How to become a Taoist priest starting from a brothel

Liu Yin was too lazy to get out of bed that morning. She casually draped her clothes over her shoulders, loosely tied her hair, and leaned against the bed, plotting her plan. She had to force Xu Mama to agree to her changing her identity. Otherwise, if she wrote lyrics and music under the name Qingyin, it would inevitably make Qingyin's name even more famous. When she redeemed herself and left in the future, she was afraid that some busybodies would harass her. Although she was not afraid, she still found it troublesome. Moreover, she hoped to live a peaceful life in the future and did not want to enter the inner palace as a concubine like other courtesans and spend the rest of her life there.

Moreover, at this time, Qingyin's name had only just gained some fame in the red-light district, and Xu Mama had been keeping it hidden in order to get a good price. Many people knew her name but not her, so it was a good time to change her identity.

It seems I'll have to urge them again tomorrow, but I can't be too pushy lest I give them the upper hand and leave me at their mercy...

"Bang bang bang!" Several knocks on the door interrupted Liu Yin's thoughts.

Liu Yin's eyes lit up, and she quickly walked a few steps to open the door. Standing before her was a woman in vibrant red, her face radiant – it was Xu Yueling. Liu Yin glanced behind the woman with disappointment, but seeing no sign of Xu's mother, she frowned slightly and looked Xu Yueling up and down before asking, "Why are you here? Where's Mom?"

"My mom went to get you an identity. You think it's easy? You think it's as simple as turning the world upside down?" Xu Yueling retorted without any politeness. She turned around, sat down at the table, glanced at Liu Yin, and her bright eyes were full of calculation. "It's finally as you wished. But I'm curious, why did you suddenly want to change your identity? Isn't the name Qingyin good enough?"

"The title 'Qingyin' is certainly good, but since my face is ruined, continuing to bear this title will only invite ridicule," Liu Yin replied calmly.

Even though she knew that the mother and daughter probably already knew she wanted to leave her registered residence, she didn't want to tell them the truth. Now that she was the fish on the chopping block and he was the butcher, she could only drag it out for as long as possible.

"Is that so...?" Xu Yueling looked at Liu Yin with some suspicion, but found nothing on Liu Yin's face, so she continued somewhat reluctantly, "Whatever you want."

"By the way, what brings you here?" Liu Yin casually poured herself a glass of water.

“You’re learning a piece of music, aren’t you? You just promised my mom yesterday.” Xu Yueling said with an air of self-righteousness.

"You... study alone?" Liu Yin was slightly taken aback, and hesitated before looking around at her.

“Of course, you have to teach me first before we talk about anything else,” Xu Yueling said confidently.

Upon hearing this, Liu Yin instantly understood Xu Yueling's thoughts. Xu Yueling was always competitive, and getting special treatment was nothing to her. Liu Yin didn't want to argue over such a trivial matter, and she didn't really value the title of the Ministry of Education. However…

"Didn't I say we'd get the identity sorted out before we started teaching? Why are you in such a hurry?" Liu Yin thought for a moment and swallowed her words of immediate agreement.

"Isn't that what I'm doing? You can teach me first." Upon hearing this, Xu Yueling raised her eyebrows and looked impatient.

"People should have a sense of contractual obligation." Liu Yin didn't want to give in so quickly.

"I'll go and urge my mom again," Xu Yueling hurriedly promised, then her eyes lit up as she added, "In a few days, some gentlemen have specifically requested to hear the piece from the other day. You don't want to deal with it yourself, do you?"

"Alright, why didn't you bring your pipa?" Hearing this, Liu Yin had no choice but to nod in agreement, only then realizing that the other party had not brought any musical instruments.

"It'll be delivered right away." Xu Yueling was about to feel smug when she saw that Liu Yin agreed without asking any questions, but then she looked Liu Yin up and down and realized that the other party had no interest in her before replying.

Sure enough, a moment later, Qiao Gu Cao'er, who served Xu Yueling, entered the room carrying a pipa. As soon as Xu Yueling took the pipa, she waved for Cao'er to wait at the door and not allow anyone to disturb her. Then she looked at Liu Yin with an arrogant and boastful expression.

