Disguised as a man, she became the biggest villain in the book.

Looking at the silver notes on the invitation, Zheng Luoqi thought to herself, "These aristocratic families are really rich. They're spending 100,000 taels of silver in one go."

Zheng Luoqi accepted the invitation, her mind racing with what to do. These lands were all in the hands of powerful families, and it would be difficult to get them to give them up all at once. However, getting them to lower the rent should be possible.

Zheng Luoqi didn't dwell on it any longer and went to the appointment to see what these powerful families were up to.

That evening, in the most bustling restaurant in Xuzhou, the heads of various prominent families had been waiting for a long time.

Zheng Luoqi took Boyu and He Jinyu to the appointment, leaving Wen Yixuan to guard the government office.

Zheng Luoqi didn't bring many people this time; she only brought five or six bodyguards.

Because the various aristocratic families were still unclear about the temperament of the new official, they only felt that all officials were similar.

These powerful families believed that all officials were essentially the same. Perhaps at first, some honest and upright officials would rise up in resistance and vow never to associate with them.

But the aristocratic families have been here for generations, unlike officials who can be transferred at any time. Over time, those officials eventually succumb to the pressure and temptation of the aristocratic families and can only choose to compromise.

As soon as Zheng Luoqi entered with Boyu and He Jinyu, they saw that the heads of various powerful families had already gathered together. When they saw Zheng Luoqi arrive, they were surprised at first, and then stood up to greet her. They did not expect that the new official was so young.

A family head stepped forward with a smile: "Please, sir," gesturing for Zheng Luoqi to sit down.

Zheng Luoqi didn't stand on ceremony and sat down directly. Without beating around the bush, she asked, "May I ask what business you have with me? And what's the matter here?"

As Zheng Luoqi spoke, she took out the 100,000 tael silver note they had given her.

The heads of the various families exchanged glances. At this moment, the family head who had just stepped forward to greet Zheng Luoqi spoke up, saying, "My lord, my surname is Zhu. This is a small token of our appreciation from the heads of the families. We hope you will accept it."

Zheng Luoqi nodded, accepting the offer with a smile, thinking to herself: "Why not take what's offered to me? Whether I have to do anything for them is another matter."

Taking money and not doing anything is something Zheng Luoqi excels at.

Seeing that Zheng Luoqi had no temper and happily accepted the money, the heads of the families secretly mocked him, thinking, "This new official is nothing special; he's satisfied with just a little bit of money."

On the surface, the meal was very pleasant. The heads of the families drank a few too many drinks and started chatting with Zheng Luoqi about this and that. As they talked, they also subtly inquired whether Zheng Luoqi had a family.

Seeing that Zheng Luoqi was already a prefect at such a young age, they thought of sending their daughters over as well. If they could get Zheng Luoqi to take a liking to them, things would be much easier in the future. These two were making all sorts of calculations in their minds.

After the dinner party ended, Zheng Luoqi learned who these families were. There were five families present today: the Zhu family, the Kong family, the Qi family, the Lü family, and the He family.

In Xuzhou, almost all the restaurants, fabrics, jewelry, grains, and farmland belonged to these major families.

The people living here are more or less unable to escape the businesses of these five great families.

Zheng Luoqi was genuinely puzzled as to how Wu Hansong had managed this place before.

Zheng Luoqi summoned the officials and constables from the government office to investigate. She also looked through the files in the government office and got a general understanding of Wu Hansong. He was a coward who often turned a blind eye in order to survive, and many cases were closed without any clear explanation.

Wu Hansong's death was not unjust. However, while he was a useful subordinate to the Prime Minister's office, he was not a good official to the common people.

For the next few days, Zheng Luoqi spent her time in the government office doing accounting and reviewing case files.

He Jinyu and Boyu were helping to organize things, and Wen Yixuan was assigned to guard the area.

Wen Yixuan wasn't annoyed. Let them guard; all he needed to do here was keep an eye on Zheng Luoqi.

More than ten days passed without anything happening, and Zheng Luoqi felt extremely bored. Back in the capital, she would be assassinated at least once just by going out. Things were much more peaceful here, and she didn't know why.

So Zheng Luoqi decided to go out in plain clothes today to see how the people in this city live, and also find something to do.

Zheng Luoqi hadn't had a proper outing like this in a long time, so today she brought Boyu, He Jinyu, and Wen Yixuan along. Of course, she couldn't forget the guards; their lives were still very important.

The guards were all dressed in civilian clothes, but the group was too large and attracted attention. Zheng Luoqi told them to keep their distance, as long as it wasn't too far, so that they could be rescued in time.

So on the surface, it appears to be just Zheng Luoqi, Boyu, He Jinyu, and Wen Yixuan, a group of four, wandering around.

As they walked, they arrived at a brothel. Zheng Luoqi suddenly became interested in teasing Wen Yixuan, "Hey, Wen family boy, have you ever been to a brothel?"

"No," Wen Yixuan replied.

Zheng Luoqi's interest was piqued immediately, and she turned around and led them to the Nanfeng Pavilion next door.

"Oh dear! Since Young Master Wen has never been to a brothel, I won't force you. You can come to Nanfeng Pavilion instead!" Zheng Luoqi said with a wicked smile.

Wen Yixuan never expected things to develop this way. At this moment, Zheng Luoqi, who was sitting in front of him, was surrounded by several male prostitutes, all dressed in thin gauze, which made people's imaginations run wild.

Although many high-ranking officials and nobles are fond of homosexuality, they do it in private. I have never seen anyone as blatant as Zheng Luoqi.

He Jinyu sat stiffly to the side, not daring to move, while Bo Yu stood expressionless beside him, seemingly unfazed.

Wen Yixuan looked like he'd eaten shit; he wanted to explode but didn't dare.

Zheng Luoqi felt that wasn't enough. Seeing Wen Yixuan's expression, Zheng Luoqi decided to show him something exciting. She grabbed the male prostitute who was massaging her shoulders.

He pulled him into his arms, his fingers tracing the male prostitute's chest, then pulled off half of the prostitute's clothes, revealing half of his shoulder. The prostitute then placed his hands on Zheng Luoqi's shoulders and said coquettishly, "My lord, there are still many people here. Do you want to stay here?"

Zheng Luoqi didn't say anything, but turned over and pinned the male prostitute down, making a move to take off her clothes. Wen Yixuan's face turned dark.

Wen Yixuan could no longer hold back. He stood up abruptly and said coldly, "Lord Zheng, I have something to attend to, so I'll take my leave now." With that, he turned and strode away.

Zheng Luoqi watched Wen Yixuan's departing figure, a faint smile playing on his lips. Then, he slowly stood up, calmly putting on the coat he had just taken off, as if everything that had just happened had nothing to do with him.

At this moment, He Jinyu finally came to his senses. He looked at Zheng Luoqi with a puzzled expression and asked cautiously, "Sir, why do you find Wen Yixuan so disgusting? Is there some deeper meaning behind this?"

"Just testing the waters!" Zheng Luoqi said with a smile.