Emperor Yong'an ordered that Marquis Zhongyi be temporarily imprisoned in the imperial prison. His family members were not touched or made public, and He Ji's men continued to stake out the courtyard.
He wanted to see how many old fogies in the court were looking for excitement in that courtyard.
These matters were being investigated secretly by the Longtian Prefecture; the government had no idea about them.
He Ji's men staked out the place for over a month. Good heavens, a third of the civil officials and ministers from the court went there, while the military officers did not.
Emperor Yong'an looked at these old bastards, who usually acted so respectable, yet secretly harbored such filth in their hearts.
Emperor Yong'an felt a pang of heartache at the sight, and he no longer wanted to ask them why they had done this.
He directly asked Eunuch Luo to prepare a draft imperial edict for him.
By the mandate of Heaven, the Emperor decrees:
I have been ordained by Heaven to rule the world, governing the country with benevolence and filial piety, and binding the people with rites and laws.
However, recently, more than ten civil officials disregarded the lives of ordinary people and even abused them, which is serious and outrageous.
Hou Tianfang, a man of loyalty and righteousness, disregarded the law of the land, trafficked people, and committed heinous crimes.
Human trafficking is an extremely heinous crime, violating human ethics, destroying families, and harming the innocent. Such acts not only damage the rights and interests of the people but also severely tarnish the reputation of the imperial court. I am deeply saddened and outraged by this.
An investigation revealed that Tian Fang colluded with foreign human trafficking organizations, abusing his power to form a criminal gang involved in human trafficking.
They trafficked innocent people to other places, causing the victims immense physical and mental suffering, breaking up their families, and making their lives worse than death.
I am keenly aware that such crimes are unforgivable. In order to uphold social justice and the dignity of the law, I have decided to severely punish these officials and their associates. Their crimes and punishments are hereby announced as follows:
As a high-ranking official of the imperial court, he should have set an example and worked for the well-being of the people, but instead, he was blinded by greed and participated in the heinous crime of human trafficking. He is hereby dismissed from his post, his property confiscated, and exiled to the Western Snow Mountain, never to return.
Tian Fang, a nobleman who enjoys a salary from the imperial court, does not think of serving the country but instead commits evil deeds. He is now stripped of his title and fiefdom, imprisoned in the imperial jail, and to be executed by being torn apart by five horses in ten days. His family and female relatives are all demoted to commoners.
Furthermore, all other criminals involved in human trafficking will be severely punished without exception. At the same time, I order local governments to strengthen their efforts to combat human trafficking, enhance public security, and protect the lives and property of the people.
I hope that this severe punishment will serve as a warning to the world, making everyone understand that the law of the land is inviolable and that no one is above the law. I will continue to uphold the principles of fairness, impartiality, and transparency in governing the country and maintaining social harmony and stability.
So be it!
After Eunuch Luo finished reading the imperial edict, the ministers all begged for mercy, but Emperor Yong'an didn't even glance at them. He was in a bad mood and went to find the Empress to relieve his boredom.
The matter was resolved, and Gu Lingchen called Liu Sisi over and explained the whole story to her.
After listening for a moment, Liu Sisi said, "Is Your Majesty being too hasty? We have indeed resolved the scourges plaguing our country."
“But we haven’t dealt with Adaye and her group in Yunbian Kingdom yet! They even have many such hideouts in other countries. If we don’t completely resolve this issue, more tragedies are bound to happen.”
“Sisi, I understand how you feel. I also hate these organizations, but Father is only the emperor of Tianlong Kingdom. He has no right to interfere in the affairs of other countries.”
Gu Lingchen's tone was somewhat helpless. Tianlong Kingdom was only larger than other countries in terms of land area. Although its combat power had increased a lot, it had only developed in the last few years. They could not interfere too much in the affairs of other countries.
Moreover, Yunbian Kingdom is not a vassal state of Tianlong Kingdom.
Liu Si thought about it and realized it was true, but the thought of those scourges still remaining in the world to harm people made her extremely uncomfortable.
So she made a bold decision: she would personally take part in the operation and destroy all those dens.
"Okay, I understand. Now that our country's crisis has been resolved, go and send someone to take Wan Chunyan and the others back as well!"
"For those who are homeless, I will also arrange a job for them. As long as they are hardworking and willing to work, they can work in my supermarket. I just ask them not to cause trouble and to focus on their work."
"The Serpent Immortal has asked me to leave home to cultivate. The timeframe is uncertain; it could be a year or two. I'm letting you know in advance."
"What? You're suddenly going to cultivate? I've never heard you mention this before." Gu Lingchen felt a faint sadness when he saw that his wife, whom he was about to marry, was leaving again.
"Okay, I'm going back to say goodbye to my parents. You go ahead and do your work. I'm leaving."
Liu Sisi left like a gust of wind. When she returned to the Princess's Mansion, she saw her parents, as well as her eldest, second, third, and fourth brothers.
"Father, Mother, brothers, I have to go out again. The Snake Immortal has asked me to go out and cultivate."
"What? Why are you leaving again? Didn't you say you wanted to build a good relationship with your niece after she was born? How can you build a good relationship with her when you're not even home?" Luo Ling'er said, feeling a little reluctant to part with her sister.
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