The Sixth Lady thinks that her life might be no more than gossips in an after-dinner conversation.
She was born in a good family with a father who was a well-known doctor and a gentle mother who ran her household nicely.
As the only daughter, she had a happy life before she turned ten - a well-to-do family, loving parents, and a peaceful household.
In the year that she turned ten, her father made a mistake when treating a patient who later died.
It seemed the patient was from a powerful background so the second day a group of people came and smashed her father’s clinic as well as his arms and legs.
Her father didn’t make it and passed away. Her mother, whose world was her father, couldn't take it and hanged herself in a cold September night.
Orphan girls are the most vulnerable group since ancient times.
Her remaining family wealth was divided by her vicious relatives when she was kept in the dark and sold by them.
She was moved around a lot and was finally sold to Pingjing, to a man who lost one ear in a small yard.
There were a lot of girls like her in that yard.
The man gave them food, a shelter and asked them to call him Old Pa. He also gave each girl a name.
The Sixth Lady got a name, Li Ge (Translator's note: Li Ge means farewell songs in Chinese.), a perfect name for a girl who was sold to a man like Old Pa, since no respectable family would give its daughter such a name.
Li Ge was afraid of Old Pa who gave her a feeling that he was looking at a commodity that would fetch a good price instead of a person when he looked at her.
Later, it turned out she was right. Old Pa got people to teach the girls operas, to sing and dance...
Born with a good voice, Li Ge was a good singer so she was kept there.
Others who got to stay were girls who were talented in some fields.
Those who didn't were sent away over time.
Only years later did Li Ge learn that the girls that were sent away were actually sold by Old Pa.
Those who were lucky became maids in wealthy families. However, few girls were since there wasn't much money for Old Pa.
Most were sold to wealthy old men as concubines or worse, brothels.
Li Ge heard from the elder girls that few of the latter two groups of girls led a good life.
She was afraid. She practiced desperately in order not to be sent away.
She was better and better at singing. As she grew up, she was more and more beautiful.
Then, she became Old Pa’s favorite “daughter”.
She knew that many girls in the yard envied her.
Many of them not only had to practice but also need to “take care of” Old Pa.
Many of the girls’ first man was Old Pa.
However, Old Pa never touched Li Ge.
Several times, she felt Old Pa's sticky and disgusting looks fall on her, however, he didn’t do anything to her.
From time to time, she heard Old Pa tell her smugly:
“Li Ge, you are my best girl. Someday, you will become the most famous singer in Pingjing.”
She only felt frightened.
She didn't want to become famous in Pingjing. She just wanted to leave, find a small town and an honest man, have one or two kids and have an ordinary life.
But she was never in a position to decide for herself.
When she turned 16, Old Pa took her to a place called “Sleepless City”, the most luxurious place of entertainment in town, where wealthy men of Pingjing had a good time and hunted for beauties.
The Sixth Lady thinks that her life might be no more than gossips in an after-dinner conversation.
She was born in a good family with a father who was a well-known doctor and a gentle mother who ran her household nicely.
As the only daughter, she had a happy life before she turned ten - a well-to-do family, loving parents, and a peaceful household.
In the year that she turned ten, her father made a mistake when treating a patient who later died.
It seemed the patient was from a powerful background so the second day a group of people came and smashed her father’s clinic as well as his arms and legs.
Her father didn’t make it and passed away. Her mother, whose world was her father, couldn't take it and hanged herself in a cold September night.
Orphan girls are the most vulnerable group since ancient times.
Her remaining family wealth was divided by her vicious relatives when she was kept in the dark and sold by them.
She was moved around a lot and was finally sold to Pingjing, to a man who lost one ear in a small yard.
There were a lot of girls like her in that yard.
The man gave them food, a shelter and asked them to call him Old Pa. He also gave each girl a name.
The Sixth Lady got a name, Li Ge (Translator's note: Li Ge means farewell songs in Chinese.), a perfect name for a girl who was sold to a man like Old Pa, since no respectable family would give its daughter such a name.
Li Ge was afraid of Old Pa who gave her a feeling that he was looking at a commodity that would fetch a good price instead of a person when he looked at her.
Later, it turned out she was right. Old Pa got people to teach the girls operas, to sing and dance...
Born with a good voice, Li Ge was a good singer so she was kept there.
Others who got to stay were girls who were talented in some fields.
Those who didn't were sent away over time.
Only years later did Li Ge learn that the girls that were sent away were actually sold by Old Pa.
Those who were lucky became maids in wealthy families. However, few girls were since there wasn't much money for Old Pa.
Most were sold to wealthy old men as concubines or worse, brothels.
Li Ge heard from the elder girls that few of the latter two groups of girls led a good life.
She was afraid. She practiced desperately in order not to be sent away.
She was better and better at singing. As she grew up, she was more and more beautiful.
Then, she became Old Pa’s favorite “daughter”.
She knew that many girls in the yard envied her.
Many of them not only had to practice but also need to “take care of” Old Pa.
Many of the girls’ first man was Old Pa.
However, Old Pa never touched Li Ge.
Several times, she felt Old Pa's sticky and disgusting looks fall on her, however, he didn’t do anything to her.
From time to time, she heard Old Pa tell her smugly:
“Li Ge, you are my best girl. Someday, you will become the most famous singer in Pingjing.”
She only felt frightened.
She didn't want to become famous in Pingjing. She just wanted to leave, find a small town and an honest man, have one or two kids and have an ordinary life.
But she was never in a position to decide for herself.
When she turned 16, Old Pa took her to a place called “Sleepless City”, the most luxurious place of entertainment in town, where wealthy men of Pingjing had a good time and hunted for beauties.
