Taking Over Moonlight Pavilion
Su Li smiled and drew out a sheet of paper from her breast pocket, placing it in front of Xi Niang.
Xenia looked utterly confused. She took the paper and opened it, her face changing dramatically: "This... this is my brother's Deed of Redemption!?"
"That's right." Lily Evans nodded, watching Xenia's shocked reaction with a gentle smile.
"But did we not agree that if I could find Miss Lanxiang, you would then return my brother to me? Why now...?" Xi Niang was deeply astonished, feeling she could never quite fathom Su Li's way of handling matters.
Sometimes she's ruthless and sharp, yet other times she's kind and soft-hearted.
"Lanxiang... she..." Su Li sighed. "Lanxiang has been missing for so long. Xi Niang, you have searched far and wide, yet found no trace. In my heart, I fear her fate is grim. But you have already poured so much effort into helping me seek my sister. If Lanxiang can never be found, would you and your brother never be reunited? I have lost my own sister. Sometimes, in the deep of night, I dream of her—Lanxiang, timidly hiding by our door, giving me a shy smile, or gazing at me with admiration, saying she wishes to be as capable as Sister Li when she grows up. I know the pain of family torn apart. How could I bear to see you and your brother suffer the same? I return your brother's deed of redemption now. I trust that, once you are reunited, you will still do your utmost to help me search for my sister, will you not?"
Stunned, Xenia stared at Lily Evans. Her eyes reddened and tears streamed down her face. Then, with a thud, she knelt at Lily Evans's feet and bowed her head in genuine gratitude.
Xi Niang finally understood why White Pete had just bowed to Su Li by imperial order.
It was heartfelt gratitude—gratitude that Lily Evans had reunited their family, ending their separation.
"Princess Consort, please rest assured. Once I'm reunited with my brother, I will, as always, do everything I can to keep searching for Miss Lana's whereabouts—so that Your Highness and your sister can be reunited soon!" Xenia wiped her tears, looked up at Lily Evans, and the wavering thoughts in her heart suddenly became firm resolve.
A master as kind as this is rare; once gone, you'll never find another.
Watching how Lily Evans treated her subordinates, Xenia realized that if you followed her loyally and never betrayed her, she would treat you sincerely, plan for your future, and never look down on you as others might—never treating you as less than human, or worse than livestock.
If you have to choose a master someday, why not pick one who's truly loyal and kind?
Xi Niang looked at Su Li and said, "Princess Consort, if you do not find it beneath you, from this day forth, both I and the Moonlight Pavilion shall obey your command."
Now it was Lily Evans's turn to be shocked. The Moonlight Pavilion was a massive business, with a tangled web of connections behind it. Was Xenia saying she planned to bring the whole Pavilion under Lily Evans’s command, to become one of Lily Evans’s people?
Lily Evans understood deeply the value of the Moonlight Pavilion. Such a famous, high-end brothel in the capital was an invaluable hub for gathering information.
Officials and wealthy merchants who frequented such establishments often let slip important secrets to the Pavilion girls after a few drinks and whispered sweet nothings. That’s why, throughout history, many brothels have served as covert intelligence stations.
If Lily Evans could bring the Moonlight Pavilion under her wing, she’d gain a vast, efficient intelligence network—plus Xenia’s entire web of contacts in the capital’s nightlife scene. What an unexpected windfall!