The prince is more stable

Chapter 501: Thorough Investigation of Nine Counties
The "bottom line" is something that all living creatures in the world have.

Even a dog has its bottom line. At least it knows very well that it cannot bite its owner or sit at the table for meals.

Zhao Xiaoqian's moral bottom line was not high, just like his belt, which was very loose. He could take it off at will and marry anyone.

Even a person with such corrupt morals still has a bottom line as a human being.

The bottom line is the people. He was born in a poor class in his previous life, and the standpoint of the lower class was unconsciously brought into this life. Whenever he encounters anything, he first thinks about solutions from the standpoint of the lower class.

Being in a powerful position but standing at the bottom of society, it is difficult for such a person not to offend others.

The two classes themselves are full of sharp contradictions. Unfortunately, Zhao Xiaoqian happened to be on the left and right of the two classes. It is conceivable how difficult his life would have been if he had no power.

Now, the contradiction between the two classes has occurred again.

Zhao Xiaoqian still stood at the bottom without hesitation. This was his choice.

His conscience told him that he had to do this and he could no longer turn a deaf ear and remain dumb.

Li Qingchen was urgently summoned to the Prince's Mansion. Zhao Xiaoqian had a gloomy face, closed his eyes and sat in the main hall without saying a word.

Zhao Xin and Chen Shou were also standing in the main hall, both of them standing cautiously with their hands hanging down.

As soon as Li Qingchen saw the situation and the atmosphere, he knew something had happened, otherwise His Royal Highness the Prince, who was always unruly, would not look like this.

Li Qingchen stepped forward quickly and asked tentatively, "Your Highness..."

Zhao Xiaoqian opened his eyes, a cold light flashed in his eyes: "Li Qingchen, did Han Wei and Wang Yuan have any private transactions with you?"

Li Qingchen was stunned. "No, I have never done any business with them. I am just an acquaintance of theirs."

Zhao Xiaoqian stared at him for a long time before slowly asking, "Did they give you any valuable gifts in private?"

Li Qingchen immediately said, "I have given it to you, but I refuse to return it."

"Why?"

Li Qingchen smiled bitterly and said, "If I were someone who would accept gifts, I wouldn't have been isolated by Liu Qianliang and his men. Besides, I heard that Your Highness also returned their gifts, so I dare not accept them."

Zhao Xiaoqian finally smiled: "Old Li, I was right about you, you are a good person."

Ding! A good guy card.

What is certain is that Li Qingchen's bottom line is much higher than his. He exudes an air of poverty and nobility. He must know the four ways to write the word "卉".

Zhao Xiaoqian was satisfied, but Li Qingchen was confused. As soon as he entered the room today, His Royal Highness the Prince acted as if he was going to hold a trial, but Li Qingchen still didn't know what had happened.

"Your Highness, has something happened in our Zhending Prefecture?" Li Qingchen asked cautiously.

"Well, something happened. From what I know so far, all the villagers in a village were relocated. They were moved away very suddenly without even taking their luggage. There were bloodstains on the ground, and the bodies of two old people were found in a dry well at the entrance of the village." Zhao Xiaoqian said.

Li Qingchen was startled, and his expression suddenly became ugly: “Did Han Wei and the others do it?”

"It's most likely them. We don't know the situation of the other villages and forts in the nine counties under the jurisdiction of Zhending Prefecture yet, so we need to conduct an immediate census. Also, you must issue an official letter in the name of the Zhending Prefecture, halting the relocation of local farmers and refugees."

Li Qingchen gritted his teeth and said, "I'll do it right away... Han Wei and the others are so lawless, aren't they afraid of being severely punished by the law?"

Zhao Xiaoqian sneered: "With the support of the bigwigs in Bianjing, what are they afraid of? The powerful in Bianjing are the law of the land. Even if ordinary people come to Bianjing to file a complaint with the emperor, they can't even enter the city gates."

Li Qingchen was stunned, then sighed deeply. He knew that Zhao Xiaoqian was telling the truth.

The lives of the people in this era are indeed worthless. Whether they can live in peace and security to old age depends entirely on the conscience of the officials.

"Your Highness, I wonder where Han Wei, Wang Yuan and the others are now?" Li Qingchen asked.

Zhao Xiaoqian said calmly, "I've already ordered the Imperial City Bureau to investigate. Now I want to know the situation of the farmers in the nine counties under the jurisdiction of Zhending Prefecture. I want to know how many villages have lost lives, how many farmers have been relocated, and what the current whereabouts of those farmers have been."

Li Qingchen was silent for a moment, then said, "Your Highness, if Han Wei, Wang Yuan, and the others were captured...what should be done with them?"

Zhao Xiaoqian also fell silent. He knew very well how powerful the backers behind these officials were. The more than 400 miles of land was too tempting for the powerful people in Bianliang. It also showed that the people in Bianliang who were qualified to participate in this land enclosure had considerable status and power.

Even Zhao Xu was wary of the combined power of these people.

So, what should we do with Han Wei, Wang Yuan and others after we catch them?

If you are not careful, you will stir up a hornet's nest.

"Let's catch them first," Zhao Xiaoqian said slowly. "They have committed crimes in Zhending Prefecture, and they should bear the consequences accordingly. If I, as a magistrate, cannot redress the injustices of the people under my jurisdiction, how can I have the dignity to sit in this position?"

Li Qingchen's eyes flashed with admiration, and he bowed to him without saying a word.

