How to become a Taoist priest starting from a brothel

"My lord..." The steward knocked on the door of Prefect Sun's study.

"Enter."

"My lord." The butler respectfully placed a letter on the desk.

"What is this?" The prefect was taken aback before looking up at the steward.

"My lord, someone asked my father to deliver a letter, requesting that you be allowed to read it." The steward didn't dare say it was from Hua Niang of Qingyin Hall, but only that someone had asked him to.

Prefect Sun didn't think much of it, assuming that someone wanted to ask him to do something. Since he happened to have some free time, he didn't pay much attention and simply opened the letter to take a look.

The few words in the letter caused his expression to change. After a moment of contemplation, he said to the steward, "Go and find a copy of the latest Hundred Flowers Collection and send it to me." He then added, "Remember, it must be the latest volume."

"Yes, sir." The butler respectfully withdrew.

Prefect Sun looked at the letter in his hand again, but there was no joy in his eyes, only full of vigilance.

Before long, the steward brought a scroll and respectfully placed it on the desk.

Prefect Sun picked up the book and turned to the last story. Sure enough, there was a sentence in it that matched the one in the letter. It was a seemingly ordinary sentence, in which the princess said to the female official who was trying to persuade her: "A fool troubles himself."

This statement itself is not wrong, but the princess in the book said another sentence: "The Wei generals still retain the spirit of Zhongda." Even though this statement is not problematic in the context of the plot, as the letter said, it implies that Liu Jianniang misses the previous dynasty and believes that the people of the current Yong dynasty are not as good as the people of the previous Wei dynasty.

"My lord?" The steward, seeing that he hadn't spoken for a long time and was only staring at the book, couldn't help but cautiously remind him.

"You may leave now," Prefect Sun waved his hand.

"Yes." Although the butler was a little surprised by his attitude, he didn't dare to say anything more and respectfully withdrew.

After he left, Prefect Sun stared at the books and letters for a long time before taking out a seemingly ordinary book from the bookshelf. Inside the book was a stack of blank letter papers and a strange ink.

He carefully wrote something on the letter, and strangely enough, the writing disappeared from the letter after a short while.

He carefully put away the dried-up letter and then called a servant from outside the door: "Take this letter to Quanhe Trading Company in the East City."

Upon hearing this, the servant respectfully accepted the letter and hurried towards the east of the city. After returning to his study, Prefect Sun stuffed the letter and book into a box, frowned deeply, and pondered for a long time before finally taking them out and throwing them into the brazier.

A biting wind blew, rattling against the windows. Prefect Sun glanced at the wind outside and then called over a servant: "Go and see what's happening at the Prince Anle's residence."

"Yes, sir." The servant hurried away.

A strong wind blowing in from the road carried an endless chill, hitting every passerby. They wrapped themselves in their clothes, lowered their heads, and hurried home.

The sudden gust of wind brought a chill that not only dampened the New Year's enthusiasm but also dispelled the arrogance of the Prince Anle's Mansion.

"Who dares to trespass on the Prince's Mansion?" Today was supposed to be a day of festive decorations for the Prince's Mansion, but a group of soldiers knocked on the gate. The gatekeeper, seeing these menacing visitors, couldn't help but shout angrily.

They used to be so powerful and influential. No matter their official rank or wealth, everyone treated them with utmost respect. They had never encountered anyone so arrogant as to push them away like this.

"Hold him down." A junior officer gestured to his men to hold him down before leading his men inside.

"Seize it!" The young general waved his hand, and the soldiers who had been waiting outside for two days could no longer wait. Now that their superiors had given the order, they rushed to the back of the Prince Anle's mansion.

The arrival of this group was like a bird darting into an insect's nest, or a jackal entering a sheepfold, causing the people of the Prince of Anle's mansion to flee in all directions like chicks, eventually kneeling in the courtyard.

