How to become a Taoist priest starting from a brothel

In this era, contracts were divided into very detailed categories, especially slave contracts and indenture contracts in brothels, which were completely different. Generally speaking, if a person sold himself into slavery, he would sign a slave contract directly with a broker, and after the master bought him back, he would register him as a slave at the government office.

However, if a person sells herself into a brothel, she signs a contract of servitude. There are two types of contracts: one is signed in the same way as a slave contract, and the other is signed directly with the government. After signing, the person becomes a registered brothel lady, which is different from being a slave. It is extremely difficult for such a person to redeem herself.

Therefore, the reason why Liu Yin was able to easily change her identity from Qingyin Hall was firstly because the indenture was not in her own name, secondly because Liu Shi took over by chance, and thirdly because of Qian Yanyan's greed.

Therefore, the Zhouya people had no doubts.

"I'm not leaving! I want Aunt Ran!" The little girl, Princess Duan'an, knew that someone would come to rescue her, which is why she was so calm.

But she didn't expect that she would be the only one rescued. Her aunt Ran, who had been with her since childhood, was nowhere to be found. Instantly, she lost her composure and her eyes showed the panic of a child.

"What Aunt Ran? Does this child have other relatives?" Liu Yin looked at Zhou Yaren with some curiosity.

Zhou Yaren had only taken one child, so he refused to agree and could only wave his hands repeatedly: "No, no, her family only sold her to come here."

Seeing this, Liu Yin looked at Duan An again: "Alright, now that I, Mama Jin, have bought you, you should be obedient. Forget about Aunt Ran and Auntie Ran, from now on you are my daughter, and I am your mother."

"Pah! How dare you!" Duan An gritted her teeth and glared at her, wanting to curse but remembering that the person who rescued her had repeatedly told her not to reveal her identity.

She took a few deep breaths, remembering that she hadn't seen Aunt Ran yesterday. She had to suppress her fear and look at the old woman who had just taken out the so-called token. Her eyes were full of wariness. Only now did she realize that she shouldn't have trusted the group of people from yesterday. Now she was like a lamb entering a tiger's den.

With a mix of trepidation and excitement, she followed the other two girls, waiting for Liu Yin to pay before they followed her out step by step.

Zhou Yaren breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the group leave, and happily watched them go.

"Husband, what about the child?" Zhou Yaren's wife looked at him happily counting the silver, her heart filled with trepidation.

“Shut up! We didn’t bring any children here! Today, Madam Jin chose three children we raised, you know that?” Zhou Yaren glared at his wife and warned her sternly.

"I...I understand," Zhou Yaren's wife murmured fearfully.

Liu Yin brought several children with her, especially the children from the upper class, which attracted quite a bit of attention.

"Wow, these seedlings are really good! Who's so lucky?" Passersby couldn't help but exclaim.

"Isn't this the madam from Yihongyuan that we just met at Li Yaren's place?" another acquaintance couldn't help but ask.

"A brothel, what a waste of these promising young talents," those who heard it couldn't help but express their pity.

But some lustful men, their eyes darting around, thought, 'I'm afraid I won't have to wait two years to taste it.'

As Liu Yin passed by Li Yaren's stall, she noticed that the crowd was growing larger and larger. She could vaguely see two well-dressed women haggling over prices, and judging from their clothes, Liu Yin knew they were from the red-light district.

She was about to leave with her entourage when she was interrupted by a burst of crying.

Turning around, I saw that the two women had each chosen a child to take away, and the crying was coming from the slightly older child who had been recommended to Liu Yin.

As for the two women who had been protecting the child, they were already being held down by the strongmen, crying so hard they couldn't stand up.

"Let's go, this is none of our business." Liu Yin looked on coldly. Although a ripple of emotion stirred in her heart, she still abandoned that pity when she saw Duan An.

"Could we buy them?" It was Duan An who spoke, pulling Liu Yin back as she was about to leave.

Seeing Liu Yin looking at her, she was a little timid, but she still took out a gold ingot from her hair and sleeve. The ingot was small and had been melted down into the shape of a small ruyi. It was obviously a toy that nobles would give to the younger generation in their families during festivals.

Liu Yin had long heard about Duan'an's plight; she was living in the palace in a state of constant hunger and cold. This ruyi scepter was clearly one of the few rewards she could receive during the New Year, and judging from the slightly blurred pattern on it, it must have been something she had treasured for a long time.

Liu Yin looked at her without speaking, until Duan An's raised hand began to tremble slightly, before she finally said, "You can't even protect yourself now, and you still want to save others?"

With a stern face, Duan'an declared righteously, "I...I...I must protect them. It's my duty. Besides, they're from the Chen family, right? The Chen family are loyal subjects..."

She spoke very softly afterward, but Liu Yin, who always had sharp ears, still heard it. She felt a warmth in her heart; at least among these high-ranking nobles, there was still one who knew how to cherish the common people, so they weren't completely beyond saving.

"Alright, take your gold ingots." Liu Yin pushed her hand away.

Disappointment immediately appeared on Duan'an's face. He glanced sadly at the Chen family women, lowered his head, and was about to walk out in silence.

"Where are we going?" Liu Yin grabbed her and said, "Alright, just wait."

"Li the broker, are you busy?" Liu Yin waved her handkerchief and called out loudly to the broker not far away.

When Li Yaren saw that it was her, he couldn't help but smile and greet her: "Isn't this Mama Jin?"

He glanced at the young maids beside Liu Yin and couldn't help but sigh, "They are indeed Zhou Ya's subordinates. They are so good. Their looks and figures will make them famous and beautiful women in a few years."

"Alright, that's nothing to brag about. They're just a few decent-looking fire-starting girls." Liu Yin feigned a coquettish reproach before adding, "What's going on? It's only been a short while since I came here, and it's already so lively?"

"Hey." Li Yaren looked regretful. "It's all my fault for taking on this hot potato. I'm worried whether I can sell it or not. The Chen family insists on being together, but neither family wants an adult. We've been arguing for a while now, and we still haven't figured it out."

"I see." Liu Yin's eyes flickered, and she said seemingly unintentionally, "Well, the two older ones are alright, they can help take care of these girls. It's just a pity that I'm a bit short on money, otherwise I would really be tempted."

Upon hearing her words, Li Yaren glanced at the two arguing maids and then at the impatient Imperial Guards with furrowed brows. He gritted his teeth and stamped his foot, saying, "Mama Jin, you wait."

After speaking, he turned around and went to the Imperial Guards. He pointed at Liu Yin and gestured to the guards, talking for a while before walking over to the two maids and bowing repeatedly to apologize. Finally, he came to Liu Yin's side and said, "Mama Jin, I've already made all the arrangements. You can't go back on your word."

"Since you've gone to so much trouble, how could I break my promise to you? Here, this is all I have. Can you give me a discount? You can send over any people from my brothel you have later." Liu Yin put on a coquettish act and took out a few silver notes from her bosom and handed them over.

Li Yaren glanced at it briefly, figuring out that he wasn't at a loss, and quickly pushed the overjoyed Chen family members over.

Liu Yin looked at the two adults and two children and frowned: "Alright, since you've followed me, you should listen to me. You two adults protect the children. Let's hurry out of the city, or it will get dark."

Although the two ladies of the Chen family were happy that the family would not be separated, they were still worried about the future. However, seeing the Imperial Guards in the distance, they knew that this was the best outcome they could hope for. They had no choice but to accept their fate and protect the young girls as they walked out together.