My palace is full of female protagonists.

"I only like young, tender ones!" the man persisted, a strange light gleaming in his eyes.

“We like it too!” the other men chimed in, their voices full of teasing and anticipation.

Seeing this, the madam grew even more anxious. She knew that if she didn't satisfy these customers' demands, the brothel would likely be in turmoil that night. But she couldn't bear to push Mei'er into the fire.

Then, the madam's eyes lit up, and a plan came to her. "Gentlemen," she said, "you may not know this, but I have several other petite and lovely girls in this brothel. They're all new and haven't had any customers yet. I'll call them over right away, and I guarantee you'll be satisfied. What do you say?" With that, the madam turned to go and arrange for the other girls.

Upon hearing this, the men exchanged glances, a hint of hesitation flashing in their eyes. Although they were captivated by Mei'er's beauty, the thought of many more fresh faces awaiting them reignited their desires.

“Alright, since the madam has said so, we’ll reluctantly agree and look at the other girls first.” One of the men spoke first, his tone carrying a hint of compromise.

Upon hearing this, the madam breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly nodded and bowed in agreement, then turned to instruct her subordinates to make the arrangements. Mei'er, on the other hand, was temporarily extricated from this turmoil and stood aside, watching everything with a complex expression, feeling both relief and confusion and fear about the future.

However, just as the madam turned around, a powerful force suddenly struck her from behind. Before she could even react, she was sent flying like a kite with a broken string. A loud bang followed as she crashed heavily into the opposite wall, then fell to the ground in a disheveled state.

Before the madam could even react, a tall, stern-faced man strode to the door and slammed it shut without hesitation. With a crisp click, the lock was firmly fastened.

A deathly silence fell over the room, broken only by Mei'er's terrified screams echoing in the air. Mei'er was now deathly pale, trembling uncontrollably. Her legs gave way, and she involuntarily knelt on the cold floor, desperately kowtowing and pleading, "Sir, spare me! I know I was wrong, please have mercy on me..." Tears streamed down her beautiful face, dripping onto the ground like tiny splashes of water.

A man ripped off Mei'er's outer garment, forcing her to continue kneeling on the ground.

"Speak! What was the name of your previous guest?" A gruff male voice echoed in the room, accompanied by the sound of a sword sheath striking the ground. Mei'er trembled, trying to make her voice sound as steady as possible: "Guests never mention their real names. I heard his henchmen call him 'Young Master' and 'Third Young Master,' so I just followed suit."

The man was clearly dissatisfied with this answer, and he increased the force of his blows, but Mei'er still insisted that she knew nothing. Her skin was exposed to the cold wind, and the icy scabbard sent chills down her spine, but what terrified her even more were the men's gazes, which pierced her body like sharp swords, straight to her soul.

"Did they say where they came from?" the man asked again, his tone full of threat. Mei'er tried hard to recall the fragments about the "young master" and the "third young master," and she answered cautiously, "They are not from the capital, but every time they discuss matters, they make me go to the next room to play the zither and forbid me from listening. Occasionally, they mention that they want to go back to the mountain, but they never say which mountain."

The man was clearly not satisfied with this answer either. He tapped Mei'er on the back with his sword sheath as a warning. Mei'er trembled with fear, knowing that she had become the key to these men's search for clues.

Just then, the madam's anxious knocking came from outside the door: "Sirs, I've called a few girls to serve you. Please open the door and choose one. Don't make things difficult for the boy." Her voice was pleading, but the men inside ignored her request.

"Where else can they stay besides here?" the man pressed Mei'er. Mei'er knew she couldn't answer that question, but she tried her best to recall: "Mom probably knows, but we sisters aren't allowed to know. We don't even know how much money they're charged. Mom only shares some money with us at the end of the month."

The man tapped Mei'er on the back with his sword sheath, signaling her to behave. Mei'er felt a sharp pain, but she dared not make a sound and could only endure it silently.

Outside the door, the madam's knocking became more urgent; she seemed to realize the seriousness of the situation. But the men inside did not lower their guard; they continued to interrogate Mei'er about the whereabouts of the "Young Master" and the "Third Young Master."

