Every day, many girls are sent to the San Fu class. Some of these girls are still very young, while others have already become old and faded. However, once they are sent in, it means that for the rest of their lives, there is almost no way out. What awaits them is deep despair and a bleak ending.

  It's the same today too.

  Two lively little girls were thrown in, among the haggard and dispirited women, like two tender scallions, with a sense of incongruity that clashed with this place.

  "I think it's not necessary to tidy up anymore." The mother with a face full of wrinkles looked at the two of them critically: "They look good, and they're delicate and tender-skinned, but I don't know how long they can last. Alright, take them into the tea room."

  The two little girls were already trembling with fear, these two people were none other than Yanmei and Shuibei who were to be sold to the ninth-class brothel under Ruan Yun's care.

  Yanmei and Shuibei had been serving Shen Qing since they were young, and could be considered as the most favored maids. They had never suffered any hardships before. Now, seeing all sorts of hellish scenes along the way, they had already been scared to the point where tears wouldn't even fall from their eyes. And what that mother said was enough to shatter their only hope, she said: "Keep a close eye on them, don't let them seek death."

  Unable to seek death, they could only be like those lowly wind and dust women, receiving customers every day without stop. Thinking of this, Yanmei and Shuibei couldn't help but feel dizzy.

  At this moment, a young man was walking towards the entrance of Sanfu Class. The man looked quite young and his demeanor didn't seem like that of a laborer. The girl who greeted him at the door said: "Is this young man lost? This is Sanfu Class, upstairs are Lou and Ge."

  The implication is that with this young man's status, he wouldn't come to a place like this even if he was looking for pleasure. This is a place where only the poorest of people would come.

  "What does that mean?" The young man lowered his voice and said: "You have some new girls here, right?"

  The woman at the door was taken aback, but then she understood. This man must have never been to a lower-class brothel before and wanted to try something new, which wasn't unusual. Wealthy families always had various ways of having fun, and coming to Sanfu Brothel was an affordable way to do so. She smiled and said: "This young gentleman has come to the right place, today we just got two new girls, they're maids from an official's household who made a mistake, previously they were serving the official's daughter, they're very pretty, but the price is slightly higher."

  "Take me there," he said.

  The woman who had shown him the way led the young man into a teahouse.

  The third-class brothel is the lowest and most contemptible place, I don't know if it's because all the people who come here are laborers, or because the girls here are very cheap. In just a short time, like the time it takes to drink a bowl of tea, if the girl has some skill and a soft tone, she can get the customer to pay for another plate of snacks, that's also an accomplishment.

  However, generally speaking, guests who come here will only order a pot of tea. Firstly, the girls are not willing to spend their energy on it, no matter how much money they have, they won't get a single word from them. Secondly, most of the guests who come here are stingy and don't want to spend an extra copper coin.

  But today this young man ordered a pot of tea and a plate of dim sum, which was already considered a generous customer for Sanfu Ban. The woman who led the way quickly called someone to bring in two little girls.

  Yanmei and Shuibei were forced to change into thin silk clothes, and with a heart full of shame, they arrived at the teahouse. On this autumn day, both of them shivered with fear, their clothes unable to ward off the chill, and their hearts even more afraid.

  The woman who led the way saw that someone had arrived, and with a flattering tone said to the young man: "Young master, please take your time drinking tea, I'll just step down first." As she passed by Yanmei and Shuibei, she also said in a threatening tone: "Take good care of this gentleman."

  After the woman left, Yan Mei hesitated for a moment and saw that the young man still didn't make any moves. She spoke in a low voice: "Master..." As soon as she said this, she felt deeply humiliated. In the past when they were at Shen's residence, they were the personal maids of the second daughter-in-law. Not to mention in Caiyun Garden, but even in the entire Shen residence, all the maids treated them with utmost respect. Now, however, they had to be trampled by thousands and ridden by tens of thousands, and also insulted by strange men.