"Who are you! You've surrounded my Anle Prince's Mansion for two days and dared to enter! Are you trying to rebel?" Prince Cui had been dragged off a boy's bed and was in a sorry state. He glared at the young general and straightened up with a brave air that was not usually seen.

The young officer scrutinized him carefully, then a mocking look appeared on his face: "Young Master Cui... I have my reasons for daring to come."

Having said that, he raised his hand and beckoned. The soldiers beside him instantly parted to make way, and an old eunuch dressed in the robes of a palace eunuch quickly stepped forward, raised his hand, and called out, "Your Highness, Prince Anle, receive the imperial decree..."

Prince Cui was stunned. He never expected that an eunuch would come along. At this moment, he had no choice but to kneel down: "Cui Tairong of Anle Prince's Mansion, receive the imperial decree."

"By imperial decree: I, the Emperor, consider the world as the common good and the people as the foundation, working tirelessly day and night, diligently governing and caring for the people. I have always trusted Prince Anle, entrusting him with important responsibilities, hoping he could assist me in governing the country and securing peace, and together we could achieve great things. However, Prince Anle has not thought of repaying my kindness and has failed to live up to my expectations. His actions have deeply saddened me. Firstly, Prince Anle has not only failed to fulfill the duties entrusted to him by me, but has also been perfunctory and irresponsible, causing my decrees to be ineffective and the people's hearts to be unsettled. Secondly, Prince Anle has privately trained troops and armor, plotting rebellion. This is a heinous crime, unforgivable. His intentions are deserving of punishment." "His actions are despicable, and my heart is chilled. Thirdly, the heir of the Prince's mansion, instead of showing benevolence, has cruelly murdered innocent people and harmed young children. His behavior is intolerable to both heaven and earth, and arouses the wrath of both gods and men. Now, having deeply reflected on this tragedy, in order to rectify the court and appease the people, I hereby order General Anguo to immediately collect and register all the property of the Prince's mansion and place it under strict guard. The Prince of Anle and his son are to be escorted to the capital and handed over to the Three Judicial Offices for joint trial to uphold the law. I hope that all my subjects will take this as a warning, diligently serve the public, and be loyal to the emperor and love the people. I myself will also reflect on this and will be more cautious in appointing people in the future to prevent such incidents from happening again." So be it.

The old eunuch smiled and looked at Prince Cui with the imperial edict in hand: "Your Highness, please accept the edict."

"Impossible! My son and I are loyal to His Majesty, how could we betray him? You eunuchs dare to do this!" Prince Cui's eyes turned red upon hearing the imperial edict. Not long ago, he was still dreaming of becoming the crown prince, but today he was about to become a prisoner. How could he accept this? For a moment, he became somewhat deranged, and his words involuntarily included, "Is His Majesty going to discard me after I've served my purpose?!"

Upon hearing this, the old eunuch's expression changed, his eyes filled with malice. He grinned and said, "Young Master, are you going to disobey the imperial decree?"

Prince Cui had been restrained by the stewards of the manor, and his expression had become much clearer. He looked at the old eunuch and then at the young general, and finally gave up resisting. He gritted his teeth and said, "Your subject accepts the decree!"

Seeing this, the old eunuch smiled even more broadly: "That's more like it." After saying that, he turned to the young general and cupped his hands in greeting, "General Anguo, I'll have to trouble you with the rest."

"You're too kind, Eunuch Liu." The young general showed the old eunuch none of the arrogance he had shown to Prince Cui; on the contrary, he was much more respectful.

As the young general waved his hand, a group of soldiers continued to scatter like hungry wolves. As they ransacked the house, the sky grew darker and darker, as if foreshadowing the eventual demise of the Anle Prince's Mansion, just like the setting sun.

While Prince Cui was being held alone in a room, Eunuch Liu quietly pushed open the door and smiled at the prince, who was bowing his head and remaining silent, saying, "Young Prince... you really don't remember our family..."