The woman was sat down rather gently but didn’t move an inch, giving her the appearance of a dumped corpse. With curiosity and some wariness in her eyes, ‘Lady MeiMei’ reached forward with her foot and poked the ‘corpse’ with her toe, “Sir, what is your name? Tell me and I will get you food and medical treatment.

Like a corpse, the woman stayed silent. ‘Lady MeiMei’, true name Mei’nin’sa, sighed, “Fine.” She looked back up at the burly man who had not yet left. “Go get a serving girl to bring some water and something easy to digest and then go fetch a physician.”

The man looked down at the dirty beggar on the floor with wariness and a trace of disgust but after hesitating for a moment he complied with the courtesan’s orders, leaving her alone with a breathing corpse.

Slowly and gracefully, Mei’nin’sa stood, took a step forward, and crouched in front of the woman. Her skirt was too short to hook over her knees and so it slid down when she crouched, revealing porcelain thighs. As she only wore a single layered skirt, if she were to part her knees she would bare herself to the silent beggar in front of her. The empty-bellied woman moved for the first time, just to avert her eyes.

However, Mei’nin’sa did not appreciate the empty-bellied woman’s rare attempt at respecting propriety. She poked her face with a long, delicate nail, “Men spend a lot of money to be this close to me, you should appreciate it more,” she said with a cheeky grin.

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The door opened and a serving girl appeared with water and a bowl of porridge. Mei’nin’sa stood from her crouch and once again sat down in her luxurious-looking chair, directing the serving girl to place the tray in front of the beggar...

She ignored all utensils and gulped the porridge down straight from the bowl. It dribbled out of the corners of her mouth. The serving girl’s nose wrinkled in disgust while Mei’nin’sa’s eyes merely softened with pity. By the time the woman was done eating the physician had arrived.

Physician Keh’dor’rin immediately moved to cover his nose with his sleeve. Unfortunately his physician’s sleeves were much shorter and tighter to the wrist than he was used to and did little to block the pungent odor of the beggar. He was forced to directly shove his arm under his nostrils. He narrowed his eyes, his long eyelashes quivering. “I will not treat that thing until it’s clean.” With that, he turned on his heel and marched right back out of the room.

Mei’nin’sa looked down at her filthy guest before calling for a bath.

A wooden tub was placed before the beggar and filled with steaming water. Before the serving girl who filled the tub could leave, she started to pull off her clothes. The serving girl clapped her hands over her eyes, “You shameless-! I am a pure, unmarried woman, you-!”

Mei’nin’sa’s eyes widened, “You’re a woman?”