The playboy county magistrate

"Yes." Li Xuanzhi nodded, his voice steady.

"Loyalty without power is blind loyalty. Righteousness without a foundation is empty talk. To truly cleanse the court and uphold justice, one must first have the strength to establish a foothold and the ability to control the situation."

Li Xuanzhi pointed around and said, "Jinling City is the core area, with convenient commerce and a diverse population. It's a gathering place for all sorts of people, making it an excellent intelligence hub."

Officials in the court are subject to the control of the imperial court, the constraints of the law, and the checks and balances of factions, and are limited in many ways.

However, in the gray areas of the city, rank and official position are not considered; only strength and skill are valued.

The imperial court is not omnipotent; otherwise, there wouldn't be so many extraordinary people and events, nor would there be a code of honor and rules outside of the law.

"There are no more than three places in Jinling City that are the most chaotic, have the smoothest flow of information, and are the fastest at accumulating wealth."

Li Xuanzhi's thinking was clear and meticulous. "Merchants and knights-errant would stop at inns, bringing news from different places day and night. Casinos were a melting pot of all sorts of people, where various forces converged, and underground transactions and secret plots were hidden. Brothels, seemingly a place of debauchery, were actually the best places for powerful people to meet, have secret talks, and conduct transactions. Many secrets of the court and local corruptions flowed out from brothels."

These three places are places officials disdain to touch, and the powerful and wealthy disregard and ignore. Yet, they truly contain the freshest, most secretive, and most comprehensive information about the common people and their financial transactions.

Controlling these three locations means controlling the eyes and ears of the entire city of Jinling.

"Does the young master intend to... take them all for himself?" Tang Zheng asked in a low voice.

"It's not 'occupy,' it's 'subdue,'" Li Xuanzhi corrected.

"In times of chaos, the first step is to gather intelligence. With Ren Jianxiao and his princess wife fallen from power, the Jinling forces are leaderless and people are filled with fear. This is the perfect time for us to enter the game."

Previously, the underground forces that relied on Ren Jianxiao had no one to protect them or back them up. They were either devoured and swallowed up by other powerful figures, or left to fend for themselves.

Rather than letting these forces fall into the hands of wicked people, it is better to gather them all and use them for our own purposes.

"Pass on my orders," Li Xuanzhi said in a deep voice, methodically outlining his plans.

"First, thoroughly investigate all inns, shops, and other places of rest in Jinling City, and appease the owners and staff. All past crimes committed by those who relied on Ren Jianxiao will be forgiven; they only need to sincerely submit and accept my protection."

"Second, we will thoroughly investigate all casinos in the city, eliminate those who oppress the people, run illegal gambling dens, and engage in loan sharking. We will preserve legitimate businesses and control the flow of underground funds to provide financial support for our covert operations."

"Third, visit all the brothels in the city and carefully select kind-hearted, quick-witted, and knowledgeable women and managers. Promise them a stable livelihood and the hope of escaping their lowly status, and have them collect secret reports from all sides. Secretly gather information on the undercurrents of officialdom and the whispers of the powerful."

Tang Zheng immediately agreed with full confidence, his laughter even louder than Li Xuanzhi's.

"Fortunately, quite a few people we trained in the north have been transferred over, otherwise, with so many things piling up at once, it would be really difficult for me to arrange them."

Li Xuanzhi chuckled, rubbing his forehead. "Stop being silly! The fact that I can give you three tasks at the same time shows that I know how many people I have under my command. If we don't have enough manpower ourselves, we can just recruit merchants and managers from my third uncle's team. You probably forgot that half of the merchants in Jinling City are my third uncle's people."

The saying "money makes the world go round" is no exaggeration. Although Li Xuanzhi's third uncle was not an official, his mind was much sharper than that of many officials.

Tang Zheng put away his smile and solemnly bowed to accept the order.

"Your subordinates will immediately make secret arrangements and act discreetly. We will not alert the local government and will quietly consolidate our power!"

