Shocking! Five men are in love with the same woman!

Lingyan looked at them, her eyes filled with mixed emotions, and asked with a gentle smile, "Has any of you thought about how you would live if you didn't do this job?"

Everyone was surprised again upon hearing this.

Why would she even think of asking that question?

However, they would naturally answer the guests' questions.

Then everyone gave their answers.

Of the sixteen women, two wanted to get married, and three wanted to live a life of seclusion and Buddhism.

Those who remained were all unwilling to leave the brothel.

Lingyan was utterly perplexed.

As far as she knew, most of the women in brothels were forced into the profession.

So why did most of these dozen or so women choose to stay?

Ying Shuang, Ying Die, and Yun Meng were also very puzzled.

One of the girls who chose to stay explained, "After we redeem ourselves from the brothel, most of us end up as concubines. Even if we become wives, we can only marry ordinary people."

Another girl added, "So if a concubine encounters a good mistress, at least she won't lose her life. But if she encounters a ruthless one, she's basically destined to be beaten to death. But how many mistresses in this world can tolerate a concubine, especially one from a brothel?"

Then the next girl continued, "Besides, if you marry an ordinary man, not only will you have endless farm work from morning till night, but you will also be hungry and cold, and there will be so many housework to do. You will work yourself to death for a year and still not be able to save any money. You will not dare to buy anything. Rather than living such a life, it is better to stay in a brothel."

A girl next to her concluded: "So what if we redeem ourselves and leave the brothel? Either we'll be starving and freezing, living a life of poverty and misery, or we'll face the mistress's harassment every day and might even lose our lives. Staying in the brothel at least ensures we're well-fed and clothed, and even if we have to serve customers every day, we won't lose our lives."

The other girls nodded in agreement.

Their words revealed helplessness and bitterness, but also contained a profound understanding and compromise with life.

Lingyan felt a mix of emotions as she listened to these words.

She said in a deep voice, "You won't lose your life? But how many courtesans die from syphilis every year? You call this not losing your life?"

After he finished speaking, the dozen or so people fell silent.

They seem to have resigned themselves to their fate, believing that this is their destiny.

The atmosphere was somewhat gloomy.

After a while, one of the girls spoke up bitterly, "This is the fate of us brothel girls. Who cares about our lives? We are just playthings. We want to escape the brothel, but if we don't rely on men, we can't survive on our own."

Her words carried a hint of self-mockery and despair, which made Lingyan feel even more distressed.

So this is a vicious cycle.

They had no worries about food and clothing while staying in the brothel, and they didn't have to suffer from the mistress's mistreatment or risk their lives, but they would die from syphilis.

Leaving the brothel meant either living a life of hardship in an ordinary family or becoming a concubine in a wealthy household.

Whether one lives well or poorly depends on one's luck.

But none of them dared to gamble!

They dared not gamble on the temperament and behavior of the men and mistresses they encountered, fearing they might meet someone particularly ruthless, so they had no choice but to continue staying in the brothel.

Aside from those who are ambitious but only want a life of luxury and wealth.

The remaining women could only struggle every day in the filthy and desperate quagmire of the brothel.

As Lingyan sat in the carriage returning to her residence, her heart felt as if a thousand-pound boulder was pressing down on it, heavy and suffocating.

Ultimately, it's because they have no way to make a living. If they were given a way to support themselves, they could be freed from this predicament.

However, the Great Zhao Dynasty offered very few opportunities for women to support themselves.

In the ancient Zhao state, women had a relatively higher social status and faced fewer restrictions.

Because her mother, Jiang Qingli, was a female general who could go to the battlefield with her father.

She also had a female army that made great contributions to the Zhao Dynasty. After her death, she was posthumously awarded the title of General Zhaolie, a second-rank official.

Her mother proved the ability and value of women through her actions, but she could not change the prejudice and restrictions that society placed on women.

There were no female officials among the civil and military officials in the court, and very few women in the army either; they were extremely rare. Even female shopkeepers and bosses in the private sector were few and far between.

All of this demonstrates that the status of women has not fundamentally improved, and they still live in the shadow of a patriarchal society.

The Ninth Princess's mother, Consort Liang, was the daughter of a border general and had also served on the battlefield.

However, after entering the palace, he was never able to step out of the palace again, let alone go to the battlefield.

How could she not feel regret?

She knew she was very unwilling to accept this, so she taught the Ninth Princess martial arts from a young age.

Perhaps she had placed all her dreams on her daughter, hoping that her daughter could go to the battlefield in her place.

