Tiantang Splendid

Chapter 931 The Frightened Zhou Shi
The two news of Fang Jun's return to Huating Town and the upcoming operation of the Shibo Department spread throughout the south of the Yangtze River with the howling autumn wind and rain.

All the Jiangnan gentry were at a loss—didn't the emperor already issue an edict ordering Fang Jun to return to the capital to report on his duties?It was fine for you to hide overseas before, and you will not accept the order of the emperor abroad, but now you return to Huating Town and you don't return to Chang'an immediately, this is tantamount to openly disobeying the emperor's order, are you looking for death?

Of course, what everyone is worried about is not whether Fang Jun will die or not, but the Shibo Company that is about to operate!

All fools know that as long as the Shibo Department is in operation, it is tantamount to cutting flesh from the wealthy families and wealthy businessmen. In the past, the huge sea trade profits have to gouged out to fill the court, just like eating the fat in your mouth. Who would want to spit out half of it?

I thought that the joint suppression of the aristocratic family had made the emperor back down, so Fang Jun was recalled to Chang'an, and the Shibosi naturally let it go.

But who knew that this stick would disregard the emperor's order, resist the imperial edict and disrespect...

The monarchy these days is far from the peak of the Ming and Qing dynasties, even if it is against the decree, it will not be dismissed without saying anything, but after all, it is also against the emperor's order, how can this stick be so insignificant ?
The gentry in the south of the Yangtze River were collectively confused and did not know what to do.

Fang Jun's official letter has been issued, summoning all merchants who operate maritime trade to go to Huating Town to participate in the opening of the Shibo Department, and sign the "Shibai Department Management Regulations".Only by signing this regulation and proving that you firmly support the system of the Municipal Shipbuilding Department, can you be qualified for maritime trade, otherwise operating maritime trade in private is smuggling, and you must severely crack down on it...

To go or not to go, that is the question.

If he went, he would stand on Fang Jun's boat. Obtaining the right to operate maritime trade also meant that he was willing to be slashed by the court and take away part of the benefits.

If you don’t go, you’re going against Fang Jun. The Royal Navy, which is composed of hundreds of warships, still has new warships laying keels and launching them for sea trials every day. Such a force sweeping the ocean will become a noose around your neck , once the private business of maritime trade is seized, the consequences will be unimaginable.

The gentry in the south of the Yangtze River didn't know what to do, so they could only place their hopes on the game between the Guanzhong clan and Fang Jun.

Although everyone belongs to different camps, since the founding of the Tang Dynasty, there have been more and more commercial cooperations, especially the hugely profitable sea trade transactions, in which the Guanzhong family and the Shandong family have a share, and no one wants to let go clear.

Moreover, everyone is keenly aware of Fang Jun's true intentions. Once the Shibo Department operates well, it will write to the imperial court to request the establishment of industrial and commercial taxes...

If everyone can bear the tax of the Shibo Department, at worst it is equivalent to giving His Majesty Li Er a face to support His Majesty's great cause of the Eastern Expedition, then the establishment of a commercial tax is absolutely unacceptable!

Since ancient times, there have been various taxes on Tianjin, miscellaneous sects, and corvee, but there has never been a formal industrial and commercial tax!
The business tax reform plan proposed by Fang Jun in the political affairs hall has already leaked out to the outside world. All the customs taxes will be cancelled, and the shops will pay taxes proportionally according to the trade volume!
Is Datang going to set a precedent unprecedented in history?
Once the new type of business tax is established, the aristocratic families all over the world will suffer a brutal blow, which is equivalent to a [-]-point critical hit, and their annual income will be lost by at least [-]% to [-]%. Who can bear it?
Therefore, now all the noble families must unite to strictly boycott Fang Jun!
*****
The other aristocrats were still considering whether to participate in Fang Jun's invitation, but the Yangxian Zhou family was completely confused.

In the Jiangdong area during the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, the two powerful families in Jiangdong, known for their military strength, were the Zhou and Shen families.The Zhou family came from Zhou Bian, the prefect of Poyang in the Three Kingdoms, four generations of dignitaries, one family and five princes, and the Shen family came from Shen Ying, the prefect of Danyang in the Three Kingdoms.

