After the mind-reading and gossip-eating incident, officials in the imperial city were demoted one a

As for Ji Xiao, who was following Ye Yaoyao, he kept drinking and looked very disheveled.

Based on her experience in judging people, this young girl must have someone extraordinary to be accompanied by this person.

[Host, she knows you are a woman.]

[As expected of a seasoned brothel owner, she was spotted the moment she stepped inside.]

Ye Yaoyao thought her face was so beautiful that people couldn't tell her gender!

[Host, she has discovered your ear piercing.]

Ah! I was careless.

Ye Yaoyao bit her lip lightly, silently blaming herself for her negligence.

"How should I address you, young master?"

“My surname is Liu. My brother mentioned this place, so I came to take a look.”

Surname Liu? There are several prominent families with the surname Liu in the capital city, but the most prestigious is the Liu family of the Marquis of Ding'an. Judging from their age, they don't seem like it.

Of the other Liu families, which one has a girl with such noble looks?

The madam's gaze swept back and forth over Ye Yaoyao, her eyes filled with suspicion as she tried to guess Ye Yaoyao's identity and background.

"Aren't you going to take me to a room?" Ye Yaoyao pretended not to notice her scrutiny.

"Oh! Are you worried I don't have enough money?"

Without hesitation, Ye Yaoyao pulled out a thick stack of silver notes from her bosom and waved them in front of the madam.

"Yes, yes, Young Master Liu, this way please."

Yan Niang's eyes lit up instantly when she saw so many silver notes, and her face was filled with a fawning smile as she hurriedly nodded and bowed in agreement.

Who cares about her identity, as long as there's money to be made.

"This way, please. I will personally escort Young Master Liu upstairs."

Yan Niang swayed her hips as she climbed the stairs, with Ye Yaoyao following closely behind, her eyes fixed on Yan Niang's back.

[System, has this person done a lot of bad things?]

Yes, host, she has many lives on her hands. Many girls here were bought and forced into prostitution by her.

Ye Yaoyao thought about Ye Xiyao's fate.

Will my sister be sold here too?

It should be here.

The system's response made Ye Yaoyao's heart sink.

Who could be the mastermind behind this?

【I don't know! Host, you can investigate at your leisure.】

[System, if you shut this down, will you receive a lot of merit points?]

【do not know. 】

It's an abandoned system, unlike others that have a central authority that assigns tasks with clearly defined prices.

We can only explore slowly. Anyway, we've already made a contract with the host. As long as the host doesn't die, the system is safe.

【Host, be careful. 】

A figure crashed into the spot where Ye Yaoyao had been standing. Ye Yaoyao was thinking about how to find the person behind it all when the system's voice rang out, and she was pulled away by Ji Xiao.

"Ouch! Young Master Guo, how could you be so careless?"

Yan Niang turned around coquettishly and quickly helped Guo Deren up, who had fallen on the stairs.

Ye Yaoyao composed herself and looked up at the person in front of her. She saw that Guo Deren's eyes were bruised, his face was as pale as paper, his steps were unsteady and weak, and he was swaying unsteadily. He looked like someone who was about to die young after indulging in excessive sexual activity.

Ye Yaoyao couldn't help but shake her head, her eyes full of disdain, secretly thinking to herself:

[So young, yet he's played like this; his life is probably numbered.]

"Quickly help your young master back to rest."

Yan Niang loudly instructed the servants, then turned to Ye Yaoyao with a beaming smile and said:

"Young Master Liu, there are plenty of drunk guests here. You'll get used to it. Let's keep going."

"Yan Niang, there's a new girl here today, why didn't you tell me?"

The young master Guo, who had been helped up by the servant, pushed away the person next to him and leered at Ye Yaoyao from head to toe.

"This one is good-looking, bring it to Master's room."

Guo Deren, drooling, pointed at Ye Yaoyao with his finger.

"Oh, Mr. Guo, this is a guest, not one of the people in the restaurant. Why don't you go back and rest?"

"You madam, have I racked up too much debt? You're unwilling to give me the best girls, yet you dare to hold me accountable for my meager bills?"

Guo Deren glared angrily and shouted so loudly that the entire hall fell silent and turned to look at him.

"Young Master Guo, how could I dare! This Young Master Liu is truly a guest."

Yan Niang smiled and spoke kindly to comfort her.

[System, information on this Young Master Guo.]

[Host, I'm coming right away.]

Guo Deren, the nephew of the Empress Dowager, was a dissolute young man who frequented brothels and died in bed from excessive indulgence.

So he was the man Madam Chen wanted Chen Ranran to marry.

The current wife of the emperor's brother-in-law is his second wife, which has boosted the Guo family's status. They can even get on credit when visiting brothels, proving the immense influence of the emperor's brother-in-law.

"Young Master Guo, what are you saying? Whenever there's a good girl, I'm always the first to tell you. I must have been mistaken this time. Let's go back to our room!"

Yan Niang used many kind words and persuasive arguments to finally coax Guo Deren away.

Yan Niang turned back to comfort Ye Yaoyao: "Young Master Liu, don't let this spoil your mood. This place is just like this; you'll get used to it after a while."

Ye Yaoyao nodded slightly. Guo Deren was a regular here, and she was thinking that she might be able to find a breakthrough by talking to Guo Deren.

"Give me the best room, money is no object."

"Okay, I'll arrange the best for you."

Yan Niang's face was full of smiles as she quickly agreed, treating Ye Yaoyao as a young lady from a wealthy family who had come to the brothel for an experience.

Ye Yaoyao passed by several rooms, some of which were not closed, revealing the enchanting scenery inside. She quickly turned her head away.

[Host, this room is nice, but someone is in it.]

Ye Yaoyao paused, looked at the room with two potted pine trees by the door, and asked in confusion:

"Yan Niang, why are there potted plants here?" Ye Yaoyao curled her lips, arranging them like a teahouse.

"These three rooms inside are our best rooms. They are elegantly furnished and you won't be disturbed."

Yan Niang still wore a fawning smile and hurriedly explained.

"Then I'll take this one."

"We already have a distinguished guest here, so we'll open a second room for you."

Yan Niang led her to the next room and opened the door.

"How about the last one? It looks quieter there."

"That one won't work either, it's not open to the public there."

"Alright! This is it then." Ye Yaoyao walked in, and the place really didn't look like a brothel.

"Call me a few young ladies over." Ye Yaoyao generously gave all the silver notes to Yan Niang.

"Okay, okay, I'll go call them right away." Yan Niang smiled and accepted the silver note.

"Uncle Ji, did you get a clear look at the last one?"

"The door is locked, and someone is guarding it," Ji Xiao replied lazily.

"Being so cautious, could it be that scumbag dad went to that room to meet someone?"

Ye Yaoyao stroked her chin thoughtfully, her doubts growing stronger.

"What drug did you give that spoiled brat?"

"A medicine that can calm his mind and reduce his desires."

Ye Yaoyao winked slyly, knowing that her little tricks wouldn't fool a master.

She wanted to start her investigation with Guo Deren, but unexpectedly, he tormented himself to death in just a few days.