thatlazyalchemist

[thatlazyalchemist]

In Defense of the Brothel’s Madame

I’ve seen a lot of people on YouTube and TikTok claim that the brothel's madame is evil and wicked because she “kept Maomao from Lakan.” Some even go so far as to say she imprisoned Maomao’s mother, Fengxian, none of which is true.

1. The Madame and Fengxian

Let me say this: yes, the granny likes money. That’s a well-known fact. But to call her wicked is a huge stretch.

She kept Fengxian in the brothel even after all the damage Fengxian caused to Verdigris. She gave her a private room, away from prying eyes, visited her regularly (as shown in the anime), provided medicine to help manage her illness, and had the princesses (likely Meimei and Pairin) check in on her and clean her.

And she wasn’t charging her for any of this. Why? Because she isn’t cruel.

This is fictional imperial China. Most brothel madames would’ve thrown a sick, disfigured courtesan like Fengxian into the streets. Do you know how difficult it is to survive with syphilis in an era where people used lead as makeup? And to survive for 17–18 years (using Maomao’s age as a reference) means she was given serious, ongoing care.

She was not imprisoned. She was protected. She had autonomy, she chose not to see Lakan out of shame, not because she was locked away.

2. Did Maomao Inherit Fengxian’s Debt?

I’ve also seen people claim that the madame pushed all of Fengxian’s debt onto Maomao.

Where was this stated?

(If any LN readers can confirm otherwise, please do, but I’ve seen no evidence in either the anime or manga.)

As far as I know, being both a manga and anime watcher, Maomao is only paying off her own debts to the brothel.

Examples:

When she blew up a room during one of her experiments. (stated in the anime)

When she invited Lihaku to see Pairin and had to cover the cost of his three-day visit. The anime literally says that a night with one of the three princesses costs a year’s salary. Lihaku stayed three nights. That's extremely expensive.

Her education: Maomao said the brothel provided her with basic education: reading, writing, even dancing. That’s not cheap.

Her room and board before she moved in with Luomen.

In other words, Maomao’s paying back what she used. Not Fengxian’s debt.

3. Maomao's Death Stare

Some people say the madame kept Maomao from Lakan. Really?

Remember that look Maomao gave Jinshi when he simply mentioned that Lakan wanted to see her? That iconic death stare that made Jinshi think Maomao hated Lakan?

What makes you think she didn’t give the exact same look to the madame if she brought it up too?

In the manga, it’s stated that Fengxian didn’t want to see Lakan because she was ashamed of her disfigurement, she’d lost her nose due to syphilis. Fengxian was a proud woman. She chose to hide herself. And the madame respected that.

That’s not cruelty. That’s kindness.

4. Why the Madame Might Hate Lakan (And Rightfully So)

The madame didn’t like Lakan because in her eyes he abandoned her most prized courtesan after getting her pregnant. He only showed up three years later, after the worst had happened.

If the rumors are true and the madame is Maomao’s grandmother by blood, then honestly?

If I were in her shoes, I wouldn’t want him anywhere near my daughter either.

To her, he:

Reduced Fengxian’s value as a courtesan.

Forced her to take on clients like a common prostitute.

Indirectly caused her to contract syphilis.

Did nothing. Didn’t send a letter. Didn’t send a messenger. Just disappeared.

For someone as intelligent and strategic as Lakan, who plays people like a high-class chess master, he really couldn’t put two and two together?

I wouldn’t trust him either. But time heals wounds. And in the end, the madame might have found it in herself to forgive him.

5. The Madame Deserves More Credit

Let’s also not forget she gave Maomao the freedom to grow. She let her read, learn, experiment (even when it cost her money and rooms). She gave her a safe place to live and even the means to become educated.

She wasn’t trying to "control" Maomao, she was raising her, in her own way.

The madame runs a house full of vulnerable women. She protects them, feeds them, makes hard business decisions, and still finds the time to genuinely care about her people.

That’s not wicked. That’s strength.

TL;DR:

The madame is not some greedy, manipulative villain. She is a pragmatic woman who protected Fengxian, raised Maomao with surprising kindness, and has a very human reason to hate Lakan. She deserves more credit.

Let me know what you think. I'm open to LN readers adding more context, but as a manga/anime watcher, this “madame = evil” narrative is just not it.

[thatlazyalchemist]

Would you? If your partner find outs they are the reincarnation of people who keep on dying, and they are "spiritually" married to the person you hate the most, of course your reaction would be to deny it, even Tabitha denied when she found out first saying it was impossible. God you guys should cut Jim some slack damn

We're all giving Jim credit for coming around, supporting Tabitha and coming up with the solution to the bottle tree code, but I haven't seen anyone mention something equally important about his character.

After Tabitha and Jade remembered, I didn't like how he reacted. He basically slipped back into his old habits, trying to dismiss what she was saying.

For me, it confirmed what I'd suspected when Jim first started his redemption arc. He'd never be able to keep that up long-term.