Mei'er knew she was in dire straits; she didn't know what the future held. But she knew that no matter what happened, she had to remain calm and strong, because only then would she have a chance to find a glimmer of hope.

Just then, a commotion suddenly arose outside the door, mixed with the madam's slightly anxious yet smooth-talking voice: "Sirs, please open the door! I have several beautiful young ladies waiting to serve you gentlemen. Besides, you haven't paid Miss Mei'er's reward yet; you should at least give her an explanation." Her voice carried a hint of ingratiation and helplessness, clearly trying to quell the disturbance outside.

Upon hearing this, the man tapping the sword sheath frowned slightly, his gaze lingering on Mei'er for a moment before he gently lifted her outer robe and covered her trembling body with it. He then gave a wink to a man beside him, signaling him to open the door and deal with the matter of the silver.

The man understood immediately. He walked to the door, carefully opened it a crack, and was just about to throw a heavy silver ingot out when a loud crash came from outside, accompanied by hurried footsteps and shouts: "Catch them alive! Don't let them get away!"

Several Imperial Guards, dressed in brocade robes and carrying embroidered spring knives at their waists, rushed in like wolves and tigers. Their eyes were sharp as eagles, and they had clearly already set their sights on the men inside. A sudden melee broke out instantly. Amidst the flashing blades, the men quickly grappled with each other. Tables and chairs were knocked over and clattered loudly during the fierce fighting.

Mei'er was terrified by this sudden turn of events. Clutching her clothes, she crawled under the bed in utter panic. Though dark and damp, the space under the bed became her only refuge at that moment. She curled up, covering her ears tightly with her hands, trying to shut out the noise and fear from the outside world.

The sounds of fighting, the shouts of the Imperial Guards, and the screams of the men inside mingled together, a fierce cacophony that tore the air apart. The Imperial Guards, clad in magnificent flying fish robes and wielding sharp embroidered spring knives at their waists, exuded ruthless decisiveness in every movement. The men in black, though dressed in ordinary night clothes, displayed extraordinary agility, clearly no ordinary fighters.

A Jinyiwei (Imperial Guard) moved with lightning speed, his embroidered spring knife gleaming coldly. He slashed fiercely at the shoulder of a man in black. The man in black, however, seemed to have anticipated this, easily dodging the attack by sidestepping. Simultaneously, he retaliated with a claw strike aimed straight for the Jinyiwei's throat. The Jinyiwei snorted coldly, retreating hastily, narrowly avoiding a fatal blow.

Another Imperial Guard was locked in combat with two men in black. His swordsmanship was incredibly sharp, each strike aimed directly at vital points. However, the two men in black coordinated perfectly, one attacking and the other defending, deflecting his attacks one by one. The Imperial Guard frowned deeply; he knew that if he couldn't quickly eliminate these two, he would likely find himself on the defensive.

Meanwhile, similar battles were unfolding in other corners of the room. A Jinyiwei (Imperial Guard) was surrounded by three men in black, struggling to parry and block. Another man in black, taking advantage of a moment of inattention, suddenly attacked from behind, slashing at the Jinyiwei's back. The Jinyiwei reacted swiftly, sidestepping and slashing back, wounding the man in black's wrist.

The battle inside the room intensified. Although the Imperial Guards outnumbered the main force, the men in black were all exceptionally skilled and coordinated perfectly, making it difficult for the Imperial Guards to gain a quick victory. Each clash was accompanied by sparks flying and the ear-piercing sound of metal clashing, sending chills down the spines of all who witnessed it.

Mei'er hid under the bed, her hands tightly covering her mouth, her eyes wide open, afraid she might accidentally let out a terrified scream. She clearly saw that every clash between the Imperial Guards and the men in black was a life-or-death struggle; the slightest mistake could mean death. Her heart pounded like a drum, each beat seemingly telling her just how cruel and merciless this chaotic life-or-death struggle was.

