In the Song Dynasty, there was no law or order.

At noon, Zhao Jun and Fan Zhongyan went home to rest for a while, and then ordered the soldiers to take turns to go down the cave and not let the other side rest for 24 hours.

This time, the Imperial City Guards, together with Kaifeng Prefecture, transferred 5,500 people from the Palace Front Department, totaling 14,000 to 15,000 troops, to launch a large-scale encirclement and suppression of underground evil forces.

The whole process lasted for three or four days, and the whole court was paying attention to this matter. Even on the second day, Zhao Zhen ordered the soldiers of the Palace Front Department to block the city gates and check suspicious persons.

At the same time, the various markets were also coming and going. The inner and outer cities were full of soldiers stepping in neat steps, and they seemed to be in a hurry to perform certain tasks.

Fortunately, it rained in Bianliang in recent days. Although the rain was not heavy, there were fewer pedestrians on the streets, and not many people entered and left the city. This made it difficult for the bandits to go out of the city directly even if they ran out from the underground.

However, most of the bandits would not leave the city from the outer city, because there are underground passages that can directly reach the downstream exits of rivers such as the Bian River and the Cai River, so if they want to run out of the city, it is not that troublesome.

A few days later, after several days of encirclement and suppression, almost all branches of Wuyou Cave, Guifanlou, Ghost Market, Beggar Gang, and the remaining evil forces entrenched in the underground water channels of Bianliang were mostly wiped out.

October 13, Liangmenli Street, Xianningfang, Duying Lane.

In the morning, the streets were as prosperous and lively as usual, with people coming and going, shuttling between various markets, and breakfast shops and morning tea shops were crowded with people.

In the past, everyone sat in the shop and chatted while drinking tea, but now the change is that everyone drinks tea and reads newspapers.

Today is the time when the new issue of the newspaper is on the market, and the streets and alleys are full of citizens.

Since the newspaper was printed, the business of various morning tea shops has improved a bit. When everyone is free, they are more willing to sit in front of the tea stall, drink hot tea in early winter, and take stock of the recent real-time events.

"Newspapers for sale, newspapers for sale. The latest Bianliang issue, only 12 cents a copy."

Almost at the end of the Mao hour and the beginning of the morning hour, a large number of newspaper boys emerged in various streets, walking through the streets and alleys, selling newspapers everywhere.

Since the first time a newspaper was given to all tea stalls in Bianliang for free, this thing has completely opened up the market.

There are all kinds of news and gossip, novels and poems on it, there is always one you like.

Now that it has been the third issue, more people buy newspapers, and many people even specially invite three or five friends to wait for the newspapers to be sold in front of the tea stall, and then chat together.

"Hurry, give me one."

In the Liujia Tea Shop in Duying Lane, four or five tables under the tent were crowded with people, and there were also seven or eight tables in the store. Business was much better than usual.

As soon as the newspaper boy came, more than a dozen copies of the newspaper were sold in an instant.

A few neighbors at the table closest to the street immediately gathered together and listened to the friends who knew how to read inside read the content to them.

"Zhao Zhiyuan destroyed the evil forces such as Wuyou Cave and Guifanlou, and captured more than 8,000 prisoners."

"He also rescued more than 10,000 abducted women and children."

"Oh my God, I didn't expect that Wuyou Cave and Guifanlou were so powerful. I didn't think they were so powerful."

"There are too many people in Bianliang. Compared with the people on the ground, the 20,000 or 30,000 people underground are really not many. And unless you open a shop in the outer city or work at the dock, you rarely deal with them."

"I still have to thank Zhao Zhiyuan , first clear out the corrupt officials in Kaifeng Prefecture, and then destroy the underground Wuyou Cave Guifanlou, to rule the bandits in our Bianliang and purge the world. "

"Don't you say that Zhao Zhiyuan is the great master sent by God? It is also because the government has a keen eye and put Zhiyuan in that position that we have today. "

"But I really didn't expect that Wang Dashan, who is kind and generous and often helps the poor, is the owner of Guifanlou."

As everyone talked, they cast their eyes on a manor diagonally opposite Liu's tea shop in Duying Lane.

