Chapter Thirty-Six: The Legend of the Human Trafficker

  What made Yang Bo furious was that, in just half a day's time, counterfeit coupons had already appeared. From the paper, seal, font and other aspects, it was impossible to distinguish between true and false. The person who forged even knew how to push one digit of Arabic numerals. If he hadn't revealed his mistake on the English numbers and prizes, Yang Bo would have thought this was a coupon he had written incorrectly himself.

  "This guy is really a genius..." Thinking of this, Yang Bo nodded secretly.

  The wailing and howling in the next room had just subsided when another accountant rushed in, holding yet another winning lottery ticket! Yang Bo couldn't sit still any longer. He took the ticket and examined it carefully. This one read "First Prize: a fine horse with a certificate of authenticity, Number: 502". If his colleagues hadn't discovered that the prize didn't match, no one would have suspected that this ticket was fake. But what if they had mistakenly given this man the wrong prize?

  "My grass! They actually played a gangster case!" The patriotic businessman Yang Bo, who has always been honest and trustworthy, was furious: "This is simply putting one's hand into Mr. Yan's pocket to steal money!"

  Obviously, such a rapid appearance of high-quality counterfeits must have involved someone with expertise in printing and possibly an expert writer. If there was also someone who understood Arabic numerals participating, Yang Bo wouldn't be surprised at all.

  Even the normally calm Li Guanshi was somewhat flustered, he thought for a moment before instructing "First lock up that prize winner and take him to the back to be interrogated, Li Er, bring Master's name card to the yamen and have them send someone over to crack this case within a limited time..."

  This small case shocked the violent organs of the imperial court, and the consequences were obvious...

  Yang Bo had just drunk a few mouthfuls of tea when the entire gang was quickly rounded up, and what surprised Yang Bo was that there was only one guy tied up like a rice dumpling on the ground, with some seized tools scattered around.

  "Is he the only one?" Yang Bo asked in surprise, even forgetting to spit out the tea leaves in his mouth.

  "In response to Master Yang's words, it was he... A big man with a full beard and sideburns stepped forward and bowed his head slightly to Yang Bo. This was Lei Duo, the chief of the constables in the yamen."

  Yang Bo walked forward to take a closer look at the criminal. The man was about thirty years old, with a pale face and white hands. In this era, there was no talk of human rights. The guy was dragged in by the tiger-wolf gang and beaten until he was half dead, confessing to everything including peeking at a widow's bath several times last year. After being splashed with cold water, he couldn't take the torture anymore and signed his name on a pile of papers.

  "What a damn cheap skull......" Yang Bo sneered coldly, if it were him, he would have confessed everything as soon as he came in.

  "What will he sentence?" Yang Bo slowly walked up to the man with the sideburns, tugging on his collar and asked.

  "According to the Great Ming Code, lighter punishments include tattooing and exile, while heavier ones result in death." Lü Hu's mustache saw that it was Yang Bo, and immediately put on a smiling face. The speed at which he changed his expression left Yang Bo amazed. With such excellent cadres who love their work so much, how can the Great Ming not prosper? "As for how to sentence him, that depends on what Lord Li, the manager, thinks..."

  Yang Bo was silent, the Ming Code was quite harsh, mainly characterized by cruel suppression of any rebellious behavior that might harm the monarch's rule, with heavier punishments than the Tang Code; severe punishment for acts infringing on the property of the landlord class, the Ming Code did not ask about the number of thieves, circumstances, and consequences, those who got wealth were all sentenced to death, this person was unable to succeed, but being tattooed and exiled was the lightest punishment.

  "Li, I'm asking you for a favor"

  Yang Bo saw that there was no one around, so he first handed over a silver ingot and then spoke to Li the manager.

  "Huh?"

  Li Guanshi's back suddenly became tall and majestic, and this drawn-out nasal tone was very much like that of a stern elder: "Yang young master, what is the meaning of this?"

  "Ah, I see...” Yang Bo cupped his hands towards the air: “We are all working for Lord Yan, you know that manpower is scarce here. This person seems to have some skills, why not let him serve as a scribe and copyist, it's better than branding and exile, isn't it?"

  Li Guan Shi silently weighed the silver and didn't say a word, with his hands behind his back he pondered in silence within the room.

  "I'm so angry..."

  Yang Bo cursed in his heart: "Fucking pretending? Be careful when you go out, I'll split your turtle son"

  Of course, he completely forgot his pretentious appearance in front of Zhou Qifeng's family.

  Li Guanshi shook his head after thinking for a while.

  Yang Bo's heart sank, his eyes rolled around restlessly, he was searching everywhere for a brick...

  Perhaps it was the fierce aura on Yang Bo's face that intimidated Li Guan Shi, who retracted his provocative expression.

  "Yang Gongzi, this person has committed numerous crimes and has a record of misdeeds. If we let him off like this, how can we put the superior's mind at ease? Moreover, Yang Gongzi still wants to use him here? Hmm? Why not do it this way: sell him into slavery, Yang Gongzi can spend money to buy him out, and that would be settled?"

  Yang Bo was taken aback for a moment, he looked at the big zongzi and gritted his teeth: "That's fine, I think this person is thin and bony, so I'll give him a discounted price?"

  Li's intention was clear, wasn't Yang Bo going to plead for him? If you buy him out, in case something happens, it will be the two of them who are tied together. Seeing Yang Bo's decisiveness, Li nodded his head and praised: "Yang Gongzi is indeed a man of great justice, alright then, let's handle it this way...".

  After a while, the big dumpling lying on the ground even forgot to pretend to be dead. He lay there drooling as he watched these people haggle and bargain in front of him, but what they were selling was themselves?

  "Seven hundred yen!"

  Yang Bo spat flying "You see this killer, how many pounds of meat is on his body? Just had a meal of sticks and wanted to buy him back, he would have died, how unlucky! Seven hundred coins, not one more!"

  "One thousand!"

  The man's teeth were not weak, and his saliva was more: "This person is also a student of the Imperial Academy, a scholar! Young Master Yang, this is a literary star descending to the world... A literary star sells for 700 coins? Do you dare buy it?"

  "Xiucai's fart, Wenquxing's hammer!"

  Yang Bo was furious, pointing at the man's forehead and scolding: "Wasn't he already stripped of his official title for his improper behavior? Now he's just a nobody, what's there to be afraid of? Don't make too much of it outside, 500 words is just a pile of nonsense... Or does his butt look whiter?"

  "What a shame to the literary world! The literary world is being swept away!" Zongzi's tear-stained face almost fainted, and in his daze, it seemed like someone grabbed his finger and pressed it forcefully. Zongzi's heart chilled, and this time he really passed out...

  After a while, Yang Bo spat out countless mouthfuls of water and lay back in his chair with satisfaction. He took a sip of tea and the person standing beside him, trying to curry favor, said: "Young Master Yang is truly eloquent, if Young Master Yang were in our line of work, I'm afraid even leftover rice would be hard to come by..."

  "Shut up!"

  On the other side, Li Guan Shi scolded loudly: "What kind of person is Young Master Yang? How dare you say that, go be a matchmaker?"

  Yang Bo smiled and didn't take it to heart, feeling that he had more and more potential to be a human trafficker. Seeing the sincere and terrified look on the toothpick's face, he touched a few coins and waved his hand for him to retreat.

  Just then, a servant whispered in Li's ear: "Magistrate Yan has arrived..."