After being demoted, my 300,000-strong army trampled the imperial city!

After dealing with such sordid matters as the underground industry, Chen Futu lost all interest in shopping. He simply sat down at a tea stall with Li Xiuning and then instructed Luo Wushuang and Ge Fei to lead a search party among the beggars in the city to see if anyone could read and write down the inside story.

As for this illicit industry, Chen Futu was very curious about who was behind it and how they could be so audacious.

"My husband, don't be too angry. Just catch the officials who are harming the people and kill them."

Li Xiuning didn't know how to comfort him. In fact, she had seen Chen Futu and the other virtuous ministers working hard for the development of the northern frontier these days. Even so, it was inevitable that there would be corrupt officials, which was really annoying.

"Brother Qin."

Su Yun and the others came forward to greet him, and Chen Futu forced a smile, "Why didn't you stay in Baiyujing?"

"Of course I came out to see what the fuss was about."

Zhang Fan seemed very pleased, and repeated his earlier remarks with great enthusiasm, "I thought the Northern Frontier was some kind of benevolent land, but it seems it's no different from the Great Qian Dynasty."

Brother Zhang, please be careful with your words.

Xu Guangshou reminded him, and Zhang Fan then remembered Chen Futu's identity. He awkwardly corrected himself and explained, "Young Master Qin, I misspoke. I was just speaking up for those beggars."

The rich feast while the poor freeze to death on the streets; it's somewhat laughable that someone like him would speak out for the poor.

Several young masters from prominent families secretly shook their heads.

"Husband, are they your friends?" Li Xiuning looked at Su Yun, who was wearing a white veil and a round hat. Even though the veil was obscured, she could tell that the woman was very beautiful.

Her single word, "husband," left the talented men and beautiful women speechless.

So, Young Master Qin is already married.

Chen Futu patiently gave a brief introduction, only mentioning that his wife's surname was Li.

Su Yun sat down next to Li Xiuning as if they were old friends, calling her "sister" repeatedly. Zhang Fan had no choice but to stop clinging to her like a leech.

After waiting for a few minutes, Ge Fei hurriedly returned, holding a piece of Xuan paper with crooked handwriting on it.

“Young master, there is a beggar who can read and write, and he has written down his experiences.”

Chen Futu took the paper, and Li Xiuning and the others gathered around to read it together.

The content was similar to what the people who received the bounty had said. They were originally from the Great Qian Dynasty. During the war, nine out of ten houses were empty. Those who were lucky enough to survive either made their way to the capital, sought refuge with princes or rebel kings, or were captured by bandits and sold to the northern frontier. Those who were not good-looking or strong were left behind. As time went on, their employers, disgusted by their freeloading, cut off their tongues, severed their Achilles tendons, and left them to fend for themselves on the streets. Even if they encountered a generous person, the money they begged would be taken away...

Looking at the contents of the Xuan paper, the young talents were both angry and annoyed.

Chen Futu coldly asked Ge Fei, "Are there many beggars?"

"There should be quite a few. Because of the literary gathering, the Dragon City garrison took the beggars away and hid them. Sister Luo is still looking for them, but she should be able to find them soon."

"Then just wait."

Chen Futu threw the paper on the table, closed his eyes, and remained silent.

The crowd looked at each other, completely bewildered.

Isn't arresting and questioning a matter for the government and the supervisory department? Why is Young Master Qin interfering? Even if he has a noble status, it's still illegal.

They just didn't dare to ask, so they waited along with everyone else, hoping to see the outcome.

About half an hour later, Luo Wushuang returned. "Young master, I found a few inns, but they are full of beggars. I estimate there are about two or three hundred of them."

"How many?"

Chen Futu suddenly opened his eyes, a cold glint in them.

The group was startled by his expression.

Luo Wushuang said in a deep voice, "It should be no less than three hundred people."

The teahouse fell silent. Even if three or four out of ten people abandoned them, the number of people sold to Longcheng would reach thousands. And this was only Longcheng. How many more would there be in other major towns in the northern frontier?

"Very well, none of you want to live anymore! Tell Li Yuanfang to give me an explanation within one hour!"

"Here."

Upon receiving the order, Luo Wushuang spurred her horse toward the Surveillance Department.

In fact, Chen Futu was not angry because of the existence of this black industry. He had been to Xizhao, where there was a slave market, but even if there was a slave market, the number of people sold was only a few dozen or a hundred, while in Longcheng alone in Beijiang, there were thousands of people.

Does he think the King of Northern Frontier is blind?!

The atmosphere in the teahouse was very oppressive, and the young people were silent as if they were trembling with fear.

Li Xiuning gently held Chen Futu's hand, her watery eyes filled with worry.

She didn't want her husband to kill so many people again, and she didn't want him to be branded a butcher. She preferred that only the ringleaders be punished.

Chen Futu suddenly looked at Xu Guangshou, who was frowning in thought, and asked, "What do you think?"

Xu Guangshou clasped his hands and said, “A country has its laws, and a family has its rules. The laws of the Northern Frontier prohibit human trafficking, yet some people still take the risk. If we do not punish them severely, there may be those who take chances. Therefore, we must use swift and decisive measures to punish them severely and without leniency, so as to set an example for others.”

"well said."

Chen Futu gave Xu Guangshou a second look, then asked Su Yun, "What do you think?"

Su Yun pondered and said, "I believe that since it exists, it must have its necessity. Wealthy families who have bought slaves should not be implicated, otherwise it will be detrimental to the reputation of the Northern Frontier King."

Su Yun truly deserves her title as the second most beautiful woman on the list; her judgment is quite good.

Since Chen Futu took over the northern frontier, several of his decrees were aimed at wealthy households. For example, the hiring of servants and guards was prohibited from signing indenture contracts. Wealthy households wanted a loyal servant, but hiring from the common people was unlikely to achieve the desired level of loyalty. Buying from the black market was a different story. Rootless slaves had no choice but to rely on them, and with a little favor, the slaves would become loyal. This was why wealthy households chose to buy slaves from the black market.

It's not evil for wealthy households to have demands; it's just that the person in charge of the black market is too hateful. They could have simply expelled the slaves from the northern frontier if they couldn't sell them. But he had the power, and instead of sending the remaining slaves away, he cruelly turned them into a source of income.

Next, Chen Futu asked several other scions of prominent families, including Zhang Fan, and received different answers.

Zhang Fan's reply was the most surprising. He said that the Northern Frontier King's decree was wrong. If wealthy households and common people were allowed to sign indenture contracts, this black market would not exist.

Consort Ge retorted angrily, "Are you courting death? How dare you speak ill of the King behind his back!"

Zhang Fan raised his head and argued, "Am I wrong? Since ancient times, which wealthy family hasn't had a group of loyal followers? Some are even trained from childhood so that they can share the burdens of their masters when they grow up. The masters don't worry about them betraying them. It was only because the Northern Frontier King's decree cut off their desire to cultivate confidants to manage their industries that the black market emerged! Isn't that the Northern Frontier King's fault?"

These words were truly audacious.