The manor is surrounded by a wall outside, and it is probably more than four or five acres. Even in Xianningfang, it is the most luxurious mansion, and it is said to be worth more than 50,000 or 60,000 guan.

The luxury houses in Bianliang are very expensive, and the price in the inner city is very high. During the Renzong period, it has reached tens of thousands of guan. In the later Huizong period, the luxury houses near the imperial city can even be worth hundreds of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of guan.

Being able to own such a large house in Xianningfang in the inner city is enough to show that the owner is very wealthy.

Neighbors are often curious about what this family does for a living. They only heard that there are a lot of shops, land, and buildings in Bianliang, but they don’t know what specific business they do.

It was not until today that I learned that they were engaged in a business that could lead to death.

At this moment, the door of Wang’s house was locked, and the seals of Kaifeng Prefecture and Imperial City Division were hung. All the people were taken away. This happened on the afternoon of the second day after Wuyou Cave and Guifan Tower were seized.

It is said that the owner of Wuyou Cave saw the opportunity early. After realizing that something was wrong, he immediately abandoned a large amount of property, took only some confidants and a small amount of easy-to-carry property, and escaped from Kaifeng through the underground canal of Caihe River.

Now Kaifeng Prefecture has sent people to inform the sixteen counties of Jingji Road and posted wanted notices in all counties and towns in Jingji Road.

The owner of Guifan Tower was reluctant to make a heroic move and did not flee immediately, planning to wait until the storm had passed before escaping. As a result, he was betrayed, and Kaifeng Prefecture and the Imperial City Bureau came to his door the next day.

Jiang Dalang was instrumental in this.

Di Qing chased the ghost Fan Lou with his right palm whip Ma Zhiwu but failed to catch him. The guy was so cunning that he even laid a trap in the passage in advance. As long as the mechanism was touched, a large amount of soil would fall down and block the passage, making Di Qing miss the mark.

On Jiang Dalang's side, he successfully captured Scarface, the left palm whip, and sent him to the Imperial City Department for interrogation that morning. He used a powerful memory recovery technique to perform all the necessary and inappropriate moves.

The Imperial City Secretary naturally found out the identity of the owner of Guifan Tower, and introduced this "Wang Dashanren" who had a good reputation in Xianningfang and even had a Dali judge in the imperial court. It was found out.

However, this Wang Daping was not an official official of the Song Dynasty, but a purchased official with no specific rank.

Selling officials and conferring titles began during the reign of Emperor Taizong Zhao Guangyi of the Song Dynasty. At that time, a judge in Dali could be purchased for only four thousand shi of grain, but now it costs 13,000 gu.

With only the salary of a Dali judge, there are no assignments, titles, casual officials, etc. It will take sixty years of salary to get back the money.

Moreover, these officials who bought offices not only had no real power, but also had difficulty in being dispatched. They were purely honorary and were basically a way for the court to make money. Therefore, the owner of Guifan Tower could not really be regarded as ruining the reputation of the court.

But this person used his status as a barely half-official official to make friends with a large number of powerful people to protect him in human trafficking, committing crimes, bullying and dominating the market. He had to get to the bottom of it.

Now this manor is also sealed off by the Kaifeng Mansion and the Imperial City Division. It is estimated that it will be auctioned by the government soon and usher in a new owner.

However, although the people of Xianningfang have received a lot of favors from the good man Wang, now that they know the true situation of this person, people often come to spit and throw rotten eggs at the door. Now that the door is in ruins, I don't know if they can sell it.

By noon, the news gradually spread.

Almost all of the fifty-four Goulan brothels in Bianliang open their doors to welcome customers in the mid-afternoon. At this time, newspapers are also circulated to the prostitutes.

Among them, the most uneasy ones are the Yingchun Garden on the west side of Taimiao Street, the Taohuadong brothel on the north side of the old Songmen North Street, the Hidden Flower Courtyard in Jiangxing Back Alley on the east side of the Secretariat Province near Taxation Street, and the Baishi Alley on the east side of Xiangguo Temple. Fangge and Qionglin Tower in Xiaotianshui Lane in the north of the temple.

