Li Qing and Li Jinglong were wandering on the street. Li Jinglong pointed to the man wearing loose clothes and pigtails and said:
"Look, Ryukyu people."
"What's so good about this?" Li Qing rolled his eyes, "He's still a man."
"Foreigners, I've never seen it before." Li Jinglong was a little surprised, "I thought you would find it novel."
Li Qing laughed and said, "When all the nations came to court, I never saw you like this."
"It's different. These people are permanent residents, not only in Ryukyu, but also in North Korea, Ryukyu, Luzon... There are people from many countries." Li Jinglong said enthusiastically.
"permanent?"
"Yes, many people came to Ming Dynasty through maritime trade, and once they came, they didn't want to leave." Li Jinglong said with a smile, "Last month a foreigner died, and his family went to the Yamen to intercede, saying that the deceased wanted to stay in the Ming Dynasty
Buried in the Ming Dynasty."
"What happened next?" Li Qing also became interested.
Li Jinglong said: "That family is not short of money, so we agreed after some consideration."
"You know everything about management?"
"That's right, after my brother has been in Jinling for so long, there is nothing he doesn't know about, from white to black." Li Jinglong said proudly.
Li Qing asked: "Did these people cause trouble in Ming Dynasty?"
"How dare they?" Li Jinglong sneered, "Although the officialdom is muddy, they can handle all major matters clearly;
More than a month ago, a drunken ronin caused trouble and severely injured someone. The victim's family filed a lawsuit with the government, and the ronin was immediately chopped into pieces."
Li Qing nodded: "Although the Celestial Empire is a country of etiquette, it also has people to treat. Foreigners who come here because of their reputation can be treated politely, but those who sincerely seek trouble must also be treated with courtesy. This is not a place for them to run wild."
"That's right," Li Jinglong smiled, "Would you like to go to a brothel?"
Li Qing glanced at him in surprise, "With your physique...can you still do it?"
"Your uncle...of course I can do it." Li Jinglong scolded, "Besides, I just drink and drink, and don't do anything else."
Dare to be affectionate is no longer enough... Li Qing suppressed a smile: "Forget it, I'm not interested."
Li Jinglong came closer and said, "Girls from overseas."
"..." Li Qing frowned slightly, "A woman from overseas comes to a brothel?"
"There are quite a few," Li Jinglong said. "Those small countries have all sharpened their heads to get into the big picture, so naturally there are people of all kinds."
"This is a problem..." Li Qing muttered, "Other aspects are fine, but brothels must be controlled, otherwise they may turn into human trafficking."
"It's not as serious as you said."
"It's not happening now, but it may not happen in the future." Li Qing shook his head and said: "With developed commerce, it is most likely to breed arrogance and extravagance, which is also the source of corruption. If there are not so many places for fun, corrupt officials will be reduced to a certain extent."
Li Jinglong teased: "You can't play anymore, and you won't let others play!"
"...Whatever you say."
The two strolled around the street and then went to the theater, cracking melon seeds and listening to the opera. Retirement life was so wonderful.
~
In the evening, Li Qing wrote a secret letter, detailing the situation in Jinling and the dangers of the brothel, and Jin Yiwei, who was still alive, took it back.
Economic prosperity will inevitably lead to the development of the entertainment industry, and entertainment in this era is often inseparable from women. If this is not controlled, I don’t know how many good girls will be dragged into the trap.
…
Retirement life is relaxed and pleasant. You don't have to go to court or worry about government affairs. You can eat, drink and have fun all day long. Although you are a little decadent, you are happy.
Li Qing recruited some servants and took the three girls around in a sedan all day long, even going to the West Lake on the way.
However, after all, the three girls were getting older, their energy was running low, and they no longer had the same enthusiasm for traveling.
Afraid of tiring them, Li Qing returned home early.
Two months later.
The feedback from the capital came back, and Zhu Zhanji issued an edict: No matter which country you come from, you must strictly abide by the laws of the Ming Dynasty. If you violate it, you will be severely punished;
If an official has someone who protects him, he is guilty of the same crime as a criminal and will be deprived of his official position and will never be employed by future generations!
At the same time, Zhu Zhanji also issued a strict order: Ming officials were not allowed to visit prostitutes, and violators would be dismissed from their posts;
The time limit is three months, if there are still brothels operating, they will be severely punished!
