Xu Kou returned to Qizhou as per Qi Xuansu’s plan. He stayed there for less than a day before proceeding to Bohai Prefecture.

Curiously enough, although the Li family operated many pleasure houses, their home base, Qizhou, remained relatively clean. Such establishments were mainly concentrated in the Imperial Capital and Bohai Prefecture.

Overturning Li Ping’s case would still require time, so Xu Kou’s part of the operation could not be delayed for too long and had to proceed quickly. His actions did not appear suspicious because Li Qingnu had arranged for a poetry gathering at the Sycamore Villa in Bohai Prefecture. To outsiders, Xu Kou’s hurried trip to Bohai Prefecture simply looked like he was going there to join the festivities.

By now, Li Qingnu had escaped her former misery. She no longer needed to appear in public and instead operated behind the scenes, like a proprietor of Sycamore Villa. The staff naturally did not dare neglect her instructions. In truth, this poetry gathering had been planned long ago, though Li Qingnu had moved the date forward. Even so, it did not seem rushed.

The staff in Sycamore Villa did not find this strange either. Ever since Sage Qingwei had returned to Qizhou to take charge of the overall situation, the atmosphere there had become extremely oppressive.

Unlike Jiangnan, where some still attempted to resist the embargo, the situation in Qizhou had already been settled. Many people had simply resigned themselves to reality, while others, in a spirit of reckless abandon, traveled to Bohai Prefecture to relax. It was therefore the perfect time to hold such gatherings.

Bohai Prefecture was also included in the embargo list. Although it nominally belonged to the Imperial Capital Daoist Mansion, the latter had long since weakened, so Bohai Prefecture had always been managed by the Qizhou Daoist Mansion. Even the peninsula region of Liaodong had been incorporated into the Qizhou Daoist Mansion’s jurisdiction. In other words, the Qizhou Daoist Mansion governed an inland sea and the entire coastal belt, beginning from Qizhou to the Liaodong Peninsula.

There was a historical precedent for this arrangement. Bohai Prefecture was under delegated administration, while the peninsula region facing Qizhou across the sea had already been governed by Qizhou as early as the Wei Dynasty. At that time, Liaodong had been a major military stronghold, governed by a military commission rather than a provincial administration. The local population had been sparse, but establishing a separate provincial office there would have been wasteful. Thus, Qizhou had overseen Liaodong’s civil administration, while the Liaodong Military Commission remained responsible for military affairs.

Later, when the Daoist Order divided territories into Daoist Mansions, the powerful Li family naturally took advantage of this historical precedent and declared that the peninsula region had belonged to Qizhou since ancient times; therefore, it had to be assigned to the Qizhou Daoist Mansion. The Liaodong Daoist Mansion could only swallow the humiliation in silence.

After that, when the Imperial Capital Daoist Mansion became little more than a name, the Qizhou Daoist Mansion simply took control of the entire coastal region centered around Bohai Prefecture under the guise of delegated administration. This successfully linked the Liaodong Peninsula to Qizhou by land, allowing Qizhou’s influence to spread into parts of Silla, which was then used as a springboard to project power into Fenglin.

Thus, the Qizhou Daoist Mansion and Qizhou itself were not the same. Qizhou was merely an ordinary province, while the Qizhou Daoist Mansion was a massive entity with an inland sea.

The Jiangnan Daoist Mansion was no less formidable. During the Wei Dynasty, the Jiangnan region had actually been divided into two provinces. However, when the Daoist Order reorganized territories into Daoist Mansions, it merged both provinces under the Jiangnan Daoist Mansion in order to consolidate resources and develop the economy. Only the Luzhou Daoist Mansion was left in between, to separate the Qizhou Daoist Mansion from the Jiangnan Daoist Mansion. That way, it could prevent the Jiangnan Daoist Mansion from completely controlling the Yangtze River.

The Lingnan Daoist Mansion was similarly structured. The two largest islands in the Central Plains had both been assigned to the Lingnan Daoist Mansion, causing its territory to surpass even the ever-expanding Qizhou Daoist Mansion, almost as big as the Shuzhou Daoist Mansion and the Xizhou Daoist Mansion.

Since maritime trade had flourished and the world had entered the so-called “Age of Exploration,” the coastal regions naturally became the most prosperous areas.

Jiangnan’s situation was still unsettled and politically complicated. Lingnan was far too distant; the Imperial Capital was overly strict and restrictive; and Liaodong was too cold and harsh, hardly a land of pleasure and luxury. Thus, Bohai Prefecture became the most suitable destination for pleasure houses.

At this time, Xu Kou had arrived in Bohai Prefecture. He was no refined scholar or romantic poet, so he certainly could not compose elegant poems. But his status alone was enough to make him an honored guest.

The moment he arrived at Sycamore Villa, many people greeted him, and he merely responded with casual nods.

Within Jade Capital, Xu Kou was considered a minor figure. But once in the provinces, he became someone many sought eagerly to befriend.

Conversely, the local tyrants and regional overlords who wielded enormous influence in their own territories still had to bow their heads and behave cautiously once they entered Jade Capital.

Qi Xuansu was a prime example. In Poluo, he had commanded tremendous influence and drew everyone’s attention. Yet after arriving in Jade Capital, he had to lower his stance and behave modestly.

Naturally, Xu Kou could afford to put on airs at this time.

As it happened, a Commander Adjutant of the Green Phoenix Guard was also present. The two had known each other back when Xu Kou still served in the Green Phoenix Guard, and their relationship had been fairly good. Meeting again, the Commander Adjutant invited Xu Kou to drink with him.

Xu Kou did not refuse. Several others sat at the same table, including wealthy merchants and officials. The merchants were all complaining bitterly that business had become impossible and so on. There were no shortage of complaints directed at the Golden Tower Council, some even speaking in sarcastic and mocking tones.

