Chapter 743 Disadvantages
Shanxi Lane Xinghua Hutong.
"It's the third house on the left."
Wang Jin sat sideways on the shaft of the cart, holding onto the edge of the carriage with one hand, and stretched his neck to gesture forward.
If someone else was driving, he would probably just sit in the carriage calmly, but Zhang Cheng was the driver who specialized in serving the Second Master.
This leader's driver is naturally not comparable to ordinary servants.
Therefore, he had no choice but to endure the biting cold wind and sit on the shaft of the cart to show that he and Zhang Cheng shared the joys and sorrows.
However, Zhang Cheng did not appreciate it. No matter how Wang Jin tried to hint at it, he refused to reveal who would be the second steward.
However, after the carriage turned left, it soon arrived at the gate of a large mansion.
Ouch~
Zhang Cheng pulled the reins, looked at the pair of stone lions in front of the gate, and asked uncertainly: "Is this really the place?"
"That's right. I came here last time."
Wang Jin jumped off the carriage without waiting for it to stabilize, but his feet slipped and he nearly dropped his head under the wheels. He was so scared that he hurriedly got up, cursing "my mother and ancestors" all the time, but it was unclear who he was scolding.
Probably startled by the shouting and cursing, the heavy wooden door opened slightly and a doorman in green clothes and a small hat came out. He stood on the steps and looked at Zhang Cheng suspiciously.
"we are……"
Zhang Cheng was about to give his name when Wang Jin came around from the other side.
"It turns out that Master Jin is here!"
When the boy saw it was him, his face immediately changed. He trotted forward, bowed and smiled politely, saying, "My master has been thinking about you these days. It's a coincidence that you are here!"
When Wang Jin heard the word "master", he couldn't help curling his lips and asked, "Is Hong Jiu at home now?"
It turned out that this magnificent mansion was actually the new residence of the beggar chief Hong Jiu.
"Yes, yes, yes, my master is in the house right now - please come in!"
As the boy spoke, he leaned his shoulders and fawningly let the guest in. When he reached the door, he shouted at the top of his voice, "Hurry up and report to Master Jiu that Master Jin from Master Shaoqing's house has arrived!"
I don't know who answered from inside, and then I heard footsteps quickly fading away.
Wang Jin acted like a big shot, puffed out his chest and looked straight ahead.
Zhang Cheng swept the area thoroughly. Although this courtyard was not as good as the Sun Mansion, let alone the Rongguo Mansion which had been run by generations, it was still very tidy. The rockery and lake stones must have cost a lot of money.
Zhang Cheng frowned at that moment.
Wang Jin didn't know, but he knew what kind of life Hong Jiu had lived in the past. He had only been a beggar's headman for two years, but he had accumulated such a huge fortune!
But I only have a bunch of beggars under my command, how much money can I squeeze out of them?
Could it be that...
Thinking of his own shadowy figure and the details of the "heart-eating case" he heard, Zhang Cheng secretly became more alert.
However, the two of them followed the little boy to the living room and sat at the top of the table for a while before they heard hurried footsteps outside.
"What a sin! What a sin!"
Before anyone even entered the house, Hong Jiu apologized twice. After crossing the threshold, he bowed deeply and said repeatedly: "It's snowing heavily, I should go to see you, why do I have to trouble you...ah!"
When he was talking, he suddenly saw Zhang Cheng standing beside him, and his eyes widened: "Master Zhang? You...you are here too?!"
After being stunned for a moment, he quickly exclaimed exaggeratedly: "This is really a great honor for my humble home, a great honor for my humble home!"
Seeing that Wang Jin had no intention of getting up, Zhang Cheng naturally sat steadily at the head of the table, imitating his second master's usual behavior, and said calmly: "Captain Hong, your house can't be considered humble, can it?"
Unfortunately, he only learned the basics but forgot the principle of keeping things hidden, and his thoughts were immediately seen through by Hong Jiu.
Hong Jiu rolled his eyes, but didn't rush to say anything. Instead, he turned around and called out, "Come on, get two membership cards."
Hearing the word "membership card", Wang Jin and Zhang Cheng in the hall looked at each other in surprise, wondering how come this beggar's den has also learned the customs of a brothel?
Needless to say, this "membership card" system was also created by Prince Yoshitada.
Speaking of which, he "invented" a lot of new things in brothels back then, which caused quite a stir.
