Li Xin has not been in Datang for a long time, but this does not affect his understanding of what is "exile" and what is "Jiaofangsi".

The so-called exile is to send prisoners to remote places for hard labor. In the Tang Dynasty, exile was divided into three classes, that is, exile for two thousand miles, two thousand five hundred miles, and three thousand miles. The prison term was usually six years. Not to mention the hard labor, many people could not survive the long journey of thousands of miles.

And the Secretary of Jiaofang is even worse. It is an official brothel run by the imperial court, and almost all the women in it are from the families of officials who committed crimes. It's really hard for Li Xin to understand this kind of bad taste - you say that it's fine if you defeat your opponent politically, why do you have to send other people's wives and daughters to the Jiaofang Division as prostitutes? Is there any special pleasure in consuming the wife or daughter of an acquaintance?

According to those censors, more than 30 officials were involved in this corruption incident, all family properties were confiscated, and all those involved were beheaded. Counting their wives and children together, hundreds of people were implicated. The males among them will be exiled to the south, while the females will be assigned to the various teaching workshops in Chang'an, where they will suffer humiliation and laugh hard.

Li Xin walked casually on the wide streets of Chang'an, not knowing where he was going, nor caring about where he was going. He just wanted to go for a walk, a walk without being disturbed. This might help him sort out the messy thoughts in his mind.

As a young man from later generations, Li Xin really couldn't agree with Datang's punishment for harming his wife and children. He is definitely not some kind of Madonna. He fully agrees that these corrupt and bribe-taking officials should be beheaded directly, otherwise they would be sorry for those victims who starved to death innocently because of their corruption—20%, they embezzled 20% of the disaster relief funds and food!

If there were such money and food, how many more people could live among those affected by the disaster!

But then again, what does this have to do with the wives and children of these prisoners? What did they do wrong?

Are they involved in corruption? Did they ask or instigate these criminals to embezzle? Maybe, maybe not.

Li Xin naturally has a good impression of the child. He didn't think these innocent children were capable of participating in their father's evil. However, they could not escape the fate of becoming funeral objects in the end.

And all of this is related to Li Xin.

Li Xin is very pleased that the double-entry bookkeeping method and Dashi script have played a great role in helping to find out so many corrupt officials. However, they also indirectly contributed to the tragic fate of many innocent people. This is what Li Xin does not want to see.

Li Xin felt a little uncomfortable in his heart, maybe it can't be called pain, but a little uncomfortable. He is still a kind person in essence, at least when others don't mess with him, he is a harmless lamb to humans and animals. Seeing so many people fall into tragic fate because of his relationship, his heart sank uncontrollably.

Of course, he didn't think he was at fault.

Yes, the wives and children of these prisoners are innocent. But so what? Shouldn't Li Xin come up with double-entry bookkeeping and Dashi characters because of this? Not to mention that when he gave Li Shimin these two things, he didn't expect such consequences at all. Even if he expected it, would it be wrong for him to take out these two things?

The relatives of criminal officials are innocent, but are those victims who died because of their corruption innocent? If there were no double-entry bookkeeping and Dashi characters to help them check their accounts, who would know that they died not from natural disasters but from man-made disasters?

Li Xin never thinks he is at fault, but he still feels sorry uncontrollably. It's like hearing the screams of dying animals outside the kitchen. Li Xin doesn't think it's wrong to eat meat, but he still feels a little sorry for it.

As Mencius said: Everyone has a heart of compassion.

Li Xin was suffering from compassion at this moment. This is a noble kindness. But he dared not tell anyone about it, including Wang Gui.

He knew that in the eyes of Tang people, it was normal for one person to break the law and the whole family to suffer. On the contrary, it would be abnormal for him to feel depressed because of such a trivial matter, and he would probably be laughed at for the kindness of a woman. Therefore, he could only choose to digest the bitterness in his heart.

Li Xin was walking along the long street, and when he was about to walk out of the city gate, he suddenly heard someone calling him from behind, and when he looked back, it turned out to be Xiaoling.

"Young Master Li Xin! Young Master Li Xin!" Seeing that Li Xin was walking on the street in private clothes and without guards, Xiao Ling wisely did not call Li Xin the King of Chu. It wasn't until Li Xin stopped and she approached Li Xin that she opened her mouth to plead guilty: "The maid calls the prince's name directly, please forgive me."

Li Xin waved his hand and didn't care. He is a young man from later generations, so he doesn't have the stink of the aboriginal nobles here in Datang. What's wrong with calling a name? What's more, it's my wife's personal maid, so I have to give some face. Moreover, he also understood Xiaoling's intentions, and couldn't help but praise Xiaoling's wit in his heart.

"Where's your young master?" Li Xin almost blurted out the word "Miss", but fortunately he reacted in time.

Xiaoling didn't notice the abnormality in Li Xin's words, and quickly replied: "Behind, I'll be here soon."

While speaking, Chen Youlan, who was wearing a white brocade robe, hurriedly came to the two of them.

"Brother Zijin is in such a hurry, where are you going?" Li Xin asked strangely.

Chen Youlan faltered for a while, and said: "I was going to go shopping with Xiaoling, but I suddenly saw His Royal Highness the King of Chu walking by the street alone, and asked you not to agree, so I caught up to take a look."

Li Xin took a look at Chen Youlan, feeling a little amused in his heart—it was another lie full of loopholes.

Since the master and servant were shopping together, why did they rush to Li Xin's side in the end? And Chen Youlan didn't come over slowly, but trotted over in a hurry. This is obviously more in line with the situation where Xiaoling catches up with Li Xin, and Chen Youlan quickly catches up after dealing with the matter at hand.

So, what was Chen Youlan unable to let go of at the time, and she had to deal with it before she could see Li Xin?

Li Xin saw that there seemed to be a little redness on Chen Youlan's lips that hadn't been washed off, and her hair was also messy, it seemed to be a man's hairstyle that was combed hastily, and there were still a lot of broken hair on the temples that hadn't been combed well—oh, It turned out that Chen Youlan had to become Chen Zijin first.

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