At the appropriate moment, Xu Kou interrupted the complaints and smoothly steered the conversation toward romantic and indulgent topics.

As the drinking progressed and everyone became pleasantly intoxicated, the discussion gradually drifted into increasingly outrageous territory. They stopped talking about affairs of state and instead turned to matters between men and women.

Xu Kou appeared half-drunk, subtly guiding the direction of the conversation.

Someone asked, “Brother Xu, you have a promising future now. Why haven’t you remarried? Are none of the Daoist beauties worthy of your attention?”

Pretending to be drunk, Xu Kou waved his hand dismissively. “It’s best not to talk about them.”

Several people immediately became curious. “Why not? What’s wrong with them?”

Xu Kou sneered, “Daoist beauties, my ass. They’re all just glittering on the outside. Behind closed doors, they’re whores.”

Everyone burst into laughter. Someone advised, “Old Xu, why are you still hung up on this? Just as a man can have multiple wives and concubines, once women gain power, they’ll naturally keep pretty young lovers too. They even invented a new term for it nowadays—puppy or something.”

Someone in the group joked, “I’ve heard there are even mothers and daughters fighting over the same pretty boy. They’re really indulgent, throwing all propriety out the window.”

“That’s nothing. I heard some female Daoists not only sleep with their boy, but even personally help them build connections.”

“Of course it’s true. If there were no benefits, why would those boys serve old hags? Their husbands are most likely aware, but they just turn a blind eye. Each partner plays their own game.”

“I think this is forced by the situation. The Daoist Order is so strict about relations between men and women that one report is enough to land someone in trouble. Those male Daoists are afraid too. They’d rather be cuckolded than lose their status.”

“Some female Daoists nowadays, especially the older ones with power and influence, are very direct when seducing people. They don’t even bother to be subtle. If seduction fails, they turn to coercion. I suppose the Daoist Order’s equality shines in this aspect.”

“That’s why people say the Imperial Court is still better. The Daoist Order is a mess!”

“We’re the ones sent to die, and they still dare to eat at our house and sleep at another? Do they really think we have no balls? If something like that happened to me, that whore would be asking for it!”

Xu Kou continued drinking. This was exactly the direction he wanted to steer the conversation. to

Only then would it not seem abrupt.

Soon, someone said, “That may not be entirely true. Real big shots probably don’t need to worry about such things.”

Xu Kou let out a snort. “Not necessarily!”

Everyone at the table turned to Xu Kou, eager for gossip. “Brother Xu, what do you mean by that?”

Xu Kou pretended to be tipsy. “Does a Second Deputy Mansion Master count as a big shot? I know one who was cuckolded but has no temper at all. Maybe he’s still kept in the dark about it.”

Everyone’s curiosity was aroused. “A Second Deputy Mansion Master? From which Daoist Mansion?”

Some had already begun calculating. Xu Kou had been to three Daoist Mansions—Qizhou, Lingnan, and Poluo.

The Second Deputy of the Qizhou Daoist Mansion was a bachelor, with no wife or children, so he could be ruled out. When Xu Kou went to the Lingnan Daoist Mansion, Zhang Yuelu was the Second Deputy, but judging from Xu Kou’s tone, he was clearly talking about a man, not a woman. Likewise, when Xu Kou went to the Poluo Daoist Mansion, the Second Deputy was Xu Jiaorong, also not a man.

So, which Second Deputy was Xu Kou talking about?

Xu Kou gestured for everyone to come in closer, then he whispered, “The Jiangnan Daoist Mansion.”

“Li Tianlan?!” The others also lowered their voices. “No way!”

“But Second Deputy Li really did marry a young beauty, and he’s so old.”

“I know, right? To be fair, Second Deputy Li’s wife is charming.”

“Right, I heard there was a scandal a few years ago about a stepson forcing himself on his stepmother. Could that have been Second Deputy Li’s son?”

“I know about it. It was him—Li Mingping.”

“Old Xu, is this what you’re talking about? I heard that the stepson never succeeded though.”

“That’s not exactly a secret. I thought it was something bigger.”

“Old Xu, your information network isn’t very sharp. This has been old news for ages!”

Xu Kou pretended to be provoked. “You people don’t know shit. That stepson was just the scapegoat. Someone else actually succeeded.”

“Who??” Everyone looked toward Xu Kou again.

Xu Kou deliberately glanced around before lowering his voice. “Anyone capable of seducing a Second Deputy’s wife obviously isn’t ordinary. This person is also from the Li family, currently a Deputy Tiangang Hall Master, technically my superior.”

Someone immediately guessed, “Li Minghuang?”

“It’s probably him.”

“That fits. This guy has his way with women. Back then, even the Zhang family’s eldest young lady was taken down by him.”

“Zhang... Yuelu?”

“Hah! Zhang Yuelu? She’s stubborn and impossible to deal with. Who would dare provoke her? Even Li Tianzhen ended up smashing his head into that brick wall. I’m talking about Zhang Yuyue.”

“What about Zhang Yuelu? Chief Deputy Qi Xuansu managed to take her, and nothing bad happened to him.”

“How many people in the Daoist Order are like Qi Xuansu? In the current generation, only the Junior Imperial Preceptor Li Changge can match Qi Xuansu. I think the Three Prodigies should really just be called the Two Prodigies.”

“Who would’ve thought? One family member stealing from another family member. According to the Li family hierarchy, Li Tianlan is Li Minghuang’s uncle. Doesn’t that mean Li Minghuang seduced his aunt?”

“Heh, in these big clans, affairs between fathers-in-law and daughters-in-law, or even between brothers- and sisters-in-law, are commonplace.”

While these people were talking, an extremely concealed formation was quietly operating in a corner.