Medicine Master Disc Chapter 161: Playing a Game of Swapped Identities

Five Lotus Manor had five female ghosts, each with a different identity.

A widowed young mistress, the manor master's younger sister, a young lady from a scholarly household, a celebrated river entertainer, and a female knight-errant.

From the mont Li Qiuchen realized that Qingqing had never actually identified herself, but instead disguised herself as a maidservant, and that Zisu, clearly a martial woman, was performing as a woman of easy virtue, he knew he had his hands on the substance of this question.

Setting aside for the mont why five people would be wearing each other's masks, his first task was to strip those masks away.

Only by properly matching each of the five female ghosts to her actual identity would he have any chance of finding the true secret hidden beneath the question's surface.

The mistress's expression shifted slightly at his words, though she quickly raised her handkerchief to conceal the lapse.

"What does scholar an by that?"

"Nothing more than what it sounds like. We are all playing a ga together. Mistress may speak either truthfully or falsely. Speaking falsely is simply equivalent to withdrawing from the ga. Of course, with Qingqing not here by my side, I would have no way of telling the difference even if you did deceive ."

The mistress was quiet for a mont, then nodded. "Indeed. I didn't expect scholar to see through

so quickly. But I find myself wanting to ask a question in return. How did you determine I was not the young mistress?"

"Your performance wasn't convincing."

Li Qiuchen gave a simple explanation. "To begin with, the hierarchy was already muddled. Everyone addresses you as Mistress, yet you as the head of the household keep referring to my sisters and I without a second thought. Is that how soone in authority would behave? And from the mont you agreed to play this ga with , I beca certain you were not a woman from a respectable background."

Hongluan said with feigned offense, "Is a young mistress not allowed to have a lighthearted outlook?"

"I never said you couldn't be lighthearted. But the mont I proposed this ga, you imdiately recognized the flaw in its rules and instinctively moved to patch and refine them. Is that the kind of experience one would expect a proper young mistress to have?"

Hongluan went quiet.

After a long pause she finally said in a low voice, "Then who does scholar believe is the true young mistress?"

"Does this count as the second round of the ga?"

"If you say it counts, then it counts."

Li Qiuchen raised his hand and pointed toward Yilan, who had been sitting in silence. "Miss Yilan is the true young mistress."

Hongluan said, puzzled, "Why her?"

"Simple process of elimination. Miss Zisu and my wife can be set aside for the mont, and you, Miss Hongluan, are not the genuine article, which leaves only Miss Yilan and little Ying."

Li Qiuchen smiled. "The word Mistress is quite deceptive. It sounds as though it implies advanced age, and among the five of you, Miss Hongluan, you are the oldest in appearance and the most mature-looking. But the problem is..."

"When the young mistress first ca to this house as a bride, she would not have been very old."

"And there is also the fact that Yilan is still wearing mourning white, looking exactly as a widow would."

"There is also a more important piece of evidence. She was the one able to slip the bolt on my wife's door from outside, overriding a rule the so-called Mistress had established for the household."

"Now it is my turn to ask. Miss Yilan, am I correct?"

Yilan's expression remained blank. She said in a cool voice, "You've already deduced this much. What point is there in seeking my confirmation?"

"There is a point, of course. You could deny it, and voluntarily withdraw from this ga."

"Your guess is correct. I am the true head of this household. Hongluan is nothing but a woman of the pleasure quarters. Though scholar is so remarkably perceptive, I thought you might have more aningful questions to ask."

"What counts as a more aningful question?"

Li Qiuchen spread his hands with a smile. "Beyond the question of who holds claim to

tonight, what could possibly be more aningful?"

Yilan opened her mouth, but in the end said nothing.

"Then let us begin the third round of the ga."

Li Qiuchen turned to look at little Ying, sitting beside Hongluan with a thoroughly blank expression, clearly unable to make head or tail of what was happening. "If I'm not mistaken, you are the manor master's younger sister. Is that right?"

"Hm? Yes, that's !"

Little Ying blinked, caught up, and nodded vigorously.

Hongluan said with surprise, "Everyone else's identity turned out to be wrong. Why does scholar think hers is correct?"

Because from the very beginning I never assud all five answers were wrong.

Did you think I was playing a simple matching ga that straightforward?

Li Qiuchen turned it back. "Does that count as a question?"

"It doesn't!"

Yilan suddenly spoke. "Don't keep letting him set the pace for all of you. I want to ask scholar a question. If it hadn't been Qingqing who opened the door for you first, but any one of us without any prior conditions established, which of us would scholar have chosen as a wife?"

This is the actual mistress of the house. She finally realized I'd been guiding the whole conversation and is taking the initiative to bring things back on track.

Li Qiuchen smiled. "Miss Yilan, your question contains two questions, really. Without any prior conditions, who would I notice first, and who would I ultimately choose. Am I reading that correctly?"

Yilan frowned. "Is there a difference between those two questions?"

Of course there is. The first asks about personal inclination. The second asks about personal judgnt.

