C9 Marriage Substitute 3

"Nanny, could you tell me what's inside Anhe Temple?" Mu Yunhua asked, her curiosity piqued. The nanny's expression suggested that the temple contained something rather ominous.

"That temple..." The nanny, with the weight of years upon her, seemed to struggle to articulate her thoughts, her unease palpable.

"Could it be haunted?" Mu Yunhua guessed, occupational hazard as it was, only to receive a wry smile and a headshake from the nanny.

"If it were simply a matter of ghosts, the innocent wouldn't fear a spectral visitation. Yet, there are indeed ghosts of a sort within that temple."

Mu Yunhua was momentarily confounded by the nanny's words but soon pieced together a theory, "So, if not literal ghosts, could it be that someone is up to mischief?"

The nanny nodded, "The goings-on at Anhe Temple aren't exactly a secret, but they're not common knowledge either... The temple is a two-day journey from the capital, and the ladies there seldom make the trip to offer incense—it's a bit out of the way and not particularly well-known. However, Anhe Temple's incense offerings are consistently robust, frequented by male devotees seeking blessings..."

Her voice trailed off as her gaze grew distant, lost in memories. Mu Yunhua observed this but didn't press further.

A nunnery visited predominantly by men.

Mu Yunhua didn't need to give it much thought; the implications were obvious.

"Putting up a front!" she exclaimed. By day, it was a place of devout spiritual practice, but by night, it turned into a hotbed of indulgence and pleasure.

The nunnery's engagement in the flesh trade was hardly surprising. In the Jiangnan region, after the Ming and Qing dynasties, such temples and monasteries were plentiful, even becoming somewhat of a trend.

Mu Yunhua saw right through it, but her succinct assessment left the nanny dumbfounded, "Miss... you're aware?"

With a casual shrug, Mu Yunhua replied, "It's not exactly a tough riddle to solve. A nunnery that attracts men... Clearly, when men and women mix, it's often for one reason. Monks are known to stray from their vows; why should nuns be any different?"

Her explanation was forthright and candid, yet the nanny looked as though she had encountered a specter. After a prolonged moment of astonishment, the nanny cast her eyes downward, deep in thought. When she finally raised her eyes again, her composure had returned, as if the conversation had never happened. "Indeed, the Anhe Temple is just as you have described, Miss."

Mu Yunhua paid no attention to the wet nurse's peculiar behavior, her attention captured by the untamed weeds sprawling chaotically outside the door. The philosophical depth in her eyes intensified. "It looks like Concubine Wan is plotting against me."

It made sense, after all. The Mu's Mansion was expansive and affluent, easily affording to keep her, a non-contributor, without strain. She had been less trouble to care for than a dog over these many years. However, her presence, with a reputation so sullied, was not just unsightly but also posed a risk to the two daughters of the house who were yet to be married.

Would the reputations of the young ladies of the Mu's Mansion be compromised? Especially when one was renowned as the Da Xi Kingdom's first talented girl!

"Miss, you simply cannot go to the Peace Temple, even if it means begging in the streets!" the wet nurse implored with urgency. Although the young miss's chances of marriage were gone, the Peace Temple, where the difference between being with one man or many was significant, was a fate far worse.

Being cast aside and reduced to a courtesan are not one and the same!