  And all of this was thanks to Ren Yuanyun, who had abandoned them to this lowly brothel. The master-servant relationship that had lasted for over a decade was reduced to nothing in an instant, making them worse off than sworn enemies.

  "Do you want to leave this place?" The young man suddenly asked.

  Yanmei and Shuibei were stunned for a moment, then came back to their senses. Shuibei still looked suspicious, but Yanmei was excited and immediately knelt down, saying: "If Master can take us out, the slaves are willing to serve Master wholeheartedly and repay him with gratitude."

  For Yanmei, staying here is worse than death, it's better to follow a man. At least it's better than these difficult days with no end in sight.

  Shui Bi was reminded by Yan Mei's words and also knelt down: "Please, Master, spare our lives! Master... whatever you want us to do is fine!"

  The young man almost choked on the tea in his mouth and turned away uncomfortably. This person was none other than Mo Jiong, the outer courtyard guard of the Shen Manor. He had come to San Fu Ban today under Shen Miao's orders, although he didn't understand how a young lady like Shen Miao could be so familiar with the brothels in the capital. However, he had another important task today and despite feeling somewhat embarrassed, he still carried it out.

  "I can buy your contracts and you won't have to follow me, I'll set you free." he said.

  Yanmei and Shuibei looked at each other in astonishment, staring at Mo Jing. They couldn't understand why such a person existed, as the men who came here were naturally all seeking pleasure. The young man in front of them didn't seem like someone who would do hard labor. Yanmei was slightly more alert, and she asked: "What does master want us to do?"

  "It's simple." Mo Cheng said: "I heard that you two were originally the personal maids of the second daughter of the General's Manor, how did you end up in such a situation?"

  Shui Bi bit her lip, saying with hatred: "Because of committing a mistake and being expelled from the Shen Mansion, but we two have not committed any mistakes, just because we are slaves and servants, whatever the master says is what it is."

  Until now, Shui Bi had never revealed the key to it, and it seemed that she still had some lingering feelings for Er Fang. Mo Jing said: "Then do you hate them?"

  The two fell silent.

  Resentment? Of course it's resentment. If only they had been given a cup of poisonous wine to end their lives, then that would have been the end of it. But instead, they were forced to live on, like zombies, barely existing in this world. What did they do wrong? That night, no one knew what happened, Shen Qing mysteriously disappeared, and it was all blamed on them, her two maidservants. Although it's also heartbreaking that their young mistress had an accident, pushing all the blame onto these two women is something only a saint would be able to forgive.

  "I suppose you're also resentful. Yanmei, I heard that your younger sister is a second-class maid in the Shen family's secondary house, Shuibei, you have a good reputation in the Shen mansion, and there are many sisters around you."

  Yanmei and Shuibei were shocked in their hearts, this person actually said their way clearly. That's right, when Yanmei and Shuibei were bought into the Shen family, they were originally orphans, but that was just a deliberate concealment to select them. Yanmei's biological sister is a second-class maid in Ren Yuanyun's courtyard, while Shuibei has a lively personality and many good sisters in Caiyun Garden.

  "There's no free lunch in this world, I'll take you away, you think of a way, and tell me the news about Shen Fu's second house."

  The two of them suddenly lifted their heads up. Yan Mei involuntarily cried out: "You're going to deal with the mistress!"

  This person was already clear about the two of them, but what he wanted was news from the second house, that is, to plant a mole in the second house. Yanmei and Shuibei were naturally unable to return to the second house now, but their sisters were still in Shenfu's Caiyun Garden, and it was also possible to pass on some information privately.

  "What do you want to do?" Shui Bi asked.

  "What does this have to do with you?" Mo Cheng said: "The second lady of the Shen family will sell you into a brothel, making your lives worse than death. Treating enemies like that is not excessive, are you still thinking about the master-servant relationship? If one doesn't take care of oneself, heaven and earth will destroy them. You can be loyal servants if you want, but I don't have much time to waste talking with you. This deal isn't going through, so forget it." He stood up, making a gesture as if he was about to leave.

