Chapter 487 Implementation of the Ban
[Eh? The details of the brothel ban have been improved quite a bit.]
Let me see... After the brothels were closed, the court paid wages and selected skilled people from various trades to serve as instructors. They taught the prostitutes the skills to make a living, such as sericulture, spinning, weaving, needlework, carpentry, masonry, silk flower making, ironwork... Uh, isn't this technical training a bit too comprehensive?
Who came up with the idea of having a delicate girl work as a blacksmith? At least she should improve her physical fitness first!
Chu Liuzheng flipped through it.
[King Rui?]
[Uh, okay, it does seem like something King Rui would come up with. No flower girl would be willing to do such strenuous work as ironwork... Frog Fun, someone actually signed up!]
Chu Liuzheng stared at the particularly delicate name. He really couldn't imagine how a girl with such a name would swing such a heavy hammer.
【Respect personal choices and help you succeed. 】
She silently gave the girl a thumbs up and continued to read the details.
The redemption system for Hua Niang has also been improved. Once she's saved enough money, she can redeem herself at the market price and regain her citizenship. From then on, she can choose to continue working in the building or find another job. Anyone who dares to interfere, or even pretends to obey, can report her to the authorities, and they will be fined ten times the market price.
[There are also penalties... Hmm... They're mainly aimed at those lazy women who are used to selling their bodies for money and have no ambition to make progress. The court will appoint someone to supervise them.]
[This rule should be used to prevent secret prostitution and illegal prostitution, right?]
Let me see... Once caught soliciting prostitution, the first time, a fine will be imposed, and both the prostitute and the client will be lashed with thirty lashes. The second time, the fine will be tripled, and both the prostitute and the client will be lashed with forty lashes each, and sentenced to three months in jail. The third time, the fine will be ten times the amount, and both the prostitute and the client will be lashed with sixty lashes each. The prostitute will be tattooed, and the client will be castrated. If caught more than three times, both will be sentenced to death, with no possibility of redemption...
"Thirds of a time, there's no such thing as a three-times-bad thing. If I can't change this, I'll be fine even if I die. But... how can I still have sex with prostitutes after being castrated?"
Touching upon the blind spot of knowledge, Chu Liuzheng took a sip of frozen pear and stimulated his thinking.
[Can I just cut off my balls and not my private parts? That shouldn't be possible, right?]
She looked up the person who proposed the punishment and found that it was Censor Wang.
[Hmm... If I have the chance in the future, I will definitely ask Censor Wang about this question.]
*
Once the decree to ban brothels was issued, there were countless people who supported it and countless people who opposed it.
Prince Rui, who was at the center of the storm, handed over the capital and its surrounding areas to the supervision of Censor Wang, and asked the emperor for an army. He set out from the capital with great momentum and swept towards the south of the Yangtze River.
Wherever they pass, brothels will be sealed off. Those who do not comply will be forced to close and fined. Brothels will be modified. Those who do not comply will be forced to modify and fined.
Wherever the army passed, there was chaos, some people cursing and some laughing.
Seeing that the imperial court was determined to ban brothels, the position of coach, which was originally unpopular, suddenly became quite popular, and experienced people from all walks of life competed to apply.
However, the imperial court suddenly added a rule that only women could serve as instructors. After all, all the students being taught were female, and there was a difference between men and women.
The extremely enthusiastic men felt as if a bucket of cold water was poured on their heads. They had to watch helplessly as the women at home straightened their backs and earned a lucrative living based on their own abilities.
The army marched south and wiped out several notorious bandit dens.
Brothels across the country were terrified by the King Rui's name and closed their doors long before the army arrived. Some closed down, others changed their business. For a time, brothels in Dasheng almost disappeared, and even the secret brothels were rare.
Behind this, the emperor’s support and gold and silver are indispensable.
First, King Xiao asked for travel expenses, then he sent troops to support Gaochang, and then King Rui led his troops south. There were also disaster relief and other matters of all sizes in the court. All these things added up and the treasury was burning through.
The newly appointed Minister of Revenue was half bald from worry, and he came to the emperor every day to complain about his poverty.
Xiao Jingfan was also worried. Although he didn't lose a lot of hair, according to Chu Liuzheng's observation, the emperor looked at the account books more often and wanted to see more numbers from the account books.
At this time, some court officials wrote to the emperor asking him to select concubines to fill the harem and expand the royal family.
Not to mention that the emperor didn't want to run in the first place, he should have scolded the ministers who submitted these reports. He has no tact at all. Don't they know that elections cost money?
Xiao Jingfan, who was extremely worried about money, summoned these ministers who had written the letter, closed the door and scolded them for half an hour. Two of them cried, one fainted from fright, and the remaining two crawled out.
It wasn't that the emperor deliberately made them crawl, but their legs were simply weak and they couldn't stand up. When the eunuchs went to help them, they said they didn't need it, saying the ground was cooler.
When the news reached the harem, Concubine Shu and Concubine Chun discussed it and ordered the harem to save money and help His Majesty. Although 1,800 taels was not much, it was at least a token of appreciation.
After hearing this, the Empress Dowager invited the Emperor to come over and talk.
The election is expensive, so you can just choose from the ladies in the capital. I've picked them all out, and there are quite a few of the right age.
Xiao Jingfan left in a hurry after saying "I won't choose", leaving the empress dowager staring blankly, regretting that she had not beaten her son enough before.
When spring comes, the snow melts and the greenery becomes lush.
A convoy that had been blocked by snow for two months came to the capital under the escort of the army. It was transporting all the stolen goods seized by the navy on Wangyue Island and the property confiscated from wealthy families related to pirates, such as the Huang family.
The arrival of the convoy was like a blessing from heaven, which solved the emperor's urgent need and also dispelled the Minister of Revenue's idea of jumping into the moat.
Along with the convoy, there was also a letter and a person entering Beijing.
The letter was written by King Rui, and the person was Yi Zhen, the scholar the emperor had been looking for for several years.
This scholar Yi may have some fate with bandits. He had just left the pirate's nest on Wangyue Island and was captured by the bandits after a few days of freedom. He had to go back to deceiving people until King Rui passed by with his army, destroyed the bandit camp and rescued the hostages.
Yi Zhen originally wanted to sneak into the city among the hostages and continue his leisurely life, but he was recognized by King Rui and was quickly sent to the capital.
Xiao Jingfan was overjoyed and ordered people to bring Yi Zhen into the palace immediately.
Chu Liuzheng was also very curious about Yi Zhen. Since the emperor didn't drive her away, she just sat there and listened.
Half an hour later, a young man in white was led into the Wenhua Hall. "I pay my respects to Your Majesty. Long live His Majesty."
Chu Liuzheng glanced sideways. The young man looked just like the one in the painting, with a handsome face, even more lively in person than in the portrait. The wide-sleeved white shirt gave him a certain air of immortality. No wonder he was able to fool both pirates and mountain bandits.
Xiao Jingfan was also looking at this "expert" whom he had been looking for for several years, with emotions changing in his eyes.
The emperor didn't call him, so Yi Zhen knelt obediently, with his thick, straight eyelashes drooping, looking quite obedient.
[This is a little different from the Yi scholar I imagined.]
Chu Liuzheng peeled an orange and just put two halves into his mouth when he suddenly heard a voice in his ear.
[System, this tyrant is quite handsome. Quick, take two pictures. I want to save them!]
(End of this chapter)
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