The commoners, each brimming with righteous indignation, left Zi Shou at a loss.
He actually knew that prostitution and gambling were the earliest trades to branch off from farming and hunting, and neither could be brought out into respectable company.
When he had established horse-race betting, stone gambling, ball-game betting, and a whole series of other entertainments, Zi Shou had briefly considered prostitution, but abandoned the idea almost at once.
The state-run brothels established by Guan Zhong and Duke Huan of Qi had indirectly helped Qi become a hegemon. Moreover, the extravagance policy practiced by Great Shang had also been Qi's national policy. If he introduced brothels as well, he might really set them on Qi's road to wealth and strength.
What he had never expected was that, while he had dismissed the idea of brothels, the shamans far outside Chaoge had already been conducting similar business.
Zi Shou had heard the theory that prostitution originated in religion. For instance, in 3000 BC, in the Kingdom of Babylon, contemporary with the end of Shang, prostitution had been born from religion. People believed that gods also had desires, and humans satisfied those desires on their behalf while charging a fee along the way. Those women were called "divine maidens."
But regardless of how vile Witch Prostitution was or how outraged the commoners were, Zi Shou had to think of something.
Burning books had become perfectly justified. How was he supposed to scrape together foolishness value now?
Qin Shi Huang had been cursed almost to death for burning books, yet when it was his turn, the commoners not only cheered loudly, but even feared the books were burning too slowly and stripped off their clothes to feed the flames?
This was going too far!
Zi Shou immediately made his decision. "Proclaim my