  "Wait!" Yanmei suddenly spoke out: "I am willing to make this deal with you, as long as you can take me away from here, I am willing to do anything."

  "Yan Mei..." Shui Bi still had some entanglements.

  "Shui Bi, think about how you treated your husband and how he treated you! What this gentleman said is right, if one doesn't take care of oneself, heaven will punish and earth will destroy. Are you going to stay here for the rest of your life? Just like those women outside who are sick but still have to entertain guests?"

  Yanmei's words were rapid and urgent, seemingly with a hint of ruthlessness. Thinking of the frail women outside, Shuibei couldn't help but shiver, hastily saying: "This servant is also willing to follow Master!"

  "This deal is considered done." Mo Cheng smiled with satisfaction, but was surprised that the situation was exactly as Shen Miao had predicted. Before leaving, Shen Miao said that Er Fang Ren Yuanyun was a formidable person, with clever means and a set of skills to win people's hearts, and the servants in Caiyun Garden were very loyal. Even if they were abandoned in such a place, it would be difficult for Yanmei and Shuibei to surrender immediately. However, there is no need to worry too much, as long as the miserable situation of the three Fu Ban women is used to remind them, these two maids already had some complaints about Ren Yuanyun's methods, and with their own fear of this place, they will eventually agree to Mo Cheng's terms.

  "When can Grandfather take us away from this place?" Yanmei asked hastily.

  "It can be done today, I will arrange for you to meet with your sisters, and you must let them inform me of the news about the second house every other day. Don't think about playing any tricks, even if you try to tell the second house about this matter to redeem yourselves, they won't believe it." Mo Xing added a threat at the end: "And I can make you leave this place, naturally I can also make you return to this place, no one can save you."

  Yan Mei and Shui Bi saw the fierce killing intent in Mo Qing's eyes, and their hearts skipped a beat. They finally lost even that last bit of luck. Both knelt on the ground and kowtowed to Mo Qing, saying: "Your slaves dare not disobey, we will definitely do as you say."

  Mo Ke put down the teapot and walked out of the tea room by himself. The madam outside saw him come out so quickly and thought that Yan Mei and Shui Bi had not served him well, so she hurriedly said: "Is this young master not satisfied? Those two little girls are new here today and don't understand the rules yet. After some training, they'll be fine. If you like, we have other girls here..."

  "No need," Mo En said: "I've bought both of them."

  The mother was taken aback. The girls in Sanfu class had never been bought before. This didn't follow the rules, as most of them were guilty and were sent here to be tortured by their opponents. She said with difficulty: "Young man, our rule here is that the girls are not sold."

  "One hundred and twenty." Mo Ning pulled out a silver note from his sleeve and waved it in front of his mother: "Two girls."

  Her mother's eyes lit up, and she quickly snatched the silver ticket from Mo Qing's hand, as if afraid he would change his mind. She smiled and said: "Since you like them, it's also good fortune for these two girls. I'll go get their contracts of sale now. However, young master must remember not to let anyone recognize these two girls, otherwise San Fu Ban will be in trouble, and you yourself will also invite trouble."

  One hundred taels of silver, even the better brothels, and the popular girls wouldn't necessarily sell for that price. Even if Yanmei and Shuibei didn't eat or drink and entertained guests until they were old and dead, they probably still couldn't earn back half of this money. The madams here are all doing business, how could they just leave silver unclaimed? However, she was also worried that if others found out, especially the master who had bought the two girls, she would be in trouble. Now she could only pretend that the two girls were dead.

  When Madam was overjoyed to go and pick up Yanmei and Shuibei, Mo Jing had some regrets. One hundred taels of silver was not a small amount of money, it was the whole box of Shen Miao's jewelry that was exchanged for it during the surprise attack. Now it was just to redeem two maidservants, just to plant an eye, Shen Miao's handwriting was also too big, Mo Jing thought, but shook his head lightly, not daring to agree in his heart.