Liu Yin then realized that the pipa in the other person's arms was a priceless masterpiece, something that ordinary people could not obtain, showing that the other person had gone to great lengths for this learning experience.

"Let's go through the score first. You follow along with me line by line, and then we'll add the lyrics." Although she could see the other person's boastful intentions, Liu Yin didn't want to give her a chance to be smug. She picked up the pipa and began to teach.

From the currently popular seasonal pieces to the later "Pipa Language," the entire teaching process went relatively smoothly.

Liu Yin had to admit that although Xu Yueling was arrogant and annoying, she was actually quite talented in musical instruments.

It's a pity that the emotions weren't strong enough and the vocal quality was somewhat lacking. These two pieces have been optimized by modern people many times and are no longer in the traditional style. In particular, the singing style of Pipa Language is more like modern music, which is really hard for Xu Yueling, whose vocal quality is already somewhat lacking.

"A withered butterfly, its lingering dream, rests on the swing, watching the fallen petals scattered... The fragrance of duckweed drifts on the dark water, wisps of smoke rise, all fading with the setting sun..."

"Wrong, your voice needs a slight rise and fall here to make it more emotional. Right, add a touch of nonchalance to your voice." Because the other person had learned the ancient singing style since childhood, it was difficult to change it in a short time, so Liu Yin had to help the other person correct it word by word.

"A withered butterfly, a lingering dream..."

"Correct."

As time went by, Xu Yueling's singing style became closer and closer to the original song. The entire song of Pipa Language was sung more and more like what Liu Yin had heard in her previous life. However, Xu Yueling's own understanding and vocal limitations meant that she was still a step behind Liu Yin's previous singing, let alone the original singer.

Most importantly, although the other party was a courtesan, he had been pampered by Madam Xu since childhood and had been accustomed to the pleasures of men and women in Qingyin Hall, so he was unable to invest more genuine feelings.

"It's alright, but the emotion isn't quite there. You should practice some more. If that doesn't work, read some more storybooks." Liu Yin pressed down on the string, stopped playing, and said to Xu Yueling.

"Alright, if you have any other good methods for me to learn, remember to tell me as soon as possible. If you teach me well, I will tell Mom, and I will definitely reward you." Xu Yueling looked up and saw that it was almost noon, so she had no choice but to put down her instrument and leave. Before leaving, she did not forget to say, "By the way, you don't need to wait for me this afternoon. My mom and the others won't be there that quickly. You can teach me for the next few days."

"Alright, I got it," Liu Yin replied somewhat helplessly.

Seeing Liu Yin's expression, Xu Yueling rolled her eyes, turned around, and left.

Just as she had predicted, Xu's mother did not come to see Liu Yin all afternoon, and the same was true for the next two or three days.

After that, taking advantage of the quiet mornings when there were fewer people, Xu Yueling would bring her pipa to learn these two pieces. Sometimes she would come in the afternoon, and sometimes she wouldn't, depending on whether there were any guests that day.

Four or five days later, just as dawn was breaking, Xu's mother came up with some people and knocked on the door: "Qingyin, Qingyin, get up."

Liu Yin, who was already sleeping poorly because she was in a foreign country, was woken up by the noise at the door: "What's wrong, Mom?"

"Hurry up and change your clothes, I'll take you to see your mother." Xu's mother didn't exchange many pleasantries, and after looking around briefly, she urged Liu Yin with a slightly cautious tone.

Liu Yin was stunned for a moment, and was about to curse at her mother, but then she remembered the agreement she had made with Xu's mother, so she swallowed the words that were about to come out. She knew that the matter was settled, so she nodded repeatedly and turned around to change into a simple and neat set of clothes.

The group of people didn't say much and quietly walked towards the small gate in the backyard of Qingyin Hall.

Upon exiting the gate, Liu Yin found the carriage that usually waited there absent, so she followed Xu Mama into the alleyway inside.

Upon seeing this, she raised her eyebrows slightly. From her memories, she already knew the layout of the red-light district and naturally knew that the area inside was not an ordinary family's home. She thought to herself that the madam would not arrange any innocent identity for her.

Speaking of this, we must mention the origin of brothels and their current class system.

