Chapter 106: Crackdown on Illegal Begging

In the morning, Pei Shaoqing, as usual, mounted his Black General and took Ye Hanshuang to the Hundred-Household Office.

Moving at a leisurely pace, not in any hurry, he savored the marketplace atmosphere that was the same every day yet somehow different.

Soon, he furrowed his brows.

There seemed to be even more beggars on the street today.

After arriving at the Hundred-Household Office, Pei Shaoqing immediately summoned Sun Youliang, "Mingde, there have been more and more beggars in the city these past few days; it truly pains this official to see it."

"Is the Lord planning to distribute porridge?" Sun Youliang asked.

Pei Shaoqing shook his head and said nonchalantly, "Take some men and drive them out of the city for me."

Sun Youliang: "............"

"Only leave those who are young, elderly, or truly physically disabled," Pei Shaoqing added while the other was still stunned.

Sun Youliang felt conflicted.

His Lord had a bit of a conscience, but not much.

Pei Shaoqing said airily, "This official sees that they all have hands and feet, and they don't look sallow or emaciated. Furthermore, they were able to walk from other regions to beg in Tongzhou, so they clearly haven't been starving. They could have sought other ways to make a living, yet they only know how to beg all day—what kind of decorum is this?

You go handle this yourself; if any refuse to leave the city, then collect personal income tax from them for me."

"Lord, what do you mean by this personal income tax?" Sun Youliang asked with a blank expression.

Pei Shaoqing explained, "Exactly what it sounds like. Since they are begging in my Tongzhou City, they are enjoying the secure environment provided by this official, so every copper coin they earn in Tongzhou must be taxed by me; otherwise, they are nothing but parasites!"

Upon hearing this, Sun Youliang was completely numb. The Lord embezzles silver by the crate and is a pillar of the state, yet when beggars kneel all day for a few copper coins, they are parasites.

"Lord, setting up a private tax law is not in accordance with the rules," Sun Youliang, being a Cultivated Talent, was well-versed in the legal codes.

Pei Shaoqing said blandly, "I have connections."

"Yes, Lord!" Sun Youliang had no more questions.

Pei Shaoqing added, "This official is not a bad person either. For those beggars who don't want to pay taxes or can't afford to, arrest them all and throw them into the dungeon; when my residence expansion begins, send them there to do manual labor."

Sun Youliang couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth.

He really wasn't a bad person, but he wasn't human either.

He immediately took his leave and led his men to carry out the task.

Li Kui brushed past him to enter, lowered his head, and knelt in salute, "Subordinate Li Kui, pays respects to the Hundred-Household Lord."

"Rise, what is it?" Pei Shaoqing asked.

Li Kui stood up and said in a muffled voice, "The night before last, the rebels of the Xuan Sect contacted me. For the sake of safety, I delayed reporting it to you, Lord, until today."

"Mm, well done. A spy must maintain this kind of vigilance," Pei Shaoqing affirmed.

Li Kui continued, "The Xuan Sect rebels told me that if I have intelligence targeting them, I should go to the Junlai Inn and give a code to the waiter; that should be their stronghold."

He did not mention the small bag of gold.

In his view, that was a perk of being an undercover agent.

"This official will find an opportunity for you to pass them some useful intelligence to gain their trust; it would be best if you could join the Xuanhuang Sect," Pei Shaoqing said in a deep voice.

Li Kui knelt on one knee, "This subordinate understands!"

Pei Shaoqing stood up, walked to his side, placed a hand on his shoulder, and said, "This official knows you are a man who values loyalty and friendship, but Officer Li, you must understand one thing: the death of Zhao was not this official's fault, but his own and the Xuan Sect's. He could not hold to his duty, and it was the Xuan Sect that tempted or coerced him into walking down a path of no return.

You completing this mission is not just for your own future, but also to avenge Zhao."

"Yes, Lord!" Li Kui replied once more.

Pei Shaoqing patted his shoulder, "Go."

"This subordinate takes his leave." Li Kui stood up and departed.

