Xu Kou returned to Qizhou as per Qi Xuansu’s plan. He stayed there for less than a day before proceeding to Bohai Prefecture.0

Curiously enough, although the Li family operated many pleasure houses, their home base, Qizhou, remained relatively clean. Such establishments were mainly concentrated in the Imperial Capital and Bohai Prefecture.0

Overturning Li Ping’s case would still require time, so Xu Kou’s part of the operation could not be delayed for too long and had to proceed quickly. His actions did not appear suspicious because Li Qingnu had arranged for a poetry gathering at the Sycamore Villa in Bohai Prefecture. To outsiders, Xu Kou’s hurried trip to Bohai Prefecture simply looked like he was going there to join the festivities.0

By now, Li Qingnu had escaped her former misery. She no longer needed to appear in public and instead operated behind the scenes, like a proprietor of Sycamore Villa. The staff naturally did not dare neglect her instructions. In truth, this poetry gathering had been planned long ago, though Li Qingnu had moved the date forward. Even so, it did not seem rushed.0

The staff in Sycamore Villa did not find this strange either. Ever since Sage Qingwei had returned to Qizhou to take charge of the overall situation, the...0