Chapter 647: The Lead Courtesan of the Jiao Music Bureau

Seeing Consort Bai on the verge of tears, looking so worried, was truly enough to melt any man's heart.

Zu'an wondered if she had a "green tea" persona. But men really did fall for that kind of act.

He quickly comforted her, "Consort Bai, please don't worry. Although the female assassin hasn't been caught, the Emperor himself gravely wounded her. Even if she doesn't die, she'll be half-crippled. How could she possibly cause trouble now?"

"The Emperor is indeed peerless," Consort Bai murmured to herself, her expression a little dazed.

Zu'an continued, "What's more, Lord Zhuxie is now fully engaged in pursuing her. That female assassin is too busy hiding to even think about stirring up trouble in the palace."

Anyway, Master Sister couldn't hear him now, so saying a few bad things shouldn't matter.

Consort Bai smiled slightly. "Thank you for comforting me, Lord Eleven. I feel much more at ease now."

Just then, a baby's cry echoed from a distance. Consort Bai quickly stood up. "Excuse me, the Imperial Grandson might be hungry. I need to go check on him."

Zu'an subconsciously glanced at her full chest, thinking that the palace had designated wet nurses. Which concubine would personally breastfeed?

Noticing his gaze, Consort Bai's face flushed, followed by a hint of subtle embarrassment and annoyance.

"I'll take my leave now," Zu'an said, quickly departing.

Only then did Consort Bai say, "I'll have the palace maids and eunuchs send the rewards to your courtyard." With that, she left him with a graceful departing figure and hurried away.

Soon after, the palace maid who had escorted him earlier brought a group of eunuchs, delivering several chests to Zu'an's residence.

"What's your name, miss?" Zu'an asked, looking at the delicate palace maid in front of him. It wasn't that he had any intentions towards her, but rather he instinctively wanted to befriend those close to important figures.

As the saying goes, "It's easier to deal with the King of Hell than with his petty devils." Building good relationships with these people was quite useful.

"Reporting to Lord Eleven, my name is Xinrui," the palace maid replied timidly.

"A beautiful name," Zu'an couldn't help but smile. "You have the same gentle disposition as your mistress. No wonder Consort Bai trusts you so much."

Consort Bai truly loved flowers; even her maid's name was related to them.

Xinrui replied in a soft voice, "I wouldn't dare compare myself to Her Ladyship."

Along the way, Zu'an used the smooth talking skills he'd honed in his previous life, making Xinrui giggle delightedly.

From her, he learned quite a bit about Consort Bai. Consort Bai didn't usually reside in the East Palace and didn't seem particularly close with the Crown Prince. She mostly kept to herself in her own palace, and her biggest hobby was cultivating various flowers and plants.

Neither the Crown Prince nor the Crown Princess ever visited her, and she rarely went to see them, as if living a life detached from worldly affairs.

Could the Crown Prince be raising another man's child?

Zu'an fell into deep thought. How could an elegant and graceful woman like Consort Bai be interested in that foolish fat man? But if not the Crown Prince, then who could it be?

Could it be the rumored Emperor?

Ah, too little information to judge.

After Xinrui had her subordinates put down the chests of rewards, she left. Once Zu'an closed the courtyard gate, Yun Jianyue darted out of the room, her face cold. "You scoundrel, you don't even spare a small maidservant."

Clearly, Zu'an's flirting with Xinrui hadn't escaped her notice.

"What do you know?" Zu'an scoffed, not bothering to argue further. "This palace is full of dangers, so naturally, I need to be careful and forge as many good connections as possible."

Yun Jianyue also understood the logic and didn't press the issue further. She glanced at the silk and satin in the chests and couldn't help but exclaim, "You really are popular with women! Both the Crown Princess and Consort Bai are vying to send you gifts."

"It's just because of my special status," Zu'an replied, not getting complacent. "By the way, I need to leave the palace for a bit. I can't let Cheng Xiong keep targeting me. It's time for me to fight back."

"Alright," Yun Jianyue nodded, not saying much more. She lay back down on the silk ribbon and closed her eyes to recover from her injuries.

Zu'an was speechless. Was she addicted to imitating Xiao Longnu?

As soon as he stepped out, an embroidered-uniform envoy walked up to him. "Lord Eleven, this is the information Grand Commander Zhuxie asked me to give you."

Zu'an took it and saw it was a report on Cheng Xiong's surveillance. He couldn't help but be surprised. "That fast?"

It had only been half a day since he'd spoken to Zhuxie Chixin.