"There is a difference."

Li Qiuchen explained carefully. "Speaking from my personal aesthetic preferences, I tend to favor..."

His gaze swept briefly over Zisu's considerable assets, then settled on Hongluan. "Soone like Miss Hongluan."

Zisu stared.

What is wrong with you!

You were looking at

while you said that. And aren't we the sa size? Why her and not ?

Hongluan covered a pleased smile. Zisu fixed Li Qiuchen with a glare.

"But that is only a first impression."

Li Qiuchen cleared his throat, extinguishing Hongluan's budding hope. "If the final choice were left to , I would still choose Qingqing."

"Why?"

"Does that count as a question?"

"If you won't say it counts, you won't tell the truth either!"

Yilan snorted. "Fine. This is the fourth round's question, and you are obligated to give us a reason we can accept."

"I can give three reasons."

Li Qiuchen held up three fingers. "But the first two are confidential for the mont. As for the third, it is simply that Qingqing is very easy to manage."

"She only wants my money. The rest of you want my life."

"When Qingqing and I demonstrated the first round for you, I already told you all that I have money. None of you showed the slightest interest."

"Troubles that can be solved with money are not real troubles. Young ladies, each of you is precisely the kind of trouble that money cannot solve. How could I dare to choose any of you?"

This speech left everyone present flushed and speechless.

Zisu suddenly slapped a hand down on the table. "That's not right! You're lying! I wanted the wayfaring coin too! In what way is my figure inferior to Hongluan's? You chose Hongluan, you chose Qingqing, and you never chose . Why?"

Li Qiuchen smiled. "I haven't had my turn to ask this round yet. If this counts as your question, then I'll be asking two questions in a row after this. Is that acceptable?"

"Acceptable! Answer !"

"First, your wayfaring coin was given to you by Qingqing. If Qingqing alone can satisfy you, why would I need to add myself to that equation?"

"Second..."

Li Qiuchen gave a dry laugh. "Miss Zisu, your body fat percentage is too low."

What?

Zisu stared at him in complete bafflent.

What did you just say?

"What I an is, Miss Zisu has trained in martial arts for many years and has developed considerable muscle. The tactile experience is not quite right."

"The tactile experience! Co here and feel for yourself if you think the tactile experience is not right!"

Zisu's temper ignited completely and she pushed up her sleeves, about to vault onto the table, before being grabbed firmly by both Hongluan and Yilan and hauled back.

"Please don't be upset, young lady. I was only joking."

Li Qiuchen hurriedly offered reassurance. "Perhaps we should stop here for tonight. Every ti I tell the truth, it seems to upset everyone."

"Scholar need not worry."

Yilan said in her cool voice, "We can tell truth from falsehood when we hear it. Zisu has a short temper. Scholar need not take it personally. And none of us are incapable of handling ourselves in this kind of exchange. It is now scholar's turn to ask questions again. Two questions. Whoever you'd like to ask. Or would you prefer to wait for Qingqing to return first?"

There you are. Getting worked up now.

My dear girl, only soone who genuinely cannot handle the ga would keep insisting they can. That's called self-deception.

Watching the young ladies beginning to lose their composure, Li Qiuchen allowed himself a small smile, and finally showed his hand.

"Then I won't stand on ceremony any further. Let us speak plainly. Beyond those present, which young lady in the manor has not appeared tonight?"

The mont the words were out, a crashing sound ca from outside the door.

Qingqing, who had just co back with freshly boiled water, gave a start and dropped the copper kettle on the floor.

If Qingqing was already back, who hadn't appeared?

The room fell into complete silence.

After a long pause, Yilan finally spoke. "Whatever do you an by that, scholar..."

"Miss Yilan, you said yourself just now that you are not soone who cannot handle this ga."

"Scholar is overthinking it. I would naturally never lie. There is indeed one young lady who has not co tonight. I simply don't understand how scholar can be so certain there are six won in this manor."

Six female ghosts, Li Qiuchen silently corrected.

The Four Heavenly Kings having five mbers, was that not common knowledge?

"Two reasons."

"First, I felt that a young lady who genuinely ca from a scholarly household with a proper upbringing would have no interest in participating in this kind of ga."

Otherwise why give soone that background? What books are supposed to have been read, exactly?

"Second, I have now identified all your identities, matching them one by one, and only my wife remains. But Qingqing... she doesn't resemble a young lady of quality, does she?"

Everyone instinctively nodded.

Li Qiuchen gestured for Qingqing to co to his side, and asked quietly, "May I ask my second question now?"

Qingqing blinked, and suddenly felt a wave of unease.

"Husband... what do you want to ask?"

"I want to ask you. The story you told , Five Lotus Manor's past, the tragic fates of these young ladies, and all of them sitting here right now playing gas with , all of it is false, isn't it?"

"From beginning to end there has only been you in this manor, and you are no ghost immortal. I think my guess is right, isn't it, little lotus spirit?"

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