At noon, Zhao Jun and Fan Zhongyan went home first to take a rest, and then ordered the soldiers to go down to the cave in shifts and not let each other stop for 24 hours.
This time, the Imperial Guards of the Imperial City Division, plus the Kaifeng Mansion, transferred 5,500 people from the Palace Front Division, for a total of 14,000 to 5,000 troops, to launch a large-scale siege against the underground evil forces.
The whole process lasted for three or four days, and all the civil and military officials in the dynasty were paying attention to this matter. Even on the next day, Zhao Zhen ordered the soldiers and horses in front of the palace to block the city gates and investigate suspicious persons.
At the same time, troops were coming and going in various cities and towns at this moment. The inner and outer cities were full of soldiers marching in neat steps, hurriedly seeming to be performing certain tasks.
Fortunately, it has rained in Bianliang in recent days. Although the rain is not heavy, there are many fewer people walking on the streets and not many people entering and leaving the city. This makes it difficult for the gangsters to leave the city directly even if they run out from underground. .
However, most gangsters will not leave the city from the outer city, because there are underground passages that can directly lead to the downstream exits of Bianhe River, Caihe River and other rivers, so if they want to run out of the city, it doesn't have to be so troublesome.
A few days later, after several days of siege and suppression, almost all the Wuyoudong branches, ghost buildings, ghost markets, beggar gangs, and several other evil forces entrenched in the Bianliang underground water canals were mostly wiped out.
October 13th, Liangmenli Street, Xianningfang, Duying Lane.
In the early morning, the streets were as bustling and lively as usual. People were coming and going, shuttling between various markets, and breakfast shops and morning tea shops were crowded with people.
In the past, everyone sat in the shop and drank tea while chatting. Now the change is that everyone drinks tea and reads newspapers.
Today is the time when a new issue of the newspaper comes out, and the streets are full of citizens.
Since the newspaper was published, the business of various morning tea shops has improved a bit. When everyone is free, they are more willing to sit around in front of the tea stall, drink hot tea in early winter, and take stock of recent events.
"Sell newspapers, sell newspapers. The latest Bianliang periodical is only 12 cents a copy."
Almost at this stall between the end of the day and the beginning of the morning, a large number of newsboys appeared in various streets. They walked through the streets and alleys, selling newspapers everywhere.
Since the first time a newspaper was given to all the tea stalls in Bianliang for free, the sales of this product have completely opened up.
There are all kinds of news, gossip, poems and poems on it, there is always something you like.
Now that it is in its third issue, more people are buying the newspaper. Many people even specially make appointments with a few friends to come to the tea stall to wait for the newspaper to go on sale, and then chat together.
"Quick, get one."
At Liu's Tea Shop in Duying Lane, the four or five tables under the cloth tent were all packed with people. There were also seven or eight tables in the store. Business was much better than usual.
As soon as the newsboy arrived, more than a dozen copies of the newspaper were sold in an instant.
Several neighbors immediately gathered at the table closest to the street and listened to the content read to them by a friend who knew how to read.
"Zhao Zhiyuan destroyed Wuyoudong, Guifanlou and other evil forces, and captured more than 8,000 prisoners."
"We also rescued more than 10,000 abducted women and children."
"Oh my God, I didn't expect that Wuyou Cave, Guifan Tower and other forces would be so huge. I don't think so on weekdays, but I didn't know there were so many of them."
"There are too many people in Bianliang. Compared with the above ground, the 20,000 to 30,000 people underground are really not that many. And as long as you are not opening a shop in an outer city or working on a dock, you will rarely have to deal with them."
"I still want to thank Zhao Zhiyuan for first clearing away the corrupt officials in Kaifeng Prefecture, and then wiping out the underground Wuyou Cave Ghost Fan Tower, so that we can control the bandits in Bianliang and clean up the world."
"What if we say that Zhao Zhiyuan is the great master Qingtian sent by God? It was also the officials who put Zhiyuan in that position, and that's why we have what we have today."
"But I really didn't expect that Wang Dashan, who is usually good at charity and often helps the poor, is actually the owner of Guifan Tower."