It wasn't until the Crown Prince appeared at the door with a squad of Imperial Guards that the madam realized the situation had spiraled out of control. Her face turned deathly pale, her legs went weak, and she could only kneel tremblingly on the ground, her hands clasped together, pleading repeatedly, "Your Highness, I truly don't know where these guests came from. I've never seen them before. I haven't even collected all the money yet, and they've already kidnapped Miss Mei'er. I really don't know what happened! Please, Your Highness, have mercy!"

The prince ignored the madam's pleas, merely glancing at her out of the corner of his eye, and said in a cold tone, "Bring me this girl's indenture."

Upon hearing this, the madam quickly turned to the waiter, who was hiding to the side and whose face had turned pale with fright, and ordered, "Go to my room and bring me the butterfly box from under my bed."

At this moment, the men in black inside, seeing the situation was dire, tried to commit suicide to preserve their secret, but were bound hand and foot by the Imperial Guards, like pigs, their mouths gagged, only able to whimper. The waiter, quick-witted, soon brought the madam's trunk. The madam, trembling, used her key to open the trunk, took out Mei'er's indenture, and handed it to the Crown Prince with trembling hands. A palace servant behind the Crown Prince took it and carefully examined it.

The Crown Prince looked at the indenture in his hand and said coldly, "I will have this girl do some work. Later, you can go to the government office to register her. She will no longer be one of your people."

Upon hearing this, the madam secretly wondered if she could get some of her ransom back, but just as she looked up to speak, a guard tapped her head lightly with his sword sheath and said sternly, "Don't look directly at a nobleman!" The madam trembled in fright and dared not utter another word.

At this moment, the men in black were carried out one by one by the Imperial Guards on carrying poles, and the scene became chaotic. Only then did the Crown Prince enter the room, his eyes scanning the surroundings. Suddenly, he noticed movement under the bed. A thought struck him, and he realized that it must be the girl hiding inside.

So he slowly approached the bedside and said softly, "Girl, don't be afraid, come out."

Upon hearing the Crown Prince's voice, Mei'er was surprised, yet also somewhat apprehensive. After a moment's hesitation, she finally mustered her courage and crawled out from under the bed. Her hair was slightly disheveled, and tear tracks still clung to her face, but her eyes shone brightly, revealing a sense of determination and gratitude.

The Crown Prince looked at Mei'er, nodded slightly, and his tone softened: "Miss, you've been frightened. From now on, you are no longer a person here. I will arrange for someone to send you to a new place to start a new life."

Upon hearing this, Mei'er's eyes flashed with a hint of tears, but she quickly put on a resolute smile and kowtowed deeply to the Crown Prince: "Thank you so much for saving my life, young master!"

The Crown Prince asked another question, his tone inquisitive: "Why didn't the Third Young Master take you with him?" His gaze was deep, as if trying to penetrate Mei'er's heart and see through the truth.

Upon hearing this, Mei'er's heart trembled slightly. She recalled the exquisite pastries that Consort Yi had sent from the next private room that day, and the Third Young Master's hurried departure. She lowered her head and said softly, "The Third Young Master went to see a distinguished person, so naturally he couldn't bring someone as lowly as me along. He said that such an occasion was not suitable for me, so he sent me back first."

Upon hearing this, the Crown Prince nodded slightly, a barely perceptible glint in his eyes. He seemed to be pondering something before slowly speaking, "Actually, it was the Third Young Master who sent me to take you away. He was worried that you would be harmed here, so he specifically instructed me to take you safely away from this place. As you've seen, if you stay here, you'll still be targeted by these people."

Upon hearing this, Mei'er felt a surge of warmth in her heart. She looked up at the Crown Prince, her eyes filled with gratitude and awe. She knew that although she didn't know the identity of this noble person, the fact that even the madam was kneeling outside the door meant that he must be a powerful figure in the capital, not only extremely influential but also kind-hearted, willing to lend a helping hand to her, a woman in dire straits.

She quickly put on her outer garment, stood up, and bowed respectfully, saying, "Thank you for your great kindness! You saved my life, and I will obey your every command. I will go through fire and water without hesitation!"

The Crown Prince looked at her, a hint of satisfaction flashing in his eyes. He clapped his hands lightly, signaling the palace maids behind him to come forward. The maids understood and immediately stepped forward to help Mei'er up, tidying her clothes and hair.