Gu Qinlian was stunned by the beating and hadn't reacted yet when the drunkard roughly grabbed her chin and forced a glass of strong liquor down her throat, causing her to cough repeatedly and her eyes to blur with tears.
In that dimly lit corner of the tavern, the drunkard was amused by her pitiful and helpless appearance and burst into laughter. While laughing wildly, he rudely grabbed the wine jug and was about to pour more wine onto her lips without any regard for the consequences.
At this point, Gu Qinlian dared not put on a brave face any longer. In her panic, she cried out urgently, "Let me go! I'm not a prostitute, I'm a respectable woman, I came here to..."
However, before she could finish speaking, the drunkards burst into unrestrained laughter: "Where did this Madam Luo find such an interesting woman? She's fallen to this state, yet she still insists she's a respectable woman."
Gu Qinlian was extremely anxious, tears welling up in her eyes: "I'm really not a prostitute, I'm a pure and virtuous woman, I've come to find..."
The drunkard suddenly approached, a lewd smile on his face: "Is your man as rugged as I am?"
Before she could finish speaking, the drunkard tried to approach her aggressively.
In her terror, Gu Qinlian grabbed a disk from the table and smashed it hard against the drunkard's head.
The drunkard, in pain, loosened his grip, and Gu Qinlian seized the opportunity to scramble away from the perilous situation. But before she could even regain her footing, the drunkard roared angrily, "Arrest this bitch! I'll make her pay tonight!"
Hearing the noise, the drunkards rushed forward to arrest her. Gu Qinlian panicked and hurriedly ran outside, only to find that the door was already blocked by other laughing prostitutes.
A prostitute chuckled and said, "New girl, your acting is truly superb. But don't go too far. The gentlemen come here for entertainment, not to act with you. If you make too much noise, the madam will be unhappy."
Gu Qinlian's face turned ashen with anger, and she shouted, "Who said I'm sisters with a bunch of filthy sluts? Get out of my way and let me out!"
The prostitute had meant well, but was instead berated, which enraged her. Seeing Gu Qinlian lunge at her, she pushed her back without hesitation.
Gu Qinlian staggered backward, only to be captured again by the drunkards.
The drunkard, his eyes blazing with fury, staggered closer, raised his hand, and prepared to slap her hard across the face.
Gu Qinlian closed her eyes in terror.
Just at this critical moment, the door was suddenly pushed open, and Luo's mother's cold voice entered the room.
"Young Master Liu, stop immediately! You've arrested the wrong person. She is not a woman from our building."
Mother Luo had been observing the situation quietly outside the door, deliberately making Gu Qinlian suffer, until the drunkards were about to use their full strength, at which point she appeared in time to prevent the situation from escalating.
The drunkard shook his head and asked suspiciously, "If she's not a woman from your building, how come she's in your building? Don't try to fool me, Madam Luo."
With a beaming smile, Mrs. Luo said in a gentle tone, "Young Master Liu, how could I dare to deceive you? This woman is indeed not one of the girls in our building. Please, kind sir, show her mercy and spare her life."
Young Master Liu, however, remained stubborn and said angrily, "I'm not releasing her today. This young lady is quite charming, and I'm determined to enjoy her to the fullest today!"
Gu Qinlian, tears streaming down her face, protested in a trembling voice, "You can't do this! I'm the second young lady of the Gu family. If you're disrespectful to me, my father will not let you off easily!"
Young Master Liu's hand suddenly stopped, and he asked in confusion, "The Gu family? Which Gu family?"
Someone quickly reminded them, "It should be the Gu Dingli family."
Young Master Liu smiled dismissively: "Him? Even if ten more of him came, I wouldn't take them seriously!"
Before he could finish speaking, he was about to touch Gu Qinlian's clothes.
Gu Qinlian was terrified and screamed desperately, "You can't do this! I'm a close relative of Prince Zheng of the Duan Prince's Mansion! If you're disrespectful to me, Zheng Dinglian will definitely not let you off!"
As soon as Zheng Dinglian's name was mentioned, Young Master Liu withdrew his hand.
He turned to Luo's mother and asked, "Is what she said true?"
Mrs. Luo calmly replied, "If she really is the second young lady of the Gu family, then that would be wonderful."
Gu Qinlian hurriedly added, "It's absolutely true! My name is Gu Qinlian, and I am the second young lady of the Gu family. Gu Qinlan is my older sister, and she has already married into the Duan Prince's mansion."
Young Master Liu gave an awkward laugh: "Why didn't you say so sooner?"
"Alright, brothers, that's enough for today. Let's call it a day."
Young Master Liu and his entourage vanished without a trace.
Gu Qinlian was filled with resentment, but she was too exhausted to argue with them any longer. She turned to Mama Luo and said angrily, "Where is Ji Yinli? Call him out here!"
Madam Luo sneered and said in a cold tone, "Madam, haven't you learned your lesson from what just happened? Let me remind you one more time: Xiaoxiang Pavilion is not your private backyard. Every man who steps into my building is my honored guest, and as long as they don't leave this building, I will let them enjoy themselves to the fullest."
Gu Qinlian glared angrily and said, "You're not going to hand him over? If not, I'll go find him myself!"
Mrs. Luo waved her hand dismissively: "Of course you can go look for it, but if a similar mess happens again, I won't get involved anymore."
Gu Qinlian was shocked and terrified upon hearing this, and dared not make any rash moves.
A hint of disdain flashed across Madam Luo's eyes: "If Madam wishes to find her husband, she may wait outside. I cannot let personal matters interfere with the enjoyment of my distinguished guests; that is the rule. As for their fate after they step out of the threshold of my Xiaoxiang Pavilion, that is none of my concern. Do you understand what I mean?"
Although Gu Qinlian was not a fool, once she was enlightened, no matter how unwilling she was, she had no choice but to leave Xiaoxiang Pavilion and wait outside.
As she stepped out of the vermilion gate of Xiaoxiang Pavilion, she realized that all the guards who had accompanied her were lying on the ground, each of them seriously injured and in a terrible state.
However, she was helpless when faced with Xiaoxiang Pavilion.
Even if the matter goes to the authorities, Xiaoxiang Pavilion is operating legally. She brought trouble upon herself, and if she is truly held accountable, she will be the one in the wrong.
The courtesans who had not been favored by the emperor stood at the entrance, pointing and gossiping about Gu Qinlian. Meanwhile, the men seeking pleasure leered at her.
Gu Qinlian was both angry and furious, and felt utterly humiliated, but she still refused to leave, determined to wait there and wait for the rabbit to run into her trap.
As the night deepened and all was quiet, Xiaoxiang Pavilion was about to close at midnight.
In the cold and ruthless world of pleasure, if you want to stay overnight, you have to pay a hefty fee.
Ji Yinli was short of money and dared not be greedy when stealing. If it weren't for his friend who had plenty of money, he would have been kicked out of the brothel long ago.
At this point, his ability to stay was already at its limit, and spending the night was an even greater luxury.
Several of his friends had already stayed overnight, but he reluctantly stepped out of the building, bidding farewell to the women who had kept him company for half the night.
"Ji Yinli, you treacherous bastard!"
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