The bow is silent, yet it expresses so much. …………

Overnight, the atmosphere in Zhending City suddenly became tense and depressing.

The troops responsible for the city defense were dispatched one after another. On the streets, teams of soldiers were seen running past with weapons in their hands. After leaving the city, they dispersed in various directions.

The officials from the government office also quickly left the city and dispersed to the villages in the nine counties under its jurisdiction, conducting a dragnet-style investigation into the population situation in each village.

The common people and merchants in the city stopped curiously and watched the teams of soldiers running out of the city with solemn expressions. They couldn't help but talk about it. No one knew what was going on, but a sense of unease quickly fermented and spread among the crowd.

Half a day later, the magistrates of nine counties were urgently summoned to Zhending City by Zhao Xiaoqian. The magistrates were sitting in the carriage and were shaken around so much that they didn't even have time to catch their breath after getting off the carriage before they were called into the government office.

At the same time, a knight on a fast horse rushed to the Longwei Camp on the south bank of the Juma River. The knight only brought a military order from Zhao Xiaoqian.

Twenty thousand soldiers from the Dragon Guard Camp were mobilized to conduct a carpet search for Han Wei, Wang Yuan and other officials in the newly occupied territory 400 miles from the Juma River. If any migrating farmers or refugees were found, they would be sent back to Zhending City.

In the Zhending government office, the magistrates of the nine counties under its jurisdiction nervously explained the situation of the villages and forts under their jurisdiction to Zhao Xiaoqian. Zhao Xiaoqian then treated them to dinner but refused to let them go.

Then Zhao Xin from the Imperial City Office came forward and began to interrogate and investigate these county magistrates to find out whether they had colluded with Han Wei, Wang Yuan and others.

At the same time, the heads of the Zhending Prefecture's Tizhusi, Tixingsi, Zhuanyunsi and other departments were also called into the government office. After being questioned in person by Zhao Xiaoqian, the heads were taken away by the subordinates of the Imperial City Office as soon as they left the main hall and began further interrogation.

Compared with the tense atmosphere in Zhending City, the atmosphere in the government office was even more depressing and suffocating.

Those officials who were usually high and mighty were trembling with fear and sweating profusely when they entered the door. Under the fierce interrogation of the Imperial City Bureau, the officials who had committed crimes in the past could not withstand the pressure and confessed one after another.

Late at night, Zhao Xiaoqian had not returned home yet. He sat alone in the back hall of the government office, reading the confession sent by the Imperial City Office.

The news is mixed.

The bad news is that the Imperial City Administration is once again investigating and interrogating the officials of Zhending Prefecture, and many officials who committed crimes last time but escaped the purge have been found.

The good news is that the crimes committed by these officials have little to do with the current land grabbing by the powerful in Bianliang. They are all things they have done in previous years.

At this time, Zhao Xiaoqian had a rough idea of ​​Han Wei, Wang Yuan and others' plans.

What is certain is that this time they were enclosing land on the orders of the bigwigs in Bian Jing. These officials acted on their own and had no plans to collude with local officials, so the officials of Zhending Prefecture were not involved.

This is also logical. After all, the bosses are all top senior figures in the Song Dynasty. What they do privately can only be carried out in secret. If they collude with local officials, the matter will inevitably be leaked and cause a sensation in the city.

Moreover, colluding with local officials means giving up some of their interests. Given the greed of the bosses, they are probably reluctant to give up their interests.

The territory conquered by Zhao Xiaoqian and the Longwei Camp was such a vast and ownerless arable land that the bigwigs in Bianjing gathered together to discuss and divide it up privately. They wanted to make money quietly and there was no need to get too many people involved.

It has to be said that once people gain power, their courage and ambition will swell.

There are more than 400 miles of land. Even if only one-third of it is arable land, it is still an astronomical figure that is shocking.

Their plan had been going smoothly. If no one had died, and if Niao Niao had not accidentally discovered the abnormality, then this enclosure would most likely have been successful.

Unfortunately, they underestimated Zhao Xiaoqian's reaction. They thought that if they could stabilize Zhao Xiaoqian and give him a share of the profits afterwards, they could get things done without anyone noticing.

However, Zhao Xiaoqian was not so easily fooled, and his position was completely different from that of the powerful people in Bianliang.

In this regard, Zhao Xiaoqian's bottom line is much higher than theirs.

Late at midnight, the government office was still crowded with people. Zhao Xiaoqian had not slept, and the officials did not dare to sleep either.

They were busy collecting statistics and receiving news from the officials who went to the countryside.

The atmosphere was very depressing. The officials walked on tiptoe, not daring to breathe, but cursing in their hearts.

I don't know who has offended His Royal Highness the Prince. It's fine if you've offended him, but what have we, the petty officials who receive a meager monthly salary, done to offend him? Why should you, because of the evil you have done, force us to work overtime in the government office in the middle of the night?
Late at midnight, Li Qingchen walked into the back hall with a tired look on his face.

"Your Highness, the news about the villages and forts in the nine counties under our jurisdiction has been summarized." Li Qingchen said.

Zhao Xiaoqian took the stack of papers from his hand and flipped through them page by page with a serious face.

The data on the paper are the latest data compiled by the officials and soldiers who were dispatched to various villages and forts today.

The data is a bit eye-catching.

The population of villages, fortresses and farmers in the nine counties under its jurisdiction has decreased by one-third. What's worse, some villages are completely deserted.

In other words, all the young and middle-aged people, the elderly, women and children in the village were forcibly relocated.

(End of this chapter)