I have the best bloodline

"How come cultivators are playing such abnormal games these days?" Auntie shook her head and shrank back, not knowing how to comment on what was happening downstairs.

"You're from the Southern State too, right?"

After being scolded by his aunt, the cultivators who had originally intended to force themselves on him immediately became obedient. Su Yan said, "Do you believe me now? We really don't have any fox-themed services here."

Just as Su Yan began his reprimand, a lady who was about to leave approached him, greeted him, and then slipped a stack of silver notes into his pocket.

"I won quite a bit tonight, I'll treat you to a late-night snack."

Seeing that the lady was about to leave, Su Yan quickly chased after her and returned the silver notes to her: "Madam, you really don't need to be so polite. Luck really doesn't count. Foxes really don't have that function. Please take them back."

"Nonsense, we all had a lot of fun even though you weren't playing cards."

The lady did not take back the silver notes. Instead, she smiled and pinched Su Yan's cheek before getting into the carriage and leaving.

Playing gambling games with Su Yan is a completely unpleasant experience. For customers, the best gaming experience is simply for Su Yan to sit obediently on the offering table.

Seeing that Su Yan was so sensible, it was normal to give him a hundred or so taels of silver to buy candy.

Who knows, maybe one day in the future, we'll need to use Su Yan's undefeated gambling talent to get back at our enemies!

Su Yan looked at the stack of silver notes in his arms, shook his head, stuffed them into his storage ring, and said to the witches:

"Where was I? I forgot what I was going to say after you interrupted me, Madam."

“Uh, we’re from the same hometown,” the witch said.

"Since we're all from the same hometown, you must all know the rules of Southern Prefecture, right?" Su Yan said. "Then may I ask what those rules you mentioned earlier were? When did I set up a sign for myself that costs three catties of spirit stones per hour?"

In the southern states, the rule is winner-takes-all, and the losing side automatically becomes the victor's slave.

"There's an announcement at the city gate! It says that if travelers from out of town want to have some fun, male cultivators can go to the Myriad Flower Pavilion in District 1 of the Imperial City, while female cultivators can go to the Spring Garden to find the energetic demon: Fox Face."

The term "fox-faced man" literally means a handsome male fox.

Usually, those who post notices at the city gate are merchants who have paid for advertising. The sisters only found Ruchun Garden because they saw that there were young and strong handsome demon men here, and they wanted to see how many inches the fox-faced man's fox tongue could stick out.

But to their surprise, there weren't any foxes here at all!

"You're a shady business that cheats its customers."

One of the girls in the group spoke up quietly, complaining about the false advertising of Ruchun Garden.

"???"

Su Yan typed out a series of question marks, then looked up at her equally bewildered aunt: "???"

"Damn it, three pounds in an hour! Even in human form, I couldn't last two hours! No exaggeration, I'd be perfectly content with just one hour of fighting."

Su Yan suppressed his grievances and called his aunt to lead the witches from the Southern Prefecture to the city gate.

Guided by the witches, Su Yan actually saw an advertisement for "fox male concubines." The advertisement was quite large, and it featured several handsome, slender men dressed in shabby clothes, facing the front and giving seductive winks with foxy expressions.

"."

Su Yan stared wide-eyed at the advertisement and the group of female cultivators copying down addresses.

"I never imagined that the Xia Yu custom of valuing foxes had some good things involved! In previous years, people were saying that foxes shouldn't be used like this, as it was a great disrespect, but now foxes are being used to advertise in brothels and posted on the city gates."

"Isn't this normal? It's all money!"

"I wonder if those fox demons are humanoid or beast-like."

Hearing the female cultivators discussing the fox-faced man, Su Yan quickly stepped forward and tore up the notice.

"Hey kid! Do you know what you're doing?!"

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 80 Old Bug, Are You Confused?! (Revised)

"Hey! Kid, what do you think you're doing?"

Before Su Yan could even approach the notice board at the city gate, he was stopped by the soldiers stationed there. They raised their hands to block him from getting any closer and warned him sternly:

"This is the imperial notice board. No unauthorized personnel are allowed to approach. Anyone who disobeys will be punished with whipping!"

Besides paid advertisements, the bulletin board also contains official announcements from the imperial court, such as the imperial edicts translated by Emperor Wusheng. Apart from officials from the Demon Suppression Bureau, only officials from the Ministry of Revenue can access the bulletin board.

Anyone who approaches casually like Su Yan will be sternly driven away by the guards stationed next to the bulletin board.

Unless instructed by the Demon Suppression Division or the Ministry of Revenue, no one has the right to modify the contents of the notice board.

"Come here!"

My aunt reached out from the group of female cultivators, grabbed Su Yan's collar and pulled him back, bringing him out. She said calmly, "It's no use tearing off that notice now. Look at the date in the lower right corner of the notice."

The date numbers are: 1, 2 to 1, 6, and today's date is January 5th. This notice has been posted here for almost two and a half days, and it was posted during the busiest time of day.

The Xia Yu region was bustling with activity as the New Year celebrations approached. A large number of cultivators from other places flocked here. Some came to participate in the magic competitions organized by the imperial court, while others came to participate in the betting and activities offered by the Ministry of Revenue.

In addition, large shops in Xia Yu's main city will also launch supporting activities to attract customers.

Looking at his aunt's calm expression, Su Yan realized something.

My aunt seems angry!

"This is no longer a simple prank or children's roughhousing."

My aunt glanced at the bulletin board, sighed softly, and said, "Some people might die, and our business licenses might be revoked."

Auntie pulled Su Yan out of the crowd and walked straight back to Ruchun Garden.

"In the Xia Yu court, there were some things that could be said but not done, and some things that could be done but not said."

