Chapter 1319: The Turtle Like a Wishing Well (Part 2) [Requesting Monthly Tickets]
Gambling and prostitution have always been highly profitable industries.
Especially in chaotic times when human trafficking was still legal, many commoners were worth less than an old ox used for plowing the fields. Such lucrative businesses were disreputable, but the money came quickly, and even self-proclaimed noble families were drawn into it.
However, they don't directly own these properties; they usually pass through several hands, or are managed by family members. More often, it's the casino owners who actively seek out the patrons. The owners bear all the operational risks, while the lion's share of the profits goes to the powerful entity that protects the casino.
Why does Shen Tang know so much?
She raided casinos throughout Kangguo, one after another, and following the trail, she discovered they all operated on the same pattern. Shen Tang, with her good temper, didn't resort to violence, but instead aimed the blade at their wallets—
Money or life?
Everyone chose to die.
Open casinos are easy to raid, but those hidden in residential houses are much harder to bust; they're still playing hide-and-seek. When law enforcement officers chase after them, they fail three or four times out of ten because of tips-offs, resulting in gamblers being arrested, imprisoned, and fined.
Released from labor camp, the gambler continues to rack his brains to find places to gamble, outsmarting the government and using other pretexts to gamble... With that kind of brains and perseverance, what can't he succeed at? It's a complete waste of talent!
Local governments and prefectures have expressed considerable dissatisfaction with this.
What's the point of cracking down on casinos?
Firstly, the local area loses revenue; secondly, repeatedly arresting and releasing gamblers is a waste of manpower. This is similar to flood control—it's better to guide than to block. Since severe punishment cannot eradicate the problem, it's better to simply allow it and let them gamble to their heart's content.
If the government imposes the heaviest tax on casinos, it will have money.
Shen Tang wrote a lengthy imperial edict for this brilliant man, filled with greetings and digging into his connections. She also criticized his teachers and superiors, saying that if he couldn't teach and nurture people, he shouldn't embarrass himself, and if he couldn't promote talent, he shouldn't make a fuss. Where could he find such a smooth-smooth little cutie? Finally, she also criticized the Ministry of Personnel, asking how they evaluated people at the end of the year.
[What kind of ancestors gave birth to such brain-dead descendants? Do they think they have the most powerful brains? I've worked hard for over a decade, striving to ensure everyone has enough to eat and wear, and this idiot wants everyone to die with just one word? Local tyrants running casinos are a menace, but does changing the owners to government officials really benefit the country and its people? This pig-brain doesn't even consider that if this were allowed, wouldn't the government encourage people to gamble for money? If the government is short of funds, wouldn't they think of using this method to plunder the people's wealth?]
Gambling inevitably breeds various forms of private usury.
What family can avoid being skinned alive when they encounter loan sharks?
Then I suggest that the government also secretly engage in usury, so that the profits don't go to outsiders and the meat rots in their own pot, right?
Goodness, the closed loop is now complete.
In Kangguo, fighting might only result in verbal reprimands, but gambling and prostitution would definitely lead to imprisonment and reformation.
Depending on the amount, the reform period ranged from seven days to six months. Fines were generally three to ten times the amount owed. Those unable to pay the fines had their labor reform period extended. Imprisonment wasn't free; the government provided a 30% subsidy, and the remaining 70% had to be paid by the prisoner. Those unable to pay were required to perform manual labor. To prevent abuse of power by prison guards, these prisoners were separated into male and female groups and supervised by agencies under the local military governor's office. This practice drew considerable resentment from the military governor's office, which suggested that these prisoners, after being properly trained, be sent to the front lines.
Those who survived by performing meritorious service were classified as law-abiding citizens.
The rest are dead, and that's it.
Many people addicted to gambling never turn back, even after their families are ruined and they lose limbs. They are essentially ruined.
Keeping them around is a waste of food and government subsidies.
Shen Tang: [...]
As the ruler of the country, she sometimes wondered what sins she had committed in her past life to deserve such a miserable existence in this one.
In Kangguo, gambling and prostitution are severely cracked down on.
This is also one of the ways Shen Tang makes money.
She's desperately short of money right now.
She wouldn't bring up the old scores from before Kangguo invaded; everything would follow the old laws of their homeland. But the new scores from after Kangguo's takeover would be settled according to Kangguo's laws! Violating Kangguo's laws was tantamount to fining her, Shen Youli, right? Fined to the extreme!
Cui Zhi lowered his eyes, observing Shen Tang's reaction out of the corner of his eye.
The latter's face betrayed no obvious emotion, and Cui Zhi couldn't discern her true feelings, but he knew he had achieved his goal. In truth, it was his fault for failing to raise his daughter properly; he had no idea his daughter, Cui Long, was so audacious. After the family banquet that day, father and daughter had a complete frank discussion—or rather, he used the lives of several of his treacherous male lovers to force her to confess everything.
Cui Zhi felt a chord throbbing in his mind.
Enraged, he laughed coldly: "You certainly dare to think and act!"
I'm reflecting on whether I've been neglecting to give my daughter her monthly allowance.
