Chapter 232 231. Remove the roof to see the stars
Shortly after Qing Zhi and Lei Jingsheng got married, Qingmi County also added a new law -
Human trafficking is prohibited in Qingmi County.
When this order was issued, there was an uproar in the county.
The opposition voices in the towns and villages within the county were very strong. Some people even insulted the magistrate Meng Yao in the street, saying that he was ignorant of the suffering of the people and was too idealistic. Some people also protested, blocking the gate of the county government office and throwing vegetable leaves and rotten eggs. The crowd was so excited that they wanted the law to be abolished.
During this period, Meng Yao did not even dare to leave his home or go to the county government office. He sent people to deliver government affairs to his home and worked from home.
After hearing this, Meng Luo was so angry that he couldn't eat. He couldn't sit still at home, so he went straight to Lei's house with Mei and Qing.
"How can this be possible!"
Meng Luo was filled with righteous indignation. "My third brother is clearly doing a good thing, but these people are so stupid that instead of scolding those who force people to buy and sell, they scold my third brother!"
"These past few days, when I went out on the street, I heard a lot of people cursing Third Brother, asking him why he didn't just eat meat."
"Relax."
Lei Li calmly drank his tea and said lightly, "The new decree has affected other people's interests, so it's normal to be criticized. I just have to let Brother Meng San and Brother Yu suffer for a few days."
"I don't understand."
Meng Luo frowned and said, "Why is it that this is clearly a good thing, but so many people disagree?"
"I can't figure it out either."
Lei Jingsheng frowned, "Logically, shouldn't the pawnbrokers and merchants be the most opposed? Why aren't they saying anything? It's just ordinary people making a scene at the county government office..."
"Kill someone with a borrowed knife."
Lei Li chuckled. "When foreign invaders come, the emperor gets angry and the general takes command. Aren't the soldiers the ones actually fighting in the battle?"
"What's more, this is such a massive movement, and it's not just a small foreign tribe that's fanning the flames. There's also the Wanyi Nation and the Tajin Nation fanning the flames."
When the law was issued, who was the first to panic? — The pawnbrokers. They made their living by trafficking in human beings, and the new law seemed to have cut off their source of income.
Cutting off someone's source of income is tantamount to killing their parents.
On the surface, the pawnshops act as intermediaries, providing a platform for ordinary people to find work, but in reality many people are sold by their families, used as collateral for debts, or have no other choice but to sell themselves to the pawnshops in search of a chance to survive.
The trafficking agency holds the indentures hostage and can take the women's lives at will, deciding whether they live or die. In essence, it is a human trade center.
Secondly, there was opposition from the wealthy families in the county.
Many wealthy families like to go to brokerage firms to select domestic slaves, especially children under ten years old, to serve as personal maids or servants for their young masters and young ladies. They train and raise them from a young age and feel more at ease using them.
"Many skilled workers were kept in the hands of these wealthy families, including carpenters, porcelain craftsmen, and embroiderers..."
Lei Li said, "The handicrafts they create will become commodities in wood shops, porcelain shops, and silk shops, bringing endless wealth to their owners and gradually forming a monopoly."
"If we can't buy and sell people, it's hard to expand our business because hired workers who learn the trade run the risk of running away or being poached."
"If the previous generation of craftsmen dies, and the skills of the next generation of successors decline and become inferior to their masters, the quality will drop, and those merchants will naturally be unhappy."
Next are brothels and theaters.
Among the young prostitutes in brothels, some were sold by their family elders, while others were bought from brokerage firms and then brought back to the brothels to be trained and taught skills from a young age.
These young prostitutes, who have been living under the supervision of the madam since childhood, find it difficult and dare not escape. When they grow up, they will be more diligent in receiving customers and making money.
Their value is also higher, and it is difficult for them to save enough money to redeem themselves. If they do not meet a noble person by chance, they will almost certainly be trapped in the building and die.
Therefore, many young prostitutes would regard themselves as part of the brothel and become the accomplices of the madam, trying to please the madam in order to get a chance to leave the brothel, or to live a better life without being bullied.
"But why do some prostitutes in this building disagree with this law?"
Lei Jingsheng didn't quite understand.
This is obviously a good thing. Without human trafficking, there would be fewer tragedies like theirs and fewer miserable people.
"It's not that simple."
Lei Li chuckled and took a sip of tea slowly.
“…”
Qing Zhi lowered her eyelashes slightly and said softly, "Because they feel it's unfair."
“The problem is not the lack of wealth, but the inequality of distribution.”
He lowered his eyebrows and whispered, "For prostitutes who have been sold into brothels, why should they be trapped and die in such dirty places, while others are so lucky as to not have to go through this?"
"Besides, if there aren't enough new people coming in, the building will be difficult to maintain. The madam will definitely not let these old people go easily. She will torture them to death, skinning them alive and draining every last drop of flesh and blood."
“…”
Lei Jingsheng looked stunned.
Zhou Yi then added, "Not only that, Wa Si won't nod easily."
"Artisan?"
Lei Jingsheng suddenly had an idea. "Wa Si also needs some skilled people to act as a front, such as zither players, dancers, tea masters, and chess players. Even if they have a contract, those hired from outside can easily run away or be poached by rival companies."