My aunt clicked her tongue in displeasure and said, "Those young masters have really caused a huge disaster. Brothels that are officially registered with the Ministry of Rites absolutely, absolutely, absolutely cannot use the word 'sex trade.' Once it appears, the problem will be extremely serious."

Although the notice on the fox-faced man's petition in Ruchun Garden did not explicitly mention prostitution, the accompanying pictures and words hinted that Ruchun Garden was a brothel for illicit affairs.

This is a place where prostitution can take place.

"Xia Yu had many unspoken rules. The Jiaofangsi and Goulan were, to put it bluntly, places to house the families of scapegoats, protecting their lives in a seemingly humiliating way."

"Does the Ministry of Rites care about brothels running a sex trade? They don't care at all. What they really care about are the big shots at the top of the court. The brothels and music academies are a promise they make to their subordinates: even if you die or are caught, I will take care of your family."

My aunt stopped short of saying anything, and said, "Now do you understand where the problem with that notice paper lies?"

Su Yan nodded silently.

The fact that the Jiaofangsi and Goulan were considered places of refuge implies that these places were very safe.

It was also a promise made by those important figures to their subordinates that, regardless of whether Ru Chun Yuan had actually done such a thing, the moment the contents of that notice were circulated, all brothels under the Ministry of Rites would be subjected to the most severe investigation.

An explanation is needed here to stabilize morale and prevent suspicion from arising among faction members.

“They are truly geniuses.” Su Yan said with a complicated expression.

It's not too hard to guess who posted that notice.

Who did Su Yan offend? And who would be so bored as to do such a thing? Thinking about it, it's pretty much the answer.

Su Yan didn't care much about the young masters' lives or deaths, but as their wives, they were inevitably implicated by their actions. Those young masters were the real culprits behind this incident, and the faction leaders wouldn't let them off the hook.

The thought that the ladies who had taken such good care of him and gave him money every day might be exiled or be executed made Su Yan feel depressed.

Just like my aunt said, this is no longer considered children's playful banter.

Those ladies had all treated her very well, and Su Yan didn't want them to die like this.

My aunt was also feeling a bit heavy-hearted. Those ladies were all her friends, and they were the connections she had built up over the decades in Xia Yu.

But this matter could be big or small; if it really escalates, it might reach the ears of the highest levels of Xia Yu.

………………

Aunt and Su Yan returned to the brothel, where the atmosphere was gradually becoming strange. A large number of unfamiliar female customers had appeared, and the ladies who were playing mahjong had stopped and were standing aside, quietly discussing something.

"Go away, all of you, get out of the way!"

My aunt waved her hand and began to shoo away the strangers, then looked at the ladies and sighed, "You're all so kind."

"Old bug, are you confused?!"

The guests had mostly left, and the aunt was about to tell the madam that she and Su Yan had found the notice when someone from the madam's side spoke up first: "This isn't how you earn spirit stones. How did you get involved in prostitution when this is a legitimate brothel? You should know what kind of place this is!"

"Although it's false advertising, and it's about your nephew, this is a huge problem. The three specialists won't listen to your explanations!"

Although the ladies were playing mahjong, their five senses as cultivators were very sharp, so they naturally heard the strangers talking about things like fox-faced men, three catties of spirit stones per hour, and the business of selling flesh and blood.

After they learned what had happened, they lost all interest in continuing to play mahjong. They immediately realized how foolish Old Bug had been.

This matter could be a big deal or a small one. On the one hand, it could be a capital offense; on the other hand, it could be considered fraud, and at most, the fine would be enough to make Chong Qiong lose his underwear.

"What is this? It's your family's bastards who posted notices at the city gate, saying that there are illicit affairs in our Ruchun Garden! Do you think someone as stingy as me would spend thousands of spirit stones a day to post notices?"

My aunt immediately interrupted Madam, saying, "What do you mean I'm confused? I'm perfectly clear-headed every month when the Ministry of Rites gives me a thousand catties of spirit stones. I even remember that a hundred catties of spirit stones were used to improve the lives of talented women, to buy them clothes and cosmetics, while their food expenses were settled quarterly."

You guys are the ones who are really making a mistake!

Upon hearing her aunt's words, the ladies were all stunned, and they all showed expressions of surprise: "How is that possible?"

"Madam, apart from offending the young masters of your families recently, I haven't offended anyone else. Moreover, Brother Wenjun and Brother Tong have also been subjected to similar slander and defamation before."

Su Yan spoke with a heavy expression, recounting the information he had learned from Zhou You.

Although Brother Wen is lecherous, he would never steal someone's undergarments. All of this stems from the slander and defamation by a man named Li Jing, which has ruined his reputation to the point that no one is willing to believe his explanation.

The methods used are remarkably similar.

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 81 Wu Yu, the Hall Master

"How did this get back to us?"

The ladies looked at Su Yan in astonishment, then took out communication jade slips from their storage rings to find the juniors who had clashed with the little fox that night, preparing to confront them in court.

"Auntie, how are we now?" Su Yan asked her aunt beside her.

"Of course we should find someone! First, kick those rotten bastards in the Ministry of Revenue, then let the Ministry of Rites clean up the mess."

My aunt spoke with absolute certainty, saying that if the matter of the notice continued to develop, it would definitely become a big deal, but thanks to the reminders from the witches of the southern states, my aunt had a little time to maneuver and deal with it.

The notices need to be approved by the Ministry of Revenue before they can be posted. There's no need to do anything else now. The most important thing to do is to notify the Minister of Rites, form cliques, and then smash the Minister of Revenue and his two vice ministers at tomorrow's morning court session!