered, but after realizing what was happening, he laughed heartily and picked Lin Qiao up without hesitation.

Lin Qiao commanded, “I’m going to the stable, to… bring some biscuits.”

Then he furtively took out a handkerchief from his pocket, which contained a few pieces of broken but sweet biscuits.

The three supervisors looked at each other, and one of them said, “You mean Di Qian? She’s a tough nut. If Claurus finds out you’re bringing food to her, we’ll be in trouble.”

Lying, Claurus never said Di Qian couldn’t have food.

However, the name Di Qian… it didn’t sound like an NPC at all. Lin Qiao was even more determined to take a look.

Knowing these people were teasing him, Lin Qiao still took a deep breath.