As an emperor, I am not afraid of subordinates having desires, but I am afraid of subordinates having no desires. Subordinates with desires are easier to control.

Zuan looked annoyed. "You were the one who said it. What does it have to do with me?"

The emperor said calmly, "This is not a difficult matter. After the fall of the Prince of Qi, families like the Chu family, which are naturally branded with the Prince of Qi's faction, will definitely be held accountable in the end. Some will be executed, some will be exiled, and the women will be taken into the brothel. You can then redeem them and take them back to your household. You can do whatever you want with them. Who will know what's going on in your household? Even they themselves will only be grateful to you."

The Jiaofangsi was a place where the wives and daughters of disgraced officials were exiled. Although they were officially government-run prostitutes, they were worse than private prostitutes. It was relatively easy for women from ordinary brothels to redeem themselves, but once they entered the Jiaofangsi, it was impossible to get out of the system. To get out of the system, one had to reach the emperor's ears and get his approval.

But the emperor sent the wives and daughters of those officials who had committed crimes to the Jiaofangsi (a government-run entertainment institution) to punish the offending officials and set an example for others. How could he possibly let them leave the institution?

Of course, if Zu'an, as a great contributor, were to make a request, it wouldn't be unreasonable for the emperor to bestow a few gifts upon him. However, such a thing is extremely rare, so it's not entirely wrong to say that the women of the Chu family would be extremely grateful to him.

Zuan: "..."

This is so wicked! I thought I was a qualified veteran driver after being influenced by various online teachers in my previous life, but now I realize that compared to these princes and nobles from other worlds, I am as pure as a white flower.

The emperor spoke so calmly, as if he were discussing something perfectly normal, suggesting that such matters were commonplace among the nobility.

Zuan had to admit that if it were someone else, they might have really been tempted, but how could he, a fine young man who had been nurtured by modern civilization, cause the Chu family to be destroyed for his own selfish interests?

Of course, he wouldn't be foolish enough to contradict the emperor on the spot. He would then figure out how to navigate the situation between the emperor and the Prince of Qi, and instead, he would make the emperor believe him more if he had this misunderstanding.

Zu'an, not wanting to continue the topic, hurriedly asked, "I wonder how Your Majesty plans to make Prince Qi believe me? Will you pretend to imprison me and have Prince Qi's men come to rescue me?"

So they want me to play the double agent? But undercover agents have never had a good ending.

Seeing how quickly he got into character, the emperor nodded in satisfaction: "Of course not, that would be too deliberate. Prince Qi is always suspicious and won't fall for it."