"As the saying goes, 'After the darkest hour comes the dawn'! If this lead is temporarily cut off, we'll find another way! There are so many underground forces in Chang'an, I refuse to believe that everyone is so stubborn!"
Even if they are all tough nuts to crack, it's worth it to cleanse Chang'an, reduce the exploitation of the people, and prevent future victims. Qin Mu said firmly.
“What Huai Dao said makes sense. As long as we do our best to catch the criminals and prevent more people from being harmed, then all our hard work will not have been in vain!” Princess Changning said gently to Qin Mu.
"Which family are we investigating next?" Xiangli Yanran asked with a hint of excitement. The experiences of the past few days had been very exciting for her, especially when searching for other people's secret rooms and passages, so she had brought over four more skilled people from the Mo family.
"Everyone, take a two-day break while I make a plan! We'll transfer the case and the criminals to the Dali Temple later!" Qin Mu reassured them.
"There are also some rescued girls who have lost their families, or who don't want to face their families, and some who cry all day long; there are also more than a dozen children who have not been claimed by their families and do not remember where their hometown is. What should we do with these people?" Princess Changning asked.
"The restaurant can accommodate them. Ruoxi, take them there and introduce them. Those who are willing can stay and work at the restaurant; those who are not, the Six Doors also need handymen. As for the children, they can be temporarily placed in the Six Doors. If someone claims them, they can; if not, find someone to teach them to read and write and to cultivate," Qin Mu said after thinking for a moment. No one objected to Qin Mu's direct decision; on the contrary, they thought it was only natural, and some even asked him questions. They knew that Qin Qiong and Guo Xiaoke intended to cultivate them, which was why they acted as if it was none of their business.
"I'll just say one thing," Guo Xiaoke said with a smile after they finished discussing the matter. "Regarding the resettlement of some of the rescued people in the Six Doors, although we took them in out of good intentions, we're afraid that someone might take advantage of the situation to slander us. After all, over time, there are probably quite a few of these people. And once it's settled, it's a long-term matter. If it's used by other places or people to do something bad, the blame will ultimately fall on the initiator."
Qin Mu thought about it and realized that made sense. They wouldn't be constables of the Six Doors forever; even the chief constable might become someone else, or the Six Doors might be established locally. In that case, it was entirely possible that someone could exploit loopholes and use the position for personal gain.
"Old ginger is spicier; my considerations were somewhat presumptuous," Qin Mu thought to himself. He then clasped his hands in a fist salute to Guo Xiaoke and said, "Thank you for your guidance, General Guo. It was indeed my oversight. In that case, let's arrange for them all to be in the restaurant. There's no need to establish a formal system. However, we can accept the supervision and management of the imperial court."
“This is a good thing, and I am happy to help,” Guo Xiaoke agreed, because as the registrar, he was required to sign many documents.
"Remember this: as long as you have solid evidence, you can investigate anyone, but you must control the degree of investigation yourself. If any major forces are involved, you must notify us. There are too many experts; one wrong move and you could lose your life."
"Without your life, all your ambitions are just empty talk! We'll try to find two more experts for you soon," Qin Qiong solemnly instructed.
"Yes!" The group nodded in agreement quickly.
"Many people will be coming to you in the coming days. Don't be afraid to do what you believe in," Guo Xiaoke said with a mysterious smile as he left.
"Yes!" Qin Mu replied thoughtfully, though he seemed both puzzled and understanding.
Everyone else had left, and Princess Changning had been sent back to rest by Qin Mu, leaving him alone at the Six Doors. Looking at the empty hall, Qin Mu's expression darkened. Despite his confident demeanor earlier, he knew in his heart that he had underestimated his opponents. He had initially thought that the raid would at least catch some big fish, but his adversaries had quickly cut their losses; aside from the shop owner, there weren't many important figures. Even after sending men to arrest them the next day based on the interrogation, they hadn't apprehended many high-ranking officials.
This shows that the opponent is very experienced and has contingency plans for this situation. Keep in mind that this isn't just one or two companies, but involves more than twenty, yet they didn't even manage to catch one of them.
However, Qin Mu was not one to give up easily. Since you are so cunning, I will examine everything on the surface and see who can't help but jump out.
If we're talking about the best businesses and the fastest way to make money, then gambling dens and brothels are definitely the places to go. Gambling dens come in all sizes, some open and some clandestine. As for brothels, while Pingkang Ward is considered the best in Chang'an, it's not like there aren't any in other places either. So, Qin Mu's next step is to set his sights on these places.
One copy of the interrogation confession was handed over to the Dali Temple, and another copy was kept by the Six Doors. Qin Mu took all the documents related to the gambling den and brothel and began to examine them. He also compared the information gathered by his spies with other documents, and then took out Xuan paper and began writing things down.
"Report!"
"Come in!"
"Reporting to the Inspector, the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review requests an audience!" A constable entered the room and greeted the officer with clasped hands.
"Please come quickly!" Qin Mu hurriedly ordered.
As an official of the Dali Temple, he naturally knew that the Dali Temple Minister was Pei Ji, a confidant of the retired Emperor Li Yuan, though now somewhat marginalized. The second-in-command of the Dali Temple, the Vice Minister, was actually the one in charge, named Dai Zhou. Despite being only the Vice Minister, he also held the concurrent position of Left Vice Minister to the Crown Prince. Qin Qiong had reminded him that Dai Zhou was someone trusted by Li Shimin.
"Young Master Dai, what brings you to the Six Doors? If you have something to say, just let me know, and I will personally come to the Dali Temple to pay you a visit!" Qin Mu greeted him at the door. Upon seeing an elderly man with gray hair and a serious expression, he immediately smiled and cupped his hands in greeting.
"The Qin patrol officer has really given the Dali Temple a tough problem!" Dai Zhou said with a forced smile.
Judging from his smile, Qin Mu guessed that the old man probably rarely smiled, otherwise he wouldn't look so unpleasant. Coupled with that old face that could trap a mosquito, he guessed that the old man was probably not easy to deal with.
"What makes you say that, old man? I didn't do anything!" Qin Mu said, feigning ignorance.
"Hmph! You're being dishonest, sending nearly a thousand people to the Dali Temple all at once. Are you trying to keep this old man busy to death?" Dai Zhou pointed at Qin Mu and said.
"How could that be? Isn't this just the proper procedure? We've already completed the interrogation, so naturally it should be handed over to the Dali Temple to determine his crime!" Qin Mu said with a smile.
“The Dali Temple only has a little over three hundred people, and only fifty of them are clerical staff. Even if they do nothing else, how long will it take to review the files of nearly a thousand people? Don’t even mention that there are no more people behind you!” Dai Zhou asked, his eyes wide.
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