“This is our Yicui Pavilion’s newly arrived Miss Lamei. She’s from a proper respectable family background, proficient in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting—truly the most understanding and charming flower who knows how to appreciate romance.”

The madam winked suggestively as she pushed Lamei toward Qin Yining.

Qin Yining looked up briefly, naturally moved aside to make room, and pulled Lamei to sit beside her.

Seeing the pretty young master had taken interest, the madam immediately beamed and glanced at Zhao Wanjin, then instructed the other girls: “Serve these gentlemen well.”

Zhao Wanjin amusedly tossed her another silver ingot, and the madam immediately expressed profuse gratitude before withdrawing.

Zhao Wanjin and Zhao Yinuo were actually veterans of pleasure quarters, but with Qin Yining right beside them, they couldn’t very well display their skills.

“Ladies, are you skilled at singing?” Zhao Wanjin’s large hand fondled a red-dressed girl beside him.

The girl read the situation, noticing that both this rough man and the more refined gentleman beside him seemed quite wary of the youngest, most handsome young master. When they tried to approach the young master, they were blocked, so she knew these visitors today might be here to discuss business rather than purely for pleasure.

The red-dressed girl tactfully smiled: “In response to the gentleman, we sisters have no other talents, but playing music and singing are our specialties. If the gentleman likes, we sisters will humbly perform a song.”

“Good, good.” Zhao Wanjin was already captivated by that soft, seductive voice. If he kept several girls by his side, wouldn’t he embarrass himself in front of the leader?

So Zhao Wanjin generously rewarded the girls, and the red-dressed girl led them as they stood up.

Miss Lamei also seemed relieved as she stood up from beside Qin Yining, preparing to leave with the others.

However, Qin Yining grabbed her hand and forcefully pulled her into her embrace.

Lamei cried out in surprise, falling to sit beside Qin Yining.

The red-dressed woman and the others were somewhat surprised but understood—apparently this young master had taken a fancy to the newcomer Lamei. Everyone tactfully withdrew to the outer room separated by a curtain, cooperatively playing their specialty pieces.

Lamei was actually Miss Yu, whose family had been destroyed by Young Master Gao’s persecution. At this moment, her snow-white wrist was tightly grasped by Qin Yining. While feeling both ashamed and angry, she also had a sense of fate.

Was this her destiny? Could she truly not escape?

She knew perfectly well what Young Master Gao was thinking. She even suspected that her father’s case was something Young Master Gao had arranged privately. Because in this place, the old capital, for Gao the Assistant Magistrate to do such manipulations was almost as easy as moving his lips—there were plenty of scoundrels below who would do this kind of “dirty work” for him for various reasons.

If it were just herself, she would rather dash her head against a wall and die than do this kind of work serving men. But her sister was still being held by the madam, and if she didn’t obey properly, she could hardly imagine what kind of life her sister would live.

She couldn’t die—she could only strive to live. Only by living could she look after her sister and let her already tragically deceased parents rest in peace.

Lamei’s eyes filled with tears, but she dared not let them fall. This appearance of wanting to cry but not crying, wanting to smile but unable to, was truly pitiable.

Thinking of this woman’s background, Qin Yining couldn’t help but sigh. Not wanting to continue frightening her, she gently tapped Lamei’s hand with her slender finger.

When Lamei’s attention was drawn and she looked up, Qin Yining lifted the delicate finger that had tapped Lamei’s hand and lightly brushed it across her own pale earlobe.

Lamei looked closely and suddenly widened her eyes.

No wonder this young master was so beautiful—he had pierced ears! Could he actually be a woman in disguise?

She stared wide-eyed in surprise, tears still in her eyes, looking truly adorable.

Qin Yining smiled gracefully, her eyes and brows carrying beautiful charm, but she had drawn her eyebrows thicker, making them into long sword-like brows that extended to her temples. Her eye corners were also drawn slightly narrow and upturned, removing feminine softness and instead appearing androgynously handsome. The curve of her lips made her seem somewhat roguishly elegant.

Lamei was immediately mesmerized. Who would have thought such a handsome young man was actually a woman in disguise!

Her tense body suddenly relaxed. After being dazed for a long while, she gradually came to her senses, only then realizing that the sweat on her back had soaked through her undergarments.

“This… young master, you…” Lamei’s voice was hoarse as if scraped by sandpaper.

Qin Yining waved her hand to interrupt her voice, smiling as she tilted up her chin and pointed toward the outside.

Lamei immediately understood—she was afraid they might say something inappropriate that those outside would hear.

She immediately closed her mouth.

But she didn’t recognize this young lady, nor did she know what she had come to do. Even if she wasn’t a man and couldn’t actually make her serve him, she didn’t believe her arrival was completely without purpose.

What could be valuable about her, just a daughter from an ordinary family?

Lamei lowered her head, anxiously clenching her fists again.

Seeing her nervousness, Qin Yining didn’t communicate much with her, afraid this skittish girl might draw attention and suspicion.

Qin Yining began eating and drinking with the Zhao Wanjin and Zhao Yinuo brothers. She couldn’t speak much to avoid exposing herself, so the Zhao brothers engaged in lofty discussions about current affairs, policies, and future arrangements for the soup kitchen matters in the old capital.

They appeared exactly like people discussing business.

Only then did Lamei realize that this wealthy gentleman, who seemed somewhat refined but was essentially still a rough man, was the famous philanthropist Master Qian currently renowned in the city.

Lamei’s eyes suddenly brightened, and she felt some hope for the future.

This Master Qian was so kind-hearted—if she begged him, might there be hope of escaping these clutches? Even if not, at least she could save her sister from suffering!

Thinking of this, Lamei felt like a drowning person grasping the last straw. She stood up and knelt before Zhao Wanjin. Her knees struck the wooden floor with a loud sound that startled even those playing music outside.

“Master, this humble woman begs you to save my life!”

Upon hearing this, Zhao Wanjin glanced at Qin Yining, and only after Qin Yining nodded slightly did he say in a deep voice: “Young lady, why do you say this? I’m merely a merchant who at most has some stinking money. I have neither power nor influence—how can I save your life? Or are you asking me to buy your freedom?”

These words hit Lamei’s ears like slaps to her face.

She had indeed harbored this thought. But now thinking about it, she had no relationship with this philanthropist Master Qian, and this was their first meeting. She wasn’t like those women in the brothel who knew how to charm men, nor would she stoop to such methods. How could she expect someone to spend silver to buy her freedom for nothing? On what basis?

Lamei swallowed her bitterness and said through tears: “Master, I’m already in this state—it doesn’t matter anymore. But my family was harmed by villains, destroyed completely, leaving only my sister and me depending on each other. Now my eight-year-old sister is trapped in this building. She’s still so young—her life hasn’t even begun! I beg you to show mercy and buy her! Even working as a fire-tending maid in your household would be better than staying in this brothel! This humble woman has no way to repay you in this lifetime, but in the next life I’ll work like an ox or horse to repay you!”