Because the bosses behind these companies are all evil forces such as Wuyoudong and Guifanlou. Now that the gangsters behind them have been eliminated, it seems to be a good thing, but for the ladies of Goulan brothel, they are in constant panic.

None of them know what fate awaits them in the future.

At this moment, Zhao Jun was sitting on the carriage, frowning slightly. He was on the way to Yingchun Garden. How to deal with these industries was another troublesome matter.

But he also knew that it was impossible to ban prostitution now. The food had to be eaten one bite at a time and the road had to be walked step by step. New China can do this because the new era has gradually improved the status of women since the late Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China, and a large number of women have slowly awakened.

Under the call of the revolution, the slogan that women hold up half the sky spread throughout the country. From then on, sisters and sisters stood up and were no longer the objects of oppression and exploitation.

But if he had done this in the Song Dynasty, the first people to stand up against him would probably have been these prostitutes.

Just like after the founding of New China, the government conducted a cleanup investigation on prostitutes in the capital at that time and found that most of the prostitutes were voluntary.

Many women in the old society had low social status and found it difficult to survive independently on their own. If you become a prostitute, you can at least ensure that you have enough food and clothing. If you save some money, you might be able to live well for the rest of your life.

Therefore, after most prostitutes join this profession, they do not want to quit and become helpless. Zhao Jun can only take his time and cannot cut it all.

"When Jenny spinning machines and cotton are promoted nationwide in the future, I believe that a large number of women will join the spinning industry, proving that women can be independent and self-reliant. At that time, prostitutes will be banned and their freedom and self-esteem will be restored. ”

Zhao Jun thought in his heart.

The carriage stopped slowly, and Yingchun Garden was already surrounded by soldiers.

At noon, no guest dared to come near here.

The hall in the building was empty. All the turtle men and thugs were taken away, leaving only hundreds of prostitutes.

There were tens of thousands of brothels in the Northern Song Dynasty. "Tokyo Menghua Lu" records: "Tokyo City has its own alleys, secluded alleys, Yanguan and singing houses, and there are tens of thousands of them." This shows how many workers there were.

However, these hundreds of prostitutes are not all prostitutes. Among them are singers, dancers, courtesans, ladies, courtesans, and prostitutes.

Fifty-four Goulan refers to the fifty-four largest, most formal, and most luxurious brothels in Bianliang City, Tokyo, which are equivalent to five-star hotels in later generations.

This Yingchun Garden is one of them. It was built with funds from Guifan Tower. Moreover, Guifan Tower was involved in human trafficking and trained famous prostitutes since childhood, which made the business booming and ranked very high among Bianliang Goulan.

At this moment, most of the prostitutes are carefully hiding in the houses where they live, not daring to go out. Only in the women's wing in the back garden were more than twenty girls gathered.

"Mother Liu, what should we do now?"

"What if the government arrests us all?"

"It is said that Zhao Qingtian knows right from wrong, and we have never done anything harmful to nature. He should not do anything to us."

"That's not good."

In the wing room, there are more than twenty girls singing and dancing, making the fragrance fragrant.

The old woman surrounded in the middle looked to be in her forties or fifties, with gray hair and an old face. She was holding the latest newspaper in her hand and sighed: "It would be great if Zhao Zhiyuan could come to Bianliang ten years earlier."

"Mom, please say something."

A woman pushed her.

Mother Liu smiled, lifted her white hair from her temples, put the newspaper on the table, and said, "If you have anything to say, the court will arrange for me."

"Oh no."

At this moment, the door opened, and a woman came in and said anxiously: "Mother Liu, those big soldiers outside broke in and want to see the steward."

"I'll go."

Mother Liu stood up and comforted the women and said, "You guys can just stay in the backyard, don't go anywhere."

"yes."

"Ooooo, mom, you have to be careful."

"I'll go with my mother."

"It's okay, just wait here."

Mother Liu rejected several girls who wanted to accompany her, straightened her clothes a little, and walked out.

This Yingchun Garden is very large. The front building is the main building, which has a zigzag shape. Up the stairs on the left and right, there are girls' rooms. You can listen to music in the room, or open the back window and watch the drama in the hall behind the front building.

