If you don’t ask, you won’t know. If you ask, you will be shocked.
The fruit in this industry is indeed very deep. Although it is not bottomless, it is enough to drown Qi Xuansu, but it is not difficult to reach the chest level.
Although the imperial court prohibits the sale of human beings and forcing girls into prostitution, the court still has a way. The first is to lure them with benefits. How much money can an ordinary person earn by working in a workshop all year round? After arriving at the courtyard, as long as the legs are separated, one night is worth a month. The key is not to be tired. Everyone knows that the workshop is brutal. After a day's work, you will be exhausted and you will also be injured after a long time.
Then there are some unruly methods, using loans to coerce women who are unable to repay their debts to "voluntarily" sign documents.
This method is not a new one. It has been passed down for thousands of years. This method has been derived since the beginning of brothels, but it is more hidden now than in the past. There are less violent methods and more of deception. Borrowing is not a serious loan, but a loan shark with nine out and thirteen returns. The so-called nine out and thirteen returns means borrowing ten peace coins. You can only get nine peace coins, but you have to pay back thirteen peace coins. So it is As long as you are involved in loan sharking, it will be difficult for ordinary people to resist.
After all, Chunfeng Tower has a background in Jiaofangsi, and there should be no such thing on the surface. However, these four people are not madams after all, and it is difficult to tell clearly.
What shocked Qi Xuansu even more was that it was said that many prostitutes, including top courtesans, secretly believed in an immortal who was no longer within the scope of Taoism. Because of their lower status, they had no personal contact with him and only vaguely heard some half-true and half-false rumors.
This made Qi Xuansu immediately think of Ziguang Society.
At first glance, it seems a bit ridiculous that the secret society reached out to the Imperial Capital, but if you think about it carefully, it makes sense.
Anti-secret associations are the duty of Taoist sects, and the Imperial Palace is the worst among many Taoist palaces. For a long time, the Imperial Palace was regarded as a place for retirement, and it is strange that the areas under its jurisdiction are not penetrated by secret associations. It was not until recently that the Taoist sect decided to reorganize the Imperial Palace. Qi Xuansu was considered the first batch of Taoist priests after the reorganization of the Imperial Palace. This is why Qi Xuansu wanted to know the situation personally, because most of the old people in the Imperial Palace in the past did not care about things, and the rest did not Like Qi Xuansu, they are all newcomers who have just arrived at the Imperial Palace, and they don't know much more than Qi Xuansu.
Qi Xuansu felt a little headache.
He originally thought it was just to rectify brothels and combat evil spirits, but it turned out that he was related to a secret society. It was also one of the three major secret societies along with the Zhiming Cult and the Lingshan Witch Cult. He had seen the methods of the first two. Yes, it really shouldn’t be underestimated.
These four people can't be regarded as the lowest prostitutes, but they are still far from the top, and their knowledge is limited. Those top courtesans have actually gradually broken away from the category of prostitutes. Not only do they have considerable autonomy, but they also have their own connections. Their relationship with the court is similar to a more equal cooperation, rather than working for the court. If someone builds up support for him, he can even get the name of "everyone". Not only will he be famous all over the world, but he will also have many fans. Moreover, since ancient times, there are many famous prostitutes who have been passed down to future generations because of their poems.
Considering this, Qi Xuansu thought he could ask Li Qingnu. After all, Li Qingnu was a member of the "everyone" circle and should know a lot of inside information. The key point was that Li Qingnu was Qiniang's person and could be considered one of his own for the time being. Qiniang also asked him to talk to Li Qingnu, but she didn't know if Li Qingnu was in the Imperial Capital now.
Qi Xuansu gathered his thoughts and lightly clapped his hands.
The six half-asleep people in the room slowly woke up and turned around. In their opinion, they suddenly fell into a trance for a moment. As for Qi Xuansu's question, they had no impression at all.
Qi Xuansu stood up and asked, "How much peace money did you spend today?"
Song San was startled for a moment, then quickly replied: "It's cheaper for two gentry shopkeepers, five taiping coins each, but it's more expensive for two red shopkeepers, ten taiping coins each, including the cost of drinks and private rooms." , about forty peace coins."
Qi Xuansu took out a winning ticket from his sleeve and threw it on the table: "Don't keep accounts, just treat it as my invitation. You two can play slowly."
After that, he left here directly.
Song San and Wu Si were left looking at each other.
Qi Xuansu came out of Chunfeng Tower, stopped for a moment, and was about to leave when he suddenly saw a young man standing in the shadow where the dark red light could not shine. Judging from the young man's dress, he was not a kid from a rich family.
Qi Xuansu stepped forward and joked: "Little brother, at your age, you are a small horse pulling a big cart. You shouldn't come to a place like this."
The hesitant young man who was looking at the plaque of Chunfeng Tower was startled by Qi Xuansu, and suddenly turned his head to look at Qi Xuansu, with alertness, fear, and a bit of helplessness in his eyes.
Qi Xuansu understood a little and asked, "Are you here to find someone?"
After another moment of hesitation, the young man finally nodded.
Qi Xuansu looked around and pointed at a teahouse not far away that had not yet closed: "This is not the place to talk. Let's go over and talk slowly."
