After being reborn, I stole the female lead's cheat ability and raised the empress.

Chapter 245 Lord of the State Capital

The local people had long been dissatisfied with Liu Mazi, and now that three brave men were speaking up for them, they were happy to protect him.

Intentionally or unintentionally, they hindered the officials' progress to some extent.

Xia Li and the others were able to escape successfully.

Seeing the three people running away without a care in the world, Liu Mazi spat in anger.

He smashed things on the street, finally venting his anger.

He threw down the whip in his hand and turned to go to the casino to have some fun.

……

After finally shaking off their pursuers.

Zhao Jihua said angrily, "Tao Yao, you should rein in your true nature! Otherwise, you'll always get us into trouble."

Xia Li, protecting Tao Yao, said, "Oh dear, how could you discover these shady dealings if nothing happened? So, you should thank her for helping you!"

Zhao Jihua rolled her eyes speechlessly: "Just keep spoiling her."

Xia Li frowned: "Speaking of which, just because he refused to pay, he was wronged. This bully and the government must be colluding together!"

Zhao Jihua nodded slightly: "It seems our guess was right, there is indeed a problem here. This bully might be the breakthrough we're looking for."

The three decided to start with this bully and find out about his background and sphere of influence.

After making some inquiries, they learned that the local bully was named Liu Mazi, who usually ran rampant in the area and committed all sorts of evil deeds because of his relationship with the government.

It seems that there is a larger force backing him up, but no one knows exactly who it is.

"It seems that Liu Mazi is just a small fry; the real big fish is yet to come," Zhao Jihua said after a moment of contemplation. "We need to find a way to get close to him and extract some useful information from him."

So the three of them began to plot how to get close to Liu Mazi.

After discussion, they decided to use Xia Li's beauty to set up a honey trap.

Xia Li changed into a gorgeous outfit, dressed up in a flamboyant manner, and arrived at the casino where Liu Mazi often frequented.

Zhao Jihua and Tao Yao disguised themselves as her attendants and followed behind her.

Upon entering the casino, a cacophony of noise immediately greets you.

The shouts of gamblers and the clatter of dice mingled together, and the air was thick with the smells of smoke and sweat.

Xia Li frowned.

She truly has a natural aversion to the smell of smoke.

Despite the discomfort, he continued walking deeper into the casino.

Soon, Xia Li attracted Liu Mazi's attention.

Upon seeing Xia Li's beauty, Liu Mazi's eyes lit up, and he quickly approached her, asking, "Miss, where are you from? I've never seen you before!"

Xia Li smiled coyly, "I came from out of town. I heard it was lively here, so I came to join in the fun."

Liu Mazi laughed heartily: "Since you're here, young lady, don't be shy, just play a couple of rounds. If you lose, it's on me!"

Xia Li sneered inwardly, but still pretended to be grateful: "Then thank you very much, sir."

So Xia Li sat down at the gambling table and started gambling with Liu Mazi and the others.

She deliberately lost a few rounds, which made Liu Mazi laugh out loud.

"Girl, your luck isn't so good!" Liu Mazi said with a smile. "How about this, you have a few drinks with me, and I'll pay you back all the money you lost."

Xia Li was overjoyed, knowing that the fish had taken the bait: "How could I accept such a favor? But since you are so kind, sir, I will not refuse."

And so, Xia Li and Liu Mazi arrived at a private room at the back of the casino.

Zhao Jihua and Tao Yao stood guard outside, ready to provide support at any time.

As soon as they entered the private room, Liu Mazi couldn't wait to make a move on Xia Li.

Xia Li quickly dodged away, and said coquettishly, "Grandpa, what's the rush? Have a few drinks with me first."

Liu Mazi had no choice but to sit down and drink with Xia Li.

After a few drinks, and with Xia Li's deliberate prompting, Liu Mazi gradually became more talkative.

He spilled everything, things he should and shouldn't have said.

"Young lady, you have no idea, in this prefecture, there's nothing Liu Mazi can't do!" Liu Mazi patted his chest and said, "Even those officials have to give me some face!"

Xia Li feigned curiosity and asked, "Grandpa, how come you're so powerful? Do you have some big shot backing you up?"

Liu Mazi smiled smugly: "Of course! Don't underestimate me. The people behind me are people even the prefectural governor has to be wary of!"

Xia Li became even more curious: "Grandpa, stop keeping me in suspense and tell me quickly, who exactly is the person behind you?"

Liu Mazi took a sip of wine and said mysteriously, "It's alright to tell you, the person behind me is the richest merchant in this prefecture—Master Lin! He and Lord Zhou are sworn brothers, and all matters, big and small, in this prefecture have to be decided by him!"

Xia Li secretly memorized the name and continued to ask, "So, what kind of business does this Master Lin usually do? How does he have such great influence?"

Liu Mazi chuckled: "You don't understand, do you? Master Lin has a wide range of businesses, including silk shops, money exchanges, and restaurants. But his most profitable business is colluding with officials to do shady things. For example, helping them traffic people and making huge profits from it!"

Hearing this, Xia Li understood. She continued, "Is Master Lin that capable? He can even help people do this kind of thing... Isn't he afraid of being reported?"

"Who would report us? We're all old acquaintances. We've already pulled strings with all the connections."

"Up and down? Does that mean Boss Lin has customers who are even more powerful than the governor?"

"Of course!"

Xia Li continued to entice, "Ugh, you're so annoying, always keeping me in suspense~ Just tell me who else is involved~ please~"

As she spoke, she even winked.

Liu Mazi couldn't withstand this onslaught and couldn't help but pounce on her.

Xia Li pushed him away, her face showing displeasure, and deliberately provoked him: "What? You won't tell me? Is it because it's fake? You're not lying to me, are you? Master Lin doesn't have any powerful clients at all."

The beautiful woman frowned, and he immediately blurted out, "Why would I lie to you? Master Lin has connections with many officials in the capital!"

Xia Li's eyes immediately lit up: "Really? How can he know so many impressive people? I want to meet him!"

Liu Mazi waved his hand dismissively: "What's so difficult about that? I'll take you to see him tomorrow!"

He leered at Xia Li, licking his lips, and said, "But today, my beauty, you'd better serve me well~"

After saying that, he lunged at Xia Li!

Xia Li smiled and held up her finger: "Three, two, one, fall!"