Every night, singing, dancing and music are performed in the main hall in the middle, and behind the main building is a huge hall, like a stage, where serious dramas can be performed.

Then there is the back building, which is the main business place. Most of the girls are here to do some skin business.

Strictly speaking, many girls are victims. Some were abducted, some were abducted since childhood, and some are even more pitiful. Poor families cannot afford to raise them, or they think their daughters are losers. If they want a son, they might as well have a son. Sold to a brothel for money.

In addition, most of the serious dramas in the Song Dynasty were farces, and many of the performers in them were animals, human bottles, disabled dwarfs, and storytellers to satisfy the audience's curiosity for comedy.

It can be said that a brothel like this is a miserable place for many people.

But the irony is.

Here we have given many people another bite to eat.

Confusing.

Mother Liu came out of the room with a flattering smile. She was shocked when she saw a young official in a purple robe. Then she smiled and said, "I am Liu Xi'er. The girls all call me Mother Liu. The presence of the great magistrate Zhiyuan really makes Yingchun Garden shine.”

"Mama Liu, you're welcome."

Zhao Jun slightly cupped his hand, not surprised that the other party recognized his identity. After all, he was a madam in a brothel, so he naturally had to be discerning. Looking at the other party's old appearance, he sighed and said, "Let's sit down and chat together. "

"How can I be so virtuous as to sit with Zhiyuan?"

Mother Liu was flattered.

Zhao Jun shook his head with a smile and said: "The Industrial Imperial City Department of Wuyou Cave and Guifan Tower has long been thoroughly investigated, and I have also checked your background clearly. Even in the many hook-and-rail brothels in Bianliang, there are emperors themselves. I still know the character of Mrs. Liu, the inspector of Chengsi."

Mother Liu's face was silent, and she sat on the chair next to her and whispered: "I am also a poor person. I can't do anything good. I can only protect the girls from being bullied."

"Although you are also working for the tiger, you have no choice but to do so. The girls under you are indeed grateful to you. The court will not ignore this. So there are more than ten old bustards in Yingchun Garden, and the rest have been captured, and why The reason why you are sitting here.”

Zhao Jun thought of the Imperial City Division's investigation of this man.

Most of the brothel madams were engaged in this business when they were young. As they got older and lost their lust, they found ways to reach management positions and became madams.

In order to show their loyalty to their bosses, these madams will spare no effort to oppress their girls and force them to accept more customers.

Even many women who were sold or abducted to brothels were basically trained by these old madams because they were unwilling to give in and betray their innocence at first.

For example, they sent turtle men and thugs to beat them, deprived them of food, and then used all kinds of tricks to scare them, and the thugs used tricks to persuade them, coaxed, lied, and beat them to force the women to submit.

But there are also a few old bustards who still have some conscience. If they get caught in the rain, they will hold an umbrella for others.

This is the case with Mother Liu.

I once helped several women who were abducted to brothels find their families at my own expense.

As for those who are sold, they all ask first if they are willing to sell themselves. If they are willing to sell themselves, they will send a contract. If they are not willing, they can only sell them to other brothels or other madams.

There are many girls under the opponent who have shelter, and in the silt of the fifty-four Goulan brothels in Bianliang, there is little clear water.

Otherwise, Zhao Jun would not have come today.

Mother Liu felt her nose was sore, wiped the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief, and said with a forced smile: "I didn't expect that I just saw the pity of the girls and showed kindness, so I can settle down well. I just don't know how the government will arrange for us in the future. Girls, they all have nothing to worry about. If they leave Yingchun Garden, they will have nowhere to go. "

"You don't have to worry about that."

Zhao Jun pondered for a moment and then said: "Yingchun Garden will continue to stay, but this illegal business can no longer be done. Business is business, and we still have to do legitimate business."

"How will the girls make a living?"

Mother Liu was shocked.

Zhao Jun shook his head and said: "It's not that you are prohibited from being prostitutes, it's that you are prohibited from robbing people, it is only allowed."

His mouth stopped for a moment as he spoke.