The embroidered-uniform envoy smiled and replied, "The Embroidered Bureau keeps detailed records of every official. This is merely an update. Please take your time reading it, Lord. I'll take my leave now."

"Thank you!" Zu'an then realized. The embroidered-uniform envoys were the Emperor's secret agents, used to supervise officials. It was perfectly normal for them to have such capabilities.

He took the detailed information and read it carefully.

Cheng Xiong was born into poverty. He had performed great meritorious deeds on the battlefield, then gained the appreciation of Qin Se, the Central Protector General, and rapidly rose through the ranks to become the Left Guard General, a key figure in Prince Qi's faction.

Seeing Qin Se's name, Zu'an felt a pang of frustration. He hadn't expected him to be from Chu Chuyan's maternal great-uncle's family.

He continued reading, and his brows gradually furrowed.

After Cheng Xiong rose to prominence, he didn't remember the suffering of the poor people he once was. Instead, he became increasingly corrupt and flagrantly abused his power.

The embroidered-uniform envoy's report listed several instances where he used his power to seize people's land and homes. One time, he even took a fancy to a wealthy man's wife, orchestrating events that led to the family's ruin and successfully taking the wife for himself.

His son, Cheng Gang, was also a notorious profligate in the capital, well-known for bullying men and oppressing women.

Reading through the list, Zu'an's eyelids twitched. After a long moment, he let out a breath. "Scumbag!"

However, below was a line of small text highlighted in red. The handwriting was delicate yet carried a chilling undertone, clearly indicating it was written by Zhuxie Chixin.

The note mentioned that these crimes were not enough to bring down a high-ranking Left Guard General and hoped Zu'an wouldn't act impulsively.

Zu'an's brows furrowed, and he immediately understood. Such acts of bullying and oppression were likely common among nobles and ministers of this era. Just like scholars of the time visiting brothels or official entertainment bureaus, it was a common practice, and no one would bat an eye.

In the eyes of the Emperor and the court officials, these crimes were merely trivial matters, at most warranting a reprimand for Cheng Xiong. They were certainly not enough to completely bring him down.

Zu'an felt a surge of frustration. Perhaps the powerful and influential people in this world were accustomed to such things, but as a transmigrator, he had been a commoner in his previous life and could better empathize with the perspective of ordinary people.

What constituted the ruin of families and lives for those common people was merely a triviality in the eyes of the high-ranking officials. That sense of injustice was truly difficult to bear.

Suddenly, Zu'an noticed another entry, mentioning that Cheng Gang had recently become infatuated with a courtesan at the Official Entertainment Bureau.

Unlike places like the Fairy Abode in Brightmoon City, the Official Entertainment Bureau was government-operated. It housed female dependents of disgraced officials and convicted criminals, as well as captives plundered during wars. Of course, some were also recruited through normal channels, such as young girls sold by impoverished families.

Overall, the Official Entertainment Bureau had a much higher prestige than privately run brothels.

It was evident that many well-known courtesans in ancient Chinese history, such as Dong Xiaowan, Li Xiangjun, Bian Yujun, and Chen Yuanyuan, all came from Official Entertainment Bureaus.

In places like Brightmoon City, privately run establishments like the Fairy Abode might be the most prosperous brothels, but in the capital, the largest and most prosperous was definitely the Official Entertainment Bureau.

"The Official Entertainment Bureau..." Zu'an had an idea. The report showed that Cheng Gang had an appointment there tonight.

After leaving the imperial palace, Zu'an initially considered whether to go see Chu Chuyan, as she was probably furious about what happened that morning.

However, he decided that important matters took precedence. Besides, she was probably still fuming, so it was better to let time soothe her anger first.

As night fell, Zu'an arrived at the Official Entertainment Bureau. Here, there were no common brothel girls posing provocatively on balconies, shouting "Come play, gentlemen."

After all, it was government-run, and everyone still cared about their reputation.

The attendant at the entrance noticed his distinguished demeanor and refined clothing, and he quickly came forward with a smile. "Young Master, do you have a specific lady in mind?"

"I've long admired the renowned beauty of Miss Shuangyue, and I've come specifically for her," Zu'an replied. Miss Shuangyue was the courtesan Cheng Gang had recently become infatuated with.

By the way, the name sounded familiar. Had he heard it somewhere before?

The attendant looked troubled. "I'm sorry, Young Master, but Miss Shuangyue's courtyard has been fully reserved for tonight and she won't be receiving other guests."