If the new issue of the official gazette caused a stir in the officialdom, the situation among the common people was quite different.
Ordinary people rarely care about official affairs; they only care about things that are closely related to their own lives.
The latest issue of the newspaper comes out at the same time as the official gazette.
The headline on the front page of this newspaper was an article written by Zhao Jun, a representative of the Constitutional Court, about "the court's severe crackdown on crime and elimination of gangs and evil."
In addition, there were also contributions from Lü Yijian, Wang Zeng, Fan Zhongyan and others, all condemning the poor security environment in Bianliang.
On the West Street of the outer city, a middle-aged Confucian scholar with a limp walked into a tavern. His name was Hong Wen, and he was a poor scholar who made a living by writing for people on the street and occasionally worked as a teacher.
He entered the tavern, paid a few copper coins, and said, "Boss, give me a pot of wine and a plate of broad beans."
"Mr. Hong."
The shopkeeper sympathized with his situation and gave him a little extra wine and some broad beans each time. He put the things on the counter and then said with a smile, "Sir, how are you doing recently?"
Hong Wen smiled bitterly and shook his head, saying, "After my leg became lame, no one wanted me to be a teacher anymore, so I could only make a living writing on the streets. Fortunately, no one in Bianliang collects fees anymore, otherwise I wouldn't even be able to make a living."
"Don't worry, sir. You should be more open-minded about everything. As the saying goes, there is always a way out."
The shopkeeper thought for a moment, then pulled out another newspaper from under the counter and said, "This was delivered this morning. It says the Imperial City Department is recruiting clerks with generous pay. You might want to give it a try, sir."
"oh?"
Hong Wen was writing on the streets, living from hunger to hunger and without a stable income. Upon hearing this, he took the newspaper and asked, "Will the Imperial City Bureau want a lame man like me?"
The shopkeeper smiled and said, "Our dean has always been kind-hearted. The Imperial City Division has recently recruited quite a few people, most of whom are victims of the Wuyou Cave Ghost Fanlou and many other black societies. If you tell them about your story, they will definitely hire you."
"Hmm."
Hong Wen nodded without comment and stood by the counter, drinking, eating broad beans and reading the newspaper.
Nowadays, except for restaurants and teahouses that would subscribe to a few copies and put them inside to attract business, most people could buy newspapers directly on the street, but he couldn't afford it.
He came from a poor family. Last year, when he was setting up a stall, he couldn't pay the fees, so he was beaten and his leg was broken by people from the Gui Fanlou black society branch on West Street. He didn't even have the money to treat his leg, let alone go out to buy newspapers, so he was late in getting news.
The news in the newspaper at this moment is still about the recent crackdown on gangsters and evil forces, and the court has ordered that these gangs and evil forces should be severely punished and most of them should be beheaded to serve as a warning to others.
Next is a long list of people, this is the first batch to be sent to the execution ground.
One of the names caught Hong Wen's eye.
Liu Kui is happy!
Hong Wen took a deep breath, put the newspaper back on the counter, drank the wine in one gulp, and even walked a little dizzily. When the shopkeeper turned around, he saw him leaving the tavern.
"Newspapers for sale! Newspapers for sale! New morning edition, big news! Another batch of prisoners are going to be executed."
Newsboys walked around the streets, shouting hard.
In the past, children like them running around on the streets were the most unsafe. If they were not careful, they might be kidnapped and disappear in the crowd of Bianliang.
But in today's Bianliang, even if there is a fight on the street, a group of Kaifeng government officials may come and arrest the person at any time.
Therefore, the city of Tokyo at this time became the time with the best public security since the founding of the Song Dynasty.
There are more people coming and going on the streets, including the elderly, children, women, and especially children, who dare to play near their homes even without adults accompanying them.
The morning market is bustling, and the arrival of newsboys has injected fresh vitality into the market.
"Oh, our chancellor is really magnanimous. He actually wants to kill so many people. He is really getting rid of harm to the people."
"The last time Liu the scoundrel bullied me, he was beheaded by the Magistrate. Now that we have Magistrate Zhao in Tokyo City, let's see which scoundrel dares to do the same again."
"Look at the name on it, Liu Kuixi. Isn't he the leader of the West Street Righteous Society? I heard that the Guifanlou is actually behind them, and he is also the leader of the Guifanlou branch."
"And this one, Wang Long, is the president of a branch of Wuyou Cave. And look at this one, Li Sancai, also known as Li Sanlang, the leader of the Axe Society."
"Great! These people deserve to be killed. They said that including the last batch, this is only the second batch. There will be a third and fourth batches in the future. Killing over 200 people this time is really exciting. We must go and see it."
"When will the operation be performed? Did it say so?"
"I told you that the execution will take place in three days, at the same execution ground outside East City as last time. I'm afraid they'll have to kill thousands more people there in the future."
"Okay, I'll have to go see it then."
In the tea stalls and taverns, a large number of Bianliang citizens who were having breakfast picked up the newspapers in their hands, all of them were in high spirits.
The people of Bianliang have suffered from these evil forces for a long time.
Because these evil forces will not actually provoke high-ranking officials, but for ordinary people, it is a disaster.
Even if there are no children in the family and the women are abducted and sold, those people will still collect protection fees.
Whenever people set up stalls, open shops, or do business on the street, these evil forces and government officials will come to collect fees, making the people miserable.
Those with good business can still make a living, but those with bad business like Hong Wen can't make much money, and the other party still charges him a fee. If he can't pay, he will be beaten. For poor people, it almost costs them their lives.
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