Sky Curtain: My Great Qin must have an aircraft carrier!

[Having covered the basic begging type, the next category is scams.]

This is the type of building we see most of in the city today.

These beggars know they don't have the skills to make a living with technical skills, so they can only rely on scripts.

This can be simply summarized into three types: feigning illness, searching for relatives and returning home, and buying and selling goods.

Just by looking at the name, you should be able to guess what it is, right?

"Goodness, the beggars of later generations haven't improved much either; they've just done what we already did."

Under the sky, the peddler curled his lip, clearly showing some disdain.

He had originally thought that after so many years, future generations would come up with some new and interesting ideas.

In the end, it was the same old tricks, over and over again.

A man immediately came over and said, "Tell us quickly, so that if we encounter them in the city in the future, we can tell whether they are scammers or not."

As soon as he finished speaking, a crowd gathered around, all eager to hear the story.

"Ahem!"

The peddler cleared his throat and put on airs.

Sure enough, someone understood and took out a gourd from their pocket and handed it over: "This is sorghum liquor I bought last month, come and moisten your throat."

The peddler didn't stand on ceremony. He took the gourd, uncorked it, tilted his head back, and took a big gulp.

The spicy liquor rolled down my throat, burning my chest with heat.

He choked on the strong liquor and frowned, but his comfortable expression clearly showed that he was enjoying it.

Wiping the water stains from his mouth with his sleeve, the peddler sat cross-legged on his carrying pole and began to talk.

"Let's start with this one: faking illness and pretending to be a prime minister are the most common things to do in the city."

"If you go into the city and wander around a couple of times, you're guaranteed to see someone lying on the side of the street, wrapped in a straw mat, with their family member squatting next to them, crying."

"Let me tell you, those two are perfectly fine, they were just faking it!"

"If you don't believe me, just squat down next to them and watch from morning till night. You'll most likely see the two of them change shifts."

"Oh~"

The people were in an uproar, feeling that the tricks in the city were truly deep.

They can even use illness as a way to scam money?

But thinking about it, it's actually quite easy to see through. If you really have an illness that needs treatment, you should go see a traditional Chinese medicine doctor.

People cry on the street every day; how can they cry themselves to death?

As the crowd was discussing it, a burly man shouted angrily, "I know the second one. I got caught because of this last year."

"That day I met a scholar on the road. He was wearing a faded long gown and spoke in a very refined manner."

He said he had run out of money to travel to the capital for the imperial examination and wanted to borrow some from me, promising to repay me double if he succeeded in the examination.

As the burly man recounted this, he felt an urge to slap himself: "I was completely out of my mind back then, and I borrowed all the silver I had on me."

"The more I thought about it after I got home, the more something seemed off. Why would a scholar like him borrow money from us farmers? If he were going to borrow, he should have gone to the county magistrate!"

"Ha ha ha ha!"

Upon hearing this, everyone burst into laughter.

"Ergou, you're so slow-witted! Scholars traveling to take the imperial examinations have food and lodging provided by post stations along the way; they would never borrow money from ordinary people!"

Er Gou was embarrassed by everyone's laughter, but he stubbornly retorted, "That person has beautiful handwriting, and we actually managed to understand a few characters. How could we possibly have realized it at the time!"

"If we run into him again, we'll drag him to the county magistrate's office!"

The crowd burst into laughter again, making Er Gou slink back into the crowd.

The peddler laughed for a while, then waved his hand to signal everyone to be quiet.

"Alright, alright, let's move on to the third item: buying and selling goods."

"This trick is usually used by fake monks. They'll stop you and say that you have a dark aura and that you're about to suffer a bloody disaster. You have to buy a blessing from me for peace and safety."

Upon hearing this, several elderly men and women changed their expressions.

The old man, leaning on his cane, spoke shakily, "What if there really is bloodshed? Paying money for peace is better than losing your life, isn't it?"

These words resonated with many people.

After all, who isn't afraid of ghosts and gods these days?

I would rather trust it to have it than to trust it to have nothing.

The peddler curled his lip and sneered.

"Old man, those real monks only ask for food, not money."

"I'll teach you a way to tell. Whenever a monk tells you that you're in for a bloody disaster, lie down on the ground and say, 'Master, I'm not feeling well. Please have mercy and save my life.'"

"If you're going to stand by and watch someone die, then you might as well not chant any more Buddhist prayers."

The crowd was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter.

"That's so mean! Bro, that's such a dirty trick!"

"I'll do the same next time, and see how those fake monks get out of this mess!"

The whole market was filled with a cheerful atmosphere.

Amidst the cheers and laughter of the crowd, the voice from the sky rang out once more.

Having discussed the scammers, let's talk about disabled beggars.

We've heard of things like "harvesting and breaking off" before, which falls into this category.

In ancient times and even in the old society, many disabled beggars were not born disabled or disabled due to accidents, but were deliberately harmed to become disabled so that they could beg for money.

The targets are not only adults, but also many children, because it is easier to gain their sympathy.

Harvesting and mutilating people is a series of crimes that harm people and force them to beg.

During the Ming and Qing dynasties, criminals who committed acts of forced mutilation and torture were punished with the most severe form of execution: slow slicing.

