si-mexico Chapter 182: Brothel Tax Announced, Li Xun Furious
Chapter 182: Brothel Tax Announced, Li Xun Furious
Hua Hua Hua...
In the court, many officials heard Ye Feng's words, and their expressions became a little surprised and curious. They didn't understand how Ye Feng was going to control the brothels.
You should know that almost one-third of the brothels along the Jinling River have more or less some connection with officials of the imperial court.
If Ye Feng were to take action against the brothels along the Jinling River, it would inevitably damage the vital interests of many officials. There is a fear that the laws set up at that time would not be able to be enforced.
In particular, Fenghuaxueyue, the largest entertainment venue on the banks of the Jinling River, was owned by Prime Minister Li Linpu and his son Li Xun. It was unknown how much money they earned every year.
"I wonder how Zhenguojun is going to deal with this?" The Minister of Rites, Tan Zijian, frowned slightly. He also had a lot of properties along the Jinling River.
"You all know very well that the Jinling River is beautiful and has pleasant scenery. For so many years, it has been occupied by brothels."
"The imperial court has not gained any benefits from brothels. On the contrary, when people drink and cause trouble in brothels, they still need the security team to deal with it."
"I have never been a conservative or demanding person. Since the Great Song Dynasty has helped the entertainment industry so much, the entertainment industry should give back to the Great Song Dynasty in the future."
"From today on, I will issue a decree to prohibit disorderly behavior in brothels. Anyone found trafficking children will be sentenced to death!"
When Ye Feng said this, many officials in the court looked particularly unhappy. It was not difficult to hear from Ye Feng's words that in the future, brothels would have to pay money to operate.
The most important thing is that anyone found trafficking in children will be sentenced to death. They never expected that Ye Feng would be so ruthless and merciless.
"From now on, all brothels along the Jinling River must register with the Ministry of Revenue within three days, and they must pay 50% of their operating income as a tax, which is called the brothel tax. All prostitutes and various artists must register with the Ministry of Revenue to prevent the Jinling River from being infiltrated with countless spies from enemy countries. Those who disobey the orders of the Ministry of Revenue will be punished according to their crimes." Ye Feng said slowly.
The atmosphere in the entire court became solemn, especially when people heard that Ye Feng's 50% tax would be equal to the profit of the brothel in the future. Excluding various labor costs, etc., the people behind the scenes would get about 20 to 30% at most, which would instantly cut their profits in half.
"Zhen Guojun is wise!"
As the Minister of Revenue, Hai Ming hated the corruption in the court and was also extremely disgusted by the brothels along the Jinling River.
After hearing Ye Feng's announcement, the power of the Ministry of Revenue increased a lot, and it could also earn a steady stream of money for the treasury of the Song Dynasty.
Moreover, if the imperial court does not accept these silver and money, they will eventually fall into the hands of various corrupt officials, which will only cause chaos in the court situation.
Without waiting for other officials to get angry, Li Xun rushed to the center of the court first. He was extremely furious, and romance was his cash cow.
No one knows how much money they collect every year. Now Ye Feng is collecting 50% tax with just one order, which is tantamount to cutting off the source of funds.
If they lose the support of Fenghuaxueyue, where will Li Linpu and him get so much money to support their assassins and the Illuminati?
"Your Majesty, since the founding of the Song Dynasty, we have never had a 5% tax. This kind of tax collection is unheard of in the entire Nine Provinces, not to mention the Song Dynasty. If it gets out, others will laugh at our Song Dynasty. Collecting taxes will inevitably cause chaos."
Li Xun spoke with righteous indignation, and many court officials nodded in agreement.
"What the Crown Prince's tutor said is correct. With a 50% tax rate, others will think that the court is a robber." Qu Xuan echoed angrily.
Ye Feng sat there with a calm expression, and smiled slightly, "If you don't agree with the 50% tax, it's very simple."
"The area along the Jinling River belongs to the people of the entire Song Dynasty. I can only forcibly demolish the brothels along the river."
Ye Feng's voice was calm, not giving everyone a chance to argue, and he said, "I just want you to know one thing, that is, the future of the Song Dynasty will never be like before, allowing everyone to do whatever they want."
"Fan Jin, listen to my order. Mobilize the Formation of Trap and be ready to receive orders from the Ministry of Revenue at any time. If there are any places that dare to violate the Regulations on the Management of Venues of Entertainment and the brothel tax, they will be demolished forcibly. Anyone who dares to stop them will be killed without mercy, without having to report it!" Li Xun wanted to argue, but he didn't expect Ye Feng to look directly at Fan Jin to convey the order. He was not going to give him any chance to speak, which made Li Xun extremely angry, but he didn't know how to vent it.
"As ordered!"
Fan Jin bowed slightly. He is now the Minister of War. Since the establishment of the Xianzhen Camp, its number is now close to 10,000. They have received a lot of training but have not yet carried out any mission. He is looking forward to someone jumping out to stop them, and also to let the soldiers released from the Tianlao in the Xianzhen Camp get some credit.
Shhhhhhhh...
At this moment, a panting figure walked in from outside the court. It was Tang Da, the Minister of Justice. He came to the court, bowed and said, "Your humble servant greets the Lord. This morning, a murder occurred on the main street of the South Gate of Jinling City. The murderer is very likely a master of the Grand Master. Such a strong man must have a purpose when he came to Jinling City. Please give orders to the Lord to take strict precautions and deal with it carefully."
"Oh? The Grand Master has come to Jinling City, isn't that a good thing? I wonder who the deceased is?" Ye Feng remained calm, naturally knowing that the dead person was Wei Shanyu.
"Your Majesty, the deceased is Wei Shanyu, a powerful man ranked 16th on the Divine Machine List of our Great Song Dynasty." Tang Da reported to Ye Feng.
Li Linpu, who was sitting not far away, had surprise and shock in his eyes. He held the handle of the armchair tightly with one hand without leaving any trace, trying his best to remain calm.
Wei Shanyu was his right-hand man, and had always helped him manage the team of death squads. He was very powerful, but now he was killed. It was like cutting flesh from his body.
"It's a pity that such a strong man was killed. If he could be used by the court as a vanguard officer, he could play a very important role."
Ye Feng pretended to be deeply regretful and said, "Lord Tang, you must find out who the murderer is as soon as possible. If there really is a great master who committed the crime, you must find a way to find out his identity. It would be great if such a great master could be used by the court."
"As ordered!"
Tang Da bowed slightly. He had been dealing with cases in the Ministry of Justice for many years and had developed a unique perception ability. There was a flash of surprise in the depths of his eyes. For some reason, the aura of death emanating from Wei Shanyu seemed very familiar to him, but he couldn't tell where it was familiar.