Unfortunately, success and failure are both due to the same person. Because these things first became popular in the entertainment industry, other industries were afraid that it would affect their reputation and did not dare to follow up in time.
Therefore, until today, the new underwear and the membership card are still exclusive to brothels in Beijing - as for places outside the capital, the taboo is not so severe.
Stop talking nonsense.
Not long after, servants from the Hong residence brought two copper cards with a circle of peonies embossed on them and a three-digit number in the middle.
Hong Jiu held it in his hands and presented it to Wang Jin with both hands, saying with a smile: "I don't have much to give you as a filial gift, so please accept these two membership cards. I think you are giving me face."
Wang Jin did not refuse at all. He took it in his hand and flicked his fingers, then asked in a familiar manner, "Is it a card-based discount, or is it a points-based system? Is it only the drinks, or does it also include the overnight fee..."
"Hong Jiu!"
Hearing his frivolous words, which really brought discredit to his own family, Zhang Cheng immediately frowned and asked, "Where did this thing come from? Are you connected with that brothel?"
Hearing the word "connected", Hong Jiu secretly said in his heart, "As expected", and then hurriedly smiled and said, "Master Zhang has misunderstood. This Mudan Building is my new business, but it has no connection with anyone else."
At this point, he sighed helplessly, "Master Zhang, you don't know that because of the flood in Hebei three years ago, there were suddenly many more girls living on the streets in Beijing. It was okay before, but now I see that many of them are already fourteen or fifteen years old. It's not good to let them continue to sleep on the streets, right?"
"They know how to love themselves. It's not a big deal for me to pay them to marry into a good family."
"But now that they have become beggars, how many of them can still respect themselves? To be honest, I don't know how many of them got pregnant without knowing why in the past year!"
"Let them get married, but you are always finding fault with them, complaining about their poverty and hardship. But think about it, if they are not poor, who would be willing to marry a beggar as a wife?"
"Recently, there are some lazy and foolish women who, just for a few mouthfuls of good food, openly beg for food, regardless of whether it is the local people or the beggars who come with them, and they accept all of them."
"I thought, it's not going to work if I continue like this, so I just gritted my teeth and opened a brothel and let them sell for a fair price! This way I can at least save some money for my head wrapping, and whether I become a good woman in the future or become lonely and helpless, I will at least have someone to rely on."
However, after Hong Jiu's analysis, Zhang Cheng's expression became much more relaxed. After he finished speaking, he slowly nodded and said, "If that's the case, you are kind-hearted."
But then he threatened in a serious tone: "But if you dare to do something behind my back and force women into prostitution, I will never let you off!"
"Look at what you said!"
Seeing his harsh words, Hong Jiu felt relieved and said exaggeratedly, "Even if I am blind, I know that Lord Sun established the beggars' militia system to prevent crimes. How dare I run into Lord Sun's blade?"
As he spoke, he went on to tell some stories of "guiding people to do good", occasionally interspersed with some strange anecdotes, and the atmosphere naturally became more harmonious.
Seeing that he had almost finished showing off, Hong Jiu changed the subject and asked cautiously, "Since you two have come together, I guess you have some instructions for me, right?"
Zhang Cheng and Wang Jin looked at each other. Wang Jin was quite unhappy, but he finally got up and went outside to guard on his own.
This was also specifically instructed by Sun Shaozong. Wang Jin was quite competent as a doorman, but he just couldn't control his mouth.
But after Wang Jin left, Zhang Cheng said solemnly: "Second Master has given you a high rank. I have an important task for you to do. If you do well, you may even be able to get a decent job."
When Hong Jiu heard this, his eyes suddenly brightened.
Although he is now happy and free, even freer than the average merchant, he is still a beggar after all. Whenever he interacts with others, he always feels inferior to them.
Therefore, he was a hundred times more enthusiastic about this proper "origin" than most people.
So he hurriedly asked what happened.
"There are two people involved in a case of great importance..."
It turned out that Zhang Cheng and Wang Jin came here just to assign the task of tracing Wang Erhu's network of relationships during his lifetime to Hong Jiu.
After all, Hong Jiu was a commoner, so naturally he was not transferred from other government offices .
Not only is he always smart, he has also helped local authorities track down pickpocket gangs, human trafficking groups, etc., so he can be considered to have some experience.
Moreover, Hong Jiu's subordinates are either beggars who walk the streets or scoundrels in the market. Even if they are noticed, it is not easy to link them to the government.