After reflecting on my actions, I still have to clean up the mess my daughter made.
All the sensitive industries involved have been cut off.
Cui Longdao said, "My maternal grandfather mentioned it long ago; he has already stopped."
It takes time to settle the personnel at each stage. She has been busy with this matter for a while, sealing those who need to be kept quiet and sending those who need to be sent away. Cui Long has not directly appeared. Even if this matter is brought up again, it should not implicate her.
Cui Zhi replied, "You're naive."
Or perhaps they're just too kind-hearted.
The seemingly comprehensive resettlement measures were riddled with flaws.
These people aren't born into wealth, and they're involved in these shady businesses. Which one of them can be completely bought off and silenced with a sum of money? How long can that money sustain them? People who have been spoiled and are used to lucrative industries will never honestly return to the hard life of farming and weaving, relying on the weather for their livelihood. It's inevitable that they'll go back to their old ways, and it's also inevitable that they'll betray her for profit.
If it's Cui Zhi, then sealing his mouth truly means keeping it shut forever.
While the local war is still ongoing, they can frame any warlord they want, and there will be no way to prove it when it is investigated later.
Cui Long was not as ruthless as her father, who treated human life as dirt.
She didn't want to take so many lives because of a possible risk, including those who had risked their lives for her.
Cui Zhi's ruthlessness has its reasons.
He received advance notice that one of these people was missing. Upon closer investigation, he discovered that this person, while intoxicated, had revealed crucial clues that caught the attention of his adversaries. To protect his daughter, Cui Zhi had no choice but to strike first. Fortunately, Shen Tang provided him with the opportunity.
Shen Tang likes the white dragon fish costume, loves to join in the fun, and is quick to stand up for the weak, but she is, after all, the ruler of a country, and her whereabouts are unpredictable. The only exception is this blind date, where the time and place are set. As long as Cui Zhi happens to witness this good show, the matter will be considered a success.
He also planned to have several thugs violently collect debts.
Normal debt collection might involve bloodshed and vandalism, but it wouldn't go so far as to cut off someone's thigh. Dragging away the person's female and male relatives to pay off the debt is only a final step.
Because Shen Jun had great sympathy for the elderly, the weak, the sick, the disabled, and pregnant women.
Shen Tang was also certain that this matter was inextricably linked to Cui Zhi.
Because she didn't bring Kang Shi with her today, and that plague god wasn't back from the front lines, his bad luck from his Alipay debts wasn't enough to turn him into a walking Conan, much less bring her money. In conclusion, she deduced it was mostly man-made rather than divine intervention.
The villagers were terrified when the guards brandished their weapons, kneeling on the ground in fear that the group would unleash a massacre. Shen Tang took a leisurely sip of hot water, his lips curling into a smile more uncontrollable than an AK: "...Go, bring me all the casino ledgers, and impose the maximum fine!"
I don't know how much money it costs, but even a small mosquito bite is still a treat.
Shen Tang was in a good mood, and her face showed even more kindness.
She beckoned to her youngest son: "Come here."
The child had two crooked, sticking-up braids, wore only a tattered rag covered in pudding, was barefoot, had his bottom exposed, and was filthy. The thugs had broken into the house, assaulted and grabbed him, and the child was terrified, crying loudly and still in shock.
Shen Tang called him, but he remained unresponsive with a blank stare.
Until he was pushed, he almost fell flat on his face.
"Why are you pushing the child? Come here, I have some candied hawthorns here, do you want some?" Shen Tang conjured up two strings of candied hawthorns coated with glistening sugar as if by magic. She shook them at the child, tempting him, "They're sweet and sour, kids love them."
Let alone candied hawthorn, I've never even tried maltose more than twice.
The child's blank eyes gradually brightened, and his fear couldn't stop him from frantically swallowing his saliva. He cautiously stepped forward and, seeing that Shen Tang wasn't lying to him, almost snatched one of the strings of food away without even saying thank you, which drew a scolding from the accompanying officials.
"You naughty child, don't you know anything about manners?"
"Why are you yelling at him? Children need to be taught to know the manners you're talking about. It's not his fault that he doesn't understand; it's the fault of those who should have taught him but didn't. Otherwise, where does the saying 'If you raise a child without teaching him, it's the father's fault; if you teach him without strictness, it's the teacher's laziness' come from?"
Shen Tang handed the other string of pearls to the child.
"Come on, tell your sister, is it delicious?"
The child's saliva was coated with hawthorn candy. Hearing Shen Tang's gentle question, he hesitated for only a moment before nodding emphatically: "Okay!"
Candied hawthorn berries are indeed a powerful tool for deceiving minors!
Shen Tang gestured for him to take two steps closer, and while smiling, pointed at Cui Zhi and said, "This is a great philanthropist of our time. You can tell him any wish you have, and he will fulfill it for you."
Cui Zhi: "..."
I wanted to argue, but I didn't dare.
The child thought about it carefully and made a wish towards Cui Zhi.
"Great philanthropist, can you kill all those bad people?"
Shen Tang asked, "Which really bad people?"
The child was young, but his language and logic were quite clear: "The one who killed my father, the one who cheated my brother out of money... he's a bad person!"
