William Sullivan felt a wave of sadness as he looked at him. In later generations’ history books, most imperial clan descendants were seen as parasites, but who could really blame them? According to the rules passed down by their ancestors, imperial clan members were not allowed to leave Beijing at will, nor could they engage in business or trade. If they couldn’t secure a position in the bureaucracy or the military, they would spend their whole lives scraping by on stipends, waiting for death. Honestly, it would be strange if anyone could live a normal life like that.

It was just like Richard Lee—judging by his appearance, he probably wouldn’t live to see thirty. His whole life would pass by in a daze, never experiencing the joys and sorrows of the world. Why bother coming into this world at all?

“Seventh brother, you must remember what I’ve said. After I’m gone, take good care of yourself.” William Sullivan sighed, gently patting his hand.

“I—I—I know.” Richard Lee managed to squeeze out these three words with great effort, his face flushing red, and then he started coughing again. That effeminate young man hurriedly lifted his delicate hand and used a pale red handkerchief to wipe Richard Lee’s mouth, making William Sullivan feel helpless.

Charles Bennett glanced sideways at Richard Lee, unable to hold back and said, “Seventh brother, if your damn body can’t handle it, drink less. Don’t end up suffocating yourself.” Then he turned to William Sullivan and said, “Brother, if those foreign devils don’t listen, don’t bother being polite—just grab your weapons and fight them.”

William Sullivan smiled wryly and nodded.

As they chatted, the conversation gradually turned to lighter topics. Peter Parker was laughing so hard he could barely keep his composure, and asked William Sullivan, “So I heard you took a concubine? The Prince probably doesn’t know about this, does he?”

William Sullivan shot a glare at Charles Bennett, who immediately cried out in protest, “Hey, it wasn’t me who said it! Third brother, make it clear—was it me who told you? Don’t blame an innocent man!”

Peter Parker waggled his eyebrows and said, “You’re the one who told me! Why are you trying to deny it in front of Jingxiang?”

William Sullivan knew that while Charles Bennett could be a scoundrel, he wasn’t loose-tongued. The fact that he had a courtyard in Wangjia Hutong wasn’t a secret, and it was likely that someone had seen a woman coming and going.

William Sullivan just laughed and said, “It’s nothing, just something right under your nose. Third brother, you really have a sharp nose. I’m planning to take her with me this time when I leave.”

He had already discussed it with Emily Smith. It just so happened that he could take her and Mr. Smith to Shanghai along the way. Once in Shanghai, whether she went straight to Tianjing to join the Taiping Army or took the route through Guangzhou to return to her own territory, it would be much more convenient and far less risky. When he returned, he would simply say she had run away.

The beautiful woman sitting beside William Sullivan, with arched brows and a lovely, worried expression, was the famed courtesan Lily Parker from Yanchun Courtyard, who had just recently transferred from Zhigu. She was clever and had long wanted to get close to the most distinguished guest of Yanchun Courtyard, Mr. Bennett. But Mr. Bennett had been utterly bewitched by that little minx Rose Parker, whose skills were extraordinary. Trying to snatch a client from her was no easy feat.

Today, when she heard that Mr. Bennett was hosting a banquet and the first person he requested was Lily Parker, she was overjoyed, thinking that Mr. Bennett had been interested in her all along.

But when she arrived at Fuhe Tower, she realized things weren’t as she thought. The person she was to accompany was someone else. Although he was refined and elegant, Lily Parker still felt a bit disappointed. But when she saw the jealous and hateful look on Rose Parker’s face, Lily Parker became alert. As everyone kept calling him “Little Prince,” she gradually picked up from the conversation that the room was full of men with yellow sashes. Lily Parker felt dizzy—she knew she had struck gold. No wonder Rose Parker looked so upset.

However, seeing how proper William Sullivan was, Lily Parker didn’t dare act out of line. She simply poured wine and served dishes for William Sullivan, occasionally brushing his arm with her soft chest, but always making it seem accidental.

But as the conversation turned flirtatious, the two men with effeminate companions started getting handsy, while this young master didn’t even glance her way. Lily Parker grew anxious. Seeing William Sullivan’s cup empty, she quickly refilled it and said sweetly, “Sir, wine is poison to the body—please drink a little less.”

Charles Bennett burst out laughing and said to William Sullivan, “See? Someone cares about you! Why not stay the night, brother?” He had called Lily Parker over because he’d never been with her before. “Never covet a friend’s woman”—even in the brothels, there was an unspoken rule: you couldn’t call for a girl your friend had already been with, or it would be dishonorable. If someone fancied a girl their friend knew and wanted to call for her, the girl was supposed to refuse. Of course, after some maneuvering and games, it was possible to “put her on the plate”—in brothel slang, this was called “cutting the boot kidney.”

Charles Bennett was a man of principle and would never call for a girl he’d already been with to accompany William Sullivan.

Lily Parker was delighted but shyly lowered her head without a word.

Just then, a burst of raucous laughter came from the west wing. A man’s lewd voice rang out: “That little white butt, so smooth! Damn it, I want to reach out and touch it myself!”

The two private rooms were separated by only a thin wooden partition, so the soundproofing was poor—nothing unusual. But the men next door were clearly drunk, their voices growing louder and the laughter more raucous.

William Sullivan could hear clearly: the man was bragging about how he’d dealt with a rural rival. Judging by his accent, he was from the Hunan countryside. Apparently, a local farmer had somehow offended him, so he set the man up, accused the farmer’s wife of adultery, and the county magistrate—who seemed to fear him—sentenced the woman to a flogging.