Tianliangyuan

Chapter 354 targets more than just the Jiang family.

In reality, a gambling den can't just hang a sign on the door that says "Gambling Den"!

Culture flourished in Daxing, and in a place like the capital, it was natural that there were many literati and scholars.

Therefore, many of the names sound poetic, but once you go inside, you'll find that it's a gambling den.

For example, the gambling den run by the Jiang family was called Yaochi Qionglin.

There are several other gambling dens in the capital, such as Jubao Pen, Fengyun Pavilion, and Yabo Xuan.

Daxing is also a gambling-free area.

However, the ban wasn't that severe.

But the merchants also know they can't openly shout, "This is a gambling den, come and make a fortune here, guaranteed to win!"

Xu Zhaozhao only learned about this after arriving here. In her previous life, she occasionally saw gambling dens in movies and TV dramas, some of which had the words "gambling den" written on them so openly.

Therefore, Xu Zhaozhao thought it would be the same here.

It wasn't until she went out shopping a few times later that she wondered, "Where are the gambling dens?"

It was around that time that the people around her offered an explanation. Later, Xu Zhuzi even took her to visit several popular gambling dens in the capital, and she learned that gambling dens couldn't actually be called gambling dens.

For example, the Jade Pool and Jade Forest, which is run by the Jiang family, is not only a gambling place, but also has all sorts of other things to eat, drink, play and have fun.

For more refined games, there are pitch-pot and backgammon, but what really makes gambling dens profitable are the games where real money is wagered at the table.

Because gambling is strictly prohibited, no high-ranking official would openly tell anyone that they are the real owner of this gambling den.

Now that Zhao Changqing has brought it up in public, many people below have changed their expressions.

Emperor Yong'an was aware of some of the oddities involved, but he had no intention of cutting off all the officials' path to wealth.

After all, they had extra income, so they shouldn't be so greedy for the government's money.

"What do you think, my dear ministers?"

The officials below began to discuss amongst themselves, mainly the civil officials. As for the military generals, they were openly slacking off, which was a matter of governance strategy, but they didn't understand it, so they kept quiet and pretended to be blockheads.

But Emperor Yong'an had no intention of letting them go.

The civil officials all offered different opinions.

"Your Majesty, in my opinion, the laws of our Great Xing Dynasty still need improvement. When Emperor Taizu ascended the throne, in order to show his leniency and benevolence, he set the punishments for gambling a little too leniently. I suggest that the punishments be increased to deter gamblers!"

After the founding of the People's Republic of China, detailed legal provisions were indeed formulated to regulate gambling activities.

The Xinglu Shuyi clearly stipulates the punishment measures for gambling.

Depending on the amount of money involved in the gambling, the punishment ranges from caning to imprisonment.

Specifically, if the stolen goods obtained by gamblers are less than five bolts of silk, each person shall be punished with one hundred strokes of the cane; if they are five bolts of silk or more, they shall be punished as thieves and sentenced to one year of imprisonment.

If the winnings involve multiple people, the total amount shall be halved for criminal prosecution.

Those who lose at gambling shall be convicted as accomplices.

Anyone who operates a casino or provides gambling equipment shall be punished with one hundred strokes of the cane if he does not accept money or valuables; if he does accept money or valuables, he shall be punished as if he were theft.

But in fact, Daxing also has the concept of redemption from punishment.

In other words, for example, if I were to be flogged thirty times, but I paid thirty strings of cash, I could probably avoid being flogged.

Not to mention the sons of officials, the law basically doesn't apply to them.

For example, if you arrested a spoiled brat from a royal family and made him gamble, and the amount was huge, would you dare to punish him with caning?

Even if he doesn't atone for his crime, you wouldn't dare to really hit him.

If you dare to hit him, he might just kill you!

Therefore, the law is the law, but how it is enforced depends on the people who implement it.

On the surface, these legal provisions apply not only to ordinary people but also to officials and nobles, but when something really happens, there will naturally be various ways to override them.

This is also a major challenge in banning gambling.

Some people are now proposing to increase the punishment mechanism, but in reality, no matter how severe the punishment, it is impossible to truly harm those powerful and wealthy families.

Therefore, mentioning this point is pointless.

Fu Pei, quick-witted, recalled the letter that the Princess of Anle had sent to him a few days ago, and realized that he had underestimated the princess's abilities.

"What does Commandant Fang think?"

Fang Dazhuang was surprised that His Majesty would call his name, and immediately bowed: "Your Majesty, I am just a rough man and do not know these things. If you want me to kill and seize territory, I can do it, but I really don't know how to do anything else."

His words drew a burst of laughter.

Some were well-intentioned, while others were disdainful.

Fang Dazhuang didn't care about any of these things.

He's a rough guy, what's there to hide?

Whatever, that's just how he is!

Emperor Yong'an smiled helplessly, and then asked about Xu Han.

Xu Han already had a plan in mind, but he still deliberately hesitated and said, "Your Majesty, the point is not the gamblers, but the gambling den. Because there is a place where gamblers can gather, it gives them the opportunity. Gambling cannot be allowed to flourish, as it will corrupt the atmosphere of our entire capital and even the entire Daxing. I urge Your Majesty to make a wise decision!"

This is to the point.

If there are no gambling venues, then gambling can be largely eliminated.

But how exactly do you do it?

Emperor Yong'an was not some otherworldly immortal who was detached from worldly affairs. He naturally knew that the gambling dens of today were all just disguised operations, pretending to be something they weren't.

If there's any disturbance outside, the betting games inside will immediately change.

Therefore, conducting a thorough investigation is a difficult task.

Cutting them all off doesn't seem like a good idea either, as it would inevitably involve some innocent people.

"What other good strategies do you, my esteemed ministers, have?"

Fu Pei stepped forward and said, “Your Majesty, I believe that if we want to ban gambling, simply imposing harsh punishments is not enough. If it were just the poor, such measures would be sufficient, but in reality, there are still some sons of powerful officials and wealthy merchants who frequent gambling dens. Even if the court issues an order to ban the opening of gambling dens, they will still change their appearance and come up with new pretexts.”

Gu Dongyang nodded: "Lord Fu is right. Throughout history, gambling has been extremely difficult to prohibit."

Emperor Yong'an roared, "No matter how difficult it is, it must be banned!"

Fu Pei continued, “Your Majesty, it would be better to issue a direct order that anyone found gambling should be punished with forced labor or military service, with no possibility of redemption. Simply punishing them with caning or whipping may not teach them a lesson, and they might even secretly let them win. In addition, anyone found providing a venue for gambling should also be severely punished.”

Emperor Yong'an thought to himself, "This is a good idea!"

Punishing someone with forced labor is good!

Anyway, they have so many places in Daxing that need forced labor, this is a good idea!

“Excellent! As for the specific details, the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Justice will discuss them together, and then report them to the Duke of Yue.”

"Yes, Your Majesty."