Chapter 18: Discovered

Liu Suqing was not a government courtesan. Due to her family’s poverty, she was sold to a brothel madam at a young age and raised there. By the time she was fifteen or sixteen, she was naturally pushed to entertain men.

Now, at nineteen, her best possible fate was to be redeemed by a merchant. Otherwise, after ten years of selling her body, she would be left with no way out and ultimately unable to escape her fate.

So, when Lu Bainian offered to redeem her, Liu Suqing was naturally more than willing.

But the brothel madam was unwilling to let her go.

Determined, Liu Suqing pressed a pair of scissors against her own face, threatening, “I finally have a chance to leave this wretched place. If you refuse to let me go, I will ruin this face that earns you money. If that’s not enough, I’ll jump from the building and end it all!”

Tears streamed down her delicate face, making her look pitiful.

The madam was startled, and even Lu Bainian was shocked.

After much persuasion, the madam relented—not because of compassion but because she feared losing both Liu Suqing and the five hundred taels she was offered.

As for Lu Bainian, he was touched by Liu Suqing’s apparent devotion. He didn’t want to see her suffer, nor did he want to see her beauty destroyed.

In the end, the deal was made. Liu Suqing left the brothel with nothing but the clothes on her back, even removing her hair ornaments before walking away with Lu Bainian.

Lu Bainian took her out of Lihua Alley and rented a small house near the Lu family residence to keep her there for now.

Liu Suqing considered Lu Bainian her only hope for a future. Afraid he would abandon her, she poured out her affections, and the two indulged in passion.

That night, they celebrated with good food and wine.

But fearing his mother’s wrath—and the pain of another brutal beating—Lu Bainian reluctantly left Liu Suqing and returned home.

However, as soon as he arrived, Tiechui, the coachman, didn’t even stop by his own house. Instead, he rushed straight to Wen Ruyu to report everything.

Thanks to Tiechui’s simple but loyal nature, Wen Ruyu soon learned all about Lu Bainian’s actions.

Though Lu Bainian had assumed Tiechui was too dim to be a threat, he had failed to account for his unwavering loyalty—not to Lu Bainian, but to the Lu family elders, especially the old master and madam.

Thus, the very next day, Wen Ruyu had Liu Suqing brought to the Lu household and summoned Lu Bainian for a confrontation.

Despite being accustomed to flattery and having seen some of the world, Liu Suqing had never experienced such an intimidating situation before. She immediately collapsed to her knees in tears.

Lu Bainian knelt beside her, nervously rubbing his backside, praying that he wouldn’t receive another severe beating so soon after the last one.

Wen Ruyu, seeing his nervous gestures, had already passed the point of anger and simply felt exasperated.

She had never imagined in either of her lifetimes that she would have to deal with something like this.

If she had known, she might have chosen not to have children in her past life—it would have saved her from the trouble of giving birth to someone like Lu Bainian, who was shortening her lifespan with his foolishness.

On a cold winter day, she took a sip of green tea to calm herself.

Setting down the teacup, she finally addressed Lu Bainian. “Now that you’ve redeemed her, what do you plan to do next?”

The room wasn’t empty—besides Wen Ruyu, Lu Songnian and Zhao Shu were also present.

Though the younger children weren’t called in, as older siblings, they had to be there to help mediate the situation.

With the New Year approaching, the biggest concern wasn’t Lu Bainian’s personal affairs but the possibility of their grandmother getting too upset and falling ill.

Thinking of his previous punishment, Lu Bainian’s body trembled.

After all, he was still a young man under twenty. Having never experienced the true hardships of life, he considered his mother’s last beating the most painful thing he had ever endured.

“S-Since I’ve already redeemed her…” He hesitated, unsure of how to justify himself.

“And then?” Wen Ruyu’s voice remained cold.

Hearing her tone, Lu Bainian glanced at his elder brother, hoping for some support.

Lu Songnian, however, looked equally troubled. Even he didn’t know how to help.

Wen Ruyu, noticing this, tapped the table lightly. “Why are you looking at your brother? I’m the one asking you a question. What do you plan to do with her?”

Before Lu Bainian could answer, Liu Suqing kowtowed twice, her forehead hitting the floor with a resounding thud.

“Madam!”

“I was born into misfortune. My family was poor, and that’s why I was sold! If not for the Second Young Master redeeming me, I would never have been able to escape that filthy place.”

Tears streamed down her face, seemingly genuine.

Though Wen Ruyu’s expression remained cold, Zhao Shu, sitting beside Lu Songnian, couldn’t help but furrow her brows.

Despite knowing that sympathy for a courtesan was unwise, she couldn’t suppress a pang of pity. The feeling unsettled her.

“I know my status is lowly and that I’m not worthy to be a concubine. I only ask to stay by the Second Young Master’s side, even as a servant!”

In earlier times, concubines were often little more than glorified maids. Some were even shared with guests.

But in Wen Ruyu’s country, concubines now had some level of status. If they bore children, they could not be easily discarded.

Because of this, it was rare for courtesans to be taken as concubines. Even if they were accepted into a household, they would only be kept in a separate courtyard without an official title.

“I wasn’t speaking to you,” Wen Ruyu interrupted coldly, turning her gaze back to Lu Bainian. “I asked you—what do you plan to do with her?”

She wanted to see if Lu Bainian had any sense of responsibility.

She didn’t bother speculating whether Liu Suqing was scheming. A woman of her background would naturally have to be clever to survive.

In a society that demanded extreme moral purity from women, courtesans were viewed almost like eunuchs—forever tainted. It was impossible for them to have completely healthy minds.

Since Liu Suqing’s circumstances were so complicated, Wen Ruyu chose to focus on the simpler problem—Lu Bainian.

At least his response wasn’t entirely cowardly.

Despite his trembling, he gritted his teeth and, as if resigning himself to death, muttered, “Since I have redeemed her, it wouldn’t be right to abandon her. I must give her a proper status.”

Wen Ruyu didn’t get angry. Instead, she simply stated, “But our Lu family does not accept courtesans as wives.”

Indeed, their family had been scholars for two generations. Lu Bainian’s father had been an official, making them a respectable household.

How could such a family allow a former courtesan to enter as a wife?

Lu Bainian still had younger siblings who would one day marry into reputable families. It would be impossible to have a former courtesan live alongside them as an equal.

Rather than bringing her into the family to be scorned, it would be kinder to grant Liu Suqing her freedom.

Liu Suqing, unaware of Wen Ruyu’s thoughts, wept, “I don’t need a title! I just want to stay by the Second Young Master’s side—even as a maid!”

Wen Ruyu coldly replied, “I wasn’t speaking to you.”

Liu Suqing glanced at Lu Bainian for support, but seeing no response from him, she continued to sob quietly.

Wen Ruyu then turned to Lu Bainian. “You may not care about your reputation, but your brothers and sisters do. Bringing her into the family would disgrace them all.”

Lu Bainian clenched his jaw. “Then I will leave with her and live elsewhere.”

Wen Ruyu sneered. “Without the Lu family, you wouldn’t survive three months.”

Lu Bainian hesitated. “But I can’t just abandon her…”

Wen Ruyu sighed inwardly. She could arrange another marriage for Liu Suqing or give her money to start over.

But one thing was certain—she could not let Liu Suqing remain in the Lu family.