This son-in-law is wicked in a good way!

Night falls, at the Jiaofangsi (Imperial Music Bureau).

A large red lantern hangs in front of the attic door, making every day feel like the Lunar New Year.

Zhang Ping'an, Wang Qisheng, and Zhou Weidong changed into long gowns and arrived together.

Upon seeing Zhang Ping'an arrive, the madam recognized him immediately from the crowd.

There was no way around it; that poem about plum blossoms made Mei Xiang famous throughout the capital, and her business also took off.

Even the price for Meixiang's tea party increased from ten taels to thirty taels.

For this reason, Wang Qisheng and Zhou Weidong cursed Zhang Ping'an in secret more than once.

"Oh my, isn't this Young Master Zhang? You've finally arrived!"

"Quickly, please come in!"

The madam swayed her hips happily, still retaining her charm, and walked with a swaying gait. Her eyes were practically drooling as she looked at Zhang Ping'an.

"Huh, you recognize me?" Zhang Ping'an felt the softness and elasticity of her arm and leaned closer to the madam, enjoying it, somewhat surprised.

The madam was actually only in her thirties; in later generations, she would be considered a fairy. Zhang Ping'an was no gentleman; he had no qualms about taking advantage of others.

"Young Master Zhang's poem has propelled our Miss Meixiang to the position of the most beautiful courtesan in the capital. Now, in every brothel in the capital, who doesn't know the name of Young Master Zhang!"

"I wonder how many young ladies dream of the day and night, hoping that Young Master Zhang will write them a poem someday!"

Zhang Ping'an was amused; he never expected that a poem would turn him into a chicken enthusiast!

"In that case, does that mean I won't have to pay when I come to the brothel anymore?"

It wasn't that Zhang Ping'an was short of money; it was just that free money made him happy.

It's fun to get free tickets for a while, and he'll keep getting free tickets forever!

"Of course! These days, if you mention Young Master Zhang's name, which brothel would still charge you? They'd all be willing to pay you to come!"

The madam stopped being snobbish; Zhang Ping'an was simply too sought-after in their circle.

"Wow, there really is such a good thing! Haha, thank you so much!"

Zhang Ping'an was pleasantly surprised.

Wang Qisheng suddenly approached, smiling ingratiatingly, "Hey madam, I'm a close friend and brother of Young Master Zhang. Could you perhaps waive my fee too?"

Zhou Weidong quickly chimed in, smiling and nodding, "Yes, yes, you can skip it for me too!"

The madam looked at the two of them suspiciously, then looked at Zhang Ping'an with a questioning gaze.

Looking at the shameless faces of these two people, Zhang Ping'an felt ashamed to associate with them.

"Gentlemen, do you think it's easy for the girls at the brothel to earn money? You're actually thinking of getting something for nothing, humph, how shameless!"

One person's blank vote makes me happy, but what about three people's blank votes?

"Hey, how dare you talk like that?" Wang Qisheng and his companion were immediately furious, feeling a pang of regret for making the wrong friends, and were about to step forward and reason with Zhang Ping'an.

Unexpectedly, the madam, who had just been all smiles, suddenly stopped smiling and spread her arms to block the two of them.

"Hmph, two grown men, trying to sleep with a girl for free, aren't they ashamed?"

Wang Qisheng quickly explained, "Madam, we're colleagues, you can't show favoritism..."

The madam sneered, "You? You think you're worthy to be colleagues with Young Master Zhang?"

"He, tui..."

The madam spat at the two men, then turned and escorted Zhang Ping'an inside.

"You're so vulgar..." Wang Qisheng and his companion jumped back in fright, angrily scolding the madam.

"Zhang Ping'an, you're a heartless bastard!" Old Wang shouted, jumping up and down.

Zhang Ping'an, who was immediately escorted through the door by the madam and several girls, turned around and smiled smugly.

"Brother Wang, it's just ten taels of silver! I'll treat you later!"