Only after watching his back disappear from sight did Pei Shaoqing withdraw his gaze, turn around, and say to Ye Hanshuang, "Have Song Youcai send people to keep an eye on his family."

An undercover agent you send out isn't necessarily absolutely trustworthy forever; just look at those films and television shows—those who are turned are everywhere, so one must have means of control.

Li Kui is so loyal to his friends, he will care even more about his family, so as long as one can control his family at the first opportunity, one can hold him in check at the first opportunity.

Reality is not a video game where set values never change; everyone may make different choices at any time based on their own interests.

"Yes, Big Brother." Ye Hanshuang nodded.

On the other side, under Sun Youliang's direction, a group of Jing'an Guards began to clear out those begging illegally.

"Hey, how much money did you beg for today?"

A middle-aged Jing'an Guard walked to a street corner where three beggars were gathered and casually kicked one of them.

"Hehe, thanks to the Lord's blessing, I just opened for business today and already begged for eight copper coins; lunch is covered."

"Lord, I only begged for three copper coins."

"I begged for five copper coins. Lord, you have many kind people in Tongzhou, and many who are generous."

The three disheveled beggars stood up and replied.

"Alright then, pay the tax. Each of you only needs to pay three copper coins; if you don't pay, get out, you aren't allowed to beg in the city." The middle-aged Jing'an Guard held out his hand.

The three beggars were instantly stunned, looking at each other in dismay.

They had traveled far and wide.

This was the first time they had encountered an official who even extorted beggars.

"No... Lord, we are beggars."

One of them couldn't help but remind him.

"What are you babbling about! Do you think I can't tell you're a beggar? This is our Hundred-Household's order; if you don't pay and don't want to get lost, then go do manual labor building our Hundred-Household's residence." The middle-aged Jing'an Guard was arrogant and conceited.

The three beggars: (°ー°〃)！▼_▼！

One of them cupped his hands and said, "Lord, actually we aren't ordinary beggars, we are disciples of the Beggar Sect."

"Organized beggars, aren't they still just beggars?" the middle-aged Jing'an Guard replied impatiently.

The three were choked into silence.

However, as organized martial arts practitioners rather than full-time beggars, the three of them also had tempers. One of them said angrily, "This official, you are being a bit too overbearing. We are here with our Helmsman to attend the birthday celebration of Zhai Xing Laoren! We will naturally leave once the celebration ends."

"Even if Zhai Xing Laoren came here, he would have to kowtow to our Lord! Stop the bullshit; either pay up, get lost, or do hard labor," the middle-aged Jing'an Guard barked.

"Our Beggar Sect is the number one sect in the world!"

"Clang~" The middle-aged Jing'an Guard drew his saber.

The expressions of the three changed, and they decisively paid the money.

The middle-aged Jing'an Guard sheathed his saber, weighed the copper coins in his hand, and said, "This money must be paid every day."

"Why don't you collect from him?" one of the beggars pointed at an old beggar behind the middle-aged Jing'an Guard.

The middle-aged Jing'an Guard looked back, cupped his hands toward the direction of the Hundred-Household Office, and said, "My Lord is kind-hearted and peerless in benevolence; all young, old, or disabled beggars are exempt from the begging tax."

The three were so angry they laughed; this man surnamed Pei was truly a piece of work, acting like a whore while demanding a monument to her chastity.

"Smack!" The middle-aged Jing'an Guard raised his hand and slapped one of them across the face, "Insulting the Lord deserves a beating."

"Official! I didn't curse!"

"I think you did." The middle-aged Jing'an Guard let out a cold snort and turned to head to the next spot without looking back.

The beaten beggar stared fixedly at the back of the middle-aged Jing'an Guard, gnashing his teeth, "Unreasonable! Simply unreasonable! When have I ever suffered such a great humiliation?"

"Hey! Beggar! A reward for you." A pot-bellied young master from a wealthy family casually tossed a small ingot of silver.

"Many thanks, Young Master, may you live a long life." The beaten beggar instantly lunged to the ground to pick up the money, smiling and kowtowing repeatedly to offer thanks. After getting up and stowing the silver, his face turned cold again, "This Jing'an Guard is truly tyrannical!"

