Chapter 221 It takes two to tango

[Holy crap! Tao Shidu destroyed Chun Man Yuan!]

After seeing this gossip, Chu Liuzheng almost swallowed the date pit.

She hurriedly turned around and spat the date pit into the sieve, then patted her chest.

[Oh, it almost got stuck in my throat. If I died from a date pit, it would be such an unfair death.]

She smacked her lips and clicked on the gossip to take a closer look.

[Teacher Tao, terminally ill and with not much time left, recalls the past with a surge of resentment, feeling he had been harmed by Chun Man Yuan. Fuming with rage, he runs to Chun Man Yuan and smashes things up, claiming he wants to enforce justice on behalf of the people and rid the people of this infestation.]

[Tsk tsk, why didn't you think Chun Man Yuan was hurting you when you were hugging that beautiful girl and calling her "darling" left and right? Weren't you enjoying it? Now that you're sick, you're blaming Chun Man Yuan for everything. They didn't drag you in with chains or tie you up to prevent you from leaving. Who can you blame for not being able to control the two pounds of flesh under your crotch?]

[How dare you go and smash things, and claim to be acting on behalf of the heavens? Bah! ! ]

If smashing things is considered justice, then picking up a random thug from the street would be a million-dollar achievement. And you're taking it out on the girls. You're such a coward, you bully! If you have the guts, don't be a coward and fight the thugs from Chun Man Yuan head-on!

[They say that all the girls in Chun Man Yuan are sick and are trying to harm you. Haha, do you know what it means that it takes two to tango? With your skills and those sour poems, do you really think the girls would be willing to pay attention to you?

It's all because they have no choice but to be forced into this situation. If they don't obey, they'll be beaten and scolded, and not given food. Who, except those determined to die, can handle this? Who doesn't want to live a more comfortable life?

"That girl, Xueheng, was infected with that disease you gave her. She was supposed to be returning home, but in reality, she was thrown into a mass grave without even a straw mat. You, a troublemaker, have the nerve to blame her. Believe it or not, she'll come to your bedside in the middle of the night to talk about life!"

[Oh, no need to do it in the middle of the night. You don’t have many days left to live anyway... huh?]

A new piece of gossip suddenly popped up. Chu Liuzheng saw the three words "Tao Shidu" and subconsciously clicked on it, and then was covered in the face by the news of Tao Shidu's death.

[Frog Fun! Died suddenly in the prison of Shuntian Prefecture!]

[Tsk! The imperial physician told you to rest, but you went out and started smashing things. Did you end up losing your life? You still have to follow the doctor's advice.]

She picked up a date and put it in her mouth, chewing it.

If the underworld really exists, then Miss Xueheng, having died first, should be more powerful than this guy. Perhaps she can personally seek revenge before reincarnation?

[Huh? Last night, Censor Wang was also there to watch the fun, even arguing with the Wanfanglou madam in the street.]

"No way, no way, the tyrant couldn't even be frightened like that, and he's back to his old ways so quickly? He even went after the brothel owner. Tsk tsk, doesn't this guy prefer the tsundere sweetheart type? Has he changed his taste after being frightened?"

Xiao Jingfan, who was eavesdropping, fiddled with the white jade ring on the table, thinking about how to get the location of the treasure from Chu Liuzheng, while wondering whether he should demote Wang Yushi to a remote corner and out of sight.

On the other side, Chu Liuzheng didn't know that he was being noticed by a certain emperor, and he was curiously browsing down.

[Uh, okay, it was a misunderstanding. Censor Wang was actually there to monitor whether any officials were visiting brothels, hoping to report them to the tyrant and get him to forgive him for his outrageous remarks in Fengtian Hall.]

[Mother Wan also asked Censor Wang why the adults didn't like going upstairs anymore, and whether they had somewhere else to go.]

[Tsk tsk, how could Censor Wang possibly tell her that it was all the tyrant's fault? After seeing how much fun Tao Shidu was having, he hurried back to write a memorial to criticize Tao Shidu. Unfortunately, Tao Shidu suddenly died, so the memorial was written in vain.]

