The splendor of the Red Chamber, the power that reigns supreme.

Chapter 92 The Maid Who Risked Her Life

"I was filled with fear and dared not utter a sound. Just then, I saw you come out, sir... so I dared to come. Firstly, I wanted to serve you wholeheartedly and express my feelings. Secondly, even if I am punished by my aunt, I must tell you about this! I beg you to... investigate this matter thoroughly!"

After she finished speaking, she knelt down deeply again. Her waist and hips, which were beginning to show signs of plumpness and were wrapped in a peach-colored silk jacket, curved into an arc under the moonlight, still showing the tips of her green buttocks.

Ximen Da Guanren sneered: "Alright, let's put everything else aside for now. Just tell me what you want after doing all this!"

Li Guijie was overjoyed, thinking the fish had taken the bait. She quickly knelt even straighter, her face beaming with tenderness and affection, her voice sweet and soft:

"I...I just feel sorry for my husband..." Her eyes flickered, "Seeing how hard he works, and yet there's no one...no one who truly cares for him," she paused shyly, "to serve him with meticulous care, my heart is filled with...ah!!"

Li Guijie cried out in pain, the pain in her thigh making her stop talking.

It turned out that the high-ranking official's boots had stepped on her kneeling white legs and ground them.

"You little bitch!" the official sneered. "If you dare utter another word of this hypocritical nonsense to fool me... I'll turn around and leave!"

Li Guijie was terrified! With a "thud," she touched the ground with her forehead, almost completely prostrate herself, her back taut, and even the thin shoulder blades under her peach-red silk jacket were clearly visible as they trembled.

She knew that at this critical moment of life and death, any further schemes or tricks would be futile and would only lead to her own demise!

"My lord, please calm down! Please calm down! I...I dare not do it again!" Her voice was trembling with tears, but she forced herself to suppress them, speaking rapidly like spilled beans, afraid that if she hesitated even for a moment, Ximen Qing would really storm off.

"I...I wouldn't dare deceive you, sir! I...I'm still a virgin! My body...my body is clean!" She suddenly raised her head, ignoring the dust on her face, her eyes gleaming with a desperate, almost fanatical light as she eagerly promoted herself:

“Since I was a child, I have been raised by my mother,” she said, counting on her white fingers as if reciting a familiar story: “I play the pipa very well, and can play ‘The Moon is High’ and ‘Song of the Frontier’ with ease; I sing Southern tunes very well, and can sing ‘Mountain Slope Sheep’ and ‘Locking the Southern Branch’ with clear pronunciation; I can do accounting and bookkeeping, and although I wouldn’t say I’m an expert, I can manage things clearly and well; I can do needlework and embroidery, and my embroidery of phoenixes and dragons is also quite presentable; I can play backgammon, chess, dominoes, and pitch-pot… none of the sisters in the courtyard can beat me!”

At this point, two unusual blushes rose on her face, and her voice lowered even further: "It was...it was those...the little tunes for amusement in bed, the exquisite ways of serving...I...I admire your esteemed name, it's legendary! I only beg...I only beg you to have mercy and buy me!" She raised her tearful eyes and pleaded: "I dare not dream of being a wife or concubine like my aunt! I only beg...I only beg to be a servant girl by your side, making the bed, serving tea and water..." She bit her lower lip, her voice so low it was almost inaudible, yet it clearly reached Ximen Qing's ears: "It was...it was at night...warming your feet, serving you as you just did, I would be willing! I only beg...I only beg to see you often, to serve you wholeheartedly!"

Ximen Qing listened quietly, his face expressionless. Only after Li Guijie finished speaking did he slowly open his mouth, his voice flat and emotionless:

"Heh... a courtesan?" His gaze swept over her young, voluptuous body, scrutinizing her with an appraising air. "You make her sound pitiful." He changed the subject: "But Sister Li Gui..."

The official leaned down, his breath close to her trembling earlobe, but the hot air he exhaled made her feel as if she had fallen into an ice cave: "That's your dear aunt! Today, you're willing to sell out your own blood relative just to curry favor with me..." He straightened up and said coldly, "How do I know... and then you... won't sell me out too?"

These words, each one like an icicle, pierced Li Guijie's heart, leaving her feeling cold and as if dead, her mind blank. It was like a bucket of ice water being poured over her burning heart in the twelfth lunar month! Seeing him lift his boots and actually walk away, Li Guijie felt a sudden darkness before her eyes, and the world spun around her!

It's over! It's all over! This once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, which she risked everything for, even resorting to such shameful methods, is about to be squandered! If the wealthy man leaves, she, Li Guijie, will truly become a piece of meat on the chopping block of the brothel, waiting to be deflowered and defiled by those greedy and filthy customers, rotting away in this den of iniquity until not even bones remain!

This thought, like a venomous snake gnawing at her heart, made her tremble violently, and she could no longer care about propriety or restraint! With a "howl," like a dying cub, she lunged forward! Shuangbi tightly grabbed Ximen Qing's leg, which was about to rise!
Her entire body was pressed against the cold, dusty, and dewy boots, her cheeks pressed tightly against the hard boot shafts, tears streaming down her face like broken beads, mingling with the powder on her face, instantly soiling the fine brocade boots of Ximen Qing.

"My lord! My lord! I dare not! I will never utter another false word!" She raised her face, which was a mess of tears, powder, and dust, but her eyes shone with an astonishing light as she met Mu Guang's scrutinizing gaze as he hissed:

"My lord! You...you are my root! My life! My only hope and reliance in this world!" These words seemed to be pulled from the depths of my heart, carrying scalding heat and the smell of blood.

"A tree cannot live without roots, and a person cannot stand without a master!" she said hastily. "Now that I have abandoned my pride and my family, and laid bare my heart and soul before you, my lord, I have chosen you! From this day forward, my heart, my life, and my body are bound to you alone!"

She tightened her arms around Ximen Qing's legs, as if trying to embed herself into his bones:
“My lord, please think about it!” Her voice rose, sharp with a sense of desperation. “If I am taken in by you, my most precious innocence will belong to you.”

(End of this chapter)