How to become a Taoist priest starting from a brothel

But now they had encountered someone who disregarded rules and regulations. Everyone who had never encountered such a situation in Qingyin Hall was stunned for a moment. In fact, it was not surprising. Which guest who came to the first-class hall was not from a noble or wealthy family? This was the first time they had encountered someone who disregarded dignity and acted recklessly.

Moreover, hearing that the man was addressed as Prince Cui, they couldn't help but speculate. Although the current imperial family bore the surname Cui, and the late emperor had left many descendants, the new emperor had practically wiped out the entire imperial clan after his ascension. Under such circumstances, only a few collateral princely families could openly call themselves princes. While this man appeared ruthless, they could also tell he was young, no more than twenty years old. There was probably only one prince of that age who could be called a prince. Considering their suspicions, they dared not approach and offend him. After all, if he truly was the emperor's favorite, they dared not easily offend him, especially for the sake of a courtesan. There were only a few.

Seeing this, Liu Yin's face gradually turned pale. She trembled with anger, her hands gripping the railing tightly, the veins on the back of her hands bulging. She was filled with rage, wishing she could stab that person.

She stared intently at the man called the Crown Prince, memorizing his face. Looking around, she had expected the usually aloof guests to step forward, but all she saw was the sympathy of the courtesans, and others' pity for the girl and fear of Crown Prince Choi.

The laughter of her cronies still filled her ears, and her heart was filled with sorrow. This was the fate of courtesans in this era—so lowly, so insignificant.

Looking at her hands gripping the railing, she couldn't help but despise herself, because at that moment, neither she nor anyone else dared to stand up for that poor girl.

"How can royalty be so cruel!" Just as she was feeling ashamed of herself, a rebuke rang out.

Liu Yin was startled and interrupted by the voice, and her hand gradually loosened its grip on the railing.

Just then, a young man rushed out from a corner on the first floor. The man looked to be no more than seventeen or eighteen years old. He was dressed in fine clothes and had a dignified appearance, which showed that he came from a very good family. At this moment, he was looking at Prince Cui and his party with disgust and disdain.

"Where did this come from?" The young man was completely oblivious to the surrounding chatter and what his friends were saying. He was annoyed at being interrupted.

"Wen Cheng'an's son, Wen Shuyun." The young man didn't take the other party's contempt seriously at all.

“You are Wen Cheng’an’s son…” Only after hearing this name did Prince Cui turn his head and look at the boy more seriously.

“Indeed, Prince Cui should know my father’s name. Aren’t you afraid that I will tell my father and that this will reach the Emperor?” The young man’s face was full of pride when he spoke of his father.

"You... ha, you really think I'm afraid of that old man!" Prince Cui's face turned ashen upon hearing this. He wanted to teach this arrogant fellow a lesson, but then he thought of Wen Cheng'an, a rigid and stubborn man who held a high position and was trusted by the emperor. Even with the corrupt officials in court, they couldn't move him. He had been ordered by his father to handle important matters, and if this old man reported him to the emperor and ruined his father's plans, his father would certainly not forgive him. He knew that his brothers were still eyeing the prince's position covetously. He suppressed his anger and glared at the young man, saying hatefully, "For your father's sake, spare my dog's life. Let's go!"

At this moment, Liu Yin had already walked quickly down from the second floor. She had just arrived when she saw the other person leaving, so she hurriedly went up and took off her coat to put it on the girl.

At this moment, the madam, Madam Xu, also came forward and ordered people to carry away the girl and the large teapot she had packed. Then, she thanked Wen Shuyun with a grateful expression, saying, "Thank you very much, young master."

"No need to be so polite. I also couldn't stand his cruelty. But this young lady..." After being thanked repeatedly by a beautiful woman holding her hand, Wen Shuyun couldn't help but feel a little shy. She quickly pushed away the madam's hand and then looked at the injured girl.

"There are doctors in the clinic who will help you. Thank you so much, young master. I have no way to repay you. How about we waive today's fee as a token of our gratitude?" Madam Xu said politely a couple more times.

"This... thank you, I'm sorry to trouble you." Wen Shuyun was about to refuse when her friend nudged her, and she reluctantly agreed.

