Chapter 84 Rescue

After hearing Dilibai'er's words, Shen Qiuniang was already dissatisfied. After hearing Qi Zhidie's explanation, the kind-hearted Shen Qiuniang was no longer unhappy. She could also see that the three of them had come to Li Sanniang's door tonight to ask for her help. Shen Qiuniang looked around and saw that neither Li's mother nor Li Sanniang seemed to be angry, so she invited them to sit down and served each of them a cup of tea.

Seeing that the atmosphere was relatively good, Qi Zhidie calmed down and sat down unhurriedly. She still faced Li Sanniang and said in a firm but helpless tone, "Zhidie really had no other choice today, so she asked Dili to bring me and Hongniang to visit Li Sanniang's door."

I'm more than ten years older than the women in the brothel, and I've seen my share of life's hardships. Not to mention Dili, every woman in the brothel has her own untold suffering. Since I have this connection with them, I should naturally protect them if I can.

Upon hearing this, both Dili and the beautiful matchmaker Hongniang looked like they were about to cry. Hongniang, in particular, had tears welling up in her eyes, making her look so rosy that anyone who saw her would want to comfort her.

Not to mention Li's mother and Li San Niang, Chen Qiu Niang, who had just gone through a divorce, naturally had a lot of bitterness in her heart. In particular, she couldn't bear to hear the words of women who had suffered. Thinking of herself, she wished she could throw herself into the River of Oblivion to forget the bitterness and sorrow in the world.

Although Shen Qiuniang will soon marry Tuva and start a new life, how can she forget the torment she endured in the previous few years in just two months?

People can only overcome the obstacles on their own; no one else can help them.

Qi Zhidie's mother was very good at controlling the pace of conversation. Her worldly sophistication, honed by more than a decade of experience in the world of pleasure, was something that Li Sanniang, a woman who had not seen much of the dark side of things, could not see through.

Just hearing those few words, Li San Niang had already conjured up several dramatic scenarios in her mind.

Qi Zhidie could see that Li Sanniang and Shen Qiuniang were moved, so before she could speak, tears welled up in her eyes. She stopped talking and let the tears stream down her face.

Only she knows how much of her tears were genuine.

However, the sight of this beautiful woman weeping under the lamp was truly filled with a sorrowful beauty. Li San Niang even wanted to go over and wipe away her tears with a handkerchief, then hug her tightly and comfort her.

Of those present, only Li's mother, who had experienced the ways of the world, could probably see through the tricks of the trade. However, Li's mother did not interrupt Qi Zhidie. Firstly, the women in the brothel had it hard enough. Every woman who had to make a living in such a place had her own hardships. Li's mother was unwilling to criticize them for using such petty tricks.

Secondly, Li's mother could also see that Qi Zhidie truly cared for and loved the women under her command. Just by looking at Dilibaier and the matchmaker, it was clear that Qi Zhidie had some genuine feelings for them.

Therefore, Li's mother did not interrupt, wanting to see what she wanted to do.

For the next hour or so, I listened to Qi Zhidie recount the reasons and consequences of her visit that night.

It is said that Qi Zhidie was also a daughter of an official family when she was young. However, during the reign of Emperor Taizong, her grandfather was implicated in a major case. Her grandfather and uncle were sentenced to death. Because her father was only a son of an illegitimate son who was sent to serve as an official in a remote area, he was only implicated and exiled. Of course, men were exiled, while women were sent to Pingkang Ward. Her mother could not bear the humiliation and committed suicide by swallowing gold.

From then on, Qi Zhidie, who was not yet of marriageable age, entered a brothel in Pingkangfang and became a prostitute.

Because of her previous status as a daughter of an official, the madam in the brothel did not dare to be too harsh on her. Instead, she treated her as the top courtesan and kept her as a pure courtesan.

She was quite intelligent, and in her early twenties, she became famous for her dance, earning the nickname "Flower Planting Lady".

However, a few years later, as the years passed and Qi Zhidie, now over twenty-five, became forgotten, she gradually plotted to replace the original madam and become the new madam of the now-renamed Shihualou.

Why did she bring Dilibaier and Hongniang to find Li San Niangzi tonight?

This was because Diliber was originally half-dead from illness, but after being called away by a patron for ten days or so, she returned alive and kicking. Qi Zhidie became suspicious and began to observe, and then she naturally saw Tuva who came to visit Diliber. Having experienced love affairs, she could tell that Tuva was not there to seek solace from his mistress, but rather to treat Diliber as a family member.

So, after a heart-to-heart talk and a few cups of wine, Qi Zhidie coaxed Dilibier into telling the truth, and also let her know that it was Li Sanniang who helped Dilibier. This made Qi Zhidie feel a little goodwill towards Li Sanniang. After all, someone who still has a bit of a doctor's heart for the women in the Pingkangfang brothel under such circumstances is really a good person.

After listening for a while, Li San Niang finally understood Qi Zhi Die's purpose.

It turned out that among the thirty-odd women in the brothel, not only did Dilibaier have symptoms of leukorrhea, but the other women, apart from a few young courtesans and a few women in their thirties who were about the same age as Qi Zhidie and no longer entertained many customers, the remaining twenty-odd women all had some kind of illness.

Qi Zhidie also revealed her selfish motives, thinking that she could get to know Li Sanniang through Dilibier and take advantage of Li Sanniang's benevolent heart as a doctor, so that Li Sanniang could treat all the women in the brothel. Although the brothels in Pingkangfang were under the jurisdiction of the government, it was still difficult for the women to find a doctor if they were feeling unwell.

Nowadays, let alone the fact that most doctors are male, the women in these brothels all have some degree of vaginal disease. Male doctors, out of self-respect, even if they really want to help these women, have to consider their own reputation and how others perceive them.

So when women get sick, they either endure the illness or pay someone to buy them some over-the-counter medicine. Whether it's the right medicine or not is another matter. Sometimes, even the pharmacy doesn't want to make money from it.

Qi Zhidie wanted all the women in the brothel to be able to see a doctor and not die of illness in a muddled way, so she set her sights on Li Sanniang. That's why she knocked on the door at night without notifying her and bowed down as soon as she saw her.

They brought a matchmaker along, firstly because the matchmaker was only sixteen years old, still a child, which made her seem pitiful;

Secondly, the matchmaker is good-looking. Good-looking people always receive preferential treatment. For example, Qi Zhidie made the right bet this day. Both Li's mother and Li San Niang are obsessed with looks.

Thirdly, Hongniang was also ill, with redness and swelling down there and an odor. Qi Zhidie was worried and wanted to ask Li Sanniang for help in treating her, so that Hongniang, who was as young as a flower bud, wouldn't die young.

Li San Niang had assumed they were there for medical treatment, but she never expected they were there to treat all the women in the building.

What should we do?