  On the opposite side of the building, a man in black appeared at the window and said: "Master, I've investigated clearly. That person is an outer courtyard guard of the Shen Mansion. The two maidservants he bought used to be personal attendants of the legitimate daughter of the second house of the Shen Mansion. It seems that someone wants to plant a mole in the second house, but the person behind it is still unknown."

  It turned out that he was clearly aware of the conversation between Mo Qing and Yan Mei Shui Bi, apparently this person's skills were extremely high, otherwise even Mo Qing wouldn't have noticed being eavesdropped on.

  Gao Yang narrowed his eyes: "It seems that the Shen household is not very peaceful either. The person behind the scenes doesn't even spare the maids, tsk, it's really too pervasive."

  "Master, shall we investigate that person?" The man in black asked the youth in purple.

  "No need, I know who he is." Xie Jinghang raised an eyebrow.

  "Do you know?" Gaoyang looked at him: "Who is he?"

  Who is he? Xie Jinghang smiled, his eyes somewhat deep and mysterious. Shen Miao had found a guard with high martial arts skills, although not comparable to his subordinates, but enough to deal with those people in the Shen Mansion. As for now, even the little maid of San Fu's class was not spared, it seemed that they were also planning to make a move.

  But all of this has nothing to do with him.

  "Mountain Wolf," Xie Jing said, "send a message to Yu Shu through the flying letter, and have him return to the capital quickly."

  "You..." Gao Yang's expression turned solemn: "It's not that they didn't find anything, why did you let them come back?"

  "He who strikes first has the upper hand." The young man said calmly.

  As time passed, the General's Mansion seemed to have regained its former tranquility.

  Shen Miao had been confined for a long time, and she hadn't gone to Guangwen Hall in these days either. Gu Yu and Jing Zhen were afraid that her studies would fall behind, but she didn't care about it at all. What's the use of studying those useless poems and songs in Guangwen Hall? It's better to have fewer troubles in the mansion.

  If there's anything worth rejoicing about, it's probably that Mo Xuan bought Yanmei and Shuibei, and they finally met their sisters. Shuibei is fine, but Yanmei's sister Chun Tao has been seeking revenge for her sister since she found out Yanmei was sold to the brothel, unfortunately, her status is too low, and she can't do anything about it. Now that she's met Yanmei and knows her sister is safe, she agreed to work for Mo Xuan without hesitation. Coincidentally, after Yanmei and Shuibei left, two of Shen Qing's personal maids were vacant. Ren Yuanyun saw that Chun Tao was clever and efficient, so she gave Chun Tao to Shen Qing as a personal maid, making it even easier to grasp the dynamics of the second house.

  Shen Qing's body is getting better and better now, but his temperament has not fully recovered. Although he has improved a lot compared to before, he still occasionally becomes spiritually dazed and even trembles with fear when certain words are mentioned. It seems that he needs to take care of himself for some more time.

  On this day, Ren Yuanyun was again in a bad mood in the house, and the floor was full of broken tea cup fragments. Nowadays, Ren Yuanyun's temper is getting worse and worse. In the past, because everything went smoothly, there were times when she was not happy, but now she would scold people every three to five days. Caiyun Garden has been gloomy all day long.

  "That heartless person!" Ren Yuanyun angrily said: "Every day, all he knows is to run to the fox spirit's courtyard, Qing'er has become like this, but he only came to see a few times, how heartless!"

  She was scolding Shen Gui, and all the servants in the house didn't dare to make a sound. Ren Yuanyun was furious with Shen Gui, but it wasn't actually like that. It was because she had written a letter to Prince Yu, explicitly stating that on that night, Shen Miao and Shen Qing had switched identities, which was intercepted by Shen Gui. Moreover, no one knew what method Shen Gui used, but now even Prince Yu seemed to be unaware of the matter. Originally planning to use Prince Yu to severely punish Shen Miao, she was thwarted by Shen Gui's actions, so Ren Yuanyun vented all her frustration on Shen Miao instead.

