Huamei snorted, turned and entered the room. Her birth mother, Concubine Liu, followed behind her and said, "My dear, don't be so angry with your father. There's some truth in what he says. He only speaks out of concern for you..."
Huamei glared and retorted, "What truth? He's just mistreating me! Why doesn't he send those legitimate daughters of his to be someone's concubine? You all know how I struggle day by day in that household, yet you only know how to gossip."
Concubine Liu sighed heavily. "What can we do? If your father hadn't gotten into that trouble, you'd be the proper wife of a wealthy family by now. Every day I worry about how that formidable woman in Eldest Master Lin's household might be bullying you..." As she spoke, she began wiping her tears.
Huamei was initially impatient, but seeing her mother cry, she softened her tone. "Alright, alright, as long as you understand my difficulties. At the slightest trouble, all you do is cry. If you had been a bit stronger, I wouldn't have ended up like this." These words made Concubine Liu sob even more. Huamei sighed, pulled Concubine Liu to sit on the bed, and seeing no one around, lowered her voice. "Don't cry, Mother. Perhaps my good days are yet to come. I was born like gold and jade - I shouldn't have become someone's wretched Bedchamber Attendant in the first place."
Concubine Liu stared blankly for a moment, then looked delightedly at Huamei's stomach. "My child, are you with child? That would be wonderful news! If you bear a child, even if it's a girl, the Lin family will surely promote you to Concubine."
Huamei frowned tightly and said, "You just don't understand!" before turning over to lie on the bed.
For a while, nothing happened.
In the middle of the night, Huamei felt increasingly hot while sleeping. Drowsily, she pushed Xique beside her to pour her some tea. Xique, half-asleep, walked to the table and poured half a cup of cold tea. Turning around, the teacup in her hand crashed to the floor with a "smash" as she screamed, "Fire! Fire!"
This shout startled Huamei completely awake. She hurriedly got up from bed and saw that fierce flames had indeed erupted all around. The mistress and maid screamed together, waking the entire household, who then rushed toward the door, pulling and dragging each other. Fortunately, the fire at the doorway wasn't too intense, and the whole family managed to reach the courtyard. When Huamei looked closely, she saw that the room she had been staying in was already enveloped in billowing smoke.
Having only thought of escaping earlier, she now remembered that the account book was still inside the room. She rushed toward the fire, startling Concubine Liu, who grabbed her tightly. "My child! What are you doing?"
Huamei struggled. "Let go! Stop causing trouble!" Breaking free from Concubine Liu's grasp, she was then held around the waist by Xique, who wept and said, "Miss, the fire is so fierce—don't rush to your death! No matter how important that thing is, is it worth more than your life?"
Hearing this, Huamei stopped struggling and stood there dumbly, as if she had lost her senses.
In her heart, Huamei was perfectly clear: this fire was aimed at her.
She thought that returning home would keep her safe, but she never expected that she would anger Zhao Yuechan to the point of wanting her life! Huamei shuddered all over. She had underestimated Zhao Yuechan, but now she was in a situation where it was impossible to retreat.Neighbors rushed to fight the fire, which burned until nearly dawn before extinguishing. The entire house was nearly reduced to ashes, but fortunately, there was no wind that night, preventing the flames from spreading to other buildings. Huamei carefully sifted through the debris and finally found the account book inside a chest. Most of it had been burned away, and with the slightest touch, several pages crumbled to ash. Only a few partially intact pages remained, still bearing Zhao Yuechan’s signature and seal.
Gritting her teeth, Huamei carefully wrapped the remaining pages in cloth and tucked them into her bosom, thinking to herself, "Until the final moment, it’s still uncertain who will emerge victorious. I refuse to believe I cannot overcome this mountain!"
Now, let us turn to another part of the story.
Zhao Yuechan, bold and unscrupulous, had instructed Qian Wenze to set the fire and promised him a hefty sum of silver. Qian Wenze, a scoundrel steeped in vice, indeed burned Huamei’s home to the ground. He sent a few local ruffians to gather information, and the news was relayed through the inner gate to Yingshuang: "The house was completely gutted, nothing remained. Huamei escaped empty-handed."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Yuechan let out a long sigh of relief.
Yingshuang brought over a bowl of freshly stewed chicken soup and said with a smile, "Madam, you can finally rest easy. These past few days, you’ve had no appetite and couldn’t sleep well."
Zhao Yuechan took a spoonful of soup and replied, "Indeed. Without that evidence, it’s a dead end. It’s a pity that little wretch Huamei escaped so quickly." After a pause, she added, "While things are going smoothly, have my cousin bring the human trafficker tomorrow. Once we dispose of that little slut, there will be no more troubles." Yingshuang promptly agreed.
The next morning, as the sky was just beginning to lighten and stars still twinkled on the horizon, Xianglan huddled in a corner, half-asleep. Suddenly, the door opened, and two matrons entered. Without a word, they gagged Xianglan, bound her hands, and dragged her out. Terrified, Xianglan struggled desperately but could not break free. She was hauled to a secluded back gate of the estate, where a tall, fair-skinned young man stood waiting—it was Qian Wenze.