"Remember, keep a low profile and be patient," Li Xuanzhi advised. "Right now, the eyes of the court and the public are focused on the investigation of the remaining party members. No one will pay attention to what a mere censor is doing in Nanjing."

What Li Xuanzhi wanted was never temporary glory in the imperial court.

What he wanted was to no longer be alone in the court, facing constant attacks, but to have connections and countless informants, a solid foundation that could suppress treacherous officials, uphold justice, and stabilize the region.

That afternoon, undercurrents were quietly surging in the streets of Nanjing.

The once arrogant and domineering underground forces suddenly became less aggressive.

The innkeepers of various inns took the initiative to report information on visiting merchants and travelers, and the casino manager secretly sent people to curry favor.

As dusk fell, a misty rain drifted across the ten-mile-long painted boats.

Lights illuminated the banks of the river one after another, reflecting the vermilion pavilions and waterside terraces on the azure waves. Soft music played, and laughter filled the air.

The most famous pleasure quarter in Jinling City, "Tinglan Pavilion," is located in the most bustling part of the river.

This is no ordinary romantic retreat.

Tinglan Pavilion does not accept ordinary people from the streets, but only officials, gentry, nobles, wealthy merchants from the north and south, and chivalrous figures from the martial arts world.

For years, it had been Ren Jianxiao's secret meeting place in Nanjing.

Countless private transactions and secret talks in different locations are quietly completed here.

Before Ren Jianxiao was purged, Tinglan Pavilion was heavily guarded. Even local officials of the third rank were not allowed to enter without an invitation.

Now that the Ren family has fallen, this once magnificent waterside pavilion in Jinling has instantly become an abandoned and desolate place.

The powerful figures who had previously attached themselves to the organization all severed ties to avoid suspicion, and all visitors disappeared. The people inside were filled with anxiety and fear.

As dusk deepened, a small boat broke through the thin mist on the river and steadily docked at the Tinglan Pavilion Wharf.

Li Xuanzhi, dressed in a simple blue robe, landed alone on the shore.

He exuded no air of officialdom, blending into the evening breeze and lamplight, as unassuming as an ordinary night-wandering scholar.

Li Xuanzhi had already obtained information about this place before he personally rowed here.

Su Wanwan, the head of Tinglan Pavilion, has been in charge of this place for seven years.

The girls, servants, accountants, and guards in the pavilion were all trained by her.

He was meticulous and extremely tight-lipped, never revealing a single secret about his travels.

The most interesting thing is that after Ren Jianxiao fell from power, while other business leaders were already trying to make connections everywhere, Tinglanxie remained inactive.

To be able to manage the entertainment industry for seven years and protect such a large intelligence base from being devoured by various forces is no small feat.

Su Wanwan is quite capable.

Two maids stood with their heads bowed before the steps, their posture upright and their expressions calm, showing none of the obsequiousness or frivolity of ordinary courtesans.

The two men subtly sized up Li Xuanzhi, their eyes filled with caution and wariness, yet they dared not interfere with him in the slightest.

Li Xuanzhi took out the invitation that a child he had met on the way back to the inn that afternoon had slipped into his hand, waved it, and then went straight inside.

The pavilion is serene and tranquil. There is no noisy music, no ostentatious makeup, only the faint scent of sandalwood lingering in the air. The furnishings in the hall are minimalist. The tables and chairs are antique, and the windows are bright and clean.

It doesn't resemble a brothel at all; instead, it's like a secluded and elegant private courtyard for receiving guests.

Layers of beaded curtains hang gently, isolating the outside world from the noise and clamor of lights.

Behind the beaded curtain, a figure in pure white stood by the window.

The woman wore a long, flowing dress, her dark hair held back only by a single jade hairpin. She wore no makeup, and her eyes and brows were cool and aloof.

She exuded no seductive charm whatsoever; instead, she radiated a calm and insightful understanding of people's hearts, a quality born from long experience in handling secret affairs.

Hearing footsteps approaching, the woman slowly turned around, her gaze falling on Li Xuanzhi. She bowed slightly, neither humble nor arrogant.

"This humble woman, Su Wanwan, greets Imperial Censor Li."