"What? Ten taels? That was the old price. Now it's gone up to thirty taels, all because of you!" Old Wang shouted angrily.

Zhang Ping'an was taken aback and shrank his neck.

Oops! I've become the culprit for price gouging... I'm outta here.

This time, entering the Jiaofangsi (a type of entertainment venue) allowed Zhang Ping'an to experience what it means to receive the highest VIP treatment.

Upon hearing of his arrival, Meixiang immediately put up a sign announcing a no-fight for the night and had her personal maid invite Zhang Ping'an to her room.

The personal maid was not only close to Zhang Ping'an, but also very considerate. After leading Zhang Ping'an into the room, she even closed the door for the two of them.

Meixiang wore a pink semi-transparent gauze dress today, with a red bodice peeking out from under her, concealing her ample bosom.

Upon seeing Zhang Ping'an, she immediately walked over with a smile and sat down next to him.

Zhang Ping'an glanced down and saw the slit in her skirt, revealing her fair and slender calves.

"Young master, thank you so much for the poem you gave me. You are so kind to me!"

"I offer you a cup as a token of my gratitude!"

Mei Xiang, with delicate fingers, poured Zhang Ping'an a cup of wine, then leaned forward and presented it to him with both hands.

Looking at the enormous fruit that was almost touching the table, Zhang Ping'an exclaimed: "How fierce! Truly fierce!"

Zhang Ping'an took the wine glass and drank it all in one gulp.

Then, he sighed.

Meixiang immediately gave him a sharp look: "Young master, is something on your mind?"

Zhang Ping'an nodded: "There is indeed something on my mind that is troubling me."

"Oh, may I ask if I can share your burdens, young master?" Meixiang said with a smile.

Zhang Ping'an thought for a moment and said, "It wouldn't hurt to tell you."

"The other day, in the arson case in the west of the city, several members of the White Lotus sect were arrested. After interrogation, it was discovered that these people were all vicious criminals, completely contrary to the White Lotus sect's tenets that you had heard about."

"I now suspect that these people are imposters posing as members of the White Lotus sect, and I'm trying to get them to talk and find out who's behind it all."

"Unfortunately, these people are incredibly stubborn, taking all the blame upon themselves, leaving me feeling frustrated and powerless."

After speaking, Zhang Ping'an stared intently at Mei Xiang's charming face, not missing a single subtle expression.

Mei Xiang's eyes flickered slightly, and after a moment of contemplation, she suddenly looked at Zhang Ping'an.

"Young master, I do have a method that we can try. If they are indeed members of the White Lotus Cult, it might be able to help you get them to talk."

"If they are not members of the White Lotus sect, then my method will be useless against them."

A glint flashed in Zhang Ping'an's eyes, which he quickly concealed: "Oh, please teach me, young lady!"

Mei Xiang said, "To be honest, young master, I had contact with a high-ranking member of the White Lotus Sect a few years ago. I overheard his conversation with someone and learned some of the White Lotus Sect's secret codes."

"As long as you use these coded words with the White Lotus Cult members, they will obey you."

Zhang Ping'an was overjoyed: "Is this really true?"

"How could I bear to deceive you, young master?" Meixiang said with a wronged expression.

"Haha, I'm not saying the girl lied to me, I'm just too excited and can't believe it."

"Girl, please tell me the code word quickly, I'll go try it right away."

Although Zhang Ping'an didn't believe Mei Xiang's nonsense, who would let someone else accidentally overhear the coded messages of a traitor!

However, he felt that the coded message Meixiang spoke of was probably true.

"The land is shattered and the world is dark; a white lotus descends and brings peace to the world."

"If he were to ask you which of the ten petals of a lotus flower you have, and what color it is, I wonder?"

"You should answer: Five-colored lotus seeds and three leaves."

"Did you remember, young master?" Meixiang asked in a soft, sweet voice.

Zhang Ping'an paused for a moment, then said, "I've got it."

After a while, he said, "Could you say it again?"

Meixiang: "..."