Guangzong Yaoming

Chapter 156 The New King is Suspicious
The entire Jiangnan region is now searching for a bright path and a way to survive.

However, Zhang Yi and others thought that the bright way out and the way out was to capture a group of "Jiangnan Gaos" and make the emperor think that the deterrent effect was enough.

The bright path and way out that Shu Baiqing heard was like a dark cloud destroying a city.

His teeth were chattering. "My Lords, if I do this, how can I govern the country and keep the people safe in the future?"

"The Xie family is a wanted criminal in the imperial case, and with the other family, there are only two families." Wang Dewan looked at him, "After it's done, Changxing County will be peaceful, and the land confiscated from the two families will be the most popular. With the means of County Magistrate Shu, if the distribution is appropriate, how can the other families not be satisfied? In this robbery, each prefecture and county has one or two families, and if it is reported to the capital, there will be hundreds of families, which is naturally enough."

Shu Baiqing was extremely shocked: Jiangnan was not a remote place. A major case of grain robbery by Japanese pirates destroyed hundreds of local wealthy families. What a shocking news!
Will you be satisfied afterwards, or will you be filled with fear?
"My Lords, if we continue to investigate how many taxes and duties they have evaded in addition to the exemptions they should have received, how can we make the rest of the gentry feel at ease?"

"It's the same old saying. If the case is to be investigated, no matter how small the crime is, we must investigate it thoroughly. Otherwise, how can His Majesty resolve the doubts?" Wang Dewan stared at him. "How can you local officials solve the problem of arrears of taxes? The local government has been through this for so many years. Don't you understand that it's just that the matter is not well-known, so there is no need to do this? From now on, you need to think carefully before discussing and doing things."

Shu Baiqing certainly understood this, but he was still worried.

Xie Tingzan also felt that something was not right. Why did Xiao Daheng and Wang Dewan spread the emperor's "suspicion" and "sensitivity" in Jiangnan?

This is really not the image of a benevolent king.

Wang Dewan added: "The faster the case is handled, the clearer the reason is, and the less trouble there will be! On August 12, your majesty will get married. If we can thoroughly investigate this case and present it to the emperor before then, perhaps the emperor will be very happy and this storm will be over. Do you understand?"

"I understand! I understand!"

Very refreshing and exhilarating.

For Wang Dewan and Xie Tingzan, this was the same routine that followed, and they did the same thing wherever they went.

Naturally, there were not many clean local officials, but Wang Dewan's imperial edict, which was clear but not read, had great deterrent power, and it also gave them an excuse: this was a famous family that even the high-ranking officials in Jiangnan could threaten, so what could they, the small local officials, do?
This is actually a good opportunity to settle accounts and resolve debts from previous years.

Pulling together some local people who were not involved in the case and staring at the fields that were about to be vomited out by the families involved in the case, Xie Tingzan really felt that this was not the right way.

"Mr. Guang'an, if you do this... there will be endless troubles."

"What do you mean by endless troubles? It should be said that there are many foreshadowings." Wang Dewan looked at him, "You have been an official for a short time, so listen more and think more along the way."

It was impossible for Zhang Yi and his colleagues to go to the local area to handle the case in person, and they did not know that Wang Dewan had "blackmailed" the local county and prefectural magistrates and uncovered a lot of evidence related to tax evasion.

But it's just a temporary unknown, the news will eventually get to him.

There were also twists and turns at the local level during the process.

In some places, local officials have stronger control over the county government and are more experienced in their tactics, so things go smoothly.

Some local officials were only doing this with the mentality of accumulating some experience, but eventually the news leaked out, allowing some big families to occupy the villages.

"Your intention to rebel is obvious!" Xiao Daheng had a murderous look on his face, "Eunuch Cheng, this situation..."

"I didn't expect Jiangnan to be like this." Cheng Jing was also furious. "Take my seal and the imperial edict and have General Qin divide his troops into 500 and wipe them out as soon as possible!"