"Forget it, it's better to avoid extra trouble. Don't forget why the Helmsman brought us here; if we attract the attention of the Jing'an Guard, the plan will be ruined. Don't lose the big picture for a small matter," a fellow sect member advised.

Another fellow sect member also said, "That's right, a batch of little beggars was just sent yesterday to lure those children. The Helmsman said we'd stop after finishing today to avoid attracting the attention of the government. Don't cause extra complications."

The beaten beggar could only snort in indignation and swallow his anger. Suddenly, his eyes lit up as he stared ahead, "Look, how about that one?"

The other two followed his gaze.

It landed on a young girl running back and forth with a pinwheel in front of a cosmetics shop across the street. She was about four or five years old, with fair skin, and looked extremely cute.

"She's a beauty in the making. It would be a pity to break her limbs for begging; she would definitely fetch a good price if sold to a brothel," another beggar whispered.

The three looked at each other and exchanged glances.

Then, one of them took out a wrapped skewer of candied haws and smiled, waving at the girl from afar.

The other two looked left and right, keeping a vigilant watch.

The girl stared blankly at the three, then dropped the kite in her hand and stumbled over in a small trot.

As soon as she got close, the other two used their bodies as cover, and the one with the candied haws covered the girl's mouth, picked her up, and ran into the nearby alley.

The girl struggled continuously, making muffled sounds.

"Stop! What are you doing!"

Two Jing'an Guards who were also searching the street for beggars to collect taxes saw this scene and immediately let out a loud shout.

"Run!"

The three beggars dared not tangle with the Jing'an Guards.

The one holding the child grabbed the girl by her collar and threw her far away, then turned and sprinted into the alley.

One Jing'an Guard immediately stepped forward to catch the girl and said to his colleague, "Report to the Lord immediately."

"Right!" His companion turned and sprinted away.

"Ah! Er Ya!" The female owner of the cosmetics shop heard the noise and came out. Seeing her daughter in the arms of the Jing'an Guard, she disregarded her fear, instinctively rushed over, snatched her, and held her tightly in her arms.

The little girl wailed, "Mom! Wuu wuu~"

"Watch your child; she was almost snatched by child traffickers just now," the Jing'an Guard said coldly.

Upon hearing this, the female owner turned pale and kowtowed to him repeatedly, "Many thanks, Lord! Many thanks, Lord!"

The young Jing'an Guard ignored her, pressed his hand on his saber hilt, and strode away with a grim face without looking back.

Inside the office, the idle Pei Shaoqing was practicing calligraphy, slowly writing the four characters "calm and composed."

"Lord! Lord!" A Jing'an Guard hurried inside, knelt down, and said, "Reporting to the Lord, while patrolling just now, this subordinate discovered three beggars attempting to abduct a young girl. Recently, there have been more martial arts practitioners in the city; they are likely from the Beggar Sect. I have heard that the likes of the Beggar Sect love to engage in such evil deeds as child trafficking and human smuggling."

"How bold!" Pei Shaoqing's face darkened as he slammed his brush onto the paper, causing black ink to splatter everywhere. He said expressionlessly, "Pass on my order: immediately seal the city gates and arrest all beggars for individual interrogation and screening."

"Understood!" The subordinate immediately took the order and left.

Pei Shaoqing looked at Ye Hanshuang again, "Sister Shuang, go to the County Government and ask County Magistrate Wang to send government officers to assist."

"Yes!" Ye Hanshuang left with long, swift strides.

The County Government and the Hundred-Household Office were not far apart, and with her light-body technique, she went and returned quickly.

"Big Brother, Wang Xianling said that in the past two days, three families have reported missing children, and another family reported a missing wife. He has already dispatched all yamen runners to assist the Jing'an Guard in arresting the beggars in the city."

"Hmph!" Pei Shaoqing's expression was uncertain.

Daring to pull this kind of stunt on his turf—he would definitely make this group of beggars learn what it means for a head to fall freely!

(End of chapter)