Tuoba Mang moved him forward half a foot.
The scoundrels are raising their heads.
A rugged face came into view, with a scar running diagonally from the brow bone to the corner of the eye.
The other man's arm, thicker than his thigh, was tightly locked around his throat.
The scoundrel's curse got stuck in his throat, and he swallowed it back down.
Tuoba Mang reached into his robes with his right hand and tore off a pre-written fine slip.
He pinched the edge of the paper between his fingers and slapped it onto the rascal's forehead with a "smack".
" The Prince Yi's Residence decree: anyone found littering is to be fined ten copper coins." Tuoba Mang's voice was rough and flat.
The scoundrel was about to open his mouth to argue.
I glanced around out of the corner of my eye.
The group of young widows and plump women who had been banging the gong had all gathered around at some point.
One by one, their sleeves were rolled up above their elbows, revealing their pale, white arms.
A dozen or so women, their eyes gleaming with the predatory intent of wolves eyeing sheep.
Widow Wang rubbed her hands together; her nails were trimmed very fine.
"Give me the money now! Or I'll take you to the authorities!"
The scoundrel swallowed hard.
The towering man in front of him could crush his skull with one hand, and these women could tear his face apart.
You can't beat them in a fight, and you can't win an argument with them.
His hands trembled as he reached into the inner pocket of his crotch.
After rummaging around for a while, he pulled out a handful of copper coins that smelled of sweat.
"I'll pay... I'll pay the fine."
Tuoba Mang released his grip.
The scoundrel plopped down next to the filth.
He counted out ten copper coins and handed them to Tuoba Mang.
Tuoba Mang took the copper coin and glanced at it; the quantity was correct.
With a snap of his thumb, he pulled out two copper coins.
With a flick of a finger.
The two copper coins flew in an arc through the air and landed steadily in Widow Wang's open pocket.
"Commission, two coins." Tuoba Mang grinned at the women, revealing a set of white teeth.
That smile, combined with the scar on his face, could have terrified a child.
But when Widow Wang touched the two coins in her pocket, the wrinkles on her face instantly turned into a wide smile.
"Wow! Brother Tuo is so fair! This money feels so good!"
Fat Sister-in-Law Li was standing next to her, got jealous and slapped her thigh.
"Sisters! Open your eyes wide! I'll catch the next one who spits!"
A dozen or so widows laughed uproariously, holding up signs as they continued their sweeping through the street.
The rogue covered his nose, swept up the filth on the ground, and fled in panic with the empty wooden bucket.
Seeing this scene...
The vendor selling soup dumplings stood frozen in place, unaware that scalding soup had splashed onto the back of his hand.
The old man selling cloth next door craned his neck and clicked his tongue in approval.
In just half an hour.
Three people were caught littering on the street, two were caught urinating in public, and one was caught throwing a dead chicken in the middle of the road.
Tuoba Mang acted extremely quickly.
Focus on the facts, not on arguments.
If you start arguing, he'll pinch the back of your neck.
If you keep making noise, the widows will start pulling your hair.
The entire southern market was forced to quiet down, transforming from a dirty, chaotic, and noisy place.
Those men who were about to spit on the ground swallowed their phlegm back down, their eyes darting around warily at the women wearing Hongxiu armbands.
Tuoba Mang stood at the end of the long street, tossed the money bag full of copper coins in his hand, and let out a muffled laugh.
This kind of job, where you can subdue the whole street without using a knife, is fucking awesome.
Three days later.
On the street corner, on the second floor of Moon-Gaining Teahouse.
The wooden window facing the street was pushed open halfway.
A cold wind blew in, scattering the steam from the tea on the table.
Gu Moran sat by the window, her gaze passing over the window frame as she watched the farce unfolding below.
The plump women were surrounding a vendor selling sesame cakes because he had swept the slag into the middle of the road.
Su Yao sat to the side, her slender fingers flying across the abacus beads, producing a series of crisp, clattering sounds.
With a final flick of the index finger, one of the upper beads was removed.
The sound subsided.