The young man is a native of the Imperial Capital and is quite familiar with the surrounding environment. He also sees that Qi Xuansu has a good demeanor and is not like the flower photographer. In addition, he is already in a state of confusion at this time, as if a drowning man has seen a straw, so heaven and man are at war. After some time, he nodded in agreement.
The two came to the teahouse. Qi Xuansu ordered a pot of tea and some snacks and said straight to the point: "What's your name? Do you have a relative or lover who was abducted by a brothel?"
The young man opened his mouth, his face full of shock.
After a while, the young man replied: "My name is Zhou Qingshu."
Then the young man roughly told Qi Xuansu what happened.
As Qi Xuansu expected, Zhou Qingshu was indeed looking for someone, and it was indeed his young lover. Strictly speaking, he is his childhood sweetheart named Mei Mei. The two grew up together and have a good relationship.
But just a few days ago, Mei Mei suddenly disappeared. Zhou Qingshu ran to Mei Mei's house to ask. Mei Mei's parents said that a female mage from the Wanxiang Taoist Palace passed by and took a fancy to Mei Mei and felt that Mei Mei was destined to her. , she has good qualifications and wants to take her to the Wanxiang Dao Palace. So Mei Mei's parents made a plan and asked Mei Mei to follow the female mage to the Wanxiang Taoist Palace, so that she could become a Taoist priest and a master in the future. Because the female mage was just passing by and had other things to do, Mei Mei didn't have time to say goodbye to Zhou Qingshu.
Zhou Qingshu was very disappointed. He was born in the market, and he was probably more sophisticated than some Huayuan Taoist priests in their twenties and thirties. He probably understood one thing. After Mei Mei became a Taoist priest, the two of them were in heaven and earth from then on, and there was no more love. What does it matter? Mei Mei will not marry him, but will find the same male Taoist priest as her Taoist companion.
In a depressed mood, Zhou Qingshu went out of the city to a wild lake and looked at the water by the lake. It happened that there was an old Taoist priest fishing not far away, so the old man and the young man started talking. Zhou Qingshu mentioned the matter of the Wanxiang Taoist Palace, but the old Taoist priest said that the Wanxiang Taoist Palace was so threshold-limited. Apart from taking the initiative to adopt orphans without fathers and mothers, how could anyone take the initiative to visit it? It's all other people begging to send their children in, and they don't act according to the rules under the guise of "predestined relationship". Such behaviors were banned as early as the period of the Five Dynasties Grand Master. Even if you really like it, you can at most just give it a try. Write a letter of introduction and ask the child to report to the local Taoist temple accompanied by his family, and then the Taoist temple will send it to the Taoist government. The local Taoist government will conduct a unified screening and send it to the Wanxiang Taoist palace. There is no reason to take the person away by himself. What kind of female mage? fraud. Nowadays, since some people dare to pretend to be Qingluan Guards or men in black to deceive, then it is not uncommon to pretend to be Taoist priests.
Only then did Zhou Qingshu panic. Since the woman didn't want Taiping money and only took Mei Mei away, she was a human trafficker. Mei Mei was probably sold to some brothel.
Zhou Qingshu immediately went to find Mei Mei's parents, but Mei Mei's parents didn't believe it at all. Instead, they thought Zhou Qingshu was jealous of Mei Mei. At first, he offered some words of comfort, but then he got impatient and told Zhou Qingshu to get out.
Zhou Qingshu returned to Yehu outside the city to find the old Taoist to testify, but the old Taoist had disappeared. If Mei Mei's parents don't come forward, he can't report it to the official.
In desperation, Zhou Qingshu had no choice but to look for him on his own. He had already visited four brothels, two "ajar" businesses, and two regular businesses. These brothels kicked him out directly and then threatened him. If he comes again, he will serve him with fists and feet, so when he reaches the outside of Chunfeng Tower, he will hesitate there.
After Qi Xuansu heard this, he felt very emotional.
The former Imperial Palace was really bad. There was a brothel and a secret society suspected to be the Ziguang Society, and here they were blatantly using the name of the Wanxiang Palace to cheat.
If it was Qi Xuansu in the past, it would still be quite troublesome to solve these bad things alone, but now there is an advantage. Qi Xuansu can use public weapons and even ask the Taoist government for support, which is relatively simple.
Qi Xuansu took out his waist badge and pushed it in front of Zhou Qingshu.
Zhou Qingshu was literate, so he couldn't help but be shocked: "Imperial Capital...Taoist Palace?"
However, he had just been deceived by the "female mage" of the Wanxiang Taoist Palace, but he was a little afraid of being bitten by a snake for ten years, and his attitude was hesitant.
Qi Xuansu expressed his understanding and said: "It's getting late. Early tomorrow morning, take relevant information to the Jade Palace in Xuan Shang Beifang and inform the gatekeeper of my name. My name is Qi Xuansu. I'll help you solve this matter." .”
After Zhou Qingshu heard this, he couldn't help but feel reassured. He didn't know which way the gate of Wanxiang Dao Palace opened, but he knew which way the gate of Xuan Shang Beifang Jade Palace opened. Whether it was true or not, You will know at a glance tomorrow morning, and if this person has such confidence, it is probably true.
Thinking of this, Zhou Qingshu stood up from the stool, lifted up his robe, and knelt down to kowtow to Qi Xuansu.
However, Qi Xuansu waved his sleeves and stopped him from kneeling down: "There is no need to perform such a grand ceremony. This is the duty of the Taoist government."
