Falling into the mortal world

Hearing the commotion outside, Lan Qingqing got up. Cai Die, seeing Lan Qingqing get up, said, "Miss, let me go with you!"

Lan Qingqing looked at her legs and decided to walk. Lan Qingqing walked with a limp, and Cai Die supported her the whole way.

When they arrived at the lobby, Mrs. He saw that Lan Qingqing was walking with a limp. She looked extremely haggard.

He thought to himself: As expected, Master Hong is a ruthless character. I had heard before that many girls had died in his house.

It seems this story is definitely not unfounded.

What a waste of such a beautiful girl. Lan Qingqing had no idea that her mother was already imagining all sorts of things.

"What does Aunt He want with me?" Lan Qingqing asked weakly.

Madam He, having regained her composure, said: "This is your indenture. The Fourth Prince is waiting for you downstairs. You'll have to take good care of me from now on! After all, you're someone I brought up."

Lan Qingqing took the indenture, checked it, and confirmed it was hers. She then placed the indenture close to her body in her bosom.

Lan Qingqing said sincerely, "I will definitely remember your kindness. If there's anything I can do to help in the future, I definitely will."

Mom, can I have Cai Die's indenture as well? I like this girl more.

Mrs. He glanced at Cai Die. Although Cai Die had pretty features, years of hard work had caused malnutrition, leaving her with sallow skin and a gaunt figure. She couldn't be considered a beauty. So Mrs. He wasn't too reluctant to part with her.

If you want to take this girl away, then you can't take your money, hairpins, or jewelry with you.

When He's mother heard Lan Qingqing say "okay," she was taken aback, not expecting Lan Qingqing to agree so readily.

Cai Die tugged at Lan Qingqing's clothes. Lan Qingqing gently patted Cai Die's hand to reassure her that she knew what she was doing.

"Mother He, please give me the contract for the butterfly!" Lan Qingqing reminded Mother He.

When Lan Qingqing reminded her, Madam He got up and went to the inner room. A moment later, Madam He came out with the indenture. Lan Qingqing took the indenture, confirmed it was correct, and then put it in her bosom.

You can leave now. The Fourth Prince asked the Ming Prince for the girl the day before. When the Ming Prince learned which girl she wanted, he deliberately delayed releasing her by a day or two. He didn't want the girl he had trained to benefit his Fourth Brother for nothing.

As they walked down the street, Cai Die was crying her eyes out. Lan Qingqing quickly comforted her, saying, "We're free now, why are you still crying?"

Butterfly sobbed, "If it weren't for me, my lady wouldn't be penniless. It's my fault for dragging her down with me."

Lan Qingqing patted Cai Die's back comfortingly and said, "Even without you, I couldn't take that money. Mother He has been eyeing my things for quite some time now."

"Really?" Butterfly's tears had stopped, but her voice was still choked with emotion.

"Okay, everything will be alright once we leave here," Lan Qingqing said firmly.

The two walked outside the door, and Lan Qingqing saw the Fourth Prince standing outside.

Lan Qingqing had just walked up to the Fourth Prince's side.

The Fourth Prince then said: Now you are free. I have prepared a house for you outside the city. You can live there from now on!

The servants inside can be ordered around without worry; if anyone disobeys, they can be sold off.

After the Fourth Prince finished speaking, Lan Qingqing knelt down in front of him with a thud. When Cai Die saw Lan Qingqing kneel down, she also knelt down.

"Thank you so much, Your Highness, for saving my life." Lan Qingqing kowtowed heavily.

The Fourth Prince quickly stepped forward to help Lan Qingqing up. "What are you doing? Get up quickly."

The prince's kindness to this young lady is something she can never repay in this lifetime. Lan Qingqing's eyes were filled with tears, and although she wore a veil, her pitiful appearance was not diminished in the slightest.

The Fourth Prince's heart was broken at the sight. "To die beneath the peony blossoms, even as a ghost, is to be romantic." He, the Prince, had already won the heart of Miss Honglian; he had no regrets and needed no repayment from her.

Honglian is no longer worthy of the prince; her body is no longer pure. Just yesterday, Madam He forced me to entertain guests.

Now, whenever I think about what Master Hong forced me to do that day, I feel disgusted.

I cannot give my impure body to the Prince. The Prince deserves the best in the world. Someone as impure as me should not be by his side.

It will only be used by those around the prince to ridicule and attack him.

If someone with ulterior motives were to report to the Emperor that the Prince's mistress was a courtesan, then Honglian would truly become the femme fatale depicted in plays.

Therefore, Your Highness must not allow others to have the opportunity to harm you because of me.

I will leave here myself and will never let the prince be imprisoned because of me.

The Fourth Prince was moved by Lan Qingqing's words. He hadn't expected that this woman would think so much for him.

The more this happened, the more reluctant he became. How could such a good girl be a prostitute? But he couldn't bring himself to give up the throne for a prostitute.

Just as the Fourth Prince was caught in a dilemma, Lan Qingqing kowtowed three more times to him. "Take care, Your Highness."

Lan Qingqing pretended to be very sad, got into the carriage, and asked the driver to drive to the government office.

The coachman glanced at the prince. The Fourth Prince remained silent, but the steward beside him discerned his thoughts and nodded to the coachman. Receiving the signal, the coachman cracked his whip and drove off.

The Fourth Prince watched the carriage gradually disappear into the distance. And so, Lan Qingqing took root in the Fourth Prince's heart.

When Lan Qingqing arrived at the government office, she told the coachman to go back. The soldiers at the gate saw the Fourth Prince's emblem on the carriage and knew this was one of the Fourth Prince's men. So they greeted her with smiles.

Lan Qingqing explained her purpose. Soon after, Lan Qingqing's paperwork was completed.

The contract between Lan Qingqing and Cai Die was burned in front of the two of them.

Lan Qingqing watched as her household registration changed from that of a lowly person to that of a good person.

I was so excited.

"Girl, where do we go next?" Lan Qingqing pulled the gold hairpin from her hair, removed her earrings, bracelets, and rings. She took off a whole bunch of things, jingling and clanging. Wearing all this was too flashy. "Let's go to the pawnshop now."

Lan Qingqing never intended to take the money with her in the first place. If she had wanted to take it, even if her mother-in-law tried to stop her, she wouldn't have been able to. Holding the money would make her unhappy, so she decided not to take it. She would earn it with her own hands.

Lan Qingqing's jewelry is all the best, made of pure gold. The jewelry she wears on her head is only a small part of it; most of it is in her jewelry box.