The Ming Dynasty took an unconventional approach

Chapter 398 Collective Redemption
The Jinyiwei passed through the street as arrogantly as a gust of wind.

Pan Yun stood at the window and watched them leave.

Wang Cong walked up to her and followed her for a while until the Jinyiwei disappeared. Then he spoke, "That guy named Liu Jing seems to be very powerful."

Pan Yun nodded, "I recalled the last time we met several times. He might know me."

Wang Cong looked at her in surprise.

Pan Yun just nodded, turned around and said, "Get ready, we'll leave tomorrow too."

Wang Cong thought carefully and realized that Liu Jing had also left, so they would not meet in the short term.

He let out a breath and put the matter aside for the time being.

As soon as the Jinyiwei left, the security at the city gates relaxed and they no longer checked the household registration and travel permits of travelers entering and leaving.

The owner and madam of Wanchunlou didn't expect that after they gave so many benefits to the Jinyiwei and entertained them for two or three days for nothing, they just patted their butts and left. They were almost angry to death.

The prefect snorted in the direction of the city gate and said to the county magistrate, "Finally, they have been sent away. You should personally go out to appease them. Because of the Jinyiwei these days, fewer people go out."

"In the first month of the year, if the people don't go to the streets, how can the merchants have business? Without business, how can a city prosper?" The prefect said, "You have to appease the people."

The magistrate quickly agreed and asked in a low voice: "Sir, how do we solve the problem of Wanchun Tower?"

The prefect looked at him with a half-smile and asked, "What do you think?"

The magistrate lowered his eyes and said, "There are many different opinions. Some say that the robbers pretended to be ghosts to steal, but more people are sure that they saw ghosts. If it is a ghost story, it is not under the jurisdiction of the government. We can ask the people from the Daolusi to take a look."

"Besides, Wanchunlou colluded with human traffickers to buy and sell people. This matter must be investigated."

The prefect nodded in satisfaction, "That's right. No matter who it is, as long as they have committed a crime, the government will not let them off. We must treat everyone equally."

"The Imperial Guards have already left, and they won't come back for a small Wanchun Tower."

The magistrate understood that the prefect was also very dissatisfied with the activities of Wanchun Tower, and this time when something happened at Wanchun Tower, they went directly to the Jinyiwei, bypassing the prefect.

Asking foreign monks to chant sutras always makes the local monks unhappy.

Pan Yun and his team left Jinan City the next day. Those who left the city earlier than them were the people from the escort agency.

They were well-informed and left the city yesterday, almost at the same time as the Jinyiwei.

During the days when the Jinyiwei were checking the city, many merchants and travelers were blocked in the city.

As soon as the Jinyiwei left, the strict inspection at the city gate was lifted, and they immediately swarmed out of the city.

The escort agency stuffed the girls into those convoys and sneaked out.

When Pan Yun and his companions left the city the next day, order had been restored at the city gate.

They temporarily bought another cart and used a mule to pull it. Because there was an injured person, Hu Jing, in the team, the speed was not fast.

The escort agency was not moving very fast, and they had a girl to send home, so they turned a corner and stopped for a while.

When Pan Yun met them again, they were not far ahead.

However, after looking at each other, the two sides tacitly looked away, pretending not to know each other.

The two teams entered Beijing almost one after the other.

And just when they entered Beijing, Wanchunlou, which had been holding out for several days, was put up for sale.

All the money in Wanchunlou's warehouse and the madam's room were looted. Although this was painful, it did not hurt seriously. After all, the girls were still there. The boss could make the money back if he gritted his teeth and held on for a while.

Besides, spring is here, when all things come back to life and people are full of passion, it is a good time to make money.

But... Wanchun Tower is haunted.

The rumors about Wanchunlou being haunted became more and more intense, and although it attracted some people who liked a different kind of excitement, more people stayed away from it.

They are looking for beautiful women to flirt with, not female ghosts.

So, there are no more guests in Wanchunlou.

Without customers, there is no hope of making a profit.

Ziyu, the courtesan of Wanchun Tower, took the lead and went to the madam to redeem herself. "Now all the girls in our building are related to female ghosts. If there are no customers, we will be recognized if we go to other places. We sisters can't survive, so we want to use our savings to redeem ourselves."

The price offered by the madam was too high, and she took the lead in bargaining, saying, "Mom, we have been working under you for so many years. Even if we have not made any contributions, we have worked hard. You know how much money the sisters have. After paying the redemption money, we are basically penniless. Please have pity on us and help us and the boss to lower the price. At least give us something to eat."

The madam said, "You can't carry anything on your shoulders or lift anything with your hands. How are you going to make a living if you leave the brothel? You might as well lower your status and take on more customers. Even if the price is a little lower, it's still a way to make a living."

"Mom is forcing us to die," the girls said, wiping their tears. "If you throw us out to serve customers, we'll be dead in less than two years. It's better to try to redeem ourselves and make clothes and wash clothes for others to live. If we're lucky, we can marry into an ordinary family. Even if we're poor, at least we'll be alive."

