How to become a Taoist priest starting from a brothel

Today is a rare sunny day. The warm sunshine, a rare treat in winter, shines on passersby, bringing warmth to their hearts.

From the moment she received the invitation, Liu Yin was filled with questions.

Ever since she arrived in the capital, her only worry has been that the nobles in the palace would discover her true identity.

He never imagined that a noblewoman he had never met before would ask to see him, especially not in a bustling downtown area.

Looking at the bustling city around her, Liu Yin's tightly furrowed brows remained unchanged.

Street vendors, shopkeepers, peddlers, acrobats, drink together, call out to friends, and create a lively and bustling scene.

"Wow, this is the capital! It's so much more lively than our Huaicheng. I haven't seen anything like it in the past few days." Liu Xuemei, who had come with her, looked around in amazement.

"Today is the fifth day of the big market day, so this street is naturally lively." Looking at her lively appearance, Liu Yin's worries dissipated a lot.

"Yu Xiang Ge's latest rouge is only available in ten portions, so buy one and it's gone."

"Persimmons that are not sweet are free, big, bright red persimmons."

"Candied hawthorn! Sweet and crunchy candied hawthorn!"

The sounds of various vendors hawking their wares filled the air, and Liu Yin couldn't help but be affected by the lively atmosphere of the place, which made her feel relaxed.

"Miss, we should be here by now," Liu Xuemei reminded her, glancing at the restaurant in front of them.

Liu Yin looked up and saw a magnificent three-story pavilion standing before her, with three golden characters on a large plaque above it—Jinbo Pavilion.

"Please come in, sir." The waiter greeted us with a smile.

"Juyunxuan." Liu Yin glanced around the lobby. Today, because it was a big market day, Jinbolou was very lively and almost full. However, since the person who invited her had already reserved a private room, she didn't say anything and just gave her name.

Upon hearing the name "Juyunxuan," the waiter's smile deepened, and he quickly stepped forward to lead the way.

Juyunxuan was not in the private room on the second floor that Liu Yin had expected, so the waiter led them straight to the third floor.

After knocking, a woman's voice came from inside: "Come in."

'A woman?' Liu Yin's doubts grew.

Upon entering the private room, one sees a wealthy old woman wearing a gold hairpin and a gold-embroidered robe. When she sees Liu Yin enter, surprise flashes in her eyes, but Liu Yin can also vaguely discern a hint of fear within them.

'Is she... afraid of me?' Liu Yin thought to herself, but remained outwardly calm: 'Madam, I am Liu Jianniang.'

"My name is Xu, and my husband's family is the Duke of Baoguo's mansion," Old Madam Xu replied politely with a kind smile.

Liu Yin was taken aback for a moment before remembering who this person was, and quickly bowed again: "This junior has been impolite. Greetings, Madam of the Duke of Baoguo."

"Please get up quickly, please get up quickly." Old Madam Xu hurriedly got up to help her.

After several rounds of polite exchanges, the two relaxed and became somewhat closer. Only then did Old Madam Xu glance at Liu Xuemei before saying, "I'd like to discuss something with Miss Liu. Would you mind if this young lady sat down to the side? I've already asked the innkeeper to prepare some food. Rouge, please take your guest to the side."

"You're too kind, Madam." After declining a few times, Liu Yin said to Liu Xuemei, "Xuemei, why don't you wait for me over there?"

Seeing that the Duchess of Baoguo did not intend to keep anyone to serve her, and seeing that Liu Yin agreed, Liu Xuemei felt relieved, nodded in agreement, and went next door with the maid named Yanzhi.

After everyone left, the Duchess of Baoguo suddenly stood up and knelt down, startling Liu Yin, who hurriedly stepped forward to help her up, saying, "What are you doing, Madam? You've made me feel so ashamed."

Lady Baoguo was forcibly lifted up by Liu Yin, and looked at Liu Yin with tears in her eyes: "Little Princess, please save Princess Duan'an."

The moment Liu Yin uttered the word "little princess," her heart skipped a beat, and the warmth on her face vanished. Her eyes turned cold as she stared at the Duchess of Baoguo, but in an instant, she looked bewildered: "Madam, you jest. I am merely a courtesan from Huaicheng, and I have absolutely no relation to any little princess."

Lady Baoguo seemed to have known all along that she would not admit it, and took out a scroll from the table behind her and handed it to her.

Liu Yin opened the scroll with a hesitant expression, and saw that it depicted two young girls.

One was only thirteen or fourteen years old, and the other was a little older, but no more than fifteen or sixteen. They didn't look particularly alike, but you could tell from their features that they were sisters.

Both of them had their hair styled in an unmarried manner, wore dresses that were popular twenty years ago, and had exquisite accessories. They were dignified and sat in the pavilion with gentle smiles.

Liu Yin was already full of surprise when she saw the faces of the two people, because the older girl looked exactly like Princess Anning in her memory.

The younger person looked about 70-80% like her. Thinking of Yuan Mingyou's words and the person in her memory, she instantly understood.

“Little Princess, you look so much like your aunt, the Empress. Back then, the two beauties of the He family were famous throughout the capital…” The Duchess of Baoguo sighed, her eyes filled with nostalgia.

Although the He family was composed of military officers, the He sisters were renowned ladies in the capital, possessing both beauty and talent that attracted countless admirers. When they came of age, the late emperor and empress bestowed gifts upon them, and after that, the threshold of their home was worn down by matchmakers.

"Back then, everyone was guessing which family your mother would marry into—whether it was a family of military officers or a powerful and wealthy clan. But no one expected that your father would fall in love with her at first sight. He went to the He family to ask for their consent and then went to the palace to request an imperial decree for the marriage. At that time, countless young men in the capital were drinking themselves into oblivion late into the night, and many were quite jealous of your father. But no one expected..."

'Who would have thought that this once divine couple would end up dying without a proper burial...' Liu Yin silently picked up on the unfinished words of the Duchess of Baoguo.

"What about my aunt? My maternal uncle is a high-ranking official, and my mother is the Princess Consort of Anning. Under such circumstances, how could my aunt possibly enter the palace as Empress?" Seeing that the Duchess of Baoguo knew the secrets of that year, Liu Yin naturally wanted to ask about the affairs of her elders.

"Indeed, you were just a child back then. Not only that, but even..." The Duchess of Baoguo was slightly surprised by her question, but then she realized, "No one expected that, just like you said, your uncle commanded 300,000 troops in the Li Dynasty, your mother was the Princess of Anning, and your two older brothers were also excellent grandsons of the emperor. Your father was also a famous wise prince. Back then, so many people had high hopes for your father."

Lady Baoguo sighed deeply before continuing, "Who would have thought that your parents were both... and even your two elder brothers ended up like this. When the new emperor ascended the throne, he was going to make the Sixth Prince's wife the empress. But your aunt was in an accident while praying at Huguo Temple and was rescued by the emperor. Helpless, your uncle had to send his sister into the palace. Because your uncle's status was far higher than that of the Sixth Prince's wife's father and brothers, and the emperor said that he was ashamed of damaging your aunt's reputation, he made her the empress."

"What about the Sixth Prince's Consort that day?" Liu Yin frowned, feeling a lot of doubts.