"Tiantang Zhi Jia?! You mean a brothel?"

"Think about it, Xiao Liang. There's many women there. Just rent out a room privately for the two of you. No one would look for her there."

Liang Yingzhou was about to retort back when he realised that his brother was right.

"Fine. Where is it?"

"On the west side of the city, far away from Xue Manor. But if you do go, you'd better go now before they get customers for the night. I'll help you get Tang Daiyu out of here, but that's all I can do for you. I'm sorry."

"No, Xiao Xue, I didn't know. I'm sorry to have put you in this position."

"It's okay. We just need to avoid my father. Otherwise, she won't live for much longer. Not with the death warrant that's on her head."

"Alright. What's the best way out of here?"

"There's a side exit. It's near here. Come on."

Xue Jiangru led Liang Yingzhou out of his residence and down a few feet. He continuously pulled to the side a thicket of vines that was growing on the wall. An old and worn wooden door was slowly revealed.

"Go, now. I wish you luck, Xiao Liang."

Liang Yingzhou bowed his head. "Thank you, Xiao Xue."

Then, he and Tang Daiyu were gone. Xue Jiangru quickly shut the door behind them and replace the vines. He hurried back to his residence before anyone noticed something was wrong.

~~~

Meanwhile, Liang Yingzhou headed west. He roamed around, searching, eyeing every plaque, hoping to read the right one. Just when he was about to give up, he heard the laughter of some women. Three ladies stood outside a building that smelled of perfume. One wore a bright yellow dress, another a light blue, and the last wore a peach colored dress. Guessing he was in the right place, Liang Yingzhou approached them.

"Excuse me, ladies. Is this Tiantang Zhi Jia?"

They all eyed him, and Tang Daiyu before nodding.

The lady in yellow said, "I'm Yang Yan, the most sought after courtesan of Tiantang Zhi Jia. These are my sworn sisters, Shi Aixin and Wei Yiyi."

Shi Aixin, the lady in light blue, gave a little curtsy. Pei Yiyi followed suit.

"What are you here for, Sir? It looks like you already have a beloved," Yang Yan inquired politely.

"Qiao Yue is my fiancée. She was entrusted to me by her family. We were journeying to Luoyang when bandits attacked us. Her father gave her to me, and I promised that I'd protect her. A friend here in the city suggested that we come here, so that the bandits wouldn't find her. Please, I can pay for a private room. I just need to keep Qiao Yue safe."

The three ladies all looked at one another. They spoke with their eyes and finally came to a decision. Shi Aixin cleared her throat and stepped forward.

"Come with me."

She turned and promptly began to walk inside. Liang Yingzhou bowed in head in thanks towards Yang Yan and Wei Yiyi before following Shi Aixin.

In the brothel, there were a few men already beginning their night. Feeling disgusted, he turned his head away. Shi Aixin led him upstairs and over to a suite-sized room. She slid open the doors and motioned for him to enter. He walked inside and immediately set Tang Daiyu down on the bed. Turning around, he bowed politely.

"Thank you, Ms. Shi."

"Sister Yang will make sure there is a guard stationed at the door to prevent anyone from entering. Don't worry, Sir, Young Lady Tang will be safe here."

Then, with a sweep of her skirts, Shi Aixin was gone. Stunned, Liang Yingzhou nearly gaped after her.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

Young Lady Tang? How did this courtesan recognize Ah Daiyu? Is this a trap?

Before he could think any further on it, another person glided into the room. His grip tightened on the hilt of his sword. Looking up, he saw that it was only Yang Yan and relaxed.

Bowing, he said, "Ms. Yang, thank you."

"There's no need to be so formal, Master Liang."

His guard went up immediately, and she noticed. Laughing lightly, like a little fairy, she stepped further into the room.

"You took a long time getting here. Young Master Xue's message arrived much quicker than you did. Though he didn't seem to know that Swift Breeze Sect had gotten a new Master. But don't worry, Master Liang, both you and Young Lady Tang can rest assured. Tiantang Zhi Jia has rules and regulations, just like any other establishment. No one will bother you here."

"Many thanks."

Yang Yan looked at Tang Daiyu, but then her eyes flicked back to Liang Yingzhou.

"I'll have Wei Yiyi bring you both some soup."

"Thank you."

She nodded and left. Liang Yingzhou sighed and walked over to Tang Daiyu. He sat down next to her and looked at her.

"Ah Daiyu, I'm sorry. I didn't know."

He brushed a few stray strands of hair away from her face. She began to stir, and her eyelids fluttered. As she woke up, relief flooded him.

"Zhou-ge?" she asked quietly, confused. "Where are we?"

"It's okay, Ah Daiyu. We're not at Xue Manor anymore."

Then, the moments before her fainting returned to her. She looked up at him.

"But, w- we were just there."

"You fainted. It's been a few hours."

"I thought you were going to ask Young Master Xue to help though."

"He told me about how his father was present the night your parents died. It never occurred to me that Xue Manor would be hostile."

Tang Daiyu looked away. "Official Xue was always jealous of my father. He relished in my low status in the palace. Luckily, I avoided him most of the time, but one day, he stopped me. I couldn't get past him."

She shivered at the memory. "He bragged about His Majesty's trust in him, trying to get a rise out of me. I wanted to hit him. I wanted to make him pay for being a part of my family's downfall. I wanted to run away and avoid him."

"Did he do anything to you, Ah Daiyu?"

She shook her head no. "He just scared me. As much as Emperor Jianyuan hated me, I don't think he would've allowed Official Xue to do anything to me."

Thinking back, she closed her eyes, hating that she was lying to him. I was still just Princess Ling's maid at the time. He caught me when I was on my way to the laundry to fetch it. I can still feel his hands on my shoulders, his warm, sticky breath against my ears. Old, lustful bastard.

Before Liang Yingzhou could ask her anything more, Wei Yiyi entered with two bowls of steaming hot bird's nest soup and set them down on the table nearby. Tang Daiyu's eyebrows furrowed, confused.

"Zhou-ge, where are we?"

He looked at her, expression reticent, and said, "Tiantang Zhi Jia."

"Tiantang Zhi Jia?" she asked innocently, truly unaware.

He looked at Pei Yiyi. "Thank you."

She bowed and retreated.

"Wait," Tang Daiyu breathed. "Are we in a ladies' house?"

Liang Yingzhou nodded. Tang Daiyu sat back, shocked. She stared at him before making a joke.

"I can't believe that the righteous Zhou-ge would step foot in a place like this. What did Young Master Xue tell you to get you here?"

"That it was the safest place for you."

Tang Daiyu was silenced, unable to retort. She knew Liang Yingzhou would protect her, but to set aside his pride and dignity was a whole other matter.

"Thank you, Zhou-ge."

He nodded and stood up. Walking over to the table, he picked up a bowl, the spoon in it, and brought it over to her.

"Here."

She took it from him. He got up and got his own bowl.

~~~

After they ate, Tang Daiyu got up from the bed and paced the room.

"Li Xun knows I'm here. He might bring more people to try and get me."

"I doubt he’d look for you here. Stop worrying, Ah Daiyu."

Suddenly, she heard a voice that she could never forget.

"I heard that Tiantang Zhi Jia houses a precious black jade stone here. May I see it?"