"Dear miss as beautiful as a celestial being, please buy me. I can do anything. I'll surely serve you well," pleaded a girl.
Mo Qinghuan walked towards the high platform, but her eyes were fixed on another young girl huddled silently in a corner of the cage.
Looking at her, Mo Qinghuan felt an inexplicable pang of pity.
Seeing this, the girl in front quickly blocked Mo Qinghuan's view.
"Miss, she can't do anything. Buying her back would just be a waste of food."
The girl in the corner cast a disappointed look at the talking girl and then lowered her head again.
Just then, a woman came over.
The tooth - woman held a stick in her hand and put her hands on her hips as she looked at Mo Qinghuan.
"Miss, looking to buy a maid? Take a good look. They're all top - quality goods. I'm sure you'll like them."
Mo Qinghuan pointed at the girl huddled in the corner. "What's her name? I'll take her."
The girl beside her immediately deflated and slumped down in the cage.
"Oh, her? Her name is Dan'er."
Mo Qinghuan glanced at her and reached out her hand. "Do you want to come with me?"
Unexpectedly, the girl shook her head. "Buy her instead, okay? I'm begging you! Please!"
The tooth - woman whipped her whip through the cage. "Stop talking nonsense! It's your good fortune to be favored by this young lady!"
With that, she opened the door and grabbed the girl by her hair, pulling her out of the cage.
"Ten taels of silver," she said, holding out her hand to Mo Qinghuan.
Mo Qinghuan took out ten taels and handed them to the tooth - woman. The girl followed Mo Qinghuan, looking back every few steps.
Mo Qinghuan frowned. "Why don't you want to come with me?"
Mo Qinghuan looked into her eyes. Her intuition told her that this young girl was honest.
That's why she bought her, but she seemed rather reluctant for some reason.
After walking a few more steps, the girl couldn't hold it in anymore and knelt on the ground with a thud.
"Miss, the tooth - woman said that the one who isn't chosen will be sold to a brothel to be defiled. I'm her elder sister. I can't just watch my younger sister fall into the tiger's mouth. So, I'm begging you, please save my younger sister."
She kept kowtowing. The thudding sound hit Mo Qinghuan's nerves one by one.
Mo Qinghuan helped her up. Seeing that her forehead was already bruised and bleeding, she took her hand and walked back towards the slave market. But when they got back, the tooth - woman and her younger sister were gone.
The girl knelt on the ground, crying hysterically. "I'm useless, Shuang'er. I'm useless!"
Not far away, Bai Ke said to the person in the sedan chair, "My lord, it's Princess Saoyue."
Mu Yanming got out of the sedan chair, and Mo Qinghuan also saw him.
He walked over and handed Mo Qinghuan a small box.
"This is the ring you left at the Minister's Mansion last time. I never had the right opportunity to return it to you."
Mo Qinghuan took it and curtsied slightly. "Thank you."
"By the way, I had someone modify the ring. Twist it to trigger the mechanism. If used properly, it can kill the enemy with one strike."
Mo Qinghuan opened the box and put the ring on her right index finger.
Mu Yanming frowned at the crying sound. "What's going on?"
"Her younger sister was taken away by the tooth - woman."
"Please, miss, save my younger sister. In the future, Dan'er will surely be a servant for you, even if you ask for my life."
Mu Yanming waved to Bai Ke, who scurried over.
"Take some men to look for her."
Bai Ke cast a resentful look at Mo Qinghuan. He had realized that whenever there was something related to Mo Qinghuan, he would always have endless errands to run.
But he didn't dare to disobey his master's order and had to go reluctantly.
Mo Qinghuan helped the girl up. "Dan'er, go with him."
Dan'er nodded vigorously. Mo Qinghuan told Bai Ke, "Remember to check the brothels especially."
After Bai Ke left, Mo Qinghuan and Mu Yanming walked side by side.
"In the future, if you have any trouble, you can come to me for help." With that, he handed her a jade token.
Mo Qinghuan took it and saw the character "Ming" engraved on it.
The crystal - clear jade formed a sharp contrast with the blood - red character "Ming".
Mo Qinghuan looked up at Mu Yanming's profile doubtfully. The sunlight shone through his well - defined profile, softening his whole figure.
But for some reason, Mo Qinghuan felt that this Regent, who was rumored to be extremely cruel and merciless, seemed to take special care of her!
However, there seemed to be no intersection with him in the original owner's memory...
Just as they were walking, a panicked horse suddenly rushed out from the street corner.
Mu Yanming wrapped his arm around Mo Qinghuan and pulled her into his arms, leading her to the roadside.
"Son!" a woman cried out heart - rendingly.
Mo Qinghuan looked in the direction of the sound.
A frightened child who had fallen was sitting in the middle of the road.
It seemed that the tall horse was about to trample on the child.
Mu Yanming took Mo Qinghuan's hand, twisted the ring, and shot at the horse.
The horse's artery was hit. It snorted in pain, fell to the ground, struggled a few times, and then stopped moving.
Mo Qinghuan looked at the ring in her hand, surprised at its power.
The woman and the child knelt in front of them.
"Thank you two for saving my son. I'm extremely grateful and don't know how to repay you."
She took out a love knot and handed it to Mo Qinghuan.
"This is a love knot my husband and I made by hand. I wish you two newlyweds a long and harmonious marriage, never betraying each other."
Mo Qinghuan gave an embarrassed smile. "Madam, you..." Before she could finish explaining the misunderstanding, Mu Yanming had already taken the love knot and pulled her away.
She turned back to explain, but was interrupted by Mu Yanming.
"My mansion is just ahead. Do you want to go in and have a look? The teacher is there too. He's been saying that he wants to thank you properly."
Mo Qinghuan was even more confused. This didn't seem like the decisive and ruthless person she had heard of!
"No, I'll go back to the General's Mansion first."
Mu Yanming looked at her. The small figure in his mind slowly merged with the person in front of him.
So much time had passed that he was almost forgetting the few beautiful memories from his childhood.
If it weren't for that jade pendant...
"My lord, we found the girl," Bai Ke rushed over, interrupting his thoughts.
"Only... only..."
Mu Yanming gave him a cold look. Mo Qinghuan was also anxious. "Only what?"
"Only, she's already been sent to a so - called nobleman's bed. They also said that this person is someone we can't afford to offend. I didn't want to make a big deal out of it, so I came to ask for your decision, my lord."
Mu Yanming snorted coldly. "I'd like to see who this person is that I can't afford to offend."
Mo Qinghuan also followed Mu Yanming and came to the Wanhua Brothel.
The madam was immediately intimidated by Mu Yanming's imposing aura as soon as she saw him.
She walked forward tremblingly. "My lord, I'm really sorry. After all, we have to follow the rule of first - come, first - served."
"Which room is she in?" Mo Qinghuan looked coldly at the madam.
Bai Ke pointed to the room on the far right on the second floor. Mo Qinghuan pushed the madam aside and rushed upstairs.
She kicked the door open.
"Who the hell dares to ruin my good time!" The man, who was on top of Shuang'er, looked towards the door when he heard the noise.
When he saw who it was, he roared angrily, "Why is it you again!"