Chu Liuzheng dug into the gossip about Wanfang Tower and Chunmanyuan.

[Wow! It must be the tyrant's fault. Ever since that shocking incident at Fengtian Hall, none of the civil and military officials have visited brothels again. Not only do they not go, they also forbid their subordinates and students from going, sending them in droves to the clinic for checks on hidden ailments.]

[Tsk tsk, no wonder Chun Man Yuan's business is so bad. If the target customers aren't coming, there's no business to do. Meanwhile, those big restaurants in the capital are doing a booming business, with sales skyrocketing.]

[Hmm...if this continues, Wanfanglou and Chunmanyuan won't be far from closing down, right?]

Chu Liuzheng pondered for a moment and felt that his inference was a bit too idealistic.

[The civil and military officials are not going now because of the tyrant's orders. It's a period of severe crackdowns, and they've been frightened by the illness of those three. They haven't recovered yet, but things will be different soon.]

[As the saying goes, a dog will always eat shit. There will always be people who take chances. It’s impossible to ban everything, unless…]

Chu Liuzheng spat out the date pit, picked up another date and threw it into his mouth.

The tyrant actually issued an order strictly prohibiting officials from visiting prostitutes, imposing heavy penalties and then closing down brothels across the country, leaving them with nowhere to go.

[But the emperors of the Dasheng Dynasty never strictly prohibited officials from visiting prostitutes. Wouldn't a tyrant issue such an order?]

Sigh~

A long sigh, with twists and turns, and a strange tune.

Xiao Jingfan: "..."

He put away the white jade ring and planned to go out for a walk.

He didn't want to listen to someone sighing all the time.

The cold wind was blowing, and Zhou Yuande brought a cloak for Xiao Jingfan to wear.

The sighs in his ears had stopped, and when Xiao Jingfan was thinking about where to go for a walk, the voice in his heart suddenly sounded again.

Actually, closing down brothels has many benefits. Not only can it effectively prevent the spread of sexual abuse and save the women forced into prostitution, but it can also prevent information leaks to a certain extent. After all, being drunk and having sex is generally considered the best time to get information.

Chu Liuzheng was rummaging through the gossip he had just uncovered.

For example, three months ago, Doctor Cheng from the Ministry of Works got drunk at Wanfanglou and was tricked into revealing the addresses of two secret craftsmen by a woman named Tang'er. Within two days, the two craftsmen were dead. On the surface, it all looked like accidents, but in reality, it was murder, and they were all killed by Xixia spies, and Tang'er was one of them.

Xiao Jingfan paused in putting on his cloak, and a cold light flashed in his eyes.

He remembered this incident. The two craftsmen were responsible for improving bows and crossbows. They were rare talents, so he specially arranged for people to protect them secretly.

But the murderer used a trick to lure the tiger away from the mountain, killed the man anyway, and disguised it as an accidental death.

He once asked the Jinyiwei to investigate where the mistake was made, but there is still no definite result.

It was just because of a little flower girl.

[Tsk tsk, this Wanfang Tower is full of hidden dragons and crouching tigers. One, two, three, four... Hey, five spies, some plump and some thin, and all the most popular girls. They've received quite a few officials. How much information must have been leaked?]

Chu Liuzheng sighed.

[As expected, lust is a double-edged sword. Let me take a look. Are there any spies in Chun Man Yuan?]

While she was fumbling, Xiao Jingfan took off the half-put-on cloak, picked up a book and sat back on the couch, listening with his ears perked up.

[Huh? Chun Man Yuan doesn't have any spies! That's not right. Chun Man Yuan's main target customers are scholars and literati. They receive many dignitaries and nobles, and they can get a lot of information. How come there aren't any spies there?]

Chu Liuzheng felt strange and couldn't help but search carefully.

As she searched, her gaze paused and her eyes slowly widened.

[Frog fun! No wonder there are no spies, the boss of Chun Man Yuan is actually him! ]