Water Margin: The opening scene involves assassinating Emperor Huizong of Song and forcibly taking L

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He was very famous in Kaifeng, but few people in Luoyang knew him.

The passerby replied, "They're checking brothels."

Li Bangyan quietly followed them, intending to learn about the law enforcement process.

But then a group of government officials arrived at the entrance of the brothel, which had been renamed "So-and-so Singing House".

The officer in charge shouted, "Close all doors and windows! Anyone caught leaving without permission will have their business license revoked immediately!"

"Bang bang bang bang!"

Doors and windows were closed one after another.

The madam, along with her staff and prostitutes, lined up in several rows in the lobby.

The officer in charge told his men, "You lot, go and search all the rooms to see if anyone else is hiding there."

"Yes!"

The leading officer then asked the prostitutes, "Has any of you been abducted here?"

No one answered.

The officer in charge then asked, "Is there anyone who wanted to leave but was stopped from going?"

Still no one answered.

The leading officer shouted, "Speak up if you have any questions, and the government will take care of you."

"His Majesty has decreed that all provinces, prefectures, and counties across the country must strictly investigate any entertainment venues or bars within their jurisdictions."

"Any official who protects them will be severely punished!"

"You may not dare to say it now, but you can report it to the authorities later."

Still no one answered.

The leading officer then took out the "Newly Revised Employment Law of the Ming Dynasty" and said to the madam, "Put this up at the door and never tear it down."

"If the writing becomes illegible due to wind and rain, a new copy must be made and pasted back on."

"The government will conduct random inspections, and any entertainment venue that does not display this notice will be heavily fined."

"No, no," the madam said, taking the legal document with both hands.

Suddenly, a constable shouted from the second floor: "Brother, there's a woman hiding in the closet!"

Upon hearing this, the officer in charge's expression changed drastically, then he exclaimed with delight, "The opportunity to earn merit has arrived! Search the room again thoroughly!"

The madam was so frightened that her legs went weak.

This inspection of brothels throughout the city was a random, alternating inspection across regions, with officials from the northeastern district being transferred to the southeastern district for a surprise inspection.

Moreover, with the emperor issuing an edict to rectify the entire country, anyone who uncovers problems will surely be rewarded with great merit, and their direct superiors will all gain prestige.

Soon, a girl was brought down; she looked to be no more than twelve or thirteen years old.

She was tied up, stuffed into a closet, gagged, and the closet was also filled with clothes.

There were even slap marks on his face that hadn't faded.

The officer leading the group said to the girl, "Don't be afraid, we are sent by the emperor."

"Just say what's on your mind. Are you a local from Luoyang?"

The girl was terrified and looked at the madam with trembling hands.

The officer in charge roared, "Hold this wicked woman down!"

"Spare me, spare me..." the madam cried out as she was pinned to the ground.

The team leader said, "Now, let's talk."

The girl finally mustered up her courage: "I...I live in Shuikou Village, south of Longmen Town."

“I went to the town market with my father to sell chickens and ducks. My father asked me to watch the stall while he went to the blacksmith to buy a hoe.”

“A well-dressed man came over and said he wanted to buy all my chickens and ducks, and that I should deliver them to the wealthy Yang family in the north of town…”

"You went along?" the officer in charge asked.

The girl said, "I told that person that I needed to go find my father first."

“That person kept urging me, saying that Master Yang was going to entertain distinguished guests, and if I didn’t want to sell, I should go find someone else.”

"He offered a high price. I...I wanted to make more money, so I went with him."

"They said they'd pay you if you delivered the chickens and ducks to the boat at the town entrance."

"Not long after the boat started rowing, he stuffed my mouth with a rag and tied me up with a rope."

"Enough said," the lead officer barked. "Search every room. Take everyone in the main hall back to the government office for questioning!"

Just then, a prostitute suddenly knelt down: "Sir, I was also abducted here!"

The madam fainted on the spot, it was unclear whether she was truly unconscious or faking it.

She didn't even dare to reveal the boss behind the scenes.

Li Bangyan was on the street, watching the people inside being tied up and escorted out.

He suddenly regretted coming to Luoyang; it would have been so much better to stay in Hangzhou and run his shop.

Chapter 3564 The Wang Family is Doomed

Li Bangyan muttered repeatedly, "Operate legally, operate legally, I have nothing to fear if I operate legally..."

Chui Gong Hall.

Zhao Yuan leaned back in his chair and listened to Pan Liangui's investigation report.

A stack of files lay open in front of Pan Liangui:

"Yang Deyong, the commander of the five cities of Luoyang, whose original name was Yang Wang, was from Daming Township, Xixiang County, Hanzhong Prefecture."

"Deputy Commander Wu Yong is also from Daming Township."

"Yang Deyong did not participate directly, but he accepted bribes from his subordinates, and this was the case when he was in Kaifeng."

"Wu Yong invested in several nightclubs through his brother-in-law Han Cheng, and personally instructed the commanders of the Military Affairs Department not to disturb the normal operation of those nightclubs."

"Of the five commanders under the Military Command, only two are clean; the other three have all taken bribes."

"The owner of the Jinghong Karaoke Bar, which was raided this time, is named Wang Kedu."