The brothels in Qinhuai and Liangfu did not form spontaneously. Rather, they arose during the reign of the last emperor, who was incompetent and tyrannical. He loved to travel south along the Grand Canal and would demand that each prefecture and county provide beautiful women to wait on both banks, ready to come ashore or have them board his boat for him to choose from.

Sometimes, he would even go so far as to have the women dress up as prostitutes so he could go sightseeing like a tourist.

The Qinhuai and Liangfu districts were the largest entertainment venues he had requested to be built. To ensure everyone had a good time, the courtesans there were all stunningly beautiful women gathered from various places, and some of them were even courtesans themselves.

Later, the ancestors of the Li Dynasty raised an army and killed the last emperor here. They originally wanted to destroy the red-light district, but because there were too many women there who had nowhere to go, they had to preserve it. However, they also enacted laws to allow the government to govern the area in different categories.

Initially, they were divided into three classes based on whether they were government-run or privately-run. The highest-class government-run establishments only served men from official families, and most of the prostitutes there were female relatives of disgraced officials who could never be redeemed.

The first-class courtesans were like those from Qingyintang. They were skilled in courtesans and did not frequently entertain guests. They were long-term clients and were surrounded by high-ranking officials and nobles. Most of them came from clean and respectable backgrounds. When courtesans redeemed themselves, it was called "marrying." They had to give the brothel a sum of money called "raising money" and then have the guests prepare their dowry. Most courtesans from this background were to marry into the families of merchants.

Second-class brothels are the kind often depicted in novels and TV dramas, frequented by people from all walks of life. They are places where you can stay overnight as long as you pay. Although the prostitutes also serve long-term clients, most of them have served countless patrons throughout their lives.

The third class consisted of small rooms partitioned off from the tiny courtyards, each containing a bed and mattress, where a group of people would huddle together, mostly doing business for ordinary people.

Then there are those who are not even in the best class, and they are even worse, as the guests they receive are all low-class laborers and peddlers.

Visitors usually walk from west to east along the banks of the Qinhuai River. The second-class buildings, with their large red lanterns hanging on both sides and their waving sleeves to attract customers, are the largest group in the entire red-light district and occupy the most advantageous locations.

After disembarking from the riverbank, I continued along the main road on both sides of the river. In a quiet corner at the end of the street, the gate was tightly closed, and the style was elegant. The hanging lanterns were either intricately carved or simple and serene. Those who came came by carriage or sedan chair. It was either a government-run establishment or a first-class establishment. Upon closer inspection, the only difference was that one lantern at the entrance had a government-run pattern, while the other did not.

For example, Qingyin Hall is located at the far end of the main road, with a red-lacquered gate, elegant lanterns, and a plaque with the words "Qingyin Hall" hanging on it. It faces the government-run Jiaosifang across the road.

If you venture further into the alleys behind the houses on the main road, you'll find small, tightly packed courtyards that are third-class brothels. Further in, you'll occasionally find one or two exquisitely furnished rooms, occupied by only one or two people, which are brothels. However, most of these brothels are dilapidated, though not as crowded as the third-class brothels.

Most of the women here engage in direct prostitution, often involving sex with their pants down. Compared to the previous streets, this place has less of the pride of the first-class brothels, less of the coquettishness of the second-class, and less of the worldly charm of the third-class. Instead, it has more of the direct desire between men and women. The lowest-class brothels are where you can get intimate with a girl for just a few coins.

However, you would be wrong if you thought that was all. If you walked along the brothels, right next to the river and across the bank where you could see the homes of ordinary people, one after another exquisite and elegantly decorated courtyards would stand out in this red-light district.

Most of these small courtyards are single-entrance houses, with one master and two servants living there. Their food and clothing are not supplied through the red-light district. They seem to be completely unrelated. If it weren't for the occasional carriage coming from the red-light district, one would probably think they were just ordinary people who were slightly wealthy.

This was also the destination that Xu's mother led Liu Yin straight to. Most of the women living here were once prostitutes who had been redeemed. Most of them were left here because the people who redeemed them could not take them away. They would come to visit from time to time and enjoy the tenderness and affection that was different from home.

As she got closer to the courtyard, Liu Yin had a general idea of ​​what kind of family Xu Mama had found for her. In this era, there was no effective contraception, so although the women raised here rarely saw their husbands, many of them were pregnant and gave birth to children.