After Zhang Cheng told him the details of the case and Sun Shaozong's explanation, Hong Jiu immediately patted his chest and agreed to do it, and personally sent the two of them off.
Back in the mansion, Hong Jiu was excitedly preparing to select elite soldiers to go with him to investigate the case, but suddenly he saw a girl with bright eyes and a charming look appearing from the side, looking at him with hesitation as if she wanted to say something.
"What's wrong girl?"
Hong Jiu smiled and said, "Could it be that Erzi has provoked you again?"
The girl shook her head, and finally mustered up the courage to say, "Brother Jiu, can we not open the Peony Tower? People outside say that you are tired of being a beggar, and you want to be... want to be..."
"You want to be a tortoise, don't you?"
Hong Jiu sneered and patted Niu'er on the shoulder: "They have their mouths on their bodies, how can we control them? Do you think you won't farm just because you hear the crickets chirping?"
“But…but…”
"Don't worry about it."
Hong Jiu showed a trace of gloating on his face, and said proudly: "We can't control what they say, but some people can control what they do! We'll wait and see, who knows, in a few days, those bastards may even lose their heads, and then we'll see what they can use to spread rumors and cause trouble!"
…
Half an hour later, at the Dali Temple's left temple office.
"...Hong Jiu has also occupied a place on the dock. Any beggar who is willing to work hard to earn money can go there to do the work."
Having said this, Zhang Cheng frowned, as if he was still unsatisfied, but didn't know what to say next.
Sun Shaozong listened to him for a long time talking about how wealthy Hong Jiu's family was and the business that Hong Jiu was involved in. He didn't know what was bothering him in his mind.
He immediately smiled and said, "Since he has such a brain, our Great Zhou Dynasty has not prohibited beggars from doing business, right? Okay, you go downstairs and warm yourself up first - we will return home earlier later."
As he said this, he couldn't help but sigh: "I'm afraid there's still a lot of trouble to deal with at home."
After sending Zhang Cheng away, the smile on Sun Shaozong's face disappeared in an instant.
What Hong Jiu did could be considered an abuse of power, but under the current circumstances, it is not considered too outrageous.
But the most feared thing is "comparison". Hong Jiu was able to make full use of his status as a village chief and accumulated a huge fortune in two years. How could other village chiefs be willing to lag behind?
Those who are smart will follow the example of Hong Jiu and walk on the edge of the law; those who are stupid will take risks like Wang Baochang of Jixiangfang and do things that can cost them their lives.
When Sun Shaozong established the baojia system, he intended to first see the specific effects and then gradually improve it. Who would have thought that not long after, he was ordered to go to Huguang to quell a rebellion, and the gradual improvement was naturally shelved.
Looking at it today, the drawbacks of the baojia system have indeed become apparent.
The rights of the security chiefs may seem insignificant, but they are well aware that they bear many joint responsibilities - but for many beggars, even that small right is the last way out.
Therefore, over time, these beggar chiefs were able to control the power of life and death, and could naturally take whatever they wanted from the beggars under them.
Originally, they were counting on local officials to carry out supervision, but it is not difficult to see from the heart-gouging case that the local clerks have already colluded with the beggar headman.
It seems that we must find a way to introduce a third-party force for supervision, and also make the position of the chief of security fluid so that it cannot be controlled by a small group of people for a long time.
Logically speaking, Sun Shaozong should not be interfering in matters that are not within his authority.
But this matter was started by him after all...
Let's find an opportunity to talk about this with Jia Yucun.
By the way, ask that stupid stone guy too.
When he went to Jia She's house to appeal for justice, many people saw it. If he was really killed by Jia She for no apparent reason, it would inevitably cause some criticism.
However, after Sun Shaozong made up his mind, he handled some official business in the yamen. After Chen Jingde and Huang Bin sent people back to make routine reports as agreed before, he simply left the Dali Temple and drove home.
Also setting off together was Liu Xianglian - he had received the news at noon: Jia Baoyu was gathering people at the Sun family to organize a troupe for Jiang Yuhan.
As a well-known die-hard fan in the circle, how could Liu Xianglian miss such a grand event?
However, when they arrived under the stage in the west wing of the Sun family's house, the person humming was not Jiang Yuhan, but Sun Zhaolin, the younger brother of Jia Baoyu and the Crown Princess.
These two people...
How did it come together?
