How to become a Taoist priest starting from a brothel

“Liu Yin is also known as the Hermit; she is the only daughter of the Prince of Anning,” Yu Kangbo said solemnly, looking at him.

"What? How is that possible?" Xu Zhengchu looked at him in disbelief. "There must be some mistake?"

“No.” Yu Kangbo shook his head. “There’s no mistake.”

“But…” Xu Zhengchu shook his head, his eyes filled with disbelief, and said, “But why…?”

Yu Kangbo seemed to know what he was asking, and after thinking for a moment, he said, "Although I don't know how this matter spread to all the major clans, what is certain is that it is now confirmed to be true. People who know her have confirmed that she looks just like the late Empress, and there is also personal testimony from her personal maid."

"How could this be... how could this be?" Xu Zhengchu frowned and shook his head, unwilling to accept it.

"Whether it's true or false doesn't matter. As long as it's the right thing for the aristocratic families, that's enough," Yan Yuan thought for a moment and said.

"No, for powerful families, it's better if she's a fake." Xu Zhengchu shook his head, disagreeing with his words. "Only if she's a fake can they easily take action against her. But if her true identity is revealed, then..."

“The emperor will reveal the truth. Everyone knows how important the imperial examination system is to the royal family. Even if the emperor disagrees, the princes will reveal it. Now we're just waiting to see who can't hold back any longer,” Yu Kangbo said.

"Perhaps, but once this book is published, there will inevitably be people who can't hold back and will make their move." Although Xu Zhengchu still refused to believe it, he calmed down.

“Although she has signed every book she has written, no one knows where she is now. Someone saw her travel permit in Daicheng before, but then she disappeared again,” Yu Kangbo said.

"Didn't I hear that he was hiding as a man? Could it be that the powerful families can't get the information?" Xu Zhengchu said with some disbelief.

Yu Kangbo shook his head: "No, the emperor has kept this news very well hidden. At least our family has not heard anything about it."

Seeing this, Xu Zhengchu had no choice but to stop talking. Yan Yuansi's eyes flashed with worry, but since everyone's attention was not on him at the moment, no one noticed it.

In the capital, just as the three men had said, the princes were eager to expose Liu Yin's true identity.

The Grand Prince's Mansion.

"Mr. Zhang, what do you think?" The eldest prince held his teacup, his face full of hesitation.

The man called Mr. Zhang was an elderly man in his fifties. He was otherwise fine, but half of his face was severely burned, making him look like a demon. However, the eldest prince treated him with great respect.

Mr. Zhang hesitated for a long time before saying, "Your Highness, you should think this through carefully. If this matter gets out of our residence, it will attract His Majesty's attention."

“But…” the eldest prince hesitated, “if she were really killed, then the imperial examinations…”

Mr. Zhang smiled slightly: "Your Highness, do not worry. This person has written the imperial examination system in such detail. Even without her, we can certainly build one ourselves."

"That's true." Thinking this, the Crown Prince's face gradually became more certain.

On the contrary, Lu Yuting, standing beside him, looked disapproving: "Your Highness, the imperial examination system is deeply hated by aristocratic families. If there were no recluses to set an example, who would Your Highness find to silence the gossips of the aristocratic families in the future?"

Before the Crown Prince could say anything, Mr. Zhang rebuked Lu Yuting: "A junior is just a junior, lacking even this much courage. Even without the Hermit, does Your Highness think you can't accomplish this? Are you looking down on His Highness, or are you overestimating the Hermit?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the eldest prince also turned his suspicious gaze toward Lu Yuting.

Lu Yuting was taken aback. When he saw the Crown Prince's suspicious gaze, he felt a chill run down his spine and was filled with bitterness. He had always felt that the Crown Prince was unreliable and had always wanted to stay away from him.

But who would have thought that after the eldest prince noticed her departure, he went straight to his own family home and took his younger sister as a concubine, thus binding her to him completely.

Even so, he was no longer as open and loyal to him as before. Even so, he did not want the other party to do something stupid, not only to kill him but also to implicate his sister. He never expected that the eldest prince would suspect him so much, just because Mr. Zhang said one sentence, he would suspect him.

The myriad emotions were fleeting. Lu Yuting cupped his hands and said to the eldest prince, "Your Highness is wise. I share the same opinion as Mr. Zhang. This matter should not be spread from our residence. However, we must still protect him. After all, the recluse's literary reputation is too great. Perhaps he can lend a helping hand to Your Highness's great cause in the future."

Hearing his explanation, the eldest prince's suspicion lessened considerably, and he turned to Mr. Zhang: "What do you think, sir?"

Mr. Zhang gave Lu Yuting a meaningful look before saying, "Mr. Lu is right. In that case, why don't we let the Second Prince take action?"

When the eldest prince heard him say the same thing, he nodded and instructed him to find a way to make the second prince take action.

News about the princes' residence can never be kept secret from many people, especially since the current three princes are not people who can keep a tight rein on things.

In the palace, the emperor, who could still be vaguely seen as dashing and debonair in his youth, now had a full head of white hair, a gaunt face with high cheekbones, and an eerie blush.

"What's wrong, boss? You want to protect that girl for the sake of the imperial examination system?" His breathing was heavy, and his intermittent breathing seemed to indicate that his life was nearing its end.

"Your Majesty..." The eunuch beside him had been replaced by a new one, and he stood there trembling, not daring to speak.

The emperor didn't seem to care, as if talking to himself: "Has it been confirmed in Yancheng that the young city lord is indeed that girl from Duan'an?"

"Yes." The eunuch lowered his head, but his voice was not soft.

"What exactly is Yinrong trying to do?" The emperor's voice was extremely soft, as if he were talking to himself. "The imperial examination system is a good method, but unfortunately, we're not one of our own."

No one dared to respond, and the emperor didn't seem to care: "Give the order to have that person keep an eye on her. If he finds anything he left behind, then get rid of him. If any aristocratic families make a move, stop them. The lives of members of the royal family are not their concern."

The servant father-in-law bowed his head and acknowledged the order.

As the servants withdrew, a glint of cunning flashed in the emperor's murky eyes. His cold, hard face, illuminated by the candlelight, made it impossible to tell whether he was a living person or a corpse. However, the shrewd glint in his eyes revealed that this emperor might not be as incompetent and foolish as everyone thought.

"Do not disturb the people, do not alarm the people, do not harm the people! This is the military discipline of Yancheng. I reiterate that anyone who violates this discipline will be killed!"

Duan'an stood on the high platform on the battlefield, looking at the neatly arranged soldiers, her face full of murderous intent. With a wave of her hand, the heads of the ten soldiers kneeling in the front row were neatly cut off...