Only then did Liu Yin react and look at Wen Shuyun, inwardly exclaiming in surprise, "It's him..."

It turned out that this person was the young man who had come with her to rescue Hongyu earlier, and the two had met once before. Although Liu Yin was curious about the other party's identity, she felt a tightness in her heart when she saw the people around her turning their attention to her disfigured face. She looked up at Wen Shuyun and then hurriedly left.

"Mom!" The next day at noon, Liu Yin had just finished teaching Xu Yueling when she heard some news and rushed to the madam's room to ask her about it.

"Oh my goodness, you scared me to death." Pushing open the door, the first thing that came into view was Xu's mother, who was holding a carved box with a greedy look on her face.

"Is this payment?" Liu Yin looked at Xu's mother with a cold smile.

"What are you saying? Close the door." Seeing Liu Yin's expression, Xu's mother knew that she already knew, and reluctantly told Liu Yin to close the door.

After closing the door, Xu's mother carefully closed the box and looked at Liu Yin with displeasure, saying, "Alright, I know what you're going to say, but Qingyin, you have to understand that we are low-class people. There are some things we can only agree to. They have been polite enough to give us the face of a first-class brothel. Why should we push the money away?"

"Is it fear of power, or for money? They're willing to spend a fortune on this enormous pearl." Liu Yin couldn't help but retort, forcibly opening the box to find it filled with all sorts of treasures, especially a pearl the size of a longan, which was priceless.

Seeing the madam's displeasure, she didn't want to offend her too much, so she sighed, put the things back, and earnestly advised, "Mother, have you thought this through? There are no secrets that stay hidden forever. If outsiders find out about this, Qingyin Hall will have broken its own rules, and it's hard to say whether Qingyin Hall will still exist in Qinhuai Prefecture in the future."

It's no wonder Liu Yin advised Xu Mama like this, because ever since the brothels were ranked, each brothel wanted to maintain its reputation and attract more dignitaries. So, the many managers of the first-class brothels set rules from the beginning. These rules were somewhat similar to the rules of the third-class brothels that Liu Yin had heard about in her previous life. One of the most important rules was that guests could not be allowed to stay at home at will.

It was common for male prostitutes to be unable to leave the premises or receive guests at will, and for madams not to give them away arbitrarily.

Although such a thing doesn't count as staying overnight, it's still less respectable than staying overnight at someone's door. Even second-class brothels rarely do this.

Madam Xu dared to privately agree to that Young Master Xu's offer to send a girl whenever he needed her. This was tantamount to stepping on the faces of many patriarchs. If Qingyin Hall, which had only been established for a short time, were to suffer a blow because of this, Liu Yin, who was disfigured and carrying a betrothal letter, would probably end up in a worse situation than she was now, with no reputation. The feeling of having her plans disrupted made her feel like she was about to explode. However, since the other party had her weakness and always responded to gentle persuasion rather than force, Liu Yin could only soften her tone and carefully persuade them.

"This...this matter is known only to you, me, and Yueling. Who else knows?" Xu's mother felt guilty after Liu Yin's words, but she still retorted in a low voice, her tone sharp but weak.

"Don't know? Could it be that the person you sent there is mute? With so many people coming and going in the brothel, how could it be kept secret? Just wait and see. If you send the person in today, the news will spread by tomorrow, and then someone will come looking for you." Liu Yin said with a sneer.

"We can't just send it back like this, wouldn't that offend that gentleman?" Madam Xu hugged the treasure box, looking very reluctant.

"I can't speak for others, but the person on the other side has disliked us for a long time. If they find out this time, they'll definitely cause trouble." Seeing this, Liu Yin could only continue to persuade them.

"Alright..." Thinking of the head of the Jiaosifang across the street, Xu Mama's face finally wavered a bit, and the scales in her heart tipped more and more towards Liu Yin. However, she still couldn't get over the embarrassment of being criticized by Liu Yin, so she had to say in a hard tone, "I know what I'm doing. Go back. This is not your business."