While everyone was talking, they turned their attention to a manor diagonally opposite Liu's Tea Shop in Duying Lane.
The manor is surrounded by a wall and covers an area of more than four or five acres. Even in Xianningfang, it is the most luxurious house and is said to be worth more than 50,000 to 60,000 yuan.
Every inch of land in Bianliang is very expensive, and the price of luxury houses in the inner city is very high. During the Renzong period, it had reached tens of thousands of guan. In the later Huizong period, the luxury houses near the imperial city could even be worth hundreds of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of guan.
To have such a big house in Xianningfang in the inner city is enough to show that the owner has a lot of money.
Neighbors are often curious about what this family does for a living. They only heard that there are a lot of shops, land, and buildings in Bianliang, but they don't know what their specific business is.
Only today did I find out that they were engaged in beheading business.
At this moment, the gate of the Wang Mansion was locked, and the seals of Kaifeng Mansion and Imperial City were hung up, and all the people were taken away. It was the afternoon of the second day after they were taken away from Wuyou Cave and Guifan Tower.
It is said that the owner of the Wuyou Cave saw the opportunity early. After realizing that something was wrong, he immediately abandoned a large amount of property and escaped from Kaifeng through the Cai River underground canal with only some close friends and a small amount of easy-to-carry property.
Now Kaifeng Prefecture has sent people to notify the sixteen counties of Gyeonggi Road and posted wanted notices in every county and town along Gyeonggi Road.
The owner of Guifan Tower was reluctant to let a strong man cut off his wrist, so he did not make a decisive decision to escape. He planned to wait until the limelight had passed, but he was betrayed and the Kaifeng Mansion and the Imperial City Division came to his door the next day.
Jiang Dalang still made meritorious service in this matter.
Di Qing chased the ghost Fan Lou with his right palm whip Ma Zhiwu but failed to catch him. The guy was so cunning that he even laid a trap in the passage in advance. As long as the mechanism was touched, a large amount of soil would fall down and block the passage, making Di Qing miss the mark.
On Jiang Dalang's side, he successfully captured Scarface, the left palm whip, and sent him to the Imperial City Department for interrogation that morning. He used a powerful memory recovery technique to perform all the necessary and inappropriate moves.
The Imperial City Secretary naturally found out the identity of the owner of Guifan Tower, and introduced this "Wang Dashanren" who had a good reputation in Xianningfang and even had a Dali judge in the imperial court. It was found out.
However, this Wang Daping was not an official official of the Song Dynasty, but a purchased official with no specific rank.
Selling officials and conferring titles began during the reign of Emperor Taizong Zhao Guangyi of the Song Dynasty. At that time, a judge in Dali could be purchased for only 4,000 shi of grain, but now it costs 13,000 gu.
With only the salary of a Dali judge, there are no assignments, titles, casual officials, etc. It will take sixty years of salary to get back the money.
Moreover, these officials who bought offices not only had no real power, but also had difficulty in being dispatched. They were purely honorary and were basically a way for the court to make money. Therefore, the owner of Guifan Tower could not really be regarded as ruining the reputation of the court.
But this person used his status as a barely half-official official to make friends with a large number of powerful people to protect him in human trafficking, committing crimes, bullying and dominating the market. He had to get to the bottom of it.
Now this manor is also sealed off by the Kaifeng Mansion and the Imperial City Division. It is estimated that it will be auctioned by the government soon and usher in a new owner.
However, although the people of Xianningfang have received a lot of favors from the good man Wang, now that they know the true situation of this person, people often come to spit and throw rotten eggs at the door. Now that the door is in ruins, I don't know if they can sell it.
By noon, the news gradually spread.
Almost all of the fifty-four Goulan brothels in Bianliang open their doors to welcome customers in the middle and afternoon. At this time, newspapers are also circulated to the prostitutes.
Among them, the most uneasy ones are the Yingchun Garden on the west side of Taimiao Street, the Taohuadong brothel on the north side of the old Songmen North Street, the Hidden Flower Courtyard in Jiangxing Back Alley on the east side of the Secretariat Province near Taxation Street, and the Baishi Alley on the east side of Xiangguo Temple. Fangge and Qionglin Tower in Xiaotianshui Lane in the north of the temple.