Therefore, people at the time said: Jiangdong's hero, Mo Qiang and Zhou Shen.

However, at the end of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, Jiangdong was in turmoil, and the two major families died down one after another, and the northern gentry who crossed south gradually gained a firm foothold.After the Jin family crossed south, Jiangdong culture began to change from tough to civilized, which is actually the reason why northern culture replaced the original Jiangdong culture.

The Zhou and Shen clans gradually abandoned their previous military power and made outstanding achievements in business and academics.

On the ninth day of the winter month in the 14th year of Zhenguan, Yangxian County is located on the west bank of Taihu Lake.

Yangxian is located on the west side of the secluded Taihu Lake. You can sit and watch the ups and downs of the Tianmu Mountains. It is a residence with beautiful mountains and clear waters.

It was cloudy and rainy, and the sky was dark.

Before night fell, the sky and the earth were hazy, and the drizzle of light rain revealed a cool chill, carried by the cool wind from Taihu Lake, passing through the beautiful purple bamboo forest in the courtyard, and pouring into the main hall of Zhou's ancestral house.

The slender maid took down the fork that supported the window, closed the window, and kept the fine rain and cold air out.

The smooth floor was covered with thick cushions, and four people occupied a table, creating a dull atmosphere.

The flickering candlelight swayed slightly, and from time to time, a little sparkle burst out, reflecting the four tense and resentful faces...

The old man in the middle is about sixty years old, with a square face and thin eyes, his eyes flickering with candlelight, and he has a majestic and majestic aura without anger.

It was Zhou Boxian, the Patriarch of the Yangxian Zhou Clan.

The slender and beautiful maid in Tsing Yi served the tea, with her head slightly lowered, she placed the tea utensil on the table in front of Zhou Boxian with her slender hands, bowed lightly and walked out of the main hall, and gently closed the door.

Zhou Boxian picked up the purple sand pot and poured a cup of tea slowly.

This is Yangxian's specialty black tea. It has a tightly-knotted shape, a dark and lustrous color, and a leisurely fragrance that resembles Tinglan. .

Taking a sip, Zhou Boxian said calmly, "Tell me, how to deal with this matter."

A middle-aged scribe sitting on his right said angrily: "That Fang Jun is so deceitful, it is unreasonable! I don't believe it, so there is no kingly law in this Tang Dynasty?"

A middle-aged man of similar age opposite him sneered: "Wang Fa? Fang Jun is Wang Fa! This three-acre land in Jiangdong is his back garden. The governor of Suzhou followed a dog wagging his head and tail in front of him. Just like you bastard, even if you sue the governor of Suzhou now, believe it or not, that Mu can even bite you back and falsely accuse the imperial court official?"

The middle-aged scholar is Zhou Boxian's younger brother, Zhou Shuxian.

This person is proficient in Confucian classics, and his literary name is very prominent in the Jiangdong generation, but he is a bit pedantic, and he has to speak the truth about everything.

Hearing the words at this time, he glared at his younger brother Zhou Jixian, and said angrily: "I don't believe that Fang Jun can cover the sky with one hand? The Son of Heaven is wise, and he will be able to enforce the law impartially and see clearly. He will set off for Chang'an early tomorrow morning. We also want justice for our Zhou family!"

Zhou Jixian retorted: "Fair? Fair ass! Back then when Zhang Liang sent someone to deliver a letter, I simply ignored him according to my intentions, but why did you say that you should repay the kindness of a drop of water with a spring... Then What kind of guy is Zhang Liang, you don’t know? Not to mention that the so-called kindness you said back then was just a matter of Zhang Liang’s casual words, but now he is a chief executive appointed by the court but Fang Jun has a yellow mouth There is no way for the child to be coerced, so why should our Zhou family support him? Now it’s all right, Fang Jun detained our people and goods, and charged us with a crime of smuggling and selling weapons as an enemy. Slash and exterminate the nine clans!"

Zhou Jixian was very excited, it was inevitable that his words would be disrespectful to this pedantic elder brother.It's not to blame for his lack of manners, anyone who is charged with such a big crime can't help complaining in a panic.

