Shen Linyi had slapped with all her might, and her palm was now red.
Seeing this, Liuyun stepped in front of Shen Linyi protectively and said, "Miss, don't hurt your hand."
Liu Jingxian had been watching for a while and recognized Qinghe. She sneered and said, "So it's you... No wonder."
Shen Linyi turned to her and asked, "You know her?"
Liu Jingxian said coldly, "I've come here for quiet retreat quite a few times and for a long time. I know most of the nuns in this nunnery. No matter what's on their minds, they at least act politely on the surface."
"Only this nun. Every time I come, she looks at me with so much hostility, just like the look in my half - sister's eyes. It's as if I've snatched thousands of taels of gold from her. I really don't like it."
"I thought it was because she was young and hadn't seen through the mortal world. I didn't expect her to be so rotten inside."
Liu Jingxian's explanation made Shen Linyi feel much better.
It turned out that Qinghe didn't just target her but equally resented everyone.
"You're the rotten one! You rich ladies, you don't understand anything!" Qinghe got excited again. Her eyes were blood - shot, and the jealousy and resentment that had been hidden deep inside burst out at this moment.
"You live in luxury, surrounded by servants. How can you know how hard life is for us at the bottom? I hate you high - and - mighty ladies. I wish I could destroy all of you!"
Qinghe was like a crazy little beast. With wide - open eyes, she kept venting her hatred. The clothes that she hadn't put on properly slipped off as she moved, and in the candlelight, the marks on her body were revealed to everyone.
Whore... Slut... Bitch... These words stabbed deeply into the hearts of Shen Linyi and the others.
Liu Jingxian covered her mouth, and her pupils suddenly shrank. "This... What's this?"
Qinghe lowered her head. When she saw the mess on her body, she burst into tears. "It should have been you, you bitch. You should have suffered this humiliation! You schemed against me! You should die! Die!!"
Qinghe staggered out of bed, but the effect of the sleeping drug hadn't worn off yet. She felt dizzy and couldn't stand steadily. She fell heavily to the ground.
There was no emotion in Shen Linyi's eyes, and her face was as cold as ice.
"You said I schemed against you?"
"Don't you know that the ways of heaven are fair? You did evil deeds under the Buddha. How do you know the Buddha is unaware?"
Qinghe stopped crying. She suddenly looked up. There was a trace of confusion in her resentful eyes. "The Buddha knows? But why? I'm just a floating piece of wood in the mortal world, yet the blessings and favors have never come to me."
"You don't know what I've been through in this nunnery!!"
Qinghe's hysterical voice was like a complaint against the unfairness of fate and deep despair.
Shen Linyi stepped forward. Liuyun tried to stop her worriedly but was gently pushed aside by Shen Linyi, who also gave her a reassuring look.
Under Qinghe's surprised gaze, Shen Linyi sat cross - legged beside her and slowly helped her put on her clothes.
Her movements were gentle, and her emotions were hard to read. At first, Qinghe was still on guard and turned her body, but finally, she softened, and only broken sobs came from her throat.
After watching for a while, Liu Jingxian also sat down and helped wipe the tears from Qinghe's face.
After everything was sorted out, Qinghe had cried enough and gradually calmed down.
"Don't think that being nice to me will make me like you. I still hate you. I wish you all were dead!"
Although Qinghe gritted her teeth when she said this, it was obvious to everyone that the hatred in her eyes had faded a lot.
Shen Linyi twitched the corner of her mouth and smiled. "It doesn't matter. You can hate me. That's your business. I don't care. I just want to know what's going on in this nunnery. If you tell me the truth, maybe I can help you."
"What did you say?" Qinghe was stunned. She seemed not to expect Shen Linyi to say such a thing. Her face was full of disbelief.
"I schemed against you. You almost lost your innocence. I hate you, and you should hate me too. How dare you..."
"Think you can get information from my mouth, right?"
Before Qinghe could finish her sentence, Shen Linyi continued for her.
"Among the three thousand living beings, not everyone is lucky enough to be at the top. Besides, you're still a child."
"Why should I be angry with a child?"
She had already taken her revenge, so now she didn't care what Qinghe said.
Obviously, Qinghe was convinced by this. After hearing Shen Linyi's words, there was a glimmer of emotion in her eyes, and her expression became aggrieved.
"I... You... You bitch. Don't think you can move me like this." Even though she was convinced by Shen Linyi, Qinghe still refused to admit it.
Shen Linyi frowned. "Who taught you these words? Don't say them anymore. Cursing in front of the Buddha, aren't you afraid of going to hell after you die?"
Qinghe still had awe for the Buddha in her heart. After hearing Shen Linyi's words, she sniffed, averted her eyes guiltily, and then lowered her head.
After a while, Qinghe said in a muffled voice, "I don't want to learn either, but... The nuns in the nunnery have called me like this since I was a child. I'm... sorry."
Shen Linyi and Liu Jingxian looked at each other, and they both saw surprise in each other's eyes.
This nunnery was really full of secrets. How could the nuns in a place of cultivation scold a little girl like this?
Hearing Qinghe's muffled apology, Liu Jingxian's heart softened immediately. Especially after hearing what Qinghe said, she felt a little pity for her.
"Qinghe, don't be afraid. My father is a third - rank official. Tell me what grievances you've suffered and what dirty things are going on in this nunnery in secret. I'll definitely ask my father to seek justice for you."
Qinghe hesitated for a moment and asked doubtfully, "Only third - rank?"
Liu Jingxian was stunned. She widened her eyes and raised her voice a bit. "Third - rank! Isn't third - rank high enough??"
Then, Liu Jingxian calmed down. She thought to herself: Qinghe must be young and living in the nunnery, so she doesn't know that a third - rank official is already quite high.
Then, Liu Jingxian felt a bit dissatisfied.
Maybe she could force her father when she got back, make him work hard to achieve some political achievements, get promoted to second - rank, and then work hard to become a first - rank official, enter the cabinet, and be enshrined in the ancestral temple after death to bring glory to the family.
He was in his forties, still in the prime of his career!
"But I heard from other nuns before that the person who ordered them to do these things has a very high status."
"I don't know the person's real identity, but I remember how they described that person."
"They said that person is second only to one."