How to become a Taoist priest starting from a brothel

The emperor sat in the empty and dilapidated Chang Le Palace, looking at the canopy bed, which, although it had been cleaned up, still showed signs of decay.

"He Yunxi, I never actually wanted you to die." The emperor looked at the canopy bed and seemed to see He Yunxi, who was like a goddess and fairy, sitting by the bed in her wedding dress.

He closed his eyes, a fierce glint in them: "You have to blame yourself. Who told you to insist on overturning the case against Prince Anning!"

He suddenly stood up and kicked the stool: "Back then, you would rather die than give birth to my daughter, but you still gave birth to her, didn't you?"

"In the end, that little thing turned out to be just like you, a prickly hedgehog!" He stared into the void, as if he could see the woman who had once moved him and also loathed him. "I wanted to see if she was as tough as your He family, but she turned out to be a born little beast!"

"Do you know that she's a jinx to husbands!" The emperor took a deep breath and paused before speaking. "So don't blame me for killing you; perhaps you're the one who's cursed by that little beast..."

He sat back down on the stool, just as he had done every time he came to Chang Le Palace when the Empress was still alive, venting his anger and then sitting there quietly waiting for the Empress's angry rebukes.

"How can someone like you be called a ruler or father? You are nothing but a treacherous villain. You scheme and plot, but in the end, you will have nothing." That beautiful woman once stood there pointing at him, her laughter particularly mocking.

"Emperor! I curse you to die alone and miserably!" The dying curse echoed in his ears.

That once lively noblewoman was ultimately driven mad by him in the deep palace, and the last impression she left on the world was nothing more than a hideous face.

"He Yunxi... our princess is nowhere to be found..." The emperor stared intently at the old bed curtains, a trace of sadness flashing in his eyes.

Outside, Eunuch Zhang and his guards were keeping watch, and they overheard everything that was happening inside the palace.

Eunuch Zhang gave a warning glance to the people around him, then waited for the emperor to compose himself.

After an unknown amount of time, the emperor emerged from inside as if nothing had happened.

"Your Majesty..." Eunuch Zhang respectfully went to greet him.

"I will rest in Chang Le Palace tonight. Have it cleaned up." After saying this, the emperor rubbed his forehead, sat on the dragon throne brought to him by the servants, and kept a close eye on the people tidying up Chang Le Palace.

Although Zhang Gonggong was somewhat puzzled by the emperor's sudden idea, he nodded in agreement and hurriedly went to the Imperial Household Department to handle it.

News of what happened at Chang Le Palace also reached the East and West Six Palaces.

The other palaces were relatively peaceful, after all, this emperor did too many things on a whim, and the women, being of low status, dared not offer any advice or admonitions.

Consort An, who lived in Yingfu Palace, looked somewhat displeased. After waving the person away, she said disdainfully, "Why bother with that pretense? He's just a dead man. Can he come back to life?"

Another noblewoman in Gyeonghee Palace, who had been ill for a long time, listened to the news secretly brought by her servants, and her eyes flashed with a hatred so intense it could drown a person.

The emperor's actions and the desires of the six palaces had no effect on Consort Wen, who had been demoted.

At this moment, she, who was called Consort Wen, looked at the palace servants tidying up the palace and was so angry that her teeth were itching.

Her face was full of malice as she looked at the busy palace servants and muttered to herself, "That bitch used to be one step ahead of me, and the little bitch she gave birth to is also a jinx to my son. Why didn't she die out there!"

"Mother...Mother." The personal maidservant serving beside her looked at Consort Wen with some fear and tentatively opened her mouth.

Consort Wen gave her a deep look, suppressing the hatred in her eyes, took a deep breath, and then said, "Have someone send a message to the First Prince..."

The Crown Prince's residence is also discussing the book "Walking with Others".

“Your Highness, since His Majesty ordered this book to be banned, you should follow His Majesty’s lead and not incur his displeasure,” a retainer said cautiously, trying to flatter him.

"Understood," the eldest prince replied impatiently, waving his hand dismissively.

“I think we can find this person and recruit him,” another retainer said. “I find his writing simple yet quite elegant. If he can be used by Your Highness, we can make good use of him.”

Although people in this era do not understand what a propaganda war is, smart people can see the abilities of the 'Hermit'. He can tell stories that even commoners can understand. If he can get him to praise the Crown Prince, he will surely have a slight advantage in the battle for the throne.

"Lu Yuxuan, what do you have to say?" The eldest prince glanced at the young man sitting beside him who hadn't spoken.

“Your Highness, this person can indeed be recruited, but we simply cannot catch him red-handed right now,” Lu Yuxuan said, cupping his hands in greeting.

"This book looks so similar to that Liu Jianniang's 'Biographies of a Hundred Flowers,' could it be by the same person?" The First Prince frowned, looking at the book in his hand.

“No, Your Majesty. Although this person writes about the tragedy of the people under disaster, the content is grand and the vision is far-reaching, far beyond what a mere woman can compare to,” the first retainer continued.

"Have you inquired with the major bookstores?" The eldest prince nodded and continued to ask.

“The Emperor’s Imperial Guards and the Patrol Bureau are both investigating, and we’ve also secretly investigated, but there’s still no news,” the first retainer said.

"In that case, let's ignore him for now." The eldest prince waved his hand impatiently before turning to the others and saying, "The most important thing now is to deal with the second prince and his group."

Seeing that he said this, the retainers could only look at each other and say nothing more.

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

The eldest prince impatiently gestured for someone to open the door.

Seeing that no one got up, Lu Yuxuan had no choice but to get up and open the door himself.

After the door opened, a servant brought in a letter.

The eldest prince took the letter, opened it, and his face turned green. Seeing his retainers looking at him, he handed the letter over with a sullen expression.

When everyone passed it around, they discovered that the letter described what had happened in the Consort's palace, and even included a warning from the Consort to the eldest prince: "My son, remember that the Emperor is very suspicious. There is no need to delve into the deeper meaning of this matter. I only hope that you will act cautiously and not act rashly."

"Your Highness." The retainers all looked at the eldest prince.

The eldest prince didn't speak, but the teacup in his hand had already cracked from being squeezed so tightly.

“Your Highness, Her Majesty is right. For now, we should prioritize stability,” Lu Yuxuan said.

He said this, and the other retainers nodded in agreement. The eldest prince frowned, suppressing his anger, and coldly nodded: "You may all leave."

Lu Yuxuan was the last to leave, and as soon as he went out, he heard a 'bang' sound coming from the study.

He sighed deeply before shaking his head and leaving.

The news quickly spread to the remaining princes' residences as well.

The Second Prince's Mansion.

"That's great, great! I'd like to see how long that idiot boss can stay healthy without the imperial concubine whispering in his ear."

The Third Prince's Mansion.

"Investigate why Father suddenly attacked the Imperial Concubine."

The Fourth Prince's Mansion.

"Forget about palace affairs, keep an eye on the major bookstores and find the hermit."