Zhou Shuxian became more and more annoyed, staring and shouting: "A gentleman should repay the kindness of others, and if he falls into a well and betrays his trust, how is he different from a beast? I don't care about it!"

Zhou Jixian sarcastically said: "Fine, you can be a gentleman if you want to, but now you have brought the whole Zhou family here, so what's the matter?"

Uncle Zhou seemed to be choking heavily, and he couldn't say anything like "one person does something and one person is responsible".Family blood, lips and teeth depend on each other, but you can’t let go just by letting go. If you do something wrong, the whole family will suffer...

But he was not angry in his heart, and said to himself: "That Fang Jun is just scaring people, I don't believe that he dared to do something to our Zhou family! The Yangxian Zhou family is a century-old wealthy family, and he can still frame us with just one word, Really ransacked the family and exterminated the family?"

The second child Zhou Zhongxian, who has been leisurely and leisurely next to him, interjected leisurely: "I think at the beginning, the Gu family probably thought like you..."

Zhou Shuxian was speechless.

The Gu family's Yin Jian is not far away, who dares to say that Fang Jun would not dare to kill him seriously, who dares to say that today's Zhou family will not become the second Gu family?
The mallet went crazy, the sky dared to poke a hole...

Zhou Ji appeared to be supported by his second brother, and suddenly became hardened, and shouted at Zhou Shuxian: "That Fang Jun suppressed Zhang Liang, just to show all the Jiangnan gentry, so that everyone can clearly see who is the one who is in charge of Jiangnan! Now our Zhou family To blatantly support Zhang Liang is to make it clear that you are against Fang Jun, and you are embarrassing Fang Jun. Do you think that guy will seriously attack us and come to knock the mountain to shake the tiger and kill the chicken to scare the monkey?"

Zhou Shuxian's face was livid, and he kept his mouth shut.

Mrs. Zhou received Zhang Liang's kindness back then, but today when Zhang Liang is in trouble, Mrs. Zhou will naturally reciprocate. This is the principle of Zhou Shuxian's life. Even if it is death, he cannot be made to bow his head.But now the whole family is facing threats, Fang Jun's butcher knife has been raised high, as long as the charges of being an enemy and selling weapons are fulfilled, it will be a huge disaster that will affect the whole family.

Under such circumstances, Zhou Shuxian did not dare to stick to his principles.

Is the Zhou family's century-old noble family and generations of hairpin tassels about to perish under the gentleman's demeanor of repaying all kindness?

In the end, should we stick to the principle, maintain the reputation of the Zhou family who must repay their kindness, and then be slaughtered by the demons, or give up the so-called benevolence and morality, and preserve the glory of the family's blood?
Zhou Shuxian didn't know what to do.

Zhou Boxian, who had been silently listening to the arguments of his brothers, sighed softly. He swayed the teacup in his hand, feeling the warmth of the tea passing through the teacup to the palm of his hand. He sighed and said, "My brother, I only want to ask you one thing. Since the official letter from Huating Town arrived at the Zhou family, did Zhang Liang say anything?"

Zhou Shuxian's mouth twitched, speechless.

The Zhou family was targeted by Fang Jun and decided to retaliate because they helped Zhang Liang get out of the predicament, but what did Zhang Liang do?To drag the Zhou family into trouble, he just made a fuss in Huating Town, and then died down without any movement...

Zhou Jixian slapped his thigh and said angrily, "This bastard is so scared by Fang Jun! Pushing our Zhou family into the water to endure Fang Jun's anger, he himself sat on the Diaoyutai like a normal person, what the hell? What do people do? Third brother, you still keep saying that you will repay your kindness, benevolence and morality, and you talk about benevolence and justice with others, but they treat you as a fool! This kind of person is not even as good as a turtle, why do you still talk to him?"

Rough words are not rough.

Uncle Zhou hesitated to speak, but finally drooped his head and sighed helplessly.

Zhang Liang's handling of this matter is indeed unethical, but Zhang Liang is ungrateful, how can we be virtuous?
But in the face of the crisis of the family's survival, he could not say such words.

A gentleman with sincerity should only hide in a small building to study. In this dirty and dirty world, he will never be able to eat...

(End of this chapter)