  Just then, a cry of surprise came from the inner room. Ren Yuanyun's expression changed and she hurriedly went in to see what was wrong. She saw Chun Tao holding a small bowl to feed Shen Qing congee, but somehow the congee had all spilled over, and Shen Qing was half-leaning forward, vomiting.

  "What's going on?" Ren Yuanyun shouted sternly, staring at Chun Tao: "You're supposed to take care of the young lady, but you're so lazy!"

  "It's all my fault," Chun Tao hastily knelt down and said: "It's just that Miss has been feeling unwell for the past few days, often vomiting, and just now when she was drinking porridge, she had another episode of vomiting. I dare to say, Madam, if you don't get a doctor for Miss, isn't it possible that she has eaten something bad?"

  These days, the doctor who came to see Shen Qing's illness didn't come often. Because Shen Qing's external injuries had almost recovered, and all that was needed was rest, Ren Yuanyun accompanied him every day, allowing Shen Qing to gradually recover some of his consciousness. Now hearing Chun Tao say this, she also felt anxious in her heart. Just as she was about to call Cai Ju to fetch a note to invite the doctor over, she suddenly hesitated, as if realizing something, and looked at Chun Tao, asking slowly: "You said, Qing Er has been vomiting constantly these past few days?"

  "Yes," Chun Tao said with some puzzlement: "But the food is all specially made in the kitchen and is clean. Sometimes Miss also gets a bit dizzy."

  Ren Yuanyun covered her mouth, and a wave of shock suddenly rose in her heart. Chun Tao was still young and didn't know about this matter, but she had experienced it before - Shen Qing looked like that, could it be that she was pregnant?

  She almost fainted and went black in front of her eyes, Xianglan beside her hastily supported her: "Madam!"

  "Take my post and ask Dr. Chen to come over." Ren Yuanyun paused for a moment, then touched her chest and said, looking at Shen Qing with a shocked gaze.

  On one side, Chun Tao lowered her head, but no one saw the smile in her eyes.

  As Shen Qing's personal maid, she naturally wasn't just discovering that Shen Qing had morning sickness today. It had been some time already, only the first person she told wasn't Ren Yuanyun, but rather Mo Heng who passed on messages for her. Mo Heng also told her that if Ren Yuanyun hadn't discovered it yet, to temporarily keep this matter hidden and talk about it again after a few days.

  It was also during Chun Tao's good fortune that Ruan Yun didn't notice anything wrong with Shen Qing for such a long time. Until today.

  Doctor Chen, who was outside, arrived quickly under Xianglan's urging. He had also treated Shen Qing's external injuries before. This doctor was given to Ruan Yun by her mother when she got married and sometimes helped Ruan Yun deal with concubines or do things that were inconvenient for her. Doctor Chen was Ruan Yun's confidant, so there was no need to avoid anything in front of him.

  Ren Yuanyun gazed intently as Dr. Chen took Shen Qing's pulse, Shen Qing was still a bit afraid and shrank into Ren Yuanyun's arms, Dr. Chen withdrew his hand, Shen Qing looked serious, glanced at Shen Qing, then shook his head at Ren Yuanyun.

  "Get out, all of you." Ren Yuanyun said to the servants in the house.

  Xianglan Caiju and Chun Tao hastily retreated.

  After everyone had left, Chen Daifu let out a sigh and said to Ren Yuanyun: "The pulse of the eldest young lady is smooth like a rolling pearl, it's a joyful pulse."

  Although she had already guessed it in her heart, when Doctor Chen said it out loud, Ren Yuanyun still felt a dizziness. She looked at Doctor Chen, her voice involuntarily shaking slightly, yet she still firmly said: "Doctor, can you let Qing'er abort the child? Qing'er is still young, she cannot...cannot let people find out."

  If it's just a matter of being defiled, if you keep it hidden, there might still be a way out in the future. But if you have a child, that would be an illegitimate child, and Shen Qing's children are all going to be thrown into the river!

