How to become a Taoist priest starting from a brothel

"Well..." Liu Yin hesitated, her eyes lowered, unsure of what to say.

Madam Liu understood her meaning from her expression, smiled, and gently smoothed a stray strand of hair before continuing, "My father's official rank wasn't very high, but he was an extremely responsible person. In his early years, he devoted himself wholeheartedly to his work in the provinces, but after being transferred to the capital, he faded into obscurity. The late emperor..."

Lady Liu paused for a long time, her eyes filled with a myriad of emotions, before she finally reacted and continued, "The late emperor was a wise ruler, skilled in the art of balancing. My father initially offended many people with his sharp edge. Later, I saw him filled with worry every day, and his study was always brightly lit. Then one day, the army came to raid our house. They said my father had embezzled military funds during his tenure... Ha, isn't that ridiculous? Although my father was in charge of the people of a prefecture, he was a civil official. What did military affairs have to do with him?"

"If you want to condemn someone, you can always find a pretext..." Liu Yin sighed softly, inwardly scorning Madam Liu's description of the late emperor. If that person could be regarded as a wise ruler, then all the wise rulers of China in the past would have to cry out that wise rulers are worthless.

"Yes, they'll find a reason to frame you. Then it was like a dream. My family was exiled, the women were sold into slavery, and my sister-in-law, who had just married into the family, was taken back by her family. They had to plead with the emperor to get her released. My mother, unable to bear the humiliation, strangled herself in prison, leaving only me..." Madam Liu recalled those days. Back then, she had spent her days comparing her knowledge with her brothers and learning household management from her mother and sister-in-law, oblivious to worries. But overnight, she saw her sister-in-law forcibly taken away by her family, saw her mother hang herself before her eyes, and heard her mother's words: 'Girl...you must live and wait for the Zhang family to come and take you. If they don't come, to avoid disgracing your reputation, you should commit suicide.'"

"My mother must have been engaged by then, right? How come..." Liu Yin had such memories in both her present and past lives. If a woman from an official family was engaged but not yet married, her fiancé could take her back to her family. Because, nominally, she was no longer considered part of her maternal family. Then she thought of the young girls in the government-run brothels in Hong Kong and immediately understood.

"Yes, his surname is Zhang. His marriage to my family is a kind of arranged marriage, but his father and my father were good friends, so we were childhood sweethearts. We got engaged when we were fourteen, and our families agreed that we would get married when we were sixteen. That day, I waited in the prison for a very long time, until I was ready to commit suicide as my mother had told me to." Madam Liu recalled the past and said softly.

"He didn't come?" Liu Yin blurted out, then regretted it. She had understood as soon as she heard about the engagement that he must not have come, otherwise Madam Liu would not have ended up in a brothel.

"Yes, he didn't come. His personal servant came instead. He had someone tell me that the Zhang family cannot have the daughter of a disgraced official as their mistress. For the sake of both families' reputation, he hopes I will commit suicide. In return, he is willing to reserve a place for me in the ancestral graves, in the name of his wife." Madam Liu gave a bitter smile and continued, "How ridiculous that my mother wants me dead, my fiancé wants me dead, and I suppose my father and brothers feel the same way. At that time, I didn't want to die. Why should I be the one to die? I was only fifteen years old. I hadn't done anything, I hadn't seen anything... I would rather go to a brothel, I would rather become a prostitute, become the one who tarnishes the family's reputation, than not live."

As she spoke, Madam Liu's eyes were filled with resentment and ambition. She had chosen a path that the world could not accept, a path that was difficult and arduous, but at least she was alive.

Liu Yin looked at the myriad thoughts in her mind. From her previous life to the present, she had always disapproved of the punishments inflicted on female relatives of criminals in this era. They could be exiled or executed, so why send them to the Jiaosifang to suffer all kinds of humiliation? Thinking about this, she asked the question.

"Why? Perhaps it's the emperor's pity that he thinks women can't bear the hardship of exile, or perhaps women will be humiliated on the way to exile, or perhaps we women are never considered by important figures. The Jiaosifang is so good, in their eyes it can save them from the hardship of travel and unexpected humiliation, and of course, it would be best if it could bring them benefits. It's so disgusting and ridiculous." Madam Liu sneered.

Seeing the disdain on Liu Yin's face towards the Zhang family, Madam Liu recalled the handsome young man from years ago and couldn't help but speak up to defend him: "It wasn't his fault. I met him later."

Liu Yin looked surprised. She hadn't expected Madam Liu to be so love-struck. Seeing her expression, Madam Liu explained helplessly, "I'm not that stupid. He helped me switch from government to private business. And the things from back then have all been explained. His mother didn't want him to marry me, and he broke with his family because of me."

"Then he hasn't married yet, has he?" Liu Yin raised an eyebrow, looking curious.

"I married her. She is a virtuous and well-bred lady from a respectable family." Madam Liu looked at Liu Yin with a strange expression, seemingly puzzled as to why she asked such a question.

"What is this? He misses you, yet he has a loving wife and children. He's betrayed your sincere heart and also let down his wife who takes care of the household chores for him." Liu Yin sat up, her tone full of dissatisfaction. She had the utmost contempt for this kind of so-called "deeply affectionate" man.

“You don’t understand. He was just a teenager back then. Sometimes there’s nothing you can do about it.” Madam Liu smiled beautifully and warmly. She was moved by Liu Yin’s indignation, but also felt helpless about her views.

"You even helped him make excuses?!" Liu Yin felt a sense of disappointment and frustration.

"Forget it, you'll understand when you see them. Our past is a mess." Madam Liu opened her mouth, but felt she couldn't explain it to Liu Yin no matter what, so she simply gave up trying to explain.

"When can we meet? I'm very busy." Liu Yin raised an eyebrow, deliberately adopting an arrogant demeanor.

Madam Liu nodded helplessly before saying, "Alright, alright, I'll definitely tell them to send out invitations properly and make an appointment with our Miss Liu in advance." As she spoke, she couldn't help but laugh, and she and Liu Yin rolled around together laughing.

The sunlight shone on the two of them, as if dressing them in a shimmering garment. Under the warm sunlight, the two laughing hearts couldn't help but open up to each other a little. At this moment, Liu Yin finally had a real sense of having a home and a mother. She thought that even if the other party didn't explain to her why they hadn't stopped her from writing that contract in Qiao'er's name, she was willing to trust the other party from now on, so that the other party could rely on her without worry, until she could rely on the other party.