Fu Shanhe

Chapter 49: The Yin Family's Tragedy
“It doesn’t matter. The court’s determination to reform the salt policy this time is greater than at any time in the past.

The biggest obstacle has been removed.

No matter how deep the salt merchants' roots are, they will be uprooted next.

If the scholars in the Lianghuai region cannot distinguish who they should be loyal to, then there is no need for them to exist.

If we calculate the time, the liquidation operation should start soon!"

Li Mu's words scared Lan Linjie.

Even though he had just come into contact with the darkness of officialdom, he knew that these secret messages were not something he should know.

"Thank you for reminding me, sir!"

Lan Linjie replied with a grateful look on his face.

There were many scholars in the Lianghuai region who were related to salt merchants, including some of his classmates and friends.

The imperial court wanted to eliminate the influence of the salt merchants, and the scholars who spoke and worked for the salt merchants would naturally not have a good life.

If he fails to change camp in time and is involved in a rebellion, his life and the destruction of his clan are imminent.

……

"You are blind, this is Yin..."

The doorman fell in a pool of blood before he could finish his shouting.

"Jinyiwei is investigating a case, and anyone who interferes will be killed without mercy!"

Hearing this, the doorman lying in a pool of blood moved his fingers unwillingly.

It was really unfair. If these Jinyiwei in front of him wore official uniforms or revealed their identities in advance, he would never be so brave.

Immediately afterwards, countless soldiers stepped over the corpse of the gatekeeper and rushed into the Yin Mansion.

All the servants and maids who appeared along the way paid the price with their lives, as if they came here specifically to kill people.

"Master, something terrible has happened!
The Jinyiwei came rushing in. They are a bunch of demons who kill anyone they see."

The senior members of the Yin family who were discussing matters in the inner courtyard were stunned by the news.

Everyone knows about the bad reputation of the Jinyiwei, but since everyone is within the system, the Jinyiwei must follow the rules when handling cases.

"Killing anyone you see" is not solving a case, but rather exterminating an entire family.

"The butler arranged for the servants to cover our retreat, and the rest of us ran separately!"

The elderly head of the Yin family immediately gave the order.

Although they didn't know what had happened to cause the Jinyiwei to kill them, it would definitely be a good idea to escape first.

In the blink of an eye, the inner courtyard was deserted.

"Father, let's go!
The enemy is coming with great force, and the servants in the mansion can't hold them off for long."

The middle-aged man urged anxiously.

The senior officials in the mansion left one after another, and now only four people from their eldest branch of the family are left.

“You two move the huge rock pressing on the dry well, and after we enter the secret passage, put the rock back in its original place.

After you are done, find a place to commit suicide and leave no traces!"

After hearing the old man's words, the two men in black walked to the dry well with expressionless faces and began to move the boulder.

Soon the dry well appeared in everyone's sight. Without any hesitation, the old man stepped into the bamboo basket first and asked the death warrior to slowly loosen the rope and lower it down.

In a flash, all four of them entered the secret passage, and the sound of the huge rock moving was heard again.

"Father, since there is a secret passage in the inner courtyard, why did you choose to go the long way instead of the near one and let the tribe members take the risk of evacuating from the east and west courtyards?"

The middle-aged man asked with a frown.

Wealthy families never lack means of escape, and there are many secret passages in the Yin Mansion alone.

"Old Three, you are still too young!
The Jinyiwei monitors the entire world and has the best intelligence gathering capabilities in the world. Who can guarantee that we don't have any of their secret agents in our palace?

Since they chose to attack us, they must have set up control in the nearby area.

How could we possibly get away if no one was there to draw attention?
The enemy can accurately grasp the time of attack, and there may be secret spies of the Royal Guard among our family members and clansmen."

The old man's cold words made the three of them shudder.

For the sake of a possibility, they chose to sacrifice many family members and clansmen, which was completely contrary to the education they received since childhood.

"Grandpa, this..." Before the eldest grandson could finish, the old man interrupted:

“I know you have resentment in your heart, but some sacrifices must be made.

Unlike in the past, the enemy this time is the imperial court.

The resources that the imperial court can mobilize are by no means comparable to those of our family alone.

If nothing unexpected happened, all the officials in the clan who were serving in the court would have met with misfortune at this time.

Now that we are confronting the imperial court, all of our former friends, relatives, students and former officials are no longer reliable.

Do you believe that if we show our heads, we will be sold out in exchange for the imperial court's reward?"

No matter how powerful the Yin family is, they are a family dependent on the Dayu system.

When confronted with the system, the connections that one once prided oneself on now become death warrants.

The biggest sign was that there was a problem with intelligence in Beijing, but there was no alert at the time.

The main reason is that they rely on the rules of the political game and have been local tyrants in the Huaibei region for too long, and they have forgotten that there are people in the world who can transcend the rules.

"Grandpa, why would the court attack us?"

The youngest grandson asked doubtfully.

In his memory, the Yin family of Lianghuai was a group of good country gentlemen.

He has friends all over the country and has a good reputation among his neighbors.

"for money!"

The old man said bitterly.

In the moment of crisis, he suddenly realized how ridiculous the monetary benefits he had been pursuing in the past were.

The salt industry is a highly profitable industry, and even if one pays taxes honestly, one can still make huge profits.

Unfortunately, in the face of huge amounts of money, people are always easily lost in desire.

In order to maximize their profits, the seven major families secretly manipulated salt merchants to sell private salt, continuously eroding the salt tax of the imperial court.

I thought as long as the relationships were managed properly, there would be no problems.

I never expected that the disaster would come so suddenly.

In the past, whenever the imperial court wanted to reform the salt policy, the news would leak out in advance.

With the network of personal connections they maintain, they are able to fill the court with opposition voices and veto all reform proposals.

The officials sent by the emperor to thoroughly investigate the salt tax could not withstand their silver bullet offensive and fell into it one after another.

Occasionally, if you encounter a tough opponent, you can destroy it with your body.

Political victories time and again have gradually made them relax their vigilance and forget that the rules of the game can be played because others are willing to abide by them.

The killing by the Jinyiwei shattered his fantasy.

When the emperor decided to overturn the table, all the proud networks of relationships were completely useless.

“Father, now is not the time to be sad.

Now that the Jinyiwei have taken action, it means that all our operations overtly have been ruined.

Without official support, the forces behind the scenes may get out of control at any time.

Those extremely vicious criminals are just hungry wolves that can never be fattened.

We are in trouble now, and they might even take advantage of our misfortune to do something bad!"

The middle-aged man regained his senses and immediately pointed out the crux of the problem.

When wealth loses its ability to protect itself, it becomes fat meat on the chopping board and everyone wants to take a bite.

“Since the imperial court has taken action, it will not just target our family. The other families will most likely not escape this disaster either.

There is enough food stored in the secret passage ahead, and I have also arranged for death squads to guard it.

Let's stay in the secret room for a few days first, and then leave after the Jinyiwei's attention is away from us.

When the time comes, you guys will set sail on a ship and never come back.

I will stay here to seek justice for my deceased clansmen and let Emperor Tianyuan know that the Yin family is not to be trifled with!"

(End of this chapter)