Everyone was shocked and hurriedly carried Xia Yun to bed. Madam Jin threw herself onto Xia Yun, crying hysterically, “My child, if something happens to you, it would be the death of me!”

Breathing heavily, Xia Yun said, “I spent over a decade studying hard, and all my hard-earned achievements have been destroyed by you all. You… you’re trying to kill me!”

Madam Jin and Second Sister-in-law Xia stared at each other in bewilderment. After a while, Second Sister-in-law Xia licked her lips and carefully asked, “Uncle, your official position was really… really…”

Xia Yun flew into a rage, struggling to sit up, and spat at Second Sister-in-law Xia, cursing, “This is all because of you ignorant, black-hearted women!”

Meanwhile, Madam Jin had collapsed onto the ground, wailing loudly, “Oh heavens! You’re so blind! Just when fortune was about to turn, we were schemed against by that Chen family’s traitorous little harlot! Heaven strike that vile witch! I’ll risk my old life to fight her to the death!” She scrambled up and pushed past the people at the door, running outside.

Everyone in the room was stunned. Xia Yun was the first to react, roaring, “Quick, stop her!”

Second Sister-in-law Xia snapped out of her daze and chased after her.

Third Sister Xia found it amusing, leaning against the doorframe and giggling while biting her finger. Her laughter only made Xia Yun’s head throb more painfully. He used all his strength to throw a teacup at her, which shattered against the doorframe with a crash. Third Sister Xia jumped in fright and quickly ran away.

Meanwhile, Madam Jin had run to the Chen family’s gate, pounding on it while shouting and causing a commotion. Soon, the servant woman sent by Lin Jinlou came to answer the door, blocking Madam Jin at the entrance. Madam Jin made a scene, spewing vulgar words. Second Sister-in-law Xia arrived to pull her away but couldn’t calm her down. Xiang Lan, hearing this from her room, quietly sent a servant boy to report to the authorities and ordered the servant woman to close the door and ignore them.

Shortly after, two constables indeed came from the yamen. Without much discussion, they arrested both Madam Jin and Second Sister-in-law Xia, took them to the county office, and gave them twenty heavy strokes each, breaking both their legs, before allowing the Xia family to collect them. Madam Jin was terrified out of her wits. Being advanced in age and having suffered such injuries to her tendons and bones, she passed away that very night after being carried home.

The Xia family was devastated. Xia Yun’s father was indecisive, his two older brothers were simple-minded farmers, and with Madam Jin gone and Xia Yun bedridden, the family was left without leadership. Surprisingly, the Second Sister-in-law Xia, being physically strong, survived. She called her husband to her side and whispered, “Now that Uncle’s position has been revoked, who knows when we’ll prosper again? We might suffer poverty for years. He’s offended the Lin family, his career might be finished. We must be careful not to suffer along with him.”

Second Brother Xia, being of the same mindset as his wife, quickly asked, “What do you suggest?”

Second Sister-in-law Xia said, “Didn’t the Chen family give sixty taels of silver? Now that Mother has died, you go take the silver for the funeral arrangements. A thin coffin, candles, and paper offerings would cost at most fifteen taels. Secretly keep twenty taels for ourselves.”

Second Brother Xia thought this was an excellent plan but hesitated, “Just now, Little Third was talking about returning the silver to the Chen family… Father agreed too, saying if we sincerely begged, perhaps the Chen family would soften and restore Little Third’s position.”

Second Sister-in-law Xia spat and said, “Nonsense! How can we return the silver we’ve already accepted? Did I take those beatings for nothing? Just do as I say. Don’t we still have that little tramp Yin Die? If we run out of silver, let Uncle sell Yin Die to repay the debt!”

The couple discussed their plan in secret. Second Brother Xia went to request silver for Madam Jin’s funeral. Since the family had few savings, Xia Yun had to give him forty taels. Following the plan, Second Brother Xia used fifteen taels for the funeral, secretly kept twenty taels, and returned five taels to Xia Yun. Xia Yun, being bedridden and unaware of these dealings, had to let his second brother and sister-in-law handle things. Worried that not returning the silver to the Chen family would bring greater disaster, he pondered but couldn’t find a solution. Second Brother Xia then suggested selling Yin Die.

Xia Yun had initially pitied Yin Die because of the Lin family’s gift of servants and loved her beauty, but after these events, any previous kindness vanished. He immediately agreed.

Second Brother Xia then went to find a matchmaker. After asking several places, because Yin Die was no longer pure, high-class families wouldn’t consider her, and middle-class families couldn’t afford a high price. Only one brothel offered one hundred taels of silver, eventually adding ten more after negotiation. Second Brother Xia, being greedy and cruel, knowing Xia Yun was kind-hearted and soft, lied saying he had sold Yin Die to a wealthy family.

As for Yin Die, she had her calculations. Seeing that Xia Yun had lost his position, and the large family had to survive on just a few poor fields, facing poverty again, with everyone being difficult to get along with and having many crude, dirty habits she couldn’t speak of, she had not had a single good day since Xia Yun lost his position. The family either beat or cursed her, treating her with harsh words. Having never suffered poverty since childhood and having grown up in a wealthy Lin household, Yin Die deeply despised the Xia family. When she heard Xia Yun wanted to sell her, though anxious, she felt some secret joy. If the buyer paid a high price to make her a servant or concubine, she could live a luxurious life again. Though she would miss Xia Yun’s youth and handsomeness, and his romantic nature, when she thought of the coarse rice and terrible food she had to eat, even these good points dissolved like clouds in the sky.

