Of these 20,000 people, most had family members working in workshops and brothels, receiving wages.
Even if they joined Prince Teng in rebellion, they would need his consent first.
Who would risk their life if not for their family?
Therefore, Prince Teng could only smile bitterly. His inaction wasn't inaction, but rather an inability to act.
Once he took action, the Wang family would be completely wiped out. They hadn't even been able to negotiate a price before; now it was even more difficult.
"The Shi family owes 70,000 taels. The brothels, how cunning!" Shi Nai shook his head and smiled bitterly. This debt could be left unpaid, or it could be left unpaid.
They could default, but what would happen afterward was uncertain.
They had gone to Luoyang to lodge complaints more than once, but the countless impeachment memorials had all sunk without a trace.
Emperor Ling was clearly incapable, and he had already appointed a new emperor.
The Crown Prince is still young, and even if he wanted to do something, he lacked the ability.
Furthermore, Lu Ming has already gained considerable power, making him extremely difficult to deal with.
If local powerful families were so easy to deal with, emperors throughout history would have dealt with them long ago; they wouldn't have been left unpunished.
It's precisely because they can't be solved that they have no choice but to helplessly rely on the wisdom of future generations.
Besides, Lu Ming sends a portion of the confiscated property to Luoyang, colluding with the Ten Attendants, even involving the Emperor. How can anyone file a complaint?
Even if the matter reaches the Emperor's ears, they'll find that the Emperor is also on Lu Ming's side, leaving everyone with no choice but to despair.
It is precisely for this reason that the Yuan family has accelerated its efforts to send its descendants to hold power. Only with military power can one have a voice.
"Is there any news from Luoyang? Lu Ming is so lawless; isn't there anyone who can bring him to justice?" Shi Ding of the Shi family also stepped forward, his tone clearly showing his resentment.
"No, with the Emperor's recent appointment of his second son, Liu Xie, as Crown Prince, the court is in turmoil, and no one has time to pay attention to Guanzhong. Why not send someone to negotiate peace with Lu Ming? What does he want? Does he want to swallow us all whole? Doesn't he fear being overwhelmed?" Wang Feng, Prince Teng's younger brother, now held a sinecure that wasn't even enough to cover his salary; he was also in debt.
The blame lies with the brothel, "Wind, Flower, Snow, and Moon," for being too tempting; he couldn't resist throwing in a lot of money.
The nobles present weren't fools. So many people were losing money, and no one was winning—was that normal?
The only one who wasn't winning was General Feng Ying, who had earned a considerable amount, nearly ten thousand taels, and the casino hadn't given him any trouble.
Many visiting merchants had also made some money and left. Although not much, four or five thousand taels was still a substantial sum!
Furthermore, the brothel used some of their debts to purchase grain and other materials, such as ores.
The donated tools were used to fund workshop production, and the abandoned fields outside were reclaimed and planted with crops they had never heard of before, ensuring a food supply for the coming year.
In addition, granaries were opened for disaster relief, aid was provided to refugees, taxes were reduced, and corvée labor was abolished in favor of employment, ensuring a steady supply of money and provisions.
All these measures were aimed at balancing advantages and disadvantages and winning over the hearts of the people.
What did Lu Ming want to do?
He wanted to establish a firm foothold in Chang'an and the surrounding areas!
Xue Pan scratched his head, utterly speechless.
Seeing their back-and-forth chatter, neither getting to the point, she couldn't help but interject, "I heard them in prison say that the governor is looking for those who obey him; those who don't will be eliminated. Only the most obedient families will survive. Whether or not to send women is secondary, though not essential, but without sending them, one certainly has no right to negotiate with him."
Upon hearing this, everyone frowned; clearly, Xue Pan's personality made him somewhat incredulous.
Upon hearing this, Grandmother Jia recalled her daughter Jia Min's reply and realized something. A marriage alliance would definitely have some effect, more or less.
Without a marriage alliance, Jia Zheng might already be sentenced to death, and Lu Ming's uncle, it's said, has already been stripped of his official position and demoted to a commoner.
The others haven't been held accountable yet, so sending women certainly has some effect, but even that effect is limited.
"Xue Pan, who told you this?" Grandmother Jia, being shrewd, naturally guessed that this might be a signal from someone.
Xue Pan shook his head, not revealing who it was, but said with certainty, "There's no need to even think about it. Do you know the Jiaosifang? Officially, it's a place that trains maids and dancers for the government. Actually, it's the backyard of Governor Lu. The women there are all waiting to be favored by the governor. Although women aren't necessarily useful, and breaking the law still means death, without this connection, it's impossible to squeeze in, no matter how hard you try."
When Xue Pan said this, Aunt Xue's expression became somewhat uneasy.
This was clearly directed at her!
If she hadn't offered herself up to be raped by Lu Ming, Xue Pan would probably have been beheaded long ago. Murder in the street never ends well.
The thought of Lu Ming's massive, muscular body, his thick, long penis, and the overwhelming pleasure he brought her to the brink of ecstasy each time he fucked her made her irresistibly aroused!
Women who have been with Lu Ming, whether young girls or mature women, experience unforgettable, intense orgasms!
The pleasure is so intense that their whole body aches and weakens, their eyes glaze over, their bodies convulse uncontrollably, their vaginal muscles spasm, their thoughts drift to a cloud of clouds, their bodies soak in a hot spring, an ultimate emptiness that they involuntarily relive every day!
Aunt Xue doesn't deny that she's addicted; she even wants to go there every day to be fucked.
At her age, and with her husband dead for so long, the pent-up desire, once aroused, is hard to quell!
Forced restraint would drive her mad!
And after experiencing Lu Ming's enormous penis, she feels an instinctive aversion to other men, leading her to seduce Lu Ming.
"So how were you saved?" Shi Nai suddenly asked, drawing everyone's attention, which then involuntarily turned to Aunt Xue.
Aunt Xue wasn't exceptionally beautiful, but rather attractive and pleasing to the eye.
Women didn't need to be stunningly beautiful; their primary purpose was marriage alliances. Learning these skills was simply to secure their place in their husband's family, nothing more.
Even Madam Wang couldn't help but glance at her sister. Looking at her sister's face and the hint of desire in her eyes, a horrifying thought flashed through her mind: Could it be that her sister had willingly offered herself to save Xue Pan?