My father is Chongzhen? Then I have no choice but to rebel.

Chapter 215: Pay taxes? What taxes? I’m a royal relative!

After realizing this, these gentry and powerful people immediately paid the back taxes respectfully and cooperatively.

However, this situation made the officers and soldiers of the Beijing camp, who were full of fighting spirit and wanted to make a good effort in collecting taxes, suddenly deflated like a punctured ball.

These officers and soldiers were originally full of expectations, thinking that once they arrived at the place, they would inevitably have a fierce conflict with these cunning and difficult gentry and powerful people who owed taxes.

When the time comes, you can raid a few homes and wipe out a few clans, and those will be easy military merits!

But who would have thought that this group of people would be so proactive in paying the overdue taxes, their initiative was beyond imagination!
However, the officers and soldiers did not show mercy, but followed Zhu Cilang's instructions and directly extended the tax collection period to the Wanli period.

In other words, the unpaid taxes that are being collected now are from the Wanli period until now!
All in all, a total of sixty-eight years of arrears taxes will be collected!

But even so, these gentry and powerful people did not resist at all, and obediently dug out boxes of silver from their own cellars and silver vaults.

Then he hurried to pay all the taxes owed to the Ming Dynasty for a full sixty-eight years.

If you don’t have enough money, you can use food and rare treasures to make up for it, and focus on being proactive and motivated!
This time, not only the officers and soldiers of the Beijing camp were confused, but even the officials of the Ministry of Revenue, the East Factory, the West Factory, and the Embroidered Uniform Guard were all confused.

Because in their memory, this kind of thing has never happened before.
But no matter what, since these gentry and powerful people are willing to pay the taxes on their own initiative, they naturally will not make things difficult for them.

After all, they have paid all the money they should have paid. If you are bullying them, that would be a bit unreasonable, right?

Take the ordinary Lai'an County for example. After a round of collection, they actually collected 150,000 taels of silver and more than 100,000 dan of arrears in grain!

There are at least a thousand counties and prefectures like this in the Ming Dynasty!
Afterwards, a small portion of the confiscated silver and grain was kept as military supplies to ensure the daily operations of the army, and the other large portion was quickly transported to the capital.

Situations like this basically occurred in counties and prefectures within a hundred miles of the capital.

But of course, although the tax collection in several counties around the capital was carried out quite smoothly, it could even be described as unimpeded.

But the further away from the capital, the more complicated the situation becomes.

Cangzhou, Hebei, is a typical example of this complex situation.

At this moment, in Cangzhou City, a luxuriously decorated restaurant was bustling with activity.

The restaurant was decorated with colorful lights and had carved beams and painted buildings. Every exquisite decoration sparkled and radiated a dazzling brilliance under the flickering candlelight.

A large group of people sat together, drinking and having fun.

The entire restaurant was buzzing with people, with one noise after another, as if it was going to blow the roof off the restaurant. The lively scene seemed to be celebrating some extremely important happy event.

In fact it is.

Today, these people gathered here to celebrate the birthday of a noble person.

Moreover, if we talk about the origins of this person, he actually has an inseparable relationship with the current emperor.

Because this person was none other than Hou Gongchen, the consort of Emperor Wanli's sister and Princess Shouyang.

During the Wanli period, the dispute over the succession between Crown Prince Zhu Changluo and Prince of Fu Zhu Changxun sparked a turbulent "struggle for the foundation of the country."

Hou Gongchen was in charge of the Ministry of Clan Affairs at that time, and was also deeply involved in the vortex of this fierce struggle.

He spared no effort in giving advice to the side he supported and fought with all his might, playing a vital role in that brutal power struggle.

It’s a pity that Hou Gongchen stood on the wrong side because he supported Prince Fu Zhu Changxun at the time.

In the 45th year of the Wanli reign, Hou Gongchen did something jaw-dropping.

He was so shameless that he pretended that his illegitimate son Hou Changguo was the princess's son, and then made careful efforts to petition for him.

Originally, confusing the royal bloodline was a serious crime. Not to mention killing him, he should at least be severely punished, right?

However, what is unbelievable is that Hou Gongchen actually secured the position of a first-rank governor for his son!
Later, Princess Shouyang unfortunately passed away, and for various reasons, Hou Gongchen and his entire family were demoted to Cangzhou by the court.

This wait lasted for several long decades.

However, no one expected that this guy was surprisingly long-lived. Now he is eighty years old, but still energetic and as strong as a man in his prime.

Today is Hou Gongchen's 80th birthday. Those who came to celebrate his birthday are all local prominent officials and wealthy gentry.

The wine table was filled with a wide variety of delicacies, and the rich aroma of wine filled the entire space.

Everyone raised their glasses high, with fawning smiles on their faces, and competed to toast Hou Gongchen.