Therefore, when Second Brother Xia deceived her by saying, “A wealthy rural landlord wants to buy you as a concubine. Quickly pack your things and go live a rich life. Why stay here and suffer poverty with us!”

Yin Die immediately packed her belongings, entered the room to kowtow to Xia Yun, and knelt on the ground with tears in her eyes saying, “Though I’m reluctant to leave you, Master, the family has suffered great misfortune and needs money. Second Brother selling me can bring back some silver to help with daily expenses.”

Xia Yun, with his head injury unhealed and new symptoms developing, was lying in bed. Hearing Yin Die’s words, his heart softened a bit, thinking that after all their intimate relationship, selling her seemed heartless. But turning his head to look, he saw Yin Die wearing her finest clothes – a pink silk dress embroidered with peonies and butterflies, a peach-red embroidered gauze skirt that showed off her willowy waist, her hair carefully arranged with two or three pearl and jade hairpins, her face powdered and painted, looking extremely beautiful. She showed no signs of reluctant parting, clearly eager to leave.

Xia Yun felt dizzy with anger again, thinking how all current troubles stemmed from this woman. He coldly laughed, “I hope you climb an even higher branch, becoming some rich man’s concubine. I wonder if he’ll mind wearing my old shoes!”

This comment made Yin Die’s face flush red with embarrassment, secretly hating him deeply. She wanted to argue but feared angering Xia Yun and being sold to an unspeakable place, so she held her tongue and withdrew.

Second Brother Xia led Yin Die out the door, immediately changing his expression to a sinister smile, “Little tramp, how dare a sold slave dress more elegantly than the masters?” He grabbed Yin Die’s bundle and yanked all the pins and ornaments from her hair.

Yin Die was shocked and screamed, trying to grab them back. Second Brother Xia kicked her in the stomach, cursing, “You wastrel! You’re lucky I just kicked you!”

Yin Die endured the pain and got up to grab her things again. As Second Brother Xia grabbed her hair and raised his hand to strike, suddenly someone said, “Tsk tsk, this won’t do. How can she see clients if you damage her face!” It was High Er Bao, the procurer from Lean on Green Pavilion, walking over casually.

Second Brother Xia immediately lowered his hand and greeted High Er Bao with a smile. High Er Bao looked Yin Die up and down, satisfied, then paid the silver and took her away. Second Brother Xia received the silver, kept thirty taels for himself, and gave the rest to Xia Yun. Xia Yun took sixty taels to return to the Chen family, but that’s another matter.

As for Yin Die, when she learned she had been sold to a brothel, she was shocked and terrified, crying and cursing endlessly. The madam became annoyed and had her beaten with bamboo strips, then starved her for two meals, after which Yin Die became docile. The madam saw that Yin Die had a pretty face and tried to teach her to read and play music, but unexpectedly, Yin Die was completely ignorant of these things. After many days of teaching, she hadn’t learned anything, though she had a clever mouth for sweet-talking people, she could not read situations and people’s moods.

The madam couldn’t train her properly and knew Yin Die couldn’t learn refined ways, so she simply had her register as a prostitute. Knowing Yin Die wouldn’t comply willingly, she drugged her wine and sold it to a wealthy merchant. Yin Die understood what was happening but couldn’t move her limbs at all, crying inconsolably afterward.

The madam said, “Good girl, make some silver while you’re young, so you’ll have something to rely on when you’re old. Spread your legs and silver comes easily, much more reliable than men’s false affections.”

At that time, the merchant sent another five taels of silver for Yin Die’s cosmetics, saying he would send several sets of gold-threaded clothes another day. The madam was overjoyed and immediately promoted Yin Die, moving her to the best wing and assigning two young maids to serve her. The next day, the merchant sent thirty taels of silver to book Yin Die overnight. Although Yin Die despised the merchant for being old and smelly, she coveted his silver. Seeing the merchant send two bolts of fine silk from his shop for her to make clothes, and famous pastries and wines packed in a large box delivered by servants, everyone in the brothel was envious. Yin Die felt this kind of prestige and luxury surpassed even her time with the Lin family, so she stopped complaining and began working as a prostitute.

One month this man would book her, another month that man would sleep with her. As seasons passed, there were still people willing to redeem her, but Yin Die either complained they were too poor or that the status they offered wasn’t prestigious enough. Before she knew it, she had aged and lost her beauty. When she finally realized it, those willing to redeem her were far beneath her standards, making her increasingly resentful. After two more winters, she contracted a venereal disease, with pus oozing from her body.

The madam found Yin Die’s condition disgusting and drove her from her room, letting her stay only in the lower-class brothel where only peddlers and laborers would pay to stay. Gradually, even these men became unwilling to come. One day, Yin Die suffered from severe stomach pain, but no one called for a doctor. When someone finally noticed, she was already dead, her eyes wide open as if glaring with hatred at someone, maggots crawling on her body. They simply wrapped her in a mat and buried her carelessly.