e able to hear it, and mother wouldn't be completely alone.The herbs in the little herb garden all survived, even if they weren't watered every day, just a sprinkle of spring water was enough to keep...Chapter 1128: Her Reputation Was Ruined

Fang Jinshi got into a carriage and rushed out to find Zong Yulian.

She had someone inquire about the address of the newly opened flower shop and went straight there.

A young servant in the mansion, seeing that things were going badly, hurried through a back door at top speed to overtake Fang Jinshi and report to the young mistress.

At this time, Zong Yulian was still dressed in men's clothing, moving among the many top courtesans she had brought over. She also instructed the tailor at the shop to make the courtesans' dresses more secure.

Although she runs a flower shop, she wants to take a unique path.

Men are naturally lustful by nature, but human nature is such that the more unattainable something is, the more they desire it. The girls in other brothels dress provocatively, and when they come in, they can feast their eyes on them without giving it a second thought.

But their style is different, they definitely don't go for the revealing look. In my sister-in-law's words, they go for the "forbidden fruit" aesthetic, the unattainable always stirs the soul.

When they get restless, she just throws a few sweeteners or coins their way and they pour into her pocket like water.

Yu Lian's smile was beyond description. A servant boy suddenly burst into the room from the back door, scaring her so much that she nearly dropped the teacup in her hand.

"What's this Is there a fire at the mansion"

"My sister-in-law is fighting with my brother about divorce again"

The maidservant panted, unable to speak, could only desperately shake her head. Yulian smacked her lips and nonchalantly started talking to herself.

"Then why did you rush here Didn't I tell you not to come see me just like that If she finds out about my whereabouts, my sister-in-law will definitely punish me."

In the pauses of her speech, the maid finally calmed down.

"Miss, madam has already found out, she's on her way to get you now!"

Yu Lian was so startled she nearly fell off her chair, her face paling instantly.

"What did you say How did my sister-in-law know I was here"

"Miss, this isn't the time to be talking about these things. You should leave now. As long as your mistress doesn't catch you here, you still have a chance to make amends."

The man who gave advice to Yu Lian was the masked man bought by Fang Jinshu in the beginning, the Western Xia nobles said.

He still has half a mask on his face and doesn't intend to show himself with the real one.

Yu Lian immediately nodded upon hearing this, "Yes, yes, yes, you're right."

As long as my sister-in-law doesn't catch me in the act, I still have room to defend myself. You can't just arrest someone without proof, can you

"Ah Sheng, I'll leave this to you. I'm off."

After finishing her words, Yu Lian immediately slipped out through the back door.

When Fang Jinshu arrived, Zong Yulian was already nowhere to be seen. She pushed aside the courtesans and didn't rush away, but instead looked around the brothel.

Now that she is the wife of a marquis, no shop in the capital dares to stop her.

This flower house indeed has traces of familiarity everywhere, even the clothes these girls wear have elements of modern design.

It goes without saying that this is Zong Yulian's handiwork. After all, when the Mu family embroidered, only Yulian and she were present. Moreover, the design sketches for those garments were only seen by the three of them.

"Where is the manager of this place Is everyone dead!"

Fang Jinshi was indeed angry. Yulian, this girl, was too careless about her reputation.

She had forgotten how Zongping Kang once used her past to blackmail her, threatening to ruin her reputation. Doesn't she have a good memory

Soon, a middle-aged woman approached with a look of panic on her face.

"Madam, I swear, I don't know any Miss Yu Lian."

"You, you must have the wrong place."

Fang Jinxiu let out a cold snort, raising an eyebrow at her.

"Is that so All the silver in Zong Yulian's hands was given to her. Strictly speaking, I am the real owner of your shop."

"If I were to break Zong Yulian's silver in her hands, could your shop continue to operate It's only been open for a short time, and you all haven't made back your investment yet, have you"

"Zong Yulian promised to give you all a bonus, as long as you help me find her. I can keep this store and will pay you double the bonus!"

Since this shop was painstakingly built by Jade Lotus, Fang Jinshu naturally wouldn't ruin her hard work.

In a place of fireworks and flesh trade, money comes quickly indeed.

All the aristocratic families in Beijing were also involved in this, but although they made money from these pleasure districts, no one would personally manage such places. Nor would they allow their names to be associated with these brothels and pleasure quarters in any way.

At this point, Yulian was truly clueless.

Fang Jinxiu just said that she was too careless about her reputation. She was still an unmarried girl, even in modern times not everyone could be so carefree about their reputation.

Under Fang Jinshu's generous offerings, these girls quickly had their hearts moved. These days, nothing could compare to the security of having silver in one's hands.

They would jump ship, having originally been lured over by Zong Yulian's higher salary and better benefits.

And Zong Yulian also gave them an offer they couldn't refuse: after three years, the sisters could choose to redeem themselves and leave at any time without having to pay a hefty ransom.

Whatever amount was spent originally to purchase them should be paid back.

This is much better than the other brothels. Girls like them, who are top earners, are like cash cows for the house. Even when they get old and lose their looks, their madam won't necessarily let them leave.

Even if they were willing to let them go, they would squeeze every last bit of profit from them, milking them dry before stopping.

Many girls in their lifetime can only rot away in the building. At Zong Yu Lian's, at least there is a way out, and those who earn enough money can leave if they want to.

"I say! Mistress just ran out the back door a little while ago, Madam. If you go after her now, you might still catch her."

Someone started, and then everyone else followed suit. They all vied to expose Zong Yulian's past, revealing everything she had done, how she had recruited them, leaving no detail untold for Fang Jinxiu to hear.

Fang Jinshu didn't rush to leave, a monk can run but the temple can't. Zong Yulian couldn't possibly stay away from home for her whole life.

She had Xiaoyue bring her a chair, a teapot and a plate of melon seeds. She sat down and began to listen intently.

Hearing it all the way to the end, Fong Kam-shui was both angry and amused.

Smiling, she felt proud. This girl Yu Lian hadn't been useless for all these years by her side. It turned out that the purpose of her working at Kaihua Lou was to compete with Yuan Buyu for business.

Yuan's business ventures spanned a wide range, but the most profitable of them all was undoubtedly this flourishing entertainment district.

Yulian quietly absconded with several top courtesans from Yuan Xiangming's flourishing brothels. The losses may not be immediately apparent, but over time, as customers discover their beloved companions are gone and have moved to a more fashionable establishment, they will inevitably follow them there and continue to spend money on them.

Men are very attracted to novelty. If you understand and cater to their desire for new experiences, you've essentially got a hold on their wallets.

The silver that was originally supposed to flow into Yuan Xiang's pockets naturally flowed into theirs.

But the Qi is also true Qi. Even if it's to deal with Yuan Xiang, there are still the family reputation of the Zong clan and her, not to mention Zong Bai. When would it be her turn, a young woman from a boudoir, to come forward

And to be exposed like this, if the noble ladies of the capital found out, her reputation would be ruined beyond repair.

If bringing down Yuan Xiang meant sacrificing Yu Lian's reputation, she would rather rack her brains and spend more time fighting him to the death than let her sister suffer even a little harm. Zong Yu asked Fang Jinshu to go back to her room to rest early. He had slept all day and wasn't sleepy now.While everyone at home was resting, he quietly washed the pots and pans, and tidied up both...