"My dear Prince Consort, I wish you happiness like the endless waters of the East Sea, and a long life like the evergreen pines of the Southern Mountains!"

"Yes, with the Prince Consort's physique, living for another few decades is no problem!"

"The Prince Consort is still going strong despite his old age!"

Flattering words rang out one after another, and the atmosphere was extremely warm.

Hou Gongchen, who was already eighty years old, naturally enjoyed the flattery from everyone with a smile.

Because he is also very proud of his longevity. After all, not everyone can live to his age!

After three rounds of wine and five dishes, everyone's faces were flushed and their eyes revealed a hint of drunkenness.

At this moment, one of the squires' eyes flickered a few times, and he suddenly lowered his voice and said mysteriously:
"Your Majesty, I recently received a copy of the Ming Daily from the capital, which reported that the emperor had been assassinated. The assassins were said to be those gentry from the south."

"In order to evade paying taxes, they actually did such outrageous and unacceptable things!"

"This has led to the court's decision to collect all the arrears of taxes from the gentry throughout the country. I heard that the tax will soon be collected from us. What do you think, should we pay it or not?"

When Hou Gongchen heard this, a trace of disdain appeared on his slightly drunk face. He waved his hand nonchalantly and said:
"What does this have to do with you and me? It wasn't you or me who did it anyway, so why bother with it?"

"I've also read the Daming Daily you mentioned. Don't be fooled by the seriousness it says there. It's just a scare tactic. How can you easily collect the tax debt?"

When the squire heard this, he hurried forward and continued:
"Your Highness, you can't say that! After all, this is a serious matter involving the assassination of the emperor. What if we don't pay taxes and the court thinks we are the real culprit behind the assassination?"

"This will result in the extermination of all nine clans!"

When Hou Gongchen heard this, the corners of his mouth curled up slightly, revealing a mocking chuckle. He glanced at the gentleman who was speaking with a look of a fool and said:

"Why can't you think straight? Don't you see? I'm the Duke of Mount Tai, a dignified Duke of Mount Tai of the Ming Dynasty, a true royal relative."

"As for the assassination of the emperor, no matter what, it will never happen to me. Even if the current emperor sees me, he has to respectfully call me uncle!"

After saying this, Hou Gongchen straightened his back, glanced majestically at the people around him, and said with confidence and pride on his face:

"Of course, this prince consort has always valued friendship and loyalty, and will definitely protect you."

"Even the tax collectors wouldn't have the guts to come and collect your outstanding taxes."

"If there are truly blind people who dare to come and collect your outstanding taxes, just come and find me, the Prince Consort!"

When the gentry and officials present heard this, their faces instantly lit up with joy, and they hurriedly bowed and expressed their gratitude with smiles on their faces.

At the same time, he secretly rejoiced in his heart that it would be great if he could really be exempted from paying the additional tax.

Immediately afterwards, Hou Gongchen was surrounded by the crowd like a star, immersed in a flattering and festive atmosphere.

There was still a peaceful and joyful atmosphere in the restaurant, with laughter and joy echoing in the air.

However, what no one noticed was that in the inconspicuous corners around the restaurant, several pairs of cold and sharp eyes were quietly staring at everyone who came to the banquet.

The owners of these eyes are either the guests at the banquet or the waiters who are busy and bustling around the table.

They hid in the shadows, like ghosts blending into the darkness, silently observing every move at the banquet.

And they were actually the Jinyiwei who arrived in Cangzhou earlier.

According to the previous action plan, whenever they arrived at a new place, the Jinyiwei would take the lead in launching actions and conduct detailed investigations on the powerful local gentry and powerful people.

Their purpose was very clear, which was to make full preparations for the subsequent large force to successfully collect the tax arrears.

But this time, they unexpectedly ran into Hou Gongchen's lively 80th birthday party.

These Jinyiwei hid in the dark, quietly observing every move at the banquet, and took in everything that Hou Gongchen and others said and did.

After a moment, they exchanged glances with each other, and then quietly retreated from every corner like ghosts.

At midnight, the moonlight was dim. In a secluded and secluded house in Cangzhou City, several Jinyiwei in plain clothes gathered.

The room was dimly lit, with only a flickering oil lamp emitting a faint yellow light, which made their shadows appear longer and shorter on the wall.

The leader was named Jin Yichuan, who served as the deputy captain of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. This time, he followed the Beijing Camp to the Cangzhou area to carry out the tax collection task.

But who could have expected that they would run into such a difficult situation as Hou Gongchen.

Jin Yichuan frowned and thought for a long time, but still felt that this matter was too tricky.

As a member of the royal family, although Hou Gongchen's relationship with the current emperor is not as close as that of a direct descendant, he is still a member of the royal family in the final analysis.

If this matter is not handled well, not only will you be rewarded and promoted, but you may even lose your life.