Seeing that the other party had finally relented, Liu Yin breathed a sigh of relief. Not wanting to urge them any further, lest she upset them, she could only nod and return with a sigh.

Unfortunately, as evening fell, Liu Yin saw the head guard who had previously followed Prince Cui approach Mama Xu. Seeing this, Liu Yin was filled with disappointment. She thought for a moment, then walked to the window and stared at the dark little door.

She watched as the guard carried a little girl out the small door. She didn't know if Xu Mama had succumbed to money or power, but she knew that this was no longer something she could stop by persuasion.

As Liu Yin watched the group disappear into the night and never be seen again, she lay down on the bed, feeling somewhat powerless, lost in thought.

Unbeknownst to her, she was not the only one standing by the window that night, watching a girl being sent to hell, holding a silent funeral for the girl out of empathy and compassion.

In the days that followed, until Liu Yin moved to her new home, she did not see Xu Mama. It was unclear whether she was busy searching for good men for that man or unsure how to face Liu Yin and the courtesans in Qingyin Hall who had advised her.

Liu Yin didn't have the mind to ask any more questions. She had been in a daze and couldn't sleep well for the past few days, always feeling that the girl covered in blood was asking her why she didn't save her.

A sense of guilt filled her heart every day. Even though she had witnessed injustices in her past life, she had never felt so powerless and insignificant as she did at this moment.

Upon arriving at her new home, Liu Yin arranged her clothes in the west wing. She didn't bring much: a few sets of clothes, a few sets of jewelry and headdresses, a few books, a set of writing implements, a zither, a pipa, and a xiao. This was all the belongings she, or rather Qing Yin, possessed. The seemingly luxurious ornaments belonged to the servants; these were all she could own.

She was about to put the clothes in the wardrobe when she opened it and was stunned. The wardrobe was already full of clothes. Compared with the slightly flamboyant and modified clothes she wore in the brothel, these clothes were much more elegant in color and looked just like those of an ordinary woman.

She fumbled for her clothes, took off the thin red dress she was wearing, and changed into a misty white dress. She styled her hair into a hanging bun. This outfit made her face look even more delicate and youthful. Looking at herself in the mirror, Liu Yin realized that this body was only seventeen years old this year, and she was still a child.

"Miss, your wife wants to see you." Just as she finished changing her clothes, she heard a knock on the door. It was the middle-aged woman who had served her as her bride before.

"Okay, thank you. May I ask your name?" Liu Yin replied, only then realizing that she had forgotten to ask the other person's name.

"You're too kind, young lady. My husband's surname is Qian, so you can just call me Manager Qian," the middle-aged woman replied, pausing slightly and bowing her head.

"I'll still call you Aunt Qian." Liu Yin felt a little uncomfortable seeing that Manager Qian was about the same age as her mother.

Aunt Qian smiled and said nothing, only leading the way. This was not the east wing where Madam Liu had slept, but the main hall. The west wing was only a few dozen steps away from the main hall. Liu Yin didn't think much of it. Today was their formal meeting, and being in the main hall was a sign of mutual respect. She knew that the other party's attitude was also a way of showing her friendliness. Therefore, she finally had the mind to consider her future residence.

Only then did she notice that the once somewhat dilapidated courtyard had been renovated and made much cleaner. Fish were now kept in the water tank in the courtyard, and small lotus flowers were blooming on it. A new tree had been planted on the other side, now laden with bright yellow fruit, which looked very festive. She didn't know what kind of fruit it was.

"You've arrived..." A gentle voice rang out as the two women entered.

Liu Yin looked up and saw that Madam Liu, who should have been lying in bed looking sickly, was now sitting in front of her dressed in gorgeous clothes with a calm and gentle expression, showing no signs of illness.

"Please sit down. I know you have some doubts, and I will explain them in detail. Sister Qian, you can go and prepare lunch first."

"Yes."

Looking at Liu Yin, who appeared calm but couldn't hide the suspicion in her eyes, Madam Liu couldn't help but feel a little emotional. After all, she was still just a child. She waved for Aunt Qian to leave before starting to tell Liu Yin about her own experiences. From then on, Liu Yin finally knew what kind of person her future mother was.