This article does not target Jinling alone, but the entire Ming Dynasty.
The first one was fine, but the second one was a bit intolerable to the officials.
Brothels have existed in all dynasties. Taizu and Taizong didn't cancel them, but you canceled them?
Li Qing was surprised by Zhu Zhanji's decisiveness. Although he was not in the court, he could still imagine how much pressure Zhu Zhanji was under to issue this edict.
Once the edict is issued, it has legal effect. Unless the imperial court cancels it, no one dares to openly defy it.
Li Qingxin said: It depends on whether Xiao Zhu can bear it.
~
Zhu Zhanji took it on. Not only did he take it, but he also carried out the anti-pornography campaign to the end and directly sent Dongchang and Jinyiwei to implement it.
For a time, all the girls in the brothel were kicked out and forced to be good.
The same thing happened all over the Ming Dynasty, which also violated the bottom line of officials.
Without him, the source of happiness is gone.
The officials felt uncomfortable, and naturally they would not make it easy for Zhu Zhanji.
The peaceful court became noisy again, such as: Closing brothels will reduce tax revenue and breed crime...
But Zhu Zhanji was determined to carry out the crackdown on pornography to the end, and no one could persuade him to do so. He took advantage of this opportunity and founded the Bureau of Ceremonies.
With the emergence of eunuchs with pens and eunuchs with palm prints, the power of civil servants has been greatly reduced, and they can no longer form effective lethality.
Zhu Zhanji was a good player in politics. Under his restructuring, the civil servants who gradually became stronger were lost, and they were lost from the root.
The power of the six ministries was partially divided by the cabinet, and due to the addition of eunuchs, it shrank again.
In the court battle, the emperor and the Six Ministries became the emperor, the eunuchs, and the Six Ministries, and the cabinet and the Six Ministries were not on the same page.
Zhu Zhanji strengthened the imperial power in a real sense.
When a boss goes from one working employee to three, the employees are bound to get involved among themselves.
In this case, the boss's words are particularly useful.
Zhu Zhanji did the opposite and strengthened the administrative power of officials at the local level, while weakening the executive power of officials at the court.
This move is very clever and very effective.
…
Li Qingren was not in the capital, but he could figure it out. Seeing that the closed brothel had not been reopened, he knew that the matter was settled.
The days of just eating and waiting for death passed quickly, and in a blink of an eye, it was almost the end of the year.
Li Qing, who had dominated the court for decades, was no longer interested in retiring and returning to his hometown. Officials from Nanzhili stopped coming after many times of courtesy but no return.
Seeing that no one was paying attention to him anymore, Li Qing told the three women to go out, and then they went to find the master one by one.
After so many years, it’s time to fulfill your filial piety.
After all... the master cannot live forever.
Li Qing rode his horse and galloped all the way to the small Taoist temple along the road he took to Beijing.
Little old man, don't refuse this time, let your disciples do something for you... Li Qing waved his whip and traveled under the stars.
This is not his last journey, but it is the last journey for many people. He wants to give these people, and at the same time, a perfect ending for himself.
Master, Wan Ling, Lian Xiang, Hongxiu, Li Jinglong, Zhu Yunzhen, these few people are the people he wants most now.
He wanted to accompany them and accompany them through the last part of their lives.
In less than ten days, Li Qing arrived at the foot of the mountain.
The green hills remain the same and have not faded with the arrival of winter.
Li Qing took a breath, which was cool and refreshing, mixed with the scent of vegetation.
Along the winding mountain road, Li Qing went all the way up and came to the Taoist temple he had been away from for a long time.
Under the eaves.
A little old man with hair as silk as snow and an old man over fifty years old were playing chess, and the atmosphere was harmonious.
"No, no, I took the wrong step, this step doesn't count." The little old man lied.
The old man didn't care and said with a smile: "Okay, okay, let's do it again."
They were so selfless that they didn't notice Li Qing.
For a long time, after the little old man kept playing tricks, he finally won.
At this time, the two discovered Li Qing.
Li Qing raised his robes and prostrated himself, saying loudly: "Unfilial disciple Li Qing, I have come to pick up my master and take care of him in his old age."