  "The young lady's body is originally weak, and this year she is still young," said Doctor Chen. "If the fetus is miscarried, I'm afraid it will hurt her body fundamentally. If we're not careful, it may be very difficult for her to have children in the future..."

  One blow after another fell on Ren Yuanyun's head. If Shen Qing lost the ability to be a mother, even if she found her another family in the future, what would eventually happen to a woman who couldn't bear children? Ren Yuanyun knew better than anyone else. A childless woman in the inner courtyard was like an unarmed general on the battlefield, and would ultimately end up defeated.

  "Moreover, Big Miss has not fully recovered yet. If she miscarries again, it will be very dangerous." Doctor Chen said.

  "No... it can't be wasted." Ren Yuanyun was stunned, and after a moment, looking at Shen Qing in her arms, she couldn't help but burst into tears: "My poor Qing'er!"

  If the child is aborted, Shen Qing might be able to save her life. Even if she manages to keep her life, it's possible that she won't be able to have children again in the future. In any case, the fetus cannot be aborted, but if it's not aborted, then... what will happen to Shen Qing's future?

  It seemed like there was no way out, and in Ren Yuanyun's heart, there was only deep despair.

  Outside the door, Chun Tao looked inside and whispered: "Xiang Lan sister, eldest miss... is the eldest miss..."

  "Hush," Xianglan warned, "say no more, or if Madame finds out, you'll be in for it."

  "Alas," Cai Ju said anxiously, "what can be done now?" She and Xiang Lan had naturally guessed what was going on, if Shen Qing were to become pregnant, how would Cai Yun Yuan manage in the future? It's likely that every step would have to be carefully considered.

  Chun Tao pouted, but a hint of pride flashed in her eyes.

  Chen Dafu came out of Caiyun Garden and left the Shen Mansion, returning to his own small courtyard in the north of the city. As soon as he walked into the yard, he saw his wife and child running out, and couldn't help but wipe away a sweat.

  Today, before he went out to see patients, he received a letter from an unknown sender, instructing him that when he examined Shen Qing later, he must say that Shen Qing could not have an abortion and think of a way to let Ren Yuanyun replace Shen Qing to keep the fetus. Otherwise, his whole family would be killed. The letter also included a hairpin belonging to his wife. Dr. Chen was frightened in his heart and had no choice but to follow the instructions when examining Shen Qing.

  He was originally a person who spent a lot of money to help Ren Yuanyun, but now he has betrayed his master. He is naturally surprised and afraid in his heart, secretly thinking about leaving the capital. Although so, Chen Dafu still had some doubts in his heart. According to what Ren Yuanyun said, even Ren Yuanyun himself only discovered today that Shen Qing had morning sickness. Who was it that threatened him and how did they know this?

  In the western courtyard, Gu Yu walked in and whispered a few words to Shen Miao, who was playing chess at the table. A moment later, Shen Miao smiled: "Well done, has the silver been sent to Doctor Chen?"

  "Mo Cheng has already sent it." Gu Yu said: "Miss, why did you give him such a large sum of silver? Since he's already threatened with his life, there's no need for the silver."

  "That's different," Shen Miao put down the chess piece in her hand and smiled slightly: "People can change. If you just threaten him, Chen Daifu will eventually take his whole family to escape from the capital, and it will be difficult to deal with later. But if you give him a large sum of money again, what do you think he will do?"

  "I don't know." Gu Yu shook his head.

  "He would think that since he had already betrayed, it's better to betray thoroughly and get more silver to make up for his treachery. He would continue on and on until his master discovered the betrayal before him, maintaining the entire lie without being exposed."

  Gu Yu was taken aback, unable to put into words the feeling in her heart. When did her own sister become so perceptive that she even knew what others were thinking? "But," Gu Yu asked in puzzlement, "what's the point of maintaining this lie?"

  For what?

  Shen Miao smiled and said: "You tell Mo Qing to tell Chun Tao that she must help her sister take good care of the fetus. The better she takes care of it, the more beneficial it will be for us."