Because the bosses behind these companies are all evil forces such as Wuyoudong and Guifanlou. Now that the gangsters behind them have been eliminated, it seems to be a good thing, but for the ladies of Goulan brothel, they are in constant panic.
None of them knows what fate awaits them in the future.
At this moment, Zhao Jun was sitting on the carriage, frowning slightly. He was on the way to Yingchun Garden. How to deal with these industries was another troublesome matter.
But he also knew that it was impossible to ban prostitution now. The food had to be eaten one bite at a time and the road had to be walked step by step. New China can do this because the new era has gradually improved the status of women since the late Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China, and a large number of women have slowly awakened.
Under the call of the revolution, the slogan that women hold up half the sky spread throughout the country. From then on, sisters and sisters stood up and were no longer the objects of oppression and exploitation.
But if he had done this in the Song Dynasty, the first people to stand up and oppose him would probably have been these prostitutes.
Just like after the founding of New China, the government conducted a cleanup investigation on the prostitutes in the capital at that time and found that most of the prostitutes were voluntary.
Many women in the old society had low social status and found it difficult to survive independently on their own. If you become a prostitute, you can at least ensure that you have enough food and clothing. If you save some money, you might be able to live well for the rest of your life.
Therefore, after most prostitutes join this profession, they do not want to quit and become helpless. Zhao Jun can only take his time and cannot cut it all in one go.
“When Jenny spinning machines and cotton are promoted nationwide in the future, I believe that a large number of women will join the spinning industry, proving that women can be independent and self-reliant. At that time, prostitutes will be banned and their freedom and self-esteem will be restored. ”
Zhao Jun thought in his heart.
The carriage stopped slowly, and Yingchun Garden was already surrounded by soldiers.
At noon, no guest dared to come near here.
The hall in the building was empty. The turtle man and the thugs had all been captured, leaving only hundreds of prostitutes.
There were tens of thousands of brothels in the Northern Song Dynasty. "Tokyo Menghua Lu" records: "There are thousands of quiet alleys, Yanguan and Songlou in Tokyo city." This shows how many employees there were.
However, these hundreds of prostitutes are not all prostitutes. Among them are singers, dancers, courtesans, ladies, courtesans, and prostitutes.
Fifty-four Goulan refers to the fifty-four largest, most formal, and most luxurious brothels in Bianliang City, Tokyo, which are equivalent to five-star hotels in later generations.
This Yingchun Garden is one of them. It was built with funds from Guifan Tower. Moreover, Guifan Tower was involved in human trafficking and trained famous prostitutes since childhood, which made the business booming and ranked very high among Bianliang Goulan.
At this moment, most of the prostitutes are carefully hiding in the houses where they live, not daring to go out. Only in the women's wing in the back garden were more than twenty girls gathered.
"Mama Liu, what should we do now?"
"What if the government arrests us all?"
"It is said that Zhao Qingtian knows right from wrong, and we have never done anything harmful to nature. He should not do anything to us."
"That's not good."
In the wing room, there are more than twenty girls singing and dancing, making the fragrance fragrant.
The old woman surrounded in the middle looked to be in her forties or fifties, with gray hair and an old face. She was holding the latest newspaper in her hand and sighed: "It would be great if Zhao Zhiyuan could come to Bianliang ten years earlier."
"Mom, please say something."
A woman pushed her.
Mother Liu smiled, lifted her white hair from her temples, put the newspaper on the table, and said, "If you have anything to say, the court will arrange for me."
"Oh no."
At this moment, the door opened, and a woman came in and said anxiously: "Mother Liu, those big soldiers outside broke in and want to see the steward."
"I'll go."
Mother Liu stood up and comforted the women and said, "It's better for you to stay in the backyard, don't go anywhere."
"yes."
"Ooooo, mom, you have to be careful."
"I'll go with my mother."
"It's okay, just wait here."
Mother Liu rejected several girls who wanted to accompany her, straightened her clothes a little, and walked out.
This Yingchun Garden is very large. The front building is the main building, which has a zigzag shape. Up the stairs on the left and right, there are girls' rooms. You can listen to music in the room, or open the back window and watch the drama in the hall behind the front building.