Can those wealthy and powerful families, whose foundations are broken and ruined, really stir up any trouble here?
Jiangnan itself is not a monolithic entity. The news from Nanjing City to the local areas has spread so clearly. Everyone just hopes that the "culprits" identified by Geng Dingli will be handed over as soon as possible, so that Jiangnan can restore its former tranquility.

The imperial envoy is only concerned with closing the case.

The White-Pole Soldiers attacked the rebellion site directly, and Qin Liangyu went to the battlefield again.

How could the servants of the local big families resist the veterans who had actually survived a battle where tens of thousands of people had fought?
Under such circumstances, it was the tenth day of August in a blink of an eye.

After more than twenty days, the official ship arrived in Nanjing after sailing day and night through the canal.

After Cheng Qinan, who was about to report to the Ministry of Revenue in Nanjing, got off the boat, he saw two Japanese ships anchored in the middle of Mochou Lake at the dock outside Shicheng Gate.

"…Is this the Japanese ship that the evil thieves who destroyed the grain transport and killed the transport soldiers were on? We have found it?"

The new officials were shocked. Jinyiwei and Dasikou were mighty! Jiangnan was mighty!

One can find it, the other dares to keep it.

After entering the city, they learned that the Nanjing Minister of War and Caojiang Censor-in-Chief had been imprisoned.

And he soon learned the latest situation: important officials in Jiangnan were fully supporting the Yingtian Inspector and the three judicial officials in Nanjing in investigating the Gao family in Jiangnan.

Some powerful families even dared to cause chaos and mobilized their new imperial guards.

They looked at each other and couldn't help but recall what the emperor said when he left that day.

Weeding, pruning, and loosening the soil.

After the new official took office, his superiors gave him full support, and the powerful families under his rule were trembling with fear. What kind of start was this?

I hope you will have a bright future. Your Majesty is never deceiving me!
As a result, these new officials were released, and the momentum seemed even more ferocious.

Their high enthusiasm frightened Zhang Yi.

"Brother Yue Feng, the new official may not know the limits. Besides, we have already seized a lot..."

His words and actions meant only one thing: Stop it, Brother Xiao, the jail is full of criminals.

"The day after tomorrow is your majesty's wedding." Xiao Daheng suddenly said this, "I hope your majesty will be very pleased and show mercy after seeing the memorial, and restore the peace and tranquility of Jiangnan."

He looked at Zhang Yi meaningfully.

For a man like Zhang Yi, it would be better for the emperor to show his anger and personally issue an edict to reprimand him.

There are so many charges. How much tax have the Jiangnan clans evaded over the years? The amount of land they own and the amount of taxes owed by the prefectures and counties in Jiangnan... All the important officials in Beijing know that this new emperor is very good at mathematics and is very good at finding clues.

When the imperial edict went south, the Japanese pirates' grain robbery could be stopped.

But the Nanjing Ministry of Revenue had been collecting land taxes for so many years and had so many arrears. And because the emperor refused to exempt them, the case of Japanese pirates robbing grain was exposed. Could the Nanjing Ministry of Revenue really get away with this?
Xiao Daheng continued to wait leisurely.

A group of new officials from the north took office, and some big families that had been operating in Jiangnan for many years collapsed. The situation in Jiangnan has begun to change, although it is still not large, and although this time no family with a sixth-rank official or above is involved.

But it did start to loosen up after all.

The strong and suspicious emperor was about to get married, and gifts from all over the country had already been sent to the capital, and the imperial envoy's memorials and files from Nanjing had also arrived in the capital.

The question book only describes the investigation of the case, while the mystery is hidden in the file.

But they will be put on hold for a few days. After all, the emperor is getting married, so how can he have the time to attend to government affairs?

From Beijing, many letters from the three ministers were sent to various places, mostly to Jiangnan.

Many letters were also sent to Beijing from the South.

Li Sancai received a letter from Jiangnan, a letter from Gu Xiancheng.

Some were letters explaining the situation in Jiangnan, while Gu Xiancheng's letter was a letter asking for help.

His own branch was fine, but his clan was also among those under investigation.

Li Sancai was very afraid. How could he get involved in such a thing?

(End of this chapter)