Xianglan trembled uncontrollably. Qian Wenze, holding a folding fan, lifted her chin with a frivolous gesture and examined her closely. "Tsk, tsk, what a pity," he remarked. "Her face is beaten so badly." He had expected to see a stunningly beautiful maid to take back and enjoy, but instead, he found a girl with a bruised and swollen face, her hair disheveled and unkempt. His interest waned instantly. He waved his hand and called out to someone standing nearby, "Sun Laoqi, come here."
Sun Laoqi, a pudgy, round-faced procurer from the Brothel of Joy, sported a thin mustache and had a shrewd appearance. Hearing Qian Wenze’s summons, he scurried over eagerly.
Qian Wenze was involved with Jinfeng, a courtesan from the Brothel of Joy, and had spent lavishly there. Sun Laoqi knew that Qian Wenze had powerful backing and cunning methods, so he always made an effort to curry favor. The previous night, when he heard that Qian Wenze would take him to the Lin family to purchase a maid, Sun Laoqi was delighted. In the past, the brothel had acquired maids from wealthy households—either those who had committed serious offenses and were sold off or those who had seduced the master and were harshly disposed of by the mistress. From Qian Wenze’s hints, he gathered that today’s girl fell into the latter category. Any maid who had caught the eye of the Lin family’s master must have exceptional beauty and figure.But when he saw Xianglan, Old Man Sun couldn't help but grimace. Her eyes and brows were pretty enough, but her face was so swollen it was barely recognizable. He wondered if the swelling would ever go down. If not, she'd only be fit for the lowest-grade teahouse girls. Clicking his tongue, he said, "For this one... at most thirty taels of silver, and that's only because I'm giving face to Eldest Master Qian."
Qian Wenze snorted, "Old Sun, you're all slick talk but no substance. Thirty taels for a grown girl? Even half-grown girls cost more than that. This one's just injured her face—she was quite a looker before. Once the swelling goes down, even your Little Cuixian from the brothel might not compare."
Old Sun thought to himself, This gentleman sure knows how to spin tales. Had he even seen what this maid looked like before? Still, he partly agreed with Qian's assessment. After carefully examining Xianglan's waist, legs, and hands, he gritted his teeth and said, "Forty taels at most. I'll still have to pay for her face treatment—everything costs money, doesn't it?"
Qian Wenze remained unsatisfied. After some haggling with Old Sun, they settled on forty-six taels. The matron produced Xianglan's deed of sale, and Old Sun reached for his money.
Xianglan closed her eyes. This was the first time she'd been bargained over like livestock. Darkness swam before her eyes, her tears long dried up. Clenching her jaw, she thought, "If I truly fall into the brothel, I mustn't seek death. No matter what, I must fight for a way to survive!"
Just then, someone said, "Old Sun, out shopping so early in the morning? Saw you examining goods during my stroll."
Xianglan followed the voice to see a short, thin middle-aged man with a shrewd face, his small eyes darting about. This was Gao Erbao, Old Sun's counterpart from the Yicui Pavilion brothel. Familiar with both Qian and Sun, they exchanged greetings before Gao circled Xianglan once and said, "How much for this girl? I'll offer sixty taels."
Qian Wenze's eyes immediately lit up, and he withdrew the deed he was about to hand to Old Sun.
Old Sun grew frantic, "We already agreed on a price! Why are you stirring trouble?"
Qian Wenze laughed, "Don't rush, Old Sun. Naturally, the highest bidder wins. If you offer more than fifty taels, I'll let you take her."
Old Sun glanced at Xianglan's swollen, broken face, then at his money pouch. Though tempted to offer five more taels, he finally shook his head. Sixty taels for a girl who might end up scarred wasn't worth it—at that price, he could buy an untouched fifteen- or sixteen-year-old from a poor family, train her briefly, and have her earning immediately.
Seeing Old Sun remain silent, Qian Wenze smiled and handed the deed to Gao Erbao with a flourish, "Boss Gao offers generously—she's yours."
Without another word, Gao Erbao placed a sixty-tael silver note in Qian's hand and led Xianglan away.
Qian Wenze was overjoyed. Zhao Yuechan had already promised him whatever the girl sold for. Tapping Old Sun's shoulder with his folding fan, he said, "Let's go. I didn't sleep well last night—have Jinfeng draw me a hot bath and warm the bed at your place. I need to go back for a nap."Old Man Sun hurriedly put on a smiling face, thinking to himself: "Making me run my legs off this early in the morning—today I must get that fifty taels from your pocket!" He said obsequiously: "Then let's be on our way, sir. You haven't visited Golden Phoenix these past few days—our Golden Phoenix has been crying for days and even made you a new pouch..." The two walked farther away, their voices gradually fading.
Gao Erbao held Xianglan at the corner of the alley. Only after seeing Qian and Sun walk far away did he pull Xianglan in another direction. Xianglan felt dizzy and unsteady on her feet, stumbling as she walked. Crossing a short lane, she saw a carriage parked there.
Gao Erbao approached, rubbing his hands and bowing obsequiously: "Sir, the task you assigned is done. As for... this..."
The carriage curtain was suddenly drawn aside. When Xianglan looked closely, she was astonished to see Song Ke's face inside the carriage.
Xianglan trembled all over, two streams of tears suddenly flowing from her eyes. Her heart felt somewhat relieved, yet somewhere deep inside was being tightly gripped. Under this rapid succession of extreme joy and sorrow, her vision blurred, her legs weakened, and she fainted.
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