The Ninth Princess's skills that I witnessed that day were remarkable, despite her young age.

What she taught the Ninth Princess was not physical fitness, but battlefield skills.

It is the ability to kill.

Even the concubines in the imperial palace cannot live as they please, let alone other women in the world.

How many women in this world struggle to breathe under the heavy pressure of life, and how bumpy and helpless their fates must be?

Just as these courtesans said, they also wanted to get out of this quagmire, but they couldn't make a living outside, so they preferred to stay in the brothel.

She secretly wanted to do something for them, but giving these women a way to survive, or even giving other women a way to support themselves, was not so simple.

She was neither a saint nor a savior; she was simply someone who came to this dynasty to eat, drink, and be merry, minding her own business and only caring about herself.

She just wanted to live her life quietly and peacefully, without any grand ambitions.

But can she really just stand aside and turn a blind eye to their plight?

No, she can't do it.

As a woman herself, she deeply understood the weight and difficulty of this suffering.

Hearing about their experiences now, and thinking about the experiences of many other women, her heart feels more suffocated and distressed than ever before.

She desperately wanted to do something for them.

So she made a decision: she couldn't continue being a lazy bum.

She couldn't remain indifferent knowing how difficult life was for women; it pained her deeply.

Therefore, she wanted to find a way out for these women in brothels, and for all the other women in the world who were suffering.

At least it would allow them to support themselves after leaving the brothel, instead of having to rely solely on men.

But it's too difficult, so very difficult!

With so many women in the world, how could she possibly find a way out for all of them so that they could all support themselves?

It was really, really hard, but no matter how hard it was, she wouldn't give up.

By the time she returned to Prince Rui's residence, she had already come up with a solution.

That means going back to her old profession from her previous life: becoming a female CEO.

She wants to open shops all over the world, even in the Great Zhao, and make shops cover the entire world.

She recruited only women to work in these shops.

She refused to believe that these women would be unable to support themselves in the future.

These shops will be a stage for women to showcase themselves and realize their value.

She was determined to make these shops a starting point for women to escape their predicament and start anew.

It seems like fate has decreed that she will continue to dedicate herself to business, just like in her previous life.

Who would have thought that for the first fifteen years of her life she just wanted to be a lazy bum, living a life of ease, comfort, and luxury?

Back in the room, Xiao Muyao was sitting at the table reading a book while waiting for her.

The warm lighting and Xiao Muyao's figure intertwined to create a heartwarming scene.

Seeing her return, he immediately got up and went to her, asking with concern, "Are you feeling unwell? Are you tired? Are you hungry?"

Ling Yan smiled and shook her head.

She then went up and hugged him tightly.

It feels so good to have someone leave a light on for you when you come back, waiting for you and showing you care.

Her heart felt warm and peaceful.

How fortunate she is to have married such a wonderful husband.

How fortunate she was to have met men as good and outstanding as He Jingchuan and Lu Yanqing.

She truly felt that God had been incredibly kind to her.

She sighed softly as she thought of the other women who had suffered.

Xiao Muyao hugged her back, watching her extremely unusual behavior and hearing her sigh.

He asked anxiously and worriedly, "What's wrong? What happened?"

Lingyan briefly recounted what had happened that evening.

Xiao Muyao was not surprised or puzzled at all after hearing this, as he knew Yan'er's grand vision of seeking happiness for women all over the world.

So he held her tightly and said softly, "Yan'er, do whatever you want to do. I will always support you and always be your strong backing."

Ling Yan stepped out of his embrace, then smiled and looked at him, asking, "Do you know me that well? Do you know what I'm going to do?"

Xiao Muyao lightly tapped her nose and smiled, "Although I don't know them very well, I do know a little bit. I understand your thoughts and ideas. Seeing their struggles, you can't help but want to pave a way for them."

Ling Yan's smile widened as she looked at him and nodded in agreement, saying, "I'm so glad you understand me so well, because I know how important I am to you."

Xiao Muyao looked at her with tender and gentle eyes and said, "I'm glad you're happy. It's late, and you've started your period again. Let's get some rest."

Ling Yan smiled and nodded.

Then Xiao Muyao asked curiously, "What kind of pills did you give the seventh brother?"

Ling Yan sneered and said, "Of course, we should make him unable to be a man's medicine. This rotten man has harmed countless men and women. It's best to get rid of this wicked thing."

Xiao Muyao nodded to show his understanding and support.

He didn't think she had done anything wrong, and his reaction was extremely indifferent.

After taking a bath, the two lay down and fell asleep in each other's arms.