Xiao Yunting quietly looked at Qi Yuan for a moment, then suddenly asked, “Does Miss Qi have anything to do right now?”
Seeing Qi Yuan shake her head, he let out a breath and nodded. “Since you’re free, why don’t we go to the Yihong Courtyard together?”
Baizhi, who had been quietly serving at the side, couldn’t pretend not to hear anymore when she heard him say that. She spoke in a low voice, “Th-that wouldn’t be proper, would it? That’s a brothel!”
As soon as the words left her mouth, her face flushed red like it was on fire. After all, for a proper lady, going to such a place was ruinous to her reputation—never mind actually stepping inside.
Miss Qi was, after all, a lady of a marquis household. Though she often acted differently from typical noblewomen, if word got out that she had visited a brothel, her reputation would surely be in tatters.
Xiao Yunting didn’t respond to Baizhi. He merely looked at Qi Yuan, waiting for her answer.
Qi Yuan was silent for a moment, then suddenly smiled. “Sure.”
Baizhi was so startled she clutched tightly at Qi Yuan’s arm. Even after they got into the carriage, she was still anxiously trying to persuade her. “Miss! The Yihong Courtyard is truly not a good place…”
She had been sold into the marquis household by human traffickers, and had of course heard of Yihong Courtyard’s reputation.
Many girls would rather throw themselves into a well than be sent there.
With a sob in her voice, she explained, “Miss, many of the girls who end up in Yihong Courtyard eventually die of diseases. That place is cursed! Men can go, but women—especially women of status—must never set foot there. If word gets out that you went, even as the marquis’s daughter, you’ll be drowned in spit and gossip!”
The longer she served Qi Yuan, the more Baizhi liked her.
Despite her sharp demeanor, Qi Yuan was actually the easiest to serve. She never made trouble, never abused her status to bully servants. Compared to any other master in the household, she was the kindest—she actually saw them as human beings.
When Lianqiao got hurt, Qi Yuan even asked Xiao Yunting to help get an imperial physician to treat her.
People have feelings, and Baizhi truly didn’t want anything to happen to Qi Yuan.
Qi Yuan chuckled and patted her hand reassuringly. “With His Highness there, not a single word will get out. Don’t worry.”
There was nothing Baizhi could do, and she turned pale as she nodded nervously. When they arrived, she followed closely behind Qi Yuan.
Though the Yihong Courtyard was located outside the city, its facade was no less opulent than any restaurant in the capital. Lanterns adorned the building, glowing under the moonlight like a dazzling wonderland.
Xiao Yunting didn’t let Qi Yuan show herself. Instead, he had Babao and Liujin bribe the madam with silver and had the carriage taken to the rear courtyard, where Qi Yuan stepped down.
It was the busiest time of night—patrons flooded in through the front as the brothel opened its doors.
Xiao Yunting sat in a private room, fanning away the overpowering fragrance in the air with some discomfort. Frowning, he asked, “Miss Qi, why must you insist I come here to see…”
Before he could finish, Qi Yuan suddenly raised her hand to silence him.
Right after, Xiao Yunting heard the clatter of drums—someone was banging the stage drums. Then, a dozen girls were shoved onto the stage while the madam began to auction them off with a beaming smile.
The scene made Xiao Yunting feel restless and uneasy. He shifted in his seat. “Miss Qi, there’s nothing worth watching here…”
Qi Yuan stared at him intently, so much so that Xiao Yunting felt a chill crawl up his back. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
Qi Yuan didn’t answer. She simply seemed lost in thought.
In her past life, she had been dumped in this place. After the madam washed her up and treated her leg, she was forced to take clients.
At the time, she thought she would end up like all the other girls in the building—servicing men, catching diseases, left to rot, and eventually dumped in a mass grave.
Everything Baizhi said was true. Qi Yuan had witnessed it all herself—so many tragic fates of so many girls.
It was Xiao Yunting who saw her stab a client with a hairpin and saved her on a whim.
…
But all that was in the past now. She snapped out of it and stopped beating around the bush. Standing, she said to Xiao Yunting, “Then let me show Your Highness something different.”
Babao and Liujin had already been holding back their questions.
When the prince said he wanted to come to a brothel, they were stunned.
He had never gone to such vulgar places before—let alone bringing the marquis’s daughter along. What was that supposed to mean?
And now it seemed Qi Yuan wasn’t just here to tour the place. They were even more confused.
Liujin whispered, “What on earth is Miss Qi trying to do?”
But Xiao Yunting clearly had no misgivings at all. The moment Qi Yuan stood, he followed her without hesitation.
Qi Yuan led him downstairs, straight through the main hall and into the rear courtyard, moving like someone who had been there before.
Babao and Liujin were left behind to watch over Baizhi.
Xiao Yunting was startled to realize how familiar Qi Yuan was with the layout. She didn’t even need to look where she was going.
He narrowed his eyes and was about to ask when Qi Yuan suddenly grabbed his wrist.
He stiffened at the sudden contact.
But Qi Yuan didn’t care. She pulled him around a corner and crouched behind a pillar. From this angle, they had a clear view of a row of rooms in the rear courtyard.
From that moment, Xiao Yunting stopped asking what she wanted to show him.
Because he saw several empty wooden carts being wheeled in from outside, each carrying girls sprawled across them—limp like lambs awaiting slaughter.
Under the cover of night, everything happened naturally and in secret.
A beautiful woman in red fanned herself lazily and asked, “Where did this batch come from? Their skin doesn’t look too good.”
The ruffians delivering them laughed crudely, saying vulgar things, and openly grumbled, “You want virgins and pretty ones too? Two-legged sheep are getting harder to find! Be glad we got this many at all. Even the other brothels don’t kill them off as fast as you do!”
A fat man with a large mole clicked his tongue. “Miss Hong Xiao, we’re risking our necks to get you this ‘merchandise.’ Where else are you going to find goods like this?”
Xiao Yunting glanced at Qi Yuan. The look in his eyes said it all:
So this woman was Hong Xiao.