Although the prince had repeatedly emphasized before departure that even when dealing with royal relatives, the principle of treating everyone equally must be upheld.

But when it comes to actual implementation at the local level, only those who are in charge of the actual work know the difficulties and obstacles involved, and they are often the ones who suffer.

After a moment, Jin Yichuan looked up at a captain of the Imperial Guard standing beside him who also had a serious expression on his face and asked:
"How's the investigation going?"

The Jinyiwei captain's expression became more and more solemn, then he shook his head and replied:
"Sir, the situation in Cangzhou is more difficult than you can imagine, because the most powerful gentry in Cangzhou is none other than Hou Gongchen." "If we want to collect the outstanding taxes, we must start with him!"

"But his identity is so special that it's hard to know where to start."

After hearing this, Jin Yichuan fell into deep silence, his face full of worry.

Suddenly, at this moment, a low voice came from outside the door:
"Sir, someone has arrived. It's one of our own."

Jin Yichuan was about to say something when he heard this, but the door was suddenly pushed open the next second.

Then, two tall men strode in.

However, the appearance of these two men was quite strange, with smooth and beardless faces and a feminine look. It was obvious at a glance that they were eunuchs.

Jin Yichuan's heart moved, and he instantly realized that this should be someone sent by the East Factory and the West Factory.

Although the East Factory, the West Factory and the Embroidered Uniform Guard have many intersections and close ties on many matters, the eunuchs in the palace are actually in charge of them.

There were also many eunuchs who came with the army this time, but these eunuchs were not ordinary eunuchs, but were all from the Jing Army.

Although they are all eunuchs, they are different from the eunuchs who usually serve in the palace.

Instead, they have fought with real swords and guns on the battlefield, and have a bravery that has experienced life and death.

Jin Yichuan reacted quickly, bowed his hands, and said respectfully:

"Meet the two fathers-in-law."

One of the eunuchs nodded slightly and said:

"My name is Lu Jiude, and that person is Li Sanli. Sir Jin, we are here to help you."

Jin Yichuan was full of curiosity, but he suppressed his doubts and asked:

"May I ask, sirs, how can you help me?"

Lu Jiude raised the corner of his mouth slightly, revealing a meaningful smile and said:

"Have you encountered a difficult problem here, sir? For example, you have encountered an extremely powerful person, and you want to collect taxes from him, but because of his special status, you dare not act rashly?"

When Jin Yichuan heard this, his face changed instantly. He really didn't expect that these two eunuchs knew so well about the predicament he was facing.

Li Sanli saw this and quickly smiled and comforted him:
"Don't panic, my lord. This is actually a situation that the prince has long anticipated."

"Before we set off, the Crown Prince specifically asked us to carefully check the nobles and royal relatives in all provinces, and then sent someone to deal with this matter."

"And the two of us are here to deal with this Prince Consort!"

When Jin Yichuan heard this, the big stone in his heart fell to the ground instantly. While sighing in his heart at the prince's brilliant plan, he hurriedly asked:
"In that case, I will do whatever you two eunuchs say."

Lu Jiude continued:
"It's very simple. If any royal family member like the prince resists paying taxes, he will be arrested and taken back to the capital to be tried by His Majesty and the Crown Prince."

"But if they are relatives of the emperor who have no connection with us, just kill them directly."

"For example, if this prince consort dares to resist paying taxes, he can be killed directly."

When Jin Yichuan heard this, he felt a chill on his back.

He really didn't expect that these two eunuchs would dare to say such things. You have to know that this is the son-in-law of the emperor, and he is over 80 years old. How could they kill him just like that?

Isn’t the prince’s decision too decisive?

In fact, this was indeed the result of Zhu Cilang's careful consideration.

He knew in his heart that there were a large number of royal relatives, princes and dukes in the Ming Dynasty, and their connections were complicated. Although he had repeatedly ordered and instructed that the tax policy must be strictly implemented and everyone must be treated equally.

But when they really get to the local level, the officials and soldiers on duty will definitely be timid because of the other party's identity and will not dare to take action against the royal family and princes.

That's why he specially sent the Jingjun with oral instructions. Once the people in charge were hesitant, he would give them oral instructions so that they could act with confidence and boldness.

Although Zhu Cilang also hated some princes and dukes who were arrogant and committed evil, they were all descendants of the Zhu family after all. As a descendant of the Zhu family himself, it was not easy for him to directly order their killing.

There is no way. After all, in the minds of the ancients, blood inheritance is extremely important. If these princes and dukes are killed directly, it would be against ethical principles.

So he set a rule that if princes and dukes resisted paying taxes, they would all be taken back to the capital and tried personally by Chongzhen.

But if ordinary royal relatives resist paying taxes, there is no need to hesitate, just kill them directly to serve as a warning to others!