Every night, singing, dancing and music are performed in the main hall in the middle, and behind the main building is a huge hall, like a stage, where serious dramas can be performed.
Then there is the back building, which is the main business place. Most of the girls are here to do some skin business.
Strictly speaking, many girls are victims. Some were abducted, some were abducted since childhood, and some are even more pitiful. Poor families cannot afford to raise them, or they think their daughters are losers. If they want a son, they might as well have a son. Sold to a brothel for money.
In addition, most of the serious dramas in the Song Dynasty were farces, and many of the performers in them were animals, human bottles, disabled dwarfs, and storytellers to satisfy the audience's curiosity for comedy.
It can be said that a brothel like this is a miserable place for many people.
But the irony is.
Here we have given many people another bite to eat.
Confusing.
Mother Liu came out of the room with a flattering smile. She was shocked when she saw a young official in a purple robe. Then she smiled and said, "I am Liu Xi'er. The girls all call me Mother Liu. The presence of the magistrate Zhiyuan really makes Yingchun Garden shine."
"Mama Liu, you're welcome."
Zhao Jun slightly cupped his hand, not surprised that the other party recognized his identity. After all, he was a madam in a brothel, so he naturally had to be discerning. Looking at the other party's old appearance, he sighed and said, "Let's sit down and chat together. "
"How can I be so virtuous as to be able to sit with Zhiyuan?"
Mother Liu was flattered.
Zhao Jun shook his head with a smile and said: "The Imperial City Department of Wuyoudong and Guifanlou has long investigated the industry, and I have also checked your background clearly. Even in the many brothels in Bianliang, there are emperors themselves. I still know the character of Mother Liu, the inspector of the Chengsi."
Mother Liu looked silent, then sat on the chair next to her, and whispered: "I am also from a poor background. I can't do any great good deeds. I can only protect the girls from being bullied."
"Although you also acted as a villain, you had no choice but to do so. The girls under you are indeed grateful to you. The court will not ignore this. So there are more than ten old bustards in Yingchun Garden, and the rest have been captured. Why? The reason you’re sitting here.”
Zhao Jun thought of the Imperial City Division's investigation of this person.
Most of the brothel madams were engaged in this business when they were young. As they got older and lost their lust, they found ways to reach management positions and became madams.
In order to show their loyalty to their bosses, these madams will spare no effort to oppress their girls and force them to accept more customers.
Even many women who were sold or abducted to brothels were basically trained by these old madams because they were unwilling to give in and betray their innocence at first.
For example, they sent turtle men and thugs to beat them, deprived them of food, and then used all kinds of tricks to scare them, and the thugs used tricks to persuade them, coaxed, lied, and beat them to force the women to submit.
But there are also a few old bustards who still have some conscience. If they get caught in the rain, they will hold an umbrella for others.
This is the case with Mother Liu.
I once helped several women who were abducted to brothels find their families at my own expense.
As for those who are sold, they all ask first if they are willing to sell themselves. If they are willing to sell themselves, they will send a contract. If they are not willing, they can only sell them to other brothels or other madams.
There are many girls under the opponent who have shelter, and in the silt of the fifty-four Goulan brothels in Bianliang, there is little clear water.
Otherwise, Zhao Jun would not have come today.
Mother Liu felt her nose was sore, wiped the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief, and said with a forced smile: "I didn't expect that I just saw the pity of the girls and showed kindness, so I can settle down well. I just don't know how the government will arrange for us in the future. Girls, they all have nothing to worry about, but if they leave Yingchun Garden, they will have nowhere to go."
"You don't have to worry about that."
Zhao Jun pondered for a moment and then said: "Yingchun Garden will continue to stay, but this illegal business can no longer be done. Business is business, and we still have to do legitimate business."
"How will the girls make a living?"
Mother Liu was shocked.
Zhao Jun shook his head and said: "It's not that you are prohibited from being prostitutes, it's that you are prohibited from robbing people, it is only allowed."
His mouth stopped for a moment as he spoke.
His statement that human beings are legitimately bought and sold is really hard to express.