Accompanied by the sound of the celestial curtain, several illustrations from ancient books were displayed.

Children with missing limbs were huddled against the wall, and blind toddlers were tied to pillars with ropes.

The once bustling market fell into a deathly silence.

Immediately following was an angry roar that pierced the sky.

"Beasts! These damned beasts!"

The women hugged their children tightly, tears streaming down their faces.

"You'd do this to your child just for a few dirty bucks?"

"This is no longer human; it's a demon in human skin!"

"These scum should be torn to pieces! They should be executed by slow slicing!"

The people were outraged, and curses rose and fell.

Their previous disgust for beggars had now turned into anger and chill.

The peddler took a sip of wine and said calmly, "If you see a disabled beggar like this in the future, especially one with a child, just report it to the authorities."

"Giving them money is not helping them, it's harming them."

Upon seeing this, Ying Zheng's eyes were filled with nothing but cold killing intent.

He remained unmoved by either the mountains of corpses and seas of blood on the battlefield or the harsh punishments imposed by the law.

But what happened on the sky was completely beyond our comprehension.

For just a few coins, they would do such a cruel and inhumane thing?

"Such behavior is utterly deserving of death!"

Ying Zheng placed his hand on the table, his five fingers slowly clenching. "Issue my decree: all those who harvest human flesh and mutilate people, regardless of whether they are ringleaders or accomplices, shall be executed by being cut in half at the waist and their bodies displayed in the marketplace."

"His family members, neighbors who knew about it but did not report it, and the villages and communities that harbored him were all implicated and their entire families were convicted and imprisoned."

Not a single official from the entire court, not even the most dissenting officials from the six kingdoms, stepped forward to refute him.

Everyone bowed their heads and shouted in unison, "Your Majesty is wise!"

Everyone understands that showing mercy to such a demon is the greatest cruelty to the people of the world.

Liu Bang, from the Han Dynasty era, smashed a wine cup onto the floor tiles.

boom!

The wine glass shattered into several pieces.

Liu Bang stood on the table, his face flushed with anger.

"Killing someone is just a matter of beheading them, but to torture a child like this, these sons of bitches are worse than animals!"

Liu Bang paced back and forth in the hall, cursing and swearing, spewing out all sorts of vulgarities.

Behind the curtain in the rear hall, Lü Zhi's figure also stood up.

As a mother, she felt utterly disgusted by this violence against young children.

"Issue my imperial decree! Thoroughly investigate all beggars in the city! Anyone found trafficking children or mutilating their limbs, without trial, shall be torn apart by chariots in the marketplace!"

Xiao He paused, his pen still, and turned his gaze to Liu Bang.

Liu Bang snorted a few times, unusually not showing any anger towards Lü Zhi's overstepping of her authority.

"Don't look down on me, just do as I say."

"Add another clause: anyone who reports child trafficking will be rewarded with 1,000 yuan if the report is verified."

"I obey your decree."

Xiao He nodded and wrote this down on the bamboo slip as well.

Li Shimin had already closed his eyes, unable to bear watching the tragic scene in the sky any longer.

Those children are only a few years old, yet they are destined for such a painful situation because of the evil intentions of adults.

Although Tianmu says that professional beggars only existed after the Song Dynasty, who can guarantee that these things didn't exist in the Tang Dynasty?

"His Majesty……"

Empress Zhangsun walked to Li Shimin's side and gently took his hand.

Li Shimin opened his eyes, let out a soft breath, and ordered the governors of all regions to thoroughly investigate within their jurisdictions whether there were any cases of trafficking in young children or mutilating people for begging and profit!

"The ringleader shall be executed immediately, and the accomplices shall be exiled three thousand li away and never pardoned."

Fang Xuanling took notes, and just as he finished writing, Li Shimin added a sentence.

"To write the practice of harvesting and mutilating animals into the law is to define it as an unpardonable crime."

"Local officials must accept reports from the public and must not shirk or evade responsibility. If they are aware of such reports but fail to investigate, they will be demoted three ranks."

Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui, and others quickly memorized these regulations and then distributed them to the guards.

Wei Zheng glanced at it twice, then instructed the guards to hurry.

There's no need to offer advice in this situation; any normal person would make a similar decision.

The Kaibao Palace of the Great Song Dynasty.

Zhao Kuangyin kicked the table in front of him away, his eyes bloodshot and bulging.

He was no stranger to these methods; they had been used long ago during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period.

Zhao Kuangyin never expected that even though he was trying his best to cleanse the previous dynasty of its corruption, these evil spirits would still dare to make a comeback!

"You like harvesting and breaking raw animals, right?"

Zhao Kuang gritted his teeth in anger, then laughed in fury, "Remember! Whenever we capture the ringleader, break both his legs first, then tie him up at the city gate and expose him to the scorching sun for three days and three nights."

"He will be beheaded and his head displayed to the public in three days; there's no need to wait until autumn."

Zhao Pu paused on the phrase "No need to wait until autumn" before finally writing it down as it was.

The laws of the Song Dynasty stipulated that executions should be carried out in the autumn, a system passed down through generations.

But Zhao Kuangyin changed the rules himself, and Zhao Pu didn't have the guts to object, nor the inclination to object.

To deal with these villains, the most violent means should be used as a warning to others!