"His ancestor was Wang Chengyan, the son-in-law of Zhao Kuangyin, and his family had lived in Luoyang for over a hundred years."

“The Wang family’s farmland outside the city has been confiscated, leaving only 800 mu.”

"The Wang family was also dismantled and relocated, leaving only more than twenty people in Luoyang."

"No one in my family holds an official position in this dynasty, but I have a relative by marriage who is the Vice Prefect of Daming Prefecture, and another relative by marriage who is the Deputy Judicial Commissioner of Shaanxi."

"In Jinghong Ge Lou, there are indeed five women who were trafficked."

"These all happened after the founding of the Ming Dynasty. The government mainly distributed land and reduced taxes, and strictly investigated violations of employment contracts, so there were very few families selling their daughters."

"The Jinghong Song Tower took a risk and bought lured girls to work as prostitutes."

"The remaining brothels in Luoyang are currently under investigation."

After hearing this, Zhao Yuan felt somewhat saddened.

The top two leaders of the Luoyang police system all came from Daming Township and were loyal followers of the emperor who rose up with the father and son.

Wu Yong himself was a poor mountain dweller; it was Zhang Guangdao who brought his family out of the mountains.

When they first arrived in Daming Village, the whole family didn't even have enough clothes to wear, and they were still using reeds and kudzu bark to make clothes to cover themselves and keep warm.

The only saving grace is that of the five commanders (branch chiefs) in Luoyang, two are still clean, and not all of them have become corrupt.

Zhao Yuan said, "These people should be punished according to the law, without any reservations."

"The Ministry of Justice issued another order to all provinces, prefectures, and counties across the country, instructing them to strictly investigate nightclubs and human trafficking."

"By the way, have those bastards who trafficked people been caught yet?"

Pan Liangui said, "We have only arrested two people so far, but they have implicated more than twenty others."

"After Kaifeng cleaned up its underground drainage system, Luoyang also carried out similar cleanup."

"At the time, a number of people were beheaded and exiled. The two human traffickers caught now were accomplices who were exempted from severe punishment at the time."

"Because the crime was relatively minor, he was only sentenced to three months of imprisonment, but unexpectedly he turned into a menace."

"Intensify the investigation," Zhao Yuan instructed.

“He knowingly broke the law, embezzled and neglected his duties, accepted bribes of more than 3,000 strings of cash, and took two young girls as his maids.”

"All family property was confiscated, the whole family was exiled to Hengshan to guard the border, and their descendants for three generations were barred from taking the imperial examinations."

"Wu Yong, the deputy commander, not only accepted bribes, but also invested in several entertainment venues in Kaifeng and Luoyang."

“He accepted more than 20 young girls as concubines and maids, six of whom were abducted.”

"Furthermore, he condoned his subordinates' extortion of merchants and disruption of commerce in Kaifeng and Luoyang."

Chapter 3565 Forcing Women into Prostitution

"I shall be executed immediately, and my family shall be exiled to Hengshan."

"Wang Kedu, the owner of Jinghong Song Tower, illegally operated a prostitution business, bought abducted girls and forced them into prostitution, imprisoned and abused women for a long time, and colluded with officials by bribing them."

"A woman refused to comply and was abused by the karaoke bar's employees, resulting in her death by negligence..."

"I shall be executed immediately, and my family shall be exiled to Hengshan."

"There are also three military commanders. One was sentenced to immediate execution, and the other two were exiled to Hengshan, with their families also being exiled there."

"Six of the madams, thugs, and pimps at Jinghong Song Tower were executed on the spot, and seventeen were exiled to Hengshan."

"Those with family members will also have their money transferred."

"Now all the nightclubs and entertainment venues in the city are under strict inspection, and I heard that inspections have started in other cities as well."

"I also learned that the Ministry of Justice has issued a strict order that every city must capture the person, otherwise they cannot report to their superiors."

"We can't just arrest people randomly; everything has to be reviewed by the Ministry of Justice. Local authorities will also be punished for arbitrarily arresting people."

Li Bangyan was terrified and felt a chill run down his spine: "The wind is blowing again?"

"More than that,"

The servant said,

"All the nightclubs and dance halls in the city have been shut down, and we are checking them one by one."

"I heard that three more companies have been investigated for serious crimes, and another shop owner committed suicide out of fear of punishment."

Li Bangyan muttered, "How harsh! Matters of love and romance have existed since ancient times, how can we make such a big deal out of it?"

After dismissing the servants, Li Bangyan sat in his study, lost in thought.

Then, he picked up his pen and wrote down the charter as a guideline for future conduct.

"Yes!" Pan Liangui accepted the order.

.....

Half a month later.

Outside the city, at the Li residence.

The servant rode a donkey from the city and ran into the study, saying, "Sir, more than a dozen have been sentenced."

"So fast?" Li Bangyan exclaimed in surprise.

The servant produced a transcribed notice and said, "Yang Deyong, the Commander of the Five Cities Garrison of Luoyang, during his tenure in Kaifeng and Luoyang."

First, businesses must operate in accordance with the law.

Secondly, they resolutely refuse to touch domestic women and only purchase teenage girls from overseas.

Third, you must not have any direct dealings with officials, otherwise who knows when you might get implicated.