He didn't know what a casino was, but his family had talked about it, saying that the people there were wicked and would trick his brother and other villagers into going there, stealing their money. They said their family couldn't afford to eat there because they'd been cheated out of their money, and those people deserved to die!
Shen Tang looked at Cui Zhi and smiled without saying a word.
Cui Zhi: "Every wrong has its perpetrator, every debt its debtor; that's just how it should be."
The child didn't understand what he meant.
Shen Tang translated: "It means he will kill."
Whose knife is Shen Youli?
She was happy that Cui Zhi gave her money, but she was extremely unhappy that Cui Zhi wanted to use her to do his dirty work.
To paraphrase Gong Xichou, people shouldn't be added as extras.
You should ask for payment according to the amount of effort you put in.
Does Cui Zhi dare to renege on her debt?
She wasn't satisfied with just a fine.
She wanted Cui to be her vanguard, so that she could legitimately skin and dismember the fat sheep, sucking out even the marrow!
"Would Zhishan agree?"
She took the benefits, while he bore the blame.
Cui Zhi saw her smiling face and inwardly gasped.
His smile became forced: "That's only right."
The tortoise at the wishing well is merciful and grants every wish made by a traveler who travels a long way to pray to it. But the head of the Cui family is even more merciful than the tortoise; he will spare no effort to help the poor, whose pockets are empty, become rich. Shen Tang's mood reached its peak in recent days: "Excellent!"
Cui Zhi: "..."
He finally understands what it means for a smile to look worse than a cry.
The only consolation was that the blind date went quite well.
The woman was satisfied, the man was also pleased, and neither objected to the groom marrying into the family. Kangguo was efficient; once the couple's wishes were confirmed, the good news could be announced, and the two families privately decided on the wedding banquet date. Shen Tang, as the matchmaker, would send a generous gift to add to their joy.
She decided to be generous and give a larger red envelope.
"As expected, we still have to use magic to defeat magic. We can't find a reason to eradicate the cancer, lest we provoke a desperate counterattack from the aristocratic groups. At most, we can use our weaknesses to threaten and punish them..." These weaknesses all came before Kangguo took over. Even the biggest crimes should be wiped clean. Shen Tang can't take the initiative. The Cui family, who also comes from an aristocratic family, is different. They are perfect to be Shen Tang's white glove.
This way, she can achieve her goal while minimizing the impact.
The situation in the Southwest came to a complete end amidst the final bloodshed. Shen Tang received news from Ning Yan that the last battlefield had ended, but she felt like she had forgotten something. While flipping through the memorials, she tried to recall, until she saw Su Shiyilu's memorial. She slapped her forehead: "Speaking of which, I've long heard that foreign tribes are everywhere, and the Southwest has also been invaded by them?"
There are ten black moats in the Northwest, and there are also some in the Southwest.
She remembered that Chu Yao had also said that all the alien races from all directions were quite troublesome.
It was indeed not easy to defeat the Ten Crows of the Northern Desert back then.
Luo Sha was surprised that someone still remembered the Eight Directions Alien Race. It was hard to say about the other places, but the southwest region had long since disappeared.
Shen Tang asked in surprise, "That's all?"
Luo Sha asked seriously, "The southwest is not like the northwest. North and west of the northwest, it is either barren land, Gobi Desert, grassland, or glaciers. The environment is harsh, but it is barely habitable. The Ten Crows of the Northern Desert could retreat here to eke out a living when they were defeated. What is there to the south of the southwest?"
It is a vast ocean.
The inhabitants of the southwest initially lived on land, possessing formidable fighting prowess. Men, women, and children alike served as soldiers, and cannibalism was a common practice. Each time they invaded other countries, they left behind countless human bones. While fierce, they were infertile, and their population dwindled. Seeing that the time was right, the southwestern countries seized the opportunity and drove them all into the sea.
Most of them perished, while a small number escaped to isolated islands at sea.
Luo Sha's ancestors seized the largest island from these people, established a foothold, and then cleared out island after island. As soon as Luo Sha was able to walk, his grandfather carried him on his shoulders to exterminate the foreign tribes: "This humble general will also keep the head of their last man."
That head was cut off by Luo Sha himself.
Shen Tang was relieved: "Heaven is indeed looking out for me. These foreign tribes in the southwest... do they have any distinctive features?"
Luo Sha revealed a look of disgust.
"They do look a lot like us, but their eyes... are quite different. They have naturally malevolent eyes, and slightly pointed snouts and monkey-like features, yet they lack any human kindness or compassion! They are a bunch of uncivilized, skinless monkeys, mean-spirited, treacherous, and cunning, best at betraying others. There are also kind-hearted people in the southwestern kingdoms who once advocated taking in prisoners and educating and pacifying them, but who would have thought that these people would slaughter and eat the entire population of an entire city, and that innocent men, women, the elderly, and the weak in the city would all suffer humiliation and be cooked..."
His grandfather told him all of this.
He also said that there was no need to show mercy to the descendants of these people.
Killing them is more effective than educating them.
|ω`)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
