How to become a Taoist priest starting from a brothel

Winter is approaching again. Weicheng is located in the south, and even in winter, the city is full of greenery, which makes Liu Yin like to sit in the corridor to warm up under the midday sun.

Whenever she rested during the day, Wen Shuyun would come and keep her company with a book.

The two didn't talk much, exchanging a few greetings. You read a book, I admired the scenery; you rested, I played with the cat—it added a touch of warmth to the chilly winter day.

However, something was strange today. Liu Yin looked at the door several times but did not see Wen Shuyun arrive. She picked up the book again and again to look through it, but she could not turn a single page even after looking at the book for a long time.

After thinking for a while, she breathed a sigh of relief, stood up, tightened her coat, lifted her skirt, and walked out.

This house was a gift from the prefect of Weicheng. Although it is not large, it is an extremely exquisite Jiangnan garden with upturned eaves, white walls and black tiles. The garden is surrounded by waterways and artificial hills. For a moment, one cannot tell where the house is and where the garden is. It is full of wild charm and style.

The courtyard where Liu Yin lived had a lake of clear water right outside the door, where many koi carp were kept. Next to it was a small arched bridge and a group of artificial hills, and there was also a bamboo forest, which made the house appear and disappear in the scenery.

She went out and walked around the arched bridge, her figure turning left and right among the artificial hills. She was walking slowly, taking in the scenery, when she heard a sound coming from not far away.

"Don't tell your daughter about this." The voice was familiar; it was Wen Shuyun.

As for the person he was talking to, he was completely hidden by the artificial hill, and Liu Yin did not see him.

Wen Shuyun and the man didn't say much. After saying this one sentence, they handed each other something and turned to leave.

Seeing that he seemed to be turning around to look for her, Liu Yin quickly turned around and hid behind the artificial hill.

Seeing that Wen Shuyun had indeed walked past her, and after waiting for a while without seeing another person come over, she had no choice but to turn back.

Wen Shuyun was getting anxious when he couldn't find her in the courtyard, so he rushed out to look for her.

Seeing her walk in from outside, Wen Shuyun's expression turned somewhat unpleasant.

Before Liu Yin could even see clearly, Wen Shuyun had already regained her composure and greeted her with a smile: "Why aren't you in the yard? Where did you go to play?"

Liu Yin looked at him and said calmly, "It's nothing. I got up early this morning and went for a walk outside."

"Oh, that's good. How are you feeling today?" Wen Shuyun's eyes flickered, but she didn't say anything more.

"Much better," Liu Yin continued, following his words.

Seeing that Liu Yin's expression was normal, Wen Shuyun finally felt relieved.

He then took a letter from his pocket and handed it over: "A letter has arrived from Princess Duan'an."

Liu Yin took the letter and asked with some curiosity, "Why are you delivering it today?"

Wen Shuyun replied with a smile, "It's on the way."

Seeing this, Liu Yin said nothing more, nodded, sat back down in the corridor, and opened the letter.

"Dear Sister: I am already worried about you being away from home, and the other day I learned of your serious illness. I am extremely anxious and worried. I hope you will take care of yourself, as I still need your help with my important endeavors. I am writing to you today with a problem that is difficult to solve. I hope you can give me some advice and help me relieve my worries..."

The letter was short, and Liu Yin read it quickly, finishing it in a moment. After putting it down, she frowned slightly, looking somewhat troubled.

"What's wrong?" Wen Shuyun asked, noticing the worry on her face.

Liu Yin sighed before saying, "Duan'an wrote to me asking why there are so many traveling merchants coming and going in Yancheng now that salt is being sold. The people are seeing their wealth and are even less willing to farm. Instead, they would rather borrow money to do small business."

"This... is this a good thing?" Wen Shuyun frowned, somewhat hesitant.

Liu Yin glanced at him, knowing that he was always good at writing but not so good at business. She was surprised that Wen Shuyun hadn't seen the crisis either. She sighed and slowly began to explain.

"That's not how it works. For some ordinary people, it may indeed be a good way to get rich, but doing business is never that easy. If you really want to do it even if it means going into debt, then most of the time the result will be that the whole family has to sell themselves to pay off the debt."

"Is that possible?" Wen Shuyun looked hesitant.

Liu Yin sighed and continued, "Not only that, farming is inherently seasonal. There are rules about what to do and when. Now, in order to make some quick money, they neglect farming. If their business fails and they want to go back to farming, they will definitely miss the farming season. At that time, they will have no money to spare and no harvest to fill their stomachs. Wouldn't they be left with no way out? Selling themselves will be the best option then."

Hearing her say that, Wen Shuyun nodded, understood, and was also somewhat incredulous for a moment.

"Human nature is to pursue profit. The world is bustling with people coming and going for profit. When ordinary people first learn to read, they can't see far ahead. I'm afraid most of them are just eyeing the immediate benefits."

"The people's shortsightedness is due to our inadequate education." Wen Shuyun sighed deeply, thinking of her own teaching days.

Liu Yin shook her head: "That's not the case. It's human nature for people to pursue profit, but I'm worried that those powerful families will use this as an opportunity to further expand their land holdings. If that happens, all our efforts will be in vain."

"So what do you plan to do?" Wen Shuyun asked after thinking for a moment.

"Prioritizing agriculture and suppressing commerce is a national policy, and we must not abandon this decision for petty gains," Liu Yin said after a moment of contemplation.

Wen Shuyun frowned and asked, "Do you mean to continue levying heavy taxes?"

Liu Yin sighed before saying, "It's not just about levying heavy taxes, but about dividing merchants into different classes and charging them in tiers."

"This...?" Wen Shuyun was even more puzzled.

Liu Yin continued, “I have been thinking about these things. I have been traveling and studying for several years, and I have seen too many small merchants being bullied and squeezed out by big merchants. Their profits are almost eaten up, and they are barely making ends meet. But those big merchants and aristocratic families collude with the government, and when they pay taxes, they transfer the taxes to small merchants, while they themselves evade taxes, avoid taxes, and hide their wealth.”

“But your method…” Wen Shuyun thought for a moment before continuing, “I don’t think your method is safe. It still can’t guarantee that large merchants will pay their taxes smoothly. As you said, we can’t monitor merchants in different places. It’s not impossible that they will pass on the taxes to small merchants or tenants.”

Hearing his words, Liu Yin sighed and said, "How could I not know? It's just that I really can't think of a better way. We can't really fatten them up and then confiscate their property."

After hearing what he said, Wen Shuyun's eyes flashed, but she only smiled and didn't say anything. Seeing that Liu Yin was still in a dilemma, Wen Shuyun smiled and comforted her, "Don't worry, this matter is not something that can be accomplished in a day. Just think about it again."

After listening to him finish speaking, Liu Yin nodded before putting the letter back into the envelope, and for a moment she lost all interest in looking at the scenery.

Upon seeing this, Wen Shuyun took his leave.

After seeing him off, Liu Yin returned to her room and lay on the bed, lost in thought.