How to become a Taoist priest starting from a brothel

It turned out that Liu Yin had mentioned wanting to write a collection of stories for publication, but was worried about not finding a suitable bookstore willing to help with printing. Madam Liu thought of them, and since the two of them had come to Huaicheng on business these past few days, they arranged to meet today.

"Ever since I entered Huaicheng, I've heard nothing but the name of Liu Jianniang. It's clear that my niece is quite talented. This time, it wasn't you who asked me for help; it was my niece who helped my bookstore gain fame." Aunt Liu held her sister's hand tightly, refusing to let go. Even when praising Liu Yin, she would only smile and then immediately turn her head away, as if afraid that her sister would disappear.

Not only that, Liu Yin discovered that even her uncle was the same way, staring intently at her mother with a mixture of emotions in his eyes, seemingly joyful yet regretful. She was filled with doubts and curiosity, but since she was in someone else's house, she couldn't ask him directly. She could only keep her questions to herself and wait until she got home to ask Madam Liu.

Before she could ask, her uncle looked at Madam Liu with a worried expression: "Qinxue, are you still not willing to move out of Yong'an Lane? Anyway, this house is just sitting idle. Why don't you and the child move here?"

Today was the first time Liu Yin had learned that Madam Liu's original name was Liu Qinxue. Before she could finish her thought, she heard what her uncle-in-law said next. She was also curious about Madam Liu's answer, but before Madam Liu could refuse, her aunt-in-law took her hand and said, "You have to move out. How can you still live there? Even if it's for the sake of the children, do you still resent me for marrying An Lang?"

“How could that be? Even if you hadn’t married into that family, you would have been a noble lady from another family. It’s just that I’ve dragged you down. If my family hadn’t had that accident, you wouldn’t have been the one to arrange the marriage with the Zhang family on my behalf. How could I possibly blame you?” Madam Liu said earnestly, holding her sister’s hand as she spoke, tears welling up in her eyes.

"It's all my fault, not yours, sisters. I was too weak back then to save Qin Xue or protect Qin Yu." When Uncle Liu saw the two sisters say this, he quickly stood up to comfort them. He wanted to hug them but felt it would be impolite, and stood there feeling quite helpless.

Upon hearing this, Liu Yin realized that this Uncle Liu was Zhang Wen'an, the eldest son of the Zhang family and Liu's former fiancé. After the Liu family's downfall, in order to continue the political alliance, Liu's cousin, Liu Qinyu, was married off to them. However, she remembered that Liu's former fiancé had mentioned that her cousin was already engaged and that she was planning to marry into the family the year the family was raided. She wondered what had happened that year that made them become husband and wife again.

“It’s none of your fault. It’s all the fault of the Prince of Anle’s Mansion and that person who framed us, ruining my father’s reputation, causing my mother’s tragic death, exiling my brother, and leaving me in this state. You two don’t need to hold a grudge about what happened back then.” Madam Liu looked at the two of them, who were now both over fifty years old, and the resentment they had felt back then had dissipated. “In the end, all three of us are victims.”

"Yes, but are you sure that person was involved in framing your uncle back then?" Aunt Liu asked, her voice tinged with resentment as she recalled the incident that changed their fate.

"Of course, I didn't spend these past ten years in the red-light district for nothing. Those men always looked down on the women there, so they would talk about forbidden things without any restraint, and naturally I found out some of their secrets." Madam Liu briefly explained her sources of information, without going into the painful experiences behind it. But how could the two people opposite her not know? At this moment, they were both looking at her with heartache.

Zhang Wen'an frowned slightly before cautiously looking at the three women in front of him. He carefully explained, "The Anle Prince's Mansion isn't exactly peaceful right now, so we'll just have to wait. As for that person, we can't afford to offend him, so we can only wait. Therefore, these matters are between you and me, so don't mention them again." As he spoke, he looked at Madam Liu with a hint of unease and said, "Qinxue, I know your temperament, but you must be patient. I will carefully collect the evidence, and perhaps one day it will see the light of day again."

Madam Liu didn't know if the day he mentioned would come, but she also knew that if this matter wasn't handled carefully, it could implicate many people. She looked into his eyes and nodded firmly: "Don't worry, Brother Wen'an, I haven't lived these years for nothing."

Seeing that the atmosphere was a bit tense, Aunt Liu quickly interrupted, "Alright, everyone knows what's going on. Speaking of which, we're here today for my niece's manuscript."

Upon hearing this, Madam Liu realized that this was not the time to talk about this matter, so she changed the subject and replied with a smile: "Yes, Jianniang grew up in the red-light district and later became the instructor of Qingyin Hall. She was used to seeing the miserable lives of the courtesans. She was kind-hearted and wanted to write some stories for those people."

"What ambition! In this world, who can see the common people? They are all so eager to climb the social ladder, having long lost the original aspirations they had when they were studying." Zhang Wen'an clapped his hands in approval. Although he also came from an official family and had studied since childhood, ever since the Liu family's misfortune and the family's cold-heartedness and selfishness, and after seeing the suffering of many common people, he had long been disgusted with those self-proclaimed noble so-called gentry.

"I heard that my niece has written other stories besides Tangguozi. I wonder if she can bring them today? If so, it would be nice to compile them into a collection and publish it." Ever since the two of them heard the story of Tangguozi when they arrived in Huaicheng, Aunt Liu had been quite interested in Liu Jianniang. After hearing from Madam Liu that she had written other stories, she could no longer contain her curiosity.

Liu Yin was taken aback. She had come in such a sudden and hurried manner that she had no idea she had brought any manuscripts. An apologetic look appeared on her face. Just as she was about to explain, she heard Madam Liu take out a stack of manuscripts from her bosom and hand them over: "They're with me. This thoughtful child showed them to me on the way."

Although Liu Yin did not know why Madam Liu lied, she knew that this was not the time to talk about it, so she had to swallow her anger and nodded shyly.

Aunt Liu took the manuscript but showed no intention of handing it to her husband. Zhang Wen'an seemed unconcerned that his wife had taken over the matter. He chatted comfortably with Madam Liu and Liu Yin, asking about their daily lives and occasionally offering words of comfort, suggesting that the two move over here.

Aunt Liu was reading the manuscript very carefully. By the time she finished, it was already noon. She looked at Liu Yin with tears in her eyes and said, "My niece, this story is so well written, so wonderful. If this book were to be published, it would surely become a bestseller."

Seeing that she couldn't resist continuing to read, Zhang Wen'an quickly stepped forward, took the manuscript, and comforted her, "Alright, alright, you can read it later. It's already noon, let Qinxue and her daughter have lunch first."

"Yes, look at me, I almost messed up something while reading a book." Aunt Liu clapped her hands and blamed herself, then glared at Zhang Wen'an and gently scolded, "You too, you should have reminded me."

"Yes, yes, it's my fault. Madam can scold me later. Let's go fill our stomachs first." Zhang Wen'an apologized with a smile before pulling Aunt Liu and Liu Yin and her daughter to the restaurant.

Watching the tender moment between the couple, Liu Yin glanced at Madam Liu with some concern. Seeing Madam Liu looking at the two of them with a look of satisfaction, she felt a little relieved. She didn't notice that Madam Liu had glanced at her, her eyes full of smiles and satisfaction.