My palace is full of female protagonists.

Xiao Kuangzi gently pushed open the heavy, solemn wooden door of the Imperial Study, the subtle sound remarkably clear in the quiet room. The Prefect of the Capital followed closely behind. Stepping into the heart of this power center, the imposing presence immediately made his heart tighten, and fine beads of sweat involuntarily appeared on his forehead. Inside, the flickering candlelight illuminated the Emperor's composed face, and Prime Ministers Gao and Su, bent over, engaged in a heated debate around a sand table, their expressions focused and intense, as if conducting a silent contest.

The Crown Prince sat upright in the seat of honor, clutching heavy memorials in his hands. Although he tried to maintain his monarchical dignity, the weariness and drowsiness in his eyes were hard to conceal. His head nodded slightly unconsciously, as if he might fall asleep at any moment. Faced with this tense and delicate atmosphere, the Prefect took a deep breath, steeled himself, and walked step by step toward the Emperor. Upon reaching the steps, he solemnly knelt and bowed, his voice trembling slightly.

Emperor Zhao Chengyu did not immediately ask him to rise. Instead, he smiled and waved to the prime ministers on either side, signaling them to temporarily stop their discussion. "Look, speak of the devil and he appears. The Prefect of the Capital has arrived. Let him tell us personally what the situation of the merchants has been like lately," the Emperor said, his words carrying a hint of amusement, yet also revealing the importance he placed on the matter.

Upon hearing this, the prefect's brows furrowed even more deeply, as if they could trap a mosquito trying to fly by. "Your Majesty," he said, "the prefectural government is currently overcrowded. Every room is packed with officials conducting trials, and even the outer perimeter of the government is filled with makeshift trial points set up by constables and yamen runners." His words carried a hint of helplessness and anxiety.

Upon hearing this, Prime Minister Su raised an eyebrow and asked in confusion, "How can there be so many cases? Could it be that there's a problem with the security in the capital?"

The prefect gave a wry smile and explained, "Actually, they are not major cases. They are just family disputes among ordinary people. Although they occur on ordinary days, they have recently surged."

Zhao Chengyu leaned forward curiously and asked, "What does this have to do with my question about the outcome of Prime Minister Gao's family banquet?"

The prefect's bitter smile deepened, as if what followed was unbelievable even to himself. "It was Lord Gao's family banquet that ignited this series of events. Both the plaintiffs and defendants were merchant families who attended the banquet. The cases were incredibly varied: a couple poisoning each other over unequal distribution of family property; a steward being caught embezzling and accepting bribes; a concubine having an affair due to dissatisfaction with the wife's status; a grandmother killing her grandson over custody battles; a grandson beating his grandfather to death in anger over discipline; even a maid stepping forward to report the head of the household for bribery; and... a concubine's son cruelly murdering his concubine out of love turned to hatred."

"A son of a concubine killed his concubine?" Zhao Chengyu's tone revealed disbelief.

The Prefect of the Capital continued to report the case to Emperor Zhao Chengyu, his tone tinged with a mixture of regret and helplessness: "Speaking of which, the head of this family is Boss Sheng, a man of considerable renown in the capital's business circles. His first wife was a child bride, much older than him, who passed away twelve years ago due to illness. It was thought that Boss Sheng would have become more restrained, but unexpectedly, even at nearly sixty years old, he still took twenty concubines to keep at home, truly enjoying the blessings of having multiple wives."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Chengyu shook his head, gesturing in the air as if calculating something, before laughing and saying, "Twenty concubines, and they've only given birth to four or five children? Are they his?"

The prefect sighed and replied, "Heh heh, Your Majesty, after all, he's getting on in years. It's already quite remarkable that he has these few children. However, the Sheng family has become exceptionally lively as a result. The concubines are using every trick in the book to compete for favor and rewards. Among them, there is a son who is the oldest. His birth mother holds a very high position in the Sheng family, almost equivalent to a second wife, and enjoys the wealth and honor of the Sheng family."

"However, no matter how favored they were, those illegitimate sons could only bow their heads before the legitimate sons and daughters. Over time, resentment and dissatisfaction arose in their hearts. In particular, the eldest illegitimate son was full of hostility towards the legitimate sons."