His words about the legitimate buying and selling of people are really hard to express.

During the Song and Song Dynasties, human trafficking was officially prohibited, but due to the system of monogamy and polyconcubine and the existence of low status, human trafficking was allowed to a certain extent.

Among them, the main focus was on the trading of concubines, maids, and prostitutes. For example, Wang Anshi's wife bought him a concubine for 900 yuan.

Although it is legal to buy and sell prostitutes, they are still living people, but they are bought and sold like goods, which really makes Zhao Jun speechless.

Even though it was not his fault but the fault of the evil old society, now that he was in a high position, he still could not change their situation for the time being, which still made Zhao Jun feel uncomfortable and very embarrassed.

But Mother Liu already understood, so she just stood up and bowed: "I would like to thank the President for his kindness."

"no need to thank me."

Zhao Jun sighed, thought for a while and said: "From now on, you will be in charge of Yingchun Garden. I will also send you the land deed and the girls' deeds of sale later."

"this"

Mother Liu was shocked and said: "I am just a slave, how can I be worthy of such an important responsibility?"

Zhao Jun said: "As long as you have a good heart and have been born here since childhood, it is not difficult to do a good job in Yingchun Garden."

"Old body"

Mother Liu was so excited that she could not speak. She choked with sobs and was about to kneel down and kowtow: "On behalf of the more than 200 girls in Yingchun Garden, I would like to thank the Supreme Court for your great kindness."

"alright."

Zhao Jun helped her up and said: "From now on, this Yingchun Garden has hundreds of girls, so many theater actors and storytellers, and if we recruit some innocent Turtles and the like, we will all rely on you. If we meet anyone who causes trouble, , just send someone to the streets to work for Kaifeng Mansion or patrol the Imperial City Department. "

"Yes Yes."

Mother Liu wiped away her tears of excitement and nodded repeatedly.

Zhao Jun stood up and said, "Okay, I have to go to places like Peach Blossom Cave, Tibetan Flower Courtyard, Baifang Pavilion, and Qionglin Tower. It's not easy to find a conscientious person like you here." "

"I respectfully send you to the Imperial Academy."

Mother Liu walked Zhao Jun to the door step by step, her eyes full of admiration and admiration.

Zhao Jun walked out of Yingchun Garden with his hands behind his back. He suddenly remembered something, turned around and said to Mother Liu: "Mother Liu, I have something to ask you."

Liu's mother said hurriedly: "Please tell me, Zhiyuan, I must know everything and tell you everything."

"The inspectors from the Imperial City Department said that you came to Yingchun Garden ten years ago. You looked quite young at that time. Were you already in your thirties at that time?"

Zhao Jun was very confused just now.

Mother Liu looks like she is in her forties or fifties, but when she came to Yingchun Garden to work as a prostitute ten years ago, she was said to be very young and beautiful. How could she look like this in ten years?

Mother Liu lifted her white hair from her temples and said with a sad smile: "It would be nice to let the magistrate know that ten years ago, I was still in my twenties."

"Twenty-nine peach and plum years?"

Zhao Jun opened his eyes wide: "You were only eighteen years old at that time?"

"When I returned to the Imperial Academy, it was like this. In the past ten years, the women who came with me have either disappeared or died, and some have been bought away by good families, but gradually no one remembers my age. I have almost forgotten that I am not yet thirty years old, but the girls in the poor garden still call me mom. "

Mother Liu forced a smile, but tears kept flowing from the corners of her eyes.

Zhao Jun just looked at her blankly.

Watching her burst into tears, she wiped off the pale makeup on her face, revealing a face full of wrinkles.

There were no words for a long time.

ten years.

A young girl in her prime has turned into an old woman in her forties or fifties.

The evil old society has turned people into ghosts.

Damn my willpower, I had already written the leave request, but I just endured dizziness, runny nose, nasal congestion, and various minor problems, and forced me to write 6,000 words. I guess it’s the sun again. Hasn’t it happened again recently? After taking cold medicine, the symptoms were only slightly milder, but I was still very uncomfortable, but I just wanted to write, and no one could stop me from getting up and working! I want to code words, I want to trap them to death!