"So, it seems that man had improper intentions from the very beginning when he approached your mother. His aim was to use Jingxin Nunnery more than a decade later to achieve his hidden agenda," Shen Linyi said.
Qinghe nodded, with a glimmer in her eyes like rippling water.
Shen Linyi thought for a moment and asked, "Was your father an official in the court?"
Qinghe replied, "Although I've never seen my father, I've heard some things about him from my mother. He passed away six years ago. Mother once said that he was a subordinate of some lord. Later, he got into trouble and was probably silenced."
Silenced for getting into trouble?
It was likely that the higher - ups had him killed to keep the nunnery's secrets from being leaked.
Then Qinghe continued.
Over the years, the abbess and the nuns in Jingxin Nunnery had gradually been replaced by the man's subordinates. The original abbess was killed, and the new one coerced and bribed the nuns in the nunnery. They had assisted the men who came in the dead of night several times to steal the belly - bands of noble ladies.
Those men would leave so - called marks on the noble ladies. They were dirty words written in special ink that couldn't be removed without a special method.
The person who made this ink was Qinghe's mother, Mingzhike. Knowing all this, she still did it. Mingzhike hated Qinghe because of her father's death. She often beat and scolded Qinghe and never let her call her mother.
The abbess of the nunnery would use these marks to threaten the noble ladies, forcing them to steal important information about their husbands or their fathers and brothers in the court. They were to write the information on letters, which the abbess would then hand over to the mastermind behind the nunnery.
For the sake of their reputations, those women dared not make a fuss and could only obey the abbess. Only when they were no longer useful would the abbess give them the potion to remove the marks.
Over the years, there had been some who wanted to expose this, but the matter was always strangely suppressed. So, for more than a decade, the scandal had never been exposed.
Qinghe had only gradually learned about these things in recent years. Apart from this information, she knew nothing else.
The so - called secret room was actually a torture chamber. Inside, there were several beautiful orphan girls. Special people would teach them how to please men.
The guards would use a red - hot iron to brand a lotus mark on the soles of their feet. The nuns in the nunnery called these branded women "Lotus Slaves".
After the Lotus Slaves had completed their training, they would be sent to the mansions of various lords.
There was also half a lotus mark branded on the sole of Qinghe's foot.
That was why she was so afraid, why her mind had become so twisted, and why she hated every girl who lived a better life than her.
She didn't dare to resist and could only transfer her hatred to other weak and pitiful girls like herself.
In such an environment, without proper guidance, it was no wonder that Qinghe's heart had become darker and darker.
By the time Qinghe finished sharing this information, it was already dawn. Shen Linyi knew that the effects of the sleeping drug had completely worn off and that the maids beside Liu Jingxian should be awake. So she quickly sent Liuyun to Liu Jingxian's courtyard to pass on the message.
If those maids woke up and found their young lady missing, they would be terribly panicked.
Liu Jingxian was once again impressed by Shen Linyi's thoughtfulness.
Seeing that it was getting late, Qinghe got up to leave. Before leaving, although she didn't say a word, she gave Shen Linyi a pleading look.
That night, it was as if she had gone through a nightmare. But after the nightmare, Shen Linyi had brought her hope.
She couldn't help but sink into this hope. Now, her feelings towards Shen Linyi were very complicated. Qinghe opened and closed her lips a few times but finally said nothing.
After Qinghe left, Liu Jingxian stretched and asked, "Do you believe what Qinghe said?"
Shen Linyi shook her head and then nodded. "She has no reason to lie to us. But since she has been in such an environment, I still have some doubts. It's a pity that I can't look into her heart. For now, I'll just choose to believe her."
"Jingxian, you shouldn't stay here either. Hurry up and leave with your maids."
Hearing Shen Linyi's words, Liu Jingxian got a bit anxious. "What? Aren't you leaving? If you have nowhere else to go, you can stay at my mansion for a while. My father won't mind."
Shen Linyi had considered this, but it wasn't a good idea.
Firstly, her identity was special. If she entered the capital rashly and was discovered by the enemy's informants, it would bring endless troubles.
Secondly, Wen Heyu was still pestering her. If she didn't deal with him, Shen Linyi wouldn't be able to swallow her anger.
But in Jingxin Nunnery, she hadn't shown any flaws. The black - clothed men who stole the belly - bands were discovered by the guards in Liu Jingxian's courtyard. They would only think that their whereabouts had been exposed and that they had been caught in a trap.
Moreover, they hadn't left any traces. So Shen Linyi planned to let Liu Jingxian's people go to the abbess and make a fuss, claiming that there had been thieves. This way, they could cover their tracks.
For Shen Linyi, entering the capital at this moment was more dangerous than staying in Jingxin Nunnery.
"Jingxian, I know you're worried about me," Shen Linyi gave Liu Jingxian a grateful look. "But it's really not suitable for me to leave here now. Do you still remember what I told you about Wen Heyu?"
"I guess he'll come looking for me in a few days."
Hearing the name Wen Heyu, Liu Jingxian's eyes sparkled. She might not be able to deal with the mastermind behind Jingxin Nunnery for the time being, but couldn't she deal with a Wen Heyu?
Wen Heyu seemed gentle and refined on the surface, but in fact, he was full of schemes.
Liu Jingxian said excitedly, "Linyi, we agreed to join hands. We must let everyone in the capital know his true face. It will take some time to find out the mastermind behind the nunnery. Let's deal with Wen Heyu first!"
"Okay."
The two of them held hands tightly, looking at each other excitedly, with a hint of eagerness in their eyes.
When Liuyun came back and saw this scene, she secretly felt sorry for Wen Heyu in her heart.
The so - called attempt to steal a chicken only to lose a handful of rice. Now, Wen Heyu, the renowned scholar, was like a turtle in a jar for her young lady and Miss Liu. How to deal with him was entirely up to them.
After Liu Jingxian left, as Shen Linyi had instructed, she took her maids to the abbess and made a big fuss, saying that there had been thieves climbing over the wall in the middle of the night.
The abbess threatened her with the matter of reputation and then compensated her with money. Only then did Liu Jingxian pretend to leave reluctantly.
After that, Qinghe didn't appear in front of Shen Linyi for several days. But the meals delivered to her had returned to normal, and no one came to trouble her.
After waiting nervously for a few days, Shen Linyi knew that their plan with Liu Jingxian must have deceived the nuns in Jingxin Nunnery and the mastermind behind them. Only then did she feel relieved.
Wen Heyu had been quiet for several days. When he thought the time was right, he stepped into Jingxin Nunnery.
He secretly felt proud, thinking that his plan was flawless. He expected to see a haggard Shen Linyi throwing herself into his arms and even obediently signing the concubine - acceptance document.
But unexpectedly, when he got to Shen Linyi's courtyard, he found that the reality was completely different from what he had imagined.