The madam was one of them. Although she was cruel and ruthless, she still had feelings for these girls who had worked with her for many years. Seeing them crying, she sighed and said, "Okay, I'll go talk to the boss and see if I can lower your prices."

Ziyu immediately said, "Mom, I'll go with you."

The madam took Ziyu with her. Two days later, she came back with the newly agreed redemption price. Ziyu looked a little pale and cold, but in a good mood.

As soon as she came back, the sisters gathered around her and helped her upstairs.

Zi Yu said, "The boss has agreed. The redemption price for each girl will be reduced by 30%. Everyone, prepare to pay the redemption money."

The madam also smiled and said, "This is the boss's grace. The girls should not forget their gratitude after they leave. After two years, when the storm has passed and Wanchunlou is reopened, if the sisters still want to come back, the door of Wanchunlou will always be open to you."

The girls cheered softly and turned to get the money.

The two girls helped Ziyu back to the house. As soon as they entered the door, one of them spat outside, "She is a good person. The missing 30% is due to her sister, not her."

Another one supported Ziyu distressedly and whispered: "Sisters have money, why do you have to suffer this for this 30% of silver?"

Zi Yu leaned on the bed and said, "Look at the price they offered. Except for me, Zi Lang, and Zi Lan, who wouldn't have to empty their savings to pay for it?"

"It can be seen that they count the sisters' money very carefully. Some sisters are greedy and playful on weekdays, and their savings are not enough," Ziyu said, "If everyone redeems themselves under such circumstances, won't they be suspicious?"

Zi Yu lowered her voice and said, "So I must go on this trip, so that the sisters can redeem themselves smoothly and also eliminate their vigilance."

She said nonchalantly, "It's just accompanying a few men. They are no different from the ones before. If I can make everyone happy by taking this trip, I won't lose anything."

The two held Ziyu's hands tightly, their eyes slightly red, "Sister..."

Ziyu threw two handkerchiefs to them carelessly, "Hurry up and wipe your tears. I didn't cry, why are you crying?"

She lowered her voice and said, "You should remind the sisters to keep their money, jewelry, and clothes safe. Especially the money... that is the sisters' support for the rest of their lives."

The two of them responded in a low voice.

All the girls in Wanchun Tower redeemed themselves and left.

The reason they made this determination was that when they woke up one morning, they found a purse next to their pillow. When they opened it, it was full of gold, silver and banknotes.

The extra money gave them the confidence to redeem themselves.

This money is not only enough for them to redeem themselves, but also enough for them to live for a few years after redemption, so that they can slowly find a new way to survive.

If they add the money they save themselves and are a little frugal, they can live to old age.

The sisters who received the money bags put them away quietly and didn't dare let anyone know, but when they paid attention to their surroundings, they found that the sisters seemed to be a little different.

I accidentally tried to find out the truth, and then everyone leaked it out, and it turned out that everyone received a bag of money.

Even the courtesan Zi Yu, who was not short of money, received a purse.

So everyone decided to form an alliance and redeem themselves together.

Of course, at this time Pan Yun didn't know that the haunting incident had such a great impact on the girls in Wanchunlou and directly changed their fate.

So much so that when she was standing in front of the city gate of the capital and heard the spiritual realm remind her that she had received a large amount of merit, she was still a little confused.

Pan Jun concentrated his mind on the list shown on the jade piece and was a little confused for a moment.

[Chen Erya, Wei Sanniang? How come I have no impression of these unique names? ]

[Why did so many people give me such a large amount of merit at the same time? ]

Pan Xiaohei felt where the merit points came from, "It seems to be from Jinan. That's not right. The thirteen girls you rescued were not called these names. Apart from them, have you done any other good deeds in Jinan?"

Pan Yun immediately thought of the girls in Wanchun Tower.

I glanced at those names, [Oh, it seems they changed their names back. ]

Pan Xiaohei was not stupid either, he also thought of them immediately, curled his lips and said rudely: [I didn't expect that robbing the rich to help the poor can really gain merits. It's strange that you stole so much money this time, but God didn't punish you with merits.]

Pan Yun: [Maybe it’s because God also thinks that opening a brothel to make money is a loss of merit, so no matter who it is, stealing their money will not lose merit.]

"Master Junior, how long are we going to stand here?" Wang Cong saw her turning her head to look at him expressionlessly, and immediately said flatteringly, "No hurry, can you reminisce for a while longer?"

"What's there to remember? I have no feelings for this city gate at all."

She was abducted out of the city by Tao Ji and Xuan Miao. The capital city was like a beast with a wide-open mouth ready to eat people. She left without any reluctance.

Pan Yun turned around and got into the car, waving his hand and saying, "Let's go into the city!"

Miao Zhenmiao and the other three finally retracted their admiring gazes, climbed onto the car with their junior master, and exclaimed: "The gate of the capital city is so high and so big!"

"It's taller and bigger than any city we've ever seen."

After entering the city, the two of them exclaimed again, "There are so many people in the capital."

Tao Yanbai also watched intently.

(End of this chapter)