Five years after her death, she awoke on the dragon bed.

Chapter 18 Shaving her head to become a nun, severing all worldly ties

That night, Lou Suyi slept soundly.

The next day, she stayed obediently in her room, not daring to go out, for fear of accidentally seeing Murong.

It is said that a ruler's words are not to be taken lightly. Even if Murong was just saying it casually, she still felt it was best to be cautious in everything.

Murong is cunning and has many concubines in the harem, but she is a pawn abandoned by the Lou family. Someone like her with no background definitely cannot enter the palace.

After the sacrificial ceremony was completed that morning, the imperial procession intended to turn back to the palace.

During the auspicious period, everyone hoped that Lou Suyi would be sensible enough to show her face to the new emperor, but unfortunately Lou Si did not appear until the end of the sacrificial ceremony.

He believed that a woman who was neither ambitious nor knew how to compete for favor would have no future even if she entered the palace, so he no longer had any expectations for Lou Suyi.

Furthermore, since the master hasn't mentioned Lou Suyi all day, it's unlikely that Lou Si will enter the palace.

What kind of beauty can't the new emperor have? Just look at the current concubines in the harem—each one has her own ideas, and each one is very unique. It's not like the emperor has to be Lou Suyi.

The moment he left the Lotus Nunnery, his master didn't even look back, which made Jiqing even more certain of his guess.

Lou Suyi felt relieved upon hearing that the new emperor had returned to the palace.

Although Murong returned to the palace, Xie Zhijie and Qi Yan did not leave the Lotus Nunnery.

Fortunately, Lou Suya arrived, saying she had something to attend to at home, and took Xie Zhijie away.

Lou Suying was in a good mood and didn't show any displeasure towards Qi Yan, even chatting with him for a while. But as soon as Qi Yan mentioned wanting her to join the Marquis of Dingyuan's residence, she turned hostile: "Your Excellency, you'd better leave quickly. We don't see eye to eye!"

After saying that, she hid in her room and locked the door.

Qi Yan lingered outside the door until evening before saying, "Su Yi, I hope you will consider my proposal. If you persist, I may resort to extreme measures."

Lou Suyi pretended to be hard of hearing. After hearing Qi Yan's footsteps fade into the distance, she went to find the abbot after her meal and explained her purpose.

The abbot was somewhat surprised upon hearing this: "Becoming a nun is no child's play. Miss Lou, are you sure you want to be ordained?!"

"I've thought it through, and I want to become a nun right now," Lou Suyi said without hesitation.

The abbess knew to some extent that Xie Zhijie and Qi Yan spent their days at the Lotus Nunnery for Lou Suyi, but she felt it was inappropriate for Xie Zhijie to decide to become a nun in order to get rid of the two men's entanglement.

"Miss Lou, you should know that becoming a nun means giving up worldly pleasures, severing worldly ties, and focusing on spiritual cultivation. Are you sure you can do that?" the abbot asked solemnly.

Lou Suyi felt she couldn't do it, but she was tired of Xie Zhijie and Qi Yan's entanglement, and she couldn't leave the Lotus Nunnery. She had no better path than to become a nun.

If she were to become a nun, she could not only get rid of Xie Zhijie and Qi Yan, but also prevent Murong from having designs on her—that would be killing three birds with one stone.

“My mind is made up. Please, Abbot, help me get ordained!” Lou Suyi replied without hesitation.

The abbot tried to persuade her further: "This is a serious matter; young lady, please reconsider..."

"I've thought it through. I'll be ordained tonight. I hope the abbot will grant my request!" Lou Suyi said, kneeling down and looking at the abbot with pleading eyes.

The abbot realized this time that Lou Suyi did indeed want to become a nun, but not because she had seen through the illusions of the world, but because she wanted to avoid men.

"If the young lady is trying to avoid the entanglement of Lord Xie and Marquis Dingyuan, this approach may not be effective. Perhaps the young lady could seek another way out," the abbot kindly suggested.

Lou Suyi understood that the abbot meant for her to leave Lotus Nunnery, which might be better than being ordained as a nun.

She wanted to, but... "To be honest, Abbot, His Majesty has issued an imperial edict forbidding me from leaving Lotus Nunnery. I have no other choice but to become a nun. Abbot, please do me a favor and help me this once, okay?" Lou Suyi looked at the Abbot with a mournful expression.

She didn't even dare to say that the new emperor still wanted her to enter the palace. Under such circumstances, what else could she do but shave her head?

The abbess was surprised that the new emperor would issue such an edict to Lou Suyi. She frowned, feeling that this was still inappropriate.

Seeing that the abbot was still hesitating, Lou Suyi grabbed the abbot's leg and said, "Why don't you accept me as your disciple and help me get ordained?"

Abbot: ...

Seeing that the abbess wouldn't give a definite answer, Lou Suying shook her trouser leg: "Please, have mercy and save my life! Abbot, you don't know, Lord Xie and Marquis Dingyuan are not good people. They are already married, but they insist on taking me as a concubine to humiliate me. And my elder sister is eyeing me covetously, wishing she could kill me. If I don't find a way out for myself soon, I'm afraid I won't even know how I died."

As she spoke, her eyes reddened, and she secretly pinched herself, instantly bursting into tears from the pain: "Although I haven't yet renounced worldly life, if I were to become a nun, I would sever all emotional ties and even give up my favorite meat..."

The abbess looked silently at Lou Suyi, who was crying uncontrollably. After a moment of hesitation, she finally softened and helped Suyi to her feet: "Since you have made up your mind, I will help you get ordained. But I still maintain that this cannot solve the problem at its root."

Lou Suyi smiled through her tears: "Thank you, Master. You are a very kind person."

The abbot replied solemnly, "Since you have decided to be ordained, you are now a member of the Lotus Hermitage."

Lou Suyi repeatedly agreed.

After she bathed and purified herself, she prepared to be ordained. The abbot asked her again, "Once the arrow is released, there's no turning back. Su Yi, are you sure?"

Lou Suyi nodded vigorously: "Thank you for your kindness, Master!"

Looking at Lou Suyi's bright and beautiful face, the abbot thought to himself that it was a real pity that such a beauty was buried in the Lotus Nunnery.

This time, she didn't say anything more and focused on helping Lou Suyi shave her head.

After the tonsure was completed, Lou Suyi touched her bald head and felt a great sense of relief.

Seeing that Lou Suyi showed no signs of sadness, the abbot thought the child had some potential. If one day she could see through the illusions of the world, she might be a good candidate for studying Buddhism.

"Kongchen, if Lord Xie and Marquis Dingyuan come looking for trouble with you again in the future, just tell your master." The abbot looked at Lou Suyi with a kind expression.

Lou Suying smiled, her eyes crinkling: "Thank you, Master!"

The abbot chuckled and affectionately patted Lou Suyi's bald head.

Lou Suying found it fascinating, and even after returning to her room, she kept glancing at her bald head, becoming more and more satisfied with it. She believed that any normal man who saw her bald head would lose all interest.

Upon seeing Lou Suyi shave her head, the secret guards immediately sent a message to the palace.

When Jiqing saw the memorial, he hesitated whether to show it to his master.

After all, Lou Si has refused to enter the palace, so what else is there to say?

But even though His Majesty did not give the order, he still sent the memorial to the Emperor.

Murong habitually took the folded document, and as he opened it, he remembered that it had been delivered by a secret guard. He immediately saw the image of Lou Suying having shaved her head to become a nun…

Hehe, finally I've shaved my head!

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(End of this chapter)