During the Song and Song Dynasties, human trafficking was officially prohibited, but due to the existence of monogamy and polyconcubine and low status, human trafficking was allowed to a certain extent.
Among them, the main focus was on the trading of concubines, maids, and prostitutes. For example, Wang Anshi's wife bought him a concubine for 900 yuan.
Although it is legal to buy and sell prostitutes, they are still living people, but they are bought and sold like goods, which really makes Zhao Jun speechless.
Even though it was not his fault but the fault of the evil old society, now that he was in a high position, he still could not change their situation for the time being, which still made Zhao Jun feel uncomfortable and embarrassed.
But Mother Liu already understood, so she just stood up and bowed: "I would like to thank the President for his kindness."
"no need to thank me."
Zhao Jun sighed, thought for a while and said: "From now on, you will be in charge of Yingchun Garden. I will also send you the land deed and the girls' deeds of sale later."
"this"
Mother Liu was shocked and said: "I am just a slave, how can I be worthy of such an important responsibility?"
Zhao Jun said: "As long as you have a good heart and have been born here since childhood, it is not difficult to do a good job in Yingchun Garden."
"Old body"
Mother Liu was so excited that she could not speak. She choked with sobs and was about to kneel down and kowtow: "On behalf of the more than 200 girls in Yingchun Garden, I would like to thank the Imperial College for your great kindness."
"alright."
Zhao Jun helped her up and said: "From now on, this Yingchun Garden has hundreds of girls, so many theater actors and storytellers, and if we recruit some innocent Turtles and the like, we will all rely on you. If we meet anyone who causes trouble, , just send people to the streets to work for Kaifeng Mansion or patrol the Imperial City Department."
"Yes Yes."
Mother Liu wiped away her tears of excitement and nodded repeatedly.
Zhao Jun stood up and said, "Okay, I have to go to places like Peach Blossom Cave, Tibetan Flower Courtyard, Baifang Pavilion, and Qionglin Tower. It's not easy to find a conscientious person like you here." "
"I respectfully send you to the Imperial Academy."
Mother Liu walked Zhao Jun to the door step by step, her eyes full of admiration and admiration.
Zhao Jun walked out of Yingchun Garden with his hands behind his back. He suddenly remembered something, turned his head and said to Mother Liu: "Mother Liu, I have something to ask you."
Liu's mother said hurriedly: "Please tell me, Zhiyuan, I know everything I know and can tell you everything."
"The inspectors from the Imperial City Department said that you came to Yingchun Garden ten years ago. You looked quite young at that time. Were you already in your thirties at that time?"
Zhao Jun was very confused just now.
Mother Liu looks like she is in her forties or fifties, but when she came to Yingchun Garden to work as a prostitute ten years ago, she was said to be very young and beautiful. How could she look like this in ten years?
Mother Liu lifted her white hair from her temples and said with a sad smile, "It would be nice to let the magistrate know that ten years ago, I was still in my twenties."
"Twenty-nine peach and plum years?"
Zhao Jun opened his eyes wide: "You were only eighteen years old at that time?"
"When I returned to the Imperial Academy, it was like this. In the past ten years, the women who came with me have either disappeared or died, and some were redeemed by good families, but gradually no one remembers my age. I have almost forgotten that I have not yet reached the age of thirty, but the girls in the poor garden still call me mom."
Mother Liu forced a smile, but tears kept flowing from the corners of her eyes.
Zhao Jun just looked at her blankly.
Watching her burst into tears, she wiped off the pale makeup on her face, revealing a face full of wrinkles.
There were no words for a long time.
ten years.
A girl in her prime has turned into an old woman in her forties or fifties.
The evil old society has turned people into ghosts.
Damn my damn willpower, I already wrote the leave request, but I just endured dizziness, runny nose, nasal congestion, and various minor problems, and forced me to write 6,000 words. I guess it’s the sun again. Hasn’t it happened again recently? After taking cold medicine, the symptoms were only slightly milder, but I was still very uncomfortable, but I just wanted to write, and no one could stop me from getting up and working! I want to code words, I want to trap them to death!
(End of chapter)
