Fifty Silver Taels

Li Meirong quickly regained focus as she felt her body being manhandled by the madam in red.

A collection of startled gasps emanated from the crowd as the woman ripped the veil from Li Meirong's face. What they saw was a delicate girl. She had alabaster skin, plump red lips, and big doe eyes that slanted slightly upwards to frame the pitiable, frightened expression on her face. She was so young, yet already filling out in all the right places. Her hair appeared to be as soft as silk and as dark as the midnight sky. She was the true definition of a delicate beauty, one who would grow up to have men chasing after the moon for her… except...

Except for the angry red scars that covered her cheeks. Some were so deep that they looked like craters on her face, souring her otherwise flawless appearance. This instantly deemed her as ugly in a society that considered a woman's beauty to be her first and foremost asset.

"What a pity..." commented a man in the crowd.

"She could have been a beauty. What a shame that she had to be ruined like that. Tisk tisk," snarked another man.

One of the younger lads laughed heartily and clanked his cup against his friend's. "Good! Good! Very good! How could we have the opportunity to get this kind of girl here otherwise?" His exclamation made the other men nearby chuckle and nod in agreement.

Embarrassed, Li Meirong hesitantly reached up to conceal her face. It was clear to her that she was being mocked. However, her hand had barely made it to her cheek before the lady running the event quickly grabbed her wrist and held her firmly in place. Li Meirong winced in pain, but didn't pull away. All she could think of at that moment was how she had to find a way to escape.

"As you can see here," the lady in red announced to the crowd, "we have ourselves a special case! This maid belonged to a royal concubine. As you know, such ladies are bred from a very young age for their exquisite appearance and behavior. They are schooled in both the arts and music, however," the lady paused her explanation to heighten the suspense.

Everyone grew quiet, anticipating her next words.

The lady in red said playfully, "They say one of the young princes took a fancy to this maid, and so the concubine immediately cast her out. They burned her skin with acid as punishment for seducing the prince. Luckily, only her face is damaged. The rest of the body is beautifully polished and untouched. I can assure you of that!" She finished with a winning smile and a light tone aimed at the crowd. With the right advertisement, even the most damaged product could be sold. 

Nevertheless, all this was besides the point...

Most importantly, she was being auctioned off in a brothel!

"Let go of me!" Li Meirong exclaimed as she began pushing away the woman holding her wrist. She quickly discovered that she was far weaker than her supposed owner. Her feeble attempt of defense just sent the crowd into more fits of laughter. 

Hands like stone, the lady glared at her and squeezed her wrist tighter. Her long, sharp nails pierced Li Meirong's skin, which drew blood that trickled down to the floor in small droplets. Tears of frustration welled up in Li Meirong's eyes, but nobody seemed to care. Feeling saddened and alone, she kept quiet after that.

"As you can see, she's a bit feisty! If you feel the need to enact punishment, please don't hesitate to do so as you see fit. We won't mind." the red madam joked to the crowd with a smile once she'd subdued Li Meirong.

Shortly after, the madame raised her fist and signaled for the bidding to begin.

"Ten taels!" a young man in the back shouted as he held up his money pouch.

"Fifteen taels," a middle-aged military man in the front grunted next.

One of the simple garbed gentlemen huffed at the current price. "Despite her being a courtesan, her face is so ugly that even fifteen taels would be a hefty sum You're truly making this ugly duckling out to be a swan with a description like that," the gentleman commented with a tone of haughty disdain.

Li Meirong's face blanched. Not only was she being sold in a brothel, apparently she was so ugly now that she wasn't even worth very much. 'Great,' she thought wearily.

Then, her shoulders began to tremble at the thought of what was yet to come. 'Maybe once I'm sold, I could knock out the bidder and make a run for it?' She was so grateful now for having learned a few self defense moves before she had died on those train tracks. That could be just the thing to get her out of this terrible predicament that she seemed to have reincarnated into.

The red madam chuckled nervously as she spoke. "Please, good sirs, if not for the scars on her cheeks, she would be sold at ten times the current price value. Only her face is ugly, the rest is just fine!" 

The current bidders paused to consider whether or not to bid higher. The military man with the final bid seemed rather cheerful, expecting a good purchase for his offered price. Or so he thought until another man stepped forward and raised his hand.

"Fifty silver taels," a deep, rough voice echoed from the crowd with his bid. The room fell silent.