At the same time, Jin Yichuan had come back to his senses. He looked at the two eunuchs in front of him with a serious expression and said:
"Don't worry, my two eunuchs. I know what to do. I will definitely not let His Royal Highness the Crown Prince down."

Lu Jiude and Li Sanli smiled at each other, nodded with satisfaction, and then turned and left.

Jin Yichuan looked at their departing backs, his expression instantly turning cold as ice.

He walked to the window and looked up at the moon hanging high in the sky.

The moonlight was cold, shining on his face, making his expression even colder.

After a moment, Jin Yichuan muttered to himself coldly:
"My dear Prince Consort, I hope you won't push me too far tomorrow, or else don't blame me for being cruel and merciless."

Early the next morning, the sky was getting light and the dawn was beginning to appear.

The large army that came to collect taxes finally arrived in Cangzhou in a mighty force.

All the troops added up to two thousand people. The team was neat and orderly, and the momentum was magnificent.

These two thousand people rushed straight towards the Cangzhou government office like a steel torrent.

After arriving at the government office, a eunuch strode forward, cleared his throat, and then read out an imperial edict aloud.

The imperial edict was stern in its words, requiring Cangzhou County Magistrate Li Zhiliang to fully cooperate in collecting the overdue taxes. If he refused, he would be dismissed and investigated on the spot.

After hearing the contents of the imperial edict, Cangzhou County Magistrate Li Zhiliang was so frightened that his face turned pale and his legs went weak. How could he dare to say no?

He recalled that he had attended Hou Gongchen's banquet last night, and he had fully believed that Hou Gongchen could help him avoid the tax arrears by virtue of his status as a royal relative.

But now it seems that this is simply an unrealistic fantasy.

Because the imperial court actually dispatched such a large-scale army, these officers and soldiers were all eyeing them covetously, and it was obvious that they were not people to be trifled with.

Li Zhiliang knelt on the ground with a terrified look on his face, and said in a trembling voice:

"My Lords, I have served as an official in Cangzhou for many years and have acquired some land. I am willing to set an example and pay the taxes I owe."

When the other people present heard this, they looked at each other and then laughed, thinking that this guy really knew how to deal with the current situation and had saved them a lot of trouble.

So not long after, several boxes of silver were carried out of Li Zhiliang's house.

Judging from the quantity, it is obvious that Li Zhiliang has been involved in a lot of corruption and bribery.

However, this was not the time to worry about this, and the people who came to collect taxes accepted the money generously.

Then he ordered Li Zhiliang to immediately summon the yamen runners and some local soldiers, and lead them to various places to collect the overdue taxes.

Unlike ordinary gentry, some gentry with official positions would pay the taxes obediently once they received the imperial edict, no matter how reluctant they were.

Firstly, they cared very much about their hard-earned official positions. If they lost their official positions due to tax resistance, the loss would outweigh the gain.

Secondly, they could tell from the scale of the court's military deployment that the court was serious this time and was definitely not joking.

Therefore, the only way out at this time is to pay the taxes obediently. If you continue to resist paying taxes, not only will you lose your official position, you may even lose your life.

As the saying goes, "To catch a thief, you must first catch the king." After making a simple deployment, the tax collection team rushed directly to Hou Gongchen's mansion.

Hou Gongchen is a local tyrant in Cangzhou. His house is extremely luxurious, with flying eaves, brackets, carved beams and painted rafters. Its luxury even exceeds the regulations.

The servant at the gate of the Marquis' Mansion was startled at first when he saw so many people coming so aggressively, but he quickly regained his arrogance, relying on his master's power, and shouted:

"Who are you? Why are you here? Do you know that this is the residence of the Prince Consort?"

The leading general of the Beijing Camp still had a smile on his face and said slowly:

"Of course I know, but I'd still like you to go in and inform them that we are sent by the court to collect the overdue taxes. We hope that the Prince Consort can pay the taxes that have been in arrears for so many years so that we can return and report."

When the servant heard this, he became even more arrogant.

He put his hands on his hips and said angrily:

"Pay taxes? What taxes? Our master is the son-in-law of the emperor. Even the current emperor has to respectfully call him "Grandpa" when he sees him. Why should he pay taxes?"

When the people who came to collect taxes heard this, they sneered in their hearts, and a trace of disdain flashed in their eyes, but they did not say a word. They just looked straight at the servant with cold and murderous eyes.

The servant had never seen much of the world, and he felt uneasy when being stared at by everyone, and was terrified for a moment.

But in order not to lose face in front of everyone, he was still prepared to continue to pretend to be strong and say something.

But before he could speak again, an old and quite majestic voice came from the mansion behind him:

"Who is making the noise outside?"

Immediately afterwards, an old man with white hair and beard came out, supported by his servants.

If not Hou Gongchen, who else could it be?
(End of this chapter)