"If they have a contract to sell themselves, then they can't escape the Five Finger Mountain of the Wa Si boss."
"right."
A sneer flashed in Lei Li's eyes. "The boss of the teahouse can even forfeit wages and whip them into working day and night for him. The children they bear will become the next generation of enslaved zither girls, dancers, and tea art masters, oppressed and exploited for generations to come."
“This is really…”
Lei Jingsheng had only thought that the tile shops were bustling with activity and that the people there were so skilled that they could actually make such exquisite things, but he had never thought that they would also be commodities to be bought and sold.
“Why don’t ordinary people agree?
"For ordinary people, not being able to trade people naturally has both advantages and disadvantages."
Lei Li's expression remained unchanged as he said calmly, "Some families with many children would attempt to sell their children to earn money and improve their family finances."
For example, Qingzhi was sold.
"Some children have lost both their parents or been abandoned. No one will hire them, so they can only sell themselves to survive."
If Lei Jingsheng had run away from home and avoided the fate of her father exchanging her betrothal money for a wedding gift, she would probably have entered the pawnbroking industry, either actively or passively, because she could not support herself.
"Some people have a tragic fate because they are sold, while others get the opportunity to move up a level and turn their fortunes around because they are bought."
"Everything has its two sides, and there will always be advantages for some people."
"That……"
Lei Jingsheng was a little confused. "So, is banning human trafficking a good thing or a bad thing? So many people in the county are unhappy about it. Will Magistrate Meng really cancel the new law?"
"It's obvious that human trafficking has harmed so many people, like Qing Zhi, Brother Mei, and those girls and boys in the brothels and Chu Houses. They clearly didn't want to do it."
Qingzhi lowered his eyebrows and said nothing.
He knew that the Lei family and Magistrate Meng issued this decree because of him.
When Lei Jingsheng talked to him, he held his hand, his eyes shining with smiles, and said in a cheerful tone as if to seek credit that no one would be sold into the Chu House anymore in the future. Was Azhi happy?
He is naturally happy.
He hated that dirty place and felt from the bottom of his heart that he, who came from there, was also dirty and filthy. Even though he had never been touched by anyone before Lei Jingsheng, his heart was not pure.
He always speculates about others with great malice, wondering whether others are being nice to him for some ulterior motive or whether they are making fun of him by making a bet.
But Lei Jingsheng is different.
She suffered a lot as a child, but with the help of neighbors, she didn't see many dirty things. Later, she was adopted by Lei Li and Zhou Yi, and with the support of the Lei family, she grew up in a honeypot.
So Lei Jingsheng is now twenty-four years old and still has some of the innocence of a girl.
He knew how good Lei Jingsheng was to him, and he was somewhat touched, but he also knew that this decree was impossible to implement and would be abolished sooner or later.
Mei Yuqing didn't say anything either.
He took a sip of tea slowly, and seeing that Mengluo was still indignant, he laughed a little, reached out and smoothed Mengluo's hair to comfort him.
“It will definitely be cancelled.”
Lei Li laughed easily, with a fox-like cunningness, "From the very beginning, we didn't intend for this decree to pass."
"ah?"
Lei Jingsheng and the others were shocked and puzzled.
"The skylight effect."
Zhou Yi said, "If you want to open a skylight on the roof to watch the stars, many people will jump out to oppose it, saying that you can also watch the stars in the yard, there is no need to open a skylight, and a skylight may leak when it rains."
"At this point, you're likely to be pressured into giving up on opening the skylight."
"But if you first suggest tearing down the roof, they'll be shocked and strongly oppose it. Then, you'll have to compromise and suggest building a skylight."
"Instead of tearing down the entire roof, they'll think it's better to open a skylight. And if you give in, they'll think they've won and will be more likely to accept your proposal and open a skylight."
"so……"
Lei Jingsheng immediately understood, his eyes lighting up, "Are we tearing down the roof now?"
"right."
Lei Li's eyes were full of meaning. "It just requires a little hype to get public opinion to its peak, so that we can have a better chance of settling for the next best thing."
Soon, the magistrate of Meng County "under pressure" abolished the new decree and issued a new one -
In Qingmi County, children under the age of ten are not allowed to work in the pimping trade, be enslaved, or be bought and sold. Prostitutes under the age of fifteen in brothels are not allowed to engage in the sex trade or be prostitutes.
The new law targets children.
People are always more tolerant of children. Selling a child and taking him away from his parents would be criticized and condemned by the people of the Daiyu Dynasty who valued "family harmony" and "everyone is indispensable".
With the secret guidance of Lei Li and County Magistrate Meng, the tone of the people in the county gradually changed, and they began to agree with the decree and praise the County Magistrate's benevolence.
Strike while the iron is hot.
County Magistrate Meng Yao issued a new decree:
Newborns in the county must register their household registration at the county government office within three months of age. Failure to do so will result in fines and imprisonment.
If you register your household registration in time, you can also receive a newborn subsidy.
Although a baby can only get one or two hundred coins, it is still money.
Anyway, you have to register your household registration sooner or later. You have money in the morning and pay a fine in the evening, so of course it will be in the morning.
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