"The concubine, who should have gained status through her son, had to put on a submissive act to please Boss Sheng. Although she knew that her son had framed the legitimate son several times and even tried to poison him, she dared not speak out and could only dissuade him in secret. But unexpectedly, the illegitimate son was blinded by hatred and actually attacked his own mother, strangling her to death and throwing her into the dry well in the backyard."

"Recently, the groundwater level in the capital has risen, and the dry wells have become damp. The corpses in the wells have begun to emit a foul stench. By the time the Sheng family discovered them, all that was left were a pile of bones and tattered clothes. Fortunately, the concubine liked to wear a silver necklace, which was still hanging on her bones, allowing her family to confirm her identity."

Zhao Chengyu frowned slightly, his eyes filled with doubt and inquiry. He slowly asked, "It shouldn't be that simple, should it?"

As he asked the question, another thought was already churning in his mind: According to the usual tropes of female-oriented novels, the conflicts in the backyard are often intricate and complicated, full of deceit and unknown secrets. How could it be so clear and straightforward as this? This kind of plot treatment is closer to the clear-cut small cases in male-oriented detective novels, with straightforward clues and the mystery being revealed without any unnecessary embellishment.

Upon hearing this, the prefect smiled in agreement. He nodded slightly, his tone filled with boundless admiration for the emperor: "Your Majesty is indeed a wise ruler! Even before seeing the evidence with your own eyes, you have already discerned the hidden tricks behind this. Truly a brilliant strategist!"

Prime Minister Gao, standing to the side, nodded and added with a solemn expression, "Indeed, I have met that Boss Sheng a few times. He is a smooth and shrewd man, and his actions are experienced. He is by no means an easy person to deal with. How could he let his capable concubine in the family die so easily? There must be something fishy about this."

The prefect sighed, looking somewhat helpless: "To my shame, the prefectural government is currently short-staffed, so I had to personally lead the city's defense forces to conduct a thorough search of the Sheng family's residence. What I found there was truly eye-opening. Do you know why Master Sheng took so many concubines? It turns out he was planning to run a brothel in his home, intending to use these women to pave the way for his business. Boss Sheng operates brothels in many places, and some of the top courtesans have a fixed clientele. He selects the best among these courtesans and brings them to the capital, using them as bait to attract patrons willing to spend a fortune to hire a courtesan and come to the capital to do business with him. Those patrons, thinking they could enjoy beauty and expand their business opportunities at the same time, naturally came willingly."

At this point, a hint of anger and disdain flashed in the prefect's eyes: "What's even more infuriating is that this Boss Sheng also used these connections to give those patrons the green light in the business world, allowing them to run rampant in the capital's business community. It can be described as a power-for-sex transaction, committing all sorts of evil deeds. Although this case seems simple on the surface, it actually exposes a dark side of the Sheng family and even the entire business community of the capital."

The prefect accepted the hot tea respectfully presented in the small basket, took a small sip, and as the aroma of the tea wafted up, his expression grew increasingly solemn. He continued, "These merchants, in their pursuit of exorbitant profits, have colluded with Boss Sheng, acting as shills openly or covertly, using various illicit methods to inflate prices and sell their goods at exorbitant levels. As for those courtesans, their children are nothing more than accidental offspring to Boss Sheng and his children, their status even lower than that of household servants. If they are fortunate enough to be taken in by a patron who is willing to pay for their upbringing, they might be able to barely survive as dependents; but if no one takes a liking to them, these children can only wait to be raised, either sold into brothels or forced into prostitution, their fate utterly tragic."

"What's even more shocking is that the seemingly powerful concubine in the household is not actually the biological mother of the eldest child. Because the 'twenty courtesans' that Boss Sheng mentioned are not twenty fixed people, but rather twenty positions. These positions are like the imperial throne, held by the capable and changing hands frequently." The prefect's tone was full of indignation and sympathy as he said this.

Upon hearing this, Prime Minister Gao frowned, slowly sat down, and with piercing eyes, replied, "So, the positions of these twenty courtesans have changed hands more than once, haven't they?" His voice was deep and powerful, revealing a profound understanding of the matter.

The prefect nodded heavily and replied, “That’s right, sir. The positions of those courtesans have changed hands countless times. Boss Sheng’s claim that he doesn’t remember who his concubines are is just a cover-up for the frequent changes in courtesans. Once a patron’s business fails in the capital and he can no longer afford to support a courtesan, she will be sent back to her original establishment, and another courtesan who is fortunate enough to be favored by a patron will take her place and be brought to the capital to continue this sordid cycle.”

