It's been taken care of, don't make a mess here.

  In the main hall of a luxurious mansion in Luoyang City, a woman sat at the upper seat, while a man wearing plain clothes stood at the lower seat, with a sturdy build and a respectful demeanor.

  The woman's appearance was ordinary, her figure slightly plump, with a few freckles on her face, and a fierce glint in her eyes that ordinary women didn't have, it was the aura of someone who had been through many battles.

  "Second sister."

  "How's the person you're following doing?"

  "His subordinate had been following him and discovered a strange thing that had nothing to do with the smelting of alloys, but was related to his second sister."

  "What does it have to do with me? What's going on?" The woman frowned.

  "Followed secretly and found that the person had entered Er Ge's house, seemingly familiar with Zhang Shi, the tofu western scholar."

  "What!" The woman suddenly stood up, "Tell me in detail, don't leave out a single thing!"

  "Yes, the day before yesterday, after he came out of the grain depot in the mining village, I followed him all the way. After seeing him come out of the Zhang family's house, he rented a horse-drawn carriage and went to various casinos in Luoyang to find someone. He then caught an old swindler named Yan San and forced him to confess something. Afterwards, he left alone through the North City Gate, heading towards Mount Meng. I was afraid of being discovered, so I didn't dare follow him anymore and immediately returned to report back to you."

  The woman heard this and stared at a person not far away, who was tied up with five flowers, covered in filth, and gave off a foul odor. She covered her nose and frowned: "Is this the old swindler?"

  "Yes, his name is Yan San, a notorious swindler from Luoyang. He was bound and thrown into a pigsty by Zhen Mingshu. His subordinates think he knows some secrets about Zhen Mingshu, so they brought him here."

  "Bring him here after washing him clean."

  "Yes."

  ……

  After listening to Yan San's confession, the woman fell silent for a moment, her hand lightly waved, "Get rid of him, don't let your Song Er Ge know."

  "Yes."

  Yan San, who was on the ground, was soaked from head to toe by the cold water and shivered with fear. When he heard this, his face turned white with fright, and he urinated in his pants. Before he could even beg for mercy, someone slapped him on the forehead, causing blood to flow from all seven orifices. He let out a mournful cry. It was pitiful that as a notorious swindler who had spent most of his life designing scams that ruined countless families, he didn't even know whose hand he died by.

  The woman didn't even bother to glance at the corpse, and instructed her subordinate: "Have your people continue to follow him. This time, the refining of the alloy was a failure, and he got away with some secret formula. We clearly saw him refine an unprecedented alloy, but we don't know what he used to do it. It's clear that this man appears honest but is actually as cunning as a fox. Report everything about him back to me, big or small. Also, find out the whereabouts of that tofu-like woman.

  "Yes."

  "Take him away, don't dirty up my place."

  ……

  On the main street of Luoyang, the streets on both sides were crowded with people. A team of horses was slowly passing through the middle of the street. In the middle of the team, there were several prisoners who were tied up with ropes and supported by a wooden frame, with big red paper strips pasted on their bodies.

  "Selling women is against the law and those who do so will be paraded through the streets as a warning to others!"

  Several official-looking men behind him were beating gongs and drums, attracting more and more people to gather around, making a lively scene.

  "What have these people done?"

  "It's just some despicable human traffickers who were caught by the authorities."

  "You don't look like locals."

  It is said that they came from the other side of Jiangdu, and were discovered by the salt workers to have hidden dozens of young and beautiful women from Jiangnan on a boat transporting goods. These people were also caught by the salt workers and sent to the government office.

  "Isn't Yanbang's Luhe branch doing this kind of thing? Why are our own people fighting?"

  "Haven't you heard that one mountain can't hide two tigers? Luoyang is the territory of the Salt Gang, and they also dare to openly encroach on their boundaries here. How can the Salt Gang tolerate others sharing their own interests?"

  "It seems that the government can still do something practical for the people, and I hope it will have some effect, so that those human traffickers can be restrained."

  ……

  At the same time, in a side room of the Moon Laurel Pavilion in the Hong Xiang Bi Yuan, on the bed was placed a small wine table, with cups and dishes scattered all over it, and leftovers were everywhere.

  A man over fifty, thin and gaunt, wearing a green robe embroidered with animal patterns, sat upright on the bed, unmoved by the two women beside him who were trying to please and flatter him in every way.

  On the other side of the bed, Pei Qianhui was drunk, with two disheveled women in his arms, their hair messy and clothes disarrayed. His oily mouth was wildly kissing and biting them, his hands roaming all over their bodies.

  The room is filled with the sweet songs of swallows and the tender calls of orioles, one after another.

  "Magistrate Dai, thanks to your help in this matter, the Salt Guild's losses wouldn't have been limited to just a few ships' worth of goods. I won't waste words on pleasantries; I'll send someone to deliver this year's tribute money to your esteemed residence. The other box is a token of respect for Magistrate Sun, but he's too busy and important to see in person, so I'm afraid I must trouble you, Magistrate Dai, with delivering it for me."

  Dai Da-ren grasped the slender hand of the woman beside him, who had slipped it into his pants, took a deep breath, and maintained a serious expression as he said, "Your salt trading business has been much better this year than in previous years."

  "Thanks to the years of continuous war, all the men were recruited as soldiers, leaving behind many widows and orphans who cannot survive on their own. As a result, there are many cheap and good-looking goods that have appeared out of thin air, transported from east to west, and the price can skyrocket by tens of times..."

  "You should know that this matter can only be discussed in private, the law of the Sui dynasty still clearly prohibits it. Without rules and regulations, things will not go smoothly, some superficial work still needs to be done properly. You guys shouldn't overdo it either, if you really stir up public outrage and make a big deal out of this, I won't be able to protect you."

  "Hey, Li naturally understands and won't make it difficult for Officer Dai. This time, just let the human traffickers from Jiangdu that Officer Dai caught off with a warning, so they know this is Salt Gang's territory and don't cross the line. No need to go overboard, after all, we're in the same business, who knows when we might need them again. Just lock them up for a few days and then let them go."

  "I will naturally handle this matter with discretion." Duke Dai nodded, "If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave first, as I have a lot of official business to attend to."

  Pei Qian was surrounded by the beauties, laughing and saying: "Lord Dai, there are no outsiders here, don't be too formal. These beautiful women have been my friends for many years and usually do not serve other men. Today, Lord Dai has come, I especially asked them to take care of you. Please rest assured that nothing that happens here will be leaked out."

  He said, as he roughly tore open the clothes of a beautiful woman wrapped in his arms, revealing a full and plump chest as white as snow and as tender as jade. He bit down on the crimson tip, causing the woman to let out a series of soft cries, filling the room with an air of bewilderment.

  Dai Da-ren looked at Pei Qian's debauched appearance and let out a gulping sound in his throat. The women beside him covered their mouths and giggled: "Dai Da-ren, official duties are never-ending, you're busy with a million things every day, you should take care of your body more, why don't I help you massage and relax?"