Faced with this huge surprise, Lily Evans did not lose her composure. Instead, she calmly looked at Xiniang and asked, "Xiniang, I’m just a woman in the inner chambers. Why have you chosen to bring Wangyue Lou to join me?"
Xenia looked at Lily Evans, who remained calm and unruffled by praise or blame, and admired her even more. She thought to herself, she really hadn’t chosen the wrong person.
"Princess Consort, since I’ve decided to follow you, I won’t hide anything from you. To be honest, I once had a patron—a high-ranking official in the Capital. But that master never treated our girls as human. Working for him, I was constantly subjected to humiliation and abuse. On the surface, I managed the whole brothel and seemed glamorous, but in reality, life was unbearable. The former master often abused the girls, but since he was our patron, we could only suffer in silence. Eventually, I couldn’t take it anymore and schemed to attach myself to another official, spending a lot of silver and effort to escape. I shut down the old brothel and reopened as Moonlight Pavilion, finally giving myself and the girls a peaceful life."
"But in the Capital, without someone powerful backing you, a brothel just can’t survive. None of us want to fall into the same trap again, letting another official treat us like we’re less than human. I’ve tried my best to make connections, currying favor with several officials just to keep Moonlight Pavilion open. But now, as the brothel grows, more and more people are eyeing this unclaimed prize. I’m barely holding on—every day is a struggle, and I fear that one day some cruel person will take over and we’ll be back to living like animals again."
As Xenia spoke, she seemed to recall the past. Her eyes reddened, and she wiped away her tears before continuing, "Since we’ll need a new patron sooner or later, why not choose someone who truly treats us as people? Princess Consort, you’re so kind and considerate to your subordinates—like a living Bodhisattva. I owe it to the girls to find them a good master. I believe that if we follow you, we’ll never again suffer the humiliation we did under our former patron, never again be killed or cast out like animals just for displeasing the master."
"From what I’ve seen, Princess Consort, you have great talent and wisdom—not just any ordinary woman of the inner chambers, but someone whose abilities rival the best of men. I’ve made up my mind to follow you, though I fear you might look down on us for coming from the world of brothels and refuse to accept us." Xenia kowtowed again. "If Princess Consort is willing to take us in and treat the sisters kindly, I’ll follow you to the ends of the earth, no matter the cost!"
Lily Evans looked at Xenia, who was kneeling on the ground, then glanced at Mudan.
As the former shadow guard of the Hayes family, Mrs. Penny naturally understood the unspoken rules of the brothel world. She nodded to Lily Evans, signaling that Xenia’s words were true and trustworthy.
With Mrs. Penny’s confirmation, Lily Evans rose, personally helping Xenia to her feet. "Girls who’ve ended up in this line of work all have their own hardships. Since the world is so vast and no one else will protect you, as a fellow woman, I have the ability to shelter you—and I will do my utmost. From now on, Xenia and Moonlight Pavilion will be under the protection of the Hayes Manor. No one will dare bully or humiliate you again."