Second only to one.
This phrase used to describe the identity of the person behind Jingxin Nunnery weighed heavily on everyone present, leaving them in silence.
The top - ranked person was the emperor sitting on the dragon throne. Below him were the empress, the princes, and the prime minister...
None of these people could be offended by women of their status. No wonder the nuns here and the men who carried out the deeds were so fearless. Even if the truth came to light one day, it would just be a matter of a family losing an unclean daughter.
Qinghe let out a cold laugh and closed her eyes. "You're scared, aren't you? The weight of power and influence on people is just too heavy."
Then, as if mocking herself, she murmured in a low voice, "I shouldn't have been so naive as to trust you all..."
Shen Linyi felt a heavy weight in her heart. Since the person behind this had such a high - ranking status, why would they go to such great lengths just to steal the belly - bands of these noble ladies? That person's goal must be more than just being a lecher.
But what else on these noble ladies could that person be after?
Shen Linyi stared intently at Qinghe. Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck her, and she exclaimed, "The inner courtyard!"
"You! You wanted to threaten those women into stealing important information from their fathers, brothers, and husbands, didn't you?!"
Surprise flashed across Qinghe's face, and she subconsciously nodded.
Liu Jingxian shook her head in disbelief. Her hands hanging by her sides were tightly clenched into fists and trembling slightly.
Only then did a great sense of panic finally dawn on her.
If it hadn't been for Shen Linyi, she might have lost her virginity today and become a puppet of that mysterious person, wavering between her family and her life, and turning into an unfilial and disloyal person.
In that case, what hope could there be for the rest of her life other than living in endless torment?
In the past, she always wanted to leave the small world her father had confined her to and experience the vastness of the world. But she hadn't even gone far. Just in this small nunnery, she had been so schemed against.
She was still... too naive.
"Miss Shen... No, Linyi," Liu Jingxian said with red - rimmed eyes. Taking a deep breath, she sincerely said to Shen Linyi, "Thank you for saving me today. From now on, we'll be like sisters from different families. I'll always remember this kindness."
They had thought it was just a simple case of a lecher, but unexpectedly, more and more secrets were being uncovered.
Qinghe staggered to her feet, shook her still - hazy head, and walked out expressionlessly. "I miscalculated this time. You two should leave here after dawn and never come back."
As for her, she would enter the secret chamber to receive punishment today.
Just thinking about the torture instruments in the secret chamber, Qinghe felt a sense of darkness slowly engulfing her. No matter how hard she struggled, she couldn't escape.
Telling Shen Linyi and Liu Jingxian to leave wasn't out of kindness. She just didn't want them to make a big deal out of this and get herself punished even more severely.
After all, it was she who had lured people to deal with Shen Linyi. If it weren't for her, Shen Linyi wouldn't have accidentally saved Liu Jingxian.
All this was her due.
"Wait!"
Qinghe was immersed in despair when suddenly a warm hand grasped her wrist. When she turned her head in surprise, she met Shen Linyi's clear eyes.
"Where are you going? Did we say we wouldn't help you? A long - established dike may collapse because of an ant hole. As a human being, are you even too afraid to struggle for a way out?"
Shen Linyi said this not only to Qinghe but also to herself.
The person she hated was also a person with great power. If she couldn't avenge her mother's death in this lifetime, she would never find peace. Even if the road ahead was full of hardships, she, Shen Linyi, would never give up!
Moreover, she had a hunch that the matter of Jingxin Nunnery was definitely related to her enemy.
If she could accidentally deal a heavy blow to that person by solving this matter, it would be a good thing for Shen Linyi.
After saying this, Shen Linyi turned to look at Liu Jingxian. She wanted Liu Jingxian to stay out of this and not get further involved, but Liu Jingxian was looking at her with a burning gaze. After all the fear in her eyes had dissipated, only determination remained.
"My father is a third - rank official. As an official, one should plead for the people's well - being. As his daughter, I should also have the heart to eliminate evil for the people. How can I back down just because the offender is in a high position?"
"Count me in on bringing that person down!"
Liu Jingxian took a step forward and tightly held Shen Linyi's other hand.
"And you," Liu Jingxian lifted her chin and said to Qinghe, "You're still young. I'm sure you were coerced. I won't hold you accountable for this. If you're willing to atone for your mistakes, the Buddha will surely count it as a merit for you."
"What do you say?"
Qinghe's little face was all scrunched up. Shen Linyi could tell that she was tempted but was also afraid of that person's power and hesitated to agree.
So Shen Linyi came up with a compromise. She pulled Qinghe over and whispered, "You must know everything about this nunnery. We don't ask you to do much. Just tell us what you know. After we succeed, we'll send you far away. Just think of all this as a nightmare."
This was like painting a big picture for Qinghe. Qinghe's eyebrows twitched, and it was obvious that she had believed Shen Linyi's words.
After all, if someone reached out a helping hand to you in a desperate situation, you would surely want to hold on tightly, especially for someone like Qinghe who had been in despair for so long.
After hesitating for a moment, Qinghe finally nodded. "Okay, I'll tell you everything I know."
Shen Linyi nodded in satisfaction. Although Qinghe had done something bad, there was still hope for her. She was young and had grown up in a den of wolves and tigers, so it was inevitable that she had gone astray. Now it was a chance for her.
Qinghe took a deep breath and began to speak slowly. "If you want to know everything, I'll start with my background."
"My mother was a receptionist in this nunnery. But more than a decade ago, she was just an ordinary nun here. Later, she met a man, who was my father. Under his sweet talk, my mother had a brief encounter with him, and then I was born."
Qinghe tried to tell her background as concisely as possible.
Qinghe's father was a low - ranking official in the court. After coaxing Qinghe's mother into giving birth to her, he took her mother as his mistress and visited them occasionally.
When the abbot found out that the receptionist had violated the precepts, she wanted to drive her out of the nunnery. It was Qinghe's father who used silver to persuade the abbot to keep them mother and daughter.
But later, Qinghe's father began to send people to the nunnery frequently. He said it was to take care of the mother - daughter's daily life, but in fact, those women gradually took over the abbot's power, placed their own people in the nunnery, and built several secret chambers under the remote halls.
Only then did the receptionist realize that she had been deceived. That man had used her to set up a game that had lasted for more than a decade in the nunnery.