How to become a Taoist priest starting from a brothel

Zhang Yong'an touched the four characters, his fingertips hovering over them, tears welling up in his eyes.

Looking at the rough edges of the booklet, it's clear that someone has handled it countless times. However, the pristine whiteness and cleanliness of the inner pages suggest that although the book has been handled many times, it has never been opened.

Zhang Yong'an's tears fell onto the book, leaving a dark stain.

Zhang Yong'an came to his senses and hurriedly reached out to wipe it, his movements revealing panic and helplessness.

Only after the water stains disappeared did she realize that the character "八" had been blurred and smudged. The character had become a black dot due to the water stains. She stared at the ink dot in a daze, and in her daze, she seemed to see the character "九" written there.

"Knock knock knock!" The knocking on the door interrupted her reverie.

She put the books back into the box, wiped away her tears, and then called someone in.

The person who came was an old woman who was about forty or fifty years old, with a stern face and a very mean look.

"Zhang greets Madam." The old woman walked up to her in a few steps and bowed.

Zhang Yong'an didn't mean to make things difficult for her, so he simply invited her in.

The old woman stood up straight and looked at her, replying, "Madam, I've already had Shuiqing's parents take her away."

"Yes, thank you for your trouble, Granny," Zhang Yong'an replied casually.

After thinking for a moment, Zhang Mama continued, "Madam, the master and young master are not here, and the young mistress has also left. We will send the account books to Fu'an Courtyard tomorrow."

Zhang Yong'an paused for a moment before saying, "No need. Now that the Third and Fourth Misses are both ten years old, it's time for them to learn some household management skills. I'll trouble you, Granny, to guide them and let them practice."

These words sounded so grand and respectable that Zhang Mama couldn't think of a reason to refuse for a moment, since the third and fourth young ladies really should be learning how to manage a household.

only……

Looking at the indifferent lady, she felt that the lady was too lazy to care, but she was just a servant after all, and she had no choice but to obey her master's orders.

"Yes, madam, the account books..."

"Just hand them over together," Zhang Yong'an waved his hand dismissively.

After seeing the old nanny off, Zhang Yong'an looked at where the box had been placed, his eyes flashing with endless regret and deep despair...

Liu Yin was naturally unaware of Zhang Yong'an's affairs, but she was very familiar with the news about aristocratic families.

As for the streets and alleys of Weicheng, there is much discussion about her.

The actions of the aristocratic family were interconnected and easy to repeat. First, they revealed Liu Yin's true identity, and then they spread rumors that Liu Yin's words were all to win people's hearts, questioning how she, who was born into nobility, could be so compassionate towards the common people.

This led many scholars who disliked Liu Yin to launch a barrage of attacks against her. Some said she was hypocritical, some said she was aloof and only knew how to talk, and some said that as a woman, she was immoral and disgraced the royal family, deserving to be executed as a warning to others.

Even worse, some say she concealed her identity, deliberately used books to deceive the people, and took pleasure in torturing and killing them, and that as a noblewoman she mocked their ignorance, etc.

Not only that, they even fabricated her tone, creating numerous articles that insulted and cursed the people, and spreading them throughout the world.

These words filled everyone's ears.

Suddenly, it seemed as if there was no place for her in the world anymore; wherever she went, she was met with insults and accusations.

The powerful families were quite pleased with this victory, and some even made plans to drink together to celebrate.

What's more, this coincided with the release of Liu Yin's new book, which was about a custom she had encountered—Mu Qing.

"Muqing" was originally a custom in the southern Yue region, referring to a woman who was not betrothed to a deceased man and remained chaste after marriage.

This was originally a place called Nanyue, which yearned for the culture of the Central Plains. They established the system of chastity for the women in their area to prove that they were not a barbarian land, but a place where sages taught them.

Her writing of such things really surprised even the aristocratic families. After all, judging from her previous works, Liu Yin was the most disdainful of this kind of thing, and she had always been advocating that women could also be pillars of the family.

However, in their hearts, this was the hermit's softening towards the aristocratic families, and also the hermit's bowing down to the aristocratic families.

Especially when there is more criticism of hermits in the world, the more these books are sold, the more they endorse their own ideas.

"It seems this hermit is nothing special after all."

"She is, after all, just a young woman."

Among them were many who were already gloating and celebrating their success.

However, the head of the Zhang family was at home with a furrowed brow and a face full of worry.

"What is Father worried about?" asked his son, Zhang Shuming, the eldest son of the Zhang family.

The Zhang family head sighed softly before saying, "The appearance of this book is too coincidental. I'm worried that the hermit has a backup plan. We're celebrating too soon."

A hint of disdain flashed in Zhang Shuming's eyes, but he only glanced at his father and did not show it. He simply comforted his father, saying, "Father, why worry? Just as they said, she is, after all, a woman."

The Zhang family head shook his head, somewhat displeased with his shortsightedness. He gave him a deep look before saying helplessly, "If the other party is such a coward, how could he become a hermit?"

Zhang Shuming was taken aback by his father's question and could only stammer without daring to speak.

Patriarch Zhang gave him a look of exasperation before saying, "Here's what we'll do: go to the bookstores we're familiar with and ask the hermit how his batch of books is selling."

"Me?" Zhang Shuming was stunned, somewhat incredulous.

The Zhang family head looked at him and said lightly, "Just go when I tell you to!"

Seeing this, Zhang Shuming had no choice but to stand up, bow his head in agreement, and hurriedly leave.

Seeing his son in such a terrible state, the Zhang family head became even more troubled.

"Father? I saw my eldest brother leave in a hurry, has something happened?" His second son, Zhang Shuyu, walked in with a strange look on his face.

The head of the Zhang family sighed deeply before expressing his concerns.

Zhang Shuyu frowned slightly after hearing this, but relaxed her brows after a moment and said, "Father, why don't you ask my elder brother to buy a copy of that book and take a look?"

The head of the Zhang family was taken aback before saying, "Yes, it was my mistake."

Zhang Shuyu quickly interjected, "Father is busy with many affairs every day, so it's normal for him to make a mistake or two. Even without his son, he would probably have realized it in a moment."

Hearing his second son say this, the Zhang family head's expression improved considerably. He slowly exhaled the pent-up frustration in his chest, carefully examined his second son, and became increasingly satisfied. He could only sigh that he had only focused on his eldest son in the past, never expecting that his second son was actually a rough gem.

Zhang Shuyu felt a little uncomfortable under his father's gaze, but he didn't show it. After all, the look of satisfaction he had never received from his father made him feel very comfortable.

He also realized that, at least for today, his father appreciated him more than his eldest son, and this was his chance.

"Then I'll leave this matter to you. Your eldest brother... sigh... let him be." The Zhang family head sighed deeply, gave his instructions, and then let his second son leave.