Su Yao raised her eyes and pushed the abacus forward two inches.
"Two days. South Market, East Market, and the main road." Su Yao's voice was calm.
"A total of 160 fines were issued, bringing in a total of 1,600 coins."
She paused for a moment, her gaze falling on Gu Moran's face.
"It's enough to establish authority. But those poor wretches in South Market are already seething with anger."
I had my spies from the Flower-Between Pavilion eavesdrop at the teahouse; someone was secretly plotting to put a sack over Tuoba Mang's head at night.
Pressing down with sticks won't last long.
Gu Moran picked up the cup of tea, which had long since gone cold, but didn't drink it; he just held it in his hand and twirled it around.
I went over the micro-level decision in my mind.
Fines can quickly change habits, but they touch the life-saving money of ordinary people.
Ten coins are a painful sum for a rogue, but for a porter, it's a day's rations.
If pushed too far, this won't bring benefits, it will only disturb the peace.
If a popular uprising were to break out, the spies in Anyang could easily fan the flames and cause the situation in Yi Prefecture to collapse.
Fortunately, he was prepared.
Gu Moran put down the teacup.
He pulled out a stack of neatly cut square pieces of cardboard from his sleeve.
The piece of paper was small, about two fingers wide.
The paper was rough, and a bright red seal was stamped in the center—the private seal of Prince Yi's Residence.
The edges even have serrated edges for added security.
He placed the stack of papers on the wooden table and tapped the paper twice with his finger.
"My beloved concubine is right."
"After the punishment, we need to give them a reward." Gu Moran looked at the stack of papers.
" Wanqing and Ruyan made this overnight."
Su Yao's gaze fell on the piece of paper, and her brows furrowed slightly.
"Starting at Shenshi (3-5 PM) today, tell Tuoba Mang to have the widows change their story," Gu Moran said.
"Anyone who uses one of the fifty newly built public toilets, or who voluntarily disposes of their household waste in the designated large bamboo baskets at the street corner according to its type."
He tapped the table with his finger.
"Send this to the veteran who's still here."
Su Yao remained silent, waiting for what was to come.
"Once you've collected three tickets," Gu Moran to Su Yao, "You can go to the storeroom on the west side of the charity hall's main entrance and participate in a prize draw."
The abacus beads slipped in Su Yao's hand.
She looked up.
"Lottery?"
Gu Moran nodded.
"Get a big wooden box and put wooden balls of different colors inside."
If you draw the white ball, you'll receive a hard-boiled egg.
If you draw the red ball, you'll receive a small packet of salt.
"Draw the yellow ball and you'll win half a jin of noodles."
He spoke calmly and broke things down in great detail.
"The grand prize is the black ball; whoever wins it will receive a piglet."
The room fell silent.
Su Yao looked at the piece of cardboard on the table and began to quickly calculate in her mind.
"Your Highness," she said, her tone tinged with inquiry.
Eggs cost one coin for three.
Salt is precious; a small packet costs three coins.
The cost of those piglets was at least three hundred coins.
The number of people in Yi Prefecture City, numbering 500,000, is unknown, and they have to be sent out every day.
You're taking money from the government treasury to subsidize the entire city's residents... to make things easier?
This deal is a huge loss no matter how you look at it.
Gu Moran smiled and leaned back in his chair.
"When settling accounts, you can't just look at these few coins in front of you." He pointed to the street outside the window.
"Didn't those powerful members of the Gan Family just hand over their 'canal repair and epidemic prevention funds' a few days ago?"
Gu Moran's voice lowered, carrying a hint of coldness.
"Take out 30,000 taels of silver. Buy boiled eggs; that'll be enough to feed the entire Yi Prefecture City for half a year."
Su Yao's breath hitched.
"Within just three months, people can develop a good habit of using a lottery system."
Besides, aren't we in control of the number of balls?
Gu Moran placed her hands on her abdomen.
"In the box, 90% are white balls, the remaining 10% are 70% red and 30% yellow, and as for the black balls?"
Just throw three in a month.