Prime Minister Su stood with his hands on his hips, tilted his head slightly, and looked sharply at the Prefect, his tone filled with incomprehension and doubt: "Then why would it be the illegitimate son who murdered the concubine? What secrets are hidden here?"

Upon hearing this, the prefect gave another wry smile. He shook his head helplessly and slowly said, "The Sheng family mansion is filled with beauties. Those young and beautiful girls might be able to barely restrain themselves from an older man like Mr. Sheng, but his son is in the prime of his youth. How could he resist temptation? He actually had an affair with the concubine who was in charge of the household at the time. At first, the servants in the house might have been able to cover it up for various reasons, but as it happened more and more often, the truth eventually came out, and the matter gradually spread."

"The eldest son of the Sheng family usually treats his eldest illegitimate son like a servant. This time, he took advantage of this to make the servant take the blame for him. He also carefully planned a scene of catching his illegitimate son in bed with his wife, intending to pin the blame entirely on the illegitimate son. As a result, the illegitimate son suffered inhuman torture and was beaten until his skin was torn and bleeding. Naturally, he was filled with resentment and unwillingness."

"Although he was eager for revenge, his abilities were limited, and the only person he could reach was the concubine with whom he had a entanglement. However, because he was not well-educated and his actions were not thorough, his body was eventually exposed. In order to cover up the truth, the Sheng family colluded to fabricate a seemingly reasonable but flawed explanation, which is the version I initially reported to you."

Zhao Chengyu clapped his hands lightly, a meaningful smile playing on his lips, and exclaimed, "Truly wonderful! The story behind this is even more intricate and fantastical than any play." His words were like a gentle breeze, dispelling the oppressive atmosphere in the room and instantly waking the Crown Prince, who had been nodding off to sleep. The prince's eyes widened as he stared intently at the Prefect, afraid of missing a single detail.

Seeing this, the prefect shook his head helplessly, then nodded in agreement, saying, "Yes, Your Majesty, such cases are not uncommon among the common people. Normally, the death of a concubine of slave status might not seem like a big deal to ordinary people; they could simply pay a fine at the prefectural office and have the slave deed removed. But because of Prime Minister Gao's three consecutive family banquets, Boss Sheng has become uneasy, fearing that his own affairs would be implicated. So he hastily came up with this terrible idea to try and cover up the true cause of his concubine's death."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Chengyu frowned, stood up, and looked intently at the prefect. He said in a deep voice, "No! What Boss Sheng is trying to cover up is definitely not as simple as his son killing his concubine. Just like you said, even if it wasn't an illegitimate son but a legitimate son who strangled the concubine, it would only be a matter of paying a fine at the prefectural office. Why would he go to such lengths? I suspect that the Sheng family is hiding even more dead courtesans. Perhaps those courtesans never had the chance to return. Their remains are so numerous that they might even turn into will-o'-the-wisps in the darkness at night."

Upon hearing this, the prefect was startled and quickly bowed respectfully, replying solemnly, "Your Majesty is right! I was negligent; I only saw the surface and failed to investigate the root of the matter. Please rest assured, Your Majesty, I will continue the investigation, leaving no stone unturned, and will uncover all the secrets behind the Sheng family, ensuring that no criminal escapes the law!"

Zhao Chengyu looked at the prefect with a deep gaze, his tone filled with concern and expectation, and slowly said, "If you really don't have enough manpower, then transfer a few Ministry of Justice officials from Wenshu Monastery to assist you in handling cases. You have rich experience in handling cases, so you can take this opportunity to train your apprentices and let them accumulate some practical experience in handling cases so that they can handle cases in Wenshu Monastery in the future."

Upon hearing this, the prefect felt a surge of warmth in his heart. He was stunned for a moment, then quickly realized what was happening and bowed respectfully, replying sincerely, "Thank you for your consideration, Your Majesty! Your humble servant will certainly do my utmost to live up to Your Majesty's high expectations."

"Go ahead and investigate with confidence. If you need anything, just let me know." Zhao Chengyu's voice was firm and powerful, as if infusing the Prefect with an invisible force.